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

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

Sorry, but I don't have a one-word reaction to share RE: yesterday's Nintendo Direct

I do have a few words to say about it, though--if anyone's interested in hearing them.

This latest Nintendo Direct broadcast, which focused on third-party 3DS games, began with Satoru Iwata showing some new footage of Tomodachi Collection: New Life, the sequel to a Japan-only DS life sim that's sold more than three million copies to date.

I don't know about you, but Iwata had me hooked at the get-go thanks to his Famicom-themed room.



The question is: will the game, which will be released in Japan on April 18, do what its predecessor did not and make its way westward? I hope so, although I have my doubts.

Iwata then went on to discuss a number of upcoming third-party games, some of which I'm interested in and some of which I'm not, including Level-5's Professor Layton and the Legacy of Super Civilization A (aka Professor Layton and the Azran Legacies) and Youkai Watch, Success' Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed (a match-three spin-off of the company's Touch Detective series) and Namco Bandai's Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission and Super Robot Wars UX.

Far more intriguing to me was the news that Level-5's Guild 02 compilation will now be released digitally rather than via retail. That said, only one of the Guild 02 titles really intrigued me, with that title being Spaceship Damray, a "suspense adventure" that's being developed by game designer Asano Kazuya and novelist Takemaru Abiko.

Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei IV and Capcom's Monster Hunter 4 wrapped up this installment of Nintendo Direct, and both looked pretty great to these presser-weary (after Sony's PS4 event of a few days ago) eyes.



I've been on the Shin Megami Tensei IV hype train since it was first announced, of course, but I haven't always had such a favorable impression of Monster Hunter 4 (or any Monster Hunter game, for that matter), so it'll be interesting to see if I follow through and buy the series' latest entry should it be released here in North America.

I have to admit that I was hoping a few new 3DS games--like a Final Fantasy V remake using Bravely Default's engine--would be announced during this broadcast, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Maybe next time, Nintendo?