Friday, March 26, 2010

'The best PlayStation game you've never played'

The headline above is in quotes because, well, I've yet to play the game to which it's referring. That said, I've read enough reviews and seen enough videos of said game to believe it to be true.

So, which game am I talking about? Ore no Ryouri--aka My Cooking or I'm the Chef.

In case you've never heard of it, Ore no Ryouri is a cooking/restaurant simulator--think of it as a precursor to games like Cooking Mama and Order Up!--that was released (in Japan) in late 1999. Although a one-level demo of the game made its way to American gamers a few months later via the quarterly, disc-based magazine, PlayStation Underground, it was never released in full outside of the so-called Land of the Rising Sun.

If you want to see why that's an utter travesty, check out this video review of the title:



Anyway, I've been a bit obsessed with Ore no Ryouri since I first read about it on some random gaming site (sorry, I can't remember which one) a few years ago. I haven't bought a copy--yet--because I don't have a way of playing it, but you can bet your butt I'll get one as soon as I buy an import PSone (or PStwo).

If you're at all interested in learning more about this quirky little title, read this review (and this one, too).

See also: 'Now playing: Order Up! (Wii)'

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Who couldn't use a USB flash drive made out of a GameBoy Advance cartridge?

Especially when the cartridge used to create said USB drive is the Japanese version of Mario vs. Donkey Kong.


That's just one of the cute game-related creations I found while scanning etsy.com a few minutes ago.

Nearly as cute: this desk clock, made with a re-purposed Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cartridge. And then there's this needle-felted Green Slime figure. (I've always had a thing for Dragon Quest's slimes.)

See also: 'The perfect gift for the stinky gamer in your life'

Hey, Atlus USA: Why don't you just stab me through the heart while you're at it?

If you've been following this blog for any amount of time, you know I have a huge soft spot in my heart for Silicon Studio's 3D Dot Game Heroes.

As such, I'd pick it up day one (May 11 in North America) if I owned a PS3. Sadly, I do not, so until that day comes I'll content myself by watching (over and over) Atlus USA's latest trailer for the title.



Preorder: 3D Dot Game Heroes

See also: '3D Dot Game Heroes: Coming to America in May 2010' and 'It looks like Zelda, it sounds like Zelda, but will it be as fun as Zelda?'

If you're planning to pick up Halo Reach or Super Mario Galaxy 2 ...

... you may want to head over to Amazon.com and preorder a copy ASAP. For the time being, the online retailer is offering $20 video games credit to those who preorder either title. (Here's a link to the Halo Reach page on Amazon.com, and here's a link to the site's Super Mario Galaxy 2 page.)


Don't tell my husband, but I just preordered a copy of Super Mario Galaxy 2. Now I can spend the next two months thinking about how I'll use my $20 credit. (Final Fantasy V Advance? Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon? WarioWare: D.I.Y.?)

(Via NeoGAF.com and tinycartridge.com)

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Cutest Mario toy ever?

I think so. What do you think?


This "Mini-Mario" was created by an artist who calls himself Nikejerk3, by the way.

I've been following him on Flickr for some time. Here's his photostream, in case you'd like to check out more of his creations (such as this cute-as-all-get-out Toad toy).

Billy Herrington Tetris

I came across the following video while (somewhat) randomly surfing the web the other day:



Bill Herrington (the Speedo-clad bodybuilder in the clip above) is a gay porn star, by the way. Although he hasn't appeared in an adult movie since 2003, he's become something of a celebrity in Japan in the last few years thanks to the slew of mash-up videos (aka MAD movies) that have been posted on Nico Nico Douga, a Japanese video-sharing site.

Many of them, like the one above, are inspired by video games. This (rather NSFW-ish) one, for instance, is based on Final Fantasy VII.

If you're at all interested in learning more about this peculiar Internet meme, check out these posts on knowyourmeme.com.

(Via puddingparadise.blogspot.com)

I'm going to buy Etrian Odyssey III just so I can play as this character

I mean, who wouldn't want to play as a butcher-knife-wielding milkmaid?


Don't you just love how the pinky finger of the hand holding said butcher knife is flared like it would be if the little lass was enjoying a cup of Earl Grey tea?

Anyway, Etrian Odyssey III: Visitor from Star Ocean will hit store shelves in Japan on April 1. Hopefully it'll be released in other regions shortly thereafter.

See also: 'Ahoy, mateys! Another Etrian Odyssey 3 trailer has surfaced'

(Via famitsu.com)

Super Mario Sushi

Teefury.com's "tee of the day" (which features the image below) was created by a game-loving Australian artist who goes by the name thickblackoutline.


It's awfully cute, don't you think? Well, except for the Frog Suit Mario Nigiri. That kind of grosses me out.

Anyway, if you like this t-shirt enough to buy it, get your butt over to teefury.com pronto--as "Super Mario Sushi" will be pulled from the site at the end of the day.

See also: 'I think I just found my next gaming-related t-shirt' and 'A peek into Mario's closet'

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

I'd probably buy this if someone made it ...

"This" being a game called Cooking Gaga.


Sadly, the game is just the figment of some artist's imagination as of now.

(Via gamefreaks.co.nz)

Unfortunately, 'the game doesn't reflect the label'

A gamer/photographer who goes by the name "Caveman Bowl" recently posted a bunch of images of pirate Famicom disks to his (her?) Flickr page.

The following is my favorite, for obvious reasons:


I'm also quite fond of the cover of this Tetris bootleg.

(Via tinycartridge.com)

No longer a Cave Story virgin

I've played the WiiWare version of Cave Story for about three hours now, and I've enjoyed every minute of it. Of course, how could I not enjoy it? It's basically a cute 'n cuddly Metroid clone.

The graphics are a wonderful mix of retro and modern, and the music is adorably and appropriately winsome. And then there's the gameplay, which I consider to be just as tight and well-tuned as the above-mentioned Gunpei Yokoi classic.

"I Am A Cave Story" by Annabelle Kennedy

That's not to suggest the game is faultless. It requires a bit more backtracking than I'd like, for instance, and it can be a smidge befuddling from time to time (i.e., I'm not always sure where I should go or what I should do next).

Neither of those negatives will keep me from completing Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya's action-adventure triumph, though--nor should they keep you from giving his charmingly challenging title a try.

See also: 'I can't wait to pop my Cave Story cherry'