Nintendo of America gives the finger to Xenoblade, Pandora's Tower and The Last Story fans

In response to the recent campaign that called for a stateside release of The Last Story, Pandora's Tower and Xenoblade, Nintendo of America posted the following (rather annoyingly cheerful, if you ask me) message on its Facebook page yesterday afternoon:

Thank you for your enthusiasm. We promised an update, so here it is. We never say “never,” but we can confirm that there are no plans to bring these three games to the Americas at this time. Thanks so much for your passion, and for being such great fans!

The Redmond, Wash.-based company also aimed this tweet at folks foolishly clamoring for that trio of Japanese RPGs:

Thanks for being such incredible fans! Unfortunately, there continues to be no plans for NOA to release these 3 games right now.

Really, they could have just flipped us the bird, told us to buy Wii Play: Motion and been done with it, don't you think?

(Via gonintendo.com)

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.

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)

Square Enix's three-step plan to sell a million copies of Dragon Quest Collection for Wii

It's a pretty simple plan, really.

Step 1: Include video footage of the much-anticipated Dragon Quest X on the main disc (which, in the case of Dragon Quest Collection, also will include the first three Dragon Quest games in their original Famicom forms and the Super Famicom Dragon Quest I&II and Dragon Quest III remakes).

Step 2: Mention said footage on the game's packaging (below) and in any and all promotional materials.

Step 3: Sit back and watch the title sell by the truckload.

Sadly, it's doubtful the folks at Square Enix will be employing that plan anywhere else in the world, as the 16-bit Dragon Quest remakes weren't released outside of Japan. Thankfully, the footage is sure to be shared on YouTube shortly after Dragon Quest Collection hits the streets on Sept. 15.

(Via andriasang.com)

The Great Gaymathon Review #27: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon (Wii)

Game: Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon

Genre: Roguelike

Developer: h.a.n.d.

Publisher: Square Enix

System: Wii

Release date: 2008

If you've always wanted to get into the roguelike genre but didn't know where to start, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon is the game for you. Well, unless you despise things that are cute. If that's the case, you may want to move along to another review. (How about this one? I can't imagine anyone would describe that game as cute.) Anyway, back to why you should play Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon if you're a roguelike virgin. Well, like I implied in my first sentence, this game is kind of a beginner's roguelike (i.e., dungeon-crawler.) That's not to say it's for babies. Sure, it looks all cute and cuddly, but play it for a few hours and you're sure to find out that this precious-looking game can and often does pack a serious punch, especially once you start exploring its "special dungeons" (they're special because they tend to limit your level and the items you can bring in with you). Still, it's a lot easier than most examples of the genre, like the Mystery Dungeon games. Of course, the roguelike-curious aren't the only folks who should check out Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon; those who consider themselves fans of the Final Fantasy series in general and of the Chocobo character in particular should do so, too. Other gamers who should give it a go: Those who enjoy appealingly realized graphics (the ones in this title are among the most attractive on the Wii, in my opinion, despite the fact that they barely tax the hardware), those who like fabulously remixed Final Fantasy tunes (all but two or three tracks were taken from previous releases) and those who savor software that contains enough content to keep them busy for many, many hours. Oh, and those who proudly consider themselves cheap--the game can be picked up for less than $25 these days, after all.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts