Dad update #174

It's been a while (over a month, I think) since I published my last "dad update," so I thought I'd rectify that today.

The biggest news of the last few weeks is that my dad is walking again. He needs the assistance of a walker (or some contraption that's like a walker--I don't completely understand my mom's description of the one-handed device he's currently using to get around), at the moment, but even that's pretty amazing when you consider he only took his first steps about two-and-a-half weeks ago.

When will he take his first, unassisted steps? No one really knows. I'm hopeful he'll take them eventually, though, and that's all that matters to me right now.

Things are going well for him in other areas, too. He's talking more whenever we chat via FaceTime, and he's eating and drinking fairly normally at this point--although he still has some difficulty in swallowing "thin liquids" like water, something that seems to be an issue for many folks who suffer strokes.

As much progress as he's made in the last two months, though, my dad still has quite a way to go before he can return home with my mom. His left arm is still too weak to be used for much of anything, for instance, and his body is pretty weak overall, too.

Here's hoping that his progress continues in the coming days, weeks and months and that he and my mom are able to return to some semblance of normalcy as soon as possible.

See also: Previous posts about my dad

Manual Stimulation: Mr. Driller A (GameBoy Advance)

By Anne Lee

Mr. Driller A, or Mr. Driller Ace: Wonderful Pacteria, never made it outside of Japan, and it's a real shame, as it's my favorite title in the series (but I don't claim to be much of an authority). Though the manual isn't particularly outstanding, it does feature the series' iconic art style in the form of some character illustrations and screenshots.

This manual is surprisingly large for a puzzler, but most of the pages really aren't all that exciting. The first, and arguably my favorite, features a silly illustration of Susumu and his sidekick dog Puchi looking bewildered at a "Pacteria," the weird black blob thing that makes an appearance in the game's subtitle. Gotta love the professor urging Susumu to uncover the mysteries of the Pacteria, and the words "New Essence" splashed across the top left page.

Character pages are usually pretty fun, and this one's no different. Anyone familiar with Dig Dug should recognize the fellow down in the bottom-left corner! That's Taizou, Suzumu's father and main character of the iconic Dig Dug series. His birthdate, 1982, is the year Dig Dug was first released in arcades.

The subsequent pages are all relatively standard "how to play" fare. I wonder what's so wonderful about those Pacteria?

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Theatrhythm Final Fantasy edition)

In exactly two months, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy will hit the streets in the U.S. (This music-based 3DS title will be released in Europe a few days later, on July 6. I'm not sure when it will be made available elsewhere.)

Surprisingly, the graphic designers at Square Enix have used the three months since the game's Japanese debut to rework its box art.

Below, for instance, is the rather classy illustration that graces the cover of the Japanese version of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.

The North American release (which can be pre-ordered here), on the other hand, will feature the following, re-jiggered box art:

Although initially I was impressed with the latter iteration's colorful cover art, after reflecting on it a bit I think it's just a bit too cluttered. Also, the logo is kind of tiny, don't you think?

So, I'm giving the nod to the Japanese packaging this time around. How about you--do you prefer one piece of box art over the other? Also, are any of you planning on picking up Theatrhythm Final Fantasy after it hits store shelves in your particular territory?

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts

Who wouldn't want to play a Famicom game called Pooh Goes for a Swim?

Especially when its cart art is as adorable as this:

Sadly, Pooh Goes for a Swim isn't a real Famicom game. Rather, it was conjured up for this year's My Famicase Exhibition, which annually collects a mountain of fake Famicom cartridge art and then displays them on line and in Tokyo's Meteor shop.

Another My Famicase Exhibition game that I'd love to play: Super Mosaic Maker. According to its creator's description, this faux Famicom puzzler puts players in the shoes of a porn maker. Specifically, it gives them the chance to pixelize the naughty bits of an adult film during post-production.

I'm also pretty fond of the following My Famicase Exhibition entrant, although I have to confess I have no idea as to what its title is or what the point of it is. In my mind, though, it involves running and hiding from a pompadour'd bully a la Human Entertainment's spooky Clock Tower series.

To see the rest of the carts that are included in My Famicase Exhibition 2012, check out famicase.com.

(Via tinycartridge.com)

Acquisition #130: Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection

Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection is one of those games I've had my eye on for some time but haven't picked up (well, until a few weeks ago) because I just wasn't interested enough in it (despite the fact that the SNES original is one of my all-time-favorite RPGs) to spend $19.99 on it.

When I saw that some third-party Amazon seller was hawking this compilation--which combines Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years onto a single PSP UMD--for less than $10, though, I couldn't help but hand over my hard-earned cash.

The only hitch, which I sadly didn't discover until the game arrived on my doorstep, was that said Amazon seller wasn't hawking the North American release of Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection; rather, it was hawking the European release.

Truth be told, I'd prefer to own the North American copy--mainly because I like its box art more than I like the garish art that graces the packaging of the Euro version. I don't think the North American cover art is worth spending an addition $10, though, so I've decided to keep, rather than return, the copy that can be seen on the right.

Alas, I've yet to open my copy of Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection. (I'm starting to sound like a broken record in this regard, aren't I?) Rest assured that as soon as I do so I'll let all of you know what I think of this curious PSP release.

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts