Gamers Don't Just Hate the Wii U-- They're Afraid Of It.

We all know Nintendo had a poor showing at E3, and this made it to the point that some gamers just want Nintendo to go away. Well, they're not going to do that, so I guess the popular Internet phrase is for these people who wish Nintendo would to cry more. After E3, it seemed like you couldn't get away from bad news regarding Nintendo's new console. From the paltry list of third-party games being developed for the system to heavy hitters like Call of Duty and Madden at the time being missing in action, the bad far outweighed the good.

Truly the antichrist in video game hardware form.

That would be fine and all, but even good news reported about the Wii U is quickly turned into a negative. "Oh, the system is at a minimum on par with the Xbox 360 and that's an accomplishment?" That obviously means it's not much stronger, right? Pfft. It's pathetic the jumps of logic being made by your typical message board gamers. "Xbox360 < =Wii-U < PS3 confirmed?" Yeah, because not mentioning the PlayStation 3 means that the Wii U is obviously weaker than it. Some gamers have such vitriol for a platform that's not even out yet, it's just despicable. I have never seen this much undeserved hatred for an unreleased system before. Case in point.

So why do a very angry and bitter group of gamers hate the Wii U? Well, I don't think it's just hatred. I think it's pure fear as well. The typical message board gamer-- y'know, the one who spends his or her life on forums complaining about games instead of actually playing them-- is known for not being able to step outside their comfort zones. Just look at the Wii and motion controls. "They suck. They're unresponsive. I'm too impatient to learn anything that doesn't allow me to sit on my rump 24/7 and score some achievements and trophies, bro." No, the Wii U Gamepad is a different and new controller type that is out of this sect's comfort zone. This is even though it's just a traditional controller with a huge touch screen-- that's all. So gamers have to fear this catching on like they feared motion controls catching on. (That's a reason why many were so quick to call the Wii "a fad" even though it lived a normal console's life cycle. Anything to make them rage, I guess.)

It's like some alien technology, man!

Then there's the matter of power. We already know that the current foundation of the industry is unsustainable with myriads of studios closing, companies in the red, and games needing to sell five million copies just to break even. So the Wii U is going its own way and not participating in the race to destroy the industry as we know it (I've posted my thoughts on this matter before, so don't fret if you don't follow). Apparently that isn't good for gamers even though it would be pointless to have three consoles that were practically identical. In an industry where some only consider "next gen" to equate to more power (this is an embarrassing stance, by the way), Wii U makes some get butterflies in their bellies because they dread a world where the other console manufacturers emulate Nintendo even more than they already arguably have and make less powerful systems. Screw the well being of the industry-- I want more power, higher framerates, bigger budgets, and more polys being pushed!

I was going to post a picture of what the world thinks a
typical gamer looks like, but I didn't want to throw up every
time I looked at this article. So here's an ostrich.

Now, don't get me wrong-- there are plenty of valid reasons to dislike the Wii U. However, the kind of gamer I'm talking about doesn't have time for facts or reality to base their opinion and distaste for the system on as well as jump to inane conclusions. I'm to the point now that reading message boards like NeoFAQs (you know, the site that wrongly pretends it is better than every other video game forum on the planet when it is just as bad and has just as many trolls and fan-things?) and GameFAQs is an impossibility. The stupidity and amount of rage towards an unreleased video game platform is just stupid. Even as someone who doesn't care if Nintendo succeeds, I sort of want the Wii U to do really well just to spite these horrible slobs. Could you imagine what the obnoxious message board gamer would do then? Oh, the glorious meltdowns, excuses as to why the Wii U is outselling their precious platform of choice, and tears! The typical message board gamer constantly humiliates itself, and their seething acrimony towards a little white or little black box is yet another black mark in the history of these loathsome creatures, a true shame to this industry.

For more articles, editorials, and special segments, check out the SPC Feature Catalog. 

Okami HD (PSN, XBLA) First Trailer

Are you one of the people who own both the PlayStation 2 original and Wii port of Okami and can't get enough? Capcom has got you covered as well as those of you who own one or the other or have never played Okami at all. A trend this generation is companies reselling you games you already own, and that continues with Okami HD. Not that I'm complaining. View the magnificent majesty of the game's visuals in pure high definition. In North America, Okami HD will set you back $20.

Monster Tale (DS) Review

Time for the third review of June, halfway through the month. No worries, however, as I have many more planned for the first month of summer. Today we are turning our attention towards Monster Tale, a game not spoken of much by the mainstream. Does Monster Tale deserve some more attention? Read this review to find out.

A Whale of a Tale

DreamRift is setting themselves up to be the 2D platformer extraordinaire when it comes to Nintendo handhelds. Their first project, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure was well received (though many claimed it was mightily hard), and their next project is a "dream" come true for them, working on Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion for the Nintendo 3DS. In between both projects, however, is a rarely trumpeted title with loads of charm, Monster Tale. It is a Metroid-style game in one part and a pet-raising simulator in the other part. Do both parts equal a lovely bedtime story?

Monster Tale tells the... well, tale of a young schoolgirl named Ellie. It seems fate has a destiny with her name on it as she awakens from her nighttime slumber and heads to the nearby forest. There she stumbles upon a large band, which she wraps around her wrist. Suddenly, she is transported into a world of monsters where she meets a hatched from an egg creature. The monster grows quite fond of Ellie immediately, so she allows it to follow her, naming it Chomp. Little do the two know what evils in the background are occurring. Between several kids wanting to use monsters to take over the real world to getting back to Ellie's own world, the team of Ellie and Chomp have plenty on things to do on their proverbial plates.

Monster Tale's gameplay foundation makes it very much inspired by games like Metroid and later Castlevania games, but while the top screen is relegated to the action adventure mayhem of the game, the bottom screen is devoted to Chomp's nesting area. By having Ellie collect items such as food and accessories dropped by defeated enemies or found in different areas, Chomp goes to town on them, gaining him valuable experience points. Once enough experience has been gained, he will grow a level. Though, I do wish the game wouldn't interrupt you and pause the game every time Chomp grows. It seemingly never forgets to manage to stop you dead in your tracks at precarious positions, such as being in the middle of a battle with various dangerous foes.

Ellie and Chomp, a match made in heaven.

Chomp can earn new abilities from gaining levels. These can be mapped to the L and R buttons. While one move slams Chomp into a foe, another can turn the creature into an anvil to be dropped onto baddies. When Chomp reaches certain level requirements, he can branch off and evolve into different forms. Each form learns its own individual moves, gains its own stats such as stamina, defense, intelligence, and agility, and helps Ellie out in numerous ways. There are 30 or so particular forms for Chomp to take on, and mastering all of them will take a lot of time to do (it's quite the grind to say the least).

Like Chomp, Ellie can learn a lot of special moves via unique statues strewn about the various lands in the game. She almost resembles a female Mega Man X as she gains the abilities to jump up walls (as well as slide down them) and charge her Band Blaster a la X's X buster. But that the limit to Ellie's learned abilities. She can be educated as to acquire information on how to melee attack, leading to learning a devastating five hit melee combo, smash downward from the air, dash, be immune to poisonous air, and even fire off a chain of Band Blasts.

When the odds aren't in your favor,
call in Chomp as an equalizer.

With a typical Metroid-style game, you learn new abilities to enter previously impossible to enter areas. This holds true with Monster Tale, but it's just that Metroid does it better. With Monster Tale, it seems like you are constantly being told to backtrack through huge portions of the world map just to reach this one room you couldn't access before. Then the process happens again. The amount of annoying backtracking in Monster Tale is insane, and it's poor planning or artificially extending the playing time that is the culprit here. Thankfully, the game has a helpful map that always highlights the area and room you need to reach next.

Chomp isn't just entrusted to the bottom screen either. At any time with the X button he can be summoned to the top screen to dish out damage to delinquent enemies as well as hit switches that are on the top screen (there are also times where Chomp will need to help Ellie out by hitting switches on the bottom screen). As long as the Pet Meter has some iota of health in it, Chomp can stay on the top screen. The Pet Meter slowly drains as Chomp on Ellie's screen, and goes down faster if Chomp is hurt by a foe, but it recharges while he's on the bottom screen.

While Chomp is on the bottom screen
the Pet Meter will slowly recharge.

In some instances, like the boss fights, you must keep watching both the top and bottom screen as battles encompass both. Perhaps a boss drops a nasty surprise on the bottom screen that Chomp must destroy before it causes trouble for Ellie on the top screen, or perhaps one of the dragon heads of a boss lowers itself to the bottom screen where only Chomp can go to town on it. There are some very creative uses of both screens of the Nintendo DS on display here.

The boss battles are some of the more
spirited parts of Monster Tale.

Aside from items for Chomp to eat or play with, enemies also drop money when they are defeated-- Money in the form of coins, jewels, and pearls. These can be used at a certain helpful monster's shop for upgrades for Ellie such as more health, less energy consumption, and more powerful melee and/or Band Buster attacks. There are also upgrades for Ellie's health as well as extra slots for Chomp (for boosts to attack, agility, elemental damage, etc.) placed in out-of-the-way locations for Ellie to nab.

Acquiring a 100% completion rate requires the player to purchase all of the items in the store (there's multiple locations set everywhere) as well as level up all of Chomp's forms. Considering how time-consuming and mind-numbing this is as well as how lame the actual 100% completion rate prize is (it's a quick ending picture), most players will just be content with beating the game, which will take anywhere between 5-7 hours. Those who were put off by Henry Hatsworth's difficulty should find Monster Tale to be a welcomed change of pace challenge-wise. The game is relatively on the easy side save for some rough spots near the end.

There's no "I" in team,
but there is an "I" in pain.

Monster Tale is full of vivid and vibrant color in the environments, backgrounds, enemy design, and character models. Everything looks and feels incredibly smooth and pleasant. What I like most about the environment design is the plethora of types there are-- autumn forests, ruins, aqueducts, factories, monster nightclubs (yes, monster nightclubs), icy wastelands, haunted areas, and regal castles. The music is without a doubt catchy as well, with plenty of pieces that will get engraved into your mind-- partly because you'll be revisiting areas so darned often. There's even a modest sampling of voice work. Most dialogue is text, but some are accompanied by off-hand one-liners.

Monster Tale ends up being a respectable game in the vein of Metroid, but it ultimately falls somewhat short. The overwhelming amount of backtracking back and forth between areas is a tad too much, and the monster-raising mechanics could go into a little more depth and be less of a grinding experience. Other than that, Monster Tale comes off as a highly overlooked and under-appreciated gem in the cavalcade of 3DS titles that fell through the cracks and went under a lot of people's radars. For something with high amounts of allure in both gameplay and presentation, Monster Tale might be worth a read... er... play.

[SuperPhillip Says: 7.5/10]

SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - Post Father's Day Edition

I hope all of your dads had a wonderful Father's Day. And if your fathers aren't with you anymore, hopefully you were reminded of a lot of cherished memories. That said, the sappy stuff is no longer permitted. I have five of my favorite VGMs to share with the SPC faithful today. They come from games such as Diddy Kong Racing, Phantasy Star Online, and Pokemon Red/Blue! Get in your listening to music position and enjoy!

v131. Diddy Kong Racing (N64) - Crescent Island

Not only the theme of the Crescent Island racetrack, but it is also used as the second credits theme of Diddy Kong Racing, my personal favorite kart racer around. It introduced the genre to a well done story mode filled with unique challenges and boss races as well as brought hovercrafts and airplanes into the mix. This was when Rare was at the top of their game with Nintendo. 

v132. Viewtiful Joe 2 (PS2, GCN) - True Heroes

The final boss theme of Viewtiful Joe 2, a slightly worse sequel to the original Viewtiful Joe, True Heroes has our viewtiful heroes facing off against the ultimate evil, striving to steal the power of the Oscars for himself. While Viewtiful Joe was a breath of fresh air with the character's never-before-seen powers and cel shaded glory, the sequel was somewhat more of the same with a new partner in Sexy Sylvia added to the mix. Most people's opinion on the game is that it is inferior to its predecessor, and I am in that camp.

v133. Phantasy Star Online (DC) - Can Still See the Light

A haunting vocal piece in the first half, followed by a rousing orchestral movement at the end, Can Still See the Light is the ending theme of Phantasy Star Online, originally a Dreamcast exclusive before it was ported to the GameCube and Xbox with an added part full of four new areas. I remember spending countless hours bobbing and weaving through perilous foes in search of survival and treasure alike. The upcoming Phantasy Star Online 2 is coming to PC and the PlayStation Vita, and I'm sure it will continue the tradition of quality the series is known for. (We won't talk about Phantasy Star Universe.)

v134. Kirby's Adventure (NES) - Butter Building (Brawl Version)

Kirby's Adventure was the very first Kirby title for a home console. Kirby had previously been exclusive to the Game Boy. This all-new platforming romp allowed Kirby to gobble up foes and steal their powers. Don't mess with a Kirby scorned or he'll send the pain right back at ya'. Kirby's Adventure would most recently go on the 3DS eShop in the form of a 3D Classics game. Now you can play through the scrolling parallax backgrounds in full stereoscopic 3D. Now that's progress!

v135. Pokemon Red/Blue Versions (GB) - Route 1

Nothing like ending an edition of the favorite VGMs with some retro goodness. And that is exactly what we get a sample of with the Pokemon games that started it all, Red and Blue. Route 1 is the jaunty tune that plays on the path that connects your hometown of Pallet with Virdian City. Catch some Rattata and enjoy the scenery as this song plays. Ah, the simplicity of childhood and a world where the biggest threat to humanity is a group of fashionably dressed Pokemon criminals named Team Rocket...

===

We have finished off another week of my favorite VGMs. If you want even more VGM goodness, check out my VGM database where all past VGM tracks are there for your listening and viewing pleasure. Until later, have a terrific week!

Pikmin 2 (Wii) Review

Simply called Pikmin 2 in North America, this New Play Control title has been a long time coming. Europe and Japan have had it for three years now, so to say that Nintendo of America is a tad late is a bit of an understatement. Nonetheless, it's here now, so here is my full review of this GameCube classic turned Wii port.

The Perfect "Pik" for Wii Owners

It has been over ten years since the mind behind Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda, Shigeru Miyamoto, used his passion and new hobby of gardening as the inspiration for the GameCube near-launch, real-time strategy title Pikmin. The game would receive a much desired sequel later on in the system's life, but this go around the time constraints of the original were removed. On the Wii, Nintendo has gone back to its GameCube catalog to port several classics onto their motion-controlled system with all-new Wii methods of input in a series called New Play Control. The original Pikmin was one of the these, but while Europe received the second game, North Americans have had to wait three long years for the game. Well, Nintendo of America has finally released Pikmin 2 for Wii to get gamers' appetites whetted for the upcoming Wii U's Pikmin 3. And considering how expensive even used copies of the GameCube version of Pikmin 2 are, this pointer-controlled iteration is a steal.

While Captain Olimar was on his "vacation" in Pikmin 1 (a crash landing on an unknown planet full of hostile creatures is hardly what I would call vacation time), his shipping company was free-falling into debt. When Olimar arrives back on his home planet, his boss informs him of the grim fate threatening the company. It turns out Olimar's ship, the Dolphin, can value certain acquisitions. The various treasures that are found by Olimar and new partner Louie and then appraised by the Dolphin can slowly but surely knock down the amount of debt their employer possesses. Back to the planet upon which Olimar had previously crash landed on to score some treasure! Of course, Olimar and Louie need not accomplish this task by themselves. As they explore the planet they get reacquainted with the Pikmin creatures Olimar had met before. Even after the 10,000 Poko debt has been repaid, the adventure still isn't over.

The Wii pointer works wonderfully with this game.

The goal of Pikmin 2 is to accumulate enough money to pay off the Hocotate debt. How this is done is by finding various treasures (funnily enough, real life objects like Duracel batteries, Nintendo's Game and Watch handheld system, Chapstick, and other worldly items) lying about among the four lands of the game while dispatching Olimar and Louie's Pikmin to defeat enemies and stow the goodies back to Olimar's ship. While the day limit of the original Pikmin is gone, there is still the matter of the day cycle. It is essentially a 15 minute period of time beginning with the start of the day and ending with the sun setting. The planet is highly hazardous to one's livelihood at night, so Olimar, Louie, and their plethora of Pikmin must escape before night falls. If any Pikmin are left behind, they will suffer the grisly fate of being gulped up by the nighttime lifeforms.

What are everyday items to you and me
is treasure to Olimar and Louie.

At the beginning of the game, both astronauts have a paltry amount of Pikmin to use. By killing belligerent baddies and using the Pikmin horde to carry their carcasses back to the Pikmin's own various Onion vessels as well as taking colored pellets plucked from flowers around the various lands to these previously mentioned Pikmin ships, more Pikmin will be generated for Olimar and Louie to pick from the ground. There can only be 100 Pikmin on the ground at once, so choosing the right balance of Pikmin types is key to get the most amount of work done in the least amount of time.

No worries-- these Red Pikmin
can take the heat!

This time there are five varieties of Pikmin for Captain Olimar and Louie to befriend and utilize to assist them on their treasure hunting exploits. The three primary Pikmin types from the first game return: red, yellow, and blue. Red Pikmin are great attackers as well as being fire-resistant. This means they can handle certain enemies who breathe scorching flames without problem, and they can destroy geysers that spew flames that would otherwise set the remaining Pikmin types ablaze. Yellow Pikmin are more lightweight, meaning they can be thrown to higher areas. They also are immune to electricity, making them perfect to dispose of shocking foes and bringing down high voltage gates that no other Pikmin type could manage without perishing. Blue Pikmin are the only brand to be able to walk in water without drowning.

Some Pikmin types would find this gate shocking;
Not these Yellow Pikmin, though!

Now that the old kind of Pikmin have been explained, time for the new. There are two new types that are only found underground through tossing preexisting Pikmin into either purple or white flowers. Purple Pikmin are the strongest variety around. One Purple Pikmin also weighs ten times as much as one normal Pikmin. White Pikmin are thin as can be, but their appearance shouldn't be taken lightly. They are unaffected by harmful toxins as they are themselves poisonous. In fact, if they are gobbled up by a foe (oh, the horror!), the enemy that consumed them will slowly lose health from having eaten their poisoned prey. White Pikmin are also expert diggers. They excel at finding treasure hidden and buried beneath the soil.

The New Play Control controls of Pikmin 2 work rather well. While you aren't using any gestures for control inputs, you will be utilizing the Wii remote's pointer to aim at where you wish to chuck your numerous Pikmin. What's great and convenient about this-- and something that would be impossible with the GameCube controller-- is that you can point at Pikmin (say ones that are at the edge of the screen) that would have otherwise been out of your range and call them back to you. In the GameCube version, you would have to run all the way back to where the idle Pikmin were standing just to round them back up. This is the convenience of the Wii remote's pointer in action.

Pikmin 2 on Wii puts in practice the Wii remote and nunchuk. All of the buttons that were dedicated to specific orders on the GameCube controller are emulated via the Wii remote and nunchuk combination. From tossing Pikmin to dismissing them into separate groups, to switching between Louie and Olimar, to calling Pikmin to your side, every input is here at your disposal.

Speaking of Louie and Olimar, most of the time the two need not work together to do well, but proficient players will divide tasks up between the two for the best amount of efficiency. While one gets his group of Pikmin to tear down a gate, the other orders his Pikmin ranks to build a bridge to cross otherwise inhospitable waters. Sometimes you will be forced to switch between the two in order to approach in different circumstances impossible to reach areas. This occurs in the second area of the game, Awakening Wood, where either Olimar or Louie must stand on one block while the other tosses Pikmin onto the other block which is protruding upwards. The weight of the Pikmin on the one block causes the block the other astronaut is on to rise, allowing him to chuck Pikmin up towards a treasure that would have been otherwise futile to reach.

Split up the work evenly if you wish!

Apart from the four main areas of the game taking place across winter wonderlands and rugged mountainous valleys are subterranean holes. These are the most dangerous and challenging places in the game. In these you only have the Pikmin you bring in with you to survive with no hope of spawning new ones while you are deep inside. Time doesn't pass in these areas, and some span 10+ floors. Most conclude with a perilous boss confrontation. I'm talking about giant spiders, obese insects that roll over to squash your adorable combat partners, and snake-like birds that have no quarrels with chomping down on your Pikmin pals. Each floor contains various treasures, usually more than one per floor. The Treasure Gauge, an item that is recovered through normal play, will tell you if you have salvaged all of the items on a given floor. The catch to treasure hunting in the numerous subterranean caves of Pikmin 2 is that if you surrender and retreat from a cave without escaping from a geyser, all the treasure you collected will be put back. For the caves with a seemingly infinite amount of sublevels, the strategy when you reach an exit geyser is critical. Do you continue down the rabbit hole, knowing that the dangers below will be even more difficult as you move on, or do you take what treasures you have now and retreat to the surface, better to be safe than sorry?

The third area of Pikmin 2: The Perplexing Pool.

Aside from the decent-length single player story mode, there is multiplayer as well as other modes. Two players can battle via split-screen in a contest to collect their opponent's marble or to gather four yellow marbles before their opponent can. There is also a Challenge Mode, unlocked through playing the solo game, which has you and your limited number of Pikmin retrieving keys (as well as treasures) to access the next subfloor. You only have an assigned amount of time to reach the goal, but at the same time you want to collect as much treasure as possible to get a high score.

Work with or against the other player in multiplayer mode.

Pikmin 2 was ported directly from the GameCube, so all assets and the like are the exact same on the Wii. By far the star of the presentation is the framerate which generally stays locked and solid even if 100 Pikmin and a menagerie of menacing adversaries are hanging around. Enemy characters look pleasant as does the crystal clear water, especially as you and your Pikmin cohorts waft through it. What isn't so pleasant are the ground textures. If you zoom the camera up close (the camera can be zoomed in and out via the d-pad's left direction), you can easily see the unappealing muddy textures. Moving on from visuals, the sound design is lovely. The quaint music and fanfares are alluring and the cheers and cries of Pikmin are both adorable and disturbing, more so when they are being devoured in front of your eyes.

North Americans like me might have had to wait three more years than the rest of the world (I won't say the wait was worth it), but it's terrific to finally be able to play Pikmin 2 with pointer controls. Whether they are better than the GameCube controls is an argument that will have no clear winner. I find the Wii controls more convenient (tremendous for calling faraway Pikmin without having to walk across the screen to reach them) and comfortable to use (allowing my hands to not be bound together on a dual analog controller is freeing). At twenty dollars and with used copies of the GameCube game going online for so much more, this Wii edition is a fantastic buy. It is certainly the type of game that will "pik" your interests.

[SuperPhillip Says: 9.0/10]