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[SonicMegaDrive]

So, I was browsing my local Gamestop earlier today and I happened upon a copy of Astro Boy for the Gameboy Advance. I didn't think it was already released, so I took it to the clerk to make sure it wasn't just a preview box or something. Sure enough, it was legit. He told me it was the only copy of the game they recieved(I also picked up the only copy of Wade Hixton's Counter Punch they recieved. Whoever heard of shipping one copy of a game to a store?). This convinced me; I had to buy it.

So how is the game? I was skeptical at first, after hearing about how the PS2 version turned out. But no Treasure game has ever steered me wrong. And they didn't this time - this is a fun game! If you've enjoyed games like Dynamite Headdy or Gunstar Heroes, then you'll feel right at home here. In fact, Astro Boy borrows quite heavily from both games. The control scheme is somewhat confusing at first but you'll get used to it in about 40 seconds. Did I mention bosses? Anybody familiar with Dynamite Headdy knows what I'm talking about here. This game has lots. There appear to be many secrets hidden throughout the game that can be found by performing various tasks, ala Dynamite Headdy. These secrets are used as a Power Up for Astro Boy, as you can pick any stat of your choice to upgrade(life, punch, beam, ect.)Based on limited playtime, I can say that this is quite the challenging game. You have unlimited continues, but you'll have to use some quick reflexes and skills to advance through this game.

Of course, no Treasure title would be complete without the obligitory shooting stage.

I recommend this game very highly to those who enjoy platformers with an arcade-feel to them. High on challenge, low on frustration, this is a great purchase for those looking for a game that can be played in short, spontaneous periods.

 

[FortNinety]

Dear God, please don't tell me Sega made 6 copies of this game.

 

[Wario64]

The lack of replies in this thread makes me cry

 

[Panajev2001a]

Dear God, please don't tell me Sega made 6 copies of this game.

They probably made two million copies of the PS2 one though, if this can make you feel any better.

 

[BuddyC]

The lack of replies in this thread makes me cry

Hence my response, which signals my agreeance upon the founding principles of this thread.

 

[Alcibiades]

did Sega publish this, or THQ?

that may answer some questions, or it may not...

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

Yup, Sega themselves published it.

 

[Alcibiades]

Yup, Sega themselves published it.

 

[FortNinety]

They probably made two million copies of the PS2 one though, if this can make you feel any better.

It's not working. Sega always makes too many copies of crap games and not enough for the good ones.

 

[Panajev2001a]

It's not working. Sega always makes too many copies of crap games and not enough for the good ones.

I know this, I was being sarcastic with the "if this can make you feel any better".

 

[drohne]

picked it up today. already had the import. i can read the dialogue now. amusingly, this sheds little light on the plot or characters. who are all these weirdos, and what are they up to? so it's licensed, but it's thoroughly a treasure game. i like the logic of the power-up system, though: astro's limiters are removed as he comes to know and understand different people. as he becomes more empathetic and human, he can be trusted with more of his power. it's rare that gameplay ties into story so elegantly. neat spot of design.

anyway, it's a brilliant game. as good as anything treasure have ever done, and by extension as good as action games get. gba desperately, desperately needs more games like this. although with the ds and psp impending, i wonder if it'll get them.

and i think sega might have done a small print run -- the gamecrazy and gamestop by me were only getting enough to fill preorders. though i only preordered mine at gamestop yesterday, so maybe i got their one shelf copy. might not want to wait on this one.

 

[Randam_Hajile]

We only got in two copies at work today and sold them both immediately (one purchased by me). Hopefully we'll get in more soon since I've been telling so many customers that this is a "must own" GBA title. I've played the Japanese version like a fiend since it came out. Love this game to death.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

If you're an animation buff like myself, you'll appreciate the special appearances by none other than

The Amazing Three
and

Jungle Emperor Leo

 

[Randam_Hajile]

I like that they left in the character profiles for all the random Tezuka cameos.

 

[Brandon F]

Amazing game, drohne pretty much summed up my thoughts so far, but I never touched the import.

In classic Treasure fashion, boss encounters are a spectacle. Exuberant, flashy, and extremely pattern-focused. Not a single let-down thus far in the half-dozen I have faced just a few stages in.

Surprisingly involving narrative in place, yet with enough zip and brevity to keep the action rolling. In many ways the cutscenes carry the same pep as the punchy-shooty action, stuffing the screen with busy imagery and manga-esque placards that detail who and where butt-kicking happens next. Magnificent direction for such a niche gem.

Secrets and upgrades abound, this truly is one of the best GBA titles yet released in 2004. I was appalled that I purchased the first of ONLY 2 COPIES my local Gamestop received this afternoon. Meanwhile 'Juiced' racked up a pre-order not 5 minutes after a customer witnessed the OXM demo playing on the kiosk...ugh.

 

[Diomedeskun]

I just got the game as a gift today. I had not planned on buying it myself, as my brief play had not seemed very interesting, but I discovered that I had accidentally played on easy before.

Raising the difficulty makes it one of the most fun 2D action games I have ever played. I love the classic pattern-based bosses that fill the screen. Just a bout all the other great qualites have been discussed already.

 

[Kiriku]

Astroboy the series rocks.
I tried this game briefly and...man, it rocks too! And for the first time since I don't remember when, I feel like buying a GBA again. Ah, maybe later.

 

[Alcibiades]

edit: wrong thread

 

[6.8]

They still didn't have it at my EB yesterday!!!! I have fury!

 

[mosaic]

I don't blame Sega too much for not shipping out enough copies... most 3rd party GBA games sell terribly... and it's up to stores to order what they feel they'll need.

But it's still a shame since the game is getting plenty of critical praise and positive word of mouth. Maybe it'll end up like Advance Wars, which was short shipped and took months to sell out, before getting a 2nd (3rd, 4th, etc) wind based on word of mouth.

If it's any consolation, Target and TRU probably ordered more than 2 copies per store... just gotta wait for them to put 'em on shelves.

 

[Joeholley]

But no Treasure game has ever steered me wrong.

I take it you never played the horrible disk labelled 'Stretch Panic'?

 

[mosaic]

Stretch Panic has its defenders -- people who call the game revolutionary -- and those are the people that scare me. Same bunch who go out trick or treating at age 23. *grin*

Lord... I can't believe I bought that game, even if it was $20... and I feel sorry for the nut that bought it from me off eBay for like $40 or so... 'sup with that?

No surprise that Conspiracy, the publisher in the US, hasn't done much since.

But Treasure does no wrong with 2D... or 3D games with 2D gameplay... Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Headdy, McDonald's Treasureland Adventure, Contra Hard Corps, Yu Yu Hakusho (Megadrive), Guardian Heroes, Sin & Punishment, Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga, all those other titles I forgot...

(BTW, I'm out in the boonies near Holland, MI for a couple days... the EB and GameStops here have copies of Astro Boy in stock... so hey, check the burbs and boonies near you.)

 

[NLB2]

They still didn't have it at my EB yesterday!!!! I have fury!

I just started playing Mario and Luigi. That game has by far the best intro of all time.

 

[FortNinety]

Stretch Panic has its defenders -- people who call the game revolutionary -- and those are the people that scare me. Same bunch who go out trick or treating at age 23. *grin*

Lord... I can't believe I bought that game, even if it was $20... and I feel sorry for the nut that bought it from me off eBay for like $40 or so... 'sup with that?

No surprise that Conspiracy, the publisher in the US, hasn't done much since.

But Treasure does no wrong with 2D... or 3D games with 2D gameplay... Gunstar Heroes, Dynamite Headdy, McDonald's Treasureland Adventure, Contra Hard Corps, Yu Yu Hakusho (Megadrive), Guardian Heroes, Sin & Punishment, Radiant Silvergun, Ikaruga, all those other titles I forgot...

(BTW, I'm out in the boonies near Holland, MI for a couple days... the EB and GameStops here have copies of Astro Boy in stock... so hey, check the burbs and boonies near you.)

Perhaps this is embarassing to admit.... or maybe not.

I got Stretch Panic for the cheap not too long ago. I knew it was bad from all the negative reviews, but it was Treasure and only $20, so I figured what the hey.

I turned it on once and for some reason, could not figure out how to get past the very first part of the game. Maybe I wasn't trying hard enough or simply was impatient and was overlooking something very obvious, but I couldn't get past it. I haven't played it since.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

Nope. I haven't played Stretch Panic. I don't own a PS2. I Only care about X-Box and GameCube.

 

[djtiesto]

Yeah, Stretch Panic was a glorified tech demo, not really a game... it was really awkward to play and just fighting bosses and pulling on giant boobs with a long scarf wasn't really appealing

Astro Boy seems pretty good... the story is whacked out, the graphics are beautiful... my one complaint with this game is that it's sometimes too hard to dodge bullets... you're in the middle of a 3 hit punch combo and can't break out of it to avoid the bullet in time... and you can't duck/block attacks either. That really pisses me off, as well as the recovery time when you get knocked down seems to take a while. I overall enjoy the game, but I'll need to play more I think. I love powering up my guy...

 

[Diomedeskun]

The large beam blast destroys round bullets and the machine gun makes you invincible, as does the dash/boost.

 

[Mejilan]

I picked up Silhouette Mirage, Hamtaro: Ham Ham Games and both Astro Boy titles today. Haven't had the chance to play any just yet.

 

[TekunoRobby]

Astro Boy for the GBA weeps that no one purchases him. He remains alone and untouched at the local video game stores yet some children have managed to pick up the piss poor PS2 game.

I of course picked up my copy on day one even after playing the hell out of the import.

 

[Mermandala]

got paid and bought it today - it's awesome from the get-go. a testament to fun constructed pixel-by-pixel. need to play more.

 

[BobbyRobby]

I bought the last copy(of two) at my Gamestop today. It is incredibly fun, and its kicking my ass, and I'm only playing on the normal difficulty. Thank god for unlimited continues.

 

[Mejilan]

This game is AWESOME.

 

[Mejilan]

Ahhh, I beat the game fully a couple of hours ago. (Replay, all 8 stages, Omega Factor totally filled, etc.)

Best pure action game on the GBA, IMHO.

 

[nitewulf]

why dont they drop the price of the GBA SP already, im itching to buy one.

 

[Vargas]

why dont they drop the price of the GBA SP already, im itching to buy one.

They likely won't drop the price because it stills sells quite a bit every month.

 

[FortNinety]

why dont they drop the price of the GBA SP already, im itching to buy one.

With a ton of great games for the GBA (Astro Boy included) and the SP selling like hot cakes, don't expect that anytime soon.

BTW, I got my copy of Omega Factor, and it rocks. Plus, here's a true story of when I actually got the game at the local Gamestop...

Me:”Do you have Astro Boy for the GBA in?”

Gamestop Clerk: “Yes we do.”

Me: “Good. I’ll take one.”

Gamestop Clerk: “I dunno if you should do that. I heard it sucked”

Me: “First off, you have it confused with the PS2 version, which does indeed suck. Second, do you want my money or what?”

- silence -

Gamestop Clerk: “Would you like to preorder Halo 2…”

Me: “NO.”

 

[nitewulf]

i think ill get one anyway, i gotta play astro boy...just that the monetary situation has been pretty tight.
edit: why wouldnt you wanna preorder halo 2??

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

Good news! Major retails appear to be getting them. I got 8 copies of the game in at work today(WalMart). I honestly never expected to get any in. It seems these days, we never get any of the newest good games in stock(except sports titles). Anyway, if you're having a hard time finding the game at Gamestop, try WalMart.

 

[ManaByte]

Just got back from Fry's with my copy (the had a ton). The game rocks!

 

[Dilbert]

I picked up a copy at the Fry's in Manhattan Beach today, and they had least eight or nine copies still on the shelf. It was $30. Also, I believe they are running a sale on GBA SPs -- $85, if memory serves. Check the ads in the paper.

Of course, I've had one of those days and haven't had a chance to play it yet...but I should hopefully have some hours for gaming tomorrow.

 

[Mejilan]

Man, the gameplay in this title is so solid.

I love dashing right into the middle of a group of foes, then turning in one direction, kicking the closest one into all the rest on that side, then turning around to smack around the closest on the other side, only to notice that one of the untouched fools in the back is shooting a beam. So, only thing to do is to dash trhough the remaining enemies, and kicking the furthest one all the way across, smacking into not only those I dashed through, but also the survivors from the first group I knocked down, then following that up with a dash towards the now huge mass of tumbling baddies, and juggling all their asses for multiple, combo'd kills.

This game is SICK. It's all about set ups and complex patterns, only more intuitive and 'on the fly' then, say, Ikaruga's.

 

[Brandon F]

So I beat the game completely(practically required 3 playthroughs!) but still ended up missing a few characters on the compendium list.

Anyone figure out where to find the straggler in stage 3-3? (The one with all the steam if you have no sensors, lots of electric walls to dodge and such too) I've gone through that stage 10 times trying to punch or blast every wall, but I can't find the missing person there! Astro tells me there is one, but I think he is just teasing me....what's the deal?

Game rocked though. Hell, I dug it more than Viewtiful Joe! Fabulously crafted boss patterns! Good rhythmic slaughtering that isn't quite so technical ala Joe.

I actually tried to follow along with the strange plotline, but all the names and faces got jumbled together and I was really lost when suddenly plot twists and revelations are spewed out every 30 seconds in 2nd playthrough...

 

[Gribbix]

Anyone figure out where to find the straggler in stage 3-3? (The one with all the steam if you have no sensors, lots of electric walls to dodge and such too) I've gone through that stage 10 times trying to punch or blast every wall, but I can't find the missing person there! Astro tells me there is one, but I think he is just teasing me....what's the deal?

That one took me quite a while to find too. You know that area with all the electrified platforms? Stand on top of the one with the electrified side pointing towards the ground. Then fire your finger laser to the left of the screen until the character shows up.

 

[drohne]

yeah, i like it better than viewtiful joe as well. has a sense of momentum and rhythm that joe really lacks. treasure's depth of experience with action games shows.

i remember having to check a faq for this, but i think i know which character you're missing in level 3:

Spoiler

when you first go into the foggy room, you'll find one of those electrified platforms that's facing downwards. it's near the bottom of the room. stand on that platform and keep punching in various spots, and eventually you'll break an invisible wall. i haven't gone through finding all the characters in the domestic version yet, so this information might be slightly inaccurate or outdated.

 

[ManaByte]

Has anyone actually played the PS2 one Sonic Team did?

 

[Brandon F]

What bothers me in Joe is that in most cases proper offensive strategy involves waiting and countering before the punching and kicking can properly commence. The pacing of combat becomes a total chore, particularly later on with tougher grunts that require an almost puzzle-like approach to actually beatdown. Breaking through enemy defenses becomes a very tiring gesture that needn't be so prevalent when cluttering the screen with a dozen mobs.

Some may prefer the strict nature of the beast and the required patience to capitalize on their weaknesses, but I felt it detracted from the fun of just beating on people. DMC put similar limitations on enemy types, but maintained the thrill of being able to whallop without the fuss.

Had the useage of Joe's time abilities been utilized as a complement to his natural moves, rather than a requisite to killing(like Astro's EX abilities), I would have probably loved the game a whole load more.

Oh and you guys were both right about the missing person. Very easy to miss. Now all that I have left is #44 on the list...

 

[disabledHeliocentric]

This game is unadulterated whoop ass. I had to wait a few days, after I bought it, to play it because I had to buy a new power supply for my flame SP. So the anticipation had built to a sizable and noticable craving. I plug the cart in and immediately I'm impressed by the way it looks and plays, and all the cool enemies to fight. Also it seems polished. I'm only on the third level, but so far I'd temper my enthusiassm by saying it's no Gunstar Heroes. It's a lot of fun though.