Who says the Nintendo DS is dead (or, I bought 19 DS games in 2019)

In 2017 and 2018, I played just one Nintendo DS game--and it was "just" a DSiWare title, Boxlife. Last year, I played eight. And not only that, but I finished each one. (Read about them here and here.)

Unfortunately it didn't put as big of a dent in my backlog as I hoped it would. That's because I added 19 DS games to my collection in 2019.

They are, in alphabetical order:

• Another Code: Two Memories
• Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island
• Disgaea DS
• Enchanted Folk and the School of Wizardry (the European version of Magician's Quest: Mysterious Times)
• Final Fantasy Tactics A2
• Gabu Gabu Planet

• Gyakuten Saiban: Yomigaeru Gyakuten (the Japanese version of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney)
• Magical Starsign
• Marl-oukoku no Ningyou-hime (the Japanese version of Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure)
• Mawashite Koron
• Princess Debut
• Puzzle Series Vol. 5: Slitherlink
• Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure

• Touch Detective 2 1/2
• Trace Memory
• Unou no Tatsujin: Soukai! Machigai Museum
• Unou no Tatsujin: Soukai! Machigai Museum 2
• Witch Tale: Minarai Majo to 7-Jin no Princess (the Japanese version of A Witch's Tale)
• The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road

Have you played any of these DS games? If so, share your thoughts on them in the comments section of this post.

Bet you didn't see this one coming: Success is bringing a Touch Detective rhythm game to the (Japanese) 3DS later this year

Specifically, the game, to be called something along the lines of Osawari Detective Ozawa Rina Nameko Rhythm, will hit Japanese store shelves--hopefully both physical and digital ones--on Nov. 13 carrying a price tag of ¥4,800 (about $46).

My initial reaction to discovering this thrilling piece of news while checking out japanese3ds.com yesterday was, of course, to drop whatever I was doing so I could pre-order a copy.

Thankfully, that wasn't possible on any of the sites I regularly peruse (like amiami.com and play-asia.com), as upon watching the game's first trailer--which can be found here--this morning, I'm no longer so sure it would be a wise way to spend my hard-earned cash.

Naturally, it's possible I'll have a change of heart between now and when Osawari Detective Ozawa Rina Nameko Rhythm is released. In the meantime, maybe I should finally give the game that started it all--the first Touch Detective title for the DS--a try?

(Box art and other information obtained via japanese3ds.com)

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Best?' (Osawari Tantei 1, 2 1/2 and 3 edition)

I'm not entirely sure why I'm as interested in the Touch Detective (Osawari Tantei in Japan) series as I am. After all, my copy of the first game, released for the DS back in 2006, is still sealed, and I've yet to even buy its 2007 sequel.

I guess it's all due to the adorable protagonist, Mackensie (Ozawa Rina in Japan) and her just-as-adorable mushroom companion, Funghi.

Regardless, the series has me by the balls at the moment, at least to an extent. Which is why I'm publishing a post about the box art that's been produced for the first three Osawari Tantei titles (the last of which was unveiled late last week).

Speaking of which, here is the first Osawari Tantei's cover imagery:

And here is the second game's:

As for the cover art produced for the third game (the title of which translates to Touch Detective Rising 3: Does Funghi Dream of Bananas?), here you go:

This third entry in the Osawari Tantei series hits Japanese store shelves on May 1, by the way. Hopefully we'll hear about a Western release in the next few months.

And if we do, I promise I'll not only unwrap my woefully ignored copy of the first Touch Detective, but pick up the second one, too--and play both of them before the 3DS sequel lands on our shores.

In the meantime, I probably should state which of the three box arts seen above I like the best. My first thought is to go with the first one, due in large part to its simplicity. That said, I like the latest one, too--its soft colors, especially.

How about all of you? Do you prefer one piece of Osawari Tantei cover art over the others?

I think I'm finally free of New Leaf's grasp

And all it took was the "triple combo" of Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale, the just-released Bravely Default demo and the four new-ish 3DS StreetPass Mii Plaza games.

Of course, I was heading down this path--to not checking in on my two Animal Crossing: New Leaf towns every single day, at least for a few minutes--before I nabbed all of the above from the 3DS eShop, but I'm not sure I would've done so as quickly as I have without their "help."

Illustration by leav

All that said, it's possible I'll slip back into my old, nasty ways once I've beaten both Attack of the Friday Monsters! A Tokyo Tale and the Bravely Default demo, but I'm going to do my best to keep that from happening--mainly by booting up a few of the games I picked up in 2013 but have yet to actually play.

A couple of examples: Airu de Puzzle (PSP), Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (3DS) and Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS). And then there are a few older games that I've wanted to sink my teeth into for some time, like Contact (DS), Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon (Wii), Opoona (Wii) and Touch Detective (DS).

There's also the Feb. 7 release of Bravely Default to consider--because once that sucker's in my hands I probably won't even think of playing anything else until I've beaten it. (Assuming I don't falter at the very end like I did with its predecessor, Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light.)

Anyway, all of this is just a really long-winded way of saying, "I'm finally free of New Leaf's grasp!"

I'm not entirely sure why I feel the need to share that here, but rather than overanalyze why that may be let's just celebrate the fact that it means I'll be playing--and, as a result, blogging about--a lot more games in the next six or so months than I did in the preceding ones.

A few quick-and-dirty impressions of Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku (aka Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed)

Although I've been playing a wide range of games lately--turn your attention to the "Now Playing" section to the right for proof--the one I've been spending the most time with this week, surprisingly enough, is Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku (aka Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed).

Because this import-only 3DS puzzler hasn't been talked about much in this part of the world (or in any part?), I thought I'd share at least a few impressions of it here:

It's basically Zoo Keeper, with a couple of twists--If you've ever played Zoo Keeper, you've basically played Funghi's Big Breed. Well, kind of. The big addition to this game is that if you align four tiles in such a way that they form a square, something that looks an awful lot like a bodybuilder Funghi (that's the name given to the little mushroom characters in this game, by the way) erupts onto the screen and wipes out not only the tiles that started the whole thing but the 12 tiles that surround them, too.



Oh, and if you align four tiles in a row, a wolf-like Funghi zips across the screen and takes out the entire column of tiles to the left or right (or above and below, if the aligned tiles are vertical rather than horizontal). Anyway, both of these changes add a nice bit of zip and even drama to the experience and help differentiate Funghi's Big Breed from its predecessor.

Its art style is all sorts of awesome--Although the main reason I decided to buy Funghi's Big Breed earlier this year was that its gameplay apes (for the most part, at least) that found in Zoo Keeper, another reason was its darkly adorable art style. Plus, I have a sort of inappropriate affinity for the Touch Detective series' Funghi characters.



It's got a great, boppy soundtrack--For me to consider a puzzler "top tier," it has to have a soundtrack that makes you tap your feet while also making your pulse race. Funghi's Big Breed succeeds at accomplishing both--although I wouldn't have complained if the folks at developer Success had produced a few more tunes (as they did in Zooo, the GameBoy Advance/PS2 version of Zoo Keeper).

It's a bit lacking in terms of modes--My only real complaint with Funghi's Big Breed at the moment--well, besides the fact that I think I prefer Zoo Keeper's slower pace and more limited rule set--is that it's a little thin when it comes to the number of modes it offers players. There's a "simple" mode (where all possible "matches" are constantly visible), an "earnest" mode (possible matches only become visible at certain points) and a challenge mode (where players are tasked with meeting specific requirements, such as capturing a certain number of one kind of Funghi or creating a certain number of chains).



For me, the simple mode is too, well, simple, while I've never been a fan of challenge modes in such games, so the only one I'm making use of right now is the "earnest" mode. Although it's a lot of fun, I wish Success had thrown in a "time attack" or even "Tokoton" (collect 100 of a single type of Funghi, a la Zoo Keeper) mode as well.

So, there you have it--my impressions of Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed (aka Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku). Sorry a few of the bullet points above are on the long-winded side. Also, be on the lookout for an actual Great Gaymathon review of this game in the next few weeks.

See also: other posts about this import-only 3DS game

On Touch Detective 3's completely brilliant subtitle

I know I'm pretty late to this particular party, but I have an excuse: I was on a plane--a bus and then a plane and then a train and then another bus, actually--when the game was announced a few days ago.

This 3DS title's full and official name, by the way, is Touch Detective Rising 3: Does Funghi Dream of Bananas?

I'm not entirely sure why the folks at (developer) Beeworks and (publisher) Success decided to add "Rising" to the title, but I'm guessing we'll find out soon enough.

As for why I think its subtitle is brilliant: I love that it seems to be a parody of--or at least a riff on--Philip K. Dick's classic sci-fi novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Sadly, all that's currently known about the third entry in the Touch Detective series is the above-mentioned name and that it'll be released (in Japan, at least) sometime this year.

Here's hoping someone brings it--and maybe Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed, too--to western shores sooner rather than later.

By the way, if this post hasn't quite scratched your Funghi itch, you may want to check out Chic Pixel's post about the "Funghi x Lawson food and folder campaign."

(Illustration and photos nabbed from famitsu.com, obviously.)

A few more photos of Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed (3DS)

I'm not sure any of you are interested in seeing more of or hearing more about Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku, the Touch Detective-themed puzzler I recently bought for my criminally underused (so far) Japanese 3DS, but just in case some of you are I thought I'd share a few additional photos of it today.

For starters, here's a better shot of the game's cover art, which I think is pretty nice--although I have to admit that I find the five-pronged thingamabob in the center of the logo to be ... curious. (I can't be the only one who think it looks like some sort of alien sex toy, can I?)



Sadly, the art that appears on Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku's cartridge (below) isn't as cool. In fact, I'm not even sure what it's supposed to depict. Anyone have any ideas?

Oh, and here's the little sheet of stickers that come with every copy of Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku (aka Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed). I'm not entirely sure what I'm supposed to do with them, but I like them all the same--the one featuring the burly mushroom especially.

Finally, here's a shot of the back of the game's case. Sorry it's kind of washed out--it's been gloomy here lately and quite a bit of post-processing had to be done on the photo for it to be presentable.



That's about all I can say about this import-only puzzler at the moment, I'm afraid, as I haven't played enough of it to talk about modes and options and such. I'm planning to put it through its paces shortly, though, and once I do I promise I'll do my best to shed some light on the situation here.

See also: 'I can't decide if I should hug my mailman or hit him' and 'Kind of embarrassing admission: Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku is my most-anticipated 3DS title at the moment'

I can't decide if I should hug my mailman or hit him

I say that because the pair of games seen in the following photo found their way into my mailbox over the weekend--and we all know I need more games like I need another migraine.

Just in case any of your eyes are as terrible as mine are, the games in question are Etrian Odyssey IV for the 3DS and the first  Touch Detective for the DS.

You may notice they're both still wrapped in plastic. That's because I know I'm not going to be able to play them for a while (thanks to EarthBound and Fire Emblem: Awakening).

I bought Touch Detective a few weeks back, by the way, in order to make the wait for my copy of the 3DS-based puzzler Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku (aka Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed) more bearable.

Little did I know it would make its way to my doorstep yesterday. (I assumed it wouldn't arrive until later in the month.)

You probably can't tell by looking at the photo above, but I actually opened Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku--mainly so I could check out its manual and see if it came with the adorable set of stickers I'd seen elsewhere.

Unfortunately, although the stickers are present, I'm not sure I can say the same for the manual. Sure, there's a piece of folded paper in there that explains the basics of the game, it's pretty disappointing when compared with the beauties that used to qualify as "instruction manuals."

Oh, well, I'm still happy I bought Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku and I'm very much looking forward to sinking my teeth into it soon.

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Touch Detective 2 1/2 edition)

I don't know if any of you care to know this, but I've got the Beeworks-developed, Success-published Touch Detective titles on the brain at the moment--mainly because of my obsession with the series' soon-to-be-released (for 3DS) puzzler spin-off, Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku (aka Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed).

I'll have a brand-spanking-new copy of Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku in my grubby little (big) hands shortly, by the way, so keep an eye out for a post on it--if you're at all curious about it, of course.

In the meantime, I thought I'd publish another "Which Box Art is Better?" post dedicated to this charming (or so I've been told--I've yet to play one myself) series.

Last time, I focused on the first Touch Detective title, so today we're going to focus on the second, which is known as Touch Detective 2 1/2 in North America.

Speaking of which, here's the illustration that appeared on Japanese copies of the game:

And here is the art that graced covers of the North American version:

European copies of the game featured the same illustration, although it was rather garishly (and horrifically, if you ask me) colored:

Which one do I like best? Well, I'm sure you've already surmised that I'm not a fan of the Euro box art. With that out of contention, I guess I'll have to choose between the Japanese and North American covers.

Although I quite like the Japanese version's soft, almost pastel, paint job, I have to go with the North American option this time around as I feel it's far more illustrative of the game's content. Also, I really like how the designer(s) at Atlus decided to put the main character's hand to good use in the logo.

That's just my opinion on the matter, though; what's yours?

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Touch Detective edition)

I've got the BeeWorks-developed, Success-published (in Japan) Touch Detective series on the brain at the moment thanks in large part to my recently professed obsession with the soon-to-be-released (and soon-to-be-in-my-grubby-hands) 3DS-based spin-off, Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku.

As such, I thought it would be fun to write up another "Which Box Art is Better?" post that focuses on these portable point-and-click adventures.

To get things off to a proper start, here's the art that graced Japanese covers of the first Touch Detective game (known over there as Osawari Tantei: Ozawa Rina):

And here's the illustration that appeared on copies of the North American release:

The European version's box art isn't too different from its North American counterpart, but I'm sharing it here anyway due to the fact that it's more colorful.

Finally, the more-precious-than-it-has-any-right-to-be box art seen below was used for the Japanese budget re-release of the game:

Which one is my favorite? Well, right off the bat I can tell you the Euro art is my least favorite (mostly because I find it a bit garish).

Strangely, I think the budget re-release cover would top my list (if one were to exist), even with its yellow border and excessive use of text. That said, I like the original Japanese and North American versions quite a bit, too.

Which one do you gals and guys prefer (assuming it could be said that you prefer one at all)?

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts

Kind of embarrassing admission: Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku is my most-anticipated 3DS title at the moment

Oh, and in case you didn't already know it, Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku is a match-three spin-off of Beeworks' Touch Detective series of portable point-and-click games.

As for why I'm looking forward to this Japanese 3DS title as much as I am at the moment: for the last week or so I've spent more time than I'd like to admit playing (what I'm pretty sure is) the Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku demo that can be found at mg.success-corp.co.jp.



I know what some of you are thinking after watching the trailer above: isn't it just a Zoo Keeper clone with a few added bells and whistles? Yes, but that's OK with me, as I've long been a fan of that puzzler's gameplay.

Plus, you can't go wrong with all of the cute-as-buttons--not to mention penile-esque--Funghi characters  that are packed into Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku. (My current favorite: the fuzzy pink ones.)