New Wii Games Announced!!

According to GoNintendo, Red Steel 2 has officially been announced by Ubisoft. The sword fighting is being completely redone and the aiming, or so I would assume, will also be changed from the original. I still don't understand why everyone hated on the first Red Steel so much. I found the game to be quite a bit of fun, especially for a launch game. I think the main thing was the game had a serious case of the Project Ego (Fable) Syndrom. By that I mean there were a lot of features that sounded great on paper that never really came through, if at all. Still no official announcement on the online multiplayer but I would have to think if it was coming out in 2008 then it would have to have some form of online mode. I just hope they add sword fighting to the multiplayer.

Also today, Nintendo announced that in 2008 they will be using the Wii Ware section of the Wii Shop Channel to allow new VC-type games to be downloaded to the tiny Wii hard drive. This is great news for a few reasons, one, this brings us more games from small development companies trying out new ideas, and two, we will most likely need a hard drive (or full SD card support) to store all the games. Hopefully we will get either a hard drive that attaches to the system without taking up too much space or, even better, just allow us to save everything (and play directly from) an inserted SD card. They are so cheap these days it would be crazy not to allow this feature, but knowing Nintendo, they'll release a $99 hard drive with no SD card support just to make more money.

What Happened to Cheat Codes?

I was playing some classic games the other day and it hit me, why aren't there really "cheat codes" anymore. Everyone remembers the great days of resetting your NES after failing to achieve the infamous Konami Code in Contra. Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start. So I have to ask myself, why hasn't Konami used that code in the last two generations of gaming? And for that matter, why is it so rare for games to use codes in games?

There's the argument that using cheat codes makes the game easier thus shortening the length of the game. Because of this I could see developers wanting to disallow cheat codes in their games. I can recall multiple times that I rented a game and realized I needed to return it the next day so I inputted some codes and went straight for the big guns. This allowed me to get through the game much quicker and only rent the game rather than buy it; not exactly what companies want is it? But this argument can really only hold itself together if you implement the cheat codes into the game in a lazy fashion (press Up, Down, and A at the pause menu). But if you spend some time programming, cheat codes can actually add length to your game.

Now I would be more than fine if games followed the same way of unlocking codes that Goldeneye introduced back in the Nintendo 64 days. For those of you unaware, Goldeneye challenged you to beat each level within a certain amount of time on a certain difficulty level. Not only was it a unique way to use codes in a game but it was really an early version of Xbox 360 Achievements and extended the life of the game immensely. If you accomplished the challenge, you were awarded a new cheat that could be used in the game. The more prestigious the code, the harder it was to get; oh the pain and memories of Invinciblity, Invisibility, and Unlimited Ammo. The only issue with this form of cheat code was that no other company really ever tried to mimic it. Perfect Dark was the only game that used a similar code-unlocking tactic but that was made by the same company.

So where have the codes gone? Am I not looking in the right place, or are they becoming a thing of the past like starting over at the beginning of the game when you run out of lives?

Pattern Recognition VS Skill

It's official, I am absolutely, totally hooked on Ninja Gaiden. This game is so great because the level of difficulty is high but not for the typical reasons most NES titles are hard. One thing in new games these days (at least the good ones) that people take for granted is the fact that enemies don't react the exact same way with every interaction. There are slight differnces in the way enemies move even if you're doing the same actions to them. This really keeps you on your toes because you can't just pull some "one step to the left --enemy moves to the perfect spot-- then you stomp him" repetetive movements to defeat a vilain. Ninja Gaiden is not the type of game that allows you to memorize enemies movements and simply learn the pattern to beat the level. Obviously certain enemies have certain weapons and movements, but it's when they use them and how they move that makes it great. In order to defeat the number of enemies that come at you, especially in the later levels, you really have to become skilled at the game. The Knife Guys (that's what I call them) never throw the knife with the same pattern, and for that matter, neither do the Flying Ninjas With Stars (oh how I hate them). This is when you really get rewarded from a game, you know you're good at the game and not just the pattern.

One perfect example at this is the simple change between Pacman and Ms. Pacman. Here's looking at you Pinky, Blinky, Inky, and Clyde.

Sonic Preparing for His Smash Bros. Debut

Today Nintendo released the three classic titles that will be available on the Virtual Console during the company’s continued support of VC Mondays. The three titles are all related to gold: rings, nuggets, axes. The best one of all is Sonic the Hedgehog 2 from the SEGA Genesis. Nintendo needs to make sure all the major Sonic games are available on the Virtual Console before the big announcement of Sonic as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. So if you want the best Sonic games ever made (2D versions) on your Wii, my guess is you’ll have them before the end of the year.

Lode Runner (NES, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii points)
Golden Axe II (Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii points)

Ninja Gaiden on The Virtual Console

For anyone that hasn’t noticed yet, Ninja Gaiden is now available on the Virtual Console for the Nintendo Wii. This was one of the greatest games of all time in my personal opinion and the game has aged brilliantly. For a game that launched in March of 1989, almost 20 years ago, it looks gorgeous. In all reality, can you expect anything less from the guys who brought you Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black for the original Xbox, potentially the fastest and best looking game last generation? The game is a serious challenge, something lacking in games now, and it has a decent number of levels.

If you haven’t purchased a single Virtual Console game yet and are looking for a good one that will stand the test of time, then boot up your Wii as soon as possible and buy this game. For only $5 (500 Wii Points) it really is a no-brainer.

Check out the IGN review for the game right here.

Get Ninja Gaiden