This week, as
promised,
Bit. Trip: Beat arrives on the
PAL Wii Shop, ready to hypnotize and frustrate another set of Wii gamers. But that's not the only reason this week is special: it's joined by
a Virtual Console game. That's right, Virtual Console and WiiWare in the
same week. Totally crazy, right?
Galaxy Force II, stripped of its brilliant moving arcade cabinet for the Genesis version, comes off as a sort of
Space Harrier ... in space. It's not
great, but it sure is a Virtual Console game!
It gets crazier: there are also two
DSiWare games in the lineup.
Virtual Console:
- Galaxy Force II (Mega Drive,1 player, 800 Wii Points)
WiiWare:
- Bit. Trip: Beat (1-4 players, 600 Wii Points)
DSiWare:
- A Little Bit of ... Dr. Mario (1 player, 500 DSi Points)
- A Little Bit of ... Magic Made Fun: Funny Face (1 player, 200 DSi Points)
{ May 1st 2009 at 12:45PM } 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Maginomicon @ May 1st 2009 1:43PM
A little bit of Dr. Mario... in my life
A little bit of Magic Made Fun: Funny Face... OK no that fell flat.
Feba @ May 1st 2009 2:38PM
Oddly enough, Space Harrier in Space was how I first thought of it too.
And Eurobuddies, buy Bit.Trip Beat. You have been warned.
Roto13 @ May 1st 2009 2:44PM
Only buy Bit.Trip Beat if you can overlook really stupid game design choices.
naikrovek @ May 1st 2009 4:12PM
What? Stupid design choices? bit.trip beat is an awesomely balanced and well-designed game.
I challenge you! Enumerate your complaints with this game, so that I may see and evaluate them.
Roto13 @ May 1st 2009 4:17PM
The difficulty is based on memorization, which would be fine if the levels weren't 15 minutes long or at least had checkpoints. The backgrounds are distracting and the purple pixels are too hard to see. You need to get a high score to save, and that's easier said than done. Why would anyone think that any of these things are good ideas?
Anonymous @ May 1st 2009 5:50PM
This game isn't even that hard, stop whining. Boo, you can't memorize a couple different patterns that repeat themselves. They purposely made some of the dots harder to see, such as the green ones. And I've never had a time when I couldn't see the purple ones. Also, I've never gotten through a level without getting a high score, I didn't know you needed to do this until I heard everyone whining about it because they suck at the game. Unless you're in Nether the whole time, you should be able to get last place.
They're not bad ideas, it's part of the challenge. Maybe if you stopped to appreciate a challenge, you wouldn't have to complain about it online.
Markez @ May 1st 2009 5:59PM
Hmmm... Good info, roto. Have had a pile of like 3000 Wii points sitting around and have been thinking it's about time I actually buy something; this game was an option. Sounds like I'll pass on it. Might pick up High Voltage Hot Rod Show.
Any suggestions on your end? VC or WiiWare...
Roto13 @ May 1st 2009 6:45PM
"They're not bad ideas, it's part of the challenge. Maybe if you stopped to appreciate a challenge, you wouldn't have to complain about it online."
That's cute. You're cute. You obviously know nothing about my gaming habits, but that's so gosh darn adorable it makes me want to give your cheek a good pinch. I definitely appreciate a good challenge, but it has to be a fair one or it's just cheap and frustrating. Think Mega Man 9 and its amazing level design. There's nothing in it that jumps out and kills you if you don't know it's coming (well, except in Super Hero difficulty) but it's still a tough game. Bit.Trip Beat, however, has parts that no normal human being will be able to get past their first try. The only option is to die, remember what went wrong, come back and play for 5 or 7 or 10 minutes until you get there again, and then die at the next cheap part. As for the saving, I didn't miss a single beat through the first two sections of the first level and I never went into the "Nether" whatever it's called and I didn't get a high score. And even if I had, that's still an infinitely stupid saving system. Face it. It's a good idea with a really poor execution.
@ Markez: I don't know what you have so it's hard for me to make a recommendation. :P
Markez @ May 1st 2009 6:56PM
Small handful o' VC titles that I got about a year ago. WiiWare - Lost Winds, Final Fantasy, Strong Bad. Tis all!
Roto13 @ May 1st 2009 7:00PM
You mean... you DON'T have World of Goo? Because that's always the top recommendation for everyone who isn't that Bowser dude. xD
Also, I didn't see that comment below when I was writing my last reply. Good to hear that saving isn't borked in Europe. (Also, there are save files available on sites like GameFAQs that have all of the levels unlocked.)
RewRew @ May 1st 2009 6:24PM
Beat is not that hard. But then again, I am not a wuss.
CommanderVideo @ May 1st 2009 6:35PM
Hey everyone! Alex Neuse from Gaijin Games over here. I think that you'll be pleased to know that the high scores savegame issue is not in the European release. Sadly, that was a bug that made it into the shipped version for the US gamers. (Throw tomatoes at me... now.)
We're trying to see if we can get a patch out there, but in the meantime, we're going to make a special savegame file available on our website next week that will help folks get around this horrible issue. @Roto13, I'd be frustrated too, but rest assured it was not a design choice to killify you.
And in terms of the other issues: yes, the game is challenging, and on some TVs the purple beats are much harder to see than others (for the sequel, we've done our best to improve that). Also, the length of the levels is kind of hit and miss. Some folks love it, while others don't. Sadly, we can't please everyone.
Anyway, I hope that everyone in Europe who buys the game loves it! Have fun!
good fun @ May 2nd 2009 3:56AM
Nice to see the developer posting...
I just bought the US (NTSC?) version two days ago, and have really enjoyed the game. As one who grew up with pong on Atari, I have had a blast. I found the difficulty just right and enjoyed the challenge. I've unlocked "growth", but still find myself going back and replaying "transition" to boost my score. Kudos for designing a great game - look forward to more in this genre!
In response to Roto13 too - I can see where you're coming from, but don't like your MegaMan analogy. I found just as many parts in MegaMan that would be impossible to pass the first time without memorization too. As an older gamer (and perhaps you are too?), I find memorization to be a lost skill in games today. Not needed to make a great game - but not something I see as a minus either. If you have any interest in the new and upcoming PunchOut, or are a fan of the old games, you know that memorization is key there too.