Let's chat about Zero Time Dilemma's cover art

Once I finally got around to playing it, I fell head over heels in love with 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors.

I can't say the same for its sequel, Virtue's Last Reward, because, well, I haven't played it yet. I do own a copy of it (the Vita version), though, and my current plan is to find a way to play it before the series’ third and final entry, Zero Time Dilemma, hits store shelves in late June.

For now, fans of the Zero Escape series can do little more than chat about Zero Time Dilemma’s first screenshots and trailer or ogle its just-released box art.

Speaking of which, here’s the cover imagery that was created for North American copies of this highly anticipated visual novel.

As I’m sure you can guess, the 3DS version’s packaging will look very similar to its Vita counterpart. (Check it out here, if you’re curious.)

Will Zero Time Dilemma’s Japanese covers sport completely different art? I obviously don’t know, but I kind of hope they will.

Although I can’t say I dislike what Aksys Games’ designers conjured up for North American copies of this game, I wouldn’t have minded if they’d used another of artist Rui Tomono’s fascinatingly dark illustrations rather than the clichéd group shot seen above.

(I’m probably in the minority here, but I would’ve even preferred if the folks at Aksys had gone with the gun-to-the-head art that helped introduce Zero Time Dilemma to the masses instead.)

What do all of you think? Do you like Zero Time Dilemma’s North American 3DS and Vita box art?

Also, how does it compare in your minds to what was concocted for 999 (for a refresher, here are that DS game’s Japanese and North American covers) and Virtue’s Last Reward (3DS version here, Vita version here)?

See also: my #ADecadeofDS post about 999

Just in case you were worried I'd never play anything but the first Danganronpa on my Vita ...

The truth is, I've spent a lot more time talking about the Vita and its catalog of games than I have playing the system and carts currently in my possession.

There are reasons for that, of course. One of which is that it's just easier for me to play my 3DS at the moment. Admittedly, that's because I'm terrified of taking my Vita to work (for fear that its screen will be scratched to hell and back as it bounces around in my field bag), but I'd still say it's a valid excuse.

All that said, I'm going to do my best to turn things around in the coming months. The question is: which Vita game will I play once I finally make my way to Danganronpa's credit roll?

I certainly have a number of titles from which to choose. Along with Dokuro, a handful of digital offerings and a couple of Japanese Vita carts (which I'll chat about in an upcoming post), I've also got the following:

Showcased in the photo above are four North American Vita games I recently picked up: Danganronpa 2, Persona 4 Golden, Steins;Gate and Virtue's Last Reward.

Actually, I bought all four of them around the holidays. And not only that, but if memory serves, each one was on sale when I placed my order.

At this point, I think there's little doubt I'll want to take a vacation from Hope's Peak Academy once I've wrapped up Danganronpa, but other than that I'm not sure which of the titles mentioned earlier to stick into my pink-and-white Vita when a vacancy opens up in its cartridge slot.

What do all of you think? Part of me thinks I either should go with Virtue's Last Reward (because I so loved 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors) or Persona 4 Golden, but I'm open to any suggestions you're willing to leave in the comments section below.

See also: 'Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears ... as well as your Vita game recommendations'

5 more games I bought in 2015 that I've regrettably (and embarrassingly) failed to play

Just before 2015 turned into 2016, I published a post with a headline very similar to the one you see above.

As was the case with that write-up, this one shines a spotlight on a handful--five, to be exact--games that I purchased last year but failed to play for even a second. (Hell, a couple of these suckers have yet to be unwrapped.)

Hatoful Boyfriend (Vita)--OK, so I don't feel too bad about "ignoring" this intriguing visual novel. For starters, I only bought it a few weeks ago. Also, I couldn't have played it even if I'd wanted to, as my Vita didn't have enough space to accommodate it. Now that I own not one, but two 16 GB Vita memory cards, though, I should be more than set to start wooing some avian hotties (or something along those lines).

MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura DX (3DS)--Out of all the titles singled out in these two posts, this one pains me the most. That's because I've wanted to play some version of this adorable Monster Hunter spin-off since the first PSP game hit Japanese store shelves in 2010. Now I own both that release and this 3DS port (of sorts) and I've yet to boot up either of them. Mark my words, I'll put some time into MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura DX before 2016 comes to a close.

Ni No Kuni (DS)--I know this portable take on Level-5's Studio Ghibli-backed, Dragon Quest-esque RPG supposedly pales in comparison to its PS3 counterpart, but I'm still itching to play it. Will I get hopelessly lost at some point because I can't properly traverse its inch-thick (at least) "Magic Master" book? (See a few photos of it and the rest of Ni No Kuni's beautiful packaging, in this post.) Quite possibly. Still, I'm willing to give it a go. Fingers crossed the game's more forgiving that some Japanese RPGs due to the fact that it was aimed at children.

Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives (3DS)--You know how I said earlier that at least a couple of the titles discussed in this pair of posts have yet to be opened? Well, this is one of them. And, yes, I'm ashamed to admit that. I'll do my best to put that shame to good use in 2016, though--meaning it should spur me to give this first Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives effort (as well as its just-released follow-up, which includes even more 3D-enhanced Sega classics) the attention it so clearly deserves sometime in the next 12 months.

Virtue's Last Reward (Vita)--Here's another Vita game I've only owned for a short while. In fact, my copy only arrived on my doorstep a day or so before I headed to Wisconsin for the holidays. So, I have a bit of an excuse for neglecting it. I wouldn't expect it to be neglected for much longer, though, as I absolutely loved the nearly 22 hours I spent with its DS-based predecessor (read some of my thoughts on 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors in this post), and I've wanted to return to its oh-so-tense world ever since I finished it.

How about you? Did you buy any games in 2015 that, for one reason or another, you failed to play by the end of the year? Let me know which ones in the comments section below.

My 3DS (and DS) Play Time stats for 2015

If you read through (or at least glanced at) the "favorite games of 2015" post I published a few days ago, you may have walked away from it with the idea that I didn't play a whole lot of games last year.

Although it's true that I spent less time on video games in 2015 than I did in the couple of years before, that's mostly because I got a "real" job (as in, one that requires me to go into an office every day) in January and that put a damper on my ability to play the many 3DS, DS, PSP, Vita and other titles in my possession.

The "misty pink" Japanese 3DS I no longer own

Still, looking at the list below--which I cobbled together after reviewing the "play time" stats gathered by my three 3DS systems--I'm pretty impressed I was able to devote as much time as I did to the following 3DS and DS titles.

(Note: if I could figure out how long I played Dokuro and Danganronpa on my Vita, or Undertale on my Mac, I'd include them here and broaden this post's focus a bit. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be possible.)

1. The Legend of Legacy--39:00
2. Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley--24:13
3. 999--21:41
4. Hotel Dusk--17:18
5. Fantasy Life--13:41
6. Contact--13:15
7. Rhythm Tengoku: The Best Plus--12:45
8. My World, My Way--10:09
9. Okamiden--8:37
10. Pokémon Picross--5:17

Bonus round: I also spent nine hours and 15 minutes with the Nintendo Badge Arcade and nearly five hours with the DS version of Chrono Trigger by the time last year came to a close. And since the calendar flipped over to 2016, I've put another hour-plus into the latter release.

My favorite games of 2015 (that were released before 2015)

In the last post I published, I admitted I didn't play too many games in 2015 that actually were released between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 of that year.

I did, however, play quite a few games that were released before 2015. Here are some words about the ones I enjoyed the most.

999 (DS)--Everyone seems to love this Chunsoft-crafted visual novel. So why did it take me so long to play more than a couple of hours of it (I've owned a copy for years now)? I wish I could tell you. What I can tell you is I'm thrilled I broke through that self-imposed barrier earlier this year. This time around, not only did I finally get past 999's opening chapter, but I finished each and every one of them--multiple times over. In fact, I eventually encountered all of this tense title's many endings and devoted more than 20 hours to doing so. Hopefully I'll find Virtue's Last Reward, the Vita version of which I just acquired, just as compelling.

Alien Syndrome (Game Gear)--I turned up my nose at this arcade port for years due to what I considered (at the time) to be its subpar visuals. Truth be told, I also wasn't all that interested in its seemingly brainless gameplay. For whatever reason, I put those initially negative (not to mention ill-informed) impressions behind me and gave this iteration of Alien Syndrome another shot a month or so ago and ended up having a blast. I'm still not a big fan of its boss battles, which are more than a bit claustrophobic on the Game Gear's tiny screen, but the rest of it this creepy run-and-gunner's content is surprisingly enjoyable when you give it a chance.

Astro Rabby (GameBoy)--Here's another old title that rubbed me the wrong way the first few times I booted it up. Once I wrapped my head around its gameplay, though, I really dug it. Sure, the bonus stages that pop up now and then are beyond aggravating, but they're easily ignored after you come to terms with the fact that you'll never, ever "beat" one of them. Also, the rest of what Astro Rabby--which aesthetically, at least, brings to mind that old PlayStation launch release, Jumping Flash!--has to offer is such a rush that they're quickly erased from memory.

Chrono Trigger (DS)--Stop me if you've heard me tell this story before: my big brother and I bought a copy of this groundbreaking RPG back when it first hit store shelves in our neck of the woods. Despite my love for the company-previously-known-as-Squaresoft and pretty much every game it pushed onto the market during the 16-bit and 32-bit eras, I never played through the SNES version of Chrono Trigger myself. (I did watch my brother play through a good portion of it--not that I can remember much of the experience now.) So, what do I think of this enhanced DS re-release after putting nearly six hours into it? I absolutely love it. The soundtrack is, as expected, a revelation, and the time-traveling story and relaxed Final Fantasy-esque battles are similarly first-rate.

Help me come up with some recommendations for a new DS owner who prefers retro games

My friend Simon, who runs the lovely retro-focused game blog called Red Parsley, recently reached out to me to share the joyful news that he's now the proud owner of a Nintendo DS.

Unsurprisingly, he also asked if I could offer up a few DS game recommendations.

I did just that late last night. Specifically, I said he should consider picking up some or all of the following for various reasons I won't go into here:

9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors
Bangai-O Spirits
Big Bang Mini
Contact
Dragon Quest IX
Hotel Dusk
Kirby Canvas Curse
Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits
My World, My Way
Pac-Pix
Puzzle Bobble DS
Retro Game Challenge
Rhythm Heaven
Soul Bubbles
Taiko no Tatsujin DS
Tetris DS 
The World Ends with You
Yoshi Touch & Go

Although I have a feeling all (or at least some) of the games mentioned above could keep Simon and his new DS busy for a long time to come, I also think it couldn't hurt to send him a few more suggestions.

So, I'm asking all of you: which DS titles would you recommend to someone who is new to Nintendo's first dual-screened system and who tends to prefer games of the "old school" variety? 

Now that I've finished 999, someone's going to have to explain its 'true ending' to me

Yes, it's true; I've finished Chunsoft's horror-tinged visual novel, 999 (aka 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors).

And when I say I've finished it, I mean all of it. I experienced every single ending it has to offer, including the hours-long "true ending."

Don't believe me? Here's a bit of photographic proof:



For those of you who've yet to play 999, an icon is added to the game's opening screen whenever you wrap up one of its six endings.

Even with 999's fast-forward function--which lets you race through text you've already encountered--finishing the game six (or, in my case, five) times can take a long time.

How long? Check out the next photo, which shows off how many hours I spent with 999 in the last few weeks:



Have any of you also played--and fully finished--999? If so, can you shed any light on its true ending? Some of it seemed to make sense, but the rest of it was brain-meltingly confusing.

One last comment-slash-question before I hit "publish": that last interactive section of the true ending is shockingly beautiful, don't you think?

See also: #ADecadeofDS (9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors) and Nice Package! (9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors, DS)

#ADecadeofDS: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors

Amount of time devoted to this game since I started playing it a few weeks ago--12 hours, 47 minutes.

Most recent boss toppled, location reached or milestone achieved--So as to not spoil anything for those of you who've yet to play 999, all I'm going to say here is that I'm currently working my way toward this Chunsoft-made game's fourth (of six) ending.

Overall comments on the experience so far--I first attempted to play through 999 a number of years ago. I didn't make it very far and walked away from the experience after getting stuck while trying to find the exit to some room or other.

At the time, I stubbornly refused to turn to an online FAQ for assistance. I thought I shouldn't have to resort to such "cheating" and became pretty disenchanted with 999 as a result.

This time around, I decided to check my pride at the door from the word go, and I've got to say I'm glad I did. Sure, I hate it when I can't figure out a puzzle on my own, but the hatred is softened quite a bit by the fact that checking an FAQ allows me to move forward and learn more about this game's intriguing cast of characters.

Speaking of which, 999's characters have proven to be a real highlight of my first honest-to-goodness encounter with this horror-tinged visual novel.

Just as appealing has been the story that brings all of these men, women, girls and boys together--even if it's against their will--and forces them to find a way to escape the creepy ocean liner that serves as this game's setting.

(If you aren't all that knowledgable about 999, the gist is that nine people, most of whom don't know each other, are independently knocked out, kidnapped and dropped onto a Titanic-esque vessel. They're then given nine hours to traverse its many puzzle-filled rooms and successfully make their way through the ninth of its titular, boobytrapped doors. Oh, and should they fail to do all of that, they'll die.)

Admittedly, I've found some of 999's riddles and berths to be annoyingly obtuse, but even that hasn't done much to dampen the thrilling shiver that travels up and down my spine whenever I gain even a smidgen of insight into this game's goings-on.

Will I continue to play this game in the coming days, weeks and maybe even months?--Well, I'll certainly continue to play it for the next few days, but after that I probably won't play it again for some time.

I don't mean that in any sort of negative way, of course. I just mean that I'm expecting to clear all of its many endings in that time, and once that's done I'll put my 999 cart away until I've forgotten enough of its story to be able to enjoy it again.

Mark my words, though; I'll definitely come back to it down the road. It's quickly become one of my all-time favorite DS games, so there's no question I'll play through it many more times in the future.

Do I recommend it to others?--Absolutely. I know there are plenty of folks out there who have tried 999 and have walked away from the experience feeling dissatisfied, but I have to imagine they're a distinct minority.

So, if the game's premise sounds at all interesting to you, I think it's worth risking disappointment to pick up a copy if you've got the dough.

Next up--Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits

See also: previous #ADecadeofDS posts

Nice Package! (9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors, DS)

If you read through my most recently published #ADecadeofDS post should be well aware that I mentioned at its close that my next selection for that on-going series would be Chunsoft's 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors.

Since then, I've put more than nine hours into this horror-tinged visual novel, and I imagine I'll put at least nine more into it before I switch it out for something else.

I'm planning to publish another #ADecadeofDS post here in a couple of days, by the way, so if you want to read some of my thoughts on this first entry in the Zero Escape series, keep an eye out for it.



In the meantime, I thought it would be nice to ogle some photos of the box art, cartridge label and instruction manual the folks at Aksys Games produced for the North American release of 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors.

Admittedly, 999's North American cover illustration (see above) isn't quite as stellar as its Japanese counterpart--or at least it isn't in my opinion--but I still think it's pretty great.

The North American iteration's cart label simply gets the job done, if you ask me, but I won't hold that against the powers that be at Aksys. After all, how many DS cart labels can be described as anything but "passable"?

The front cover of 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors' instruction manual is more impressive, although even it is far from amazing. I think I'd prefer it if it focused only on the game's colorful cast of kidnappees and ignored "Zero," its antagonist, completely.



The illustration featured on the first page of 999's manual goes a long way toward making up for things. Unfortunately, there are only a few other pieces of art in this game's instructional pamphlet--which for me means the overall product qualifies as a bit of a disappointment.

Oh, well, at least the cover art that can be seen in the first of this post's handful of snapshots is a looker, right?

See also: previous 'Nice Package!' posts

I'm *this* close to pre-ordering Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc's limited edition

And, yes, that's despite the fact that I don't yet own a Vita.

What can I say? I'm really interested in this title, whose gameplay is said to be part Ace Attorney and part 999. (Bonus: it sports a really cool art style.)

Making matters worse is that Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc's limited edition is just $10 more than the regular release (which will carry a $40 price tag), even though it includes an appealingly designed collector's box, a soft-cover art book and a jewel-cased soundtrack.

Thankfully, it seems I'll be able to hem and haw about this decision for at least a little while yet, as neither version of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc will hit the streets until Feb. 11, and at the moment more than 75 percent of the limited edition's stock is still available.

Have any of you already staked a claim to one of these beauties, or are you considering doing so at some future point in time?

Pre-order: Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc limited edition and Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc regular edition

Chunsoft's Extreme Escape Adventure (3DS/Vita) has some sexy cover art

I don't usually get all hot and bothered over game characters (despite what I've said in posts like this one and this one), but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel at least a little tingle "down there" after catching my first glimpse of the cover art that was produced for Chunsoft's Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die (aka Kyokugen Dasshutsu Adv: Zennin Shibō Desu, due out in Japan on Feb. 16).

That's chiefly, if not completely, due to this 3DS and Vita game's main character, Sigma, who takes up the right half of said cover, of course. (Speaking of whom, more shots of Sigma can be ogled, I mean seen, on the game's official site.)

As nice as this game's cover art is, it's all for naught if it never leaves Japan, right? After all, Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die, like its predecessor--the DS-based sleeper hit, 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors--is an "adventure game," which means lots and lots of text.

Unfortunately, no one has admitted to working on an English translation of the game at this point. That doesn't mean one isn't in the works, though; in fact, I'll be pretty shocked if Aksys Games doesn't lay claim to it sooner rather than later thanks to success the company had with the aforementioned 999.

So, I was all set to say that the Vita had moved up a few spots on my gaming wish list thanks to the announcement of a Little King's Story sequel ...

... and then I read (last night, via andriasang.com) that the game--whose Japanese name translates to something like, The King, The Demon King and the Seven Princesses: New Little King's Story--will feature "new visual stylings for its characters."

OK, I immediately thought to myself, maybe that just means the game will be even prettier than its Wii-based predecessor. Like, maybe it'll be in HD or something.

                       Don't expect to see such cute characters in New Little King's Story.

Then I read another post (this morning) on andrisang.com that said: "While the Wii version had cute 'super deformed' style characters, the Vita characters have more realistic proportions."

As if that weren't bad enough, it's currently unknown as to whether or not Yasuhiro Wada or Yoshiro Kimura, executive producer and producer/ director of the original Little King's Story, respectively, are at all involved in the development of the sequel.

Don't worry, Sony fanboys and fangirls, even if New Little King's Story ends up being the gaming equivalent of a steaming pile of dog poo, I'll probably still get a Vita at some point in the future--especially since the folks who made last year's critically acclaimed DS title, 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors, are working on a similar game for the Sony's PSP successor (as well as the 3DS).

                              The cast of Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die.

The game, called Gyokugen Dasshutsu Adv: Zennin Shiboudes (aka Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die), will be a "game of betrayal," according to developer Chunsoft, and will feature nine people who must escape from a warehouse in which they're trapped.

For more information about Extreme Escape Adventure: Good People Die, check out this post over at andriasang.com.