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The 10 best GameCube exclusives (other than the obvious)
Three days ago marked the Xbox's tenth anniversary -- which means today is the GameCube's tenth. Those two systems are emblematic of the rift between "core" and "casual" gaming that formed seemingly around them -- nobody really thought there was a difference in previous generations, but the contrast between the Mountain Dew-green, imposing Xbox and the family-friendly, lunchbox-shaped, honestly adorable GameCube underscored the growing divide. Just as we did with the Xbox, we're celebrating the GameCube today with a look at ten of its exclusive titles. More of these led to sequels and ports elsewhere, but in almost every case, there was some aspect of the game that never "clicked" away from the GameCube. Oh, and we're not listing the obvious ones. Yes, we all liked Smash Bros. and Zelda. Where's the fun in bringing those up again? After the break, find an utterly arbitrary list of GameCube games we liked. But first, we have to begin properly: like this.
Street Fighter IV, FEAR 2, MadWorld, more for $20 at GameStop
Sometimes it's better not to ask questions, which is the approach we're taking with GameStop's sale on several solid titles for $20 new -- and not GameStop's definition of "new," but actually new. The sale started today, for both online and stores, and goes until August 2. Highlights include: Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360 and PS3) FEAR 2: Project Origin (Xbox 360 and PS3) Silent Hill Homecoming (Xbox 360) MadWorld (Wii) Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (Wii) The full list and more nitpicking details about the sale can be found over at CAG. Although many of the titles make sense as part of the sale (Lair), the big question is: Why Street Fighter IV? Is Capcom planning to announce a Turbo Hyper Fighting Alpha Remix Championship Beefcake Easy-Bake Snuggie Edition?Update: We were curious to know if Capcom was invoved with the price drop. A company rep informed us, "We don't have input into these sales, they're entirely generated by Gamestop."
Joyswag: New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat [update]
Update: The contest has come to an end. Keep an eye on your email to see if you won! It's time for another Joyswag giveaway, and this time we're giving away the New Play Control! version of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. Like rhythm-based games? Like big gorillas? Like leaders of the bunch? Then see how you can enter the giveaway below! Leave a comment telling us what your favorite game featuring Donkey Kong is You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per calendar day This entry period ends at 3:59 pm ET onTuesday, May 11 At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive the "New Play Control!" version of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat ($30) For a list of complete rules, click here
Wii Fanboy Poll: New Play Control!: too pricey, or just right?
Next month, Nintendo will debut its New Play Control! (or NEW PLAY CONTROL!) line of games in the west, beginning with Europe. Naturally, we really like the idea of great GameCube games with added 16:9 widescreen support and waggle-based controls, and it could be a licence to print money for Nintendo, if Mario Power Tennis' chart-topping debut in Japan is anything to go by.Will us westerners gobble up these repackaged games as keenly as Japanese gamers? It's likely to depend heavily on pricing -- the games look set to cost $30 in the U.S., and £30 in the UK. Is that too much, just the right amount, or too little (you maniac)?Have your say in our poll past the break!%Gallery-38147%
Watch how Jungle Beat (Play on Wii) plays on Wii
Click image for more comparison pics Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (Play on Wii) released today in Japan. As such, first footage of the game has hit the internet. We hear you like that sort of thing? Well, after watching the stage above, we're excited for the game. We've had our fair share of qualms with Play on Wii, that's for sure, but Jungle Beat looks so fun. We'll keep an eye out for other videos showing off the new game, so you keep an eye here for those as they make their way onto the intertron. Because we can't resize the embeddable player, you'll have to head past the break for the video. Oh, and it should be noted that the game apparently released with a reversible cover, providing Japanese consumers with a chance to improve on that fugly boxart Nintendo went with. You may also check that out past the break. %Gallery-38147%
New and (graphically) improved Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
You may or may not like the changes that are coming for the Play on Wii release of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, but we're willing to bet that you'll like at least one thing -- the game's updated look. While the changes aren't particularly obvious at a glance, when they're side-by-side with the originals, you can easily see the refinements and additions, which is why we've got a few comparisons here, just for you. You can even see some of the refinements in the tiny image above, like the scales, but if you want the full effect, you're going to want to step into our gallery below.%Gallery-38147%[New images via Dengeki; old via GameSpot]
Play on Wii Donkey Kong has new stages, drastic changes
According to a Famitsu article translated by IGN, at least one game from Nintendo's forthcoming Play on Wii series will feature deeper modifications than slapped-on Wii controls. We've often questioned how well Donkey Kong Jungle Beat would work with the Wiimote and Nunchuk (given that the original game was played with plastic bongos), and Nintendo also seems unsure.Because of this, the remade Jungle Beat is being moulded into a more traditional platformer, with repositioned enemies, new mid-level checkpoints, and only a handful of motion-controlled moves (The nunchuk's analog stick moves Donkey Kong, and the A button makes him jump). Significantly, there will also be completely new stages, though Famitsu didn't reveal further details (such as how many). The remake of Pikmin, incidentally, will feature no new content, the modified control scheme aside.Can Jungle Beat work as a traditional platformer? We'll hold judgment on that, while noting that the DK Bongos played a major role in making the original game fun.
Counterpoint: Foul Play on Wii
It's pretty simple to figure out why Nintendo would choose to rerelease GameCube hits on the Wii. There are a few reasons, including exposing great games to a larger audience, adding fun Wii controls, and, to be cynical, artificially inflating the first-party release schedule with "core" games. Every one of us would agree, I'm sure, that the last goal is misguided, but it is my belief that they won't achieve significant success with the other two either. First off, yes, the Wii audience is a lot bigger and more varied than that of the GameCube. But the kind of games Nintendo has chosen to remake for Wii -- Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, the Pikmins, Chibi-Robo -- won't sell that many more just because there are more people to buy them. I will be pilloried for saying this, but these "secondary" Nintendo franchises appeal mostly to one group: not just the "core," but the "Nintendo core." The kind of people who know who Shigeru Miyamoto is and create online petitions about Kid Icarus sequels. These people already have GameCubes, and they already bought these games. As for the updated Wii controls, Pikmin may benefit, as will the "unofficial" Play on Wii remake of Resident Evil, but not everything is improved with the addition of motion. Especially when that game was designed specifically for a different controller. Especially especially when it was designed specifically for a different specialized controller. I am speaking, of course, about Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, which was built around the idea of controlling DK's movements with the Donkey Konga drums. The new controls, which replace hitting the drums with swinging the remote and Nunchuk like drumsticks, will replace the precision of the drum hits with the whooshing of sticks against air. I can't see how this is going to add any value. Really, without the drums, the controls are abstracted to the point where the only way they make sense is if you know that there used to be drums. You'd get more out of a cheap used copy -- which you can play on Wii! Finally, there's the fact that, at a probable $40, you're paying more for these remakes than for the originals (with the exception of the ridiculously eBay-speculated Pikmin 2). A $40 copy of Chibi-Robo won't bring in any more takers than a $12 copy. Side note: if you haven't, buy Chibi-Robo already, seriously. I don't want to put forward the idea that I dislike these games. In fact, my displeasure stems from the fact that they are all very good games -- some are great, groundbreaking, unique games. I'd rather see them remembered as successful GameCube games rather than failures on Wii. #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } << BACK COMMENT NEXT >>
Point/Counterpoint: Yea or Nay -- Play on Wii?
At their October media summit, Nintendo announced plans to release Wii ports of some GameCube games as the Wii de Asobu (Play on Wii) series. Today, we found solid evidence of a North American release. While GameCube games are, of course, currently playable on Wii, these new ports will enable motion and pointer-based control schemes, allowing new players to use the "simpler" Wii controls, and existing fans to play favorites in a new way. At least, that's the idea, we think.But is it a good idea to port these games and try to sell them again? Is it good for the fans? For the games? For the Wii? For the win? We say yes! And also no. That's kind of how debating works! NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; }
Nintendo directs Pikmin remake to North America
Nintendo has published a list of Wii releases for 2009, and while it's some way from being a complete list, the news for North America ranges from great to ominous. We want to start this post on a happy note, so we'll begin by saying: the Play on Wii remake of Pikmin -- just the first game -- is totally coming to the U.S. The schedule also confirms the Mario Power Tennis remake for the States, so it looks like those two will lead the brand off here.But there's worrying news as well. For one, Disaster: Day of Crisis still isn't down for a North American release. Okay, so this isn't actually that surprising, as Reggie (who isn't the title's biggest fan, remember) has said all along that any U.S. release hinges on the performance of the game in Europe. As Disaster only came out in Europe last Friday, we still don't know how it fared, though will find out soon enough. Also missing are numerous Play on Wii remakes, including Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Chibi-Robo, and the two Metroid Primes.We'll say this again, just in case: this is definitely a bare-bones list, with not every Wii release of next year featuring. We're not about to give up on getting Disaster just yet.[Via Siliconera]
Play on Wii: New videos of old games
Nintendo has released the first (silent) videos of the Wii de Asobu (Play on Wii) series, and, well, it's a nice feeling to know ahead of time that a Wii game is going to look just like a GameCube game, and for that to be okay. We have video of the first two games in the series: one of which is a shining example of the potential of pointer control to rejuvenate a GameCube game, and one is a mistake. In the Pikmin video above, you can see the pointer-controlled cursor in action, looking pretty much like it was always supposed to be there. After the break, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, the equivalent of rereleasing Guitar Hero as Hero.
Nintendo dates Pikmin port, names other Play on Wii titles
IGN has confirmed that the "Play on Wii" Pikmin port is more than just a repackaging -- it and the other Play on Wii GameCube games will have updated Wiimote controls. Pikmin is actually the second of these to be released, and it'll hit Japan on December 25 of this year for 3,800 yen ($36). It'll be preceded on December 11 by the game we officially nominate Least Likely to Benefit from New Controls: Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. If these games are released here, we would expect them to be slightly cheaper than the Japanese price (like all games). Titles announced for 2009 include Mario Tennis, Metroid Prime 1 and 2, Pikmin 2, and -- best of all -- Chibi-Robo! It'll be interesting to see if Skip makes it a point-and-click like it was originally. [Via Joystiq]
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat screenies
There are some new screenshots posted at ToTheGame of the upcoming Donkey Kong title, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat. The game will let you use your conga drum controller to move through the action, ensuring some exercise for us kiddies. Look at all the shiny things!
