There's no place like Gussun Paradise

For far too long, I ignored Gussun Paradise--a Japanese PlayStation game developed and published by Irem--because I thought it was little more than another entry in the company's Gussun Oyoyo series of puzzler-platformers. (They're a bit like a mashup of Lemmings and Tetris, if you've never heard of or played them.)

That's not to suggest there's anything wrong with the Oyoyo games. I've only barely played one of them, but I enjoyed myself well enough while doing so and I plan to return to it at some point in time. Still, I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm eager to buy a second Gussun Oyoyo anytime soon.



Which is why, as I said at the beginning of this post, I've long turned up my nose at anything related to Gusson Paradise. That is, until I read Gamengai's painfully brief post about it, which describes this little-known (to me, anyway) curiosity thusly:

"Irem returns to the franchise ... for a Bubble Bobble-type single-screen action game. Using a party cracker, you stun your enemies and throw bombs on them. Unlike other games in the series, there are some power-ups which allow you to shoot lasers, suck in items, double jump, etc. To mix it up a little, the stages sometimes rotate and even turn upside down."



Admittedly, I stopped reading the post after seeing "Bubble Bobble-type single-screen action game" the first time through--partially because I'm a huge fan of "Bubble Bobble clones" and partially because Gamengai's post nearly caused me to choke on my morning coffee. (What can I say? I was stunned to discover that such an awesome-sounding single-screen platformer had previously escaped my attention.)

Like any self-respecting geek, I collected myself as quickly as possible and then made the rounds of the usual online game shops in search of a complete-in-box copy of Gusson Paradise. I found a few on ebay, but I wasn't entirely happy with the price tags that were attached to them.

You've got my attention, Sony Japan Studio--now show me some gameplay

Earlier this month, the folks at Sony Japan Studio revealed that they're working on a new title: Panopticon.

A two-and-a-half-minute teaser trailer for the game was released this morning and can be seen below.

What kind of game is it, and which system is it being made for? I have no idea, sadly--although it seems that information may be shared (likely on the game's official site) on May 21.



Until then, all we have are guesses and speculation. Personally, I have a feeling Panopticon is yet another Monster Hunter clone and, as such, will grace the still-struggling Vita, but I hope I'm wrong.

(I'm OK with it potentially being a Vita game, by the way. The portion of the prognostication above that concerns me is the part about it possibly being a Monster Hunter clone. I'd much rather it be an RPG or even a straight-up action title.)

What do all of you think of the teaser above? Did it catch your attention, too, or put you to sleep?

As if we didn't feel bad enough about Tomodachi Collection: New Life's lack of a western release

Thanks go out to "Occupy White," a member of the Gay Nintendo Gamers Facebook group, for making me aware of the following video, which is a five-and-a-half-minute trailer for Nintendo's Tomodachi Collection: New Life--released in Japan on April 28--that's been translated into English by YouTubers LinandKo.



Since it seems all but certain this 3DS title will remain a import-only affair--much like its DS-based predecessor, which hit the streets of its home country back in the summer of 2009--I'm seriously considering picking up a copy sooner rather than later.

Granted, I won't be able to understand much of what's going on for some time to come, but I'm hoping it and a few other games will help push me along the path to learning Japanese.

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Pokémon X/Y edition)

I may not be the biggest Pokémon fan around, but I like the series well enough to follow developments related to its mainline releases.

Which is why, of course, I decided to devote a "Which Box Art is Better?" post to the covers that are being considered for Pokémon X and Y.

I'm guessing you don't need me to point out which is which, but just in case you do, here's Pokémon X supposedly preliminary box art:

And here's the art that'll likely grace the covers of Pokémon Y copies:

As for which I prefer: I'm a bit torn this time around, I have to say, as I really like X's cool tones and commanding protagonist while I think Y's has a better, more balanced, design.

If I were forced to pick one over the other, though, I'd probably go with Y. Which one would you choose and why?

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

Matthew Elliott x Pokémon

Warning: I've spent a lot of time perusing deviantart.com lately, so you should expect a number of upcoming posts to focus on fabulous game-related drawings and the like.

Cases in point: the following Pokémon illustrations, produced some time ago by Matthew Elliott (aka pseudonymjones).

"Team Rocket Grunt F + KOFFING"

"HAUNTER used Sucker Punch"

"MAGIKARP used Splash"

I came across the pieces above after stumbling across Elliott's take on everyone's favorite closeted game character, Tingle, by the way. Check out that illustration here, and check out his tumblr (which he seems to use more than deviantart these days) here.

Three-and-a-half minutes of awesome Animal Crossing doodles

Just in case you've forgotten, Animal Crossing: New Leaf will be released in North America in less than a month.

That likely sounds like a reasonably short amount of time to some folks, but for me it's still much too far away. The game was first teased during E3 2011, damn it. I want it nooooooooooow!

The only things that are keeping me anywhere close to sane through all of this are New Leaf-centric Tumblrs like bunsicalcrossing.tumblr.com and merongcrossing.tumblr.com.



Oh, and videos like the one above, created by YouTube user surrounded78, who produced each of the 95 (or so) illustrations included within using black pencil and acrylic paint.

My favorites are shown at :25, 1:04, 1:13, 2:56 and 3:05, by the way. Which are yours?

(Via bunsicalcrossing.tumblr.com)