I'm sure I'd love this in-the-works Bubble Bobble clone called Drop Wizard ... if I could play it

It's no secret that I love so-called Bubble Bobble clones.

As such, I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise to hear that I'm feeling a bit gaga about the game, called Drop Wizard, showcased in the trailer below. I mean, it's got an adorable, cherubic protagonist, similarly aww-inspiring enemies and all kinds of collectible fruit--how could I not go a bit gaga over it?

And then there's the cherry on top: its gameplay looks to include elements of one of my favorite Bubble Bobble clones, Snow Bros.



The only downside I can see to Drop Wizard at the moment is that the levels shown in this trailer seem a bit sparse--although that may be due to it being an iOS game?

Actually, it being an iOS game is another downside, if I'm to be honest. That's not me ripping on iOS game, mind you; it's me whining about the fact that I can't play this particular one because I don't own an iOS device.

Developers Neutronized suggest in the comments section of the trailer above that they'd like to follow up the initial iOS release with Android, PC, PS3/4/Vita, Wii U and 3DS versions, though, so here's hoping they're able to make that dream a reality sometime soon.

See also: other posts about Bubble Bobble clones

Does the impending North American release of Brandish: The Dark Revenant (PSP) mean I can continue to dream of a similar localization of MonHun Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village?

OK, so we all know that isn't going to happen. MonHun Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village finally getting a North American release, I mean.

I can't help but wonder, though, if some adventurous company--you know, like Xseed Games, for instance--would have brought it out here if it weren't a Capcom property.

Oh, well, why bother fretting over that when games like Brandish: The Dark Revenant actually are coming to our shores, and likely before the calendar flips over to 2015?



Unfortunately, Brandish: The Dark Revenant's impending North American release will be of the digital-only variety (something that's likely to limit buyers to Vita owners, I believe), but it's kind of hard to fault publisher Xseed Games for going that route in this day and age.

Anyway, to learn more about this curious-looking, Nihon Falcom-made dungeon-crawler, check out the trailer above (yes, the Japanese version actually came out all the way back in 2009) or the rather cool "localization blog" that was published on Xseed's Tumblr last week.

P.S. I'm pretty sure this is the longest header I've ever written for a one of my blog posts. Don't worry, I won't make a habit of it.

For the two or three of you who've been dying to check out photos of the box, cart and manual made for Bitamina Oukoku Monogatari (GameBoy)

I wish I could remember who turned me on to the existence of this game, which was released in North America in April of 1993 as Great Greed. (Its Japanese launch occurred in September of 1992.) I know it was someone on Twitter, but that's all I can recall.

At any rate, I'd like to extend a hearty "thank you" to that (at the moment) nameless, faceless person--should he or she happen across this post or any of its related social-media accompaniments.



For those of you who've never heard of either version of this GameBoy title, it's a rather odd turn-based RPG that features, among other curiosities, a corrupt politician, pollution and a surprising number of characters, enemies and locations named after food.

Actually, I'm not completely sure the above is true of the Japanese version as, duh, I can't understand much of its text at the moment, but it's certainly true of the North American version.

Some of you probably are wondering right about now why I decided to buy the Japanese version of Great Greed rather than the English one. My response is pretty straightforward: the copy of Bitamina Oukoku Monogatari shown throughout this post set me back a whole $5. Also, I liked its logo, box art and overall pinkness.

The game's instruction manual is pretty nice, too, as you should be able to see from the photographic glimpse above. (I'll hopefully be able to show off the rest of it in an upcoming "Manual Stimulation" post.) 

Have any of you played either Bitamina Oukoku Monogatari or Great Greed? If so, please share your opinions, if you're willing, in the comments section below.

See also: previous 'Year of the GameBoy' posts

Let's chat a bit about the awesomeness that is Kirby and the Rainbow Curse's Japanese box art

Also, let's chat a bit about how awesome it is that games like this are still getting released via retail--as opposed to only being sold digitally. Speaking of which, copies of this absolutely amazing looking Wii U title will hit store shelves in Japan on Jan. 22 and in North America on Feb. 13--although European (and I'm guessing Australian?) store shelves won't be stocked until sometime in third or fourth quarter of 2015.

The question is: will Western copies of Kirby and the Rainbow's Curse sport the same great cover art that was created for Touch! Kirby Super Rainbow (that's the Japanese version's name), or will Nintendo's European, Australian and American artists once again ruin everything by transforming this cuddly cover boy into "angry Kirby"?

(Via neogaf.com/forum)

What I'm playing for #NISNovember: Marl Jong!! for PlayStation

Those of you who follow me or the Chic Pixel blog (or both) on Twitter probably have already heard that Chic Pixel's proprietress, Anne Lee, has proclaimed this month to be #NISNovember.

For the uninitiated, all that means is that Lee would like whoever is interested to play one or more games that have been developed or published by Japan's Nippon Ichi Software or NIS America at some point during the month of November and then use #NISNovember to tag any social-media posts that are related to your playthrough.



Anyway, thanks to the header above, I guess the cat's out of the bag in regard to which Nippon Ichi game I'm currently playing as part of #NISNovember.

Should Marl Jong!! not ring a bell for you, here's the gist: it's a Japan-only PlayStation game that combines NIS' "Marl Kingdom" characters--featured in games like Rhapsody, Little Princess and Tenshi no Present--with what seems to be a rather basic version of mahjong.



I say "seems" in the sentence above because I'm far from an expert when it comes to mahjong. I know enough to have beaten a few of my opponents in this particular game, though--which is more than I can say about my experience so far with, say, Nintendo's Yakuman for GameBoy.

Although I only recently acquired the copy of Marl Jong!! that can be seen throughout this post, I first became aware of the game some years ago, shortly after I discovered the wonderful world of emulation.
 


Don't worry, I attempted to track down an actual copy of the game as soon as I fell in love with its adorable graphics and accessible gameplay, but accomplishing that feat proved to be rather difficult--until, like I suggested a few sentences ago, I came across one on eBay.

Thankfully, the wait was worth it, as not only is the cover art that was made for Marl Jong!! all kinds of cute, but so is its disc and manual.



Along with Marl Jong!!, I'm also hoping to play one or more of the following DS titles as part of #NISNovember: Atelier Annie, Disgaea DS and Rhapsody. Have any of you played any of these games? If so, I'd greatly appreciate hearing your thoughts (good or bad) about them in the comments section of this post.

See also: 'On the one hand, I'm glad I finally own a copy of one of Nippon Ichi's first PlayStation games, Cooking Fighter Hao'