The Great Gaymathon Review #48: Barunba (PC Engine)

Game: Barunba

Genre: Shoot 'em up

Developer: Namco/Zap Corp

Publisher: Namcot

System: PC Engine

Release date: 1990

There are a number of reasons to like this odd, side-scrolling shmup: Its box art is lovely (as is its manual), its bosses are huge and its gameplay offers up a few surprises that help it stand out from the pack. Sadly, there are many more reasons to dislike it--most of which have to do with the aforementioned gameplay. (Two that don't: The great majority of the game's enemies and backdrops are at best boring and at worst ugly, while its sound effects are the definition of "grating.") Specifically, although the globe-shaped ship gamers control while playing Barunba impresses with its rotatable weaponry, the rather cumbersome rotation aspect actually gets in the way more often than not. As such, most folks are likely to keep their guns aimed straight ahead as much as possible. Also, although each of the game's five stages are surprisingly extensive (e.g., long), most of them become a drag well before you reach the end. So, with three bullet points in favor of Barunba and four against it, what's my final verdict on this Namcot-published HuCard? I'd say it's a curiously unique but disappointingly flawed game that's worth playing only if you find it on the cheap or if you're fairly obsessed with the shoot 'em up genre.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' 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.)

The question is: Will I enjoy blowing the underwear off of the bosses in the second Sugar Shooter as much as I enjoyed doing so in the first?

Yep, that's right: Everybody's favorite--or at least it was my favorite--bara-flavored, boss-rush, bullet-hell shmup, Sugar Shooter, will soon get a sequel. Rejoice!

Here's a brief glimpse of a still-in-the-works version of Sugar Shooter II, for those of you who are interested:



Well, that certainly looks like Sugar Shooter, doesn't it--sans the first game's buff (and in-the-buff) baddies, of course. I'm guessing the guys at Dudedle Studio will be adding them shortly.

See also: 'A somewhat gay review of Sugar Shooter (PC)'

So far, so meh: The latest Panzer Dragoon game will be a Kinect-only XBLA release

I seem to be the only person on the Internet who is disappointed by the fact that, according to a number of sources, Project Draco, the spiritual successor to Team Andromeda's Panzer Dragoon titles, will be a Kinect-only XBLA release.

Sure, it's great to hear that Yukio Futatsugi and Manabu Kusunoki, the two men chiefly responsible for the series' first three installments, are working on this Microsoft-backed iteration, too, but I highly doubt even that info will be enough to get me to invest in a Kinect between now and whenever Project Draco hits the XBLA service early next year.



Should its developers be so kind as to throw in an option that allows folks to play the game with a good, old-fashioned controller, though, I'll of course pick it up without a second thought.

Anyway, for more information on Project Draco, including a fairly in-depth description of how it's played, check out this NeoGAF post.

Surprise, surprise: Nintendo slipped Twinkle Star Sprites onto the Virtual Console late last week

Unfortunately for many of us, the company only slipped the game onto the Japanese Virtual Console.

Does this mean ADK's shooter-slash-puzzler, which began life as a Neo Geo title before being ported to the Saturn and Dreamcast, will soon be slipped onto the Virtual Console in other regions, too? I sure hope so.



If the possibility of playing Twinkle Star Sprites on your Wii doesn't excite you, may I suggest acquainting yourself with the video above, which shows off a good portion of the game's Dreamcast port?

I think it's about time I played a bullet-hell shmup starring beefy boys in underwear (and, no, I'm not talking about Cho Aniki)

One of the reasons I'm not talking about the infamous Cho Aniki or any of its sequels in the headline above is that none of those Masaya-developed games are bullet-hell shoot 'em ups (or shmups). Another reason: Although Cho Aniki and its ilk feature plenty of beefy boys, none of them, as far as I'm aware (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), feature beefy boys who gradually lose their clothing as they're barraged by enemy bullets.

So, which game am I talking about in the headline above (and in this post)? Why, I'm talking about Sugar Shooter, a shareware PC game developed by the folks at Dudedle Studios.



Just in case "bullet-hell shmup featuring beefy boys in underwear" isn't detailed enough for you, here's the developer's official description of the game: "Sugar Shooter is an erotic shoot’em up game! Taking control of Satan-kun, the prince of the Sweet Kingdom and protect your world from being eaten by the invaders. Beat them and make them pay for they’ve done to your kingdom!"

If none of the above--including that strangely alluring screenshot--makes a lick of sense to you, maybe you should watch the following trailer for the game. (Warning: Neither character winds up naked at the end of the video.)



For more information on Sugar Shooter or any of Dudedle Studio's other games--one of which is a sequel to Sugar Shooter--check out the company's website at dudedlestudio.com.

(Via the completely-not-safe-for-work baragamer.com)

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Otomedius Excellent edition)

I've long been a fan of Konami's Gradius and Parodius series, so of course I've long been intrigued by the company's Otomedius games, which share a number of attributes with their similarly side-scrolling and space-based predecessors, too.

Given Konami's reluctance to release its Parodius games in countries that aren't named Japan, however, hoping for a stateside release of its Otomedius titles seemed like a waste of both time and energy. As such, I was shocked when the company announced that it would be bringing the second Otomedius game to the US.

Anyway, here's the art that will grace the cover of the US version of the game, which will hit store shelves on July 19 (pre-order the regular edition here and the collector's edition here):

And here's the box art of the Japanese version, which was released earlier this year:

As for which one I prefer: If I were straight, I'd likely choose the US art as my favorite thanks to the close-up of the game's busty protagonist, but since I'm not I'm going to go with the Japanese cover thanks to its better use of color, its less-cluttered design and its superior (and sparkly!) logo.

That said, both pieces of art deserve props for featuring GwinBee, TwinBee and WinBee.

Anyway, that's my rather pointless opinion on the matter. Which piece of Otomedius box art do you prefer?

10 video games that made my life gayer (#4): Parodius

I know what you're thinking: Wait, I thought he wasn't writing about games that literally made him gayer?

Although I can understand why you might feel that way, the truth of the matter is that I'm still writing about games that, at one point or another, made my life happier and merrier. (Yes, merrier.)

In the case of Parodius (aka Parodius Da!), well, it made my young life gayer (happier) in a few ways. For starters, it was the first game I imported from Japan (back when you had to do it the hard way--by calling someone on the phone and then giving the person on the other end of the line your dad's credit card number). Second, and more importantly, it was the first shoot 'em up I really savored.

Sure, I'd played--and rather enjoyed--Gradius and R-Type and other well-regarded representatives of the genre, but they always felt a bit too serious and sterile. Parodius, on the other hand, slathered itself in silliness and absurdity.

Anyway, the game had me hook, line and sinker from the second I hit the power button on my trusty TurboGrafx-16 thanks to its silliness as well as its strange intro (see screenshot at right), insane(ly sweet) graphics and incredible tunes. Oh, and it didn't hurt that it was addictive and enjoyable and offered just the right amount challenge, too.

All that said, I wouldn't suggest picking this one up if you're a Parodius virgin, as each of its successors--especially Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius (available for the Super Famicom, Saturn, PlayStation and PSP) and Sexy Parodius (available for the Saturn, PlayStation and PSP)--best it in practically every area.

See also: all of the previous '10 video games that made my life gayer' posts

Is this an awesome cover or what?

While writing up today's "10 video games that made my life gayer" post, I came across the following box art, which graced the cover of the Japanese Mega Drive version of Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair.

I'm sure some of you will say it's scary, but I think it's awesome. Of course, I've always had a soft spot for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 version of the game, so I'm hardly unbiased on this subject.

Another day, another game that has me jonesing for a PS3 or Xbox 360

Taito's Space Invaders is the latest in a long line of classic arcade titles (see: Galaga Legions and Pac-Man Championship Edition) to get a modern makeover. The name of this particular (Square-Enix-published) re-imagining? Space Invaders Infinity Gene.

Here's a trailer for said game, which will hit PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade sometime later this year:



See also: 'How did I miss this one? (Pac-Man Battle Royale edition)'

If Gradius and R-Type had a love child ...

... I'm pretty sure it would look like locomalito's Hydorah.



To see Hydorah in action, check out this trailer. Or, skip that step and download this old-school shmup here. (If the link to the left doesn't work, try this one.)

(Via NeoGAF)

Better late than never

According to this NeoGAFfer, the brass at Konami have made the decision to bring their Xbox 360 cute 'em up, Otomedius G, to North America later this year. (Japanese gamers got the game in late 2008.)

As of now, the game will be named Otomedius Deluxe and will hit store shelves on Sept. 7 with a $59.99 price tag.

Although the word on the street is that the game is no Parodius (or even TwinBee), I'd probably pick it up if I had an Xbox 360--and if it were $20 cheaper.