Shake a Fat Man

[Crazy Penguin]

I've missed 2D platformers so much. It really does look fantastic. Hopefully other developers will stand up and take notice. Imagine if a Sonic game looked like this, and also didn't suck.

[Gaz]

There's a cool promo video for Wario Land on youtube now.

I think the game looks pretty awesome but it sounds a bit shorter and easier than I was hoping. Still plan on buying it on release day though.

[K2J]

Wow, you can even move the stuff after it's fallen. That's a pretty tight viral ad right there.

[Locit]

I've missed 2D platformers so much. It really does look fantastic.

Apparently, that's about all it does. It's kind of funny that Mega Man 9 returns its franchise to a respectable position thanks to its simple 8-bit mentality while Shake It! is mediocre and a step backward in the series despite its gorgeous visuals. There must be a lesson in there somewhere...

(FlashTHD complains about Jeremy Parish penning the review in T-minus 3... 2...)

[Edgerock]

I've missed 2D platformers so much. It really does look fantastic.

Apparently, that's about all it does. It's kind of funny that Mega Man 9 returns its franchise to a respectable position thanks to its simple 8-bit mentality while Shake It! is mediocre and a step backward in the series despite its gorgeous visuals. There must be a lesson in there somewhere...

(FlashTHD complains about Jeremy Parish penning the review in T-minus 3... 2...)

Really? I thought it was a nice evolution of WL4's gameplay. And the motion controls for the most part work fairly well (though I would have preferred aiming to be handled by pointing at the screen...). And Production IG has to be given props for their animation work. Hope future 2D games get work from them from any company.

[Locit]

Really? I thought it was a nice evolution of WL4's gameplay. And the motion controls for the most part work fairly well (though I would have preferred aiming to be handled by pointing at the screen...). And Production IG has to be given props for their animation work. Hope future 2D games get work from them from any company.

You've already played through the whole thing? How does it improve on WL4's gameplay, and why are the motion controls necessary or beneficial in any way? These are things I would like to know.

[Edgerock]

Really? I thought it was a nice evolution of WL4's gameplay. And the motion controls for the most part work fairly well (though I would have preferred aiming to be handled by pointing at the screen...). And Production IG has to be given props for their animation work. Hope future 2D games get work from them from any company.

You've already played through the whole thing? How does it improve on WL4's gameplay, and why are the motion controls necessary or beneficial in any way? These are things I would like to know.

Basically here's how I would describe it. Like WL4, after you get to the end of the stage you have to get back to the beginning within a time limit. But Good Feel designed the levels with multiple ways (with some exceptions) to get to to the beginning. Basically experiences gamers who find the best route. This is a major part due to these "Achievements" added to each and every levels. It gets quite fun to speed run the trek back perfectly or every level if you know what you're doing while Wario Land 4 just generally had the level slightly change to accommodate that. Also to progress in the game you have to get money, due to the fact you have purchase every "world," which comes with it's own levels and boss. You can also purchase helath upgrades over the course of the game if you wish too.

While not as prominent as previous Wario Land games, the "status" affects also come to play this time around and some levels will have you scratching your head due to surprisingly clever design with what to do with them. Also... the motion controls are normally tilting the Wiimote whenever you use vehicles, shaking to activate your new earthshake punch and generally shaking. When you grab certain enemies or items, you can usually also throw them. You stand still and also tilt the wiimote. Personally I felt the earthshake punch and the general shaking of enemies and items were done the best as they were both rather convenient and flowed well in the game (Besides being part of it's theme...). Aiming is good if your hands are good with precision and are calm (not in my case), which could have been worked out with the pointer but eh.

The bosses in general are... a bit hard to describe. First two bosses should give no hardcore gamer a problem, and the third boss is when actual difficulty starts showing. Though figuring out what to do in the fights, is pretty easy for the most part. Though I will say the final boss is a bit challenging. All in all I say the motion controls were done pretty well for the most. Gameplay is solid, and feels like WL4 on steroids with a bigger emphasis on perfecting the levels, then just running through them and back. 20 levels, 13 secret levels, 6 bosses, multiple treasures to find, and multiple challenges to beat make this a fairly good game. Bit short and at times repetitive but what can you do.

PS-...The music is jazzy and one of the best for a Wario game (Or for a recent one at least. Stage 2-3 in particular is quite grand just because of it).

[FlashTHD]

(FlashTHD complains about Jeremy Parish penning the review in T-minus 3... 2...)

Why burn up the keys, his antics explain themselves/I dun care?

Wario Land 4 seems kind of easy (not much of a detriment, really), then you play it again and bump the difficulty up to hard. Then it commences with the kicking of your ass.

[G.Silver]

It seems to me what's really happening between reviews for Wario and Megaman is that Megaman is being exalted for being what we remember from 1990, but Wario is being rated down for not being different enough from its previous games? Is change good or bad? I am confused!

Personally, Edgerock, you have me sold, but I was sold already. Now I'm sold and ravenous.

[Esrever]

In games, as in music, the only difference between a "return to form" and "repeating yourself" is the number of failures you made beforehand.

[DackAttac]

Also, whether you're more entertaining when you're at the top of your game or when you're crashing and burning. I mean, I know I'm not gonna be the only one let down if Chinese Democracy is good. Perish the thought.

[K2J]

PS-...The music is jazzy and one of the best for a Wario game (Or for a recent one at least. Stage 2-3 in particular is quite grand just because of it).

It really caught me off-guard when one of the themes used in a trailer sounded familiar... I guess the game's been in development long enough for it to have a remix in Brawl in sort of a future-reference (a la Roy).

[Isuka]

It's kind of funny that Mega Man 9 returns its franchise to a respectable position thanks to its simple 8-bit mentality while Shake It! is mediocre and a step backward in the series despite its gorgeous visuals. There must be a lesson in there somewhere...

Flawed logic is morbidly flawed.

Just because, when it comes to difficulty and exploitation of the game's mechanics, the last bunch of main-series Mega Man games can be considered trash, doesn't mean this game is the fucking savior of the action/platforming genre or anything because of its graphic style; it's just an old-fashioned Mega Man game which happens to also look like one so Capcom could have a pretty risk-free bet at it.

[Locit]

Just because, when it comes to difficulty and exploitation of the game's mechanics, the last bunch of main-series Mega Man games can be considered trash, doesn't mean this game is the fucking savior of the action/platforming genre or anything because of its graphic style

Hey, now, I didn't actually say this.

it's just an old-fashioned Mega Man game which happens to also look like one so Capcom could have a pretty risk-free bet at it.

See, you can tell it's a pretentious and overbearing essay because it criticizes "retro" gaming (nebulously defined as the author sees fit to refer to every context in which he's ever heard the word used) while inventing and using seriously the term "possibility-space."

What? -- Will you be so dumb now as to claim that games like Halo are much more evolved compared to their predecessors than games like Melty Blood are compared to theirs? HA - HA - HA!

Way to attack the reader there, dickface! Guess I can stop reading your stupid treatise on why retro games are stupid now. Well, I guess I can read a little mo-

Compared to the differences between Melty Blood and Karate Champ, the differences (the possibility-space-affecting differences!) between Halo and Wolfenstein 3D, my dumb little friend, are ALMOST TRIVIAL.

AUGH MY EYES well okay one more coudn't hur-

Remember: we can measure a game's complexity by measuring the maximum distance between the best and worst possible players

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA really though this guy is retarded.

[Edgerock]

Sorry... I guess my post from before could have been written better. My apologies.

[DackAttac]

Wait... what? Locit was picking apart some 'tard blogger, not your post.

[Edgerock]

Wait... what? Locit was picking apart some 'tard blogger, not your post.

My mistake. Quite sorry. Anyway for those who plan to get Shake It, I recommend playing it on wide screen mode. While it's a bit disappointing to see no true wide screen mode, the sidebars keep track of the treasures and challenges you completed. Oh and enjoy.

[Locit]

Wait... what? Locit was picking apart some 'tard blogger, not your post.

Yeah, seriously, I'll disagree with you, but I'm not about to attack you personally.

That blogger is a 'tard, though.

[G.Silver]

Also, it wasn't even your post that had the offending link.

[Isuka]

I don't see how not liking the guy's style of writing changes anything in this discussion, the point still remains that your point is wrong.
Please reread my quote and tell me you weren't being overly sarcastic about the "lesson" of a game with old graphics being better than a game with awesome ones because of the graphics themselves.

BTW, "possibility-space" is the most retarded way of saying that shooting stuff in most FPS is much more of an homogeneous, samey experience than any number of ways for attacking your opponent in various Vs. Fighting games, but it sure as fuck is true.
If the game design consists of analyzing its mechanics, then I don't see how that definition of retro is "nebulous" in any way.

[DackAttac]

Yeah, seriously, dude, you might have some self-esteem issues if you just see a "dumbass" byline on a series of quotes you didn't even say and just assume it was you.

[Isuka]

Oops, just read this:

See, you can tell it's a pretentious and overbearing essay because it criticizes "retro" gaming (nebulously defined as the author sees fit to refer to every context in which he's ever heard the word used) while inventing and using seriously the term "possibility-space."
(...)
Guess I can stop reading your stupid treatise on why retro games are stupid now.

He's criticizing the all-too-frequent misuse of the word retro to refer almost exclusively to 2D and/or shooting games, he's not criticizing them or calling them crap or anything like that. Browse the site and you'll understand what he means by that.

[Locit]

He's criticizing the all-too-frequent misuse of the word retro to refer almost exclusively to 2D and/or shooting games, he's not criticizing them or calling them crap or anything like that. Browse the site and you'll understand what he means by that.

Great! But even if his insane and tangential ramblings against a straw man opponent made any sort of sense, what exactly do they have to do with the topic at hand?

The lesson here is pretty simple: don't be a graphics whore.

[Locit]

Acutally, looking back don't see any mention of the word retro until you brought it up.

[Shadow Hog]

I've rented it. A bit disappointed with the lack of secret areas (seriously, some of Wario Land 2's levels had destructable walls EVERYWHERE, despite not telling you where, and it was awesome for it - or that junkyard stage in Wario Land 4, with breakable walls everywhere) and the overwhelmingly "natural" theme I've seen thus far (ruins, pyramids, plains, volcanoes), but I'm at least aware of secret stages for the first and aware of an upcoming city stage for the second. Other than that, just miffed at a few minor quibbles, like how you can't dash-slide, you can't really swim other than treading the surface, you can't flip over an enemy from beneath by jumping into him... minor quibbles.

Despite my complaints, though, the game's really damn fun. It's great to have Wario back in action, the way he was meant to be played - dashing at enemies, butt-stomping walls, and getting filthy rich, instead of constantly biking around, making microgames. In short, the game's awesome! ...just not as awesome as it could've been.

I'd kill for a Wario Land 2-ish game with presentation of this quality, though. Really top-notch artwork.