Virtual Console Friday / WiiWare

Pat · Post by **Pat** » 23 Feb 2007 04:50 pm

Not sure, I got this one since RType Delta is fucking impossible to find and has been since it never came out here when it was supposed to.

Corey · Post by **Corey** » 23 Feb 2007 04:54 pm

If it is Super RType I expect you to break a controller. No checkpoints.

Seraph · Post by **Seraph** » 23 Feb 2007 04:57 pm

R-Type 3: Third Lightning and Super R-Type are different games.
Also, Kid Icarus is awesome.

GreyWizzard · Post by **GreyWizzard** » 23 Feb 2007 05:00 pm

I'll probably be grabbing that tonight... See what the fuss is all about. Throw my control pad down in frustration and then go launch myself over buildings in Crackdown.

Seraph · Post by **Seraph** » 23 Feb 2007 05:15 pm

Bwahaha, and another sucker falls for my plan and throws 500 points away...

Seriously though, I really enjoy playing Kid Icarus, but it's a pretty unforgiving platformer, and the controls are deliberately less than perfect. I wish that it had been brought across to the GBA's "NES Classics" range.

TonyT · Post by **TonyT** » 23 Feb 2007 05:59 pm

The U.S. got Zombies Ate My Neighbours! this week, that will be an instant buy for me when it comes out.

Punch-Out has been registered with the OFLC as well, I'll probably get that too.

GreyWizzard · Post by **GreyWizzard** » 23 Feb 2007 06:39 pm

Well I got raped by some eyeball throwing monster in kid icarus... back to crackdown for me.

Seriously, I was killing death slowly, and got to his platform, some fire stuff started, and an eyeball popped out and one hit killed me. Thanks life bar...

selfish · Post by **selfish** » 23 Feb 2007 08:03 pm

seraph i have never understood kid icarus
could you write something entertaining to explain the appeal?

Seraph · Post by **Seraph** » 24 Feb 2007 01:59 am

Kid Icarus is a tough thing to explain.

Partly, I enjoy it because it has some of the qualities of games like Megaman and Metroid. It's part platformer, part scrolling shooter. Like MM and Metroid, it's tough, especially early on when you don't have much firepower or life to work with. I also like that it really punishes you for sloppy play. Unlike Metroid, jumping is something you can't afford to screw up - in the vertically scrolling sections of Kid Icarus, a poor jump means instant death.

Part of the reason why I think I still enjoy it is because back when it was new, I couldn't beat it. It's one of the few games of yesteryear that always bested me. It's one of the old, tough games, that reminds me of a period where it seemed like games were harder. At the same time, now that I can thoroughly enjoy playing it through, without great difficulty, it reminds me that games "back then" really weren't that different to what they are now, other than the obvious visual/aural differences.

Another thing I love about Kid Icarus is its art and character design. The creatures really have that mythical feel to them, and there are some real gems in there (the Grim Reaper can't be beat, for both song and dance - and the Micks are always a laugh).

The music is a highpoint for me - it's classic 8-bit synth, with incredibly catchy tunes I can never get out of my head. The music was by one of old Nintendo's best 80s composers, Hip Tanaka, who also worked on the Metroid music (and if you compare original Kid Icarus and Metroid music, you'll be surprised at the similarities). Right now, the World 3 music is on loop inside my skull.

I loved that you'd play through the first 3 stages of each world, stages that felt open and exploratory, when they were actually very linear. Then you'd get to the Fortress level in each world, which felt claustrophobic and crowded, when in actual fact they were the bits where you could explore.

I love to hear that Grim Reaper music and watch him dance. I hate when he kills me. I love watching Eggplant Wizards turn my friends into walking aubergines - hate being made one myself. I loved getting the gems, fire arrows and long distance bows - hate having them stolen from me by Plutons. I love and hate the screams made by your character and your enemies when they're shot. I love the idea of exploring a fortress, and rather than the game having just a map which showed you everything, you need to have the map, then purchase a pencil and a torch so you can mark your position.

I love that when you walk on ice, you slide around when you stop walking. I hate that they made ice a "fall through" platform, so that if I tried to avoid the slide by ducking, I fall through.

I love that, unlike Metroid and Megaman, I can shoot up, as well as to the side.

I still love the feeling you get from a life or arrow power-up, because they weren't easy to get, and unlike in so many games today, you really did feel more powerful when you got one - you really could survive more easily.

I love struggling through early stages, then coming back later in a "New Game Plus" and blitzing the opponents (Kid Icarus was one of the first games I can think of, whereupon completing the game, you could start again at the beginning, but with all of the powerups you earnt along the way).

The game is far from perfect, and I can see so many things that would frustrate and annoy people. I don't pretend that it's flawless, nor do I try to tell others it is. I just enjoy its simple, yet difficult, yet rewarding gameplay.

Kid Icarus is not one of my Top Five Games of All Time, but I do greatly enjoy playing it, and I am glad that I still have the cart (which I play from time to time, as I'm lucky enough to have a top-loading NES). Of the 25 or so NES games I have, it is my second-most played game (first place going to Street Gangs - the PAL name for River City Ransom). It's also a game that has, perhaps thankfully, never been sequelled frequently with dire results. It's only ever had the one sequel, on the Gameboy, which I also have (it's not bad, but not as good as the original). I'm almost glad it hasn't been treated so - I'm certainly happy there isn't a Kid Icarus Adventure, or Icarus Heroes.

Well, I didn't intend to write so much - and in all honesty, I don't know if I could say it deserves the time I just gave in explaining it.
One thing's for sure, however - I'll be setting up and playing it within a day or two now. That's what happens whenever I spend too long thinking about Kid Icarus.

TonyT · Post by **TonyT** » 24 Feb 2007 11:17 am

Nice writeup, very well put.

I'm playing through it now, 1-3 is kicking my arse damnit.

OzGamer · Post by **OzGamer** » 02 Mar 2007 10:31 pm

I can't be stuffed turning my Wii on

Did we get Streets of Rage like Europe?

Snide Kneeler · Post by **Snide Kneeler** » 02 Mar 2007 11:41 pm

Yeah, it's all Mega Drive stuff this week.

- Streets Of Rage
- Bio-Hazard Battle
- Sword of Vermilion

800 points each.

Pat · Post by **Pat** » 03 Mar 2007 12:07 am

Streets of Rage still rules. I want 2 and 3 to turn up as well.

GreyWizzard · Post by **GreyWizzard** » 03 Mar 2007 03:19 am

Sword Of Vermillion is on the PS2 collection so get it there, but Streets Of Rage is still awesome. I hope they give us 2, it was the best in the series.

Corey · Post by **Corey** » 03 Mar 2007 01:12 pm

I've turned my Wii on once in the last 6 weeks and that was because someone wanted to see it in action. Stop holding back Punchout Nintendo. I know it's been approved.

Candy Arse · Post by **Candy Arse** » 03 Mar 2007 01:16 pm

I was playing Super Punchout the other night. Still a total blast.

GreyWizzard · Post by **GreyWizzard** » 09 Mar 2007 11:09 am

This week they have released:

Error Code: 204965

Corey · Post by **Corey** » 09 Mar 2007 11:20 am

I have fond memories of playing Error Code: 204964 but I could never get into Error Code: 204965.

Talez · Post by **Talez** » 09 Mar 2007 11:20 am

That game was so awesome.

And to think that he started as a hoax character in EGM!

GreyWizzard · Post by **GreyWizzard** » 09 Mar 2007 11:20 am

Galaga for the NES (500p)
Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts SNES (800p)

I preferred the MD version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts for some reason. Sure the graphics weren't as clean but the controls felt tighter.

Corey · Post by **Corey** » 09 Mar 2007 11:20 am

NES - Galaga (500 Points)
SNES - Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts (800 Points)

Corey · Post by **Corey** » 09 Mar 2007 11:21 am

Beaten. Sir are you some sort of Wizzard?

Talez · Post by **Talez** » 09 Mar 2007 11:32 am

Grey is the bottom left.

selfish · Post by **selfish** » 09 Mar 2007 09:03 pm

GreyWizzard wrote:I preferred the MD version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts for some reason. Sure the graphics weren't as clean but the controls felt tighter.

that sounds like a pretty good description of the entirety of their respective libraries

TonyT · Post by **TonyT** » 10 Mar 2007 08:03 pm

Couldn't go past Galaga, never get sick of that one.

Got to stage 2-2 of Kid Icarus today as well (from 1-3)!