Obake No Q-Tarou: Wanwan Panic Review (Famicom)

Game: Obake no Q-Tarou: Wanwan Panic! オバケのQ太郎ワンワンパニック
Developer: Tose
Publisher: Bandai
Release Date: December 16th, 1985
Genre: Action/Children's
System: Nintendo Famicom
Version Reviewed: Famicom (NTSC-J)
My Score: 6.5/10




Q-Tarou is a mischievous obake, or "ghost" who loves playing pranks on people. This character was created in 1964 by the pair Fujiko Fujio, the pen name of manga writers Hiroshi Fujimoto and Abiko Moto, who also created the most popular Japanese cartoon character of all time, Doraemon. Q-Tarou was slowly down-ranked into obscurity by the weight and popularity of Doraemon.

Although Q-Tarou is a ghost, he is deathly afraid of dogs. In the game, you (unfortunately) do not get to play pranks on people. Instead, the game is based on Q-Tarou's aversion to dogs, hence the name Wanwan Panic. "Wanwan" is a Japanese onomatopoeia for a dog barking, similar to "bow wow" in English. The object of the game is you navigate through various neighborhoods eating food and avoiding dogs all while searching for your friends who are hiding from the likes of you. At the end of most levels, you open a series of windows until you see the person you are looking for. In some levels there is a boss character from whom you must rescue a fellow ghost.

The levels are "days" and there is a time. The time isn't a time limit, it just tells you what time of day it is. As the time changes, the daylight changes with it. It goes from early morning to late afternoon. There are no night stages. 



In the game, Q-Tarou can either fly or walk/jump. The game is much "easier" if you just fly through the levels (hold the "jump" button to fly), but there are airborne enemies who can reach you. In able to stay airborne, Q-Tarou must eat food. Luckily for you there is an abundance of food and candy floating in the skies for you to munch on. The more you munch, the longer your power meter keeps from depleting. This power meter isn't for how much strength Q-Tarou has, but rather his stamina. If this bar gets too low, he loses his ability to fly. If it depletes completely Q-Tarou will "die". But one hit from an enemy, and Q-Tarou will "die". I put "die" in quotations because I don't think ghosts die, or do they?

In addition to food that makes you fly, there are a lot of icons that make you invincible. They are very generous with these but they only last a few seconds. Also, if you collect a big lollipop Q-Tarou can shoot projectiles out of his mouth to get rid of those innocent puppies, bulldogs, sparrows, and crows. 

There are 12 levels plus 3 different bonus stages. The 12 levels take place in a neighborhood and forest setting. Sometimes both. The bonus levels can be reached by performing specific tasks. The bonus levels take place in heaven, special heaven, and hell. These bonus stages are just for points and your performances in these stages don't affect the game other than giving you 1-ups for a given accumulation of points.





There is a rare version of the game which the cartridge housing is gold in color.
As pictured here, it carries a pricetag of 312,900 yen (roughly $3,800 USD)





The U.S. Release:

Surprisingly this game was released in the US under the name "Chubby Cherub". The character sprites have been changed as well as the Japanese characters which emit from the dogs' mouths as they bark at you. Interestingly enough, the box art of the NES version was drawn by the creators of Q-Tarou. The game's charm was completely lost when it made its way over the Pacific. While the game play is exactly the same, an unknown character replaces a cartoon character who still lives in the hearts of thousands of kids from the 60s to the 80s.


Screen Shot of Chubby Cherub.


Praises:

The music is catchy and true to the cartoon. It may get repetitive but it sure does bring back memories. If this character has no nostalgic value to you, then perhaps the music would annoy you. Another praise is the cute characters and level design. You know you are playing a game based on a kid's manga and cartoon. Bright colors and exaggerated facial expressions bring Q-Tarou and characters to life. The character designs are true to Japanese Showa-era manga.



Grievances:

The game is very repetitious. All of the levels are almost identical and there is only one boss character for the levels that do have bosses. You don't even fight the bosses per se, the enemy dogs do. You just have to dodge enemy attacks while the dogs come and attack. This "strategy" is used for all bosses, even the final boss. As mentioned, there are 12 levels. It would have been a better game if they cut that number in half and made each level unique in design. Purists will say that in the manga and anime, Q-Tarou never leaves a neighborhood or forest setting. In the interest of a better game, I could overlook this fact.

Navigating through these levels can be sometimes tedious since the controls are somewhat clunky. They just don't feel spot-on. Luckily there isn't much dodging to do. There are some obstacles in the foreground that appear to be in the background, which causes slight confusion. The game can be difficult at times for its target audience, kids, in the higher levels. No ability to continue can make this even more difficult.




The Verdict: 6.5/10

The game's publisher, Tose, was getting its feet wet in the gaming industry and would later develop and/or port games for Nintendo such as the Starfy series, Dead Rising (Wii), among other well-known titles. It is a great early effort and a good title for a console still in its infancy. Unfortunately we know that in 1985 great games were capable of being made. This game would have been a lot better if there was better controls, more variety in level design, and more variety of music. Avoid the NES version at all costs since it is devoid of any soul and meaning. Q-Tarou makes the game, and without him, the game isn't much. The NES version is rare, so if you're a collector you probably already know this.

Those who enjoy this game most likely do so for nostalgic purposes. People who do this tend to not care about game play. If you were a kid in the 80s and either lived in Japan or have always been exposed to Japanese pop culture, then you know Q-Tarou. I vaguely remember this character growing up and it was seeing this game on the shelf in Club Chameleon (A game shop in Komatsu, Japan) that I was reminded of watching Q-Tarou but not understanding one bit.





Original Q-Tarou Opening (1960s)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUVshPKoXXY

New Q-Tarou Opening (1980s)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUEUfkir_4M

Both show is fear of dogs.

A snippet of the Q-Tarou comic.






No pirated or emulated reviews, my copy:

Karnov Review (Famicom)

Game: Karnov
Developer: Data East
Publisher: Namco
Release Date: December 18th, 1987
Genre: Action/Platformer
System: Nintendo Famicom/NES
Version Reviewed: Famicom (NTSC-J)






I saw this game in the junk bin at a Hard Off recycle store for 100 yen and thought "What the hell". I remember playing Karnov in the arcades when I was a kid, but I haven't touched the game since then. Why not relive a forgotten memory at the cost of just 100 yen?

The story is printed on the back of the cart for our convenience.


Translation: To the peaceful country of Kriamina where people dwelled,
God sends one man to save the people from the evil army of Arakatai.
The man's name is Karnov. Go, Karnov! Fight, Karnov! Get rid of the monsters!

In the Arcade version Karnov is a circus performer who is after a big treasure, and in the NES version there is no story at all in the game intself. As you can see, the Famicom version has a much deeper story. A city has been ravaged by the evil sorcery of a dragon named "Ryu" (which means "Dragon", how original). You are Jimborov Karnovski (or Karnov) who has done some bad deeds in his past (haven't we all?) and God is giving him a chance to redeem himself and save him from going to Hades.That is a pretty big difference. If you know how Nintendo was in the 80s, then it is easy to see why Data East didn't include this storyline in the NES version. You would think God would choose somebody a bit more valiant to save the earth, but you are given an overweight circus performer.


Other than the inclusion of a story, there are a couple key differences between the Famicom and NES versions of this game. In the Famicom version, you are given no continues unless you execute a cheat code. Even then you are only given 2 continues. Knowing this, I think the Famicom version is far more challenging as you are trying harder than usual to preserve your lives. Remember back in the 80s and 90s when Japanese developers thought Westerners were too stupid to play a challenging game so they would make it easier? Karnov is one of those games.



Karnov is armed with a fireball attack which can be upgraded. You can shoot up to 3 fireballs at once when your power is maxed out. 3 fireballs is more than enough since enemies don't require You obtain red orbs to build power. Karnov also can be hit by enemy projectiles twice. If you are hit once, Karnov turns blue. The red orb power-ups also turn blue and when you acquire one, Karnov turns to red but your fireballs are not powered-up.

There are 9 stages that vary in style, weather, and location. Most stages are typical jump-and-shoot fare, but there are flying and swimming stages just to add some variety to the game. You have the requisite desert, snow, night, and cavernous stages which all have a biblical feel to them. Perhaps since the arcade version of the game is somewhat biblical (Looking for the lost treasure of babylon), the home port carried this theme with it.



Karnov has a variety of power-ups and tools at his disposal. You can have jump shoes, a ladder, smart bomb, regular bombs, among other things. All of your acquired power-ups appear as icons on the bottom of the screen. To select a power up, just move the cursor to the desired power-up and press "select". The problem with this system is that you do not pause the game to select a power up. This happens during live gameplay. So if you're at a ledge and you need to use a ladder, but your cursor is on the bomb, you have to move your cursor to the right. But if you tap right, you'll fall into the pit. Another scenario is if you're crouching to dodge an onslaught of enemy projectiles and you want to use a smart bomb to kill them all, you have to stand up to select what you need, which then in turn causes you to lose a life. If you're in a jam and you need a tool or weapon quickly, this system of choosing what you need can cause unnecessary deaths.


The ladder will help you reach God!

I think it is interesting that this game was released in the west during the 80s since the hero is of Russian descent. The cold war was still waging, and we were programmed in our childhoods to think of Russians as the enemy. Nonetheless, the game showed kids that Russians were cool, too. How many games back then did this? Strangely enough, another Data East game by the name of "Chelnov" (Atomic Runner in the US) also has a Russian character as the lead hero (Who is a relative of Karnov, According to Data East), but the US and European versions were changed so that the entire Russian element was completely removed from the game. Darn. Some say that Karnov is Asian, and by the cover art of the Famicom version he certainly looks that way (right down to the chu man fee mustache).


Things didn't end here for Karnov. He became Data East's mascot and has appeared in numerous games up until Data East's demise in 2003. He is a boss in Bad Dudes VS Dragon Ninja, Fighter's History series, Joe & Mac II, as well as several Japan-only releases. Believe it or not, Karnov also appears in fan-made movies and games. It seems to be that the Karnov character has a cult following and it could perhaps be wise for the people of Data East who created a new game company, Paon, to make a new game starring our genie shoes-wearing wonder.


Karnov in Bad Dudes VS Dragon Ninja


For the ups and downs of Karnov's personal life, watch this video made by G4. G4 interviews Dhalsim & Maximo on their relationship with Karnov.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5hQnV7kFtk


Praises:

The game does offer a great challenge in the later levels. Enemy patterns are consistent, but enemy spawning isn't. The difficulty adjusts to your power-ups and how many times you have died in a given level. More powerful enemies will spawn in unexpected and random places based on your skill level, which keeps the game somewhat fresh. I don't know if this is present in the NES version, but the Famicom version sure does keep you busy for a while.


Grievances:

The graphics could be better, a lot better. The Famicom's hardware is capable of more colors. The backgrounds are dull and the colors clash pretty badly. There are parts of the background that seem like platforms in which you can land on, but in reality they are just part of the background. They would be identical to platforms that you can land on, which makes some parts of the game confusing. The colors used in this game are not easy on the eyes and the enemy sprites are pretty ugly. It doesn't help that almost all of the enemies are on every level of the game. I don't have a problem with recycled enemies which is common in 8-bit games, but at least the enemies should be aesthetically pleasing. Mega Man 1 did it right, this game didn't.

In the later levels you have to take leaps of faith. You don't know until it's too late if you're falling into a bottomless pit, or if you're going to land on solid ground. In the Famicom version, this is especially a hindrance since you do not have unlimited continues. Stage 6 is especially guilty of this crime.

As mentioned earlier, the process in which to use a tool or weapon needs polishing. This could have been easily remedied by being able to choose what you need while the game is paused. You'll fall into pits or crash into enemies while selecting a weapon or tool.

The boss fights are a complete joke. There are no elaborate patterns or strategies to the bosses. You just shot at them. Most of the time they sort of stand still, walk towards you or jump over you. Most times I didn't even know I was fighting a boss until the end-level music played upon defeating said enemy. There are a couple of bosses, especially the T-Rex, that takes a couple of cheap shots at you making it impossible to dodge his projectiles.

The music can get annoying after spending some time playing. This is one of those games where the music doesn't match the game. It sounds like a slapstick cartoon soundtrack, even down to the music that plays when Karnov dies. To make matters worse, every level has the same music. The sound effects are OK and are typical fare for a Famicom/NES game.


The Verdict: 6/10

After putting a few hours into this game, I am still divided. It's not really a bad game, but it isn't that good either. I hate to use the word "mediocre", but that is all that comes to mind. I went through the game hoping that it would improve somehow. If you're a fan of old school platformers, Karnov is almost worth a try. In 1987 there were better games of this vein available. Ghosts N Goblins, Mega Man, Adventure Island, etc. If you've already tried them all, don't expect anything better with Karnov.




No pirated or emulated reviews, my copy, with the 105 yen pricetag from Hard Off still intact!

DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu 1.5 Review (XBOX 360)

Game: DoDonPachi Daifukkatsu 1.5, 1.51 怒首領蜂 大復活
Developer: Cave
Publisher: Cave
Release Date: November 25th, 2010
Genre: Shooting
System: XBOX 360
Region Free: No
My Score: 7.5/10




The story leaves off from Dodonpachi Daioujou, which ended in peace. This time the setting is Japan in the year 2008. The Element Dolls are waging war against the Donpachi Apparently the Element Dolls from Daioujou planted a "virus" into the Donpachi HQ computer system. They are using the system to transport cargo into the past so they can wage war against humanity. They are exacting revenge for being enslaved in the previous installment. Better do it in in the past when technology wasn't as advanced, I suppose. But the Donpachi Corps aren't having it and they also go back to the year 2008 to beat the Element Daughters once and for all.

There are three ships available for the game, Type-A (Deltasword) which is the fastest of the bunch and has a forward-concentrated regular shot. Type-B (Biaxe) is a helicopter whose shots will flow with the movement of the ship. Finally, Type-C (Spearhead) which is the slowest of the group but has a wide shot pattern. After choosing a ship, you can choose among three types of ship modes. There is bomb mode in which your bomb will automatically deploy if your ship's hitbox touches enemy fire. You lose a bomb, but not a life. There is power mode where you have the ability to power-up, but you cannot use bombs. Then finally there is strong mode which is both bomb mode and power mode combined. At this point it seems that strong mode cancels out bomb mode since it covers bomb mode and more.

As you play the game, there is a chain meter that builds each time you destroy an enemy. As long as the chain meter doesn't hit bottom, there is a chain counter along side it. If you are familiar with Daioujou, then this isn't anything new. If you die or the chain meter runs out, your counter will reset. It will also reset if you trigger an auto-bomb. In hyper mode　(depending on game mode), enemy bullets can be canceled out and this will count towards your chain meter.This is especially helpful in Ver 1.51, which will be explained later. Chaining and Hypers are the basis of the scoring system of this game.



There are five different versions of the game including the DLC. Arrange A, Arrange B, XBOX 360, Novice, and Ver 1.51. Cave has always included an "arcade" mode in all of their previous 360 ports, but in this game, it does not exist. It is just as well since 360 modes were much better. The 360 mode is just a copy of the arcade game with some improvements. Purists won't like the tweaks done in the 360 mode because there is much less slow-down. Novice version is just that, a game mode for novice players. Bullet patterns are less complex and don't come as often.

In Arrange A (strangely called "Ver L"), you can only play as the Type-A ship. If you have played Daioujou, then Arrange A will seem somewhat familiar. While it is not Daioujou in Daifukattsu clothing, it certainly feels that way (it even uses the ship sprite from Daioujou). Canceling bullets is more focused in this mode. Also in Arrange A, you can toggle between Normal and Boost modes. In normal mode, your shots are like a fully powered Type-A ship from Daioujou, and in boost you have a boost in power but your ship moves a lot slower. Hypers are collected, just like in Daioujou. The more Hyper icons (bees) you collect, the longer the hyper lasts and the stronger your hyper blast becomes.. This mode is certainly for the veteran players.

Now we get to Arrange B. Arrange B certainly is strange. You can choose which stage you would like to start, and you can only play that stage. The best way to describe Arrange B as easily as possible is that it is just a score attack mode. You don't have a limited stock of ships, but every time you die, 10% of your score is subtracted. The screen changes color, somewhat of a tron/matrix background fused with the stock background. The colors of these backgrounds change with difficulty. It is as if the difficulty is changing on the fly. If you're a masochist, go ahead and try to master all stages of Arrange B. I tend to call this version Arrange OMFGWTF.

Finally there is version 1.51 which is DLC that comes with the first run of the game. This mode is very lenient when it comes to chaining. It is so lenient that this version seems almost broken because the sadists at Cave wouldn't make it this way on purpose. You would think, anyway. Some of the differences between the regular game (1.5) and 1.51 is that instead of one bombing being subtracted from your stock upon triggering autobomb, 2 of your bombs will disappear. If you get too trigger-happy with the hypers (they don't last as long in this mode), the games difficulty ramps up. You will get less points for beating bosses without using hyper, and another difference is once again, the ability to build insane chain numbers. It is easy to reach chains of 3000+ hits.

With some practice, you can achieve a one-credit clear in the first loop (where available). This is good for beginners of the game to get some practice in before the real thing starts in the 2nd loop where you don't have the refuge of the auto-bomb. The ultimate goal depends on what type of gamer you are, but universally everybody should gun for the true last boss, Hibachi. Hibachi can be reached in different ways, the easiest being collecting 35 hidden bees and beating stage 5 in the 2nd loop without dying or continuing.

Outside of gameplay, there are a lot of cool features. Like in previous Cave ports, you can change the wallpaper to various designs. They added a cool feature that rotates all of the wallpapers during gameplay. This is great for people with older plasma sets who worry about burn-in. You can also customize the gameplay screen and add windows that show a zoomed-in portion of the score, player, or random corner of the game. And of course, you can adjust the game for tate and yoko.





The Verdict: 7.5/10

The scoring system for the Donpachi games are getting more complex with every new iteration of the game. For die-hard fans, this could be very welcoming, but for casual shooting fans and people new to the genre, it can be very intimidating and confusing. I still much prefer Mushihimesama Futari Black Label and Espgaluda II over Daifukkatsu. But Daifukkatsu is much better than the 360 version of Daioujou. There is no comparison. That could probably be due to the fact that 5pb had nothing to do with this release. Anyway, if you are just getting into 360 shmups, I recommend starting with easier games like Deathsmiles and Guwange.

The graphics of this game are very detailed and colorful. Not as great as Espgaluda II or Futari, but a pretty shooter to look at...that is of course if the entire background isn't covered with bullets. There are some minor graphical flubs, but nothing that takes away from gameplay. For example, stage 3 takes place high in the night sky above a big city. Yet airborne enemies are casting shadows just several feet below them. Strange. Small things like that can be found, but again, nothing to take away from the game. Also I think they were lazy on the day they designed Stage 3. The slowdown, I assume, is intentional.

Another complaint is purely a matter of preference. The bosses. I am not complaining about their bullet patterns or movements, but their shapes.The bosses in their spaceship form are great, but when they morph into shapes that are only there to please the otakus, I think it is somewhat silly. Donpachi started out as a basic above-average shooter that took itself seriously, now giant mech maids and joshi-kouseis are attacking me. I know it is part of the story, but did the Element Dolls really have to make giant mechs in the likeness of themselves? A badass space battleship is sufficient. The otaku culture has somehow crept into the Donpachi games and that is a shame. There are already games in the Cave shooter lineup where this exists, and there is no need to infuse this into every game. That is my only major complaint for this game.

A minor complaint is the music. Easily one of Cave's least interesting soundtracks. IMO, Mushihimesama Futari has the best soundtrack. The CD my version came with will probably not get much play.

With great arrange modes, great challenges, and difficulty levels for all, this is another great offering by Cave, but not its best. If you are familiar with Cave games in general, this game won't be unfamiliar to you. And if you're a die-hard fan, then you probably already own this game and can agree that Daioujou for PS2 is more challenging and maybe even a better game(?). Look out for the Black Label version of this game due out in February of 2011.


No pirates or emulated reviews, my copy:

Wild Guns Review (SFC)

Game: Wild Guns
Developer: Natsume
Publisher: Natsume
Release Date: August 12, 1994 (JPN), July 1995 (USA)
Genre: Shooting Action (Shooting Gallery)
System: Super Famicom/Super Nintendo
Version Reviewed: Super Famicom


Growing up, I enjoyed playing Cabal in the arcades. It was such a fresh idea to me during a time of run-and-gun/light gun arcade games. Blood Brothers soon followed, and I enjoyed that game better than Cabal. NAM-1975 was also a game of the same vein I really liked in the early 90s. The years went on and I kind of forgot about this fixed third-person shooting genre (or “Shooting Gallery”). Street Fighter II was released and nobody cared about any other kind of game but fighting. A couple of years later and Wild Guns came into the picture. I first saw screen shots of Wild Guns in an EGM and I knew I had to have the game. It looked like a clone of Blood Brothers. The western setting, the shooting gallery game play, and even down to destructible backgrounds.

Upon getting the game, I could not put it down. I remember having so much fun with it. When I first saw screens of the game, I didn't know about one key element of the game that makes it so cool -- not only was it a cool western shooter, it had a retro-futuristic twist to it. I was shooting cowboys and robots. I thought that was the coolest idea ever. It was not a completely original idea, but it was new to me.

There are two characters, Clint and Annie. Annie wants to avenge the death of her father and so she tracked down a bounty hunter named Clint to help her. That sounds like the typical storyline for a game…or loosely stolen from “True Grit”. You can choose Clint or Annie. Annie is a bit more agile for quicker jumps, while Clint is a bit stronger. You can also change the colors of their skin by pressing any of the four face buttons. Two-player simultaneous game play is available and two of the same characters can be chosen.



There are 6 levels, even level is divided up into 3 segments. The first two segments being are timed shootouts, and the 3rd segment is the boss. When the time runs out in the first segments, all enemies on the screen are instantly killed and a sub-boss fight begins. The first level is called Carson City. Once you beat Carson City, you can choose 4 different levels; a moving train, an ammunition depot, a factory, and a canyon. After clearing those levels you are brought to the final level which is inside the space ship of the last boss. Only the final level has 4 segments; 3 shootouts and the final boss.



During the game you are equipped with an automatic machine gun, you control a cursor/cross-hairs and aim it all over the screen to kill enemies and destroy things. Power-ups such as a more powerful machine gun, shot gun, grenade gun, and a pellet gun are also available. The pellet gun doesn’t do any damage to enemies and you are really vulnerable during the time you are equipped with it. The pellet gun isn’t entirely useless, though. There is a “bullet meter” on the bottom of the screen which when maxed out; you become invincible and very powerful for about 15 seconds. The bullet meter is built up by shooting enemy bullets. The pellet gun can be used to deflect enemy fire during this short time of vulnerability. If you get into the habit of shooting enemy bullets instead of dodging them, you can get through the game a lot easier. Sometimes it is just better to dodge the bullets. You also have a smart bomb that annihilates everything on the screen as well as a lasso that can freeze some enemies for a short period of time. Press the "shot" button repeatedly to use the lasso. If you time this correctly, boss fights can be a breeze. Lastly, a lot of enemies throw dynamite at you. You can pick these put and simply throw it back at them to give em a taste of their own medicine.



Bullet-dodging can be done in a manner of ways. You can simply walk out of the way of an oncoming bullet, but that is boring. If you are holding down the “shot” button and push the “jump” button, your character will jump out of the way. To the left or right depends on which way you are pressing the D-pad. Your character can also jump high into the air and perform a double-jump if the press the “jump” button while airborne.



In addition to the regular game, there is a VS mode. You can play against the computer or another player. The VS mode is a 3-part shooting gallery (each part is also presented as a bonus stage in the regular game). You shoot cut-outs of enemies, falling rocks, and mechanized flying insects. Shoot as many as you can and he/she who gets the most hits is the winner. This was a nice little addition to an already-complete game.







"Annie, they are formidable opponents!"
"Oh, it seems to me you are scared!"


The Verdict: 9/10

This game is pure non-stop action. There is always something to shoot at (and always something shooting at you). Even if there are no enemies on the screen, which is a rarity, the backgrounds are destructible. You can shoot almost anything in the background and it will be damaged. You are even awarded points for damaging the background. This is especially fun during the 2nd segment of the Caron City (1st) stage which takes place inside a bar. That is just one example of how shooting up the background can be as fun as shooting the enemies.

The graphics are really detailed and colorful. There are quite a few beautiful SFC/SNES games, and this game is one of them. The screen distortion effect adds a bit of realism when there are large explosions. The impact and heat from the explosions in this game can really be felt. It is hard to explain, but great to experience. Feedback vibration was invented for games like this, too bad it wasn't mainstream yet.

The music and sound effects are also top-notch. The 1-up sound sample is stolen straight from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly which just gives it that great western feel.

The game is somewhat short but does present a great challenge. If 1-ups weren’t given so frequently and there weren’t unlimited continues, perhaps the game would be even more challenging. I guess Natsume wanted the game to be a bit more accessible to novice players.

Great challenge, fun game play, vivid graphics, and great sound make this game a winner. Find a way to play this game. It is not cheap on the used market, but good thing it is available on the Wii's Virtual Console. Again, one of the best action games on the SNES/SFC and should not be missed. I had fun with the game as a child with friends, and fast forward 15 years and it is still a great game. I am always afraid of nostalgia getting in the way of reviewing a game, but it is hard to ignore, this game is great, no matter which era you grew up in.





No pirates or emus, my copy:

Retro Game Shop Review (Seagull Game Shop, Sendai, Japan)

I am going to try something a little different. I would appreciate input with this. I did post some of these pics a couple months ago, but I didn't go in-depth with a review of the shop itself.


For the first review of a game shop, I will introduce the Seagull Game Shop chain. Most game shops in Japan see retro games, but some more than others. Especially in the countryside almost all game shops sell retro games. Tokyo, mainly Akihabara, is NOT an ideal place to go if you want to find a big selection of retro games. If you see more rice paddies than skyscrapers, you're in the right place. I have been all over Japan, from the southern tip of Kyushu to the flower fields of Hokkaido. Tohoku, or Northeastern Japan, (Fukushima, Miyagi, Yamagata, Akita, Iwate, Aomori) is the best place to go retro game hunting in all of Japan, in my opinion.

So let's go to Seagull. Seagull is a chain of game shops mainly in the Tohoku area. Most of the Seagull shops I have been to have a pretty good selection of retro games, systems, and accessories. In addition to retro swag, you'll find the latest releases for current-gen systems. The Seagull in this review is the Yamato-machi store in central Sendai City. The pictures will pretty much speak for themselves. If you have any questions, post them here.


The front of the store is typical of Japanese game shops. Big letters which read "GAME SOFTWARE, NEW AND USED" as well as "ANIME DVDs, ETC" It also says "Please sell to us!" on the upper-right corner. It is in a residential area because there are a lot of kids who always want the latest DS or PSP games.






To the left of the door is a slew of gacha-gacha machines. These toy dispensers are filled to the brim of figurines ranging from Doraemon to small plastic models of Shmup ships.





To the right is a soda pop machine, bench, and the requisite ashtray. 50% of Japan's population smokes, so they must be accommodated.





Upon entering the store, you are met with glass cases of used goods. Behind the glass cases are the shelves for the new items. They profit more from used goods than new, so it is in their best interest to sell you used goods.




In the front half of the store you have your typical selection of current-gen wares. DS and PSP games are their best sellers, so those get first priority.
XBOX 360 games are off to the back and to the side. Poor 360, gets no love in Japan.








Now we get to the back of the shop where the retro goods are sitting beautifully on the shelves. Notice how everything is organized and presented nicely, something I have never seen at any retro game shop in the States. All games are in alphabetical order so that you don't have to shuffle through all of them if you have a specific game in mind. This shop is very FC/SFC-centric, so not a lot of MD or PCE titles were available. Other Seagull locations have more of something than others.







Behind a noren, they have the doujin/eroge section for PC. Here you can find perfectly clean doujin games like Touhou games. But the reason there they are hidden behind a noren is because the vast majority of doujin games are of adult nature. There is even a separate cashier's window just for this section. The cashier's counter is arranged so that the employee cannot see your face. This is kind of useless because that same employee can see you leave the store through the front door if the store is not crowded. .






Look for good deals on newer games, too. Here is Final Fantasy XIII for the low low price of 980 yen.





Most game shops have point cards, and Seagull is no exception. Get points on each purchase to get points for future discounts. Seagull is really generous with their points, so it's another reason I always kept coming back. Here is my point card:




The Verdict:


Seagull has never let me down in terms of looking for retro goods and good prices. While some shops mark up the prices of retro goodies, Seagull has always sold their items reasonably. While selection varies from branch to branch, Seagull has been consistent with stocking a lot of good things and not a lot of crap. Also, the staff is really knowledgeable about retro games, as well as the new stuff. They don't seem to hire high school kids who don't know anything made before the PS2 era. Whenever I asked them a question, they would not only locate another store that has it, but tell me whether or not the game is worth it. Of course, they are running a business so if there is a game that I want that they don't have in stock, but is ported to a different system, they'll mention it.

Seagull also stocks a lot of PC accessories such as storage media, USB controllers (great selection of Elecom and Buffalo retro controllers), PC software, keyboards, mice, etc. In addition to this they have a large selection of gaming guides, trading cards, and even a space for people to do their card and DS/PSP ad-hoc battles. They really try to give a good environment to gamers. This location didn't have a manga section, but some Seagull branches have a pretty good selection of new and used manga and great prices.

The only complaint I have, which is not really a big deal at all is they do like to sell things in bundles, which is kind of a bummer sometimes. For example, they'll sell a Super Famicom bundled with 5 games. One of the games in the bundle would be what I am looking for, but they don't have the same game loose in the SFC section. I don't want to buy the entire bundle just for one game, and they will not break up bundles. I am just being nitpicky at this point because this place really is a great place to buy retro games and goods at reasonable prices.

So Seagull is one of my top choices while game shopping in Japan. There are other favorites such as Mandai Shoten and Book Market, but Seagull cannot be overlooked if shopping for games. I absolutely love this place. They have many locations within Sendai city limits, so going for store to store is no hassle. Sendai is not the only city to have them, so if you want to visit other locations, prepare for a nice drive through the beautiful back roads of Miyagi Prefecture.

If you are planning to go to Japan and would like details on how to any shops I mention, don't hesitate to send me a PM and I will give you detailed instructions. Keep in mind that you will need a car. Renting a car in Japan is not difficult, so don't let that deter you. As mentioned before, if you go to Japan please do not take pictures inside of stores without permission. It is really bad etiquette to do so without asking first.



Website:
http://www.seagull-jp.com/

Location on Google Maps
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source= ... 06539&z=18

Initial D Extreme Stage Review (PS3)

Game: Initial D Extreme Stage
Developer: Sega/Cavia
Publisher: Sega
Release Date: July 3rd, 2008
Genre: Racing
System: Playstation 3

This review will have two parts; one through the eyes of a gamer, and the other through the eyes of a car enthusiast. Keep in mind as you read this review that I have never read the manga or seen the anime. The franchise is not nicely received by people who are really into the scene in which the franchise represents, which is why I never bothered with it. Think of it as The Fast and the Furious movies, which are thought of as an abomination to the tuning culture by tuning purists. Anyway, let’s begin!

Upon starting the game on mode you are asked to choose if you're a male or female. After choosing your gender, you choose a name for yourself. You can do minor modifications to your character to make them look like you. If you're not Japanese, or even Asian, it may be a bit difficult to make your character look like you. Just skip this part by using defaults unless you really care how your character looks. After this, you are asked to choose a car.



The requisite makes are here. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki. Suzuki? Yeah, they had to add a Cappuccino in there for good measure. After you choose your car you create a license plate to your liking. All regions of Japan are available. After that you have to choose the classification number. All cars are classified by their size, weight, and engine displacement. If you don't' care about this, enter a random number. If you want to be realistic, then enter the correct number which the chosen car is classified under. After that you are to choose the hiragana identifier that goes to the left of the main identification number. Just don't choose a "RE" or a "WA" as those are designated for rental cars in real life. It's strange that "Y" isn't available. The "Y" is designated to US servicemen so that it's easier for the police to profile them. Next you choose the main 5-digit number for the license plate. Real plates in Japan have a maximum of 4 main numbers, but for the game's sake they made it 5. I guess they didn't want to be responsible for any liabilities if somebody's real plate is duplicated. In Japan, people take this very seriously. I just made my plate identical to the last car I owned while I lived in Japan. The car I chose to review and play this game is a black BNR32 Nissan Skyline GT-R since it is the only car in the game that I've owned in the past. I've owned an Impreza WRX, too, but not the STi version which is the only version of the Impreza in the game.




Instead of choosing which car you like the best, it may be better to choose the car whose handling you are most at ease with. Front-wheel drive cars have a lot of understeer, rear-wheel drive cars have oversteer, and all-wheel drive cars will have a lesser degree or oversteer (in this game).

There are 3 ways to play this game, Koudou Saisoku Densetsu (Directly translates to “Public Road’s Fastest Legend), which is the story mode, Time Attack, and Network (online multiplayer). Koudou Saisoku mode is the story mode of the game where you can choose who and where to battle. In the Time Attack mode, you race the clock and ghosts of your older track times. This is a good way to practice tracks while still earning points for car modification. Network mode is the online battle portion of the game.



Other options include a Replay Mode where you can watch the battles you are most proud of, an option menu to adjust the game to your preferences, and the comic mode where you can read the Initial D manga. Of course, this is not free. You must purchase episodes/chapters from the Playstation Network Store.

So you play a stranger to the touge (TOW-GEH), which means 'mountain road'. You confront various characters from the Initial D franchise and they want to battle you to see if you are a worthy hashiriya. Most people meet you with arrogance which does get annoying after a while. Is he like that in the manga/anime? Before each battle the character taunts you and tells you how great they are. You are sometimes given the option to accept their offer, sometimes you are not. If you defeat them they are humbled (but still arrogant) and tell you that it's unbelievable that they lost. If they beat you they rub it in your face. The more mature characters rub it in your face but offer you useless advice on how to improve your skill on their home touge. It is important to know that people don’t talk like this in real life, so those of you studying Japanese…do not talk like this to people!



In this game, a “race” is defined as just beating your opponent to the finish line. Sounds easy enough, but know that in real life, touge racing does not work this way due to its extreme level of danger. Trying to overtake your opponent on the corners (while in mid-drift) is the milk and cookies of this game. Even during the loading screens, they teach you how to do this. Other than each track having their own level of difficulty and terrain traits, you race one-way uphill or downhill, rain or shine, and night or day. As you guessed it, downhill is at higher speeds, rain is more slippery, and night time is more difficult to see.

You are awarded points after each battle whether you win or lose. You get a variable amount of points for winning, and you get a flat rate of 1000 points if you lose. You use these points to upgrade you car's performance and appearance in the “Garage” portion. I usually skip the appearance modifications because they don't do anything to your car to help you win races. Keep in mind that these performance upgrades are barely noticeable before and after you install them in your car. In addition to points earned for car modification, you also earn facial attributes and clothing for your avatar.



Each opponent has a set pattern to their driving style on each track. They will never change their style or pattern. Learn their patterns to gain an advantage. They slow down dramatically at the same points of the track (sometimes at straight-aways, which is strange), or they take some turns really wide to offer you a chance to pass, or they’ll pull some cheap moves as well. If you have trouble defeating a certain opponent, just know that their driving lines never change with each time you play. Learn their pattern and get the edge.



From the Car Enthusiast's Perspective

The game does offer some of the best cars Japan has offered in the past 25 years and they are presented with great detail, even down to the engine sounds. All of the cars' engine sounds are of the real thing. Upon selecting a car, you hear a sound sample of the car’s real engine sound. Choose a GD or GC chassis; you hear the rev of an EJ20 with a slight hint of the Boxer rumble. If you select an Evo, you hear that signature 4G63 purr. The same goes for the all of the selectable cars. Sometimes the best part of the race for me is at the starting line when you can rev up your engine. You can hear brand-specific blow-off valves as well. One forgivable omission is the sound of the engine doesn't change if you modify it.

If you're into cars, especially Japanese cars, then you'll find plenty of things about this game that do not make sense. A fully built, ported and polished, RB26DETT powering an R32 (and the R34) GT-R has the same 0-60 (0-100km/h) time as a fully stock EG6 SiR II with a measly B16A. Don't get me wrong, I have respect for the B-series because I've seen some pretty mean builds on a B-series, but in reality a fully built B-series is no match for a fully built RB26 if attached to chassis’ they were intended for. This is just one example of some inconsistencies. Some are bigger than others, but all are noticeable. Again, this game is not meant to be realistic. It is based on a comic book, so there are comic book elements with doses of realism. One funny and intentional omission from this game is the R33 GT-R. This car is the bane of the GT-R lineage and should be ignored accordingly, and the authors know this.


I've experienced this culture for many years in real life when I lived in Sendai City in Miyagi Prefecture. The game does have sort of a grit to it and somewhat captures the feel of the touge scene. There are crews that are rivals as well as allies. Most people, including me, were in crews. Like in the game, crews from other turfs would come (peacefully) asking to battle locals. To beat someone in their own turf is the goal, and I have seen people ruin their lives to achieve this (pouring all their money into a car while they have mouths to feed, getting deep in debt). There is a lot of pride out there in those mountains at night, and this game tries to show this aspect of the touge culture. As mentioned earlier, in real touge racing, you do not overtake your opponent. This is very dangerous on narrow, twisty roads going at high speeds. You race single file. If you are leading and can evade your opponent, you win. If he stays on your ass the entire length of the race, he/she wins. Yes, there are girls up there who race.



The Verdict: 6.5/10

Aside from big liberties Sega took when making this game (and other Initial D titles), the game is fun if you're able to ignore huge discrepancies in the performance of specific cars. Once you get into the rhythm of each of the tracks and patterns of the opponents, especially the more difficult ones, it becomes fairly easier. The game starts off great, but spirals down into repetitiveness. Perhaps if I knew more about the franchise, it would be more enjoyable. But even if that were so, I think only seeing the characters interact with a new character (you) would be the only interesting thing. Outside of the story, it's a generic arcade racer with not much depth.

The controls are very slippery. More slippery than Initial D Special Stage for PS2. I know it was designed that way to make it easier to drift, but I think they may have gone too far with it. The steering adjustments almost make no difference. If the controls were like Auto Modellista, I think the game would be more enjoyable. To make matters worse, you are not given the option to use the D-pad to control the car, which is what I usually prefer in most racing games other than the standard gaming wheel.

The AI can be very frustratingly cheap at times. The voice acting is something to balk at, so if you don’t understand a single word they are saying, consider it a blessing. Luckily the cut scenes can be skipped. The graphics of the cars and the road itself are great, but background scenery details and spectators are PS2, maybe PSP, quality. You can see a lot of big pixels which is something you don't see a lot of in a PS3 game. At times it looks like Initial D Special Stage for PS2.

The game requires a bit of “grinding” to get to higher levels so you can beat more difficult opponents. You will have to battle a lot of the same opponents repeatedly so that you can gain points. This adds a bit of length to the game since there aren't too many opponents, but it does get repetitive. The long load times don’t make this much easier. One good thing is that the weather and day conditions change if you return to a defeated opponent. I guess they knew you had to grind and didn't want the player to get too bored.

I used to play the arcade version a lot, but the fun of the arcade version was to battle friends in an arcade setting, this feeling is completely lost when taken home. If you play online, but that depends on how lucky you are to find someone playing this game with whom you can get a decent ping. When I first bought this game, finding online battles was a little easier. Now, nobody is playing this game online.

The game can be easily found, but if you really want it, try not pay more than $30.00 for it shipped. Any price above that and the game’s worth comes into question. Unless you are a big fan of the franchise, there are cheaper alternatives out there such as GRID. Initial D is an average arcade racer riding on the fame of the franchise, but nothing to write home about. It only sold well because it is an Initial D product. If the name were to be changed to, for example, “Kaido Battle 4”, I doubt it would be as popular as it is.




No pirates or emus! My copy.







If you are curious about our touge, here are some details:

The green dot is the start point of the downhill, the end point of the uphill. The red dot is the start point of the uphill, and the end point of the downhill. The blue circle is the gathering point. It is no Akina, but it was very challenging, especially the downhill.



Here is a street view of the gathering spot, you can see the skid marks everywhere.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UT ... 38581&z=15

Here is my old car (R32 GTR) at the gathering spot with my friend, Toshi’s, car. A BNR34 GT-R.




Another touge buddy, Hiroshi, and I. His white Onevia is powered by a fully built 380RWHP SR20DET.