Friday Flashback: Capcom’s NES Disney Games
This week, we'll look back at not a single game, but an entire sub-sub-genre that defied all expectations and shaped so many of our youthful gaming experiences. It has always been the case that if a video game is based on a popular franchise, it's probably going to suck. It was true in the days of the Atari 2600 and it's true today. It was especially true in the NES days, when nearly every 8-bit video game based on a popular movie or TV show turned out to be a nigh-unplayable, weekend-ruining piece of crap.
And then Capcom started to make Disney games. And they were freaking awesome. Well, three to five of them were awesome, and that's a record that hasn't been broken since.
Halo: Reach getting Limited and Legendary Editions
Unlike the lackluster release of Halo 3: ODST, it looks like Microsoft and Bungie are going all-out for its next Halo game, Halo: Reach. Microsoft has just announced that the game will be getting not one but two collector's editions filled with all sorts of extra goodies.
The Limited Edition will retail for $79.99, $20 more than the standard edition. For that extra Jackson the game comes in a custom case based on a recovered ONI data module from the game, an "artifact bag" containing the journal and notes of Dr. Catherine Halsey, creator of the Spartan program, Dr. Halsey's ONI security badge, and an embroidered Spartan II patch. It also comes with an in-game Elite armor exclusive to the Limited and Legendary Editions, for use in multiplayer.
The Legendary Edition will retail for $149.99, almost twice as much as the Limited Edition. It doesn't come with a cat helmet this time, but it does include everything in the Limited Edition, plus USNC-themed packaging in a huge box and an individually numbered Noble Team statue from McFarlane Toys. The statue is over 10 inches tall, and weighs over 10 pounds. The game also includes an exclusive armor effect, possibly similar to the "flaming helmet" effect in Halo 3 that was only available to Bungie employees and a few other select few. Not bad, but I still want a Spartan helmet.
All editions of Halo: Reach ship this Fall.
From the Game: Bioshock 2 EVE Hypo
[From The Game is a regular department on Aggrogate, featuring replica items from video games. FTGs can feature merchandise, convention swag, special edition pack-ins, or personal replica projects from across the Internet. If you have something you want featured in From The Game, drop me a line.]
Bioshock 2 may have felt like a competently-made but unnecessary expansion of the original game, but at least it spawned some awesome merchandise. NECA got the rights to the Bioshock license and produced a full line of Bioshock 2 action figures, a replica Little Sister plush toy, and... a light-up EVE hypo.
Oh, yeah. A replica, life-sized, light-up EVE hypo. And it's pretty damn cool.
Ultima (sort-of) returns in free EA browser game
EA is bringing Ultima back, in a kinda half-assed manner. Yesterday, the company launched Lord of Ultima, a free, browser-based empire-building game.
Yeah, it's a browser game. And honestly, I have no freaking idea what makes it "Ultima" in any way. It seems pretty much like a generic fantasy setting with absolutely no Ultima flavor to it. It's a pretty ignoble continuation of the once-epic fantasy franchise.
Still, it's fun, and well-made for a freebie. The production values are great for a web game, the city-building mechanic seems to be fairly deep, and there's a good bit of variety. It's worth a go, if you like the web-based city-building genre at all. Maybe this is a precursor to a resurgence of Ultima from EA. Maybe it's just a teaser before they announce "Ultima 11." Or maybe they just felt like tossing the old-school holdouts a bone.
Bin Digging: Wii Edition
It's time for another Bin Digging. This time, we're looking at bargain-bin games for the Wii. The Wii has been a popular console for terrible licensed games, generic party and puzzle games, and all-around shovelware. Fortunately, there still are plenty of fun games you can grab for less than $15.
To be considered for Bin Digging, a game has to fulfill two criteria. First, it has to cost $15 or less. I know I said console games would be able to sneak in for $20 or less, but that opens up plenty of room for "Greatest Hits" titles, which would just be lazy. Let's look for some real, dirt-cheap game bargains. Second, it has to be a game you'd actually want to play. Not necessarily a system-seller, but at least worth a playthrough.
Tuesday’s Trope: Bonus Boss
[Tuesday's Trope is a weekly department highlighting an amusing video game trope from TVTropes. Aggrogate is not affiliated with TVTropes.org in any way. All trope examples come from TVTropes and are shared via the Creative Commons license.]
Sometimes the biggest challenges in games aren't actually part of the main story. You have to go out of the way, explore a bit, do some tricks for the privilege of fighting the biggest and baddest bosses. These are Bonus Bosses, and they're one of those things that keep you coming back to games even after you beat them.
Weekday Deal: Beatles Rock Band for $62
The whole Rock Band/Guitar Hero craze might be losing its luster these days, but they're still fun to play. Amazon just put up a great deal for Beatles fans who want to get in on the action. The site is selling the complete Beatles Rock Band set, with guitar, drum kit, and mic, for $60 on the 360 or $62 on the PS3
It's the "Special Value Edition," which means it comes with generic instruments from the original Rock Band, instead of the Beatles-themed instruments that came with the original bundle, or even the improved instruments of Rock Band 2 (be wary of the drums, people!). Still, it's a full set for really cheap. If you want to get into Rock Band 2 and enjoy the whole musical experience instead of just the works of the Fab Four, you can pick up the disc-only version of the game for $23 on the 360
Holy crap, it’s real. Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is coming.
Marvel just announced Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. It's been over a decade since Marvel Versus Capcom 2 came out, and fans of the game haven't stopped requesting a sequel in all that time. Finally, a sequel is coming.
MvC3 is slated for a Spring 2011 release, and that means details are very sparse at this point. It will use Capcom's MT Framework, the engine Capcom built into Resident Evil 5 and is building into Lost Planet 2. The combat seems to still be 2D, though Capcom is vague on those details (but considering Capcom has been very very successful with 2D fighting games and very very not with 3D, that seems like a given). The game will also keep the 3v3 tag team combat of MvC2.
Ubisoft hypes Splinter Cell with fake gun violence
Ubisoft is apparently trying to beat out Sony for most ill-conceived marketing gimmick ever. In an attempt to hype up the release of Splinter Cell: Conviction in New Zealand, an actor pointed a fake gun at several people in a bar in Auckland.
Fortunately, nobody was hurt, and the actor remarkably wasn't killed in a hail of police gunfire. Auckland police showed up and took the fake gun from the actor, and the company behind promoting Splinter Cell in New Zealand, Monaco, immediately went into damage control. Spokesmen from Monaco said that the company hired another marketing company to handle the event, and that they had no idea about the gun.
This mishap wasn't exactly serving a freshly slaughtered, decapitated goat carcass, but it's pretty close, and a lot more potentially dangerous.
[Source: Destructoid]
Rumor: Marvel Versus Capcom 3 and Bionic Command Rearmed 2 soon to be announced?
I hate to report on rumors, but this is just too potentially awesome to pass up. According to Planetxbox360.com, Marvel Versus Capcom 3 is going to be announced very soon, and will actually be playable at E3 2010 in June. MvC3 was supposedly showcased at this year's Captivate event in Hawaii, but outside of Planetxbox360 there haven't been any corroborating reports.
Joystiq notes that it would be a prudent idea for Capcom, considering that MvC2 consistently sells well on XBLA and PSN. The success of Street Fighter 4 and Capcom Versus Tatsunoko and the release of Super Street Fighter 4 (along with Capcom's claim that SSF4 will be the last SF4 game, and won't have any more iterations) seem to show that Capcom is still taking the tournament fighter genre seriously.
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