PixlBit

Maybe making a sequel to an obscure game from the '80s wasn’t a great idea?

Rush’N Attack: Ex Patriot is the latest in a string of updates/sequels of old Arcade/NES games, some of which have been phenomenal, like Bionic Commando: Rearmed. Unfortunately for Konami, that same success isn’t manifesting in their sequel to Rush’N Attack. This is thanks in large part to some uninspired levels, finicky jump mechanics, and one-dimensional gameplay. The gameplay does occasionally give off a Metroid vibe, but it’s clear the developers didn’t know how to really capitalize on that concept, resulting in a ho-hum experience.

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Kyle details his latest tournament travels for Nintendo's most competitive brawler.

Last weekend I attended a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament in Ottawa, Ontario (Canada). It’s certainly not my first one, but it’s the first since I’ve joined PixlBit. Despite being pretty small (the largest I’ve been to had around 243 entrants for Melee and around the same for Brawl), it was a lot of fun, and I got to hang out with a bunch of people I hadn’t seen in far too long. I’ve been playing the game competitively for years now, and with all the people I’ve met and the stuff we’ve done, I don’t see any reason to stop. Also, insert something sappy about friends and making memories .

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This week sees the release of an all-time RPG classic on the Virtual Console, and not much else.

This week from Nintendo you have the option to either pretend to fish, play a word search, lead a pack of meerkats or dance along with a bunch of monsters.

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Believe it or not, a technologically inferior system can still host a good sequel to Okami. If you don't mind the copy-and-paste feel.

I am just going to say this right now: don’t ever expect Okamiden to outdo its predecessor. The original, directed by Hideki Kamiya and developed by the beloved Clover Studio, was a fantastic take on mixing Zelda gameplay elements and Japanese mythology. While many wanted a sequel (myself included), Capcom closed up Clover and the staff behind Okami left to form Platinum Games. Now we have a sequel in our hands, Kamiya-less and developed by a completely different team, on an inferior piece of hardware too.

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The previously Japan-only Monolith Soft title is being localized by Nintendo of Europe.

This morning, Nintendo of Europe announced plans to localize the Monolith Soft title, Xenoblade, known now in Europe as Xenoblade Chronicles for the Wii. The title was originally revealed two years back at E3 2009 as Monado: Beginning of the World. Since the original announcement, Nintendo of America hasn't brought up the title again, though it's still on their website under its original name for an unspecified 2011 release.

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