LEGO GameBoy Color

I don't know about you, but I think the only way the mock GameBoy Color, made out of LEGO blocks, seen in the photo below (it's on the left) could be any more impressive would be if its screen displayed an overly pixelated approximation of one of the portable system's most popular games, like Super Mario Land or Tetris.

Of course, it's possible (perhaps even likely) that attempting such a thing would have ruined the illusion, isn't it?



To see this crafty creation from a number of different angles, check out the photostream of Flickr user lego27bricks.

See also: The million or so LEGO Pokémon posts I've published on this blog thus far

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Excitebots edition)

Did you know that for the last two years Monster Games' wacky Wii racer, Excitebots: Trick Racing, has been a US-only title? No worries if you didn't, as it'll lose that distinction shortly thanks to the fact that it's being prepped for release in Japan.

Don't go looking for it on Japanese store shelves, though; the game, now called Excite Mou-Machine, will be offered to that country's Wii owners as a Club Nintendo bonus.

The game got more than a new name before it boarded its plane to Japan. As you'll see below, it got a new look, too. For the sake of comparison, here's the North American version's box art:

And this is the art that will grace the cover of the Japanese release:

Which one do you prefer? Personally, I prefer Excite Mou-Machine's box art, although I'm sure I'm in the minority. Don't get me wrong, I quite like Excitebots' art--mainly because it does a much better job of depicting the title's gameplay--just not as much as I like the quirky, Pokémon-esque cover of its Japanese counterpart.

(Via andriasang.com)

Reason #395 I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

I will, at some point in the not-so-distant future, pick up copies of two Famicom RPGs: Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Why? Simply put: I'm completely in love with each game's box art. I mean, just look at the luscious illustration that graced the Japanese cover of Final Fantasy:



The box art produced for the original Dragon Quest, below, is equally drool-worthy, in my humble opinion.



Admittedly, I don't know a lick of Japanese, but I've played through both of these titles enough times--Final Fantasy especially--that I probably could beat them with my eyes closed, so doing so without being able to understand the text on the screen shouldn't be much of a problem.

Crazy-early impressions of Cladun X2

I've only played Cladun X2 for about an hour and a half thus far, but those 90 or so minutes were more than enough for me to form a few just-barely-educated opinions of this pixelated, PSP-based roguelike.

Here they are, in no particular order:

* This game's soundtrack is as sexy and jazzy as ever. Which is great, because there's nothing quite like racing through a dungeon full of foes while such tunes accompany every hack, slash and step.

* Although Cladun X2 features a number of new character and weapon sprites, the rest of its graphics are either identical to the ones seen in its predecessor or so similar that they may as well be identical. I don't have a problem with that, but I'm guessing some folks will be upset that this sequel isn't a bit more visually unique.

* I'm already in love with--and putting to good use--this game's expanded class and weapon options. Case in point: The very first character I created--something that is forced on the player this time around, by the way, and right off the bat too--was a pink-haired "saint" (whose special skill slays the undead) and one of the first weapons I found for her was a bow.

* I hate to admit this, but I'm finding myself a bit confused and even overwhelmed by all of the numbers that now crowd the game's heads-up display. The original game's HUD was clean and simple--the polar opposite of what I stare at (and attempt to decipher) while playing Cladun X2.

I'll share some slightly more informed opinions (as well as an actual review) of the game after I've spent more time with it, but in the meantime the ones above should give all of you Cladun-curious folks at least a bit of an idea as to what you can expect to encounter if you buy and play this System Prisma-developed title.

See also: Previous Cladun X2 posts

I'm curious about Beyond the Labyrinth (3DS) despite the fact that it looks kind of crappy

Why? Before I reply, watch this recently released trailer:  



Admittedly, the trailer above doesn't give us much of an idea as to what we'll be doing while playing this tri-Ace-developed title. I mean, will we actually battle baddies and such, as is typically the case in dungeon crawlers, or will be simply bound through the titular labyrinth (labyrinths?) like lost puppies?

I'm likely alone (or almost alone) in feeling this way, but I wouldn't mind at all if Beyond the Labyrinth, which will be published by Konami at some future point in time, were more about the latter than the former--or, to put it another way, if it focused more on puzzles and exploration (à la Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon or even ICO) than on combat.

Anyway, back to my answer to the question raised by this post's headline (Why am I curious about Beyond the Labyrinth despite the fact that it looks kind of like a regular ol' DS game?): I'm curious about it because of the sense of wonder and even whimsy suggested in the teaser above.

Speaking of which, I can't be the only guy who let an "awwww" escape his lips after seeing what I believe to be the game's protagonist stumble in the trailer's final seconds, can I?

(Via andriasang.com and tinycartridge.com)