The Personal Brawl

Perhaps Nintendo's big secret with Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the sheer customization. First stickers, then trophies, and as of today - a stage builder! To sum up the details posted to the official blog you can create a stage of your own and, via WFC, you can also receive one random stage per day to enjoy. If the current plan holds that stage sticks around for one day and then is replaced by another. 

Beyond the "Dunn dunn dunn!" of the game's very Japanese director there is something a bit deeper below the surface. Nintendo has experimented with stage building and online sharing in Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. The level editor there was fun, and I even got to sharing with the editor of Push The Buttons (the awesome blog that inspired this one). The problem with MvDK2 is that the level editor was limited. Despite this I found sharing levels I made with my friends fun, and conquering their levels to be EXTREMELY addicting! It appears that Nintendo has thought it over and wants another go. If the quality of Brawl is as good as they say then this should bring the personal level concept to a whole new level of finish. And the virus I experienced before....will be BACK!

Prediction Confirmed!

One of the first things I did with Digital Stardust was predict that Sonic would be in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. As of today this has been confirmed. Sonic boasts a fantastic array of moves that include the spin dash and a Super Sonic final smash. Follow the link to check out a video of him in action. 

Prediction Score

Correct: 1

Incorrect: 0

Is Wii the new Dreamcast?

Sega traditionally has always been considered the more artistic video game company, particularly during the era of the Dreamcast. Some amazingly unique games came out for the system (Space Channel 5, anyone?) that are fondly remembered by gamers today. Unfortunately for Sega, their timing was just wrong and no one was receptive to the creativity that seems to be making a comeback today.

Sega has quietly announced that the cult hit, Samba De Amigo, is making a proud return on Wii. No dates have been announced, but I'm glad that for once Sega is taking a leaf out of my book and doing what the console was intended for. What's of note here is that SdA is joining another revived cult hit, Nights into Dreams, on the little console.  Rumors are also circulating that a new Space Channel 5 is also in development as well.  This begs the question - is Wii going to be the new, successful Dreamcast? Are Sega's creative juices going to flow again thanks to wide acceptance and a control scheme as unique as a pair of maracas? Only time will tell but I bet that some seriously unique games are going to be breaking TV screens from rogue Wiimotes.

Kingdom Hearts 3....Projects.

The intent of Digital Stardust isn't to become another IGN or Gamespot, however games that catch my eye will receive the occasional mention on here between all the other things I post.

How many of you don't have a PSP? A PS3? Unfortunately the jig is up if you're a fan of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. KH2.co.uk has unearthed some information from various magazines regarding the future of the series. Kingdom Hearts Zero is rumored for the PSP, featuring the story of Terra, one of the characters from the KH2 Final Mix Bonus trailer as well as one of the KH2 Final Mix bonus bosses. Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories 2 is rumored for the DS, no information on what's included there. Lastly we have the mysterious Kingdom Hearts (Unnamed Title) rumored for the PS3.

Details are sketchy regarding these titles but if you hop over to that link up there you'll find magazine scans with new screenshots including several with Terra, Roxas and Axel, Sora and King Mickey, and Organization XIII.

Keep in mind that these titles have not been formally announced, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the systems beneath the titles decide to switch around as it wouldn't be a wise idea to place a main title on a handheld when the console install base is a lot larger. A formal announcement is expected at Tokyo Game Show 2007, currently in progress.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to need to get a PSP again...and a PS3 of my own. Maybe.

Hot game: Worms Open Warfare 2

I've always been very skeptical of the Worms games on consoles and portables. It just seems like they don't transfer well and given the critical failure of last year's Worms Open Warfare it seems like the series was doomed for portables. I'm happy to say the Open Warfare 2 is definitely a step up and initial impressions lead me to believe this could be among the most cherished of all titles in the series! Between a good single player campaign and an extensive online mode the game can please everyone - even with single cartridge play! 

IGN has posted a good review as has GameSpot. So if you're looking to kick some ass using the classic bazooka or if you prefer the more exotic Buffalo of Lies check out Worms Open Warfare 2 for the Nintendo DS and PSP.

Still Going...

A quick note to my zero readers - Digital Stardust is not dead. Due to some personal life occurring I haven't been updating. This trend will end shortly.

Thank you.

Square Enix vs. North America: Final Mix

It's not unheard of in Japan to have a game come out and then be re-released later in some form of director's cut. Who hasn't heard of Resident Evil and it's many incarnations spanning nearly all platforms from the PSOne to the N64 to the Game Boy? Capcom has not been one to shy away from this practice and neither are other companies.

The Japanese market, while not as big as the North American market, has very different buying habits. Besides the government request that all games be released on Sunday to minimize the impact on national productivity, many games are repackaged with a little extra content and released at full price a bit after the original game. Square-Enix has capitalized on this with the director's cuts of many games such as Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts, and Kingdom Hearts II. The North American market has seen very few of these re-releases and when they do, it's generally a console port with added content so that the purchase is justified in the buyer's eyes.

The sad downside of this is many rough edges in Squeenix's releases are never really fully realized with a second publish for North America. Yuna's story in FF X-2 did continue...in Final Fantasy X-2 International + Final Mission. Sora was already having encounters with the blokes in hoods before Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories but you would only know that if you'd played Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix. Need some optional bosses, desire to fight all of Organization XIII at will, or see the fantasy of a 3D Chain of Memories? All that content is easily accessible in Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix +. Never heard of these games? They're Japanese only releases. 

The logic behind a lack of a NA release is maddening. Square has said they won't re-release a game citing a variety of reasons, yet Namco can release new editions of Pac-Man all day and they will still sell. The same runs with Resident Evil, Super Mario 64, any Madden game, Prince of Persia, Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid, and many more. All of these new releases are essentially the same game but they boast some new content and sell rather well, despite the fact that the best-seller $19.99 edition is sitting on the shelf right next to the new edition.

Square, take a leaf out of the sales book of North America and give us KH II: Final Mix + and all the other goodness you're still holding back. It shouldn't take 12 years to get a re-release in all cases.