What is a reference game? I had no idea until I started yakking with my friend about that lol-worthy Bartender game.
Japan has started making a bunch of these games... which can't really be classified as games... that basically give you information about ... things in life. How to prepare for a date. How to make drinks. They aren't games, because you can't win or lose with them. The Bartender game just has a bunch of recipes for drinks in there. You don't 'make' them and give them to other people to judge. And it's not like Cooking Mama, since you can win or lose in that game.
It's a lot cheaper to buy a DS and a game like this, than to buy some other sort of referencing equipment (Like a Palm Pilot?). I guess a lot of adults find something like this useful. I don't... really care one way or the other. If people want reference games, then that's okay. They can learn things that way. I just don't think these games will make it to America, unless the reference game market skyrockets. Even then, it'd be risky. So, whatever.
Well, I was wondering how you'd make a drink on the DS anyway.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
case 005 - my heart was stolen!
This just in!
Disgaea 3 has been announced for the US! D8 !!! August 2008. I think I want to have a party.
The link is leading off to Charwitch's blog, Heroticism. Check there for more information on Disgaea 3.
I'm so excited. D8 Now I have to buy a PS3.
Disgaea 3 has been announced for the US! D8 !!! August 2008. I think I want to have a party.
The link is leading off to Charwitch's blog, Heroticism. Check there for more information on Disgaea 3.
I'm so excited. D8 Now I have to buy a PS3.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
case 004 - shaken, not stirred
I recently found out that there was a game called Bartender for the DS... It's a game where you... bartend.
...............
Am I the only one who finds this wrong? Okay, maybe wrong is a strong word. Let's go with... ridiculous.
Bartender (or バーテンダーDS) hasn't been released in the US yet. I'm not sure it will be. To me, this just sounds like a game that promotes drinking. (Kind of like how... if a school hands out condoms in class, it's like it's promoting sex) Now you can be the bartender you've always wanted to be! Learn how to make the best drinks! Show your friends! All get drunk together! 8D
Maybe that seems far fetched. Games like Cooking Mama was very popular. It didn't teach you how to be the best cook ever, but it still was fun. I'm not so sure about Bartender, though. Maybe it'd be fun. Maybe not. But little kids probably should not get their hands on it.
I guess there's a series of beverage-making games. Like how there are a series of Nintendog games... There's a game for wine, Japanese drinks (sake?), and bar-tending drinks. ODD.
Randomly, that is a very very very blue drink on the game cover. A part of me wants to try it. The drink, I mean, not the game. Though I may have some opportunity to play this game in the future. So I'll leave a better review for that day.
Official Site
...............
Am I the only one who finds this wrong? Okay, maybe wrong is a strong word. Let's go with... ridiculous.
Bartender (or バーテンダーDS) hasn't been released in the US yet. I'm not sure it will be. To me, this just sounds like a game that promotes drinking. (Kind of like how... if a school hands out condoms in class, it's like it's promoting sex) Now you can be the bartender you've always wanted to be! Learn how to make the best drinks! Show your friends! All get drunk together! 8D
Maybe that seems far fetched. Games like Cooking Mama was very popular. It didn't teach you how to be the best cook ever, but it still was fun. I'm not so sure about Bartender, though. Maybe it'd be fun. Maybe not. But little kids probably should not get their hands on it.
I guess there's a series of beverage-making games. Like how there are a series of Nintendog games... There's a game for wine, Japanese drinks (sake?), and bar-tending drinks. ODD.
Randomly, that is a very very very blue drink on the game cover. A part of me wants to try it. The drink, I mean, not the game. Though I may have some opportunity to play this game in the future. So I'll leave a better review for that day.
Official Site
Monday, February 18, 2008
case 002 - ddr for your hands
A while back, I was at a friend's house, and she was showing me her large game collection. She has a ton of games, but says she probably hasn't finished half of them. (I can understand that... Lord knows I have all those N1 games sitting on the shelf, begging to be played while I run through Disgaea 2 a third time. Yeah, I have my priorities straight, you know.) We're both busy girls pretending we're adults, so we don't have the time to sit around playing video games. But can spend hours upon hours in front of the computer.
Her favorite game genre happens to be... Uh. I think dating sims, so she has a ton of them, but they are in Japanese. I, myself, would probably like playing a dating sim, since I'm ridiculously romantic. But I can't read the Japanese like she can. Angst.
In any case, we were going through her games and decided it'd be fun to play all the multi-play DS games she had. We could both have fun that way, and I'd get to learn about these games that I didn't have. So she pulls out Elite Beat Agents. And I'd seen the box before. In all honesty, I thought it looked stupid.
Well. I was wrong.
We started playing it. And I did poorly the first time, but I couldn't put it down after that. Lucky for me, she let me borrow the game. Cha-ching! Unlike her, I've got a better sense of rhythm (she said so!) and music. After taking it home and playing from the beginning, I quickly got the hand of it. I even went on Limewire to download the soundtrack. The game is so much fun, I can't stand it.
Like 80% of the things I own, the idea for EBA came from Japan. The artwork was anime-styled, and only Japan would think about making a rhythm-based game for the DS. But when I asked other people about the Japanese version, all I would hear were things like: It's completely different.
What does that mean? I figured, okay, so maybe a few stories are different. I looked up some information on the game and realized it was way more different than I could imagine. For instance, instead of the game being about awesome agents encouraging people, the Japanese game's main characters were cheerleaders. Sounded exciting. I shelled out 60 bucks and bought the Japanese game about a month later.
W-well, when I got it, I wasn't expecting an entirely new game! Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! is very humorous, like EBA, and the artwork style is the same. All funky sounds are the same (in the stories, at least. The sounds that happen when you click your stylus on the numbers are different; In ouendan, you get sounds like cheers and whistles. In EBA, you get... I don't know. agents going 'hey!')... But every story is different. The two games are so different that they are both enjoyable. But you wouldn't be able to play ouendan without understanding a lot of Japanese culture, so that's why they had to change it. But for those who do understand, and like Japanese music... it's good! I was pleasantly surprised, and I like both games.
I did go around and grabbed a script so I could understand the stories. And I found song translations. I only knew one song from the soundtrack, and that was READY STEADY GO, which was the second opening for the anime, Fullmetal Alchemist. Though, after hearing the songs and downloading them, I've found there are several I like even more. So I have two homemade CDs now, one with the EBA soundtrack, and the other with the ouendan soundtrack. Fun stuff.
I find the graphics fun and likable. The art isn't first class, but it's fun for the styles of the games. And both the ouendan and the agents are 3D rendered and run smoothly, even if you miss a beat and they have to stop, they start over again cleanly. The dances are all different... Meaning there are no dances that the cheer-squad and agents share. I think that is pretty awesome. So much care was taken into making the English version just as good as the Japanese version. No short-cuts, and there were even extra stages and bonuses added to the English game that weren't in the Japanese one.
Gamewise... I haven't gotten far on either game. The levels are very hard, and it takes time to beat the last few levels. I've gotten through both easy versions, but have yet to beat the normal versions. But that's a good thing... meaning I'm still playing and enjoying the games, and didn't just beat them once and throw them off to the side.
There was a sequel made for ouendan, and I hear one for EBA is in the works. I don't know if this has been confirmed yet, but I hope there will be another one. I adore the agnets. Agents Spin and Jay are so cute! I mean. Um. Hi.
I know a lot of people do not share in my love for EBA. I've heard fans saying they like the Japanese version better. Just a few days ago, I read a review that said EBA was tasteless. ...Um. What? Most of the things in EBA were jokes. And if you look ouendan, you can find just as 'tasteless' jokes in there. (one of the arguments in that article was pointing out the starlets in the Material Girl stage. It said the game was promoting things like Americans wanting to be rich and pig-headed and... I don't know. I played through the ouendan stages again, and saw different things that also seemed 'wrong'... what about where the little girl idol falls for the boy after he beats up her old boyfriend? Or when there are blond, big-nosed Americans in the Matsuri stage that say things like 'LOOK' and 'HELP'? If you point fingers at a game that is meant to be funny, I don't think you have a sense of humor. EBA has very American symbolic things in it, and, of course, America's culture does deal with wealthy people... The girls in the Material Girl stage were a lot like girls who had been characters in television shows or parodies. There was only one thing in EBA that made me do a double-take, and that was when the wealthy oil tycoon went back to his wife after she basically threw him out of his own mansion and kept his money. But, even then, that story was meant to be taken with a grain of salt. The Agents were meant to have a Charlie's Angel's feel to it. Why is that wrong? It certainly would not be the first game to have a parody like that! Because one game is about a girl missing her dead father instead of a wife missing her dead husband doesn't mean one is better than the other. Wow, I didn't understand the article's argument for THAT one, at all...)
Coming off of my soapbox... Look. You can either like the games, or not. And if you like one better than the other, that's your prerogative. I like them both. Each of them have something that makes them unique, but are similar enough to be linked (also, I like secret agents in general). I would like a crossover! Can't you play as the agents in the second ouendan game somehow?
Agents are... GOOOOOOOO!!
Her favorite game genre happens to be... Uh. I think dating sims, so she has a ton of them, but they are in Japanese. I, myself, would probably like playing a dating sim, since I'm ridiculously romantic. But I can't read the Japanese like she can. Angst.
In any case, we were going through her games and decided it'd be fun to play all the multi-play DS games she had. We could both have fun that way, and I'd get to learn about these games that I didn't have. So she pulls out Elite Beat Agents. And I'd seen the box before. In all honesty, I thought it looked stupid.
Well. I was wrong.
We started playing it. And I did poorly the first time, but I couldn't put it down after that. Lucky for me, she let me borrow the game. Cha-ching! Unlike her, I've got a better sense of rhythm (she said so!) and music. After taking it home and playing from the beginning, I quickly got the hand of it. I even went on Limewire to download the soundtrack. The game is so much fun, I can't stand it.
Like 80% of the things I own, the idea for EBA came from Japan. The artwork was anime-styled, and only Japan would think about making a rhythm-based game for the DS. But when I asked other people about the Japanese version, all I would hear were things like: It's completely different.
What does that mean? I figured, okay, so maybe a few stories are different. I looked up some information on the game and realized it was way more different than I could imagine. For instance, instead of the game being about awesome agents encouraging people, the Japanese game's main characters were cheerleaders. Sounded exciting. I shelled out 60 bucks and bought the Japanese game about a month later.
W-well, when I got it, I wasn't expecting an entirely new game! Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! is very humorous, like EBA, and the artwork style is the same. All funky sounds are the same (in the stories, at least. The sounds that happen when you click your stylus on the numbers are different; In ouendan, you get sounds like cheers and whistles. In EBA, you get... I don't know. agents going 'hey!')... But every story is different. The two games are so different that they are both enjoyable. But you wouldn't be able to play ouendan without understanding a lot of Japanese culture, so that's why they had to change it. But for those who do understand, and like Japanese music... it's good! I was pleasantly surprised, and I like both games.
I did go around and grabbed a script so I could understand the stories. And I found song translations. I only knew one song from the soundtrack, and that was READY STEADY GO, which was the second opening for the anime, Fullmetal Alchemist. Though, after hearing the songs and downloading them, I've found there are several I like even more. So I have two homemade CDs now, one with the EBA soundtrack, and the other with the ouendan soundtrack. Fun stuff.
I find the graphics fun and likable. The art isn't first class, but it's fun for the styles of the games. And both the ouendan and the agents are 3D rendered and run smoothly, even if you miss a beat and they have to stop, they start over again cleanly. The dances are all different... Meaning there are no dances that the cheer-squad and agents share. I think that is pretty awesome. So much care was taken into making the English version just as good as the Japanese version. No short-cuts, and there were even extra stages and bonuses added to the English game that weren't in the Japanese one.
Gamewise... I haven't gotten far on either game. The levels are very hard, and it takes time to beat the last few levels. I've gotten through both easy versions, but have yet to beat the normal versions. But that's a good thing... meaning I'm still playing and enjoying the games, and didn't just beat them once and throw them off to the side.
There was a sequel made for ouendan, and I hear one for EBA is in the works. I don't know if this has been confirmed yet, but I hope there will be another one. I adore the agnets. Agents Spin and Jay are so cute! I mean. Um. Hi.
I know a lot of people do not share in my love for EBA. I've heard fans saying they like the Japanese version better. Just a few days ago, I read a review that said EBA was tasteless. ...Um. What? Most of the things in EBA were jokes. And if you look ouendan, you can find just as 'tasteless' jokes in there. (one of the arguments in that article was pointing out the starlets in the Material Girl stage. It said the game was promoting things like Americans wanting to be rich and pig-headed and... I don't know. I played through the ouendan stages again, and saw different things that also seemed 'wrong'... what about where the little girl idol falls for the boy after he beats up her old boyfriend? Or when there are blond, big-nosed Americans in the Matsuri stage that say things like 'LOOK' and 'HELP'? If you point fingers at a game that is meant to be funny, I don't think you have a sense of humor. EBA has very American symbolic things in it, and, of course, America's culture does deal with wealthy people... The girls in the Material Girl stage were a lot like girls who had been characters in television shows or parodies. There was only one thing in EBA that made me do a double-take, and that was when the wealthy oil tycoon went back to his wife after she basically threw him out of his own mansion and kept his money. But, even then, that story was meant to be taken with a grain of salt. The Agents were meant to have a Charlie's Angel's feel to it. Why is that wrong? It certainly would not be the first game to have a parody like that! Because one game is about a girl missing her dead father instead of a wife missing her dead husband doesn't mean one is better than the other. Wow, I didn't understand the article's argument for THAT one, at all...)
Coming off of my soapbox... Look. You can either like the games, or not. And if you like one better than the other, that's your prerogative. I like them both. Each of them have something that makes them unique, but are similar enough to be linked (also, I like secret agents in general). I would like a crossover! Can't you play as the agents in the second ouendan game somehow?
Agents are... GOOOOOOOO!!
Friday, February 15, 2008
case 001 - introduction
I've never really considered myself a gamer. It's only recently that I started delving into different genres and did a bit of research and actually cared about the history of video games. I was born in 1982, so I grew up with a nintendo and the SNES. My console of choice was the Sega Genesis, and I had a ton of platform games for that (mostly brightly colored cartoon and D*sney ones). I loved my Genesis, and my younger cousin had an SNES that I played often, so I was set.
...I don't know what happened to my Genesis, sadly. I'd like to play all those old games again. But I hate playing games (any kind of games) on the computer. There are other things I do on the computer, and I don't have any sort of controller for it. I also don't plan on getting one.
I should also take the time to say this now: I am female. So games weren't a huge interest to me growing up. Sure, I had some, but I wasn't overly-obsessed with having every new gadget and gizmo to go with each console. I didn't have the money to spend on things like that and my mom and grandma weren't too keen on the idea of me sitting on my ass all day in front of the teevee.
Going into high school, however, I became utterly obsessed with anime, and the anime craze. (And, yeah, I still am. My anime rants are not for this blog, but don't judge me because I like it! haha...) I'm not sure how I learned about it, but I was introduced to a game called Disgaea - Hour of Darkness. I thought the art was really cute, and I'd gotten a PS2. I was (and still am) also a big role-player. So the definition of 'rpg game' appealed to me.
I also became freakishly obsessed with Pokémon, and had the Blue version for my Pocket Game Boy. I later got the Yellow version when I found out it was based on the anime (for Team Rocket~).
Needless to say, I was swept up into the game. I'd seen people play other rpgs (Namely Final Fantasy 7), and thought it looked terribly hard... opening item bags and leveling up characters and whatnot. I couldn't follow it.
But between Disgaea and the first Kingdom Hearts, I quickly figured out that things were not that hard. And I'd work very hard to get the story and fell in love with all of the characters. I also learned about strategy (I prefer real-time fighting, though, as opposed to strategy, like in Disgaea. But that doesn't stop me from playing...).
Besides rpg games, I also like fighting games (!?) and DDR... I love DDR. I have at least 7 DDR games, English and Japanese. I also have my PS One modded to play Japanese games, and a Japanese Playstation 2, along with an English one.
Things went on from there. I went on to play Disgaea 2 (I have quite a few NipponIchi games), Kingdom Hearts 2 (Japanese and English versions), Tales of the Abyss... Then I began to realize that this love for video games was growing. It was like a burning flame.
I recently got a Wii and have had more fun downloading old Genesis and SNES games than the actual Wii ones. I did pick up Mario Galaxy, but haven't gotten into it yet. I have never played anything for a 360 or PS3 (I intend getting a PS3 soon. When I can afford it...). I also have never played with the first XBox.
For the most part, I am strictly an rpg-knowledgeable person. And, even then, I don't know a tenth of the things most people do. I like playing rpgs for the storylines, and pick them up if they are recommended by a friend, or something. I also started watching reviews by The Fat Man on youtube. (That guy gets a lot of crap, but I think he is hilarious) I love reading/watching reviews. I learn things through them, gleaning bits and pieces of information for later knowledge.
I currently work at a Gamestop (stop groaning) in Washington. This keeps me aware of new things coming out, and information about games in general. I work with a bunch of other game freaks, and hear about their opinions. This is the same way with customers, so while I don't know everything about games, I learn. And I love it.
As for consoles, here is what I am currently in possession of (meaning, I know where they are and can actually touch them hahaha): Gameboy SP Advance (pink), N64, Game Cube, PS1, PS2 slim, DS Lite (pink), PSP (It is Japanese, rose pink ♥ ), Wii
I like pink.
Like I said, I used to have a Genesis and a Gameboy, but I don't know where they are or what happened to them. I don't remember giving them away... Maybe they were stuffed into a box, or something (or given to charity... angst).
I should also mention that I have never played a Final Fantasy game(!). While I'd probably like one if I played it, I don't feel a burning need to do so (read as: I don't care).
Anyway, I think that's all I need to say for now. We'll get some reviews up soon. Haha.
...I don't know what happened to my Genesis, sadly. I'd like to play all those old games again. But I hate playing games (any kind of games) on the computer. There are other things I do on the computer, and I don't have any sort of controller for it. I also don't plan on getting one.
I should also take the time to say this now: I am female. So games weren't a huge interest to me growing up. Sure, I had some, but I wasn't overly-obsessed with having every new gadget and gizmo to go with each console. I didn't have the money to spend on things like that and my mom and grandma weren't too keen on the idea of me sitting on my ass all day in front of the teevee.
Going into high school, however, I became utterly obsessed with anime, and the anime craze. (And, yeah, I still am. My anime rants are not for this blog, but don't judge me because I like it! haha...) I'm not sure how I learned about it, but I was introduced to a game called Disgaea - Hour of Darkness. I thought the art was really cute, and I'd gotten a PS2. I was (and still am) also a big role-player. So the definition of 'rpg game' appealed to me.
I also became freakishly obsessed with Pokémon, and had the Blue version for my Pocket Game Boy. I later got the Yellow version when I found out it was based on the anime (for Team Rocket~).
Needless to say, I was swept up into the game. I'd seen people play other rpgs (Namely Final Fantasy 7), and thought it looked terribly hard... opening item bags and leveling up characters and whatnot. I couldn't follow it.
But between Disgaea and the first Kingdom Hearts, I quickly figured out that things were not that hard. And I'd work very hard to get the story and fell in love with all of the characters. I also learned about strategy (I prefer real-time fighting, though, as opposed to strategy, like in Disgaea. But that doesn't stop me from playing...).
Besides rpg games, I also like fighting games (!?) and DDR... I love DDR. I have at least 7 DDR games, English and Japanese. I also have my PS One modded to play Japanese games, and a Japanese Playstation 2, along with an English one.
Things went on from there. I went on to play Disgaea 2 (I have quite a few NipponIchi games), Kingdom Hearts 2 (Japanese and English versions), Tales of the Abyss... Then I began to realize that this love for video games was growing. It was like a burning flame.
I recently got a Wii and have had more fun downloading old Genesis and SNES games than the actual Wii ones. I did pick up Mario Galaxy, but haven't gotten into it yet. I have never played anything for a 360 or PS3 (I intend getting a PS3 soon. When I can afford it...). I also have never played with the first XBox.
For the most part, I am strictly an rpg-knowledgeable person. And, even then, I don't know a tenth of the things most people do. I like playing rpgs for the storylines, and pick them up if they are recommended by a friend, or something. I also started watching reviews by The Fat Man on youtube. (That guy gets a lot of crap, but I think he is hilarious) I love reading/watching reviews. I learn things through them, gleaning bits and pieces of information for later knowledge.
I currently work at a Gamestop (stop groaning) in Washington. This keeps me aware of new things coming out, and information about games in general. I work with a bunch of other game freaks, and hear about their opinions. This is the same way with customers, so while I don't know everything about games, I learn. And I love it.
As for consoles, here is what I am currently in possession of (meaning, I know where they are and can actually touch them hahaha): Gameboy SP Advance (pink), N64, Game Cube, PS1, PS2 slim, DS Lite (pink), PSP (It is Japanese, rose pink ♥ ), Wii
I like pink.
Like I said, I used to have a Genesis and a Gameboy, but I don't know where they are or what happened to them. I don't remember giving them away... Maybe they were stuffed into a box, or something (or given to charity... angst).
I should also mention that I have never played a Final Fantasy game(!). While I'd probably like one if I played it, I don't feel a burning need to do so (read as: I don't care).
Anyway, I think that's all I need to say for now. We'll get some reviews up soon. Haha.
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