Lark's Lagoon

Welcome to Lark's Lagoon! This is the companion blog to Lark's Island, focusing on more spontaneous, timely content. I hope you'll check out the main blog as well! Network Links: Lark's Island Twitter Twitch

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Lark’s Island

Article Update: The Legacy of Wonder Boy

In light of the recent announcement that the Sega Master System classic Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap is getting a full HD remake, as well as the series getting a proper sequel in the form of Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, I decided to go back and update my old post about the Wonder Boy/Monster World series.  It’s not a major overhaul or anything, but I mention the new games, as well as added a little bit about the Saiyūki World series, which I neglected to include originally.

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First Yooka-Laylee Trailer Released

Just in time for E3, Playtonic Games has released the first trailer for their upcoming 3D platformer Yooka-Laylee. Originally intended to come out this year, the game is now scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2017. (Source)

In an interesting bit of news, Playtonic has also revealed that they are internally developing the game for Wii U and PC as the base platforms, with the PS4 and Xbox One ports being handled by Team17. (Source)

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Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Releasing on September 27

It’s been revealed that WayForward’s upcoming game Shantae: Half-Genie Hero will be releasing on September 27, 2016 in North America. The date was listed on GameStop’s online store and verified in a tweet by publisher Xseed Games. Xseed went on to note that the release date applied to both the physical and digital versions.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero will be available physically on Wii U, PS4 and PS Vita. The digital version will also be available on PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Windows PC.

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Xseed Games to Publish Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

It’s been announced that the next installment in WayForward’s Shantae series will be published in physical form by Xseed Games.  The “Risky Beats” edition will be available for Wii U, PlayStation 4 and Vita for US$29.99, and will come with a 20-track CD of music from the game.

This will be the first Shantae to be released physically since the original came out on Game Boy Color in 2002.

No release date has been announced at this time.

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Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap Reveal Trailer

The remake of Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap was teased just a couple of days ago, but we’re already getting a glimpse of what the game will look like in motion.

The remake is being developed by Lizardcube in cooperation with original creator Ryuichi Nishizawa, and published by DotEmu. Specific platforms have not been named, but it’s announced for consoles and PC.  A release date is not available at this time.

Check out the official site for more details.

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Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap Remake Teased

The website thedragonstrap.com seems to be counting down to a reveal for an official remake of the classic Sega Master System game Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap.  The developer is listed as Lizardcube with DotEmu publishing.  Little information is available at this time.

The game is separate from Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, an official sequel to the Wonder Boy/Monster World series from developer Game Atelier and publisher FDG entertainment that’s due out later this year.

The original game was developed by the now-defunct Westone Bit Entertainment and released in 1989, and is widely considered one of the best games for the Sega Master System.

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Ruminations - Quest for Glory

Lately, I’ve been slowly working my way through Sierra’s old Quest for Glory series. I haven’t finished it yet, though, so I can’t really write a proper retrospective, but it’s such an interesting series that I still wanted to express my thoughts on it. 

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Fans Attempt to Restore Nintendo’s Sky Skipper

Before Nintendo became the king of the home console business with the original NES, it had a good run as an arcade game developer, producing well-known titles like the original Donkey Kong and Mario Bros.

Among those efforts was a game called Sky Skipper.  The game’s small release in Japan was not very successful, and thus it was never released internationally. Furthermore, remaining arcade boards were converted into Popeye PCBs.  Thus, unaltered Sky Skipper arcade boards have become extremely rare, and no cabinets are known to exist in the wild.

However, a collector in the UK named Tony Temple happened across a converted Popeye board, and a friend managed to restore it back to its original Sky Skipper form.  Furthermore, he’s also attempting to recreate the original arcade cabinet based on old magazine and flyer images.  This would make it the only known fully-working Sky Skipper arcade cabinet in the world.

The unit is expected to be shown at a UK event later this year.

The full story with images can be read at Tony’s blog, The Arcade Blogger.

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Playtonic Details Plans for Yooka-Laylee

It’s been about a year since Playtonic Kickstarted Yooka-Laylee, their spiritual successor to Rare’s classic 3D platformers, and they haven’t revealed too many details since then.  But in a recent blog post on their official site, they’ve announced that they’re ready to start showing off what they’ve been working on.

The post describes some of the story and gameplay details, but also announces when more of the game will be shown. Thankfully, it’s not too far away, with a feature in Edge magazine, coverage from online game publications, and a presence at E3 all just around the corner.

A final release date has not been decided upon yet, but they’re still hoping to meet their initial target of later this year.

Check out the full post for all the details.

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Star Fox Zero: Shooting For the Stars

This is Nintendo swinging in the opposite direction of Wii Sports. With that, they made a game that anyone could play, including people who have never touched a videogame. With Star Fox Zero, they’ve created a genuine hardcore experience that even people who play games regularly may have trouble wrapping their heads around. It’s definitely not for everyone, and depending on how open you are to unique control methods, you probably already know whether or not it would be your cup of tea. 

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Monster Boy Gameplay Revealed

A German gaming show called Retro Klub recently streamed some gameplay of the upcoming game Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom.  Part 1 is embedded above (gameplay starts a little after the 7-minute mark). Click here for part 2.

The game is the official follow-up to the classic Wonder Boy/Monster World series. It’s being developed by Game Atelier and published by FDG Entertainment, and supervised by original series creator Ryuichi Nishizawa.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Wonder Boy/Monster World series, you can learn more about it from this terrific retrospective at Hardcore Gaming 101.

The new game is due out in the second half of 2016 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

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Some Notable Games Still Coming to Wii U (Besides Zelda)

Now that Star Fox Zero is out and Nintendo’s next console is on the horizon, support for the poor ol’ Wii U seems to be dried up. Sure, Zelda is still getting a Wii U release, but it’s also scheduled for the NX, and aside from downloadable indie games, what else is worth watching for?

As it turns out, there’s still a small handful of games still coming to Wii U that are worth keeping an eye on, and nearly all of them will be available physically. So, if you plan to keep rocking the Wii U into 2017 and want to continue building up your library, here are some recommendations.

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Looking Back at Star Fox

The Star Fox series is certainly eclectic. Sometimes, it doesn’t seem to know quite what it wants to do with itself. Nintendo never seemed satisfied with letting it just be the arcade rail shooter that fans prefer, and it instead used it as an outlet for experimentation and innovation with admittedly varied results. But that’s also what makes the series, as a whole, interesting.

I’ve enjoyed the Star Fox games over the years, and with one of the latest entries, Star Fox Zero, creating its own waves (both positive and negative), I felt compelled to look back at my own experiences with the series.

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Lark’s Island:

It’s funny how things come full circle sometimes. One day, you’re wondering what life is like on the other side of the tracks, and the next thing you know, you’re there.

These days, Nintendo seems to be in the position of “alternative game console.” They make the consoles you might choose to own as a supplement to another. Even the original Wii, with how phenomenally successful it was, was treated like a second-class citizen for most of its generation. Owning a Nintendo console as a primary gaming platform certainly provides a unique experience.

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Top Game Discoveries of 2015

#1 - Splatoon

Nonetheless, what is true is that Nintendo was being incredibly ambitious to shove Splatoon into the spotlight as a new major franchise that could stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Mario, Zelda and Pokémon. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime even boldly touted that Splatoon would be to online shooters what Mario Kart was to racing games. Those are some high expectations for a game in a genre that Nintendo had no previous experience in – online arena-shooters – and with no established brand recognition. Not to mention it was not created by the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto or any of the other old guard, but by a newer, younger team of Nintendo designers. Could this new generation really continue the legacy of the classic Nintendo magic?

Oh, yes. Yes, they can.

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Top Game Discoveries of 2015

#2 - Ys Origin

As a series, Falcom’s Ys chronicles the adventures of a red-haired youth named Adol Christin who travels around a European-inspired continent called Esteria. He traverses an overworld, explores dungeons, visits towns, helps people, slaughters hoards of monsters, and usually ends up exterminating some giant demon. In this context, Ys Origin is an anomaly, presenting a unique experience from any other Ys game.

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"Battle Royale" - Turbo Views #89 (TurboGrafx-16 / Duo game REVIEW!)  

Chris isn’t too impressed with this TurboGrafx wrestling game.