“[Investors are] telling Nintendo to trade their best players because of a down season. Nintendo’s real treasure isn’t the hardware or even the software, per se. It’s the good will, brand awareness, and nostalgia associated with their top games.
Nintendo has more console exclusives than any other device manufacturer, and they’re going to keep it that way for as long as they can, investors (hopefully) be damned.”
TechCrunch’s John Biggs drops some real talk on the investors and analysts pressuring Nintendo to bring its major franchises to smartphones (beyond The Pokemon Company’s iOS/Android app recently released in Japan).
Maybe it’s because I follow news on the company so closely, but analysts, investors, and even gamers who make these sort of droll demands seem so out of touch with Nintendo’s strengths and identity.
You might remember Peculiar Voyage: Escape from Cute, that homebrew clone of Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer. Not everyone has a flashcart (and not everyone who has a flashcart bothers with homebrew), so it’s likely you never got around to playing it.
Developer Crow has ported the game from DS to Android phones, and there seem to be a ton of those, so maybe people will actually try it out now. It also has a more accessible title: Voyage to Farland. You have to admit, as a city/country/realm, Farland sounds so… exotic!
Remember those tiny, neat Street Fighter IV joysticks that played game sound samples when you input the correct moves? It turns out that they’re not nearly as hard to acquire as I thought they would be. In fact, retailer Thinkgeek has discounted them to just $4 each, down from $13.
As of right now, only the Dhalsim and Chun-Li versions are available, but you didn’t want to be boring and get the Ryu one anyway. Not when you can have YOGA FIRE! in your pocket. You know Dhalsim is a yoga master, by the way, because he says the word “Yoga” all the time. If you do want a different one, however, Strapya has eight variations for $10 each.
Trailer for Soul of Darkness, another mobile port that hit DSiWare this morning. I’m sure the quality of this release is in line with Gameloft’s other mobile games that migrated to the DS download service, but if you’re in need of a Castlevania clone, at least this one’s only 500 Points.
Also, it has “exclusive camera features”, like the ability to overlay a photo of your face on the hero’s head. … As you’ll see in the video, it looks as dumb as it sounds.
I commented earlie that all of this week’s WiiWare / DSiWare games looked like crap — some disagreed and urged me to check out Pearl Harbor Trilogy – 1941: Red Sun Rising. And there’s a link so you can check it out, too!
Takahashi Meijin and Katamari Damacy, a new mobile game that I’ll never get to play and now I wish I’d never seen. Two multi-publisher crossover games were released at this week’s launch of the “DoCoDeMo Game” service for NTT DoCoMo phones. This game and “Bomberman x Pac-Man” (!) are both free and browser-based for subscribers to that Japan-only phone service.
Actually, given how much I like Takahashi Meijin and Katamari Damacy, it’s probably for the best that I never experience firsthand how crappy I’m sure this cash-in mobile game is.
Jaseiken Necromancer: Nightmare Reborn trailer. Even with enhanced graphics and other additions for this DSiWare game, it still looks just like the mobile version of Necromancer 2 it’s based on — the sequel to Japan-only horror RPG Jaseiken Necromancer for PC Engine.
Two awesome things I neglected to mention in my last post about the game, which might make this release worth it when it hits Japan next month for 800 points: super talented Japanese illustrator Shishizaru worked on the artwork and character designs for Nightmare Reborn. If you’re unsure who that is, he also contributed art to Culdcept Saga and Crimson Sea.
As for the other thing, remember how I commented that the soundtrack is bangin’? Well, it turns out that legendary composer Yuzo Koshiro (Ys, Etrian Odyssey) created the Opening, Field, and Battle music for Nightmare Reborn! Whaaaaaaatttttt?!
Hudson announced Jaseiken Necromancer: Nightmare Reborn, a fantasy/horror RPG coming to Japan’s DSiWare service next month, in the latest issue of Famitsu with this weird, Giger-esque artwork.
The downloadable game is a follow-up to Jaseiken Necromancer, a Japan-only PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 title released in 1988. That probably doesn’t mean much to the 95 percent of you who’ve never heard of the RPG, so here’s a super creepy commercial that will get you up to speed:
Yakuza theme for Japanese cell phones. For 315 yen ($3.50), Japanese phone owners can download this Yakuza (Ryu ga Gotoku) theme, featuring wallpapers and graphics for tasks like calling and sending messages. My phone can’t do anything like this! It’s nice to know that we can get amazing smartphones, and still be jealous of things available on pretty much any basic phone in Japan.
Though a realistic presentation of Tokyo is pretty much the series’ trademark, I’m kind of enthralled by the 8-bit Kamurocho on display in these images. A lower-budget, pixel-style Yakuza would be great! Or, to be topical, a low-budget, pixel-style Yakuza in 3D.
Mega Man Rush Marine gameplay footage. If you were wondering what the original Mega Man spinoff shmup for mobiles looks like in action… it looks like this. This is what it looks like.
The best game you’re not playing right now (unless you’re also not playing New Super Mario Bros. Wii).
Maestro is a lot more fun than I anticipated, and I had very high expectations for the rhythm platformer when I popped the cart in, especially after watching these gameplay clips. Unfortunately, it’s only out in Europe (with no U.S. plans announced yet), so you’ll need to import the title from some online retailer if you want to see how great it is.
Professor Layton’s London Life, the 100-hour RPG included with the puzzle series’s fourth game Professor Layton and the Devil’s Flute, releasing in Japan this November. Meanwhile, we’re just getting the second title!
Players unlock London Life after completing the main game, exploring the alternate/fantasy London that the Professor and his friends inhabit.
The RPG portion is developed by Brownie Brown, who you might recognize as the studio behind Magical Starsign and one of the contributors to Mother 3. London Life actually started out as a mobile game intended for Level-5’s ROID service in Japan.
Brownie Brown and Level 5 are also working on another DS project that looks an awful lot like Mother 3:
Titled Fantasy Life, the game isn’t a traditonal RPG, as it’s focus isn’t on combat. Andriasang’s description:
“You start the game off by creating your own avatar, going through a character create process which lets you set name, gender, physical appearance, and ‘Life’, the latter being the game’s name for your in-game job. Your choice of one of the game’s 20 lifes affects how the game plays out for you.
Each type of life requires that players undertake certain so-called ‘Life Quests’, which are quests that must be cleared daily. Once you’ve progressed through the game as one of these lifes, you’ll end up seeing what Level-5 refers to as a ‘small ending’. …
As you play through the game, you’ll have to keep track of your character’s ‘Rich’ and ‘Happy’ levels. Richness is a currency, reflecting your physical wealth. Happiness is a value which reflects how much heart you have. Raise your happiness, and you’ll find that you’re able to speak to people who might have not spoken to you before.”
