Five favorites: Famicom leading ladies

Here's an admission that should shock no one: I've preferred female protagonists in video games to male ones since my earliest experiences with the medium.

Unfortunately, NES games that let you play as a girl or woman were far from common--or at least that was the case for the ones I owned or rented back in the day. Metroid is an obvious stand-out, as is Super Mario Bros. 2, but other than that pair? The only additional examples that come to mind at the moment are Athena, Ice Climber (you can control Nana in two-player mode), Mickey Mousecapade (in a way) and Final Fantasy (I'm one of those folks who have always considered the white mage to be female).

Thankfully, I'm no longer a kid, which means imports are no longer off limits. That's a big deal, because Famicom games weren't as sexist as their North American counterparts--as should be evident by the time you finish reading the following blurbs about five of my favorite female protagonists to grace the Japanese iteration of Nintendo's 8-bit console.

Altiana (Space Hunter)--Full disclosure: I've never actually played this Kemco-made, flick-screen action game, but I've long wanted to give it a try. Admittedly, its gameplay looks a bit rough (see it action here), but its spritework--protagonist Altiana's, especially--is right up my alley. I know some folks wish the in-game version of Altiana looked a bit more like the version showcased on the Space Hunter box cover, but I think she looks great in both forms. Plus, based on the footage above, she seems to be a kick-ass-and-take-names kind of gal, which means I'd bow down to her even if her sprite was gnarly. (To learn more about this Japan-only release from 1986, check out Video Game Den's Space Hunter write-up.)

Clarice (City Connection)--What do I like least about this console port of Jaleco's arcade classic? That you only get a glimpse of its main character, the blue-haired lady in the screenshot above, between stages. Sure, the rest of City Connection also is as cute as can be, but I find Clarice's design to be so pleasant that it's a real shame players don't get to see more of it. Oh, well, at least she's the star of this banana-yellow Famicom cartridge. After all, how often does a driving game--even one that's more of a platformer than a racer--feature a female protagonist? (Bonus content: I first rented the NES iteration of City Connection back in the day because I thought its logo was adorable.)

Lum (Urusei Yatsura: Lum no Wedding Bell)--I've got to be honest here: I don't know a whole lot about the Urusei Yatsura manga and anime series in general or the Lum character in particular. (Besides what I've read on Wikipedia, I mean.) That unfortunate ignorance hasn't kept me from lusting after this Jaleco-made platformer, though, which is a remake, of sorts, of the same company's Momoko 120% arcade game. Chiefly responsible for the blossoming of that long-distance love affair: Hardcore Gaming 101 writer Neil Foster's declaration (in this article about Momoko 120%) that both Lum no Wedding Bell and its predecessor are "more or less standard arcade flair in the Donkey Kong vein." Add to that the fact that the blue-coiffed Lum can zap on-coming baddies with lightning bolts, and the appeal should be as clear as day.

Myu (Insector X)--Before I say anything else, I've got to give a shout-out to the 1CC Log for Shmups for educating me as to this red-headed gal's name. Before I came across the post linked to above, I assumed this 8-bit reimagining of Taito's quarter-muncher of the same title simply referred to her as "girl," or something similarly lazy and disappointing. Speaking of disappointing, Insector X's character-select screen suggests players should only choose Myu if they're girls themselves. Ugh. On a positive note, at least a female option exists. Related aside: I prefer Myu's design to that of her male cohort (his name is Anny) many times over.

Sayo (Kiki KaiKai Dotō Hen)--I've had a soft spot for the Shinto shrine maiden that serves as this Famicom Disk System's protagonist ever since I played through Pocky & Rocky with wide-eyed gusto as a teenager. That soft spot only grew when I became aware of the PC Engine port of the original KiKi KaiKai. (FYI: you can peruse the entirety of that game's instruction booklet in this "Manual Stimulation" post.) In the beginning, I liked Sayo because she was cute. Later, I came to appreciate that she single-handedly sets out to rescue not just one god, but seven of them, in this multi-directional shmup--which differs from both the arcade original and the aforementioned HuCard release in a number of important ways--with nothing more than a fistful of o-fuda scrolls.

Do you have any favorites when it comes to women who have starring roles in Famicom games? If so, let me know which ones in the comments section that follows.

Six shoot 'em ups I'm playing as part of #Shmuptember

Welcome to #Shmuptember, everyone! Wait, do you mean to tell me you don't know what #Shmuptember is?

In that case, here's a little explanation: #Shmuptember is the most recent of blogger Anne Lee's "community game-along" events that tasks willing participants with playing any and all shoot 'em ups that strike their fancy and then sharing their experiences with others--be it in blog posts, podcasts, Tweets or via some other form of social media.

Given the love I've long felt for this genre, I'd be remiss if I didn't put a slew of shmups through their paces this month. In fact, I've already spent a good amount of time with six of them. Continue reading for a few thoughts.

AeroStar (GameBoy)--An intriguingly odd example of the genre due to the fact that it combines traditional overhead-shmup trappings (flying a plane, shooting anything that finds its way on screen) with the most noteworthy elements of Data East's arcade classic, Bump 'n' Jump. Specifically, the majority of the average Joe's or Jane's experience with AeroStar is spent scuttling along roads of various widths while oncoming enemies attack from all angles. Every so often, though, the road falls away and they're forced to launch into the air--but only for a limited amount of time. The game's definitely held back a bit by the GameBoy hardware--a fact that's most plainly observed in the stuttering quality of its scrolling fields--but never to the point that it becomes unplayable or even unenjoyable.

Darius Plus (PC Engine)--I've always thought of this game as being an example of "Deep Blue done right." After all, both games feature a bevy of aquatic settings and foes, although Deep Blue does a lot more with both of those aspects than its Taito-made counterpart. Still, Darius Plus has always had better word of mouth attached to it than Pack-in Video's oft-vilified effort. My rather limited impressions of Darius Plus so far support the notion that it's a better shmup than Deep Blue, but only just, as neither one appeals to me all that much at the moment, I have to say. Here's hoping that changes, and for the better, before #Shmuptember comes to a close.

Insector X (Famicom)--As much as I love (or at least want to love) the aquatic-themed shoot 'em ups discussed in the bullet point above, both of them currently pale in comparison to this insect-themed example of the genre. Although this version of Taito's Insector X isn't quite "arcade perfect," it ably holds its own when it comes to every aspect that matters. I especially like that players are able to choose boy or girl pilots--and that said pilots make adorable little faces while shooting at the similarly cute arthropods that zip and zoom around the screen. This horizontal shmup's bosses are worth noting, too, both for their appealingly cartoonish designs as well as for their screen-filling girth.

Ordyne (PC Engine)--Is this Namco-made game a cute 'em up (à la Parodius and TwinBee) or more a straight-laced shmup like the other games mentioned in this post? It's often hard to tell while playing it, which is a real shame. Personally, I wish its designers had decided to lean more heavily toward adorable than traditional, as examples of the latter are a dime a dozen, especially on the PC Engine. Even in its current state, though, I've got to say I quite like Ordyne. It's colorful, it's got funny-looking enemies (always a plus in my book) and it's acceptably enjoyable. Sure, it could be more engaging or exciting--like its Konami-made counterparts, for example--but it's hard to whine about that when the rest of it is able to bring a smile to your face.

Steel Empire (Mega Drive)--I remember reading about and seeing screenshots of this HOT*B-made title way back when it was released, but that's about it. I wasn't much of a smhup fan at the time--well, aside from cute 'em ups like Pop'n TwinBee and the like--so I never even downloaded and played a ROM of it until recently, when it popped back onto everyone's radar due to the just-released 3DS remake. As great as this new version may be (and I've only heard good things about it), the 16-bit original's pretty great, too, thanks to its original ideas (one of the selectable ships is a dirigible), steampunk-inspired visuals, tight controls and challenging gameplay.

Tenjin Kaisen (GameBoy)--If ever you've wanted to play a shmup that embodies the look, theme and feel of Koei's Samurai Warriors (Sengoku Musou) series, well, here you go. Actually, you may want to try this one, called Mercenary Force in North America, even if you've never dreamed of such a thing, as it should prove interesting to both musou fans and noobs alike. The main reasons for that: players begin by hiring four "mercenaries" that represent five different occupations (for lack of a better word) and offer varying amounts of health and weaponry. After that, it's off to battle, with the aforementioned quartet basically acting like "options" in your typical shoot 'em up. (They even can be rotated into various positions, depending on the situation at hand.) Some are sure to look at the graphics on display here and groan a bit, but they're far from bad and, if my experience is any indication, they're likely to improve over time.

So, that's some of what I've been playing--and will be playing--throughout #Shmuptember. Which shmups are you planning to tackle?

Recommend me some Taito-made Famicom, PC Engine and GameBoy titles

You may have noticed--you know, by reading this recent post, as well as this one and this one--that I'm on a bit of a Taito kick as of late.

Granted, I've been interested in this now basically defunct developer and publisher--and its output, of course--since I first came across a Bubble Bobble cabinet in the arcade that was tucked into the corner of my hometown's bowling alley as a teen, but recently I become even more of a Taito fan.

There's no particular reason I can point to for this increase of affection--other than I've played and written about a bunch of Taito-made games (Bubble Bobble, Don Doko Don, Insector X and Rainbow Islands among them) in the last week or two, I mean.

Anyway, as a result, I'd really like to delve even deeper into this Tokyo-based company's catalog. The thing is, though, I've already spent time with a good number of the games it released for my current favorite systems, the Famicom (NES), PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16) and GameBoy.

Specifically, for the Famicom I've played: Bubble Bobble, Bubble Bobble 2, Chuka Taisen, Don Doko Don, Don Doko Don 2, Elevator Action, Insector X, Rainbow Islands and Wanpaku Kokkun no Gourmet World (aka Panic Restaurant in the West).

When it comes to the company's PC Engine titles, I've played: Darius Plus, Don Doko Don, Gokuraku Chuka Taisen, Hana Taka Daka!?, Jigoku Meguri, Kiki Kaikai, Mizubaku Daibouken, The New Zealand Story, Parasol Stars and Rainbow Islands.

Finally, I've played two Taito-made GameBoy carts thus far, with the pair in question being Bubble Bobble and Bobble Bobble Junior.

Should any of you have any Taito-focused recommendations--especially for the aforementioned systems--to share, I'd love to hear them.

To help get you started, here are a handful of the company's games I've been curious about for some time but have yet to experience: Cadash (PC Engine), JuJu Densetsu (Famicom), Power Blazer (Famicom), Sagaia (GameBoy) and Taito Chase H.Q. (PC Engine).