Finally, a portable Space Channel 5 player!

Space Channel 5 isn't the only game I'd play on a portable Dreamcast; I'd also play ChuChu Rocket!, Jet Grind Radio and Shenmue, among others.

Of course, that would require both the existence and purchase of such a system.

Surprisingly, the former point of contention is about to be taken care of thanks to ... some company that isn't Sega. Said company's portable Dreamcast (below) will be sold via pachimon.tv beginning next month. The system's price tag: ¥38,000 (about $470).

As much as I'd love to play Space Channel 5 and ChuChu Rocket! during my next flight or road trip, I think I'll hang on to my hard-earned money and play games on my DS instead.

(Via andriasang.com)

Move over, Marilyn

Have you ever looked at Princess Peach and thought, "hmmm, she really reminds me of Marilyn Monroe"? I can't say I have, either.

I'll certainly be thinking that from now on, though, thanks to the following piece of pixelated art--title: "The Seven Year Peach"--which was created by London-based designer and illustrator Aled Lewis (aka fatheed).

To see more of Lewis' stuff, check out his Flickr photostream, his tumblog (Aled Knows Best) or his website.

See also: 'This one's for the ladies' and 'Size doesn't matter if you can perfect the Rising Dragon Punch'

Another day, another Nintendo-inspired t-shirt design (or two)

There are a lot of things I'd blow my money on if I ever won the lottery. A PC Engine LT would be one such thing; a copy of All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. would be another.

Also, I'd buy every game-inspired t-shirt that caught my eye--with t-shirts bearing the designs below (created by artist Glen Brogan) being among my first post-lottery purchases.

The top design is called "Bottled Fairy," by the way, while the bottom one is called "Great Shelled Dragon."

If you've already won the lottery and you'd like to add either or both of the above-mentioned shirts to your wardrobe, pay a visit to Brogan's Split Reason store.

I'm not sure how I feel about Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax

Marvelous' Half-Minute Hero is one of those games that have resided on my lengthy "to buy" list for some time but, for various reasons, have yet to make their way into my grubby little hands.

No worries if you're not a fan of the XBLA version's new graphics; 

the pixelated ones of the PSP original will be available too.

Unfortunately, the much-ballyhooed PSP title (buy it here) may never make it off that list thanks to the developer's decision to bring an updated version of it to Xbox Live Arcade.

This sort-of remake (more on that in a second) will be added to the Xbox 360's download service on June 29 with a price tag of 800 Microsoft Points, a subtitle ("Super Mega Neo Climax") and a visual overhaul.

The one thing that may keep me from purchasing this iteration of the game instead of the PSP original is that it appears the former will only include one of the four modes that were featured in the latter.

The new art style displayed in Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax 

is sure to earn mixed reactions from fans of the original. 

For more information on Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax, check out GamePro's recent hands-on impressions of the title (here).

Drew Green's 'Sakura vs. Shuma-Gorath'

I could hardly be called the world's biggest fan of fighting games. In fact, I don't think I've played one since, oh, the 1996 release of the Sega Saturn version of Street Fighter Alpha, I think?

Although I haven't played a fighting game since before the turn of the century, I continue to be attracted to the genre--mainly because of its typically wacky casts of characters.

Case in point: Marvel vs. Capcom 3's Sakura and Shuma-Gorath, both of whom are colorfully and deliciously depicted in the Drew Green illustration below.

To see more of this Atlanta-based artist's creations, check out his blog, deviantART gallery, Flickr photostream or tumblog.

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (GoldenEye 007 Wii edition)

Although European and North American gamers have been playing the Wii version of Activision's GoldenEye 007 don't-call-it-a-remake-of-the-classic-Nintendo64-title since late last year, their brothers and sisters in Japan are still waiting to get their mitts on this Eurocom-developed FPS.

They won't have to wait much longer, though, as the powers that be at Nintendo of Japan recently announced a June 30th release date for this so-called "re-imagining."

Will the resulting release be worth the wait? Based on the Japanese version's rather snazzy box art (below), I'm going to go out on a limb and say, yes, it'll be well worth the wait--for the five or so gamers who are looking forward to it.

For the sake of comparison, here's the art that graced the cover of the North American version of the game:

I wouldn't go so far as to call the box art above ugly, but I'd definitely say it looks a bit cheap next to its classy Japanese counterpart.

Which one do you guys and gals prefer?

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts

A few more pieces of Famicom porn

Remember how I said (in this post) that I recently acquired copies of Baseball and Golf for the Famicom? Well, at the same time I purchased those "Pulse Line" carts I also picked up a rather beat-up copy of Nintendo's Balloon Fight.

You know what that means: More photos of Famicom boxes and cartridges struttin' their stuff on our dining room table and living room floor!

For more photos of my Famicom collection, check out this Flickr set.

10 reasons to love (or at least look forward to) Nintendo's next Kirby title

Thanks to the headline above, you probably expected to see a post full of bullet points, didn't you? Sorry to disappoint.

So, where are the 10 reasons to love (or at least look forward to) Nintendo's next Kirby title that are promised in said header? Why, they're on the just-revealed cover art that will appear on each copy of Atsumete! Kirby, a DS game that will be released in Japan this August.

"Atsumete" apparently is Japanese for "gather," by the way. That certainly makes sense when you consider that the game "has players guide up to 10 Kirbys through a stage using the stylus," according to andriasang.com.

Every Kirby game except one (Kirby's Twinkling Kids, aka Kirby's Super Star Stacker) has made its way from Japan to the US thus far, so I have to imagine Atsumete! Kirby will follow in its predecessors' footsteps.

Here's to hoping the art that graces the cover of the North American version of the game is as cute as its Japanese counterpart.

Super Studly Mario Bros.

I can't say I've ever found myself drooling over an image of Mario or of his "main bro," Luigi, but I'm certainly open to doing just that should the right illustration or even photo present itself.

At least, that's what I would have told you before I came across what I believe is the cover of a soon-to-be-released issue of MUTO Manifesto magazine.

As far as I can tell, the issue above has not yet hit (virtual) newsstands--which means I'll be visiting MUTO Manifesto's website at least once a day until it does.

(Via Gayme Bar's Facebook page)

The Great Gaymathon Review #26: Pro Tennis World Court (PC Engine)

Game: Pro Tennis World Court

Genre: Sports

Developer: Namcot

Publisher: Namcot

System: PC Engine (HuCard)

Release date: 1988

Pro Tennis World Court is widely known--to 16-bit afficionados, at least--as "the tennis RPG." There's a good reason for that: Along with the expected singles and doubles modes, this Namcot-published game features a "quest" mode that tasks players with wandering the Final Fantasy-esque lands of the creatively named (or not) "Tennis Kingdom" in search of the "Evil Tennis King." (I'm not making this up--check out this blog post for more on this title's sad excuse for a backstory.) Before you can challenge this lizard-like baddie (he's green) to a Nadal-Federer-ish face-off, you'll have to vanquish a number of his minions in tennis matches of varying lengths. You'll also have to upgrade your equipment (rackets, shoes and shirts--which boost your character's power, foot speed and ability to refuse challenges, respectively) using the winnings you receive after beating the aforementioned, randomly-encountered foes. All in all, it's an enjoyably unique, if slightly unpolished (you'll know what I'm talking about when you approach your first NPC), experience. You'll have to be patient if you want to eke every last ounce of fun out of the game, though, as it starts rather slowly. Thankfully, things speed up appreciably once you update your gear a bit. Even then, Pro Tennis World Court (World Court Tennis in the States) never feels quite as slick or arcade-y as another well-known PC Engine title featuring fuzzy, yellow balls--Final Match Tennis--but its quirkiness at least partially makes up for it.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

Order Up!! (yes, now with two exclamation points) coming soon to 3DS, PS3 and 'TBA'

The folks at Supervillain Studios have been teasing an Order Up! sequel for some time.

It all started in late 2009, when one of the developer's staffers revealed that "a good amount of work" had been competed on the title. The teasing continued last June when a comic was published on the company's website that suggested the follow-up would be released for the PS3.

Strangely, that's the last time anyone at the Irvine, Calif.-based company talked publicly about the game--until a few days ago. That's when four screenshots--which seemingly showcased a new Order Up! restaurant (below) and waiter--were added to the developer's website. Shortly afterwards, a Supervillain Studios staffer revealed that the screenshots in question were from Order Up!!, an updated--with new content and features--version of the Wii release that will appear on the 3DS, the PS3 and "a third (TBA) platform as well."



Will the "TBA platform" wind up being Nintendo's soon-to-be-unveiled successor to the Wii (i.e., Project Café)? We'll find out shortly, I guess.

In the meantime, add one of the above-mentioned iterations of Order Up!! to your "to buy" list. If it's anything like its Wii-based predecessor, it'll be well worth whatever you have to spend to acquire it.

(Via gonintendo.com)

The Gay Gamer x Tiny Cartridge, take four

Well, the last of the four posts I composed for tinycartridge.com has been published. The subject of this one: GameBoy graffiti!

My favorite of the three pieces of street art mentioned in said post is the one below, which was recently photographed in Austria by Flickr user Philipp Hamedl.

Check out this Tiny Cartridge post for two more examples of completely fabulous (if I do say so myself) GameBoy graffiti.

See also: Previous 'The Gay Gamer x Tiny Cartridge' posts