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Hyrule Warriors review: Moblin warfare
Though The Legend of Zelda series includes some of the most beloved games of all time, Hyrulean protagonist Link has seen some less than stellar adventures in the hands of developers not named Nintendo. Capcom's Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages Game Boy games were excellent, but both relied on gameplay elements and graphics borrowed from Nintendo's own The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. More notorious are the three CD-i games which transplanted Link into a wholly new gameplay style that's best described as a hybrid of the sidescrolling stages of the second Legend of Zelda game and an unending litany of poor design decisions. The less said about the games' baffling take on Nintendo character design, the better. Despite this disappointing history, Nintendo has now granted Koei Tecmo – more specifically, its most notable developers, Omega Force and Team Ninja – the rights to craft their own Legend of Zelda entry, a melee-focused Wii U spin-off dubbed Hyrule Warriors. It would be difficult to match the depressing legacy left by the CD-i entries, but it seems an even more daunting task to match Nintendo's pedigree of sterling high-fantasy adventures. Fortunately for fans of both The Legend of Zelda and Koei Tecmo's flagship musou brawlers, Hyrule Warriors is successful on nearly every level.
Koei Tecmo teases new game with dead flowers
Man, Koei Tecmo, you really know how to confuse the hell out of us. You've proven your capacity to perplex with your billion-dudes-on-screen action franchises -- now, you're diversifying your riddlecraft with a teaser site for a heretofore unannounced game. Based on context clues, we're guessing it's the long overdue revival of everyone's favorite classic franchise: Pretty Flower, Dead Flower, Falling Girl. We're kidding, of course. Judging by the Big Dipper which slyly appears at the end of the teaser's video loop, and the fact that the entire Musou (or Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors) team will be in attendance when the game is revealed on October 14, we're guessing it's actually Fist of the North Star Musou. Shame, really -- we were so excited about a current-gen reimagination of PFDFFG. [Via IGN]
Dynasty Warriors DS Screens (horrifying 3D ahead)
Koei, ever the masters of careful, deliberate game design, have been judicious with their Shin Sangoku Musou (Dynasty Warriors) series, taking care not to saturate the market with incrementally-upgraded sequels and spinoffs, and sequels of spinoffs, that serve only to extract as much cash as possible from fans. Oh, wait, we were thinking of someone else. That is exactly what Koei does. Their most egregious cash-in: this new Dynasty Warriors DS. Dynasty Warriors games aren't exactly renowned for their graphics, but this... is an insult to fans of the series. If we are being a little harsh on Koei, it's because every game they release that is not a Gitaroo-Man sequel (on the DS this time, please!) is like a jaggy little polearm poking us ceaselessly.Note to developers: when you're thinking of making a DS game (and we've all been there, right?) please ask yourself if it really needs to be in 3D. If the answer is "yes," then ask yourself if it really needs to be on the DS. We love our little system (hence the title, focus and content of this site) but 3D can be a hit and miss affair. "Enjoy" some screens after the post break! Oh, did we mention that there's some kind of inscrutable card system tacked on for some reason?[Via NeoGAF]
Gundam Musou PS3 bundle: a system-seller?
Pre-orders for the Gundam Musou PS3 hardware bundle were opened in Japan yesterday, with Amazon selling the 60GB console-plus-game-plus-stuff set for ¥72,000 (US$594). The stuff included in the package is pretty nifty, mind: arty cards, technical dossiers, and glossy character profiles. The marriage of Gundam and Dynasty Warriors looks like it could be a happy event for all concerned, with Gundam Musou currently ranked fifth in Weekly Famitsu's readers' most wanted chart. If VF5 couldn't energize sales of the PS3, perhaps Gundam Musou can.
