Christmas is over...What reason is there to go on???

Greetings dear friends! For me, this is the most traumatic time of the year, as I have to say goodbye to my favourite Yuletide season. The partying is over, the decorations down and I'm off the booze. Yet, the weather is still crap, the nights are still long and I now have to get up for work everyday (in the dark!) At times like these, I have to look forward to things that sustain my will to live... One of these is the February release of the long awaited NiGHTS: Journey Into Dreams for the Wii... It's the only thing that's gonna get me through January!

J's Saturn Junkyard Post...

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Make a damn sequel: Burning Rangers

The rather fabulous post below, was posted by J over at the excellent "Corner Of Randomness". They're his words not mine, and thus printed in the customary quotation colour.

"I'd always wanted a Saturn. But my Dad went and bought me a PlayStation instead. My Father would pay for his mistake due to being scarred by the image of his son's smile disappearing from his face on Christmas day as he tore away the wrapping paper and saw a PlayStation. So I used to live out my want for a Saturn through one of my close friends. He always used to buy the official Saturn magazine and one of the issues had a blow out on a brand new Sonic team game. That game was Burning Rangers. I remember the cover like it was yesterday. Kick arse anime artwork of the main man Shou and his fingers pointing right at the reader. My friend and I would glance at the pages and bicker about how badly we wanted to play the game. I'd constantly badger on to my friend like "You know you gotta buy this!! Day of release! You need this in your life!" When the game finally released he came round to my house that day with his Saturn in tow and we played the game right through into the evening. He wasn't as good at it as I was and the last boss kept killing him, so I ended up completing it. 1999 and I have a Dreamcast. I think of all the cool Saturn games that will undoutedbly get sequels. I was loving the Dreamcast and games were releasing pretty fast. Sega were porting their arcade games left, right and centre. Releasing all the games except the one I really wanted. Burning Rangers 2.

As cool as the original game was, I felt that there was more that Sonic team could've done with it. The characters and the gameplay were so cool that upon completing the game you really did want more. With a Dreamcast sequel now out of the question I know live in the vain hope that Sonic team will develop a Burning Rangers sequel for the Wii. Ever since pulling out of the console race, Sega have been good to Nintendo. Despite being rivals for so long, they actually make a good team. Sega have definitely found home on the DS and Wii, so the Wii would be the best platform for them to do a Burning Rangers sequel. Not only that, but the controls too. They'd be perfect! Using the Wii remote to extinguish fires and yanking back on the Wii remote to perform the safety dodges. Having your team mates' advice and info come through the Wii remote speaker. It'd rock. An online playable co-op mode wouldn't go amiss neither. Sega could even use the WiiConnect 24 service and provide downloadable content. Late at night your Wii light glows. You pick up your Wii remote, power it up and you see you've got a Wii mail. "Burning Rangers report! We have a new mission. Rendezvous at the Wii shop where you'll find a file briefing you on the situation". You head over to the Wii shop download the file and BAM! You've got a brand new stage to play through.

In the original game you'd come across people who would need rescuing. When you'd complete a stage they'd sometimes send you letters thanking you, which was a really cool feature. How cool would it be if in the Wii sequel your Wii light would glow and you find that you've got a Wii mail from a hostage you rescued!?

As a cool bonus Sega could even implement a feature where by you can connect your DS to your Wii wirelessly and download the original Sega Saturn classic for play on the DS, with new dual screen functionality! Hidden unlockables for the Wii version of the game could be tucked away in the DS version. When players have unlocked these features, they can transfer them over to the Wii and use them. Things such as additional costumes, new weapons, an concept art gallery, sound test mode etc. All of which can only be unlocked by playing the DS version of the game.

There is so much Sonic team could do with Burning Rangers for the Wii and the DS. I hate it when developers release a brilliant game that you know could flourish and do such big things on a current gen system, but it's just forgotten about. I doubt this post will reach a wide audience or that Sega will see it. But for 8 years I've lived in the hope Sonic team would develop a sequel and I'm still hopeful - so what have I got to lose!? I may as well make my plea. Please, please, PLEEEAAASE Sonic team - make a Burning Rangers sequel for Wii!!! I've even got a title for it! The Burning Rangers."

My e-mail address is in the top right corner of this blog Sega, so you know how and where to hit me up! :D

The Wii-gle Has Landed!

Yes Folks Its Here!

The day of my 40th birthday has arrived and it is my first day for playing the Wii!

So far I've got Wii Sports and Monster 4X4 World Circuit. I haven't played either game yet, but I think I'm going to have a good evening of game play with a few beers, a take away and the Wii-mote and Nunchuck!

The games I really want for it are NiGHTS (of course), Umbrella Chronicles and Red Steel (despite it's mixed reviews, it looked great in the Wii promos and I've been itching to have a go ever since...)

Obviously games like Wario Ware (Smooth Moves) and Zelda have got to be given a try, but one of the main things I'm looking forward to is being able to try out some Gamecube games! Soul Calibur II featuring Link? Yes please! A better looking RE4? Yes please! Chibi Robo? Yes please! Donkey Konga? Yes please! In fact I've been itching to have a go of those damn bongos ever since I first saw 'em!

So now I can waste money on two more console's software! Oh happy day!

Nintendo Saturn?

Well, I don't know... First of all the Saturn remains all forlorn and forgotten, dissed and dismissed, seen as an 'also ran' and said to be a Sega failure. Then NiGHTS gets it's second incarnation on the Wii and all of a sudden, everybody and their Aunt is raving about it!

Two current Nintendo magazines are running enthusiastic articles (one a full SIX page spread) about Saturn games. First of all, N Gamer Magazine are extolling the virtues of the anticipated Wii Nights. They're running it as a front cover story. Within the article, they make the following point...


"Nights for Wii will change the console forever because... (reason three) Its a Sega game. NiGHTS: Journey Of Dreams was originally intended for A.N. Other console (presumably XBOX360) until the wonders of the Wii tempted (NiGHTS creator) Takashi Iizuka Nintendo-wards.







This and Mario & Sonic At The Olympics, are signs that the Nintendo-Sega relationship is tighter than ever: suggesting that the Wii may find itself the new home for other great franchises such as OutRun, Panzer Dragon, Samba De Amigo, After Burner and - dare we say it Shenmue?"

Interesting prospect, huh? What's even better is that the original versions of successful Saturn/Wii crossover franchises will perhaps become sought after items... Consoles themselves will perhaps become more sought after... A Saturn renaissance is upon us!

Official Nintendo Magazine also runs a two page retrospective on NiGHTs which tells me something I was quite unaware of, despite owning two copies of the game.
In the article "A Day In The Life: Like having a baby without the mess..." they reveal the following:




"Believe it or not, one of the most interesting parts of NiGHTS has nothing to do with the main game. Labelled 'A Life' by the game's developer, it allows you to wander around the landscape of any level, and discover striped eggs that, if touched by either Elliot or Claris, will hatch into winged creatures known as 'Nightopians' or (Pians), who then go about their business.

Of course this doesn't in itself sound very exciting until you realise how much of an influence this can have on your growing Pian population.

For instance, keeping them happy by hitting high scores on the levels and removing any enemies not only results in some serious breeding ( so more Piams to look after), but also makes them sing, wave and even make the levels music sound more joyful. Conversely, making them sad, by killing them (either yourself or by letting nearby Nightmaren run riot) produces a more sombre tone.

However, the most creative part of 'A Life' lies in creating your own special breed of creatures known as 'Mepians' - the result of an unholy alliance between Marens and Pians. Stun a Maren, hurl it into a Pian and then hatch the resulting egg. As Mepians take on a selection of elements from both parents, and with Mepians able to breed with one another, the combinations are endless (and useful if you want to create a Royal Mepian, which, despite being nigh on impossible, is the ultimate accolade).

After NiGHTS, Sonic Team went on to develop the 'A-Life' concept through the Chao Garden sections of the first two Sonic Adventure games. Just remember where the concept came from eh?"

Interesting suff, huh? They also run a great piece about the Saturn analogue pad (featured in Calebs first article), but I'll leave plagiarising that for another post...


Finally, again in N Gamer magazine, the Saturn get's it's props from an article in 'Virtual Console News'...


"Elsewhere Sega legend Makoto Osaki- he of the Shenmue and OutRun2- hasn't ruled bringing more of the Virtua Fighter series to Virtual Console, after Virtua Fighter 2 was ladled onto VC this month. "The major point is that there needs to be loads of demand from the players"he says. "If there's a place of business in it, there would be no reason to hesitate to develop remakes, but I believe this matter should be determined after more elaborate research." He's up for bringing back the bulbous-headed Virtua Fighter Kids too, "if the market demands it". Bring on the big heads!"

Thus the second incarnation of NiGHTs for the Wii has generated a total og eight and a half pages of Saturn related articles in current gaming magazines, a situation that would have been unthinkable a couple of monthe ago... Could the Saturn be following in the foot steps of the great Undead Console?

NiGHTS + Wii + Jacko + J = Thriller!!

If there is one blog that really encompasses the ultimate in blogging sites for me, despite stiff competition from Gnome, Elderly and Tomleecee, its J's Corner of Randomness.

That young'un just seems to have the right mixture of games, music, comedy and random stuff!


This particular piece just I just loved! Look at it here. God, anyone would think he was in some way preparing to deliver some sort of Segata Sanshiro Drum + Bass Remix or something for Father Krishna's almost top secret 40th Birthday Celebrations on May 16th- (SHHH! Don't tell anyone, I don't want a fuss...)

Athlete Kings Review

Now despite my love for the Saturn, I’ll freely admit that a lot of the games that bulk out my collection are not great. Virtual Hydlide and Blam! Machine Head are two new additions to the Saturn Junkyard Virtual Museum, that fall very distinctly into the “not great” category, (although to be fair Blam! Machine Head has a great opening sequence with some brilliant ‘ham’ acting.)

However, there are some Saturn games which stand up to comparison with some of their current peers. Sega Rally, (soon to appear in its third incarnation on PS3) is one of the finest driving games created. Daytona USA is not far behind. NiGHTs is such a good game that the announcement of its imminent rebirth on the Wii set the internet alight.

Side scrolling 2D Beat ‘em ups like the Street Fighter Alpha series or X Men – Children Of The Atom seem as fresh today as the day they were created.

House Of The Dead, Virtua Fighter and Dead Or Alive are all franchises that are still going strong, and Saturn games which are still great fun to play, despite their aging pixellated appearance.

Some of the most fun I’ve had in competitive play recently, came from playing Sega World Wide Soccer ’97 against my best friend (and beating him hands down to add to the fun…)

In short, these games stand the test of time, and are illustrations of the buzz one can get from Retro gaming.

But yesterday, I discovered a new giant in the world of the Saturn. Athlete Kings! This arcade port is a particularly relevant title at the moment as it is somewhat Wii like in its appeal. Whilst the remote is not swung about in motion sensor fashion, there is a degree of physicality to the game, that goes beyond the normal exertion employed in button mashing.

You see to power your athlete through his various decathlon disciplines, requires thumbs of fury. Huge, muscular thumbs. Steroid pumped, hulkish thumbs that can
hit the ‘A’ button at lightning speeds.

The game has four playing modes; Arcade, Decathlon, Practise and Two Player (or versus) Mode.

The events your athlete will have to compete in are as follows: Hundred metre dash, (hit the A button repeatedly as fast as you can to beat the qualifying time). You can also hit the “action button” (B) at the finish line, to throw that all important pose for your photo finish…

The long jump requires the same physical rigour as the 100 metre dash. This time however, hold the action button to jump. The longer you hold the button affects the angle of your jump, and therefore the distance. Step over the line before the sandpit and you’ve fouled so your timing is crucial!

The shot put, discus, javelin, pole vault and the high jump require basically the same controls, but with the shot put and the javelin, there is a pulse on the force meter that you have to catch at its highest level for maximum distance.

The 110m hurdles are hilarious, as the timing of pressing the action button is crucial and any mistake sees you colliding into them , time after time! The 400m and 1500m requires the player to run, but at the same time check progress against a stamina bar.

There is a brilliant element of pick up and play to the game, and non-gamers can enjoy it without any previous gaming experience. In this respect, it encompasses the spirit of the Wii and Nintendo’s desire to create ‘family oriented’ or party games. But this is Sega people, 100% Sega!

The graphics are luscious in Saturn terms, with smooth frame rates and animated cut scenes. I’d go as far to say they look almost Dreamcast like in their splendour. (The game was later reincarnated as a slightly more serious Dreamcast sports sim, Virtua Athlete 2K ) Presumably as the game play was so simple, it allowed the developers to go all out as far as the Saturn’s graphical abilities were able to go. Slightly comic in appearance, your athletes will flex if they win and throw a bitch fit if they lose…

Athletes include USA’s Rick Blade, Germany’s Karl Vain, Great Britain’s hugely Afro-ed Jef Jansens, Russia’s pervy looking Aleksei Rigel, Jamaica’s Femi Kadiena, Japan’s Joe Kudou, France’s Ellen Regiani and Li Huang … All suitably stereotypical game types!

All in all a genuine Saturn legend and a great game for a party! Athlete King, Father Krishna salutes you! Overall score 9/10! Superb!

Father Krishna's Wii On The Way...

With only 22 days till "Wii Day", Father Krishna's almost top secret 40th birthday (May 16th 2007 - No, please, I don't want a fuss...) it was with some surprise and a great deal of disappointment, that I discovered Wii's were still widely unavailable in the UK! Look here...

The whole Krishna clan, myself, Mrs. K and the Three Gingers all trooped down to Gamestation, with our pre-order deposit money and eyes full of hope and excitement (all except Mrs. K who was scowling at the thought of another console coming into the house...).

Yet the staff were grimly pessimistic about the chance of getting one in for "Wii day". They explained the frankly bizarre situation that they never knew when Nintendo were going to send them new stock.

On returning home with crushed souls, and then checking out the internet, it seemed like most high street retailers were in the same boat, and there were no Wii packages available for purchase under £300!

So a rapid excursion onto ebay saw me scoring the following package for slightly over the odds, but not rediculously. I'm not the most patient man in the world, some might say an impulsive, nay, compulsive purchaser.



"Wii ConsoleWii Console StandWii Remote & Wrist StrapNunchuckSensor BarWii Power Supply LeadsWii av CableAlso Included is Wii Sports - 5 sport GameBaseball, Bowling, Boxing, Golf & Tennis"



But the Wii should be in my house by Thursday, with a further 20 days till I can play the hallowed console...

But did this mean I've abandoned the lovely Saturn?

Hell no! With two new purchases this very evening, my love for the Saturn burns strong.

First of all there's BLAM! Machinehead - "an insane combination of shoot 'em up, action, strategic objectives and B-Movie melodrama" (?)

Next there's the more straight forward Athlete Kings a nice sports sim from Sega Sports.

So the countdown continues and the excitement rises! And remember folks:

May 16th 2007 - "Wii Day." (Father Krishna's almost top secret 40th birthday - No, please, I don't want a fuss....)