PAPASMALLS
Senior Member
This is a taste of what I contributed to the VC Boards at the NSider Forums...hope you all enjoy it and will welcome this thread each week if you like it! Let me know as comments are always appreciated
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The Smiley Scale
[Far left is the absolute worst rating a category or game can receive. Far right is the absolute best rating a category or game can receive.]
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Yoshi's Story (1000 Wii Points) marks the 8th N64 game to come to the VC. So, the only question that remains now is has Yoshi and his melon eating habits aged well 10 years after it's release? Let's find out!
Presentation:
I didn't much like Yoshi's Island for the SNES so it wasn't much of a surprise that I didn't enjoy this game either. Call me crazy, but Yoshi's Story was not a game that I felt was worth a buy, just a rental at best. I feel bad in some respects because I didn't enjoy the first game that I was already of the mindset that this game wouldn't be good either. I ended up being right in many respects because this game was a letdown for many of my friends who really enjoyed Yoshi's Island and were eagerly anticipating this title...only to find that Yoshi left a bit of egg on their face.
Video Footage
The cold hard truth, this game is:
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It's almost October and that means the Chase for the Pennant is just about on! TG-16's very own World Class Baseball (600 Wii Points) bows its way into the VC lineup hoping to hit a grandslam. Will it or does it strikeout? Let's take a look at the count!
Presentation:
Video Footage
This game, while a nice playthrough if you're a hardcore baseball fan, doesn't seem to connect very well so it's:
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Last but not least, at 800 Wii Points, Super Thunder Blade comes roaring in from the depths of Sega's "launch" lineup for the Mega Drive as a sequel to the popular Arcade Title: Thunder Blade. Does the console treatment do the series justice? Let's go for a spin!
Presentation:
Video Footage
Say it ain't so Papa...yep, time to complete a perfect trifecta by declaring this game:
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Thanks for reading!
_________________________________________________
The Smiley Scale
[Far left is the absolute worst rating a category or game can receive. Far right is the absolute best rating a category or game can receive.]
_________________________________________________
Yoshi's Story (1000 Wii Points) marks the 8th N64 game to come to the VC. So, the only question that remains now is has Yoshi and his melon eating habits aged well 10 years after it's release? Let's find out!
Presentation:
- Yoshi's Story has a very simplified and "cute" presentation about it. From the flower health meter to the kiddie animations and the simple story, this game is NOT catered to anybody over 12 IMO. While this game didn't grab the "hardcore" gamers attention, it certainly did well with the younger crowd and that's because Nintendo's attention to this age group translated very well in the production values of this game.
- The one great spot about this game is that the graphics are very clean, colorful, animated and attention getting. I feel this game definitely reversed Nintendo's philosophy of gameplay over graphics. That's not to say that Nintendo is a flip flopper, it's just the graphics most likely turned out this way to help resonate with younger audiences. Vibrant colors and goofy animations are eye candy for the kids after all!
- You can go one of two ways with this: Overwhelming to the point it becomes annoying or underwhelming to the point it is nonexistent. Either way doesn't net this game huge bonus points. Yoshi's Story has a mix of soundtracks and "effects" that can be construed as cute the first couple of times you hear it, but as the the game wears on, it either blends into the background that you ignore it or it becomes such a focal point that it's annoying. Pick your poison with this one, but I do realize that upon hearing it the FIRST time, it's pretty decent fare.
- Well, it's a "formulaic" 2D platformer that is not challenging and is quite frankly short. Is it short because it's not challenging or is it not challenging because it's too short? Either way you slice it, the gameplay department suffers tremendously from this formula. What it does right though is the controls are spot on (as are most if not all Nintendo developed properties) and the story makes sense, even if it borders along Cinderella "esque" simplicity. Also of important note: this game relied HEAVILY on the rumble pack for the N64 and since VC games don't carry rumble, this is sure to hurt the game to a degree.
- Too short and not much challenge render this game pretty much useless in terms of replayability. There are some secrets and bonuses that can be unlocked from playing a "perfect" game, but that's about it.
- This game may carry nostalgia values for many and for that I say knock yourselves out if you really loved it back in 1998. If you're a first timer to the game, I recommend you wait for Yoshi's Island if you want bigger and better production values along with some decent challenging gameplay (Yoshi's Island is basically Super Mario World 2). All in all, this short and not too sweet game is certainly the worst N64 title on the VC if for no other reason than it's just an ok game stacked against some great ones.
I didn't much like Yoshi's Island for the SNES so it wasn't much of a surprise that I didn't enjoy this game either. Call me crazy, but Yoshi's Story was not a game that I felt was worth a buy, just a rental at best. I feel bad in some respects because I didn't enjoy the first game that I was already of the mindset that this game wouldn't be good either. I ended up being right in many respects because this game was a letdown for many of my friends who really enjoyed Yoshi's Island and were eagerly anticipating this title...only to find that Yoshi left a bit of egg on their face.
Video Footage
The cold hard truth, this game is:
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It's almost October and that means the Chase for the Pennant is just about on! TG-16's very own World Class Baseball (600 Wii Points) bows its way into the VC lineup hoping to hit a grandslam. Will it or does it strikeout? Let's take a look at the count!
Presentation:
- For a 1989 title, this is a pretty decent title in terms of presentation. The menu and opening sequences are done very nicely and just the general feel of the game gives you the "ballpark" experience, so that's definitely a win in my book!
- Again, for a 1989 effort, the graphics hold up pretty well by today's standards. While not mindblowing in any way, shape or form, it gets the job done with it's colorful sprites and smooth (really!) animations lending a hand to the overall look of this game.
- Unless the game has "take me out to the ol' ballgame" being sung in it...no I'm kidding. The sound department must have been taking a break as the music and sound effects aren't very engaging and that's half the fun of going to baseball games! Otherwise, it's just an ok effort for the game.
- The controls work very well for fielding and batting and like any other baseball game you play, there are nuances to learn in order to minmize your risk and maximize your reward. My one complaint comes to hitting and this basically is that once you've figured out the timing of the pitchers (who seem to stay in forever when going against the AI), the hitting is a no brainer and you can rack up some serious scores. So basically bad AI docks this otherwise decent title in gameplay experiences.
- It's a baseball sim, a very bland one at that. Baseball games are not known to keep people's attention very long as simulators (arcade ones on the other hand...that's FUN) so in the end it depends on how much YOU like playing baseball which will determine it's lasting appeal for you.
- A nice alternative to....wait...strike that...a GREAT alternative to NES Baseball currently on the VC. There are much better baseball sims and arcade games that are sure to come down the pike eventually, but this one hits a grandslam as far as being king of baseball games on the VC.
Video Footage
This game, while a nice playthrough if you're a hardcore baseball fan, doesn't seem to connect very well so it's:
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Last but not least, at 800 Wii Points, Super Thunder Blade comes roaring in from the depths of Sega's "launch" lineup for the Mega Drive as a sequel to the popular Arcade Title: Thunder Blade. Does the console treatment do the series justice? Let's go for a spin!
Presentation:
- This game has a really nice opening intro, but the title screen leaves a lot to be desired. As a launch release game, it did the basics pretty well, but stacked against other VC games, especially from the same time period in this day and age, the overall presentation lacks the pizazz that makes this game stand the "test of time".
- The Arcade version, Thunder Blade, was vastly superior to the console sequel obviously due to limited graphical power on the Genesis. That being said, Super Thunder Blade could hold it's own if it weren't going up against some much better shooters currently on the VC in terms of eye candy (R-Type III and Soldier Blade, I'm looking at you). While nothing stands out about the game, it doesn't do that bad of a job for being an early title.
- 80's videogame music FTW (For The Win)!! Seriously, the soundtrack in this game just reeks of 80's arcade vibes, and those were some of the best music effects I can remember in videogames. Translated to today's standards though, this game does a decent job between the soundtrack, the sound effects (the copter's guns are nice especially on Surround Sound) and it's basically one of the redeeming features of this game.
- If your idea of having fun is holding down the fire button and dodging left to right for four levels until you beat the game, then this one is for you! If you're like me and want a bit of variety (since it is the spice of life), then this has some serious shortcomings. You play each level in two perspectives: Behind the Copter for a 3rd person effect...then an overhead perspective when you reach the end level boss. Other than changing some sprites and whatnot, each level is pretty much the same and requires very little effort from the user to complete.
- After beating this game twice recently, I feel it's pretty much a one hit wonder. If it were budget priced at 600 or lower Wii Points, it'd be a better value proposition honestly since it's such a short affair and there isn't much incentive to want to keep playing once you beat it the first time.
- Early launch game, awesome 80's beat, jittery graphics and lack of replayability....hmmm this game doesn't sound good on paper, but I can pretty much assure those with nostaligc appeal will get this and those who haven't tried and would like to hopefully will consider this with caution as there is some magic in the game, just not enough to keep fueling the copter forever.
Video Footage
Say it ain't so Papa...yep, time to complete a perfect trifecta by declaring this game:
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Thanks for reading!
