Sonic 4. AGAIN, that’s Sonic. IV. S-O-N-I-C…

February 4, 2010 – 7:00 pm

The name alone is enough to send us children of the Genesis–indeed, of all 16-bit–into paroxysms of glee.

I find it interesting that SEGA has glossed over Sonic CD and Sonic & Knuckles in the teaser trailer that went up today–and moreover, in the title of the game itself. It doesn’t bother me, however, in light of the fact that they’re delivering a new Sonic game that people will actually like. Did they have to wait 16 years? That couldn’t have been the plan all along.

Perhaps Hell hath frozen over… now let’s hope it doesn’t thaw by Summer 2010, when the game is supposed to come out. The original press release (as though you need to read it by now):

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SONIC MAKES FOR A FAST DOWNLOAD!

Sonic the HedgehogTM Speeds Into His Newest Downloadable Game

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (February 4, 2010) –SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced the latest game from the world’s fastest hedgehog – Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I. Available exclusively via download, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I (previously known as Project Needlemouse) will bring back the addictive side scrolling action that Sonic fans love in an all-new 2D adventure.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I, the first Sonic game developed exclusively for download, brings back the adventure that Sonic fans have been waiting 16 years for. It will offer the classic Sonic moves that fans love including Spin Dash and Rolling Attack and will also feature Homing Attack, all in beautiful CG rendered environments. Packed with special stages, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I will take players through a variety of different Zones, inspired by the Genesis-era style. Longtime fans will not be disappointed as they face some intense boss battles against everyone’s favorite villain – the always devious and evil – Dr.Eggman.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I features the classic Sonic gameplay style that the community has been asking for since Sonic and Knuckles,” said Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America,Inc. “Thanks to emerging technologies, we are able to create all-new stunning Sonic worlds combined with Genesis-era Sonic gameplay and make it downloadable across multiple platforms.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I will be available in Summer 2010 for Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PSN, and WiiWare™. For more information about Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I, please visit www.sonicthehedgehog4.com. For assets, please visit the SEGA FTP site at http://segapr.segaamerica.com.

By problemgamer | Posted in Life & Times & Problems, Miscellany | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

A Tale of Tales… and of Game-Crashing Pain

February 2, 2010 – 2:06 am

A funny thing happened to me on my Sylvarant World Tour yesterday.

I’m talking about a fun little glitch in Namco’s Tales of Symphonia for Gamecube–yet another 7-year-old game I expect you to still care about. :P

While a bit long-winded and cliché–at 80+ hours, you can’t escape that–and while its characters are starting to garner my antipathy (right on schedule), I can see why this “Player’s Choice” title keeps a dedicated cult following. It offers an enjoyable fantasy romp filled with character drama and exotic locales, whose endearing graphics are complemented by the playful musical score of my main man Motoi Sakuraba (of Shining Force III and Golden Sun fame). Its battle system, the main draw, relies on real-time savagery, and rewards your skill accordingly–providing a much-needed release after my recent button-mashing bout with Shadow Hearts 2.

Anyway, as I was saying: I’ve been playing it a lot lately, and, during some unnecessary wanderings in the overworld, I stumbled upon a fairly horrifying bug. I thought I’d finally gotten another video for the sorely-neglected Gaming Pains series, and I almost did–but my batteries died during filming. >.< I have a save file that preserves the horror–which, fortunately, I had the wherewithal to save to another slot–so I’ll be able to go back and show you what ALMOST ruined my game.

It sure set me back a couple hours.

By problemgamer | Posted in Life & Times & Problems, Reviews & Articles | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Retro Gamers, Your Time is NOW (Part 2)

January 30, 2010 – 1:25 am

(Another article first published at Wapeach.com–and yes, I know it took forever and a day.)

Welcome back! I hope you’ve been rocking the oldies, and claiming the decade so far as your own. Our next two games come from series whose popularity soared in the 90s, so it’s only appropriate that their 16-bit aesthetic has also come home to roost.

Come to roost, and to kick ass.

Contra: ReBirth

While the occasional Contra title has stumbled off the path of balls-to-the-wall, run-and-gun righteousness, Contra: ReBirth is a scion fit to bear the bullet-riddled family name. Singing pitch-perfect shades of the Sega Genesis (and maybe a little Neo Geo), this one really is a rebirth of the classic 16-bitters–and, like them, should cook the sensory reflex centres of your brain in no time.

As series legend Bill Rizer or one of 3 other emmissaries of badassery, you set out once again against the grotesque, forever-invading alien hordes–who, with a processing kick from the Wii, seem to be packing more kilotons of explosives than ever before. Prepare for a steady hail of screen-rocking kRaKaBOOMs!, near-undodgeable gunfire, and alien excretions of every sort, as you try to hang the #@!* on to dear life–which isn’t always easy when you’re running across a stampede of robobirds, standing on a piece of meteoric debris, or hanging from the underside of a missile. And that’s just what a Contra does before breakfast.

The only faults of the game may be its laughable translation (albeit faithful to the series’ legacy), and its short length–but considering its ridiculous intensity, it’s probably enough for most Earthpeople.

So, soldier! If you haven’t played it yet, get your butt out of the chair and get saving the world! For 10 bucks, it ain’t a half-bad introduction–or re-initiation–to the humiliating powers of Contra.

Castlevania: Adventure Rebirth


This one barely made it to American audiences in the last decade, and not a moment too soon. When Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles, a remake of 1993’s revered Chi No Rondo, was released on PSP three years ago, one of the series producers said that, should it prove a commercial success, one could expect more releases in the linear style of 8- and 16-bit fame. That reality seems to have materialized, as we now have, for the first time in over 15 years, a all-new, old Castlevania game.

I have to admit, I haven’t played this one yet, but fresh off a gameplay video and a review for it, I would definitely put my money where my mouth is (assuming I had any of the former). An Adventure as different from its Game Boy namesake as it is from the recent “action/adventure/RPG” direction of the series, this ReBirth is most reminiscent of that famous 1993 Turbo Duo game–which, to me, is whip-crackin’ good. The old-school ghouls have reunited, along with some new ones, in the castle courtyards and subterranean waterways of old–and probably some graveyards, too–in animation is so terribly smooth, you won’t believe it’s not butter. As with Contra, the music will scream Genesis to anyone who played the wonderful Castlevania: Bloodlines.

That’s all I got to say for now, but let’s hope there’s more soon as the Retro Revival continues!

Now, back to the future with you!

By problemgamer | Posted in Reviews & Articles | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Filling the void

January 15, 2010 – 8:35 pm

Well, the script for the next episode is still in the fine-tuning stages (which, with me, can go on a long time). Panzer Dragooned, Part 2.5–which I think is the logical step, as the next part will be 3–will be a little self-parodying, which should be lotsa fun once I get the sequence laid out :D

So what do I have to offer by way of an update? Well, I should do a post-holiday recap, which would entail rattling off the new hardware that I was so lucky to procure through the generosity of others. I got (and finally installed) a new WD 500GB HDD for storing my videos, two 8GB Lexar SDHC cards for my camera (to replace the 1GB, off-brand, low-capacity ones I had before), and 2 GB of RAM, bringing my grand total up to … 2GB. I can’t believe there are 8GB machines on the market now… oh well, it gets the job done :)

There’s also a whole lot more DVD-Rs  in my life, for all that fun stuff I can do with those. The laptop that I used to burn the thank-you DVDs is, for the moment, still kaput, but I’ll see what I can do about that.

Expect the rest of the RETRO GAMERS article soon, too!!

By problemgamer | Posted in Life & Times & Problems, Miscellany | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

It’s Quiet… Too Quiet.

January 12, 2010 – 1:22 am

… A fact for which, of course, I’ve no one but myself to blame.

I really appreciate the patience while I’ve been on this, another lengthening hiatus. It’s sometimes quite hard to get back into the habit of being productive. But eventually, I’m going to get back in the saddle, deliver the rest of the Panzer Zwei footage (script already in progress), and then do Saga. It’s a little shameful that I’ve lapsed so much on such a serious homage project.

Gah. If there’s one thing worse than beating yourself up, it’s beating yourself up publicly and making people listen to it… so let’s put an end to that (for now). :P

P.S. A million points to whoever can guess the title reference!

By problemgamer | Posted in 7. Panzer Dragooned, Miscellany | Comments (4)

’90s Retro-Gamers, Our Time is Now.

January 5, 2010 – 11:45 pm

(mirror of an article I originally wrote for Wapeach.com)

The 2010s are here! Everyone who was a kid in the ’90s has some aspirations for this decade. Like more old games, please!

Truth be told, it’s been five console generations since then, and the ’90s have long been ‘retro’ in gaming terms. As such, a savvy few developers have already begun preying upon our innocent, financially-vulnerable inner child, offering new creations styled after the aging greats, and starting us on a happy regression towards infancy.

But with today’s gamers more vocal and demanding than ever, the illusionist’s task is a hard one. The memories we’re talking about are sacrosanct, and the hardware that spawned them long gone. While some game-makers have navigated this minefield of whimsy with wily agility, others are still in shellshock courtesy of fiercely-protective fanbase armies.

Despite the 59.83% of the Internet already dedicated to pontification on the subject, I’d like to take another look at what worked, and what bombed, as the powers that be took an undisguised tug at our heartstrings, and a grab for our wallets, in the end of the double-0 decade.

Mega Man 9
Mega Man grew out of the humblest beginnings–a Z-listed title that was more or less expected to fail–to become the hard-rockin’ heartbeat of the late ’80s and ’90s. There was a serious tradition to uphold if the original series was to get the faux-old treatment, and not blow up like so many buildings in 200X.

Yet, Capcom announced that they weren’t exactly going to make it themselves.

If they had to hand off their primordial platformer to anyone, there was no better taker than IntiCreates. Comprised of members of the development teams for Mega Man 2 and other miracles of code, IC had done the homework, made the grade, and was ready to throw us a party like it was 1989.

Mega Man 9 is the case study for making a brand-new old game right. It came complete with all the expected Mega-tropes: 8 stages of killer toughness (followed by the even more punishing Fortresses), a triangle-wave symphonic suite, and, though it was download-only, an authentically wretched “box art” that only a child of the 80’s could love. IC was aiming to make the new fan-favorite, taking cues from numbers 2 (i.e., no sliding) to 6 (late NES-level visuals and design).

It pleased us so much that soon, we’re getting a Mega Man 10.

Our demands this decade: Mega Man X9, 16-bit style

There’s an unwritten and profound understanding that Mega Man X-X3 are the bitchin’est games in all creation. Mega Man X was probably the most natural of any “gaiden” ever: in the leap from 8-bit to 16, the childlike aesthetic of the main series evolved into a grown-up one, and the challenge became legendary. If they would make a new one of these, I would do backflips.

TMNT: Turtles in Time Reshelled
I had high hopes for this one. A remake of 1991’s TMNT: Turtles in Time (1992 on SNES, and The Hyperstone Heist to Genesis owners), I have to admit that I was going to like it no matter what hogslop it was. TMNT II and III on NES, and HH on Genesis had been some of the brightest luminaries of my gaming career. I will forever adore the ‘Turtles beat’em ups, and any attempt to revitalize those games, let alone the entire genre they represent, is a welcome one.

The remake was almost unilaterally panned by players. Moves were taken out, replaced by extra button-mashery; the music was changed, now mostly tuneless and unmemorable; and the levels only included those found in the quarter-sucking arcade version. It was even in strong contention for the user-decided SAGY Award on ScrewAttack (if you don’t know what that stands for, better head over and find out). The charm, admittedly, had gone the way of the big, lovable sprite art, but I still stand in the camp that says it isn’t a horrifically defective game–just a resounding disappointment. Something about these Saturday-morning cartoon heroes isn’t meant for 3-D, and the next time I want to play TMNT IV, I’m going straight for the SNES/GEN version.

Our demands this decade: For Konami to deliver a running, sliding ninja-kick to Ubisoft.

What really amazes me isn’t that Ubisoft posted a €52 billion loss in the last half–it’s that they named TMNT: Smash Up as one of two titles they were counting on for profits. Are they headquartered in Paris, or Dimension X? A Super Smash Bros. alum, I was lured into playing the game by the faded banner of Turtle Power. What I found was something akin to the Digimon fighters on Gamecube. Remember those? Thought not. After the backlash over Reshelled, this was the acid in the wound.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

By problemgamer | Posted in PG Offsite, Reviews & Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Coupons!

December 25, 2009 – 3:19 pm

I’d like my readers/viewers to be the first to take these codes :)

KY-KDI-ROF

EO-GXS-HUO

Both are for $5 off a $50+ order. Good thru Jan 23, 2010.

By problemgamer | Posted in Life & Times & Problems | Tagged , | Comments (0)

A seriously Happy Holiday to all

December 25, 2009 – 12:13 am

I was trying to make a video of thank-you’s, but I’m finding it difficult not to screw up..

So here’s a version where I screw up! :D

By problemgamer | Posted in Miscellany | Tagged | Comments (2)

Almost time!

December 22, 2009 – 1:31 am

..for presents, good food, candies, and company! (And, on that note, possibly over-imbibing.)
Haha, yeah, I shouldn’t build things up like that. I’m kind of on hiatus from the show until after Christmas. I’m going to make another video with the remaining footage of Panzer Dragoon Zwei, but it’ll probably be a simplified affair. Panzer Dragoon Saga will have to wait til the new year, I’m afraid. (What’s one more year? I’m never letting go of it :) )

Right now, I’m enjoying the lighthearted-yet-macabre fare of Shadow Hearts 2: Covenant. (Though I’m not really sure if that subtitle even figures into the original Japanese title–it’s missing from the title screen and loading screens.) You get a glimpse of that dark unease and sadness inside Yuri’s Soul Graveyard, but other than that, the people start off pretty damn happy and unafflicted by the First World War. It’s hilarious and fun in the first 10 hours–and while the backdrop is already set for a serious, brooding, and intense later game, I can deal with the change in theme. It must, however, occur in that order; I don’t like when a game goes from being funny, to serious, to funny again (like Disgaea did).

What do you think of a spinoff called, “Anal-Retentive Gamer”?

By problemgamer | Posted in Life & Times & Problems, Miscellany | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Semi-spontaneous year-end reflections and musings

December 17, 2009 – 7:25 pm

Hey folks,

As is often the case, I don’t know where my time is going lately. I had an exam yesterday, for which I admittedly only needed a cram session or two (it pays to pay attention throughout the year). I was pretty stressed about it, but in all likelihood, I got a pass. :P I have another exam in a couple days, then I’ve got Christmas like crazy up til the new year.

In my free time, I began Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, and while it seems like a fine sRPG offering, I’m not sure I’ll stick with it due to how long those types of games take (and often just to win one battle.. ^^;)

My perennial wish is to find more time for the site, and most of all, for the videos. But I have to keep it in balance, which is so hard for me to do. It’s been a year and a half since I had what was possibly my first true nervous breakdown, when I had hives like the measles and angioedema (tissue swelling) all over my body–eyes, lips, hands, feet… it went on for about 8 days at that full-blown scale, during which time I could only sleep in the bathtub, and for weeks afterwards, any pill I touched would always trigger a severe reaction.

It was a stress reaction. I was a full-time student and working full-time that summer, doing a course and a blog on the side–and when I wasn’t enslaved to my fatigue and napping, I was trying to make time for people. That was probably the second-most stressful time of my life, next to late elementary school. I had it coming to me for a while.

I’m not looking for sympathy or anything.. I just felt like sharing. Things are a lot better now, and I will be out with a new video soon :)

By problemgamer | Posted in Life & Times & Problems | Tagged , , | Comments (0)