I know everyone else in the world who's at all interested in the PS4 is drooling over the "triple whammy" of games--the Final Fantasy VII remake, The Last Guardian and Shenmue III--that were announced at E3 2015 a couple of days ago.
I understand that, I really do, but if I were to be honest (and why wouldn't I be on my own blog?), I'd admit that I'm far more intrigued by Keita Takahasi's Wattam than I am by any of the aforementioned titles.
Which is kind of strange, as I can't say I have a single clue as to what the hell is going on in the trailer that can be watched below.
Still, I wouldn't pass up a chance to put Wattam and its weird collection of characters through their paces, as the ages-old saying goes.
Sadly, that would require me to purchase a PS4--something that isn't likely to become a reality anytime soon, if ever. If Keita and his crew of crazy game-makers (they previously developed the first two Katamari Damacy titles, after all) were to port Wattam to, say, the Vita, though, I'd be all over it like rainbow sprinkles on a frosted doughnut.
How about you fine folks? Are any of you chomping at the bit to sink your teeth into this outlandish-looking PS4 effort?
See also: 'Everything you need to know about Wattam, from Robin Hunicke & Keita Takahashi'
Showing posts with label wacky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wacky. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Monday, January 14, 2013
'Bye-Bye, Backlog' diary entry #1: Chulip
Well, I actually went through with it.
Yesterday, I started playing Chulip, Punchline's weirdo adventure game that Natsume rather quietly released for the North American PlayStation 2 in 2007 (nearly five years after it hit store shelves in Japan).
I didn't play it for very long, unfortunately, as I had too many other things to do. I was able to devote about an hour to it, though, and I plan on putting another hour or so into it today.
As for what I think of it so far:
* I love the art style, which kind of reminds me of the Nintendo 64 version of Mother 3 that never saw the light of day.
* I'm similarly fond of the soundtrack, and even the oddly garbled voices that spew forth whenever you decide to chat up one of your neighbors.
* Speaking of odd, that's about the only word I could use to describe Chulip's localization. Was it intentional, or did the folks at Natsume rush it? I have no idea, but I'm guessing it's the latter, as it's often hard to discern what you're supposed to do next.
* My only real complaint about the game so far: the lovelorn protagonist's walking speed. Would it have been so hard for the crew at Punchline (Chulip's developer) to provide players with a run button à la Animal Crossing? I have a feeling the lack of one is going to grow into a rather sore point as I spend more and more time with this quirky PS2 title.
* Conversely, my favorite aspect of Chulip so far is the animation that's triggered whenever you try to kiss someone who isn't in the mood to be kissed. Sadly, you can't overdo it or you'll find yourself staring at a "Game Over" screen.
Anyway, that's what I think of the game after my admittedly brief first experience with it. Expect to see another round of impressions this time next week. In the meantime, please share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
See also: 'Bye-bye, backlog'
Yesterday, I started playing Chulip, Punchline's weirdo adventure game that Natsume rather quietly released for the North American PlayStation 2 in 2007 (nearly five years after it hit store shelves in Japan).
I didn't play it for very long, unfortunately, as I had too many other things to do. I was able to devote about an hour to it, though, and I plan on putting another hour or so into it today.
* I love the art style, which kind of reminds me of the Nintendo 64 version of Mother 3 that never saw the light of day.
* Speaking of odd, that's about the only word I could use to describe Chulip's localization. Was it intentional, or did the folks at Natsume rush it? I have no idea, but I'm guessing it's the latter, as it's often hard to discern what you're supposed to do next.
* My only real complaint about the game so far: the lovelorn protagonist's walking speed. Would it have been so hard for the crew at Punchline (Chulip's developer) to provide players with a run button à la Animal Crossing? I have a feeling the lack of one is going to grow into a rather sore point as I spend more and more time with this quirky PS2 title.
* Conversely, my favorite aspect of Chulip so far is the animation that's triggered whenever you try to kiss someone who isn't in the mood to be kissed. Sadly, you can't overdo it or you'll find yourself staring at a "Game Over" screen.
Anyway, that's what I think of the game after my admittedly brief first experience with it. Expect to see another round of impressions this time next week. In the meantime, please share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
See also: 'Bye-bye, backlog'
Thursday, October 18, 2012
To buy or not to buy, that is the question when it comes to the 3DS game called Dangerous Jī-san to 1000-nin no Otomodachi Ja
Don't worry if the title in the headline above doesn't ring any bells. It's hardly the kind of release that tends to receive a lot of attention from western gaming sites and blogs.
That said, I have mentioned it here once before--in the cheekily titled post, "Is this 3DS game's heath bar really made up of little butts?"
Of course, this Namco Bandai-published 3DS game, which will hit the streets of Japan on Nov. 22, didn't have a title at that time. Now it does. It also has a new and rather effervescent trailer that's packed full of so much weirdness it nearly makes my head spin.
For those of you wondering what this game may be called if it ever earns a European or even North American release (yeah, right), my podcasting pal Anne (aka apricotsushi) took the time to translate the Japanese title for me last night after I accosted her via Twitter. Her suggestion: Dangerous Grandpa and His 1,000 Wicked Friends.
Another possibility would be Grandpa Danger and His 1,000 Wicked Friends, considering that's the verbiage Viz Media has used for the North American version of the anime.
Regardless, the guy obviously has a lot of friends, and all of them seem to be wicked. Which may be why, according to the now-defunct andriasang. com, they're turned into post cards at the start of this game. (I know, I don't get it either. Although I guess that's why ol' gramps is constantly shown interacting with mailboxes in the trailer above?)
That said, I have mentioned it here once before--in the cheekily titled post, "Is this 3DS game's heath bar really made up of little butts?"
Of course, this Namco Bandai-published 3DS game, which will hit the streets of Japan on Nov. 22, didn't have a title at that time. Now it does. It also has a new and rather effervescent trailer that's packed full of so much weirdness it nearly makes my head spin.
For those of you wondering what this game may be called if it ever earns a European or even North American release (yeah, right), my podcasting pal Anne (aka apricotsushi) took the time to translate the Japanese title for me last night after I accosted her via Twitter. Her suggestion: Dangerous Grandpa and His 1,000 Wicked Friends.
Another possibility would be Grandpa Danger and His 1,000 Wicked Friends, considering that's the verbiage Viz Media has used for the North American version of the anime.
Regardless, the guy obviously has a lot of friends, and all of them seem to be wicked. Which may be why, according to the now-defunct andriasang. com, they're turned into post cards at the start of this game. (I know, I don't get it either. Although I guess that's why ol' gramps is constantly shown interacting with mailboxes in the trailer above?)
Monday, July 09, 2012
I really hope Sony promotes the North American release of Tokyo Jungle with an ad like this
The folks at Sony recently prepped a special TV commercial to celebrate the fact that Japanese sales of their crazy-survival-action-game-starring-a-bunch-of-animals, Tokyo Jungle, have topped the 200,000 mark.
Will the game move that many copies after it lands on our shores? It wouldn't surprise me in the least given the amount of interest it's garnered since it was announced in 2010.
What would surprise me: Sony's North American arm promoting the localized release of Tokyo Jungle with an ad like the one below. Or promoting it at all.
That's not a jab at Sony, by the way. I just see this as being a game the company tries to sell via word of mouth.
Regardless, I hope we hear more about the Western release of Tokyo Jungle soon, as all we know at the moment is that it's on its way (but when?) and that it'll likely be released digitally.
(Via andriasang.com)
Will the game move that many copies after it lands on our shores? It wouldn't surprise me in the least given the amount of interest it's garnered since it was announced in 2010.
What would surprise me: Sony's North American arm promoting the localized release of Tokyo Jungle with an ad like the one below. Or promoting it at all.
That's not a jab at Sony, by the way. I just see this as being a game the company tries to sell via word of mouth.
Regardless, I hope we hear more about the Western release of Tokyo Jungle soon, as all we know at the moment is that it's on its way (but when?) and that it'll likely be released digitally.
(Via andriasang.com)
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Sega's doing its darndest to lead me @field
Specifically, the folks at The House That Sonic Built are doing their darndest to get me to buy a PlayStation Vita.
How so? Well, they're preparing to release--in Japan only, of course--a game called @field, which combines golf and pinball (in terms of gameplay) and is covered with a smear of the company's out-of-this-world--in more ways than one--Space Channel 5 (in terms of graphics).
Sadly, I can't seem to find any videos of this oddly titled game, which is supposed to be released sometime this winter, so the screenshots above and below will have to suffice.
Actually, I'm kind of glad I can't find any videos of @field, as I really don't need to add any games or systems to my "to buy in 2012" list, which already includes a slew of 3DS, PSP and Wii titles, as well as possibly a PS3 and/or a Wii U.
Should @field be positively received by the few brave souls who pick it up and play it, though, I definitely could see myself buying a copy of it alongside a Vita system--sometime after the Vita lands in the bargain bins in the States, of course.
See also: 'Are you planning to pick up a PlayStation Vita?'
How so? Well, they're preparing to release--in Japan only, of course--a game called @field, which combines golf and pinball (in terms of gameplay) and is covered with a smear of the company's out-of-this-world--in more ways than one--Space Channel 5 (in terms of graphics).
Sadly, I can't seem to find any videos of this oddly titled game, which is supposed to be released sometime this winter, so the screenshots above and below will have to suffice.
Actually, I'm kind of glad I can't find any videos of @field, as I really don't need to add any games or systems to my "to buy in 2012" list, which already includes a slew of 3DS, PSP and Wii titles, as well as possibly a PS3 and/or a Wii U.
Should @field be positively received by the few brave souls who pick it up and play it, though, I definitely could see myself buying a copy of it alongside a Vita system--sometime after the Vita lands in the bargain bins in the States, of course.
See also: 'Are you planning to pick up a PlayStation Vita?'
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Any piece of art that features sprites from Irem's Gekisha Boy looks good to me
Even better is when said piece of art--which is made up of sprites taken from all sorts of games, not just Irem's wacky PC Engine title, Gekisha Boy (aka Photograph Boy)--tells the story of "a heartbroken octopus who drives to the beach to forget about his girlfriend."
The sprite taken from Gekisha Boy can be spotted in the digital collage's lower right-hand corner, by the way. Specifically, the blond-coifed head that tops the golden bass' body originally appeared (sans green makeup) on a Marilyn Monroe wannabe in the aforementioned game.
To take a closer look at this piece, officially titled "Memory Beach Part 3," check out artist Ashley Anderson's Flickr photostream. (Part 2 can be seen here, by the way, while Part 1 can be seen here.) Also, check out this post on Anderson's blog to read about how he created this piece and why it's quite literally bursting with color.
Prints of all three "Memory Beach" collages can be purchased, for $15 each (plus shipping), from Anderson's etsy shop, pressstarttobegin.
See also: 'It's like the sexy, wacky Out Run spin-off I've always wanted but never got to play' and 'Memory Beach 02'
The sprite taken from Gekisha Boy can be spotted in the digital collage's lower right-hand corner, by the way. Specifically, the blond-coifed head that tops the golden bass' body originally appeared (sans green makeup) on a Marilyn Monroe wannabe in the aforementioned game.
To take a closer look at this piece, officially titled "Memory Beach Part 3," check out artist Ashley Anderson's Flickr photostream. (Part 2 can be seen here, by the way, while Part 1 can be seen here.) Also, check out this post on Anderson's blog to read about how he created this piece and why it's quite literally bursting with color.
Prints of all three "Memory Beach" collages can be purchased, for $15 each (plus shipping), from Anderson's etsy shop, pressstarttobegin.
See also: 'It's like the sexy, wacky Out Run spin-off I've always wanted but never got to play' and 'Memory Beach 02'
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
It's like the sexy, wacky Out Run spin-off I've always wanted but never got to play
What do you think of when you look at the digital collage below?
When I first saw it, I thought of an only-in-my-dreams Out Run spin-off that features a wacky splash of Parodius. I'm not sure how such an idea would work as an actual game, mind you, but I'm sure it would be amazing if handed to the right developers.
Anyway, enough about me and my odd ideas. Instead, let's delve deeper into the aforementioned collage, which was produced by Atlanta-based artist Ashley Anderson.
It's one of three pieces that were commissioned by the owner of a local pizza joint, by the way. Although the commission fell through, Anderson completed the series anyway.
The one above is the series' first and is titled, "Memory Beach, Part 1." According to Anderson, it's about "an octopus who drives to the beach to forget about his ex-girlfriend, who has cheated on and/or left him."
Anderson doesn't say on his blog where he found each of the sprites that appear in this piece, but he does say that the "Japanese pornographic mahjongg video game industry" is responsible for the girl and the lipstick. (He also says he learned to operate a Famicom emulator while working on the "Memory Beach" series, so I'm guessing a number of the sprites were pulled from Famicom titles.)
For more behind-the-scenes info on how Anderson produced "Memory Beach, Part 1," check out this blog post. To order 7-3/4-inch-by-7-3/4-inch prints of it, check out Anderson's etsy shop.
See also: Other posts about Ashley Anderson and his art
When I first saw it, I thought of an only-in-my-dreams Out Run spin-off that features a wacky splash of Parodius. I'm not sure how such an idea would work as an actual game, mind you, but I'm sure it would be amazing if handed to the right developers.
Anyway, enough about me and my odd ideas. Instead, let's delve deeper into the aforementioned collage, which was produced by Atlanta-based artist Ashley Anderson.
It's one of three pieces that were commissioned by the owner of a local pizza joint, by the way. Although the commission fell through, Anderson completed the series anyway.
The one above is the series' first and is titled, "Memory Beach, Part 1." According to Anderson, it's about "an octopus who drives to the beach to forget about his ex-girlfriend, who has cheated on and/or left him."
Anderson doesn't say on his blog where he found each of the sprites that appear in this piece, but he does say that the "Japanese pornographic mahjongg video game industry" is responsible for the girl and the lipstick. (He also says he learned to operate a Famicom emulator while working on the "Memory Beach" series, so I'm guessing a number of the sprites were pulled from Famicom titles.)
For more behind-the-scenes info on how Anderson produced "Memory Beach, Part 1," check out this blog post. To order 7-3/4-inch-by-7-3/4-inch prints of it, check out Anderson's etsy shop.
See also: Other posts about Ashley Anderson and his art
Monday, November 14, 2011
The Great Gaymathon Review #44: Katamari Damacy (PlayStation 2)
Game: Katamari Damacy
Genre: Arcade-Action
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
System: PlayStation 2
Release date: 2004
I'm sure this has been said many times before, and by better writers than myself, but I think it's quite possible that Katamari Damacy's backstory--which involves the colossal King of All Cosmos getting plastered, destroying the solar system and then asking his diminutive son to rebuild it--is the best to ever appear in a video game. At the very least, it's one of the wackiest. It's only a smidge wackier than Katamari Damacy's gameplay, though, which puts players in the role of the aforementioned pint-sized prince and tasks them with rolling the titular katamari (Japanese for "clump" or "clod") over anything and everything in sight in order to make it grow as large as possible. (Most of the objects in each stage stick to said katamari if they touch it and if they're smaller than it. All of that junk is then somehow used to recreate the stars and other celestial bodies that were obliterated by the king.) Unsurprisingly, this Keita Takahashi-designed title's graphics and soundtrack are pretty wacky, too--the latter, the bulk of which was composed by Yū Miyake, especially. Don't take that to mean this is one of those games that is so weird it's no fun; Katamari Damacy has fun in droves. In fact, I'd say it's one of my all-time favorite titles. The only possibly negative thing I can say about it is that I wish every stage had an "eternal mode" and that said mode was unlocked from the start (as it is, each level begins with a strict time limit), as exploring the game's beautifully realized set pieces at will--with Miyake's energetic tunes blaring in the background--is an absolute blast.
See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts
Monday, January 10, 2011
'Tour de Super Mario Bros.'
What do you get when you combine five Super Mario Bros. cartridges (preferably of the banana-yellow Famicom variety), a Fukuoka (Japan) library and a pile of North Korean propaganda from the 1980s? (Oh, and don't forget to throw some planes and trains into the mix, too.)
Why, you get "Tour de Super Mario Bros.," of course.
A few months ago, Sean over at famicomblog.blogspot.com posted the hilarious "Tour d' Excitebike," which included numerous photos of bright orange Excitebike carts as they paraded around Fukuoka. Earlier this week, he continued the series with the aforementioned "Tour de Super Mario Bros."
Whereas the previous tour included trips to Fukuoka Castle and Hakata Bay, this one includes stops at Kyudai Central Library and some nearby planes and trains.
Why, you get "Tour de Super Mario Bros.," of course.
A few months ago, Sean over at famicomblog.blogspot.com posted the hilarious "Tour d' Excitebike," which included numerous photos of bright orange Excitebike carts as they paraded around Fukuoka. Earlier this week, he continued the series with the aforementioned "Tour de Super Mario Bros."
Whereas the previous tour included trips to Fukuoka Castle and Hakata Bay, this one includes stops at Kyudai Central Library and some nearby planes and trains.
Go here to see more of Sean's Famicom-focused tomfoolery. (Trust me, it's worth a visit just to see his photos of North Korean propaganda from the 1980s.)
See also: 'Tour d' Excitebike'
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