The Negative Edge News Report 09.25.08
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 09.25.2008
It's been two years. I think it's time to move on...
Welcome to the final edition of The Negative Edge. Yeah, that's right - this will be my final news report for now, or maybe forever (you never know). It's been fun, but lately, I noticed that I've been spending way too much time trying to get this news report up every week. A good chunk of my free time was spent finding news to cover. I might spend hours gathering twenty separate stories, but end up only wanting to talk about two of them (and those were usually fighting game-related). This news-gathering kept me from getting to the sections of my column that I was more interested in. In particular, I wanted to put more effort into "The Release List" as it gave me a chance to take a good look at upcoming games, many of which I wouldn't have paid attention to otherwise. I also liked putting "The Anime Circle" together. I had many ideas that I wanted to explore for that section, but a lot of the time that I needed was wasted on news-gathering. So, instead of continuing to do something that I was beginning to hate, I decided to just focus on the things that I like to do. The current plan is to roll out three separate columns, one monthly that focuses on the coming month's releases, one weekly that focuses on the current week's import releases, and another that's anime-based. Details are still sketchy, but you can expect them in the Games and/or Movies sections in the coming weeks.
Lost Odyssey is calling me, so I'm going to keep this week's column short. Plus, I can't seem to be able to upload pictures today. Anyway...
This is the first song that I used in The Music Box way back in December. If you ever wondered, it's from the third level of Blaster Master. I brought it back mostly because it's a badass game that you should try at least once before arthritis kicks in. Just make sure that you get the NES version as the sequels just weren't up to par. I wish that Sunsoft was still around. Seeing and hearing this game with the Bionic Commado treatment would be pretty awesome.
The News As I See ItI was going to completely skip this section just for fun, but then I wouldn't have been able to tell you how you could try the Prinny demo next week -
Doooooooooood!
Spencer over at Siliconera found out from the marketing manager at NIS America that the company will publish Prinny: Is It OK if I'm the Protagonist in the US. He was also told that "the hard mode on that game is one of the most challenging action game ever made."
It shouldn't be a surprise that the game is being brought to America considering the positive response from fans of the series after hearing about it. What is a surprise, though, is that they're touting the fact that the game will be challenging. Sure, he was talking about hard mode, but even then, having an original side-scrolling platformer with recognizable characters that's actually a challenge is not something you see every day. I was expecting a game that could be beaten easily during one's first playthrough. That may still be the case, but they're at least providing a challenge to those who want one.
Now, if you can't wait for the localized version, you can import the game when it comes out in Japan on the 20th of November. But if you're the impatient type, you can download the demo next week from the Japanese PlayStation Store.
The Release ListYeah, I skipped a lot of things, but don't worry - whatever I missed will find its way into a future column.
Simple DS Series Vol. 44: The Gal Mahjong (DS Import)
Well... It's you, mahjong, and some girls. According to NCSX, the girl out front is a school teacher named Reiko. But seeing as how you don't understand Japanese, you can call her whatever you want. Right now I'll call her Clare since she reminds me of an Anime character with the same name. The other girls in the background must also have names and professions. I'll take a stab at the professions - from left to right we have the girl next door, a pharmacist, a loli (or maybe your non-blood-relative sister), and a secretary. I bet I'm right about most of them. Defeat these maidens and you can unlock outfits for each of them. There are also some mini-games, including one that involves mosquito bite healing.
X Edge (PS3 Import)
Capcom, Namco Bandai, Idea Factory, Gust, and Nippon Ichi have joined forces to bring us yet another strategy RPG, this time for the import-friendly PS3. Like Namco x Capcom, it is doubtful that this game will see the light of day in the US, mostly because of those increasingly annoying licensing issues. Characters that those with a firm grasp of Japanese can look forward to playing with include Marlone from Atelier Marie, Liliane, Rozeluxe, and Wuim from Mana-Khemia 2, Morrigan, Felicia, Demitri, and Lilith from the Darkstalkers series, Etna and Prinny from Disgaea, Lyner, Aurica, Misha, and Shurelia from Ar Tonelico, Meu from Spectral Souls, and Zeros from Blazing Souls.
On a related note, a fan translation for NxC has been released (it was completed about 3 years after the game was originally released). Some day Cross Edge may get its own fan translation. Maybe you should hold off on getting this until then. In the mean time, check out the Namco x Capcom translation project here if you want to get a taste of things to come.
Disgaea DS
This is essentially a port of the PSP version. Supposedly, most of the voice work has been retained, so the quirky banter between Etna and Laharl can still be enjoyed by newcomers as well as returning victims. Oh, don't forget about the new Prinny commentary that shows up on the top screen. Longtime fans might want to check this release out just for that alone. Just remember that you have to beat the game first in order to view it...
Wario Land: Shake It! (Wii)
In all honesty, this was the best Nintendo game that I saw at E3 this year. Granted, it didn't have much competition. What's startling is that the game was shown to us toward the end of our time with Nintendo as somewhat of an afterthought. As far as Nintendo games go, this might be the only one worth looking into for the rest of the year. Sad... very sad...
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure (DS)
Here's the PS1 cult classic remade for the DS. If I remember correctly, the original spawned two sequels. Unfortunately, only the first game ever made it here. Maybe if this sells well we might get the others some day. The original was more of a lightweight SRPG with musical sequences and off-the-wall lyrics. In the update, the gameplay mechanics have been tweaked to make the game more like a traditional RPG. I ordered Rhapsody a little while ago and I also have the original to compare it to. If it's worthy, I'll talk about it in a later column.
The End...That's all I have.
Now, If I can figure out how to actually pronounce XYZZY, I'll be back some day...
