Here's a little tip for the Siliconera faithful. Don't ever, ever get your hopes up. Especially when it comes to Nintendo. For weeks now myself and several Earthbound fans have been hoping against hope that Nintendo would give us the game on Christmas Eve. Likewise with Super Mario RPG fans. After all, what better time to release either of the two most highly requested VC games than Christmas, especially after the great Christmas VC update we got last year? But alas, it was not to be. Instead we get hockey pucks, secret agents, and giant gorilla toddlers. Curious? Read on to find out just what Nintendo decided to punish, I mean favor us with this Christmas Eve.
First up is Blades of Steel, Konami's NES hockey game that actually has a bit of a cult following. Mostly due to it's fun, fast paced action and fighting sequences. Honestly I'm not a huge fan of sports games, especially 8-bit sports games, but I know a lot of gamers will be excited for this one, if only for the nostalgia factor. Next is Rolling Thunder 2, a Genesis port of Namco's arcade action game. Featuring the same "taken straight from Shinobi" control scheme as it's predecessor, Rolling Thunder 2 now gives you a choice between two characters, instead of just Albatross like in the original. The Genesis port also has three stages more than the arcade version. I liked the original Rolling Thunder, so I'll probably pick this one up at some point. And finally we have Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble. Regarded as the weakest entry in the DKC franchise by many, DKC3 features neither protagonist from the original (now they've BOTH been kidnapped), and instead casts you as Dixie Kong from DKC2 and newcomer Kiddy Kong, a giant infant ape. Also, Kiddy is perhaps the least likable character in the entire franchise. The game's difficulty also took a nosedive from the second installment, being far easier than either of the previous games in the series.
Honestly, this isn't a terrible lineup. It's just not what many were expecting as a Christmas Eve update, especially after last Christmas. Still, I can't help but feel like I'm going to be bitter towards Nintendo for the rest of the week at the very least. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to curl up in the corner and weep softly to myself while listening to the Earthbound soundtrack.
Bah, humbug.
