58 thoughts on “Ninja Guidin’”

1. I saw that Sega compilation this morning. I scrolled down the page in anticipation of Space Harrier, which I know is crazy because I don’t even think it ever came out on the Genesis. I don’t even incorrectly “remember” playing it on the Genesis. It’s just a Sega game I would really love to be able to play on the PSP. I’m not really disapointed, that’s an amazing collection of games, I guess when I saw “30 games’ I thought maybe something like a Toejam and Earl or Spider-Man or even Altered Beast would make it through. If I were a game company I would never put out compilations because everyone just complains about what’s not on there anyway (in my case even games that don’t exist). I am excited at the prospect of being able to play Ecco the dolphin again. I remember it being just a really chill game, not very stressful at all.

2. You obviously never got to the final levels of Ecco. The last set of levels remains both one of the hardest things I’ve played (randomly auto-scrolling maze with death walls? THANKS) and the scariest (OH GOD WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS).

3. My intel could be impossibly wrong, but aren’t many Genesis games slated for Virtual Console anyway?

4. Oh wait, nevermind. I was wondering who would need that particular collection. People who own a PS2 might. Silly me.

5. Would’ve liked to see the MD Phantasy Star I thrown in there for posterity. Oh, and Revenge of Shinobi. How could they miss that?

6. Aaaaand Nicholai wins the Prescient Poster of the Day Award.

7. I just don’t understand why something like a Disgaea can’t make its way to the DS. Its not like its really all that graphically intense or anything, and it had a lot more personality than FF Tactics ever did. Just cut the voice acting and you’re set.

8. Nefarious porn-monger Brandon Sheffield claims that Disgaea will be showing up on PSP, actually. Personally, I’d be happiest to see a Tactics Ogre sequel. Directed by Matsuno. DAMMIT MATSUNO

9. Yes, bring on the Tactics Ogre. But is a Matsuno helmed sequel wishful thinking after his FFXII breakdown or whatever?

10. >Between this and Milon’s Star Paradise I’m contemplating the possibility of opening >a betting pool for which forgotten, obscure NES franchise gets a DS sequel next.

    Hopefully, the Shadowgate/Deja Vu/Uninvited “trilogy” and Star Tropics.

11. I second that, Parish. DAMMIT MATSUNO

12. Nah, Shadowgate had sequels on N64 and a remake on GBC. And I like to think of Contact as the game StarTropics was supposed to be. No one’s rising to the OMG KID ICARUS bait?

13. Third it. DAMMIT MATSUNO. Ogre Battle is my favorite fanchise, and Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together remains my all time favorite game.

14. Here’s hoping for Astyanax getting a revival. And people think God of War was original.

15. You know where I stand. Bionic Commando and Zelda II (yeah, it’s part of an established franchise, so what?), stat!

16. Frickin’ Square Enix, not frickin’ giving us Final Fantasy frickin’ Tactics DS.
    There was already somewhere around 15 final fantasies at E3, maybe they just couldn’t fit it in.

17. But there aren’t any dolphins in Contact.

18. I still take umbrage at your disdain for Star Tropics

19. Said it at 1-up, I’ll say it here: That Sega compilation better not have any effect as to weather or not those games will appear for the Wii’s virtual console. Particularly Golden Axe and Vectorman.

20. Star Tropics wasn’t fun!
    .
    I’ve asked a few Square types (including Nomura) about the glut of FF games at E3 and how they plan to keep each game interesting. So far I’ve yet to receive an official response.

21. “Between this and Milon’s Star Paradise I’m contemplating the possibility of opening a betting pool for which forgotten, obscure NES franchise gets a DS sequel next.” What kind of odds are you giving for Kid Niki? Of course I’d rather see a (good) sequel to River City Ransom.
    Also, for some reason those Luminous Arc screen shots remind me of Congo Bongo.

22. I thought Star Tropics was fun, but then it only set me back $10. However, I’ll qualify that by saying I only got about halfway through and never attempted to play it again, so maybe not as much fun as I thought at the time. I still regret not getting Kirby’s Adventure at the same time for the same price, though.

    Interesting selection, though I kind of wish they’d have skipped the stuff already available on PS2. It’ll be nice to finally own PS4, and I hope Gain Ground is as good as I seem to remember…

23. It’d be great if revitalizing long-neglected IPs really became the new vogue. It would put a whole new spin on the brazen nostalgia-mongering with which gamers have largely become complacent (Super Paper Mario, what?), and I’d get to cheer the illustrious return of Pit, Mike Jones, Pentaro, Sparkster, Radd Spencer, Rami Nana-Hikari, and on and on.

24. “That Sega compilation better not have any effect as to whether or not those games will appear for the Wii’s virtual console.”

    Given that Sega is known for whoring out these classic titles to anyone who is paying (http://www.radicagames.com/playtv-legends-sega-genesis.php has a familiar-looking lineup. And you can probably find these same titles on Gametap. As with other places.), I doubt this will impact whether or not they appear on the Wii virtual console.

    I would have prefered Kid Chameleon to Flicky (again), but Bonanza Bros. is a nice addition.

25. I arrived late to tactical world of gaming. I’ve managed to play through Advance Wars DS, Age of Empires DS, Disgaea, and I’m a good 35 hours into FFTA. Seeing as how I’ve found it difficult to get a copy of Ogre Tactics, I’d be thrilled with a DS iteration. Tactics aside, I have you to thank, sir, for your glowing words (1up) concerning Drill Dozer. I ordered the game yesterday.

26. Oh and I suppose you don’t like Rygar either! ;)

27. Rygar is rad! Also, the Underdog Champion of the Day Award goes to the man (?) who bought Drill Dozer. You’re a champ, sir. Ma’am. Whatever.

28. phantasy star four? automatic purchase. the other 29 games could be repackaged versions of sega swirl for all it matters. PS4 is the first RPG i ever really freaking loved. Of course, it got to the point that i could beat the game in one sitting, but that’s not important.

    and the fact that columns and golden axe are there is just icing. (no streets of rage? boo!)

29. My understanding is that SoA is trying to distance itself a bit from Streets of Rage due to the endless whining about violent games. Pfft.

30. Which explains Shadow the Hedgehog and Yakuza?

31. I loved Startropics.

    I don’t know why I loved Startropics, but I have nothing but positive memories about it, and about the Nintendo power issue about it.

    Anyway was there 15 or 16 FFS? Or was it 18 FFs? I made a list once.

32. Do not eat this letter!

33. “My understanding is that SoA is trying to distance itself a bit from Streets of Rage due to the endless whining about violent games. Pfft.”
    –
    They must have come to this decision a day or two after releasing Shadow the Hedgehog…

34. “Anyway was there 15 or 16 FFS? Or was it 18 FFs? I made a list once.”
    Actually, if you count every single last thing that has ever had the name “Final Fantasy” attached, I think it comes out to about 27 or 28.

35. Wait, that was what you referring to, right?

36. You must be having a fit over the Zaxxon unlockable. But even though I already own the genesis version, I tingle with the thought of playing PSIV again. After growing up playing final fantasy 1, 2 & 3, PSIV was world-shattering with it’s totally awesome, well done story. And ditto on the Matsuno Tactics Ogre, FFT:Advance was painfully bad. But GBA Tactics Ogre was incredible.
    And My vote for forgotten game that is resurrected: Herzog Zwei (or maybe now Drei?)

37. BTW, whatever happened to SEGA releasing the Playstation 2 remake of Phantasy Star state-side?

38. I’ll be happier with ports of the originals. Have you played the 3D Ages remakes?

39. I take it they bungled up those remakes too, huh?

    Anyways, I just hope the emulation on all of these games is solid. Or else the Virtual Console downloads will be the way to go, a la carte rates be damned.

40. dude, sega ages makes gamers cry. i bought the golden axe remake as soon as i came to japan, and it was fucking wretched. i sold it back for 500 yen and was grateful for even that much.

41. SEGA games just don’t hold up as well, nostalgia-wise, as Nintendo games.

42. Hey, not every kid had a Super Nintendo back in the day. I look at this list and Feel nothing but fondness for my old Genisis.
    .
    That said, I already had my hopes up that Phantasy Star 4 and Ristar would be Virtual Console Games from day one of the Wii. The news that they’re all appearing on this other system makes me fear that they might not be on nintendo’s virtual console at all.
    .
    Or maybe Sega’s Just covering all it’s bases. I don’t know man.

43. Between this and Milon’s Star Paradise I’m contemplating the possibility of opening a betting pool for which forgotten, obscure NES franchise gets a DS sequel next.
    Ah, I see that my master plan to revive Daydreamin’ Davey as a next-gen FPS is coming along as expected.

44. speaking of Drill Dozer, I picked it up when Best Buy had it on sale for $9.99
    .
    Holy crap it’s awesome.

45. Beat, many developers are whoring their classics -and cashing in the nostalgia factor- as often as they can. So your favorite oldies have a good shot at virtual console!

46. Every time I try and play a SEGA Genesis game something inside me dies and I have to put down the controller and stop. I know there are good games there, but I just have a hard time.

47. How can you sell that stuff? How?! The Famicom Mini collection especially. By no longer owning that, you’re placing your “Coolest Dude on Earth” status in jeopardy.

48. I had to sell all my PSX games to make rent once. It was a bummer, but at the end of the day it’s just a bunch of plastic. You can’t eat video games, except for maybe those DS carts, you could probally swollow one of those whole.

49. Possessions are a pretty poor barometer for coolness, I think. I would like to own about 1/4 fewer games than I currently do and selling off 30 in a single shot puts me comfortably on the road.
    .
    Also, Mssr. Guts, thanks for hitting your “dopey comments” goal so early in the day.

50. Possessions as a poor barometer for coolness is generally true. Except for owning a 3DO. That’s just uncool.

51. I used to have a LOT of games. NES, SNES, Playstation, N64.. you name it, it was on a shelf in my house. But all they would do is sit there. Most of them had been played through at least once. Some of them I didn’t even have the console anymore to play them. I used to like to collect all of the old stuff because I thought it was just really cool to have, but what it really was was trying to recapture my childhood, one that involved a lot of video games. Zelda was an early one, Zelda II I wore out the cartridge when I was 11 without ever being able to beat Link’s mirror image at the end. Oh the full color maps on graph paper with felt pens… But there was something joyful abhout those times that I thought having those things around, even if only on a shelf collecting dust in my house somewhere, it would bring those feelings back. But then I realized, the past is the past and I could really do with less clutter. SO I did a craigslist purge and actually I don’t feel all that bad. In fact, right now I am replaying Chrono Trigger, only this time on the laptop, in the living room while my wife watches “Sell this house” or Iron Chef. It works so much better and I still have my memories.

52. I guess I’m just a collector at heart. Sure, for a lot of us, gaming allows us to hang on to part of our childhood, and I guess it’s no different for me. But I also enjoy collecting games and related memorabilia as a true hobby as well, the way some people collect stamps or comic books or baseball cards (I obsess over condition, rarity, etc.). But I was out of line earlier, JP. Even without the complete Famicom Mini collection, you’re still the coolest dude on earth. :)

53. I’m giddy with delight that someone else enjoyed Shadowgate/Deja vu/Uninvited as much as I did. I was a wee tyke when playing them all, and I think they affected me deeply. I was never able to finish Deja vu on my mac plus, but I was lucky enough to grab ahold of Deja vu 1&2 on GBC. Played through them both last year, couldn’t have been better. The crocodile still gives me nightmares though :-(

54. I still have every game I’ve ever owned (save for the 4 or 5 I sold), and my parent’s house is still privy to our Atari collection (though I couldn’t tell you where it was). Everything NES and beyond is also in its original packaging. I don’t think this makes me a better/cooler person at all, but I figure eventually everyone with a superior game collection will lose it/sell it/die, and one day I will have the greatest game collection of all time.

    Or my house will catch fire and I’ll lose it all, shrug, and drop even more VC cash than I would have anyway.

    But, there’s something satisfying in knowing I can play Little Nemo without illegally downloading it and most people can’t.

55. Drill Dozer came in the mail today. So far? Two hours of joy. What a refreshing little cart. (Yeah, I’m a male, btw.)

56. I’m torn on the whole Virtual Console thing. On the one hand, it’s obviously cool to able to quickly download all those great classic games, all conveniently stored on a tiny little SD card. But on the other hand, it’s just not quite the same as having all those games on your shelf, complete with all the original packaging, artwork, etc. It’s much more impressive that way, in my opinion.

    Oh, and Drill Dozer freakin’ rocks! I got it at Target for 50% off a couple of weeks ago, but just started playing it last night. I can’t believe I let it sit that long. The rumble feature works great, too. Much better than the mediocre DS Rumble Pak.

57. Sam: “I was never able to finish Deja vu on my mac plus, but I was lucky enough to grab ahold of Deja vu 1&2 on GBC.”

    I wish I had a chance to get that game. Now the publisher’s out of business. :(

58. hey! stop reading my website!

    I’m pretty intrigued by luminous arc, though the company doesn’t seem to have lots of full game development experience…

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