Let's talk about RPG Maker MV's awesome Japanese cover art

Did any version of the Enterbrain-made, Degica-published RPG Maker MV actually earn a physical release somewhere in the world?

I ask because although I'm assuming this latest entry in the decades-old make-your-own-RPG series is available in boxed form in Japan based on the following image, I can't find any evidence to support that assumption.

Regardless, the concoction on the right, which was noted in this NeoGAF thread as being the Japanese PC version's official box art, is pretty spectacular, if my opinion.

Granted, it's from the same, boring "cram a bunch of the game's characters into an amorphous blob" mold that produces too many of Japan's cover images these days, if you ask me, but its colors are so nice and it's so pretty overall that I'm willing to give this example a pass.

Have any of you played any iteration of RPG Maker since the first debuted 22 years ago? I'm sad to say I haven't, but I'd love to hear from someone who has--especially if that person can help me figure out which version (if any) would be worth picking up in 2015 or 2016.

Oh, and if you're curious to learn more about RPG Maker MV, which was released on Oct. 23 carrying an $80 price tag, check out its official site at rpgmakerweb.com.

Like seemingly everyone else on the planet, I'm completely smitten with Nintendo of Japan's latest TV commercial (for the new 3DS)

I actually have a lot to say about the wacky TV spot that can be enjoyed below (and here), but all of it was rather eloquently summed up by NeoGAF user Oersted when he/she said the following earlier today: "Pretty much the Nintendo I want. No acting tough and serious. We are colourful, suck it."



Will this commercial prompt hundreds of thousands--or more--of Japanese citizens to race out and pick up one of the new 3DS systems that will hit store shelves in that region in just over a week (on Oct. 11, to be exact)? I have no idea, but it certainly has me contemplating buying one ASAP.

Spread the word: #Miiquality

Those of you who read my recent "Open Letter to Nintendo of America" should be well aware of the fact that I'm pretty peeved the company's upcoming--and otherwise completely enticing--3DS title, Tomodachi Life, presumably won't allow players' Miis to form gay, lesbian or bisexual relationships.

I'm not the only gamer upset by all of this, of course. A number of people in this NeoGAF thread about the game, for instance, also have admitted to being disappointed by it--with one of them being someone who goes (there and elsewhere) by the username of Tyeforce.

Tyeforce has done more than just express on an Internet discussion forum his displeasure with Nintendo of America's handling of the situation, though; in the last few days, he's started a movement, basically, that's centered around the theme of "Miiquality."


#Miiquality from Tyeforce on Vimeo.

The gist: if you'd like the brass at Nintendo of America to add same-sex relationships to Tomodachi Life, let them know by using the hashtag #Miiquality while on sites like Facebook and Twitter. (Or, as commenter Rob_in_Baltimore suggested here last week, you also can let them know by contacting them via the company's website or by signing this petition.)

Oh, and don't forget to show your support for (and stay updated on) this issue by following the Miiquality Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages--if you're so inclined, of course.

See also: 'The day we've all (or at least three or four of us have) waited for has arrived: Tomodachi Collection is coming to Europe and North America this June'

I'm always up for a Kotaro Yoshida-made game

Unfortunately, I don't own a device capable of playing the game in question, called PiyoPiyo Quest.

Those of you who actually own an iOS device or three and enjoy a good puzzler, though, should hunt it down and give it a go.

After all, it was made by Kotaro Yoshida, the same man who gave the world Half-Minute Hero, it features some lovely sprite work and it looks to play a bit like that other mobile puzzler all the kids seem to be talking about these days, Puzzle & Dragons.

Here's a brief PiyoPiyo Quest primer from NeoGAF user Goli, for all who are interested:

"You fight monsters by touching the different panels you can see above.

"The sword panels make Crest [the game's protagonist] attack with his sword, the fire ones make Crest cast magic, the leaf ones make Crest recover HP and the gold ones give you money, which you can use later to temper Crest's equipment and deal more physical/magical damage or increase his defense.

"The more panels you group together the better their effects. For example, if you group four sword panels, Crest will attack four times and so on."

Go here to read more of Goli's impressions.

Should any of you pick up PiyoPiyo Quest anytime soon, would you please share your impressions of it in the comments section below?

From the Dept. of Duh: the Shin Megami Tensei PlayStation ports have beautiful box art

While reading through the NeoGAF discussion thread devoted to the announcement of Shin Megami Tensei IV's impending North American release, I came across this post--which featured the box art that was created for the PlayStation ports of Shin Megami Tensei I, II and If.

Although I knew before encountering the aforementioned post that these games had been released for the PlayStation, I don't believe I'd previously seen the gorgeous pieces of cover art that Atlus created for them.

Here, for instance, is the Shin Megami Tensei port's box art:

Beautiful, no? And here is the art that graced covers of the Shin Megami Tensei II PlayStation re-release:

Last, but far from least, here's Shin Megami Tensei If's wondrous box art:

Is it wrong that I now want to learn enough Japanese to justify the purchase of all three of these never-officially-released-in-English PlayStation games?

See also: previous blog posts about awesome box art

Oh, hey, Capybara Games' Super T.I.M.E. Force is still a thing?

I hate to admit it, but I lost track of Capybara Games' Super T.I.M.E. Force long ago. As such, I was surprised to see a thread about this upcoming XBLA release pop up on NeoGAF this morning.

That NeoGAF thread promised nine minutes of Super T.I.M.E. Force gameplay, by the way, and, boy, did it deliver. Here it is, in case any of you are interested:



The game kind of recalls the great Gunstar Heroes--or even that Konami classic, Contra--with a curious time-altering element thrown in for good measure, don't you think?

Sadly, I can't seem to find a release date (or even a release window) for Super T.I.M.E. Force at the moment, so I'm guessing the folks at Capybara Games have yet to share one.

Here's hoping it hits XBLA sooner rather than later--and with a not-too-steep price tag attached to it.

After seeing just a single piece of concept art, Monolith Soft's mysterious 3DS title is now at the top of my 'day one perch' list

Of course, that's assuming that the illustration below, published late last week on Monolith Soft's Facebook page in an attempt to attract designers, is a piece of concept art from the company's known-to-be-in-the-works 3DS title.



Quite a few people think seem to think that's exactly what it is, though, and, well, that's enough for me at the moment.

The reason some folks think that, by the way, is that the artist responsible for the illustration above is Yasuyuki Honne, who is a member of Monolith Soft's Kyoto-based team that has long been said to be working on a title for the 3DS.

Curiously, someone calling himself (or herself) Instro shared the following illustration on NeoGAF yesterday. It's also the work of Honne and, as such, more than a few people believe it may be related to the image above--and to Monolith Soft's mysterious 3DS game, too.



Although I hope both pieces have something to do with the company's latest portable offering (their last was Project X Zone), I'm especially enthralled by the first one thanks to its trippy, Wizard of Oz-esque overtones.

How about you ladies and gents? Do you also like these illustrations and, if so, do you hope they're indicative of a forthcoming 3DS title?

JRPG Spotlight Volumes 1, 2 and 3

I'm not sure if I should hug or hit duckroll, the NeoGAFfer who decided a month or so ago to start a series of monthly/bi-monthly discussion threads dedicated to "unique JRPGs which are significantly different from the norm in all areas."

Although I'd like to hug him for introducing me--in "JRPG Spotlight Vol. 1"--to the Westone-developed, Enix-published Dark Half, which was released for the Super Famicom in 1996, for instance, I'd like to hit him for the very same reason. After all, if I'd never heard of said game, I wouldn't have spent more minutes (OK, hours) than I'd care to admit reading about, staring at screenshots of and watching videos of it.

I've yet to spend much time with volumes two and three--which shine a light on Radia Senki/Radia Wars Chronicle and Emerald Dragon, respectively--but I plan to do just that sooner rather than later. At the very least, I hope to get through them before volume four shows up.

'Do only fools use grammar rules where gamers dwell?'

That certainly seems to be the case over on NeoGAF, where I giggle every time someone mentions a "bran-new" or "up incoming" game.

Most of those "wreckless" writers would do well to acquaint themselves with the closest dictionary (or even dictionary.com)--and listen to Palette-Swap Ninja's "Learn to Spell."



(Via justin-difazzio.blogspot.com)

What are your five favorite non-Mario Famicom/NES games?

That's the question someone posed yesterday on NeoGAF. After a healthy amount of hemming and hawing, I came up with the following answer:

Duck Tales--One of the best licensed games ever--and one of the best 2D platformers ever, too. Oh, and even after all these years I can still hum the Amazon level's theme song on cue. 'Nuff said.

Final Fantasy--The first RPG I played, and still one of my favorites. For some strange reason, I remember being obsessed with the coral sword--and being disappointed when I had to move on to a more powerful one. Yeah, I'm not sure what that has to do with this being one of my favorite Famicom/NES games either...

Kid Icarus--Do you ever wish you could go back in time? I do, especially when I think about this game.Why, you ask? Well, back then Medusa and her minions didn't kick my ass like they do now, that's why.

The Legend of Zelda--It's said that designer Shigeru Miyamoto drew inspiration for this game from his childhood experiences in and around Kyoto, where he explored caves, fields and woods. That's clearly evident the first time you play it. Thankfully, the sense of exploration and wonderment felt during that "virgin voyage" doesn't seem to fade with time.

Little Nemo: The Dream Master--If I was forced at gunpoint to name the Famicom/NES game with the best graphics, I'm pretty sure I'd shout, "Little Nemo!" This Capcom creation isn't just a looker, though--it also features catchy tunes and fiendishly challenging levels.

So, those are my favorite non-Mario Famicom/NES games. What are yours?

A mixture of Ico, Lost Vikings and Metroid, eh?

While perusing NeoGAF yesterday, I came across a thread with the following title: "Alice in Wonderland DS is an amazing little game."

I saw some screenshots of the Etrangeres Libellules-developed title a few months ago and was impressed with its Patapon-ishness, so I dove into said thread.

According to a gamer who calls him/herself El Pescado, Alice in Wonderland DS "feels like a mixture of Ico, Lost Vikings and Metroid."

Also, "you don't play as Alice; you guide her through the world using either The White Rabbit, The Mad Hatter, Chessur or Absolem," he/she added. "Each character has special traits that help them get around Underland. The White Rabbit is an excellent fighter who can control time, Chessur can materialize and dematerialize parts of the environment [and] Absolem can alter gravity and form a bridge to cross long gaps," for instance.

Here's a trailer for the title and here's a bit of gameplay:



You know, I'd probably pick it up if it was cheaper ($19.99 instead of $29.99) and if I actually had some cash. I'll go ahead and add it to my Amazon wish list just in case...

Buy: Alice in Wonderland