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

A somewhat gay review of Escape Goat (XBLIG)

Game: Escape Goat

Genre: Platformer/Puzzler

Developer: Magical Time Bean

Publisher: Magical Time Bean

System: Xbox 360

Release date: 2011

I'm sure this will sound weird to some, but games like Escape Goat were chiefly responsible for me getting off my butt and picking up an Xbox 360 just over a year ago. I know Microsoft's second console has plenty of high-quality "packaged" games, but I didn't buy the system for those. (Deadly Premonition being the exception, of course.) Rather, I bought it so I could play the accessible, attractive and cheap titles that are par for the course on the system's XBLA and XBLIG services and that can called upon whenever I find myself longing for a little digital entertainment but don't have a ton of time to expend on it. Well, the focus of this particular review checks all of those boxes and then some. For starters, Escape Goat keeps things simple by providing players with a fairly small set of moves--the titular (purple) goat can run, jump, double jump, dash and air dash, while his beady-eyed friend (an orange mouse) can squeeze into otherwise inaccessible areas--which allows them to focus on the devilishly puzzling stages that are packed into this downloadable title. Actually, I shouldn't suggest all of Escape Goat's Rube Goldberg-esque single-screen stages, each of which takes place in a prison of sorts (you've been locked up for practicing witchcraft, apparently) and tasks players with making their way from a starting point to a (typically blocked or locked) door while pushing blocks, hitting switches and avoiding various obstacles and enemies, are devilish--in reality, a good number of the first ones are quite easy. Many later levels are sure to stump all but the brainiest of gamers, though. Thankfully, the sounds and views that can be heard and seen while playing Escape Goat are appealing enough to make even the most stressful and confounding moments enjoyable (or at least acceptable). The title's wonderfully rendered graphics, for instance, evoke the good ol' days of the Genesis--always a good thing in the opinion of this aging gamer. Also a good thing: The little touches that are strewn throughout this title's 50 levels, like the humorous animation that's triggered whenever Mr. Goat nears the edge of a ledge. The game's soundtrack is similarly noteworthy and is comprised of a number of suitably-epic tunes. With all of that said, the only negative comment I can make about Escape Goat is that it ends a little too quickly and that it likely won't be a game you'll return to after beating it. Considering it'll set you back just a buck (80 Microsoft Points), though, that's really not much of a problem, is it?

See also: Previous 'somewhat gay' reviews

I'm still liking the looks of Etrian Odyssey IV

About two months ago, I suggested (in this post) that I was quite smitten with the polygonal enemies that are set to appear in Atlus' upcoming Etrian Odyssey IV. Do I still feel that way about the game's three-dimensional baddies after watching the latest trailer (below and here) for this 3DS title, which will hit the streets in Japan on July 5? Without a doubt.



What do all of you think of what you've seen of this latest entry in the hard-as-nails series of dungeon-crawling RPGs that's known in its homeland as Sekaiju no Meikyuu (aka Labyrinth of Yggdrasill)? Are you praying that Atlus localizes and releases it in your particular region, or could you care less about this title's outside-of-Japan prospects?

(Via andriasang.com)

I'd love to have a chat with the person selling this sealed copy of Bubble Bobble Part 2

Said conversation would begin, of course, with me asking the seller, "You're completely bonkers, aren't you?"

I can't think of a better question to ask someone who is trying to sell (via this auction) a factory-sealed copy of Bobble Bobble Part 2 for the oh-so-reasonable (insert eye roll here) price of $19,999.99.

Sure, the seller is accepting offers from interested parties, but I can't imagine any of them are going to walk away with this particular copy of the game for, say, a few hundred dollars (which, although a lot more than I'd personally be willing to spend on an NES title, is sure to be closer to what this one is worth) when all is said and done.

And then, of course, there's the fact that this eBay auction is for a copy of Taito's Bubble Bobble Part 2, a game that pales not only in comparison to its predecessor, but in comparison to that release's "real" sequels, Rainbow Islands and Parasol Stars, too. (Truth be told, I'd much rather play the oddly-expansive GameBoy title that goes by the same name than this ugly duckling of the series.)

Even if this not-made-by-Fukio-Mitsuji pseudo-sequel were the best game ever made, though, I guarantee you I wouldn't spend nearly $20,000 on it.

Much more likely to be bought by yours truly: The Famicom version of Bubble Bobble Part 2--in part because it can be purchased for a lot less than $19,999.99 and in part because I find its box art (which can be viewed here) a lot more appealing than the art (see above) that's plastered across the front of the North American release.