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Mega Man 2.5D?

I'm automatically skeptical about fan-made games. I will nod at the demos and videos and say, “That's very nice,” but I won't get excited until there's a final product for me to play through.

What can I say. I've seen innumerable projects that began with energy and enthusiasm that surged like Niagara Falls. All but maybe 3% have been dammed up by extended work schedules, “family issues,” or exam season.

For all my adult cynicism, I am hoping that the “Mega Man 2.5D” project survives. It aims to add half a dimension to the classic Mega Man 2, not unlike Super Paper Mario or even (twitch) Bug! for the Sega Saturn.

The demo video looks like the final product would be a lot of fun to blaze through, while at the same time it's a loving tribute to the pinnacle of retro platforming titles. Seems like there's no escape from the disappearing/reappearing blocks.

Posted Mar 24 2009, 01:30 AM by Nadia Oxford with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: mega man 2, super paper mario, bug, retro, video, fan stuff, nadia oxford

Fez May Finally Be More Than a Totally Sweet Demo

For awhile there back in 2007, it was looking like blending 2D and 3D in a single game was going to be a bonafide trend. Super Paper Mario was the highest profile experiment in dimensional puzzle solving, but it was Zoe Mode’s overlooked Crush that really demonstrated the lasting potential of the new genre. Shifting the levels between sidescrolling, overhead 2D, and full 3D made for some inspired level design and hair-pullingly difficult puzzles. When the Independent Games Festival rolled around at the beginning of 2008, it looked like the 2D-3D mash-up was finally going to have its masterpiece in Polytron’s Fez. Fez mixed the same sort environment manipulation from Crush with deliciously retro graphics and sound. It looked awesome. Then it disappeared. I was sad.

Gaming gods be praised! Fez has re-emerged, like a glorious sleepy groundhog signalling an early spring of sunshine and raw joy!

Posted Feb 17 2009, 07:00 PM by John Constantine with | with 2 comment(s)

Filed under: john constantine, nintendo, xbox 360, wii, sega, super paper mario, indie dev moment, xbox live, crush, zoe mode, polytron, Fez, independent games festival

The Busywork of Modern Gaming

It seems that someone, somewhere, at some point in time decided that every game--regardless of the genre--requires at least 20 hours' worth of content; and I really wish I knew where this person lived, because they need a good kick in the ass. Although, it would be wrong of me to not include the general gaming public in sharing the blame, since quite a few people have not figured out that playing a new title does not necessitate a sixty dollar purchase--what with all of the renting options available (which I gather will become much more popular in the upcoming months). But no matter who deserves the ass-kicking, the truth remains that many modern titles are weighed down with the excess of giving gamers mindless things to do for the sake of meeting some arbitrary length standard that's ruined many games which could have been great.

To examine this problem in greater detail, we only have to look at the biggest sufferer of this somewhat-recent problem: the Wii's Super Paper Mario.

Posted Jan 23 2009, 12:00 PM by Bob Mackey with | with 11 comment(s)

Filed under: nintendo, wii, mario, super paper mario, platforming, bob mackey

Trailer Review - Wario Land: Shake It!

I wasn't too impressed with the above animated intro to Wario Land: Shake It!. Between Wario picking his nose and the oh-so-wapanese presentation, I was ready to put this one in the "second-tier Nintendo" file. The horrendous box art doesn't help either. Also, it's being developed by a company called Good-feel.

Then I found the gameplay footage below, which excites me in all the ways that Super Paper Mario did. Unlike a lot of folks, I felt let down by that game's lackluster platforming and reliance on endless text bubbles. Looks like Shake It! will focus solely on platforming, which is a relief, because if I have to look at another collection of inane microgames I'm going to throw my Wii out the window. And, wait a sec. Is that...is that Yoshi's Island-style trajectory alignment? Sign me up.

Posted Jul 10 2008, 12:00 PM by Cole Stryker with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: cole stryker, super paper mario, yoshi's island, platforming, wario land, microgames

The Ten Most Adventurous Sequels in Gaming History, Part 2

Super Mario 64

If you'd asked a young me to imagine a three-dimensional Mario Bros. game, I'd have pictured a screenshot from Super Paper Mario — essentially, the point-A-to-point-B linearity of classic side-scrolling Mario, shot from a different camera angle. Instead, Shigeru Miyamoto's first 3D adventure completely rewrote the rules of platforming, replacing the "get to the end" format with a variety of challenges set in one, open physical space. To a generation weaned on linearity, this was pretty overwhelming at first — I remember being plunked down in Bob-Omb Battlefield and wandering around like a chump for an embarrassingly long time. 64 was so different from its precursors that you arguably wouldn't call it a sequel, but bear in mind that no one knew at the time what the next generation of games would look like. Early 32-bit games like Bug and Clockwork Knight dressed 2D gaming in 3D clothes. As usual, that nut Miyamoto had something different in mind. — PS

Posted Jun 05 2008, 08:31 PM by Peter Smith with | with no comments

Filed under: john constantine, peter smith, the legend of zelda, top ten, list, gradius, donkey kong, castlevania 2, the ten most adventurous sequels in gaming history, shigeru miyamoto, the adventure of link, clockwork knight, super paper mario, super mario 64, zelda II, contra, bug, simon's quest

about the blogger

John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Nerve, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia prizes the certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.