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VC Monday Madness video wrap-up 12/31/07
So, it's the final week of 2007 and what do we have to show for it? Frickin' Bubble Bobble is what we have got! It's enough for us, hopefully it'll be enough for you. But, on the other hand, the two titles available that don't have a bubble or a bobble in their name aren't that bad, either.
VC Friday: Bobble Fighters
We cherish these European VC updates for the chance to create silly titles from a mash-up of the games, but this time, we really would be interested in Bobble Fighters. Imagine ... two bobbleheads enter, one bobblehead leaves! It could be awesome.Or maybe we're still just in a calorie stupor from yesterday. Let's get to this week's releases. Bubble Bobble -- NES -- 500 Wii points King of Fighters '94 -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii points
Bubble Bobble screens burst forth
Some fresh screens have been dished out to us from Ignition Entertainment, providing a look at some of the changes in gameplay Bubble Bobble will receive. Bubble Bobble: Double Shot DS, the official title for the game, looks to include several different types of bubbles, each with their own unique twist. Star Bubbles appear around the various bubbles and allow the screen to be cleared of all other bubbles. Elemental Bubbles carry water-based, fire-based and thunder-based effects, allowing enemies to be dispatched more effectively. Finally, Extend Bubbles allow you to gain extra lives by capturing them.%Gallery-9958%[Via press release]
New Bubble Bobble sequel coming to PSP
The title doesn't really flaunt its Bubble Bobble heritage, but Rainbow Islands Evolution is yet another addition to the Bubble Bobble franchise. Taito is working on a PSP revival of the long-forgotten Rainbow Islands, which originally released in the arcades in 1987. The new puzzler feature Bub and Bob "under the shadow of an evil record company who is polluting the ecosystem with a constant, mass-produced musical dirge." Does that sound like a political statement to you? According to the press release, "the strict vertical ascents of the original have been expanded and extrapolated into three dimensions, with each level's building-block platforms now following perspective and disappearing into the distance." Once we get video and screenshots of the game, we're sure that'll make a lot more sense.
E307: Furu Furu Park minigame list
Say what you will about Majesco's Furu Furu Park, but it's got taste. Taito and 505 Games picked some fantastic games to adapt into minigame versions. If everyone made minigames based on stuff like Cameltry, we would never have a problem with minigames.We thought it would be useful to post the full list of included games, because we hadn't seen it yet. If at least five of these are fun, we'll consider the game a winner. Arkanoid can't possibly be non-fun, so that's one in their favor!In our bleak world of cancelled Pocky & Rocky sequels, we must take what we can get. And at the moment what we can get is a Pocky & Rocky-themed shooting minigame. We can smile a little, thinking that there's still some Pocky & Rocky in the world.[Via press release]
Furu Furu Park making a surprise trip to the US
Furu Furu Park, Taito's self-referential minigame collection, is coming to the US courtesy of Majesco. Normally, we're all GRR TOO MANY MINIGAMES. But this one's got Arkanoid bits in it, so it gets a pass.In other words, Taito has figured out the winning formula for making us care about a minigame collection: well-designed gameplay making it look like old games. It may even be fun, with games like Super Karate (in which you waggle karate moves), Safe Cracker (The Wiimote becomes your, uh, combination lock dial!) and Bubble Bobble (which is Bubble Bobble!) Man, that version of Bubble Bobble looks sharp.
The Joystiq Weekend: April 21 - 22, 2007
These wonderful shoes were personally styled by Jamie, whose boyfriend Scars sent a gallery of photos to Go Nintendo. We're jealous of the sexy footwear. Check out the highlights for today:JoystiqueryJoystiq Podcast 005 - brb, IM on the 360 edition (feat. Chatterbox)Today's Chuckiest video: make your own Chuck Norris MiiWeekly Webcomic Wrapup: R.I.P. 300 jokes editionNewsNew York politicians prepare anti-video game crusadeGod of War PSP title nearly revealedFallout 3 teaser site, forums openYou and Master Chief, all night long on Xbox LiveFreakonomics and Wii at Best Buy tomorrowTyping away the dead with words ... againAmerica's Army GGL sponsorship under attackJack Thompson responds to Rocca as we Zen on Take TwoStart settling Catan in MayCulture & CommunityThompson receives 'Jacklash' in a weekGame recruiter speaks this week about breaking into industryHomemade Donkey Kong clockXbox Live Vision camera turns player invisibleThe Zelda tattoos, or, An Ink to the PastSuperman 64 almost had an evil twin on the PS1PyWeek game challenge results announced, winners include a seahorseSquare-Enix: making new games is hard, we'll just re-make old ones [UPDATE]
DS releases for the week of March 19th
It seems like we only just found out about Theme Park DS and here it is, shipping to stores everywhere this week. We're willing to bet that a few of you will be bending the stylus in the pursuit of your dream park by the weekend. But hey, if parks aren't your thing, there's a ton of games out this week. Helps to make up for some of the recent lackluster weeks, eh?DS releases for the U.S. Custom Robo Arena Major League Baseball 2k7 Puzzle Quest: Challenge of WarLords Steel Horizon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme Park Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007
Minigames strike again: Taito's Furufuru Park
Wii players in Japan will have a shot at another minigame collection this April, when Taito releases their Furufuru Park. It will feature scaled-down dating games, adventure games, 3D fighting, and even a mech game set in the year 20XX. If the idea of yet another disc of minigames doesn't grab you, then the cast of characters, pulled from Taito classics like Bubble Bobble, Arkanoid, Sonic Blast Man, and even the recent DS release Mawasunda!! might. And if the mention of Sonic Blast Man actually piqued your interest, then we are very concerned about the apparent theft of our identities. Check after the post break to see some mini-screens of the minigames in mini-action, and check the homepage to see... the box art and not much else. [Via GAME Watch]
Bubble Bobble Revolution recalled
As skeptical as we've become about the prevalence of patches and updates delivered through online console services like Xbox Live, the alternative -- the old way -- is still far worse. Take Exhibit A: Bubble Bobble Revolution. Codemasters' DS puzzler was released with a crippling bug that would not permit players to pass level 30 in the game's New Age mode.The result? More than four months later, Codemasters is finally issuing a recall, asking owners of the defective Bubble Bobble Revolution to ship their broken games back to the publisher (via pre-paid envelopes), and then wait for replacement cartridges, which begin shipping out February 23.Xbox Live and its ilk may provide a cushion for lax QA testing, but bugs occur regardless. We'd much prefer a downloadable patch delivered to us a few weeks after a game's release than rely on a cumbersome work-around or snail mail replacement.Exhibit B: EA offers "Work Around" for Madden PSP crashExhibit C: EA replacing faulty NCAA 07 PSP games
Help us put Bubble Bobble on XBLA
It was a month and a half ago when we began our series, "That should be on XBLA," in which we pick a classic game that would be a perfect fit for Xbox Live Arcade. The first game we picked was Taito's perennial action puzzler, Bubble Bobble. The idea behind "That should be on XBLA" is to get developers to notice that their games belong on Xbox Live Arcade.It looks like Taito was listening. Taito's publishing company, Empire Interactive, has a thread running in their forum right now, which reads thusly:"Hi All I hope you can help us out with a bit of retro advice, If you were to pay to download a Taito Classic what would your top 3 be ?? Also, without giving the game away :) would online multiplayer be important to you downloading it ?? Come on guys - post your lists and let us know what you want."While the post doesn't directly mention Xbox Live, we're pretty sure that's what this is all about. We're also pretty sure he's talking about Bubble Bobble with that question about online multiplayer. Note to Taito: hell yes, online multiplayer is important!So, make your voices heard, loyal readers! Registering for Empire Interactive's forums is a snap. Go do it and tell 'em what you want (and don't forget to tell them who sent you). Our list looks like this: Bubble Bobble Arkanoid New Zealand Story It's not like you can play any Xbox Live today anyway. You might as well do something constructive.[Via Xboxic]See Also:That should be on XBLA series
DS releases for the week of September 25
Looks like we're facing a March of the Minis this week, with the new Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2. The pitter-patter of mini feet will fill gaming stores across the nation as the well-reviewed title hits the shelves. If that's not your thing, try a little nostalgia with the mediocre-but-old-school Bubble Bobble Revolution. This week's wildcard title is strategy game Mage Knight: Destiny's Soldier. Little is known of the turn-based Namco title, but strategy is right at home on the DS, so we have high hopes.So what tickles your fancy? If the word "revolution" in a title does it for you, this could be your week. We've got a long list, so check after the jump for all the games.
That should be on XBLA: Solomon's Key
Last week it was action puzzler, Lode Runner. This week it's Tecmo's Solomon's Key (submitted by ctrl-alt-del). Solomon's Key, like many arcade puzzlers of its time, has a simple formula. It's easy to pick up and play -- you should be able to get through the first few levels easily -- but it get's much harder as you progress. Equal parts strategy and reflex, Solomon's Key is yet another example of a great game for Xbox Live Arcade (and the ladies love it). Read on to discover its block destroying devilry.
That should be on XBLA: Bubble Bobble
One of the absolute best features of the Xbox 360 is undoubtedly the Xbox Live Arcade. We've already seen some great games for the service, some originals (Cloning Clyde) and some retro classics (Street Fighter II). Naturally, we're all over original content. Castle Crashers just may be the most anticipated title at X360F (according to Chris Grant after it was announced, "I mean, Castle Crashers? How f*cking cool is that?" So, yes, XBLA will surely be a font of great original content, but there are still those among us who pine for more companies to sell us our youth. As such, we've decided to pick a game that's ripe for XBLA: Bubble Bobble. For those unfamiliar with the game, Bubble Bobble puts you in the shoes of two boys (named Bub and Bob, natch) who've had their ladies stolen away. As if that weren't enough, the boys are subsequently turned into dragons, and not kick ass fire breathing dragons either. Nope, these dragons blow bubbles. These bubbles, as you might imagine, are the primary gameplay mechanic. They're used to trap and kill enemies, and also as platforms. The game has a very strong puzzle dynamic and gets insanely difficult as you progress through the 100+ levels. And, of course, like all great games, Bubble Bobble features cooperative play -- and the most annoyingly catchy music ever to grace a videogame. In short, it's a simple, fun game that's easy for anyone to pick up and play. Make sure it has local and Live multiplayer, add leaderboards and some sweet achievements, and you've got the perfect candidate for XBLA. Do you, our loyal readers, agree? What other great games would you like to see on XBLA? Give us some ideas in the comments and we'll post a new candidate every week or so. Try and keep them realistic, obviously we won't be seeing any Mario on XBLA. Believe or not, companies do read our blog and they keep track of what people are saying. So, join us and we might even influence a little Live Arcade history.
