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The trailer for Kuru Kuru * Princess: Tokimeki Figure * Mezase! Vancouver. With the Winter Olympics starting up, one might have the sudden urge to pick up a game that has similar activities. There’s Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, naturally, and conveniently located at your local GameStop. But that would be too easy; why not head on over to Play-Asia and place an order for the game above instead?

As you can see, one assumes the role of a spirited but perhaps not quite ready for prime time ice skating hopeful, with the obvious goal being to get into gold medal worthy shape. Plus along the way, you’ll make some friends, maybe date a cute boy, and find that perfect outfit! I haven’t played it personally, but a friend of mine in Japan has, and has noted that the mini games are easily the best part, whereas the core skating component is surprisingly tricky.

Import: Kuru Kuru * Princess: Tokimeki Figure * Mezase! Vancouver

Guest post by Matt “Fort90” Hawkins

tags / kuru kuru princess / spike / ice skating / guest / olympics / fort90

/ permalink / / 2 years ago / Comments (View)

Epic gameplay video for Hokuto no Ken: Hokuto Shinken Denshōsha no Michi, the Fist of the North Star digital comic game for Nintendo DS (the good stuff starts around the 01:50 mark). This released in Japan back in 2008 and no one cared, but my love of stupid game ideas made sure that this title was always on my mind.

How exactly does one “play” a digital comic based on Fist of the North Star? Well, as manga panels pop up, marks appear over different enemies and objects, enabling you to hit vital points or complete other actions. Also, you get to hear Kenshiro make a lot of Bruce Lee noises.

My favorite part is around 02:45, when Kenshiro is wailing on some giant dude with like a hundred slaps, then you have to draw out a gesture to catch the girl he was holding hostage. Afterwards, as the brute laughs that you hardly left a mark, you get to turn your back to him and whisper, “You’re already dead” right before he explodes.

Import: Hokuto no Ken DS

See also: Hokuto no Doom

[Via NicoVideo]

tags / fist of the north star / spike / hokuto no ken / imports / ec

/ permalink / / 2 years ago / Comments (View)

Shiren 3 PSP: The First Hour →

Although by no means recent, the Shiren the Wanderer series of roguelike RPG adventures has observed a renewed interest from players after the release of the Mystery Dungeon episode on the DS, now hailed as cult classic. Last week I sat down to enjoy a a few hours of the new PSP port of the 2008 Wii game Fūrai no Shiren 3: Karakuri Yashiki no Nemuri-Hime, published in Japan by Spike this January 28th (and out in America on Wii this week, published by Atlus).

I was very pleased to find a game that was entirely in tune with the original purity of the Mystery Dungeon series, in spite of its use of all-new 3D graphics and high quality CGI sequences. Controls and gameplay also benefit from a few new additions — as I’ve stated in the extensive walk through article published today at Eastern Mind. Let’s hope, for the sake of PSP owners and general fans of the genre, that Atlus follows its own example by releasing an English version of this vintage-style treasure hunt.

Guest post by Bruno de Figueiredo

Import: Shiren the Wanderer 3 PSP

Buy: Shiren the Wanderer Wii

See also: Our interview with Atlus about Shiren the Wanderer Wii, Shiren DS 2 translation on hold as work on Torneko GBA roguelike begins

tags / bruno / guest / chunsoft / spike / shiren the wanderer / shiren / psp

/ permalink / / 2 years ago / Comments (View)

Three Japanese commercials for Shiren the Wanderer 4. These adverts may be sorely lacking in Jero, but I love the Banana Prince! Also, I imagine the cheerful tone of these commercials will lure in a few children who have no idea what they’re getting into with this punishing and unforgiving roguelike. Those monsters aren’t so cute when they team up to make sure you lose all that equipment you spent hours collecting and smithing!

So long as we’re watching odd videos for Japanese RPGs, please enjoy this rad live-action commercial for the upcoming Dragon Quest VI DS remake:

Preorder: Shiren the Wanderer Wii ($36.99)

Preorder Import: Fuurai no Shiren 4 - Kami no Hitomi to Akuma no Heso, Dragon Quest VI

Buy: Shiren the Wanderer DS ($13.66!!!)

[Via GoNintendo]

tags / mystery dungeon / shiren the wanderer / shiren the wanderer 4 / chunsoft / spike / imports / dragon quest vi / dragon quest / square enix / ec

/ permalink / / 2 years ago / Comments (View)

Vending machine selections in Kenka Bancho 4. Eastern Mind notes that Spike made a deal with Asahi Soft Drinks to populate the high school brawler with in-game versions of real Asahi vending machines, with real Asahi drinks like Mitsuya Cider, Dodekamin and that gross tea.

I am kind of a sucker for recognizable food brands in games, and I’m a total sucker for Japanese vending machines, which are unbelievably ubiquitous and offer a wide variety of beverages both cold and hot (how is this possible???) If only Kenka Bancho 4 had a Dydo-brand machine with the Ultra Cider I bought. I’d be a lot happier about having an avatar drink it than tasting it again myself.

tags / kenka bancho / spike / kenka bancho 4 / asahi / vending machine / jc

/ permalink / / 2 years ago / Comments (View)

Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 4 trailer. While Atlus USA is localizing the Shiren the Wanderer 3 to release for Wii in just three weeks, Chunsoft and Spike are busy working on StW 4 to ship in Japan late next month.

This video shows a lot of the new mechanics in this tropical island-bound adventure, like decreased nighttime visibility, tech/skill powers, morphing terrain, stronger monsters with auras, dungeon doors, and more. If you watch closely, you’ll also see Shiren eating a banana instead of a rice ball, and the pistol-shooting cowgirl companion.

Preorder: Shiren the Wanderer Wii ($36.99)

Preorder Import: Fushigi no Dungeon: Fuurai no Shiren 4 - Kami no Hitomi to Akuma no Heso

Buy: Shiren the Wanderer DS ($13.71!!!)

tags / shiren the wanderer 4 / shiren the wanderer / mystery dungeon / chunsoft / spike / ec

/ permalink / / 2 years ago / Comments (View)

Kencha Bancho: Badass Rumble just got a little bit awesomer. With Atlus handling the localization for this PSP title, the script is peppered with similar humor.

That doesn’t mean Atlus went all “Working Designs” with the translation; according to Eastern Mind, who I trust on matters of this sort, Kenka Bancho’s English release is “one of the best-ever adaptations/translations of a game originally designed in Japan.” High praise!

Eastern Mind also posted a diary with accompanying screenshots for the game’s first half-hour, and it’s as good an argument as any for why you should buy a copy. And if you need more convincing, hearing punk band The Blue Hearts sing “Train Train” over the Japanese trailer will get you hyped (Why didn’t Atlus use this song in its stateside promotions?! Totally dropped the ball there.):

Buy: Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble

See also: Kenka Bancho online music game

[Via Chandoog]

tags / atlus / csi / ec / kenka bancho / kenka bancho 3 / meme / spike / psp

/ permalink / / 2 years ago / Comments (View)

Shiren the Wanderer 4’s special attacks, Banana Prince, and dungeon gates. As previously covered, this DS follow-up will add “tech/skill” actions to Shiren repertoire, three of which are outlined above. I’m all for new ways to strike at multiple enemies without having to find a rare Razor Wind sword first! The Dragon Ball Z-esque Sandangeki move also looks particularly devastating.

I’m unsure what purpose the adorable Banana Prince serves, but I know that you eat bananas instead of rice to stave off your hunger this time around. Perhaps if you’re in a bind with no fruit in sight after descending several floors, you can peel his head as an emergency meal?

As for the dungeon gates, these can both help or harm you. While they can close off a room and give you an opportunity to pull off ranged attacks without fear of reprisal, the fences can also spring up to lock you in an area packed with monsters. These will be the death of many adventurers, I’m sure.

One last item I neglected to mention when I featured the Shiren the Wanderer (Wii) U.S. boxart: did anyone notice the missing Nintendo WiFi Connection symbol? Yes, it’s only a preliminary cover, and it doesn’t even have a final ESRB rating yet, but Atlus mentioned before that it might not bring over the game’s online’s features (pot trading, rescues, leaderboards, downloadable dungeons, multiplayer versus, etc.).

The publisher also recently told Nintendo Power that it will include the downloadable dungeons released in Japan as on-disc content for the U.S. localization. Sounds like Atlus might leave out online support due to its inexperience working with WiFi-connected Wii games.

Preorder: Shiren the Wanderer Wii ($39.99)

Buy: Shiren the Wanderer DS ($13.49!!!)

tags / spike / shiren the wanderer / shiren the wanderer 4 / mystery dungeon / chunsoft / imports / ec

/ permalink / / 2 years ago / Comments (View)

As promised, Shiren the Wanderer 3’s boxart remains intact for its North American release next Spring, though Atlus did use a questionable Papyrus knockoff for “The Wanderer”. I showed JC the new cover, and he responded, “Looks like Shiren: The Crocodile Hunter”.

The new packaging art also uses a lame gradient effect on the logo — the original gradient was much more attractive. What’s up with Atlus and its terrible logo gradients lately, anyway? Here’s SMT: Strange Journey’s U.S. box:

Did Atlus travel back in time and hire a new artist fresh from the 1994 U.S. anime industry?

Back to Shiren the Wanderer 3, you might have heard that publisher Spike is porting the roguelike to PSP with six new dungeons and balance changes. I hope Atlus will include those additions with the Wii verson’s U.S. localization!

Preorder: Shiren the Wanderer Wii ($39.99)

Buy: Shiren the Wanderer DS ($13.99!!!)

[Via Grandjedi6]

tags / atlus / shiren the wanderer / chunsoft / boxart / papyrus / mystery dungeon / shiren the wanderer 3 / shin megami tensei / strange journey / psp / spike / ec

/ permalink / / 2 years ago / Comments (View)

Shiren and Koppa overlooking a hamlet tucked away in the forest. For no valid reason, I’m convinced Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 4 new setting, a tropical island, will do more harm than good with freshening the roguelike’s atmosphere (despite the bulk of the game’s dungeons taking place underground). The anime art style Chunsoft employed fails to ease my concerns.

Then again, Link’s Awakening shipwrecked the series onto an island, and that was the best Zelda game ever. Plus, this backdrop change allows Koppa to talk to monkeys, who I suspect will help the pair on their quest.

Shiren 4’s plot is kind of wackadoodle: The hero and his weasel washed up onto island’s shore after a shipwreck, and the natives presume Shiren is a demon. Before they can burn him at the stake, however, a girl named Kamina takes pity on the strange foreigner (as bored women stuck on an island are wont to do) and tries to save him.

The village’s Jaguar priest — which is a dude wearing a Jaguar mask and gloves/boots, King-style — threatens to roast Kamina instead unless Shiren can prove he’s not a demon by doing his dungeon crawling thing and bringing back the Jaguar’s Eye.

You can see a few new screenshots from Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 4’s introduction here.

Import: Shiren the Wanderer DS 2 ($48.90)

Preorder: Shiren the Wanderer Wii ($39.99)

Buy: Shiren the Wanderer DS ($17.99)

[Image via NB]

tags / mystery dungeon / shiren the wanderer / chunsoft / spike / imports / nb / fanart / ec

/ permalink / / 2 years ago / Comments (View)

Shiren the Wanderer 4 JP official site →

Chunsoft and Spike posted their Japanese site for Shiren the Wanderer 4, giving you a dozen screenshots and a better look at the fuzzy artwork posted earlier this week.

The teaser page also highlights the game’s changes. The text is all in Japanese, but NeoGAF poster Duckroll graciously provided translations for these intriguing details, which I’ve pasted in full below:

Day/Night cycle. Dungeons have day and night cycles now. At night it gets dark and you need tools to light up the environment to see around you. Enemy types will also change depending on whether it is day or night, and even the same monsters might have different behaviors and require different tactics.
Morphing terrain. The terrain in dungeons can sometimes shift and change on their own as you explore. You gotta keep on your toes because the shifting nature of a dungeon’s terrain could mean what was once a safe spot is suddenly something which you might have to consider carefully next.
Monster auras. Random versions of normal monsters can have an aura around them now, which makes them stronger than the regular version of that monster. There are different colors of auras which also determine their enhanced abilities, learning the different colors will help you change your approach to these special monsters.

Doors in dungeons. Within the dungeons in the game, there are now doors which can activate. They can trap or block the movements and attacks of both Shiren as well as monsters. There are various different types of doors which operate differently throughout the game.

Notice that my original interpretation of the dungeon doors was incorrect, as it can apply to any entrance, not just shops. This is going to be a bitch with monster rooms.

Import: Shiren the Wanderer DS 2 ($48.90)

Preorder: Shiren the Wanderer Wii ($39.99)

Buy: Shiren the Wanderer DS ($17.99)

tags / chunsoft / spike / shiren the wanderer / mystery dungeon / official site / imports / ec

/ permalink / / 2 years ago / Comments (View)

Shiren 4 (DS) announced for Japan

As we wait for Atlus’ official Shiren 3 (Wii) localization due next Spring and Xvirus’ unofficial Shiren DS 2 (a remake of the second GBC game) translation patch, the latest Famitsu revealed Shiren 4 for DS, releasing in Japan this Winter.

Here’s what I’ve picked up about the game so far:

Chunsoft is developing it, with Dragon Quest composer and nationalist nut Koichi Sugiyama again working on the music
Spike, not Sega, is publishing the game in Japan
The game takes place on an island that Shiren and Koppa have shipwrecked on
Fitting with the island setting, you eat bananas
There is a day and night cycle, which brings out different monsters, affects your vision distance, and has other effects depending on the time
Some monsters have an “aura” that you can see, indicating enhanced abilities/effects
A fence of spears shoots up and blocks the entrance of dungeon shops (perhaps this only happens once you pick up an item?)
Though unavailable until later in the game, Shiren has a new “Tech” action along with his normal attacks, enabling him to pull off special attacks like hitting multiple monsters

Please keep in mind that my Japanese isn’t as advanced as JC’s — my translation skills being limited to using Babel Fish — so it’s possible some of my details are inaccurate.

I’m also unsure about the new anime-style artwork; it’s not nearly as epic, detailed, or attractive as the art in previous games. Apparently there’s a cowgirl, a pirate, and some sort of sea creature in the game? Perhaps they’re your new companions, replacing Kechi, Oryu, and Pekeji. And, um, is that a floating banana guy at the top right?

I suspect the huge tiger will play a prominent role — I mean, he’s in the logo and all. There will probably be a ton of monkeys, too. Hopefully, they’ll be as useful and memorable as the monkeys in Link’s Awakening and Link to the Past, but I doubt they will be.

Import: Shiren the Wanderer DS 2 ($48.90)

Preorder: Shiren the Wanderer Wii ($39.99)

Buy: Shiren the Wanderer DS ($17.99)

tags / shiren the wanderer / chunsoft / spike / imports / koichi sugiyama / mystery dungeon / ec

/ permalink / / 2 years ago / Comments (View)

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