Nice Package! (Dōbutsu Banchō, GameCube)

Before we get to the meat of this post, I'd like to ask you a question: Why do you think I bought the copy of Dōbutsu Banchō (or Doubutsu Banchou) showcased in the photos below? Here are your options:

A) I was a huge fan of the Atlus-published North American version of the game, Cubivore, back in the day

B) I got its title confused with the Japanese title for Nintendo's Animal Crossing series (Dōbutsu no Mori)

C) I liked its cover art

If you went with option "C," go ahead and give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back.

Actually, go ahead and give your back a little pat, too, if went with option "A." Although I wasn't a huge fan of Cubivore back in the day--how could I have been? I never played it--I definitely knew of the game and the positive word of mouth associated with it.



Add those two components together and you've got a good explanation as to why I purchased the copy of Dōbutsu Banchō seen above and below when I came across it on eBay just over a month ago.

As those snapshots should make clear, this GameCube title's packaging is on point in all respects. OK, so the backside of its outer sleeve (see above) is a bit boring, but the rest of it is so intriguing I'm not too bothered by it.

My favorite part of Dōbutsu Banchō's packaging (or whatever you want to call the game's outer sleeve, case, disc and instruction manual) is its blood-covered disc, by the way.

As for the game's manual, I'm not entirely sure why I failed to take any photos of it. I guess this means I have to whip up another "Manual Stimulation" post as soon as possible--as long as it isn't a complete dud.

With all of that said, have any of you played either Dōbutsu Banchō or Cubivore? If so, what did you think of the experience? Let me and others know in the comments section of this post.

See also: previous 'Nice Package!' posts

Let's ogle six lovely examples of Japanese PS4 and Vita cover art

To know me is to know I love a good piece of game box art.

Sure, most of the cover art I shine a light on here is of the "retro" variety, but that doesn't mean I turn my nose up at more modern offerings. Consider the following, all of which make me feel warm and tingly inside:

Birthdays the Beginning (PS4)--Although this game is still a bit of a mystery to me, that isn't keeping me from wanting it with all my might. Sadly, I'm unlikely to buy Birthdays the Beginning--even the North American release, which will hit the streets here early next year--because I don't currently own a PS4 and because I doubt that'll change in 2017. Oh, well, staring at its Japanese cover art (above) brings me so much joy that it (almost) makes up for the fact I'll likely never experience its gameplay.

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 6 Gentou Rondo (Vita)--This one's a Japanese otome game, which means there's no way a copy of it is going to find its way into my collection anytime soon. (Not because I hate otome games, mind you; rather, it's because I can't even imagine attempting to play through an otome game in Japanese at this point in time.) If some brave company were to release an English version of this title, though, I'd buy it in a second--as long as the company in question retained its brilliant Japanese box art, of course.

Nier: Automata (PS4)--I may not be as hot to trot about Nier: Automata as your average "gamer," but I'm certainly hot to trot about its beautifully stark Japanese cover art. Granted, I'm a huge Akihiko Yoshida fanboy, so I guess my interest should've been expected?

Princess wa Kane no Mouja (Vita)--This piece of box art, for the upcoming title Western gamers often refer to as The Princess is Money-Hungry, is as bright and colorful as Nier: Automata's is dreary. I especially love its funky logo, which--appropriately enough--seems to be bathing in gold and silver coins.

SaGa: Scarlet Grace (Vita)--OK, so I'm no longer so sure I'm going to pick up this latest entry in Square Enix's odd SaGa series. (This despite the fact that I've got a huge crush on earlier entries that were released for the GameBoy, Super Famicom and PlayStation.) I am sure I like SaGa: Scarlet Grace's Japanese box art, though. Is it on the simple side in terms of design? Definitely. Still, it seems fitting for a title that'll hopefully end up being a compellingly strange RPG.

Touhou Shinpiroku ~ Urban Legend in Limbo (PS4)--This box art is for an upcoming PS4 brawler, if you can believe it. Fighting games usually prompt me to yawn, but this one has my attention thanks to its eye-popping cover illustration. Does this mean I'd probably buy Touhou Shinpiroku if I had a PS4 console? I doubt it. I'd definitely buy a poster-sized version of the above, though.

See also: 'Eight Vita games I'm planning to buy (and play) later in 2016 or as soon as possible in 2017' and 'Six Vita games I may buy (and play) later in 2016 or as soon as possible in 2017'

Your new favorite tumblr: Katakana Kitten

OK, so maybe Katakana Kitten isn't your new favorite tumblr, but it's definitely mine.

Why? A quick look at this unique tumblog's description should help explain things: "Hellow, I'm Midori. I know some Japanese. This blog posts one example of katakana usage a day, usually from video games. Please use these posts to bolster your own Japanese studies."

Here's a recent example of the kind of content Midori has published on Katakana Kitten since the tumblog debuted last December:





She always follows up the screenshot and katakana sample with a short blurb about the game in question, too. Here's the text she typed up for Clock Tower:

"A noteworthy point-and-click horror game originally made for the Super Famicom, developed by Human Entertainment, 1995. Much of the game’s content and style was inspired by the work of horror film director Dario Argento."

In other words, not only can Katakana Kitten help boost your Japanese language abilities, but it also can broaden your knowledge of Japanese video games. Now if we could just convince Midori to start a second tumblr devoted to hiragana or even kanji usage in games...

Six North American and Japanese Vita games I may buy (and play) later in 2016 or as soon as possible in 2017

In my last post, I chatted about eight North American and Japanese Vita games I'm going to do everything I can to buy and play between now and, say, this time next year.

I'd also like the buy and play the ones mentioned in this write-up, but I'm far less likely to do so--and for a slew of different reasons (which change from game to game).

Keep reading to find out which titles I'm talking about here and why I'm not 100 percent sure I'll purchase them in the next six or eight months.



Alone With You--Although I've been curious about this game since it was first announced, I've cooled on it since reading some mighty negative reviews of it on line. Still, I can't help but want to see for myself if all the criticism is warranted, as I really like its art style and I also like the idea of supporting creative indie developers.



Caligula--And here's another game I started out wanting, only to find myself wanting it less and less as I came across more and more negative impressions of it on NeoGAF, Twitter and elsewhere. Given that, I have a feeling this is the least likely of all the Vita games discussed in this particular post to find its way into my collection.

SaGa: Scarlet Grace--In what world is a new SaGa game (or even a new game clearly inspired by Square Enix's SaGa series, like The Alliance Alive) only a possible pick-up for me? In a world where pretty much every second of gameplay footage released for the new SaGa game makes it look like a complete mess at best. Seriously, while the first Scarlet Grace screenshots suggested the title would be a serious return to form for creator Akitoshi Kawazu, seeing it in action prompted a change of heart that now has me assuming the opposite. I may buy a copy of it anyway, though, simply because I love SaGa and can't imagine ignoring one of its too-rare entries.



Steins;Gate 0--I've heard only great things about the Steins;Gate franchise. In fact, all of that positive chatter is what pushed me to buy the first Steins;Gate Vita game after it hit store shelves in my neck of the woods last year. So why am I not itching to purchase this precursor, too? Because I've yet to even open the aforementioned copy of the original. It's still in the running to be picked up sometime late this year or early next, though, because I'm worried that once I finally play Steins;Gate I'll wish I could follow it up with Steins;Gate 0.



Tokyo Xanadu--Full disclosure: I have very little experience with Nihon Falcom-made games. In fact, I'm pretty sure Ys I & II and Ys III are the only ones I've played to date. I'd like to change that by picking up this highly regarded action RPG--which supposedly feels a lot like the modern Ys titles, actually. The question is: when will Aksys Games bring it to our shores? All that's known about Tokyo Xanadu's North American release at the moment is it'll hit store shelves here sometime in 2017.



Yomawari--As is the case with The Longest 5 Minutes, which I mentioned in my last post. I already own the Japanese version of this game. I'm contemplating getting the just-released North American version as well, though, because I'd really like to understand everything when I finally play through it. Or maybe I should just use this as an opportunity to improve my Japanese language skills?

Are any of you also looking to buy and play one or more of these North American or Japanese Vita games in the coming months? If so, which ones? Let me know in the comments section that follows.

Eight North American and Japanese Vita games I'm planning to buy (and play) later in 2016 or as soon as possible in 2017

The recent unveiling of the Switch did more than prompt me to contemplate all the things I may or may not be able to do with Nintendo's next console after I get my hands on one next March.

It also prompted me to contemplate all the non-Switch games I'm planning to pick up between now and then--and perhaps even after.

As the headline above hopefully makes clear, this post focuses on the many Japanese and North American Vita titles that I'm aiming to buy (and obviously play) later in 2016 or at some point in 2017.

A follow-up post that'll be published in a couple of days will cover the Vita games I'm considering buying during the same period of time, while a later post will tackle the slew of North American and Japanese 3DS games that are likely to land on my doorstep in the coming six months or so.



2064: Read Only Memories--It's kind of weird (some might say sad) that I'm starting this list with a port that may never see the light of day, isn't it? After all, developer MidBoss "indefinitely delayed" the Vita version of this LGBTQ-inclusive cyberpunk adventure a couple of months ago. Still, I'm holding out hope it'll eventually be released, as I'm desperate to play it and I really don't want to have to do it using my MacBook.



Crypt of the NecroDancer--I salivated over this game from the time it was first announced to the time it hit the Vita early in 2016. (It was a messy year or two, I admit.) So why have I dragged my feet in terms of buying it? Because I've barely turned on my Vita or played any of its games this year, that's why. That's not a rip on Sony's second handheld or its catalog of titles, by the way; the fact is I've simply been too busy and too stressed out this year to play more than the occasional 3DS or retro game. Thankfully, things will be much different next year--hell, they may be much different in a few days--so don't be surprised if I start chatting about this curious mash-up of the rhythm and roguelike genres sooner rather than later.



Dragon Quest Builders--Of all the "definitely buying later this year or early next" games discussed in this post, this Minecraft clone is the one I want the most. The main reason for that, I've got to sheepishly admit, is that it looks amazing. I especially love how Square Enix's artists have translated Akira Toriyama's character designs into 3D. On top of its delicious visuals, though, Dragon Quest Builders also seems like a ton of fun.



The Longest 5 Minutes--I already have the Japanese version of this weird Nippon Ichi title (known as World's Longest 5 Minutes on that side of the pond), which is one part RPG and one part visual novel. Oh, and let's not forget the two parts gorgeous 8-bit-esque graphics. Still, I'm thinking of double-dipping (NIS America announced in August it's prepping an English release for sometime in 2017), as I doubt the text in the Japanese original will make much sense to me anytime soon.



Princess wa Kane no Mouja--If the name to the left has you scratching your head, how about The Princess is Money-Hungry? The latter is the former loosely translated into English. For more information on it, check out these posts I published about it in August. Anyway, don't expect me to pre-order Princess wa Kane no Mouja or even pick it up shortly after it hits the streets in Japan late next month. Not only won't I have the time or attention span for it until early 2017, but I'd like to give NIS America a chance to announce a Western release before biting the bullet. (Of course, I may purchase a boxed Japanese copy regardless, as I have a feeling a North American version will be digital-only.)



New Danganronpa V3--Surely NIS America will bring this latest entry in Spike Chunsoft's series of horror-tinged visual novels to Western shores, right? Assuming that's the case, I'll definitely add it to my surprisingly extensive collection of Vita games as soon as is possible--despite the fact that I've yet to finish the first Danganronpa or even start the second.



Shiren The Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate--Although I placed a pre-order for this portable roguelike as soon as I was able to do so a few months ago, I canceled it just before release when I realized I wouldn't be able to play it anytime soon. I've seen so many positive tweets about it since then, though, that now I'm kicking myself for passing on it. So, the current plan is to convince someone in my life to buy it for me as a birthday or Christmas present. If that doesn't pan out, I'll buy it for myself.



VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action--What do we have here? Yes, another in-limbo Vita port of an indie PC game I'm absolutely itching to play. And this one's supposedly getting a (limited, I'm guessing) physical release, which is making the wait seem even more interminable. I guess the good news here is I think the VA-11 HALL-A Vita port is more likely to happen than the 2064: Read Only Memories Vita port, so at least I'll probably get to play one of these curiosities before the end of 2017.

Are any of you also looking to purchase one or more of these Japanese or North American Vita games in the coming months? If so, which ones?

If you've already played some of these titles, by the way, please let me (and others) know what you thought of them in the comments section below.