PixlBit

I was going to offer up an autographed Nintendo 64 cartridge as a prize, but it was rejected because no one would want it.

Black blob = near an enemy

Red blob = can't get to the thrown bean, or back to you

If this game were longer, I'd have likely given it at least another half star. The mechanics, though simple, are solid, but I just never felt like the stage designs let them reach their potential. If it had a few more stages that introduced trickier elements, it really could have been a good game.

It'll be interesting to see how Chameleon Twist 2 ends up. Judging from the label, the character looks more like a chameleon, though is still bipedal. If this is an indication of what the game is like, it could mean that it goes in a different direction as opposed to improving on what was in the first game. I aim to find out real soon.

It's nice to see some good insight on Wii third-party support with all the ignorance out there about it.

Someone mentioned how third-parties made the types of games for the Wii that the audience bought, which I believe is something that several third-parties have stated themselves. The question I have to that is: why have no third-parties produced games like Zelda: Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy, New Super Mario Brothers, etc.? These are some of the best-selling games on the Wii. Oh right, because that would mean they'd actually have to put effort into their games. Also, companies claim that casual gamers don't buy very many games, yet they keep piling Wii Sports clones onto store shelves. If the Wii audience is satisfied with Wii Sports, why would they buy your likely inferior version of it? Same question goes to Mario Kart clones.

The easy answer here is that third-parties ruined their own reputations on the Wii. Sure, Nintendo is partially responsible for lack of support by making a comparatively underpowered system, but Nintendo didn't force third-parties into releasing landslides of junk that sells like garbage and does nothing but tarnish the company's branding.

I can't believe you not only called the game Master Blaster, but no one corrected it to Blaster Master. :P

Anyways, there's a lot of good insight here and I agree with most of it. One more thing I would have added is that most NES developers were coming off the arcade era, and they still had that mindset of treating the player like an enemy who needs to be destroyed so they will slide more quarters into the machine.

However, I would argue that Metal Gear, Castlevania III, and Star Wars are poorly designed. Instant kill traps that you can't see coming are not good game design any way you slice it.

The simple answer here is to just offer difficulty settings in every game for the player to choose. Though with the way games are designed these days, that isn't always so simple as altering the health and damage of enemies, so it can sometimes be a complex feature to add.

Nick, I'd have to disagree with you there. The only memories I have of challenge are all bad ones. The good memories I have in gaming involve playing multiplayer with friends or family, a game's soundtrack, endearing characters or stories, or clever and creative ideas; all things completely unrelated to difficulty. As far as I'm concerned, the NES can stay gone.

After further checks, Monster Hunter Tri actually does use analogue movement for the Y axis of the camera when swimming. However, it doesn't seem to matter how much the stick is pressed, and the camera will move at the same speed even if the stick is tilted slightly up/down. This is probably why the water sections were removed entirely from the PSP version of Monster Hunter Tri, although it would likely function the same way were a D-pad/buttons used.

If you watched the PlayBit and saw the issue with 7-1, don't worry, the stage has been fixed. At least, I think it is... I have no idea how that happened so hopefully it didn't happen again. Hopefully someone will let me know if there is an issue with anything...

I also made the bombs easier to pass through in World 3-Tower. You might notice the end section is a little different too. Some propeller blocks were added to the two propeller cap stages, World 2-Tower and 4-Tower, though I actually think this makes them more difficult...

There are probably some other tweaks that could be made to have levels flow a little better. Who knows, I may offer an update once I finish the other half of the game.

ExciteBots isn't a new IP, it's a part of the Excite series which includes ExciteBike and ExciteTruck. There were many problems which lead to its low sales, not just its lack of hype before release and little advertising. Unlike Mario Kart, it has to be played with the Wii Wheel, which I believe is the main reason that it was passed off as casual garbage by some. I also think that many people saw the game as being similar to Mario Kart, in part because it was packaged with a wheel, and so they probably felt they didn't need another racing game like that. It was also never released in regions outside of North America, further limiting its sales potential.

It's a shame, because it really is a quality title.

That could be a Club Nintendo reward for sure.

The red is so much better than the two current colours. I really got burned by this. No really, I did...