“Ask 411 Games 05.24.10: Mistaken Release Dates, The Contra Code, and WHAT TIME ... - 411mania.com” |
| Ask 411 Games 05.24.10: Mistaken Release Dates, The Contra Code, and WHAT TIME ... - 411mania.com Posted: 23 May 2010 07:45 PM PDT Ask 411 Games 05.24.10: Mistaken Release Dates, The Contra Code, and WHAT TIME IS IT?!? | Posted by Mathew Sforcina on 05.24.2010 Why did the Final Fantasy series leave the NES brand for Playstation? Is there a more famous code than the Contra Code? How did people discover the secrets of Zelda? Is Sega planning a "Saturn Collection" similar to the genesis collection? Get the answers to these questions and more in the latest edition of Ask 411 Games! Hello one and all, and welcome to a column that is looking forward to seeing the reaction to whom the column's writer is suggesting to become the new Mario villain in this week's Four Player Co-Op, Ask 411 Games! I'm Mathew Sforcina, and I still don't care if anyone classifies video games as art yet. I'm too busy watching obscure WWF DVDs from 2001. SUPER BANNER THAT THIS WEEK TOTALLY FITS THE THEME!
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http://www.twitter.com/411mania Remember, questions can go in the comment section, or, better yet, to ask411games@gmail.com. We begin this week south of the border (In Antarctica?) with El Guesto, who takes me to task over my ordering of WCW Video Games. Isn't WCW vs. NWO World Tour the first American WCW Macho Man appearance in a game?? I believe that came out way before Nitro. I think even WCW/nWo Revenge came out before Nitro. OK, so I had, in order, Nitro, then World Tour, then Thunder, then Revenge. Have I botched this up? WCW Nitro: Although the N64 and PC ports came out in 1999, the first edition of WCW Nitro was on the Playstation. Now, here we run into problems, as the source I used listed a March 97 release date, but now looking at others, January 1st, 1998 seems to be the correct releast date. WCW/nWo World Tour: … OK, yep, you got me. November 28, 1997, so it did indeed mark the first appearance on WCW Macho Man. WCW/nWo Thunder: This one was also out on Playstation, getting released on January 12, 1999. WCW/nWo Revenge: The pinnacle of WCW games came out for the N64, October 26, 1998. So, the correct order is World Tour, Nitro, Revenge, Thunder. So while I will point to an incorrect source for the Nitro mess up, Thunder is totally unforgivable. I am very sorry I mis-ordered Randy Savage's digital forms. Armando is up next. I know the chances of this are pretty slim, but what are the chances that Sega brings the three Shining Force 3 Episodes to America? For those coming in late, Shining Force III was a Sega Saturn game that was an early attempt at multi-viewpoint storytelling, in that there were three overlapping storylines/Scenarios, "God Warrior of the Kingdom", "Target: Child of God", and "Bulzome Rising". Thing is, each one was sold as a separate disc/game, so in order to complete the game total, you had to buy all 3 discs. You could then apply for a bonus disc from the manufacturer. Problem is, 2 and 3 only ever made it out in Japan. In the US and Europe, we only ever got 1/3 of the total game, Scenario 1, God Warrior. Thus, our 'game' left major plot points untied up and generally was something of a let down, although the game itself was still pretty damm good. So, what are the odds that we'll get them? All 3 do still exist, and the premium disc was made in dribs and drabs so it appears that the code all still exists… That said, it's not looking good. The main reason why follows on with his next question… Is it possible that Sega is planning on making a "Saturn Collection" just like they did with the Genesis collection? It seems so obvious. Sure, the Saturn bombed as a console. But there's a bunch of games out there that were great, and that people would play today. NiGHTS, Saturn Bomberman, Burning Rangers, Dragon Force, Panzer Dragoon 1, 2, and Saga, Daytona USA, Virtua Cop, House of the Dead, Virtual On…. So why not? Emulation has been a problem in the past, although Sega did buy out an emulator at some point and 'true' emulators do supposedly exist (but still have major problems at times), but the problem seems to be size. Your average Genesis game, at worst, might be a few megs. You could fit maybe 5-6 Saturn games on one disc? If you could compress them? So a Saturn Collection disc is pretty unlikely on anything not made by Sony. So we're stuck with a single thought. PSN, XBLA. Both are now officially capable to handle Sega Saturn disc sizes, and thus could, conceivably, offer Sega Saturn games. So, assuming the code still exists (which isn't a certainty, there was a highly publicised Hard Disc Crash that lost lots of source code for Sega Saturn games…), you're stuck asking one simple question. Can Sega, a company that is well known for doing the wrong thing and generally acting against the wishes of those people willing to give them money, wake up and release these games for purchase on the two official emulation networks? After playing Valkyria Chronicles I know that engine would be great for a new Shining Force title, I just don't know why they don't make it! Because they are too busying making games supposedly in the series that have little to do with the classics that people loved! Like Shining Force Feather for the DS!
OK, that's not that fair. But still, it comes down to Sega being, well, Sega. The market is there, the platform is there, but they just can't seem to get up and do it. Guest#5475 asks a question about a game series failing. Why did sf ex series fail? Well, how do you define failure? I mean, the game got 3 stand alone games, with a couple of ports/enhanced versions on the home portals. That's hardly the mark of a game that sank without a trace. But as to why the EX series didn't say achieve the heights it's erstwhile brothers and sisters in the 2D world got to, the controls were a little sluggish, and the 3D aspect wasn't really used much. But the major reason the game series didn't do well? Graphics, graphics, graphics.
Sure, it was the mid-to-late Nineties, but that sort of look is just unacceptable. At the time it was OK, but even then it was still seen as an ugly game. But again, as far as Capcom were concerned, they didn't fail. They did all right, and they gave people a chance to play as the old favourites while they reset the roster with III. Isuck@videogames is back with a couple questions. Why did the Final Fantasy series leave the NES brand for Playstaion? Well, it's not quite as simple as Cartridge size, and it's certainly not a case where Sony and Nintendo shared the rights, thank you. To understand the switch, you have to go back to the very start of the Nintendo/Squaresoft relationship. (Note: The following is being told from Squaresoft's point of view. Nintendo (and any fanboys it might have reading this) might well disagree, but since Squaresoft left Nintendo, their viewpoint is the important one.) Squaresoft in 1987 was a small, obscure Japanese video game company that produced respectable sales, but had no major blockbuster hit. It's main game designer, Hironobu Sakaguchi, decided to to attempt to make a game similar to Enix's popular Dragon Quest, albeit improved and better and be genre defining and all those things most game developers think when they sit down to make a new game. Eventually, the entire company was working on this one game, this was make or break for the company. That game was called Final Fantasy (since it was to be his last game as a game designer), and it released in 1987 for the NES in Japan. It sold well. Damm well. 2 sequels soon followed in Japan, to even more sales and delight and dancing in the street and you get my point. So, with this successful series of games in Japan, what's the next step? Ship it to the States! And that's where things began to go wrong. Because Nintendo of America felt that US gamers were, sigh, more action orientated, and weren't sophisticated enough to play complicated RPGs, instead preferring nice simple fighters and platformer games. But, this was a big game, to eventually, they localized Final Fantasy I to America, after III was released in Japan. This was a straight up, legit localised port. And it actually sold BETTER in America than Japan. So, naturally, Nintendo would be quick to follow up and release II and III, right? Of course not. They didn't bring over II because it was 'too similar' to I, and decided not to do III at all. By this time it was 1991, and on the Super Famicom, Final Fantasy IV was released. Japan raved at the vastly improved graphics and sound. And Nintendo seemed to be waking up, as it was a mere 3 months later that it got released on the US SNES. Now, the numbering was confusing yes (they called it Final Fantasy II…), but they also mangled the game. Both on a censorship level (with Nintendo, fearful of upsetting the kind of moral guardian groups who have never played a game, cutting out references to sex, death and a stripper character) and a gameplay level (because clearly US gamers are morons, they removed a variety of items, areas, skills, all to make the game 'easier'). Despite all this, it did sell well. Not as well as IV in Japan, but respectable. At this point, Squaresoft made a mistake. They bought into the "US Gamers Are Morons" viewpoint, and thus released Final Fantasy Mystic Quest in October 1992. The idea, supposedly, was that this insulting simplistic RPG would appeal to the US market, who would then upgrade to the 'true' Final Fantasy games, this one was specifically geared to Johnny Six-Pack of Des Moines, Iowa. This ignores the fact that the last couple of games had sold well enough, of course. But the plan backfired, as those who hadn't played any other Final Fantasy game still didn't play this one since they didn't care, and those who did play them hated it because it was so simplistic. And the true hardcore fan base were even more insulted when it got released in Japan as Final Fantasy USA, thus further kicking them while they were down. Then came Final Fantasy V in Japan, which was announced as coming out in the USA (as Final Fantasy III, oy…) but it never eventuated. Some claim Squaresoft still felt it was too advanced, others say Squaresoft and Nintendo argued over cartridge size. Regardless, it never came out until Final Fantasy compilations began to pop up. V also marks the point when Sakaguchi stepped down and Yoshinori Kitase took over. Kitase is key as he took the game in a more serious, dramatic path. But Final Fantasy III (US Numbering) did make it, but it was the Final Fantasy VI of Japan. Near the end of the SNES' lifespan, the game wringed every last drop it could out of the console. But Kitase and Squaresoft wanted to move onto bigger consoles, better consoles. And at this point, things get ugly. The relationship between the two companies was already rocky, as Squaresoft felt that Nintendo was holding them back (refusing to let them use new larger memory cartridges to release a game without problems because Nintendo was keeping it for Dragon Quest V), messing up on their behalf (screwing up the CD add-on, forcing them to turn a CD game into a cartridge one and thus mess said game up), taking them to court (for trying to slow down their release dates) or, at worst, stealing their thunder (Nintendo being the official releasers of Super Mario RPG, when they did all the work), Squaresoft was fed up with Nintendo. Years of frustration, both within Final Fantasy and without, left Squaresoft teetering with the idea of leaving. And then it was announced that the next Nintendo platform was going to be the N64, cartridge based. At that point, Squaresoft's patience broke, and they left Nintendo, and went to Sony. Enix followed suit, and left a gaping hole in Nintendo's library. (Although the question as to why they didn't go to Sega and the Saturn is still one that is mostly unanswered to this day) So, the tl:dr version: After years of not working well together, they left due to Nintendo not giving them a platform they felt they needed.
How did people ever find all the secrets in a game like Zelda? Do you burn every damn bush? Some people did. Some people would indeed walk around and burn every damm bush, try every possible combination of things. But most people would get their tips and clues and finding all the secrets you'd get from these things called 'magazines'. Printed on some sort of pressed wood fibre, and covered in strange pigment symbols. A famous example is Nintendo Power.
But for the most part, it was either via magazines or by word of mouth. Why does it seem that no one recognizes Mario Bro's as the first Mario game? Instead its always Super Mario Bro's? Thanks again As pointed out, officially the first Mario game is technically Donkey Kong. But as to why most people focus on SMB instead of MB, it's the same reason why most people don't consider Wrecking Crew, it's not a platformer. Most people focus on the Mario Platformers as being the 'true' Mario games, and thus Mario Bros is seen as more a prequel, or a Game 0 in the series. Technically it does belong there, but given that it's not like the rest, it gets ignored. Guest has a simple question. Is there any other code more famous then Original Nintendos Contra.The Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A B A Select Start? I remember being 6 and able to pull it off. Whoa whoa whoa. It's not the Nintendo Contra code, it's the Konami Code. It might be most well known by the NES US Contra game, but the first game to use it was Gradius, when the game was so hard that the developer felt a code to give you all the powerups was needed, the guy who created the game couldn't finish it without help. But as to there being a more famous code, given that there is no other code I know off heart, I can say without fear of correction, that there is no other code more famous than the Konami code. 3DDGH asks an odd question. When is there going to be a 411games review for 3D Dot Game Heroes? Is the fact that it is an exclusive PS3 game keeping people from revieiwing it? No, the platform of the game is not a barrier. We here at 411Games are fully covered in terms of all the current gaming platforms, and several non-current ones as well. There are plenty of review staff with PS3's, I'm sure. (Admittedly it doesn't look it, but they do exist.) But in terms of 411, there are two ways a game can get reviewed. One, the company making/producing/marketing/wanting the game to sell will send us a copy to review. Or two, someone on staff buys a copy of a game that has not been reviewed and reviews it. So, if any game is yet to be reviewed, then the makers have not giving us a copy and no-one on staff has bought it and wishes to review it. Not a bias, just a fact that the company involved has not bothered to send us something. Everything we get, we review. And finally this week (Morne's were so good, they get front and center next week) is Guest#7311. What is or was the purpose of Xbox achievements? E-Penis. The larger your score, and the more achievements you have, thus the larger and bigger your E-Penis. Having a large E-Penis elevates you in the herd, and puts you in line for choice breeding with females of the pack.
Sarcasm aside, the point of Achievements and the associated points depends on the game and the gamer. At best, they unlock things in game, give you ideas and clues on new areas, skills or ways to play, and add to the experience of the game by helping you get the most out of it. Plus it can give you a sense of extra satisfaction after you take down a very annoying boss/level, hearing that little 'ba-dink' noise can be cool. At worst, it's just an excuse to brag that your number is bigger than someone else's number, since clearly someone with an achievement score of 152,846 is a much better video game player than some loser with only 151,437 gamer score. So, really, it's a matter of what you get out of it depends on what you put into it. Like a sewer. Remember, questions can go in the comment section, or, better yet, to ask411games@gmail.com. Now excuse me, I must leave to manipulate minions to do my bidding…
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