Wii Shop Channel Thread - 12/29 StarTropics II, Maboshi's Arcade, Cue Sports: Pool

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Dec. 29, 2008 - Champagne? Check. Confetti? Got it. But you're not fully prepared for New Year's revelry unless your Nintendo game library is stocked with games to please everyone under the sun. As always, the Wii™ Shop Channel is open 24 hours a day for your downloading pleasure. The final slate of new game offerings for 2008 includes a couple of wild multiplayer titles on WiiWare™, plus an enthralling sci-fi title for the Virtual Console™. Load up and enjoy!

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

WiiWare

Maboshi's Arcade™ (Nintendo, 1-3 players, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): Featuring three distinct modes and simultaneous play across three game windows, the constantly changing environment of Maboshi's Arcade creates an atmosphere unlike any other. Each of the modes is based on one of three familiar shapes (circle, stick and square) and offers the same goal: score a million points. Use the intuitive controls to bash enemies in Circle mode, weave your way through Stick mode or burn a path around obstacles in Square mode-all while dealing with power-up items and keeping watch on which effects the other game windows may have on your own. Also featuring Mii™ characters, action replays that you can send to your Wii™ Friends via WiiConnect24™, and the ability to download a version to a Nintendo DS™, you may never want to leave this arcade.

Cue Sports – Pool Revolution (Hudson Entertainment, 1-4 players, Rated E for Everyone, 500 Wii Points): Grab your Wii Remote™ controller and take a shot at this virtual billiard game. Enjoy match-ups, playing classic favorites such as 9 Ball, 8 Ball, Rotation and Snooker, as well as walk-through trick shots in Puzzle mode. Connect to Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection (Nintendo WFC) to go head-to-head with your friends, or even hustle opponents across the world in Nintendo WFC match-ups. This game offers two types of controls, allowing you to virtually strike the cue ball with your Wii Remote controller or use the buttons to adjust the strength of your shot and then strike. Hone your skills in Practice mode, learning all the cool techniques you need to be a true hustler. Use the edit feature to create your own challenge and nail the trick shot you've always dreamed of sinking. Pull off an amazing shot and show everyone who's the biggest shark in the pool.

Virtual Console

Zoda's Revenge™: StarTropics II™ (NES™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone-Mild Cartoon Violence, 500 Wii Points): Take on the role of Mike Jones, intrepid hero of the StarTropics universe, and once again battle the evil alien Zoda to control the fate of the Argonian people. In this journey, the island hopping of Mike's original adventure gives way to traveling through time and visiting locations around the world. And you never know what famous historical figures may appear along the way, giving Mike helpful advice or useful items. Luckily, Mike also has a wider range of weapons and improved play control on his side, so he may yet stand a chance against Zoda. Can you help Mike stand the test of time and save the world again?
Click to expand...

Pretty good week.


Also:

[quote name='SL4IN']Announced yesterday that in January, Japan is getting Super Smash Bros on the N64 on the VC. http://www.joystiq.com/2008/12/28/super-smash-bros-sparring-on-japanese-virtual-console-in-januar/

I wonder what we're getting on the last VC update of the year.[/quote]

[quote name='EXStrike']What Japan is getting in January:

Famicom (500 Wii Points)
Detective Saburo Jinguuji: The Dangerous Duo Part One*
Getsufuu Maden
Zoids: Mokushiroku

Nintendo 64 (1,200 Wii Points!)
Super Smash Brothers

Master System (500 Wii Points)
Fantasy Zone II: Opa Opa no Namida

Mega Drive (600 Wii Points)
Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair

PC Engine
Rastan Saga 2 *
Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu (800)
Spelunker mark 2 (800)
Champion Wrestler


http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/lineup.html?link=rss
http://www.siliconera.com/2008/12/26/super-smash-brothers-coming-to-virtual-console-next-year/

Yeah, they're getting SSB.[/quote]

One step ahead of you buddy.
 
I think I was right.
That Maboshi's Arcade sounds neat. I'm going to wait until I go home and look at the preview on the Nintendo Channel (and probably be horribly disappointed)..but 1-3 player's? That's kind of weird. :whistle2:s


:lol: @ Cue Sports.

And Star Tropics II? I never played them, so I don't know what they are like. I know people were excited when the first one came out..so...what about this one?
 
Star Tropics 2 is weird because it came out at the very tail end of the NES' lifespan. I didn't know anyone who played it let alone owned it. Still, the first one is great and aside from someone's thread about "The 10 Worst Games Nintendo ever published", I think it got a decent reception.
 
Startropics II I think was the last NES game released by Nintendo. I've heard that it's worse than Startropics, but mainly because it's more linear and a little bit harder. Although I'm not quite sure.
 
[quote name='lilboo']
And Star Tropics II? I never played them, so I don't know what they are like. I know people were excited when the first one came out..so...what about this one?[/QUOTE]

Well its more of the same, as I believe they reused the exact same engine. There are a few tweaks to the controls based upon the reception of the first title.

Just like the first Startropics Its basically a Zelda title reimagined by a different (R&D3) team of Nintendo.

Recipie: Take a pound of base overhead Zelda, as a cup of Crystallis, a cup of Zelda 2 maps and a dash of Earthbound humor and simmer until the NES is a top-loader and see if you like the result.
 
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[quote name='Halo05']Star Tropics 2 is weird because it came out at the very tail end of the NES' lifespan. I didn't know anyone who played it let alone owned it. Still, the first one is great and aside from someone's thread about "The 10 Worst Games Nintendo ever published", I think it got a decent reception.[/QUOTE]

I own it, and while I enjoyed it I must admit if you had to make a list of the 10 worst games Nintendo published it might end up on the list, not because the game is horrible, but because everything else Nintendo makes is usually excellent.

ST and ST2 are merely average, and thats solely due to the controls being a touch clunky.
 
Ok Ok ok! Let's talk about Maboshi's Arcade. I just realized it's a Nintendo game, so, hopefully that should mean something. Despite anyone's views on WiiWare...I think the best games available are the Nintendo ones. (Besides FF:CC, Toki Tori, and World of Goo)

I wonder if it's a full game you send to your DS? That part really has me interested.
 
[quote name='Halo05']Star Tropics 2 is weird because it came out at the very tail end of the NES' lifespan. I didn't know anyone who played it let alone owned it. Still, the first one is great and aside from someone's thread about "The 10 Worst Games Nintendo ever published", I think it got a decent reception.[/QUOTE]

I fall under the category of owning it, but never playing it. I have a shrinkwrapped mint copy of this game sitting on my shelf from some TRU clearance a decade ago or thereabouts.

[quote name='lilboo']Ok Ok ok! Let's talk about Maboshi's Arcade. I just realized it's a Nintendo game, so, hopefully that should mean something. Despite anyone's views on WiiWare...I think the best games available are the Nintendo ones. (Besides FF:CC, Toki Tori, and World of Goo)

I wonder if it's a full game you send to your DS? That part really has me interested.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, the fact that it's made by Nintendo definitely piques my interest. It has to be somewhat good, right? Also encouraging are all of the extra elements they've put into this game. Miis? Replays? Download play? I'll probably be getting this tonight when I get home. Providing I have space for it of course.
 
The other good thing about the Nintendo WiiWare games is that they are all low on blocks :bouncy:
As far as I know, none of the first party WiiWare games exceed 200 blocks. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
 
Well, I guess I have to get StarTropics 2. I've never played it, but always wanted to because the first one was one of my favorite NES games and still held up great on the VC, though I don't know how much of that is nostalgia.
I will agree that the controls for StarTropics are very clunky, though I've always just chalked that up to it being an NES game. It's still the games biggest flaw by far.
 
Can't believe we got ANOTHER pool game. Between those , shmups and bowling games how many do we actually need? (Although I'm not really complaining about having a lot of shmups , just sayin;))

Curious about Maboshi's Arcade. Might have to check out some more info and watch the video for it on the Nintendo Channel. Nice that we got Startropics 2. Both games within a year is pretty good. Now I just need to play the first one.
 
[quote name='theflicker']
Yeah, the fact that it's made by Nintendo definitely piques my interest. It has to be somewhat good, right? Also encouraging are all of the extra elements they've put into this game. Miis? Replays? Download play? I'll probably be getting this tonight when I get home. Providing I have space for it of course.[/quote]

It's Nintendo published not developed, but from what I hear and seen, it's pretty good and interesting.

I'm definitely downloading it when I get home.
 
Use the intuitive controls to bash enemies in Circle mode
Click to expand...

They should have called it ball mode. Bash enemies in ball mode. With your balls. And there would be a grand announcement that you had indeed ENTERRRRRRRED BALLLLLLLLLL MOOOOOOOOOODE, not unlike Killer Instinct's ULTRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAULTRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAULTRAAAAAAAAAAAAA. 'Cuz then I'd be all like SUP BITCHES. BALL MODE fuckIN' YOUSE UP.

ST2 I remember being extraordinarily difficult for the last area, when you get back to dealing with Zoda and whoever. I seem to recall having, say, 10 life points, and each attack by someone caused 900. So I don't remember beating it.

I also remember the main character using the word "radical" ALL. THE. TIME. At some point you met up with Leonardo Da Vinci (since this one was based on time travel), and you advise him to change the hairstyle for the Mona Lisa, where upon Da Vinci morphs it into this sort of spiky thing straight out of the 80s. To which your character responds RADICAL and you proceed further into the game.

I probably played it back in middle school and even then I thought it was corny and waaaaaaaay behind the times.

Also, I woke up this morning thinking that Earthbound was going to be released, and even convinced myself that I'd read posts from people at this very location confirming as much. Goodness, I wonder what I ate to cause that hallucination, where an imperfect world suddenly becomes perfect.
 
I played Startropics II back in the day, when I was a kid. I couldn't believe they actually made a sequel to the game. I could've gotten a N64 or SNES game but no, I wanted this.

Besides, it was a lot cheaper too. :D Damn was it good though, however I'm in a niche. I actually like it better than the first because it offered variety. I don't think it is more linear though, maybe plot wise but as far as gameplay is concerned it is about the same. It has little less puzzles but its bosses are far more creative and the game is a good bit more difficult. I actually liked it the best.
 
Reading this review for Maboshi makes me want to get it, and also explains the rules fairly well.

Basically it's three games going on at once, and the effects of each alter the other two. Imagine Tetris against someone, where your accomplishments were the other's detriment as you rained discarded pieces upon their board. Now take that concept and apply it to a cooperative environment, where everyone wants to win and can achieve that by playing their board properly. It's sort of three mini-games making up one giant puzzle action game.

There's also a tidbit that I find remarkable:
You can also make these replays play in the game screens, while you play a new game in another! The replay will also interact with your game like a live game would!
Click to expand...

THAT sounds awesome.

I suggest you read the link above before watching this Youtube video, since it'll help make more sense of just what the hell is going on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=behwf6eVuYU
 
I got Startropics II today the minute I seen it on the shop channel. While I wont say if it is better or worse than the first I think the first has a better atmosphere and style to it. Either way it is still damn good. I got the original game for $5 back in the day, but I since I only bet the game once I wanted to replay the levels.

If you are looking for a good Zelda like game with a different twist, check it out, after trying the first.
 
I've played MaBoShi quite a bit and WANT to recommend it, but I just can't. The presentation is very simple but doesn't come off as clean, just cheap. The gameplay goes immediately from completely dull to maddeningly frustrating and the three shapes, while requiring different strategies, really don't feel all that different from each other. This was one of the most Flash-like games I have played and it didn't even feel like it was trying to hold itself above that designation at all.
 
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Star Tropics 2 is superior to the original because they loosed up the controls a ton, making navigation of the stages much easier and making you much less prone to accidental deaths due to inaccurate jumping. The game is probably a little less challenging then the original, but both games are fantastic and amongst the best the NES has to offer, anyone who says otherwise is insane. Just to clear things up as well, Star Tropic 2 was the second to last licensed game published on the NES, the final game being Wario's Woods in December 1994. Wario's Woods would also be the only NES game to feature an ESRB rating, and is probably the best non-Tetris puzzle game on the NES. One final trivia note, the absolute last NES game published on the console was Wisdom Tree's Sunday Funday released in January 1995.
 
[quote name='spmahn']Wario's Woods would also be the only NES game to feature an ESRB rating, and is probably the best non-Tetris puzzle game on the NES. One final trivia note, the absolute last NES game published on the console was Wisdom Tree's Sunday Funday released in January 1995.[/quote]
How dare you neglect Dr. Mario that way.

I never played Wario's Woods until way after the fact and wasn't impressed - when it came out I was consumed by Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine and by the time I went back to Wario's Woods it didn't have enough going for it to win me over.
 
[quote name='wii skiier']I've played MaBoShi quite a bit and WANT to recommend it, but I just can't. The presentation is very simple but doesn't come off as clean, just cheap. The gameplay goes immediately from completely dull to maddeningly frustrating and the three shapes, while requiring different strategies, really don't feel all that different from each other. This was one of the most Flash-like games I have played and it didn't even feel like it was trying to hold itself above that designation at all.[/QUOTE]

It looks like a love-it-or-hate-it kind of title to me.

If it was five bucks, I'd give it a shot on the off chance I like it...but eight dollars is just high enough for me to skip the gamble.

That means the points card my sister got me for Christmas will still go unused. Either that, or use it on SNES games. I've never played the Donkey Kong Country trilogy... :whistle2:k
 
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