Saturday, September 12, 2015

Feast your eyes on two minutes and 42 seconds of Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 2 footage

Two posts in a row devoted to the second Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives title that's being prepped for the Japanese 3DS?

What can I say, I'm jazzed about this classics-laden compilation that'll hit store shelves in that region right around Christmas.

I'm even more jazzed about it now that I've watched the following trailer, which was added to Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 2's official website yesterday.



Power Drift and the Master System version of Fantasy Zone II have me feeling especially excited about this collection, although I'm also oddly intrigued by Puyo Puyo 2.

After all, I can't quite picture how the latter game is going to make use of the 3DS' 3D capabilities. My guess is that it'll place the puyo blobs on a plane that appears closer to the player's eyes while the backdrops will recede into the distance.

How about you? Are you itching to play any of the three-dimensional updates that are set to be featured Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 2?

See also: 'Raise your hand if you, too, are stoked that Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 2 is being prepped for 3DS'

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Raise your hand if you, too, are stoked that Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 2 is being prepped for 3DS

If you heard something that sounded like a squeal of delight yesterday, it probably came from me.

Even if it what you heard wasn't me, I can guarantee you I made a whole slew of "happy noises" upon hearing that a second Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives is in the works (and will hit Japanese store shelves on Dec. 23).

Granted, I've yet to even stick my copy of the first Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives compilation, which was released in the Land of the Rising Sun late last year, into my import 3DS LL system, but that doesn't mean I can't be stoked about its sequel.

Actually, I'd be frothing-at-the-mouth excited about Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 2 even if I didn't own the original Fukkoku Archives thanks to its meaty lineup of games: Altered BeastFantasy Zone II DX, Galaxy Force II, Power Drift, Puyo Puyo 2, Sonic the Hedgehog and Thunder Blade.



As of now, the "3D Classics" versions of Power Drift and Puyo Puyo 2 included here will be exclusive to this offering--although I have to imagine they'll receive a broader eShop release at some point down the road.

Also exclusive to Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 2: three-dimensional updates of two old Master System (or Sega Mark III, if that's how you roll) titles, Fantasy Zone II and Maze Walker.

Initially I was a bit disappointed to learn that this second collection won't include the just-out 3D Gunstar Heroes, but then it hit me that its MIA status probably means a Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3 is more likely than not.

If you'd like to check out a few screenshots of the Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 2 versions of Power Drift and Puyo Puyo 2, by the way, head on over to japanese3ds.com.

Update: amiami is now taking pre-orders for Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 2. The price is 4,220 yen, which equals about $35. (Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes, I've already put myself down for a copy.)

Tuesday, September 08, 2015

Nice Package! (9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors, DS)

If you read through my most recently published #ADecadeofDS post should be well aware that I mentioned at its close that my next selection for that on-going series would be Chunsoft's 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors.

Since then, I've put more than nine hours into this horror-tinged visual novel, and I imagine I'll put at least nine more into it before I switch it out for something else.

I'm planning to publish another #ADecadeofDS post here in a couple of days, by the way, so if you want to read some of my thoughts on this first entry in the Zero Escape series, keep an eye out for it.



In the meantime, I thought it would be nice to ogle some photos of the box art, cartridge label and instruction manual the folks at Aksys Games produced for the North American release of 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors.

Admittedly, 999's North American cover illustration (see above) isn't quite as stellar as its Japanese counterpart--or at least it isn't in my opinion--but I still think it's pretty great.


The North American iteration's cart label simply gets the job done, if you ask me, but I won't hold that against the powers that be at Aksys. After all, how many DS cart labels can be described as anything but "passable"?


The front cover of 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors' instruction manual is more impressive, although even it is far from amazing. I think I'd prefer it if it focused only on the game's colorful cast of kidnappees and ignored "Zero," its antagonist, completely.



The illustration featured on the first page of 999's manual goes a long way toward making up for things. Unfortunately, there are only a few other pieces of art in this game's instructional pamphlet--which for me means the overall product qualifies as a bit of a disappointment.

Oh, well, at least the cover art that can be seen in the first of this post's handful of snapshots is a looker, right?

See also: previous 'Nice Package!' posts

Sunday, September 06, 2015

Four reasons I think Airship Q for Vita looks absolutely fabulous

In my last post, I introduced at least a few of you to an upcoming Vita--and, at some yet-to-be-determined date, PS4--game known as Airship Q.

This adorable title is being billed by its makers as a "sandbox action RPG" that's supposed to bring to mind such popular releases as Minecraft and Terraria.

If that doesn't mean much to you (or even if it does), I'd highly recommend watching the teaser trailer that's now available for your viewing pleasure at gematsu.com.

Aside from that, what are the aspects of Airship Q that have me chomping at the bit to pick up a copy as soon as I'm able? I thought you'd never ask. Here are the first few that come to mind:

1. Its box art is wonderful--This should be a well-known fact to those of you who scrolled through my most recent post (about three recent examples of especially fabulous Vita cover art). If you failed to check out that write-up, you could do worse than give it a glance now.


2. It has a feline protagonist--Seriously, how many games do we ever get to play that star a cat? Not many. Even if every other game featured these whiskery mammals, though, the one included in Airship Q is so darn cute that it still would make this title worth the price of admission. (Which, by the way, will be 2,500 yen--about $21--for retail copies and 2,000 yen for digital ones upon release in Japan.)


3. It allows players to create their own airships--Under normal circumstances, this would only moderately pique my interest, I've got to say. After seeing the dragon-shaped craft in Airship Q's trailer, though, I'm 100 percent stoked to make something similar once I finally get my hands on the game. Actually, maybe I'll make something completely different. A Kirby-inspired vessel would be cool, don't you think? Another possibility: one of the ships from my all-time favorite shmup series, Parodius.


4. It simply looks like a lot of fun--Granted, I have little to no experience with Minecraft, Terraria or any of the games that have ripped off those chart-toppers, so maybe Airship Q--the Vita iteration of which is set to hit Japanese store shelves on Nov. 19--won't prove to be as fun as I'm currently imagining it will be. I'm pretty confident it'll at least mostly live up to the hype, though, so look for me to buy some version or other of this title sooner rather than later.

Are any of you going to keep an eye on Airship Q now that you know about its existence?

(Via gematsu.com)