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These Metroidvania games are neither Metroid nor Vania

JC Fletcher — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:00:00 EST

"Metroidvania" is a term used to describe side-scrolling games with large, open worlds, new areas of which are accessible only with certain items or powerups. Take away the side-scrolling element, and you've got Zelda; take away the powerups, and you've got Pitfall. It's named after the two most famous series to make use of the format, Metroid and (later) Castlevania.

Shadow Complex has suddenly thrown the Metroidvania genre back into mainstream gamers' attention, thanks to its fancy graphics and being an Xbox 360 game. It isn't the first game that isn't a Metroid or Castlevania to apply this formula -- in fact, many developers stumbled upon the Metroidvania formula or a close variant even before Symphony of the Night.

Join us on a brisk tour of some notable free-roaming games. If you are overcome by Metroidvania fever, you can read more detailed writeups of many of the games in GameSpite's ToastyWiki.

Click here to start your adventure!

These Metroidvania games are neither Metroid nor Vania originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sega wants your vote for the next Genesis XBLA game

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Genesis, Sega is asking you, The Internet, to pick the next Genesis game to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade. It doesn't look like an easy choice either, as the list of candidates has some of the console's best games. All told, you can cast your vote for:

Earthworm Jim
Streets of Rage
Golden Axe II
Toejam & Earl
Shining Force
Revenge of Shinobi
Wonderboy in Monster World

Sega is accepting votes until August 21, so head over to genesispoll.com and vote. We'd be remiss not to mention that all of these games are available on Virtual Console already, but XBLA is guaranteed to add a few extra features, like game saving, Achievements and online multiplayer. Keep that in mind when casting your vote.

Sega wants your vote for the next Genesis XBLA game originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VC Tuesday: Adventure Mountain

JC Fletcher — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:45:00 EST

Filed under: Virtual Console, Imports

This week brings another rare (not Rare) Nintendo 64 release, and a seasonally appropriate one at that. 1080 Snowboarding is making its appearance on the Virtual Console for the first time. When it hits the American download service, we look forward to playing it and pretending it's cold outside. Until then, we can just look at screenshots and pretend we're playing it and pretending it's cold outside.

The other two releases are distant cousins. Adventure Island is a remake of Westone's original Wonder Boy game with a different protagonist (which, of course, spun off into its own series), and Monster World IV is part of a Wonder Boy spinoff series. It's ... a lot more confusing when they release two of them at a time like this. We're all familiar with Adventure Island, at least.

Takahashi Meijin no Bouken Jima (Hudson's Adventure Island) (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
1080 Snowboarding (Nintendo 64, 1-2 players, 1000 Wii Points)
Monster World IV (Mega Drive, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)

VC Tuesday: Adventure Mountain originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VC Friday: Beatdowns in space

Alisha Karabinus — Fri, 04 May 2007 09:45:00 EST

Filed under: Virtual Console

Four new games up this week on the VC, and despite the fact that three of them are from Sega's Mega Drive, Nintendo still manages a fair amount of diversity in this week's selection. By diversity, we mean that they don't all involve outer space or badassery ... well, okay, you got us. These games actually are about space and/or fighting, because what the Virtual Console really needed was more beatdowns. In space.

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle - Mega Drive - 800 Wii points
Shockman - TurboGrafx - 600 Wii points
Virtua Fighter 2 - 800 Wii points
Wonder Boy in Monster World - 800 Wii points

VC Friday: Beatdowns in space originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 May 2007 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alex Kidd, Wonder Boy, and 2D Virtua Fighter 2 slated for Virtual Console

Ross Miller — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 20:32:00 EST

Filed under: Retro, Nintendo Wii, Fighting, Online

Sega continues to throw its support toward Nintendo's Virtual Console by announcing three new titles that will likely be coming in the next few weeks: Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, Wonder Boy in Monster World and a 2-dimensional version of Virtua Fighter 2.

Unfortunately, it is not the Virtua Fighter 2 that one might hope for. While the title was made originally for the arcade and Saturn, Sega is bringing the Genesis version to the Virtual Console. This far inferior version did not have an 3D engine and instead opted to approximate the renderings in 2D. It also excluded new characters Shun Di and Lion. Is this perhaps what spawned that Sega Saturn on Virtual Console rumor?

It was around this time last month that Sega announced its releases for March, so expect to see these titles arrive within the coming weeks.

Alex Kidd, Wonder Boy, and 2D Virtua Fighter 2 slated for Virtual Console originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Mar 2007 20:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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