PixlBit

BEST...APRIL FOOLS JOKE...EVAH

Nintendo isn't even trying anymore. Just you watch, Other M will be one of the biggest disappointments of the year, and Zelda Wii will be on tracks... ;)

Let's be honest here... Despite what Nick thinks of the game it is still receiving very warm and positive reviews from across the board, earning a 8.8 average at Metacritic, which is an improvement over what the original Red Steel got. So even if Nick confesses that his hatred of the game is so big that he uses it as toilet paper every chance he gets it still won't change the universal perception that Red Steel 2 is one of the best games on Wii. So there's nothing to worry about regardless of what Nick says.

That's true, Jason, and that's what I meant when I posted my comment. I've noticed the pattern in previous years so that's why I assume that this year for the holiday season we might get the "blue ocean" title (Wii Relax with the Vitality Sensor) and the "core" title (which might be Zelda if Nintendo truly commits to its 2010 release).

But Nintendo can be hard to predict sometimes. I am just curious as to what they will announced at E3 since it seems that they are releasing their biggest titles at the start of the year.

See, Mario Kart is based on just the Mario franchise, so it having 24 stages based on Mario levels is understandable, and yet, Sonic and Sega having nine Sonic stages makes sense since Sonic takes top billing here. I'm just surprised that out of all the franchises represented in the game, only Billy Hatcher, Jet Set Radio, Super Monkey Ball, Samba de Amigo and House of the Dead are represented via tracks.

Note that I am fresh from re-playing Sega Superstar Tennis which had one court for each character (Sonic had two, while Gilius and Alex Kidd didn't have characters) and even had courts not represented by a character (like the OutRun stage).

But this is a nitpick, really. Again, just a tad surprised.

The one thing I am loving the most about this game are the cast of characters. You have everything from modern characters to the very obscure, almost forgotten ones. It's too bad that the tracks aren't as varied. Really, why do we need three tracks based on Billy Hatcher? There isn't even a Space Channel 5 track (unless I am mistaken)!

But yes, the game is one of the better Mario Kart clones on the market, one that also happens to be a love letter to Sega fans.

Nick, I suspect Nintendo want these titles out because they are planning on creating a BIG launch for Zelda Wii (if the Fall 2010 release date sticks) and Wii Relax featuring the Vitality Sensor. Then there's stuff like The Last Story and Xenoblade which are pretty big second party stuff that they could release in the mid to late fall season (if NoA decides to release them in the US...)

There's a mistake in the article. You said that the House of the Dead series isn't represented by a character. There is, in fact, a House of the Dead racer, two zombie characters (a giant zombie and his zombie girlfriend). The reason they aren't familiar is because they come from a Japan only House of the Dead game.

Just wanted to point that out.

Regarding the story, Nick, think about this for a second. You are given the green light to create the sequel to No More Heroes. In terms of story you are given two options, write more of the same or try to develop it.

Had Grasshopper and Suda just created more of the same fans would have likely appreciated but critics AND fans would have said that they lacked the creativity to go beyond what was established in the first game.

Desperate Struggle, in my honest opinion, succeeds in making Travis more than just a stereotype character making fun of cliches. Yes, the first game did have moments where Travis is very human (playing with Jeanne, never killed Shinobu), but in Desperate Struggle he grows up and begins to realize that there's more to life than just killing people. The relationship between him and Sylvia may be confusing, but easy to figure out once you analyze it a bit further.

Sylvia is a very conflicting person. Often a bitch, very rarely a caring human being. But Travis's existence in her life creates a conflict of interest, not knowing if she should follow the orders of the UAA, satisfying her own selfish needs to give in into the hands of the man she secretly loves.

Hmmm... I may be onto something here.

My biggest disappointment is that the weapon selection isn't as big or as varied as in the first game. But yeah, this is a great game.