Even though today was a holiday, Nintendo still managed to put out its standard amount of downloadables, including a Virtual Console title that’s nigh impossible to get a copy of elsewhere of these days…
Wild Guns
Developer: Natsume
Publisher: Natsume
Original System: Super NES
Original Release Date: July 1995
Price: 800 Points/$8
Chris Bowen: Wild Guns? Wow, here’s a pleasant surprise.
The best way to describe Wild Guns is that it’s essentially a wild western version of Cabal, with better control and graphics. That’s a good thing; Cabal was a very fun game, and Wild Guns takes the mechanics of that game and hones them to near perfection. It’s definitely an arcadey game, though; there are cheap kills to be had, and the continue option only takes you to the beginning of that stage you’re on. But this is a great way to spend $8, and maybe now, the game will get the respect it deserves.
___
Mark B.: Now, see, this is what I’m talking about. Wild Guns is an SNES shooter where you pick one of two characters (Clint and Annie) and shoot the hell out of every one and thing you see. The game is very much a shooting gallery sort of thing, only your character appears on-screen and can move and dodge enemy bullets to avoid dying, adding a level of depth to the experience that isn’t just another on-rails shooter. Basically. the game plays like the maze navigation sections of Contra except that you can aim a target at the enemies instead of having to be in front of them to shoot them. You can collect various power-ups, wipe out enemies with a smart bomb, fight massive powerful bosses and so on, and the game is out-and-out fantastic.
I really don’t even have anything bad to say about the game, to be honest. You can’t get it anywhere else, eight dollars is a fine price for it, and it’s a lot of fun, plus it offers two player co-op and versus (in target shooting) play if you want to play with friends. Unless you’re not a fan of shooting games at all, Wild Guns is easily worth the cost to download and it’s a great time even sixteen years after the fact.
For the WiiWare, we have three games, two of which costs 1000 Wii Points/$10 and were also released on the Xbox Live Arcade last week. The first, Ben 10 Alien Force: The Rise of Hex, is a platformer (with some puzzles here and there) based on the titular cartoon series. The second, Voodoo Dice, involves rolling dice around a stage to reach the end. I can’t imagine either would differ from their Xbox 360 brethren, so if you happen to own a 360 and got these on there, you’re set. Finally, Robocalypse: Beaver Defense goes for 600 Wii Points/$6 and is a tower defense game that features robots and, according to the trailer, the writer of Spongebob Squarepants.
As far as the DSiWare goes, another four game make a debut. X-Scape is priced at 800 DSi Points/$8 and entails controlling a tank as you travel to different planets, with graphics that may remind some of the Virtual Boy’s, only with more color. Hero of Sparta also costs 800 DSi Points/$8 and appears to bear some resemblance to God of War in theme, except you play a king. A Topsy Turvy Life: The Turvy’s Strike Back runs 200 DSi Points/$2 and is a vertical shooter that has you holding the DSi upside down and uses the stylus controls. Two people can also play on one system, which seems like it would get rather cramped. Lastly, Telegraph Sudoku & Kakuro costs 200 DSi Points/$2 as well and, as the name suggests, contains variations on Sudoku and Kankuro, the likes of which you’ve probably seen in sundry newspapers.
That’s all for this week. Hope you enjoyed your holiday, and see you all next week.
Leave a Reply