CIB Sunday: Hyakumanton no Bara Bara (PSP)

If you regularly peruse any of the many social-media apps or sites available to the masses these days, you've probably come across #CIBSunday.

Don't worry if you haven't, as it's easy enough to explain. Basically, folks publish photos of complete-in-box copies of games and then include in their tweets or posts the hashtag mentioned above.

I participate in this "event" pretty much every weekend on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter. For some strange reason, though, I've never extended that participation to this blog. Until today, of course.

Will I continue to do so in weeks, months and years to come? Who knows. I'll do my best to keep it up, though--and I'll certainly whip up a post here whenever I think I've got a nice photo to show off, or some related content to recommend.



With that out of the way, what do you think about the snapshot of Hyakumanton no Bara Bara for PSP that can be seen above?

Hyakumanton no Bara Bara not ring a bell for you? How about Patchwork Heroes? That's what this Acquire-made title, which plays like an inverted version of Taito's Qix, was named outside of Japan.

If you'd like to see more photos of Hyakumanton no Bara Bara's lovely case, cover art, instruction manual and UMD, by the way, check out this "Nice Package!" write-up I published last year. Also, read my review of Hyakumanton no Bara Bara (or, rather, Patchwork Heroes).

Are any of you fans of this 2010 release? If so, please share your love of it in the comments section that follows.

Nice Package! (Hyakumanton no Bara Bara, PSP)

Some of you probably know this 2010 PSP title by the name--Patchwork Heroes--the powers that be at Sony gave it before it was released in Europe and North America.

Sadly, the game was only sold digitally in the West. Sure, that made North American and European copies of Patchwork Heroes quite a bit cheaper than their Japanese counterparts, but it also meant that people who picked up the former missed out on Hyakumanton no Bara Bara's beautiful packaging, which can be seen throughout this post.

For starters, there's this quirky action game's box art, seen in the photo above, which I can say without hesitation is one of my all-time favorite examples of PSP cover imagery. 

Quality illustrations are plastered across the front of Hyakumanton no Bara Bara's instruction manual and the label of its UMD, too. (Don't worry, you'll get a better look at the latter near the bottom of this post.)

Actually, sketches done in a style that's similar to the art that graces the cover of this Acquire-developed game's manual also can be found on a number of its inside pages. 

The rest of Hyakumanton no Bara Bara's instruction booklet isn't as noteworthy, but it still wows now and then--with the character bios shown in the snapshot above being a case in point. 

Speaking of this PSP title's characters, a number of them can be found on its colorful UMD label.

Sadly, the backside of Hyakumanton no Bara Bara's packaging, below, doesn't quite achieve the heights that are reached by the rest of it.

Of course, if I had to force the designers responsible for producing this product to skimp on one aspect of it, I'd go with the back of the box, so to speak, so don't expect me to complain too much about the above.

What do all of you think? Do the photos shared here make you want to run out and buy a copy of the Japanese physical release of Patchwork Heroes as soon as you're able?

Note: if you're like me and you aren't entirely satisfied with the quality of the photographs showcased in this post, head over to my Flickr photostream, which features versions that are both brighter and less blurry.

After five years of waiting, I've finally received my copy of Class of Heroes 2 (PSP)

OK, so I overstated things just a bit in the header above. In reality, the wait has been more like six months. (I ordered my copy of this PSP-based dungeon-crawler all the way back in April.)

Anyway, none of that matters now. What matters is that my boxed copy of Class of Heroes 2 is in my hands.

Since I'm guessing there are a lot of folks out there who are curious about the game but decided against picking up copies for themselves, I thought I'd fill today's post with some photos of mine.

The photo above is of (part of) the packing slip that accompanied my copy of Class of Heroes 2. I think the illustration at the bottom of it was a nice touch, don't you?



Each copy of the game also shipped with a "Certificate of Perspicacity," for whatever reason. Also a nice touch, I think, although I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with it other than hang on to it in case I ever decide to sell the game.

Here's a shot of Class of Heroes 2's case and cover art. It's a bit generic, I agree--in that it focuses on a grouping of the game's characters--but at least it's colorful.

I'm not sure what's going on with the art that covers the case's backside, to tell you the truth. I know the game isn't sold at retail, so there's no need to include screenshots or text, but it seems kind of barren as is. Oh, well.

Surprisingly, these boxed copies of Class of Heroes 2 come with rather nice instruction manuals. They're mostly filled with pertinent information, as opposed to punchy illustrations, but I'm OK with that.

The UMD (above) that carries the game's code is pretty nice, too.

Sadly, I've yet to actually play Class of Heroes 2, so I can't tell you anything about the quality of Gaijinworks' localization or anything like that. I'll do my best to give it a go sometime soon-ish. Don't look for it to happen in the next few weeks, though, as they're sure to be devoted to Hometown Story, Pokémon X and a couple of other games.

Class (of Heroes 2) is in session

The day all PSP-owning dungeon-crawler fans have been waiting for since early February finally has arrived: boxed copies of the English version of Class of Heroes 2 are now available for purchase at gaijinworks.com.

Initially, I wasn't too pleased with the $36.99 price tag that's been attached to this release, but I've since softened a bit because it includes shipping as well as a physical copy of Class of Heroes 2 and a download code for the digital iteration of this portable RPG.



Anyway, I just handed over my hard-earned cash for a copy. Are any of you planning to do the same before this pre-sale drive ends on May 8?

See also: previous posts about Class of Heroes 2

SHOCKING NEWS: physical copies of Class of Heroes 2 (PSP) may go on sale this week

Sorry for the snarky headline. I'm just feeling a little pissy after being forced to wait for more than two months for actual, straight-from-the-horse's-mouth--with the horse in this case being Gaijinworks' Victor Ireland--news about the physical release of Class of Heroes 2 for PSP. (I realize this is the definition of a first-world problem, by the way.)

It seems I may be just a bit less pissy this week, though, as the word on the street (or, rather, the word from Gaijinworks) is that pre-sales for the game may open up over at gaijinworks.com within the next few days.

Should that happen, I'll likely order myself a copy. I say "likely" as opposed to "surely" because I'm not a fan of the price tag--$36.99--that'll be attached to the physical-digital iteration of Class of Heroes 2. (Compare that to the digital-only version that will be just $24.99.)

Will any of you be buying copies alongside me, or are the days of picking up PSP games behind you?

A somewhat gay review of Patchwork Heroes

Game: Patchwork Heroes

Genre: Action puzzler

Developer: Acquire

Publisher: SCEA

System: PSP

Release date: 2010

True story: This digital-only game, which is called Hyakumanton no Bara Bara in Japan and earned a full-on retail release in that country, is one of a small handful of titles that prompted me to pick up a PSP nearly three years ago.

Do I regret that decision now that I've finally (and fully) played through this portable puzzler? Not at all. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that it's one of my favorite PSP-exclusive games (of the ones I've experienced, of course).

Heavily responsible for that, I have to sheepishly admit, are the superficial aspects of Patchwork Heroes--i.e., how the game looks and sounds. The former especially rocks my world--thanks to the colorful, textured and textile-filled art style used by Acquire's designers--although the latter's Middle Eastern-influenced soundtrack is nothing to sneeze at.

That's not to suggest Patchwork Heroes is a completely superficial experience. On the contrary, its gameplay and even story--something that isn't always a priority when it comes to puzzlers--more than hold their own against its music and graphics.

How so? Well, players are shoved into the shoes of a blue-hatted lad named Titori and then tasked with protecting his hometown from a never-ending stream of colossal, bomb-wielding warships, for starters. As for how they're supposed to accomplish all of that: Titori is flown up to said ships, latches onto them and then brings them down by cutting them into pieces. (You do this by pressing your PSP's O button and then moving its analog nub in the direction you'd like to slice.)

Frankly, it feels a lot like Taito's classic coin-op title, Qix, turned on its head, which is a treat for folks like me who grew up on such games. (Don't worry, it's sure to be a treat for those who've never experienced it, too.)

All of the above is sure to make Patchwork Heroes sound easier than it is, so let's get one thing straight: This game is not a push-over, nor is it simple. While you're cutting apart the giant ships that are threatening the protagonist's idyllic hamlet, for instance, you've also got to save a number of your fellow citizens who have, for some reason or other, become imprisoned within the advancing contraptions. Also, each ship is equipped with various forms of defense, all of which do their best to keep you from attaining your goal--and often succeed, if you're anything like me. 

Thankfully, a variety of power-ups pop up on occasion to aid you in your quest, although to assume that they'll help in any significant fashion would be the definition of foolish. Still, any form of assistance is welcome while working through Patchwork Heroes' story and challenge modes.

None of them assist this title's other possible shortcoming, unfortunately--with that shortcoming being the utensils that are used to control it (i.e., your PSP's analog nub and directional pad). Neither option makes Patchwork Heroes anywhere near unplayable, but both do their best to get in the way of things on a regular basis.

If you can get past that and the stiff challenge, though, you're sure to find this digital release to be more than worth its $9.99 price tag and a welcome addition to your PSP game collection.

See also: Previous 'somewhat gay' reviews

Acquisition #123: Patchwork Heroes

Full disclosure: I don't actually own 123 games--or at least I don't think I do. Honestly, I've never counted my collection, and I don't plan on doing so anytime soon. (I'm not sure I want to know how many titles I've purchased over the years, to tell you the truth.)

I had to attach some sort of number to this post, though, so I went with 123.

Expect to see headlines similar to the one above pop up here and there from now on, by the way. I'm tired of writing headers that are akin to "Hey, I just bought another PSP game!" so pretty much all future posts related to acquisitions will become part of this "series."

Anyway, enough about that. As the headline above suggests, my 123rd-ish acquisition is the puzzler-esque PSP game, Patchwork Heroes.

Because Patchwork Heroes is a PSN-only release, I can't share any photos of this purchase. (The box art on the right belongs to the Japanese UMD version, which is known as Hyaku- manton no Bara Bara.) I can share a few impressions of it, though--despite the fact that I've only played a bit of it thus far.

Basically, the game is a bit like a buffed-up (and inverted) version of Taito's arcade classic, Qix. That's not the most accurate comparison, I have to admit, but it is the best one, as far as I'm concerned. What that means in practice: Players control a blue-hatted lad named Titori, who has been tasked with protecting his fellow citizens from what can only be described as a never-ending stream of colossal, bomb-wielding warships. How does he achieve that objective? Why, by latching onto said ships and bringing them down by cutting them into pieces.

I'd like to save the rest of my thoughts on this addictive, charming title for a "somewhat gay review" that will be published shortly. I can already tell you, though, that the gist of said review will be that I heartily recommend Patchwork Heroes to anyone who has a PSP and 10 bucks to spare.

A free RPG, you say?

Acquire, the Japanese developer responsible for quirky PSP titles like 100 Million Ton Bara Bara (aka Patchwork Heroes) and Yuusha no Kuseni Namaikida (Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman!), is sure to turn heads with its latest release, a dungeon crawler called Bakumatsu Revolution, and not because said release is a looker.

According to the latest issue of Famitsu magazine (by way of andriasang.com), when Bakumatsu Revolution hits the the Japanese PlayStation Store on June 25, it'll do so with a price tag of $0. No, your eyes aren't deceiving you--the four-player RPG will be free.

Unfortunately, this blurry scan contains the only (currently)
available screenshots of Bakumatsu Revolution.

What's the catch? Well, it seems that Acquire is aiming to turn a profit on the game by charging users for downloadable content, such as additional items and scenarios. Still, unless the DLC is amazingly overpriced, Bakumatsu Revolution should be a no-brainer of a download for PSP owners who enjoy the occasional dungeon crawler.

(Via andriasang.com)