The Gay Gamer Giveaway™: Osawagase Penguin Boy (GameBoy) Edition

Are you tired of being given the chance to win free Japanese GameBoy cartridges? I hope not, because I'm offering up another one today.

This Gay Gamer Giveaway™ is for the cart showcased in the photo below, which contains an adorably fun little ditty known in Japan as Osawagase Penguin Boy. (Elsewhere it went by the name Amazing Penguin.)

If you've never played this Natsume-made joint, it basically combines elements of Kickle Cubicle, Pengo and Qix.

Should that mean nothing to you, just know that the mash-up results in an enjoyable time-waster that calls to mind the kind of classic "quarter muncher" gameplay (see: Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and the like--not that Osawagase Penguin Boy resembles these particular titles in any way) that's rarely revisited these days, even in the retro-tinged releases that still seem to be all the rage.

Anyway, should you want to own a copy of this unique title, share the name of your favorite retro arcade game (there are no wrong responses) in the comments section below between now and the morning of Monday, July 7--which is when I'll randomly point to one of those comments and send the person who published it the rather ragged-looking cart (sorry about that, it came that way) seen above.

See also: previous Gay Gamer Giveaway™ posts

Five more favorites: Japanese Game Gear box art

Last week around this time, I published a post devoted to five of my favorite pieces of Japanese Game Gear box art. Today, I'm publishing another.

Don't worry, this one features absolutely no purple-tinged cover illustrations--although it does feature a few pink ones.

Nazo Puyo: Aruru no Roux--There's a whole lot to like about this piece of box art, in my estimation. First, there's the giant photo of a plateful of curry. Then, there are the illustrations that depict the titular Arle (Aruru) and her pal Carbuncle as chef and, uh, a curry-loving flying-carpet rider. Finally, there's the flashy and fun logo.

Pengo--OK, so the bird in the cover illustration above looks more like a duck than a penguin (and I'm pretty sure the protagonist of this classic game is supposed to be the latter), but the rest of it is so cool that I'm giving it a pass.

Phantasy Star Adventure--This game's box art can't hold a candle to that of its counterpart, Phantasy Star Gaiden, but I think it still deserves a spot in this post. If only the main illustration took up the entire cover...

Psychic World--I've never much cared for this title's gameplay (or graphics, to be completely honest), but I very much care for its cover imagery. That its border is a pleasant shade of pink just adds to its allure in my mind.

Putt & Putter--I know what some of you are thinking in regard to this selection: "It looks like one of those nasty posters that appear in movies from the 1980s!" I can't disagree with that assessment. Still, it appeals to me. I'm guessing it's because of that retro-tastic logo.

See also: five favorite pieces of Japanese Game Gear box art

Five favorites: Games featuring penguins

My recent experiences with The Berlin Wall, a Japanese Game Gear title that's filled with penguins of various colors and sizes, got me thinking it might be fun to write about my favorite games that feature these waddling, flightless birds.

This post is the result of that brainstorming, of course. Please note that I decided to focus on games that have penguin protagonists. As such, you won't see games like the aforementioned platformer or, say, Super Mario 64 discussed here.

1. Binary Land (Famicom)--This Hudson Soft-made game, which puts players in control of a pair of in-love penguins, is one of my favorite Famicom games, so it shouldn't be too surprising that I'm including it here. I don't love Binary Land because of its adorable protagonists, by the way; I love it because of its unique gameplay (you literally control both characters at the same time as you work them toward each stage's "exit" of sorts) and its highly hummable soundtrack.

2. Parodius Da! (PC Engine)--I could have included any of Konami's Parodius games in this post, really, but I decided to go with this, the series' second release, because it's the first I played. A few additional reasons for its inclusion here: it stars Pentarou, son of Antarctic Adventure's main character, and it features hordes of penguin "baddies" as well as a rather notable penguin boss (who earns extra points from yours truly for being both pink and a pirate), too.