Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Oosouji (DS) now playable in English

Until a couple of days ago, I had no idea anyone was working on an English patch of this previously Japan-only DS game, which is a direct sequel to the first Chibi-Robo! game released for the GameCube back in 2005.

Specifically, Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Oosouji (localized here as Chibi-Robo: Clean Sweep!) "takes place a couple of years after the original game’s story, where little Jenny has grown up and has a family of her own," according to romhacking.net. "However, they live a hard life--dealing with poverty and a very dirty home."



Chibi-Robo sweeps in to save the day, of course. In Happy Richie Oosouji, the adorable tin can toils away to "solve the problems of the family [as well as] the toys found around the house." He also does what he can to rid the not-so-humble abode of the grime that covers nearly every surface.

Want to learn more, or even download Cjuub's patch, which supposedly translates all of Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Oosouji's dialogue and graphics into English? Click on the Romhacking link above. Additional info can be found at gbatemp.net.

6 DS, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 games I'm looking forward to playing at some point in 2016

Unlike the last two of these "six games I'm looking forward to playing at some point in 2016," all of the titles included here have been out for quite some time.

Also, I already own all of them. Well, all but one. Can you guess which game I've yet to buy?

If you guessed Alien: Isolation, pat yourself on the back. Or do something else that makes you feel good.

While you do that, I'll share a few thoughts on why I want to play these DS, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 titles a little bit more than I want to play other DS, PSP, Wii and Xbox 360 titles between now and the end of the year.

Alien: Isolation (Xbox 360)--Considering I'm a huge fan of the first two Alien films, it's almost criminal that I've yet to pick up a copy of Isolation. Of course, it's been ages since I turned on my poor 360, so I guess my lack of action here can't be considered too shocking. Still, I've heard very good things about this Alien game, which is a shock itself, as nearly every other Alien-inpired game in existence is a complete turd. (Note I said "nearly"--I know a select few of them are worth playing.) I know that doesn't ensure I'll actually enjoy Alien: Isolation, but I'm willing to give it a try anyway.

Captain Rainbow (Wii)--In my defense, I bought this bizarre, skip-made game just a few months ago. In other words, I've barely ignored it compared to the other titles mentioned here. I don't epect it to be neglected for much longer, though, as it looks delightfully weird. (Yes, even for a skip game.) The question is: will the language barrier limit my ability to bask in Rainbow's brilliant glow? I guess we'll find out sometime in the next 12 months.

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA (PSP)--Although I've kept a curious eye on Sega's Hatsune Miku series of games (even the chibi-fied Project Mirai titles released for the 3DS) for some time, I've yet to actually play one of them. I hope to change all of that this year by picking up one of the PSP games. Why DIVA and not Mirai? As much as I love all things cute, I prefer the aesthetics of the former series to the latter. The thing is, I have no idea which Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA release to get. Any suggestions?

Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Osoji (DS)--Here's another game that's been on my short list of "games to buy as soon as possible" for a good while now. I haven't gone through with it yet for a few reasons, with one of them being that copies of this Japan-only release can be a bit pricey. Another reason: I have very little experience with Chibi-Robo, and I feel kind of weird jumping into it with the third game. It probably would make for an interesting entry in my #ADecadeofDS series, though, don't you think?

Opoona (Wii)--Full disclosure: I actually played about an hour--or maybe it was just 30 minutes or so--of this unique RPG a couple of years ago before moving on to something else for some reason or other. (It wasn't because I disliked what I'd experienced to that point, I can tell you that much.) Anyway, it popped back into my conscienceness when I bought Captain Rainbow and two other Jpanaese Wii titles last autumn (one was Tabemon, released elsewhere as The Munchables), and now I'm chomping at the bit to give it a second chance.

Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman (PSP)--I like pretty much everything about this 2010 Nippon Ichi release--with its overall art style and its gameplay (which is focused on exploring randomly generated dungeons) being the highlights. So why have I dragged my feet on playing it? The only answer I can come up with at the moment is that I don't pull out my pair of PSP systems as much as I did a few years ago, and so a number of enticing games have kind of fallen by the wayside. One of my goals of 2016 is to rectify that situation, though, so hopefully I'll have something to say about Z.H.P. and at least a couple of other choice PSP titles before the year comes to a close.

I don't suppose any of you are looking forward to playing any particular "last gen" games (and, yes, that includes the PS3) at some point in 2016? If so, let me know which ones in the comments section that follows.

I know what my first 3DS game is going to be

Most of you are expecting me to say Super Mario 3D Land or Mario Kart 7, right? Although I'm definitely planning to acquire both of those games shortly after I buy (or, hopefully, receive as a gift) a 3DS, neither of them will be my first pick-up for the system. No, that honor, at least as of now, will be the downloadable curiosity known as Freakyforms, which hit the North American eShop on Thursday.

The fact that this game has leapt to the top of my 3DS to-buy list is as surprising to me as it likely is to some of you, by the way--especially since my first reaction to it was something along the lines of, "eh, a lame-looking kiddie game."

After scrolling through the game's official thread over at NeoGAF, though, I decided it had to be mine, $6.99 asking price be damned. I mean, just look at some of the "Formees" owners of the Japanese version of the game have concocted:

This may be the cutest Link I've seen since Wind Waker.

Yep, that's Poo from EarthBound/Mother 2!

That's not to suggest North American owners of Freakyforms are a bunch of talentless slouches. All you need to do is look at the following creations to see that's far from the case:

Inspector Chelmey, courtesy of NeoGAF user artwalknoon.

Prinny, courtesy of NeoGAF user BooJoh.

To see more Japanese-made Formees, check out this site. For more North American-made ones, check out the NeoGAF thread mentioned earlier.

For more information on this wonderfully odd-looking game, check out its official site: freakyforms.nintendo.com. Also, check out this "Iwata Asks" video, which sheds a light on Freakyforms' history (for instance, that it began life as a DS title) and how Nintendo's president, Satoru Iwata, pushed producer Kensuke Tanabe and director Hiroshi Moriyama (creator of Chibi-Robo!) to "make it so people won't get bored of it."

Have any of you picked up this game, or are any of you planning to pick it up? If so, let me know--and share some of your creations in the comment section (if you can).

LEGO + Pikmin

Would you spend more than two years of your life crafting every single Pikmin character (and plant) out of LEGO blocks? I sure as hell wouldn't, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the handiwork of someone who did.



The man responsible for the insanity displayed in the image above (here's a link to it on Flickr), by the way, is Filip Johannes Felberg. To see more of his creations (including some from Chibi-Robo), check out his Flickr photostream.