If you enjoyed Great Dungeon in the Sky ...

... you may want to give Dungeons of Fayte a try, too. After all, it was made using some of the same assets as those used in Great Dungeon in the Sky. (Both games were created for the same TIGSource Assemblee contest.)

Hey, it's like The Legend of Zelda meets Great Dungeon in the Sky!
Or, something like that...

Whereas Great Dungeon in the Sky is a dungeon crawler, though, Dungeons of Fayte is more of an ARPG--like The Legend of Zelda. In fact, the game's developer (pulsemeat) describes it as a mash-up of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures and Princess Maker.

"You spend some of your time in the dungeon, killing monsters and getting gold, and the rest of your time in town training and building stats," pulsemeat explained recently in the TIGSource Forums thread dedicated to Dungeons of Fayte. "You can play with up to four players on a single computer, and I've also included support for controllers."

Here's what the game looks like in action:



Download the latest version of Dungeons of Fayte here. Also, go here to check out other games that were created for the same TIGSource Assemblee contest.

See also: 'Diablo + Pokemon + Spelunker? Sign me up!'

Let's play: 'Which box art is better?'

The folks at Xseed Games recently revealed that the box art for the forthcoming Wii release, Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon, will be double-sided--with the official North American art (left, below) on one side and the Japanese art (right) on the other.

So, which one do you prefer?

Personally, I prefer the Japanese art--though I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised by the North American art. If only the game's logo hadn't been crammed into the upper left-hand corner...

Fragile Dreams: Farewill Ruins of the Moon will hit North American store shelves on March 16 and should hit European store shelves shortly after.

Pre-order: Fragile Dreams: Farewill Ruins of the Moon

See also: 'Another reason to look forward to Fragile Dreams' and 'And the 'Best Box Art of the Year' award goes to...'

Trism 2: Coming soon to an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad near you

Steve Demeter, the gay game developer who made headlines around the world following the release (and runaway success) of his first iPhone offering, Trism, recently announced that a sequel will soon be made available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Unfortunately, that was the extent of his announcement--well, other than the following teaser trailer:



Keep an eye on the Demiforce site and/or Demeter's blog for more information on this much-anticipated title.

See also: 'Steve Demeter: The man behind the Americanization of Mother 3's Magypsies' and 'The Advocate: Apple's Gay Poster Boy'

I'd like to think this guy was drunk ...

... when he got this Pac-Man tattoo, but I doubt that was the case considering its complexity.

You're confused, aren't you? That's because the photo above only shows the "safe for work" portion of the tattoo. Hit the jump to see the whole, NSFW-ish thing.

File this post under: 'How in the hell did I miss this one?'

I know, I do this a lot--i.e., exclaim, "How did I miss this game?" I'm not trying to be annoying--it's just that I spend so much time reading about games that I'm surprised when I rather appealing one sneaks by me.

That's exactly what happened with Fret Nice, the Pieces Interactive-developed, Tecmo-published, "musically endowed" platformer that hit the PlayStation Store last week. (The folks at Tecmo swear it will hit XBLA at some point, too, but have yet to specify an actual date.)

One part Loco Roco, one part plain ol' loco.

Now, the hook of Fret Nice is that you can play it with any one of those 45 guitar controllers that are sitting in your basement or garage. Thankfully, it can be played with a regular old DualShock 3, too--an important distinction should I ever buy a PS3, as I don't have a single guitar controller and probably won't get one anytime soon.

Anyway, what drew me to the game wasn't its control scheme--it was its art style. I'm really diggin' the paper-doll look of the characters and the environments.

Of course, I'd probably be more interested in how the game controls if I had a better understanding of that aspect--something I can't say even after watching the following trailer:



The game's designer, Mårten Brüggemann, tries to explain things in this recent playstation.blog interview, but truth be told I'm just as confused after reading it as I was beforehand.

See also: 'Next up: Saturn!'

Reason #845 to be thankful for fan translators

I just discovered that a talented group of gamers (Crimson Nocturnal) are translating Square Enix's DS remake of SaGa 2 (known to most Westerners as Final Fantasy Legend II) into English.

Not only that, but the patch they're working on is coming right along. According to a recent update on Crimson Nocturnal's site, v1.0 is nearly complete and should be released "soon."

Although I'd prefer to (buy and) play an officially localized version of this game, I'll take what I can get.

See also: 'Reason #844 to be thankful for fan translators' and 'Reason #843 to be thankful for fan translators'

In the running for the best subtitle ever: 'Dawn of the Great Pantsu War'

You've gotta love a game with a subtitle like that, don't you?

The title of said game is Prinny 2, by the way--with Prinny 2: Dawn of the Great Pantsu War being the sequel to Nippon Ichi's Disgaea-themed PSP platformer, Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?

Oh, and in case you aren't as big a nerd as I am: "Pantsu" basically is the Japanese word for "panties" or "underwear."

The subtitle makes a lot of sense considering the game calls on the titular Prinny to recover another Disgaea character's stolen underswear.

If that sounds interesting (and, really, how could it not?), you may want to check out the trailer for the soon-to-be-released (March 25) Japanese version of the game:



As far as I'm aware, NIS America hasn't announced an American or European release date for the title, but I'm guessing (hoping) they'll do just that sooner or later.

Diablo + Pokemon + Spelunker? Sign me up!

OK, so I spent a bit of time perusing NeoGAF today. So sue me!

Something good came from all of that perusing, though--I found out about an awesome little Internet game that goes by the name of Great Dungeon in the Sky.

A NeoGAFfer who started a thread about the game described it as "Diablo meets Pokemon meets Spelunker," and after putting a few minutes (OK, hours) into it, I have to agree.

I know it doesn't look like much, but take my word
and give it a try anyway.

How does Pokemon fit into all of this, you ask? Well, after you kill one of the game's 300 enemies for the first time you can choose to play as that character the next time around.

It's really quite brilliant (what am I, British?) and loads of fun, so if you're at all into dungeon exlporers I suggest you give this one a try tout de suite (great, now I'm French).

Play: Great Dungeon in the Sky

Alternate New Super Mario Bros. Wii box art and 'Tingle tank' FTW

Someone over on 2ch posted a slew of photos this morning that seem to have been taken from pamphlets Nintendo of Japan uses to attract employees.

All of them are worth checking out, but the alternate New Super Mario Bros. Wii box art--featuring Bowser and the Koopalings/Koopa Kids--in the photo below takes the cake, in my humble opinion.

Of course, the "Tingle tank" that can be seen in the upper left-hand corner of the following photo is pretty damn cool, too.

Links to more such photos can be found here and here and here and here. Or, just scroll through this NeoGAF thread.

A straight, middle-class family man's take on the 'lack of homosexuality in space'

I've been following Brad Gallaway's Drinking Coffeecola blog for a while, but I haven't mentioned it (as far as I can remember) here until now.

What prompted this change of pace? Well, yesterday Gallaway, who is "a straight, middle-class family man who is most often assumed to be white," waxed poetic about how "bitterly disappointing" it was for him to find that BioWare removed same-sex relationships from its recently released PC and Xbox 360 title, Mass Effect 2.

"I found it incredibly disappointing and almost cowardly, in a way," wrote Gallaway, who serves as senior editor and critic of GameCritics.com when he's not blogging or writing horror, fantasy and sci-fi books and short stories. "Including comprehensive alternative options wouldn't take away from the experience of anyone who chose not to partake of it, and would serve only to let gamers of varying orientations feel more included. 

"I can’t honestly see a downside, and can't think of any justifiable reason why such options weren’t included given the content of BioWare’s previous works," he added. "In the absence of such logic, I would hate to assume that BioWare felt it acceptable to include alternative options in its ‘also-ran’ titles, only to remove them and ‘clean up’ its most important franchise. I hate to say it, but the phrase ‘second-class citizen’ comes to mind."

You took the words right out of my mouth, Brad :)

Read: 'Shiren, Clash of Heroes, and The lack of Homosexuality in Space' (at drinkingcoffeecola.blogspot.com)

Next up: Saturn!

I can't believe I missed this when it happened three months ago: Noby Noby Boy's "Girl" has reached Saturn!

No worries if you haven't the foggiest idea as to what that means.

Basically, Noby Noby Boy is an artsy-fartsy (in a good way) PS3 title that was created by Keita Takahashi--aka the brainchild (some would say mad man) behind the similarly wondrous and WTF-ish Katamari Damacy.

Although the point of the game is for players to stretch their worm-like avatar (called "Boy") as much as possible, a secondary goal is for them to stretch his female counterpart ("Girl") until she reaches the edge of the universe. (I know that doesn't make much sense. Just go with it.) Oh, and new environments open up each time Girl reaches a new planet.

Here's a look at the environment that was unlocked when Girl reached Saturn:



I know, it's weird. Very weird. Still, I can't help but be drawn to it. In fact, I'll probably buy it--along with the similarly strange LocoRoco Cocoreccho!--the same day I pick up a PS3.

See also: 'I'd buy this PSP in a heartbeat ...' and '15-pixel PaRappa the Rapper'

'Turnip Murder'

A pretty appropriate title for the following piece of art, don't you think?

My favorite part: The creepy-as-all-get-out Shy Guys.

A 9-inch-by-12-inch version of the image can be found on the artist's (Winona Nelson) website, by the way, so if you're really diggin' it and you'd like to hang it somewhere in your home, head on over to winonanelson.com when you have a second.

(Via gamesetwatch.com)

I may be a bit sick of zombie games, but ...

... I'd still buy Halfbrick Studios' Age of Zombies, which hits the PlayStation Store on Feb. 25 (for $4.99)--if I had a PSP (or a PS3).

I think that's due to the fact that the undead on display in the following trailer are so darn cute.



It doesn't hurt that the game gives off a Robotron-meets-Zombies Ate My Neighbors kinda vibe, as joystiq.com's David Hinkle recently put it.

Oh, well, I'll just add Age of Zombies to my ever-growing PSP wish list...

See also: 'What would Left 4 Dead look (and sound and play) like if it were released for the NES?'

OK, I officially hate the folks at Namco Bandai

Why? They sent the following Muscle March-ified Wii to destructoid.com and not to me, that's why.

Destructoid is planning to give this wondrous Wii to someone willing to pose like one of the Muscle March characters in a public setting, so I guess it's possible it'll end up where it belongs (with me)--but I'm not going to bet on it.

Anyway, go here to learn more about the contest. Oh, and if any of you should enter the contest, send me a copy of the photo you submitted so I can post it here.

See also: 'The folks at Namco Bandai really know how to hurt a guy's feelings'

Sure, I'd pose in a Muscle March Speedo--but I'd rather drop dead than play a game in a banana suit

That said, I'm glad WiiFolder's Josh Thomas was willing to do the latter while demoing the recently released Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll.

Sadly, I can't seem to figure out how to embed the videos that show Josh in said suit, so if you'd like to see them for yourself (and, believe me, you do), you'll have to click on over to wiifolder.com.

This all begs the question: What crazy things could I do to draw more readers (and more commenters) to this lonely little blog? As always, I'm all ears.

Buy: Super Monkey Ball: Step & Roll

You've got a few DSi points burning a hole in your pocket, right?

If so, you may want to spend them on Flipper, which, according to Dutch developer Goodbye Galaxy Games, will be hitting the U.S. DSi Shop on Feb. 22. (It should hit the European shop sometime in "Q1 2010," according to the dev's blog.)

To tell you the truth, I don't know much about the game other than that it's a puzzler/platformer. Actually, I know one more thing about it--that "thing" being that I absolutely adore its graphics. They're kind of the 3D equivalent of blocky (in a good way) 8-bit games, don't you think?

Other than that, I'm don't quite understand the point of the game or even how it plays, but that hasn't stopped me from picking up a game before. If only I had a DSi...

Trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYTtoA2FLhMl

Why couldn't I get one of these with my copy of Shiren the Wanderer?

When Fūrai no Shiren 3: Karakuri Yashiki no Nemuri-Hime (aka Shiren the Wanderer) was released in Japan last year, those who pre-ordered the title received an adorable Wii remote stand in the shape of Shiren's weasel companion, Koppa.

What did gamers in the States get for pre-ordering the title, which hit (some) store shelves yesterday? A big, fat sack of nothing, that's what.

I really shouldn't complain, as I failed to pre-order the game despite my current infatuation with the roguelike genre. The promise of an adorable Wii remote stand, though, probably would have pushed me to do just that.

Buy: Shiren the Wanderer

(Via joystiq.com)

This just in: NIS America angers Batman (and Warner Bros.), alters game titles

Take a good, long look at the following box fronts, folks, because this is the last time you're going to see the Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! logo on a video game.

From now on, NIS America's real-time strategy series will go by the far less witty What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!?

According to a press release the Santa Ana, Calif.-based company sent out a short while ago, "the original title had a conflict of interest with an existing IP and it was not NIS America’s intention to create any conflict."

The new title, the press release continued, "is intended to better represent the game’s whacky retro dungeon world and connect the player’s awareness with the overall theme of the game."

In related news, NIS America has pulled the original Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman!, er, What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? from the PlayStation Store and has delayed the release of its sequel until May 4.

Pre-order: What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2

See also: 'NIS America: Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! 2 will be a twofer'

Fabulous flash game alert: Robot Unicorn Attack

Even before I played it I knew I'd have to write a post about Robot Unicorn Attack, a two-button platformer that can be found on Adult Swim's games site. I mean, it stars a frickin' unicorn with a rainbow-colored mane--I can't think of a better game to cover on a blog called "The Gay Gamer," can you?

This image isn't related to Robot Unicorn Attack in any way.
I just thought it was cool.

Thankfully, there's more to the game than a gay-friendly unicorn. Not only does it serve as a fun little diversion from your daily duties (I'd never slack off at work, of course, but I know a number of people who would be more than happy to do so), but it has a subtly wicked sense of humor, too.

Play: Robot Unicorn Attack

'Games are not and never will be art.' Oh, really?

Full disclosure: I cringe whenever I hear someone--especially someone within the games industry--suggest that games aren't an art form. And when that someone takes things a step further and suggests they never will be an art form? Well, I smack my head against the nearest wall.

You can just imagine, then, the condition my head is in after reading Charles J. Pratt's coverage (over at gamasutra.com) of last week's Art History of Games conference.

For starters, Michael Samyn, founder of Tale of Tales, the Belgian-based developer of such "art games" as The Endless Forest and The Path, suggests that games are not and never will be art because "play was driven by a biological need, and that over time play had been turned into games. On the other hand, art was not created out of a physical need but in a search for higher purposes."

Later, Samym says that "computers offered the way forward for art, but at this point it is being held hostage by the video game industry."

I can't say I agree with those or any of the other comments attributed to Samym in Pratt's article--I'm a firm believer that games, like movies and music, are a form of art--but that's certainly not the first time that's happened since this conversation started way back when.

That said, if you're at all interested in this topic I suggest you read Pratt's article in full--especially since it includes a section titled "When Art and Games Collide," which contains comments from Celia Pearce, assistant professor of digital media at Georgia Institute of Technology.

See also: 'What do you think: Are video games art?'