Kimimi's Blog

Patlabor: Chapter of Griffon

2012-02-29T09:11:00.001Z

Original Title	機動警察パトレイバー～グリフォン編
Format	PC Engine (Super CD-ROM)
Genre	Adventure
Developer	Riverhill Soft
Official Website	N/A

Released in 1993 exclusively for the PC Engine, Chapter of Griffon is an adventure game based on the popular Patlabor manga/anime series. The player takes control of Ingram pilot Noa Izumi, using a menu system to move her between available locations, talk to people, and look around. A good amount of dialogue is voiced, and this voice work is done by the original anime voice cast. To add some life to the still images Riverhill Soft created the Active Window System - certain scenes have an additional smaller window overlay showing a short animation. While adventure games of this type are quite linear Patlabor offers some degree of freedom in that Noa may freely move around and talk to people even if interaction with that scene or character doesn't advance the plot. As well as charting the epic struggle of Ingram vs Griffon, the disc also contains an impressive wealth of extras. There's a Labor-themed Janken (AKA rock, paper, scissors) game, interviews with the cast, information on key members of Headgear (the creators of Patlabor), a short radio drama, Labor technical specs (voiced by cast members), an animation viewer and a selection of adverts for the game.

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【ニコニコ動画】PCエンジン　機動警察パトレイバー「グリフォン篇」　1/4

Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madoushi

2012-02-21T12:17:00.001Z

Original Title	二ノ国漆黒の魔導士
Format	Nintendo DS
Genre	RPG
Developer	Level Five
Official Website	Here

Ni no Kuni is a turn based RPG from videogame developer Level Five and in collaboration with legendary animation company Studio Ghibli. The game stars Oliver, a young boy who recently lost his mother in a tragic accident on a quest to the titular Ni no Kuni in an attempt to bring her back. On his quest he finds that this second world has many similarities to his own… The DS version of the game come with a Magic Master – a book stuffed full of spells, information, and stories about the world of Ni no Kuni. However this is more than fluff; Oliver carries an identical one in the game and the player should consider theirs a prop replica – when Shizuku asks Oliver to scribe a particular rune from his Magic Master the player must search through their own book for the correct spell. This has lead to some accusations of it being little more than a glorified copy protection device, but this couldn't be further from the truth. For those that can read it, the Magic Master is filled with relevant plot-enhancing information, cleverly hidden in illustrations and tales of old. There are additional quests unlocked once the game is completed that center around the Magic Master and translating some of the text found within it (as the ancient runes in the book match up to a Japanese hiragana chart). The runes within the Magic Master are at the very heart of the game; some are explicitly taught to Oliver and must be used to advance the story, but many more remain unused unless the player takes the time to read the descriptions and try them out in (possibly) relevant situations. The battle system is mostly magic based – two out of the three human characters rely on spells and songs almost exclusively, using healing, offensive and enhancing spells as needed. Marl can also charm enemies and have them become a permanent member of the team. Every monster in the game that is not a boss or character can be charmed and then trained through their own evolution tree to create a new customised Imajinn. These battles are fought on a 3x3 grid with the enemy lined up in a single row on the other side. As is to be expected characters closer to the front gain a boost in attack power but lose out in defense and vice versa, but formation also plays an important role too. The player is free to have out any combination of Imajinn and characters they choose (from a party of nine) in any of the available spaces on the battlefield, and swap them around without penalty during a fight. This is important as units in front can protect weaker characters standing directly behind them or be moved out of the way of a powerful attack. Downloadable quests are available, as well as local wi-fi Imajinn battling and trading. Once the main game is completed a kind of "new game+" mode opens up, only rather than restarting the game from the beginning it continues on from the end and unlocks a new area and new quests. The PS3 release has many differences to the DS version of the game; story events play out differently and the battle system is much different. Japanese mobile phone users were able to download a prequel adventure called "Hotroit Stories Chapter 1: Oliver and Mark", although it appears that no further chapters were produced.

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Monster Hunter Dos

2012-02-16T15:04:00.001Z

Original Title	モンスターハンター2
Format	Playstation 2
Genre	Action
Developer	Capcom
Official Website	Here

Monster Hunter 2 made a lot of significant additions to the already successful formula, expanding the idea in just about every way imaginable. The bow, gunlance, long sword and hunting horn weapon types all made their debut here, as did monsters like Kushala Daora, Yama Tsukami and Congalala. Recurring areas like Snowy Mountains and Volcano were also first introduced in Dos. Dos also brought seasons and day/night cycles to the series; areas and the enemies within them change depending on the time of day and whether it's the hot, cold, or breeding season – some areas are completely off limits at certain times of year, forcing hunters to go questing elsewhere. The value of particular species fluctuates with these passing seasons too, hunters can earn extra zenny by keeping an eye on the wanted board and making a beeline for higher value targets. Online was not ignored, and as with the previous two PS2 titles players were welcome to head on over to new town Dondurma for exclusive online hunts and multiplayer cooperative action. Dos also supported the first PSP Monster Hunter Portable, linking the two together would unlock a quest with the hidden wyvern Yian Garuruga. Monster Hunter 2 is unfortunately a Japanese exclusive, however there is apparently a partial English translation patch floating around the web.

Packaging – Please mouseover for further info

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Tun Shi Tian De 3 San Guo Wai Zhuan

2012-02-13T17:56:00.001Z

Original Title	吞食天地3 三国外传
Format	Mega Drive
Genre	Fighting
Developer	Unknown
Official Website	N/A

Tun Shi Tian De 3, which also seems to want to be known as Chinese Fighter and Tenchi wo Kurau 3, is a one-on-one beat 'em up by an unknown developer (developer information isn't even available on Chinese websites). The vast majority of the spritework and sound effects in the game are ripped directly from Capcom's Tenchi wo Kurau 2 (AKA Warriors of Fate) side-scrolling arcade game, with miscellaneous effects being stolen from other Capcom games of the same era. There are eight characters to pick from in total, covering classic Three Kingdoms characters like Lu Bu, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Special moves are performed in the typical fighter way – quarter circles and so on. The bar at the bottom of the screen builds up as blows are exchanged and allows the use of super moves, complete with stolen (Street Fighter Alpha) effects. The game can be played alone or against a human opponent. Once all the characters have been defeated in the single player mode a generic ending screen is displayed. The packaging below is bootleg and should be considered nothing more than a curiousity.

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Ranma ½ Byakuran Aika

2012-02-06T09:20:00.001Z

Original Title	らんま1/2 白蘭愛歌
Format	Mega CD
Genre	Adventure
Developer	NCS
Official Website	N/A

Byakuran Aika is a Mega CD exclusive adventure game starring the Ranma cast in an original story. The game is almost fully voiced and uses the original voice actors in all instances. Byakuran Aika is a linear style adventure game; while the action does move from the Tendo dojo to a mysterious underground jungle (and back again) there is no player controlled choices in this, progression occurs naturally as the story moves forward. However there are many points where the player has the option to talk to various characters or examine their surroundings. Battles occur at predetermined points and play out in a "rock-paper-scissors" kind of way. Both Ranma and his/her opponent have a choice of performing a strike, kick, or unleashing a special attack. When hit a small gauge fills up, once it passes the fifth light any attack can be powered up and will cause double damage if it hits. Opponents choices are picked randomly, the player has a split second when the attack chosen is shown before it is replaced by a generic flower icon.

As a linear game there is only one possible route through it, meaning there are no "bad ends" or choices that could result in a game over, and if a battle is lost the player is free to retry as many times as they wish. Periodically the option to view a password is available, this can then be entered from the title screen to resume play from that point.

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Gu Jian Qi Tan Official Design Collection

2012-01-31T08:58:00.001Z

Original Title	古剑奇谭官方企划设定集
Released	8th Jan 2012
Size	7x9 inches

This special boxed set is a gathering of design documents, commentary and the complete script for Gu Jian Qi Tan, the aim being to give fans an insight into the thought and planning that went into creating the popular Chinese RPG.

The bulk of the set comes from three books bound in a traditional eastern style. The first, titled "水月镜花" (Shui Yue Jinghua), is a 249 page full colour design document that covers everything from the expected character and location work to even the food and items you encounter in the game. This book also includes characters that are exclusive to the DLC quests.

The remaining two books, titled "琴心" (Qin Xin) and "剑魄" (Jian Po), total over 1000 pages and contain the script for both the main game and the DLC quests, along with extensive commentary throughout.

The remaining items are kept inside the pocket on the outer box; these include further design scribbles (photocopied from the originals), a set of staff letters, an exclusive mini music CD featuring three variations of the track "古剑情韵" (Gu Jian Qing Yun), an exclusive card that grants an additional in-game achievement, and a replica Aurogon employee card.

The first 1000 preorders also received an exclusive Gu Jian branded pencil set, unfortunately I didn't get mine in early enough -_-;

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Sakura Taisen

2012-01-28T18:44:00.001Z

Original Title	サクラ大戦
Format	PC
Genre	Adventure
Developer	Sega
Official Website	Here

Sakura Taisen (sometimes referred to as Sakura Wars) is Sega's long running dating-sim-adventure-game-cum-SRPG; this particular re-release of the first game came out in 2007, eleven years after the game debuted on the Saturn. To distinguish itself from the previous PC release this DVD version comes bundled with the Sakura Taisen desktop accessory program which was originally sold separately. This program has a selection of character themed wallpapers, screensavers and voice clips designed to be used with your PC. Rather than recycled content from the game the voice clips are specially recorded system messages, so you can have Kanna notifying you of new email or Sumire commenting on you emptying the recycle bin. The game places you in the shoes of Ogami Ichiro, new captain of the all-female Teikoku Kagekidan Hana Gumi. In a nutshell, they pose as a fully functional (and very successful) theatre company but when danger calls (up to and including Satan) they get into steam powered mechanical suits and kick demon backside. Sakura Taisen's addition to the adventure game formula is the LIPS system, which gives you a limited time to react to dialogue choices . Holding off can occasionally be a benefit though – sometimes new and better options open up if you can take the time to assess the situation properly. To further complicate things each member of the Hanagumi will react differently to the decisions you make, for example Maria will be impressed by strong leadership… but that same choice could upset the young and emotional Iris. It is beneficial to cultivate positive reactions from everyone, as these feelings translate into stat bonuses for the SRPG sections. Unlike some adventure/dating games Sakura Taisen features no "bad end" choices that end the game in failure. The SRPG battle segments are infrequent and designed more as a change of pace than as a "proper" SRPG. There are no equipment or levels to worry about and strategic options are limited to basic concerns of attack/defend/range. Battles are played out on a traditional SRPG grid with each character/enemy having varying movement/attack ranges. These phases can be played out in either order, making it possible to attack and then move if desired. Special attacks are possible when a characters secondary gauge is fully charged up, this fills up either when damage is taken or by taking a turn out to charge it manually. Completed save data from this can be carried over to Sakura Taisen 2. A full printable English translation can be found on GameFAQs, however to date there have been no attempts to insert English dialogue into the game itself. Sakura Taisen has seen official translations into Chinese and Russian.

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Cave Noire

2012-01-21T08:16:00.001Z

Original Title	カーブノア
Format	Game Boy
Genre	RPG
Developer	Konami
Official Website	N/A

Konami's Cave Noire saw release in April 1991 and predates other console/handheld Roguelikes by a clear two years - Torneko's Daibouken didn't appear on the SFC until 1993 and the first Shiren came out in 1995. As both the first and then only attempt in the genre it takes a relatively unique "bite-sized" approach to dungeon exploring. There are four quests for you to freely choose from, each with a different goal and different challenges. The first is straight up monster bashing; you must defeat a minimum amount of monsters and then escape through an exit door. The second is coin collecting; coins are either in plain sight or collected from treasure chests or enemies, with some being worth more than others. Then there's orb collecting – this one presents a new challenge as orbs must be carried as part of your equipment, meaning each orb you pick up is one less free slot for potions or spells. The final quest has you freeing fairies from cages; first you must locate a key (and there is not necessarily one on each floor) and then find the imprisoned fairy and free her. Each quest completed gives access to a harder difficulty level, going from 1-9 and finishing with "M" difficulty. Not only does this mean you need to collect more coins or kill more monsters to complete your task, but the game will also place tougher enemies and new items within the randomised dungeons. Dungeon layouts may be completely random, but the rooms are not. However this doesn't mean the game is predictable; rooms can be flipped, contain completely different enemies and treasures or even have secret exits that weren't there before (marked by a "?" over your characters head). Your characters stats (you are free to choose and rename a male or female adventurer) are based on the difficulty level and are fixed. Certain items can give a temporary boost to these stats while you are within the dungeon but these benefits don't carry over to your next attempt whether you are successful or not. They key to Cave Noire is understanding monster behaviour. Each monster has very specific movement patterns and attacks, and knowing how to avoid them is often the key to surviving. One enemy is completely passive and will not attack at all, others will actively seek you out and sometimes even the biggest monsters will only patrol in one spot and not attack unless you get too close. Throughout the quests you will pick up items, some are simply hurt/heal potions or spells that can cure wounds or set enemies ablaze, but others are more subtle – the ability to summon a rock might not seem useful, but careful placement can save you from running into a dangerous enemy. Cave Noire appears to be Konami's only entry into the roguelike genre, and has received no sequels or remakes. A translation patch is now available here.

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Umihara Kawase Shun Second Edition Complete Version

2012-01-13T18:08:00.001Z

Original Title	海腹川背・旬セカンドエディション完全版
Format	Nintendo DS
Genre	Platformer
Developer	Suzak Inc.
Official Website	Here

To date this is the most recent Umihara Kawase release, containing both the original Super Famicom game as well as the Second Edition version of the PS1 sequel in full (for the curious, "Second Edition" is identical to the first PS1 release bar a removal of advertising for fishing equipment, a few bugs getting ironed out and three additional stages). As well as those two games a new "DS Route" was added to Umihara Shun containing a further eighteen new stages. Umihara Kawase herself (Kawase is her first name, if you were wondering) is an athletic girl, armed with nothing more than an extendable rubber fishing line which is used to both navigate to the exit of each field and also dispatch the randomly appearing marine enemies by reeling them into her backpack. The fishing lure can stick to any surface and be used to swing across large gaps or be reeled in to pull her over to distant ledges. The line is pliable and reacts to the environment and Kawase's momentum, bending around corners and bouncing her around if used at speed. The stages frequently encourage creative use of the line – there are multiple routes through the game, with some fields only being accessible to players that choose to find the more difficult to reach second exits in a level. Speedrunners are also rewarded; multiple replays can not only be saved to the DS cart but also shared via local wi-fi to any other Umihara player. Outside of the main game modes there's the option to practise any stage unlocked so far, an illustration gallery and sound test, as well as an encyclopaedia of all enemies encountered with brief descriptions.

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Code Age Archives

2012-01-07T10:45:00.001Z

Original Title	コード・エイジアーカイヴズ
Released	22nd Jul 2005 (Vol.1)
Size	4.5x7 inches

Code Age Archives was the first part of Square Enix's "New Brand Concept 'Code Age' ", with volume 1 coming out three months before the PS2 game Code Age Commanders. Volumes 2 and 3 followed on the 12th Oct 2005 (a day before the game) and 22nd Mar 2006 respectively. Archives centers around the character Thane, although it is very closely linked to Commanders (and presumably Brawls) and Gene, one of the main cast of Commanders, does make an appearance later on. Chronologically, Archives takes place after the storyline in Commanders.

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Code Age Commanders -Visual Code-

2012-01-07T10:18:00.001Z

Original Title	CODE AGE COMMANDERS -VISUAL CODE-
Released	13th Oct 2005
Size	5x8 inches

This set was a limited preorder bonus for the PS2 game Code Age Commanders. It is split into two halves – "Visual Code" is a full colour 40 page hardback art book filled with design sketches and illustrations. "Genetic Code" contains a short teaser version of the first Code Age Archives manga dubbed Code Age Archives 0 as well as two exclusive art cards – one clear and another with embossed detailing. The teaser manga is 42 pages long and apart from a few colour pages at the beginning is identical to volume 1.

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Code Age Commanders

2012-01-07T09:39:00.001Z

Original Title	コード・エイジコマンダーズ～継ぐ者継がれる者～
Format	Playstation 2
Genre	Action
Developer	Square-Enix
Official Website	Here

Code Age Commanders is one third of Square-Enix's "New Brand Concept 'Code Age' ", the other two parts being a three part manga called Code Age Archives, and the mobile phone game Code Age Brawls. Together, these three tell the story of humanity's hope for a reborn world while they wait aboard the Ark. Of course this doesn't go to plan and Gene, the initial playable character (one of four) wakes up to find himself in the middle of a war, the Ark destroyed, and as a Warhead - a human fused with Otero genes who has the ability to absorb Code from fallen enemies. The story is told through copious amounts of cutscenes and flashbacks, and the full scale of the plot is only revealed after witnessing events from all four characters perspectives. The game plays out like an action game, with directives generally being to either locate something/someone or defeat a particular adversary. Left and right arms are controlled separately but can be combo'd together. Each arm has a gauge that depletes with use but replenishes when not attacking or blocking, making it better to attack conservatively else running the risk of leaving you without any means to defend yourself. "Heroic Actions" are special attacks that cost two chunks of the arm gauge but, if timed correctly, can be incredibly powerful. Using these special attacks will over time evolve the character's arms into more powerful weapons. After each stage is completed a score is given; the better the score, the more CP awarded. CP is spent on Extensions – enhancements to the body or arms the grant differing effects. Some can increase attack speed or shot power, while others offer a "last gasp" HP refill or a decreased chance of being stunned by enemy attacks. Extensions can be altered at the beginning of each stage – a maximum of three on the body and one for each arm. While out on the field the player can see small Otero wandering about – there are many different types, all of which will offer different single-use attacks or enhancements when absorbed. Any Otero absorbed are automatically recorded in the Otero encyclopaedia, an later on can be used in the minigame "Oteroon" (possibly read as "Otero On").

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Xian Jian Inn

2012-01-03T18:20:00.001Z

Original Title	仙剑客栈
Format	PC
Genre	Simulation
Developer	Beijing Softstar
Official Website	N/A

Released in 2001 and just a month after it's parent title Xin Xian Jian, this spinoff stars the main cast running Li Xiao Yao's aunt's inn with the aim being to make it the best inn in all of China! The inn is open from 12PM to 4PM every day – during this time you must guide customers to their rooms or their tables and serve them food. Complications however frequently occur – you may have more guests than free tables, or perhaps one of your staff members (the three female stars of Xian Jian – Ling'er, Yue Ru and A Nu) is caught up dealing with a small fire or cockroaches instead of preparing meals. If guests wait too long they'll simply leave, which of course means less money earned that day. While this is bad, priority must always go to keeping the inn clean and thief-free – should one of these situations get out of hand every guest deserts the inn! Once the serving period is over for the day you enter the evening phase of inn management – each of the girls are assigned a task for the evening; the more workmanlike jobs can help avoid accidents during the day (spending time on repairs will reduce the number of fires, for example), while time spent relaxing (either straight resting or going for a walk) will rejuvenate their HP and can increase their feelings towards you. During the night you can also visit your lodgers and interact with them; there are travelling merchants to buy items from (which can be given to your ladies) and a whole host of other interesting travellers, so of whom will give out new recipes for the next days menu under the right circumstances. Over time the inn can be expanded and improved, which brings both extra income but also extra problems as there's a lot more to keep an eye on. This progresses on until you reach one of the games nineteen different endings, ranging from recognition from the emperor himself to tables full of nothing but drunkards.

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Shining & The Darkness Guide Book

2011-12-31T10:47:00.001Z

Original Title	シャイニング&ザ・ダクネス攻略本
Released	May 1991
Size	5 x 7inches

This full colour 98 page guide for Shining and the Darkness came out two months after the game's initial release, oddly enough at the same time as vol. 129 in this guide book series – the official Shining and the Darkness guide. Each floor is well documented with complete maps and a thorough walkthrough with screenshots of relevant information. Detailed enemy data for each floor can be found just after the map of the area; in addition to basic stats each monster has a sentence or two listing any particular attacks or noteworthy points about them. The final short chapter of the book goes over a few little secrets and oddities within the game, as well as taking a look at the stats of all three characters at level 99.

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DonDokoDon

2011-12-29T17:20:00.001Z

Original Title	ドンドコドン
Format	PC Engine (HUcard)
Genre	Platformer
Developer	Taito
Official Website	N/A

Until the release of the Taito Legends/Memories collections on PS2, Xbox and PC this PC Engine port of DonDokoDon was as close to the arcade experience as was available, missing only the sprite scaling and rotation effects of the original. The game takes place across 101 levels, 50 in the standard game and a further 51 hidden "Reverse Rounds", with a boss on every tenth level. These can be played either alone or simultaneously with another player. Some levels have unique features – warps, rolling boulders, moving floors and the like. Enemies also come in various shapes and sizes, some continually spawning smaller enemies or firing projectiles across the screen. Enemies are generally defeated by first whacking them over the head with your hammer and then picking them up and throwing them against the scenery or other enemies. Items play an important role, reflected by the power bar at the bottom of the screen. Potions appear that can increase this bar by varying amounts, the more complete the bar is the further enemies can be thrown – even through walls! Other items act as speed boosts, "smart bombs", and a poisoned spotted apple that will reduce your power bar by one point. DonDokoDon received a Famicom only sequel (which is actually more of a straight platformer) and Jim and Bob had cameo roles in three other Taito games – Space Invaders DX, Bubble Symphony and Pop'n Pop. Packaging

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One Piece Grand Battle Swan Colosseum

2011-12-28T18:19:00.001Z

Original Title	ワンピースグランドバトルスワンコロシアム
Format	WonderSwan
Genre	Fighting
Developer	Dimps
Official Website	Here

Swan Colosseum is a portable version of the Grand Battle series of One Piece fighting games that originated on the Playstation. While at first glance the game appears to be a traditional Street Fighter 2 style fighter it's actually more freeform than that and allows both players to run and jump about the multi-level arenas at will. There are initially six characters to play as, with a further six unlocked after meeting certain requirements in the Event Battle mode. The Event Battle mode is the bulk of the game and gives every character their own unique storyline (with cutscenes) and opponents. Each storyline is interrupted mid-way by a minigame that involves beating up as many Dugongs as possible within the time limit; this minigame can be played any time from the treasure menu, but it has to be unlocked first. Grand Battles are straightforward quick matches against either the CPU or another human player (via link cable), using any available characters. All characters share several basic abilities - double jumping and dashing help to get around the arenas and pick up any of the items that occasionally pop up inside barrels and treasure chests before the opposition does. Some items can be thrown to cause additional damage, while others restore a touch of energy. Attack recovery is also possible with a quick tap of the A & B buttons together to prevent a knockdown. The final battle mechanic is the special gauge just below the health bar; this bar fills up when attacks hit and allows the use of super moves. There are a total of three levels to this gauge with a different super move for each. Some characters have all their super moves available by default, but some need a wanted poster to be earned before they are unlocked. Wanted posters are given out for various in game achievements, such as completing a characters Event Battle mode on hard without continuing, or killing a minimum number of Dugongs within the time limit. There are a total of sixty wanted posters to collect with a range of effects - some unlock extra characters and backgrounds, while others boost HP or as mentioned allow more powerful super moves to be used.

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Bike Banditz

2011-12-20T17:51:00.001Z

Original Title	バイクバンディッツ
Format	PC
Genre	Shmup
Developer	Hot Pulse/ French Bread
Official Website	Here

Bike Banditz features five different stages of side-scrolling shmup action, which can be played either alone or simultaneously with a friend. There are four characters to choose from (one must be unlocked first), all of which have the option of fixed or homing missles and either manual or auto bombing. Bombs are only available when the charge bar under your score is full; once you use a bomb this bar is completely drained and you have to wait for it to refill before you can use another. The main distinction between Bike Banditz and most other shmups is the pivoting "bit" that always accompanies your character. This item is locked in place when you are firing, but when the shot button is released it will move to cover the opposite side of your bike (so moving up will rotate the bit directly down). The game frequently has enemies coming in from unexpected directions, making mastery of this multidirectional shot vital. Pickups in the game are in the form of score enhancing gems and fruit (there are no power ups, all weaponry has fixed damage output) – these are released when enemies are defeated and as you collect more gems their value and size are increased, however getting hit will reduce the gem rank by two levels. Fruit are always worth a fixed amount of points. There are three difficultly levels to choose from, and if you need it a practise mode that allows you to try any previously reached level – there are no lives in this mode but it does keep track of how many times you die. A patch was later released that auto-unlocks the previously hidden fourth character and also adds a completely new fifth to the select screen, as well as a countdown timer for boss battles and numerous other minor tweaks.

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Romancia

2011-12-15T05:51:00.001Z

Original Title	ロマンシア
Format	MSX2
Genre	Adventure
Developer	Falcom
Official Website	Here (Project EGG)

Romancia is one of Falcom's earlier titles and saw release on a selection of popular '80s formats (the X1, MSX, MSX2, PC-88 & PC-98) in 1986, followed by a Famicom port the year after. While largely the same as the computer original, Tokyo Shoseki took the opportunity to streamline the game and alter some of the more obtuse segments. In 1999 the game was remade for Windows under the title of Romancia ~Another Legend~. This port was created by Unbalance (hence why the game is sometimes referred to as "Romancia Unbalance"). Romancia sets itself apart from typical "save the princess" games by giving you just thirty minutes and no saves to rescue Selina – and this time is halved if you decide to spend too much time talking to the king. In spite of this more hurried approach the villagers still have quests to offer you and completing them is vital as Freddy not only has regular RPG-style stats to worry about but the incredibly important karma stat (abbreviated to "KR" in game) too. It is only by accumulating enough good karma through his actions that gamers are able to enter the later areas and finish the game. Although time is short and clues scant Falcom did include an eight page "Hint Story" within the manual to point new users in the right direction and also emphasise the importance of building up good karma. The MSX versions have one unique addition over the other releases – once completed (or via a secret code) you can play as princess Selina! Fan Freddy and Selina would later appear in Sorcerian's Romancia scenario, which pretty much follows the same basic plot as the full game. English translations for both MSX versions as well as the Famicom port have surfaced in recent years, along with bugfixes and (optional) cheats. You can find the Famicom translation patch here, and the MSX translation patches here. Although the game is not as high profile as some other Falcom titles, it did do well enough to spawn an OST (on both cassette and CD), several guidebooks and a manga.

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Pop'n Music GB Animation Melody

2011-12-06T08:36:00.001Z

Original Title	ポップンミュージックGB アニメーションメロディ
Format	Game Boy Color
Genre	Rhythm
Developer	KCEK
Official Website	N/A

Animation Melody is a port of the popular arcade and PS1 game of the same name, reworked for the GBC. The game contains twenty classic opening and ending themes culled from thirty years of anime, including the likes of Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z and Cutie Honey. Some concessions had to be made for the GBC version; as the tunes are powered by the GBCs sound chip lyrics are only displayed across the bottom of the screen rather than sung and the animations are restricted to a window by the side of the play area. The lack of buttons on the GBC compared to the full arcade release also mean that five button difficulty is the maximum selectable. The game does however still offer arcade, versus (two linked GBCs) and survival modes, as well as the full range of difficulties and Pop-kun options. These Pop-kun options have a variety of effects depending on the difficulty level chosen – on hard Pop-kuns (the coloured blobs that fall down the screen) can be set to random, hidden, mirrored or double speed. On "Excite" they are always random and further options for changes to their movement style and speed become available. Hidden artwork is unlocked once certain conditions are met – these vary but may include maintaining a combo or scoring a certain amount of points by the end of the song.

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Sora no Kiseki FC Scenario Book

2011-12-03T08:36:00.001Z

Original Title	英雄伝説空の軌跡FC シナリオブック
Released	Sep 25th 2009
Size	6x8 inches

This extensive 488 page book contains the the entire script for Sora no Kiseki FC (known as "Trails in the Sky" in the US/EU) with a separate section at the back for subquest dialogue. Due to the famously lengthy nature of the script even with such a large page count and entirely monochrome pages the only additional extras are two sentence (at most) profiles of the main characters in the game and the contents pages. A script book of a similar nature for Sora no Kiseki SC was released in 2011 (coming in at 799 pages) and the previous Gagharv trilogy games also had their scripts compiled into print as part of the "Eiyuu Densetsu Fan Book", released in 2003. Photos

Travel Epule

2011-11-30T14:05:00.001Z

Original Title	TRAVEL エプル
Format	PC Engine (Super CD-ROM)
Genre	Action
Developer	Riot
Official Website	N/A

Travel Epule's eponymous heroine is a cute girl in an oversized pink penguin outfit charged with travelling across the globe to collect Penguin Magic and defeat the terrible Dark Penguin (yes, really). This is done via a series of single screen one-on-one matches against anything from policemen to dolphins and wisps of purple cloud; Epule dispatching her enemies with the grenades, bombs, and iron pipes that randomly spawn in each area. Once Penguin Magic becomes available these spells can be activated so long as Epule has a magic charge – this is dependent on the stage in question and varies from 1 – 3. There are five spells in total, some offensive, some defensive. The arenas all have their own unique hazards – some are simply physical obstacles; but there are also slippery tiles, spikes, warps and other quirks to watch out for. Each arena only has a single adversary, the stage is completed only when either Epule or her opponent have run out of energy. The one exception to this are the special stages where Epule acquires new Penguin Magic – in these a magic wand is placed in a fixed position and Epule must grab it while avoiding the stage's enemy (these stages contain no items and as such there is no way to eliminate her opponent). Each area is finished off with a boss encounter, although these generally play out much like the regular battles. A two player mode is also included – the rules can be tweaked to allow various rules and handicaps.

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Shui Hu Feng Yun Zhuan

2011-11-28T08:40:00.001Z

Original Title	水浒风云传
Format	Mega Drive
Genre	Action
Developer	Never Ending Soft Team
Official Website	N/A

Shui Hu Feng Yun Zhuan is an original unlicensed side-scrolling beat 'em up from Chinese developer NE Soft. The game can be played alone or cooperatively with a friend using one one of the three characters available. These three all fall into the standard stereotypes of fast-but-weak, strong-but-slow, and all rounder. The game uses a three button setup of magic, attack and jump. Rather than requiring potions to power magic as in Golden Axe, spells are collected from the various smashable objects strewn around the stages as one-time-use items. Attacks can be performed while running or jumping, but their are no throws or co-op attacks in the game. On the default difficulty setting there are five levels to play through – selecting hard mode adds two extra stages as well as a proper final boss and ending. While the game is largely an original work there are a few corners cut here and there – the "on fire" sprites are directly lifted from Street Fighter 2, and several sound effects appear to have originated in Golden Axe. The packaging photographs below are from my (sadly) bootleg version of the game and should be considered more a curiosity than a reference tool.

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Nakoruru ~Ano Hito Kara no Okurimono~

2011-11-23T15:06:00.001Z

Original Title	ナコルル　～あのひとからのおくりもの～
Format	Dreamcast
Genre	Adventure
Developer	Inter-lets
Official Website	Here (Archived)

Originally released on PC, Nakoruru is a Japanese adventure game about the young life of the Samurai Spirits priestess as seen through the eyes of her young female friend Mikato. An OVA based on this same story started production, but only a single episode was actually completed (you can visit the official OVA website here). The story takes place over a single year in Kamui Kotan and expands upon both Nakoruru and Rimururu's backgrounds, as well as being the first game to feature Rera, Nakoruru's alter ego (who would later appear in playable form in Samurai Spirits V). The dialogue presents multiple choices at certain points – sometimes these are minor diversions but a few can contribute to the alternative ending or lead to a game over screen. Mini games crop up occassionally; these vary from reaction-based tests (fishing, Shikuru dodging, bear killing) to more thoughtful challenges (copying a melody on an ocarina or reciting a line from a song). The game may be controlled with a keyboard or mouse as well as a standard joypad. Bonuses are unlocked as the game is completed – these include the expected adventure game artwork viewer as well as downloadable VMU clocks and character info. Although the version pictured below is often referred to as a special or limited edition it is in fact the only Dreamcast version that was ever produced.

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Final Fantasy XI Windurstian Ring

2011-11-20T13:19:00.001Z

Original Title	ファイナルファンタジーXI ウィンダスリング
Released	Unknown
Size	N/A

This piece of official merchandise is an exact replica of the in game item of the same name (although without the stat boosts); there were a total of three Final Fantasy XI rings produced, one for each of the starting nations. Each ring is made from sterling silver and then accented in an appropriate manner – in the case of the Windurst ring it's received rose-gold plating and epoxy resin detailing. The inside of the ring has "The Federation of Windurst" engraved on it. The only official retail channel for these rings is the Square Enix online shop, although at the time of writing they have removed all FFXI merchandise from the European store. The "Certificate of Authenticity" is actually a choking hazard leaflet with the same warning reprinted in several languages. Unlike some other pieces of FFXI merchandise, this does not come with any sort of code for a redeemable in game item. Photos

Pocket King

2011-11-17T05:16:00.001Z

Original Title	ポケットキング
Format	Game Boy/ GBC
Genre	Strategy
Developer	Namco
Official Website	Here

Pocket King is a follow up to Namco's 1988 Famicom strategy title King of Kings, and shares many similarities with its predecessor. The basics of the game are to use your leader to summon troops onto the battlefield and fulfill the mission requirements for that stage. This will generally be "Defeat all enemies!" but variants such as "Take over all the other towns" or "Defeat the boss in X turns" also exist. Troops cost MP to summon (but nothing to maintain), with the exact amount depending on the unit in question. MP is replenished each turn; each town captured increases the amount gained and any unused MP is carried over. Troops are summoned individually but can be merged together into groups of up to three – these can be any combination of class you have at your disposal. Once merged however the lineup cannot be altered unless one of them dies. The towns dotted about the map don't just act as MP boosters, they can also contain events and units stationed at them at the end of a turn will have their HP replenished. While your troops are largely nameless entities summoned at your convenience any that survive the battle can be stored and summoned in the next map with their stats intact. These troops have a lower MP cost than freshly created ones, the disadvantage being that while they may be tougher they might not be appropriate for the enemies at hand. Units not only level up, but can also evolve. This evolution occurs every tenth level, and special units can be created using certain items or by having units with their stats skewed a particular way (e.g. A thief with a movement stat of over 7 will become a ninja, otherwise it will become an assassin). In addition to the single player campaign mode the game also supports multiplayer skirmishes either over a link cable or with two people sharing the same GB. There are fourteen maps to choose from with a variety of terrain, none of these require unlocking beforehand. This mode can also be played against a CPU opponent if preferred. Other non-battle features are a unit list (all 159 of them) available from the main menu and the ability to trade troops over link cable to another Pocket King player.

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Dungeon Master Nexus

2011-11-11T09:45:00.001Z

Original Title	ダンジョン・マスターネクサス
Format	Saturn
Genre	RPG
Developer	Victor
Official Website	N/A

Dungeon Master Nexus is the final entry in the multi award winning RPG series; it only saw release in Japan and was created by a team at Victor, many of whom had previously worked on the Super Famicom port of Dungeon Master released in 1991. The major change in Nexus is that the dungeon and all enemies are rendered in full polygonal 3D and your party are no longer restricted to grid based movement but may move freely, including limited up/down camera panning. The analogue pad is supported but the Saturn mouse is not. Other options unique to this release are an easy mode that reduces monster strength and general game difficulty (the manual is not specific and I haven't played enough to elaborate further) and the ability to see the attacking monsters HP. Both of these options are accessed from the title screen. The game once again casts you in the role of Theron, pupil of the Grey Lord sent to rescue his master who has been imprisoned in the Anaias mountains. Theron however is attacked and finds himself (again) deceased and acting as a spirit guide for a team of four champions out of a choice of twenty. The champions are a mixture of both old and new, with famous faces like Gothmog, Azizi and Alex making a return. As with previous Dungeon Master games these characters may be resurrected or reincarnated, giving you either a pre-set team or a blank slate on which to create your own. There are a total of fifteen floors in the dungeon filled with riddles, traps, and some familiar foes. Basic attacking has been streamlined and can even be automated if desired, and while the spell select menu is presented differently it adheres to the rune system used in previous games and certain old spells and potions are cast in exactly the same way as they used to be.

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Melty Blood Act Cadenza Ver.B

2011-11-08T08:06:00.001Z

Original Title	メルティブラッドアクトカデンツァ Ver.B
Format	PC
Genre	Fighting
Developer	Ecole
Official Website	Here

Act Cadenza Ver. B for PC is a port of the final revision of the Naomi arcade game and contains numerous tweaks and additions over other releases. The series started as an offshoot to the visual novel Tsukihime and shares the same setting and characters. Act Cadenza was the first game to be developed by Ecole (rather than original doujin developer French Bread), they then went on to develop the sequel Actress Again. This version features 22 regular characters (plus some hidden) to choose from and has tag and team battle modes in addition to the expected arcade, versus and practise modes. Tag battles are lost if one character is KO'd, regardless of the health of the other on the team. PC users got the choice of limited and regular editions of the game; the limited edition pictured below contains an exclusive two disc soundtrack CD. A fan translation patch can be found here. In depth information on the technical aspects of the game can be found here.

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Legend of Heroes Deluxe

2011-11-02T08:21:00.001Z

Original Title	영웅전설 디럭스
Format	PC
Genre	RPG
Developer	Falcom/Mantra
Official Website	N/A

The "Deluxe" in the title refers to the fact that this is a compilation of the first three games in the Legend of Heroes series, officially licensed and translated into Korean by Mantra and published by Samsung. Unlike Mantra's Ys II Special none of the games here are altered or enhanced over their original Japanese PC-98 counterparts. These games (as well as Legend of Heroes 4 & 5) did initially all receive individual releases in South Korea, however if there is an official Korean reprint of the latter two games I have currently not been able to find it. DOSbox is required to run all the games in the set on a modern PC.

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The video below is of the Japanese PC-98 version, however bar the language used there is no difference between this and the Korean port in this post

Phantasy Star Online: The Book of Hunters

2011-10-29T08:32:00.001+01:00

Original Title	ファンタシースターオンライン完全設定資料集
Released	March 2001
Size	8x12 inches

The Book of Hunters is a design book covering the original Dreamcast version of Phantasy Star Online. Instead of simply reproducing official promotional artwork (although the book does still contain some of that) a lot of the included sketches and illustrations show the evolution of the design process from initial concepts to finalised design. Almost every sketch is accompanied by some brief details explaining the thoughts behind it's creation. A lot of the designs went unused – some briefly (the RAmarl, FOmar and HUcaseal character designs) some permanently (HUmarl and a hunter/newman hybrid). Everything from mags, weapons and the Pioneer ships to enemies and boss arenas are shown in various stages of completion. The book also includes an illustrated short story and some other nice little details such as a "translation" of the typeface used in game. The book is 144 pages long, and roughly 2/3rds of it is in colour.

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Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary ~Memory of Decade~

2011-10-24T16:15:00.003+01:00

Original Title	Virtua Fighter 10th Anniversary ~Memory of Decade~
Format	Playstation 2
Genre	Fighting
Developer	AM2
Official Website	Here

While the game did see a worldwide release this Japanese pack is the only version to be sold at retail. The US version was simply an option in the menus for Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution, in the UK it was a promotional giveaway with preorders of Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution (in a simple CD single jewel case, as with other promotional PAL PS2 games), and lastly the Japanese re-release came bundled only with first-print editions of Virtua Fighter 5 (with a different cover to boot, and no book or DVD). The game itself is basically Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution with the graphical style and stages of the original Virtua Fighter. Movesets are largely identical to their proper VF4Evo counterparts bar a few omissions here and there. You can choose to play either arcade and versus mode, but there are no survival or practise, etc. modes. The book included with this set is a 64 page all colour look back over the history of the Virtua Fighter series, including arcade hardware specs, movelists and other miscellanea. The DVD is an 84 minute documentary focusing on the players and fans of the series over the previous decade.

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NiGHTS Theme Song "DREAMS DREAMS" c/w "Message from Nightopia"

2011-10-21T09:16:00.001+01:00

Original Title	セガサターン・ソフト「ＮＩＧＨＴＳ」テーマ・ソング
Released	Jun 26th 1996
Size	3.5x6.5 inches

This two track CD single (catalogue number: PODX-1011) was out on sale about a week before the game and two weeks before the first release of the soundtrack. There was another CD single released as a promotional item in the same year, that CD only contained a short version of the title track "Dreams Dreams". There are no differences between the tracks on this CD and the one used in game or on the full OST.

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Genocide 2

2011-10-20T16:08:00.001+01:00

Original Title	ジェノサイド 2
Format	X68000
Genre	Action
Developer	Zoom
Official Website	N/A

Like it's predecessor, Genocide 2 puts you in charge of a giant mech armed with nothing more than a sword and some support items then charges you with destroying an entire army single handed. This game was later ported to the FM-Towns as part of a double pack called Genocide Squared (with some small touch-ups and a new intro) and also the Super Famicom. While the Super Famicom game is based on this original version it's heavily altered and is not representative of the X68k game. The game spans six distinct stages, taking in everything from futuristic city streets and aircraft carriers to lava filled caves. Stages require a mixture of platforming and beat 'em ups skills to progress, and particular enemies must be located and destroyed before the player is allowed to move on. Each stage is split into three areas, and at the end of each your completion time and the number of enemies killed is shown. Genocide 2 is available on the Project EGG digital distribution service here. Zoom are still around and working in videogames, you can check on their latest projects here.

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Majin Tensei

2011-10-15T17:12:00.001+01:00

Original Title	魔神転生
Format	Super Famicom
Genre	RPG
Developer	Atlus
Official Website	Here (Japanese VC)

Majin Tensei is the first of four SRPG spinoffs from the main Megami Tensei line of RPGs. Rather than using the familiar first person dungeon format each battle in Majin Tensei is predetermined and takes place over a large area. Certain battles are unrelated to the main plotline and can be repeated if desired. The game shares many similarities to Megami Tensei – demons can be recruited through conversation, moon phases effect their strength as well as their likelihood to listen to the hero, and it is still possible to fuse demons. Demons can only be summoned during battle, and it costs magnetite to maintain their presence on the field. Battle order is not governed by speed statistics or similar, play simply switches back and forth between all player and all enemy characters until the end of battle. However attacked characters will always counter attack if they are not killed by the initial blow, even if it is not their active turn. Again in keeping with the Megami Tensei games Majin Tensei features three possible endings following the three possible alignments in the game – Law, Neutral, and Chaos. In 2006 Majin Tensei received a download only PC port, and in 2011 it was released on the Japanese Wii Virtual Console service. To date the game has not been released outside Japan and there is no translation available.

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Puyo Puyo Speaker Series

2011-10-13T09:14:00.001+01:00

Original Title	ぷよぷよスピーカーシリーズ
Released	1995 (?)
Size	6-7inches high

These two toys are part of a set of six Puyo Puyo themed crane game prizes. Each one is made up of a plush toy with a passive speaker attached (the speaker is contained within the Puyo on the Arle toy) to connect to your Walkman or CD player (or these days, phone or MP3 player). Any microphones/headphones on the characters are just for show, all these toys do is look cute and act as a speaker for your music :)

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Shadowrun

2011-10-10T08:18:00.001+01:00

Original Title	シャドウラン
Format	Mega CD
Genre	Adventure
Developer	Compile
Official Website	N/A

Compile's take on the classic Shadowrun RPG setting is more concerned with presenting a strong narrative than a true role playing experience, and rather than giving the player the option to create and craft a character to their liking this game gives you a fixed team of four all with their own specialities and personalities. They are: Rikudou, a street samurai; Mao, a shaman; D-Head, a decker; and lastly Shiun, a former company man (and perpetual wearer of shades). They are already an established team of Runners by the time the game starts, and over the course of the game various flashbacks and current scenarios shed some light on their backgrounds and personal demons. The game is split into three distinct modes – most of the time is spent in "Adventure mode", which is easiest to describe as "like Snatcher". As with other Japanese adventure games, these scenes provide you with an image of the area or situation you're in with a short list of commands (look, talk, move, etc) to choose from. "Mission mode" is any segment where you are free to walk around and explore the local area by yourself; this is used largely to lead you into battles, which are SRPG-style affairs. All battles occur at predetermined points, there is no grinding as it is impossible to level up. Battles allow the use of firearms, close range combat and magic as well as extensive customisation (including cyberwear) which gives some freedom to approach them as the player wishes. Matrix dives are present in the game and again occur at pre-set points; they play exactly the same as the "Adventure mode" segments but feature copious amounts of FMV in place of the hand-drawn art used elsewhere in the game. Turning on closed captions in the video below will bring up an English translation of the intro text.

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Crimzon Clover

2011-10-07T09:45:00.001+01:00

Original Title	クリムゾンクローバー
Format	PC
Genre	Shmup
Developer	Yotsubane
Official Website	Here (Author’s blog)

Crimzon Clover is the debut game by one-man doujin author Yotsubane, and took him five years to develop. The game is a vertically scrolling shmup with five stages and two secret final bosses (often referred as "True Last Bosses" or abbreviated to "TLB"). There are three different play modes titled "Simple", "Original" and "Unlimited"; rather than simply throwing more enemies at you each mode has different scoring mechanics and different uses of the Break gauge, meaning each mode requires entirely different tactics if you want a high score. The game also features three ships (initially only one is selectable) which all share the same basic shot/lock on functions but are balanced differently. An extensive in game shop offers a wide variety of things for sale – everything from extra credits and the chance to practise a particular stage or boss to simple conveniences like the ability to skip the opening cutscene or listen to music in the sound test menu. A playable trial version can be downloaded from here, and you can read a translated interview with the creator here.

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Götzendiener

2011-10-04T08:28:00.001+01:00

Original Title	ゲッツェンディーナー
Format	PC Engine (SUPER CD ROM)
Genre	Adventure
Developer	Gainax
Official Website	N/A

Götzendiener starts off with a young princess named Kisyu Lim Misa captured by demons and shortly afterwards a band of muscular heroes make their way to the demon king’s castle to rescue her. However this cliché is quickly dispensed of as both the hero and the demon deal each other a fatal blow and Misa is left with no other choice but to pick up her would-be rescuers sword and make her own way to freedom.

Misa is capable of picking up various weapons and objects left lying about as well as pushing/pulling heavier ones. She has two different spells at her disposal; the first can enhance nearby candles and torches, turning simple light sources into a fire capable of burning down doors; the second allow her to reanimate the corpses of fallen enemies into a submissive ally.

The game is presented as a single continuous environment rather than a series of levels, and they a layered in such a way that it is possible to drop objects (and Misa!) down holes onto a lower floor.

A novelisation titled 不屈の女神ゲッツェンディーナー as well as an arranged OST were released to compliment the game.

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Bahamut Lagoon Official Guide Book

2011-10-03T09:46:00.001+01:00

Original Title	バハムートラグーン公式ガイドブック
Released	1996
Size	6x8 inches

Famitsu’s Bahamut Lagoon guide is pretty comprehensive even though it only spreads itself across 109 full colour pages. As expected in any guide book there’s a full walkthrough with map screenshots and enemy data, as well as brief character bios and a relationship chart. They also take the time to go into depth with the game’s unique dragon breeding feature, covering every possible outcome and giving detailed information on each dragon (including secret ones). Extensive tables make up the back end of the book – covering enemy, item, and spell stats for easy look up. A sealed fourteen page secrets section finishes off the guide with details on the EX game and hidden items that may have been missed on an initial playthrough.

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Mega Drive Encyclopedia

2011-09-29T09:38:00.001+01:00

Original Title	メガドライブ大全
Released	2004
Size	6x8 inches

The Mega Drive Encyclopedia is an expanded deluxe version of a Japanese publication called Continue; this quarterly publication covers a wide range of gaming subjects – they kicked off with "Gundam Game Encyclopedia” and have since tackled everything from idol games to Grand Theft Auto. This particular set was released a year after the initial Continue Vol. 8 version, polished up and put in a box emblazoned with the classic “16-bit” text and with a miniature Genesis console and cart set on the reverse of the packaging. The book covers every single game released in Japan for the Mega Drive, Mega CD and the 32X; most games have a short paragraph and a single screenshot, but key titles such as Ecco and Sonic have a page or two dedicated to them. Games are listed in release order with an index at the back should you wish to look up a particular title. The book is peppered with various columns on a wide range of topics, the Pioneer LaserActive and the continuing appeal of Sonic being just two of them. They also took the time to conduct short interviews with four people responsible for some of the Mega Drive’s classic titles – Yuji Naka (Sonic), Reiko Kodama (Phantasy Star), Kan Naito (Shining Force) and Yoichi Miyaji (Lunar). The book is 296 pages long, and everything bar the index pages are in full colour.

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Very Best of Sorcerian Art & Music

2011-09-27T17:28:00.001+01:00

Original Title	ベリー・ベスト・オブ・ソーサリアン・アート＆ミュージック
Released	2000
Size	12x12 inches

The art and CD combo shown here was only ever available as a preorder bonus for Sorcerian Original. The outer sleeve is simply a foldover piece of card, the contents all are kept together with a clear plastic sleeve (not pictured). The “art” side of this set is made up of twelve single sided prints showcasing a selection of Sorcerian art that had been used as anything from game covers to manual imagery in past Sorcerian releases. These prints are just slightly smaller than the outer cover. The “music” side is a single CD compilation of eleven tracks from previously released Sorcerian albums (no unique tracks or arrangements) within its own card sleeve.

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Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan 5

2011-09-26T18:15:00.002+01:00

Original Title 仙剑奇侠传5

Format PC

Genre RPG

Developer Softstar

Official Website Here

Xian Jian 5 is set two generations after the events in the first game - first hand knowledge of previous entries isn’t required but there are references, big and small, tucked away in there if you’re familiar with the series. The main cast is made up of four characters – Jiang Yun Fan, Tang Yu Rou, Xiao Man and Long You. Although they all meet by chance, as the game progresses it is revealed that they are all connected to each other; some by past events, some by friendships that build up along the way. The “theme” of the story is that people are not always how they appear to be, and as the tale unravels their circumstances are revealed to the player. While there are four characters in the game, battles only allow three at a time, with one person (switchable at will) being back up. The same time bar system seen in previous Xian Jian games is used again here, selecting an action brings up a small cursor that shows where that characters next turn will come in addition to the current enemy/ally turn order. A new feature for this game is the ability to instantly restart a lost battle with all items/HP/MP restored rather than being forced to reload from the last save (saving can be done at just about any time anyway). The game does have some DLC, but at the time of writing it is merely small extras rather than new story content or similar. Packaging – Mouseover for further details
Standard edition photos – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
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Romancia

2011-09-24T16:52:00.001+01:00

Original Title ロマンシア
浪漫境伝説

Released 1988

Size 6x8 inches

This official manga adaptation of the Falcom classic plays rather loosely with the source material; Selina is no longer the princess awaiting rescue but an armour clad warrior (although still a princess) and the protagonist in this retelling by Kenji Terada. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, then some of his previous work will do – he was the scenario writer for Final Fantasy 1 – 3, as well as the script writer for the Dirty Pair and Ushio and Tora anime series. The majority of the 285 pages used are in black and white, only the dust jacket and the first eight pages are in colour.
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Phantasy Star Memorial Drama CD & Fanbook 2

2011-09-24T16:47:00.001+01:00

Original Title ファンタシースタ
ーファンブック＆
オリジナルドラマCD

Released 1995

Size 7x10 inches

This is the second of two Phantasy Star books by Softbank – the first was a material collection (titled ファンタシースター公式設定資料集), while the centerpiece of this second book is a 68 minute drama CD set (mostly) before the events of Phantasy Star IV. The accompanying artbook contains 18 colour pages dealing specifically with this unique story, including brief interviews with the cast and development sketches. The remaining 32 pages are in black and white and are filled with preproduction sketches, official artwork and all sorts of tidbits on each of the four games in the series.

The lovely folks here have spent a lot of time and effort transcribing and translating this audio drama into English – please head over to their website and have a look at their fantastic work!

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Heroine Anthem Official Guidebook

2011-09-24T16:45:00.001+01:00

Original Title 圣女之歌
官方攻略

Released Unknown

Size 5.5x8 inches

This book/music CD set is the official Heroine Anthem guide for mainland China, published by Unistar. The book itself is 106 pages long (all colour) and includes monster stats, maps, and shop inventories as well as a full walkthrough complete with script excerpts and plenty of screenshots. While the music CD is simply sandwiched inside the pages of the book it is a full 21 track OST and a true part of the set – the tracklisting is published on the last page of the guidebook.
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DJ Max Trilogy

2011-09-21T09:43:00.001+01:00

Original Title 디제이맥스
트릴로지

Format PC

Genre Rhythm

Developer Pentavision

Official Website Here
DJ Max Trilogy is a compilation of tracks culled from past (and via updates, present) DJ Max games with a few exclusives thrown in for good measure. Much like Beatmania, the aim is to produce music by hitting the bars falling down the screen at the correct time, with score being based on accuracy, combo chains and use of the “Fever” multiplier. Anything from four to eight key modes can be selected, although the final two aren’t available from the beginning. There are four main modes to choose from – Stage Mode is essentially the stock arcade-style mode, where you have to choose one from a short selection of tracks to play, ending with a secret bonus track. Mission Mode gives you a set playlist to work through sequentially with a particular goal in mind, perhaps to beat a specific score or maintain a certain accuracy. Free Mode allows you to play any song you have previously unlocked. Lastly there’s Network Mode, a one-on-one online battle with up to six spectators. The game features an extensive virtual shop where you can spend the gold accrued during play. Items range from the practical, such as new songs and gameplay speeds, to the cosmetic – a choice of “gears” (play area themes) and different bars. There was a limited first-print release as well as the standard edition – both include the two disc soundtrack featuring both songs found in game as well as numerous remixes. A specialist official controller was made available separately for the real “arcade at home” experience – as with the game itself this also had a limited edition featuring a slew of extra goodies.
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Tane wo Maku Tori

2011-09-19T17:25:00.001+01:00

Original Title たねをまく鳥

Format WonderSwan

Genre Puzzle

Developer T.Suzuki

Official Website Here
Tane wo Maku Tori began life within the TV Asahi series “D’s Garage21”, before being released as a commercial WonderSwan game. An action-puzzle game, Tane wo Maku Tori stars a lonely crow who is determined to fill the towns and fields with flowers before his migratory friend returns from the south. This is done by channeling the drops of water that fall from the top of the screen through the connecting vines/bamboo/poles and onto the seeds at the bottom; as the game progresses enemies are added that can eat your water droplets or even your flowers and the connecting pipes become more complex. The game has three modes – the main event is the story mode (complete with short intermission scenes) which has you progressing through increasingly difficult stages; survival mode sticks to a single stage that gets faster and faster and relies on you successfully growing flowers to replenish the timer, and lastly a link up versus mode against a fellow WonderSwan user. Every copy of the game came with a small cardboard storybook. It’s basically the same as the in game intro, just with some small layout changes and the odd dash of colour. Packaging
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Kaze no Tansaku Sya 2 - Shadow Kingdom

2011-09-16T04:53:00.001+01:00

Original Title
風の探索者２-SHADOW KINGDOM

Format PC

Genre RPG

Developer Gruppo One

Official Website N/A
Shadow Kingdom is the final entry in Gruppo One’s “Kaze no Tansaku Sya” trilogy of isometric dungeon crawlers and also the final game from the short-lived studio themselves. Gruppo One was founded by a selection of classic ex-Falcom staff, including Katsumi Togashi (who’s work included titles like Ys I, Ys II and Sorcerian) and illustrator Minako Iwasaki (Legend of Heroes III – V, Ys Eternal and more). The full Gruppo One release list is:

風の探索者 -GRAND SLAM- (Aug 2000)

風の探索者 -大陸編- (Oct 2001)

Ding M · O · N · O ~ ~ (Aug 2002)

風の探索者２-SHADOW KINGDOM (July 2003)
The characters that make up your team of jobbing adventurers are created entirely by you, the only restriction on their abilities is the number skill points available. Character designs are purely down to personal preference – you are free to make that butch looking swordsman your delicate healer should you wish, and the shy scholar is just an initial stat allocation away from becoming your main tank. Anyone with a save file from Grand Slam may simply transfer their characters over to Shadow Kingdom, skills intact. Dungeons are turn based (monster statues won’t move unless you do) with an emphasis on exploration and procuring as much gold and equipment as possible. Battles occur when your party touches a monster statue (or vice versa) and take place on their own mini board. Battle commands are stacked up and then executed in sequence. The package for Shadow Kingdom includes the OSTs for both Grand Slam and Shadow Kingdom (oddly not for Tairiku Hen) as well as an update disc for Grand Slam. A playable demo of Shadow Kingdom can be found here (tested and working on Windows 7 64bit – just install!).
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This video is actually for Grand Slam, but they are visually very similar and this is unfortunately the best I could do :/(NicoNico Account required to view – video tutorial here) 【ニコニコ動画】風の探索者プレイ動画

Romance of Package

2011-09-13T06:17:00.001+01:00

Original Title
패키지의 로망

Format PC

Genre N/A

Developer Sonnori

Official Website Here
Romance of Package is a special 10th anniversary collection of some of Sonnori’s biggest games and a look back over the history of the company. The set is naturally a Korean exclusive. The games included in the set are:

Astonishia Story (어스토니시아 스토리)

Darkside Story (다크사이드 스토리)

Forgotten Saga (포가튼 사가)

Steel Empire (강철제국)

Arcturus (악튜러스)

White Day (화이트데이)

Astonishia Story R (어스토니시아 스토리 R)

These titles cover an impressive breadth of genres, Astonishia Story, Forgotten Saga and Arcturus are RPGs, Darkside Story is an action game, Steel Empire is a strategy game and White Day diversifies the list even further as it’s a survival horror game!

Some of these titles were ported or translated elsewhere – Astonishia Story R is essentially the same as the Astonishia Story that was released in the US/EU on PSP and Arcturus received a Japanese PC release courtesy of Falcom. White Day very nearly had an official English translation but that was unfortunately dropped at the last minute.
The games themselves are identical to their original versions; the original Astonishia Story requires DOSbox to run, and four of the remaining six have patches on the official website to help with compatibility issues. The package itself was popular enough despite the high price to receive two releases; the one shown in the photographs below it the larger first print version, the re-release was smaller with a slightly different outer box. The contents of the two are identical, bar a few minor differences (copyright notices, etc). The “Guide Book” is actually a full set of scans of the original manuals for all the included games, the A4 sized Ad Book contains reproductions of adverts, posters, and other PR related materials. The History Book covers the business/staff side of things with interviews, box shots and various miscellanea and the final book, titled “Sonnori Goon”, is a series of gag comics and similar goofy work. The final extra is the two disc soundtrack CD, covering every included game. I don’t believe it’s a complete archive of every piece of music on every game, but with 46 tracks and a 98 minute run time it does an excellent job of at least representing each game (bar White Day, which is relegated to a bonus sound effect track).
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Flash Koibitokun

2011-09-12T04:28:00.001+01:00

Original Title FLASH
恋人クン

Format WonderSwan

Genre Puzzle

Developer Kappa Games

Official Website Here
Flash Koibitokun is quite literally lovely; your small ninja is tasked with making sure precious love hearts find their way across the screen and soften the hearts of the people on the other side. Every gap in the stage is assigned to a direction on the dpad, and your ninja can move so fast between them that he can even cover two gaps at once if your reactions are quick enough. The other key technique is to hold the hearts up to create a chain – this grants a bigger points bonus if they make it successfully across the stage, but it’s naturally far more difficult to manage ten in an unbroken line than a couple at a time. Later stages are complicated by visual obstructions (such as advertising signboards in the city levels), warps, or a combination of the two. A mysterious man in a fox mask also randomly appears to either help or hinder you – sometimes he’ll grant you the ability to cover every hole at once, or reset the lost hearts counter… or he might decide to make all the hearts more difficult to see! You are allowed to drop five hearts before you fail a stage, luckily the stage select and on-cart saving means you’re never more than a few button presses away from retrying even if you decide to turn the WonderSwan off. After the story mode is completed four extra modes are unlocked – two single player challenges (mission mode and endless mode), a versus mode (two WonderSwans linked together), and a record viewer that allows you to check your best scores and times. One nice little touch is that the game auto-selects either a male or female protagonist for you based on the personal data you created in your WonderSwan.
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Popful Mail

2011-09-08T15:57:00.001+01:00

Original Title ぽっぷる
メイル

Format PC-98

Genre RPG

Developer Falcom

Official Website N/A
Popful Mail is probably best known in the west for its Working Designs localisation on the Sega CD, however the game first came out on the PC-88 in 1991, and this PC-98 version is an enhanced port of the original. Graphically there are changes across the board – the intro has been altered, the menus that make up the border of the screen have been completely redrawn with additional artwork and the whole thing has received a touch up and made use of the expanded colour palette of the PC-98. The game plays a like a more platform-oriented Ys 3, albeit with a team of three characters that can be switched between at any time (plot allowing). Each character has different strengths and weaknesses that may be a help or hindrance depending on the situation. Enemies are dealt with via Ys’ famous “bump” system – rather than press a button to swing a sword you simply run into them until they die. Any enemies smart enough to block can be jumped over and attacked from the rear. Bosses present a sterner challenge and often have only specific periods where it is safe to attack them. Just to briefly touch upon the several versions of Popful Mail – the PC-88 was the original, the PC-98 version is an enhanced port of that game, the Mega CD version is an enhanced enhanced port of that (handled as part of the SegaFalcom partnership that also brought Dragon Slayer and Lord Monarch to the MD), and the Super Famicom version is quite different from all the rest and should probably be considered a “reimagining”, even though it’s by Falcom themselves. Packaging
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Guardian Heroines Final

2011-09-02T16:53:00.001+01:00

Original Title ガーディアン
ヒロインズ FINAL

Format PC

Genre Action

Developer Rapid Fire

Official Website Here
This Guardian Heroes homage is an expanded version of the same doujin circle’s previous work (simply titled “Guardian Heroines”) and stars a whole host of characters drawn from various gaming sources such as Fate/Stay Night, Kanon, Tsukihime and more. The game plays as a manic side scrolling beat ‘em up, with all action being restricted to either a foreground or background plane (a simplification of Guardian Heroes’ three line system). Characters have two basic attack buttons, a magic attack and the ability to guard and dash. Combos and special moves are available and encouraged :) Versus mode can handle up to eight human or CPU controlled opponents from any of the vast selection of unlockable characters, and also allows you to customise teams and character levels. Rapid Fire generously included three of their previous titles on the same disc – the original Guardian Heroines, Spartan XX, and Seitoushi Hana Oto. A playable demo of Guardian Heroines FINAL can be found here.
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Sega Ages 2500 Vol. 31 Dennou Senki Virtual On

2011-08-25T17:01:00.001+01:00

Original Title
SEGA AGES 2500シリーズ Vol.31

電脳戦機

バーチャロン

Format Playstation 2

Genre Action

Developer Sega AM 3

Official Website Here
As with a lot of the later games in the PS2 Sega Ages line, this is an arcade perfect port with all the trimmings. At the heart of the package is the straightforward arcade mode – just as it was in the arcades, not a dressed-up Saturn or PC port. Various options can tweak this exactly to your liking, a selection of resolutions and screen sizes (including progressive scan) and a choice of refresh rates (57.5 or 60FPS) are available. “Child” and “Fierce” difficulties were added for both newcomers and old hands to the game, and completing Fierce under certain conditions unlocks a new secret boss. Many other unique single player modes were also included – “Assault mode” locks out anything other than close range weaponry, “Chibi mode” gives everyone a “super deformed” look, and “Ranking mode” keeps close tabs on things like speed and accuracy with a detailed summary at the end of each match. Versus is also expanded upon, with both multiple split screen and LAN options – even including the ability to hook up a third PS2 (with a third copy of the game) for use as an individual “live” TV as featured in the deluxe cabinet version of the arcade original. While the PS2 never received its own Twin Sticks the game offers a range of preset controls for both the regular pad and the official Saturn PS2 pad, and if none of those suit a user config is available too. Outside of the game itself a full sound test menu, two galleries and a model viewer were included, and the instruction manual is approximately twice the thickness of a standard one due to the inclusion of several interviews with key staff members on the project.
Packaging – Mouseover for further info

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Mojibribbon

2011-08-20T16:37:00.001+01:00

Original Title モジブリボン

Format Playstation 2

Genre Rhythm

Developer NanaOnSha

Official Website Here
(Archived)
Mojibribbon is a music/rhythm game from the same developer as Parappa the Rapper and Vib Ribbon. Unlike a lot of other rhythm-based games the only way to end to the track is either by successfully writing out the rap or by failing - devolving down to the lowest form and then losing all of your remaining ink. Although the game is all about lyrics and calligraphy the gameplay itself is very simple; Mojibri walks upon a circle of clouds, at the start of each section the player must pull down on the right analogue stick to write the passage and then flick it up at the end to finish and also re-dip the brush into the cloud of ink above. Too early or too late will result in poor calligraphy, and if a passage is missed Mojibri cannot move onto the next cloud until is is completed. There are no other controls at all in game, all focus is on the flow and rhythm of the rap. Every word in the game is dynamically generated by speech synthesis software – nothing is pre-recorded. This allows for some customisation to the songs, the username you pick for yourself is incorporated into the raps every now and then, and later on you must write your own “shout” that will also appear. NaNaOnSha took this customisation one stage further and included an online component to the game allowing to you share user generated raps with your friends via the Playstation 2 network adapter.
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Hisou Kihei X Serd

2011-08-19T08:29:00.001+01:00

Original Title 飛装騎兵カイザード

Format PC Engine
(HUcard)

Genre RPG

Developer Masaya

Official Website N/A
X-Serd is one of the earliest strategy RPGs around, predating even the Fire Emblem series (even if only by two months). In spite of it’s age a lot of genre staples are already present and correct – battles take place upon a grid, with different terrain effecting movement and defense. The mechs under your control all have their own unique strengths, weaknesses and weaponry, meaning some are better suited to holding back and picking enemies off while others need to get in close. Relative to the time this was released the game has an impressive array of cutscene graphics and battle sprites. Two years later Masaya released the sequel, Vixen 357, on the Mega Drive. This turned out to be the final entry in the series.
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Super Gussun Oyoyo 2

2011-08-15T16:18:00.001+01:00

Original Title すーぱーぐっすんおよよ 2

Format Super Famicom

Genre Puzzle

Developer Banpresto

Official Website N/A

The Gussun Oyoyo series was started by Irem in the arcades, this SNES exclusive title came three years later courtesy of Banpresto. The object of the game is to guide Gussun to the exit before he drowns/touches an enemy/is squashed/spiked.

Gussun is never controlled directly, he moves in a straight line until he hits a block; if it’s one block high he’ll climb it, if it’s more he’ll turn around and walk back the same way. The player controls the blocks (and occassionally bombs) that fall from the top of the stage, these are primarily used to build a safe path to the exit, but they can also interact with both Gussun and enemies - pushing them across the screen or simply squashing them flat.

This particular port features versus and puzzle modes in addition to the regular story mode. The main difference between story and puzzle mode is that puzzle mode gives you a set number of predetermined blocks to reach the exit, while in story mode the blocks are random and unlimited.

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Sakura Taisen: Hanagumi Tsuushin

2011-08-15T10:56:00.001+01:00

Original Title サクラ大戦
花組通信

Format Saturn

Genre Misc.

Developer CSK

Official Website N/A
Hanagumi Tsuushin is a standalone fan/material disc for Sakura Taisen on the Saturn with optional MPEG video card support for enhanced video playback. Using the same UI as the game and with Tsubaki as your guide, you are able to either peruse a digital newspaper or venture up to the second floor of the theatre and wander around. The newspaper is more than just something to read through – clicking on various sections can bring up extended articles, photos and even video clips and quizzes. Ad space is even used to make the user aware of upcoming (for 1997) Sakura Taisen merchandise. Accessing rooms on the second floor brings up further tidbits, including video interviews with the seiyuu and the credits (complete with obligatory song and artwork).
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Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan 4

2011-08-08T17:39:00.001+01:00

Original Title
仙劍奇俠傳四

Format PC

Genre RPG

Developer Shanghai Softstar

Official Website Here
(Wayback)
Xian Jian 4 removes a lot of the complexities present in the previous entry in the series – the multiple endings and dialogue choices are gone, as are the maze-like dungeons and battle formations. A lot of things however are business as usual; battles still revolve around a single action bar at the top of the screen and the plot is again a tale of love and sacrifice in ancient China. This time the main character is Yun Tian He, a young man raised by his father in seclusion on a mountainside. After a chance meeting with Han Ling Sha (a professional thief trying to steal treasure from his parents tomb) his curiousity in the outside world and his parents past is piqued and he descends from the mountain and ends up on a journey that will take him across China. A side story game was planned at one stage, however after Shanghai Softstar disbanded it was cancelled. The game features a few minor references to other entries in the series, however it is for all intents and purposes a standalone tale.
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Sangokushi Taisen Ten

2011-07-30T17:39:00.001+01:00

Original Title
三国志大戦・天

Format Nintendo DS

Genre Strategy

Developer Sega

Official Website Here
Sega’s Three Kingdoms influenced strategy game is actually a port – Sangokushi Taisen first appeared in Japanese arcades in 2005 and has been a popular title ever since even though it requires arcade operators to purchase a large and expensive dedicated setup. “Ten” is based on the third arcade Sangokushi Taisen and bar a few small changes to some of the cards it plays close enough to the original to be useful practise for the real thing. The game revolves around cards, each one representing a general and their abilities in battle. Each card has a points cost, meaning players have to choose between balancing powerful cards with the number of units they would like to deploy. Mixing between Wu, Shu and Wei is possible, but this reduces the total number points to spend and is usually best used sparingly. The maximum number of cards you may choose is eight, and once chosen these cards may not be switched until the next match. These cards are then placed onto the battlefield – anywhere within your territory is valid, including leaving cards hidden within your base. Some cards come with added bonuses, ranging from starting stealthed to useful barriers that can protect weaker generals or used as blockades to force the opposing player into unfavourable terrain. If a card is defeated in battle it is sent back to your base and cannot be resummoned until the cooldown timer has expired. The object of the game is to assault the enemies base (always directly opposite and spanning the width of the battlefield) until either their energy bar is depleted or the timer runs out – at which point the side with the most energy left is the winner. The DS version features a unique singleplayer campaign mode that has the player trying to gain control of all of China, as well as local/online multiplayer and a series of CPU challenges that present a series of increasingly difficult challenges. The latest arcade version is currently ver. 3.59, titled “Sangokushi Taisen 3 WAR BEGINS” – if you would like a better description of the arcade game in English, Japanese, or Chinese, please visit the official site here.
Packaging – Mouseover for further info

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Tori no Hoshi ~Aerial Planet~

2011-07-22T17:00:00.001+01:00

Original Title トリノホシ
～Aerial Planet～

Format Playstation 2

Genre Adventure

Developer NK-System

Official Website Here
Set on the largely aquatic planet Cornius Blue orbiting Deneb in the constellation of Cygnus, Tori no Hoshi stars Hugo, the son of a research scientist left stranded on the other side of the planet with only a futuristic glider and his support AI Carl to guide him. The game is underpinned by the themes of exploration and survival – the player is required to search for safe camp sites and food to eat, and observing the behaviour of the birds that inhabit the planet plays a vital role in this. At the most basic level taking a good photo of a bird species will increase Hugo’s HP, but observing their behaviour will also warn about some of the planet’s hidden dangers, such as which foods are dangerous to eat. In keeping with the idea that the planet is untouched and unexplored everything is nameable by the player, with no official or default names available. Not only can birds be observed, but they can be influenced too. Under certain circumstances the birds will let out a call, perhaps to show they are content or to indicate fear – these calls can be recorded (there are four per species) and played back at will. Playing back a “contented” call near a group will cause them to follow you both in the air and back to camp unless they are attacked or become particularly distressed, for example daytime birds that you force to fly at night. In addition to the dangers caused by eating poisonous local mushrooms (or your dried food rotting away) or being attacked by a hostile bird species Hugo also has to contend with the weather, the wind can easily send the glider soaring upwards if Hugo finds a thermal upcurrent or send him spiralling out of control in a storm. Storms are extremely difficult to fly in and drain Hugo’s health if he’s out in them – it’s best to wait until the pass over, but this limits precious foraging and exploration time. The game offers multiple choices throughout meaning the challenges and terrain Hugo faces can differ drastically between playthroughs. Tori no Hoshi was released on Feb 28th 2008, sadly NK Systems went bankrupt on Dec 25th the same year. An ex-employee has kept a mirror of their website here. The soundtrack Cd included with the game features the full OST as well as four images songs “performed” by Vocaloid Hatsune Miku and composed by Basiscape. Publisher Nippon Ichi’s Prinnies can be found in the game as an easter egg.
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Magna Carta: Phantom of Avalanche

2011-07-18T18:05:00.001+01:00

Original Title 마그나카르타

Format PC

Genre RPG

Developer Softmax

Official Website Here
Phantom of Avalanche is the Korea-and-PC-only start of the Magna Carta trilogy that migrated through to the PS2 (Tears of Blood) and finally the 360 (Magna Carta 2). The game centers around Calintz, experienced swordsman and new leader of 7th Squad as he and his friends are caught up in the middle of political machinations and an ever-growing monster problem. Battles use a small real time element – timed spacebar presses can create combo attacks on your enemies. All actions in battle are governed by Turn Points that are expended either by moving or using skills; the range of your chosen skill is shown using a coloured ring around the selected character. The Carta system is woven both into the plot and the gameplay of Phantom of Avalanche, the idea being that certain elemental influences are present in everything and these forces and be refined and channeled. In game this gives the player the option to assign Carta to characters as they see fit, with certain Carta suiting particular characters better. The distinctive artwork and character design is by Hyung Tae Kim, who also worked on the rest of the Magna Carta series as well as The War of Genesis games for Softmax.
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Bahamut Senki

2011-07-12T10:04:00.001+01:00

Original Title
バハムート戦記

Format Mega Drive

Genre Strategy

Developer Sega

Official Website Here
(Japanese VC)
Bahamut Senki is a fantasy themed strategy game developed and released by Sega for the Mega Drive in Japan. Even though the game was a one off Sega took the time to develop a lot of lore for it, the stories behind the conflicts and kingdoms setting up the game and the rivalries between the factions. The game has a lot of options that allow you to tailor it to suit your mood – you can even choose to play the action and hex battle segments independently of the main game, which both come with further options of their own (including the ability to play these sections against a friend if you wish).
The main game offers four scenarios, but the goal is the same in each – conquer your enemies! Some will have your fighting a single empire, and others will have you battling and befriending factions all around you. This is split into two phases – the first phase allows you to check on your units and other general stats, as well as request or give help to allied forces. The second phase is the main phases where you move units around to strengthen your territories, attack neighbouring locations and summon more units (summoned units cannot be used the same turn they appear).
Once you get into battle things change yet again; sometimes you will have a one-on-one duel (played out in realtime like an action game), but most of the time you will see both side lined up on opposite sides of the screen while you dish out orders. Your units aren’t just lined up for easy reading – their placement needs to be considered as all troops have different ranges depending on what kind of unit they are. Mages are weak but can attack enemies that aren’t directly in front of them, so it’s a good idea to place a berserker ahead of them so protect them from physical attacks while they whittle down the HP with spells. An official guidebook was released to accompany the game, I’ve provided a photo - here Packaging Screenshots

Detana!! Twinbee

2011-07-10T08:24:00.001+01:00

Original Title 出たな!! ツインビー

Format X68000

Genre Shmup

Developer Konami

Official Website N/A
Detana!! Twinbee is a nigh-on perfect port of the arcade title of the same name. For anyone that doesn’t know, Detana!! is a vertical scrolling shmup by Konami, and the second game in the Twinbee series that eventually diversified into puzzle games, drama CDs and even a PS1 RPG. As is to be expected from an arcade port the options available are rather limited – the config menu allows you to alter the difficulty level (including a “Very easy” mode that’s not in the coin op version) and the number of lives per continue as well as choose from one of a few key configurations and listen to the music from the game. The game retains the arcade games second loop which increases the number of enemies and bullets thrown at you as well as changing the stage colour palette.

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Gigantic Army

2011-07-02T17:07:00.001+01:00

Original Title GIGANTIC ARMY

Format PC (Doujin)

Genre Action

Developer Astro Port

Official Website Here
Gigantic Army is a sequel to Armed Seven, and both are homages to NCS’s “Assault Suits” series of side-scrolling mech action games. Upon starting the game you are given the option of independently selecting a primary and special weapon (both are one from a choice of three) to battle through the game with. These include spread shots to grenade launchers and a barrage of homing missiles, allowing you to customise the shot type to your preferences. Controls and available moves are very similar to the Assault Suits games – your mech can dash, jump, shield itself and fire in any direction. Weapons can be powered up by collecting icons hidden throughout the stage, and the level timer can be extended in the same way. The game features several difficulty levels, some of which need to be unlocked. As continues are limited (and using one restarts the level) the game has a practise mode, allowing you to try any stage reached on any available difficulty. Replays can also be saved should you feel you’ve done a particularly impressive run. A playable demo can be downloaded from here.
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Original Title	仙剑奇侠传5
Format	PC
Genre	RPG
Developer	Softstar
Official Website	Here

Original Title	ロマンシア浪漫境伝説
Released	1988
Size	6x8 inches

Original Title	ファンタシースターファンブック＆オリジナルドラマCD
Released	1995
Size	7x10 inches

Original Title	圣女之歌官方攻略
Released	Unknown
Size	5.5x8 inches

Original Title	디제이맥스 트릴로지
Format	PC
Genre	Rhythm
Developer	Pentavision
Official Website	Here

Original Title	たねをまく鳥
Format	WonderSwan
Genre	Puzzle
Developer	T.Suzuki
Official Website	Here

Original Title	風の探索者２-SHADOW KINGDOM
Format	PC
Genre	RPG
Developer	Gruppo One
Official Website	N/A

Original Title	패키지의 로망
Format	PC
Genre	N/A
Developer	Sonnori
Official Website	Here

Original Title	FLASH 恋人クン
Format	WonderSwan
Genre	Puzzle
Developer	Kappa Games
Official Website	Here

Original Title	ぽっぷるメイル
Format	PC-98
Genre	RPG
Developer	Falcom
Official Website	N/A

Original Title	ガーディアンヒロインズ FINAL
Format	PC
Genre	Action
Developer	Rapid Fire
Official Website	Here

Original Title	SEGA AGES 2500シリーズ Vol.31 電脳戦機バーチャロン
Format	Playstation 2
Genre	Action
Developer	Sega AM 3
Official Website	Here

Original Title	モジブリボン
Format	Playstation 2
Genre	Rhythm
Developer	NanaOnSha
Official Website	Here (Archived)

Original Title	飛装騎兵カイザード
Format	PC Engine (HUcard)
Genre	RPG
Developer	Masaya
Official Website	N/A

Original Title	すーぱーぐっすんおよよ 2
Format	Super Famicom
Genre	Puzzle
Developer	Banpresto
Official Website	N/A

Original Title	サクラ大戦花組通信
Format	Saturn
Genre	Misc.
Developer	CSK
Official Website	N/A

Original Title	仙劍奇俠傳四
Format	PC
Genre	RPG
Developer	Shanghai Softstar
Official Website	Here (Wayback)

Original Title	三国志大戦・天
Format	Nintendo DS
Genre	Strategy
Developer	Sega
Official Website	Here

Original Title	トリノホシ～Aerial Planet～
Format	Playstation 2
Genre	Adventure
Developer	NK-System
Official Website	Here

Original Title	마그나카르타
Format	PC
Genre	RPG
Developer	Softmax
Official Website	Here

Original Title	バハムート戦記
Format	Mega Drive
Genre	Strategy
Developer	Sega
Official Website	Here (Japanese VC)

Original Title	出たな!! ツインビー
Format	X68000
Genre	Shmup
Developer	Konami
Official Website	N/A

Original Title	GIGANTIC ARMY
Format	PC (Doujin)
Genre	Action
Developer	Astro Port
Official Website	Here