Saturday, May 14, 2011

Blogger: 1, The Gay Gamer: 0

I know what some of you are wondering: Where in the hell have you been for the last few days?

Actually, I've been right here, waiting to press "publish post." Unfortunately, I was unable to even access my blog's dashboard between Thursday morning and yesterday afternoon thanks to some behind-the-scenes drama at Blogger. (Read about it here.)

Although I'm able to access my dashboard and publish posts again, all is not yet back to normal on this here blog. Case in point: I lost a trio of posts as well as a number of comments thanks to the aforementioned drama.

Because I'm not sure if the folks at Blogger will be able to recover the lost posts (as they have for most other blogs) in the next few days or not, for the time being I'm going refrain from rewriting and republishing them.

As much as I'd like to sit and sulk about all of the above, I don't think that would be the best course of action. (We are just talking about blog posts, after all.) Instead, why don't we get back to geeking out about games?

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Cho Aniki + KiKi KaiKai = Deae Tonosama Appare Ichiban?

I pride myself in being such a big retro geek that I know about most of the worthwhile games that were released for the Famicom, PC Engine, Mega Drive, Super Famicom and their North American equivalents.

Which is why I was surprised (pleasantly so) to find out about--thanks to a Twitter user named SuperFamicomGuy--a wonderfully quirky Super Famicom title called Deae Tonosama Appare Ichiban over the weekend.


As suggested in the headline (and screenshot) above, this Sunsoft-published game seems to be a strange mix of the oh-so-campy Cho Aniki and the overhead cute 'em up, KiKi KaiKai.

For more on this pricy cart--the asking price of the only copy I could find on eBay is about $180--check out this video, produced by YouTube user reinofhearts, who calls the game "a cultural journey of the crazy and the overly muscular."

The Great Gaymathon Review #25: Mappy (Famicom)


Game: Mappy
Genre: Platformer
Developer: Namcot
Publisher: Namcot
System: Famicom
Release date: 1984

When I first encountered the Famicom versions of Namcot's arcade classics (Dig Dug, Pac-Man and this game, especially), I rolled my eyes. They weren't "arcade perfect," so I wanted nothing to do with them. It wasn't until I acquired a cherry-red Twin Famicom late last year that I gave these ports another chance--mainly, I have to admit, because I adore the art that appears on their box covers. So, what do I think of the Famicom version of Mappy now that I've finally played it? Surprisingly, I think it's pretty great. The most important aspect of the arcade original, its gameplay (which revolves around the titular "police mouse" trying to retrieve a stash of stolen goods from a mansion full of trampolines and thieving cats), is just as tight and, more importantly, fun in the home port. The game's graphics have made a similarly successful transition from coin muncher to console, as has its soundtrack--although the latter could be considered a bit tinny (if not downright grating) compared to its arcade counterpart. All in all, this version of the one and only "cat chase game" is well worth picking up if you own a Famicom. If not, there's always the Famicom Mini Series re-release, which can be played on all GameBoy Advances and GBA-enabled DSes.


See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The question is: Will I like Deadly Premonition as much as Frank Cifaldi did?

When 1up.com's Frank Cifaldi reviewed Ignition's Deadly Premonition early last year (read it here), he called the game a mixture of The Last ExpressResident Evil 4Shenmue and Twin Peaks.

He also said, "a lot of the graphics would look right at home on the Dreamcast." Admittedly, most gamers would consider that to be a negative, but I'm such a big fan of Sega's consoles that it served to further pique my interest in this open-world survival-horror title.


Hoo boy, this is going to be a weird game, isn't it?

Anyway, after reading Cifaldi's review, and a few associated comments he made about the game on facebook and Twitter, I added Deadly Premonition to my "to buy" list--despite the fact that I didn't yet own an Xbox 360.

Well, I now own an Xbox 360, and soon I'll own Deadly Premonition, too, since I ordered a copy of the game late last week for about $15. While I wait for it to arrive, I think I'll waste my time listening to this chiptune take on the title's "whistle tune."

'A lifetime at the races'

While working on the following illustration, artist Ashley Davis says she was "inspired by the fact that everyone who has ever been important in my life has played a Mario Kart game with me."

Peach is her mother, she adds, while "Mario and Toad are my sisters, Funky Kong is a long lost best friend that I wish I could reconnect with, Wario is my husband, and Dry Bones is me."


Is anyone else jealous of Davis? I mean, she's played a Mario Kart game with her mom. I guess I should be happy that I got to play a lot of Super Mario Kart with my older brother back in the day, even though he beat me about 75 percent of the time.

To see more of Davis' wonderfully whimsical creations, check out her deviantart.com gallery or her website, oddlookingbird.com

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Pomplamoose takes on the Angry Birds theme

I've been a fan of the Corte Madera, Calif.-based indie duo Pomplamoose ever since I heard their cover of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" in late 2009.

They're sure to gain even more fans with their latest cover--of the Angry Birds theme song:



Another reason to become a fan of this YouTube-loving band: Their name is derived from the French word for grapefruit.

(Via joemygod.blogspot.com)

My first free game as a blogger: The Most Addicting Sheep Game

May 4 was a rather momentous day for me and this blog. How so? Well, as the headline above suggests, it's when I received my first free game as a blogger.

Granted, the game in question--Justin Southey's The Most Addicting Sheep Game--would have set me back just a buck if I'd actually bought it, but that's beside the point.

What isn't beside the point is that I've already had a lot of fun playing this rhythmic Xbox Live Indie Games release, which requires players to "run, jump and roll to the beat."



I have a feeling the last few levels shown in the video above are going to trip me up terribly, but I also have a feeling they're going to cause me to laugh uncontrollably.

Can you ask anything more of a game that costs a buck?

Monday, May 09, 2011

My Famicase Exhibition 2011 favorites

The standout of last year's "My Famicase Exhibition," in my humble opinion, was the humorously titled (and labeled) Burp'n'Shoot--which offered gamers a "fun lazy redneck experience" that involved "sitting on the backyard couch, drinking Budweiser and shooting at empty cans, watermelons and a broken TV."

The standout of this year's event, which shines a light on faux Famicom cartridge covers: Meteor Night, created by artist Ashley Davis and the guys behind tinycartridge.com.



There's more to Meteor Night than a snazzy label; it also has a snazzy premise:

"Designed to be played with friends or a date, Meteor Night shows a peaceful sky full of 8-bit stars. Sometimes a meteor will fly across the sky. Turn down the lights, bring a blanket and snacks, and enjoy Meteor Night together."

Sounds a bit like something Shigeru Miyamoto would conjure up, doesn't it?



Meteor Night isn't the only "My Famicase Exhibition 2011" entrant that caught my attention. I'm also quite smitten with illustrator Adam Ferrando's Bubble Gal Witch USA (above), which is a "re-import of NES title Death Warlock, the US localization of Famicom's Bubble Gal Witch. Has new music, sprite art and story in the vein of 'dark fantasy', also easier difficulty!"

And then there's the following fake Famicom cart, Dokkii to Heart Garden, which seemingly brings together two of my favorite subjects: Gardening and zombies.



Go here to read about last year's event, and go here to see all 63 of this year's entrants.

(Via gamesetwatch.com and tinycartridge.com)