Dear third-party developers and publishers, please greenlight Switch sequels to these games

Just over a month ago, I published a similarly titled post in which I discussed sequels I'd like Nintendo to greenlight for Switch.

This write-up, of course, is aimed at third-party developers and publishers.

Sadly, I don't have the highest of hopes that follow-ups to any of the games mentioned below will make their way to the Switch anytime soon, but I'm not going to let that keep me from blathering on about them here.

With that out of the way, keep reading to learn about 10 Switch sequels I'd like third parties to make before Nintendo's popular hybrid system gives up the ghost.



Cladun--I'm well aware that this retro-tinged series of dungeon-crawlers began life on Sony systems, but considering the one that put it on the map (the PSP) is long dead and its successor has one foot in the grave, prepping the next Cladun for Switch seems like the only viable option for developer System Prisma. Should the company do that, though, I hope it eschews the last release's ancient Japanese setting in favor of something a bit more in line with the series' first two entries.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles--Specifically, I want a "real" sequel to the GameCube original. The Switch would be perfect for such a game, don't you think? And this time around, you wouldn't need to own a bunch of GameBoy Advances and related cables to experience its particular multiplayer pleasures. All you'd need are a couple of extra Joy-Cons--if your goal is to cobble together a proper four-person party, I mean. At any rate, please make this happen pronto, Square Enix.



Mr. Driller--The bigwigs at Bandai Namco have ignored this Dig Dug spinoff for a good while now. In fact, Drill Till You Drop and W, sold via the DS and Wii eShops, respectively, are the series' most recent console outings, and they came out all the way back in 2009. A fresh sequel for Switch would be perfect, if you ask me--especially if it allowed players to make use of the system's touch screen in handheld mode.

Opoona--Developer ArtePiazza has been dropping hints that Opoona may soon make a return, but no one seems to know what form the return will take. It could simply be an untouched digital release of the original game for Switch (and maybe other current consoles). Or it could be a mobile port of the same game. The best-case scenario, in my mind: a Switch sequel that addresses Opoona's many shortcomings but retains its sense of otherworldly awe. That said, I'd also take a remake--as long as it, too, fixes some of the Wii offering's issues.



Pac-Man Championship Edition--Oh, who am I trying to kid here? I don't really want Bandai Namco to push out yet another sequel to this 2007 release. I just want the company to make the first one available to Switch owners like myself. That's not too much to ask, is it? If it is, how about a Switch port of 2014's Pac-Man Museum?

Shiren the Wanderer--Actually, I'd welcome any sort of Mystery Dungeon sequel on Switch as along as it isn't another of the Pokémon-branded ones. Don't take that the wrong way--I don't have a problem with the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. I would, however, prefer to see a mainline entry come to the system first. OK, and new Torneko or Chocobo spinoffs, too. Once those are out of the way, Spike Chunsoft, feel free to churn out another Pokémon offshoot for Nintendo.



Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest--By nearly all accounts, Square Enix's last Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest game didn't do so well. It only saw the light of day in Japan, however, and it came out fairly early on in the 3DS' life. Had it launched later, and had it earned a Western (North American, especially) release, I think it may have fared better. Regardless, with the Switch lighting up the sales charts around the world, a fourth Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest title could finally see the kind of worldwide success this series has always deserved.

Super Monkey Ball--I know this Sega series has gone downhill since its second console release, but I'd welcome a new Switch entry with open arms if it returned to its glory days on the GameCube. The question is: does the company still have what it takes to produce a worthwhile Super Monkey Ball game? I'm not sure it does, but I'll give Sega the benefit of the doubt and cross my fingers that a new, thrilling adventure starring AiAi and co hit the Switch sometime soon.



Yomawari: Night Alone and Midnight Shadows--It's hard to say if this series of cute-but-creepy survival-horror titles has done well enough for Nippon Ichi Software to make another or if it's currently on the proverbial chopping block due to ho-hum sales. Should NIS make a third, though, I pray it'll add Switch to the mix of systems that can play it--and maybe port the first two titles to the hybrid as well?

Zoo Keeper--I have to be one of the few people around clamoring for this series of match-three puzzlers to continue on the Switch. I've thoroughly enjoyed every version of Zoo Keeper I've played to date, though--with the GBA and Japan-only 3DS games being my favorites--so I'd love to see what developer Success can concoct for Nintendo's latest handheld.

Are there any sequels you'd like third-party developers and published to make for Switch? If so, let me and others know about them in the comments section below.

One more game I'll be buying after I (finally) get a Vita: Pix the Cat

I've been aware of this digital PS4 and Vita title for a couple of weeks now, and every time I think of it, I want it--and a system that will allow me to play it--a little more than I wanted it the last time it popped into my head.

Why is that? For starters, Pix the Cat was made by the crew at Paris-based Pastagames, whose past products include one of my favorite XBLIG titles, Arkedo Series: 03 Pixel, as well as the superb (and sadly under-appreciated) DS gem, Maestro! Jump in Music.

Also, there's the following trailer:



NeoGAF user Sir TapTap recently described Pix the Cat as being akin to Pac-Man ChuChu Snake Rocket Championship Edition DX+--or a mash-up of the ancient Snake game, Pac-Man Championship Edition and Sega's ChuChu Rocket!--which of course makes me want it even more.

Unfortunately, it's unlikely I'll be able to buy this game--or, for that matter, a Vita--until the end of the year. In the meantime, I guess I'll have to continue lusting after the trailer above and poring over Tiny Cartridge's recent write-up of the title.

Who's up for more Pac-Man? (Hint: I am! I AM!!!)

Those of you who followed my lead and answered in the affirmative should be happy to hear that the fine folks at Namco Bandai just announced--well, a few days ago--that they're prepping a digital compilation that'll be called Pac-Man Museum.

Which titles will this collection include? According to this press release, it'll feature "classic Pac-Man titles as well as newer arcade releases, allowing gamers to play through the evolution of Pac-Man from his humble beginnings from 1980 through 2008’s Pac-Man Championship Edition and 2010’s Pac-Man Battle Royale."



Unfortunately, all of us 3DS, PC, PS3, Wii U and/or Xbox 360 owners are going to have to wait until sometime this winter to get our four-player Pac-Man Battle Royale on.

In the meantime, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 owners with copies of Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX can look forward to downloading a free update this summer that'll add a slew of new content--including "additional DLC mazes, music and graphics including classic Dig Dug and Rally-X sprites"--to this day-go digital title.

(Via joystiq.com and tinycartridge.com)

Why didn't someone warn me that Pac-Man Championship Edition is even harder to control on the PSP than it is on the Xbox 360?

Last week I did something I've been meaning to do for a long time: I bought my first PSP game.

I know, I've talked about buying Cladun: This is an RPG, Half-Minute Hero, Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip, Patapon and quite a few other games since I picked up a PSP last year, but for various reasons I have yet to follow through and purchase any of them.

So, which game did I buy when I finally let loose last week? The PSP Minis version of Pac-Man Championship Edition. It was just $4.99 and it would allow me to play this awesome title on the go--how could I choose anything else, right?

After playing the game for a bit over the weekend, though, I'm currently asking myself a completely different question: Why in the hell didn't I choose something else?



Before I get to why I'm asking myself that question, I have to say that nearly everything about this PSP Minis release is a mirror image of its Xbox 360 counterpart. The former looks and sounds just as good as the latter, as far as I'm concerned, and the former also shares all of the latter's modes and options--well, except for the ability to compare ones high scores with those of players elsewhere in the world via an online leaderboard.

Although I can see that irking some die-hard Pac-Man Championship Edition fans, that's not my big beef with the PSP iteration. No, my big beef with the game is that it controls terribly whether you use the portable system's directional pad or analog "nub." (Basically, the former is too tight and the latter is too loose, at least in my experience.) In fact, it's so difficult to control that I doubt I'll play it more than a handful of times--which is a shame, because this is could have and should have been the perfect title for on-the-go gamers.

Oh, well, at least it only set me back $4.99. Here's hoping my next PSP purchase--which is likely to be Cladun: This is an RPG, Hot Shots Tennis or Patchwork Heroes--will be less of a disappointment.

Unpopular opinion of the day: Pac-Man CE DX isn't as good as its predecessor

Yep, you read that correctly: I'm currently of the opinion that Pac-Man Championship Edition DX isn't as good--or, in then end, as enjoyable--as the original Pac-Man Championship Edition.

Now, that isn't to say I don't like the game. On the contrary, I like it quite a bit--or, at least I like some aspects of it quite a bit.

I like, for instance, the bevy of options and modes included in Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. Players can choose from a number of different courses, graphical styles and soundtracks, all of which make this iteration of the game feel as though it's packed with content.

I have to say, though, that only that middle option--the one that allows you to alter the game's visuals at will--really interests me. The choose-your-own-soundtrack option is nice, but it's hardly a game changer (pun intended), and the huge number of selectable courses only seems impressive at the start--once you've played through them, you realize they're all a bit interchangeable.



Those aren't the only bullet points offered up to potential Pac-Man Championship Edition DX purchasers; there's also the new "sleepy ghosts"--they remain stationary until you pass them, after which they follow you--and the slow-motion effect that kicks in whenever you get too close to a nearby baddie.

Both of those additions are enjoyable for a while, but in the end they make Pac-Man Championship Edition DX seem both easier and more straightforward than its more bare bones predecessor--which is why I'll likely continue to play the original at the expense of its more superficially enticing sequel.

See also: 'Raise your hand if you, too, think Pac-Man Championship Edition is digital crack'

Raise your hand if you, too, think Pac-Man Championship Edition is digital crack

I've suggested as much in various posts since my Xbox 360 arrived a few weeks ago, but in case those casual remarks slipped right by you, here's the deal: I'm completely addicted to Pac-Man Championship Edition.

Specifically, I'm addicted to the five-minute "championship" mode that serves as the centerpiece of this Xbox Live Arcade follow-up to Tōru Iwatani's arcade classic. (There's also two, 10-minute "challenge" modes and three "extra" modes, one of which lasts for five minutes and two that last for 10.)

Honestly, it's impossible for me to play this mode just once. That's what I mean to do, at least on most occasions, but invariably I end up telling myself, "just one more time," as soon as the game's clock hits zero.



Despite all of the time I've put into Pac-Man Championship Edition thus far, I'd hardly call myself good at it. I improve a little each time I boot it up, though, which is part of what keeps me coming back for more. The other part? It's simply a blast to play--even when I miss my high score by a wide margin.

I'll post more in-depth impressions of the game (likely in one of my "somewhat gay" reviews) soon, but in the meantime just know that I'm enjoying the hell out of it and that I heartily recommend it to anyone who has a PSP or an Xbox 360.

Say hello to my spiffy new Xbox Live Arcade (and Indie Games) player

Last week, Amazon.com offered shoppers a pretty sweet deal on four-gig Xbox 360 systems: Buy one and they'd give you a $50 promotional credit that could be used toward future purchases.

I've been waiting for such an opportunity for quite some time, so I jumped on it. The system arrived on Friday afternoon and shortly after I ordered a 4,000 Xbox Live Points Card with my $50 credit (which arrived on Saturday, surprisingly enough).

So far, I've used that points card to pick up a number of Xbox Live Arcade and Indie Games releases, including Arkedo Series--03 PIXEL!, Kaiten Patissier, Miner Dig Deep, Pac-Man Championship Edition, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX and Protect Me Knight.

I have my eye on a few others--like Braid, Castle Crashers, Costume Quest, Limbo, Might & Magic Clash of Heroes, Nin-2 Jump and Trouble Witches Neo--but I'm going to spend some quality time with the titles above before buying any of them.

Anyway, of the games I currently own my favorite, by far, is Pac-Man Championship Edition. I'm not very good at it, but I don't care--it's so addictive and so fun that I can't stop playing it.

Herp derp

You know how I've been whining about how my DS, PSP and Wii have been offline since we bought a new wireless router a few months ago? (Just nod and agree with me if you don't remember any of this.) Well, it seems all three systems could have been on line all along. Doh!



I figured that out today after reading that Pac-Man Championship Edition (above) has hit the European PlayStation Store. Unfortunately, no one seems to know when the game will show up on our shores, but you can bet your butt that as soon as it does I'll pick it up--along with ClaDun: This is an RPG.

(Via kotaku.com)

Just in time for Halloween

Artist Ashley Anderson is a man after my own heart. I mean, we both like art and we both like video games. Oh, and we both like Pac-Man--as evidenced by this rather spooky piece:

This isn't the first time the Atlanta-based artist has been inspired by Tōru Iwatani's most famous creation. Early last year, for instance, he conjured up the following (titled, appropriately enough, "Cherry Ghost"):

Speaking of Pac-Man, the folks over at Namco-Bandai recently sent out a number of new screenshots of their upcoming PSN/XBLA release, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. See them in all of their neon-hued glory here.

Maybe I don't need a 360 after all

Here's a pointless piece of trivia for you: I've been pining for an Xbox 360 ever since Pac-Man: Championship Edition hit the the system's XBLA service in June 2007.

Three years later, it remains one of the only reasons I want Microsoft's boxy, black system.

So, the question is: Will I still want an Xbox 360 after the game is released later this year as a PSP Mini? At this point, I'm not so sure.



Anyway, speaking of the PSP version of Pac-Man: Championship Edition--a playable version of the game was shown off at the recent Gamescom event in Germany.

Hopefully that means it'll hit the PlayStation Store soon (he asks with hope)?