E3 2014: Two More Nintendo eShop Future Hits, Indie Style!

Posted on June 11, 2014 by geelw

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is a game I’m looking forward to because I can play it on the Wii U at home on a big screen and not have to worry about missing my stop on the bus or subway, someone clubbing me over the head to steal a handheld or some kid with better skills than me yelling at me from my left or right to jump faster. I hate it when that happens. Darn kids. Anyway, Wayforward Technologies is doing this 2D action/platformer up right as rain and it’s making me grin to see it all coming together so well.

Shovel Knight is another eShop soon to be classic I’m REALLY looking forward to playing. That “retro” aesthetic is in full effect as you can see – the game looks like it’s straight from the late 80’s (and that’s a good thing). The game is still in development and available to pre-order for PC already, but I’m holding out for the Wii U version as again, I’d like to save my eyeballs a bit longer and prefer playing on a TV and not a tiny 3DS screen or too close to a computer monitor. Then again, as rusty as I am at these old-school platformers, I just may as well hire some kid to play them for me, ha and ha-ha…

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Kickstarter Update: Now Vita & Vita tv Bound!

Posted on September 9, 2013 by geelw

NICE and thank you, SCEJ! Since that PS Vita tv announcement in Japan is quite the big deal. Wayforward Technologies has decided to add the game to its list of things to do. Excellent and yes indeed, the more, the merrier. 3DS owners, sorry, but you’re getting a completely separate new game to play, as your system isn’t powerful enough to handle what’s coming (just a fact!). Still, this means Vita-only fans aren’t left out of the Shantae loop this time, so Huzzah and all that.

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse: ANOTHER WayForward Surprise!

Posted on September 5, 2013 by geelw

What the what? I had to do a double take when I saw this news, as Shatae has all of a sudden hit the gaming limelight three times this year and these last two titles are going to no doubt get her on the minds of many more gamers out there. Granted, the currently in development Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse is ONLY for the Nintendo 3DS (but I’m guessing it will run on the new 2DS), but I and I’m betting nearly every Vita owner wants their own version of this game so they can see what all the fuss is about. I’m gathering Wayforward needs to hear from Vita owners (and PS3/PS4 owners) because this magic gal is the life of the party when it comes to delivering the classic gaming greatness that’s never going to die. Color me happier by the minute – keep it up Wayforward and the top of my head will flip clean off from smiling too broadly!

Shantae Virtual Console Trailer: WayForward’s Classic Finally Gets Rereleased

Posted on July 15, 2013 by geelw

If you’ve never played Shantae previously, that’s because you missed out on buying a copy when it was on the GameBoy Color (or you didn’t pirate it, you scallywag!), thus not having the pleasure of playing one of the best 2D platformers on the handheld. Well, as of this Thursday she’s baaaaaack, and this time it’s on the eShop for the 3DS. I actually like that the dev team didn’t gussy their girl up in a shiny HD coating, as the game was so well animated and colored for the GBC that it still holds up today as a prime example of a platformer at its finest. The best thing is you can now snap this one up for a song and NOT have to pay something like $100 or more for a copy of the game (it got one production run, but was VERY hard to find even back when it was initially released). Or maybe you can buy up $100 worth of codes and give them out to lucky friends who happen to own a 3DS or 3DS XL, you nice person, you…

WayForward Brings Shantae Back (Yeah!) As A Digital Download (Argh!)…

Posted on May 20, 2013 by geelw

Shantae's Back OK, before some of you think I’m totally nuts, let me explain. Way back in 2001 and 2002, WayForward Technologies made two games for the Game Boy Color that were completely amazing from a technical standpoint: Wendy the Witch: Every Witch Way and Shantae, both of which got one production run and despite some solid reviews from all over, never got the sales they so deserved.

“So, er… what’s so cool about these ancient games?” you ask? Well, it’s funny you should ask, dear reader. Here’s a very nice (and pretty lengthy) long play video of Shantae from YouTube user cubex 55 to check out and see for yourself what’s what:

Nice stuff, huh? Yeah, now YOU want one of your own too, right? Well, these days, complete copies of either game are ridiculously expensive (even cart-only versions command top dollar on eBay and game trading sites) and although the developer did indeed finally make a Nintendo DSi sequel to Shantae (Shantae: Risky’s Revenge, which also ended up on iOS devices), folks who wanted something more physical to own got shut out once again (bleh!). Well, the original Shantae is coming back after eleven years, but this time, it’s also a digital download hitting Nintendo’s eShop on June 20, 2013 for the Virtual Console. Sure, it’ll do well, but cranky old farts like me want a better way to keep the gal around a bit longer than as a download.

eshop

Heck, I’d bet a wooden nickel that some sort of crowd funding deal could get both Shantae games (and perhaps a Wendy remake) onto a disc for PC with all sorts of fun extras. The chances of these coming back to a cartridge are slim (it’s probably not very economical for a few reasons), I’ll admit, but at least there would be a bunch of people paying WayForward more for a new game and not getting the old ones of torrent sites (as I know more people have played Shantae and Wendy than own legal copies of either). Eh, we’ll see what’s what down the road, I guess. In a perfect world, both physical and digital versions would be available, but I know that’s a pipe dream these days…