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Sega inexplicably decides to release Golden Axe soundtrack
Remember all of those awesome songs in the Golden Axe series? No, we don't either, and we love Golden Axe. Pretty much the only music we remember is the tune that plays while those little gnome jerks are looting your campsite. But that song is great. Classic Sega. Most of the time, the game is too overrun by digitized screaming for us to get a good listen to the soundtrack. We get the feeling, however, that a game starring Ax Battler, Tyris Flare, and Gilius Thunderhead must have some rockin' music.That's why we want to kick a little gnome thief guy until one of the new Golden Axe The Music CDs falls out of his bag. On February 21st, Sega Direct will release a collection of music from all three Genesis Golden Axes, the Saturn game Golden Axe: The Duel, and both arcade games. The collection will sell for 3,500 yen total ($31).Check after the break for ten minutes of Sega Master System Golden Axe Warrior gameplay, for no good reason. It's Zeldastic!
Genesis 2 loudspeaker system isn't for the faint of heart
If you thought a 6.5-foot tall loudspeaker was a touch too much for your needs, we've all ideas the Genesis 2 system will also exemplify overkill in your mind. For those who don't mind pushing the envelope (and emptying their wallets in the process), the four-speaker G2.2 could be just what you're after. The system actually places the tweeters and midrange ribbon transducer in one 6.25-foot tall cabinet while the eight 8-inch ribbed-aluminum cone subwoofers reside in another tower of equal height. As a whole, it can handle up to 1,000-watts of pure solid state power, and considering the 720-pounds of heft this thing's packin', we highly doubt you'll be rearranging the foursome whimsically. For those champing at the bit to place their order, we certainly hope you've got copious quantities of cash to burn, as the G2.2 setup will run you a cool $63,000 in the traditional high gloss black motif.[Via Widescreen Review]
Sonic the Hedgehog and Peggle come to iPod
Two new games are available on the iPod today, and they couldn't be any more opposite of each other. One is perfectly suited to the iPod's limited controls, and was practically built to be played with the circular click wheel. The other... well... not so much.The original Sonic the Hedgehog is now available for the iPod, featuring the full Sega Genesis classic, as well as the option to replace the game's seminal tunes with your own crappy music. We love Sonic and all, but the platforming precision required to play through this title will most likely not prove conducive to the iPod's click wheel and buttons. We expect much cramping and cursing.Contrast this with Peggle, Popcap's ever-so-excellent casual game offering, and the other game now playable on the iPod. Of the two, Peggle's much more suited to the format, and could easily become one of the best games available for the music player. Both titles are now available for purchase through the iTunes Music Store for $4.99 USD each, and are compatible with the 3G iPod Nano, the 5G iPod, and the iPod Classic.Read - Sonic press releaseRead - Peggle press release
Virtually Overlooked: Contra Hard Corps
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.With Contra 4 kicking DS Lites' asses, Contra fans who inexplicably only own Wiis are probably feeling a bit neglected, with only Super C and Contra III: The Alien Wars to play. Oh, wait, those games are awesome. Well, nonetheless, we want to talk about Contra today, specifically the one Virtual Console-eligible Contra game that is not in the direct Contra series progression, and is thus most likely to be underappreciated in the post-Contra 4 world. Consider yourself a hero and jump over the exploding post break.
GameTap releases Mac-compatible Player
The GameTap lite client has been out on the Mac for a while, but GameTap just finally released a new version of their full player, and it is now fully compatible with the Mac.Unfortunately, things aren't quite hunky dory just yet-- the Mac player will only play Mac-supported games, which leaves a large number of games completely out-- Sam and Max, Psychonauts, and any other games listed as "Windows" are N/A in the Mac player. However, any emulation titles are in, so Genesis, Neo Geo, and the old arcade games are all playable, according to GameTap's page-- you can get your Sonic on in OS X.This still doesn't help us with new games, of course, but it is awesome to have a huge library like that now available for gaming on the Mac. The GameTap player is now available for download over on their homepage, and while many games are available for free, a Gold subscription to play all the games is $60 a year.
Brazil's TecToy cranks out Mega Drive Portable handheld
While Sega's Nomad handheld didn't exactly take off, Brazil's TecToy nonetheless looks to be ready to take its own shot at a portable Genesis console, although it's new "Mega Drive Portable" appears to be decidedly more limited than Sega's offering. The biggest drawback, as you might have guessed, is that the handheld drops the clunky cartridges in favor of twenty built-in games, including Altered Beast, Ecco, Kid Chameleon, and Sonic & Knuckles, to name a few. On the upside, it does at least appear to be a good deal more portable than the Nomad, and you'll also apparently able to hook the device up to your TV for some bigger screen gaming. If that's enough to put you in a nostalgic mood, you'll be able to grab one of these for about $110 when it hits Brazil on December 5th.[Thanks, Sapuca]
Friday Video: Game creation is our sanctuary in life
To celebrate Sega's announcement that more imports were coming to our Virtual Console, we thought we'd feature the Sega-est, import-est thing we could possibly think of: the Sega-themed sim/RPG/shooter Segagaga. Sure, it's a Dreamcast game and not a Genesis game, but it is all about the love of Sega.Segagaga is a game in which Sega fans are put in charge of the failing company and work along with programmers and lots of Sega characters to save it. When the game came out, Sega was doing dandy, but, well, now it's a little ironic. However, the whole thing is a giant love letter from Sega to itself, and it stands as the Sega-est thing in the universe. If you don't feel a little bit of Sega love in your heart, then ... we won't say anything about you, because some of you will deny it in comments anyway just to be contrary, and we don't want to give you any ammo.The intro movie is posted above; check after the break for a couple of different versions of the inspiring theme song!
IMPORTSHOCK! More Sega imports on the way
It seems that Sega managed to get a satisfactory amount of attention for releasing Alien Soldier, despite putting it out on the same day as Super Mario Bros. 3. They announced that they're going to continue releasing import games on the American Virtual Console (at the same premium price, of course). Maybe now we'll see stuff that is completely new to the U.S.; Alien Soldier and Golden Axe III were both Sega Channel games.This is wonderful news! Slowly, companies are getting the idea that the Virtual Console is good for more than just "greatest hits" -- that it allows players to discover games they hadn't, or couldn't have, played before. Too bad the import Mega Drive game we really want, Treasure's Yuu Yuu Hakusho Makyou Toitsusen, has a license that will make worldwide release difficult, if not impossible.
New on Virtual Console: Super Mario Bros 3, Alien Soldier and Power Golf
It looks like Charles "Mario" Martinet was right on the money: today's Virtual Console selection on the Wii does in fact bring us the legendary Super Mario Bros. 3, along with two other games that suffer from not being Super Mario Bros. 3: Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii points): Even though every classic Mario release makes the chance of seeing Super Mario All-Stars even more slim, we're still glad to see this classic example of superb platforming make its Virtual Console debut. Given the comparisons reviewers are drawing between this and Super Mario Galaxy, Nintendo's timing is self-explanatory. Still, those who like their platformers portable might want to instead invest in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 for the Game Boy Advance, which features the upgraded graphics seen in the All-Stars version of the game. Alien Soldier (Sega Genesis, 1 player, 900 Wii points): This Treasure-developed side-scrolling action game is overpriced for a Genesis title, but that probably has to do with its status as an "import" title, having never made it to the States. With 25 levels and 31 bosses, the game definitely emphasizes difficult boss battles over the horizontal foreplay of getting there (which is markedly easier by comparison). Power Golf (TurboGrafx16, 1-3 players, 600 Wii points): Well, it's a golf game, with players teeing off on 18 different holes over three difficulty levels, choosing their clubs carefully to overcome factors like wind strength and the curve of the slope. Actually, it sounds an awful lot like Wii Sports golfing, except that it lacks the fun of swinging the Wii remote, and caps off at 3 players. Still, if that's your thing...
Japan's November VC releases: Nuts
... and also Milk. November's Virtual Console outlook for Japan looks pretty excellent, with a lot of delightfully niche stuff. That includes King's Knight, the medieval-themed vertical shooter (!) from Square(!) that nobody likes but us ( ....) It will also bring Sega's Eternal Champions, the goofy Mortal Kombat-influenced fighting game that we poured hundreds of hours into. But it also includes stuff that non-us people will enjoy, like Panel de Pon, which, released in the U.S. as Tetris Attack, is the most popular version of the Puzzle League puzzle games. Light Crusader is notable for being an RPG from Treasure, and not much else.Of course, the big news for a lot of us is that SNK has turned the King of Fighters faucet on, ensuring a constant stream of fighting games with overdone storylines and ridiculous outfits for at least a year. Here's the full lineup for November, assuming some of them don't get bumped or pushed back into December (they will): Famicom: Ganbare Goemon, Balloon Fight, Makaimura (Ghosts 'n Goblins), Nuts and Milk, King's KnightSuper Famicom: Panel de PonMega Drive: Ecco Jr., Light Crusader, Eternal ChampionsPC Engine: Dynastic Hero (Wonder Boy in Monster World), Dragon Spirit, Take the A-Train 3, Kawa no Nushi Tsuri (Legend of the River King), Gradius II GOFER no YabouNeo Geo: The King of Fighters '94, Baseball Stars 2, Top Hunter
The VC Advantage: Ax Battler
The Internet has made it easy to find cheats for games, but we miss the tips pages from game magazines, when the discovery of a new code could inspire you to go back to an old game. These codes aren't exactly new, but oldness is the essence of the Virtual Console! We're bringing back the classic codes every week on The VC Advantage. Golden Axe has some weird inconsistencies regarding names. First, the name Golden Axe implies that there would be some kind of golden axe in the game. But the axe-wielding character's axe is silver. And, more confusingly, the axe-carrying warrior is not the guy named "Ax Battler"-- he uses a sword. We don't care if people don't like the Golden Axe games anymore. We still love playing them. We love riding chicken monsters as a huge cat-guy. We love the "bleah" sound all the enemies make when they die in Golden Axe II. Golden Axe (GEN)More Continues: At the character selection screen, hold down-left, A, and C. Release all the buttons and press Start. You'll have nine continues, which should help make up for all the jerks hitting you in the back while you're in the middle of a combo. Also the jerks running and jumping into you when you're trying to ride the chicken monster. The hard part is releasing the buttons at the appropriate time to choose your character (Gilius Thunderhead, of course) since holding down-left causes you to cycle through characters.Golden Axe II (GEN)Tons of magic: This glitch requires a little bit of inconvenience, but it's totally worth it. When the boss music starts to play in one of the first four levels, hold the A button and don't release it until the screen turns black. During the bonus stage, don't press any buttons at all. When the next stage starts, you'll have 255 magic points. If you try to use more than your character's maximum in one spell, you'll freeze the game. Altered Beast (GEN)Beast select: There don't seem to be any cheats for the once Japan-and-Sega Channel-exclusive Golden Axe III, so we decided to sub in another Genesis game that features anthropomorphic monster guys. This code will let you play as any of the game's beasts, including the rolling bear guy! At the title screen, hold all three buttons, then press Start. You'll be taken to a menu in which you can choose the beast transformation for each of the game's five stages!
VC Friday: Five for Friday
Wow! Five games on the Virtual Console this week -- you guys in Europe must be doing something right. Surely everyone can find something to their tastes among these five titles ... and we know what to recommend if you're just particularly fond of getting your ass kicked over and over again while wearing naught but undies. Crack Down -- Sega Mega Drive -- 800 Wii points ESWAT: City Under Siege -- Sega Mega Drive -- 800 Wii points Ghouls 'n Ghosts -- Sega Mega Drive -- 800 Wii points Shining in the Darkness -- Sega Mega Drive -- 800 Wii points Sonic the Hedgehog 3 -- Sega Mega Drive -- 800 Wii points
360 Genesis emulator in development
Ah the Sega Genesis. For many gamers, there are no fonder memories than the 16-bit days of yore. Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Sonic the Hedgehog. Hell, back then Sega even made decent RPGs (what the hell happened to those anyway?). Perhaps you find yourself in a similar nostalgic boat. Maybe you're sitting there with all of those incredibly legal backup copies of your old Genesis games and looking for a way to play them on your Xbox 360. If so, you may soon be in luck, as a CodePlex user by the name of GrahamStoneman is currently working on a Genesis emulator for the Xbox 360. The project is currently still in its early stages -- it doesn't actually play games at this point -- but GrahamStoneman hopes to create a fully functional and full speed emulator by the time the project is finished. Graham Stoneman is looking for collaborators, so you may want to check it out if you're interested.Our only question is how such an emulator will be executed on a 360? The project entry makes no mention of XNA (which has been used to create other emulators), so we're curious if the emulator is expected to run through Microsoft approved means or via an exploit.[Via DCEmu]
Virtually Overlooked: El Viento
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.Wolfteam's El Viento for the Genesis may look like just another 16-bit action platformer, but that's only because it was. But it's not a bad one, and we live in a world now where side-scrolling action games are a rarity. We might as well play some old ones while we're waiting until the end of time for new ones.
Sega announces Shinobi III and Landstalker for VC
Sega has let the Virtual Console cat out of its bag again, revealing their intentions to bring Shinobi III and Landstalker to Nintendo's service. As for when gamers can get ahold of these titles themselves, only a time frame of "soon" has been reported. Also, no word on cost, but we're confident that the usual 800 Wii Points cost will be in effect for each title.
Mushroom Singdom adds a soundtrack to VC reviews
Though we host our own video reviews of Virtual Console releases every Monday, it doesn't hurt to have a second opinion on these matters, or in this case, a singing opinion. The affable Jonathan Mann, or GameJew as some of you might know him, has been picked up by GameVideos to produce original ditties summarizing his experiences with the Virtual Console's offerings. Even when describing how bored he was with a particular title, his songs still manage to be entertaining and catchy!Maybe we should jump on this bandwagon with a few video-game-themed rap remixes of our own? How about "C.R.E.A.M. (Cratermaze Rules Everything Around Me"? Or "Dear Metroid?" No? Well, if you'd rather stick with something more traditional, you can check out GameJew's Mushroom Singdom reviews past the post break.
Virtually Overlooked Week: Eric's picks
Virtually Overlooked has taken over Wii Fanboy! All this week, members of the staff will be outlining their personal picks for future Virtual Console releases.It was 1994 when Ahmad poignantly rapped, "Back in the days, when I was young; I'm not a kid anymore, but some days, I sit and wish I was a kid again." If scientists could only harness the wasted enthusiasm of our nostalgia, our cities would never want for electricity.Remember the peanut butter and jelly sandwich lunches? Or the summer swims with the sun on your back, tanning your skin golden brown? The days you could set your heart on a girl you hardly knew at any moment, whether it be a winsome classmate or the clear-skinned brunette from Noxzema's hokey commercials? The nights when TGIF meant new episodes of Full House and Family Matters, and not after-work casual dining?Each weekly batch of Virtual Console releases is a reminder of my idle youth. Some games I recognize only from magazine previews I read with eager eyes over a decade ago, and others are familiar friends -- titles I've been meaning to catch up with to recount years past. The whole gang hasn't quite made it to the reunion yet, but that doesn't mean we can't trade old stories about them in the meantime. "Sometimes, I still sit and reminisce ..."
Wii Warm Up: An aural discussion
The ESRB website typically reveals upcoming titles for the Virtual Console, and though it's by no means any sort of surprise, it looks like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will soon be coming to a Wii near you. This prompted some discussion among the staff, of course, and after several fingers were dislocated and a kidney stolen in the night, we reached no definite conclusion. Which of the four major Sonic titles of the 16-bit era was the best? Some say Sonic 3 (and what charming, handsome fellows they must be), but others say Sonic and Knuckles (the more crude, surly members of the staff, certainly). I mean, we already totally know what the right answer is, but do you guys agree? Which of the three remaining are you most excited for?
ActRaiser, Kid Chameleon on the Virtual Console
Each week, Nintendo unveils enough Virtual Console goodness to keep us occupied for seven whole days. Three new classic games make an appearance today, spanning the genres from simulation to platformer to ... well, they're mostly platformers. But the inclusion of ActRaiser means you'll have at least one game worthy of your precious Wii Points. ActRaiser (SNES, 800 Wii Points) - The classis SNES game that combines side-scrolling platform elements with a Sim City-esque urban planning simulation. J.J. & Jeff (TG-16, 600 Wii Points) - A "comical action game" starring two detectives solving cases in a platformer-style adventure. Kid Chameleon (Genesis, 800 Wii Points) - Work your way through over 100 levels in this early Genesis platformer. Take on different forms such as Berzerker, Micromax, or a Skycutter, each with unique abilities.
Today's most failure-prone video: Console duds
In today's video pick, GameTrailers counts down its list of the top ten console failures, including the Jaguar, Virtual Boy, and 3DO. We were tortured by watching footage of these console failures, yet we couldn't turn away, wishing that the hardware had succeeded while laughing about all the obvious reasons the systems bombed. The list covers the systems we expected; would you have added others?See the video after the break.
