Category: Video Game Musings

Source: https://store.iam8bit.com/products/street-fighter-ii-30th-anniversary-edition

Capcom and iam8bit have teamed up to produce a limited edition Street Fighter II Collector’s Collection, which includes a freshly-made reproduction cart of the original version of Street Fighter II for SNES, as well a “premium” instruction book, a box, and some other “random” goodies. All of this for a hundred bucks.

So for those bitching about a new version of Street Fighter II on the new Nintendo Switch system costing too much money… well, here’s an old version of the game that cost way the heck more.

I love the additional warning the site gives regarding the cart;

“WARNING: Use of this reproduction game cartridge (the “Product”) on the SNES gaming hardware may cause the SNES console to overheat or catch fire. The SNES hardware is deemed a vintage collectible, so please exercise extreme caution when using the Product and make sure there is fire extinguishment equipment nearby. Use of the Product is at the sole risk of the user. The Product is sold “as is”.  Neither iam8bit, Inc. nor Capcom Co, Ltd. make any representation or warranty, express or implied, of any kind, including any warranty of merchantability of fitness for a particular use, or that the Product is safe to use, and iam8bit, Inc. or Capcom Co, Ltd. shall have no liability for damage to property or persons arising from use of the Product. Nintendo of America is in no way associated with the release of this Product.”

So, there you go, kids. Not only are they offering an old SNES game for a hundred bucks – an old SNES game that you could probably get for way cheaper used – but they’re also offering an old SNES game that can kill your console for a hundred bucks. See, if I wanted to kill my console, I’d just get a hammer from the Dollar Store and smash it with that. Less hassle.

Anyway… that’s a thing that’s being offered now. Not sure if I want to actually go out and get one for myself, since I already have a perfectly functional copy of SF2 for my SNES that won’t cause my machine to explode… or maybe I’m just holding out for something similar to be done with ol’ Blue Boy… wait, not happening? Oh, okay.

Sooooooo……. have fun.

Pick-ups tomorrow.

Source article can be read here.

I only bring this up so I can find an excuse to re-post my Double Dragon IV review from earlier this year. My thoughts on the game itself can be found there. Still, nice to see Nintendo getting another NES-inspired retro demake style game thing onto their console. I sure wish more people got on that bandwagon. (Looking at you, Capcom.)

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-super-nintendo-classic-edition-arrives-with-21-game-1796419063

In a move that everyone saw coming, Nintendo has announced the SNES Classic Edition, which is essentially a miniature SNES-looking Plug-N-Play system with twenty one built-in SNES classics as well as TWO SNES controllers – the original NES Classic Edition only included one controller.

What makes this system a sweet deal is what’s on the console. Twenty-one games might not seem like a whole lot, but this is truly a matter of quality over quantity and the game selection is top-notch stuff indeed. Not only are you getting the usual Nintendo classics such as Super Mario World/Kart/RPG, Super Metroid, and even Kirby Super Stars, not only are you getting some of the finest third-party offerings such as Contra III, Super Castlevania IV, and Final Fantasy III (VI), but you’re also getting the never-before-released StarFox 2.

For those in the emulation and homebrew scene, you might’ve already played that one… but for many gamers who have never dabbled in that scene, this will be the first time they’d experience the game in any real official capacity. That alone adds value to the SNES Classic Edition, which is looking to be a solid offering indeed.

Let’s just hope Nintendo makes more than five copies worldwide.

The following games are said to be included…

Contra III: The Alien Wars
Donkey Kong Country
EarthBound
Final Fantasy III
F-ZERO
Kirby Super Star
Kirby’s Dream Course
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Mega Man X
Secret of Mana
Star Fox
Star Fox 2
Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
Super Castlevania IV
Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
Super Mario Kart
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Super Mario World
Super Metroid
Super Punch-Out!!
Yoshi’s Island

The SNES Classic Edition hits stores September 29th.

The following is a transcript of a segment from Episode #70 of the DTM-Cast, slightly adjusted for text format.

So let’s touch on some video game stuff because we haven’t had that in a while. A couple quick news bits that I want to comment on quickly

You’ll remember a few months back when Sega announced two upcoming Sonic games. One is Sonic Mania, the return-to-form 2D throwback title from Christian Whitehead, who was the guy who brought the mobile ports of Sonic 1, 2, and CD. And that game is due this summer. Was supposed to be out in spring, but they’re holding it back a few months and that’s fine, I suppose. I can wait.

The other game that they announced was codenamed Project Sonic 2017 or that sort of thing; it was going to be similar to Sonic Generations in that it features Modern Sonic and even Classic Sonic and they’re in a warzone of sorts… that project now has a name: Sonic Forces. It’ll be running off the Hedgehog Engine 2, which is an update of the engine that powered Sonic Generations, Sonic Colors, that initial wave of Sonic titles after ’06. And it looks like the game will be of a similar vein to those titles, which I’m pleased to see. Out of the various 3D Sonics over the years, I really enjoyed the Colors and Generations model the most which was more based on speed-running, occasional platforming, that sort of gameplay which fits like a glove for a character like Sonic whose main gimmick is his fast speed. So that’s something I’m somewhat looking forward. Obviously, not enough is known at the moment, but there’s always time for that.

Another thing was recently announced from Digital Eclipse and Capcom – and this is actually a nice little surprise if I do say so myself – this coming April will see the release of the Disney Afternoon Collection. And this collection comprise six classic NES games; Ducktales, Ducktales 2, Chip N Dale: Rescue Rangers 1 and 2, Talespin, and Darkwing Duck. Aside from the enhanced emulation (1080p HD, that sort of thing), there’s going to be additional boss rush modes, time trials, and a rewind feature that lets you rewind gameplay so that you can save yourself from doing something stupid or something. And of course, there’ll be the gallery of material and never before seen content, so that’ll something.

But, yeah, this is a nice little surprise. I’d imagine this is a bit of a bonus for Capcom, considering they got the rights to do another Marvel Vs. Capcom fighting game, but honestly, I’m not going to complain. When it comes to third-party licensed games on the NES, you could pretty much do no wrong with the Capcom-developed Disney games and what you got here is the best of the best, pretty much. Ducktales is a classic game, Darkwing Duck is a fantastic game, Chip N’ Dale… straightforward titles, Talespin… is fucking Talespin. It’s a nice little package especially for those who missed on these games back in the day, especially something like Ducktales 2 which was a late NES release and these days is pretty damn expensive.

So six classic Disney titles from the NES days by Capcom… I’d imagine it’ll be the same price as the Mega Man Legacy Collection that they released a couple years, but regardless, this should be fun. And it’s something I’m looking forward to without question.

A plug-and-play NES console with 30 built-in NES titles, HDMI output, and suspending play functionality? And you can (possibly) use the included controller on the Wii (U) Virtual Console? That’s actually pretty sweet. And the list of games included is nice, varied, and not strictly first-party. Mind you; there’s a couple games I would rather have in there over others. Would’ve been nice to have Castlevania III in there to complete the trilogy or one of the Natsume titles like Shatterhand, Shadow of the Ninja, or the Power Blade games… toss in the Lost Levels instead of flippin’ Ice Climber. But… baby steps.

NES plug-and-plays have existed before (in less official capacities and also, quite frankly, much shoddier build qualities), but an officially licensed one from Nintendo is a rarity. Who knows? It might do well for those who haven’t dumped money into a Wii or a Wii U and just want a nice, convenient piece of nostalgia to play their old favorites. Or maybe some folks will just want the controller for nostalgia sessions on their Wii.

And please don’t bother with the tired “emulators” route. The fact is some folks don’t like or don’t want to go that route and would prefer more official means. How many Sega Genesis plug-and-plays are floating out there and still making? The things obviously sell, so there’s an interest.

Here’s the full list for those who don’t want to click the link above.

Balloon Fight
Bubble Bobble
Castlevania
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Jr.
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
Dr. Mario
Excitebike
Final Fantasy
Galaga
Ghosts’N Goblins
Gradius
Ice Climber
Kid Icarus
Kirby’s Adventure
Mario Bros.
Mega Man 2
Metroid
Ninja Gaiden
Pac-Man
Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream
StarTropics
Super C
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Tecmo Bowl
The Legend of Zelda
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Following up on yesterday’s impromptu episode of DTM Rambles, I ended up spending somewhere within the neighborhood of three hours on my newly acquired Mega Man X3 video game, where I found myself relearning where everything was and eventually defeating the initial eight Maverick hunters. I assure you, however, that a good bulk of that time was spent on grinding for health to fill whatever subtanks I had acquired. Still, I had forgotten how tough this game was. Not just in regards to the bosses, but also in the fact that nearly every enemy in the game shoots at you.

Can’t say I didn’t have fun, though. Damn thing cost an arm and a leg (those are slowly regenerating, however, so no worries), but I can’t say it wasn’t worth it. Maybe I can get around to do that marathon of Mega Man X reviews somewhere down the line… as soon as I finish off the main classic titles.

Oh… and for those who care, CM Punk had his debut UFC match last night and was brutalized for about two minutes. I haven’t seen the match itself – will do so some time this week – but from what I’ve heard, I didn’t miss much. However, if I could offer this one slight nugget of positivity, Punk lasted longer than Brock Lesnar did in his debut UFC match. About a minute longer. So in some odd ball way, CM Punk’s UFC career is off to a great start!