#ADecadeofDS: Chocobo Tales

Amount of time devoted to this game in the last week--Three hours, 46 minutes.

Most recent boss toppled, location reached or milestone achieved--It looks like I'm about to take on the evil "Bebuzzu" in another of the game's surprisingly dynamic "pop-up duels" (one-on-one card battles, basically).

Overall comments on the experience--I put a good amount of time into this 2007 DS game many years ago, shortly after it was first released, but so much time has passed since then that I decided to go back to it early last week.

Unsurprisingly, I'm enjoying this second playthrough just as much as my first. I say "unsurprisingly" because, as anyone who has played this game should be well aware, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales does everything it can to bring a smile to your face--from the cute character designs, to the silly story, to the myriad mini-games that test your timing, reflexes and even your patience.

For me, the mini-games and the aforementioned "pop-up duels" are the main highlights here, although I have to admit I'm still coming to grips with the latter.

In terms of the former, though, there's only one mini-game that even somewhat aggrivates me at the moment (the very first one, "The Adamantoise and the Cactuar")--although, thankfully, I've already beaten it on its most challenging setting, so now I can ignore it. The rest, though, are a part of a lovely array of pick-up-and-play games that I wouldn't hesitate to buy for a buck or two if they were plopped onto the iOS App Store.

That said, Chocobo Tales' whimsical art style deserves to be pulled aside for praise, too, as it's nearly as responsible as its gameplay for maintaining my interest in this title.

So, is there anything I don't like about this effort so far--aside from the mini-game mentioned earlier? Not really. I mean, I guess some folks may find the story included here disappointingly light, but I actually like that all of the blather that tends to be crammed into most of Square Enix's titles isn't present this time around.

Another possible nitpick is that the mini-games don't always provide enough information for you to fully grasp what you're supposed to go to successfully complete them, but even then it's only taken me a few seconds to figure things out, so I wouldn't consider this to be too big of a niggle either.

Will I continue to play this game in the coming days, weeks and maybe even months?--For sure. In fact, I can see myself sticking with this one right to the end. It's pretty much the perfect kind of game for me at the moment--as in, it's easy to pick up, play for five, 10 or even 30 minutes and then put back down again until I have some more free time. Also, it offers a ton of variety, which thus far has done a bang-up job of keeping me from getting bored with it.

Do I recommend it to others?--Without question. It's one of those games anyone should like, I think--assuming you don't hate "cute" graphics in general or Square Enix's Chocobo character in particular. Plus, like I said above, there's a lot to do here, so even if you don't like the odd mini-game, you're sure to like a bunch of others.

Next up--Awatama (Soul Bubbles)

See also: previous 'A Decade of DS' posts

The first thing I did when I turned on my gold Pokémon Center 3DS LL was ...

You might think that the first thing I'd do after getting my new gold Pokémon Center 3DS LL up and running would be to boot up Pokémon X.

In reality, my first move was to head to the Japanese eShop and download the following:

First up was Darumeshi Sports Store, a Japan-only (just for now, I hope) eShop game that reportedly was developed by the same folks who brought the world the Rhythm Tengoku and WarioWare series. Although Darumeshi Sports Store follows in the footsteps of those titles in some ways--at its heart, it's a wacky mini-game collection--in other ways it stands on its own, such as by basing all of its mini-games on the sport of baseball.



Next was Balloon Fight GB, above, a game I'm pretty sure I've mentioned here on at least a few occasions. If not, it's the colorized version of Balloon Fight's sort-of sequel, Balloon Kid, which didn't hit Japan until a decade after everyone else in the world got it (and even then it only received a digital release).

Finally, there's the Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai 2 demo--which, sadly, has yet to be played. I've been looking forward to experiencing this adorable rhythm game for ages, though, so I can guarantee it won't sit unused on my LL's menu screen for long.

Don't worry, I've also put in some time with Pokémon X and even Sayonara Umihara Kawase--a game I bought a while ago but couldn't get to until now.

Although they'll be undeniably "late to the party," look for impressions of both games to be shared here in the coming days.

It's really too bad Namco never released a console port of Tenkomori Shooting

Earlier this year, when my husband I visited one of Seattle's best hang-outs, Full Tilt Ice Cream--which not only serves up some wonderful ice cream (I'm looking at you, salted caramel) but also offers patrons a slew of pinball and arcade machines--I encountered a game I'd never seen or even heard of before.

That game: Tenkomori Shooting, a curious, Namco-made coin-op that first appeared on the scene (in an extremely limited number of North American locations, I'm sure) in 1998.

I didn't sit down and play this shmup-centric mini-game collection on that occasion, but I vowed to do so the next time we visited.

Apparently it wasn't meant to be, as I quickly discovered during our next ice-cream outing that the powers that be at Full Tilt had replaced Tenkomori Shooting's PCB with that of some other, far less interesting game.



That fact didn't depress me as much as you might think, as I was pretty sure the title must have been released for the PlayStation (in Japan, at least) at some point--meaning I could just go home, head to eBay, and order a copy for my collection. Heck, it even looks like it might have been made using Namco's System 11 arcade board, which was based on the Sony's hardware.

So, imagine my surprise when I found out it wasn't released for Sony's first console--or any other console, for that matter.

Thankfully, MAME's always an option, so if I get desperate for some Tenkomori Shooting action, I can go that route.

And I may just do that sooner rather than later given some of the curious-looking mini-games that are included in this arcade release--like the amorous one shown at the 3:00 mark in the video above, or the sushi-focused one at 3:34, or the Dig Dug-inspired one at 4:17.

Have any of you spent time with Tenkomori Shooting--either in an arcade setting or in your own homes (via MAME)? If so, what did you think of the experience?

12 import games I bought in 2012 but didn't tell you about until now: Everybody's Stress Buster

Before I get to the contents of the game you see in the photos below, I probably should note that this is the Asian release of the game known in Japan as Minna no Sukkiri and in North America as Hot Shots Shorties.

So, why'd I pick up the Asian version as opposed to the Japanese or North American ones? First, I wanted a boxed/physical copy of the game--which isn't a possibility when it comes to the North American release. Second, the Asian version includes English text--something that isn't the case with the Japanese original.

As for the point of Everybody's Stress Buster: it's mini-game-focused spin-off of Clap Hanz' excellent Everybody's Golf (aka Hot Shots Golf or Minna no Golf) series.

In fact, 12 disparate mini-games are stuffed into Everybody's Stress Buster. As is often the case with such things, some of these morsels are more appetizing than others. My favorites thus far: the Dynasty Warriors-esque "Counter Crusader" and the Katamari Damacy-ish (kind of) "Vacuum Dash." I've also got a bit of a soft spot for the rather boringly titled "Bookshelf Dash."

As is true for far too many of the games included in this series, I haven't yet put a ton of time into Everybody's Stress Buster. I'm going to do my best to give it the attention it deserves early next year, though--especially since I could use a smidge of serenity at the moment.

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

Welp, it seems I'll be buying Nintendo Land should it be sold separately from the Wii U

That's because this launch-window release for Nintendo's next console will feature a Balloon Fight-based mini-game that uses an art style similar to that of Kirby's Epic Yarn and that can be played solo (as opposed to pretty much every other Nintendo Land mini-game unveiled so far, save "Donkey Kong's Crash Course").

To see it in action, head on over to gameinformer.com and watch the trailer that was uploaded yesterday afternoon.



Will this mini-game, called "Balloon Trip Breeze," also contain a multi-player mode? The folks at Game Informer don't seem to know, unfortunately. Personally, I hope it does--despite the fact that it's likely I'll be playing Nintendo Land (and practically every other Wii U game I purchase) all by myself.

See also: 'Welp, it seems I'll be buying a 3DS XL a bit sooner than I initially thought I would'

It seems Rhythm Heaven Fever's North American localization won't be completely terrible

I've watched more gameplay videos of the Japanese version of Rhythm Heaven Fever--called Minna no Rhythm Tengoku, or Everybody's Rhythm Heaven--than I'd like to admit. As a result, I've already come to love quite a few of this wacky Wii release's mini-games.

The mini-game I'm most in love with at the moment: The one many people are calling "Wrestler Interview." Here's a video of the Japanese version, in case you've yet to see it:



Given my propensity to worry about things that are completely pointless (not to mention beyond my control), I've been fretting for the last few months as to how this mini-game's vocal track will sound after it's been translated into English and re-recorded by an American voice actor. (Rhythm Heaven Fever will hit store shelves in North America on Feb. 13, by the way. Unfortunately, the European version of the game, which will be called Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise, is still without a firm release date.)

Well, I can stop worrying. Someone just uploaded to YouTube the localized (for North American audiences) version of this mini-game, which apparently will be called, "Ringside." Here it is:



Although I can't say I find the English vocals to be as cute or as energetic as those that appear in the Japanese version, I also can't say I find them completely terrible. What do all of you think?

In related news: The fabulously altered version of this mini-game that can be viewed here and that features a Brazilian "male escort" named Ricardo Milos continues to bring a smile to my face more than three months after it was first appeared on YouTube.

Pre-order: Rhythm Heaven Fever

(Via gonintendo.com, by way of tinycartridge.com)

I can't believe this game hasn't sold a billion copies

Considering the gloomy economic and employment news that continues to dominate the airwaves in the U.S., you'd think a game called Everybody's Stress Buster would be a big hit among American PSP owners.

Of course, for that to happen the game would have to be called Everybody's Stress Buster (it is known as Minna no Sukkiri, or Everybody's Refreshment, in Japan, although the Asian version is called Everybody's Stress Buster). Oh, and American PSP owners would have to know it exists.

Unfortunately, someone at Sony Computer Entertainment America seemingly made sure neither of the above came to pass--as the game, rechristened Hot Shots Shortes, was chopped up (into four, three-game "packs") and unceremoniously dumped onto the PlayStation Store yesterday.

That's too bad, because this Clap Hanz-developed title seems pretty darn fun.(Here's a trailer for the UK version.) I especially like the looks of the Dynasty Warriors-ish "Counter Crusader" and the Katamari Damacy-esque "Vacuum Dash" mini-games.