Saturday, April 10, 2010

Ghost Trick's box art is kind of kinky (and a little bit gay)

Or, maybe I just have a dirty mind. What do you think?


Ghost Trick is an adventure game that's being made (for the DS) by Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi. According to the game's Wikipedia entry, it "begins when a man named Sissel is killed and has no recollection of his memories. However, he has to find out how and why he was killed before his soul disappears the next morning."

It will be released in Japan on June 24 and in North America sometime this fall.

Watch: (Japanese) Ghost Trick trailer.

OK, Nintendo, where are your arcade games?

Specifically, where are Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Mario Bros.?

You launched the "Virtual Console Arcade" early last year, and since then you've added just 12 arcade games to the Wii Shop Channel. That would be OK if the three titles above were among them, but they're not. You're planning to add them at some point, right? Right?!?

Don't worry, you're not the only developer that has disappointed in this way. Although Namco has added a few of its arcade titles to the service, only one of them (Mappy) could be considered a classic. Even then, it's no Dig Dug or Galaga or Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man.

And then there's Taito, which, like you, has yet to add a single title to the "Virtual Console Arcade." That's a crying shame, because the folks at Taito are responsible for some of the best quarter munchers of the 70s and 80s--games like Arkanoid, Bubble Bobble, Elevator Action, Rainbow Islands and Space Invaders.

You've done a pretty darn good job of filling out the original "Virtual Console," so I'm confident you'll (eventually) do the same with its arcade-centric counterpart. Just don't wait too long, OK? I've got a bunch of Nintendo Points and they're burning a hole in my pocket.

Friday, April 09, 2010

This is why I want a DSi

Singer/songwriter Billy Polard created the following music video (for his song, "Losing Light") using Nintendo's animation program, Flipnote Studio.



Apparently it took the Philadelphia-based artist "two weeks and hundreds of drawings" to make the melancholy clip.

Say hello to my next desktop wallpaper

Well, well, well ... it seems I have Final Fantasy on the brain today. Please accept my apologies if you're not a fan.

Anyway, I came across the following image (download it here) yesterday while scanning a NeoGAF thread devoted to Square Enix's Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden (aka Final Fantasy Gaiden: 4 Warriors of Light, aka The 4 Heroes of Light).


Aren't Akihiko Yoshida's character designs just about the cutest things you've ever seen?

See also: '(One of) my prayers have been answered: Final Fantasy Gaiden is going international'

Is it wrong that I want the soundtrack of a game I've never played?

If so, I'm guessing it's even more wrong that I want said soundtrack because of its cute cover.


According to andriasang.com, the 27-track album will be released in Japan on May 12 with a price tag of ¥1,800 (about $19).

Have any of you played Final Fantasy XI? If so, what did/do you think of it?

Honestly, I'd have bought the PS2 version day one if it hadn't required a hard drive and network adapter.

Thursday, April 08, 2010

Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (Trauma Team edition)

I know, this is the second time in two days that we've played this little game. What can I say? I like comparing box art.

Anyway, the folks at Atlus announced a Japanese release date--June 17--for the third game in their Trauma Center series--known as Hospital in the East and Trauma Team elsewhere--yesterday. They also unveiled the art (below, left) that will grace the cover of the Japanese version of the game. (The box art and release date--May 18--for the North American version were announced some time ago.)



Which do I prefer? I'm going to go with the North American art (above, right) this time around. I like the vibrancy of the Japanese cover, but it just doesn't scream "hospital" or "surgery" to me.

Buy: Trauma Team

(One of) my prayers have been answered: Final Fantasy Gaiden is 'going international'

That's what someone over at siliconera.com is saying, at least.

According to an unnamed source, the folks at Square-Enix are preparing to bring the title known to Japanese gamers as Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden to the States as The 4 Heroes of Light.


No date or price is mentioned in the siliconera.com article. Hopefully someone at Square-Enix will fill in those gaps soon.

By the way, another of my gaming-related prayers will be answered when someone finally announces a North American release date for another retro-tinged RPG, 7th Dragon.

auntie pixelante + WarioWare D.I.Y. = digital sex

"When i was little, videogame creation was something mystical and inaccessible. I never imagined I could be making games with my own two hands. Children today will grow up in a world where digital game creation is not a distant fantasy, but something within their grasp."

What prompted Anna “auntie pixelante” Anthropy to post those words to her site? A week spent with WarioWare D.I.Y.

A few of the fruits of Anthropy's labor can be seen in the following video, posted on YouTube yesterday.



My favorite: the spanking microgame ("Give this pig 12 blows!"), though I'm also quite fond of the one that features the protagonist from Mighty Jill Off.

Buy: WarioWare D.I.Y.

See also: 'Best WarioWare D.I.Y. microgame thus far: Localize This' and 'Hey! You got your Cave Story in my WarioWare D.I.Y.!'

(Via tinycartridge.com)

DS owners: Get ready to 'Jam with the Band'

Early this morning, the PR folks at Nintendo of Europe shed a little light on their employer's summer software line-up. All of the games included on said list were expected except one: Jam with the Band.

Pat yourself on the back if the title sounds familiar, as it was first mentioned nearly six years ago when Nintendo of America announced it would be bringing Daigasso! Band Brothers, a DS launch title in Japan, to the States.


Nintendo's American and European mouthpieces have had little to say about the music game since--until today, of course. Unfortunately, a few mysteries remain. For instance, is Jam with the Band a localization of the original Daigasso! Band Brothers or its sequel, Daigasso! Band Brothers DX? Also, we know it'll be released in Europe on May 21, but will it be released in North America too? If so, when?

I'll be picking it up regardless, but I'd rather buy it locally than import it from some European game shop like Play.com.

(Via gamasutra.com)

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Another day, another 3D Dot Game Heroes trailer

OK, so the folks at Atlus haven't released that many trailers for their upcoming "love letter to retro gamers," 3D Dot Game Heroes. They've released quite a few, though, especially in the last three or four weeks.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. In fact, I've watched each and every trailer that has found its way to my inbox--multiple times--despite the fact that I don't (yet) have a PS3.

Anyway, here's the latest trailer for the game, which will hit the streets in North America on May 11 and in Europe (courtesy of SouthPeak Games) three days later:



Buy: 3D Dot Game Heroes

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

The ultimate unboxing video

Aaran Nanto, the man behind pcenginefx.com, recently posted (to YouTube) the most moving unboxing video I've ever seen.

The crew over at tinycartridge.com describe it as lying “somewhere between love story and pornography.” I couldn't have come up with a better description if I'd tried.



Hopefully Nanto's next "momento" will shine a light on another portable system that's near and dear to my heart: The PC Engine LT.

Hopefully the shirt costs (a lot) less than the game

The Hundreds, a Los Angeles-based outfitter, recently announced (via its official blog) its "Rosewood Collection Spring 2010 T-shirts."

One of the collection's designs (below) was pulled from the cover of the rarest licensed NES game: The NTSC version of Bandai's Stadium Events.


According to Wikipedia, a factory-sealed version of said game was sold (via eBay) for $41,300 on February 26, 2010. I'm not sure how much The Hundreds is going to charge for its Stadium Events-inspired t-shirts, but it has to be a good bit less than $41,300, right?

Sadly, the t-shirts are only available at the outfitter's Los Angeles and San Francisco stores--as opposed to its online shop--as of now.

(Via gonintendo.com)

Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (DeathSmiles edition)

June 29 is a big day for North American fans of bullet-hell shmups (aka manic shooters), as it is the day the Cave-developed DeathSmiles hits store shelves in the States courtesy of Torrance, Calif.-based Aksys Games.

Why is that such a big deal? Well, for starters, the side-scrolling DeathSmiles is the first Cave-developed, console-based shmup to be released in the region.

Anyway, the folks at Aksys Games recently revealed the box art that will be used for the North American version of the game (below, right) and--surprise, surprise--it differs from the art that appeared on the Japanese release (below, left).



Which one do you prefer?

Although I like the loli-lesbianism on display in the North American box art, I (slightly) prefer the drama and movement of the Japanese original.

Buy: DeathSmiles

Watch: DeathSmiles trailer

See also: 'Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (Heavy Rain edition)' and 'Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (Sin & Punishment 2 edition)'

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

I still don't understand why there's a question mark in this game's title

Is it possible the protagonist in Yuji Naka's upcoming DS/Wii platformer, Ivy the Kiwi?, isn't, in fact, a member of the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae?

Hopefully the Prope founder will answer that burning question before the titles are released on April 22. In the meantime, enjoy this "fresh out of the oven" trailer for the DS version of the game:



See also: 'Screw Sonic, I'll take Ivy the Kiwi instead'

Is it the title of a game or a gay porn flick?

The title in question belongs to one of Nintendo's latest Game & Watch DSiWare releases: Manhole.


Sadly, it seems the game isn't anywhere near as kinky as its name suggests. According to Nintendo's official description of the 200-point title, players are tasked with using their manhole covers "to prevent the pedestrians from falling through the holes. Pedestrians appear from the left on the upper path and from the right on the bottom path. Earn a point every time a pedestrian walks safely over a covered manhole, or receive a mistake icon for every pedestrian who falls down an uncovered manhole. Receive three mistake icons and it's game over!"

When the PR folks at Nintendo say "manhole covers," they're referring to something like this and not something a bit more personal (and pervy), right?

I know, I have the mind of a 5-year-old.

Twinkle Queen

I have to be honest: I'm only writing about this upcoming Wii brawler because it sports the gayest name since Gay Gayerson.


So, why is it called Twinkle Queen? I don't know, to tell you the truth, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact that it features characters pulled from four Japanese H games.

According to andriasang.com, the title--which will hit Japanese store shelves on June 24--will focus on four-player battles, though someone over on NeoGAF suggests it will include party-based mini-games, too.