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TwinBee goes '3D Classic' on 3DS, mostly
Next week, Nintendo of Japan will release a 3DS "3D Classics" version of Twinbee -- which, if you're not familiar with the 3D Classics line, means a remake of the game, using the original graphics, with added 3D effects. And, uh, if you're not familiar with Twinbee, it's the first in a series of "cute-em-ups" from Konami in which a bulbous little ship shoots at enemies and collects power-ups in the form of bells. The reason Nintendo would pick Konami's NES version of Twinbee for 3D Classics treatment is pretty easy to guess: like Xevious, it features both aerial shooting and bombs that can be shot at the ground, and having the action on these two planes is a good showpiece for 3D effects. What's a little harder to understand is that, while every other 3D Classics game has been updated for the 3DS's widescreen display, Twinbee is in the original NES aspect ratio, with a border of red curtains. Maybe this is some kind of emulation with added 3D, instead of a full remake like the other games. Maybe the enemy patterns would have had to be moved around too much. Or maybe somebody got lazy.
Mercs on Virtual Console in North America soon, Twinbee, Bomberman '94 in Australia
Capcom announced today via their official blog that Mercs, the Sega Genesis sequel to Commando, will be available "soon" on the Virtual Console in North America. It's changing the title to Wolf of the Battlefield: Mercs, which both matches the Japanese title for the game and makes the connection more explicit between this game and Capcom's XBLA/PSN release, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3. The name change, as implied by Capcom's Seth Killian, has less to do with branding and more to do with the Mercenaries series: "Let this be a lesson kids, register your IPs!"In other Virtual Console news, the OFLC ratings board has revealed that Konami's Twinbee and Hudson's Bomberman '94 could show up on the VC soon. Twinbee for the Famicom never left Japan, though we got a sequel, Stinger.
VC Tuesday: Too Many Games Tuesday
We aren't sure if Nintendo of Japan operates like Nintendo of America, but if their website can actually be trusted to predict the VC and WiiWare releases for a given week, this week's crop of games is embarrassingly huge. Five Virtual Console games, only two of which are shooters (and one of which, Twinbee, is genuinely worth five hundred points, even if it is a not-so-great port of an arcade game), and three WiiWare games. Of course, one of the WiiWare games is the second Go game on the service, but it's Nintendo's version, and is thus pretty nice, with online play and instruction and such.The less familiar VC games include Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi, a horror visual novel about a school; Eikan no Kimi ni, a baseball management simulation from A-Train developers Artdink; and Dragon Saber, the sequel to Dragon Spirit.Virtual Console: Twinbee (Famicom, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Gakkou de Atta Kowai Hanashi (Super Famicom, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Sonic the Hedgehog (Master System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Eikan no Kimi Ni: Koukou Yakyuu Zenkoku Taikai (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Dragon Saber (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points) WiiWare: Tsuushin Taikyoku: Igo Dojo 2700-mon (1-2 players, 1,000 Wii Points) Silver Star Chess (1-2 players, 500 Wii Points) Wild West Guns (1-2 players, 1,000 Wii Points)
VC Tuesday: Super Thunder Bee
Only two new VC games this week for Japan, and both are shooters. Furthermore, both are sequels to games that aren't on the Virtual Console. The first, Super Thunder Blade, is an ugly helicopter game with lots of seemingly impossible-to-dodge projectiles. It's the sequel to the arcade/Sega Master System Thunder Blade. The other, Detana!! Twinbee, is a totally cute overhead shooter from Konami. It's one of numerous Twinbee games that never saw U.S. release. In fact, the only Twinbee game ever localized was the Famicom Disk System's Moero!! Twinbee, which became the NES's Stinger.Detana!! Twinbee is considered a high point in the Twinbee series, and even has its own Michiru Yamane soundtrack. This makes us feel pain in our hearts when we remember that we're writing about the Japanese Virtual Console.This week's Japanese VC releases, in a bulleted list this time: Super Thunder Blade (Mega Drive, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) Detana!! Twinbee (PC Engine, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points)
Konami Arcade Classics previewed
As admitted Konami fanboys, when we heard about the Konami Arcade Classics collection for the DS, we started seeing the classic cross logo in our minds and humming the Contra soundtrack incessantly. Five months later, we're almost to the point where we can actually play it.Siliconera has decided to tease us with a preview of the game, showing off some of the emulated classics and how they look on the DS. Of special interest are the vertically-oriented titles Twinbee and Contra, which have an optional tate mode (seen above) which is extremely, extremely bizarre. We appreciate the effort taken to preserve the original games' aspect ratio and give players the option of playing without letterboxing, but why isn't the second screen rotated to match? And how are you supposed to play with all the buttons and the D-pad on the right side?
Konami's shooter collections, reviewed
You may remember that Konami released three shooter compilations in Japan a few weeks ago. These games may never see the light of day outside of Japan, meaning hardcore gamers will have no choice but to import these titles. Of course, one only has so much money to spend. Thankfully, Modojo has reviewed and ranked all three games.There are three collections: Salamander, Twinbee and Parodius. The relative ease of Twinbee makes it the one that you can avoid out of the three. Also, while Salamander might be the most accessible title, only one of these games has something called "Sexy Parodius.""Is it worth a purchase? Absolutely. Twinbee and Parodius work on the same wacky level, but Parodius seems to have the pure challenge nailed down that most shooter fans will be frothing at the mouth over. Plus, it's so damn weird that it'll be hard to keep the smile off your face. Just wait until you face the perils of Sexy Parodius. Sexy indeed!"
Konami's retro shooter collections, in video
Konami recently released three different retro shooter collections in Japan: Parodius, Twinbee, and Salamander. Although Konami eventually released Gradius Collection in the States, it seems highly unlikely that these hardcore shooters will leave the land of the rising sun.Because the PSP can play games from any region, importers may want to seriously consider getting these games. Siliconera has some detailed videos of the three games in action. Some of the footage is certainly bizarre, but that's part of Konami's unique charm. The videos are provided, after the cut.
Japanese release day highlights: 01.25.07
Today is an expensive day for the import crowd, and only slightly less expensive for gamers living in Japan. Thanks to Namco, Konami, From, Taito, and Nintendo, we have no choice but to blow a stash of Yen on these excellent new releases: Idol Master (Namco's 'teen girl pop sensation management sim', pictured, is possibly not as dodgy as it seems; Xbox 360) Parodius Portable (Konami's definitive collection of witty shmups, which includes the sublime Sexy Parodius; PSP) Salamander Portable (more Konami love, including Xexex; PSP) Twinbee Portable (thank Konami this includes Pop'N Twinbee; PSP) Enchant Arm (so good that From Software released it twice; PS3) Taito Memories 2, Vol. 1 (obscene love from Taito, ending with Bubble Memories; PS2) Picross DS (it's Picross, but cleverer; DS)
Konami offers skins with new shooter collections
Konami's upcoming trio of shooter collections is coming with a surprisingly cool bonus: skins for your PSP. The Salamander one (pictured above) is clearly the coolest, but Twinbee and Parodius ain't too shabby either. The games will arrive in Japan on January 25th, and shooter fans may want to import these classics. The remaining skins can be seen, after the cut.[Via Siliconera]
Salamanders, TwinBees and more
Former blogger Rafael once said excited about Konami's classic compilation Gradius Collection: "We likey!" Well, it looks like Konami's planning to make Rafael likey for a long, long time, with new compilations of their other classic shooter series. The Salamander Collection and Parodius Collection will contain four titles each (with one bonus *secret* title for each compilation... ooh!). I'm personally psyched for Twinbee Collection, because it's by far the most recognizable of these hardcore shooters (it also has one more game than the other collections, for the budget-conscious).All three collections are planned to hit Japan in January for 4179 yen (less than $40), so importers should keep an eye out. Until then, educate yourself on these classic series by visiting Wikipedia.[Via 1UP; thanks, steve!]
