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PB & Jason   

PB & Jason Issue 82: Mr. PB & Jason

Doesn't Mr. Game & Watch deserve a full game to call his own?

This week on PB & Jason: Lies, deceit, evil twins, a wedding, and a funeral! No, no, not really. Instead, there's talk about Kid Icarus: Uprising! Nintendo's favorite angel takes on the armies of the underworld and also multiplayer vs. matches. What do I think about Pit's revival? Well, let's just say it inspired me to speculate about what could be done to bring back two other Nintendo franchises that are basically dead in the water at this point: Game & Watch and Balloon Fight. What kind of makeover would they get? You'll have to listen to find out!

Of course, those with listener mail can always contact me by sending email to jason@pixlbit.com. Come back next Wednesday for Issue 83! I'm sure it'll be next week's best ever PB & Jason, too!


 

Comments

Angelo Grant Staff Writer

04/05/2012 at 11:45 AM

When you said Balloon Fight, I almost jumped right through the roof of my car.  That is one of my all time favorite NES games, and I have been racking my brains for years now for a way to bring it back.  

I think the best idea I had was in the later part of the N64 era.  It was basically just an idea for the original Balloon Fight, but in a slice of urban 3d space using the (then revolutionary) Z Targeting system to lock on to your foes.  The urban environment would have all the rooftop perches you would need to replace the platforms on the original title, traffic below could replace the sea monster (but would obviously be no where near as awesome!) and you could have some low flying aircraft replace the balls of lightning that would chase your around if you took too long on a particular level in the original.  Maybe the original sea monster could make an 'Easter Egg' style appearance if you flew too close to an in game body of water, like a pond or river or something, complete with the chip tune melody that played when a critter got snagged in the original game.

Our Take

Esteban Cuevas Staff Alumnus

04/05/2012 at 09:14 PM

Kid Icarus: Uprising is one of the games I plan on buying whenever I get enough money to buy a 3DS (along with Super Mario 3D Land). lol. I'm extremely excited for that game.

The last few Sonic games (Generations, Colors, All-Stars Racing) have been fun to me. I know you disagree but I've enjoyed them. However, they do feel like the same Sonic game since Adventure except done well. I would like to see something new.

I am not in favor of a Skylanders type of a idea. I would rather Sega take the Sonic series away from Sonic Team and give it to someone else. It worked with Sonic Chronicles, it can work again. I actually have had an idea for a Sonic idea for awhile and I write stuff down as I get new ideas for the concept.

Jason Ross Senior Editor

04/05/2012 at 10:21 PM

Oh, I don't disagree about All-Stars Racing. I don't really count it as a Sonic game, though. I also enjoyed Generations (on the 360/PS3) well enough, too. Colors, I didn't like. The game moved on auto-pilot far too often, had all of about one or two enemy types, the power-ups were underutilized, the camera was often wonky, and the platforming seemed off, since Sonic had an unnatural float to his jump. Also, so many stages reused segments from other stages to artificially extend the game, and I didn't enjoy that.

I'd like to see something new as well, and I don't like the Skylanders idea because of how expensive it is. I'm all for something new with Sonic, just to see how it goes. At this point, I hate how much Sonic is geared towards kids, not because it's family friendly, but the dialog during cutscenes is so obnoxious. If there's a plot to advance in Sonic, from now on, it should be done Kid Icarus: Uprising style, where the characters have conversations while you're playing the game. Then, at least, I wouldn't feel like I was just sitting there watching dumb conversations. Sonic Generations suffered from this, just like Sonic Colors did.

Anyway, I would like to see a Sonic reboot. As it stands now, it's all about hot, nasty speed in so many cases, and where it isn't, there's usually gameplay issues or seriously dull stage design problems. I say *actually* take the hog back to his Genesis roots, which doesn't mean creating terrible stages that try to mimic prior Sonic stages, but add boosters and chains of enemies to homing attack up, or restart it all, since the Sonic Unleashed-style 3D gameplay isn't all that exciting, even though it works decently at points.

Esteban Cuevas Staff Alumnus

04/05/2012 at 11:16 PM

My idea does involve taking Sonic back to the forest. It actually specifically mentions the planet Mobius and the group Sonic was a member of in the comic books, the Freedom Fighters (diggin deep in the mythos of Sonic). I would just say this: Sonic's whole thing is speed, specifically running. So why not have him running away?

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