In honor of PSN releasing a bevy of old school Neo-Geo games (updated with online play), SNK has decided to go all out and release its gamepad for the PS3. Neo-Geo CD collects dust on a bookshelf, but every time I look at it, I remember how awesome its gamepad was. Second only to an arcade stick, these babies even blow the well constructed Mad Catz SFIV FightPads out of the water. I dare you to play a fighting game with a Neo-Geo gamepad and not pull out all of your moves with staggering precision. It's almost impossible.
Currently it's a Japan only release, but you can have one imported for $45. If you're an old school gamer or a fighting game enthusiast, believe me, it's money well spent.
Remember Explodemon!, the sidescrolling action game than looks like a mash up of Mega Man X and 'Splosion Man? You don't? Probably because it's been flying under some radars, unjustifiably so.
Curve Studios' colorful and boombastic upcoming PSN exclusive has been given a loose release of Winter 2010. That's like, next month yo!
Explodemon! will feature 12 levels of play, a "deep" control system, upgradeable abilities, comic book styled cut scenes, to go along with the pulse-pounding, up close and personal, spontaneous human combustion battle system. Not to mention a busy-as-hell hud. What are all those marvelous meters for? I have no idea, but I do know they look rad!
We're looking forward to this one, so you'll be the first to know when Explodemon! finalizes it's release date.
Sega fan since grade school, yo. And that's a long, long time ago. So it's clear to see why the appeal of an attitude-laden hedgehog was a stronger call than the pipe-surfing escapades of a stocky Italian man. Don't get me wrong, I loved both, but Sonic had the charismatic edge. So why is it that Mario games continue to sell well while the Hedgehog series just can't seem to hit the mark? Can Sonic 4 change the series' fate of late? Can a return to 2D reinvigorate the franchise? Can I haz speed?
Playstation Network exclusive Malicioushas been flying under most people's radars, unjustifiably so. The game looks beautiful, sounds like it plays solidly, and is an inexpensive downloadable title. Along with a new trailer, a date has been announced for the Japanese release; October 27th. That's next week yo!
Priced at ¥800 (roughly $10 US) Malicious looks well worth the money spent. Updates on a stateside release remain few and far between, developers Alvion were last heard stating a US release is "being considered". Consider harder Alvion, Westerners need some boss-battlin', power-stealin', cape-smashin' action in our lives.
Super Meat Boy is one of those games I feel like I've been hearing about for years but has never quite come around. The quirky art style, colorful characters, and punishing platforming are a recipe for success. Every time the latest Super Meat Boy news leaks, I felt like I was being teased and led on. I just want to play the game already!
Well, the time has just about come, as the indie gem with Newgrounds roots is right around the corner, less than a week from release. A talented individual has decided to take the marketing for Super Meat Boy into his own hands, creating an hip and egdy (for the time) 90's retro commercial. I hope these throwback commercials continue their popularity, because they're awesome.
This home-brewed ad is the last straw for me. I need some Meat Boy in my life. In case the thought of playing as a Meat Wad (no relation) is a little repulsive to you, the developers got your back. Somehow, they've managed to squeeze in tons of characters from other indie games, such as Tim from Braid, Ninja from N+, Gish, Alien Hominid, and a Castle Crashers Knight, each with their own special powers.
Oh yeah, replay value and multiple ways to take on the platforming. Team Meat knows what we like, and they're going to give it to us come October 20th.
One of the fondest memories from my childhood was taking vacation with family down to Florida, where the local pristine and hi-tech arcade was home to the much sought after 6-player X-Men Arcade. A world of difference from the local arcades I haunted in Queens New York, which were mostly found in the back of pizza stores and comic book shops. Even then, the best we had were Sunset Riders, Street Fighter: Rainbow Edition, WWF Superstars, and a Neo Geo 4-in-1 cabinet. Don't get me wrong, I loved the ghetto games of my ghetto arcade in the back of the ghetto pizzeria, but damn son, I get to play as Wolverine with five other people? That's what I'm talking about.
When the trailer for X-Men Arcade started rolling at Marvel's Saturday morning video game panel at New York Comic Con, and I realized what it was, my childhood came rushing back. I remembered taking family trips down south, swimming in the pool with with girls more mature than I, being fascinated with their boobs, playing Simpsons Arcade, Tekken, and of course, X-Men Arcade. I also remembered just how much I hated this particular game. Well, hate is a strong word, it was more like I was at odds with it.
I loved X-Men, and I loved arcades, so it's obvious that the joining of the two would be a dream come true for a snot-nosed punk in the early 90's. And it was for a while, until I couldn't beat it with the quarters allotted to me by my father. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many people who teamed with me, I could never conquer this damned game.
I remember coming close once, really close. I must have spent around five bucks to get to the point I was at, me and one other kid holding it down long after the rest of our team had succumbed to renegade mutants and mutant hunters. The level was epic, the enemies were vicious, and the life was draining quickly. Magneto was the next boss, I could feel it! Boy, was I wrong.
I don't remember the stage, or the boss, but we beat it, and him. Only to move on to the next stage, and die, quickly. Well, I died. My compatriot valiantly fought on, lasting a good 5-10 minutes after me, but he met his inevitable end as well. Dejectedly, we sighed and bid our final farewells as our parents dragged us off, back to the real world.
X-Men Arcade is an awesome throwback to the arcade glory days of my, and probably your, childhood. Unfortunately, Konami says nothing new will be added, so don't expect to be playing as Bishop via DLC. Yes, someone will still be forced to play as disco reject, Dazzler. Not it, I've got infinite dibs on Nightcrawler. That was my man! All things aside, this is an excellent re-release. With six player drop in online support, the fun of the original will be upheld, and you'll be able to save your quarters for laundry.
I make my feelings for Rockstar no secret; I enjoy and respect their work and the effort they make. Their games are always so full of life and brimming over with content, however the departure from their light-hearted roots concerned me. C'est la vie, you can't please all of the people all of the time, but Rockstar aims to please however many as possible with their games. So is Undead Nightmare a six feet under snooze or a howl at the moon?
Hypothetical question: You're hanging out in the sewers, when all of a sudden, a radioactive plumber comes flying out of the nearest pipe and right at you! Sluggish to react, the plumber bites you on the arm! What do you now? Stomp really hard on someone's head, then throw his unconscious body into the sewer water, then go back above ground and stomp the shit out of anyone you can find, that's what. And that is exactly why I cannot wait for the 80's Easter egg hunt that is Retro City Rampage.
Explodemon!, is a game created by independent developers Curve Studios, based on old school 16-bit platforming, that takes some of it's artistic flair from Megaman X, and adds a physics based puzzle system to the mix. Say what? Say it sounds sweet, because it does.
Curve calls Explodemon! a loving parody of badly translated action games, and a mixture of Yoshi's Island and Half Life 2 if they were fused into one game by quirky Japanese developer Treasure. Uh, I don't know about that exactly, but it's all good. It's a little bit of Megaman X, 'Splosion Man, puzzles, a combo system, slick art style, and lotsa purdy colors. Color me interested.
Growing up, there were some things you could not separate me from. Forging my gangsta by listening to classic hip hop, molding my geek by playing video games, and refining my palette by eating raw dough. Don't front, you know you ate it too. As a hardcore gamer in training, I tried to own, play, and love every system I could, and I did for the most part, but for some strange reason, I was always a Sega fanboy.
Maybe it's because I didn't need a game to entertain myself with the Master System, or because I didn't need blood codes to indulge in some fine gore, or because Sonic was an infinitely cooler mascot than Mario, who knows, but I miss Sega's heyday. Being a throwback to classic Sega vs. Nintendo days is probably why I'm so excited for Sonic 4. That and the fact that solid hedgehog games have been hard to come across since Sonic Adventure (which coincidentally is available to download on XBLA or PSN.)
Sonic 4 hearkens back to the two dimensional speed, spins, jumps, tilts, and power ups of classic Sonic the Hedgehog gaming, while infusing some elements of the newer Sonic titles, all sexy and high definition. It's really good stuff. Don't believe me, see for yourself in the attached trailer for the Casino Street Zone. It's just like the incredibly designed Casino Night Zone of Sonic 2, except, well, street. I can dig that, streets are gangsta.
So Sega, when are we getting Sonic Spinball HD? I'll just keep my fingers crossed for that one.
Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 7:29PM 
