Rumor – SNK Arcade Classics 0 to highlight pre-NeoGeo titles

I mentioned that SNK is working on a new comp titled SNK Arcade Classics 0 not too long ago, even making a crack about the “0″.  Well, there may be a purpose to that – Siliconera’s earlier report on the game’s ESRB rating has them believing that the 0 is referring to their pre-NeoGeo arcade lineup.  Isn’t that interesting?  It turns out that Search and Rescue, the title that forced the comp to earn a M rating, predates the NeoGeo as well, adding a little evidence to that theory.

So, if that’s the case, what could we expect from this comp?  We know there’s 20 games lined up for it.  Let’s take a look.  Unfortunately, Wikipedia’s list doesn’t differentiate the arcade titles from the NeoGeo’s, but I’ll do what I can:

1979

* Ozma Wars

* Safari Rally

1980

* Sasuke vs. Commander

1981

* Satan of Saturn

* Vanguard

1982

* Lasso

1983

* Joyful Road (Munch Mobile in the U.S.)

* Marvin’s Maze

1984

* Gladiator 1984

* Jumping Cross

* Mad Crasher

* Main Event

* Vanguard II

1985

* Alpha Mission (ASO: Armored Scrum Object in Japan)

* HAL 21

* TNK III

1986

* Athena

* Ikari Warriors

* Psycho Soldier

* Victory Road

1987

* Bermuda Triangle

* Guerrilla War (Guevara in Japan; after Che Guevara)

* Touchdown Fever

* World Wars

1988

* Chopper I

* Fighting Soccer

* Gold Medalist

* Koukuu Kihei Monogatari (The Legend of Air Cavalry)

* Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf

* Mechanized Attack

* Paddle Mania

* P.O.W.: Prisoners of War

* Sky Soldiers

* Touchdown Fever 2

1989

* Beast Busters

* Gang Wars

* Ikari III: The Rescue

* The Next Space

* Prehistoric Isle in 1930

* SAR: Search and Rescue

* Sky Adventure

* Street Smart

The NeoGeo hit in 1990, and from what I could tell, all of the games SNK released then were for that hardware.  So these 42 titles appear to be the choices SNK will be picking from to build this comp.  With any luck, SNK will throw in the original Baseball Stars and Crystalis from the NES, but I’d doubt either.  Nintendo seemingly owns the rights to Crystalis now (and where is my VC version, if that’s the case?), and Baseball Stars 2 is already packaged on the first Arcade Classics.  We’ll have to see what happens.

 

VC Alternate Version Guide Update

I’ve finally gotten around to updating the Alternate Version Guide for the Wii Virtual Console.  It now includes a comparison of the arcade and NES versions of Solomon’s Key, as well as a mention of the TurboGrafx 16 version of Street Fighter II’: Champion Edition.  You can find it at the link below.

The Virtual Console Alternate Version Guide

 

SMB2 Box Art Upgrade + Villain Crossover

Click me to see a larger size!

Click me to see a larger size!

 

Siliconera’s impressions on Last Window

I’m not going anywhere near it, but some of you Hotel Dusk fans may want to look into this preview report on Last Window.  I’m staying away from any potential spoilers regarding it, as I adored Dusk primarily for its narrative and characterization, and I don’t want to ruin the sequel’s storyline before I get my hands on it.

IF NINTENDO OF AMERICA RELEASES IT HERE.

*cough* *hint, hint* *cough*

 

New Estpolis (Lufia DS) trailer…wow.

Siliconera has a lengthy new trailer for Square-Enix’s re-imagining of Taito’s SNES RPG Lufia II, Estapolis, which is really quite incredible to watch.  It looks like I’m checking out a console title, but nope, it’s a handheld game!  Switching characters in battle on the fly is quite cool, and the gameplay looks like it’ll be intriguing to figure out.  I’m also digging the art direction, and the game itself looks very nice for a DS title.  I can only hope Square-Enix takes a chance and localizes it here.

 

Imagery is now Complete!…for now…

I’m pleased to say that I’ve finally finished up the Skies of Arcadia Imagery, and have put up the remaining Gift art that I wanted to host today.  So the Imagery as it once stood at Wildcat Online is now finished.  Yay!

However, I’m not anywhere near being through with this section of LVLs.  I’ve got some plans that I look forward to sharing with you all in the near future for some new galleries.  I’ll reveal these when the time comes for me to properly set them up.  Stay tuned! ^_^

 

Nintendo Life’s Impressions of Fragile Dreams

This is a great preview of a game I’m quite jazzed about.  This definitely sounds like it’s following its own path in terms of story, gameplay and characterization, and I’m all for it.  And the exploration aspects intrigues me something fierce.  Expect more coverage from me regarding this title!

 

StarTropics (NES) Box Art Upgrade

Click me to see a larger view!

There will be more of these down the road.  I’ve got two more waiting in the wings that I plan to put up tomorrow. ^_^

 

Artistic Discussion: The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art – 2/4/2010

Good: Banjo-Kazooie (N64, Nintendo/Rare)

Banjo-Kazooie stands tall as one of the N64’s gems of box art thanks to its bright colors and its excellent use of its main characters.  The layout is well thought out, and has a lot of small details that will take time to uncover as you look at it.*  All of B-K’s major players pop up here, and Rare’s modeling work is fantastic (the in-game renders blend in well enough with the CG ones, which is impressive).  It manages to convey what you’re going to be doing while you play it, which is always a plus.  And ultimately, it isn’t boring, dull or drab – there’s plenty going on, but not enough to overstimulate the buyer.  All and all, Rare did a fine job with this cover, as it succeeds in presenting gamers a solid view of what it delivers as a game.

(* On a sidenote, I never noticed Grunty had a N64 logo ring on her left hand until just now, thus proving my point O_O )

Bad – Mario Kart Wii (Wii, Nintendo)

Every other Mario Kart title has managed to at least have go-carts on the cover. It makes sense, as the series is called MARIO KART.  Here, though, we are only teasing the aspect of karts, as their shadows are quite prominently displayed, and Mario and Luigi are certainly pretending they’re in karts well enough, but alas, there’s no sign of them here.  Where are they?  Did Nintendo lose their kart license?  Highly suspect, as they’re in the actual game itself.  Was it too hard to render karts?  I beg to question that, as every other 3D Mario Kart title has had no problem showcasing the characters driving around on these apparently elusive vehicles.  Nope, it appears that the real culprit behind our cover kart theft is…the Wii Wheel!  Nintendo would seemingly rather shove the Wii Wheel peripheral front and center as the selling point over the title-specific Mario Karts.

Yeah..?

Unexciting is a fitting word for this art.  If the karts were actually under Mario and Luigi, and a race track was behind them, it might have been okay.  It’s not like the earlier titles were stand-out boxes or anything.  But this particular case highlights Nintendo’s casual gear-switch moreso than any other main franchise of theirs that predates the Wii.  And to me, I think that it suffers for it.  Not in sales, as they have been quite steady since its launch, but it lacks any creativity or even a trace of artistry.  It’s a phone-in, and the series deserves better treatment.

 

Akira Yamaoka joins Grasshopper, match made in heaven?

GoNintendo reports that Akira Yamaoka, the man who defined the sound (and eventually the later entries) of Silent Hill, has joined the team of  Suda 51 and his Grasshopper Interactive studio, and I honestly can not think of a better match.  Kazutoshi Iida (Doshin the Giant, Tail of the Sun) has also joined the squad at Grasshopper, and has a new title in the works as we speak that could be ready enough to show at E3!  Here’s Suda 51 and Yamaoka’s words about their merger:

“I really love Yamaoka. Ever since I saw a video of Silent Hill 2 at the Tokyo Game Show nine years ago, I’ve always dreamed of working alongside him. That’s why I thought I’d invite him over when I started hearing rumors that he left [Konami].” – Suda51

“It was a case of really good timing. I knew about Suda long before I met him; I saw Grasshopper as one of those few Japanese outfits whose games can appeal to an overseas audience. I had a chance to meet him in Los Angeles and we talked about this and that, and once we started discussing how we wanted to do something creative for a world audience, I was hooked on the company.” – Akira Yamaoka

Update – Apparently Akira Yamaoka worked on No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle!  Here’s a sampling of his work in the game.