This current Hanabi Festival is proving a treat for shmup fans. Of the ten games released so far under the Hanabi banner, half have been shooters, including the two released today, Japan-only pair Star Parodier (in which you can use Bomberman or a giant PC Engine as a ship!) and Gley Lancer. They're joined this VC Friday by Digital Champ Battle Boxing.
Oh, and fun fact: the name Gley Lancer was (allegedly) supposed to be "Grey Lancer," but ended up as Gley Lancer due to a pronunciation error (the Japanese language can't tell the difference between the English "r" and "l" sounds). Either that, or we've just been duped into believing a rather racist joke.
Gley Lancer -- Mega Drive -- 900 Wii Points
Star Parodier -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 900 Wii Points
Digital Champ Battle Boxing -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 700 Wii Points
Grand Theft Auto IV has absolutely steamrollered everything else in this week's European charts, with only plucky Spain holding out and wedging Wii Fit between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 version of Rockstar's hooker-killing simulator.
Essentially then, everything has been bumped down a notch, with Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit mostly leading the rest of the pack (and giving young girls complexes in the process), and games such as Sega Superstars Tennis and Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 suffering the biggest drops.
We were already totally pumped about getting Cho Aniki on the European and Aussie Virtual Consoles, but our faces lit up when we saw what else was lying in store for us this morning. Metal Slug is the first Neo Geo game to appear on the download service since December 14th, but what a comeback!
From a value-for-money perspective, we'd still recommend picking up Metal Slug Anthology (especially now that it's so cheap), but it's great to see SNK's classic series represented on the VC (and this version even has Classic Controller support). Puyo Puyo 2 and TurboGrafx billiards title Break In complete this week's line-up.
Cho Aniki -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 900 Wii Points
Metal Slug -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii Points
Break In -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 700 Wii Points
Puyo Puyo 2 -- Mega Drive -- 900 Wii Points
Hop in your Slug and blast your way past the break to see all four in action!
If you thought that Trauma Center'sreturn to the DS would mean the end of medical games on the Wii, you were wrong. Zoo Hospital isn't just about normal doctoring, though -- as you can probably figure out from the game's title, you'll be a veterinarian (or, straight out of vet school, at least) that works on curing exotic animals from sicknesses.
Surgeries won't be the only tasks you'll be performing in Zoo Hospital. You'll also do X-Ray and dentistry related tasks to soothe the forty-eight ailing animals. But even if you find the premise interesting, you might not want to get your hopes too high, as the DS version off the game (also developed by Torus) was apparently not that good.
Zoo Hospital is planned to launch in European and PAL territories during Q4, 2008.
Wii Fit is selling like gangbusters in Britain, where it accounts for half of all Wii software sold in the last week, and has given Nintendo its first one-two finish in the All Formats Chart since 2003. And guess what? It's more or less the same story throughout the rest of Europe.
The Irish are shedding the Guinness pounds, the Germans are working off those brätwurst, and Sweden ... well, we don't really have a lazy, go-to food stereotype for the Swedes. Anyhow, the point is: they're all loving it, and if Wii Fit doesn't appear in a chart (see: Spain, Denmark), it's probably because a country hasn't got it yet, or the charts have fallen behind.
Mind you, don't expect any of this Nintendo dominance to last: next week's charts are guaranteed to be all about one game (yet we suspect Wii Fit might give you have better legs than GTA IV in the long-term). Lean past the break for this week's European charts.
An immensely pleasing sight greeted our bleary eyes when we inspected the PAL Virtual Console this morning -- the revival of last September's Hanabi Festival! What does that mean? Simple: for the next few weeks, the VC will feature games that were previously unreleased in Europe or Australia, which we suppose justifies the slightly higher price tags.
Best of all, we're promised that this will continue for the next few weeks. Wonder what else we'll get? Here are this week's trio:
Columns III: Revenge of Columns -- Mega Drive -- 900 Wii Points
Final Soldier -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 700 Wii Points
Gradius II Gofer no Yabou -- TurboGrafx-16 -- 900 Wii Points
As usual, make the jump for footage of all three.
[Update: There's much excitement here, as further inspection of Nintendo's press release reveals that Speedos-clad TurboGrafx-16 shooter Cho Aniki will be one of the future Hanabi Festival releases!]
Featuring charts from across the region, Another Week in Europe documents the buying habits and quirky tastes of a whole continent of Wii lovers.
While yours truly had trouble tracking down a copy of Mario Kart Wii on the high street (for our review), it appears plenty of others around Europe had no such problem.
Bar Denmark (where it has now dropped to fifth), the title sits at the top of every European chart, and we suspect it might even be influencing the sales of other games. Surely the rise of Mario Kart DS to 8th in Ireland, 8th in France, and 7th in Germany can't all be a mere coincidence? By our reckoning, Mario Kart Wii has ramped up Europe's interest in Mario Kartgenerally. Fortunately, Mario Kart DS is the bee's knees!
Finally, this week's overachiever award goes to Sega Superstars Tennis -- despite the Wii version's lack of online play, Sega's tennis/blue skies extravaganza climbed to fourth in the UK. Head beyond the break for more European chartage, and please accept our humble apologies for the lack of a Spanish top ten -- that should be back next week.
A trio of games this week on the PAL Virtual Console (all of which would be dead to us if "Ninja Dragon Games" actually existed), including one we totally want, one that will probably be undeservedly overlooked in favor of the one we totally want and, um, World Games (Commodore 64), which we're entirely unfamiliar with.
The former, obviously, is Double Dragon (NES), and although we plan to download Technos' landmark game with a quickness, we feel a bit bad for The Last Ninja (Commodore 64), which deserves some attention, if only for its amazing soundtrack. Check videos of all three out after the blue words, and marvel at how barrel jumping looks ... oddly compelling.
The latest Nintendo of Europe release schedule contains fairly awesome news for the neglected continent, as there's finally a concrete release date for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Nintendo's wildly popular fighter is hitting stores in the region on June 27th, and there's more happy tidings, with WiiWare and Nintendo Channel set to launch on May 20th and May 30th respectively.
There's little else in the list that both interests us and has a specific date (de Blob and Blast Works have both had a vague "Q2 2008" slapped next to them, though it appears that Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors will be out on May 9th), but heck, why are we yammering to you about this? Check out the latest European dates for yourself past the break!
Featuring charts from across the region, Another Week in Europe documents the buying habits and quirky tastes of a whole continent of Wii lovers.
Oh, Denmark. We thought we were friends. Sure, you and us Brits had that silly tiff back in 1066, but since then you've brought us nothing but joy. Think Hans Christian Anderson, Danish bacon, and Peter Schmeichel.
But now look what you've gone and done: on its debut week, you've relegated Mario Kart Wii -- top in every other European chart -- to second place.
Still, we suspect it won't matter in the greater scheme of things. All that needs to be known is that Mario Kart came, it saw, and it emphatically conquered, leaving closest rival Gran Turismo 5: Prologue choking on its cartoony exhaust fumes. Seeing whether it has legs over the next few weeks should prove interesting. As usual, make the jump for lots of painstakingly formatted chartage.
Up on the chopping block this Friday is the red-headed step-child of early Phantasy Star games, Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom. Considered the weak link by fans, we suppose that directly following Phantasy Star II didn't help its case.
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points
Don't forget to hop in the patented Wii Fanboy time machine and hurtle past the break for footage from the game.
Manga-fied golf title Super Swing Golf (or, as U.S. readers may know it, Super Swing Golf: Season 2) will be appearing in terminally neglected Europe this June 27th, courtesy of Rising Star Games.
As most Americans may well have already played/completed/traded in/completely forgotten about Tecmo's criminally under-rated golf game (it launched stateside back in December), it probably won't hurt to remind you that there's plenty of mascotcameo goodness, and quite a lot of a very serious sport not being taken seriously in the slightest. Which is for the best, really.
Featuring charts from across the region, Another Week in Europe documents the buying habits and quirky tastes of a whole continent of Wii lovers.
Gran Turismo 5: Prologue dominates Europe this week, and only plucky little Sweden (where the game lies second) prevented it from being top dog in every single European chart.
In many cases, however, it's being hotly pursued by Wii software. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 is still holding its own (rising to 3rd in the UK, 4th in Ireland, and keeping fifth place in Spain), Mario & Sonic continues to grip to the higher positions like a particularly stubborn limpet, Germany is the usual Nintendo lovefest, and Sweden finally has a Wii game that isn't Guitar Hero III in its top ten. It's a good one, as well.
As far as new games go, there's just the one, with Dancing Stage Hottest Party strutting its stuff and grabbing its crotch at 7th in the Dutch charts. Finally, Game Party and Carnival: Funfair Games continue to plummet down the UK charts. Muahahaha.
"Nintendo, with this week's four Virtual Console releases you are really spoiling us!"
We feel extra special this week, because kindly old Uncle Nintendo has lavished the PAL Virtual Console (or at least the European Virtual Console) with four new titles, including another two Commodore 64 additions (both of which are cracking), and the first Master System games to reach Australia. Unusually, all four are worth a look, but Impossible Mission has a special room all of its own in this blogger's heart. As usual, there's footage of all titles past the break.
California Games -- Commodore 64 -- 500 Wii Points*
Having already whipped Japanese consumers into lean, mean killingspendingmachines, Wii Fit debuts in the west later this month, when it hits Europe on April 25th. And, unsurprisingly enough, its impact is already being felt in the region, with Jersey-based UK retailer Play.com reporting that it sold through its entire allocation of preorders for the game in just one day, a company record.
"Wii Fit is going to be huge. Let's hope that we can keep up with demand." panted Play.com head of games Gian Luzo as he waded through his home, waist-deep in banknotes, before subtly hinting: "We are expecting more stock before launch." You've been warned, Brits: if you want the wobbly slab from day one, get those preorders in, pronto.
This current Hanabi Festival is proving a treat for shmup fans. Of the ten games released so far under the Hanabi banner, half have been shooters, including the two released today, Japan-only pair Star Parodier (in which you can use Bomberman or a giant PC Engine as a ship!) and Gley Lancer. They're joined this VC Friday by Digital Champ Battle Boxing. 
An immensely pleasing sight greeted our bleary eyes when we inspected the PAL Virtual Console this morning -- the revival of last September's 
Featuring charts from across the region, 
Featuring charts from across the region, 
Featuring charts from across the region, 
