Reader Discussion: Updating Classic Games

Many of the icons of the gaming industry have been around since the 8-bit era. Characters like Mario, Samus, and Link are instantly familiar, but the gameplay surrounding them changes with each new hardware cycle. Advancing technology is inevitable, but is there a point when certain game series should just stick to what they became known for?

Our review of Metroid: Other M is up, and it got me thinking about how many gaming franchises could benefit from a back-to-basics approach. I've always loved Metroid, but for me, the 2D entries are leagues beyond the Prime series (and I haven't played Other M yet). At this point, I don't want to see another reinvention of Metroid; I just want more games in the classic vein, like Zero Mission, Super Metroid, and Fusion.

There are many examples out there: Castlevania only runs into disaster when it deviates from its exploration-focused 2D formula, and Street Fighter was all but obsolete until it embraced its old-school sensibilities again with Street Fighter IV.

What do you think? Are there certain games that just shouldn't be modernized? Is "updating" proven formulas just trying to fix something that isn't broken? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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New Telltale Game Looks Like An Awesome Crossover

If you're a fan of the adventure genre, you've heard of Telltale Games. The developer behind the recent Sam & Max episodes (and the Strong Bad game) has released a trailer teasing its latest project, and it has some surprise stars.

The video begins with the words "Bet you never thought these guys would get together." Then we see the silhouettes in the image above: Tycho from Penny Arcade, Max from Sam & Max, the Heavy from Team Fortress 2, and Strong Bad from HomestarRunner.com. The teaser concludes with the mysterious phrase: "Find out how 9.2.2010."

If this is a single game, it would be a momentous crossover. Of course, the enigmatic "find out how" means that there could be more to the situation than meets the eye. We'll just have to wait for the announcement next week.

In the meantime, head over to Game Trailers to watch the video for yourself.

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Commodore 64 Is Back!

I wonder how much of my childhood was spent waiting for a Commodore 64 game to load. I'm not proud to admit this, but the Commodore 64 in my household was purchased from a friend who had bootlegged almost every game that was ever made. I must have had three hundred floppy discs worth of games, many that were free of labels. Part of the fun was popping in a disc to see what game would pop up. In hindsight, I can't remember many that I thought were good.

Flash forward to now (use a magical Wayne's World-like effect if you need to). I'm not sure if I believe this news entirely yet, and I probably won't until I have an actual retail unit in my hands, but Commodore USA has reached a licensing agreement to create Commodore branded all-in-one keyboard computers, including a model that is an exact replica of the original Commodore 64. You know, the ugly beige box that suddenly looks awesome because it looks old.

The flagship model in Commodore USA's line is called the Phoenix. Only two inches tall and 17.5 inches wide, this sleek keyboard boasts four USB ports, two serial ports, 2 PS2 ports, and ports for LAN, VGA, parallel, and audio/line/Dual DVI. Powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo or Quad Core processor, it features an advanced chipset, and up to two terabytes of storage space.

As for the other two models, the awesomely named Invictus offers a touch pad, whereas the not-so awesomely named Amigo targets the budget-conscious consumer.

According to the site's store, you can order the computers now, and they'll ship within three weeks. The classic design is not yet available. Check out Commodore USA's website for more information.

And I'm just going to think this is all a hoax until I get my hands on one.

[via Gizmag and GI tipster Kevin Creedy]

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An Easy Achievement/Trophy In Scott Pilgrim

The Scott Pilgrim game has a fairly reasonable list of achievements and trophies, but the one called Invulnerable can be a pain. Or rather, it can be a pain if you don't watch this video.

Between posting news stories today, I've been playing a lot of Scott Pilgrim, trying to figure out the best way to grab the Invulnerable achievement. It requires that you play through an entire stage (not including the boss) without getting hit. It's tricky, so I did a little bit of online research, and I thought I'd share what I found in case you're having the same problem I was.

So watch the video, and happy achievement/trophy hunting!
(Please visit the site to view this media)
The video shows the trophy unlocking on the PS3 version, but I can personally confirm that the same trick works on the 360 iteration.

(Thanks to youtube user LKG21 for making the video)

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Mystery Game From Sony To Be Revealed On Wednesday

The Tokyo Game Show is coming up in September, and it looks like Sony is trying to build up excitement for a title that may be making an appearance. All we have right now is a mysterious countdown site, which will hit zero this coming Wednesday.

You can check out the site for yourself right here. At the moment, all you'll see is a well-dressed man knitting in the smoke and dark, surrounded by a couple other guys in suits. The countdown is on Sony Japan's site, so it's possible that whatever the game is, it may not even be bound for a North American release.

We'll know more at around on Wednesday evening (7:00 PM Pacific time). And, presumably, even more after TGS next month.

[via andriasang and GI tipster Meta77]

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Batman: Arkham City Wallpapers For Everyone

We've got images based on both covers for all types of monitors, PS3 and 360 backgrounds, and iPhones. Come and get it!

PC Instructions
Left-click on the proper resolution (click here to find out your screen's rez if you don't know), right-click on the image that appears, and select "set as desktop background" from the menu options.

PS3 Instructions
1. Download an image and save it to your Desktop.
2. Plug in PMD (Portable Memory Device -Memory Stick, Compact Flash, SD card or USB Flashdrive) to your computer.
3. Transfer your image to anywhere on your PMD.
4. Unplug PMD from your computer. Plug it into your PS3.
5. On the PS3 XMB go to your Photo section.
6. Highlight (Hover over) the PMD and press [Triangle].
7. Select [Display All] from the options menu.
8. Locate the image. Press Triangle.
9. Select [Copy] from the action menu and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the operation.
10. When viewing a photo, simply bring up the options screen by pressing the [Triangle] button and selecting "Set As Wallpaper" from the options displayed.

360 Instructions
1. Save the image to a USB Flashdrive like steps 1 through 3 above.
2. Unplug USB drive from your computer. Plug it into your 360.
3. Hit the guide button and go to the media blade. Select "Picture Library."
4. Select "Portable Device."
5. Navigate to the image and hit the Y button to "Apply as Background."

iPhone Instructions
1. Navigate to this page on the iPhone. Be sure you're viewing it in "Full Site" rather than the mobile edition.
2. Hit the iPhone rez link to bring up the image.
3. Hold your finger on the image to bring up a menu. Hit "Save Image."
4. Find the image in your photo gallery.
5. Hit the icon in the bottom left corner and select "Use as Wallpaper."

COVER ONE (Above)

Standard
1280x1024
1600x1200

Panoramic
1280x960
1680x1050
1920x1200

Dual Monitor
3840x1200

TV (PS3, 360)
1920x1080
1280x720
640x480

iPhone
640x960

COVER TWO

Standard
1280x1024
1600x1200

Panoramic
1280x960
1680x1050
1920x1200

Dual Monitor
3840x1200

TV (PS3)
1920x1080
1280x720
640x480

iPhone
640x960

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Guild Wars 2 Necromancer Class Revealed

"A Necromancer feeds on life force," reads the official Guild Wars 2 site. Sounds good to us.

The second caster class to be announced, Necromancers have a variety of positional effects, minions, and the ability to fight on beyond their own death for a limited time. As cool as the dramatic fireballs and ice storms that Elementalists throw around are, Necromancers may have them beaten in the badassery department.

Necromancers use wells and marks to generate static area effects. They can have a single well active at a time. The example given is Well of Blood, which significantly increases the regeneration rate of allies within its radius. Marks work a little differently. These spells are targeted on the ground and have a variety of effects, like the enemy-damaging Mark of Blood (I'm sensing a theme here) that also speeds nearby allies' regeneration.

Necros also get minions, which do their master's bidding in death as in life. For instance, the Blood Fiend (okay, ArenaNet, we get it already) heals its master every time it strikes an opponent and can be sacrificed for a larger heal. All pets will have an associated skill that becomes active only when the pet is summoned.

Death Shroud is going to drive enemy PvPers nuts. This intrinsic class ability lets Necromancers fight on using the life force they've built up during combat even after their own body is destroyed. Should the Necro get a kill in the Death Shroud state (or expend his stored life energy), he is bound once again to his own flesh.

I'm not going to lie. This class sounds awesome, just like the other announced Guild Wars 2 classes do. At some point ArenaNet is going to have to let us play the freaking game already.

For more Guild Wars 2 talk, check out this week's Respec Radio podcast, where I hold forth at great length about the game's dynamic PvE content. You can get largely similar information in written form in the huge novel I wrote about it from Gamescom, if you're more into reading than hearing Andy and me make fun of Phil's guild.

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