The return of the PC Engine

Sadly, the header above doesn't refer to the return of NEC's PC Engine--quite possibly my all-time favorite console--to Japanese store shelves. Rather, it refers to the return of that system's relevance to my far-too-regular eBay excursions.

That's noteworthy because it's been many months since I last purchased a PC Engine game. In fact, I can't remember the last one I bought. Is it possible that it was Gokuraku! Chuka Taisen (read about it here), which I picked up last November? I think it is.

Anyway, that's neither here nor there, is it? Much more relevant to this particular discussion is the pair of PC Engine games I acquired a few weeks ago: Naxat Soft's Star Mobile and NEC Avenue's Splash Lake, both of which can be seen in the photos below.

Star Mobile, a CD-ROM2 game originally released in 1992, has intrigued me for ages thanks to the fact that it's a Zodiac-themed puzzle game that challenges players to stack stars of different weights on a gilded scale without dumping them into the intergalactic void.



Splash Lake, on the other hand, is an action-puzzler that puts players in the shoes of a legless ostrich (wait a second...) that's tasked with destroying various bridge planks--by pecking them--and sending each stage's baddies into the titular body of water.

I actually owned the North American version of this game, which hit the streets in Japan in 1991 and jumped the pond a year later, way back when, but I stupidly sold it along with the rest of my TurboGrafx-16 collection so I could buy a Japanese Sega Saturn at launch.



I really like the simple-but-cute label that's affixed to Splash Lake's CD, by the way. You can see it in the not-so-stellar photo above, or you can see an appealingly clear scan of it here.

Splash Lake's instruction manual is pretty nice, too--not to mention short--so look for a "Manual Stimulation" post devoted to it to be published sooner rather than later.

Just to make this blog even more (temporarily) Animal Crossing-centric ...

Hey, at least this post isn't related to Animal Crossing: New Leaf, right?

As for what you're seeing in the photos below: it's my recently acquired copy of the game that started it all, Dōbutsu no Mori (which basically translates to Animal Forest).

As I'm sure most of you are already aware, Dōbutsu no Mori was released for the Japanese Nintendo 64 all the way back in early 2001. Sadly, that was right before the GameCube hit the market, so Nintendo never released it elsewhere.

I've wanted to own a copy of it for ages, but various things kept me from snagging one until a few weeks ago, which when I spotted the rather beautiful specimen seen in the snapshots below.

The photo above shows off the front cover of Dōbutsu no Mori's box, of course. I love how it looks like a shipped package, or maybe a postcard. Also, it features K.K. Slider, which always is a good thing.

This photo (above) showcases the back of Dōbutsu no Mori's box--which, admittedly, is quite a bit less thrilling than the front. Still, I thought some of you might like to see it.

Next up is the cover of the game's instruction manual, which features one of my favorite pieces of Animal Crossing-related imagery. For some dumb reason I didn't take any photos of the manual's interior. Oh, well, I guess that means I'll have to type up another "Manual Stimulation" post soon.

Guess what the mailman just delivered? (Hint: it's a Japanese 3DS game and its title begins with 'Sayonara' and ends with 'Kawase')

Oh, and stuck between those words is "Umihara."

Still scratching your head? No worries--the delivery I'm talking about in the header above is the copy of Sayonara Umihara Kawase I ordered (from AmiAmi) a few months ago.

Actually, the delivery included a copy of the game--the long-awaited 3DS-based follow-up to Umihara Kawase (released for the Super Famicom back in 1994) and Umihara Kawase Shun (first released three years later for the PlayStation)--as well as the game's original soundtrack.

Speaking of which, the photo below showcases both the game's and the soundtrack's cover art (although I guess it does a better job of showcasing the latter's).

Thankfully, I snapped a few close-up shots of the game's cover art, too. One example can be seen below.

I took a photo of the back of Sayonara Umihara Kawase's case, too, just in case any of you are curious about it.



Oh, and here's a shot of the back of the soundtrack's case:



Not impressed? How about the following one, which shows off the interior of the soundtrack's case as well as its CD?

Finally, I know the photo below--of Sayonara Umihara Kawase's cartridge--isn't the best, but I decided to use it anyway because it's hardly the most thrilling example of 3DS cart-label art.

Something I didn't capture with my trusty digital camera: this game's instruction manual--or, rather, its "instruction pamphlet" (if it can even be called that).

Don't fret if  you were hoping to get a glimpse of that here, though, as I'm planning to highlight it in a post that'll be published tomorrow morning.

See also: 'Manual Stimulation: Umihara Kawase Shun (PlayStation)'

Say hello to my copy of Nazo Puyo: Arle no Roux (aka a Japanese Game Gear puzzler I won't be playing anytime soon)

For once, I'm not saying that I won't be playing (insert name of random Japanese game here) anytime soon because I don't yet own the system needed to play it. That's because I recently bought a used--"thoroughly used" may be a better way to describe it, sadly--Game Gear from a local shop for just 30 big ones.

So what's keeping me from popping the Nazo Puyo: Arle no Roux cartridge seen in one of the photos below into my newly acquired Game Gear and taking it for a spin?

Animal Crossing: New Leaf, of course. Seriously, the latest iteration of Nintendo's world-conquering "community simulation" has taken over my gaming life--actually, it could be argued that it's taken over my non-gaming life, too--to the extent that the only other title I'm considering playing at the moment is THE "DENPA" MEN 2, and even that's only getting a passing glance from me at the moment.

At some point, though, this whole Animal Crossing: New Leaf front that's clouding up my gaming skies will pass, and when it does Nazo Puyo: Arle no Roux will be there waiting to be enjoyed.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a few photos of this weird little Puyo Puyo spin-off, which is based on the "puzzle" modes that were included in some of the series' earlier installations.

An interesting note about this particular Nazo Puyo title (two others were released for the Game Gear prior to this one): it includes an RPG-ish mode that's akin to the ones found in Arle no Roux's Super Famicom-based counterparts.



Also worth mentioning: Arle no Roux has a short, but sweet, instruction manual that features a number of completely adorable illustrations (such as the one in the photo above).

Don't worry, I plan on devoting a "Manual Stimulation" post to this sucker soon. Until then, though, you'll just have to imagine how cute Arle and her puzzle-loving compadres look while inhaling copious amounts of curry.

Acquisition Time with The Gay Gamer™: Pizza Pop! (Famicom)

No one's ever accused me of having an altogether level head with it comes to buying games--especially Japanese ones from the 8-, 16- or 32-bit eras.

Case in point: the recent-ish pick-up seen in the following photos.

The pick-up in question is Jaleco's Pizza Pop! for the Famicom, of course. While most people consider this side-scrolling platformer to be of questionable quality (at best), it's always held a special place in my heart.

Why? I'm not entirely sure. Yes, I like its "totally '80s" graphics, and I'm also pretty darn fond of its colorfully cartoonish packaging, but I'm not sure that tells the whole story.

Regardless, I like the game quite a bit--which is why I nabbed this particular copy as soon as I came across it on ebay a few months ago.

I've only popped it into my lusciously red Twin Famicom once since then--mainly so I could make sure it's in full working order--but I'll return to it sooner rather than later, there's no question about that.

In the meantime, I invite you to take in the photos published throughout this post and the walkthrough video that can be found here.

The photo below highlights a particularly interesting part of this game's box, by the way--specifically, the advertisement that appears on its top "flap."

Have any of you played Pizza Pop! before--either using a real cartridge and Famicom or via emulation? If so, what did you think of it?

See also: previous posts about the Famicom

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.

Step aside, Super Mario Sunshine--it's time for me to play some Shake Kids!

At long last, "the day" has arrived.

No, not the day I sell my body (or soul ... or whatever else) so I can afford to buy a PC Engine LT and still have some spending money left over for other games and systems.

Rather, it's the day when I can finally start playing through the classic (not really) Japanese PlayStation platformer, Shake Kids!

Actually, I've already spent about an hour with this delightfully odd import, so why don't I share a few early impressions of it here rather than make you wait for its eventual "Great Gaymathon" review?



Before I chat about Shake Kids' graphics and gameplay, though, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on its packaging, which can be seen in photos throughout this post.

Unfortunately, there isn't much to say about this Digital Kids-developed, On DiMand-published title's cover and disc art, or even the contents of its instruction manual, as all of it can be summed up with what sometimes seems to be the Internet's favorite word: meh. (The game's logo is especially atrocious, if you ask me.)

To be honest, its likely some would describe its graphics, soundtrack and gameplay as "meh," too, although I'm personally finding both aspects to be at least somewhat appealing in the early goings.

A good part of the appeal for me is in the game's oddball setting and premise--the latter of which puts players in the shoes of one of two characters (a fairly generic-looking boy or girl) who, for some reason currently unbeknownst to me (I can't understand the story), use cocktails shakers as weapons against the assortment of baddies they encounter during their side-scrolling adventure.

Strangely, said cocktail shakers quickly return to their owners after they've been thrown, as if they're chrome-plated yo-yos rather than shiny bar implements. Most enemies can be taken out with a few well-placed hits, by the way, although that's not the only option made available to players. Another: after scooping groups of baddies into their shakers, gamers are transported to an alternate reality that can only be described as a disco-ball-topped dance floor, where they shake their butts (and everything else) until the trapped enemies expire.

As for why you do this: I have no idea. It's cute and reasonably fun, though, so who really cares? (The same can't quite be said about the rest of Shake Kids' gameplay, I'm afraid, which, at least in the early stages, is too straightforward for its own good.)

All of the above is portrayed in rather rough (graphical) fashion, it has to be said. Of course, it's clear from the second you start the game that this title's makers, like many of their counterparts at the time, struggled with the transition from sprites to polygons.

Still, I find its blocky graphics to be pretty charming in a Rankin/Bass Productions (of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" fame) sort of way.



I do wish the game's artists and designers had gone a little further with its look, though. Too often, Shake Kids' locales and even enemies are the definition of drab. A few more touches like the house that's shaped like an octopus (encountered at the very beginning of the game) could have made the final product so much more enticing.

Thankfully, drab is the last word I'd use to describe this import-only title's music. Of course, it's hard to hate on a soundtrack that's so full of energetic, late-1990s flair.

I'll continue to poke and prod at Shake Kids! in the coming days and weeks in the hopes of experiencing enough of it to be able to produce yet another "Great Gaymathon" review. In the meantime, you may enjoy checking out this YouTube clip, which shines a light on a number of the elements I've mentioned here.

Acquisition Time with The Gay Gamer™: Umihara Kawase Shun (PlayStation)

So, you know how I told you a few weeks back that I bought a bunch of (mostly retro) Japanese games via eBay shortly after Christmas? Well, the game you see below was part of that mighty haul.

You're all well aware of Umihara Kawase Shun, right? Especially after reading last week's "Which Box Art is Better" post? If not, all you really need to know about it is that it's the sequel to a two-dimensional Super Famicom-based platformer that stars a girl with a pink backpack and a fishing pole.

Oh, and that girl, the titular Umihara Kawase, uses the latter accessory to grapple onto ledges and even swing from them, Bionic Commando-style.

It's all rather awesome, of course, which is why I've been meaning to pick it up for ages. The only thing that's kept me from doing so until recently: the prices copies tend to fetch on line (generally upwards of $50, although copies of the "Second Edition" can go for a lot more).



The copy you see in the photos above and below, though, was quite a bit cheaper than average, though, so naturally I snapped it up as soon as I was able.

With that out of the way, Umihara Kawase Shun's cover art is pretty great, don't you think? I especially like that its watercolor-esque sheen. The back page of the game's manual (above) is nice, too, with the plucky protagonist using her trusty fishing pole to swing from her own name.

Last, but not least, there's the actual game disc (below), which displays a subtle attractiveness not unlike that of the aforementioned cover art.



If after reading what I've written here you'd like to learn a bit more about the Umihara Kawase series (and you should), I'd highly recommend reading its Hardcore Gaming 101 entry and watching this (translated) episode of GameCenter CX at your earliest convenience.

Note: I recently decided to change the title of this series of posts from "Acquisition #123" to "Acquisition Time with The Gay Gamer™" because, well, I've worried for a while now that the original name could be considered kind of off-putting. The replacement was inspired by the "Adventure Time" TV series, by the way, and the ™ was tossed into the mix because everything looks more professional with a ™ symbol attached to it.