The Release List 02.19.09: Prinny, Street Fighter IV, More
Posted by Tommy Coloma on 02.19.2009
1000 Prinnies try their best to bring Etna the dessert she deserves, Ken, Ryu, Chun-Li, and the rest of the gang return in the latest Street Fighter, and Marth shows us what a Fire Emblem is.
This week we've got an old-school 2D platformer, a new Street Fighter game, a few good top-down shooters, an NES remake, and a Metroid game. It's a great week to be an old-school gamer.
This week's highlightsNote: Release dates are subject to change
The Graphics
Those expecting rehashed character sprites from Disgaea will be disappointed as everything has been redrawn and animated to take advantage of the PSP's awesome sprite handling abilities. The characters mesh perfectly with the 3D rendered playfields and backgrounds as well as the hand-drawn backdrops. All six stages have different looks and layouts that correspond to the order in which you visit them, which is a nice effect that gives you a reason to revisit the same area at different times. For the most part, Prinny is presented in 2D. The only exception occurs when you do an Air Slash, at which time the screen shifts a little to give you an isometric-ish view ala your typical Disgaea battlefield. Thankfully, there is a way to shut that feature off as it gets annoying after a little while. Overall, the mixture of hand-drawn backdrops, 3D backgrounds and playfields, and sprite-based characters helps to make Prinny one of the best looking games on the PSP.
The Sounds
It shouldn't be a surprise that NIS was able to deliver in this department. Yeah - some of the songs are lifted directly from Disgaea, but the new music used throughout the stages and boss battles is good enough to stand on its own. The voicework is also good, though the version of the game that NIS sent me only had a Japanese language track (I'm not sure how good the localized version sounds or if there is even has an English track). The sound effects are better than average as well, with many of the enemies having their own voices, attack sounds, and explosions; you won't just be hearing the slash of your swords and the sound of Prinnies exploding all day.
The Story
The Prinny Squad has been tasked with bringing Etna an Ultra Desert within ten hours. If they fail to do so they will suffer a fate worse than death. It is up to you to navigate the Prinnies through six different areas so that they can gather the ingredients needed to fulfill Etna's request. There isn't an RPG-quality story here, but what you do get through cut scenes and dialog with various characters is more than you would from your typical 2D platformer.
The Game
First thing's first - unlike the SRPG games from which the title character originated, Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is a 2D side-scrolling platformer. Not only that - it's a pretty hard side-scrolling platformer. I still play these types of games on a regular basis and even I find some parts of Prinny maddeningly difficult. But what's great about this title is that the difficulty does not stem from bad controls and poor level design (cruel and sadistic, maybe, but not poor). In this genre, the controls can make or break a game. Luckily, the controls for Prinny are amongst the best that I've seen in a modern platformer. Just remember that I'm saying that from the point-of-view of someone who has an affinity toward old-school 2D platformers, so how you respond to what Prinny offers in terms of control may differ wildly depending on how much you can stand them.
As expected, you have your standard jump and attack buttons. Spamming the attack button while in the air activates Prinny's Air Slash attack. There is also a run button. Jumping while running allows you to get to otherwise unreachable areas and/or completely avoid some enemies. You can also end your run with a slide which leaves you invulnerable if used correctly. Because the distance of Prinny's jump is set, precise timing is needed to avoid death by bottomless pit or enemy encounter. Gamers who are used to games where they have the ability to control their characters after a jump may find this off-putting, but veterans will be at home here. What I really like is how you have several options at your disposal once you've made your initial jump. First, you can double jump in three different directions - back the way you came, up, and forward. You can also hip pound to go directly down - useful for compensating for overjumps or to catch moving platforms - or to stun your enemies. So even if you do make a mistake with your initial jump, you can often find a way out of it if you think fast enough. When I die in the game it's usually because I made a mistake, not because the controls suck or because things are unfairly placed.
When starting a new game you can choose between two difficulty settings - "Hell's Finest" and Standard. The only difference is that you die after getting hit once in "Hell's Finest" while you can absorb three hits and then explode on the fourth in Standard. No matter which difficulty you choose, you get one-thousand lives to work with. Yes, that's right - you get one-thousand lives to beat the game. Will you actually need that many? Well, during my first playthrough I chose "Hell's Finest" and ended up losing eight-hundred lives by the time I beat the 6th level. There are a few more levels after the initial six during which I ended up losing the rest. I chose Standard for my second run at it and was able to finish with six-hundred-ish Prinnies to spare. So, you might need quite a few lives for your first playthrough. Losing all one-thousand of your lives isn't all bad though, as you get a special ending and a really powerful attack for doing so.
As I mentioned earlier, you can play the first six levels in any order. With each subsequent stage that you chose, the visuals change to fit in with the time of day, the difficulty ramps up, the types and number of enemies you encounter also increases, and you get different music. These changes warrant multiple playthroughs, at least for those who can take the pain.
The 411 Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? is one of the best platformers I've played in years thanks to it's tight controls and above average presentation. However, this game is definitely not for everyone. In fact, I'm pretty sure that only hardcore platformer junkies and people with infinite amounts of patience will get past the first three or four stages without developing a desire to throw their PSPs at a wall in rage. But if you can hang on, getting through the game can be quite satisfying and is an achievement that is worth bragging about.
The Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? trailer
Street Fighter IV (PS3, 360)
It isn't necessary for me to go in-depth since every other site is already doing it. I will, however, bring to your attention one of the coolest features SFIV has - the Arcade Request system. Basically, instead of watching a static screen while waiting for someone to challenge you online, this system allows you to play against the computer and seamlessly accept a challenge when one comes your way. It's like going to an arcade and playing against the CPU until someone gets the nerve to plunk down fifty cents to take you on. If you set it to accept only Player Matches (unranked) you can keep things going by rematching or, if you don't want to play the person again, you can quickly and easily go back to arcade mode after your match and continue on with the CPU until you get another challenge. It's hard to believe that it's taken Capcom this long to implement such a system. I can only hope that SNK does the same thing in its home version of KOF XII.
Now, some of you have asked me where to go for gameplay tips so I've provided links to two of my favorite places down below -
EventHubs
This is one of the best sites to go to for gameplay info on Street Fighter IV. The Beginner section is especially useful for learning the new gameplay mechanics such as Focus Attacks and Ultra Moves. The site also has in-depth character overviews which include strengths, weaknesses, special moves, combos, and - dare I say it? - frame data. There's also good info on HD Remix and 3rd Strike.
Shoryuken
Judging by the way the SRK has been unresponsive for the last few days, it's clear that a lot of people already know about it. Check out their forums here for some in-depth tips and tricks for your favorite characters. Just make sure that you read around and use the search function BEFORE posting. It's likely that your questions have already been asked and answered countless times already.
DoDonPachi Daioujou Black Label Extra (360 Import)
Every shooter needs its own hook to stand out. While Trigger Heart has its grapple system and Ikaruga has its polarity-switching, DoDonPachi Daioujou games have a unique chaining system. As in previous games in the series, attacking and destroying enemies fills a gauge on the side of the screen. As long as the gauge does not empty out, destroying enemies increases your combo chain. Your goal is to get the highest combo possible.
Shakey-cam DoDonPachi Daioujou Black Label Extra gameplay footage from TGS
Shooting Love, 200X (360 Import)
What we've got here is yet another shooter that Microsoft decided would do better at retail instead of on Xbox Live Arcade. Apparently, it's a port of Triangle Service's Shooting Love, 2007. If I remember correctly, both Exzeal (the sequel to Trizeal) and Shmups Skill Test were part of that package. I've never played Trizeal or its sequel so I don't know how well they stack up to other games in the genre, but the Shmups Skill Test looks pretty cool and may even be worth the price of admission IF you know a few people who are also into shoot-em-ups.
Shmups Skill Test in action
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (DS) Shadow Dragon is a remake of the first Fire Emblem on the NES. Unsurprisingly, we get the expected upgraded graphics and touch screen controls. There's also an online component that allows players to do battle over the Internet. Permanent character death is still a part of the game, but there is a mid-battle save feature that makes things slightly easier. New chapters have also been added, and a lot of the refinements that the series has seen since the original release have been integrated into this remake.
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon gameplay footage
Metroid Prime Wii de Asobu (Wii Import)
Even though I already beat the original, I'm really looking forward to this entry in Nintendo's New Play Control! series. Not much is known save for the fact that this update will have tweaked graphics, widescreen support, and, of course, a Wii-ified control scheme.
Release info: Pikmin and Mario Pro Tennis were released in Japan in December and January respectively and both are scheduled for a US release in March. If Metroid follows that pattern we'll get it in the US in three or four months.
The Metroid Prime trailer
The other US releases Battle Rage: Mech Conflict (Wii)
Dawn of War 2 (PC)
Disney Sing It: High School Musical 3: Senior Year (PS2,PS3,360,Wii)
Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (DS)
Jake Power: Fireman
Jake Power: Policeman
Penumbra Collection (PC)
Puzzle Challenge: Crosswords and More! (Wii)
RACE Pro (360)
Rollin' Rascals
Solitaire & Mahjong (Wii)
The Dark Eye: Drakensang (PC)
The Import Scene Idolm@ster SP: Missing Moon (PSP)
Idolm@ster SP: Perfect Sun (PSP)
Idolm@ster SP: Wandering Star (PSP)
Sacred Blaze (PS2)
Saru Saru DS
Shining Force Feather (DS)
Shinjuku no Ookami (PS2)
Tenchu 4 (PSP) - released last week
