I think I've changed my mind about Ice Climber

I don't know how you spent your weekend, but I spent a good chunk of mine playing Ice Climber. Why? Well, mostly because I wanted to make sure I didn't completely waste my hard-earned money when I bought a copy of the Famicom version of this Eskimo-centric platformer the week before.

So, what's the verdict? Given my previously expressed opinions of the game, you could be forgiven for supposing my answer would be something along the lines of, "What have I done?" In fact, though, I'm feeling pretty darn good about my purchase.

I don't know what changed, but after years of dismiss- ing this Kenji Miki-designed title as a difficult-to-control turd I'm starting to think it's actually a difficult-to-control treasure.

OK, so treasure is likely too strong a word to use in regards to Ice Climber, but so is turd. Yes, the stiff, Mario Bros.-esque jumping mechanism can make things mighty frustrating (to put it mildly), but after you accept and get a hang of that fact the game becomes a lot more attractive.

After all, said jumping mechanism, while a smidge maddening, is, in my mind, the only negative aspect of this rather ancient release (it hit store shelves all the way back in 1985). Its title and end-of-stage tunes, composed by Akito Nakatsuka, are surprisingly and appealingly jazzy, for instance, while its graphics--its parka-wearing protagonists, Popo and Nana, and the cross-eyed vegetables they're tasked with rescuing, especially--are undeniably cute.

All that said, I won't hold it against anyone who refuses, for whatever reason, to join me in standing behind this strange little game.

See also: 'Second chances: The New Zealand Story' and 'Why I'm not yeti a fan of Ice Climber (har har)'

The Great Gaymathon Review #41: Balloon Fight (Famicom)

Game: Balloon Fight

Genre: Platformer

Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

System: Famicom

Release date: 1985

What a difference a decade makes. I distinctly remember renting the North American version of this game, one of the first released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, on a few occasions as a teen, and each time I did so I turned it off after about 15 minutes wondering, "Why in the hell did I rent this again?" For some reason, the Joust-esque gameplay of its main campaign bored me back then. To tell you the truth, it still bores me today. That's not to suggest there's something wrong with that mode, mind you--it ably apes (i.e., rips off) the feel of the aforementioned Williams Entertainment arcade classic while covering up its apocalyptic aesthetic with such cheery adornments as balloons, bird masks (well, that's what they look like to me) and, uh, a big, grinning fish--but it's just not my cup of tea. What is my cup of tea, at least these days, is the game's "Balloon Trip" mode. For those of you who have never played this mode, it places players in a forced-scrolling (from left to right) stage and tasks them with avoiding sparks and collecting balloons for as long as possible. It's completely maddening, of course, but it's also completely addicting--in that "I'll just play one more round" kind of way. Another aspect of Balloon Fight that's sure to bring you back again and again: Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka's cheery, chunky, propulsive soundtrack.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

China Warrior + Takahashi Meijin + toy turtles = one awesome PC Engine commercial

True story: I've never played Hudson's oft-criticized, PC Engine-based fighter, China Warrior (known as The Kung Fu in Japan).

I'm actually planning to right that wrong soon, but until that day arrives I'll content myself by watching and re-watching the following commercial, which features, at one point, Takahashi Meijin and a quartet of toy turtles.



Hopefully it's made clear to folks who understand Japanese why the "16 shots per second" star is shown, in a commercial that was supposed to prompt gamers to run out and buy a side-scrolling brawler, sitting atop a pile of said reptiles?

Note: This post originally appeared on my other gaming blog, iwasateenagepcenginefan.wordpress.com.

I take back what I said previously: 7th Dragon 2020 doesn't look so bad

I can't say I was all the excited when I first laid eyes on the PSP sequel to one of my most-desired DS games, 7th Dragon.

Although the original was a deliciously retro RPG developed by imageepoch and published by Sega, its sequel, 7th Dragon 2020, has always appeared to be a more modern beast--which means, of course, that it eschews the pixels its predecessor so embraced in favor of polygons.

Anyway, the disappointment brought about by imageepoch's decision to make 7th Dragon 2020 more wow-worthy prompted me to all but ignore the title ever since it was announced earlier this summer.

That all changed after I watched the following "character make video" (whatever that means) via andriasang.com:



Would I still prefer 7th Dragon 2020 to be a two-dimensional wonder like its forebear? Yes, but I'd be lying if I said the trailer above didn't at least somewhat pique my interest in the title, which will be released in Japan in just a few weeks (on Nov. 23, specifically).

The question is: Now that my interest has been piqued, will the game eventually see the light of day outside of the Land of the Rising Sun or will it suffer the same Japan-only fate as its pixel-loving predecessor?

I think we all know the answer to that one, don't we? Sigh.

Cool custom consoles

You know, I've always thought my bog-standard Dreamcast, GameBoy Advance SP and PlayStation systems were pretty slick ... and then I came across the custom-painted consoles seen below.

This Parodius-branded PlayStation may be my favorite of the bunch:

That said, this Samba de Amigo-inspired Dreamcast is awesome, too:

And then there's this slick, Scott Pilgrim-themed GameBoy Advance SP:

All of these were created by French artist Oskunk, by the way. To see more (many more!) of his creations, check out his blog, custom-art.blogspot.com, and/or his Flickr photostream.

(Via doyoulovepuppiesido.blogspot.com and tinycartridge.com)