CIB Sunday: Hyakumanton no Bara Bara (PSP)

If you regularly peruse any of the many social-media apps or sites available to the masses these days, you've probably come across #CIBSunday.

Don't worry if you haven't, as it's easy enough to explain. Basically, folks publish photos of complete-in-box copies of games and then include in their tweets or posts the hashtag mentioned above.

I participate in this "event" pretty much every weekend on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter. For some strange reason, though, I've never extended that participation to this blog. Until today, of course.

Will I continue to do so in weeks, months and years to come? Who knows. I'll do my best to keep it up, though--and I'll certainly whip up a post here whenever I think I've got a nice photo to show off, or some related content to recommend.



With that out of the way, what do you think about the snapshot of Hyakumanton no Bara Bara for PSP that can be seen above?

Hyakumanton no Bara Bara not ring a bell for you? How about Patchwork Heroes? That's what this Acquire-made title, which plays like an inverted version of Taito's Qix, was named outside of Japan.

If you'd like to see more photos of Hyakumanton no Bara Bara's lovely case, cover art, instruction manual and UMD, by the way, check out this "Nice Package!" write-up I published last year. Also, read my review of Hyakumanton no Bara Bara (or, rather, Patchwork Heroes).

Are any of you fans of this 2010 release? If so, please share your love of it in the comments section that follows.

Nice Package! (Hyakumanton no Bara Bara, PSP)

Some of you probably know this 2010 PSP title by the name--Patchwork Heroes--the powers that be at Sony gave it before it was released in Europe and North America.

Sadly, the game was only sold digitally in the West. Sure, that made North American and European copies of Patchwork Heroes quite a bit cheaper than their Japanese counterparts, but it also meant that people who picked up the former missed out on Hyakumanton no Bara Bara's beautiful packaging, which can be seen throughout this post.

For starters, there's this quirky action game's box art, seen in the photo above, which I can say without hesitation is one of my all-time favorite examples of PSP cover imagery. 

Quality illustrations are plastered across the front of Hyakumanton no Bara Bara's instruction manual and the label of its UMD, too. (Don't worry, you'll get a better look at the latter near the bottom of this post.)

Actually, sketches done in a style that's similar to the art that graces the cover of this Acquire-developed game's manual also can be found on a number of its inside pages. 

The rest of Hyakumanton no Bara Bara's instruction booklet isn't as noteworthy, but it still wows now and then--with the character bios shown in the snapshot above being a case in point. 

Speaking of this PSP title's characters, a number of them can be found on its colorful UMD label.

Sadly, the backside of Hyakumanton no Bara Bara's packaging, below, doesn't quite achieve the heights that are reached by the rest of it.

Of course, if I had to force the designers responsible for producing this product to skimp on one aspect of it, I'd go with the back of the box, so to speak, so don't expect me to complain too much about the above.

What do all of you think? Do the photos shared here make you want to run out and buy a copy of the Japanese physical release of Patchwork Heroes as soon as you're able?

Note: if you're like me and you aren't entirely satisfied with the quality of the photographs showcased in this post, head over to my Flickr photostream, which features versions that are both brighter and less blurry.

Help me blow my hard-earned cash on some un-translated Japanese PSP RPGs

I've now published two posts about the PSP in two days--what's the world coming to, right?

Actually, the fact is that I've had Sony's first PlayStation Portable on the brain since Jess, the proprietor of the Kiblitzing blog, bought and sent me this sparkly purple PSP-3000 system a couple of months ago.

Combine my renewed interest in this console--and its surprisingly fabulous games catalog--with my renewed interest in learning the Japanese language (yes, I'm back to that, and having a better time of it than my last go-round), and you've got the makings of a full-blown PSP obsession.

Specifically, I'm more than a bit obsessed with the idea of playing through a few Japanese PSP RPGs sometime soon. Oh, I don't yet know enough of the language to understand even 20 percent of what's sure to be thrown at me when I play these games, but I should be able to translate a good portion of the menu tabs, weapons, armor, items and magic spells that pop up--along with a few other words and phrases, I hope--and that's good enough for me at the moment.

Given all of the above, I thought I'd ask all of you if you know of any un-translated Japanese PSP RPGs I may enjoy playing.

Three such games that I'm already giving serious thought to picking up as soon as possible are:

Antiphona no Seikahime--This Nippon Ichi-made game is some sort of spin-off of the company's Marl Kingdom titles. I'm not sure why that matters to me, actually, as I haven't played any of that series' entries (although I've owned the related La Pucelle Tactics for years). I guess it has something to do with the fact that I like the aesthetics in these releases. At any rate, this one's definitely on my radar right now.

Sekai wa Atashi de Mawatteru: Hikari to Yami no Princess--If you've been coming to this blog for at least a few weeks, you've likely heard of this game's DS-based counterpart, which made it to North America as My World, My Way. Hikari to Yami no Princess is more than a simple up-port of that title, by the way, as it throws a second selectable protagonist into the mix (a dark version of the original's spoiled princess), among other additions.

Tengai Makyou: The Apocalypse IV--Speaking of ports, this is a port of a game that initially was developed for the Sega Saturn. If you've never heard of it, this is supposed to be a really wacky RPG that's set in a wildly skewed version of the United States. Also, it's a sequel to two other Japanese RPGs--Tengai Makyou: Ziria and Tengai Makyou: Manji Maru--that have intrigued me since I was a kid.

I'm also curious about a game called Ore no Dungeon that was made by Climax Entertainment (of Shining in the Darkness and Shining Force fame) and published by Sega.

With all of that out of the way, please feel free to let me know (in the comments section below) about any other Japanese PSP RPGs you think might trip my trigger.

Someone pinch me: two more Japanese games are being localized for the PSP

Did you hear? The folks over at Gaijinworks are localizing a pair of Japanese PSP games for European and North American release ... sometime in the next year, I would guess.

And not only that, but both games may receive physical (with cases, manuals and UMDs) as well as digital releases should demand prove strong enough.

As for which two Japanese PSP titles we're talking about here, one of them is Class of Heroes 3 (Ken to Mahou to Gakuen Mono. 3 in Japan):

While the other is Summon Night 5:

Sadly, despite my continued love for the PSP, and although I love Gaijinworks for daring to bring more of the system's Japanese titles to my neck of the woods, I can't say I'm all that interested in picking up either of these games.

Actually, I'd consider buying Class of Heroes 3 if I hadn't bought Class of Heroes 2 in 2013 ... and then ignored it for the next two years. (Yes, that means I've yet to play the damn thing.)

What do the rest of you think of this news? Are any of you planning to purchase either or both of these games? If so, which one--or which ones?

See also: 'After five years of waiting, I've finally received my copy of Class of Heroes 2 (PSP)'

(Just over) 10 years of PSP memories

On Dec. 12, 2004, Sony made its first portable game system available to the Japanese masses.

For whatever reason, I don't remember much about that date, although I have a feeling that may be because I wasn't all that interested in handheld games and systems at that point in my life.

What I do recall is turning attentively toward the PSP whenever intriguing games were announced for it; games like Loco Roco (2006), Patapon (2007), Gurumin (2008), Half-Minute Hero (2009) and What Did I Do To Deserve This, My Lord? (2010).

It wasn't until the release of Patchwork Heroes (aka Hyakumanton no Bara Bara), though, that I finally was pushed to pick up a PSP of my own. (It can be seen in the photo on the right.)

After that, I quickly added a number of quality PSP titles to my collection--with the two ClaDun games, Corpse Party, Hakuoki, Onore no Shinzuru Michi wo Yuke and Sweet Fuse among them.

If I were forced to name a favorite from among this cadre of quirky games, by the way, my response would include a whole lot of sputtering, as I like so many of them that placing one or two above the rest would be an impossible feat.

What I could say is that the games currently on my PSP short list are the aforementioned ClaDun titles, Hakuoki, Hot Shots Tennis, Patchwork Heroes and Sweet Fuse.

Of course, I've yet to play a bunch of other, similarly compelling PSP (or at least seemingly so) games like Jeanne D'Arc, any of The Legend of Heroes entries, either of the MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura releases or Valkyria Chronicles 3, so it's possible that list will change in the coming months and years.

In the meantime, do any of you have any fond PSP memories, or even just the names of some of your favorite PSP games, you'd like to share?

Ooooooooooooooooh

That was my exact reaction upon seeing the screenshot below--which was taken from Vanillaware's just-announced PSP RPG, Grand Knights History--for the first time.

Vanillaware is the tiny, Tokyo-based developer responsible for such eyegasm-enducing games as GrimGrimoire, Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Odin Sphere, by the way.



I'm currently looking forward to the somewhat-awkwardly titled Grand Knights History even more than I looked forward to the PS2 and Wii titles above, though, because it's supposedly going to be a turn-based RPG. Oh, and even better: It's going to allow players to customize the appearance of their party members.

For more information on this title, check out these two posts (here and here) over at andriasang.com and this NeoGAF thread.

After 30 minutes of tinkering, my PSP is on line

And after 30 more minutes of tinkering, said PSP is connected to a PlayStation Network account (online ID: gay4play).

After I was done with all of that, I downloaded a number of demos: Echochrome, Half-Minute Hero, LocoRoco Midnight Carnival, Patapon and Patchwork Heroes.

I've already played through the first two levels of Patchwork Heroes, and although I enjoyed them I'm not sure they lived up to my expectations. The game, although drop-dead gorgeous and laugh-out-loud humorous, is a bit more frantic than I thought it would be. Also, I'm not yet accustomed to using the PSP's analog "nub," which made the aforementioned franticness a bigger problem than it probably should have been.

I've played the Patchwork Heroes demo about five times so far and
I've seen this screen twice. Man, I suck.

I've also spent a bit of time with the Half-Minute Hero and LocoRoco Midnight Carnival demos. So far, the former is falling into the same category as Patchwork Heroes--i.e., it's funny as hell and looks heavenly, but has yet to "click" with me. The latter, on the other hand, has completely captivated me. As such, I've just added the original LocoRoco and the download-only LocoRoco Midnight Carnival to my ever-growing gaming "wish list."

See also: 'I guess it's time to get my PSP on line' and 'Guess what magically appeared on my doorstep yesterday afternoon?'

I guess it's time to get my PSP on line

Unbeknownst to me, Sony put a demo of its Potemkinesque puzzler, Patchwork Heroes (aka Million Ton Bara Bara), on the PlayStation Store late last week.

A portable puzzler with style and substance? Sign me up!

I have yet to connect my PSP to the PS Store, though, so I guess I'd better do that tout de suite.

In the meantime, here's a morsel for all of you Patchwork Heroes fans to munch on: Sony's Eric Fong has confirmed that when the title hits the PS Store ("soon" is all he'll say at this point), it'll do so with $9.99 price tag.

See also: 'Guess what magically appeared on my doorstep yesterday afternoon?' and 'Oh snap! Million Ton Bara Bara coming stateside this spring' and 'OK, it's settled ...'

This just in: NIS America angers Batman (and Warner Bros.), alters game titles

Take a good, long look at the following box fronts, folks, because this is the last time you're going to see the Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! logo on a video game.

From now on, NIS America's real-time strategy series will go by the far less witty What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!?

According to a press release the Santa Ana, Calif.-based company sent out a short while ago, "the original title had a conflict of interest with an existing IP and it was not NIS America’s intention to create any conflict."

The new title, the press release continued, "is intended to better represent the game’s whacky retro dungeon world and connect the player’s awareness with the overall theme of the game."

In related news, NIS America has pulled the original Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman!, er, What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? from the PlayStation Store and has delayed the release of its sequel until May 4.

Pre-order: What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2

See also: 'NIS America: Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! 2 will be a twofer'

Oh snap! Million Ton Bara Bara coming stateside 'this spring'

And it will be called Patchwork Heroes, according to PlayStation.Blog.

The only bummer: It seems it'll be a PSN-only title. (What can I say? I like having a case to stare at and a manual to flip through.)

Oh, well, at least it's being localized.

Anyway, here's the official, localized translation of the title's premise (again, taken from PlayStation.Blog): "Patchwork Heroes puts the fate of a city in your hands as massive warships threaten innocent citizens. Come to the people’s defense by dismantling each level’s warship quickly before the ships can strike. Rescue trapped comrades along the way by releasing them from their confines."

Sounds good to me!

Go here for more info and a few screenshots. A trailer for the Japanese version of the title can be viewed in the blog post below.

See also: "OK, it's settled ..."

Well, lookie there: Another promising PSP title!

First off, I have to admit I have (next to) no idea what's going on in the following trailer. OK, I know the game--Nippon Ichi's recently announced Zettai Hero Customization Project--is some sort of SRPG-roguelike mashup, but that's about it.

Take a gander at the first trailer for the title and see if you can make out more than that:



Honestly, it could be a turnip-picking simulation and I'd still be interested in it, thanks to the fact that it's being made by the same team that's responsible for the Disgaea games.

If you're in the same boat, and if you have a PSP, you'll be happy to hear that Zettai Hero Customization Project will hit the streets in Japan on March 11. Supposedly the game will be coming to Europe and the U.S. at some point in 2010, although an actual date hasn't been announced.

See also: "OK, it's settled ..." and "First Classic Dungeon (PSP) footage looks ... classic"

OK, it's settled ...

... my next game system is going to be a PSP.

I thought it might be a PS3 or an Xbox 360, but then I saw this trailer:

The name of the game in said trailer: Million Ton Bara Bara. I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean either, but who really cares--it's the product of the same creative geniuses (at Acquire) responsible for the Yuusha no Kuse Ni Namaikida (Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman!) games, for crying out loud!

A demo of the game, featuring three stages that won't be found in the final build, will hit the Japanese PSN on Jan. 21, according to andriasang.com, while the full game will hit store shelves (again, in Japan) a few weeks later on Feb. 18.

Hopefully it'll hop the pond (to Europe and the U.S.) shortly after ...

Maybe Capcom should call this Monster Hunter Crossing?

Andriasang.com's Anoop Gantayat made me a happy, happy guy today. Why, you ask? Well, he posted on his site a few details related to the upcoming PSP release, Monster Hunter Diary (aka Monhan Nikki Poka Poka Airu Mura).

Apparently, the game is a bit of a cross between Animal Crossing and Monster Hunter. Basically, players control one of the latter game's Airu characters and do what they can to attract other Airus to their village.

Players aren't restricted to their Airu village, however--quests appear to be a big part of the Monster Hunter Diary experience, with at least some (if not all) of those quests involving group hunts.

Hopefully this title will make it to the States at some point despite the dearth of Monster Hunter (and PSP) supporters on our shores.

NIS America: Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! 2 will be a twofer

PSP owners who passed on the original Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! because it was a download-only title can stop pouting: According to Amazon.com, Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! and its sequel will share space on a UMD that will hit store shelves on March 2 for the lower-than-low price of $29.99.

Here's a Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! 2 trailer, for anyone who hasn't seen it:

I know next to nothing about this game, but I want it anyway

I know two things about the game I'm referring to in the headline above: 1) It's called MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura (it's a spin-off of Monster Hunter, for those of you who haven't heard/seen the "MonHun" moniker before) and 2) It's cute as hell.

(OK, I also know that it's being developed by Capcom for the PSP--but that's almost a given right?)

What I don't know is sure to drive me crazy for months--or at least a few weeks days: Is it coming to the States? The folks over at Siliconera.com sure seem to think so--thanks in no small part to the URL for this teaser page (notice how it says "Felyne Village" instead of "Airu Mura").

Until we find out whether they're right or wrong, you'll find me scouring the Web for more info on this title. (You'll also find me staring at the recent Famitsu scans of the game that have been posted to the Wii@Everyday blog.)

First Classic Dungeon (PSP) footage looks ... classic

That's it. Sometime early next year I'm going to buy myself a PSP. Too many appealing games have been released (or are going to be released) for Sony's portly-yet-portable system for me to ignore it anymore.

Case in point, Nippon Ichi's soon-to-be-released (in Japan, at least) Classic Dungeon:



I mean, really, what's not to love? There's even an option to choose 8-bit-ified (that's a technical term) music to go along with the 8-bit-ish (another technical term) graphics.

Count me in for a copy should some brave company decide to bring it to our shores :)

Is that a logo in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

At first glance, the logo for the North American release of Cho Aniki Zero (thanks, Aksys Games!) isn't all that interesting. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it's uninteresting--or at least underwhelming.

Give it a second glance, or maybe a third, though, and you'll probably see why someone at my favorite portable-focused site found the logo to be NSFW:

I can't say I'd call it NSFW, but it's definitely a bit more risqué than I expected--especially given how tame most gaming companies are these days.

Another great (and oh-so-gay) piece of gaming PR

I'm not sure I'd say this Aksys Games press release is "better" than the one mentioned in my last post, but it's certainly gayer:

AKSYS GAMES BRINGS FORTH CHO ANIKI ZERO!

Behold! Drink Your Protein Shake And Witness The Birth Of The Manliest Shooter EVER!

Torrance, CA (October 13th, 2009) – Aksys Games, a publisher of interactive entertainment products, proudly brings you this announcement, in exaltation of all that is manly: in spring 2010, Cho Aniki Zero will be oiled up and ready to thrust its way onto your PSP (PlayStation Portable) system! Sold exclusively as a digital download through the PlayStation Store, Cho Aniki Zero gives players the chance to take part in an epic struggle alongside heroes Idaten and Benten as they blast through the muscle-bounded forces of Emperor Balzac II.

Cho Aniki Zero brings manliness back to the old-school shoot-em-up genre and, warps it to another dimension of sights and sounds. In Cho Aniki Zero, players will be introduced to brand-new characters and newly heightened experiences of rhythmic action, intertwined with the famous BGM of Kouji Hayama. Battle through five man-rageous levels of brotherly love and muscle-on-muscle madness!

The Story So Far…

Since the death of Balzac, the Builder Planet has celebrated a long period of peace.

However, as time goes by, protein becomes scarce, and protein deficiency is soon a serious problem for the Builder Planet. As people struggle for control over what protein is left, Balzac II begins his subtle rise to power…

Learning of his return, Idaten and Benten take up arms and begin their man-tastic voyage…

“Cho Aniki Zero is a real trip,” said Frank “Bo” deWindt II, Associate Producer, Aksys Games. “It’s wacky, hilarious, and just plain fun. Be it the crazy characters, the challenging gameplay, or even the out-of-this-world enemies, you’ll find yourself chugging down protein shakes between levels before you know it!”

Key Features:

• MUSCLE REIGNS SUPREME
Choose between Idaten and Benten, then select your “Option” (sidekick) such as Samson, Adon, or Micha & El. Defeat Emperor Balzac before he claims the universe’s protein for himself!

• MEN’S BEEEEEEEAM!
Too much man-action on the screen? Collect enough Man Protein to unleash the devastating attack of the Men’s Beam!

• IT’S RAINING MEN!
Blaze through five man-mazing levels of love, and bear witness to the birth and rebirth of some of the greatest bromances of all time!

• CHOOSE WISELY…
Cho Aniki Zero offers multiple paths that leads to various endings for our muscle-bound heroes!

Does anyone write better press releases than the folks at Atlus?

The answer to that question, of course, is an emphatic "no." Case in point, the Irvine, Calif.-based company's latest piece of PR wizardry:

ATLUS ENDS YEARS OF ALLEGEDLY NOT PRINTING ENOUGH COPIES OF GAMES AND THEN LAUGHING AT EMPTY-HANDED CUSTOMERS, RELEASES DIGITAL DOWNLOAD VERSIONS OF PSP® SYSTEM CLASSICS VIA PlayStation®NETWORK

Not you, though. We were only laughing at the other guys.

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA -- OCTOBER 23, 2009 -- Atlus U.S.A., Inc. today broke from its supposed practice of undersupplying the retail channel and guffawing as fans desperately scramble to find one of only dozens of copies of a game by releasing a number of titles from its PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system library via PlayStation®Network: Crimson Gem Saga™, Hammerin' Hero™, Yggdra Union™, Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament™, R-Type Command™, and Riviera: The Promised Land™. As digital downloads, the games no longer threaten fans with feelings of guilt and remorse for not pre-ordering or purchasing at launch, and instead now allow for pajama-clad living room shopping from an unlimited inventory.

"We've finally reached a point where, according to our physicians, any further laughing at our masterfully executed plan of never making enough copies of our games for everyone poses risks to our health," admitted Aram Jabbari, Manager of PR and Sales at Atlus. "In order to prevent illness, and because, hey, sometimes you just want to change things up, we're very pleased to offer PSP system classics via digital download. It may mean that we'll have to shut down our numerous online auction accounts, as we won't be able to hoard large quantities of our hard-to-find games and then slowly trickle them out at obscenely high prices anymore, but the end result will be better for everyone."

The Atlus PSP system legacy titles now available for digital download cover a broad range of genres, so whatever your fancy, there's something to strike it. If you prefer action-packed platforming, you'll love Hammerin' Hero. If you're more into hot-and-heavy mech-on-mech action, then Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament is right up your alley. Crimson Gem Saga offers classic RPG fans with an epic adventure laced with interesting characters and witty dialogue. Riviera: The Promised Land provides a unique take on the JRPG and an immersive story about a war between gods and demons, while strategy fans are sure to enjoy the deep, rewarding gameplay of Yggdra Union and R-Type Command.

I swear, if I lived in (or around) Irvine, Calif., instead of Seattle, I'd do whatever I could to secure a job in Atlus' PR department.