Manual Stimulation (Parodius Da!, PC Engine)

Before we begin to prattle on about this PC Engine game's instruction manual, let's take a second to bow our heads in honor of the fact that the world's unlikely to get another game in Konami's wacky Parodius series.

That's a shame because all of the Parodius games Konami made and released between 1988's Parodius: Tako wa Chikyū o Sukū for MSX and 1996's Sexy Parodius for the original PlayStation (and arcades)--we'll just ignore all of those pachinko games the company put out over the last decade--were more than worth the price of admission.



This 1992 release may be my favorite of them all. Granted, the PC Engine port of Parodius Da! is missing a few of the arcade original's stages, but its chaotic omake bonus level makes up for it.

Its fabulous manual eases some of the disappointment associated with this semi-downgraded port, too.



Don't take that to mean it's all that and a bag of chips. It doesn't sport nearly as many adorable illustrations as the Famicom version's booklet. And it doesn't kick off with a multi-page comic strip like the Super Famicom release's manual. Still, it's cute and colorful enough that most folks should enjoy flipping through it now and then.





The "story" spread above helps prove that point, I think. Hell, so does the regrettably tiny depiction of Takosuke (the series' iconic octopus character) hoisting and shooting a machine gun.





The illustrations on the following pages, which show off and explain the game's power-up items and abilities, are interesting in that they're in a style that's quite different from the rest of the art that appears in the Parodius Da! instruction manual.



That's not a bad thing, mind you. Still, I can't help but wish they were sillier or livelier--like the ones included in the Famicom booklet I linked to earlier.



Somewhat strangely, the designers who created the Parodius Da! manual devoted two whole pages to explanations of the game's bell power-ups. I suggest that's strange because these explanations presumably took the place of artistic representations of its enemies and bosses.



Oh, well you can't have everything, right? And at least we're treated to one last top-notch illustration before the booklet wraps up with some pithy stage descriptions.



Want to see how the Parodius Da! PC Engine case and HuCard stack up to its manual? Check out my latest "Nice Package!" post, which features photos of of both--as well as some additional commentary on the game itself.

See also: previous 'Manual Stimulation' posts about Rainbow Islands, Pop'n Magic and PC Genjin

Nice Package! (Parodius Da!, PC Engine)

Before I became aware of games like Konami's Parodius Da!, I wasn't all that interested in the shoot 'em up (or shmup) genre.

Sure, early examples like Galaga and Gradius and even R-Type were well crafted and provided a certain thrill, but their deep-space, sci-fi settings left me kind of cold.



The second I laid eyes on titles like Parodius Da! and Detana!! TwinBee, though, I knew those chills--the bad sort, at least--were a thing of the past.

Although TwinBee and other, similar, games like Cotton, Hana Taaka Daka!?, PC Denjin and Twinkle Star Sprites, give me the warm fuzzies, none of them do so as strongly as the game that basically defines the entire cute 'em up genre.

Naturally I'm talking about Parodius Da!

What's so great about it? For starters, there are the visuals. Calling them "candy coated" or "kaleidoscopic" or anything of the sort doesn't quite do them justice, in my opinion.



So what does do them justice? How about "so crazy and colorful they'd make the Ringling Bros. proud."

OK, that's maybe a bit over the top, but if it conjures up thoughts of flying penguins, bathing octopuses, sunglasses-wearing moai statues and other circus-esque entities, well, it's done its job.

There's a lot more to Parodius Da! than its graphics, though. Nearly as important to its stature as a top-shelf cute 'em up is its wacky soundtrack, the bulk of which consists of remixes of classical music.

The cherry on top: this entry, like pretty much all of the Parodius series' entries, hits the gameplay sweet spot in that it's equal parts fun and challenging.



And then, of course, there's this title's packaging. I wouldn't say the cover art produced for the PC Engine port is as stellar as the imagery created for the Super Famicom one, but it's still far better than OK.

Its HuCard label and manual innards are similarly sensational--as evidenced by the snapshots above--while the back of its case is just so-so. Oh, well, you can't always have it all, right?

See also: 'Nice Package!' posts about Pac-Land, KiKi KaiKai and Hana Taaka Daka!?

Nice Package! (Hana Taaka Daka!?, PC Engine)

It may surprise some of you to hear I only recently bought a copy of Hana Taaka Daka!?

After all, this oddly titled game--which I believe translates to Long-Nosed Goblin in English--is a PC Engine game. Also, it’s a cute ‘em up (aka a cute shmup, à la Konami’s Parodius or TwinBee series). And then there’s the fact that it was made by the wizards at Taito.



So why did I fail to pick it up until a month or two ago? Because despite all of the above, Hana Taaka Daka!? has long rubbed me the wrong way.

For starters, the game’s protagonist is a bit of an eyesore. Plus, he’s annoyingly large when fully powered-up. Toss into this mix a difficulty level that’s often locked at “frustrating,” and you have a HuCard that can be hard to embrace—despite its pastel backdrops and impressive pedigree.

What’s changed? I don’t know, to tell you the truth. I mean, there’s no question my dislike of the long-nosed goblin sprite has softened quite a bit in the last year or so, but that alone wasn’t responsible for my Hana Taaka Daka!? turnaround.

Also helping matters is that I gave in and accepted the fact that this shooter is tough as nails. Although I usually like it when games put up a fight—as opposed to rolling over and letting you pummel them—I’m less of a fan of it in shmup form, for some reason.



And then there’s this game’s cover art and instruction manual—which, as many of you surely already know, are one in the same (or at least connected) when it comes to PC Engine releases.

The former has caused me to salivate since I first came across it thanks to its sumi-e style and splash of color. In true Taito fashion, though, the many pages of paper that sit beneath that beautiful cover image are lookers, too.



Don't believe me? Check out past "Manual Stimulation" posts devoted to booklets made for the company's GameBoy port of Bubble Bobble, PC Engine port of KiKi KaiKai and Famicom port of Rainbow Islands.

Or, you know, look at the illustrations showcased in the snapshots above and below.



Don't worry, I'll prep and publish a "Manual Stimulation" post about the Hana Taaka Daka!? instructional pamphlet shortly as well.

In the meantime, have any of you played this quirky PC Engine title? If so, share your thoughts--good or bad--in the comments section that follows.

See also: previous 'Nice Package!' posts about Rainbow Islands (Famicom) and KiKi KaiKai (PC Engine)

Second Chances: Magical Chase (PC Engine)

To be completely honest, this cute--and absurdly costly--PC Engine shoot 'em up wasn't even on my radar when I first considered which games to play as part of this month's #Shmuptember festivities.

After fellow blogger Retro King Simon (of Red Parsley fame) mentioned it in the comments section of this recent post, though, I decided I should give it a second chance.

You may be wondering why I needed to give it a second chance. After all, it's a fairly well-liked shmup among PC Engine fans--again, despite the astronomical price tags that tend to be attached to copies of it.

While that may be true, I've never really been a part of that camp--the one full of folks who fall over themselves to talk about what a top-shelf cute 'em up it is, I mean. (Admittedly, I have a feeling it's a small camp.)

Don't get me wrong, I've long thought of Magical Chase as being a "competent enough" smhup, but I've also long preferred playing similar games--like Parodius Da! and Coryoon and Air Zonk--to it.

Have I had a change of heart as a result of my most recent experience with the game? Actually, I have. I wouldn't say I now consider it to be worth its asking price (although even that could change in the coming months and years, especially given my history with such things), but I definitely find it a lot more appealing than I used to.

One of the main reasons for that is HuCard's art style seems a lot more cohesive than I remember it to be. In the past, I thought the design of the adorable, broom-riding protagonist (she is a witch, after all) didn't quite "fit" with those of the game's enemies or backdrops, if that makes sense.

Another is that I'm now pretty enamored with the "zippiness" of this colorful shoot 'em up's controls. In fact, I'd say Magical Chase compares favorably to both Coryoon and PC Denjin (Air Zonk) in that regard, and possibly even feels a bit smoother than those aforementioned contemporaries.

Now that I've come around to Magical Chase's considerable charms, though, I'm feeling kind of miffed. I mean, for the same amount of money it would cost me to acquire the Japanese version of this game, I could pick up copies of both R-Type titles, Parodius Da! and Hana Taka Daka!? instead--and still have a good chunk of change left over for a couple of cheaper chip-based titles.

The latter option seems far more desirable to me than the former at the moment, but who knows what will happen once I've filled out my PC Engine shmup collection a bit more?

See also: previous 'Second Chances' posts about Bubble Bobble Junior (GameBoy), Don Doko Don (Famicom) and Hana Taka Daka!? (PC Engine)

Six shoot 'em ups I'd recommend to anyone participating in #Shmuptember

On Friday, I published a post in which I shared my thoughts on six shoot 'em ups I've been playing as part of blogger Anne Lee's #Shmuptember game-along extravaganza.

Today's post, on the other hand, will focus on blurbs about six titles I'd recommend to others who are participating--or who are considering participating--in this smhup-centric event. (I guess you could say I recommend the shoot 'em ups showcased in Friday's post, too, but I think the ones included here may be more palatable to your average gamer.)

Each of the following titles are of the "retro" variety but, really, what else would you expect from me given what I typically write about on this blog?

Also, all but one of these shoot 'em ups were only released in Japan. Sorry about that. Thankfully, every one of them is easily emulatable, assuming you're OK with going that route. (If not, I'd suggest looking for loose copies of Pop'n TwinBee or Super Fantasy Zone, as they're sure to be the cheapest of this bunch.)

With that out of the way, let's get to some shmup recommendations.

Galaga '91 (GameGear)--Could you play the PC Engine version of this awesome Galaga reboot? Sure, why not. I didn't want to include two PC Engine games here, though, so I decided to recommend this surprisingly adept port. Thankfully, the GG iteration appears to include everything of note that can be found in its "big brother," so if you've got one of Sega's brick-sized handhelds (or if you enjoy emulating its games on other systems), you could do worse than give this cart a go sometime during #Shmuptember.

PC Denjin (PC Engine)--Better known as Air Zonk to North Americans, this wacky horizontal shoot 'em up provided me with all kinds of enjoyment and excitement as a teen. I return to it fairly regularly even as an adult, of course, and for a bunch of reasons, including its cartoonish cast of companions and enemies, its eye-popping use of parallax scrolling and its rockin' soundtrack.

Pop'n TwinBee (Super Famicom)--This pastel-coated, top-down shmup was one of the first Japanese games I ever imported, and it was worth every penny. (I paid over $70 for it, if memory serves. Remember, though, this was back when it was first released and eBay was but a twinkle in Pierre Omidyar's eye.) After all, it offers everything a person could want from a 16-bit cute 'em up: colorful environments, challenging-enough gameplay and cheery tunes.

Sexy Parodius (PlayStation)--Full disclosure: I love every single Parodius game Konami ever published, and that includes the tough-as-nails MSX version that introduced this now sadly moribund series to the world. That said, this entry--which has been ported to the Saturn, PlayStation and PSP--is my favorite of the entire bunch. Should you not have one of the aforementioned systems, though, don't shy away from trying another Parodius title, such as Parodius Da! for the PC Engine or Gokujō Parodius for the Super Famicom.

Super Fantasy Zone (Mega Drive)--Don't get me wrong, I love the original arcade version (and its perfectly acceptable PC Engine port, too) of this Sega-made smhup and its odd, wrap-around stages, but this 16-bit sequel improves on nearly every aspect of it. One the fence as to whether you should pick up an actual copy of Super Fantasy Zone or play an emulated version (which includes the Wii Virtual Console release) of it? Something that may sway you in favor of the former option is its wonderful box art.

Twinkle Star Sprites (NeoGeo/Saturn/Dreamcast)--Is this an overhead shoot 'em up or a puzzle game? Actually, it's a bit of both, which may help explain why it's one of my all-time favorite games. (OK, so the candy-coated visuals and vivacious soundtrack are partially responsible for this, too.) Sadly, although it was released for the Wii Virtual Console in Japan a number of years ago, it never made its way to any other region. As such, emulation's probably going to be the best bet for most interested parties, as both the (Japan-only) Dreamcast and Saturn iterations can be pricey.

See also: 'Six shoot 'em ups I'm playing as part of #Shmuptember'

Second Chances: Magical Taruruuto-kun (Sega Game Gear)

When I first discovered that someone had released a Magical Taruruuto-kun title for the Game Gear, I was thrilled. After all, I've long loved the Game Freak-developed, Sega-published Mega Drive game based on this anime and manga franchise, so surely I'd also get a kick out of a portable iteration, right?

You'd think so, but my first impressions of Tsukuda Ideal's Game Gear title were far from favorable. It didn't help matters, of course, that this game isn't a platformer like its Mega Drive-based cousin is; instead, it's a shmup in the vein of Gradius (Parodius may be a better point of comparison). That's rarely an issue for me, though, so what prompted my less-than-thrilled initial reaction to this one?

For starters, when you first boot up Magical Taruruuto-kun, it gives the impression that it's akin to My First Shmup. You see, your ship--actually a flying version of the series' protagonist--is overly large, as are most of the enemies that hurtle (OK, usually they simply meander) toward it, which makes the first stage, especially, seem both boring and a bit too easy.

That's where my first attempted playthrough ended, to tell you the truth. Then, a few weeks ago, I came across a copy of the game while perusing eBay, liked the cover art (what a surprise, right?) and decided to give it a second chance.

This time around, I forced myself past that opening level ... and discovered that, while it's still far from amazing, it's actually a nicely made little shmup.

One of the main reasons I say that is Magical Taruruuto-kun's sprites are surprisingly well crafted considering they were produced by a company (Tsukuda Ideal) I'd never heard of before a few days ago. For example, in the first level, which is set in a school, rulers, staplers and fire extinguishers--all adorably adorned with cartoon eyes and mouths--serve to liven up the otherwise pedestrian surroundings.

The game's bosses--which include an anthropomorphic piano (see above), a haunted pirate ship and a giant tree--are similarly full of character, although the battles against them disappointingly take place against a plain white backdrop.

I'd still be hard-pressed to describe Magical Taruruuto-kun's soundtrack or gameplay as anything approaching thrilling, but they're also far from tragic. As such, I have no regrets about picking up the complete-in-box copy I mentioned above shortly after I came across it. (Rest assured I'll share a few photos of its packaging as soon as it arrives on our doorstep.)

See also: previous 'Second Chances' posts

Acquisition #131: TwinBee (Famicom)

True story: I've never been much of a fan of the first game in Konami's TwinBee series.

The PC Engine port of the series' second quarter-muncher, Detana!! TwinBee? Always up for a round or two (or more) of it. And that game's Super Famicom-centric follow-up, Pop'n TwinBee? One of my all-time-favorite shmups.

The original TwinBee, though, has never impressed me. Actually, it's generally produced the opposite reaction--thanks to its pedestrian graphics (especially when compared to its above-mentioned counterparts) and its plodding gameplay.

So, imagine my surprise when I came across a complete-in-box copy of the Famicom version of this antiquated "cute 'em up" on eBay recently ... and found myself wanting to buy it.

I have to (rather sheepishly) admit that the main reason I found myself wanting to buy it was its box art. I mean, just look at it: 

Although I wouldn't say TwinBee's packaging is the among the best I've ever come across, it's certainly among the most colorful. Also, it features flying frogs, knives and strawberries--what more can you ask for in a piece of cover art?

Anyway, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, I went ahead and bought that complete-in-box copy of TwinBee. It helped that it was fairly cheap, of course, but it's possible (OK, likely) I would have picked it up even if it had cost me a few bucks more.

Now all that's left for me to do is put down my computer (and the camera that took the photos above), hook up my trusty Twin Famicom and finally take the game for a spin. 

See also: Previous 'Acquisition 123' posts

Manual Stimulation: PC Denjin (PC Engine)

Let's get this second installment of "Manual Stimulation" off to a colorful start by looking at the front and back covers of this crazy shmup (which was renamed Air Zonk when it was released in North America in 1992):



Sadly, there isn't much to see on the manual's first two pages--well, other than the info someone scribbled in the lower-right corner of the second page. I wonder what it says?



On the next two pages, though, we're formally introduced to the game's protagonist. Random aside: I especially like that little "Haw" illustration in the lower-right corner of the first page. (You can click on any of these scans to take a closer look at them, by the way.)

In this post: Proof that any piece of pixel art that borrows graphics from TwinBee is awesome

I've been a smidge obsessed with the TwinBee series of "cute 'em ups" (you know, shoot 'em ups that are cute) ever since I first laid eyes on the PC Engine port of Detana!! TwinBee as a teenager.

Actually, I'd say I was only intrigued by the series at that time; I didn't develop a real interest in it until I bought Detana!! TwinBee--it was the first game I ever imported--and played through it a few times, and I didn't become fully obsessed with the series until I picked up--and loved dearly, I might add--Pop'n TwinBee and TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventure for the Super Famicom a few years later.

Anyway, I'm sharing all of this in order to show that I have a definite appreciation for Konami's series of cute, overhead shmups. I also have a definite appreciation for the poster to the right, produced by artist Ashley Anderson for the Atlanta-based band, Little Tybee.

Anderson says (on Flickr) that he sifted through nearly 7,000 pixellated images before settling on the ones that appear in this colorful illustration. If you're at all interested in hearing how the artist pieced all of those elements together, check out this blog post at your convenience.