NintendoWare Weekly: Adventure Island: The Beginning, Bubble Bobble Plus!, another clock

Too bad Bubble Bobble doesn't have online play - all of my real life friends are weaksauce and wouldn't want to play with me, and what's the point of Bubble Bobble without people to play it with (outside of the awesome music, of course).

Another clock? Hot dog! You just convinced me to buy a DSi Nintendo!

Nice... finally Bubble Bobble. Great value for the price, just $6.

I really hope that HAL releases a WiiWare Lolo game... that would be awesome.

Clay fighter, I remember playing that way back in the day on the snes.

"In Ranking Mode, players with broadband Internet access can use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service to compete with players from around the world."

I think this translates to online leaderboards as opposed to online play.

Adventure Island is really tempting. But it looks like ass......

Found 2 reviews of Adventure Island: The Beginning

http://wiiware.nintendolife.com/reviews/2009/04/adventure_island_the_beginning

7 / 10

http://www.wiiloveit.com/Home/games/adventure-island-the-beginning/review

16 / 30

i'm going to pass on this. i'm the kind of the person who did enjoy the VC game so this is something I would be interested in. oh well.

A clock? WTF the DSi alreay has a clock thank you very much. DSi Ware? This is s**t Ware! And to think Nintendo turned down Bob's game because it didn't fit the bill. Twats!!

Where's Contra: Rebirth? I'm dying to get my hands on that game.

Seriously so far DSiWare is a complete bust except for 1 or 2 drawing games lol..

I'm definitely downloading "Adventure Island: The Beginning"... Classic Arcade Platformer and Shmup fans take note!

I say this b/c I think some reviewers (and guesstimating blog readers) are missing the point. MANY people complained about the difficultly level and "cheapness" in the original Adventure Island game (despite its multi-platinum sales). This time around, knowing the Wii's diverse user base includes both hardcore platformer veterans that have been playing games like this for as long as 25 years, as well as new gamers, and those who haven't touched a controller since the NES days, Hudson decided to lower the difficulty level on the surface.

What I mean by that is that it's no longer one-hit kills, and yes, you do get power ups. BUT they've added incentives from hidden treasures to old-school arcade style point-based gameplay, and additional achievements/challenges, all driven by online leaderboards. This way anyone can pick up and play the game and progress, even "win" the game, but "hardcore"/determined players can go back an try to top high scores -- much like in old school arcade/platformer/shooter games. ... Which is EXACTLY what Adventure Island: The Beginning is.

Thus, if you can get past the fact that the game isn't nearly as blatantly "cheap"/difficult as it's origin, and that it has graphics appropriate to a appropriate to a $10 download of a sequel that hasn't seen the light of day since Adventure island IV was the last title to grace the Famicom MORE THAN 15 years ago, then you'll likely be able to find some classic run, jump, shoot (or in this case throw axe) with plenty of replayability and an online competitive edge.

Thanks for digging up those reviews Adolph... I found a couple more. It's funny, reviewers are mixed on the game's difficulty:

http://www.aussie-nintendo.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16842

"Score: 7/10 - "Good buy"
Adventure Island: The Beginning is an enjoyable revival based on the original design. The game's difficulty may put some off at first, but it retains that 'one more go' desire, when you're slowly grinding your teeth into a fine powder and holding the controller tight enough to crack the plastic casing."

http://n-europe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24502

"I was far from a big fan of the originals (they were somewhat fun, but miles away from the likes of Mario, Sonic, or even Hudson's own Bonk; I just felt they were very generic titles), but a new release in the current state of the gaming market, where the 2D platformer genre is definitely not as crowed as it was (to say the least), makes it a good purchase for anyone looking to play a (partially) new 2D platformer... [and] besides the main game, there are 4 fun mini-games. For 1000 points, it's a good purchase for those looking for a 2D platformer fix."

However, Italian site Everyeye only gives it a 6.5, saying:

"As the subtitle suggests, Adventure Island: The Beginning to be a simple return to the roots, and in fact the product accurately reflects the dynamics of the game of the 80s. " But goes on to say that it's "a difficult title to interpret. It brings to the wiiware a good platform game with high difficulty level, but the sense of challenge decreases after the first few hours of play, with a system that instead of increasing the difficulty, makes it easier, doing away some of the classic Hudson appeal."

I can see how it would be easy for a reviewer to not understand that Hudson was trying to appeal not through high-end graphics and constant nail-biting difficulty, but rather through simple gameplay that allows pros to opt out on power ups, and to revisit challenges and play for high scores... Much like their earlier Online leaderboard driven Wiiboot, Star Soldier R.

In the 7/10 score form Nintendolife that Adolf sites above, the critic says:

"The game also has more than enough good points. The main game, while easy, is still pretty fun; collecting all the Gold Melons is a nice challenge, and it's just plain fun running along, mowing down everything with axes. To add some replay value there are four shallow but fun mini-games (including one that tests your button-mashing ability) and online leaderboards, where you can upload your best scores and times from both the mini-games and the main game.

Another nice if slightly unnecessary addition is the "Master Higgins Feats". Essentially just like Xbox 360 achievements and PS3 trophies, these are awards for accomplishing certain tasks. Every time you achieve a certain number of feats you'll be given new grass skirts and caps for Master Higgins to wear, including a red cap so you can make him look like he used to! Some of the feats are incredibly hard though; one of them asks you to equal Takahashi Meijin's superhuman button-mashing record of sixteen shots a second!

Conclusion=
The gameplay is virtually unchanged from the original game and it's still lots of fun to play, even though it's incredibly easy now...any fan of the old games will like this, and even if you weren't a fan, you might still enjoy it."

I encourage you to read the whole Nintendolife page on the review b/c he does criticize its ease of play an lack of widescreen, but in the comments section, he definitely encourages other gamers to buy it, and early Euro adopters in said comments section have good things to say about it, and seem to have started a rivarly on the leaderboards. They also point out that the reviewer is and old school platforming expert, and perhaps exaggerating it's lowered difficulty.

This is the last of my Adventure Island: The Beginning rant (sorry, just a big fan).

I think the best way to understand the approach Hudson took to this new entry is from Master Higgins / Takahashi Meijin himself. From the WiiWareWorld intvw:

"WW: Why did you decide to create a new Adventure Island game after all this time?

TM: I believe that the action games like this one will continue to gain popularity among lots of video games, because there are not so many games which all the generations can enjoy, like Super Mario from Nintendo for example. I hope that not only children but also their parents and other generations enjoy Adventure Island: The Beginning all together.

WW: From the subtitle ‘The Beginning’ are we to think you intend to go back to basics with the WiiWare version?

TM: It’s been a long time since the previous one was released, and there are new generations for video games now. In that sense, this title can be the beginning of the series and I hope it will unfold more of the continuing stories of the series.

WW: Adventure Island IV and Super Adventure Island II, were more RPG-esque in nature. What made you decide to go back to the straightforward platforming style of the original games?

TM: I believe that basically, Adventure Island is an action game. And when you go back to the basics, you will find that the only and all the features of this game are “to jump at a perfect timing” and “to throw an axe”.

Therefore, we have featured these two elements, and I believe the game has achieved to offer a simple but ultimate fun for gamers more than ever."

WW: We saw a screenshot of a 'Shooting Watch' mini game. Do you hope to hold the hi-score on the worldwide leaderboards on this?

TM: The most important thing that I have to do now is not to hold the hi-score on the leaderboards, but to show how exciting and fun the game is to the gamers. I believe people will enjoy themselves more by looking at young gamers fighting battles rather than looking at a 50-year-old guy getting a high score!"

THUS, my take is that it's accessible to expanded/returning audiences who haven't played an adventure island game in decades -- if ever -- but one in which Hudson has emphasized the core jump/shoot, score points action for skilled gamers looking to master the title and possibly compete for records online.