Mega Man IV (GB, 3DS VC) Retro Review

Like brand-new news regarding Mega Man nowadays, two reviews in one day on SuperPhillip Central seldom ever happens. Today is a special day, however. Mega Man IV recently released on the North American Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS. Here's SuperPhillip Central's thoughts on the game in the form of a review!

Welcome to Rockman's World.

Remember in the early 2000's how so many of us complained about Mega Man being in way too many games and seeing way too many releases? Oh, if only we knew then what we know now. Today, Mega Man is pretty much intentionally forgotten by Capcom, the series's publisher. Hell, Nintendo is doing more with the franchise than its own publisher is, and that doesn't just include Mega Man's entry in the Super Smash Bros. series with this year's Wii U and 3DS entries. It also includes many of Mega Man's games being released on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console marketplaces. The latter is where the fourth Mega Man game for the Game Boy finally gets another chance to shine, Mega Man IV. For its low entry price, Mega Man IV is like a fully charged Mega Buster shot-- it's a blast.

The core of Mega Man IV remains unchanged from past Mega Man titles, both on the NES and on the Game Boy titles that preceded it. Mega Man runs, guns, and jumps through linear platforming stages, taking on the Robot Master that serves as the last challenge of each level. Defeating the Robot Master endows Mega Man with its special weapon. This special weapon can be used as a helpful tool in completing levels, and it also serves as a weakness to another Robot Master. Finding the right weakness to the right Robot Master is essential for making the game easier on the player. The ability to choose whichever Robot Master level you want to play in whatever order you wanted makes for the ability to make Mega Man IV as easy or as challenging as you'd like.

Like each GB Mega Man before it,
Mega Man IV reuses NES Mega Man bosses.

Of course, back in the day, one would have to play through an entire level and use a given special weapon on a Robot Master to see if it would be weak against it. If not, the player would either have to do their best with just Mega Man's Mega Buster (which can now be charged), or intentionally die and try a whole different level and Robot Master to go up against. This trial and error could really be a pain, playing through entire levels only to find out that that stage's boss isn't weak against any special weapon you have. Thankfully, you can use a guide to see the recommended order of Robot Masters for Mega Man IV (and be a scrub in the process).

A new feature for this Game Boy installment of Mega Man (and for the series in general) is the inclusion of a shop feature. Once a level has been cleared, Mega Man ventures to Dr. Light's lab and can use the P-Chips (Power Chips) collected in stages to purchase a whole slew of item types. There's health and weapon energy restorative items, energy tanks, 1-ups, and more. This makes the oft-challenging Mega Man IV less of a frustration. Though, no item will save you from poor jumps, particularly into spikes, bottomless pits, or into a wall that crushes poor Mega Man.

P-Chips dropped by foes and found
in levels can be used to purchase items.

At the start of Mega Man IV, there are four Robot Masters to choose from. The first four Robot Masters in the game are all from the NES version of Mega Man 4. These levels each house one of four letters, B, E, A, and T. Collecting all four unlocks Beat the bird, who made its debut in this game and would make multiple appearances in Mega Man's many sequels.

Meanwhile, the latter four Robot Masters are all taken from Mega Man 5 on the NES. Unlike the letters in the first four levels, these levels require you to collect all four letters-- W, I, L, and Y, in order to unlock the last series of levels in the game.

Since the Game Boy screen had much less space to it than a television screen, rooms in the Game Boy Mega Man games were much smaller, meaning larger sprites and less real estate per screen. That said, even with this perceived handicap, levels in Mega Man IV are well designed and seldom feel unfair. Well, Crystal Man's notwithstanding, which is a stage that ups the difficulty to astronomical levels in comparison to all of the other Robot Master levels in the game.

Know when to hold 'em. Know when
to fold 'em. Know when to run away.

Alongside this baffling jump in difficulty, most levels do not feature enough checkpoints in them. This makes repeated deaths frustrating, especially when you die at the same spot that you spent another five minutes getting to. These spots are usually just before a checkpoint, as if the level designers wanted their cruelty to be their legacy long after their deaths.

Much like discovering the weaknesses to each Robot Master, Mega Man IV is trial and error. An important part of its challenge is redoing stages, learning from your mistakes, and going for that perfect run. This makes the game a lengthy one in that regard. However, with the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console's restore points, you can cheese your way through the game, reloading the restore point when you die. It's like it never happened! Doing so, though, will rob you of the sense of accomplishment Mega Man IV gives you from succeeding due to skill rather than perseverance with the restore point option.

This robot won't even LOOK your way
if you use restore points.

Mega Man IV is a worthy entry in not just the Game Boy line of Mega Man titles, but it also keeps up with the home console releases as well. Some intentional design choices to make the game challenging will frustrate many younger players (heck, and even some older ones, too), but overall Mega Man IV is a blast to play and oh-so rewarding to overcome each challenge it shoots at you.

[SPC Says: 7.5/10]

Table Top Racing (Vita) Review

Exactly one month ago we took a look at Super Toy Cars, a game in the same genre as the subject of this early morning's review, Table Top Racing for the PlayStation Vita. It's my pleasure to say that Table Top Racing fares a bit better than what we covered last month. Here's the review.

You're too old to be playing with toy cars;

play with these awesome virtual toy cars instead!

Table Top Racing originally debuted on iOS devices last year, and it brought with it an abundance of free Micro Machines-style racing. An Android version was released earlier this year, and now Table Top Racing has revved its miniature engines and rolled onto a dedicated gaming device for the first time in the form of the PlayStation Vita. 

Hearing that the game is from the co-creators of the insanely addicting and polished Wipeout series makes for big expectations for an otherwise decidedly unassuming racer. Is Table Top Racing worth a look on Sony's handheld, or would Vita owners better be served playing with their old set of Hot Wheels cars?

It seems that plenty of developers grew up playing with toy cars and raced with them much like I did as a kid. How do I come to that conclusion? Simply because miniature cars racing in a video game seems to be an idea that's a dime a dozen. However, Table Top Racing doesn't just make this fun, it also executes the idea splendidly-- and without the tears that come from having your mom accidentally step on one of your favorite toys. I LOVED THAT RETRO FORD MUSTANG, MOM!!! ...Ahem.

Ooh. Save some of that miso for me!

Anyway, when I say Table Top Racing executes the idea well, I'm talking about how tightly and responsive each small scale vehicle handles and feels. The starting ice cream van controls well enough, even with its modest stats, and when you move on to more awesome rides, racing become even better. Seeing how easy it is to pick up and play the game and how little there is to learn to start racing with the best of them, it makes racing on top of picnic tables, kitchen counters, and even barbecue grills exhilarating. Yes, exhilarating. 

Of course, simply racing through courses lined with everyday household and outdoor objects would grow tiring rather quickly, so like any capable and competent racer of this style, items are involved. From EMP shocks and homing missiles to mines and nitro boosts, Table Top Racing has a handful of helpful items that keeps races interesting. Not only can they help you fend off opposing racers wishing to take first place away from you, but they also assist in keeping up with the pack. Though, it's important to note that the latter isn't really hard to do, as the overall difficulty of Table Top Racing is on the low end of the spectrum, save for some later races.

No worries if your tires start squeaking;
there's a whole bottle of oil right to the side!

Something that also has a low difficulty is coming across a questionable design choice regarding the controls. The rear view of Table Top Racing is activated by grazing the back touch pad of the Vita system. Since the touch pad takes up so much real estate on the Vita, it makes accidentally switching to a rear camera view all too easy mid-race on multiple occasions. This results in a lot of accidental crashes into objects and missed turns due to being unable to see them, a problem that is particularly vexing if you have large hands. This means you must hold the Vita in an awkward position just to avoid routinely touching the rear pad. 

The main mode of Table Top Racing consists of several championships featuring a plethora of race types. There's traditional races with no items, combat races with items, time trials, elimination-style races, and a chase race where you try to catch up and ram into the CPU driver as fast as possible. Perfecting each event will take a good while to do, as will getting all of the trophies. Thus, Table Top Racing certainly has plenty of longevity to it.

Reminds me of speeding down Miami's beaches
at night. Wait. I've never been to Miami!

Completing races not only furthers your progress, but it also bestows you with coins. Unlocking cars and upgrades for your hot set of wheels are done through spending coins. Due to the mobile gaming roots of Table Top Racing, you can go about purchasing coins with real world money in order to unlock new cars and upgrades on a swifter basis, if you so choose to go down that road. Just realize that this route is by no means necessary to unlock everything within the game. 

This trucka is a bad mutha-- watch your mouth!

Regardless, a myriad amount of vehicle types are available to buy, each with their own stats that can be upgraded, paint jobs to purchase, and special abilities to unlock like being able to bunny hop over obstacles to create makeshift shortcuts, for instance. 

Table Top Racing was a bit of a looker on iOS and Android, but on the PlayStation Vita, where there's plenty of downloadable games that are downright jaw-dropping, the visuals do less than impress. Textures in the game do little to excite, many objects that line the track look like they are made out of plastic (which would be fine if those hot dogs were meant to actually be doggy chew toys), and the overall look of the game comes off as cheap. However, the vehicle models and backgrounds are of a high quality. It's also worth mentioning how vehicles leave behind tread-marks, which is neat to see, so it's not all bad visually.

On the audio side, if you're a fan of ho-hum rock music that is bundled together with even more ho-hum rock music, then Table Top Racing will make your ears love you for giving them a chance to experience the music of the game. Nonetheless, the majority of players will probably mute the game, especially since the sound effects don't do much to interest the listener either. 

Table Top Racing is one of the better miniature car racers out there. It controls well, has wonderful racing action, a lovely helping of content, and it's easier to play on the bus or train to work than hauling your collection of Micro Machines and playing with them there. Plus you won't get as many dehumanizing, judgmental stares. The game has its fair share of issues, but those wanting some fun toy car action will find plenty of enjoyment with Table Top Racing.

[SPC Says: 7.0/10]

Ragnarok Odyssey ACE (PS3, Vita) Review

This Friday brings a new review to SuperPhillip Central. With Monster Hunter on a competing platform, the PlayStation Vita has Ragnarok Odyssey ACE. Does it serve as a suitable substitute?

Brush up on your Norse mythology later,

there's lummoxes to destroy!

Since Monster Hunter pretty much roamed away from Sony platforms and onto Nintendo devices, disappointed PlayStation owners who are also fans of the series have had to look elsewhere for their big beast bashing fix. We've seen lots of new games take inspiration from Capcom's colossal franchise, but none have really met the same amount of critical and commercial success. Originally released in 2012, Ragnarok Odyssey was a title that fell in line with other Monster Hunter wannabes. This year it has seen an expansion of sorts with Ragnarok Odyssey ACE, adding a healthy helping of new content. Is ACE the place for your monster-hunting needs?

The start of Ragnarok Odyssey ACE has you creating your custom character, making his or her appearance with a rather scarce amount of options. It's important to note, though, that the game opens up customization as your progress once headgear, clothing, and armor are introduced and more options are added. You can select between one of six classes that best suits your play style: Sword Warrior, Hammersmith, Mage, Assassin, Hunter, and Cleric. The Sword Warrior makes for the easiest time in single-player while the others are great for a well-balanced team online. Regardless, you're not stuck in the class you choose; all are interchangeable from your personal room at Fort Farthest.

Missing the cap and cape, but other
than that, a dead ringer, I guess.

As not-so-subtly mentioned, Ragnarok Odyssey ACE allows for offline and online play, featuring the same quests in both. Most players will find the early quests elementary in difficulty, thus not really needing online assistance. However, the later quests in the game, particularly battles against the bosses known as lummoxes, are made much easier and let you get by with a little help from your friends (or total strangers). The community is generally helpful regarding new players or those just asking for help on a quest. If you're particular about who joins your room, you can always set up a password, kick those out that aren't welcomed, or make a room private.

I'm the guy who is going to do all
the quests you're all too damn sorry to do.

As for the offline play, you can hire up to two computer-controlled mercenaries to assist you in the various quests (i.e. be damage sponges for you), if need be. The only small downside to this is that your monetary award at the end of a successful quest is lessened. Otherwise, it's nice to have enemies split up their attacks instead of just mauling you and you alone like a mob.

Critical hit!

Quests themselves are classified into two basic types: killing a set number of monsters or collecting a specific amount of a certain item or material. The quests that have you gathering materials and defeating a number of monsters have you roaming around and essentially killing everything that moves. These quests are rather mindless most of the time, especially later ones where you're forced to take down fifty enemies of one kind. It becomes mind-numbing to do and little strategy is required.

This assassin lives by no creed
other than kill or be killed.

The real draws to Ragnarok Odyssey ACE are the boss encounters where you take on a larger-than-normal monster or set of monsters in an expansive arena. Each boss has numerous weak points that can not only be strategically preyed upon, but they can be broken off, giving you a rare material in the process.

What do they feed these birds up here?

It's important to note that Ragnarok Odyssey ACE may seem familiar to Monster Hunter, its obvious inspiration, but it doesn't have anywhere near the same amount of skill or finesse required to succeed. If you use the same tactics that Ragnarok Odyssey ACE requires, simply mashing the attack button and occasionally dodging, running away, and evading attacks, you'll definitely be in for a rude awakening with Monster Hunter. Ragnarok Odyssey ACE by no means requires anywhere near as much timing and patience as Monster Hunter, where the latter forces you to attack smartly when there's an opening. In Ragnarok, openings are all too common, and many times you can stand still and hack away.

Missed me, missed me, now you
gotta EAT MY SWORD AND DIE.

Ragnarok Odyssey ACE forgoes a traditional leveling system. Instead, what is used is a card system, where each equipped card gives your character a specific skill. These can be dropped by defeated enemies or purchased at the in-game shop. Cards take up a finite number of clothing slots. You can safely swear on Odin's name that the better the skill, the more slots of clothing the card and accompanying skill needs. Different skills involve raising HP, AP, attack, defense, lessen knockback, add elemental powers to your attacks and armor, and so forth.

Dress up as Lloyd Irving from
Tales of Symphonia? Sure. Why not?

As you progress in the campaign of Ragnarok Odyssey ACE, new outfits are unlocked for purchase at the tailor's shop. Not only do you need enough money to buy these, you also need the required materials, too. Upgrading clothing takes the same requirements, each time having different materials necessary to upgrade your desired piece of clothing. Thus, your clothing piece gains more slots for you to work with and equip helpful cards to.

It's a juggling act of picking the right cards for the right situation. If one set of cards isn't resulting in a successful quest, then perhaps trying a different combination is... *ahem* in the cards. Thankfully, you're able to save an abundant amount of costume and card combinations, so you need not recreate your favorites or go through a hassle each time you wish to experiment.

Talk about your juggling act...

For those that have played the vanilla release of Ragnarok Odyssey, you might be wondering what are the benefits of upgrading to ACE. Well, not only can you transfer your save date from the original over to the updated ACE, but there's an improved HUD, the inclusion of all of Ragnarok Odyssey's DLC on the game card itself, new skills to use, new enemies to defeat, a special new dungeon in the form of Yggdrasil Tower, and some refinements made to the overall balance of the game. Whether those additions make ACE worth it to you is purely your call.

Sometimes it's best to put your proverbial
tail between your legs and run.

Ragnarok Odyssey ACE isn't the most impressive game visually on the Vita hardware, so it makes sense to say that it doesn't look that great compared to its contemporaries on the PS3. That said, loading times are thankfully short, gameplay typically runs a smooth frame-rate, and the action is overall easy to follow. Nonetheless, where Ragnarok Odyssey ACE truly shines is in its soundtrack. Featuring a majority of music from Kuni Tanioka of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles fame, the music is extremely well done and gets you in the spirit for a grand adventure.

Since Western PlayStation owners can't get their official Monster Hunter fix, Ragnarok Odyssey ACE is a suitable, if not much more accessible, alternative. With tight and responsive controls, an online community that still offers the ability to find rooms rather easily, a fair amount of customization, and plenty of quests and content to partake in, Ragnarok Odyssey ACE is a Monster Hunter clone done pretty well. The lack of really needing to time attacks makes Ragnarok Odyssey ACE an easier game to get into, but it also makes it occasionally tedious to play. Still, you'll feel great acting like Thor's hammer, slamming your way through wave after wave of enemy fodder alone or with players around the world.

[SPC Says: 7.5/10]

Third-Party Support on Wii U is Dwindling to Nothing? "So What?!" Here's What.

It's been a rough week for Wii U owners on the third-party front. The upcoming third-party releases on the system can be counted on one hand and at the very most a few spare fingers extra. Yes, indie developers are indeed picking up the slack for the lack of major third-party releases and that's great, but that isn't the magic solution that will fix Nintendo's struggling system's problems.

What seems like the most damning of third-party related news lately for the Wii U is that Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare does not seem to be releasing on the system. This is a big deal in the sense that ever since the series started being published on a yearly cycle, Nintendo home consoles have not yet missed an entry. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare didn't release on the original Wii at the same time as the other home console versions, but it eventually did. With Advanced Warfare, this marks the first time that Call of Duty will be skipping a Nintendo home console. 

It doesn't sting so bad until you recall that Call of Duty always seemed like a sure thing for Nintendo platforms. No matter how poorly a home console of Nintendo's failed or was struggling, you could be quite certain that Call of Duty would be releasing on it. At the very least you'd get a delayed announcement near release, but Wii U owners like myself aren't even getting that. Instead, we've received what's pretty much a solid and firm "no" on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare hitting Wii U. When something that usually releases yearly on a Nintendo system suddenly doesn't, you know you've screwed up somewhere and somehow as a platform holder.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Unfortunately, the news of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare not reaching the Wii U wasn't met with sadness or regret on some places. No, the most fervent of Nintendo supporters instead went an embarrassing route instead, saying how Call of Duty isn't an important title for the Wii U to have, how Call of Duty is for 12 year-olds who shout racist and bigoted remarks online, and how Call of Duty won't be missed.

This is the same kind of overall sentiment that was being spouted on sites and areas where Nintendo enthusiasts generally congregate when Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot stated that the upcoming Watch Dogs would be the last "mature" title released for Wii U due to poor sales of titles like Assassin's Creed and ZombiU. Let's not be mistaken here-- Assassin's Creed III and IV were not totally awful ports, but they weren't optimized to run on the Wii U hardware. Still, even games finely tuned for the Wii U and made exclusively for the system didn't wow Ubisoft like its launch title ZombiU.

Regardless, the remarks by Ubisoft's president spurred a lot of anger within the more dedicated of Wii U owners, some of the same time of language was used. "We don't need Ubisoft", "Their ports were awful anyway", and "No real loss."

Wii U launch title ZombiU

Sadly, this is the same attitude that makes Nintendo home consoles such a volatile place for third-parties. These preconceived notions and "we didn't need that third-party anyway" attitudes make it so third-parties have a perfect excuse to not deal with Nintendo fans, especially the ones who can talk the talk yet can't walk the walk. Folks say they want third-party support, but the majority of titles from third-parties and heck, even from Nintendo itself, that do come out aren't purchased.

Is this entirely the fault of Wii U owners? I wouldn't say so. It's not even the total fault of the aforementioned "we didn't those games anyway" Wii U crowd. No, this is mostly on Nintendo's shoulders. Nintendo has botched the messaging and the release of the Wii U so badly that the repercussions of its failings will echo and last throughout this entire generation and most likely the next. When your install base is so small, it makes it quite challenging to have games sell well. Add in the fact that the Wii U is rather difficult to develop for compared to other platforms, and you have a recipe for third-party disaster. 

This is a well thought out comment, for sure,
that doesn't in any way come off as juvenile or
have any kind of sense of irony at all.

This isn't meant to be another article from yet another source stating the many reasons why Nintendo and the Wii U are not doing well and hammering that point home yet again. No, it's to say that the reasons specified make for a hard sell for third-parties. If you don't have a big install base to sell games to, especially on a Nintendo system, where historically third-party games are tough sells, then there's obvious reasons why you wouldn't want to spend money to develop on that platform. It's not because of bad blood with Nintendo, it's not that third-parties are conspiring against Nintendo-- it's just that it doesn't make financial sense. 

This isn't like the Wii where third-parties had an opportunity to do well on the system yet completely ignored the core audience that was once there (early in the Wii's life) and completely failed to do anything with it until it was much too late. This is a case where we have a platform that is selling at historically low levels, has a low attach ratio (despite all of the awesome Nintendo and even third-party games that are out there for present owners to enjoy), and one that isn't even making money for its manufacturer. Sure, it doesn't help that we have segments of the Nintendo fan base that view third-parties as the enemy, but the main issue is that developing for the Wii U just isn't lucrative of an idea at all. 

The thing that worries me and should worry Nintendo and its fans is the future. What possible reason should third-parties have to jump on Nintendo's hardware next generation? Let the record show that more third-parties do less than satisfactory on Nintendo home consoles than those that do well. How does Nintendo lure trepidation-ridden third-parties back? It feels like the West is a total lost cause unless Nintendo starts tailoring their user base to buy the games that the West tends to buy by the truckloads. Do we even want Nintendo to start making gory FPS games and sports titles? I don't necessarily, but Nintendo has to adapt to the times somehow (whether that's a new software strategy, new outlook on hardware, etc.) to stay as relevant as possible. 

All I know is that a home console landscape without Nintendo is not one that I want to be a part of. Here's hoping Nintendo makes the correct steps to strengthen its weak ties with third-parties and that certain Nintendo fans become more open to what is being released.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - A Sane Oasis in the Desert of Crazy Edition

I find it hard to care about writing about games when there's something much more infuriating happening about 15-20 miles away from my present location. I find it even harder to care about stupid little "outrages" like Ubisoft not pledging any more "mature-rated" content to Nintendo systems or how Samus Aran is wearing too skimpy of an outfit when there's far more important crap happening nearby. When you have an incident like the one in Ferguson occurring so close to you, it really puts the trivial garbage into perspective.

That said, I don't want to completely get consumed by what's happening near my location, 'else I'll lose what little is left of my mind. Therefore, here's SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, bringing you and most importantly me, some video game tunes, something always sane in this always crazy world. This week's edition features music from Wild Arms, Nier, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

v686. Wild Arms (PS1) - Into the Wilderness

This plays during the pre-title cutscene in the original Wild Arms for the PlayStation. Of all the RPG franchises that have since laid dormant for a good while, one of the top series that I'd love to see make a return to a PlayStation home console is Wild Arms.

v687. Nier (PS3, 360) - Song of the Ancients Devola

To those who have played Nier, one of the most interesting and memorable parts of the game is the soundtrack, which is sensational. A lot of themes have a rustic feel to it or are supported by vocals. Coincidentally enough, both Nier themes represented on SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs have vocals of the female variety.

v688. Ragnarok Odyssey (PS3, Vita) - The Shining Plains

Ragnarok Odyssey's soundtrack was composed by Kumi Tanioka, who assisted in creating one of my favorite soundtracks, the original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles soundtrack for the Nintendo GameCube. Ragnarok Odyssey is a more beginner-friendly Monster Hunter clone that received an expansion version in the form of Ragnarok Odyssey ACE. The latter will be the subject of a review later this week.

v689. Beyond Good and Evil (PS2, GCN, XBX) - Home Sweet Home

We're in an industry where old gameplay is masked as new IPs all the time. Big publishers release new franchises, yet these new franchises feel exactly like the old crap being released in the first place. Beyond Good and Evil was released at a time where budgets weren't as wild, creativity wasn't limited to mostly indies (whom hardly even existed back then), and new IPs were all about new gameplay and not just new characters and settings.

v690. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS) - Lorule Castle

I did not expect to be as blown away with The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds as I was. The amount of freedom was rare for a modern-day Zelda game, the world was familiar yet fresh enough to feel great to explore, and the wall merge mechanic was absolutely awesome. And oh, my Hylia, the music! This theme, Lorule Castle, builds layer upon layer as each segment of the final dungeon is completed.