Deep thoughts (or not) on a quintet of recent 3DS demos

The brass at Nintendo may have been a bit slow to add demos to the 3DS eShop, but they've done their best to pick up the pace over the last few weeks.

Being the sucker that I am for free stuff (even when that free stuff constitutes just a small portion of a game and can only be played a limited number of times), I downloaded a number of said demos recently and gave them the old college try. My thoughts on each of these bite-sized experiences are below.

Heroes of Ruin--I'm sure this admission will cause some of you to get the vapors, but it can't be helped: I knew next to nothing about this Square Enix-published title before acquiring this demo. As such, you could say my expectations were about as low as you can get. Did that help me enjoy this bit o' Heroes of Ruin more than I may have otherwise? I'm can't say, unfortunately. What I can say is that the game looks nice enough--or at least nicer than I thought it would. Also, I like that you can customize your characters to a fairly high degree. That said, I didn't find the gameplay all that captivating and I doubt I'll be adding this title to my overly long 3DS wish list.

Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance--Full disclosure: Before I played through this demo, I'd never before played a Kingdom Hearts game. I've always thought this series looked nice, but the seeimingly one-dimensional gameplay just didn't appeal to me. Still, I thought I should try this demo, as it would give me a chance to see if these games are more or less superficial (for lack of a better word) than I've long imagined them to be. The verdict, after spending a good bit of time with its demo: Dream Drop Distance actually seems to be a deeper experience than I expected it be. Running around Traverse Town was a thrill, as was battling the title's rather whimsically designed baddies. I'd be lying if I said I was now planning on buying this entry in the Kingdom Hearts series, but I may pick up the original release sometime soon and progress from there should I dig it.

Introducing: The Nichiest Podcast Ever!

So, I have a bit of a surprise for you today. I actually considering bringing it up a month or so ago when it first came to light, but I decided against doing so because I didn't want to jinx anything. Anyway, what's the surprise, you ask? Well, it's that I recently--as in, just a few, short days ago--participated in a new podcast that I very much hope will become a regular (or at least regular-ish) gig.

This brand-spanking new podcast is called, as I'm guessing you've picked up by now (assuming you read the header above), "The Nichiest Podcast Ever." Shockingly, our first show focuses on all kinds of niche-y game-related stuff--like some of the smaller titles that were overshadowed during E3 2012 and a few recent, worthwhile releases that we feel have been overlooked by the masses.

We also spend a bit of time chatting about the 3DS XL and the Wii U, and have a lot of fun with a segment called "The Nichiest of Them All," during which we try to stump each other about some of the lesser-known games we've played throughout our lives.



As for who "we" are: Well, you know enough about me, I'm sure. (Or at least I hope you do by now.) You should know a bit about one of my, er, podcast costars--blogger, translator and yaoi enthusiast Anne Lee, otherwise known as apricotsushi--too, since she's not only left a number of comments here over the last few months and years but authored a post on this here blog, too.

My other costar--and, really, let's call a spade a spade and admit that this person is the star of this particular production--is writer and podcaster extraordinaire shidoshi. (You may recognize that name from seeing it in the pages of EGM, GameFan and Play magazines or from hearing it in WARNING! A Huge Podcast.)

That's all well and good, but what you really want to know is how can you listen to the first installment of "The Nichiest Podcast Ever," right? Don't worry, I'm getting to it. In fact, I'll get to it right now. If you're obsessed with getting your podcasts from iTunes, go here. (Note: should this podcast stand the test of time, it'll eventually get its own iTunes page.) Another option is to go to radio.morningproject.com and either listen to it or download it there.

Should you actually check out "The Nichiest Podcast Ever," would you be so kind as to let Anne, shidoshi and I what you think of it? Feel free to do so in the comments section here or on Twitter (@apricotsushi, @pikoeri or @thegaygamer).

Five Wii games you should have played, but probably didn't

Unlike the DS, there's still a smidge of life left in the ol' Wii--thanks to 2012 releases like Mario Party 9, Rhythm Heaven Fever and Xenoblade Chronicles. That trio of titles is about all that's worth picking up for Nintendo's little white wonder next year, though, which means it'll be all but dead by the time the Wii U hits store shelves later this year.

As such, this is a good time for new and old Wii owners alike to pick up a few of the system's should-have-been-classics (in my opinion, of course)--like the ones included on the following list--before they become impossible to find or impossible to afford:

1. Art Style: Cubello--This often-frenetic puzzler (called Cubeleo in Japan, for some strange reason) was one of the first WiiWare titles, yet it's still among the very best the service has to offer. All you really need to know about this pleasingly and colorfully 3D release: It was made by the folks at skip Ltd.--aka the same folks responsible for the Chibi-Robo! series as well as wackadoodle titles like Captain Rainbow and GiFTPiA.

2. Endless Ocean--Here's another game, like Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, that I've mentioned so many times that half of you (if not more) probably let out a huge sigh when you saw I was going to talk about it again. Sorry about that. It's just that this "scuba simulator" was all but ignored in every region, as far as I'm aware. Curiously, this game's sequel, Endless Ocean: Blue World, is cheaper at the moment, so you may want to pick up that version instead. Just be warned that I've yet to play it, so I can't say if it's better or worse than developer Arika's original effort.

3. Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon--This recommendation comes with a disclaimer: If you're not at all interested in or at least curious about roguelikes and/or dungeon-crawling RPGs, you're probably not going to get much enjoyment out of this game. To everyone else: Go into this one (order it here) with an open mind and expect to grind, old-school style. Oh, and don't be afraid to say "awww" whenever the titular Chocobo does something cute (which will be often).

Order Up!! (yes, now with two exclamation points) coming soon to 3DS, PS3 and 'TBA'

The folks at Supervillain Studios have been teasing an Order Up! sequel for some time.

It all started in late 2009, when one of the developer's staffers revealed that "a good amount of work" had been competed on the title. The teasing continued last June when a comic was published on the company's website that suggested the follow-up would be released for the PS3.

Strangely, that's the last time anyone at the Irvine, Calif.-based company talked publicly about the game--until a few days ago. That's when four screenshots--which seemingly showcased a new Order Up! restaurant (below) and waiter--were added to the developer's website. Shortly afterwards, a Supervillain Studios staffer revealed that the screenshots in question were from Order Up!!, an updated--with new content and features--version of the Wii release that will appear on the 3DS, the PS3 and "a third (TBA) platform as well."



Will the "TBA platform" wind up being Nintendo's soon-to-be-unveiled successor to the Wii (i.e., Project Café)? We'll find out shortly, I guess.

In the meantime, add one of the above-mentioned iterations of Order Up!! to your "to buy" list. If it's anything like its Wii-based predecessor, it'll be well worth whatever you have to spend to acquire it.

(Via gonintendo.com)

Five favorites: cooking-themed games

It should be obvious to anyone who stumbles upon this blog that I love gaming. Likely not as obvious is my similar love of cooking.

Anyway, once in a great while those two interests collide in a cooking-themed video game. I've played a number of such games over the years, with the following being my favorites:

1. BurgerTime (Arcade, 1982)--As far as I can tell, this is the original cooking-themed video game. To say it's still one of the best wouldn't be an understatement, in my opinion. OK, so the cooking here involves assembling giant hamburgers by running over each ingredient--bottom bun, burger, lettuce and top bun--in order while avoiding crazed eggs, hot dogs and other food items, but that's still cooking in my book, so I'm including it on this list.

2. Panic Restaurant (NES, 1992)--I'd like to give a good pat on the back to the person who came up with the idea for this game--which focuses on a Chef Boyardee-esque protagonist who races through a cursed restaurant in pursuit of his chief rival--and another to the publishing exec who gave it the green light, as it is, sadly, one of the very few cooking-themed platformers to hit store shelves over the years. Thankfully, it's a delicious, if a tad difficult (and expensive), gem of a game.

3. Cooking Fighter Hao (PlayStation, 1998)--Nippon Ichi may be best known for its tactical RPGs (like Disgaea and Phantom Brave), but one of its very first releases seemingly took its cues from that campy Food Network mainstay, Iron Chef. Unfortunately, this sometimes-annoying, button-mashing arena battler--which, admittedly, features some nice spritework--fails to evoke any of the fun that's a hallmark of its boob-tube-based inspiration.

4. Ore No Ryouri (PlayStation, 1999)--The folks who made Cooking Mama and its ilk--which includes the following entry on this list--owe a lot to those who made Ore No Ryouri. The protagonist in each of these games is a wet-behind-the-ears chef who has to work his (or her) way up the proverbial ladder of the restaurant world, after all. In Ore No Ryouri, that means chopping a lot of onions, frying a lot of meat and pouring a lot of beer--all while utilizing the pair of analog sticks on the original DualShock controller, of course.

5. Order Up! (Wii, 2008)--Take Ore No Ryouri, replace the Japanese setting with an American one, change the art style so the characters look like Weeble Wobbles (in a good way--honestly!) and alter the controls so it works with the Wii Remote and, basically, you have this charming, Supervillain Studios-developed title. Read this review (part of "The Great Gaymathon" series) for more information on this criminally overlooked release.

See also: Previous 'five favorites' posts

The Great Gaymathon Review #13: Order Up! (Wii)

Game: Order Up!

Genre: Puzzle

Developer: Supervillain Studios

Publisher: Zoo Games

System: Wii

Release date: 2008

Screw Mama (of Cooking Mama fame). Yes, she's cute, if a bit temperamental, but the game in which she stars has nothing on this generally overlooked gem, developed by the folks at Supervillain Studios. Although both games feature similarly precious graphics and music--with the polygonal protagonists in Order Up! looking a bit like Weeble Wobbles--they differ substantially when it comes to gameplay. Cooking Mama calls on players to string together a series of short mini-games to complete a single recipe, while Order Up!, which is more of a restaurant simulation than a straight-up cooking simulation like its competitor, requires them to multitask by working on multiple dishes at the same time. As a result, Order Up! has an enjoyably desperate edge to it that is sadly missing from Office Create's effort. I say "enjoyably" because, with few exceptions, the controls in Order Up! are both easy to understand and easy to pull off. Also adding to the game's enjoyability quotient: Its witty dialogue and its quality voice work.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

Is Order Up! Move-ing to the PS3?

Late last year, one of Supervillain Studios' staffers mentioned on the developer's website that "a good amount of work" had been completed on a sequel to what I consider to be one of the most underrated Wii games, Order Up!

Well, it seems that said sequel may appear on the PS3 rather than the Wii. At least, that was my first thought after reading the following post on Supervillain Studios' site:

"They call this a “teaser” in the biz…

…because it could mean something.
…or it could mean nothing.
…or it could be something good, which ends up being nothing.
…or it could be nothing (but still good), which ends up being something…also still good.

Right.

…or it could just make you chuckle (also still good) because that happens now and then."

This image was posted alongside the text (click to engorge, er, enlarge):



Hopefully Order Up! 2 will be released for both the PS3 and the Wii--and at a bargain-basement price like its predecessor (which I picked up late last year for a paltry $19.99).

(Via NeoGAF)

See also: 'Special of the day: (News of) a follow-up to Order Up!' and 'Now playing: Order Up! (Wii)'