Spoilers here. I know that most everybody knows the big twist to Metroid Zero. But I once blurted it out on a forum a day or so before the game’s release and got penalized. Even though the box ruined the twist I was still considered to have spoiled the game. It remains a sore spot. So here is your warning. If you don’t know about the ending stop reading. You’ve got a game to play.

Okay so. After defeating Mother Brain and escaping from Zebus the game does not end. Samus’ ship gets shot down and her power-suit is destroyed. She must then infiltrate a Space Pirate ship armed with nothing but a stun-gun.

Set phasers for fun? Maybe not. Some people complained that a stealth section “just wasn’t Metroid” and thought that the ending was inappropriate. I don’t see how as the ending still has the defining Metroid traits (exploration and new abilities). But stealth they cried! Stealth!

On this playthrough I was struck by how not-stealthy this section is. Compared to other sneaking games like Metal Gear and Splinter Cell there is very little actual sneaking going on. Sure, you crawl through air-ducts and avoid electronic eyes but much more often than not there’s no way to avoid being seen by the Space Pirate guards. In fact it’s impossible to sneak by the very first S. Pirate you come across. Instead you must run and avoid perusing baddies until you can make it to a safe spot to hide.

It’s reminiscent of the SA-X sequences in Metroid Fusion. You’re weak and underpowered. The enemies are strong and relentless. There’s no way to fight back, there’s no time to think, you’ve got to just keep moving forward and hope that you can survive. It’s thrilling. So this first half of the ending is less sneaking-mission than a series of chases and close calls. It’s less about a new type of Metroid gameplay and more a set up for the second part of the ending.

Eventually the player will reach the Chozo ruins where Samus grew up and will obtain the iconic power-suit with the big shoulder turbines. What follows next is basically a revenge scenario as the Spacers are no match for Samus’ extensive firepower. And while it’s a lot of fun at first to tear through the threats that were so dangers just a little bit before this sequence lasts too long. At this point Samus is unstoppable and nothing is a threat. Ho-hum. (Though in a neat continuity nod it’s understandable why the Space Pirates call Samus The Demon in Metroid Prime after this massacre.)

This all leads up to a limp lass boss, a prototype for Mecha Ridley who is neither difficult or interesting. Then it’s another escape sequence back through the ship before Samus steals a Space Pirate fighter and escapes to the credit sequence.

The extended ending is a good addition to the main game and is fun in its own right (though I like the first half a lot more than the second) but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did the larva sequence. One twist I did enjoy is that it’s possible to escape the ship via a clever nod to Super Metroid and use the upgraded suit to explore all the areas from the main game. It’s especially neat to return to Turian to see the remains of Mother Brain’s explosion.

Zero turred out to be a better game than I remembered. I think it does a lot of unique things that help it stand out in the series (especially considering that it’s a remake). I’d like to see more like it. It tells effective mini-stories using gameplay rather than cut-scenes. Something we’d all like to see more of. I’ve got to be honest. I don’t have high expectations for Other M. I mean, Samus IS a girl and Team Ninja does love their breast physics so.

But then again Nintendo isn’t above exploiting Samus themselves so who knows.

See you next mission!

I had a long car ride last night (had to go up to Fort Collins to get a quail) and didn’t feel like playing a slow RPG. I was in the mood for something more jumpy-shooty so I grabbed Metroid Zero on a whim. People like to gripe that the Metroid series has lost the natural in-game storytelling that was present in Super Metroid. They complain that the games have gotten too wordy, citing Adam’s chatter in Metroid Fusion and the constant database scanning in the Prime games as examples.

Coming back to Zero Mission I was surprised how much of the game is a reaction to the complaints made about Fusion. Fusion is notorious for its linearity (though it does open up in the second half). Zero Mission, conversely, is open to sequence breaking from the get-go. Not only are there cleverly hidden roundabouts for obvious road blocks but skillful bomb jumping and spark-shining can get you to impossible places. Just like Super Metroid! The other main reaction to Fusion is that Zero Mission is almost completely silent. Except for a couple of sentences at the beginning the game keeps its mouth shut.

And while the plot is simple–Samus goes to Zebes to kill Mother Brain–the game uses pantomime to tell it with sophistication. Just like the way everyone bemoans the loss of! I was particularly struck by this during a neat little sequence in the middle of the game. Spoilers of a five year old game to follow!

While exploring the fiery caverns of Norfair the player comes across this little tunnel.

The path forward is blocked by a giant alien larva. It doesn’t move or attack and beams and missiles have no effect. The player has no choice to go back. He or she moves on to explore other caverns and soon the larva is forgotten.

Eventually, while exploring the western side of Norfair the player acquires the wave beam upgrade. This item allows the player’s shots to pass through walls. The path from the wave beam leads eastern and soon the player is on the other side of the tunnel containing the larva.

Here the path is blocked by another larva. But with the wave beam the player can shoot upwards through the floor and damage the larva’s vulnerable underside. Killing this larva reveals that it was in the process of shedding its skin. When it is dead it leaves a thin membrane behind.

Just to the east of this room the player encounters the original larva again but now the player is approaching from the other direction. By now this larva has finished molting and will charge at the player. The player must use weapons to push the larva back (they still don’t do any damage) and then lay bombs that, when the larva charges forwards over them, explode and hurt the larva’s soft belly. Like the previous one this larva has also left behind some shedded skin. The problem with the larvae is now solved and the path is open. It’s important to note that here the game has revealed that the larva are transforming. By showing the larva’s sheddings the game has added some depth to what would otherwise be just another obstacle in the player’s progress. A lock to the wave beam key, as it were.

During his or her explorations the player has also come across vine-like plants that sometimes have weak enemies trapped in their tangles.

These plants aren’t much of a danger. They can easily be blasted through. It’s neat to see that they feast on the native creatures though. Shortly after getting through the larva’s tunnel the player comes across more of these vines. In addition to the smaller enemies caught in them there is also the corpse of a larva tangled as well. With this simple background element the nature of both the vines and the larva have become more complex. This set up pays off a screen or two later when the player comes to the game’s next mini-boss:

A larva corpse suspended by a knot of vines. In a battle reminiscent of the Spore Spawn from Super Metroid the corpse/vines will release small plant spores that can hurt the player. Shooting the corpse accomplishes nothing and so the player must focus his or her attacks on the vines. Destroying them all lets the corpse fall into the ground and reveals a new path forward. If the player looks carefully they’ll notice that larva isn’t dead. It’s slowly pulsating. By destroying the vines the player has revived the larva.

The player moves forward and comes to an elevator downwards into the deepest depths of Norfair. They can only proceed a short distance before they come to a dead-end. Here, though, is an interesting sight.

A larva has started building a cocoon. There’s no way to get to it though and so the player has no choice but to return to the elevator and head back to upper Norfair. Returning to the room where they fought the mini-boss they find that the larva is gone and a new path leads downwards. Following it will take them to the cocoon, which is now empty. The larva has metamorphosed.

Moving forward, the player starts to come across eggs. Whatever hatched is now creating more larva. The player reaches a huge mass of eggs and behind it is the newest power-up: the super missile. But there’s no way to get to it. Not that the player will have much time to experiment because the monster from the cocoon comes sweeping down.

The larva has grown into a giant wasp. It moves quickly and hits hard but it’s not too tough to beat. And when the player does it crashes into the nest of eggs and opens the way to the super missile and the rest of the game.

This whole sequence is done in-game without cut scenes or dialogue. It uses backgrounds, enemy sprites, and the player’s exploration to tell a story. Sure, it’s a short, simple story about giant alien bugs but it is a story nether the less. It has a beginning (the discovery of the larva getting past them), middle (the larva and the vines), and end (the transformation and fight with the wasp). It creates a fun and memorable set piece. Perhaps the best in the game? Certainly it rivals the extended ending sequence, which I remember as very cool. We’ll see how it compares now in Obama’s America. Maybe the ending will still stand out. Maybe not. Until then, I declare the larva sequence in Zero Mission as the best Metroid moment of the aughts.

A big thanks to Metroid Recon for actually having screenshots of all of this.

Also, in case you didn’t see it, my Mega Man 2 comic/review/thing went up at Gamespite last week. In it Mega Man admits to having sex with metal blades. That is to say, it’s worth your time.

Supercard DSTWO announced

GBAtemp Exclusive

The Supercard team have today confirmed directly to GBAtemp.net that the development of the successor to the Supercard DSONE is now officially under way.

Their newest cart, unsurprisingly named the Supercard DSTWO, will be a mash up between the original DSONE and the hardware that was found in the iPlayer multimedia player. It will of course be DSi compatible, but will most likely not have ‘i’ in the title, but that is subject to change. That means you’re going to have a cart on your hands that can play both Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance games without any additional hardware. There will also be a SNES emulator, but we have not yet had the chance to see this in action.

Alongside the built in emulators, the DSTWO will also boast a revamped real-time feature system, multi language options, slow motion and a file management system.

Here’s the official feature list for the Supercard DSTWO:

QUOTE(Supercard Team)

1. RealTime Functions: RealTime Save, RealTime Game Guide(txt,bmp,jpg) & RealTime Cheat. (More stable, more easy to use, cheat code compatible with R4 and TT now)

2. Multi Saves (Up to 4 slot), Easy to backup and restore saves.

4. Unlimited MicroSD storage space support. SDHC support. FAT or FAT32.

5. Multiple languages (English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Italian, Korean, Japanese, Spanish)

6. Built-in GBA/SNES Emulator.

7. Action Slow Motion (4 levels,).

8. File Management System (Copy, Paste, Cut and Delete, long file name support).

9. eBook (BMP, JPEG, JPG, PNG, TIF, GIF, TXT, PDF).

Stay tuned to GBAtemp for further updates, including pictures and videos in the next couple of days and weeks.

This product latest news is directly from GBA, so if you want to get more information, you can visit GBATEMP.NET.

source: www.ishopvideogame.com

verfasst von Joe

Wenn man im Bus oder im Zug sitzt, auf etwas wartet, oder gerade auf dem Heimweg ist, dann ist die beste Möglichkeit, Zeit totzuschlagen eindeutig Gaming. Wenn man dann noch seine liebsten Retro-Titel unterwegs zocken kann, dann fängt der Spaß erst so richtig an. Ich liste euch heute ein paar meiner Retro to go Games auf.

Dragonball Z Buu's Fury

Mein erster Tip ist gleichzeitig ein Geheimtipp. Mit Dragonball Z Buu’s Fury ist nämlich eines meiner liebsten GBA Spiele erschienen. Das tolle Action Kampfsystem mit den Rollenspielelementen und der Dragonball Saga rund um Buu macht diesen Titel für mich zu einen wirklichen Hit. Ich habe viel Zeit mit diesem Titel verbracht, auch nach dem Story Ending war es spaßig, die Charaktere hochzuleveln, die Welten noch ein bisschen zu erforschen und neue Fertigkeiten zu lernen. Sehr cool: Man kann zwischen allen Dragonball Z Charakteren, die in diesem Teil der Saga tätig sind, spielen und wechseln nach Lust und Laune.

Final Fantasy IV Advance

Ein weiteres Rollenspiel darf hier in diesem Artikel dabei sein. Dabei handelt es sich um Final Fantasy IV Advance, welches ich schon seit SNES Zeiten gut kenne. Damals hat mich das Spiel schon begeistert, heute laufe ich noch gerne mit dem Gameboy Advance herum und spiel den Teil. Busfahrten werden so nie langweilig und auch der ein oder andere Sitznachbar ist sofort still und schaut gespannt auf dem Bildschirm um die sofort ergreifende Story mitzubekommen, oder die toll gemachten Kämpfe mitzuverfolgen.

Klar, es gibt noch viele andere Final Fantasy’s auf dem GBA, aber die müssen nicht alle genannt werden. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance etc. sind alles wirklich gute Titel, aber das hier ist einfach das beste Handheld Game der Reihe!

Mega Drive Collection (PSP)

Um auch eine gelungene Collection zu erwähnen, bringen wir diese mit ein. Schon allein die zwei Phantasy Stars (II und IV) berechtigen den Kauf dieser Collection allemal. Die anderen Titel sind auch wirklich gut. Wer mehr Info’s zu den einzelnen Titeln will, sollte einfach auf Amazon nachschauen…

Castlevania - Aria of Sorrow

Auf sämtlichen Handhelds ist Castlevania nun schon erschienen, aber auf keinem konnte es mich mehr überzeugen. Aria of Sorrow ist eines der wenigen Titel, dass die Elemente von Videospielen so gut verbindet wie sonst. Die RPG Elemente und das gut umgesetzte Metroidvania Prinzip, sowie die Liebe zum Detail seitens Konami machen den Titel unheimlich gut. Man spielt ausnahmsweise keinen Belmont und peitscht auch nicht in der Gegend herum, stattdessen sammelt man verschiedene Waffen und Seelen und läuft im Schloss von Graf Drakula umher, besiegt gigantische Bossgegner und erkundet die Umgebung.

Meiner Meinung nach eignet dieser Teil sich sowohl für lange als auch für kurze Sessions, da man jederzeit in Speicherräumen sein Spiel absichern kann, jedoch auch einfach fortfahren kann.

The Legend of Zelda - The Minish Cap

Schade dass ich Minish Cap erst jetzt nachhole. Denn hätte ich dieses Zelda Abenteuer früher gekannt, wäre ich wohl öfter mit dem früheren Bus gefahren,  um dann vor der Schule sitzend Zelda zu spielen. Stattdessen darf ich jetzt daheim spielen, weil ansonsten keine Zeit für das langwierige Adventure bleibt.

Ich habe übrigens bewusst zu Minish Cap gegriffen, da mir dieser Teil von den Handheld Zelda’s am besten gefallen hat, neben Phantom Hourglass. Aber Phantom Hourglass ist noch kein Retro Game, von daher…

Pokémon - Silberne Edition

Diese Videospielreihe prägte mein Leben als Gamer. Dank ihr spiele ich jetzt Rollenspiele, durch sie hab’ ich lesen gelernt und mit ihr gehe ich gerne auch heute noch aus dem Haus. Zwar nehme ich, um nicht mit dem klobigen Kultklumpen Gameboy aufzufallen, lieber meinen GBA mit, allerdings kann es schon oft passieren, dass genau dieses Spiel im Slot steckt. Die unheilmich gute Spielmechanik packt einen unheimlich gut, man kann allerdings auch jederzeit speichern und dann ausschalten.

Wer mehr über die Pokémon Reihe in Erfahrung bringen möchte, kann sich auch gleich die Retro-Perspektive dazu durchlesen. Hier hat Edgar mit mir über die gesamte Pokémon Reihe gechattet und wir konnten neben hilfreichen Details auch einiges an Material und Zusatzwissen bieten.

Hier zur Retro-Perspektive!

Jetzt seid ihr an der Reihe, was sind eure Lieblingsspiele für Handhelds? Wo und wann spielt ihr? Postet eure Geschichten einfach in die Comments!

Everyone’s favourite lawyer-em-up series Phoenix Wright is heading to Wiiware courtesy of Capcom. If you haven’t played these games, they are a mix of point and click puzzle solving and dialogue navigation, with a smattering of great humour thrown in for good measure. One case involves rookie lawyer Phoenix cross-examining a parrot for example. *ahem*

Three individual titles are set to hit Wiiware in Spring 2010, starting with the superb Ace Attorney, which sees Wright defending his bumbling oaf of a best mate Larry Butz while becoming entangled in a much deeper murder case.  Justice for All sees Wright squaring off against whip-wielding lawyer Franziska von Karma, daughter of  big baddie Manfred von Karma. Finally Trials and Tribulations pits you against the ruthless Godot, the meanest mofo this side of the jury stand.

While UK and Europe gamers first got to grips with the series in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney on DS, the series actually started in Japan as a series on the Gameboy Advance. These Wiiware titles are essentially ports of the GBA originals blown up to fit your TV with all the pixelation and grainyness intact. It’s a tad lazy, but the games are such good fun that it doesn’t really matter.

See what I mean?

and again:

Ok, so I’m a strong believer that games don’t have to look good to be amazing and I wish more people could understand this, but with a much slicker DS version already available, surely Capcom could have seen fit to release this on Wiiware instead?

Still, if you can overlook the visuals, this will be a must-have collection for fans of point and click games everywhere when it launches on Wiiware next year.

Si eres de los jugones y que más encima te gustan las consolas de Nintendo, de seguro conoces VisualBoyAdvance un emulador para GBA que se encuentra disponible para GNU/Linux entre otros. Como sabrás VBA está abandonado hace un buen tiempo, es por ello, que nace VBA-M, con el objetivo de mejorar VisualBoyAdvance^[1] y retomar la emulación de la GBA en nuestros computadores.

El proyecto aún está en pañales (y la verdad, desde septiembre de 2009, no lo han actualizado mucho), sin embargo, se supone, ofrece una mejor emulación de roms de GBA en comparación a VBA puesto que está basado en ese último y ya se le han agregado varias modificaciones.

Si quieres probar VBA-M puedes descargar un SVN build desde la página oficial de descargas empaquetado para debian (.deb) o distros derivadas. Aún no se ha lanzado alguna versión del emulador, es por ello, que sólo están disponibles a fecha de hoy (20 de Noviembre de 2009) dichos SVN build.

Sin embargo, te recomiendo instalar la versión SVN y actualizarla cuando se informe en la página de VBA-M en SourceForge, que una nueva revisión ha sido lanzada. Puedes encontrar más información al respecto aquí.

Si usas Archlinux, estás de suerte, porque existe en el AUR un PKGBUILD para instalar la versión SVN del programa. Si usas yaourt no es más trabajo que:

$ yaourt -S vba-m-gtk-svn

Recuerda que para actualizar la aplicación a una nueva revisión, sólo debes generar y luego instalar el paquete .pkg.tar.gz correspondiente, con el mismo comando antes usado.

Página de VBA-M en SourceForge

Sitio web oficial de VBA-M

Otro sitio web, al parecer oficial pero en desuso

Saludos.

^[1]SourceForge: VBA-M