We've been diverging lately into video game history and ephemera in these VC Advantage columns, because those are usually a lot more interesting than just plain old cheats, while keeping in the spirit of extending the enjoyment of games through secrets. But sometimes it's nice to get back to the original stated purpose of presenting codes for Virtual Console games as if we were writing a column in an old gaming magazine.
Mega Turrican seems like an excellent candidate for this treatment, because it is hard as all get out. While previous entries in the franchise involved huge, maze-like levels, Mega Turrican is basically Contra but faster (and with backgrounds that don't contrast enough with the enemies) -- a straightforward left-to-right run-and-gun. And that is almost universal code for "punishingly hard game whose first level you will see about fifty thousand times."
With that in mind, an invincibility cheat seems like a perfectly relevant and helpful thing to offer. It couldn't be easier to pull off, either: just pause the game and hit A, A, A, B, B, B, A, A, A. You don't even have to write this one down! You can also skip a level by hitting right, left, down, right, and then B while paused. And now you can pretend to be successful while playing Mega Turrican!
Just a few days after the first scan, Taito has released a few screens of the new Wii Space Invaders game, Space Invaders Get Even. In this "from the Invaders' perspective" game, swarms of glowing 8-bit Invaders take down 3D cities. The player uses the Nunchuk to control the elusive UFO, and the Wii Remote to direct 300 Invaders. The stages are broken into three areas each, and there are forest, city, military, and other types of stages.
We still don't know how the three types of Invader differ, but we can at least see that they can be directed at separate targets, even outside of their traditional formation. We also don't know if "DOOOOOOM!" is the sound of an explosion, or a description of the humans' fate, or if GIR is in one of the ships.
Taito has chosen the Wii for the followup to the brilliant-looking Space Invaders Extreme. A tiny sidebar in the latest Famitsu has revealed a new Space Invaders game for the Wii. Called Space Invaders Get Even, Taito's latest actually casts the players as the pixelated swarm, whose job is to destroy cities.
Just going on the screenshot, it appears that you'll have a stock of different Invaders who perform different functions, and who arrange themselves in the familiar 2D formation in 3D space. Unfortunately, other than this screenshot and a little blurb (which calls the game an "action game" and entreats you to "get your revenge"), nothing is known. We're sure we'll hear more soon.
I didn't see The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return at GDC -- and I looked -- but Gamespot got a hands-on preview of the new release of Sega's light gun classics. Had I been there, I would have asked about the captioning. "Suffer the same way G did?" The audio's the same (from what can be heard on the video) so why the change in captioning? And why just that line?
In addition to rewriting Zeal's big line, Sega has added six different crosshair options and online rankings. What hasn't been added, unfortunately, is The Typing of the Dead. How could anyone do this?
We should have better sense than to get all worked up over more ports, but we are so excited about The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return. The games look exactly like the arcade versions, with the obvious addition of the targeting reticule; you can choose to take that as arcade accuracy or laziness. Since we're in a good mood and really love the games, we're going to call it the former.Ghost Squad proved that a ported Sega light gun game could be better than most original Wii games, and we are therefore pretty eager for more of that.
In addition to a load of unaltered Houses of the Dead, the trailer reveals a set of -- what else? -- training-based minigames; before you set your Wiis on fire in anger, you should know that these are basically smaller challenges based on parts of the games' levels. You're still shooting zombies.
An update to the ESRB's search page has revealed two new upcoming games. Sega's Columns III is hardly a surprise, since it came out in Japan recently on the Virtual Console, and a U.S. version of the game exists. The other choice is somewhat of an oddball: Taito's Operation Wolf.
Operation Wolf is a military-themed arcade light gun game that came out on both the NES and the Japanese PC Engine. We're likely to get the NES version, as Hudson's VC releases page does not mention the game. In either case, it won't have actual light gun functionality.
This is hardly new for Operation Wolf. The NES version originally included the option for either Zapper or D-pad control, but the PC Engine version did not. The arcade game was also ported to the Taito Legends collection with no gun support. We won't go so far as to say it doesn't matter, but the game is still intense and fun when played by sweeping a crosshair around the screen. It's an unusual choice, but we like unusual choices!
D3 Publisher's official page for Simple Wii Vol. 6 THE Wai Wai Combat has a bunch of new screenshots (and a few old ones) of the party/online shooting game. It kills us that this game looks so incredibly awesome, represents a completely unique implementation of the pick-up-and-play party game idea, has six-player online, and is budget-priced. It kills us because the Simple series is Japan-only, and it is currently extremely difficult to play imports.
Whine Whine Complaining aside, the information page also reveals a bit more about D3's "Apian" avatar system, which is really cute and also expandable. Turns out that each Simple game includes certain parts and accessories that you can use to customize your character -- we think across games. Well, that just destroys Miis.
When D3 announced that their popular Simple series would come to the Wii, we expected stuff like mahjongg games and low-budget Wii Sports ripoffs. Instead of (well, in addition to) the normal cheapo kart racers and casino games, D3 seems to actually be putting some thought into the Wii concept. They seem to be focusing the Simple Wii series on multiplayer party games that fall into a variety of categories -- not just "minigames" and "sports-related minigames." The two most interesting Simple Wii games to us are Vol. 4 THE Shooting Action, a multiplayer space shooter, and Vol. 6 THE Wai Wai Combat.
Simple Wii Vol. 6 THE Wai Wai Combat is a cute-looking third-person shooter (in the style of Resident Evil 4) with Wiimote aiming and an emphasis on multiplayer. The game can be played by up to four people on one system, or up to six people online. The game looks pretty simplistic, both in terms of its cel-shaded style and its objective (shoot each other). It does feature various multiplayer modes like capture the flag.
Simplicity would be very welcome in this genre, to be honest. We dropped out of multiplayer 3D shooting games when we couldn't find anyone to play Doom with over our 14.4k BPS modem.
If, like the Washington Post, you expect hysteria to reign over the Zapper, just wait until the mainstream press catches a glimpse of Nyko's contribution to the ever-growing pile of third-party alternatives.
The "Perfect Shot" is the most gun-like shell we've seen to date, a world away from the Zapper's unoffending curves and thoroughly un-gun-like appearance. And we'd bet our very last cent on it provoking outraged bleating from the press (and perhaps even a certain lawyer), who will no doubt make gossamer-thin links between a plastic toy and real-life violence in the process.
So, in a Wii Fanboy world exclusive, we're going to beat them to the punch: if you want to train your child to be a cold-blooded, callous killer, you can pick up the Nyko Perfect Shot for just $13 on Amazon from December 24, and raise a murderer.
It looks like we aren't the only people who have been paying attention to Ghost Squad. Konami has decided to dust off an old arcade light-gun game for the Wii, as well. But rather than pulling one of their own games like Lethal Enforcersout of their back catalogue, they appear to have opted for Raw Thrills's 2004 arcade shooter Target: Terror. That's according to a new Gamefly listing-- which, of course, could be mistaken, or could refer to a completely new shooting game called Target Terror.
Target: Terror is a full-motion video shooting game in which, like in Ghost Squad, the player shoots a bunch of terrorists. Unlike Ghost Squad, the game features real-world locations and ... let's say emotionally charged situations, including a scenario in which the player must stop a hijacked plane from crashing into the White House.
We continue to love the unlockable bonus modes in Ghost Squad. The extra dose of craziness elevates the game above "somewhat notable port" status into "Zapper killer app" and "Thing we want to buy" categories. A shooting game in which you squirt water at bikini-clad "terrorists" with a dolphin-shaped water gun, then disarm them of their banana knives, may be all we need in life.
You can see all the hilarity in action in this video, including the swan jet skis. But what you may not yet know about Ghost Squad is that it looks really fun for reasons not entirely related to silly swapped items and characters. It features unique gameplay twists, such as segments in which you use the Zapper to simulate knife fighting and hand-to-hand combat. And, of course, the game carries the Sega name, which we think still means something, at least in relation to light gun games. Check after the break for another video without the bonus stuff, to prove that the game looks like loads of fun. This is one port we can definitely live with.
We think we've underestimated Xbox 360 gamers. Not that we didn't hold them in high regard, but we just assumed that they were all humans. We don't know how anyone can play Geometry Wars and see what's going on through all the sparks and particle effects. It must require a feat of concentration just to track your own ship on the screen. We could barely play Bangai-O on the Dreamcast, and this is like Bangai-O with everything made of sparks.
Wii gamers are going to get extra complexity in Geometry Wars: Galaxies, since we'll have to track not only our ship but also the Wiimote-controlled aiming reticle. It's like training your brain! Also, oooooh pretty.
The Virtual Console has made shooting games widely available for the first time in years. We like shooters, despite being categorically awful at them, so we're happy about this. But has the genre been disproportionately represented on the VC? There are so many, versus very few fighting games, and no role-playing games.
Are you guys buying shooters? Are you happy with the selection? Are you all zap zap zap and pew pew pew at the bad spaceships?
Remember that British gamer Adam Mapleson who was shot breaking up a robbery at a train station last week? Well, he was discharged from the hospital, according to The Register, and has returned home after a week of treatment. The security firm that employed the lady who was being robbed, Loomis, is offering a £25,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the thieves that shot Adam. You can see some rough drawings of the suspects here.
The story also points to an online Get Well card set up by the folks who frequent the Pure Pwnage forums. If you want to leave Adam a message, your best bet for him to receive it would be to post there.
When we think of gaming heroes, dudes who can rock a Pac-Man or create some of the industry's greatest games come to mind. That's all changed now, thanks to the heroic, selfless sacrifice of Adam Mapleson, a 24-year old IT consultant and avid gamer. Yesterday, at a train station, Adam sprung into action as two armed thugs robbed a female security officer.
Diving to tackle the escaping men, Adam was shot in the chest at very close range. Laying there helpless and in dire need of aid, he was eventually brought to the hospital, where he now resides under the status of "serious but stable." Even though Adam failed to stop the robbers, who got away from the scene, Adam risked his own life to ensure that no one else was injured.
Our thoughts are with you, Adam, so rest up and get better.
