Yet another game that kills the option
of deleting/overwriting game data.
Idiocy can be quite contagious. Take Namco Bandai Games, for example. After Capcom's colossal screw up with Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D,Namco has decided to follow suit with Pac-Man & Galaga Dimensions, meaning that players cannot delete or overwrite their saved game data once they start playing the game. Capcom's weak sauce excuse was that they intended REM3D to be like an arcade game. Pardon my grammar but LYING LIES IS LIES!!! Like an arcade game? Pffft. Don't. Make. Me. Laugh! No matter how Capcom tries to word it, it's just a stupid way to block used game sales, plain and simple. If you honestly believe Capcom isn't talking out of their anus, I've got some mud I'd like to sell you.
Look, if we want to delete our save files or start over, that's our God-given right. Some may ask "Why would you even want to delete data?" I've done it numerous times with second hand games. Heck, I've played through games I've beaten more than a few times, including some RPGs. The option to delete old saves or overwrite date is pretty handy. When I started playing the DS version of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, the first thing I did was clear out all the old game data and start up my own file. I picked up some used PS2 memory cards last year. What did I do before saving on them? Delete the existing data that was there. Strange as it may sound, there are plethora of gamers out there that like having the option to clear data and records.
The online pass caused a ruckus among the gaming community when Mortal Kombat was released. If you picked up MK used and wanted to play online, it would cost you $10 to obtain the pass. This would make potential buyers think twice about buying the game used. Buying a game new means the money goes to the company. Picking up a title used means the company that published the game doesn't seen a dime on that purchase.
We're still in a global recession (no, it isn't just limited to the United States). Like deleting data, buying used games is our right. Money is tight for a lot of people and not everyone can afford to buy a game brand new. Lots of gamers shop on a budget, so picking up a game used means money towards other things.
As irksome as the online pass is, not being able to delete or overwrite game data is arguably even worse. It's a stupid move and since word travels insanely fast in this day and age, Capcom and Namco Bandai run the risk of decreasing their game sales. I'd go so far as to say that this IS the new online pass. If I were Namco Bandai, Capcom would be the last company I'd be taking notes from. I mean, Capcom is close to being the most hated publisher in the industry right now.
EDIT: According to reports you can delete the data, you just need to press "ABXYLR" when you start the game. Special thanks to dste for clearing this up.
If you were a child of the 1980s, chances are good that you loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was a huge fan of the 1987 cartoon series. It helped me get out of bed on weekday mornings as well as Saturday mornings. My first Turtles action figure was a Leonardo from the very first series of Ninja Turtles action figures, which were actually based on artwork from the comics.
Being a kid who lived and breathed Turtle Power, I was as giddy as a school girl when I saw that there was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game on the NES that went by that exact name. I was with my dad, sister and a friend when I saw it at the rental store. We rented it out along with DuckTales and some other NES game that I can't remember. I really liked the cover art for the game, even though it looked nothing like what I had seen on the show. This was because it was based off of the art from the comic, just like the rest of the art for the close up portraits of the Turtles in the game. Originally released in June of 1989, TMNT was published under Konami's Ultra Games label. This was Konami's way of getting past that pesky 6 games per year restriction that Nintendo issued to third parties that wished to develop and publish games on the NES.
Placing the game in the NES and turning on the power, we were greeted with what I still think is one of the coolest intros to an NES game. It shows all four of the turtles quickly mutating and showing off their weapons. After that, the turtles and Splinter look on to see April doing what she does best: getting captured and by the Turtle's arch nemesis Shredder, no less. With that, we started up the game and began our quest to save April! Sadly, it didn't go so well. I think Leo was the first Turtle that we lost and if I recall, I don't even think we made it to Rocksteady on our first try.
Even this game likes to show off how busty April is.
Plugging away at the game in the three days we had it, we learned quite a bit. For starters, we found out that Leo and Don were the best Turtles and that Mike and Raph sucked. I mean, I loved all four members of the green machine, but Mike and Raph were designed for close combat, which made them cannon fodder for just about any boss fight. They were great for taking out Mousers, though. If we knew we'd lose a Turtle, it was time to send in the pawns!
By the second or third day playing it, we made it to Rocksteady and if I remember right, we found out for ourselves the trick that pretty much everyone knows today. Select Don, stand on top of the crates and whale away at Rocksteady while he charges away like the moron he is in his vain attempts to reach you. Being the naive child I was, I thought rescuing April would be the end of the game. Unlike Super Mario Bros. you saved April early on and there was much more to do after she was rescued, like say, keep a dam from blowing up.
I'm pretty sure most gamers said more than "OK!"
after finishing this level.
The game's second mission was much more difficult than the first. I'm positive that we never passed it no matter how hard we tried. Controlling the turtles in the water wasn't easy and there was so much electric seaweed that all four turtles dropped like bricks.
I might be wrong, but I don't think this will
be good news.
The Technodrome is MUCH bigger on the inside than
this picture would have you believe.
As much as I enjoyed the NES TMNT as a kid, I never owned it. At least not until I was eighteen. I went in Funcoland (before all of them became GameStops) and picked up a used copy for twenty six cents. I'm not kidding. The game was that cheap and I've never acquired an NES game for so little money. By now, I was far more experienced at games than when I was a child. I made it pass the underwater stage! As tough as that was, the game only got harder after Shredder had Splinter kidnapped. Oy!
These days, TMNT on the NES is a game that gets a lot of criticism and it isn't hard to see why. It has a nightmarish difficulty that could make the Mega Man series cringe, it incorporated so few characters from the show and the jump physics are just plain awkward. Be that as it may, I think way too many bashers focus on all the negative points that they never see it's good one, the soundtrack. TMNT for the NES has some of the finest video game music you will ever hear. The intro tune is a great way to sell players on the game's music. OCR even remixed it for the Heros vs. Villains album. The first Overworld theme will instantly get stuck in your head. And that boss theme? I don't care how short it is, it's KILLER! We all hated the second stage where we had to disarm those bombs underwater, but at least the music to that stage was just sooooo gooood! By far, the Underwater Bombs theme is one of the best aquatic level pieces ever constructed.
TMNT#4 was the basis for the NES game's cover art.
While I'm fully aware that TMNT on the NES is far from what many would consider a good game, I still have a soft spot for it. I'll never sell my physical copy and I may someday download it on the Wii's Virtual Console. Heck, I may even try to finish it one day, as crazy as that sounds. And of course, I LOVE the game's music, which is all kinds of awesome and considering the TMNT theme is nowhere in the game, that's very impressive.
The date of Sonic's 20th anniversary has passed but I'm still celebrating. I've been playing through numerous Sonic games (Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing on the DS and Sonic Colors on the Wii), listening to the Sonic Playlist on my MP3 player for weeks, and adding hedgehog toys to my collection. Here's what I've picked up over the last few weeks.
The Wacky Wobbler Sonic the Hedgehog Bobble Head is something I first saw in fye and at first, I wasn't very fond it, but the more I looked at it, the more it grew on me. It didn't hurt that the asking price was really low. Even the box this thing came in is very nice, so nice that I won't be throwing it away. Sonic is one again pointing his finger and has that classic smirk on his face. There are actually Wacky Wobbler Bobble Heads of Tails and Knuckles but fye only had the one of Sonic so I'll be ordering the rest of Team Sonic in due time. Really, I don't know how I could have not liked this bobble head before.
Next up is Jazwares 3" Sonic figures that sport a whopping 12 points of articulation. I picked up Sonic, Knuckles and Shadow. I won't be getting the whole lot of this set. There are 15 figures in all and there's no way I'll be buying the likes of Werehog, Amy, or Silver. However, I will pick up Metal Sonic, Tails, Super Sonic and maybe Espio and Victor (the last two are members of Team Chaotix).
If there's one video game company that has earned the wrath of gamers across the globe, it's Capcom. Since this is the internet age, most people already know what I'm talking about, but in case you've just arrived on planet Earth, let me bring you up to speed.
In just 2011, Capcom has 86'd two, yes, TWO Mega Man games. The first was Mega Man Universe, a game that would have been as close a sequel to Mega Man Powered Up as we could get with online play. The second was the fan demanded sequel, Mega Man Legends 3. Fans have been wanting to see this game for over a decade. When it was finally announced that Mega Man Legends 3 would be a reality, the fandom rejoiced. It was also one of the few games to see so much input from the fans, so much input that it was really starting to feel like a title that was by the fans, for the fans. And then Capcom slammed the ax down on Legends 3 faster than it takes Metal Man to die by his own weapon. You could say that the fans were angry but that would be a huge understatement. The reason Mega Man Legends 3 was canceled? Well according to Capcom it was because it didn't meet "the required criteria." Yeah, I think it's bogus answer as well. For crying out loud, they had a prototype version ready to go. The game has been in development for almost a year. And then Capcom decides to cut the cord? Not cool.
Want to play this version of Legends 3? Well, tough rocks, chump!
I originally thought the Mega Man franchise would be fine even though Keiji Inafune was no longer with Capcom but now, I'm starting to wonder. Sure, we got the excellent Mega Man 9 and 10, but did those games only happen because Inafune was with the company? I'm not the biggest fan of IGN, but there is a pretty interesting article on the site on Capcom and whether or not they are trying to get rid of one of the companies biggest cash cows. With two Mega Man games getting canned in the same year, it doesn't sound too unlikely that Capcom may have something against the Blue Bomber, which would be ludicrous.
As I mentioned above, Mega Man equals money and the last time I checked, Capcom LOVES them some money, otherwise they wouldn't keep releasing so many updated versions of your favorite fighting game, making the current ones you own obsolete, which brings me to my next gripe with Capcom.
How many freaking versions of SFIV do we need?
I'm guessing Capcom caught '90s fever all over again because they've once again resorted to releasing tweaked sequels to their fighting games. As of right now, there are a total of four different version of Street Figher IV, two of which game out in 2011. But wait, there's more! It's not just limited to Street Fighter, oh no. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is getting in on the act. If you haven't picked it up yet, I highly suggest you wait until November to pick up Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, which includes 12 new characters that should have been in the first MvC3. Oh and guess what? Mega Man isn't one of them. There's another low blow to fans. No, Zero does not count. I'm getting sick of his overexposure and he needs to go the eff away for a while.
The inclusion of Firebrand is nice but Mega Man is
still MIA from the Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 roster.
Capcom needs to realize that this isn't the '90s. Many gamers have grown up and are no longer the mindless sheep that will buy every update sequel they release. At least that's what I want to believe. The fighting game community has to stay on top of the current fighters and that means shelling out cash for an updated game that was released less than a year after the original. However, since Capcom has done so much to infuriate the very people that keep them afloat as of late, maybe they'll send a message that they are fed up with all the updated sequels. Maybe.
Since I found out the single save file in Mercenaries 3D can
never be overwritten or deleted, I'm wondering how
this game will do in sales.
Lastly, there's Resident Evil Mercenaries 3D. Did you buy it yet? You may want to hold off. The word is already spreading fast on this one, but in case you are unaware, here's the deal. There's only one save file and once you start up that file on Mercenaries 3D, you can never delete it. Ever. This is the worse case of trying to block used video game sales I've ever seen. Capcom may try to deny it, but really, that's what it is.
So, Capcom, what will you do next to upset your fans?
I needed to pick up a new stylus for my DSi since it didn't come with one and the only stylus I had was an original DS stylus. I thought K-Mart might have some in stock so I made a trip there since there was one in the area. When I reached the game section, I was surprised to see some of the games that were on a clearance sale. I never expected to see Punch-Out!! brand new for $20. They only had a few copies left so I grabbed it the second I saw it. Every other place I've seen Punch-Out!! has been selling it for $30-$40 new so being able to get it for $20 was quite the bargain.
Looking through the clearance titles further unearthed another Wii game that received much praise: Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, which was also going for $20. Talk about a lucky break! That game is still going for $50 at Best Buy. Much like Punch-Out!!, there were only a handful of copies left so, yoink!
It's funny, I really didn't plan on buying any Wii games today and yet I ended up getting two titles I've been wanting the most. On top of that, I got them at K-Mart, of all places. It really does pay to shop around.
I'm one of those types that carries a bag around with him everywhere he goes. In it contains paper for drawing, video game magazines I'm currently reading, my DSi and other stuff. There's a lot on the inside but the outside is pretty bland. It didn't dawn on me until recently that my bag was missing color, lacking personality. That's where the Super Mario Keychains come in.
Thanks to Mario & Luigi, my bag is no longer gloomy on the outside. It has more omph, more pizzazz, more awesomeness. There are a total of six keychains in the Super Mario Keychain collection and starting the set off with the plumbing duo just felt right. I'll pick up the rest in due time but I'm not sure if I'll clip those on my bag or even my keys. Perhaps I'll hang those on a wall somewhere.
