Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 Not Coming to WiiWare

Just a quick follow up to Don's article about the teaser trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, Sega representative Ken Balough confirmed in a recent interview that Episode 2 would not be hitting the WiiWare. I figured I'd share this as we here are pretty diehard Nintendo fanboys and chances are you are too if you're reading this. Here's what Balough had to say;

But no - the reason Episode I was on the Wii was because we wanted to bring the Sonic 4 saga to the widest possible audience. Episode II unfortunately will not be coming to the Wii - for reasons most people have probably guessed, but that doesn't mean the SEGA isn't supporting Nintendo platforms, we have a very strong partnership and will continue to do so.

While he never specifically mentions the reasoning behind this, it is quite obvious why. The WiiWare limitations are simply too strict. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 had to be dumbed down graphically and in terms of the music in order for it to even run on Wii. While most critics said the game still played almost the same, it was likely still pushing the WiiWare's limits. Since Episode 2 will likely feature more content and better graphics, it's unlikely the Wii would be able to handle it with it's given limitations. They could dumb it down but they probably don't want to have to do that and want to make an equal product all around. I don't really blame them but I do have to wonder why they would just shrug the Wii off. According to Sega's very own sales reports, Episode 1 sold the best on Wii. So again, I understand why they went this route but that doesn't mean it's necessarily a good idea business wise.

Regardless, I picked up Episode 1 on the PS3 so I'll do the same here. Also and don't quote me on this but I'm sure once the Sonic the Hedgehog 4 saga is complete, Sega will package them all together for a retail release. Maybe then the Wii will see the missing episode.

Top 10 Songs in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

There are a ton of songs in Brawl. A ton. The sheer quantity vastly overshadows the quality. The amount of songs in conjunction with the ability to pick and choose which one plays on what stage and how often . It's arguably the best video game soundtrack even. Narrowing it down to a select few in order of how much I like them is incredibly hard. So I decided to set a rule. It has to be music that is rearranged specifically for Brawl. That means nothing like Dragon Roost Island or the remixes made for Melee. It can be a totally original piece made for Brawl. Just not something that they just brought over in it's original form. It's also kind of hard to explain in a lot of words why I like these tunes so I only included a little blurb with each entry.

With that, here's my list of ten favorite songs that are in Brawl...

Pokémon Sheet Remake: Lapras

My first ever remake on the Blog...Just give me a moment to let that sink in...It's kind of strange, considering the Bulk of this project in the past has been retooling my older sheets to look better...And yet here I am posting a remake for the first time...


Anyway, Lapras is by far my favorite Ice Type...I mean, just look at it, cute and awesome at the same time! I know it's probably based off of the Loch Ness Monster, but it reminds me of a Turtle, my favorite animal (The Ninja Turtles are completely to blame for this!)


Anyway, this took a lot of hard work, and I think it paid off...I at least hope it did...This is my Final sheet of 2011, and I hope you enjoyed the ride! Expect to see new Sheets in 2012!
What? Did you think I forgot the hint? Next up is the only Pokémon who has the Ability Magnet Pull, yet is not affected by it when encountered.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 Teaser Trailer

I'll just leave this here...

New physics engine, new graphics engine, playable Tails, and the return of Metal Sonic. Fuckin' sign me up.

Interview with SEGA by Gamespot here

Nintendo's first Paid DLC is for 3DS Fire Emblem

 
It may come to you as a surprise but you heard right. Nintendo's doing paid DLC with microtransactions for the 3DS. They're aiming to start off this program in March 2012 with the 3DS Fire Emblem.

I was under the impression that Nintendo wasn't interested in doing paid DLC. The title on this article is very misleading. In fact, in the original interview they credited as a source, Reggie pretty much says that they're bring DLC to the 3DS and they were going to do it right.

I've had this conversation with a number of our key developers, and their mentality is, "Reggie, when we sell a game, we want the consumer to feel that they've had a complete experience." Now, in addition, if we want to make other things available, great, and we'll look at that.
But what we're unwilling to do is sell a piece of a game upfront and, if you will, force a consumer to buy more later. That's what they don't want to do, and I completely agree. I think the consumer wants to get, for their money, a complete experience, and then we have opportunities to provide more on top of that.

Other companies may cheat you with "DLC" that's data already on the disc. Nintendo understands that this is a problem and have said it themselves that they're not going to do that. I'm being biased but I'll take their word for it. Paid DLC can be a good thing. I honestly wouldn't mind paying a couple bucks for level pack in Super Mario 3D Land. So, I'm very interested in seeing what exactly they plan on putting out with Fire Emblem. For all we know, it could just be overpowered units you could recruit with real money. Here's hoping it's more like a side campaign with several maps and new units. An optional story arc, if you will. That would be neat.