Yesterday, Nintendo Australia announced that two of their most highly anticipated games for 2010 will be released much earlier than expected.
Of course I am talking about Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M.
Super Mario Galaxy is the sequel to the ground-breaking first installment which allowed everyone's favorite Italian plumber to venture through a 3-dimensional Space Land (or Galaxy whichever you prefer). But this time you will be able to use Yoshii, Mario's dinosaur companion. And come'on who doesn't like Yoshii?
But personally the game I'm most anticipating is the next Metroid game. The side scroller turned first-person shooter has made Samus, the star of the Metroid franchise, one of the leading ladies in Nintendo.
For this adventure, Team Ninja will be helming the production of the game, and by the looks at the teases given during the E3 convention, Metroid: Other M will incorporate both side scrolling and first-person shooting which looked like a hybrid from heaven.
IGN confirmed the information when they spoke to Nintendo Australia's Greg Arthurton who stated that both games will not be hitting the Wii consoles during the holiday season but instead between June and August.
This confirmation now leaves room for Nintendo to bring in more games slated for release next year to be brought in for the Christmas rush.
The announcement came a day before Nintendo is supposed to hold a press conference in the US today. Stay tuned as I will be updating as the news rolls in.
This post is going to be a nostalgic trip for me as the game I'm going to be talking about is probably the game I played the most as a child and quite possibly my favorite game of all-time. Kirby Super Star.
The "Kirby" franchise is a very simple one. It's a side-scrolling platform game where the main protagonist is a pink puffball that inhales just about anything to protect his world of Warp Star. What makes Kirby different is that when he inhales an enemy and swallows them, he gains their powers allowing for a variety of attacks based on the power acquired.
This had led to many games based on Kirby but this one in particular holds a special place in my gaming history. "Kirby Super Star" was released in America in 1996 and was packaged and advertised as having 8 games in one. This console had 8 different Kirby games that you can get through for hours of gaming.
This not only made the game an enjoyable sit down so a person can play and for many hours but it gave a variety of different tactics and stories to get through. Whether it was fending off Kirby's arch nemesis King Dedede from his plans to rule Warp Star, stopping Meta Knight's invasion of the planet or fighting Dyna Blade, the mechanical super bird,
Kirby would travel the planet sucking up powers on his way to victory.
But what made this game a candidate for "Best Game of my Gaming Life" was the co-op experience that it allowed. This was the first game where me and a friend could go through the story and fight side by side. One as Kirby and the other as a special comrade that Kirby could manifest. Each comrade would be different depending on what power Kirby had at the time giving us a new world of different characters to enjoy.
It was a life-changing experience that I still remember vividly to this day. Me and my older brother never really did too much together but this game kept us sitting in front of the TV screen side by side. We joked together, tasted defeat and victory together.
Kirby Super Star is a simple game that allows for anyone to pick up and understand. But the mechanics and game play make this game a classic to gamers everywhere.
Heres a little video demonstrating all the abilities gained in the game. Enjoy
Last week I introduced the game Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and in particular the production studio that is Tatsunoko.
Reading up on the Japanese animation giant made me more interested in the characters that were in the game. Especially the ones that I've never heard of (meaning all of them). And so I ended last week's post with a tease into what I was going to talk about for the next few weeks, the faces of Tatsunoko starting with the anime Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.
Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (or Gatchaman for short)is an anime that made its debut in September of 1972. It would go on to last for two years and 105 episodes and would even have two sequel shows, Gatchaman II and Gatchaman F.
The series centers around our five main protagonists who are part of a fictitious organization called "The International Science Organization" under their employer Dr. Kozaburo Nambu. The main objective of the organization is to protect Earth's natural resources from the clutches of the evil group Galactor. (I never knew Ted Turner watched anime? but I digress)
Galactor would continually send giant battle machines to steal one resource or another (oil, water, sugar etc...) and our five heroes would come in and save the day using their super powered ship the God Phoenix, a ship equipped with missiles and a special Firebird mode that allows the ship to transform into a giant flaming bird that seems indestructible. However, this mode does not come without its price, as the team takes the risk of being destroyed every time they use it.
Each member of the team are highly trained in a new fighting style developed by Dr. Nambu called Science Ninja Arts which utilizes super speed, flight, jumps, silent attacks and the like, very similar to their bird namesakes. And every member is equipped with different weapons and their own vehicles that resemble the birds they took after. And each one had a communicator which allowed them to transform into their ninja costumes by saying the phrase "Bird GO!!".
The series even had a movie done back in the 70's and a new movie is set to premier in late 2010 or early 2011.
The series would have many twists and revelations throughout its run so I will not spoil them for you.
Now onto the characters:
Ken the Eagle
Ken Washio is the leader and tactical expert of the team. His leadership skills help bring the team off the brink of defeat many times. He often gets into arguments with Joe the Condor (see below)about tactics and the role of leader.
In the game, he is the character on the cover that is facing Ryu. He uses a bird-shaped boomerang and uses jump combos and a quick hand-to-hand combat style. I've found him very fun to use as a character in the game but at first he can be difficult to use but with enough practice he is one of the best characters to use.
Jun the Swan
The lone female on the team, Jun is the group's electronics and demolitions expert. Her array of bombs and knowledge of every electrical makes her a valuable member of the team.
She is seen alongside Ken on the cover facing off against Chun-Li of Street Fighter and is another character that can be very deadly in the game with enough practice. She uses her variety of bombs and her signature weapon (which is a yo-yo by the way) to fight her enemies. Just like Ken she uses an array of high speed kicks and jump moves to fight.
Joe the Condor
Gatchaman's second in command, marksman and weapons expert. Joe Asakura can best be described as the trigger-happy, at times psychopathic, member of the group. His fights with Ken always make the show fun as Joe's methods of blow up first, ask questions later approach does not go well with Ken. But his skills are very valuable to the group and is a member that Gatchaman can't do without.
In the game, Joe is a character that needs to be unlocked. You do so by beating the Arcade mode with six different Tatsunoko characters. And when you do, you have another player to have fun with. Joe maybe the slowest of the three playable characters of Gatchaman but he makes up for it with his strength and use of weapons (machine guns anyone?).
The last two members of Gatchaman are not playable in the game but need to be mentioned.
Jinpei the Falcon
Jinpei is the youngest member of the team but he has the duty of reconnaissance. His small frame is perfect for sneaking into enemy mechs as he gathers the information needed for the team to defeat it. Jinpei is only about 10-11 years old (as opposed to the rest of the team who are 16-17). Growing up without a family, Jinpei is Jun's adopted brother and she cares for him like a mother.
Ryu the Owl
Ryu Nakanishi is the team's pilot. He has the privilege of operating the God Phoenix. His mastery of planes helps him control the Phoenix with ease.
And that's that. Gatchaman is an iconic show in Japan that has been parodied by many shows, including shows in America. It's a staple and starting point for many "team based" cartoons such as Captain Planet and Power Rangers. So check it out and judge for yourself.
The original intro and outro to the show.
The next post will be about a character that I have grown to love in the game. The android Casshan. See you then.
This past saturday I bought my first new Wii game in quite some time. I have been playing my brother's PS3 for the past few months but since he has found his own place and is moving out very soon, I knew the system would go with him so I went back to my own system. And I'm glad I did.
It started when I saw the trailer on IGN for a fighting game called, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom Ultimate All-Stars.
It was obvious this series of games comes from the Vs series that includes titles such as Capcom vs. SNK and the classic Marvel vs. Capcom.
It had all the familiar faces from Capcom that many are familiar with, Ryu (com'on what's a capcom game without him?), his Street Fighter associate Chun-Li, Megaman and many others. But when I first read the title I was like "What the hell is Tatsunoko?"
That question was quickly answered when I turned the game on. It brought me into a universe filled with super-powered people, androids, space aliens and giant robots. My curiosity rose and after a quick wiki search I found out all I needed to know. Tatsunoko is a Japanese animation studio which, since its creation in 1962, has paved the way for Japanese animation today. It has given the world characters that has since supplanted itself in the world's psyche.
One great example is Speed Racer.
That's just a little back story (I'll be getting more into Tatsunoko in later posts) but now back to the game.
The first day I bought it I went over to my cousin's apartment and we played it for hours. It was an instant hit to say the least. The assortment of different characters with their own special moves makes the game more fun. We both didn't know which character to choose but the variety made us use each one to see who were best with.
The game play is very simple which is good for those who are not to adept at fighting games. It's easy to perform combos and special moves which keeps the frustration of learning elaborate sequence of buttons away.
But the best part of the game are the hyper combos. They are easy to perform and their "over-the-top" spectacles take this game to a new level, making you feel you are watching an anime such as Dragonball Z.
Couple the stylish and easy game play with original Japanese voice acting and you get a game that will be talked about as one of the best fighting games on the Wii if not ever.
I highly recommend purchasing this game. The one-on-one fights with friends along with the online capability makes the game enjoyable for hours. And the one player arcade mode gives you a chance to polish your skills against the computer.
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is a game that should be owned by everyone who has a Wii system.
In the coming weeks, I will be continuing to showcase this game but I will be doing so in a series of posts that will highlight certain Tatsunoko characters. Personally I like to read about different characters' back story and see where they originated from. I feel it makes the experience of playing as that character a little more fulfilling.
So check back soon as the first post will be about the anime Science Ninja Team Gatchman.
I am currently a journalism major at a four year college with aspirations of having my own sports radio show. As you can tell I love sports but I'm also an avid gamer.
