Wow, talk about full circle. Super Mario Bros. 2 (or Super Mario USA) as we all know was originally based on an earlier Nintendo game called Doki Doki Panic. I've made my own <a href="http://www.tcforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5548">review</a> going on about how too many dismiss it as "not a true Mario game" just because of that history, even though even as Doki Doki Panic it had a lot of Mario elements in it. Now it's come to light that Doki Doki Panic originally started as a prototype for a new Mario game. In other words, it started out as a Mario game all along and got hijacked into being Doki Doki along the way thanks to a liscensing deal in Japan.
This certainly adds an interesting new chapter to this funky game's history.
Another interesting bit of info is the original version would have been a two player co-op game, with players tossing each other around along with blocks and so on. That would have been cool! Anyone ever played the Capcom Chip and Dale game? I imagine it would have felt similar to that.
I think it would be cool if they stuck Doki Doki on the Virtual Console. They already stuck Super Mario Bros 2 (Lost Levels) Famicom version on there, and I have it. I'd certainly pick that up just to see for myself the little changes between the two versions. I don't think there'd be any language issues. They've released other Japanese games with far more Japanese text before without a problem, and I'm pretty sure the only thing I wouldn't be able to read is the title screen (hint, that's already widely known at this point). The only issue I can think of is those characters are apparently mascots for some trade fair in Japan at the time and Nintendo may need to get permission before they can release the game again.
Corporate-sponsored superheroes fight criminals on live TV for points to determine the greatest superhero. The action is tight and impressive, the writing is sharp, the characters are just the right kind of over-the-top, the animation is pretty good though a bit inconsistent in a few instances, and...well...it's pretty awesome.
Streaming on Hulu and ANN.
Hanasaku Iroha
A girl with a flaky mom is sent to live with her estranged grandmother who owns a hot springs inn. The animation is great, complimented by some wonderful backgrounds and character designs that, while not entirely realistic, have a much more appealing and detailed look that a lot of slice of life-style shows are using these days. The show isn't entirely slice of life though, as that implies it's mainly about carefree doings of a group of friends. There's drama here [and slaps] and Ohana does not immediately becomes friends with everyone at the inn upon her arrival, in fact those that don't outright hate her tend to be at least distant and cold towards her. It shows far more promise in its first episode than a first glance will provide.
Wow that release snuck up on me. So yeah, it's out now, and apparently if you preordered this game you got a costume, but you didn't, so you never EVER can have it! NEVER!
Yeah, I still think that preorder bonus nonsense is stupid.
Anyway, I've only just started playing it but it's interesting so far. It improves on the story mode by having a world map to allow exploration. Characters have been balanced a little better. Speaking of, all the previous characters are back and there's a handful of extra characters, including Lightning from 13 (whatever you may think of that game) and Yuna from 10 (that's a hard 10, not 10-2, which is a relief).
One nice bonus is that you can import your previous Dissidia file into the game, including levels, abilities, and a large amount of bonuses like music and costumes. That's nice, since that means I only need to level up the new characters instead of starting completely from scratch. However, one thing that's not imported is equipment, so get ready to create all that all over again.
Pretty cool, InXile's good and ChopLifter's a true classic, it's cool to see it return. All of the old Choplifter games, including the original, the Sega ones (the SMS one is fantastic), and Choplifter III, were very good, fun games, so hopefully this new one lives up to the franchise's past. It's been way too long, it's great to see this series return... I'm not sure exactly which versions I played while the series was current, but I definitely remember liking whichever Choplifter games I did play.
For anyone who doesn't know, Choplifter is a classic game where you control a helicopter, rescuing people. You win (or beat a level) by saving all, or at least the required number of, POWs. You rescue them by picking them up (you'll often have to destroy buildings to release them) and then getting back to base safely. Enemy tanks, infantry, planes, choppers, etc. try to stop you, and if you get shot down with POWs on board die and you lose a life. In the original mid '80s Apple II game apparently there was only one level, but it was good enough that it was popular anyway. Sega made arcade and SMS versions which greatly expanded on the concept; the SMS one had a sequel which didn't use the license anymore. Then came (from a different developer obviously) GB and SNES Choplifter III games in the early '90s, which are solid, challenging fun, and then that was it from the franchise until now...
Well, with one exception, one of the Super Army War games or something (I think it was on the DS) was partially Choplifter-inspired. But nothing actually used the name.
I've been playing a lot of this game over the weeks since I got it , and it's a great game. I beat the final boss of Normal mode several days ago, but there's more game after you beat DK "for good" than there is before it, so I'm stilly playing. I have gotten everything in Normal mode now, but most of Plus mode remains, and it's harder. Apparently it's very, very similar to the other two DS MvDK games, but I haven't played them so I wasn't certain what to expect from this game. I was kind of thinking it'd be more like DK'94 than it is, but once I got used to it I have come to really like the game.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: March of the Minis is a quite good puzzle game for the Nintendo DS. While the presentation is clearly "inspired" by Donkey Kong '94 for the GB, the gameplay is not; instead of being a puzzle-platformer, this is a pure puzzle game, in the vein of Lemmings crossed with Donkey Kong '94 and with some unique elements, I guess. The goal is to get all the minis to the goal door without allowing any of them to die. There are enemies, obstacles, and traps in the way, but you can't control the minis; instead they move on their own. All you can do is place environmental objects, which you have limited numbers of, in specific, pre-selected spots. Objects include ladders, platforms, spring blocks, and more. There is a trophy and a medal to get in each stage, and to get both you will have to figure out how to collect the items and get all minis to the exit in as fast a time as possible.
The game starts out very easy. In fact, through most of Normal mode the game isn't much of a challenge. It spikes up in a few stages here and there, but I got through a lot of the main game quickly without much trouble. This concerned me somewhat, but the game made up for it later, with some tricky unlockable bonus stages, and with the harder Plus Mode you unlock after beating the game which requires you to get all minis to the goal in a specific order. This makes some stages much harder, and really becomes quite a challenge, particularly if you want to get the trophies... good luck getting all of them to the goal quickly in the right order! Still though, that you do have to get quite far into the game before it becomes a challenge is an issue with the game, and it would be my main complaint I think. That the game makes up for it later one helps a lot, though.
In addition to the main single player game, the game also has level creation, where you make your own levels. It doesn't just let you make levels though, it also lets you download maps other players made over the internet. This is a pretty cool feature to have; MvDK 4 here has no multiplayer, but even above the map editor, online map sharing is a fantastic feature that really adds a lot to the game.
Oh, the graphics, which are entirely 2d (prerendered characters, drawn backgrounds), are simple, but look good enough. Similarly the music is solid but not exceptional. The game looks solid, though not anything special. It's really the gameplay that carries the game, and not the graphics. Fortunately for it, the gameplay's more than good enough to keep me playing for quite a while.
Anyone getting one anytime soon? While I'd like to, I won't be soon because the thing is on the expensive side, and there aren't many games for it yet...
