Hoho! It’s time for the final Pixel x Pixel episode of 2020, and we’ve got lots of festive conversations to have, as well as lots of things we’ve been working on to talk about! Marcus is busy reviewing gaming-related peripherals but not actual video games, while Anne was on a cosplay panel and is gunning for affiliate status on Twitch, and of course, we also have to weigh in the hot gaming news topics of late, including the Cyberpunk 2077 and Devotion debacles.
19:30 – Media Minutes: Christmas Evil, Dial Santa Claus, Bomberman Hero, Violet Evergarden movie, Monster Prom 39:00 – Notable News: Monster Hunter movie removing racist joke, Monster Hunter Rise demo, Devotion debacle, Cyberpunk 2077 debacle, Funimation acquired by Crunchyroll, DRAMAtical Murder preorders open
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
It’s been a busy two weeks here at Villa de Pixel x Pixel! Marcus covers the Evercade Atari Lynx and watches exactly one movie, while Anne is busy with the Japanese Film Festival and has a (gasp) national TV appearance! Neither of us has had much time to play games, but that doesn’t keep us from talking about all the exciting gaming news that’s come up – including three new otome games coming out in English next year!
11:00 – Media Minutes: Tammy and the T-Rex, Hannibal, X-Files, Pokemon Picross 26:00 – Notable News: Three new otome game localizations coming from Aksys Games, SaGa Frontier remaster, NEO: The World Ends With You announcement, Monster Hunter World movie banned in China
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
Come now, and take a seat by the fire, for we have a tale to tell… a tale of a console launch. Marcus gets his mitts on the Xbox Series X, and regales us with its mystical prowess… at running retro games?! Anne doesn’t know what she’s done aside from streaming on Twitch occasionally and continuing to watch “good boy” television such as Hannibal and Supernatural. Come for the Xbox Series X impressions, stay for the Animal Crossing sit emote hype!
20:00 – Media Minutes: Memories within Miss Aggie, Pandemoniumi Nurse Sherri, Pledge Night, Hannibal and Supernatural updates 30:00 – Notable News: Twitch option to buy affiliate status and DMCA takedowns, new Animal Crossing: New Horizons content, Picross S5 and Fxxx Me Royally!! – Horny Magical Princess release dates
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
It’s November, and with that means new consoles coming, new games on the horizon, and lots of media to discuss! Marcus reviews the Evercade Oliver Twins collection and Xeno Crisis and Tanglewood cartridge as well as the HyperX SoloCast USB microphone. Anne doesn’t review anything, but she does play Cafe Enchante on the official Aksys Games Twitch and spruik the 2020 Japanese Film Festival in an interview. Phew, your podcast hosts sure have been busy!
11:00 – Media Minutes: Amazon Luna, House, Susperia, Kemono Friends Picross, Hannibal, The Dead Don’t Die, The Invisible Man 38:00 – Notable News: New consoles coming soon, Apex Legends now on Steam, Yoko Kanno to compose music for the Takarazuka Revue, Queer Japan documentary coming to the US on December 11, anime news roundup
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
Pixel x Pixel is in the future! We’ve hit the wondrous milestone that is episode 50, and with it, Marcus has delved into tech reviews with the HyperX QuadCast S mic and Anne returns to livestreaming after 7 years! We’re also excited to celebrate 50 episodes with a very special joint livestreaming coming later this week – join the Chic Pixel Pals Discord to hear the latest info.
15:00 – Media Minutes: Haunt, Maximum Overdrive, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory,Mad Max,Somali and the Forest Spirit, Supernatural season 14 32:00 – Notable News: Monster Hunter movie trailer, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light limited release
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
It’s time to get in the spooky spirit… with the Disney channel original movie Halloweentown! Anne and Marcus enjoy some minor spooks and Anne has a cameo in Trog. We’ve both got new reviews out (Anne with The Wonderful 101 Remastered and Marcus with Paradise Killer), Anne takes a look at what’s up with Hades, Marcus gets to talk about Silent Hill, and both have surprisingly strong feelings about Mario-themed food items.
19:00 – Media Minutes: Trog, Console Wars, Halloweentown, Legend of Deification, Somali and the Forest Spirit, Hades 42:00 – Notable News: Silent Hill 4 came out on GOG, PlayStation 5 news, Overcooked 2 Moon Harvest Festival update, Mario cafe
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
The Wonderful 101 is among the company of Pikmin 3 as one of a handful of Wii U games that actually attempted to utilize the gamepad in different ways. That made them seem like they couldn’t be translated to single-screen systems, but the developers have managed! And that’s a great thing, because now with The Wonderful 101 Remastered, more players have the chance to pick up one of PlatinumGames’ most unique titles.
Developed by PlatinumGames and originally released in 2013, The Wonderful 101 is an action-adventure game where you control a slew of superheroes called Wonderful Ones (of which there are, unsurprisingly, 100) to fight aliens. With its cartoony art style and isometric view, it looks and feels a bit like Viewtiful Joe plus Pikmin, which makes sense considering both Viewtiful Joe and The Wonderful 101 were directed by Hideki Kamiya and produced by Atsushi Inaba.
There’s also an additional multiplayer mode, if that’s your jam!
In addition to standard attacks for the main Wonderful One you’re currently controlling and a group attack to direct your current minions, The Wonderful 101 Remastered‘s gameplay consists of drawing various symbols with the right analog stick, mouse, or on the Switch touch screen or Dualshock touchpad depending on the system you’re playing on (the remaster is available for PC, Switch, and PS4). This initiates different Unite Morphs, which are Power Rangers/tokusatsu-style weapons created by assembling all of the Wonderful Ones.
For the most part, these symbols can be drawn relatively easily with the analog stick or the touch screen – in my case, I played on the Switch, usually in handheld mode, but I found it too cumbersome to do the touch screen input in the heat of battle. In fact, The Wonderful 101Remastered has a pretty high learning curve, and I pretty quickly found things surprisingly tough on the normal difficulty despite being familiar with the “Platinum standard.”
It doesn’t help that when playing on the Switch on portable mode – one of my favorite ways to play games these days – everything is much too small, from the characters to the text as well the popup menu that has replaced the Wii U’s second screen. The Wonderful 101 is definitely built for the big screen, which makes sense since it originally came out on the Wii U. Plus, it has the perfect Saturday morning cartoon feel!
Adding to the Saturday morning cartoon feel is the game’s levels, which are divided into operations. You’re scored on each operation, encouraging replays, and between each operation, you can purchase upgrades and new abilities. There are some new additions to the menu such icons that indicate upgrades that are recommended to purchase, but the remaster wouldn’t suffer by having a better introduction to the surprisingly complex gameplay mechanics.
Unfortunately, after a handful of hours with The Wonderful 101 Remastered, I still didn’t really feel like I had my head around the gameplay, unlike PlatinumGames titles such as Bayonetta or Nier Automata where I quickly clicked with the combat. The characters and dialogue, however, are humorous and endearing, and each new antic brought a smile to my face.
If you have the patience to stick with it long enough to get the hang of the fast-paced gameplay, you’ll be rewarded with a lighthearted, arcade-style experience. It may take me a while to chip away at it, but as a fan of PlatinumGames’ unabashed style and dedication to creating unique experiences, I’m going to do my best to see The Wonderful 101 Remasteredthrough!
