How Let's Go renewed my interest in Pokémon

When Pokémon: Let's Go was revealed earlier this year, I paid it no mind.

My lack of interest had nothing to do with me being too cool, hardcore, or even old, mind you. Instead, it had to do with my, erm, "complicated" relationship with this long-running series.

You see, although I've bought a lot of Pokémon games over the years, I've barely played--let alone completed--most of them.

A few cases in point: before Let's Go, the only Pokémon title I ever "beat" was Red. I got close with Black, but became distracted as I approached its finale. All the rest, though? Well, I put about seven hours into X, and maybe four into Diamond and Emerald. Meanwhile, my copies of SoulSilver, Black 2, and Moon all remain unopened and unexplored.



Now my initial shoulder-shrugging in regard to Let's Go makes a lot more sense, right?

The thing is, although I was frosty toward this Switch remake at first, I thawed on it shortly after copies finally hit stores. Why? Glowing word of mouth, to be frank. Plus, screens and video footage of the game made it look like a lot of fun.

So, after a bit of hemming and hawing, I handed 60 big ones to the evil superpower known as Amazon for a copy of Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! and then (impatiently) waited for it to arrive on my doorstep.



Based on all of the above, you might assume the first few minutes I spent with this title were the gaming equivalent of love at first sight. They weren't.

In fact, after putting about an hour into it, I was wondering what on earth I'd done in buying it. I found it boring and slow. Honestly, if I hadn't spent so much money on it, I would've popped its cartridge out of my Switch and never looked back. Because I did drop a wad of cash on it, though, I stuck with it. A few hours later, I was all but smitten.

I can't point out to you the exact moment when my opinion of Let's Go, Eevee! changed, sadly. All I know is that I began one play session with a yawn and ended it with a grin splashed across my face.



That grin stayed in place for most of the next 40 or so hours I spent with the game, too.

I "blame" its charming cast of characters--the eponymous monsters, especially--for most of the pain I endured as a result of that days-long smile-fest, by the way. What can I say? There's just something about how the original 151 Pokémon creatures are depicted here that makes me happy.

The same could be said about the new, Pokémon Go-ish capture mechanism. A lot of people despise it, I know. I adore it. In the past, I often found the "wear 'em down until they're just about to faint" aspect of this series' random encounters to be draining. That's no longer an issue here.



Also, combining that aspect with wild Pokémon that are visible on the overworld map makes progressing through the game a breeze.

Are those three components really enough to change someone's mind on this series? I can't speak for anyone else, but for me that's certainly been the case--much to my own surprise, I have to admit.

Will my renewed interest in all things Pokémon (or at least some things Pokémon) remain strong if the mainline game that follows in the footsteps of Let's Go in late 2019 drops either or both of these last two bullet points from the back of its brightly colored box? I honestly don't know.

I can assure you I'll approach it with an open mind, though. And who knows? Maybe I'll walk away from it 50 or so hours later (as I did after I finished Let's Go recently) feeling like I got my money's worth from the purchase--something I've rarely been able to say about Pokémon games.

If you own a 3DS, you need to buy and play Pocket Card Jockey right now

And if you don't own a 3DS, you need to get one as soon as possible and then use it to play Pocket Card Jockey.

I know everyone's moved on to the Switch. So have I, for the most part. I also know this game hit the North American, European, and Australian 3DS eShop eons ago--in May 2016, to be exact. (It hit the Japanese 3DS eShop all the way back in July 2013.)

Given all of the above, I understand why Pocket Card Jockey isn't exactly trending on Twitter right now. The thing is, I doubt Pocket Card Jockey ever trended on Twitter, or lit up the sales charts--even when it first came out and garnered a good amount of praise.

So why am I writing about it now, more than two years after it made a splash (or maybe I should say plop, given the lack of hype surrounding its launch)? And why am I using yet another blog post to push people to give the game a try? Because I started playing it again last weekend while visiting my husband's family in Ohio and it reminded me of Pocket Card Jockey's brilliance.

I'd intended to play something else (Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, for the curious), but when I finally opened my trusty "flame red" 3DS I returned to my long-ignored Pocket Card Jockey save file instead.

At first, I stuck with the game's "training" mode, which basically allows you to play quick rounds of golf solitaire. Within a few hours, though, I cautiously moved over to the main mode. I didn't fare too well early on, to be honest, but a quick look at the "How to Succeed in Pocket Card Jockey Without Really Trying" guide I published a couple of years ago turned things around pretty quickly.

I'm currently 20 hours into my latest obsessive stint with Pocket Card Jockey. The first such stint began in 2013 immediately after the Japanese version's release and lasted for more than 60 hours. The second started in 2016 following the North American version's release and lasted an additional 60-plus hours.

In other words, I've now devoted somewhere north of 140 hours to this $6.99 game over the course of five years.

What's the pull for me? The main attraction (or maybe I should say mane attraction?) is that it's a whole lot of fun. For some reason, I find the combination of solitaire, horse racing, adorable graphics, a top-tier soundtrack, and surprisingly intriguing--and at times shockingly dark--interactions with the game's curious cast of characters to be a winning one.

And then, of course, there's the fact that this Game Freak-developed title is beyond addictive. You know how it's impossible to walk away from Tetris until you've completed about 100 levels? Well, Pocket Card Jockey is imbued with a similar quality. But instead of telling yourself, "just one more round," you're more likely to mutter, "just one more horse"--as it's entirely possible to take a steed from colt or filly to retirement in an hour or so.

Still not convinced to give this hidden gem a try? Maybe my Pocket Card Jockey review will do the trick. Or the fact that I declared it to be my favorite game of 2016 might sway you.

Whatever you need to do to convince yourself to buy Pocket Card Jockey, do it. And do it now. You never know when Nintendo's going to pull the plug on the 3DS eShop, and believe me when I say you don't want to go through life without experiencing this delightfully odd game.

My favorite game of 2016: Pocket Card Jockey

How on earth could I name Game Freak's Pocket Card Jockey my favorite game of the year?

It was a pretty easy decision to make, actually. After all, I played this 3DS eShop game more than I played any other in 2016. Just as importantly, I enjoyed playing it more than I enjoyed playing any other game over the last 12 months.

As for what prompted me to play and enjoy Pocket Card Jockey so much in that time, that's not so easy to explain. Why? A lot of praiseworthy components are packed into the game, so summarizing them requires more than a quippy sentence or two. Still, I should be able to do it in a handful of paragraphs.

For starters, the best thing about Pocket Card Jockey--and the aspect that caused me to devote more than 60 hours to it in 2016 (and put just as many hours into the Japanese version, Solitiba, in 2015)--is its addictive nature.

Meaning, of course, it's one of those games--like, say, Tetris or solitaire or mahjong--that you pick up when you have a few free minutes, and before you know it you've sunk an hour or two (or more) into it.

Granted, Pocket Card Jockey is one part solitaire (golf solitaire, to be more specific) and one part horse breeding and racing, so I guess its addictiveness probably shouldn't have come as such a surprise. (To learn more about how this game plays, read my Pocket Card Jockey review from a few months ago.)

Another reason this title is so marvelously compelling: its soundtrack. I fully understand if you assumed a digital 3DS game filled with cards and thoroughbreds would feature subpar music, but that's far from the reality of the situation. You can thank composer Go Ichinose (of Pokémon fame) for that. The jazzy, catchy tunes he created for Pocket Card Jockey not only get you in the mood to play as long as your eyes--or, in my case, your husband--will allow, but they also worm their way into your brain to the point you'll likely find yourself humming them at the most random times.

Does Pocket Card Jockey look great, and is that also partially responsible for why I'm declaring it to be my favorite game of 2016? Obviously. The same can be said of its controls, by the way, which work well and put the 3DS' many input methods to good use.

At the end of the day, though, it's how developer Game Freak deftly combined all of the above-mentioned elements that made me choose Pocket Card Jockey as my favorite game released this year. Everything meshes so well you revel in the overall experience while playing it rather than obsess about--or even notice--individual components like graphics and music.

With all that out of the way, do yourself a favor and grab your 3DS, buy this game from the eShop (current price: $6.99--believe me, it's worth every penny) and give it a whirl. Oh, and read through my Pocket Card Jockey guide if you want to fill your trophy case.

Just in case you still need a little push RE: buying Pocket Card Jockey for 3DS

I've got Pocket Card Jockey on the brain, I know. Hell, it could be argued I've gone far that point since I first picked up the Japanese version of the game--called SolitiBa in that part of the world--just over three years ago.

After all, in that time I've published a review of this Game Freak-made 3DS eShop title, a guide that offers up advice on how to improve your results and a slew of other posts about it.

Something I haven't expended much text on, though, it Pocket Card Jockey's soundtrack. It's sublime--and that's not an overstatement.

Don't believe me? Check out its best tune, "Funky Monkey Style."



Pretty awesome, right? Admittedly, it's probably not what you imagined when you learned that SolitiBa-slash-Pocket Card Jockey combined horse racing and solitaire.

Go Ichinose is the man who composed it. Name ring a bell? Makes sense, especially if you're a Pokémon fan. (He's had a hand in creating music for almost all of that series' games, plus the GameBoy Advance gem known as Drill Dozer.)

Now that you're smitten, come back to this post and let me know in its comments section how much you love Pocket Card Jockey after you've spent a couple of hours (or more) with it.

(Via TronKnotts)

The Great Gaymathon Review #74: Pocket Card Jockey (3DS)

Game: Pocket Card Jockey

Genre: Puzzle

Developer: Game Freak

Publisher: Nintendo

System: 3DS (eShop)

Release date: 2016

You know a game is full-on bonkers when even telling someone it combines solitaire and horse racing doesn't convey how bonkers it is.

I'm sure some of you are wondering, can a title produced by the folks (at Game Freak) who gave the world the decidedly tame Pokémon series really be all that bonkers?

Consider that a proper Pocket Card Jockey playthrough means encountering and experiencing all of the following:

* getting trampled to death by an adorable peg-legged horse
* hyping up your solitaire skills while begging an angel to send you back to earth
* coming up with silly names for steeds of all shapes (one has a fiery mane, one looks like a dragon, one is dressed like a ninja, one seems to be a robot) and colors
* breeding those equines to produce offspring that are faster, more resilient and, hopefully, have a better temperament than their parents
* racing all of the above for a colorful cast of managers (including a spoiled rich kid with a pompadour, an effervescent pop idol and an evil scientist)

Oh, and last bullet point involves quickly clearing a series of golf solitaire tableaus--which also is pretty bonkers, if you ask me.

Of course, none of the wackiness described above means much if the rest of what’s on offer is a bore. Thankfully, it’s not. In fact, Pocket Card Jockey is as addictively and delightfully fun as it is brilliantly weird.

It’s like Tetris in that it’s the kind of game that prompts you tell yourself, “just one more race. OK, maybe two more.” And the next thing you know, you have no idea where the last couple of hours went.

That’s due, in large part, to how adroitly Game Freak's designers were able to turn Pocket Card Jockey's many disparate elements into a bite-sized title that's far more than the sum of its parts.

Actually, it goes beyond that. They also were able to combine this game's many components in such a way that you rarely think of them as separate entities. Rather than thinking of this as a solitaire game or a horse-racing or -breeding game, Pocket Card Jockey is very much its own thing--kind of like how the Famicom Disk System title, Otocky, is its own thing despite blending the shmup and rhythm genres.

All that said, more than a few of this title's elements deserve to be singled out for praise. One is its overall art style, which is about as adorable and appealing as can be. Another is its control scheme, which relies almost entirely on the 3DS' touch screen--and to great effect. Its localized text, which is both darker and wittier than most will expect from a Game Freak-made release, is similarly on-point. Finally, there's its soundtrack, which may be the best to appear in a 3DS game yet.

As for Pocket Card Jockey's negative aspects, I honestly can't think of any at the moment. Some may point to the abundance of text that's offered up here, or the fact that it becomes a tad repetitive over time, but I personally don't consider them to be worthy of complaint.

If you absolutely need me to rip on some portion of Pocket Card Jockey, this will have to do: should you be anything like me, you'll put a lot of time into this digital title. Don't believe me? Consider that I spent about 70 hours with the Japanese version of the game and I've spent nearly as many hours with its North American counterpart.

In other words, you probably won't regret spending just under $7 on it--unless, I guess, you have an extreme distaste for anything that can be described as "bonkers."

See also: my Pocket Card Jockey guide and my previous 'Great Gaymathon' reviews

How to succeed in Pocket Card Jockey without really trying (or, here's what you should do if you suck at this quirky 3DS eShop title)

I've put over 60 hours into Pocket Card Jockey so far, and I previously put more than 60 hours into its Japanese counterpart, so I guess you could say I know this strange 3DS offering pretty well.

That’s not to suggest I'm some sort of Solitiba (that's the game's Japanese title) expert, mind you. Still, I’ve won more races than I’ve lost in during my 120-plus-hour playthrough, and I’ve also nabbed trophies at the majority of the title’s premier-level G1 events. As such, I’m OK with saying I’ve developed a better-than-adequate understanding of Pocket Card Jockey since I first booted up the Japanese version of the game three years ago.

If you've only just begun this digital oddity, or if you're a veteran of it in terms of playtime but not in terms of results, I think you’ll find this post full of Pocket Card Jockey tips and tricks helpful.

Practice really does make perfect--None of the advice that follows will make a lick of difference if you're rarely able to complete Pocket Card Jockey's solitaire rounds. So, if you suck at golf solitaire, do one or both of these things: restart your game and go through its opening tutorial as many times as is needed for you to feel comfortable with its oft-confusing components. Or, take advantage of the training mode that’s accessible via the main menu screen. I actually put a few minutes into the latter every time I boot up this Game Freak-made title—both to warm me up a bit and to give myself the best possible chance of winning a bunch of races once I transition to the real deal.

Focus from the word go--At the beginning of a race (during the "Start Solitaire" phase), keep a close eye on the cards that fall from the top of the screen. Specifically, do your best to not lose sight of the card that contains five blue spheres. Then, aim for it to get the best possible start—which in the case of Pocket Card Jockey means kicking things off with as much "Unity Power" as you can. That said, don't dally. It’s better to choose a less desirable card (one with fewer than five spheres on it) and earn a less impressive start than it is to not choose one at all and face a miserable start from which you and your foal probably won’t be able to recover.

Know when to stick to your comfort zone and when to stray from it--When I first published this post a couple of weeks ago, I suggested ignoring the advice shared in the game's tutorial, which posits that players should do their best to stick to Comfort Zone Lv. 3 while on the racetrack. I said that because although aiming for Comfort Zone Lv. 3 can pay off dearly (you enter the invincible-esque “Super Unity” mode by successfully clearing the solitaire tableau), it also can cause you and your trusty steed to quickly crash and burn. Why? The solitaire rounds within Comfort Zone Lv. 3 are the toughest to complete (those in Comfort Zone Lv. 1 are the easiest), and if you leave too many cards on the table, so to speak, you risk finding yourself atop a runaway horse. As a result, I initially thought it was best to stay within Comfort Zone Lv. 2 as much as possible due to the fact that the solitaire hands there are more difficult than those in Comfort Zone Lv. 1 but are more lenient than those in Comfort Zone Lv. 3. Later, I amended that recommendation to "somewhere between 50 and 75 percent of the time."

My current opinion on the matter is that you should aim for Comfort Zone Lv. 3 as often as you're able--as long as your solitaire skills are up to snuff. Doing so lets you rapidly build up your "Energy" meter and also allows you to suck up as many special item cards as possible--both of which play an important role in winning races. If you have a hard time clearing the solitaire tableaus in Comfort Zone Lv. 3, though, avoid this strategy. Instead, try this: move into Comfort Zone Lv. 3 while on the straightaways, and transition into Comfort Zone Lv. 2 whenever you start to round a corner.

Don't put the card before the horse--During a race, grab as many of the horseshoe and lightbulb cards as you can--they're the only way to level-up your horse and increase its speed, strength and skills, after all--but don't go crazy. Sometimes they're enticingly placed in positions (within the jagged red-orange-yellow portions of the track) that will leave you vulnerable—aka, hit you with a "turning loss"—while rounding a bend. Speaking of that fiery curtain that descends onto the field every few rounds, feel free to venture onto it after you clear a hand of solitaire while in Comfort Zone Lv. 2 or 3, as this is the only time you can do so without being penalized.

Boost or bust--One of the keys to winning Pocket Card Jockey's tougher races is to pick up at least one of the boost cards (the ones with a blue flame in the center) as you gallop around the track. They provide you with some additional oomph during the home stretch and can be the difference between coming in first and missing out on it by a nose. A related piece of advice here: use your boost cards as soon as possible on the straightaway. Just make sure the no other horses are in your way before you hit the associated button, as although these cards are supposed to let you push them out of the way, they don't do it 100 percent of the time in my experience.

Boxes are for video games, not jockeys and ponies--Just before the homestretch, make sure your horse is in a position that makes it unlikely it’ll get boxed in by its competitors. Usually this means moving it to a higher spot on the track (as opposed to hugging the inside edge). Being surrounded by other steeds isn’t such a big deal if you manage to snag one or two of the above-mentioned boost cards that pop up each race, as they help you break through such bottlenecks. Fail to grab one, though, and you can kiss the current race goodbye if you find yourself tied up.

I can't believe I'm suggesting this, but save your spending cash for the $10,000 puzzle pieces--Early on, it makes sense to spend some of your winnings on the items--carrots, gloves, riding crops--sold at Chirp's Happy Horses shop. They can give you the edge you need to place in those initial races. Later on, though, Chirp's prices go through the roof. Should you still buy one of the above-mentioned products when they cost $10,000 or even $30,000? Not in my opinion. Instead, I suggest saving up your dough until you have enough to buy one or more puzzle pieces. Without spoiling anything, they'll end up providing you with bigger boosts than the above-mentioned accessories ever will. At least, that is, until you complete all of Pocket Card Jockey's puzzles. Once you do that, stop buying pieces and blow your hard-earned cash on carrots, gloves and the like, especially before you're tossed into one of the title's G1 races.

Just breed--Although it's possible to take one of the game's generic steeds and turn it into one that runs away with the King's Gate trophy, that's far more likely to happen if you spend some time breeding your best stallions and mares. Don't just randomly pair up two of them, though; choose two that have similar characteristics and peak times, have won a ton of races or have the best stats and skills. They will produce the most powerful foals. Also, keep your eye out for offspring who have one, two or three stars in their bios. These fillies and colts are the strongest, so include them in the equation whenever possible.

This ain't no place for ageist jockeys--I've read quite a few comments on line that recommend passing on Pocket Card Jockey's mature mode and instead focusing on its growth mode. I disagree. A lot of good can be gained from the former, even if it doesn't help you level-up your current undulate. First, it allows you to win more money that can be blown on the pricey puzzle pieces mentioned above. Second, it lets you win more races. In particular, it lets you bolster your collection of GI trophies--and that's what you need to do if you want your horses to retire champions. Which you do want, of course, as the easiest way to produce the best Pocket Card Jockey companions is to breed champions after they've been sent to the farm.

Are any of you also enjoying--or at least playing--Pocket Card Jockey? If so, please let me know in the comments section below if you agree or disagree any of the pointers I've shared above. Also feel free to share your own tips and tricks related to this 3DS game.

See also: previous Solitiba and Pocket Card Jockey posts

You bought Pocket Card Jockey from the 3DS eShop yesterday, right?

Those of who without a 3DS probably are thinking, what, you want all of us to buy it, too?

Actually, I do. Granted, I'd suggest picking up a 3DS system beforehand--you know, so you can actually play it--but once you've taken care of that little detail, yes, I think you should purchase this wonderfully charming and surprisingly deep game.

For the rest of you, if you haven't yet nabbed the Game Freak-made Pocket Card Jockey from the 3DS eShop--publisher Nintendo put it up for sale, carrying a $6.99 price tag, yesterday--what's holding you back?

If it's that you aren't sure you'll enjoy it, well, I can understand that--to a point. After all, it isn't every day that you're presented with a game that dares to combine (golf) solitaire with a horse-racing sim.



That said, a Pocket Card Jockey demo has been available for more than a week now. (I wrote about it here, in case anyone is interested.) It's free and offers 15 plays, which is more than enough to figure out of its strangely addictive gameplay is your cup of tea or not.

And if that's not enough for you? Read this old post of mine. Don't fret that it says it's about a game called Solitiba; that's just Pocket Card Jockey's original Japanese title.

Anyway, in that write-up I blather on a bit about the five things I like best about digital time-waster. (I mean that in the best possible way, naturally.) I barf up some similar statements at the end of this post, by the way--in case you're looking for more encouragement.

If you're not, because Pocket Card Jockey's already taking up space on your 3DS' memory card, please share your impressions of it in the comments section below.

Drop whatever you're doing and download the Pocket Card Jockey 3DS demo now

When a little game called Solitiba hit the Japanese 3DS eShop back in July of 2013, I snapped it up as soon as I could.

I did that for a few reasons. One, I knew the title had been made by the folks at Game Freak—best known, of course, for the world-conquering Pokémon series. Two, it had previously made headlines for attempting to combine two disparate genres: horse racing and puzzlers (solitaire, specifically).

Add to that Solitiba’s undeniably adorable art style and, well, you’ve basically got a game that’s “right up my alley,” as that stale old saying goes.

How far up my alley is it? Well, I’ve since put more than 60 hours into it so far, if that tells you anything.

On a related note, I've already put about three hours into the demo of Solitiba's North American localization--which is known as Pocket Card Jockey in this neck of the woods. (Actually, I believe that's the name it goes by in every region outside of Japan.)

Which means, of course, that I'm enjoying the English version of the game quite a bit. OK, I'm enjoying it a lot.

It's not perfect, mind you. A case in point: the text seems a bit stilted at times, as if the people who worked on that aspect of the game hewed more closely to the original script than maybe they should have done.

Granted, the powers that be at Nintendo probably didn't want to devote tons of time, money or energy to this project, and its localization team was tasked with translating a ton of text, so I won't be too tough on anyone for that slight miscue.

At any rate, I highly recommend downloading the Pocket Card Jockey 3DS demo as soon as you're able. And after you've played it for a while, come back here and tell me what you think of it. (Also, if you need advice, just ask. I'm more than happy to help.)

See also: 'Five reasons it's a shame Game Freak hasn't yet released its quirky 3DS eShop title, Solitiba, outside of Japan'

Giddyup! Game Freak's Solitiba will gallop its way onto the North American 3DS eShop this May as Pocket Card Jockey

For a lot of folks, the highlight of yesterday's North American Nintendo Direct was the surprise announcement that a new Kirby 3DS game--its subtitle is Planet Robobot--is going to hit digital and retail store shelves in this part of the world on June 10.

Others swooned over the fact that Monster Hunter X and Genei Ibunroku #FE are heading our way this summer, too. (The former's localized name is Monster Hunter: Generations, while the latter's is Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE.)

And of course a bunch of people turned their eyes to the heavens--or something of that sort--when they heard Nintendo of America's Bill Trinen say the company's Rhythm Tengoku: The Best Plus will be released (as Rhythm Heaven Megamix) here "later this year."

Although I found myself grinning--broadly--following each of those reveals, the one that prompted the most joyous reaction from me was this one:



Yes, the game showcased in the video above is a localized version of one of my most-loved Japanese 3DS titles, Solitiba.

In fact, I loved it so much I put nearly 60 hours into it in 2014 alone. (See why that is in my "Five reasons it's a shame Game Freak hasn't yet released Solitiba outside of Japan" post.)

That Game Freak-made head-scratcher--it deftly combines elements of both horse racing and golf solitaire--galloped its way onto that region's 3DS eShop all the way back in 2013, by the way. Which means I've been waiting quite a long time to play it in a language I fully understand.

Are any of you in the same boat? Even if you aren't, are you at all curious to give this kooky game a try?

See also: previous posts about Solitiba

A couple of Katamari Damacy + Solitiba doodles for anyone who cares

So, I recently started doodling again.

Not that I ever meant to stop, mind you--or not that I made some sort of specific pact with myself to stop, at least.

In fact, I can't remember when my "doodling" trailed off, although I'm pretty sure it was more than a year ago.

As for why this happened, I can only guess at this point, but I have a feeling I simply ran out of ideas. 

My brain recently became flooded with ideas, though, thanks to a project I'm working on for the technical writing certificate program I'm taking through the Seattle branch of the University of Washington. 

Specifically, I'm working on a "quick-reference guide" for the weird Game Freak-developed and -published 3DS (and iOS) title that has gotten so much attention here in the last six months or so, Solitiba. 

Although the focus of this document is its text--which is supposed to help people understand and remember the nuances of the various "phases" associated with Solitiba's racing segments--I want to make it visually appealing, too, so I decided a couple of weekends ago to whip up a few drawings that could be snuggled within all of the letters and punctuation.

My first creation wasn't a total success. (Check it out here, if you're feeling adventurous.) Later efforts were a lot better, though, if I do say so myself.

I don't know if I'd say this is an example of the latter, but I also wouldn't call it a complete turd. Granted, it was a quick-and-dirty sketch produced as a sort of placeholder image for my guide's cover. (In the end, I decided to go with something else.)

I like the doodle, above, a lot more. Of course, what's not to like about a cute little horse with a sparkly mane and stubby legs that's attempting (not very successfully, mind you) to play solitaire?

This drawing, on the other hand, is supposed to depict a similarly stylized undulate teetering atop a house of cards (or, "Horse of Cards," which is the name I gave to this image when I published it on deviantart a couple of days ago).

Had enough of my Solitiba-inspired illustrations (if they can even be called that)? How about a Katamari Damacy-inspired illustration? I concocted it after one of my new colleagues wore a Katamari-branded t-shirt to work last Friday.

I have a feeling Katamari Damacy's denizens usually don't alter their antennae like this one has, but what can you do?

Anyway, if you like any or all of the doodles shared here, you may want to head over to my deviantart gallery and take a gander the handful of others I've generated in the last few years.

See also: previous posts about Solitiba

Shall We Do It? (Fantasy Life, Final Fantasy Explorers Light and Solitiba)

There's a reason I haven't published one of these posts in some time. (Not since Oct. 14, in fact.) Actually, there are two reasons, with one being the North American 3DS title, Fantasy Life, and the other being the Japanese 3DS eShop title, Solitiba.

Although I've put far more time into the former than the latter in the last month and a half, I've gotten such a kick out of playing both of them that no other game has been able to steal my attention away from them.

Well, that's not completely true. I forced myself to download the Japanese demo of Square Enix's Final Fantasy Explorers (called Final Fantasy Explorers Light) a weekend or so ago, after all, and even gave it a few plays before stuffing it into a folder somewhere and moving back to Fantasy Life and Solitiba.

Anyway, keep reading if you'd like to read a few more of my thoughts on this trio of 3DS games.



Fantasy Life--You want to know how completely this recent Level-5 release has me wrapped around its finger? I've put 76 hours into it so far, that's how completely.

Actually, I probably should've said "had" rather than "has" in the sentence above, as I haven't booted up Fantasy Life since I played it for about four hours while flying from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Seattle last Friday. Don't worry, I'll get back to it shortly. After all, I've loved pretty much every minute of it so far--and I've spent a lot of minutes with it.

I've accomplished a lot during all those minutes (and hours) of play, of course, although I've yet to finish the game's main story. I believe I'm nearly there, though, so expect me to wrap it up between now and the next time I publish one of these posts.

The fact is, though, that most of what Fantasy Life has to offer people happens outside the confines of its main story--or, rather, happens while the main story is "on pause," so to speak. In my case, for instance, the majority of my experience with the game has been spent leveling up various "lives"--to the point that I've now spent a good amount of time with eight of the 12 jobs included here. (All of them have been brought up to "Hero" level except blacksmith, which is only up to "Master.") My favorites at the moment: archer and angler, I think, although I honestly get a kick out of all of them.

I still find Fantasy Life's verbose nature to be a bit annoying, by the way, but it's easy enough to skip through all of the blather, so don't worry about it too much if you're on the fence about buying the game.



Final Fantasy Explorers Light--Although I downloaded this demo of Square Enix's upcoming Final Fantasy spin-off (for the 3DS) as soon as it was uploaded to the Japanese eShop, I put off playing it until a couple of days ago due to the fact that I've been luke warm (at best) on its art style ever since I first laid eyes on it a few months back.

Which is a shame, as now that I've spent some time with the game and seen its graphics in motion, it really doesn't look all that bad. It also doesn't look stellar, mind you, but it looks better than I thought it would based on my first impressions.

As for the gameplay, all I've gathered so far is that it's quest-heavy--it's similar to the Bravely Default demo, in that regard--and vaguely Monster Hunter-esque, although I hesitate to say the latter as Final Fantasy Explorers seems a lot less strategic than Capcom's money-maker.

I'm going to play Light for a little longer before making a decision about the full game, but I've got to admit that at the moment I'm leaning toward not picking it up--assuming Square Enix even bothers to release it in North America. (Because there's no way I'm importing and playing through the Japanese release.)

In a way, I kind of hope the remainder of my time with Light prompts a change of heart, because for some weird reason I really want to like it--even with its questionable art style. Why couldn't the artist responsible for, say, the original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles have worked on this sucker?



Solitiba--I actually stepped away from this (sadly) Japan-only offering after putting about 35 hours into it. Not because I was tired of it, mind you, but because my copy of Fantasy Life arrived and I was just a bit more desperate to play it than I was to continue playing Solitba.

Now that I'm taking a bit of a breather from Fantasy Life, though, I have plenty of "brain bandwidth" to devote to Solitiba again.

In case you haven't gathered already, this is one of those games that latches onto you and refuses to let go without a proper fight. I guess that could be due to the fact solitaire is such a prominent part of it--and solitaire's right up there with games like Tetris when it comes to sucking you in and wasting more of your time than you thought it would, although of course it could be argued that one is a bit less exciting than the other--but I don't think that's entirely what's going on here.

No, I think the real reason Solitiba is so easy to pick up, and so hard to put down, is that all of its elements--the solitaire portions, the horse-racing segments, the magnificent art style, Game Freak's "golden touch"--combine and conspire to produce a whole that's far more enticing than the sum of these aforementioned parts.

As a result, I really hope the folks at Game Freak--or Nintendo, or some other publisher--are toiling away on English and other language versions of Solitiba, because I honestly consider it to be a gem that people all around the world, and not just those in Japan (or those, like me, who own Japanese 3DS systems), should be given an chance to experience.

See also: previous 'Shall We Do It?' posts

Five reasons it's a shame Game Freak hasn't yet released its quirky 3DS eShop title, Solitiba (aka Soliti Horse), outside of Japan

How do I love thee, Solitiba (aka Soliti Horse)? Let me count the ways.

Actually, let me count the hours--as in, the hours I've spent playing this Japan-only, Game Freak-made 3DS eShop title that, as I'm sure you've heard me say before, adds a bit of zip to the traditionally staid horse-racing genre by infusing it with some lightning-fast rounds of solitaire.

The tally so far, by the way, would be just under 25 hours. That's how long I've played Solitiba, I mean. Which, admittedly, is a bit ... extreme. What can I say? I'm enjoying the hell out of it.

Which is why, as I state in the header above, it's a damn shame this game has yet to be released outside of Japan.

Here are five more observations related to why I believe that to be the case:

It's addictive--I guess that could be gleaned from my earlier revelation that I've spent 25 or so hours with this sucker so far, but that's not all there is to Solitiba's addictive nature. For instance, there's the fact that this is one of those titles that, even when all you plan to do is pick it up and play it for five or 10 minutes, you end up playing it for far longer than that. In my case, that usually means playing it for 30 to 40 minutes, it not longer, which is kind of crazy when you consider we're basically talking about a gussied-up game of solitaire.

It's adorable--All you need to see for proof of this bullet point are the screenshots that are scattered throughout this post. I especially love the looks of Solitiba's pudgy little horses, although I wouldn't have minded if the artists at Game Freak had conjured up at least a couple of "girly-looking" ones to balance things out a smidge. (I mean, why don't any of them sport pink or purple coats? There are a number of blue and yellow ones, after all.)

It's deep--Despite the fact that I've described Solitiba as being one part horse-racing sim and one part solitaire on at least three or four occasions now, there's far more to this digital title than that. Winning or losing has to do with more than just completing a hand of solitaire. How a player positions his or her steed throughout a race can lead to success or failure, for example, as can either picking up or passing up on the many "item" cards that are scattered about each track.

It's got a surprisingly awesome soundtrack--In fact, I've yet to hear a tune that I would describe as anything other than great. The standouts on Solitiba's soundtrack, though, go well beyond great, with two notable cases in point being the ditty that opens this video and the one that can be heard starting at the 8:04 mark of the same medley.

It's really easy to screw things up due to the slew of unintelligible menus--And by that, I mean that if you don't know some amount of Japanese, it can be far too easy to, say, delete your save file--which is a headache that's made even more painful once you realize that you're going to have to go through the game's far-too-wordy-for-its-own-good tutorial once again.

See also: Dengeki Online's Solitiba guide, Japanese3DS.com's review and Sosostris.com's write-up

Game Freak is releasing a Solitiba soundtrack on Nov. 7 and I'm going to buy the hell out of it

I know what at least a few of you are thinking right now: "How do you buy the hell out of something?"

I don't know, to tell you the truth, but I'm going to figure it out between now and Nov. 7, which is when the folks at Game Freak, makers of those Pokémon games you've probably heard about (along with a number of other gems), will release a soundtrack for Solitiba--aka Soliti Horse, aka the game that's currently eating up most of my precious free time.

Anyway, I'm guessing the two or three of you who also are feeling this Japan-only eShop game will be happy to hear copies of its soundtrack are being sold for just 2,700 Yen (about $25) via shop.2083.jp--although it seems Amazon Japan will sell them eventually as well.

Want to hear a bit of said soundtrack before committing your hard-earned dollars to it? Here you go:

By the way, if any of you are curious to learn more about this addictive digital title, which wackily combines elements of solitaire with those of an adorable horse-racing sim, keep your eyes peeled for a post I'll be publishing early next week.

See also: 'Would somebody please translate these Solitiba (3DS) screens for me?'

Would somebody please translate these Solitiba (3DS) screens for me?

While the rest of the 3DS-owning world obsesses over the latest Super Smash Bros. title (or the just-released Pokémon Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby demo), I am obsessing about a quirky little title that hit the Japanese eShop over a year ago: Game Freak's Solitiba (aka Soliti Horse).

In case this is the first you've heard of it, Solitiba ably--and shockingly--combines everybody's favorite single-player card game, solitaire, with a rather adorable horse-racing sim.

If that makes it sound like a snoozefest, well, I can't really blame you for feeling that way, but I can assure you the resulting effort is anything but a bore.

Anyway, I bring up all of the above because a few things are keeping me from enjoying Solitiba to the fullest: namely, the screens that can be found below. As such, if any of you kind souls could translate--or even just share the gist of--the Japanese text showcased in the following photos, I would greatly appreciate it.



The message above pops up whenever I try to play my existing save file. Clicking on the purple button returns me to Solitiba's main menu.



Speaking of the game's main menu, it can be seen in the shot above. I know the button in the upper-left corner (red jockey) takes me to Solitiba's "training" (practice) mode, while the ones in the middle (black jockey) and lower-left (orange jockey) take me to the main campaign and the options screen, but do any of you know what the one in the upper-right is supposed to represent?



Also, if I click on the "options" button shown in the last photo, I come to the screen above. Here, I know the button in front of the white horse takes me back to the previous screen, but what do the other buttons say or do?



Finally, the message above keeps popping up whenever I try to launch Solitiba. Is it telling me an update for the game's available on the eShop, or is it telling me about something else?

I ask because I pressed "Y" the first time I encountered it, but the only noteworthy thing I could make out on the resulting eShop page was that a demo (I think) of the game was available for download.

A hearty thank you in advance to anyone who is able to help me with this admittedly silly request!

Shall We Do It? (THE 'DENPA' MEN 3, Etrian Odyssey IV, Final Fantasy Adventure and Nontan to Issho: Kuru Kuru Puzzle)

I've got to be honest here: I haven't had a ton of time to play games since I published the last installment of "Shall We Do It?" a week ago. I believe I spent just enough time with the games mentioned above and below, though, to share at least a few thoughts on them here. So, let's get to it, shall we?

THE "DENPA" MEN 3 (3DS)--Speaking of the above, I only played this 3DS eShop RPG for an hour or so this past week. I would've spent more time with it, but ... I'm kind of lost. I'm guessing it's nothing a quick trip to GameFAQs couldn't help me through, but the fact is I'm not sure I'm interested enough in what's going on right now to bother perusing that site.

As for why that is, well, a big part of it is that THE "DENPA" MEN 3 is starting to feel an awful lot like THE "DENPA" MEN 2-- and I don't necessarily mean that in a good way. Way too many battles pop up while traversing part three's overworld, for starters--and this is coming from someone who usually likes grinding while playing RPGs. (I voiced a similar complaint while attempting to work my way through part two last year.) Combine that with the fact that it can be difficult to know where you're supposed to go to advance the story--even with the game literally pointing you in the general direction--and you've got a not-always-pleasant experience that sometimes veers directly into annoying territory.

Does that mean I'm through with THE "DENPA" MEN 3? Not at all. In fact, I'm going to do my best to put a good dent in it during the next week and a half. Should I get stuck again, though, or should that "good dent" not be enough to fully engage me in this game, I wouldn't be surprised if I gave up on it well in advance of the ending credits (just as I did with its predecessor).

Etrian Odyssey IV (3DS)--Although I think there's also a chance that I'll give up on Etrian Odyssey IV before I encounter its end credits, I have a feeling I'll find a way to finish it--and hopefully in the next week or two.

I'm still meandering my way through what I believe is its final dungeon, by the way--or maybe it's the dungeon that leads to the final dungeon? Regardless, I'm seemingly about halfway through it now. (I'm just about to start the third section--I think.) Like I said in my last "Shall We Do It?" post, I'm not at all sure why this game's designers or developers decided to make players go through portions of previously visited (and beaten) dungeons at the end of the adventure. For me, that's about the worst kind of buzzkill you can throw at me as a title nears its climax. In fact, I usually want and expect the opposite out of an RPG's closing salvo--as in, new enemies, new environments and new experiences. Otherwise, it can feel like a slog--as it is in Etrian Odyssey IV right now.

Final Fantasy Adventure (GameBoy)--It may sound strange, but I'm currently enjoying this "old" RPG--which is the first Mana, or Seiken Densetsu, game, in case you haven't heard already--far more than I'm enjoying either of the other, more modern examples of the genre that I just mentioned.

That said, I do have a few critiques to level against it. One such critique: it's far too easy to get lost within its dungeons and even while exploring its overworld. In fact, I found myself lost on three occasions the last time I played it (last weekend), and only one instance could've been blamed on my own ignorance. (As in, I forgot that I could use my battle axe to chop down trees to access otherwise off-limits areas.)

Speaking of getting lost on this game's overworld, the map that's made available by pressing the GameBoy's "Select" button is some kind of cruel joke, right? I mean, what's the point of it otherwise? Sure, it displays towns and a few other points of interest while also showing the player's proximity to them, but that's about it. It's so bare bones that I'm honestly confused as to why it was included.

Other than the above, though, I'm really, really digging this portable adventure--which is one part Final Fantasy and one part Zelda, if you've yet to play it yourself--and I fully expect to "beat" it before long (and most likely before I beat either of the aforementioned titles).

Nontan to Issho: Kuru Kuru Puzzle (GameBoy)--Those of you who've actually heard of this adorable import-only puzzler deserve some sort of prize. Sadly, I'm all out of prizes at the moment, so, uh, give yourself a pat on the back?

Anyway, I started playing this one after my blogging friend and podcast cohort Anne Lee announced her #PuzzleMonth game-along event a couple of days ago. (Go here to learn more about it.)

If this is the first you've heard of Kuru Kuru Puzzle, for the most part it's your typical match-three--or in the case of this game, match-two--puzzle game. It does offer up a slight twist on the tried-and-true formula, though; that being that the tiles can't be rotated as they can in other such games. Rather, they can be flipped--with the image on the flipped side generally being an alternate take of the previous side's imagery. (Examples: a whole apple and a half of an apple, a fish and fish bones, etc.)

It's not what I would call a mind-blowing change to the genre, mind you, but it definitely helps make this particular game just interesting enough to be worthwhile for folks who like puzzlers that require them to match tiles.

Finally, a couple of fun facts about Kuru Kuru Puzzle: the cat with the fly-catcher mouth that serves as this game's protagonist also served as the protagonist of a series of children's picture books first published in Japan in 1976, according to this HardcoreGaming101 article. Also, the folks behind the Pokémon series, Game Freak, developed a Super Famicom version of this game. (Some company called Access made the GameBoy iteration.)

See also: previous 'Shall We Do It?' posts

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Pokémon X/Y edition)

I may not be the biggest Pokémon fan around, but I like the series well enough to follow developments related to its mainline releases.

Which is why, of course, I decided to devote a "Which Box Art is Better?" post to the covers that are being considered for Pokémon X and Y.

I'm guessing you don't need me to point out which is which, but just in case you do, here's Pokémon X supposedly preliminary box art:

And here's the art that'll likely grace the covers of Pokémon Y copies:

As for which I prefer: I'm a bit torn this time around, I have to say, as I really like X's cool tones and commanding protagonist while I think Y's has a better, more balanced, design.

If I were forced to pick one over the other, though, I'd probably go with Y. Which one would you choose and why?

See also: previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts

A somewhat gay review of HarmoKnight (3DS)

Game: HarmoKnight 

Genre: Platformer 

Developer: Game Freak 

Publisher: Nintendo 

System: 3DS (eShop)

Release date: 2013

It has to be said, right from the start, that I've been chomping at the bit to play this Game Freak-developed digital title since it was unveiled during a Japanese Nintendo Direct broadcast back in August of last year.

I liked pretty much everything about the chunks of HarmoKnight that were highlighted during its first trailer--its art style, its music and its rhythm-based gameplay, especially. Each of those aspects continued to enthrall me after I played the title's demo for the first time about a month ago, which prompted me to assume this would be the next 3DS release--after THE DENPA MEN and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, among others--to consume my so-called free time.

How wrong I was. Although HarmoKnight's art style is unquestionably appealing, and while its soundtrack and overall gameplay--which generally consist of "endless running" platformer stages that task players with jumping or hitting enemies and obstacles in time with a backing track's beat, although boss encounters switch things up by going with a more "Simon Says" approach--are (for the most part) stellar, those pieces never come together to produce the thoroughly enjoyable, must-play experience I expected after loving the demo.

In a way, this creation is much like Sega's Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure, which similarly intrigued me in the lead up to its release, only to disappoint and even enrage me (on occasion) afterward.

As for which elements were most responsible for letting me down: the most notable revolves around too many of the game's stages--I'm looking at you, Baroque, Jazz and Rock worlds--feeling cheap from a difficulty standpoint. Sometimes that's due to the background music being too subtle (making it hard to discern an actual beat), while at other times it's due to enemies or obstacles literally coming out of nowhere. (Both of these issues are present in every one of HarmoKnight's maddening mine-cart stages, by the way.)

Three other components that contributed to my more-negative-than-I'd-originally-hoped assessment of HarmoKnight: its lack of checkpoints (although this only becomes a real problem during this eShop title's later levels), its love of narrative text (especially annoying when you consider its story basically boils down to "save the princess from the bad guy") and the fact that it's a fairly short-lived experience (I beat the final boss and encountered the game's end credits after just three hours of play).

Do all of the above-mentioned cons outweigh HarmoKnight's pros--which include not only its art style and soundtrack, but also its Space Channel 5-esque boss and mini-boss battles and Pokémon-themed bonus stages? Sadly, I think they do.

I have to say, though, that I'd probably respond to that question in a more positive manner if the game cost $5 or even $10. At $15, though, it's far too flawed to recommend to anyone other than huge fans of rhythm-based platformers--and even those folks are likely to wish they'd refrained from hitting the "buy" button at one point or another.

See also: previous 'somewhat gay' reviews

Bit.Trip Runner meets Rhythm Heaven with a dash of Space Channel 5

FYI: the headline above is supposed describe Game Freak's just-released (throughout Europe and North America) 3DS eShop title, HarmoKnight.

I can't take credit for said description, mind you--that honor belongs to NeoGAF user Boss Doggie. I thought it was spot-on, though, so I stole it and used it here in an effort to increase awareness of this rhythmic platformer.

Before I go on, I probably should point those of you who've never heard of HarmoKnight to the following trailer:



Sure, the game's price tag ($15 in North America) is a bit hefty for an eShop release, but I personally think it's worth it based on its Saturday-morning-cartoon-by-way-of-Japan aesthetic alone--assuming, of course, you don't completely suck at platformers or rhythm games.

Have any of you already picked up this plucky digital title? If so, what do you think of it so far? Don't worry, I'll share my impressions soon enough (i.e., sometime next week).

So, what do you think of Pokémon X/Y?

Anyone who's even a smidge interested in Nintendo's Pokémon series woke up to a semi-surprise yesterday (no, not that kind of surprise)--with that surprise being the announcement of a new pair of mainline games known as Pokémon X and Pokémon Y.

The most interesting and relevant details that were revealed about these 3DS-based Pokémon titles during the latest Nintendo Direct broadcast:

* Everything in the game--including characters and environments--appears to be rendered using polygons. In other words: so long, sprites, and hello, fully three-dimensional towns, fields and battles.

* Three new starters will be made available to folks who decide to pick up and play copies of Pokémon X or Y: Chespin (grass), Fennekin (fire) and Froakie (water).

* Two new "legendaries" will make their debut in these titles, too--one of which is some sort of stag and the other of which is a bird.

* For the first time ever, these Pokémon games will be released in Australia, Europe, Japan and North America simultaneously (this coming October).

Given all of the above, what do I think of this announcement? I'm intrigued, no question. Although I wasn't exactly blown away by the first few seconds of gameplay footage shown during the Nintendo Direct broadcast, once the action switched to the title's battle sequences I was suitably impressed.

As such, the main questions that are now bouncing around in my mind are: which version do I buy, and which starter do I select? (At the moment, I'm thinking I'll go with Y and with Fennekin, but don't quote me on that.)

Speaking of questions: how do all of you feel about Pokémon X and Y? Are you excited about them or not? And are you planning to pick up one version or the other (or even both) upon their release?