A few thoughts on the two new 3DS StreetPass games and the Mii Plaza 'upgrade'

Now that I've spent a full week with Nintendo's latest pair of 3DS StreetPass games, I thought I'd take a few minutes to share my thoughts on them--and the Mii Plaza "upgrade" that was released alongside the aforementioned pieces of software.

OK, so I didn't spend the entirety of the last week with these titles--one of which is known in this neck of the woods as Battleground Z and the other of which is known as Ultimate Angler--but I did spend a few minutes with them each and every day (thanks to the handful of StreetPasses I nabbed during my commutes to and from work).

So, what do I think of these bite-sized efforts now that I've experienced at least a little of what they have to offer? For starters, I'll say that I'm enjoying Battleground Z a lot more than I thought I would before I downloaded it. Granted, the main reasons I was fairly ho-hum about this game in advance of actually playing it is that I'm no longer all that enamored with the undead and I've never much cared for the beat 'em up genre. Neither of those things have gotten in the way of me having an absolute blast with Battleground Z so far, though, so clearly the folks at Good-Feel did something right when they made it.

My favorite aspect of Battleground Z at the moment: the wacky weapons that StreetPassed Miis offer up when you save them. Flash-enabled cameras, superhero costumes and Wii remotes all have been handed over to me so far, and every one of them has proven its worth in battle--while also bringing a smile to my face, of course.

As for Ultimate Angler, I'm slowly but surely warming up to it after initially finding it a bit chilly. For whatever reason, my first few stints with it had me yawning. Maybe my expectations were too high heading into it? After all, I usually love fishing games--especially cute ones.

It's quite possible my main issue with Ultimate Angler early on was its reeling mechanism, which makes enough sense (spin your 3DS' circle pad to pull in a fish) in theory, but feels kind of awkward in practice. I think I'm beginning to get a handle on it, though, so hopefully my opinion of it will perk up in the coming days.

Even if it doesn't, I'll still consider Ultimate Angler a more worthy pick up than the Mii Plaza upgrade that's currently being sold for just under five smackeroonies (that would be $5). As far as I can tell, all this purchase provides 3DS owners with is the ability to collect and catalog (à la a game of bingo) the birthdays of StreetPassersby as well as the ability to move your favorite Miis into some sort of VIP room. Pretty exciting, right?

Seriously, though, despite my rather ho-hum response to the Mii Plaza upgrade, I'm pretty happy I handed over my hard-earned cash for Battleground Z and Ultimate Angler. Are any of you feeling the same way, or are you wishing you'd saved your dough? Let me--and others--know in the comments section below.

Raise your hand if you, too, are looking forward to the two new 3DS StreetPass games that are being prepped for release

I know not everyone loves the handful of StreetPass games Nintendo has released for the 3DS so far, but I'm guessing most of those negative feelings are born out of the fact that not enough folks outside of Japan regularly have their 3DSes "on their person," as the saying goes, to make playing these digital titles worthwhile.

Thankfully, I live in a city that's packed with enough people that I nab at least three or four StreetPasses (if not more) every day while commuting to and from work.

As such, I'm pretty darn smitten with each and every one of the StreetPass games that currently are available--and I'm also pretty darn stoked to buy and play the two new ones that will be made available in North America on April 16.



The trailer above offers a peek at both of them--one of which will be known here as Battleground Z, while the other will be known as Ultimate Angler--along with something called "StreetPass Mii Plaza Premium," an app I know next to nothing about at the moment.

It appears that Ultimate Angler was developed by the able team at PROPE, previously responsible for Ivy the Kiwi! and a number of other wonderful games, and Battleground Z was made by Good-Feel, which most recently showed up in the credit roll for Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.

Will any of you be buying any of the above offerings on day one, or even at some point down the road? If so, let me know which ones in the comments section below and also let me know why you're planning to buy them.

There's no such thing as too much Zombie Daisuki

Chunsoft's Zombie Daisuki may not have been all I had hoped for given its pedigree, pixel-rific graphics and its focus on the undead, but that doesn't mean I consider it to have been a complete waste of my hard-earned cash.

In fact, despite my rather ho-hum reaction to this import-only DS game (read all about it in my latest #ADecadeofDS post), I'm still pretty darn glad I picked up a copy of it some time ago.

Of course, how could I not feel that way when Zombie Daisuki's packaging is so cute? Seriously, check it out in the photo below:

The little zombie illustrations that parade across the game's cover imagery is awfully adorable, too, as should be obvious from the following snapshot:

Comparably, this game's illustration manual is a wasted opportunity, if you ask me. A few of the zombies from the box art pop up here and there, but for the most part it's your basic DS manual--a lot of text, a good number of screenshots and a select few illustrations or other embellishments. 

If only more designers had skewed things more in favor of the latter elements like they did in the "good old days."

At least it's "story" page (above) shows a few signs of life. Not that I can understand a word of it, mind you--well, aside from "story" and "zombie," I mean--but who cares when the imagery behind it is so whimsical? 

Zombie Daisuki's cart label features the same art--albeit in a slightly altered form. I have to say, I really like how the game's curvy, bubbly logo looks smooshed between the helicopter in the upper-left corner and the farm buildings that sit below it.

Have any of you played this Japanese curiosity? If so, what are your thoughts on it? Or, what are your thoughts on its box art, cart label, manual and more?

See also: my #ADecadeofDS post about Zombie Daisuki

#ADecadeofDS: Zombie Daisuki

Amount of time devoted to this game in the last week--Two hours, 24 minutes.

Most recent boss toppled, location reached or milestone achieved--Honestly, I'm kind of at a loss as to what to say here, as after completing the first "stage" of this Japanese DS game, everything kind of blends and blurs together. I can say, though, that I've beaten 10 or so levels thus far and I've attracted about 27 zombies to my "mob."

Overall comments on the experience--Much like Catch! Touch! Yoshi!, which I wrote about a few weeks ago, Zombie Daisuki is the kind of DS game that, if made today (instead of in 2011), it would be released digitally rather than via retail and it would cost just a couple of dollars.

Which is to say it's a fairly light (in terms of content), pick-up-and-play sort of experience--not unlike a lot of the mobile titles crowding the market these days. That's most evident in its gameplay, which consists of using your stylus first to corral your mob of blue knuckle-draggers and then again to send them careening toward the handful of humans--survivors of this portable game's apocalypse, I guess--and even presents (naturally they're topped with pretty red bows) that populate every pint-sized stage.

The latter are an important part of this DS game, by the way, because they provide you with all sorts of accessories that can be used to bolster the speed, strength and resiliency of your zombie pals, while the former--actually, killing to former--are key to you finishing each level.

Anyway, the survivor-slaughtering and gift-grabbing action that's at the heart of Zombie Daisuki is enjoyable enough--at first--thanks to its slick controls and cute, pixel-based graphics.

The game's audio deserves a nod here, too, as its jaunty, chiptune-y backing tracks keep the proceedings buoyant and fun, as do the silly sound bites--"oh, no!" and "please stop!" among them--that pop up now and then as the undeniably adorable undead rip all-comers to shreds.

Sadly, even when all of these elements are combined, they're not quite enough to keep your attention--or not for long, at least. Which is too bad, as it's a cute little game and I very much wanted to like it based on its pedigree (Chunsoft, hello!), graphics and focus on zombies.

Will I continue to play this game in the coming days, weeks and maybe even months?--I kind of doubt it. I love the aesthetics, and I think the gameplay's nice enough, but both aspects are so repetitive that the overall experience can't be called anything but a bore.

Do I recommend it to others?--If you can find a fairly cheap ($10, tops) copy of it, sure. If not, you're likely to feel like you've wasted your money.

Next up--Pop Cutie! Street Fashion Simulation

See also: previous #ADecadeofDS posts

I'm not usually a fan of the black Wii U, but ...

... I'll make an exception in the case of the custom-painted system seen in the photo below (and here).

I especially like the blood spatter on the Wii U GamePad, by the way--although the piece of art that's plastered across the side of the system is pretty sweet, too.



Have any of you played ZombiU? If so, what do you think of it--and would you recommend it to someone like me (a guy who likes zombies despite the fact that they're a bit overdone at the moment)?

See also: more photos of this awesome OSKUNK creation

Manual Stimulation: Pro Tennis World Court (PC Engine)

The instruction manual included with every copy of Namcot's Pro Tennis World Court for the PC Engine begins rather boringly, if you ask me, with the cover art shown below. (That said, I quite like the perspective used. Bravo to the illustrator responsible for it!)



The first two pages aren't much more interesting--unless you like adorably-drawn anime-ish girls in tennis drag--but I'm including them anyway because of the sticky note that's attached to the second one. I'm guessing the scribbles that cover said note are codes for the game's RPG-esque "quest" mode?



Here's how the same pair of pages look when not obscured by a sticky note, in case anyone cares:



The instruction manual's next pages are pretty yawn-inducing, too--until you notice the image that takes up a portion of the lower right-hand corner. Is that a warrior-ish tennis player attacking a zombified tennis player? Yes, I think it is.

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Dead Island edition)

It doesn't take much for a zombie game to catch my attention. Really, all it has to do is include zombies--and lots of them.

OK, good box art often helps, too. After all, it kind of puts me in the mood to mow down zombies, you know?

Speaking of good, filled-with-zombies box art, I'd definitely use those words to describe the covers that have been created for Techland's Dead Island (trailers here), an open-world, survival-horror game that will be released for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on Sept. 6 in North America and Sept. 9 in Europe. (I'm guessing the Japanese version will be released in September, too, although I can't say that with certainty at the moment.)

As far as I'm aware, for instance, this piece of art will appear on all regular versions (i.e., in all territories) of Dead Island:

The following illustration, on the other hand, will grace the cover of a limited edition that will be released in Europe:

Honestly, I'd call the latter piece of box art the better of the two if it weren't a bit too close in execution to the covers that appeared on European releases of Resident Evil 4. Since that's not the case, though, I'm going to declare the stormy standard version the winner of this edition of "Which Box Art is Better?"

That's just my opinion, though. What's yours?

Pre-order: PC version, PS3 version and Xbox 360 version

Lollipop Chainsaw: I know next to nothing about it, but I want it anyway

Here's what I know about Lollipop Chainsaw at the moment: It's being made by the folks at Grasshopper Manufacture (Contact, Killer7, No More Heroes). It'll be published (in Japan) by Kadokawa Games. It'll be released for PS3 and Xbox 360. Oh, and it will star a chainsaw-wielding cheerleader and a whole lot of zombies.



A bunch of Lollipop Chainsaw screenshots hit the Internet this morning, with the one above being my favorite thanks to the fact that it shows the game's heroine, Juliet, carving up zombies with heart-shaped strokes of her hot-pink chainsaw. (I also like that it shows what appears to be a decapitated head dangling from her waistband.)

(Via andriasang.com)

Zeke and his water gun

Full disclosure: My best friend and I played a lot of (the SNES version of) Zombies Ate My Neighbors back in the day.

I'm not sure why that requires a "full disclosure" disclosure, but sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand: LucasArts' Zombies Ate My Neighbors. I love this game! Which is why I also love the following illustrations, produced by Spanish artist Pakoto.

That's Zeke from Zombie Ate My Neighbors, in case you couldn't tell. I know, he doesn't look exactly like he does on the game's cover art, but sometimes a little artistic license is a good thing.

To see more of Pakoto's illustrations, check out his blog and his Flickr photostream.

I may be a bit sick of zombie games, but ...

... I'd still buy Halfbrick Studios' Age of Zombies, which hits the PlayStation Store on Feb. 25 (for $4.99)--if I had a PSP (or a PS3).

I think that's due to the fact that the undead on display in the following trailer are so darn cute.



It doesn't hurt that the game gives off a Robotron-meets-Zombies Ate My Neighbors kinda vibe, as joystiq.com's David Hinkle recently put it.

Oh, well, I'll just add Age of Zombies to my ever-growing PSP wish list...

See also: 'What would Left 4 Dead look (and sound and play) like if it were released for the NES?'

What would Left 4 Dead look (and sound and play) like if it were released for the NES?

Here's your answer: Pixel Force's Left 4 Dead "de-make."

Go here to download the game.

Also, Eric David Ruth, the (one and only) man behind this retro re-imagining of Valve's "zombie-killing masterpiece" (Ruth's words, not mine), answers quite a few questions about the title here and here.

I've only played the game for a few minutes so far, but what I have played has really impressed me. My only complaint: That the game isn't an actual NES ROM.