Code Name C.H.E.A.P.

I don’t know how or why, but by some strange twist of fate, EB Games slashed the price on Code Name S.T.E.A.M. to $5 yesterday. Five dollars. The last time a Nintendo game got slashed down to bargain bin price was Metroid: Other M, and even that bottomed out at $15. The only other case I can think of is when Toys R Us was clearing out Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol for like $3. I still kick myself for not grabbing a copy.

Really, this almost never happens with Nintendo-published games. They may go on sale slightly, but they generally retain their full value until they’re re-released under the Nintendo Selects banner.

What this likely means is simply that Code Name STEAM (I’m not writing in all the periods every time) is probably the most ignored Nintendo game in history. I can see why, what with it being the complete opposite of what people expect from Nintendo: It’s not part of an established franchise, it’s all about guns (goofy as they may be), and it’s really difficult.

But -and I only have experience with the demo so far- it is an awesome, awesome game. It’s basically a Nintendoized version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Like, what more could you ask for? It’s just too bad it had to die such an underwhelming death. At least the other experimental new IP that Nintendo launched in 2015 was met with resounding success. Sometimes she goes, sometimes she doesn’t. Just the way she goes.

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