This post is a little bit of a history lesson, but at the end you get to play a game, so stick with us. A few years ago, an unreleased Sunsoft game, called Sunman, was uncovered — and it was pretty clearly a re-purposed Superman game. Now, an even earlier version of that same game (which actually features the Man of Steel!) has been discovered and made available for your perusal.
The gameplay is so-so, but there’s an absolutely gorgeous version of John Williams’ Superman theme that we just adore. It’s worth it for the music alone, trust us.
Nintendo’s lawyers have finally done what countless children of the ’80s only dreamed of: silenced the maniacal, mocking laughter of the Duck Hunt dog. … Or at least they’ve quieted the canine on iPhones, having a clone of the classic removed from the App Store after only a month of availability.
Let this serve as a reminder to all who might try a similar stunt … there’s only room for one company in this industry to coast on the past successes of Nintendo.
We got release dates for variousSega games (and a Japanese release date for Muramasa), WiiWare announcements, news of available Rock Band DLC, and more this week, and yet, for us, the best news all week was about something old: the release of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. And now that all three NES Castlevanias (not counting stuff like Konami Wai Wai World or Boku Dracula-kun) are out and you guys bought them all (you bought them all, right?), we can ask you to pick a favorite. Yeah, we’re asking you the same thing in the contest post, but that’s of all time, and we’d like to exclude the Metroidvanias from consideration.
Is it the straightforward, brutally punishing action of Castlevania? The light platforming and completely obtuse puzzle-solving of Simon’s Quest? The varying locations and playable characters of Dracula’s Curse? Or do you just like whipping Medusa heads in general?
1up’s interview with Mega Man 9producer Hironobu Takeshita offers a look back at the brilliant downloadable sequel and its development. The 8-bit style, which is one of the game’s most distinctive and eye-catching features, almost didn’t happen! While Capcom’s management liked the digital distribution idea (it’s cheap!), they didn’t go for the retro look at first. “We heard lots of negative responses; they thought it would be better to make it 3D and that the 8-bit style would only appeal to the Mega Man fans, which would limit the sales potential.” Presumably, they eventually figured out that 8-bit graphics were also cheap.
Takeshita also describes the idea behind the item shop, which is wonderful and hilarious. “Even if MM9’s 8-bit design interested them, the difficulty level would turn them off. With that in mind, we tried to create a system that encourages casual gamers who might not be so experienced with action games.” That’s right, the item shop is in there to offer assistance to casual players. We love the idea that someone at Capcom thought that all people needed to be able to finish Mega Man 9 was a few E-tanks and a new dress for Roll.
Evidently, Konami ill needs logic or sequential order when releasing Castlevania games on the Virtual Console — which is probably why Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse has only just been rated by Australian regulators at the OFLC.
The game, a former star of Virtually Overlooked no less (if you can hear celebratory gunshots being fired into the air, that’ll be Alisha), now looks like a certainty to join Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, and Super Castlevania IV on the download service. If you read this, you’ll be reminded of why that’s very special, fist pump-worthy news indeed.
Our commitment cannot be measured. Here we are on a holiday, bringing you another VC Monday Madness. This week is a big one, so we decided to take the most care possible with this week’s video. The level of professionalism within will likely blow your mind. Hit it up above, then head past the break for more.
Clu Clu Land (NES, 1 - 2 players, 500 Wii Points) Wii Fanboy says: do not download
Clu Clu Land isn’t really a bad game. I just didn’t like the controls, as they felt a bit clunky, and the game is pretty darn difficult. It’s clearly not for everyone.
Super Mario RPG (SNES, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Wii Fanboy says: download it!
Why are you reading this? Download it already.
Each week, we here at Wii Fanboy like to check out the latest Virtual Console releases in our VC Monday Madness feature, in the hopes that you can make the most sound decision possible regarding purchasing retro titles from the Wii Shop Channel. If you’re looking for more retro goodness, check out Virtually Overlooked, which talks about games that should be on the Virtual Console.
Mega Man 9 will feature the graphics, sounds, and gameplay of yesteryear, and Capcom has now confirmed that it will be playable with virtually any old controller that can be slotted into the Wii.
This means that the Classic Controller and GameCube pad are both fair game, but here’s the best bit: purchase the appropriate adaptor, and you’ll be able to die repeatedly while using an original NES controller. As if Mega Man 9 wasn’t already looking like the kipper’s knickers, it just found a way to get even better.
While it’s not unusual to be loved by anyone for hotels to include video game services, Japan used to do it arcade-style with coin-operated consoles (like the one shown above). 100 JPY (approximately $1 USD) would net you 10-15 minutes with a Famicom (NES), which means you’d have to lay down about $2 or $3 to for a satisfactory amount of this blogger’s hotel staple, Punch-Out!!. The Super Famicom (SNES), though, was a bit more coin-hungry, and the $1 equivalent would only last five minutes — yikes. Still, we’re sure that if we visited Japan during the magical time that these boxes were hooked-up to hotel TVs, we would have let go of a few coins for some quick bouts of Mario and such.
Seriously, it isn’t like you’re actually enjoying your copy of Where’s Waldo, right? If you are, may we suggest professional help for your broken brain? In all seriousness, though, it doesn’t matter what NES cart the guy did this to (he used Tecmo Super Bowl). Turning any NES cartridge into a harmonica is pretty cool.
Looks like the instrument isn’t just for train-car-hopping winos any more!
Today Nintendo adds new classic games to the popular Wii Shop Channel. The games go live at 9AM Pacific time. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at stores like Amazon (see to your right).
We’ve included videos of each of today’s games for nostalgia’s sake or so you can see if it’s for you. This week’s new games are:
Double Dribble (NES, 1-2 players, rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points = $5): Double Dribble, the first 5-on-5, full-court home basketball game, is pure hoops action at its finest. While still a surprisingly accurate basketball game for its time, the frantic action keeps you on your toes as your players run from one end of the court to the other. Choose from a handful of teams and multiple levels of difficulty as you take on the computer alone or challenge a friend and see who has the better skills. Take the ball and sink shots from locations all over the court, or get in your opponent’s face and do your best to block the shot. Better yet, drive the lane and rock the rim to see one of the game’s trademark slam-dunk cut scenes. He shoots, he scores!
Vegas Stakes (Super NES, 1-4 players, rated E for Everyone – Simulated Gambling, 800 Wii Points = $8): Feel like taking a road trip to Las Vegas? Let your inner high roller go wild as you try your luck at five different games-blackjack, slots, poker, craps and roulette. Start with only $1,000 in your pocket and play your way through five casinos, each with a different theme and varying limits. But no one wants to gamble alone, right? Not a problem, as you’ll be able to choose one of four friends to tag along and offer advice when you need it. Further enhancing the experience is the fact that you’ll be presented with a slew of interactions with random casino patrons. Best be careful, though-your choices in these situations could either get you closer to the millions of dollars you’re after or cost you a pile of that hard-earned cash. Roll the dice, spin the wheel, hit or stand-do whatever it takes to stake your claim in Vegas and beat the house!
Ecco Jr. (Sega Genesis, 1 player, rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points = $8): The aquatic adventures of Ecco come to life for a younger generation of gamers. Perfect for kids, Ecco Jr. finds our young hero heading out to sea with a variety of tasks he must perform in order to get there. Along with his friends Tara the baby orca and Kitnee the young Atlantic dolphin, Ecco Jr. will interact with sea lions, sea horses and other aquatic life as he makes his journey to the Big Blue. Introduce your kids to the classic series of Ecco the Dolphin titles by downloading Ecco Jr. today.
An unreleased Superman NES game for your enjoyment originally appeared on Joystiq Nintendo on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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