And now I'm (finally) going to play that copy of Dragon Quest that Darwin Yamamoto sent me

I doubt any of you remember this, but sometime last year--at least I think it was last year--I decided to play through Dragon Quest (actually, Dragon Warrior, the North American version of the game) for the first time since it was released back in 1989.

That playthrough didn't last long, mainly because I had no idea as to where I should go or what I should do. The last thing I remember doing involved wandering into a pitch-black cave and getting ambushed by a giant green dragon that slayed me in about two seconds.

Thanks Darwin Yamamoto's generosity--he bought me a copy of the Famicom version of Dragon Quest while visiting Japan recently, as detailed in this post--I've decided to give the game another try. Because I don't understand a word of Japanese and also because I don't want to recreate my last attempt at playing through this classic RPG, I recently picked up a copy of the strategy guide that Nintendo Power produced (and published) for this game shortly after its North American release.

The scan above is of said strategy guide's front cover, by the way. Because quite a few awesome (or at least interesting) illustrations can be found between its covers, I'm seriously considering featuring this Nintendo Power publication in a future edition of "Manual Stimulation," although I doubt I'll be able to include every single page.

Hunky Space Harrier

I don't know if any of you noticed, but buried within this post about Darwin Yamamoto's recent trip to Tokyo's retro-games shop, Super Potato, was a brief note about the New Yorker being a designer and illustrator.

Well, a good example of Yamamoto's abilities as an illustrator can be seen in his recent--and rather hunky--portrait of Sega's Space Harrier:

Go here to see an animated version of this portrait, by the way. (The static version, above, was taken from here.)

To see more such portraits of famous and not-so-famous game characters--including Jennifer from Rule of Rose, Vincent from Catherine and Francis York from Deadly Premonition--check out this Flickr set.

Additional proof that Darwin Yamamoto is a pretty awesome dude

Remember how, in this post, I mentioned the photos that Darwin Yamamoto took of Tokyo's famous retro-games shop, Super Potato, during his recent trip to Japan?

Well, unbeknownst to me, Yamamoto used some of his hard-earned cash to buy me a game during one of his jaunts to the above-mentioned store.

Which one, you ask? Why, the first Dragon Quest game for the Famicom!

I've yet to free the cart from its tightly secured wrapping (I'm not sure why, but I want to leave it in this condition until I'm ready to play it), so please forgive the price tag and tape that can be seen in the following photos.

I've long desired a copy of this Enix-published RPG, by the way, and not just because I have fond memories of playing through the North American version with my brother as a kid. Another just-as-important reason for my Dragon Quest-focused lust: I absolutely adore the art that graces the cover of the Japanese release. (Here's a better look at said art, for those of you who are curious.)

Anyway, as you can see in the photos above, this particular cart is in pretty great shape. One thing I really like about it is that a previous owner made note of something on the cartridge's back label. I don't suppose any of you who know Japanese would be able to tell me what it says?

Oh, I almost forgot: Along with the copy of Dragon Quest, Yamamoto also sent me a rather slick pamphlet that details all of the wonderful games that are scheduled to be released (in Japan, of course) for the 3DS during the first three months of 2012.

I'm guessing all of the information contained within said booklet can be found elsewhere on the Internet, but I may scan it and post it here later this week or next anyway--just in case any of you are interested in it.

See also: 'Ain't nothin' like a stroll through Super Potato'

Ain't nothin' like a stroll through Super Potato

Or at least that's what I've been telling myself ever since I came across the photos Darwin Yamamoto--a New York City-based designer and illustrator who has commented here on more than a few occasions--took of the famous retro-games shop during a recent trip to Japan.

The following photo is my favorite because it includes colorful Famicom carts as well as Super Potato's similarly colorful signage.



For pics of the store's Dreamcast and Mega Drive sections, as well as photos of Yamamoto's pick-ups, check out this Flickr set.

Said Flickr set includes photos of other drool-worthy sites, by the way--such as the Dragon Quest-themed Luida's Bar, a shot bar called Muteki Mario and the life-sized Gundam statute that resides on Odaiba, an artificial island near Tokyo.