Wow, it’s been a month since I last did one of these. It’s nice Nintendo is being a tad more regular with their VC releases. However, today is an exception (despite the release of La-Mulana). So, without further adieu…
105. Gargoyle’s Quest II (NES, Capcom)
Brief Synopsis – A prequel to the Game Boy Gargoyle’s Quest is quite similar to its predecessor. It combines role-playing aspects with an action/platformer, although this one does away with random encounters. It’s a little more refined, too. Firebrand has had his original adventure released on the 3DS VC, so it would make sense for this to appear!
Why is it Missing? – Capcom has been one of Nintendo’s better overall VC supporters. However, there’s a wealth of NES gaming goodness we’ve yet to see from the company, who primarily focused on Mega Man for their content for the console. It’s a little surprising considering how amazing their early input was, but sometimes that’s just how it goes. Hopefully with the Wii U Capcom will step up their output for their NES backlist.
Other (Legal) Options – The NES alone has been graced with this game in America. A slightly enhanced (as in more levels) Game Boy port was made and released in Japan that was scheduled to come out in America, but that never materialized.
Our second bit of Dreamcast features for its 13th anniversary today will be a quick look at two covers.
Good – Maken X (DC, Atlus)
This in my opinion is one of the best pieces Shin Megami Tensei alum Kazuma Kaneko has done. This is striking stuff. The somewhat large logo takes away a little, but the dynamic action shot is splendidly drawn and really showcases Kaneko’s unique art style. A definite winner in my book!
Bad – Capcom Vs. SNK (DC, Capcom)
Here’s the problem with this art. It’s competent, sure. However, it is designed insanely poorly, and let me tell you why. One, the art used here isn’t the stuff Shinriko and Kinu Nishimura made EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE GAME. Hell, they didn’t even bother with the classy poster art they did with many of Capcom and SNK’s artists! Nope, let’s slap in some Street Fighter Alpha 3 Ryu and a Terry from somewhere, make the logo enormous and some lines in the background and we’ll call it a day! Lazy, uninspiring, and truly a wasted opportunity. Street Fighter and King of Fighters have incredible character designs, and you can barely see why with this insipid effort. *sigh* The sequel didn’t learn from its prequel’s mistakes, either!
It’s 9-9, so it’s clearly time for the annual “LVLs. Loves the Dreamcast” festivities. This year will be a little more subdued than the last couple due to school needs, but I’ve got plans to do this and an Artistic Discussion to properly remember Sega’s final console. Let’s showcase some musical memories!
Grandia II – Carbo (DC, UBI Soft/Gamearts, Noriyuki Iwadare)
I may have just removed this from my Top 100, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad song! No, in fact it is an extraordinarily great village theme in a game loaded with solid music for its towns. This was a hard one to remove, that it was. I may have been disenchanted by my last replay of Grandia II and no longer own it, but I’m still digging its music.
Jet Grind Radio has one of the more eclectic and fresh soundtracks in any game, and this is a solid representative of its Japanese-infused sound. Hyper yet chill at the same time, quite the feat.
The Last Blade II – Swordsmen (Select Screen, NeoGeo/Dreamcast, SNK/Agetec, Neo-Geo Music Performance Group)
While the Dremacast port suffers from a less dynamic soundtrack choice (it went with the original cart’s music over the grander CD tracks), the tension this song creates is still incredible. It sets the mood for The Last Blade so well that I think it could be the best Character Select screen music out there for a fighter.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica – The Code is Veronica (DC, Capcom, Takeshi Miura, Hijiri Anze, Sanae Kasahara)
I really like the mood of this one, although the context is long lost. XD It’s got a nice heroic touch to it.
Street Fighter and Final Fantasy are both 25 years old this year! With that in mind, I’ve got some nice fan renditions of their universes to share today.
Jen Zee had the good fortune to have this amazing standoff between Ibuki and Vega printed in UDON’s Street Fighter Tribute book. She’s got a good knack for action!
Jurithedreamer’s spin on Terra from Final Fantasy VI is delightful! I love the colors and the way she made Terra look, combining Amano’s design with her own design whimsy.
I figured that I’d get the rest of my System Favorites selections done while I’m in school, as it’s nothing too intensive to write a paragraph or so on a game I like! I’ve decided to trim back to ten for these features, mainly because I’ve gotten rid of some games that were on the list, which sort of looks bad. XD To relaunch this series, let’s focus on the Game Boy and GBA games I dig.
Fire Emblem (Nintendo/Intelligent Systems)
I really, REALLY like this game. It remains my favorite Fire Emblem (and I recently decided it is my favorite GBA game, too!), thanks to its strong cast. It can be brutal (and at times just downright cruel), but I appreciate its hardness. It makes each map a reward to conquer, and strategically deciphering each one correctly feels damn good. Recommended for strategy fans!
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (Konami)
For quite a long time this was my favorite ‘Vania game, and despite Symphonia edging it out, it’s easily the second best. Aria does nearly everything right. Responsive controls, solid visuals, good music, a nice bestiary, and the best plot in the series thus far. Symphony may have better graphics, music and style, but these two are nearly even in their excellence.
Metroid Zero Mission (Nintendo)
Samus’ original adventure on the NES got the remake treatment here, and it does wonders to the gameplay. The experience is definitely worth some playtime, even though it overdoes the “hardcore expert!” angle of item collection and has a rather lackluster final boss. Personally, I like the Zero Suit stealth section, too.
Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX (Nintendo)
This is my second favorite 2D outing for Link. It’s whimsical, more distinctive with its look and feel, and takes some very creative liberties with its puzzles and plot. The DX version colorizes the world and adds in a few bonuses, so I’d recommend that one over the original.
River City Ransom EX (Atlus/Million)
I haven’t tried the NES RCR, but the GBA remake is worth its weight in quality, that’s for sure. Fun, fun, fun beat-em-up gameplay mixes up with a mild RPG development component to make for some good times. The localization keeps the goofy atmosphere intact from the NES game, even taking it a step further into a delightfully ludicrous direction. Really like this one.
Astro Boy: Omega Factor (Sega/Treasure)
Treasure’s Astro Boy action game channels their unique style beautifully. Oodles of sprites, epic battles and an amazingly engaging plot combine for some gameplay bliss. A surprising gem of a licensed title.
Donkey Kong (Nintendo)
Puzzle platforming at its finest, Donkey Kong pushes so many correct buttons for me it’s insane. It’s pretty tough in the upper levels, which I welcome! The controls are tight and do what you want when you want them to, a requirement for a game of this nature! In short, a rewarding little game.
Breath of Fire II (Capcom)
If only Capcom gave a rat’s ass about the localization of this game. If they did, it really could have been a truly legendary RPG. Despite the obtuse and confusing dialogue and menu trees, there is a very well-designed battle engine and some cool characters and monsters to interact with, not to mention the Fusion and Town Building components. I really wish it would be re-released with a competent translation…
Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Capcom/Crawfish)
I’ve spent so much time on this game it’s ridiculous. It’s not a perfect port, but it does the job amazingly well for a handheld with two face buttons and two shoulder buttons! It looks decent, plays fairly close to the original, and has bonus characters and the World Tour bonuses from the DC game to pad its shortcomings, which all unite to make a pretty great little port of a classic fighter. The arcade and DC revs are definitely better, but this is serviceable if you can get over its limitations.
Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones (Nintendo/Intelligent Systems)
Sacred Stones is a great game, but I have to compare it to its older cousin. This one is easier (which I personally didn’t care for so much). There’s ample opportunities to level up thanks to monster lairs and the “random” encounters on the map (I don’t like the map addition, either), but it sort of saps the challenge out of the game because they can be easily abused (or ignored, but then the game gets a little too hard). The cast isn’t as likable, either. It’s a well-made game that just happens to pale in comparison to its prequel in my book.
If only these were the real deal! Custom Lego designer Julian Fong has created a set based on the original 12 World Warriors, plus the New Challengers. While they aren’t a part of Lego’s official catalog of products, he’s submitted them to the company’s CUUSOO division. Fingers crossed, people!
Lord knows I’ve already got a ton of those Kubrick figures for the Metal Gear Solid series. These would look right at home on the shelf next to them.
I think it may be clear by now that I adore the art for The Last Story. XSEED kept the classy Japanese box for American audiences, with Calista (Kanan) front and center, drawn beautifully by Kimihiko Fujisaka. The white background makes this art and the logo pop quite nicely. Sometimes white can be an effective trait to make your box art shine, and I think Mistwalker nailed it perfectly. Great choice.
Bad – Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge (Arcade, Capcom)
What the hell is this?!?!? Darkstalkers has some of the coolest artwork and character designs in gaming. So, why did Capcom Coin-Op take a massive crap all over them when they tried to market it in America? This, my friends, is a travesty of epic proportions. These characters are shadows, nay, whispers of their actual designs. Morrigan looks like a whore (well, a real one, not a succubus :p ), Talbain lacks any sense of his martial artist training, merely playing up the werewolf trope, Donovan is laughably atrocious, and Anita’s face is all kinds of screwed up. She is supposed to show no emotion, and terror is an emotion, fools! Pyron looks like a shitty Satan, and all of them together just mock the hard work Capcom’s Japanese design team put into them. For comparison, take a look at this:
Honestly, was this not good enough? This is incredible art done by one of Capcom’s legendary artists, CRMK (Bengus), which was DONE FOR THE PURPOSE OF MARKETING THIS GOD DAMN GAME. Hell, I could go for days showcasing Capcom’s other artwork for Night Warriors, all far better than what they commissioned for America! That wouldn’t erase the inexplicable and ludicrous re-imagining some lousy artist did to these icons, though. Just terrible, terrible work. Maybe this is why I’ve never seen the damn game…
Yuko Takehara, then known by her maiden name Yuko Kadota, joined Capcom as a composer in 1993. She got quickly entangled in some of Capcom’s biggest franchises right off the get-go, giving her musical touch to Mega Man 6, Mighty Final Fight, Final Fight 2 and Mega Man X, among others. She would continue on to work on chapters for Breath of Fire, Street Fighter, Star Gladiator, and Vampire (i.e. Darkstalkers). She also was responsible for composing music for the first of Capcom’s Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure titles, gave the early Marvel Vs. titles their distinctive sound, and even contributed to Capcom’s port of Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past, composing the music for the Four Swords section of the game! Takehara left Capcom sometime after Link to the Past’s Four Swords music was done, and has seemingly retired from composing music for the most part. She did make a brief return to make a song for Mega Man 10, composing Pump Man’s theme.
Takehara touched so many of Capcom’s key franchises and left a fabulous mark on all of them. She absolutely deserves a spot in Tunage as a legendary composer. Unfortunately, despite her excellent work on so many staples in Capcom’s stable, Wikipedia has denied her a place among their pages. LVLs. is pleased to give her the acclaim she deserves, and to give her a place to stand tall among her fellow composers.
Complete Discography (from newest to oldest):
Mega Man 10 (2010, Wii/PS3/Xbox 360, Capcom/Inti Creates, Composition of Pump Man’s theme)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (2002, GBA, Nintendo/Capcom, Composition of all of Four Swords)
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Ougon no Kaze/Golden Wind (2002, PS2, Capcom, Music Adviser)
Magical Quest Starring Mickey & Minnie (2002, GBA, Capcom, Composition/Sound Effects with Hiroaki Kondo. Mari Yamaguchi composed the original Super NES release. Perhaps Takehara and Kondo did the Genesis music, too?)
Vampire Chronicle (2000, DC, Capcom, Composition of Staff Roll)
Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes (1998/9, Arcade/DC/PS1, Capcom, Composition and Arrangement with Masato Kouda)
Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (1997-1999, Arcade/Saturn/PS1, Capcom, Composition and Arrangement with Yuki Iwai)
X-Men vs. Street Fighter (1996-1998, Arcade/Saturn/PS1, Capcom, Composition and Arrangement with Yuki Iwai)
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo (1996, Arcade/PS1/Saturn/modern systems, Capcom, Composition and Arrangement of Donovan and Devilot’s themes)
Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters (1996, Arcade, Capcom, Composition and Arrangement with Yuki Iwai, Syun Nishigaki, Setsuo Yamamoto, Hideki Okugawa, Masato Koda, and Tatsuro Suzuki)
Star Gladiator (1996, Arcade/PS1, Capcom, Composition of Staff Roll)
Street Fighter Alpha (1995/6, Arcade/PS1/Saturn, Capcom, Composition and Arrangement with Isao Abe, Syun Nishigaki, Setsuo Yamamoto, Naoshi Mizuta and Naoaki Iwami)
Final Fight Tough/3 (1995/6, SNES, Capcom, Compositon w. Yuki Iwai)*
Mega Man 7 (1995, SNES, Capcom, Composition and Arrangement with Makoto Tomozawa and Toshihiko Horiyama)
Breath of Fire II (1994, SNES, Capcom, All Composition and Arrangement)
The Punisher (1993, Arcade, Capcom, Special Thanks)
Final Fight 2 (1993, SNES, Capcom, Composition of Fret Street Beat)
Mighty Final Fight (1993, NES, Capcom, Composition and Arrangement with Setsuo Yamamoto)
Mega Man 6 (1993, NES, Capcom, All Composition and Arrangement)
Aladdin (1993, SNES, Capcom, All Composition and Arrangement)
Mega Man X (1993, SNES, Capcom, Composition and Arrangement of Boomer Kuwanger Stage)
* = Only GameFAQs suggests that these two composed Final Fight 3. There are, to my knowledge, no in-game credits nor official soundtrack release for the game, so I’m including it only because it seems plausible.
I have the oddest obsession with the GBA port of Street Fighter Alpha 3. My opinion goes more in depth as to why I like it despite its flaws, but I’d like to focus on an event that happened yesterday. Now, as you may know, the GBA port does feature 3 bonus characters that the Dreamcast never saw. These include Eagle, Maki and Yun, all borrowed from Capcom Vs. SNK 2 (appropriate, considering how many fighters Capcom ripped from the Alpha series to pad its side of the roster in that game :p ). I usually play Survival mode in the game, but on a whim I decided to play through the Story mode with Eagle. Story mode is crippled in this port, with the barest of plot explanations and no real ending. Still, I wanted to do something different, so off I marched. I’m not fantastic with Eagle by any stretch of the imagination, but I did fairly well, only losing once to Sagat in the 9th match. I came right back and pummeled him, and reached M. Bison. The first round went adequately, but it’s the second I want to talk about.
It was one of the more surreal moments in a fighting game I’ve had. I totally abused the system. Eagle has a throw where he slams the opponent onto the ground and then jams his sticks into their gut. If an opponent techs out of the throw, they fly back into the air. Well, I managed to catch M. Bison five times after he teched out, air throwing him each time he escaped. He slipped out of my reach the sixth time I tried to keep it up, but he was startled by my good fortune. He couldn’t land a hit on me, and I managed to score a Perfect on him. I think it was the first Perfect I’ve ever had on M. Bison in any version of Alpha 3. Considering it was the first Perfect I had the whole time I played with Eagle, I was pretty stoked. I even exclaimed my shock at landing the five throw combo aloud, making Grace wonder what the hell I was doing. :p
When I compare that thrill to Super Street Fighter IV, I admit that I haven’t really gotten that excited by playing SSFIV yet. It’s a fine game, no doubt, but I think it overdid its control scheme (Ultra moves with three buttons? Why?!) and doesn’t react as smoothly to my commands as I’d like. There’s something magical to me about the Alpha series that Capcom has lost over the years, so I’ll always treasure the experience of that franchise, even with its dumbed-down GBA port.
W- AGAIN? Another Street Fighter port?!? Over Demon’s Crest, Bionic Commando, Breath of Fire and Mega Man 64? Capcom, you’re killing me here. Luckily, there is the bonus incentive of online play that makes this port justifiable to some degree. Nester breaks down the two ports quite nicely here, so I’ll defer to him. I for one will skip it.
