Sure I am a bit behind the eight ball this week, but when it comes to Wii downloadables, it is always better late then never. Lets face it, last weeks lineup left a little something to be desired. So lets see if we can recover with a WiiWare game that originally appeared on a cell phone and another Genesis rehash. Here is the full breakdown:
WiiWare
Crystal Defenders R1 – Behold the beauty of episodic gaming! What was once a Japanese based cellphone game has now made its way to North American shores. Except as there always is with Square Enix, there is a catch. Apparently the WiiWare version of this game is a piece, of a port, of a port. Sound complicated? Allow me to break it down for you:
- Crystal Defenders was recently ported from the Japanese cell game, to the iPhone, hence port number one.
- Next, an enhanced version of the iPhone game was ported to the PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Marketplace, making this port number two.
- Finally bringing an end to this circle of confusion, the PSN and XBLA versions were broken up into several episodic releases for the WiiWare.
Therefore the game is a piece, of a port, of a port.
Whew, with that out of the way we can move onto the fact that Crystal Defenders R1 is a game that is supposedly very strong. Seamlessly merging the mythos of the Final Fantasy Universe with the mechanics of a Desktop Tower Defense game, there is much to offer. Some of the exclusive content includes units specifically designed for the new iteration of the series. All of this can be yours for a mere 800 Nintendo Points ($8.00 USD.)
If that strikes your fancy, check out some the gameplay video below:
Virtual Console
Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair – Originally published back in 1988, Monster Lair was another one of SEGA’s failed attempts to reach North American audiences with their much maligned Wonder Boy mascot. Long before a certain blue hedgehog burst onto the scene, Wonder Boy was the last chance SEGA had at establishing a foothold in the US. Monster Lair was another disappointment that was developed for the TurboGrafix 16 and later ported to the Genesis after seeing mild retail success.
Much like the other installments in the franchise, platforming is the name of the game, as developer scrambled to combat the “Mario Phenomenon.” One difference however, was the introduction of a weapons mechanic. This was a divergence from past that paved the way for other groundbreaking platform shooters like the original Duke Nukem. Plus, the addition of multiplayer certainly helps sweeten the pot. You can take another trip down memory lane for a surprisingly steep 900 Nintendo Points ($9.00 USD.)
For a glimpse at what you were missing so many years ago, check out this vintage footage:
This week seems like there is plenty to be excited about. Unfortunately, there is a blatant issue with the Virtual Console release that has really gotten under my skin. Wonder Boy III has already been released on the service back in 2007, in its TurboGrafix 16 form. Why would you want to pay for the ported version of a game, when it has already been available for over a year? Nintendo should take another look at the massive library of games at their disposal and remedy this problem next week.
Will you be the one to fall for Nintendo’s evil shenanigans?
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