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The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Helena the 3rd
Being a giant, beloved video game site has its downsides. For example, we sometimes neglect to give independent developers our coverage love (or loverage, if you will) as we get caught up in AAA, AAAA or the rare quintuple-A titles. To remedy that, we're giving indies the chance to create their own loverage and sell you, the fans, on their studios and products. This week we talk with Brandon Smith of Only Human studios about his Blaster Master-inspired Helena the 3rd. How did you or your company get started in development? I first started the game as a hobby, on an airplane flight to Colorado. I found the current team members through various internet forums, and I want to say they've been more helpful and dedicated to the project than I ever could have hoped for.
European Nintendo downloads: Blaster Master, Zombie Panic in Wonderland, Game & Watch
This week's releases largely belong to DSiWare, at least in terms of volume. Three Game & Watch simulators are joined by a downloadable version of The Price is Right, the surprise hit Faceez and Alphabounce, a Breakout clone with ... RPG elements? But in terms of quality, the Wii has the advantage, with both the NES version of Blaster Master and Akaoni Studio's WiiWare shooting game Zombie Panic in Wonderland, which combines fairy tale characters and firing guns at zombies. The complete list of releases for the week follows: Blaster Master (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Zombie Panic in Wonderland (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 1000 Wii Points) Learning with the PooYoos - Episode 2 (WiiWare, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Game & Watch: Helmet (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Game & Watch: Manhole (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Game & Watch: Vermin (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Faceez (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) The Price is Right (DSiWare, 1-4 players, 800 DSi Points) Alphabounce (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
NintendoWare Weekly: Blaster Master Overdrive, Princess Tomato, Fieldrunners
There's a wide selection of downloads available on Wii and DSi this week -- including stuff that people might have heard of before and/or be interested in! Two days after its reveal, the new Blaster Master game is available on WiiWare, along with Hudson's Princess Tomato, a somewhat forgotten NES oddity. And DSiWare has the iPhone hit Fieldrunners and a new puzzle game by Intelligent Systems. Read about all ten (!) new games after the break. %Gallery-84941%
Sunsoft announces Blaster Master: Overdrive, coming to WiiWare next week [update]
Oh, Sunsoft, you shouldn't have. Here we were, thinking no news from this day would cause our hearts to swell in our chests, sending us into fits of nostalgic joy. Then you come along and announce that a new installment in the long-dormant Blaster Master franchise not only exists, but is coming out in two days. Yes, according to a recent Sunsoft press release, Monday's WiiWare update will see the addition of Blaster Master: Overdrive, a sequel to the NES classic, priced at 1000 Wii Points. Like the original, Overdrive features both side-scrolling and top-down action sequences. Looking at the images posted on Sunsoft's official site, it certainly seems to retain the same charm of the first game -- if it also preserves the original Blaster Master's completely awesome theme song, we might not be able to stop ourselves from purchasing the game two or three times over. Update: We've added the trailer after the break in all it's YouTube glory.
VC in Brief: Blaster Master (NES), Earthworm Jim 2 (Sega Genesis)
We've got a duo of high-profile titles to check out here on VC in Brief this week. Come for the shooting stuff, stay for the Pig Chutes. Blaster Master (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Earthworm Jim 2 (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.
NintendoWare weekly: Bejeweled, Blaster Master, Earthworm Jim 2
As promised, Sunsoft's brought Blaster Master to the Virtual Console -- though we think the impact is somewhat dulled by the quantity of other games available for download this week. There's a total of 11 different games available, so head past the break for the full list.
Sunsoft kicks off American return with Blaster Master on Virtual Console
Sunsoft is coming back, with the help of Victor Ireland's Gaijinworks. The publisher plans to bring its brand back to prominence initially by re-releasing classics. The first? Blaster Master on Virtual Console. Sunsoft plans to launch the NES action title this month. Through its new website, the company plans to offer prizes and "exclusive, limited edition premiums," which reminds us of Ireland's former company, the swag-heavy Working Designs. More game launches will be announced soon. "This first Wii release is a great start," Ireland said. "But there is one upcoming announcement in particular that will demonstrate just how serious (Sunsoft CEO Kiharu) Yoshida-san is about rebuilding the Sunsoft console gaming brand here." [Via NeoGAF, GameSetWatch]
These Metroidvania games are neither Metroid nor Vania
"Metroidvania" is a term used to describe side-scrolling games with large, open worlds, new areas of which are accessible only with certain items or powerups. Take away the side-scrolling element, and you've got Zelda; take away the powerups, and you've got Pitfall. It's named after the two most famous series to make use of the format, Metroid and (later) Castlevania. Shadow Complex has suddenly thrown the Metroidvania genre back into mainstream gamers' attention, thanks to its fancy graphics and being an Xbox 360 game. It isn't the first game that isn't a Metroid or Castlevania to apply this formula -- in fact, many developers stumbled upon the Metroidvania formula or a close variant even before Symphony of the Night.Join us on a brisk tour of some notable free-roaming games. If you are overcome by Metroidvania fever, you can read more detailed writeups of many of the games in GameSpite's ToastyWiki.Click here to start your adventure!
Awesome sprite art mashes reality, fantasy
We've probably all done it: lazily daydreamed about how we could take out the bus stop across the road with a rocket launcher following one too many sessions of Goldeneye, or how we'd negotiate a real-life street corner after a night spent on Mario Kart. Or maybe that's just us. Perhaps the line in our heads between reality and fantasy is just a little too blurred. Wouldn't be surprised.Anyway, the point is, these "games-meet-real-life" collages from Flickr user Pixel Fantasy look quite a lot like some of our daydreams. Featuring the cast of Mario Kart zipping between vehicles down a real street, Link taking on an Octorok in an actual forest, and Mario Jumpman having to negotiate a series of real-life platforms to rescue Peach Pauline from the clutches of Donkey Kong, they're simple, but effective.Sadly, we've hunted high and low for these in wallpaper dimensions (as we particularly love the Mario Kart example above), but to no avail. If anyone can help, be our guest. Otherwise, hit the gallery to see more.%Gallery-19466%[Via That Girl's Site; thanks, Simca!]
