Gaming TV From Yesteryear – Nick Arcade, Clarissa Explains It All Special

Before professional competitive gaming, there was Nick Arcade!

This is a special episode featuring the cast of the classic Nickelodeon sitcom Clarissa Explains It All, which of course featured Melissa Joan Hart before she broke out onto network television with Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She currently co-stars with Joey Lawrence on the ABC Family show Melissa & Joey.

Of all the cast members, it’s Jason Zimbler who seems to be the actual gamer of the group. Still, it’s quite funny to see Elizabeth Hess and Joe O’Connor, who played the parents, act completely confused about where they are and what’s going on, as well as be genuinely surprised whenever they manage to get something right.

This is also one of those infamous episodes in which they play a beta version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Look closely and you can see a slightly different sprite being used for Sonic, and the music is from Sonic 1′s Starlight Zone instead of the final Emerald Hill music. I always wondered about this when I was younger.

Part 1:

Hit the link for the rest!

Weekly Whose Line? – Film, TV and Theater Styles

Wayne and Ryan tackle this game alone – sort of unusual for the show to do such a thing…although not unheard of.  Greg and Colin have paired up with Ryan alone for this game before, so it makes sense for Wayne to have a turn, too.  Enjoy!

Xenoblade Chronicles News x 2

Two things here – 1UP has a really nice preview on the game, giving it a fair amount of praise and even provides some advice for importers who can’t wait to see if Nintendo of America will release the game here or not.  Secondly, Amazon customers who pre-ordered Monado: Beginning of the World (aka Xenoblade’s NA name) have been receiving e-mails updating them that their pre-order is scheduled to ship on August 28 of this year.  That’s intriguing, and makes me curious where Amazon’s gotten this date from.  It’s probably nothing, but worth reporting regardless.

Home Repairs Ambush!

Grace and I had some problems with our house leaking last winter, and we had planned to get some repairs going this summer to prevent it from happening again.  Well, due to getting renter’s insurance, some of these repairs need to happen right now before it’s inspected, so my plans are somewhat dashed for the day.  If I get some time (and I’m not worn out from the damn heat) I’ll try to get at least one of my anticipated posts done for you today.  If not, you know why.  Sorry!

New Trailer and Info for Solatorobo: Red the Hunter

A new “story” trailer and info have been released for the North American version of CyberConnect2′s Solatorobo: Red the Hunter, with more being promised before the game’s release in a couple of months.

XSEED Games is delighted to be kicking off a summer filled with news and details regarding the upcoming Nintendo DS action-RPG, Solatorobo: Red the Hunter! Developed by CyberConnect2 in Japan – the team behind the late 1990s PlayStation hit, and Solatorobo’s spiritual predecessor, Tail Concerto – Solatorobo: Red the Hunter is a winding tale of intrigue and mystery that encourages players to explore the world, interacting with all manner of characters along the way.

Check out the full press release at IGN.

Here’s the trailer:

Solatorobo: Red the Hunter is scheduled for release in North America on September 27 for the Nintendo DS.

Will you be picking this one up? Post a comment below or join us in our forum and let us know!

So…this Webcomic Fridays: 7/29/2011

Three pieces for you today.

First off, a comic with Shi and April.  April’s looking sulky.

An experimental sketch of Marie’s face up close.  Pretty happy with this one.

Lastly, an album cover concept for Snow Dragon, with Janelle, Chad, Mike, Claire and Jose.  Joyous about this, too.  A good art day.

In related news, I’ve added to the Imagery a So…this Webcomic Cast Page and an Archive for these posts…plus a Black Blood archive, too.  The cast page features Alexia, Anthony and April so far, and I’m completely rewriting their bios to be more current (and to be better written!).  I’ll try to get at least a new character up a week.

Black Blood Thursday (Monday) – 7/28/2011

Sorry for the delay!

Wildcat’s Favorite Franchises – Dragon Quest

Sometimes there’s a game that just seizes upon you, and you become so taken with it that you need more to satisfy some inner longing built from its excellence.  In these cases, there’s been plenty of ample sequels or prequels to fulfill that itch for me.  These are the franchises I have been following the closest over my gaming existence, the ones that I hold the highest standards to and anticipate the greatest.  They are not in any real order, because that would be agonizing to determine what I love more.  It’s hard enough with individual games – uniting them all would be a nightmare.  However, I will go into what game left the impact and which of the series I adore the most, as well as discuss each game I have (or have not) played and its furthering impact upon my feelings.  There’s nine that I consider the finest – this particular one is a recent fave.

Dragon Quest (Square-Enix)

Game That Left the Impact – Dragon Quest VIII (PS2)

The Game I Adore – Dragon Quest IX (DS)

There’s something very magical in the realms of Dragon Quest…and I’m not talking about Kaboom!  Yuji Horii’s RPG series is incredibly charming with excellent character development and designs (which is sort of a surprise to me, as I thought I was worn out of Akira Toriyama’s work following Dragon Ball Z…), the compelling and kooky foes it throws into the fray, and keeping the series mechanics steadily along the course of the franchise with mostly minor tweaks and additions being made.  Plus, it’s very experimental with its storylines, which is a big plus.  All and all, I can consider Dragon Quest my favorite Japanese RPG saga without too many other contenders.

What I’ve Tried

Dragon Warrior (NES) – The very first game in the series is very simplistic, what with only one hero to control and a very primitive look and feel, but there’s a solid quest lurking beneath its antiquated bones.  It’s more grind-y than some of the later games, though.

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (DS) – This remake of the NES original is a joyous one, with bright, cheery graphical upgrades, charming characters and a compelling story backing the action.  I need to get back into this myself.

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (DS) – Another remake, this time of the Super NES cartridge we never saw, but this particular game is brilliant.  It has some of the most emotional moments in any game I’ve played, the gameplay is full of neat twists (like gathering monsters to fight with you), and is just a riot to experience.  This is another I need to finish, though – I got stuck on hunting down the fairy palace and got distracted by other things.

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (PS2) – Level-5′s first handling of the storied franchise was a genius move on Square-Enix’s part, as the devs brought the game into three dimensions beautifully.  Lush environments to poke around in, plus some absolutely stunning characterization and plot, made my time with DQVIII memorable and a blast.  The music too is incredible.  Just a well-made game.  Although, I’m realizing that Dragon Quest games are ones I regrettably drop, as I’ve done it here, too, and I need to rectify that pronto.

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DS) – Arguably the finest game in the franchise and for the system as well, Dragon Quest IX keeps tradition intact while modifying key gameplay components, making the entry both fresh and familiar.  Customization is maxed out here, and the game throws a ton of content outside of the story and despite the characters being silent throughout the game (as they are individualized by the player through costume and class), the overall quality outshines that nitpick.

What Haven’t I Played?

Dragon Warrior II (NES) – I have the game now, so now it’s just finding the time.

Dragon Warrior III (NES) – Ditto!

Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation (DS) – Ditto x 3!

Dragon Warrior VII (PS1) – This will probably be the hardest one for me to find, but I am looking!

What Makes It One of the Best?

Dynamic and Enthralling Plots – Every Dragon Quest game has made an earnest effort to do something a little different from the last, and there’s been a pleasant curveball thrown in all of the ones I’ve played that I did not see coming.  The story is a driving force here, and it really is among the finest in the JRPG realm…if not all of gaming.

Perfect Characterization - Another asset to the Dragon Quest franchise are its excellent and whimsical characters that populate their worlds.  Characters you easily attach to, get behind and want to help conquer their problems.  Even Dragon Quest IX’s characters, created by the player themselves, manage to become investments to the player.  The cool designs, among Akira Toriyama’s finest, help out a lot, too.

Fun, Clever Localization – Starting with Dragon Quest VIII, Square-Enix (and Nintendo as of late) have decided to let Dragon Quest’s kooky nature actually come across overseas, and allowed the series to be full of puns, jokes, goofiness and funny accents, which is such a refreshing change from most other overdramatic games from both sides of the Pacific.  Never lose that!

Compelling yet Simple Battle Engines – Each DQ game runs on a core that sees expansions and tweaks per game, but never abandons what made it so engaging in the first place.  The silliness spreads to the battle as well, with Underwear Dances and face lickings possible alongside bad-ass sword moves and devastating spells.  While each game tosses something new into the mix, you can still leap right in and know what you’re doing easily enough and pick up the additions in a jiffy.

Music that Soars – Koichi Sugiyama’s been the official Dragon Quest composer since the beginning, and his work has become legendary because of the excellence he’s come up with time and time again.  Each game has a killer soundtrack that perfectly suits its adventure.

Shocking News: Nintendo slashes price of 3DS, announces Game Boy Advance and NES Virtual Console support for it

It’s been a bit obvious that the 3DS has not quite recaptured the thunder its predecessor had – with game companies cancelling or delaying projects and embarrassingly little in the form of a killer app thus far, Nintendo is pulling an unprecedented price cut on its handheld very early in the game.  Once $249.99, it will be retailing at the much more comfortable price of $169.99 come August 12th, a $80 drop.  That’s quite significant.  For early adopters, though, Nintendo is throwing out a pretty sweet deal – the system will receive NES and Game Boy Advance titles down the road, and gamers who have bought a 3DS before the price cut will be able to download 20 games for free, 10 NES and 10 GBA.  That’s not too bad.  Here’s the early runners for each service (courtesy of Kotaku):

That’s right, the 3DS eShop is getting NES Virtual Console games like Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend of Zelda.

Early 3DS adaptors get the games…early and for free. The titles are slated to become paid downloads for everyone else.

Also, ten Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games are headed to the 3DS—games like Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs. Donkey Kong.

Surprising news all the way around – it’s great that the Game Boy Advance is being supported now, and the NES titles are a nice perk.  Perhaps the Super NES will get its turn in time.  The massive price reduction is also more tempting, although I must admit that I’m still lacking a killer app to compel me to buy a 3DS.  Maybe Super Mario 3DS, Resident Evil Revelations or a formal Super Smash Bros. 3DS reveal will be what it takes.

UPDATE – According to Siliconera, Game Boy Advance games are merely a perk for early 3DS owners, as Nintendo states that they have no plans to sell them.  Nintendo’s own press release reiterates that.  I smell something fishy in that kind of logic, and predict that they’ll change their minds soon enough.

Breath of Fire has Astounding Artwork…

I mentioned last Artistic Discussion that I had plans to open a Breath of Fire II Imagery.  Well, I’ve been gathering up resources, and I’ve decided that the whole series needs some recognition, as all five games have some just stunning illustrations, as you can see above (click to enlarge).  So, the next Imagery update will be a massive Breath of Fire celebration.  It’ll be up in a few days. Enjoy the teasers in the meantime.