Filed under: VC Monday Madness

With only one title available for download this week, we were quick to dive in and check it out. You can see some gameplay clips above and head past the break for the text and image show that we usually tuck past there.

Fatal Fury 2 is a great fighting game. Don’t get me wrong, I have fond memories of using the A’s on my report card to rent the SNES port from the local West Coast Video when I was but a teenager (free rentals for A’s on your report card, it was pretty awesome). It’s a game that still is good to this day and stands the test of time. If you don’t own a PS2 and can’t enjoy the very cheap Fatal Fury collections, then go ahead and give this a download.

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Filed under: Imports, Screens

We’ve created a gallery featuring the first direct screens of Image Epoch’s new RPG Arc Rise Fantasia. The images come from cutscenes, battle scenes, and dialogue, presenting a decently representative look at the new RPG from the creators of Luminous Arc.

The creepy cutscene stills illustrate the invasion of “Contaminant Dragons” on the city of Diamant — basically creepy monsters who fly around en masse in the dark. The player’s party includes Bright, a soldier (and generic spiky-haired RPG avatar), Alse, a prince who also decides to go fight for some reason, a mysterious girl named Ryphia, and the pictured Adele, a mage-type character, seen here casting Curtsy Energy Blast. At least the bit about a poison-spreading dragon army is original!

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Filed under: News

Nintendo’s resident psychopath Wario finally has a face for the shelves outside Japan, and it’s a bit of a love-hate boxart. It’s classic Wario stomping (well, shaking) his enemies all over the place and acting like a total badass. On the other hand, it seems a little … brutal. Ostentatious even? This blogger loves any chance to use big words he doesn’t even understand, so a debate over the quality of this box is more than welcome.

Wario Land: Shake It! has taken clearer form just recently, as we all bask in its beautfulness. It might be the title to return the series to its original pedigree of excellence, and the release date isn’t too far away. The no holds barred violence on the case shouldn’t discourage parents from buying this one for their tots, because a nice little E for Everyone is sitting right there from the ESRB. They are always right.

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Filed under: News

Hollywood, eat your heart out. It looks like gaming is lined up to be a big money enterprise come next year (as if it isn’t already), according to analyst firm DFC Intelligence. David Cole, one of the firm’s analysts, thinks that the driving force behind this sharp rise is none other than the Wii.

“The Wii does not appear to be a fad and it has the chance to be one of the best selling systems of all-time,” said Cole. Another analyst, Jeremy Miller, is quick to point out that Nintendo is also a very successful publisher, stating “The Wii not only has unique features and a broad demographic appeal, but Nintendo is dominant as a software publisher.” Despite Nintendo’s winning formula that is the Wii, the firm sees the PS3 selling more than the Wii in 2012. We know of at least one entity that agrees.

[Via Joystiq]

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Filed under: News, Screens

Rune Factory Frontier is looking too hot for its own good, as evidenced by these newest screens. We gobble up every piece of Frontier media with such frenzy, it’s as if we grew them ourselves! Get it? Growing, eating, the whole Harvest Moon thing? Funny? No?

These images need a wee bit of explanation. The above menu represents the new ring command system, allowing for maximum efficiency while harvesting those sweet, sweet runes. Different items can be assigned to each slot in the item ring, so you can grab anything you need on the fly. It’s not the most mind-blowingly original feature (any attacking runes for massive damage?), but rather more evidence that Rune Factory Frontier won’t disappoint. More screens after the break!

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Filed under: News

Official word from on high has finally hit that EA’s, well … hit game, Rock Band, will be getting the sequel treatment. During an interview with IGN, lead designer Dan Teasdale talked up the new title, confirming DLC and instruments from the first game will be compatible with the second. Considering the game just released on Wii, we’re not surprised that no Wii version of the sequel was announced.

Should Wii owners expect the sequel to release on their platform of choice? Probably, but receiving the game later means that it could possibly be gimped, like its predecessor. But, hey, it’s not all gloom and doom. At least we have Guitar Hero: World Tour to look forward to, right?

Update: According to the AP, the Wii is getting the title. Later on this year, in fact.

[Via Joystiq]

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Filed under: News

It’s been a very very very very very crazy ride for the Wii in regards to DVD playback. It’s still not certain if the general public really cares anyway, on account of owning about six hundred devices that play DVDs already, so it’s no big deal that Nintendo still isn’t doing much about their planned movie-ready console.

IGN picked up a report from a stock-holders meeting, and Satoru Iwata said outright that “With supply constraints [of the Wii] continuing worldwide, the priority is on the current model.” Guess they won’t be rolling out a DVD unit anytime soon. It’s hard enough to get the existing console to customers as it is, let alone turn around and start dilly-dallying around by making up a new model!

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Filed under: Virtual Console, Imports

Nintendo has updated their Japanese Virtual Console site with a list of fifteen games coming out in July. That’s nine more than we got last month. Even if we don’t believe that the MSX games are actually going to come out (Eggy? Released?) that’s a lot of games for Japan to enjoy.

One of the more interesting titles is Fire Emblem: Thracia 776, which was released on the Super Famicom game download service called “Nintendo Power.” Much like the rewritable Famicom Disk System disks, the “Nintendo Power” cartridge was a rewritable flash cartridge that could accept games downloaded from store kiosks. A cartridge version of the game came out later.

A couple of retro-tastic Taito games show up this month: Chack ‘n Pop is a direct precursor to Bubble Bobble (even including the same Monsta creatures), and Kiki KaiKai is the original Pocky & Rocky (also an ancestor of the recent Heavenly Guardian). The full list of releases is after the break.

Famicom

• Dig Dug (Releases 7/1)
• Chack ‘n Pop
• Donkey Kong 3

Super Famicom

• Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

Mega Drive

• Splatterhouse Part 2 (Releases 7/1)
• Shining Force 2

Master System

• Space Harrier

PC Engine

• Seirei Senshi Spriggan (Releases 7/1)
• Kiki KaiKai
• Darius Plus
• Blood Gear

Neo Geo

• Shin Samurai Spirits (Samurai Shodown 2)
  
• Big Tournament Golf

MSX

• Relics
• EGGY

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Filed under: News

For Guitar Hero junkies, we imagine it doesn’t matter who exactly is on the cover of the game. The prospect of getting new songs to slap around a plastic guitar to is enough to get these fans frothing at the mouth. So, know that this week is going to be a good one if you fall into this group of people.

Wii releases this week are:

• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
• Purr Pals

Any of you plan on picking the new title up?

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Filed under: VC Monday Madness

Gamers anxious for more than a pair of titles this week, one from WiiWare and one from the Virtual Console, are going to be disappointed. That’s exactly what’s available this week. So, let’s check out what’s on offer.

This week’s WiiWare download is:

• Magnetica Twist (1-4 players, 1,000 Wii Points)

This week’s Virtual Console download is:

• Fatal Fury 2 (Neo-Geo, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points)

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