International Gaming Journal

hashiriya1

Game: Doremi Fantasy: Miron no Dokidoki Daibouken (ドレミファンタジー: ミロンのドキドキ大冒険)
Developer: Hudson Soft
Publisher: Hudson Soft
Release Date: March 22, 1996
Genre: Platformer
System: Nintendo Super Famicom

Doremi Fantasy is the sequel to the NES game 'Milon's Secret Castle'. Don't be fooled, though. Doremi Fantasy isn't even close to resembling its predecessor. It's a straightforward platformer with very mild puzzle elements and it's a whole lot of fun. Upon starting the game you are met with a cutscene in which Milon and a companion are walking in the woods together when suddenly a demon appears in the sky. This demon, Amon, kidnaps a fairy named Elise. To combat the evil Amon you must collect 5 legendary musical instruments from across the land. Once you acquire these instruments you are ready to face the evil Amon and rescue Elise. Along the way you meet people who imbue magical powers into each instrument that you collect.

Similar to platformers like Super Mario World, Doremi Fantasy consists of a variety of overworld maps which consist of a number of levels. The themes of these overworld maps come in a wide variety. There are the requisite ice, forest, and fire worlds long with unique worlds like the snack world, and the toy world. After you complete the regular levels there are 'castle' stage and a boss stages. Before moving onto the the boss you must collect 5 special stars hidden in the preceding levels which are needed to enhance the magical properties of the music instruments. You can revisit cleared stages to power up or acquire items that were unreachable during the original run.

Your only weapon, like in the original Milon game, are bubbles. Reminiscent of Bubble Bobble, your enemies are encased in your bubbly restraints until you tag them and subsequently they float off to somewhere in the sky. You can stomp enemies, but this only stuns them and does not kill them. Your bubble bullets can be powered up but to a very short extent. It would have been nice if Hudson Soft put a little more effort into this since blowing bubbles does get a bit boring. A variety of weapons would have made this a lot better.

Items and power-ups are available throughout the game as well as a plethora of 1ups. Items range from bubble gum which prevents you from dying in and endless pit to winged shoes which help you glide through the air. As you progress further into the game you realize that these conveniences become more scarce. Musical notes which are like Mario's coins or Sonic's rings can be collected for 1ups. Even these become more rare as you get closer and closer to the final battle with Amon.

The colorful graphics and great attention to detail is really amazing. The cute little animations Milon and his enemies have are nice little touches which add to the game's charm. I've never seen one individual character in the 16-bit era have so many animations and expressions. Some of which are only unique to being harmed by a specific single enemy. There is a wide variety of cute enemies and bosses each seemingly distinct personalities. From the baddest boss to the most insignificant grunt of an enemy, they all have character which is more than I can say for a Goomba or a Koopa Troopa. You can easily tell a lot of devotion went into developing the presentation of the game. As if the gameplay and graphics weren't good enough, the music and sound effects of Doremi Fantasy are top notch. Everything sounds beautiful and Hudson Soft really got the most out of the Super Famicom's sound capabilities.

In addition to an already rich game there are mini games hidden throughout the levels. There are three different mini games in which you can earn suits or 1ups depending on how many points earn. One thing I must mention is that the instructions of the mini games are in Japanese so if you aren't familiar with the language the mini games make require trial and error to figure out. While there is an English patch available for the ROM, I am not big on emulation so I don't endorse it.

The game forgoes battery backup with a password system. Once you reach the 'game over' screen you'll be given a password if you don't want to continue right away. Hudson Soft did keep it simple by having only 4-digit passwords, but you cannot resume exactly where you left off the last time you played. So, for example, you lose all of your lives at the last level of a given world you must restart the entire world if you decide to quit. Perhaps this was added for a challenge. The only way to resume where you left off is to instantly continue once the game is over. Also, you must deplete all lives before getting a password. It would be more convenient if it was possible to retrieve a password at any time. You have to wait for a 'game over' screen. There were times I wanted to quit for the night but had to waste all of my lives just to get a password.

Doremi Fantasy is not a very difficult game. I suppose Hudson Soft wanted to make the game accessible to gamers of all ages and levels, so if you're a seasoned gamer Doremi Fantasy might be a bit on the easy and short side. There are 7 worlds, but the levels are fairly short which is a shame because they are so much fun. There is one major area where Hudson Soft completely dropped the ball, but I can't really mention it without spoiling the game. I'll just assume that they must have spent so much time on the presentation that they totally forgot or didn't care about one major detail of the game...or it was just rushed towards the end of production.

Don't let that deter you. Doremi Fantasy is a must-play. From the rich, colorful graphics to the beautiful sounds, and a surprise cameo by Bomberman this game cannot be missed. While the Super Famicom version might be a bit hard to come by, it is available on the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console as an import. While it is no Super Mario World, it does succeed in being a very fun game that shouldn't be missed. Get a copy or download it from Virtual Console. You just might find yourself thinking this is one of the Super Famicom's best platformers.

No backups, pirates, or emulation. My copy:

hashiriya1

Game: Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon
Developer: NamcoBandai/Tri-Crescendo
Publisher: X-SEED
Release Date: March 16, 2010
Genre: Adventure
System: Nintendo Wii

In the game you take on the role of Seto. In the very beginning of the game Seto's grandfather dies and after Seto buries him in the yard he is left alone to explore a world which he knows nothing about. As Seto sets out to explore his world (post-apocalyptic Tokyo) he befriends a young girl about his age who appears to be just as alone and just as human as he. This brief encounter with the mysterious girl sets the stage for the rest of the game: find her.

Seto has a bag, a briefcase, a flashlight, and a weapon. 90% of the game takes place in dark, desolate environments where a flashlight does come in handy. The Wii Remote controls the flashlight and the nunchuck thumbstick controls Seto's movements. In this desolate world Seto will encounter enemies out to do him him. These enemies range from hellhounds to peoples' bitter regrets in the form ghost jellies. There really is no battle system. All you have to do to attack an enemy is simply walk up to it and bash it a few times when your weapon. Also, there is no way to dodge, parry, or defend against enemy attacks other than just walking out of the way. The game also makes great use of the Wii Remote's speaker as it helps Seto find objects, enemies, and also acts as an advice dispensary when help up to your ear.

Seto finds random weapons along his journey. Things like old rusty pipes, hammers, broomsticks, and even katanas. All weapons can and will break at random times. Sometimes during mid-battle, sometimes after a battle. The fact is you must carry a lot of spares if you don't want to be caught facing a boss while wielding a broken weapon. Space is limited so you don't have much of a choice but to keep your weapons in your big briefcase instead of your bag. You can only access your briefcase at save points, so plan accordingly.

Throughout the game you pick up pieces of people's memories in the form of possessions they once had. These range from things like notebooks, old shoes, dog collars, jewelry, etc. Seto can somehow read the memories of the people who are attached to these items. Each memory is tinged with sadness and an impending doom which only the owner of the possession knows about. Knowing what caused this annihilation of man mostly is the driving force of the game's player (you), but not Seto himself. These memories and short stories do nothing to aide your journey, nor do they give clues as to why the world is the way it is. These pieces of people's lives serve two purposes. One, they let the player know that the world was full of people with unique lives and memories just like the real world. Two, tear fodder. Hearing the stories of people at the end of their lives are ornaments of tragedy to make the game more sad than it already is. You can go through the whole game without even touching these objects, but you're robbing yourself of some nice (very short) stories. Any hints about why the world is the way it is are given by friends which Seto makes along the way.

While on your journey you can stop and rest at campfire spots which are sparkling buckets of wood. Here Seto's HP replenishes and you are given the option to save your game. In addition to saving you can manage your inventory. As mentioned before Seto carries a bag and a briefcase. Apparently Seto can't manage the goods in the briefcase outside of the save spots. A man wearing an old fashioned tuxedo mixed with a chicken costume randomly appears at these campfire save spots. He goes around Tokyo collecting random things to sell to you. He also collects junk for a much more sinister, but sad, reason which is revealed later in the game. Lastly, the save spots are the only place where Seto can view his 'mystery' items. Mystery items appear after defeating enemies, hidden in rooms, or are in plain sight. The mystery items range from precious goods which are converted to yen, weapons, healing items, and memory items. Inventory management for the things in your bag is very important. Only a certain number of items fit depending on their size and shape. If you must make room for a mystery item but you aren't at a save spot, you'll have to discard whatever you feel is useless to you at that point.

Praises:

Although a bit overwrought at times the story is the main star of the game, followed by the art direction. The guys at Tri-Crescendo who also worked on beautiful games like Baten Kaitos and Eternal Sonata really did some great worth with Fragile Dreams. The environments are beautifully created to be dreary, drab, and dark. The lack of music as you explore the darkness also adds to the effect. When you hear the sinister music begin to play and ghostly moans coming from your Wii Remote, you know something is bound to creep up on you. In the scenes where there is music, it matches the mood perfectly. If it weren't for the intriguing story, I would have given up on the game within the first hour or so.

There are also poignant short stories which Seto picks up along the way that are completely unrelated to the main story but nicely add to the overall mood of despair of the game. I do think the mini stories support the overall game since Fragile Dreams probably couldn't stand on its own two legs with its main story alone. After hearing the mini stories you're left with a sad smile because if you have lived life, you'll be able to identify with several of the stories.

Grievances:

The graphics, music, and aesthetic of the game draw you in only to leave you high and dry with the gameplay. The lack of a battle system, the awkwardness of the controls, the repetition and respawning of the enemies, and just the overall feel of half-assed development of gameplay elements leaves a lot to be desired. Being able to lock onto enemies would have helped a great deal, especially when battling enemies in narrow areas. Some sort of defense moves would have helped a great deal as well. For every step the game takes forward, it also takes two steps back.

I really hated having to find a save spot just to view or get rid of 'mystery items'. I don't see why Seto can't view these items as he picks them up. It's annoying to make room in your bag for a mystery item only to find out later it's something you don't need. Sometimes soon after saving you would get a mystery item only to backtrack to the last save spot just to see what it is because you never know when the next one will come. You always want to keep your bag empty just in case something good might turn up. If I knew what half the mystery items were before picking them up, I wouldn't bother with things I already own. This slows the game down considerably as you often have to backtrack. Speaking of backtracking, the fetch missions are very tedious and annoying. You are forced to go back to places you've already explored to find useless items. It seems they added this into the game just to make a short game seem longer. The game is about 10 to 12 hours long depending on how much exploring you do.

One very minor gripe: the title. I don't think I am spoiling anything by saying the game itself has nothing to do with the fragility of dreams (more like the fragility of life) or ruins of the moon. It seems that even the title was created just to invoke some sort of melancholic reaction and mystique. In fact the game's title kept me on my toes because I thought something grand was going to happen in relation with the moon. Perhaps I played Final Fantasy IV once too often.

The Verdict:

Fragile Dreams is a very sad game about loneliness, death, melancholy, regret, and anything else that would solicit any sad emotion from the player. The amount of effort that went into the crafting of its story and mini stories meant less effort that went into its actual game play, battle system (or lack thereof), and control. This game will try to make you cry or at least feel SOMETHING human but at the same time its endless chutes and ladders and fetch missions will test your patience. Perhaps the biggest tragedy of this game is its gameplay. This game could have been so much more if the developers didn't choose style over substance. Fragile Dreams is a great story hindered by a not-so-great game. This is a game you'd love to watch as a movie, but would hate to play as a game.There is no replay value. I thought about doing a speedrun after I cleared it, but I remembered all of the needlessly long corridors, ladders, and stairways so that thought quickly vanished.

No backups, pirates, or emulation. My copy:

hashiriya1

hashiriya1

Game: Akai Katana Shin 赤い刀・真
Developer: Cave
Publisher: Cave
Release Date: May 26, 2011
Genre: Shooter
System: XBOX 360 (Region locked)

When I first saw game play footage of Akai Katana the first thing it reminded me of was Progear. Things like its art direction (chubbified enemy vehicles a la Metal Slug) and use of vintage aircraft, it's clear this game is for the Progear fans. I am sure every shooter fan out there thought the same thing. Once I played the game for the first time it was apparent that this game was only similar to Progear in its appearance, but not its game play. Game play elements are a mix of Espgaluda and elements unique to Akai Katana. If you didn't like Progear or the Espgaluda series, don't let these similarities deter you from trying this game. I guarantee you, it's a whole new experience.

Akai Katana is set in a fictional era in Japanese history which closely resembles the 1960s. This era is called "Taishou" (the 1960s were a part of the "Showa" era in reality). In this era of rapid economic growth after the great war a new natural resource called "Kidouseki" was discovered. This can be very loosely translated as "Prayer Guide Stone" This resource can be used to power everything. It was also usedo make special 'swords' called "Kidoutou" which only a few people who hold a special seal can wield. These select warriors have the power to manipulate the sword's powers.　This sword, which drains the life of those who hold it, transforms into a "Kesshoutou" or "Akai Katana" (Red Sword). Once the Kidoutou transforms into the sinister Akai Katana it needs the flesh and body of its wielder to show its power.

Of course with precious resources comes conflict. There is an unnamed empire among greater nations. Despite being a small country they must supersede other countries for the sake of their protection (they may want to steal the precious Kidouseki). They chose war to carry out this objective. The leader, whose name is Basho, formed an army within his empire to advance over neighboring countries to show its great power. This group, called the "Jikkan Juninshu" (loosely translated as "The Ten Celestials), were greatly admired. For the sake of protecting their own country, The Ten Celestials were bestowed with a special privilege: to kill people with impunity for the sake of strengthening their own country. Meanwhile because of the aggressive authoritarian acts against neighboring countries, a few of the Ten Celestials found it disagreeable and so the group split into two factions. A civil war was declared by the rebels and among the ranks of the rebellion force is the emperor's son and daughter.

The trump card of the rebel forces are three fighter aircraft called the "Shake Volts". The Shake Volts possess a special power: they can increase their firepower through sacrificing (your own) life. This is aided by the sword and the Prayer Guide Stones. Kikyou, the emperor's son, and his allies wield the same power as their enemies: the Akai Katana. They swear to transform its menacing power into a victory over evil. Thus the anti-imperial rebel force, dubbed "Gekka", was formed to bring out justice for the world.

The Shake Volt fighters' designs are based on actual World War II aircraft. Although they have an odd English name in the game (they are never referred to in Japanese), the strange thing is when you write "Shake Volt" in Japanese it becomes "Shinden", and Shindens were Japanese prototype fighter aircraft in World War II. In fact, one of the selectable aircraft is modeled after the Kyushu J7W aka "Shinden". Somebody at Cave was having a little fun...or I could be completely wrong. Nonetheless it's either a cool coincidence or a cheeky parody. The other two aircraft are a Lockheed P-38 Lightning and a Nakajima (present day Subaru) A6M2N Rufe. In the game the aircraft individually are not called by their real world names. The J7W Rufe is called the Kinsenka or (Marigold), the P-38 Lightning is called the "Yaezakura" (Double Cherry Tree), and the A6M2 Rufe is called the Kochouran (Butterfly Orchid).

If you are familiar with Cave shooters than getting used to the shooting system is a piece of cake. Like almost all Cave shooters you have a regular rapid fire shot, a concentrated beam (when the 'shot' button is held down), and a bomb attack. Another command is the "henshin" mode where your plane becomes a flying ninja. More on this later. Your ship is followed by a pod or 'option' in shooter talk. This pod fires bullets and lasers depending on your chosen attack. This pod can be multiplied by powering up. You will always have a least one no matter how many times you die. The ship itself is fairly straightforward, it's the Ninja Mode that adds a little spice to an established formula.

The character design in this game is very stylish. Run-of-the-mill anime characters dressed in Harajuku fashion with a little bit of Akihabara Moe (read: zettai ryouiki) thrown in for good measure (or fan service). Typical of Japanese games and anime, the characters are too good-looking and too young to be in the roles they are in. The main characters are a teenage brother and sister team, Kyouki and Botan Saionji who lead the rebel forces. They are the children of the emperor for whom they are fighting against. They don't believe in their father's imperialistic ways and plus they are a bit angry that their father killed their mother. That would do it. They are joined by an all-female rebel group who have their own agendas. If you think you see two male characters, look again. Tsubaki is really a woman dressed as a man. Each character has their own style of attack and personalities. Depending on your style of playing, some characters will seem more efficient than others. No one character is stronger than the other so it is all a matter of preference. You choose characters in twos as one pilots the ship and the other is the "Ninja".

The bosses are equally as stylish and just like the shake volts, all the bosses are named after plant life. The bosses are flying humans much like your ship when you are in Ninja Mode. Facing all human bosses would be fairly boring so it's great that the second half of boss fights become more exciting by World War II era battleships, bombers, aircraft carriers, etc being summoned and manipulated to defy all laws of gravity all with the purpose of destroying you.

Like Espgaluda you can transform into a more powerful character temporarily. Depending on the version you play, they are not only more powerful but invincible. This is referred to as "Ninja Mode". Orbs are collected and accumulate in a meter which then slowly drains as you are in Ninja Mode. An interesting aspect of this is that the meter is shared with your life bar. So the less life (and lives) you have, the longer you can be in Ninja Mode. Players who use suicide as a strategy (like in Battle Garegga and Ibara, among others) would find this feature very comfortable, while others may find it more challenging. I am part of the latter.

In the home port of Akai Katana there are three versions of the game. These include Akai Katana, Akai Katana Shin, and Zetsu Akai Katana. Akai Katana is just a straight port of the arcade version, and Zetsu is the arcade version with some improvements and changes. These improvements include things like 16:9 widescreen support (arcade is 4:3), the extra level from Shin is included, among other things. Changes include modified speeds of the ships under certain conditions, power increase of concentrated laser beams, and many others. The "Shin" version is almost a whole new game as far as strategies and scoring is concerned.

The biggest difference in the "Shin" version is your firepower when you are in Ninja Mode. It works something like this: while you are in plane mode dodge enemy bullets as closely as possible to accumulate katana orbs within your force field. When the situation calls for it, transform into Ninja Mode so that the katana orbs transform into katanas which appear behind your character. Transform back into normal (plane) mode and watch your katanas unleash hell upon your enemies in a beautiful shower of blood and cherry blossom petals. It may sound intimidating but once you play the game and get the hang of this system it works wonders. If you care about scores, you are awarded massive amounts of points for executing the katana attack.

While opinions may differ on which version of the game is best, I am going to choose Shin as the winner. I see why Zetsu would please some people who prefer a more raw shoot-em-up experience, but the annihilating enemies with your katanas is just all too exhilarating. The pink cherry blossom petals exploding when your katanas thrust forward as you are awarded with gold coins which come raining down in a golden shower is most satisfying. No puns intended, of course.

The difficulty of this game is, in my opinion, easier among Cave shooters. Don't get me wrong, this game is no walk in the park, but compared to other bullet hell shooters like Daifukkatsu and Ketsui, this one seems a bit tame. Just a bit. There are training and novice modes available to you if the main game is a bit too much to handle. You can also have a friend help you in the carnage, but be advised that Shin and Zetsu modes do not support 2-player simultaneous play. Bummer.

As always with Cave games the graphics are vivid and crisp. The detail of even the weakest enemy shows the designers weren't cutting corners. The underwater stage is very reminiscent of "In The Hunt". When it comes to the game's aesthetic, it is very Japanese. Sure, Deathsmiles has lolicon characters and Daifukkatsu has giant mech school girls, but that is not the "Japanese" I mean. The stages are all set in Japan with Japanese landmarks in the backgrounds. From Tokyo Tower to Kyoto's ever-recognizable Okita and Mandara mountains. You are taken along a quick tour of Japan while destroying everything in your path. The last Cave game to do this was Guwange.That is a shame because I would love to see more shooters with this aesthetic.

Included with the game is a DLC code for extra voice sequences. These voice sequences just add more depth to the game (given you understand Japanese) as you progress through a level. It's a nice little touch. While it's not as entertaining or lengthy as the commentary you get in Oshaberi Parodius, it's still a nice addition to the drama of the game. If you don't want to hear overacted interjections while you play, you can turn off the voice acting in the options menu. The voice acting is the typical anime overacting some of you have grown accustomed to. Cave didn't skimp on the voice actors as they have hired veterans in the field who have worked on games such as Persona, Last Remnant, Metal Gear Solid series, etc and worked on anime such as Captain Tsubasa, Doraemon, Gundam, plus many others. The voice actors also lent their voices to the Japanese dubs of American products such as Ugly Betty, 24, Lost, ER, plus many many others. Useless trivia: the voice actor of the first stage boss, Kenyu Horiuchi, is the go-to Japanese dub voice actor for all of Brad Pitt's roles.

Lastly I want to mention that the leaderboards are a great tool to learn how to master this game. With available replays allows players to see how others achieve their high scores. There is a lot to be learned from watching players better than you, so it's worth your while to watch a few replays uploaded by the pros.

Praises:
The game is well-balanced with plenty of avenues to create your strategies. The game play is deep and rewarding. The difficulty is not as savage as other Cave shooters which makes this game great for novice players or those who want to get their feet wet with a bullet hell shooter. It's also not too simple so more seasoned players won't be turned off.

Great replay value. While shooters are not known for their replay value, this game has three different versions on one disc. Another reason why this is praiseworthy is that they are all on the disc without having to download anything. In this day and age of game companies selling add-ons, this game comes almost complete. Even previous Cave shooters required (free) DLC to add to the experience but this game comes with it all. As mentioned earlier, the only DLC is the free voice pack which adds no game play changes to the game. It's sad that this is a praise, but these are the times we are in.

Grievances:
While the boss battles are extravagant and lengthy they seem to go on for too long at times and it also seems Cave dropped the ball on most the boss bullet patterns. Perhaps I expect too much from Cave bosses, but the boss battles could have been more challenging. Only the last boss provides a great example of classic Cave bullet patterns.

Another gripe is that there are no warning signs of enemies coming in at irregular angles. The Deathsmiles games had these, so why not this one? How can I dodge something that I can't see coming? Perhaps that is part of the challenge. My last complaint is a very minor one but I am sure I share with all shooter fanatics. There is no initial entry after finishing your game. Your high score is saved but the game still lacks that little detail what adds to the arcade feel of any game, entering your initials. The closest thing you can get to that is your XBL gamertag is published onto the leaderboards.

The Verdict:

This game is definitely Cave's best horizontal shooter and their most stylish. From the old fashioned Japanese motif mixed with modern style, this game exudes many aspects of Japanese design. The satisfying feeling you get when you annihilate all of the enemies on the screen in one fell swoop of your piercing katanas never gets old. Arcade and Zetsu modes are great, but the Shin mode is what really makes this game almost perfect.

No backups, pirates, or emulation. My copy:

hashiriya1

Game: P-47: The Freedom Fighter
Developer: Nihon Aicom Kaihatsu
Publisher: Jaleco
Release Date: March 20, 1989
Genre: Shooter
System: PC Engine

In 1988 Jaleco released a horizontal shooter to compete against Capcom's '19XX' series in the arcades. Rather than using the infamous P-38 Lightning, this game's 'character' is the less-than-famous tank-of-an-airplane P-47 Thunderbolt. This review won't be very long because this is a very simple game to play, but difficult to master.

In P-47: The Freedom Fighter you are up against the Third Reich and everything they could hurl at you. They pesky Nazis have everything from gigantic tanks to zeppelins. While the developer took some liberties with the designs of the enemies, expect nothing but typical World War II war machines. There are some levels in the game which are very similar in design to stages in U.N. Squadron. Perhaps Capcom took a few ideas to pay Jaleco back for releasing a World War II-themed shooter. This is just pure speculation on my part. In any case it's great to play a shoot-em-up that is not set in space or a different planet.

There is a fairly simple power-up system. Power-up icons either come by way of helicopter or hidden in the sky. There are certain 'sweet spots' in specific areas of the sky which hide icons. The power-ups range from missiles, bombs, multi-directional turrets, and some strange exploding mechanism. Other than power-ups you can find icons for speed, 1-ups, and continues. You are only given 2 continues in this game so that "C" icon is very precious. After playing the game a couple times you'll learn which power-ups work best with each level. Some levels require you to change your strategy (power-up) and the game helps you along by giving you a hint (the same icon appearing numerous times in a specific area) of which power up would work best at your current location.

Praises:
The difficulty level on later stages provide a great challenge. A fair variety of enemies for an 80's shooter. There are points in the game that are absolutely manic and those who have been trained in modern bullet hell shooters would appreciate them. Plenty of power ups and requiring a basic strategy of when to have what adds some depth to the game. Having only 2 continues only thickens the challenge.

Grievances:
Enemy bullets blend into the background on level 2 which can cause some frustrating deaths. Graphics could have been just a bit more colorful like the arcade version. The drab colors do make the game somewhat depressing to play.

The Verdict:
A great lesser-known shooter which starts fairly easy but punishes you if you become complacent. If U.N. Squadron had a prequel, this game would probably be it. I don't want to spoil it, but if your skills are up to par and you clear the game you will treated to a preachy unintentionally funny Engrish cutscene for an ending. There was also a follow up to this game which was only released in arcades in 1995 called "P-47 Aces". This game is also available on Amiga, Amstrad, C64, Atari ST ZX Spectrum, and iPhone/iPod Touch.

No backups, pirates, or emulation. My copy:

hashiriya1

Game: Shienryu Explosion
Developer: Warashi
Publisher: D3
Release Date: October 23rd, 2003 (Original Release), August 4th, 2005 (Re-release)
Genre: Shooter
System: PlayStation 2

Shienryu Explosion is a sequel to the arcade game "Shienryu" which was also released for the Saturn and PSX (in Japan). The word Shienryu means "Violet Flame Dragon" in Japanese. Keep in mind, those of you who study Japanese, that 'shienryu' isn't a real word per se so don't use it when speaking Japanese if you ever have to describe a purple dragon on fire.

You have three different attacks. A "weak" attack that has a wide spread of bullets, a "normal" attack that has a moderate bullet spread and "strong" which has a narrow, concentrated bullet pattern. Your ship's speed is affected by the strength of your attack. Your ship moves swiftly with a weak attack and slow with the strongest attack. Not an original idea, but it works with this game.

There are three different ships in the game. Each ship has a different style of attack. One uses bullets and missiles, one fires lasers and missiles, and the last one is equipped with a laser and bullets, but no missiles. All ships are have a "bomb" attack which will not obliterate everything onscreen, but will fire your weapon at its maximum power destroying even bullets while making your ship invincible. There are six characters in the game but they have no effect on your ship's abilities. I don't know why the developer even added characters since the only difference between them during gameplay is the color of their bullets and lasers. Other than that, choosing a character is not important.

This game shares absolutely nothing with the first game other than its name and that it's a vertical shooter. This game could have been called something completely different and it wouldn't have made any difference. It plays a lot like a watered-down version of Triggerheart Exelica, which was also developed by Warashi. If you have played Triggerheart then this game would be a step down and you won't break new ground here.

The game came available on the Simple 2000 Series in Japan in two forms. One is called "Simple 2000 Series Vol. 37 THE SHOOTING: Double Shienryu" where the first game and Shienryu Explosion are available on the same disc. The other one is of the same Simple 2000 Series as "2-in-1 Vol. 5" which comes with a game completely unrelated simply called "THE HELICOPTER".

Praises:
Great graphics and good music. This is also one of the few vertical console shooters that is widescreen. This means an even larger play area and no bars on each side of the screen. This game's graphics and feel is very reminiscent of Raystorm, only not as good.

Grievances:
This game is easy. Too easy. You don't get a real challenge until the last boss, but even the last boss isn't really that difficult. If you've been trained by Cave's bullet patterns then the last boss is a walk in the park. The characters in the game add no depth so there is no reason for them to exist.

The Verdict:
If you're a collector of shoot-em-ups definitely pick this game up. It is not horribly bad, it's just horribly easy. If you are looking for a challenge, look elsewhere. On the same token if you want to get into shoot-em-ups and you're a bit intimidated this is a good game to get you acquainted with the genre.

The game came packed in with another game called "The Helicopter". With an inspired name like that I had to try it out. The game is as simple and as bland as the title. "THE HELICOPTER" is a very simple game where you control an RC Helicopter and use it to complete simple missions inside a home, around town, etc. I have no idea why it came packed with this game. I'll assume they were just finding a quick way to get rid of the discs.

No backups, pirates, or emulation. My copy:

hashiriya1

Game: Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius ~forever with me~
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Release Date: December 13th, 1996 (Saturn), January 25th, 2007 (PSP)
Genre: Shooter
Systems Available: Saturn, PSX, PSP, Super Famicom
Versions Reviewed: Saturn, PSP
Screenshots: Saturn

There are five proper Parodius games and Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius ~forever with me~ is the fourth game from the series. While they do not have to be played in any particular order, it does help to start from the beginning so that you would appreciate cameos and other references that appear in all of the games. If you are not familiar with the Parodius series, it is the biggest cute-em-up franchise brought to you by Konami. Parodius mainly parodies Gradius, hence its name. Instead of destroying alien beings and ships, you'll be blasting away cute penguins and school girls. This game contains great stage parodies and appearances by characters from Goemon (Legend of the Mystical Ninja), Lethal Enforcers, Tokimeki Memorial, Xexex, Twin Bee, Bio Miracle, Kid Dracula, and of course, Gradius plus much more. There are also references to non-Konami properties such as Fist of the North Star and parodies of real locations in Japan such as Osaka's Dotonbori. The game's loading screen which reads "Keep Waiting" instead of the boringly proper "Now Loading" sets the mood for the sarcastic hijinks ahead.

And we're off!
As the game's title states, there is 'live' chatting throughout the game. "Jikkyou" means "live" as in "live broadcast" and "oshaberi" is an honorific Japanese term for "chat". The commentary, in Japanese, is funny throughout. Players with an intermediate to advanced knowledge of the Japanese language will enjoy the game even more. It helps a great deal to know random j-pop culture as well. The commentary might be annoying to people who don't understand (it can be turned off), but I don't think it should be a problem to most people. The commentator is mostly commenting on what is going on in the game but also throws in some funny random references to Japanese and world culture. One example is that a popular Japanese maxi pad slogan spoken when you acquire a specific weapon, depending on your character. Maxi pad references in a shooter whose audience is most likely made up of male players? A cheap laugh, but funny, so it works. If you play the game with a 2nd player a female commentator joins in on the action.

16 characters to choose from!

The voice actor in the game, Joji Yanami, mostly works in anime. He is the main narrator of the Dragon Ball movies of the 90s but he has also starred in hundreds of projects from Lupin to Ranma, and my favorite early childhood anime: Gu Gu Ganmo. Some of you may find his voice familiar because he has also lent his voice to games like Ape Escape, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and Tales of Destiny. He even had the privilege to be the voices of Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Astro of the Jetsons, Fillmore of Cars, and of Master Splinter in first live action TMNT movie in their Japanese dubs.

The game's story is that an old octopus has a dying wish which he asks his sons to fulfill. Before he dies he would very much like to eat a very rare takoyaki that only appears every 128 years. Your mission is to acquire this takoyaki to satisfy a man's, er, octopus' last wish! That is what it says in the instruction manual, but in the actual opening in the game it is a little different. The goal is to still obtain the rare takoyaki, but 11 friends (But there are 16 selectable characters plus an unlockable Kid Dracula) are sent out on an adventure to not only get the takoyaki, but defeat the evil forces that started a war by giving half of the world's population hemorrhoids (yes, hemorrhoids, you read that right). So it's up to you satisfy a dying cephalopod's last wish and cure the world of their burning butts.

The background is a parody of the Japanese city of Osaka's Dotonbori district.

The first stage begins with a cityscape of Seoul as the commentator says "To all the high school girls of the nation, thanks for waiting! I am your octopus announcer, LET'S GO!" As the first enemy appears the announcer says "Welcome, perverts!" This sets the tone for the rest of the game which is filled with funny comments and creatively wacky enemies. The more of a die hard Konami fan you are, the more you'll enjoy the game. Do not let the game's cute theme fool you. This game is not a walk in the park. There game can be just as challenging and punishing as the Gradius games. Death in this game may feel a bit insulting because the enemy that killed you is most likely a cute penguin or pig dressed in a school girl uniform. Not nearly as dignified as being killed by a huge fire dragon born from a supernova. To add insult to injury the game's commentator says kindly, yet insultingly up on your death: "What the hell was that about?"

Vic Viper killing school girls from Tokimeki!

Like the Gradius games, there is a 'list' or power ups on the bottom of the screen. After destroying specific enemies (usually pink penguins in this game), you can collect a power up capsule (which looks exactly like the capsules in Gradius/Salamander) Each time you collect a power up capsule, the cursor highlighting a power up moves one notch to the right. You can select to manually choose which power ups you'd like or have the computer choose for you. Having the game choose for you helps when during the more manic areas of the game where things are moving fast and you're collecting capsules at a high rate. If you take your eyes off of the screen for half a second, you will not survive. Another power up in the game come in the form of colored bells. If you're familiar with other Parodius games, then you'll recognized them right away. The color of the bell changes when you shoot it. The rule of thumb is to memorize the order in which the bells change colors so that you can always grab the power up you want. They range from doing absolutely nothing to invincibility.

The differences between the PSP and Saturn versions are minimal but noticeable. I haven't played the PSX version, but I am going to assume it is identical to the Saturn version. The biggest difference on the PSP version is the constant slow-down during the more intense parts of the game. Another difference that actually affects game play is the play area on the PSP version is smaller. It is especially noticeable on the 2nd stage boss. In the Saturn version you have a lot of empty space to dodge enemy projectiles, but in the PSP version that area is shrunken quite a bit. Some of the techniques used in the Saturn version won't work with the PSP version, but those instances are few and far between. There also seems to be less commentary on the PSP version. For those who shook their hips to stage 1's music of the Saturn/PSX version will be saddened that KC & the Sunshine Band's 1975 hit "That's The Way I Like It" has been removed from the PSP version. It was replaced by the DDR song: "Brilliant2u".

The infamous blue and pink guns from Lethal Enforces use you for target practice.

There are eight stages and almost all of them are a parody of another game. The Tokimeki Memorial stage is fun
The Lethal Enforcers stage is really clever and manic. The game finishes with a replica stage taken right out of Gradius III. The only stage I didn't like too much was stage 5, the parody of stage 2 from the shooter 'Xexex'. Somehow the stage full of 3D polygons in a game that is all 2D sprites didn't flow with the rest of the game and felt very out-of-place. I know they only made it to parody another game, but the stage could have been used to parody a much more mainstream game. This was probably a fan service to hardcore Konami fans or shmup fans.In addition to the main game there are two 'omake' modes, or bonus modes. Omake 1 is a score attack mode and Omake 2 is a mini racing game where the goal is to finish as quickly as you can while collecting power-ups and defeating mini bosses. These bonus modes are not unlockables as they are available right away.

This game has A LOT of penguins in it. It says "Loser" above this penguin's head.

Praises:
This game is one of the better 'simple' shooters I have played. The commentator's voice is funny in of itself. Even if he doesn't say something particularly funny, the way he says it makes it funny. All 16 characters are well-balanced and each one requires you to learn a different strategy of play. The Omake modes are short but add a little more value to an already great game. There are also hidden items which create a fun challenge. Collect 70 fairies and unlock Dracula-kun!

Grievances:
I don't really have any complaints about this game. If I have to choose one then I would say the game could use some more original bosses. Some of the bosses in this game are recycled from older Parodius games. It would have been nice to see what Konami could have come up with by parodying characters from other Konami games instead of giving us the same battles from years prior.

The Verdict:
From beginning to end there are tongue-in-cheek snickers throughout accompanied by beautiful graphics and a great soundtrack make this a must-buy for fans of this genre. The PSP version may be easier to acquire, but both versions are nearly identical so you wouldn't miss out on anything if you choose one over the other. The PSP version is of course a better value because you get all proper installments of Parodius. I am not a fan of cute-em-ups, but this game goes well beyond a cute-em-up and it holds its own among the more serious and elite shooting games, especially in its most difficult setting. It may not be on the level of Harmful Park, but sure ranks up there.

No backups, pirates, or emulation. My copies:

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