I guess you could say I bought Bubble Bobble's GameBoy port because of its box art

Have I ever badmouthed Bubble Bobble's GameBoy port in this space before? I'm going to guess I haven't, but who knows. Regardless, it's not the best version of this classic Taito property. It's not a total stinker, but its average graphics and flicker-filled gameplay relegate it to the lower tier of Bubble Bobble releases, in my humble opinion.

All of which likely will prompt at least a few of you to wonder, so why'd you pick up a complete-in-box copy of this sucker recently? The header above mostly gives it away, I'm afraid, although to be honest the prospect of being able to own and stare at this Japanese GameBoy title's beautiful box art (below) wasn't the only reason I bought it.

Another reason was that I wanted to give this portable single-screen platformer a second chance, despite my earlier, rather negative experiences with it.

And then, of course, there was the simple fact that copy seen throughout this post was pretty darn cheap--as in, somewhere around $10 (not including shipping).

Totally random aside: I really like the bold font that appears on the sides of this box. (The symbols spell out Bubble Bobble, by the way--or, Baburu Boburu.)

The blue banding is a nice complement and addition to the cover art, too, I think.

As is often the case with these old Japanese GameBoy boxes, the back side isn't nearly as thrilling as the front side. It's always nice to see that big, beautiful Bubble Bobble logo, at least.

Have any of you played this version of Bubble Bobble before? If so, what do you think about it? Also, have you played Bubble Bobble Junior (aka Bubble Bobble Part 2)? I actually far prefer the latter to the former, even though it's also far from a perfect portable Bubble Bobble experience.

See also: 'Where have you been all my life, Cave Noire?'

'The ultimate game of cat and mouse'

I've long been a fan of Namco's arcade classic, Mappy--for proof, read through my "Great Gaymathon" review of its Famicom port--so it shouldn't be too surprising to hear me come out in support of the following print, produced by the über-talented Zac Gorman.

If you're in the mood for game-related illustrations, by the way, I'd highly recommend heading over to Gorman's site, Magical Game Time, to check out this compilation of doodles--which features a Bub (or is it Bob?) design that's miles better than the one currently used by Taito--as well as this recent-ish EarthBound comic.

12 import games I bought in 2012 but didn't tell you about until now: Tetris (GameBoy)

Of all the games that will be featured in this series of posts, this is likely to be the most boring--or maybe I should say least interesting?



So, why did I decide to include it? Because I rather like its bold, red-and-blue box art, that's why.



Speaking of which, the box art you see in the photos above is chiefly responsible for me picking up the Japanese, rather than the North American, version of "GameBoy Tetris" earlier this year.



Another reason, of course, is that I couldn't find the copy that came with the original GameBoy I dug out of my childhood closet shortly after I rang in 2012--and, really, you can't have an OG GameBoy without also having a copy of Tetris, can you?

See also: Previous '12 import games I bought in 2012 but didn't tell you about until now' posts

12 import games I bought in 2012 but didn't tell you about until now: Chack'n Pop (Famicom)

Let's start this series off with a bang, shall we?

Actually, "bang" is a good word to use in relation to this particular pick-up, as the titular Chack'n (the yellow thingamabob with blue wings and pink legs that can be seen on the box cover below) is all about dropping bombs as he meanders his way through the series of maze-like levels that make up this Taito-developed title.



As you may remember from this "Second Chances" post, I haven't always been a fan of this Bubble Bobble precursor. Once I had the little change of heart that I expounded upon in the aforementioned post, though, I knew I had to own the game's Famicom port.



Looking at this version's packaging, it's probably easy to understand why I decided to go with a "complete in box" copy of Chack'n Pop. I'm especially enamored with the cover art, of course--although I think the illustration that appears on the game's cartridge label (above) is nearly as nice.



How's Chack'n Pop's instruction manual? Funny you should ask. This copy of the game came with one, of course, but I can't remember whether it's good or bad. I'll have to dig it out of my stash after the holiday frenzy has died down and let you know either way, OK?

See also: Previous '12 games I bought in 2012 but didn't tell you about until now' posts

Chrono Trigger x Super Famicom x OSKUNK

I may not have experienced much of Squaresoft's, er, Square Enix's landmark RPG, Chrono Trigger, yet, but that doesn't mean I lack an appreciation for it.

That's due in large part to its appealing cast of characters, of course--one of which serves as the focal point of artist OSKUNK's latest custom creation (the Super Famicom you see in the photo below).



To be honest, I wish a few of Chrono Trigger's other central characters--namely Frog, Lucca and Robo--were included, too, but as the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers.

For the curious: a few more shots of this custom-painted console (as well as its similarly custom-painted controller) can be seen on OSKUNK's blog.

The Great Gaymathon Review #59: BurgerTime (Famicom)

Game: BurgerTime

Genre: Arcade/Action

Developer: Data East

Publisher: Namcot

System: Famicom

Release date: 1985

This is one of those ancient arcade games that probably only appeals to folks who were around when it was first released. For everyone else, the premise--create hamburgers while walking over ingredients and avoiding similarly munchable enemies--is unlikely to make much sense and the old-school difficulty of the gameplay is sure to prove more than a bit daunting.

So, where do I sit on this BurgerTime continuum? If you'd asked me back when it was first ported to Nintendo's 8-bit systems, my 9-year-old self would have told you I was located firmly on the "hell no" side of things--in small part because of the game's cruelly challenging nature but in larger part because it's far from "arcade perfect" (something I pointlessly put a lot of stock into in those days). How would my 35-year-old self respond if asked today? I'd say that I'm now on the opposite end of the spectrum and that I'm pretty darn fond of this iteration of Data East's admittedly brutal quarter-muncher.

My younger self was right, of course, that the stages in the Famicom/NES version aren't as colorful as those in the coin-op original, nor are the enemies in the former as well crafted as those in the latter, but who cares? Both releases more than get the job done in the looks department, and both feature the same brilliant, can't-get-it-out-of-my-head backing track. Most importantly, though, both also evoke a rather thrilling sense of panic in the player that calls to mind other classic titles--like Mappy and Pac-Man--from the same era.

Combine all of the above with the Famicom port's tight-as-can-be controls and completely adorable cover art and you've got yourself a great little pick-up--assuming you don't have a short fuse (see the comments above about this game's difficulty) and you can find it on the cheap.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

You say Bubble Bobble clone, I say Fairyland Story clone

Over the years, a lot of games--such as Chip Chan Kick!, Don Doko Don, Parasol Stars, Rod Land and Snow Bros.--have been called "Bubble Bobble clones." That's always struck me as a bit funny (despite the fact that I've often used the phrase myself--in this recent post about Pop'n Magic, for instance), as I think it would be a lot more accurate to call them clones of The Fairyland Story.

What, you've never heard of The Fairyland Story? No worries, here's a brief history of this not-quite-classic: Developed by Taito, it first hit the floors of the world's arcades--and bars and bowling alleys and whatnot--in 1985. The game's protagonist, a puny witch named Ptolemy, prances from castle-themed stage to castle-themed stage while transforming a cast of surprisingly cuddly enemies--including dragons, helmeted (and knife-wielding) pigs and wizards--into cakes with her trusty wand and then smooshing them to smithereens (often by pushing them off of ledges and onto unsuspecting baddies).

Getting back to why the above-mentioned games should be called clones of The Fairyland Story and not Bubble Bobble, there are three reasons for it, in my mind: 1) The Fairyland Story predates Bubble Bobble by a year, 2) the former clearly informed the development of the latter (a number of The Fairyland Story's power-ups, such as the fire cross and the earthquake book, also appear in Bubble Bobble) and 3) none of the titles listed in the opening paragraph of this post actually copied the mechanics of Taito's most classic of quarter-muchers.

So, does all of this mean that I'll stop describing games as "Bubble Bobble clones" and start calling them clones of The Fairyland Story instead? Probably not, but only because most folks have never heard of the earlier title. That said, I'll do my best to plop the phrase "Fairyland Story clone" into a post every now and then--you know, just to keep things honest.

The Great Gaymathon Review #53: Fantasy Zone (PC Engine)

Game: Fantasy Zone

Genre: Shoot 'em up

Developer: NEC Avenue

Publisher: NEC Avenue

System: PC Engine

Release date: 1988

I have a feeling this particular port of Sega's classic, pastel-soaked shoot 'em up was maligned by more than a few people (including myself) back in the day for failing to be "arcade perfect." Those detractors had a point, actually: As good as this game looks, for instance, its graphics don't quite match the coin-op original's brightness or softness. (The ever-so-slightly harsh backgrounds in this version are the main culprits here.) This HuCard's rollicking soundtrack also suffered a bit (OK, a lot) in the transition from arcade cabinet to PC Engine console, thanks in large part to someone's bright idea (not) to raise it in pitch to the point that every song is the aural equivalent of being jabbed in the back of a head with a child's fork while attempting to eat at a fine-dining establishment. (Translation: It's really irritating.) The folks at NEC Avenue nailed the most important aspect of this home conversion, though--that being the gameplay. Just like the original, the PC Engine version of Fantasy Zone tasks players with piloting an adorably winged ship, named Opa-Opa, through looping, open-ended worlds--a la Defender--in an attempt to destroy all of the enemy bases that reside within them. Destroy all of said bases and, surprise, you face a dastardly boss. In the end, doing all of the above feels like it should, although that's not to say it's without flaw. For example, there's a sense of inertia to Opa-Opa that, when combined with the aforementioned wrap-around stages, can be awkward to deal with, especially at the outset. Also, the game is the definition of challenging. (Case in point: There are eight levels, but I've yet to get to the fourth without cheating.)

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

The Great Gaymathon Review #49: Super Mario Bros. (Famicom)

Game: Super Mario Bros.

Genre: Platformer

Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

System: Famicom

Release date: 1985

My question to anyone who owns a Famicom (or an NES) but doesn't own a copy of this game: What on earth is wrong with you? I know a large number of "must own" titles were released for Nintendo's first world-conquering console, but this one is the granddaddy of them all, and no Famicom/NES collection is complete without it. There are countless good reasons for that, of course, with the main one being that the game is supremely playable (and enjoyable) thanks to Shigeru Miyamoto and company's masterful programming--which makes all of the running and jumping and everything else in Super Mario Bros. feel so sublime--and level design. (Anna Anthropy, aka auntie pixelante, expertly expounds on the latter abilities in this blog post, by the way.) There's more behind the game's must-own status than that, though, or at least there is for me. I believe that another reason so many people have been enamored by Mario's first console outing over the years is how surreal it is. I mean, it's a bit like playing a dream, isn't it? A bizarre dream, admittedly, but a dream nonetheless. How else would you describe a game in which a mustachioed plumber battles walking mushrooms and flying turtles and once in a while plucks a flower from the ground that allows him to shoot bouncing balls of fire on his way to rescuing a princess named Peach?

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

Second Chances: Chack'n Pop

Until a few months ago, I didn't know a game called Chack'n Pop existed. Actually, I'd still be ignorant of this Taito-made quarter-muncher (released in 1983) today if I hadn't decided to write yet another post about Bubble Bobble however many weeks ago. How so? Well, while writing that post I discovered (via Wikipedia) that Chack'n Pop is considered an ancestor to the aforementioned, Fukio Mitsuji-designed classic.

I don't know if you're aware, but there are times I love Bubble Bobble more than life itself. (On other days, I love it just a bit less than that.) So, it shouldn't be all that surprising to hear that after learning of Chack'n Pop's pedigree, I ran to my computer, downloaded a ROM of the Famicom version of the game and then proceeded to play it ... for about five minutes.

I stopped after such a short time because, honestly, I thought the game stunk more than my cat's litter box after a weekend getaway. It looked boring and, worse, it felt boring--thanks in large part to the plodding pace of its protagonist. Also, it was hard as hell. I'm pretty sure I failed to make it through Chack'n Pop's first stage during that initial, perfunctory playthrough.

After that execrable experience, I deleted the ROM from my computer--hey, why keep it around if I'm never going to play it again?--and decided to erase the game's existence from my memory, too.

How'd the game weasel its way back into my brain and earn another shot at my affections (this is a "Second Chances" post, after all)? Late last week, Simon Lethbridge published a rather positive review of arcade version of Chack'n Pop on his blog, Red Parsley, which, in turn, caused me to re-consider my previously snarky stance on this single-screen platformer.

Surprisingly, my second go-around with the game went pretty well. Actually, it went very well. (For proof, take a look at the "Now Playing" box on the right side of this blog.) In fact, it went so well that I made it to the fourth stage. Granted, it took me about 10 tries to conquer the first stage, but now that I've got the hang of things--as much as is possible in this challenging and often clunky game--I regularly get to the third and even fourth stage before losing all of my lives.

As for what prompted my "Chack'n Pop change of heart": Well, I guess you could say that, thanks to Lethbridge's prodding, I finally was able to look past the title's somewhat boring facade and see the quirky gameplay--like the protagonist's ability to stick to the ceiling and his ability to surprise (and blow up) the seemingly brain-dead Monstas by rolling bombs down stairways--that lies beneath.

See also: Previous 'Second Chances' posts

Behold: My complete-in-box copy of Ice Climber

I'm sure it seems silly that I used the word "behold" in the headline above. Honestly, I couldn't help but use it, as I really like the art that appears on the box and cart covers of my latest acquisition: A "complete" copy of the Famicom version of Ice Climber.

You know what else I really like? This game! I know that's kind of a shocking admission--after all, I've said in the past that it was frustrating to the point of annoyance--but I've truly had a change of heart when it comes to this classic platformer. Now if I could just make it past the fifth stage...

Oh, and in case you're wondering: Yes, it's impossible for me to take a straight-on photo of a game. I try to do so every once in a while, but the resulting shot either bores or otherwise displeases me.

Anyway, if you'd like to see a few more photos of this particular copy of Ice Climber, check out my Flickr photostream at your earliest convenience. Also, check out a few previous blog posts--such as this one and this one--for more of my thoughts (both good and bad) on this chilly title.

'Dinner Bell at the Bottom of the Food Pyramid'

Although there's a lot to like about the illustration below, produced by artist Pedro Delgado (aka gogopedro) for the "8-Bit Champions" show that recently opened in Paris, the following trio of elements were the first to jump out at me:

* The Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer noses attached to both Mr. and Mrs. Pac-Man.

* The teal ghost--Inky, I believe the name is--who's praying that the aforementioned duo are so distracted by all of the pellets that surround them that they forget to gobble him up, too.

* The orange ghost--Clyde?--who's so scared by all that's happening around him that he's stuffed his fingers/hands/arms in his own mouth.



Another reason I like Delgado's illustration (which also can be seen here): He and I both have fond memories of playing Pac-Man and/or Ms. Pac-Man at the local Pizza Hut.

"I'd squeeze in a few games between slices and soda during family social outings," he shared recently at theautumnsociety.com. "I remember they had a tabletop unit, and I recall being pretty enamored with how it looked and helped create a head to head play style if you happened to be sitting across from your younger brother."

See also: Other pieces of game-related art appearing in the '8-bit Champions' show

If M.C. Escher had created Q*bert ...

... the classic quartermuncher--of which I've never been much of a fan--probably would have looked something like this:

To see more of artist bartotainment's creations, check out his Flickr photostream.