Manual Stimulation (City Connection, Famicom)

A week ago, I published a post about City Connection's packaging--in particular, its outer box and cartridge. (Check it out here, if you missed it the first time around.)

Although I usually include a photo or two of a game's instruction manual in my "Nice Package!" write-ups, I didn't do so in my City Connection post because, well, to be honest, I forgot to snap one.

In the end, that's OK, as you can see the entirety of this Jaleco-made title's manual right here, starting with its front and back covers:

Before you scroll any further, I have to warn you: City Connection was a fairly early Famicom release. For some context, it came out in the same year as Namco's Dig Dug port, Enix's debut title, Door Door and Nintendo's Mach Rider.

In other words, don't expect its instruction manual to be all flashy like the ones created for later releases like Yume Penguin Monogatari, Mother, or Hoshi no Kirby (aka Kirby's Adventure).



Actually, that's not completely fair, as the manual that accompanied copies of Taito's Chack'n Pop port featured some surprisingly snazzy illustrations, if you ask me.



Still, that was an exception to the rule of the time. Most Famicom games were sold with instruction manuals that were the definition of "bare bones," and City Connection is pretty par for the course in that regard.



That's to suggest City Connection's isn't worth flipping through once or twice. As you can see in the scans found above and below, it showcases some interesting pieces of pixel art.

Attention 3DS-owning JRPG fans: Sega's bringing 7th Dragon III Code VFD to NA this summer

Boy, there are a lot of acronyms in the headline above, aren't there?

That's pretty fitting, if you ask me. After all, 7th Dragon III's subtitle (or whatever) features an acronym--not that I have any idea what it means. 

Still, I'm stoked that Sega's decided to bring this 3DS-based, dungeon-crawling RPG--check out the trailer below for an oh-so-brief look at its contents--to North America sometime this coming summer.

Although I wasn't so intrigued by Code: VFD when it hit the streets of Japan a few months ago that I went ahead and imported a copy, I'm feeling a tad more interested in this localized iteration.

It helps, of course, that Sega's promising a retail (boxed) version for our neck of the woods. Also, its "summer" release is sure to fall smack-dab in the middle of a dry period for me in terms of new games to buy and play.

How about all of you fine folks? Are any of you contemplating picking up 7th Dragon III Code: VFD once it's widely available in this part of the world? (On a related note, the game appears to be up for pre-orders on amazon.com.)

Yay me! (aka this is the beginning of The Gay Gamer's 10th year as a blog)

Just in case you haven't been keeping track (and, really, why would you?), I published my very first post here all the way back on Feb. 1, 2007.

In other words, this is the start of my 10th year as a blogger.

OK, so that's not entirely accurate. What do I mean? Well, I took a bit of a break from The Gay Gamer after putting about six months into it, and I didn't come back to it again until the beginning of 2009.

Regardless, I'm pretty proud of reaching this milestone, so I'm going to celebrate it. Uh, yay me!

I'm also going to thank everyone who has visited at one point or another--especially those of you who have felt comfortable enough to leave the occasional comment.

If you've yet to leave a comment, why not start now? I've had some really wonderful conversations with folks in that section of the blog between 2007 and now, and I'm a firm believer in the old idiom, "the more the merrier."

Whether you come here to chat or lurk, though, I appreciate the attention all the same. Thanks again for helping make the last nine years of my life wonderful.

Nice Package! (City Connection, Famicom)

Until a few months ago, City Connection was nowhere to be found on the extensive gaming "wish list" that resides on my trusty laptop.

Although I have fond memories of playing some version or other of this odd Jaleco-made action game as a teen, it was a Famicom title I could do without.

Or so I thought. Just before the holidays, I fired up this 1985 release's ROM and had such a blast with it that I decided then and there to track down a complete-in-box (CIB) copy of it.



To be fair, I go through that very same process all the time in regard to other games, and the majority of them are still taking up space on my precious "buy ASAP" list.

What pushed me to pick up City Connection so quickly? There's no question its plucky Japanese box art (above) played a pretty vital role.



I don't know that I'd say the back of City Connection's box is as fabulous as its front, but that doesn't mean the latter is a big old turd.

For instance, I rather like how the reverse side of the package showcases a handful of semi-wonky screenshots like only a retro game can do.



The absolute best part of the CIB City Connection experience, though, is its cartridge. I mean, just look at the beautiful, banana-yellow plastic in the photo above.

Adding to the effect is the focused version of the game's logo and box art.



Now here (or, rather, above) is something you don't see every day--a label on the back of a Famicom cart that features more than a couple of lines of boring text.

Sadly, I'm clueless as to the point of this label. Does it simply reiterate or summarize the information shared on the backside of City Connection's box? Or does it share some kind of unique info with the player? Whatever the case may be, consider me a fan of the general execution.

Have any of you played any iteration of City Connection? If so, what are your thoughts on it?

Dear Marvelous: make a gay version of Uppers (Vita) and I'll gladly buy two copies

I know there's no real chance that what I'm suggesting here will happen, but I'm going to suggest it anyway.

After all, I can't imagine there are many male gay gamers out there who wouldn't like to see and play a same-sex version of the following over-the-top beat 'em up.

Granted, I'm not calling for the folks at Marvelous, led by Senran Kagura producer Kenichiro Takaki, to simply replace the ladies in Uppers, their upcoming Vita release, with men--which seemingly would mean a whole lot of scenes showing the game's muscly protagonists motorboating the pecs of their similarly manly onlookers.



Actually, I'd be fine if they did just that, but I'd prefer something a bit more creative. For example, they could give Uppers: Gay Edition a kind of worship-y vibe by having the aforementioned onlookers (who would be guys, just in case it needs to be repeated) squeeze the brawlers' muscles or even bury their faces in the studs' armpits.

What do you think? Am I alone in finding such a scenario appealing, or would some of you like to experience it, too? Or maybe you'd like to see something similar, but aimed at gay women? In that case, how would you want its content to differ from what's showcased in the trailer above?

Even if you don't agree with me and my idea, what is your opinion of the version of Uppers the world (Japan, in particular) will get in a few months? Do you think it's trashy and crass, or do you think it looks like childish fun?