Virtual Console Roundup Related content
- Article The Price Gamble [63 comments]
- News Creatures series added to GOG [17 comments]
- News FFCC: Crystal Bearers here in February [6 comments]
- Online News Dedicated servers for Aliens vs Predator [28 comments]
PreviousVirtual Console Roundup Review
Wii Review by Dan Whitehead
Page 1 of 2.
Page 2 
There's no real common thread or unifying theme behind this week's VC additions - not even a made-up one - so I'll have to ditch my usual nonsense about badgers, cakes or whatever else I use to pad these intros out and just get on with the games.
Is that cheering I can hear?
Sonic 3D: Flickies Island
- Platform: Megadrive
- Wii Points: 800
- In Real Money: GBP 6 / EUR 8 (approx)
It was a pretty reliable rule of thumb in the '90s that a long-running series suddenly sprouting a "3D" suffix was your cue to make like Bruce Dickinson and run to the hills. Mario aside, few platform heroes made that leap with anything resembling success while those who bore witness to Bubsy 3D are still fighting to have their melted corneas recognised as a legitimate medical condition.
Sonic's first excursion into additional dimensions, released in 1996, is nowhere near as bad as some of its grotesque peers, but it still stands out as a curious and only partially successful speed bump in his career.
Although programmed by UK dev folk at Traveller's Tales much of the design and level layouts were already supplied by SEGA, so it's they who must take the blame for the generally pedestrian feel of the thing. An isometric platformer, coming at the very arse end of the Megadrive's life, it failed to impress those bowled over by the "real" 3D of the PlayStation, Saturn and N64 and though time has evened the playing field where graphics are concerned, the gameplay is still problematic.
The main gripe is that the switch in perspective essentially kills Sonic's main selling point - his speed - stone dead. The spiky blue mascot trots around the level, only picking up speed when you use gyros to send him hurtling up ramps or loops to reach new areas. It's not as if the pseudo-3D effect is used to enhance the gameplay in any way - you still just collect rings and free cute animals - so the result is a Sonic game that just doesn't work as a Sonic game.
Taken on its own merits as an isometric collect-'em-up it's not that bad. Those with younger kids may like to give it a try, since the game is fairly easy, but if you were to draw up a list of Sonic games that need to be on the Virtual Console, this wouldn't be on it. And if it is, you're weird.
6/10
Are you excited about Art of Fighting on Neo-Geo?
View Eurogamer readers most anticipated games
Related Games
Art of Fighting
Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!
Comments: 1-18 of 18 in total
|
Kazzahdrane
03/11/07 @ 09:20
0
Nope, no demos but Nintendo is happy with just using emulation and throwing multiple titles out each week. It would be much harder to make a demo when all they are is ROMs of the original games.
Bit rubbish imo, the games should be a fair bit cheaper considering they're not even up to the level of XBLA ports. |
|
paul_haine
03/11/07 @ 09:37
0
"how does a casual non-gamer know which games are good and which are crap?"
By reading reviews? |
|
0
"no demos but Nintendo is happy with just using emulation and throwing multiple titles out each week. It would be much harder to make a demo when all they are is ROMs of the original games. "
I am i alone in thinking that doesn't make any sense? edit. oh wait no i get it.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 03/11/07 @ 11:46
|
|
scouserfuller9
03/11/07 @ 15:55
0
You here from some people they aren't buying virtual console games for their Wii because there aren't demo's. Does this mean they aren't buying actual Wii games either and just sticking with Wii Sport which come free with the console as we don't get demo's of them either?
|
|
0
LOL
Besides, VC games are much more than just releasing a roms. In most cases they've altered the code to get them working properly on the wii. No doubt they'll have to pay people to test the games to make sure they play properly on the wii without bugs, gotta pay to get it thru bbfc, etc etc. That said.. they are damned expensive still imho. But I best not say that too loud or the fanboys will come to the VC review page every week going "har har vc games are too expensive" or something. |
|
0
AOF 8/10? :|
I'm an SNK fan and even I wouldn't give the original that much credit. It's a solid enough game but the sequels are better IMO. Hope they get at least 9/10 if this got 8. Oh, and the sprites are impressively large and colourful, although I wouldn't call the animation anything at all like 'superb'. Choppy and disappointing more like. Check out AOF 3 for the very definition of superb animation by any standards. |
|
0
MOTW is a fantastic game yeah, but I also have a soft spot for Last Blade (1 or 2), King of Fighters 98 and Waku Waku 7 (not SNK but still Neo Geo). Real Bout Fatal Fury and Samurai Showdown 2/4 are also good.
That said I haven't played any in ages since my MVS is broken :'( And I don't think SNK will release them on VC any time soon since they seem to be working their way up through each series and leaving the premium titles for compilations. Actually...did they release Real Bout already? |
Comments: 1-18 of 18 in total
Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!
