The Great Gaymathon Review #43: Guru Logi Champ (GameBoy Advance)

Game: Guru Logi Champ

Genre: Puzzle

Developer: Compile

Publisher: Compile

System: GameBoy Advance

Release date: 2001

If you want to know why I bought a copy of this game, check out its cover art (above). OK, so that wasn't the only reason I picked it up, but it was a rather prominent one. A few others: it was developed by the folks at Compile (makers of Aleste, Gunhead, Puyo Puyo and more) and it has garnered rave reviews over the years. Oh, and it's portable--as is the case with pretty much all of my favorite puzzlers.

So, has it lived up to expectations, despite the fact that I dropped a pretty penny on it? Definitely. That's mainly due to the fact that it differs from just about every other puzzle game I've ever played. If I had to name one it's similar to, I'd go with Picross. Even that isn't the greatest comparison, though, as while the two titles are alike in some ways, they're otherwise quite unique.

For instance, each "stage" in Guru Logi Champ starts with a semi-finished image. The player's job, then, is to complete the image by shooting blocks (from a cannon, using the GBA's A button) up into the play area. That's easier said than done, though, because: 1) you're given just enough blocks to complete a given stage and 2) blocks continue to slide across the play area until they run into another block. The good news: blocks can be sucked back into the aforementioned cannon by pressing the GBA's B button. Also, the play area can be rotated using the system's shoulder buttons.

Anyway, as is often the case with such games, it all begins rather easily before ramping up to a level of difficulty I like to refer to as "brain-breaking." Thankfully, it never crosses the line to "game-breaking"--as in, you get so frustrated you want to yank the cartridge from the system and smash it to smithereens.

In fact, it's nearly always completely enjoyable, due in no small part to Guru Logi Champ's wonderfully silly (and colorful) characters and graphics, which includes (in the game's single-player story mode) a number of hilarious intermissions, and its everything-but-the-kitchen-sink soundtrack, which includes both tropically-inflected and hip-hop-esque tunes.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

Mario's mad mushroom man

Have you ever wondered how all of the power-ups that dot the Mushroom Kingdom landscape got to be placed within question blocks?

Artist Dan Taub (aka 1oddgent) has, and the result of his daydreaming is the decidedly creepy t-shirt design seen below (and here).

If you're a daring sort, check out oneoddgentleman.com to take a closer look and this mad mushroom man's Pac-Man-like eyes razor-sharp teeth.

Sadly, the t-shirt Taub is wearing in the photo above isn't yet available via his etsy shop. If you're itching to buy something of his, though, may I suggest picking up one of his "Arsenal of Power-Ups" prints?

See also: More of 1oddgent's art

Queer pixels

One of my favorite gayming-related tumblogs, Video Games Made Me Gay, recently turned me on to a similarly themed (and similarly fabulous) tumblog called 48 Pixeles.

I'm not yet sure why it's called 48 Pixeles, to tell you the truth, but it really doesn't matter. What does matter: It shines a light on gay-positive illustrations that were created by the tumblog's proprietor (or is it proprietress?) by combing--and sometimes slightly editing--game sprites.

This Yie Ar Kung-Fu image perfectly exemplifies the content of this wonderfully fun--and totally gay--tumblog:

This Final Fantasy V-inspired illustration is pretty darn magnificent, too, don't you think?

I'm also quite fond of this Bomberman-inspired one:

Other games currently represented on 48 Pixeles: The Adventures of Link, Harvest Moon, Ice Climber, The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Ganbare Goemon), Maniac Mansion and Tetris.

See also: 'Another great gayming tumblog: Games With Boys' and 'Video games made him gay'

PC version of Wizorb available now

OK, class. Raise your hands if you didn't buy Tribute Game's fantastic, Breakout-with-a-smidge-of-an-RPG XBLIG title, Wizorb, because you don't have an Xbox 360.

Great. Now, keep your hands up if you would have bought the game if it had been released for Windows-based PCs, too.

Well, I have good news for you guys and gals: A PC version of Wizorb is, as of today, available for purchase via GamersGate.com.



Those of you who didn't keep your hands up dropped them because you're waiting for Linux and Mac versions to be released, right?

Ah, I have good news for you, too! The guys at Tribute Games expect to release Linux and Mac versions of Wizorb in the next two or three weeks.

Don't worry, class, I'll let you know when they're available. Also, expect to receive a special homework assignment from me soon (as in, hopefully by the end of the week)--one that involves reading my long-time-in-comin review of this wonderfully retro game.

See also: Previous Wizorb posts

The wait for Rhythm Heaven Wii's North American release just got a whole lot tougher

Although Japanese gamers have had access to Minna no Rhythm Tengoku since late July, the rest of the world's gamers are still waiting to experience this latest entry in the Nintendo- and TNX-developed series.

Anyway, considering it's been four months since Minna no Rhythm Tengoku (aka Everybody's Rhythm Heaven) hit store shelves in Japan, why am I only getting around to complaining about the wait now? Well, I just came across the following, rather hilarious video of one of this Wii title's mini-games:



Obviously someone with way too much time on his or her hands (and thank goodness for that!) decided to have a bit of fun and replace the mini-game's masked wrestler with a muscle-bound stripper. As much as I appreciate that, what I appreciate even more is that the video above made me aware of the real version of this mini-game (yes, I've somehow kept myself from watching every video ever posted to YouTube about this title since its Japanese release), which seems to be just as hilarious as the altered one.



As much as I'm willing and planning to wait for the release of the North American version of this game--which will be called Rhythm Heaven Fever, by the way--I'm also seriously considering picking up the Japanese version sooner rather than later, as I have a feeling some of the vocal tracks (like the one in the video above) are going to be mangled, if not altogether ruined, while being translated into English.

See also: Previous Rhythm Heaven Wii posts