The game play and visuals are too close to be coincidental, but then the music totally seals the deal: From Software’s latest is an homage of the highest order to the Legend of Zelda.
Some lesser blogs have fingered this PSN exclusive as a knock-off, but then it has such a distinct twist, I don’t think it could be qualified as such. Also its too deliberate, it would be like saying Weird Al knocks off Michael Jackson.
If anything its knocking off Super Paper Mario for taking the classic 2D gameplay into a bizarre interpretation of the 3rd dimension!
It launches November 5th on PS3 in Japan, hopefully a global release won’t be far behind.
[3D-Heroes.net]
During the early 80s, the video game market was in danger of dying off before it could take off. Too many manufacturers were releasing too many consoles no one cared for, and developers were making too many games that were mediocre at best. This would lead to a diminished demand for them in the consumer market as well. If that wasn’t enough, the home computer market was slowly beginning to emerge, as PCs were becoming cheaper and more easily accessible to consumers. It would be a fool’s errand for a company to attempt to reenter the market, yet Japanese developer Nintendo would jump in the market head first. [Read the rest of this entry…]
It appears as though the possibility of a new Zelda game, or some new big Zelda news, may very well be on the horizon. On a sub-site for the Japanese company “Marvelous Entertainment”, most famously known for the Harvest Moon video game series, a single page has been launched featuring an odd yet obvious rendition of the iconic TriForce symbol in the form of a clock that seems to be counting down to a date a little over 6 days from now.
Whether this means that a new game is on the brink of being announced, or there is some other meaningful Zelda news to be released, is anyone’s guess. We’ll be sure to keep you all updated on this tidbit of news.
It’s finally here! The first of the last two episodes of Famicom Dojo Season 1! We’ve gone too long between episodes, which is why we’re determined never to let it happen again. After the show notes (talking more about Karaoke Studio), read on to find out some of our plans for the end of the season, and beyond!
Tetris is one of the oldest and most endearing puzzle games ever. Most other puzzle games that have come out since then have not steered too far away from Tetris’s basic design. So how does the age old-formula manage to remain fresh for its Nintendo DS debut? Nintendo has combined Tetris’s classic gameplay with the look and feel of several of its classic franchises, added several new game variations, and added online play to boot. Even the classic version of the game has a new twist; as players create lines, Mario moves through the levels. Puzzle mode, which has its look inspired by Yoshi’s cookie, has players using a set amount of blocks in order to clear the screen. Mission mode, inspired by Legend of Zelda, has players completing lines while having to follow various rules, such as not being able to use a certain block. Touch mode, which is taken from balloon fight, has players use the touch screen to slide blocks into place to clear the screen, kinda like those slide puzzles. A mode inspired by Metroid has players scrolling upwards, kinda like a vertical shooter. You combine falling pieces into clusters of blocks to get rid of them. Finally, a duel mode inspired by Donkey Kong, has players making lines in order to push the stack onto their opponent. In short, Nintendo has done so much more than simply regurgitate another version of Tetris with touch screen controls. They have created an all new way to experience Tetris, and created a must-have title for the Nintendo DS.
You put a “2” behind a game title and you’ve got a safe bet: more of the same. Its makes it easier for developers to release another game, and players get what essentially amounts to more levels of a game they already like.
But there are some that dare to be different, and turn the entire idea of franchise gaming on the ear. For the purposes of this list, games that jump between generations are omitted as upgrades and changes are expected on new hardware.
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (NES)
The first in the series is a great linear dungeon crawler. Its proven the test of time, and started a series still going very strong today (in 2D no less!). But wow, Simon’s Quest was really different. Its much more of an open world, introduces RPG elements, and even adds a night & day passage of time. Modern Castlevania games balance elements of exploration and action well, but this was uncharted territory at the time. Castlevania III, while a fantastic refinement of the game play of the first, misses out on the stuff in Simon’s Quest.
You have got to give props to IGN for their ability to create pretty convincing fakes. It appears as a April Fools joke, the media news giant released a supposed “World Debut” of a live-action Legend of Zelda film trailer to trick fans.
It also appears they have way too much time on their hands to make such a realistic full-length trailer for a movie that’s not, in fact, real. But, kudos to them.
Famicom Dojo is back for its second episode! In this installment, we go over why the Famicom Disk System was such a tremendous boon for console gaming worldwide, even though the peripheral never made it to North American (or other) shores.
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