It's a cute Japanese puzzler for the GameBoy--so of course I bought a copy!

Those of you who read my last "Shall We Do It?" post may remember that I wrapped it up by chatting about a Japan-only, tile-matching puzzler for the GameBoy called Nontan to Issho: Kuru Kuru Puzzle.

As I suggested there, this Victor Interactive-published title is far from a long-lost treasure. It is cute, though, and it's also a puzzler, which should help explain why I recently hunted down the copy seen in the photos below.

Add in the fact that it's a cute puzzler for the GameBoy and, well, it almost would've been criminal had I not done so.

Anyway, the box art produced for this version of Nontan to Issho: Kuru Kuru Puzzle--another was released for the Super Famicom and was made by the Pokémon devs at Game Freak--is nice enough, if you ask me. 

The sticker remnants in the upper-left corner notwithstanding, of course. (Don't worry, I'm planning to bid them adieu by sending them on a blind date with a bit of Goo Gone soon.)

The cart label's cute, too, of course--although I kind of miss the grinning ant and slug that can be found on the box art. The titular Nontan (the cat) is still grinning like a fool, though, so if that's your thing you probably don't care that the ant and slug have gone AWOL.

As seems to be the case with the packaging produced for most Japanese GameBoy titles, the back of Nontan to Issho's box is pretty barren.

Oh, well, it's not like there's much that can be said about this Puyo Puyo-esque game anyway. "Flip and match cute tiles while controlling cute characters and listening to cute tunes!" Surely that's covered in the smidge of text seen in the photo above?

See also: 'Lucky Monkey? More like lucky me ...'

If it were possible, I'd probably marry my copy of Madou Monogatari A (Game Gear)

It's a good thing my husband never checks out this blog. If he did, he might be a bit turned off by the header that tops today's post.

I'm pretty sure he'd like the contents of this post, though; I mean, how could he not get the "warm and fuzzies" while looking at the photo below, which showcases the copy of Madou Monogatari A I recently picked up?

This is the fourth and final Madou Monogatari title to be released for Sega's Game Gear, by the way. The first, Madou Monogatari I, was released (in Japan, of course) in 1993, followed by Madou Monogatari II and III in 1994 and Madou Monogatari A in 1995.

All of these games are dungeon-crawling RPGs, by the way, and feature a cast of characters (and creatures) that would later show up in Compile's Puyo Puyo series.

Madou Monogatari A usually serves as the start of a second Madou Monogatari trilogy--with the first trilogy consisting of I, II and III and the second consisting of A, R and S--but for whatever reason A was the only one to get a Game Gear port.

Anyway, a funny little story about this pick-up: I'd had my eye on a particular complete-in-box copy of this game (on eBay, of course) for a couple of years, but its $40 asking price was a bit too rich for my blood. 

A month or so ago, though, the same seller switched the listing to an actual auction that started at a penny. I threw my hat into the ring for it, as the saying goes, and ended up walking away with the copy seen above and below for $4 (not including shipping).

That's a pretty sweet deal on such an adorable game, don't you think? I mean, the first page of this game's instruction manual (above) alone is worth about that much to me.

Speaking of which, I'm planning to devote an upcoming installment of "Manual Stimulation" to this game, so keep an eye out for it if you're at all curious about such things. Also, maybe I'll finally finish Madou Monogatari I soon and then write a "Great Gaymathon" review of it.  

In the meantime, have any of you played any of this games many releases? If so, which ones are your favorites?

See also: 'I don't get mad, I get Madou Monogatari'

I don't get mad, I get Madou Monogatari

I have a feeling the headline above is among the worst--or at least the cheesiest--I've ever written. Sorry about that.

It's hard for me not to get a bit goofy when Compile's Madou Monogatari (Story of Sorcery in English, basically) series is involved, though. For me, these dungeon-crawling titles are like the "perfect storm" of gaming; on the one hand, they're cute as can be, yet on the other, they're tough as nails (or are from time to time, at least).

Given the above, along with the fact that I've been playing the game's fan translation via a patched ROM on and off for some time now, I recently decided to pick up an actual copy of the first Madou Monogatari title that was released for Sega's Game Gear back in 1993.

For whatever reason, I've long been a big fan of this game's flowery logo, which can be seen in the photo above (especially if you zoom in on it--just click on the image to do that).

Madou Monogatari I's cartridge label is pretty nice, too, although it's probably hard to tell that given the rather over-exposed nature of the photo above. (Sorry about that, too; I'm still coming to terms with using a new piece of software to clean up my snapshots.)

Thankfully, the photo above of the first page of this pint-sized dungeon-crawler's instruction manual is clear as day. By the way, the group of kids and other beings in this illustration constitute the bulk (if not the entirety) of the game's cast and crew--in case any of you were wondering. Oh, and if any of them look kind of familiar, well, that's because Compile later put them to use in its Puyo Puyo series of puzzlers.

Those same characters can be found on the back of Madou Monogatari I's box, which I suppose could be considered a bit underwhelming. You've got to love, though, that the box in question features such little text.

I mean, I'm guessing the Madou Monogatari series was pretty well known by Japanese gamers at the time and so most potential buyers didn't need to be told that this game was a dungeon-crawling RPG, but even then you'd think its packaging would include more than five lines of text.

See also: 'It was worth every penny (or, I heart my copy of Lunar: Samposuru Gakuen for the Game Gear)' and 'Manual Stimulation: Lunar Samposuru Gakuen (Game Gear)'

Five favorites: Japanese Game Gear box art

Now that the holiday season is over, it's about time I got back to discovering my favorite pieces of box art, don't you think?

This time around, I'm going to focus on that brick-sized handheld of yesteryear, Sega's Game Gear.

As the header above suggests, each of the cover illustrations below appeared on copies of Japanese Game Gear games at one point or another.

House of Tarot--I've never played this first-party tarot-reading simulator and I'm not sure I ever will, but I sure like its cover art. That's mainly because it screams "old-school Sega" (or at least it does to me), although I also really like its peachy color scheme and its prickly logo.

Ninja Gaiden--I can't speak for how well this game stacks up to the arcade original, but its box art is awesome, don't you think? I mean, it features a ninja (duh), missiles, some kind of zombie-like being, and a whole lot of purple. Yeah, it's awesome.

Phantasy Star Gaiden--Hey, more purple! I guess I really like purple packaging--at least when it comes to video games. Anyway, I think this may be my favorite piece of Game Gear-related box art, but don't quote me on that.

Puyo Puyo--Could this cover illustration be any more cheerful or colorful? I doubt it. Granted, I like pretty much any piece of box art that features this series' gelatinous logo, but even then this one manages to stick out from the crowd.

Shining Force Gaiden II--Yes, this piece of box art also features a lot of purple. It features some really nice character illustrations, too, though, so I'm including it here even though doing so means this post could be re-titled, "Five favorites: purple-tinged box art." Anyway, I really could have chosen any of the Shining Force Gaiden covers, as all three of them are top-shelf creations.

Be on the lookout for a second "five favorites" post devoted to Japanese Game Gear box art in the next week or so.

I know next to nothing about Puyo Puyo Tetris, yet I'm planning to pre-order the 3DS version as soon as someone allows me to do so

Before I go into what Puyo Puyo Tetris is (or what little I know of it, at least) and why I want it so badly, let me say that the next six months are going to be terrible both for my wallet and my marriage.

That's because I'm planning to pick up a ton of 3DS games, both North American and Japanese, within that time frame, such as Bravely Default, Daigasso! Band Bros. P, Game Center CX 3, Hometown Story, Pokemon X/Y and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call--and that doesn't even include possibles/probables like Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.



As of yesterday, Puyo Puyo Tetris has been added to that lengthy list despite the fact that I don't know much about it yet. What I do know about it sounds pretty interesting, though--such as that its "Classic" mode allows gamers to choose either Puyo Puyo or Tetris, while its "Swap" mode forces them to switch between the two every few seconds (or is it minutes?).

Take the info above with a grain of salt, by the way. All that's known about the title so far comes from folks on various sites (NeoGAF, among them) who have taken a stab at translating the Japanese text included in these Famitsu magazine scans and found on famitsu.com.



Of course, how much do we really need to know about a game like this? It's Puyo Puyo and Tetris--it's going to be awesome regardless of how the folks at Sega toss them together. So, consider me on board--even though I'm not a big fan of the its generically adorable art style. (I much prefer the art style employed in the series' earliest offerings.)

Are any of you also pining for a little Puyo Puyo Tetris action in your lives? If so, which version would you most like to play--the one planned for the 3DS, the PS3 (shown above), the Vita or the Wii U?

Say hello to my copy of Nazo Puyo: Arle no Roux (aka a Japanese Game Gear puzzler I won't be playing anytime soon)

For once, I'm not saying that I won't be playing (insert name of random Japanese game here) anytime soon because I don't yet own the system needed to play it. That's because I recently bought a used--"thoroughly used" may be a better way to describe it, sadly--Game Gear from a local shop for just 30 big ones.

So what's keeping me from popping the Nazo Puyo: Arle no Roux cartridge seen in one of the photos below into my newly acquired Game Gear and taking it for a spin?

Animal Crossing: New Leaf, of course. Seriously, the latest iteration of Nintendo's world-conquering "community simulation" has taken over my gaming life--actually, it could be argued that it's taken over my non-gaming life, too--to the extent that the only other title I'm considering playing at the moment is THE "DENPA" MEN 2, and even that's only getting a passing glance from me at the moment.

At some point, though, this whole Animal Crossing: New Leaf front that's clouding up my gaming skies will pass, and when it does Nazo Puyo: Arle no Roux will be there waiting to be enjoyed.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a few photos of this weird little Puyo Puyo spin-off, which is based on the "puzzle" modes that were included in some of the series' earlier installations.

An interesting note about this particular Nazo Puyo title (two others were released for the Game Gear prior to this one): it includes an RPG-ish mode that's akin to the ones found in Arle no Roux's Super Famicom-based counterparts.



Also worth mentioning: Arle no Roux has a short, but sweet, instruction manual that features a number of completely adorable illustrations (such as the one in the photo above).

Don't worry, I plan on devoting a "Manual Stimulation" post to this sucker soon. Until then, though, you'll just have to imagine how cute Arle and her puzzle-loving compadres look while inhaling copious amounts of curry.

Additional evidence that blogger Anne Lee is an awesome gal

Is there anything better than a free game? OK, yes, of course there is--I just thought of a bunch of examples, in fact, some of which could be shared here and some of which couldn't.

When it comes to the hobby sometimes known as gaming, though, can you think of anything better than obtaining a piece of software for the lower-than-low price of nothing?

Granted, acquiring a bad game for free isn't as exciting as acquiring a good one for the same price (or lack thereof), but I think even that can be pretty cool.

I bring all of this up because I recently got my greedy hands on a free copy of the DS version of Puyo Puyo!! 20th Anniversary (it's also been released--in Japan--for the 3DS, PSP and Wii) thanks to my blogging and podcasting pal, Anne Lee (aka apricotsushi).

You see, over the holidays, Anne held a giveaway on her blog, Chic Pixel, and I ended up winning the above-mentioned copy of Puyo Puyo!! 20th Anniversary--which finally arrived on my doorstep just a few days ago. (Hey, give it a break; it had to come all the way from Australia.)

Because all of my attention is focused on completing, or getting as close as possible to the end credits of, Chulip, I have yet to spend any time with ol' Puyo Puyo.

I promise to give it some time in my DS (or maybe 3DS) soon, though, and after I do that I'll force myself to sit down at my computer and hammer out a blog post about my initial impressions of it.

Manual Stimulation: Guru Logi Champ (GBA)

In the review I published earlier today of Compile's Guru Logi Champ, a wacky little puzzler released (in Japan only) for the GameBoy Advance in 2001, I described the game as both fun and silly. Unfortunately, its rather long-winded instruction manual is neither of those things.

Actually, I take that back. A select few of its 38 (yes, you read that correctly) pages are well worth shining a spotlight on--such as the manual's front and back covers that can be seen below:

After that, though, you have to flip all the way through to the manual's 30th page to see anything that could even remotely be described as fun or silly.

So, what appears on the 30th page (below)? As far as I can tell, Guru Logi Champ's "good guys." They also appear on the 31st page, by the way.

The Great Gaymathon Review #43: Guru Logi Champ (GameBoy Advance)

Game: Guru Logi Champ

Genre: Puzzle

Developer: Compile

Publisher: Compile

System: GameBoy Advance

Release date: 2001

If you want to know why I bought a copy of this game, check out its cover art (above). OK, so that wasn't the only reason I picked it up, but it was a rather prominent one. A few others: it was developed by the folks at Compile (makers of Aleste, Gunhead, Puyo Puyo and more) and it has garnered rave reviews over the years. Oh, and it's portable--as is the case with pretty much all of my favorite puzzlers.

So, has it lived up to expectations, despite the fact that I dropped a pretty penny on it? Definitely. That's mainly due to the fact that it differs from just about every other puzzle game I've ever played. If I had to name one it's similar to, I'd go with Picross. Even that isn't the greatest comparison, though, as while the two titles are alike in some ways, they're otherwise quite unique.

For instance, each "stage" in Guru Logi Champ starts with a semi-finished image. The player's job, then, is to complete the image by shooting blocks (from a cannon, using the GBA's A button) up into the play area. That's easier said than done, though, because: 1) you're given just enough blocks to complete a given stage and 2) blocks continue to slide across the play area until they run into another block. The good news: blocks can be sucked back into the aforementioned cannon by pressing the GBA's B button. Also, the play area can be rotated using the system's shoulder buttons.

Anyway, as is often the case with such games, it all begins rather easily before ramping up to a level of difficulty I like to refer to as "brain-breaking." Thankfully, it never crosses the line to "game-breaking"--as in, you get so frustrated you want to yank the cartridge from the system and smash it to smithereens.

In fact, it's nearly always completely enjoyable, due in no small part to Guru Logi Champ's wonderfully silly (and colorful) characters and graphics, which includes (in the game's single-player story mode) a number of hilarious intermissions, and its everything-but-the-kitchen-sink soundtrack, which includes both tropically-inflected and hip-hop-esque tunes.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

The Great Gaymathon Review #4: TwinBee Taisen Puzzle Dama (PlayStation)

Game: TwinBee Taisen Puzzle Dama

Genre: Puzzle

Developer: Konami

Publisher: Konami

System: PlayStation

Release date: 1994

I wouldn't go so far as to say it's one of gaming's greatest atrocities, but I'd definitely say it's a bit of a shame that the Taisen Puzzle Dama series--think Puyo Puyo with bells instead of blobs and subtly different rules--has yet to make its way to the States. Three Taisen Puzzle Dama games were released for the PlayStation in Japan--including one that features characters from Konami's Tokimeki Memorial series and one that's called Susume! Taisen Puzzle Dama (sorry, I have no idea what "susume" means)--in the mid-1990s, with this TwinBee-themed iteration being the best of the bunch, in my somewhat uneducated opinion. (Although I own all three of the aforementioned games, I've spent quite a bit more time with TwinBee Taisen Puzzle Dama than its successors.) That said, I wouldn't suggest running out and buying a copy unless you're a huge puzzler and/or TwinBee fan, as it's been bested by a number of its peers (namely Puyo Puyo and Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo).

See also: Past 'Great Gaymathon' post