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Shifting Perspectives: Moonkin in 3.02 and beyond
Every Tuesday, or possibly Thursday when the writer realizes that nobody writing about moonkin DPS on the internet agrees with each other, Shifting Perspectives explores issues affecting druids and those who group with them. This week Allison Robert, having Hibernated John Patricelli and run away as fast as her laser-chicken legs will carry her, examines the new moonkin talents and glyphs in 3.02 and Wrath. I do apologize about the wait here, folks. There's been a lot of contradictory information from both the beta and an array of Druid bloggers on how moonkin are shaping up for Wrath. While a lot of this is just the normal ebb and flow of changes in the alpha and beta, most of it is fueled by a few new talents and the set of glyphs that will become available. All of these have the potential to seriously impact your gameplay and rotation choices, so Balance DPS is going to be (at least, from current appearances) a lot twitchier and more proc-dependent than its counterpart in the feral tree. In addition, you'll probably have to make a few hard choices that will be affected by what your raid's going to need from you (although there is a truly amazing talent deep in the balance tree that, no matter what else you pick, is going to be a significant raid DPS contribution). As Balance is the only spec that I haven't gotten to raid on, I didn't want to go live with this until trying to figure out which pieces of information were accurate and which ones weren't. Bear in mind that Blizzard is still tinkering with Balance as I write this. For the guide to feral in 3.02, head here; for the guide to resto in 3.02, head here. You'll probably want to be familiar with the resto changes, as balance has traditionally depended on a few key talents in that tree, some of which have changed. Otherwise, read on for a comprehensive look at balance's new talents, updated skills, and glyphs!
Virtually Overlooked: Castlevania Bloodlines (Genesis)
The latest character to be added to the roster of Konami's questionable Castlevania: Judgment is Eric Lecarde, who appears in IGA's 3D fighter/brawler/potential abomination in the form of a little girl -- at least, that's what seems to be the intention with Takeshi Obata's character design. Eric has made few appearances in Castlevania, especially compared to his Judgment cohorts Simon, Alucard, and, of course, Dracula. He appeared in Portrait of Ruin as a gruff ghost who helped the vampire hunters by standing in one room and doling out quests.To Judgment players, he may just be some guy with a spear, but his history of being just some guy with a spear dates back to 1994, when he appeared as the spear guy in the Genesis exclusive Castlevania: Bloodlines.
Mario Golf, Shining Force II swing their armaments on Virtual Console
What's better than playing golf with your favorite Nintendo characters in the comfort of your own imagination? Wielding a sword and playing a character named "Bowie," of course! Mario Golf (Nintendo 64, 1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points): Arguably the best in the Mario Golf series and certainly one of the cheapest. It just makes us wonder why Nintendo hasn't slapped together its cast of characters into a Wii golf game yet. Shining Force II (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): You've got a sword in a fantasy medieval setting that rewards you for swinging said blade at others. Also, did we mention your main character is named Bowie? To jog your memory, we've embedded videos of each title after the break.
VC Friday: Thursday edition [Update 1]
And the Nintendo of Europe site leaks another morsel of info! Not long ago, news of Nintendo selling music appeared in our RSS feed weeks early, only to lead to a dead link after it was hastily pulled by Nintendo. And now another slippage has occurred, with Nintendo accidentally revealing (what we suspect are the contents of) tomorrow's PAL Virtual Console update: Earthworm Jim and Shining Force II.Once again, the news appears in our RSS feed (as seen here) while the story itself has been yanked from Ninty's site. All being well then, tomorrow's VC update for Europe and Australia should read something like this: Earthworm Jim -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points Shining Force II: The Ancient Seal -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points These aren't set in stone yet, so we'll label this as a rumor, but it looks likely. Also: "Hurray!" for both of these.Update: And it's confirmed: those are your titles for this week, PAL people! [Thanks, Lanceh!]
Vectorman dodges balls on Virtual Console today
A pseudo-classic Genesis sidescroller debuts on Virtual Console today, as well as an NES sports favorite ... but really, you're playing Mega Man 9 right now. We know. You're not even reading this, are you? Super Dodge Ball (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Without adding too much innuendo, the gameplay is pretty self-explanatory. You dodge balls. Vectorman (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 800 Wii Points): While he never became as popular as Mega Man, this robot fought without a torso, and best of all, could shoot upwards.
Retail and download releases for the week of September 22nd
Click image for more screens Well folks, just as stated, we've got a new Mega Man game to play this week. What's even better is that along with the sure-to-be-awesome Mega Man 9, we've also got some solid retail releases. And there's a surprise or two with this week's Virtual Console releases, as well. Head on past the break for the info. This week is going to be chock full of gaming goodness.%Gallery-30253%
PEGI locks on to Sonic & Knuckles
We've been wondering how Sega would handle the weird lock-on capabilities of Sonic & Knuckles on the Virtual Console. According to the PEGI ratings board, we'll soon find out: the Genesis Sonic 3 continuation has been rated for Virtual Console release. It showed up on the ESRB months ago, but a new rating suggests forward motion, maybe.The cynical view of someone who has seen a VC game before dictates that the release will feature only the new levels available on the standalone cartridge, with no way to access the extra content made available by combining the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge with Sonics 2 and 3. But maybe Sega will surprise us![Via NeoGAF]
Watch the birth of a LittleBigPlanet player-made stage
In the beginning, Media Molecule made LittleBigPlanet. But the levels were barren and flat, and devoid of obstacles, so the player moved upon the face of the level creation system. And the player said, "Let there be swinging, spongy balls," and there were swinging, spongy balls. And the player saw the swinging, spongy balls, that they were good, and he divided the swinging, spongy balls from the electrified floor.If you needed any more proof that LittleBigPlanet's level creation system is going to be mind-blowingly robust, (though arguably less robust then the level creation system discussed in Genesis), we turn your attention to the video posted after the break -- a time-lapse sneak preview of a player crafting his own level. It's a pretty clever design, and looks like a blast -- best of all, it only took about ten minutes. That kind of thing apparently used to take seven days. Thanks, technology!
VC Friday: Sequel week
Game sequels often suffer from a reputation of being weaker than their predecessors, but that hasn't stopped Nintendo whacking a whole pile of them on the PAL Virtual Console this week. The M-rated Splatterhouse 2 leads the charge, bloodied lead pipe in hand, and is joined by Samurai Shodown II, Pitstop II, and Ecco Jr. (okay, so that's not a sequel in the strictest sense of the term, but a spin-off for the kids). Here's what that little lot will cost you: Ecco Jr. -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points Splatterhouse 2 -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points Samurai Shodown II -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii Points Pitstop II -- Commodore 64 -- 500 Wii Points * * As usual, Australia misses out on the Commodore 64 game.Footage of all four is past the break -- try listening to six minutes of Pitstop II's engine effects without going insane.
VC Monday Madness: SPLATTERHOUSE 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog
Oh, how good it feels to be back. After a brief hiatus (and slight tweak), VC Monday Madness is back and ready for action. Waste no time and get into the video above, then head past the break for even more.
Virtual Console update adds speed and gore, lacks swords
There's something about this week's update to the Wii's Virtual Console that just seems off. Maybe it's the odd partnering of a blue marsupial and a lumber-swinging madman, or perhaps it's the noticeable absence of Samurai Shodown II, which SNK said last week would be among this morning's additions. While you work out some conspiracy theories, let's take a look at what new oldies are available. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Master System, 500 Wii Points): While Sega's 16-bit original has been available for download for a long while, Sonic's 8-bit port changes things up with a handful of new stages, gameplay differences, and cruddier graphics. Splatterhouse 2 (Sega Genesis, 800 Wii Points): There's many ways that we could spend our time waiting to slip on the Terror Mask and bash demons' brains out in Namco Bandai's Splatterhouse redux, but really, what better way is there than to play through the arcade original's 16-bit sequel? The only right answer here is none.
Sonic the Hedgehog on the Master System on the Wii
The latest set of ESRB rating updates features two upcoming Virtual Console games, one of which is just kind of awkward. Namco's Splatterhouse 2 is making the journey from Japan, which is great news for people who like hitting things with a 2x4. The other game is also for a Sega console: Sonic the Hedgehog.Perhaps puzzled by how to identify the Master System version of Sonic the Hedgehog in their rating submission, since the two games are now both Wii games, Sega decided to put it right there in the title: Sonic the Hedgehog on the Master System. It would be hilarious if this ended up being the final title for the game on the Virtual Console, but we doubt that will happen.
VC Monday Madness: Super Fantasy Zone, Gley Lancer and Pirates
After all of the fun to be had at E3, it's time to get back to business as usual. Nintendo knows this, which is why the Virtual Console and WiiWare have both updated this week. So, let's get to the details already!This week's WiiWare release is: Pirates: The Key of Dreams (1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points) This week's Virtual Console releases are: Super Fantasy Zone (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 900 Wii Points) Gley Lancer (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 900 Wii Points) And, before you ask, yes, those are the correct prices (both games are imports).[Via press release]
Virtually Overlooked: Aerobiz Supersonic
I know what you're thinking upon seeing Aerobiz Supersonic as the chosen title for Virtually Overlooked. While some of you dapper readers might have played the game and can't wait to read and reminisce, most of you (if you've noticed the byline) are probably hoping for JC's swift return to the column next week. Before you pass this over in indifference, though, you should keep in mind that not only is this classic being "virtually overlooked" by Nintendo, but by virtually everyone else as well.
VC Friday: A monstrous update
Maybe "monstrous" is overdoing it, but after last week's no-show for the Virtual Console, we're back to five games for this Friday's PAL region VC update. Hurrah! These range from forgettable spin-offs (Pac-Attack -- the first SNES title we've seen in over three months, bizarrely) to a Commodore 64 fan favorite (Cybernoid) to SNK's excellent King of the Monsters, which probably hasn't been bettered in the monsters-breaking-stuff genre since its release. Super Fantasy Zone -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points Pac-Attack -- SNES -- 800 Wii Points Summer Games 2 -- Commodore 64 -- 500 Wii Points Cybernoid -- Commodore 64 -- 500 Wii Points King of the Monsters -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii Points We have some videos featuring some of the above for you, but you'll have to smash the break down with your giant monster limbs to access them.
Virtually Overlooked: Earnest Evans
With the latest Indiana Jones film thrilling and disappointing audiences in theaters right now. In true Virtually Overlooked style, we have decided to celebrate this release (which was pretty great in the popcorn-movie sense) by ignoring all the Indiana Jones games that have been put out over the years and look at a Japanese-developed game that takes its inspiration from the series.
VC Friday: More Hanabi Festival shooting goodness
This current Hanabi Festival is proving a treat for shmup fans. Of the ten games released so far under the Hanabi banner, half have been shooters, including the two released today, Japan-only pair Star Parodier (in which you can use Bomberman or a giant PC Engine as a ship!) and Gley Lancer. They're joined this VC Friday by Digital Champ Battle Boxing. Oh, and fun fact: the name Gley Lancer was (allegedly) supposed to be "Grey Lancer," but ended up as Gley Lancer due to a pronunciation error (the Japanese language can't tell the difference between the English "r" and "l" sounds). Either that, or we've just been duped into believing a rather racist joke. Gley Lancer -- Mega Drive -- 900 Wii Points Star Parodier -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 900 Wii Points Digital Champ Battle Boxing -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 700 Wii Points As usual, footage of all games follows the break!
Wii Warm Up: Through rose-tinted glasses
The appeal of the Virtual Console is obvious: nostalgia. The VC is jam-packed with memories from yesteryear, spilling over with wonderful software that defined our childhoods. But it isn't all lollipops and puppy dogs. Nostalgia can also be very misleading, and some of those packets of data you download from Nintendo's service can end up souring childhood memories. Personally speaking -- and this will probably sound like heresy in some quarters, so brace yourselves -- I was left disappointed by Mega Man 2, a game I adored as an eleven-year-old, but one that now seems slightly dated, with its repeated leaps of faith and enemies that like to spawn directly beneath you. On the other hand, a game such as Super Mario Bros. 3 still feels like a breath of fresh air, almost two decades after it was released. Thinking about this some more, we have three questions for you. One: which Virtual Console games don't hold the same magic for you as they once did? Two: have any titles aged better than you suspected they would? And three: have you ever held off from downloading a certain game, concerned that it may ruin one of those precious childhood memories?
VC Friday: Cho Aniki and the return of the Neo Geo
We were already totally pumped about getting Cho Aniki on the European and Aussie Virtual Consoles, but our faces lit up when we saw what else was lying in store for us this morning. Metal Slug is the first Neo Geo game to appear on the download service since December 14th, but what a comeback!From a value-for-money perspective, we'd still recommend picking up Metal Slug Anthology (especially now that it's so cheap), but it's great to see SNK's classic series represented on the VC (and this version even has Classic Controller support). Puyo Puyo 2 and TurboGrafx billiards title Break In complete this week's line-up. Cho Aniki -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 900 Wii Points Metal Slug -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii Points Break In -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 700 Wii Points Puyo Puyo 2 -- Mega Drive -- 900 Wii Points Hop in your Slug and blast your way past the break to see all four in action!
VC Friday: The Hanabi Festival returns! [Update]
An immensely pleasing sight greeted our bleary eyes when we inspected the PAL Virtual Console this morning -- the revival of last September's Hanabi Festival! What does that mean? Simple: for the next few weeks, the VC will feature games that were previously unreleased in Europe or Australia, which we suppose justifies the slightly higher price tags.Best of all, we're promised that this will continue for the next few weeks. Wonder what else we'll get? Here are this week's trio: Columns III: Revenge of Columns -- Mega Drive -- 900 Wii Points Final Soldier -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 700 Wii Points Gradius II Gofer no Yabou -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 900 Wii Points As usual, make the jump for footage of all three.[Update: There's much excitement here, as further inspection of Nintendo's press release reveals that Speedos-clad TurboGrafx-16 shooter Cho Aniki will be one of the future Hanabi Festival releases!]
