No matter how you feel about the game (I personally give it a 9.1/10, for the record), Earthbound ultimately deserved more sales. It sold approximately 420,000 copies if you add the American and Japanese sales together. Why?
In America, RPGs weren’t popular. It wasn’t until games like Final Fantasy VII and Pokemon came about when America opened their doors. But even for an RPG, Earthbound sold poorly. Even with the full force of Nintendo’s marketing team, it sold poorly. The obvious reason? Graphics. That’s all Americans cared about. Or so it seemed.
With RPGs like Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger pushing the limits of the SNES capabilities, Earthbound’s simple and cartoon-y art design was a turn off. Today, it doesn’t matter. All 16-bit games are outdated graphically. Earthbound’s fanbase play it mainly for the oddball humor, which is easily the game’s strongest point. The gameplay is still decent, too. Though it’s really just “Dragon Quest – random battles + scrolling health bars”.
Another problem was the worst marketing campaign in video game history. The slogan? “This game stinks.”
*awkward silence*
It’s like Nintendo wanted people to think that their first internationally-released RPG was an experiment to see if they could make the worst game ever. But it wasn’t.
Earthbound’s best marketing came from Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64. And… well, the fanbase was created among the millions of Nintendo fans who bought the 4-player smash-fest.
Shame that legal issues are keeping Earthbound from being re-released. That’s a story for another day…

TGM’s VGMs #5 – Earthbound – Snowman

Okami won IGN’s Game of the Year 2006 award. Total sales for the game remained under 600,000 total units by March 2009, and was named the “least commercially successful winner of a game of the year award” in the 2010 version of the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition. That’s awkward.
Possible Reasons:
1. Twilight Princess was coming out not long after.
2. Zelda fans may be a little too loyal.
3. Zelda Zelda Zelda.
4. It was on the PS2, which was becoming obsolete.
5. The Wii version was on the Wii (see last post).
6. The art style made it more suited to Japanophiles.
The above reasons shouldn’t be too much of an issue. The gameplay was million-worthy, and that’s all that matters, right? No?
Thank goodness that Okami is getting a sequel (on the DS, w00t!), because it deserves a second chance.

I could list more. Psychonauts, Beyond Good and Evil, Eternal Darkness… but Okami was the definition of an awesome game at the wrong time. Plus, I want to get to reviews.

Mass Effect 2 (360)
The game is all around beautiful. I wasn’t in love with the first game’s art direction, but here I am now saying it’s the reigning champ of art design in sci-fi games. The Metroid Prime trilogy was known for amazing artwork in a realistic, sci-fi setting. Now it’s time for the Mass Effect trilogy to take up the mantle.
The time I spent playing was satisfying, and being able to carry over data from ME1 makes the game twice as awesome. If you’ve played the first one, buy this now. If you haven’t, then you might now want to dive in to one of the best RPGs this generation, and the RPG… no… the game to beat so far this year.
Score: 9.5/10
Good: Hollywood should take some notes.
Bad: Bugs. Playing the first game is required for maximum enjoyment.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (Wii)
Amazingly accessible, but still deep enough for diehard. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom feels in every way the successor to Marvel vs. Capcom 2. The timing for the release couldn’t have been better. I was getting tired of Brawl, for I’ve done almost everything in it. Here comes TvC, a game that is deeper and yet just as accessible.
Fighting diehards may scoff at the simplification of the controls, but the game is far from being devoid of depth. Once mastered, all you need to do is go online. A good connection is all you need in order to rock.
Shame I’m not a major fighting game fan. I do consider myself capable of writing this review regardless, as I’ve had my hands on most of the well-received fighting game releases of the past 12 years.
Score: 9.3/10
Good: Can’t blend accessibility and depth any better.
Bad: Tatsunoko characters are not well known. Maybe a little too much of a “My First Fighting Game”.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (Wii)
If you’ve played No More Heroes, you know what to expect. If you haven’t, skip it. This is better.
There’s not much to say about NMH2. It’s one of the most ludicrous games I’ve ever played, and that’s a good thing. You’ll be slaughtering people mindlessly, playing retro-styled mini-games for cash, and… watching anime? You won’t be performing wheelies on your motorcycle, though, as the open-world aspect has been axed in order to spend more time on refining every other aspect. The trade-off works, though I wouldn’t mind seeing it come back in a third game.
Somehow it all comes together in an uber-sweet, uber-styled package that’s a must have for those who are fine with adult content, and also happen to own a Wii.
Score: 9/10
Good: Overflowing with style.
Bad: Still a tad unpolished in areas that don’t matter much.

MAG (PS3)
A game like MAG is a testament to what the PS3 can do. Massive battlefields with 256 players at once? Awe-inspiring. Until you realize that a pattern is unfolding:
Walk around for a little bit. Bag a player or two. Die. Wait twenty seconds to spawn. Rinse and repeat.
With not nearly enough spawn points, too much lone wolf mentality, and no kill cam whatsoever, you’re bound to die without knowing what hit you, and maybe get spawn camp’d. After waiting an agonizing 20 seconds of wait.
So much can be done to make MAG awesome, but there’s only one way to play. Get on the Internet, join a clan, then protect each others backs. The lone wolf mentality doesn’t work. You want realism, right? Heh heh. Isn’t reality fun?
Finally, the game lacks personality. It feels generic. The massive battles might be all the uniqueness it needs… until a more robust competitor pops up.
Score: 8/10
Good: Strategy is king. Realism is God.
Bad: Needs more spawn points. Spawn time needs to be halved.
Also: A devoted community could turn MAG into a 9 and the most revolutionary FPS this year.

TGM’s VGMs #4 – Phantasy Star – Tower

Perhaps. While the problem of good games being ignored isn’t new, nor is it as bad as it used to be, it persists. Sad thing is, core gamers hold a fair amount of responsibility for it.
But not all of it is our fault. Some games are niche, so not every core gamer would want them. Poor marketing and little hype doesn’t help.
Then there’s the Wii issue. Notably excellent games (if reviews are anything to go by) like Madword and Little King’s Story can’t catch a break. Both games had hype (especially Madword), and they generally lived up to it. If I was still a Wii fanboy (I’m a mere enthusiast now), I’d cry “racism against the Wii”, but I know better.
Madworld’s black and white style worked great within Wii limitations, but most gamers these days who appreciate vast quantities of violence lean towards realism. It’s a misunderstanding of an audience. Then again, isn’t the art style a rather superficial issue? Is that really a good reason to not impale people with stop signs?
Little King’s Story’s predicament is baffling. I don’t get it at all. It’s an impressive hybrid of RPG, Strategy, and Simulation, which I thought that core gamers would appreciate. Nope. The problem might be first impressions. Judging by screenshots, the game overshoots the soft-edged look it was going for, and makes it seem borderline cuddly (ugh). Then again, aren’t graphics a little superficial? Isn’t the gameplay worth it? Apparently not.
Ah, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. You will be mine tomorrow. Now here’s a Wii-exclusive third-party game that fighting fans have been begging Capcom to port to the PS3 and 360. I can see why – there’s not much of a reason for the game to be on the Wii (exclusively, that is)…
Madworld and Little King’s Story could’ve been on the PS3 or 360, sold better, and maybe could have been better games. Core gamers see that, and perhaps make judgements based on it. This isn’t “racism against Wii” because, yes, they have a point. There isn’t much of a reason for these games to be on the Wii, if any. However, making a buying decision based on “it could’ve been…” is a lose/lose situation. The developer and publisher lose, and you deprive yourself of an enjoyable game. It’s not as bad as downright fanboyism, but it still sucks.

Actually, this is an excellent game more at home on the Wii. Still didn’t sell well.

The bright side? Junction Point comes and changes everything I once thought about hardcore 3rd party games on the Wii.

“Well, think about it. Would you really want to tackle convincing Halo or Grand Theft Auto players that they want to be Mickey Mouse? Would you really want to do that? In terms of finding a congenial audience, let’s go for a platform that’s known for Mario and Link and now Sonic. Come on. Honestly, with the unit sales on the hardware, it was kind of a lucky happenstance. We made the call to go to the Wii long before it was clear that the Wii was going to be, at least for now, the best-selling platform.

It was about going where the audience is and going somewhere where they’re going to accept a visual style that is more cartoony than people are used to seeing and where we don’t feel obliged to throw in every shader on the planet. ‘Look at the normal maps and shaders.’ We don’t have to do that kind of stuff. It’s the right platform for this project, for sure.” – Warren Spector in an interview with GameInformer.

This is a case where the Wii is a less restrictive platform. Junction Point sees it as an opportunity to try something new and unexpected, where the hardcore can be taken by surprise and the masses could unwittingly learn the basics of how great hardcore gaming could be.

Sure, I didn’t have to make this all about the Wii. Check in tomorrow and Wednesday for the anatomy of underrated games not on the Wii.

TGM’s VGMs #3 – Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – Ice Cap Zone Act 1

Question is, will MAG hold up to its ambition? Could it become a candidate for Best FPS 2010? It has some competition in Halo: Reach, Bioshock 2, and Bad Company 2 (just to name a few).

I personally predict that MAG will not be received as warmly as your average Modern Warfare, but assuming that technical issues don’t get in the way, it will carve its own niche and create a fiercely loyal fanbase. I hope the gameplay problems in the beta were fixed up well enough.

In other July 26th news, Mass Effect 2, Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom, and No More Heroes 2 are all pre-ordered by yours truly. You will get my impressions on these and possibly MAG as well on Day 1.

TGM’s VGM’s #2 – Mega Man 3 – Spark Man’s Stage

Yes, I was bored, and made a forum. What do I do with it? I’ll find something.
Anyway, my Vlog #1 should be ready for viewing within the next half hour. Check out my YouTube channel to see, but don’t except masterwork. >_>

Finally, I’m starting up “TGM’s VGMs” where I post a piece of video game music of my choice for every blog posts. I love game music.

TGM’s VGMs #1 – Monty on the Run – Main Theme

-TGM-

The Warz of January 26:

Microsoft fanboy: “Omg Mass Effect 2 looks so amazing!!!! can;t wait four days”
Nintendo fanboy: “LOL TvC and NMH2 both comingout on the 26th!? epicness”
Sony fanboy: “I don’t see the big deal here…”
Microsoft fanboy: “ME2 goty! Or at least gotm”
Nintendo fanboy: “LOL, the city nme is Santa Destroy.”
Sony fanboy: “Sigh.”
Microsoft fanboy: “OMG Bioshock2 is coming out on Feb 9! So is Dante’s Inferno.”
Sony fanboy: “YES!”
Nintendo fanboy: “Well… uh… there’s Dementium 2 forthe DS in Feb…”

I think that sums up the first two months of the year pretty well.

What does this mean for the blog? It’s not just going to be about Nintendo anymore. This calls for a banner change, of course. This blog will be made up of reviews and commentary on industry events.

Thank you for listening.

-TGM-

The Stupid Computer Nerd: “Of course optimizing your PC just so you can run Crysis is absolutely worth it. It’s not like your money is better spent on anything else.”
“Steam FTW! It pwns XBLA, PSN, and WiiWare altogether! Any downloadable game that isn’t available on Steam is worthless.”
“Mice are precise! Analog stick can *insert inappropriate comment here*.” (Serious Fact: Sticky mouses can ruin your PC gaming life. I’ve been down that road before.)

The Stupid Xbot: “360 is the real hardcore.”
“Hardcore gamers would gladly pay to get their 360s repaired or replaced.”
“Halo is, like, the best game ever.”
“The cake is a lie.” (Serious Fact: Actually, this is the smartest thing an Xbot can say. My bad.)
“Japanese games suck.” (Serious Fact: You just totally dissed Resident Evil.)

The Stupid Sony Sucker: “Mmm… Uncharted…”
“Warhawk proves the greatness of Sixaxis control.” (Serious Fact: It’s the only game with good Sixaxis control, for crying out loud.)
“PSP games are waaaaaaaay better than DS games.”
“Fallout 3 is better on PS3 than any other system. (Riiiiight.)

That One Nintendo Fanatic: “Gameplay or death.” (Now explain the majority of Wii titles.)
“Nintendo doesn’t develop shovelware. Except Wii Music, and even that was better than your average DDI game.” (But Nintendo dares license it for some reason.)
“The Conduit!!!!!!!!11111!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Don’t worry, waggle and friend codes are finally becoming a thing of the past.” (They shouldn’t exist in the first place.)

Me:
“The DS is, like, my favorite system.”
“I swear, Moon is the best handheld FPS ever.”
“GRID DS FTW!”
“Mario Kart DS is my favorite Mario Kart game.”
“Chinatown Wars for the PSP? You’ve made an enemy today, Rockstar.”
“I still have hope for the Wii. In 2010, that is.”

I have my issue of GI right next to me. I’ve already read the article explaining the game. It’s epic.
But let’s forget about the game for a second and talk about Junction Point. It’s based in Austin, Texas (OMG just like Retro Studios!). It was formed in 2005 by prominent members of Ion Storm (Thief, Deus Ex) including Warren Specter and Art Min.
In 2007, it was acquired by Disney Interactive Studios to work on a… secret project. Epic Mickey, of course.
Warren Specter, at first, said “No, I don’ do kids games.” Then Disney told him that the game will be a remaining of Mickey Mouse, not your average Castle of Illusion.
Warren Specter and Junction Point were undoubtedly the perfect choice. Warren Specter is an avid fan of old cartoons (in fact, Epic Mickey will make a lot of references to Walt Disney’s early work), and Junction Point was founded in order to mix genres together in epic new ways.
One such ways is the ability for Mickey to erase and create parts of the game world. That alone makes it a game to watch.

And I have my eyes on Junction Point and their epic Wii exclusive.

So, what is waggle? Is motion control considered “waggling”? I’m going to find out.

The Wii pointer
Look, I’m shooting at my TV screen! Die, zombies!
That’s your typical House of the Dead: Overkill playthrough. Shoot at the screen. Kill zombies. Life is good.
But is it waggle? You’re rapidly pointing your Wii-Mote at different portions of the TV screen. You’re waggling it, right?

Flick that wrist
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. My wrist remembers it. Flick the Wii-Mote to swing your sword and laugh at the idiots who misinterpret how the control is done. Same with Wii Sports tennis.
But is it waggle? To do several sword strikes, you’re quickly flicking your wrist back and forth. You’re waggling it, right?

Ka-pow!
Wii Sports boxing.
Is it waggle? Block, punch. Quickly. Repeatedly. You’re waggling it, right?

Obviously waggling
Some Wii games have such broken controls, you’ll find yourself moving the controller all over the place just trying t get it to work. Sounds like a definite.

But I’m not done yet.

The analog stick
I’m waggling the analog stick, right? Whether it’s a Nunchuck analog stick or a 360 analog stick… I’m waggling it, right?

The mouse
I point, I click. I’m waggling it, right?

So, you want to know the point? “Waggle” shouldn’t be misinterpreted. In fact, “waggle” shouldn’t be said. Broken and/or pointless motion control is what gamers have called “waggle” when, technically, waggle applies to much, much, more.