Anyone who’s stepped into a Half Price Books store knows that you can find used video games, half-price PC games and even used video game strategy guides on sale at reasonable prices.

While the store never offers traditional Black Friday sales, it does offer special promotions to customers who stop by and make a purchase during the busiest shopping days of the year. The Half Price Book special offers for Black Friday 2009 have already been leaked.

First, if you can get there early then do. The first 100 customers in every Half Price Books store will get a tote bag and $5 Half Price Books gift card. Even if you aren’t among the first 100, try and get there before 10 a.m. on Friday, November 27, 2009. There’ll be a 20% discount taken off all purchases made at the store before that time.

There are two all-day promotions as well but you need to make sure you buy at least $25 worth of merchandise. Every $25 in general purchases gets you a free 2010 calendar and every $25 gift card purchase will get you a $5 coupon.

I suggest you make a list of what games, strategy guides or game novels you’re looking for beforehand. Half Price Books stores have a massive selection and, if you go in without specific titles in mind, you can get lost in all the books, CDs, movies and games available.

I also recommend checking out the bargain section in back. All books, movies and games back there are typically $1 or $2. I’ve seen DS, GBA, Game Cube, PC, PS1, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox and Xbox 360 at the two Half Price Books locations near my house, so you could end up discovering a nice selection of classic used games.

Read [TheBlackFriday.com] Also Read [BlackFriday.info]

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On November 1, 2009, Hello Kitty celebrates her 35th birthday. Funny, she doesn’t look that old. It’s also her twin sister Mimmy’s birthday too, but she’s not the famous one so nobody really cares about her. She’s just part of the entourage.

In honor of Hello Kitty’s 35th, Important Importables has put together a list of 35 video and board games with Hello Kitty themes or where Hello Kitty is the star. This way, if there’s a game that looks or sounds interesting, you have enough time to get the games before the first. There are games for US and Japanese systems, old and new, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding something to suit you. In fact, there are two free computer games on our list, and some very affordable iPhone/iPod Touch titles.

Without any further ado, here’s Important Importables Hello Kitty game list!

35 Games to Play in Honor of Hello Kitty’s 35th Birthday:

1. Hello Kitty no Hanabatake (NES): NES systems weren’t region free, so don’t import unless you own a Famicom.
2. Hello Kitty World (NES): Again, NES units weren’t region free.
3. Hello Kitty Yume no Kuni no Daibouken (Playdia): If you’re one of the few who actually owns a Playdia, there’s a Hello Kitty game for kids out there to play on it.
4. Hello Kitty Asobi no Mochabako (3DO): Likewise, if you’re a fan of old systems and Japanese games, there’s a 3DO Hello Kitty game waiting for your time and attention.
5. Hello Kitty’s Cube Frenzy (PS1): It’s sort of a puzzle, action game where you have to create chains of similarly colored cubes and also have Hello Kitty walk on all cubes on the field.
6. Hello Kitty’s Cube Frenzy (GBC): Don’t have a PS1, don’t worry! The preceding puzzle game had a Game Boy Color adaptation as well. Be forewarned, the PS1 version is much better than the GBC one.
7. Hello Kitty: Lovely Fruit Park (Dreamcast): Sega released a puzzle game starring Hello Kitty for the Dreamcast in 1999. It’s a Japan exclusive, but if you have the right boot disk you can play it on your Dreamcast.
8. Hello Kitty no Magical Block (Dreamcast): It’s a puzzle game from Sega with a Hello Kitty theme released in 2000. Again, this is a Japan exclusive.
9. Hello Kitty no Waku Waku Quiz (Dreamcast): Another Japanese Hello Kitty game from Sega that was also released in 2000. This time, it’s a quiz game where you answer various trivia questions to succeed.
10. Hello Kitty no Onnaru Mail (Dreamcast): One more Japanese Dreamcast Hello Kitty game! Well, application. It’s a combination email program and web browser, starring Hello Kitty. Hurray!
11. Hello Kitty Bowling (PS1): Spend the day bowling with Hello Kitty. This was a Japan exclusive, and due to region locking isn’t playable on US PlayStations.

12. Hello Kitty Collection: Miracle Fashion Maker (GBA): Help make Hello Kitty even more stylish by designing new cloths and playing dress up.
13. Hello Kitty to Dear Daniel no Dream Adventure (GBC): Platformers are always fun. This portable one sends Hello Kitty on an adventure to reunite with her boyfriend, Dear Daniel. Once again, region-free means anyone can enjoy this action-packed adventure.
14. Hello Kitty no Happy House (GBC): If you’re looking to relax with an older system, get out your Game Boy Color and pop in this Japan exclusive.
15. Hello Kitty Boogie Woogie! (cell phone): This is an older game, so your cell phone may not be able to get and play it. It’s a dancing game where you use the keypad to make Hello Kitty dance to a few songs.
16. Hello Kitty: Dream Carnival (PC): You could always pick up an this carnival themed action game starring Hello Kitty for your PC.
17. Hello Kitty: Cutie World (PC): Or, you could always play some casual puzzle games, like Mah-Jong or matching, with Hello Kitty.
18. Hello Kitty: Happy Party Pals (GBA): Hello Kitty wants to throw parties for her Sanrio friends, but she needs your help! You have to deliver invitations, organize the event and make sure everything goes well for her.
19. Hello Kitty: Bubblegum Girlfriends (PC): Another collection of Hello Kitty themed, casual mini-games for your computer.
20. Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue (GC): You can always pull out your GameCube, or your Wii, and take off with Hello Kitty as she skates off to rescue her friends.
21. Hello Kitty Daily (DS): Need help organizing your life? Pick up Aspyr’s Hello Kitty themed day planner.
22. Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams (DS): Hello Kitty has moved to the city. You can help her make friends with other Sanrio characters and hopefully, one day, move into the penthouse of her dreams.

23. Hello Kitty no Panda Sport Stadium (DS): What’s cuter than Hello Kitty? Hello Kitty dressed as a panda! This is a Japanese-exclusive sports game that lets Hello Kitty participate in a variety of sports events. The DS is region-free, so you can enjoy this game no matter where you live.
24. Hello Kitty Parachute Paradise (iPhone/iPod Touch): For $4.99, you can play an action/puzzle game where you guide Hello Kitty on a parachute jump.
25. Hello Kitty Camera (iPhone/iPod Touch): Add a little extra cuteness to your pictures with this $2.99 program.
26. iHelloKitty Tokyo (iPhone/iPod Touch): Hello Kitty loves to dress up, and you can help her do so in this $2.99 application.
27. Hello Kitty Online (PC): Its in the closed beta phase right now, but Aeria Games is bringing the free Hello Kitty MMO to the states. You may not be able to play immediately, but you can sign up and wait for the betas!
28. Hello Kitty’s Sunny Day http://www.sanrio.com/fun_and_games/arcade (Browser-based): You could always sample Sanrio’s free, online action game starring Hello Kitty as she tries to keep it from raining.
29. Happy Party with Hello Kitty & Friends (DS): The latest Hello Kitty release just came out in Europe, so if you’re in Europe and reading this, you can celebrate Hello Kitty’s birthday with a party on your DS!
30. Hello Kitty Flip ‘n’ Match (board game): Improve your memory and beat your friends with the help of Hello Kitty.
31. Hello Kitty Chess Game (board game): Of course, Hello Kitty is queen and Dear Daniel is king.
32. Which Hello Kitty Are You? (board game): Haven’t you always wondered whether you identify more with the classic Hello Kitty or one of the newer iterations (like punk Hello Kitty)?
33. Hello Kitty Toss Across (board game): If you’re not a big fan of Hello Kitty, you may get some enjoyment from tossing beanbags at blocks with her face on them.
34. Hello Kitty Monopoly Junior (board game): With all of the various, special editions of Monopoly, you couldn’t honestly think there wasn’t a Hello Kitty one.
35. Hello Kitty Big Roll Bingo (board game): I can’t help but thing it should be K-I-T-T-Y instead of B-I-N-G-O.

Important Importables is coming up on its 100th column! If you have any suggestions as to what you’d like to see the 100th column cover, let me know in the comments!

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables talks about the Haruhi Suzumiya phenomenon, and the games that go with it.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables reviewed the Subarashiki Kono Sekai: It’s a Wonderful World (The World Ends with You) Original Soundtrack.

Read [Gamertell] Site [Sanrio.com] Site [35th Anniversary Hello Kitty Colors (English)] Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

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Namco Bandai’s Tales of series hasn’t been developed in North America, Europe and other regions the way it has in Japan. We’ve never seen any of the DS entries (Tales of Tempest/Tales of Innocence/Tales of Hearts), didn’t catch the Game Boy Advance Narikiri Dungeon or Summoner’s Lineage spin-offs and weren’t priviledged enough to see Tales of Rebirth. We’ve also been neglected when it came to remakes, as we didn’t get the Tales of Destiny PS2 remake, the Tales of Symphonia PS2 port or the Tales of Eternia PSP port. And to us, Tales of Destiny 2 refers to Tales of Eternia, and not the direct PS2 sequel to Tales of Destiny.

This has given Tales of fans a greater appreciation for every entry in the series that does manage to make it out of Japan. To be honest, there really haven’t been all that many. And, while we do greatly appreciate the ones we haven’t gotten, Namco Bandai’s still chosen to leave some of the best entries in the series in Japan.

Today, Gamertell’s looking back at the five best Tales of games North America has been lucky enough to get.

5. Tales of Phantasia

The 1995 Super Famicom game Tales of Phantasia is where the series began. It is a wonderful game which introduced the linear motion battle system, included voice acting, had a voiced theme song and an epic storyline that, in the end, made players wonder about the nature of good and evil and how perspective and personal feelings can effect how one feels about a situation or person. It was a revolutionary SNES game trapped in Japan.

While Tales of Phantasia is an incredible adventure and a notable entry in the Tales of series, the only official English language release is the atrocious Game Boy Advance port. While the Game Boy Advance port does have some of the revised graphics and additional content from the PlayStation remake and some original sidequests, the translation is sloppy, the graphics look don’t look good despite the supposed polish, the sound quality is awful and there’s noticeable lag during battles and other parts of the adventure. It’s commendable that Nintendo stepped up to bring this game to North America since Namco Bandai didn’t, but the quality is atrocious and makes the port difficult to play and appreciate.

4. Tales of Destiny

For people outside of Japan, Tales of Destiny was their first exposure to the budding Tales of series, despite being the second game in the series. It’s also one of the most popular games in the series in Japan as well, earning a PlayStation 2 remake and having the distinction of being the first game in the series to receive a true sequel (Tales of Destiny 2.)

It’s memorable and deserves to be considered one of the best Tales of games because it is a pioneer and memorable first. It allowed Namco to test the waters for the Tales of franchise overseas, and the first Tales of experience for many players. The nostalgia factor alone earns Tales of Destiny a spot among the best Tales of games.

3. Tales of Symphonia

If there’s one genre woefully under-represented on the GameCube, it was the RPG. Thankfully, Namco stepped up with Tales of Symphonia, a two disc RPG for the system. This prequel to Tales of Symphonia was very well received around the world, and marked the first time the Tales of series appeared in Europe. It was so beloved that Namco Bandai created a Wii sequel to it, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World.

The storyline is very identifiable, a traditional world saving situation where a childhood friend’s life is on the line, which may have had some effect on its success. It also featured an interesting system where players could influence the story and course of the game based on choices. Choices could affect the plot, as well as the character with whom the main character Lloyd would have a relationship with. The fact that it’s one of the few GameCube RPGs and it’s success worldwide make it a natural choice for one of the best Tales of games.

2. Tales of the Abyss

Tales of the Abyss is among the most loved and hardest to find entries in the Tales of series. This PlayStation 2 game was beloved by many, and even inspired an anime and manga. It is often mentioned as one of the most interesting RPGs for the console, due to the interesting storyline and character development.

Other interesting points worth mentioning is that Tales of the Abyss is unique in that the economy of the game can change based on how you choose to play, costumes and titles are available for all of the playable characters and the US version had additional skills for characters to learn.

1. Tales of Vesperia

Tales of Versperia for the Xbox 360 is one of the most successful entries in the Tales of series to be released in recent years. It merited a limited edition release in the US, inspired an animated movie and has lead to a PS3 port with additional content. It had downloadable content, trophies for players to earn, allows characters to learn skills and abilities through equipment and skits with English voice acting.

Out of all the Tales of games, Tales of Vesperia is being hailed as the best entry in the series. It is critically acclaimed by media outlets around the world. As the first next-gen entry in the series, and one of the most popular, it definitely deserves to be considered one of the finest Tales of games.

Site [Tales of Vesperia] Site [Tales of Phantasia]

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This week’s PlayStation Store update features the game Marvel vs Capcom 2 for $14.99 for the PlayStation 3, fans of the original Marvel vs Capcom bringing more legendary characters from both games and featuring a 56-character roster and new HD support and online game play. Check it out:

Also available for download is the PlayStation One classic Tomb Raider for $9.99 for the PS3/PSP. Players control Lara Croft as they play through various levels, solve puzzles and battle prehistoric dinosaurs and savage wild life to nab the loot before rival treasure hunters can get their hands on it.

Here’s a list of everything else that’s new:

Downloadable Games - PSOne Classics

• Dead In The Water (PS3/PSP/$5.99)
• Ten Pin Alley (PS3/PSP/$5.99)

Game Demos:

• Marvel Vs Capcom 2 Demo (PS3/Free)

Bonus Game Contents:

• PAIN Smooth Jarvis Character (PS3/Free)
• Cross Edge Additional Dungeon 5 (PS3/Free)
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Arabian Armor Set (women) (PS3/Free)
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Wa Armor Set (women) (PS3/Free)
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Mystic Armor Set (men) (PS3/Free)
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires Shinobi Armor Set (men) (PS3/Free)
• Cross Edge Big Strong Pack (PS3/$1.99)
• Cross Edge Stew Pack (PS3/$1.99)
• Cross Edge Unspoken Fear Pack (PS3/$1.99)
• LittleBigPlanet Historical Costume Pack (PS3/$2.99)
Individual costumes:
• LittleBigPlanet: Ada Lovelace Costume (PS3/99 cents)
• LittleBigPlanet: Boudicca Costume (PS3/99 cents)
• LittleBigPlanet: Ghengis Khan Costume (PS3/99 cents)
• LittleBigPlanet: Mozart Costume (PS3/99 cents)
• PAIN: Knockin’ Bloks Mode (PS3/$1.99)
• LittleBigPlanet MM Originals Pack 2 Historical (PS3/$3.99)
• PAIN Museum Environment (PS3/$5.99)
• Madden NFL 10 27 Packs and Upgrades (PS3/various items ranging 50 cents to $9.99)
• Red Faction Guerrilla Demons of the Badlands Pack 1 (PS3/$9.99)
• Disgaea 3 DLC Complete Set (PS3/$49.99)

Guitar Hero World Tour Packs:

• Activision Music Track Pack (PS3/Free)
Individual Tracks:
• “Nothing All The Time” by H is Orange (PS3/Free)
• “The Silence is Deafening” by Awaken (PS3/Free)
• “I’ll Never Know” by Hundred Reasons (PS3/Free)

Rock Band Music Packs:

• Gorillaz Pack 01 (PS3/$5.49)
Individual Songs:
• “Clint Eastwood” by Gorillaz (PS3/$1.99)
• “Feel Good Inc.” by Gorillaz (PS3/$1.99)
• “Re-Hash” by Gorillaz (PS3/$1.99)

Single Songs:

• “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin (PS3/$1.99)
• “Chest Fever (Live)” by The Band (PS3/$1.99)
• “Magic Bus (Live at Leeds)” by The Who (PS3/$1.99)
• “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane (PS3/$1.99)

Rock Band Unplugged bonus content:

• “The Number of the Beast” by Iron Maiden (PSP/$1.99)
• “The Trooper” by Iron Maiden (PSP/$1.99)

Free Game Videos:

• PULSE 8/13 Edition (PS3/PSP/Free)
• Unbound Saga Between The Panels Issue 3 (PS3/PSP/Free
• Alpha Protocol Gameplay Walkthrough #2 (PS3/Free)
• Darksiders Comic Con Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Mini Ninjas Tora Vignette (PS3/Free)
• Battle Tanks Trailer (PS3/Free)
• Astro Tripper Trailer (PS3/Free)

New Movies to Rent or Own:

• 17 Again. Rated PG-13 (Rent/SD Format/$3.99)
• 17 Again. Rated PG-13 (Rent/HD Format/$5.99)
• 17 Again. Rated PG-13 (Own/SD Format/$14.99)
• G4: 2 Months, $2 Million. Rated TV-14 (Rent/SD Format/$1.99)
• Warehouse 13: Season 1. Rated TV-14 (Own/SD Format/$1.99)
• Warehouse 13: Season 1. Rated TV-14 (Own/HD Format/$2.99)
• Ghost Hunters International: Season 2. Rated TV-14 (Own/SD Format/$1.99)
• Eureka: Season 3. Rated PG (Own/SD Format/$1.99)
• Eureka: Season 3. Rated PG (Own/HD Format/$2.99)
• Bakugan: Season 6. Rated TV-Y7 (Own/SD Format/$1.99)

Wallpapers and Themes:

• Fat Princess Wallpaper (PS3/Free)
• Azmodeus Dark Angels Theme 7 (PSP/99 cents)
• Azmodeus Dark Angels Theme 8 (PSP/99 cents)
• Disgaea 3 All Star Theme (PS3/99 cents)
• Azmodeus Dark Angels Theme 4 (PS3/$1.49)
• Amplified Theme (PS3/PSP/$1.49)
• Metal Battalion Maidens Theme 3 (PS3/$1.49)
• World’s Apart Theme (PS3/PSP/$1.49)
• Lingerie Football League (PS3/PSP/$1.99)
• Fear 2: Reborn Theme (PS3/$1.99)

Read [PlayStation Store Blog] Site [PlayStation]

Full Story » | Written by Lucy Newman for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

The Harvest Moon games are something special. They’ve developed a devoted cult following, which people who have never experienced the games may not understand. Especially since, on the surface, each game seems to be pretty much the same. Natsume obviously gets it, as the series is probably it’s best known property. Games in the series have appeared on practically every system, including the Wii, GameCube, PS2, PS1, PSP, DS, GBA, Game Boy Color, Game Boy and SNES.

It’s only when you take a closer look at the Harvest Moon series that you appreciate what the games allow players to achieve. I recently had the opportunity to rent the Wii entry, Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility, and fell in love with the series again because of it.

So if you’ve never played the games and are wondering why people are drawn to them, here’s a brief overview of Harvest Moon‘s many charms.

There’s more to the world than what you can see.

There’s a strong fantasy element present in the Harvest Moon world, in the form of the Harvest Goddess, Harvest Sprites, and occasionally the Harvest God, Witch Princess and Wizard Prince. These fantasy characters won’t do mystical and magical things every day, but sometimes Harvest Sprites will help you at your farm or the Harvest Goddess will bestow some kind of blessing. It’s really more about the element of fantasy being there, but the whole point of the game is to focus on hard work and real, daily life.

Hard work is rewarded.

In Harvest Moon the overall goal is to be a successful farmer. And, thankfully, there’s really no way to fail. If you want to focus on crops to build your wealth, go for it. Or if you’d prefer to raise animals, that’s fine too. There’s really no way to totally waste or lose money, especially in the Wii entry, Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility, where you can take a part time job during the day at one of the island’s establishments to earn some extra cash. As long as you’re making some sort of effort, you’ll gradually earn money that you can put toward expanding your place.

There’s no need to rush.

There are no deadlines in the majority of the Harvest Moon games. You can work at your own pace to achieve your goals, and you can spend as much or as little time a day/week/month playing the game to reach those goals. Once you’ve developed a basic farming routine for essential work and your character has built up some stamina, it’s easy to complete many tasks. There is an in-game clock, but unless it’s a festival day, you need to attend to a potential spouse event or you need to get to one of the stores before it closes, you can pretty much ignore that.

Small actions can make a difference in the lives of others.

Harvest Moon also has elements of a communication game. Players can develop relationships with all of the townspeople, and sometimes even the supernatural characters like the Harvest Goddess, Harvest Sprites, Witch Princess, Wizard or Harvest God. If you become good friends with people, you could unlock special events, earn the right to enter their homes, get special items, learn new recipes or perhaps even get one of the bachelor or bachelorette characters to marry your character. Building a relationship could be somewhat trying in earlier games, where you’d have to talk and give gifts to townspeople, but in more recent games relationships can be built by talking on a regular basis or working at the same job together.

No two games are ever really the same.

There are two basic plot elements to every Harvest Moon game - the Harvest Goddess is in some kind of trouble and there’s a dilapidated farm your character is going to restore to prosperity. Plus there’s the whole animal/crop raising and townspeople to make friends with. Aside from the fundamentals, Harvest Moon is sort of a sandbox game. Since there are no requirements that must be met to have a successful farm, you can achieve it any way you want. So you could mine, ranch, harvest, fish or work part time jobs until you get enough money to expand your little empire. Plus, there can be different villagers, crops or farm animals in each entry. Occasionally the tasks to assist the Harvest Goddess do require players to perform certain tasks, but again, assisting her isn’t mandatory. Each time you play, you can use different strategies to succeed.

Site [Natsume]

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The Chrono Trigger DS port, Final Fantasy Legend II DS remake and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years Wii port are Square Enix’s most recent resurrections of popular games. The company has no problem milking successful Square or Enix games in an attempt to make more money and saturate the market with its products.

Fans accept this action for the most part. It gives gamers who’ve never had the opportunity to play the original games to experience classics, and gives fans an updated and (hopefully) improved version of one of their favorite games.

Gamertell’s compiled a list of 10 games, five from Square and five from Enix, that are due for a remake or port.

Square:

• Live A Live (SNES): Live A Live never received a US release. Time to right that wrong! Give this unique game that ties together adventures in eight different “worlds” in one epic story. At the very least, a Virtual Console release would be much appreciated.
• Romancing SaGa 2 (SNES): Yet another Square classic that never made it outside of Japan, Romancing SaGa 2 lets players control a kingdom over many generations, picking a successor after each time period has ended. Since Final Fantasy Legend II, aka SaGa 2: Hihou Densetsu is getting a DS remake, it’d be nice to see another SaGa as well.
• Secret of Evermore (SNES): While Secret of Evermore was praised as a great game, it wasn’t very popular at the time. Now that Square-Enix’s one of the biggest developers and publishers, I can’t help thinking that this game would attract a larger audience.
• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES): In my mind, there is only one Mario RPG, and that’s the one created by Square for the SNES. The Virtual Console release was nice, but a remastered DS port, perhaps with extra features and characters, would be even better.
• Another Mind (PSX): It’d probably be a pain to localize, but Another Mind has a lot of potential. The game has the player acting as the inner voice for a young woman who was just in a car accident. You put together sentences and phrases to influence her actions and the direction the story takes.

Enix:

• Star Ocean: Blue Sphere (GBC): As of now, Star Ocean: Blue Sphere, the direct sequel to Star Ocean: The Second Story/Star Ocean: Second Evolution, is the only entry in the series to never be released outside of Japan. The Game Boy Color is dead, but Square Enix could always polish it up a bit and release it on the DS.
• Bust A Groove (PSX): When Bust a Groove was originally released, rhythm games were a niche genre. Now, it’s one of the most popular game categories. A PSP port could see a lot of love. Make sure the original music is left in! The campy lyrics help make it a classic.
• Terranigma (SNES): Terranigma was released in Japan and Europe, but never the US. Players are tasked with restoring and resurrecting life on Earth. There’s an interesting twist to it though. It’d be nice to finally be able to see this RPG on a US system.
• Illusion of Gaia (SNES): The somewhat simple controls,straightforward approach and gameplay aspects would make this an ideal game for beginning RPG gamers. A DS remake would work well, as would a Virtual Console port.
• Mischief Makers (N64): It’s made by Treasure, which is a definite point in this platformer’s favor. A remake is likely out of the question, but a Virtual Console port isn’t. A port with the midi music replaced by a new soundtrack would be wonderful. The more I think about it, perhaps a sequel might be a better option.

Site [Square-Enix]

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If you didn’t play the original Lunar any of the three times it was already released in North America, you’re in luck. There’s a very good chance that it could be coming to your PSP very soon. A Japanese enhanced port of Lunar: The Silver Star, being called Lunar: Harmony of Silver Star, will be released in Fall 2009.

Not too long ago, during an RPGamer interview, XSEED’s Ken Berry mentioned that the company was working on “an enhanced remake of a classic PSone RPG.” Siliconera and Joystiq are now both speculating that Lunar: Harmony of Silver Star could be that remake, and I definitely agree.

After all, practically every port of the original Lunar has already been released in the US. We received the original Lunar: The Silver Star on the Sega CD back in 1993. Then in 1999, the PlayStation version called Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete was released with some very nice commemorative goodies. Lunar Legend, the GBA release, was the last to make it to the US in 2002. The only versions North America didn’t get were the 1996 Lunar: Silver Star Story Sega Saturn release.

I’m curious as to whether the PSP version is going to follow the story of the Sega CD, or the Saturn, PlayStation and GBA game. The story changed quite a bit from the original game to the remakes, so it’ll be interesting to see which storyline Lunar: Harmony of Silver Star will follow.

This will probably seem heretical to fans of the original game, but I liked the GBA port Lunar Legend best. Sure, it wasn’t as glamorous and complete as the PlayStation release, but it was portable and fun to play. Part of it is probably pity too. No one ever remembers the GBA port of Lunar.

Read [Siliconera] Via [Joystiq] Also Read [RPGamer]

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As you may recall, a week ago Gamertell featured a list detailing some of the original PlayStation games which deserved to be added to the PlayStation Store as PSOne classics. This week, we’re running with that idea again. Only this time, we’re focusing on RPGs that should be in the PlayStation Store. After all, the original PlayStation was famous for all of the phenomenal RPGs that appeared on it.

It won’t be as in-depth a look at the games and reasons for their inclusions, but instead a brief overview stating, “Hey, this deserves to be in the PlayStation Store because ______________.”

So let’s go through, in alphabetical order, 20 RPGs should become PSOne classics.

Azure Dreams: It combines elements of Pokemon, The Sims and Harvest Moon. You can explore a tower to get monsters, spend money to improve the surrounding town and find a girlfriend for the main character Koh.

Breath of Fire III: The star can transform into a dragon! A dragon! It also has environments you can interact with and follows Ryu from childhood to adulthood.

Chocobo’s Dungeon 2: More difficult than Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon for the Wii, but it sort of fell through the cracks at the time. The PlayStation Store needs a rogue-like RPG!

Chrono Cross: Now that Chrono Trigger has been thrust into the limelight again, thanks to the DS port, people are probably hankering to experience the sequel and see more of the story.

Dragon Warrior VII: The Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior series is finally starting to get some recognition and buzz in the US, thanks to Dragon Quest VIII and the numerous Dragon Quest DS games. Let’s give people a chance to play Dragon Warrior VII again.

Grandia: It was a Sega Saturn and PlayStation classic RPG, plus it was one of the first RPGs to have a player-controlled camera that really worked well.

Legend of Dragoon: It’s proof that Sony is capable of creating a legendary and unforgetable RPG. It had a deep story, looked awesome and, oh yeah, had characters that used Dragoon Spirits that allowed them to don amazing armor and abilities.

Legend of Legaia: It offered an interesting battle system where players determined exactly where you attacked enemies, and promoted experimentation to discover character’s special abilities and Arts. It’s one of the more memorable PSX RPGs.

Legend of Mana: This game stole two months of my life back in high school. It’s one of the prettiest Mana games and it offered a customizable world and multiplayer options.

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue: We’ve seen plenty of Lunar: Silver Star Story rehashes. The sequel was also a great game, and deserves another chance to shine too!

Parasite Eve: Since The 3rd Birthday spin-off is coming soon, it seems only appropriate that the original game gets added to the PlayStation Store. Then, add Parasite Eve II later on.

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment: There’s a Persona PSP remake coming soon, so a PlayStation Store release of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment would give gamers the chance to practically own the whole series.

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure: The DS remake was nice, but lacked the charm and strategic element of the original. The PlayStation Store needs some musical goodness.

SaGa Frontier: A Square series that sort of got lost among all of the other PSX RPGs. It also was one of the first games to let players explore the story through seven main characters. Bring the first one to the PlayStation Store, then follow up with SaGa Frontier 2 if it does well.

Suikoden II: Considered by many to be the best entry in the Suikoden series, it picks up very soon after the original Suikoden ends. The original’s in the store already, now it’s time for the second one.

Tales of Destiny: It’s the second Tales of game, and is a wonderful story showing what happens when artifacts from an ancient time are unearthed and become active again. It also has lots of fun easter eggs to uncover.

Tales of Destiny II: Tales of Destiny II/Tales of Eternia didn’t have a very wide release, so many people missed out on it the first time. A PlayStation Store release guarantees that no-one will be left out.

Thousand Arms: This rare, comedic RPG that stars a spirit blacksmith named Meis who has to date the female party members if he wants to forge new and more powerful weapons. Oh, and there’s a villain threatening the world that has to be defeated as well.

Vagrant Story: Those who loved Ico may be eager to try this game. It stars a man blamed for a crime he didn’t commit who has to investigate an abandoned city to investigate ties between a duke and a cult leader. It’s all about dungeon crawling and puzzle solving, with no NPCs to talk to or shops to visit. It also is losely tied to Final Fantasy XII and the Ivalice Alliance.

Xenogears: First, a PlayStation Store release would make the game much more affordable. Also, it offered a number of firsts for Square, like voice acting and anime cut-scenes. Elements from this wonderful game were used as inspiration for Xenosaga.

Read [Gamertell]

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Thanks to Virtual Console and the PlayStation Store, people are being granted access to great, classic video games that they may have missed. The sad thing is, while Virtual Console is redistributing games at a steady pace, PSOne Classics are trickling out.

There’s a huge catalog of PSOne games available, and many of them are fantastic and revolutionary titles. Gamertell decided it was time to look back at some of the amazing games released for the PlayStation and pick out ones that deserve PSOne Classic status.

This is not a complete list. The original PlayStation was home to many wonderful, trailblazing games. Resident Evil, Parasite Eve, Chrono Cross, Tomba, Twisted Metal, Tomb Raider, Guilty Gear... the list goes on and on. Here, we’re just looking at some of the absolute best games.

10. Silhouette Mirage

Ah, Silhouette Mirage. It was the bain of my existance for a brief period of time in high school. Since it is more of an obscure title, let’s go over the game.

It’s a side scrolling, run and gun action game from Treasure. A lab experiment attempting to create a child named Armageddon that had Silhouette and Mirage element resulted in, well, Armageddon. The kid split into Silhouette and Mirage parts (Megido and Hal), and all other life on Earth was split as well, killing many in the process.

That’s where Shyna Nera Shyna comes in. She has both Silhouette and Mirage elements, and is setting out to reverse what happened by reuniting Silhouette and Mirage elements. The twist is that Silhouette enemies can only be damaged by the Mirage half of Shyna and Mirage enemies can only be damaged by the Silhouette half. So, you have to spend the game knowing when to switch between the two.

9. Street Fighter Alpha 3

For many, Street Fighter Alpha 3 is the definitive entry in the series. It’s the one many people grew up with. It lets players pick from three fighting styles (A-ism, X-ism and V-ism). It also has 33 characters to choose from.

Supposedly, a PlayStation Store release is already planned for Street Fighter Alpha 3, so having it here is kind of a moot point. Still, it’s one of the hallmark PlayStation titles and deserves to be on the list.

8. UmJammer Lammy

Everybody remembers Parappa the Rapper, but seems to forget UmJammer Lammy. It’s very similar to the Parappa games, except here players help Lammy, guitarist for Milkcan, as she rushes to make it to the concert on time. She faces numerous delays, and has to play or air guitar her way through various events and lessons to make it in time.

Some highlights of the game were the ability to replay as Parappa instead of Lammy in the Solo mode, a Co-op mode and a Vs. mode.

One suggestion though, make the PlayStation Store release the European one. The US version was censored and the European was not. For example, Stage Six was completely changed, as in the original game it featured Lammy dying, being mistaken for Rammy and then sent to Hell. In the US version, she was sent back in time to a tropical island.

7. Tomb Raider

While the remake of Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, is splendid, it would be nice to have the original offered on the PlayStation Store. After all, it did mark the debut of the series and is a legendary game.

6. Tenchu: Stealth Assassins

Ninjas are cool, and most people have probably fantastized about being one, or having the abilities of one, at some point in their lives. Tenchu: Stealth Assassins let people live out those fantasies in 10 different levels, getting to go through ninja missions as Rikimaru or Ayame. It also marked the debut of the Tenchu series.

It might be asking too much, or even be impossible, but if this received a PlayStation Store release then maybe the mission editor from the Japanese rerelease Tenchu: Shinobi Gaisen could be included as well.

5. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo

Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix was nice, but it removed many features from the original Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo that people loved. I, for one, miss the multiple Win Taunts and Street Puzzle Mode.

Let’s see a release of the original, unedited game. I wouldn’t be surprised if a substantial number of people preferred it to the HD Remix.

4. Silent Hill

Silent Hill is returning to the Wii, PS2 and PSP as Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need a digital download of the original. After all, the remake is being described as a reimagining.

There was a brief release through the European PlayStation Store, but it was removed. Let’s hope it gets released again.

3. Suikoden II

Suikoden is available in the PlayStation Store now, so it seems only fitting that the sequel Suikoden II gets released as well. A copy of the original game can easily cost over $50 on eBay, and nobody can afford that! Suikoden II is seen by many as the best entry in the series, so it seems only fitting that it become a PSOne Classic.

2. Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid is one of the best known PlayStation games, and it seems only right that this incredibly successful game, which helped spawn the stealth genre, become a PSOne Classic.

If it manages to receive a PlayStation Store release, then perhaps include Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions as a bonus.

1. Every PSX Final Fantasy (VII, VIII, IX)

This should be fairly obvious. Ever since the Japan and Asian PlayStation Stores received the International version of Final Fantasy VII, fans in all the other regions have been craving it as well. We’ll go a step further and suggest that VIII and IX be added as well. May as well make it a set.

Full Story » | Written by Jenni Lada for Gamertell. | Comment on this Article »

Whenever people talk about the greatest games of all time, you hear the usual ol’ Halos, Final Fantasys and possibly Metal Gear Solids come up. Yes, these are great games but there are plenty of games out there that are truly great but get little or no recognition. In fact you probably haven’t even heard of them.

Well I am here to fix that. I have compiled a list of eight great games (in no particular order) that have been neglected and forgotten. These are some personal favorites along with some you should know about.

1. Okage Shadow King (PS2)

This is definitely a classic. It’s a cute little RPG where you play as a young boy who’s shadow becomes possessed by a evil king out to rule the world. He pops up every time someone is around (kinda reminded me of Bluedragon, but more animated) and tries to intimidate them. Unfortunately for the king, all his powers where taken by the other self proclaimed “kings” of the world, so it’s your job to rid the world of all those kings and restore power to your new shadow. Despite how it sounds, it’s a real lighthearted, fun quirky game. Your shadow may be evil but he is also quite hilarious, and instead of people running in fear, they are cracking wise at him. What makes this a good game is simply the classic game play and storyline. It’s not all fighting and level grinding, which i hate in RPG’s and there are objectives in each town/area you need to accomplish.
Plus you can wander around where ever you want, and find items. The dialogue is great and it’s just fun and easy paced, plus the fighting system is standard turn-based and easy to understand.

2. Chibi-Robo (Gamecube)

I loved this game! It’s very unique and fun. You play as a little house cleaning robot who is hired by a rather dysfunctional family (whose daughter dresses and talks like a frog). You basically clean up the house, find items, and also save the family in the process. You also run around carrying your own power cord so you can plug yourself in to recharge, which is very cute.You meet some quirky/awesome characters in the game, and though you never talk, they sure have a lot to say to you. What I like about this game is it’s uniqueness. You would think cleaning up spills and picking up trash would be boring, but with all the mini games and interactions involved, it makes it worth it.  It starts out kinda slow because your battery life is not very long, so you have to charge constantly (or have your battery die and the day ends) but eventually you can buy better batteries, and junk, and end up playing almost a whole game day on one battery. You play night and day alternatively, for about 10-30 minutes depending on what your settings are. You can do different things during nights and days too. (Editor’s Note: The WalMart-exclusive Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol for DS is also surprisingly fun).

3. ChoroQ (PS2)

This game is also rather unique. You play as a race car who wants to make it big in the world racing and the part that makes this game so unique, it’s actually an RPG. Yes, you, as a car, get to talk to other cars, visit towns and people and, of course upgrade your car. You can also play mini games and do tasks for people. You also race in the game, of course, and the better you upgrade your car, the better you race. Also, if you get on the other cars’ good sides, they might let you join their teams. This game is definitely a must for all racing and RPG fans. Oh, and some of the dialogue in the game is hilarious too, possibly unintentional but who knows.

4. Juggernaut (PS1)

Oh man, this has got to be the strangest, creepiest, most bizarre game I have ever played. It’s an adventure game where you play as a man whose girlfriend is possessed by a demon (oddly from a jar she bought at a antique shop). You have to go in her body and get the demon out. You start off in a mansion where you find different items and use them to solve bizarre puzzles, oh and did I mention that you are only a spirit and you have to inject yourself into an adult or child body via a strange machine to move around? Throughout the mansion you uncover sort of side adventures that are all no way related. In each adventure you become someone else and you have a certain job to complete, such as one (my favorite) where you are in the internet and you have to find out who is implanting this virus and killing people over the internet. Or another one where you are arrived on this island with a tribe of natives and find out a horrible monster is killing people. Or one where a laboratory is torturing criminals in order to get endorphins from them. All these side adventures come down to the demon that possessed your girlfriend. I promise you, these adventures are a combination of strange, scary, gory and downright stupid. Don’t play this game at night and alone! Although, it’s terrible dialogue and characterization will certainly give you a good laugh. BTW: If anyone else has every played this please let me know. It’s a bit rare and hard to find but well worth it.

5. Bards Tale (PS2 and Xbox)

This is another one of those games that just got ignored despite it’s awesomeness. It’s another RPG (it is my favorite genre, after all) where you play as a Bard who is, of course, on a mission to save a hot princess who was kidnapped. You use magic to conjure people to help you on the quest or help you get through the dungeons. So why is this game any different than other RPG’s? First of all, there is a narrator throughout the game, who absolutely hates the Bard and ridicules him throughout, which adds for some hilarious banter. Also, the Bard is completely arrogant and only cares about himself, so it’s fun to interact with others. Also, the Bard is voiced by Cary Elwes (of Princess Bride and Saw fame). During certain points in the game you are giving the choice to give a polite or snarky answer. Each choice effects the outcome in either a major or minor way. Don’t always try to play the good guy though, sometimes you need to be a bit snarky to get through the game. The other thing I liked about it is that it makes fun of all the RPG clichés, like how you can just barge into people’s houses without them caring, and how you kill a rat and items pop out? Strange! This game is roll-on-the-ground funny and not too difficult, either. You may want to buy the strategy guide to make sure you pick the right choice, or live dangerously! 

6. Princess Tomato and the Salad Kingdom (NES)

I just had to add this wonderful little game. It’s an adorable little adventure that happens to have a veggie/fruit theme. You play as Sir Cucumber who was sent by the king to rescue his daughter from the evil Minister Pumpkin. It’s one of those games where you click “look”, “search”, “take,” etc. to accomplish the goals and find items. You also have a guide Percy the Persimmon who you can ask for help and force to do your bidding and such. Everything in the game is related to vegetables or fruit, from the buildings, to the people, to the scenery. You also fight bad guys by playing a game of paper-scissor-rock with them. It’s got a cute storyline and, despite the fact it’s all a bit silly, it’s very fun and a bit challenging. Plus it’s fun for the whole family.

7. Atelier Iris Eternal Mana(PS2)

Another RPG that got no recognition when it came out, I don’t even remember it being advertised. It’s a typical Japanese RPG where evil forces are trying to take over you need to discover and use magic and recruit partners to get through the game, but a bit unique at that. As you play you unlock different Mana that take the shape of creatures and allow you get special powers that help you either during battle or just walking around. For instance, a Mana that turns into a platform so you can reach a higher location (for secret items), or a Mana that gets rid of all the enemies for one screen, which is really nice if you are trying to just pass though or about to die. There are a bunch more, too. One of the most fun things is doing alchemy. You can create new items for yourself, or you can create items for the people around town (which unlocks things for you). I always like an RPG that offers something different, aside from just level grinding and talking to people. The voice acting isn’t horrible either and you have the option to shut it off, which is always a plus. The animation reminded me of the old-school RPGs I use to love. 

8. Gitaro Man (PS2)

I figure we needed a break from RPG’s and adventures. This little classic seemed to come and go just as suddenly. What I mean by that is I heard about this game a while ago but never saw it in stores, then I see it all over the shelves and now it’s nowhere again. Either way it is a classic. I suppose the only way to quickly describe it is as a music puzzler. You are a young boy who dreams of being a famous guitar player and he has the alter ego of a superhero named Gitaro Man who saves the world with his guitar. You use your guitar to fight bad guys by basically tracing different threads with your controller. It is very addictive and can be downright hard at times. A line will appear on the enemies side and you need to repeat the line as best you can, it can be hard at times, but definitely fun. The music is very fun too. It’s a bit strange, but definitely should be checked out.

So those are my games. If you think I missed any (which I’m sure I have) then please post them here and I will try to check them out. I’m always looking for new awesome games I never heard of.

Read [Thunderbolt Games] Also Read [Gearfuse]

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When most people think of Japanese popular culture, the mascots come to mind. Characters like Hello Kitty, Godzilla and Pikachu who have become superstars due to games, toys, movies, stationary products and manga. Their popularity has become so great that they’ve become worldwide icons.

While Hello Kitty tends to steal the limelight most of the time, there is another cat mascot in Japan whose popularity rivals hers. I’m speaking, of course, about Doraemon. Doraemon hasn’t become the international star that Hello Kitty has, but in his own country he’s a household name.

So today in Important Importables we’ll go over everything you need to know about the blue robot cat Doraemon.

Who’s Doraemon?

As I mentioned a moment ago, Doraemon is a blue, earless robot cat from the 22nd century. Sadly, he’s not exactly a top-of-the-line robot cat. He has the fourth dimension pocket on his stomach, allowing him to pull out tons of gadgets, and possesses super running, jumping and propeller flying abilities, but he’s also blue instead of yellow, had a robot mouse gnaw off his ears and had many of his robotic features fail. He also has a younger sister, Dorami, who’s much more advanced and normal than him (and also has her own series).

Sewashi, a man living in the 22nd century who was poor, sent Doraemon into the past to aid his great-great-grandfather Nobita Nobi when he was a child. Sewashi figured that if Doraemon could help Nobita overcome the obstacles in his life, Nobita would end up a success instead of a failure, the future would change and Sewashi would then be a success as well.

Why’s Doraemon famous?

Doraemon began, like many popular series, as a children’s comic by Fujiko F Fujio. It first appeared in 1969 in six different magazines geared towards children. The series became so popular that in 1977 CoroCoro Comic magazine launched, running only the Doraemon comics.

There ended up being numerous animes created based on Doraemon’s adventures, all called Doraemon. There were also quite a few anime specials, as well as over 25 movies released. One of the Doraemon movies even inspired a musical play. Spin-off manga series have also appeared to capitalize on Doraemon‘s success, among them is Dorami’s series, The Doraemons and Dorabase.

What kind of video games has Doraemon inspired?

Action:

• Doraemon (Super Cassette Vision)
• Doraemon (NES)
• Doraemon (Game Boy)
• Doraemon 2 (Game Boy)
• Doraemon no Game Boy de Asobouyo DX10 (Game Boy)
• Doraemon (SNES)
• Doraemon (Genesis)
• Doraemon: Nora no Suke no Yabou (Game Gear)
• Doraemon Memories: Nobi Dai no Omoi Izaru Daiboken (Game Boy Color)
• Doraemon Nobita no Dorabian Nights (Turbo CD)
• Doraemon Nobita no Dorabian Nights (TurboGrafx-16)
• Doraemon: Meikyu Daisakusen aka Cratermaze (TurboGrafx-16)
• Doraemon (N64)
• Doraemon Pocket (WonderSwan Color)
• Doraemon: Nobi Futo to Fukkatsu no Hoshi (Sega Saturn)
• Doraemon Minna de Asobo! Minidorando (GC)
• Doraemon: Nobitaito Fukkatsu no Hoshi (PlayStation)
• Doraemon: Nobita to Midori no Kyojinden DS (DS)

Adventure:

• Doraemon Yuujou Densetsu (3DO)
• Boku, Doraemon (Dreamcast)

Baseball:

• Dorabase: Doraemon Chou Yakyuu Gaiden (DS)

Card:

• Doraemon: Nobita no Kyouryuu 2006 DS (DS)
• Doraemon: Nobita no Shin Makai Daibouken DS (DS)

Educational:

• Doraemon no Study Boy: Kuku Game (GBC)
• Doraemon no Study Boy: Gakushuu Kanji Game (GBC)
• Doraemon no Study Boy: Kanji Yomikaki Master (GBC)

Party:

• Doraemon no Quiz Boy (GBC)
• Doraemon no Quiz Boy 2 (GBC)
• Doraemon Dokodemo Walker (GBA)
• Doraemon Wii: Himitsu Douguou Ketteisen (Wii)

Racing:

• Doraemon Kart (Game Boy)
• Doraemon Kart 2 (GBC)

RPG:

• Doraemon: Giga Zombie no Gyakushuu (NES)
• Doraemon Kimi to Pet no Monogatari (GBC)
• Doraemon (GBA)

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables looks at the Sakura Taisen/Sakura Wars series.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables reviewed HimeHibi: Princess Days Portable.

Site [Doraemon] Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

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Ah, villainy. A sacred and necessary vocation. After all, if there’s no antagonist, what’s the protagonist supposed to do all day, stay at home growing crops, raising animals and making friends with the neighbors? Inconceivable! Even when that situation arises, some ill-intentioned individual pops up and turns some earth goddess to stone.

While players typically rejoice after vanquishing a particularly evil and challenging nemesis, it isn’t uncommon to have a soft spot in your heart for the baddie. After all, he’s just doing his job. Maintaining balance and such. Plus, he represents a way of life people don’t get to experience.

Perhaps this is why gamers enjoy games where the villain is the star. For a brief moment, players get to see how the other side lives by vicariously living through an evil-doer who can be bumbling, sympathetic, humorous or down-right nasty.

So today, Gamertell’s going through, in no particular order, 11 games where players get to ditch their consciences and let loose, if only for a little while.

1. Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This? aka Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida

In Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! What Did I Do to Deserve This? the villain may be called the God of Destruction, but he doesn’t seem like all that bad a dude. After all, he spends pretty much the whole game in his underground lair. He’s just trying to defend his home and maintain a working dungeon ecosystem. So a few heroes get eaten along the way. Big deal. It’s part of the circle of life and frankly, their own fault. If they’d just stayed above ground, where normal humans are supposed to be, then they wouldn’t have encountered zombies, dragons and other assorted monsters.

So when players pick up this game, they get to play the defensive side. Set some traps for unsuspecting heroes. Build up a legion of monster bodyguards. The villain here is bad, sure, but even bad guys are entitled to a little down time, alone, in an cavern deep beneath the Earth’s surface.

2. Practically every strategic RPG ever created by NIS (Disgaea, Disgaea 3, Soul Nomad & the World Eaters, Makai Kingdom)

Before we get into this category - yes, I’m aware that Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! is being published by NIS America. It’s technically still an SCEI game, so it gets a separate spot. Plus, it’s an entirely different setup than the NIS strategic RPG’s we’re about to discuss.

What game comes to mind when you think NIS? Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. The strategic RPG is famous for it’s star Laharl, an overlord who wants to become the ultimate overlord. But NIS didn’t stop there. Disgaea 3: Absense of Justice for the PS3 has another idealistic star named Mao who also wants to become the top overlord. Then there’s Makai Kingdom, the story of an overlord who becomes trapped in a book and is fighting to regain his glory and original body. NIS is known for creating games where humorous “evil” characters all attempt in some way to become the ultimate overlord. Their actions aren’t always evil, sometimes they can be quite considerate, but they still qualify as villains.

Soul Nomad & the World Eaters is an NIS strategic RPG that can go either way. Throughout the game, players have the ability to choose the path the main character goes down, which then determines whether he/she ends up being good or evil. If players make the darker decisions, they end up on the Demon Path. An interesting twist to this is that characters who were originally allies will desert the hero and become foes if the player decides to become a villain.

3. The Overlord series

With a name like Overlord, a game has got to have a anti-hero as the star. And, it does. The Overlord series of games lets players be overlords who are trying to take over the land from heroes so they can be number one. The overlords even get little monster/goblin minions.

The whole situation is always handled in a humorous fashion, though it’s typically dark humor. Players get to choose just how bad their overlord character is, resulting in a character that could be considered simply a misguided delinquent to a pretty evil individual. It offers an interesting amount of freedom, while still keeping players along a set path of conquering the surrounding lands.

4. The Fable series

One of the hallmarks of the Fable series is the total freedom players are given. You can have your character undertake any action you want - there’s no right or wrong. There’s good and evil though, and depending on how the players treat the NPCs and behave, they can become evil.

Treading the dark path in Fable or Fable II results in some substantial changes. NPC characters will treat you differently, there are different abilities and, probably most striking, players will look different. As a character becomes more good or evil, the appearance changes. In Fable II, a player’s dog even becomes contaminated by dark acts.

5. Der Langrisser aka Langrisser II

Der Langrisser, an SNES game never released outside of Japan, is a bit like NIS’ Soul Nomad & the World Eaters. There are four possible paths that can be taken through the game, based on who the player decides the hero, Erwin, should side with. The Light and Imperial paths both could be considered the good, hero routes, while the Independent and Chaos paths could be considered villain routes.

The Independent path can be considered a villain route, simply because the player ends up facing off against the heroes in the Light and Imperial paths. However, Erwin’s ultimate goal in the Independent path is the idea of peace between humans and demons. While Erwin’s means of reaching that peace may not be entirely good, he’s working towards a good goal.

The Chaos path is a straightforward villain route. In it, Erwin sides with the Demon Tribe and the Prince of Darkness Boser. His ultimate goal and motivation in this scenario is to become the absolute ruler of everything, no matter what the cost, and totally decimate any Demon Tribe enemies in the process.

6. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain is one of those games where you’re playing as an anti-hero with the ultimate potential to be good or evil. The sequels all occur under the assumption that the player chooses the dark end for Kain in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, so that ending is considered canon.

Kain is killed and turned into a vampire in the game. He then sets out to kill the people who killed him. Then, the Guardian of the Pillar of Balance Ariel tells him to go and kill the corrupt human guardians of the Pillars. He does that. After a long saga of killing loads of important people, Kain is faced with a choice. He’s the last Guardian of the Pillar of Balance. If he sacrifices himself, Ariel, the previous guardian, will be revived, the world of Nosgoth will be revitalized and all vampires will be gone. Or, he can refuse to sacrifice himself and become ruler of everything.

Of course, Kain doesn’t sacrifice himself, and he goes on to be a vampire overlord who repeatedly takes over everything.

7. City of Villains

City of Villains is an awesome option for people looking to explore the dark side. It is both a stand-alone massive multiplayer online RPG, as well as an expansion to the MMO City of Heroes. Players create a villain, and begin the game by escaping from a prison. The villains then gather on the Rogue Isles with other villains, taking missions that allow them to perform dastardly deeds, create a lair to plot future nefarious schemes with other villains and face off against City of Heroes hero players.

If a gamer ever wanted to be a comic book villain, City of Villains will give him or her the chance.

8. The Destroy all Humans series

I suppose you could argue Crypto, star of the Destroy All Humans series of games, is a hero to fellow furons. After all, he’s salvaging furon DNA from human brain stems to save the furon race.

Of course, this mission requires him to kill humans, harvesting the DNA from their brain stems and occasionally has him taking over the United States, a fast food franchise and a casino. So much for being a good guy - to humans he’s just another villain. Even worse, he’s a villain who enjoys probing.

9. The Misadventures of Tron Bonne

It’s easy to feel somewhat bad for Tron Bonne. Yes, she’s a member of the Bonne air pirate family, known for their greed and antagonizing of MegaMan Volnutt from Mega Man Legends.

The Misadventures of Tron Bonne has Tron working to save the other members of the Bonne family, Teisel and Bon, after they’ve been captured because Teisel hasn’t paid back a one million zenny loan. Tron has to repay the one million zennies using any means possible, though she mainly goes around stealing stuff.

While Tron’s a villain, both her and her family aren’t all that malicious. They’re more annoying than evil. Nonetheless, a villain’s a villain.

10. Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume

Depending on how you play Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, the antihero Wylfred can end up being a really despicable person. He’s not exactly a hero to begin with - the game chronicles his quest to find and kill the Valkyrie. Years before, she chose his father as one of her einherjar and Wylfred has decided that if she hadn’t, his father might have lived and then his mother wouldn’t have gone crazy and his sister wouldn’t have died.

In order to gain the power to kill the Valkyrie Lenneth, Wylfred has to sacrifice his friends to turn a plume from Hel dark. If he succeeds, he’ll gain the power and his chance to take her down. It only works if a friend is sacrificed, which means that Wylfred (and the player) has to get close to characters and care about them before a sacrifice can be made.

Nothing’s lower than sacrificing trusting friends to defeat a goddess who’s doing her job and, in a way, giving fallen warriors a second chance.

11. Evil Genius

Evil Genius is a strategy game that seems tailor made for fans of Austin Powers or Bond films, since you get to play a colorful villain like the ones in those movies. The goal is to take over the world, with the help of one of three superweapons which your villain spends the entire game researching and creating. You get a top secret lair, henchmen to order around and five government agencies to feud with and vanquish.

It succeeds in a sort of sarcastic sort of way. You can’t really take your villain character seriously, but the adventure’s still fun and it keeps the dream of world domination alive.

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Journey to the West may be a staple of Chinese literature, but it is a tale that has certainly received a lot of love in Japan. The Ming Dynasty novel tells the tale of a monk, Xuanzang, who has been tasked with a holy pilgrimage to India to retrieve Buddhist sutras. He is accompanied by Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, three sinners seeking atonement by following as his guardians/disciples, and Yulong Santaizi, a dragon prince seeking atonement that has been reincarnated as a horse.

The story has found a special place in Japan, where it has been adapted into tv series, animes, mangas and video games. Some anime and manga series, while not inspired by Journey to the West, have episodes or segments inspired by the story.

Journey to the West has inspired quite a few interesting video game spin-offs. While only a few have received US releases, it is interesting to see how the story changed in each incarnation.

Saiyuuki World 2 (NES)

Did you ever play Whomp ‘Em on your NES? I bet you didn’t know that it only starred a Native American boy in the North American version. The Japanese version of the game was practically the same. It had the same gameplay at least, where you’d be journeying through levels, trying to earn new abilities.

The difference? In Japan Whomp ‘Em was Saiyuuji World 2 and starred Sun Wukong/Monkey King from the Journey to the West myth. There was a Japan-only prequel as well, called Saiyuuki World. So instead of following Xuanzang on his journey, Wukong becomes the star and is collecting abilities on a journey.

Dragon Ball Origins (DS)

The popular manga/anime series Dragon Ball was originally inspired by Journey to the West. Akira Toriyama based the character of Son Goku on Sun Wukong. He had a childlike attitude, incredible strength, a monkey tale, a staff that could extend on command and the ability to travel great distances with on a cloud. The initial quest to collect the seven Dragon Balls can be likened to the sutras being sought in Journey to the West.

While the majority of Dragon Ball games are fighting games, Dragon Ball Origins is an action rpg adaptation of the beginning of the series. Since it covers the first two major Dragon Ball arcs, it contains many Journey to the West found in the original series.

Saiyuki: Journey West

One of the most accurate video game adaptations of Journey to the West actually did receive a release outside of Japan. Koei released a strategic RPG called Saiyuki: Journey West. Players determine Sanzo’s (Xuanzang) gender at the beginning of the adventure, and then proceed to travel to India on a pilgrimage, fighting demons and monsters along the way. Sanzo is mainly a support character and magic user who backs up the party members.

The main party members are Son Goku (Wukong), Cho Hakkai (Bajie), Sha Gojo (Wujing) and Shu Ryorin. While Ryorin isn’t directly based on Santaizi, the fact that she is a dragon princess suggests she is inspired by the character. All of the party members have the ability to transform into an alternate form, a nod to the fact that Wukong, Bajie and Wujing had the ability to transform into different forms.

Gensoumaden Saiyuki games

Another incredibly popular manga/anime adaptation of Journey to the West is Kazuya Minekura’s Gensoumaden Saiyuki. It’s one of the closer adaptations of the story, though Minekura does take liberty with quite a few aspects. Genjou Sanzo (Xuanzang) has been charged with a holy quest to reclaim the sutras that have fallen into the hands of youkai and stop the resurrection of Gyumaoh. He is accompanied by Son Goku (Wukong), Cho Hakkai (Bajie) and Sha Gojyo (Wujing), and Hakkai’s pet dragon Hakuryuu (Santaizi) transforms into a jeep to drive them all around.

There have been a few games released based on the series, but two stand out as actually portraying part of the Journey to the West story. The first is Gensoumaden Saiyuki: Hangyaku no Toshin Taishi a GBA strategic rpg game where players go through part of the adventure chronicled in the anime/manga. The second is Saiyuki Reload an rpg adventure that has players going through a suplemental side story to the original series. A PS2 fighting game, Saiyuki Reload Gunlock, and a PSX game, Gensoumaden Saiyuuki, were also released.

S.Y.K ~Shinsetsu Saiyuuki~ (PS2)

Idea Factory has just announced that its next Otomate game, out August 13, 2009, is going to be S.Y.K. ~Shinsetsu Saiyuuki~. The latest adaptation of Journey to the West portrays Xuanzang as a young woman in priestess robes named Genjou. She is accompanied by four delinquent male guardians, Goku (Wukong), Hakkai (Baije), Gojou (Wujing) and Gyokuryu (Santaizi) on a journey to Tenjiku.

Like all otome games, S.Y.K. is going to be about building relationships with the characters. Genjou has to have a certain level of trust with her guardians in order to keep moving on her journey, and this is built by working on tasks with characters. Depending on choices players make, one of her guardians may also fall in love with her.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables reviews the PSP visual novel HimeHibi: Princess Days Portable.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables went over the differences between Japanese, Asian and Korean version PSP games.

Read [Lijakaca’s Otome Gaming Blog] Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

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In an age where many people are turning away from print media to internet outlets, it’s good to see magazines have some substance and purpose. Thanks to e a leaked issue of the May 2009 edition of Nintendo Power, we now know that the horror series Silent Hill is going to be setting up a summer home on the Wii. Konami is remaking the original Silent Hill for the system under the title Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.

GoNintendo first reported the breaking news, scanning in the magazine’s cover (as seen below) along with some images and also offered up some choice quotes from the issue discussing Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Apparently this version of the game is what Konami’s Silent Hill: Shattered Memories producer is calling a reimagining. The basic story, of Harry Mason searching for his lost daughter Cheryl in Silent Hill, is the same. There will just be new situations. Also, the way you play will effect who you meet and what events you’ll encounter.

Of course, there will be tailor-made wii remote controls. I’m hoping that means Silent Hill: Shattered Memories will use the remote as a flashlight, much like in LIT, and as a weapon as well.

Other tweaks to the gameplay include puzzles that use the remote, the ability to find a way to unlock every locked door and less backtracking. Frankly, the locked doors and backtracking were the only things that I ever found frustrating about the Silent Hill series, so I’m glad to hear Konami’s working on that issue for the Wii game.

It’s appropriate news delivered at a good time - it celebrates the 10th anniversary of the original Silent Hill. The PlayStation version of the game came out on January 31, 1999. The PlayStation game ended up becoming a Greatest Hit due to its success, and inspired arcade, cell phone, GBA, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox and Xbox 360 games, books, interactive manga and a movie. This will be the first time the original Silent Hill has been re-envisioned, though the Silent Hill movie’s plot is very similar.

Read [GoNintendo] Via [Kotaku]

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Japanese music is starting to get more popular among gamers, thanks to titles like The World Ends with You, Persona 3: FES and Persona 4. In order to recreate the Japanese environment and experience, the soundtracks for all three of these games was filled with Japanese hip hop, rap, pop and rock.

And while these three games seem to be getting the majority of the credit for bringing Japanese music to the attention of a wider audience, there are quite a few other games which include Japanese rock to round out the experience. The majority of games with Japanese songs included are JRPGs, but this isn’t a hard and fast rule.

Important Importables today is looking at a handful of video games which feature Japanese rock, or JRock songs by well known artists. The context in which the song appeared in the game will be discussed, as well as a little information on the artist and some songs of his, hers or theirs that may be similar to the track in question. Who knows, you may end up finding some new songs for your iPod or mp3 player.

Tales of Versperia - “Ring a Bell”

Tales of Vesperia for the Xbox 360’s theme song was “Ring a Bell”, by Bonnie Pink. It’s an optimistic tune that could be considered either pop or rock, by a famous Japanese pop star. Since it’s more of a rock song, with strong guitar riffs and a wonderful drum presense throughout the song. It’s completely in English, something that isn’t uncommon in a Bonnie Pink song. It also is an incredibly catchy tune.

Bonnie Pink is very well known in Japan, and has released a total of 14 albums. Overall, her songs fall very clearly into the “Pop” catagory, but she does have quite a few famous songs that can be considered Rock. Since it’s very common for her songs to include a substantial amount of English, or be completely in English, she’s a good pick for someone who is just starting to get interested in Jrock.

If you liked “Ring a Bell,” you might also enjoy:

• “Private Laughter” from Even So
• “5 More Minutes” from Even So
• “Last Kiss” from Even So
• “Call My Name” from Let Go
• “Broken Hearts, Citylights and Just Me Thinking Out Loud” from Thinking Out Loud

Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus - “Redemption”

Theme for the PS2 shooter Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, a story spin-off starring Vincent Valentine, featured the Gackt song “Redemption” as the main theme. While the lyrics and message of the song is downright depressing, the music is a solid rock song that goes full force for the most part. The only slow portion is over the bridge, before the song returns full force to the chorus. It fits the game perfectly.

Since Gackt was already covered extensively in a previous Important Importables, we’ll just say here that he’s an incredibly established Japanese rock star, and has released nine solo albums and four compilation albums.

If you liked “Redemption,” you might also enjoy:

• “Black Stone” from DIABOLOS
• “Speed Master” from Moon
• “Vanilla” from The Sixth Day
• “Returner ~Yami no Shuuen~ from the Returner ~Yami no Shuuen single
• “Nine Spiral” from the Secret Garden single

Rock Band 2 - “I.V.”

X Japan’s “I.V.” is unique in that it is not only a downloadable track (dlc) for Rock Band 2, but it also appeared in Saw 4. Like most of the X Japan songs, it is a ballad, with a strong focus on Toshi’s haunting vocals. In a way, you could almost call it reminiscent of a classic Journey ballad.

X Japan’s most famous members are the singer Toshi, the pianist, drummer and man behind all the music Yoshiki and the deceased, former guitarist Hide, who is also famous solo work and participation with Zilch. It’s also one of the oldest and most established groups, starting out in 1989 as X, disbanding in 1997 and reuniting in 2007. The group released five studio albums, six live albums, one remix album and eight compilation albums.

If you liked “I.V.,” you might also enjoy:

• “I’ll Kill You” from Vanishing Vision
• “Rusty Nail” from Dahlia
• “Longing” from either the Longing ~Togireta Melody~ or Longing ~Setsubou no Yoru~ singles
• “Crucify My Love” from Ballad Collection
• “The Last Song” from Ballad Collection

Thousand Arms - “Depend on You”

Considering “Depend on You” as a rock song is kind of pushing it. There’s enough electric guitar in there though that I’m willing to let it slide on the list. It’s an incredibly up-beat and catchy song, with a definite pop and rock influence to it. So much so, that it can fall in between the two genres.

Ayumi Hamasaki is known not only for being a huge pop star, but also for her line of clothing called MTRLG (Material Girl), a collaboration with Sanrio that paired her character Ayupan with Hello Kitty and a TV show called Ayuready?. Her songs are often remixed, and find popularity in clubs overseas. She also did the theme songs “Startin’” and “Rainy Day” for the Japanese version of Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams. The Euro-pop group Sweetbox has also covered a number of her songs, in particular “Ladies Night,” “Rainy Day,” “Pride” and “Bold & Delicious.” She’s released 11 albums, four compilation albums and 19 remix albums.

If you liked “Depend on You,” you might also enjoy:

• “STEP you” from (miss)understood
• “Ladies Night ~another night~” from the Blue Bird single
• “fated” from the glitter/faded single
• ”(don’t) Leave me alone” from Guilty
• “Dearest” from A Ballads

COMING NEXT WEEK: Expect to see a review of the PSP game HimeHibi: Princess Days Portable.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables talked about practical Japanese DS programs that should be localized.

Site [Ayumi Hamasaki] Site [Bonnie Pink (Japanese)] Site [Gackt] Site [Puffy AmiYumi] Site [X Japan]

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Many Final Fantasy fans have accepted that the black label version of Final Fantasy VII is sort of a Holy Grail for collectors. Some want it because some of the black label FFVII games have misprints that make them more valuable. Others want it because it is the original edition of the game, and looks better with the black label and white discs.

If you’re one of those people who must have an original copy of FFVII, you may want to stop by the Shop Goodwill charity auction site. In a lot called Playstation Game Grabbag #5 is a black label copy of FFVII a black label copy of FFVIII, Grand Tourismo 2 and Colony Wars. As of 11:38am CST on January 28, 2009, the lot’s highest bid was $51.00. The auction ends January 31, 2009.

Since only the front of the cases are shown, it is unknown if the FFVII game has any misprints. The auction also doesn’t list whether or not instruction books for each game are included, or if the discs inside for the copies of FFVII and FFVIII are white or silver. If those things don’t matter to you, and all you’re looking for are the games, then you may want to try bidding on this item.

Site [Shop Goodwill]

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Let’s face it, gaming is expensive. With the economy currently in its poor state, gamers have quite a bit to worry about.

There are, however, are some ways to appease the habit and get more bang for your buck. You can take everything that you’ll read to heart as advice from a fellow poor gamer along with some of the advice given to us by MSNBC. These tips should help ease some of your monetary burdens when it comes to gaming.

Old Does Not Equal Bad

People tend to be more obsessed with the newer,  potentially better product and either don’t know about or forgot about the beauty of older games. While we have Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, some forget that we also had Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. While Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is out now, we occasionally forget Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2 and Metal Gear Solid.

There’s nothing wrong with getting (or digging out) one of the older consoles and getting some of the better games from those systems. If you go to places like Disc Replay you could get older consoles for anywhere between $50-90, depending on what console you’re buying. Games, unless they are rare yet popular, range anywhere from $3-20. Stores like Half Price Books also sell used games at half or less than half of the retail price.

Time Management

A lot of people also forget about replayability. Since some games tend to be the same thing, only offering a different difficulty level doesn’t offer much in the way of replayability. If you want something that will really last you a while, especially if you happen to get one of the newer consoles, try to find something that is fairly open-ended in the way that you can play it. This means that you might end up going back to some older games (see the above point).

The Elder Scrolls (Oblivion for the newer consoles) series, Fallout (Fallout 3) series, the S.T.A.L.K.E.R games and Far Cry 2 allow for players to play through the game in many different ways. If you play through multiple times while following the different paths and story lines, there is only a small chance that you’ll play the game the same way more than two or three times. Even if you spend a lot of money on a game, length and replayability is always important.

Independent Pay Dirt

When you get around to it, independent games can be great games. Usually, due to simplicity, they’re easy to get into and can be quite engaging. They’re usually inexpensive, normally ranging from about $10 to $20, due to the fact that it’s a small staff with a small budget. It really doesn’t take that long to remake the money spent in development, so the low price really isn’t that bad. Here are the top 5 of independent games as compiled by MSNBC.

Group Help

Multiplayer is a great thing with a lot of the different games right now. No matter what you’re doing, the higher the multiplayer possibility the more fun it will be. The biggest reason why we game is because it’s fun and the more people there are the more fun it can be. Get a game that has the possibility of two or more people joining in. Multiplayer increases the replayability quite a bit, especially in terms of first-person shooter, action/adventure, real-time strategy, music and sports games.

There’s Still More (or Less)

A lot of games have downloadable content that will be available almost monthly or even mods of other games. Some things might end up costing some money (usually $1 to $10) but quite a few mods (if you already have the game it’s based on) are completely free. There is still much play in many games even after beating them.

In terms of space economy, if you’ve got an Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP or PC you can work with direct download services like Steam (for PC), Xbox Live, Playstation Network Store or the Wii Virtual Console. They usually have a good selection and, in the case of Steam, usually have good sales or packages that would save some money. These games only take up disc (or removable media) storage space instead of plastic boxes on a shelf.

If you want to get into MMOs, it can be a bit daunting to find an affordable one. Aeria Games has a host of good and beautiful MMOs that are free. Guild Wars is still evolving as a MMO and is also free2play so it works out. All you need to do is fork out the money for the initial buy, which is $20-40 depending on which standalone version you’re trying to get.

Read [MSNBC] Read [Gamertell Gift Guide]

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In both civilian and military communities worldwide, the world of video gaming is expanding more and more, especially with popular massive multiplayer online titles. MMO games such as World of Warcraft, War Hammer and Call of Duty 4 have become a way of life and provide people with ways to meet other people who share their love of interaction through gaming.

One of the major fascinations of MMO games are the teams and communities players form while online, and a kinship a soldier often has to leave behind when he deploys. Ed Hale, a former member of 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, now a corporate executive officer for CompeteSoft, Inc., offers free online gaming servers to Soldiers across the globe.

Hale, who graduated from West Point in 1971, said the idea for the community gaming concept came to him after finishing his five-year enlistment.
“The people I worked with at Fort Bragg forged some of the most vibrant memories I carry with me, even today,” Hale said.

But after leaving the service as a ranger and infantryman, he said trying to find a career in an unstable computer industry made it hard to maintain a career, with one job layoff after another.

“(So) five years and 110 jumps later, I found myself struggling over 25 years, working for numerous firms with either hardware, software or service/support responsibilities related in some way to computers or computer peripherals,” he said.

During one of his many ‘dot com’ job searches, Hale finally found a job in Texas where he met his current business partner, Randy Van Gelder. The two would eventually start an online business for the growing competitive XBox community called TeamCompete. When they realized how many of those gamers were deploying service members, they wanted to create a community for military gamers. So they created CompeteSoft.

“Our mission is to provide a free online space where gamers in the military can play solo or in teams, set up matches, record scores and establish bragging rights, with their fellow service members, friends and families for free,” he said. “We don’t sell anything. This is something we do because our military men and women deserve anything we can provide that’s safe, fun, free and connects them to family and friends.”

Hale admitted that he never knew any gamers over the age of 50 until they began registering on the site.

“You would be surprised at the number of gamers we have met who are (50 years old) and older who play online with their kids, on teams and in online leagues,” Hale said, and added that learning about the different kinds of online gamers was just as exciting. “We have a small handful of gamers over 50 who are actually military veterans.”

Veterans like Anthony Rivera, a Navy veteran who has been using CompeteSoft since 2004, said he enjoys being able to compete in multiple video game competitions.

“I also use the software to compete and to build a team of members with like minds,” Rivera said. “Another advantage of using the software is the abilities it has to brand a team a member etc. The experience that members will get out of the program is the social network potential it has. Compared to other software on the market I believe that there is nothing like it.”

Hale said CompeteSoft was created to become a place where active duty, retired and former military service members of all branches, veterans, Department of Defense civilians and their families play online games together. Hale said anyone could participate and play along side their military counterparts on the server since the site is free.

Staff Sgt. Craig Rader, noncommissioned officer in charge, Armed Forces Network Korea - Television News, said he uses CompeteSoft because he prefers to compete and interact with ‘real’ people instead of computer-generated opponents.

“I also enjoy talking and meeting people from around the world with similar game interests as mine,” Rader said. “With global servers, I can play against gamers worldwide, so being geographically remote becomes less of an obstacle while online.”

Rader said he’s still fairly new to CompeteSoft but has enjoyed the convenient and unique features the site provides.

“(Ever since) I discovered CompeteSoft and StripesGamer through an advertisement in the Pacific edition of Stars and Stripes newspaper, the site has allowed me to reach out to other players and play in organized online matches much more conveniently than other commercial sites,” Rader explained. “I recommend this site because it offers a chance for service members to connect with each other through gaming. As far as I’ve seen, it’s the only site that caters specifically to a military audience and offers services specifically suited to the military.”

Hale predicts CompeteSoft will grow. “Military gamers may not all have the newest consoles and many prefer playing the PC games or handheld games they have been playing for the past few years. Tools and games that best satisfy the player’s lifestyle and interests will be sought out and provided as the site grows and matures,” he said.

Site [CompeteSoft] Site [TeamCompete]

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In the early 1900s, Howard Phillip Lovecraft birthed a pulp horror phenomenon that featured real madness and good writing. Since then his works have inspired multiple movies, games and new fiction being added yearly to the Cthulhu Mythos. The Cthulhu Mythos is a cornucopia collection of works that began with Lovecraft and includes gods, demons, forgotten evils with their attempts to re-manifest themselves into our world and the forbidden knowledge that helps them. Some of the stories that have a bigger showing as part of the Mythos are Call of Cthulhu and The Nameless City.

For a spooky good time, Lovecraft is always worth a read, watch or a play. Enjoy the madness.

One of the first graphics-based games released to the public inspired by Lovecraft was Alone in the Dark. AitD was not based on a specific story but the Cthulhu Mythos as a whole. It takes place in a remote part of New England and deals with dark forgotten evils breaking back into our reality. People involved either end up dead or insane often caused by the dark evils or by the acquiring of forbidden and forgotten knowledge that is usually acquired by the reading of evil tomes.

It’s easy to see how Lovecraft’s stories influenced this game.AitD was coupled with the release of Daughter of Serpents in 1992. The game was rich with Lovecraftian overtones and Egyptian mythology. It also had some of the richest graphics for the time but its shortcoming was that it was too linear and short.

There are numerous other games out there but for, the sake of brevity, I’ll skip to some of the more recent games.

In 2001, Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare was released for Playstation and PC. Although it was the fourth game in the series, it was the only one that stayed close to horror roots by taking a turn back to the suspenseful and eerie atmosphere of the original game. While there were no obvious Lovecraft themes, it was the closest the series came to being remotely Lovecraft-related since the first game. It also dealt with forgotten evil trying to break back into our reality and other favorite topics for the Mythos so while it isn’t obviously Lovecraftian, it is based off the Cthulhu Mythos.

The following year, (2002) Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem was released on the Nintendo GameCube. After the mysterious murder of her grandfather, the main character stumbles across a strange room with different occult objects and books that are reminiscent of those in Lovecraft’s written reality. It also deals with the “Ancients,” Lovecraft’s Elder Ones, trying to manifest themselves in our reality. The game was the first to use a dynamic sanity system in which the game simulates different glitches, sound errors and even TV errors if madness takes its hold.

The most recent trip into Lovecraft’s mind was released in 2005 for the Xbox and PC. Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is a mixture two of Lovecraft’s stories: Shadow Over Innsmouth and The Outsider. The game follows Jack Walters, a detective, when he is called in to investigate some disappearances that happened in Lovecraft’s town of Innsmouth. As with all Lovecraft stories, there are cults, monsters, a generally forgotten god (Dagon) and people transforming monsters. It took dynamic sanity system to a new level since it is a first-person survival horror game. Also, unlike most other games, you had to treat your injures. Rather than relying on a HUD however, you had to rely on physical indicators to show what kind of injuries you had to treat.

Site [The H.P. Lovecraft Archive]

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It seems the US may not be the only country with anti-video game crusaders.

Ananova reports that a 13-year-old Italian boy has been diagnosed with “PlayStation Addiction.” Curiously, the diagnosis did not come from the doctors at the hospital who treated the boy but by a local Italian politician named Antonio Buccoliero (a Regional Councilor of Puglia, Italy). According to Ananova, Buccoliero said,  “They eventually managed to take care of him once they understood that this was a strange kind of mental detachment connected to his Playstation.”

That “mental detachment” was thought to be a stroke or severe brain disorder at first when 13-year-old Lorenzo Amato “couldn’t speak and didn’t seem to understand anything going on around him” after a marathon gaming session.

After the incident the boy told his father to get rid of the PlayStation, saying, “If I even think about it I want to throw up.”

Of course, as everyone knows, there’s already a tried and true cure for child PlayStation addiction: Good parenting.

Read [Ananova ] Via [GamePolitics ]

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This is certainly unexpected - Atlus is rereleasing Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, the second Persona game released in the US. It isn’t some huge remake project though. Instead, Atlus is issuing a reprint of the PlayStation game and selling it directly through Amazon.

The reprint is exactly like the original Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, so if you always wanted to try the earlier Persona game, which was known for its rarity, you can experience the same game all the original fans did. There is also a special incentive to buy it - it comes with a extra disc that includes a Persona 2 anime trailer and an interview with the Persona 2 creators. Persona 3 fans may want to take this opportunity to see how the series got its start.

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment stars Coolest magazine reporter Maya Amano as she investigates an urban legend that appears to be coming to life in Sumaru City - specifically at Seven Sisters High School. People who call their own cell phone number reach a mysterious person called the Joker, who will offer to kill anyone you ask him to. Revelations: Persona characters Nate and Ellen reappear as potential party members in this sequel.

I actually own the original game, and I highly recommend it. The only thing is, it is very difficult. You have to be ready to really level grind and be patient if you want to succeed. Don’t worry though - it is worth the effort.

Product Page [Amazon]

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Halloween 2008 is over. Hopefully, everyone had a good night, filled with some sort of spooky activity. But we don’t have to give up on the Halloween spirit so quickly, even though the month has changed and time keeps ticking away. We can still remember the good times that were had at this year’s event.

So, while you savor your hard earned candy, or the little tidbits left in the bowl because you over-estimated how many trick-or-treaters would come, take a glance back at the various Halloween stories Gamertell ran to prepare people for the holiday. In fact, many of the special Halloween events may still even be running, and you could have one last chance to take part.

• Creepy Games for Halloween Halloween is almost here and along with it comes scares of epic proportions. This year, why not get all that trick or treating done early so you can go home and get some serious gaming done…
• Free-to-play MMO Halloween 2008 event review If you’ve ever dabbled in one of the many free-to-play massive multiplayer online games, you’ll know that each one celebrates real world holidays in their own way. Halloween is no exception, with many different games from Nexon, Aeria, Joymax, IGG, GameMasters.com, GamesCampus, Outspark, Gametribe.com, Ntreev and OGPlanet all hosting special…
• The top 5 cliched gaming costumes for Halloween All right gamers, we all know tonight is the best holiday ever (aside from maybe the December holidays) because you get to dress up as fictional characters or strange permutations of everyday things (zombie nurse, anyone?) and eat tons of candy. And we all know gamers love to dress up as game-related things. However, a few costumes just don’t have their luster anymore…
• Important Importables: Creepy Japanese games Happy Halloween everyone! In honor of the spookiest holiday of the year and the fortunate (or is it misfortunate) coincidence that my column would land on this date, I decided that it would be a good day to honor some particularly spooky Japanese video games…
• Who’s On Crack in tech: Halloween Edition Each year we are offered tricks and treats by tech companies.  Some products turn out better than we hope and some far worse than we ever imagined.  For this Halloween Who’s on Crack, let’s take a look at who has offered more treats than tricks…
• Runes of Magic discovers the magic of Halloween Runes of Magic is still in closed beta, but that isn’t stopping Frogster from feeling the Halloween spirit. The MMO is going to have some special additions to celebrate Halloween 2008…
• Pirates of the Caribbean will be cursed on Halloween Wow! Pirates of the Caribbean Online has been around for a year already! It feels like longer, doesn’t it? Anyways, Disney Online has decided that a celebration is in order, to celebrate not only Halloween, but to celebrate the massive multiplayer online game’s successful first year…
• Xfire announces its 2008 Haunted Xfire Halloween Scavenger Hunt Xfire and OCZ Technology are holding a scavenger hunt during its 2008 Haunted Xfire Halloween Scavenger Hunt event until October 31, 2008. According to the rules, Xfire users have to find the answers to 11 questions based on the clues scattered throughout the website…
• Gaia’s Halloween Hysteria lasts ‘til October 31, 2008 Ah, Halloween. I still remember chanting “Trick or Treat! Smell our feet! Give us something good to eat!” hoping to find Candy Corn, M&Ms;and pieces of chocolate shaped like pumpkins in my bag. And like other towns across the United States, the variety of costumes you could dress in just…
• Outbreak in Liberty City multiplayer a Halloween prank Well kids, just as we were about to report the rumor that has been going around that the Xbox 360’s exclusive content for Grand Theft Auto IV may be a zombie infested outbreak in Liberty City, Rockstar made an announcement on its Rockstar Social Club that almost totally deflated our…
• Halloween on your iPod: Horror Express Before he was Saruman or Count Dooku, Christopher Lee worked with Peter Cushing (who did a turn in the original Star Wars as Grand Moff Tarkin) to create a series of classic horror films for the Hammer studios. And while today’s free movie wasn’t produced by Hammer, it’s certainly got…
• Halloween on your iPod: Carnival of Souls Time for another freaky (and free!) horror film for your holiday enjoyment. This time it’s the cult classic Carnival of Souls. Filmed by a director of educational shorts, the film makes excellent use of low-budget special effects and camera work to create jarring, haunting images…
• Halloween on your iPod: Night of the Living Dead The leaves are falling, the air is crisp, and we’re heading towards that time of the year: Halloween. Time to put a little horror on your video-capable iPod, courtesy of the fine folks at The Internet Archive. And, our first link of the season is the classic horror film, George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead...
• Dead Space to launch in time for Halloween EA has announced that its creepy survival horror game Dead Space will release on October 28, 2008 - just in time for Halloween…
• Manhunt receives M Rating and Halloween release The controversy that’s heated up the gaming world all summer has just received something of a happy ending. Rockstar and Take Two announced today (August 24, 2007) that a modified version of violent action title Manhunt 2 was awarded an “M” rating and an October 31, 2007 release date in…

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Happy Halloween everyone! In honor of the spookiest holiday of the year and the fortunate (or is it misfortunate) coincidence that my column would land on this date, I decided that it would be a good day to honor some particularly spooky Japanese video games.

All of the games below have never been released in the US, so hopefully you’ll learn about something scary and new that would delight while possibly frightening you. Then tonight, go out and trick or treat, party, watch a spooky movie or play a spooky game in honor of the holiday. I’m having two wisdom teeth removed today, so I know I’m in for a fright.

Title: Nanashi no Game aka Nameless Game
System: Nintendo DS
Genre: Part RPG, part point-and-click adventure
Original Release Date: July 3, 2008
Region Released In: Japan
Description: Nanashi no Game takes place in both the real world and a game world. The protagonist learns about a nameless rpg. Anyone who plays it, ends up dying. Instead of just leaving the game alone, the protagonist decides to play it and try and overcome the curse. The traditional RPG begins affecting reality, and strange things begin happening in the protagonist’s life. A US release hasn’t been announced, but let’s hope Square Enix decides to release this game outside of Japan.
Import-Friendly: It is very text heavy, so no.
Creep-factor: Slightly unsettling.

Title: Dark Messiah aka Hellnight
System: PlayStation
Genre: Action
Original Release Date: JP: June 11, 1998 EU: December 30, 1999
Regions Released In: Japan and Europe
Description: Dark Messiah/Hellnight is set in Tokyo. The player is first being pursued by cult members, who he escapes by getting onto the subway. Unfortunately, a scientist-turned-monster has found his way into the subway and attacks that particular train. The hero and a girl named Naomi manage to escape while the creature destroys everyone else on the train and a team sent to kill it. The two travel through the subways and find an underground civilization of people, the Mesh. The same creature from before is still hunting them, so players have to team up with Naomi and other friendly citizens from the Mesh to survive. The twist is that you can’t attack the monster, you have to run and outwit it (similar to Clocktower), and to switch assistants that person has to die. Since different possible partners have different abilities, you may have to be willing to sacrifice to team up with another character.
Import-Friendly: If you have a modded or European PS1, you can easily import and enjoy a copy of Hellnight.
Creep-factor: Not as scary as Fatal Frame, but probably as creepy as the original Silent Hill.

Title: Sweet Home
System: NES
Genre: RPG
Original Release Date: December 15, 1989
Region Released In: Japan
Description: Sweet Home was one of the first horror games. It was an adaptation of a Japanese horror movie of the same name. It also was a source of inspiration for the first Resident Evil game. In Sweet Home, you play as a team of five researchers exploring a haunted mansion to take pictures of its’ dead owner’s frescoes. Once they enter the house, the previous owner’s ghost traps them there. You then have to use the unique abilities of each of the five characters to escape. Depending on how you play, and if characters die (death is permanent in Sweet Home), you’ll get one of five different endings.
Import-Friendly: An English fan translation was released online. If you can find the original game, you’d probably have troubles playing as there is quite a bit of text to decipher.
Creep-factor: Harmless, unless pixels scare you.

Title: Kyoufu Shinbun (Heisei-Han): Kaiki! Shinrei File
System: PlayStation 2
Genre: Action/Adventure
Original Release Date: August 7, 2003
Region Released In: Japan
Description: Kyoufu Shinbun (Heisei-Han): Kaiki! Shinrei File is based on a Japanese manga, and was created by Konami with assistance from the manga’s artist. The main character ends up receiving a newspaper one morning, he reads it, but then realizes it is a haunted, supernatural newspaper and he has only 100 days left to live. So players have to use a flashlight, a cellphone and their wits to survive and save one of the character’s friend from suffering the same fate. It is a single player game, but both controllers are used. The second controller is an enemy/ghost detector, and if an enemy is in an area you are investigating, that controller will begin to vibrating to warn you how close it is.
Import-Friendly: Since a major part of Kyoufu Shinbun: Kaiki! Shinrei File involves talking to NPCs and working out situations, it is definitely not for people who can’t speak Japanese.
Creep-factor:More unsettling than scary.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Next week Important Importables will talk about what happens when Japanese popular mascots get games. If you don’t miss a single installment of Important Importables, or want to know right away when the next column is up, then sign up for the Gamertell Newsletter and RSS feed.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables reviewed Princess Maker 5 Portable.Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop]

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Are you getting excited for Klonoa: Door To Phantomile‘s possible debut as a premium Wii-make? Then you’ll be very happy to see how gorgeous the game is looking. Kotaku has a very nifty little side-by-side comparison of the original PlayStation version and the nifty new Wii iteration, and it is looking hot.

Fans of awesome, vaguely retro platformers that may or may not star cute animals will have a ball when this game comes out in America. That is, if it does… it’s still only confirmed for Japan. My advice? Beg.

Again, this does bring up the issue that nearly every good Wii game is s remake or is directly inspired by an older game/franchise. The exceptions are few and far between - there’s really only one Zack and Wiki for every three or four Bully‘s or Okami‘s or Resident Evil 4‘s. Not to mention the truckloads of crap. Still, it’s Klonoa - I’m not complaining.

Read [Kotaku]

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Need for Speed: Undercover will be released on every current console and handheld device on November 18, 2008. Games with multiplatform releases are usually stripped down versions of the game on more powerful consoles, but in this case NFSU for Wii is a unique experience.Gamecyte conducted an interview with the game’s producer, Tim Fields, about what makes the Wii version of NFSU so much different than the rest.

NFSU for the Wii was built specifically for the console. Some of the controls are so unique to the Wii other consoles can’t pull it off. Take the Logitech Speed Force Wireless Racing Wheel, for example. This wheel was built with the Wii version of NFSU in mind and is currently the only game the wheel will work with.

Fields said the those who choose the Wii wheel are in for a more engaging experience:

The mechanics of what you’re doing with your hands are completely different on the Wii. I’m throwing that outer elbow way up and turning the wheel hard to the side, and at the same time I’m pulling the trigger – and when you watch people playing it, they’re typically tilting the wheel up a bit to try and arrest their momentum and so on – you get into it more.

Even if players choose to use another control scheme such as the Wii Remote, Nunchuck, or Classic Controller they will still be able to handle the complex maneuvers of the Heroic Driving Engine. The Heroic Driving Engine is based around using techniques such as pulling off 180° reverses or J-turn’s at blistering speeds.

Controllers aside, NFSU for Wii will continue to encourage gameplay with friends in the same room. There will be split-screen and quad-screen modes with little chance of incorporating online play. This game is meant to challenge hardcore players and provide an enjoyable experience for newcomers. Fields assures us the Wii version will be every bit as good as the PS3 or Xbox 360 versions with an open world and a story slightly tweaked for the Wii audience. 

Read [Gamercyte] Also Read [Gamertell]

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The Game Critics Awards list of the best games of 2008 has just been announced and the winners for the Best of E3 2008 include Fallout 3, LittleBigPlanet, Spore, Gears of War 2 and Madden NFL 09.

Here’s the complete list of this year’s winners:

• Fallout 3 published by Bethesda Softworks for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 won Best of Show and Best Role Playing Game.
• Mirror’s Edge published by DICE/Electronic Arts for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 won Best Original Game
• LittleBigPlanet published by Media Molecule and Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 won Best Console Game and Best Social/Casual/Puzzle.
• Spore published by Maxis/Electronic Arts won Best PC Game.
• Resistance: Retribution published by Bend Studio/Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation Portable won Best Handheld Game.
• Rock Band 2 Ion “Drum Rocker” Set published by ION Audio/MTV Games for Xbox 360 won Best Hardware/Peripheral.
• Gears of War 2 published by Epic Games and Microsoft Game Studios for the XBox 360 won Best Action Game.
• Dead Space published by EA Redwood Shores/EA for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 won Best Action/Adventure Game.
• Pure published by Black Rock/Disney Interactive Studios for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 won Best Racing Game.
• Madden NFL 09 published by Tiburon/EA for All Systems won Best Sports Game
• Street Fighter IV published by Capcom for Arcade systems won Best Fighting Game
• Tom Clancy’s EndWar published by Ubisoft Shanghai/Ubisoft for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 won Best Strategy Game
• Left 4 Dead published by Valve/EAP for PC and Xbox 360 won Best Online Multiplayer

Read [LA Times.com] Site [Game Critics Awards]

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Not many attendees were impressed with this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). During an interview held Thursday, (July 17, 2008) Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s senior managing director and general manager of entertainment analysis and the development division, told MSNBC that even though many fans of long running Nintendo franchise games such as Mario, Zelda or even StarFox were upset he felt that E3 was no longer a place for those types of games:

“For a very long time, E3 was an event where - and certainly Nintendo included - catered specifically to the core gamer. Now we look at more ... an opportunity for us to introduce new concepts and new types of play that we intend to bring to the broader audience, particularly because of the media that gathers at E3 now. So while attending an E3 event like this, they might be given the impression that Nintendo is no longer focusing on the games that appeal to the core gamer, in fact we’re still working on many of those titles, but it’s just not the type of event where we’ll be showcasing that anymore.”

The number of E3 attendees, according to GameDaily, has dwindled since 2006 when it was downsized to provide a less costly event to exhibitors.

“I hate E3 like this,” Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Either we need to go back to the old E3, or we’ll have to have our own private events.”

During an interview July 17, 2008 with GamesIndustryBiz Ubisoft executive director Alain Corre expressed that the conference was held at the wrong time, wrong date and location:

“For E3, it’s very important to be there, and to present the games, because even though it’s much, much smaller than it used to be, still the American media are here, all our competitors, so you need be there, to be ready and to share product. It’s one milestone in the communication of your products throughout the year, and it’s important because it’s the ramp-up for Christmas. [But] E3 here, mid-July, in the Convention Center in downtown LA - it’s not appropriate I would say.”

UbiSoft North American president Laurent Detoc told the San Francisco Chronicle the experience was horrible and remembered when “the world used to come to E3. Now it’s like a pipe-fitters show in the basement.”

Even Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter had a few things to tell GameDaily (July 21, 2008) about this year’s format of the event.

“In our view, E3 is headed for extinction, unless the publishers and console manufacturers wake up to the fact that nobody cares about the show anymore. We believe that show is ill-timed, coming after most major holiday announcements are out, and landing during ‘quiet period’ for most of the companies (making meetings with investors near-impossible).

The lack of a spectacle will likely keep media away in the future, the lack of surprises will keep retailers away, and the lack of interaction with management will likely keep investors away. Without these three constituencies, the show will likely lose its relevance. We strongly believe that E3 should be held no later than early June (when companies can meet with investors and when some ‘secrets’ have yet to be revealed), and believe that the spectacle should be restored by increasing the size of the show space.”

Even so, word has just come out that E3 2008 will happen with little indication that the format will change.

Read [MSNBC] Also Read [GameDaily] And [GameDaily]

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From the hilariously stupid department comes this little gem from Destructoid: a young child got into his grandfather’s SUV, drove it around town, and crashed it near an Outback Steakhouse in Muncie. A concerned citizen followed the pint-sized driver and cornered him into stopping (into a tree, no less) when he noticed that the driver looked “awfully small”. So what does this have to do with videogames? Well, according to the post:

“Police are speculating that the boy learned to drive for over a mile from a PlayStation videogame.”

Oh man. So games cause violent behavior, and they also possess little kids to commit grand theft auto (was tat even pun-worthy? probably not) and crash near local steakhouses? What’s next, games cause girls to have babyz at age 12?

Read [Destructoid]

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I can’t wait for my copy of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots but I don’t want to say goodbye to elite agent Solid Snake, whom we’ve grown to love while following his adventures.

We pray that rumors of an end are not true and continue to pose theories about why the series could never end.  Even so, as a preemptive memorial to help cope with the denial that this may be the absolute last game for Snake, here is a look at the MGS franchise.

Baby Snake: A Very Live Birth

For those who are not familiar with the Metal Gear franchise, it is a series of stealth games, created by Hideo Kojima and developed and published by Konami, that follows the mission of special forces operative Solid Snake.

The very first Metal Gear game, developed by Konami with Hideo Kojima as top designer and published by Konami for an old gaudy looking machine that looked like a typewriter called the MSX2 or Sony MSX2 home computer system in 1987. It was then re-released by Konami’s Ultra Games Division for the North American Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988 along with a version for the Commodore 64 and PC-DOS system.

Later, in 1990, a true sequel was released on the MSX2 system but Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake would only be released in Japan. But it wouldn’t be long before Metal Gear would later be transported over to the Nintendo Entertainment System where players followed a young rookie called Solid Snake who had just been recruited into an elite special forces unit called Foxhound. But soon the MSX2 system would fade out and the new NES would take over as the entertainment system of choice and the sequel to Metal Gear would be released in North America, simply titled Snake’s Revenge. But it wasn’t a true sequel, in fact, Kojima wasn’t even involved in the making of this game and was not even considered a part of the Metal Gear series. All references of this game are completely ignored in the PlayStation Adaptation of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake eight years later, even though Snake’s Revenge did inspire Kojima to create Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, according to Kojima’s interview with Gamer’s Today.com and even confirmed rumors as to where Kojima got the idea for Solid Snake, who some say looks and acts a lot like Snake Plissken from Escape from New York (pictured). It didn’t really matter where Kojima got the character idea from, it became a big seller.

In 1998, Metal Gear would find a new home adapting the sequel for the PlayStation console.

Adolescent Snake: Gathering a Group of Friends

In 1999, Metal Gear Solid was developed and released by Konami for the PlayStation console and Metal Gear Solid: Integral was developed by Digital Dialect and released by Microsoft for the PC-Windows version of the game. Both titles received an ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) rating of M for Mature. The game itself was an expansion to the original Metal Gear where the players were introduced to Dr. Hal “Otacon” Emmerich, a geeky scientist who would rather make peace than fight even though he’s in love with Sniper Wolf (who wouldn’t blink an eye to put a bullet through Snake’s head). Players would soon be introduced to a slew of characters who have either made cameo appearances in games to come or referenced to throughout the series to come. Characters such as Vulcan Raven, Revolver Ocelot, Liquid Snake (Solid Snake’s genetic twin) and Psycho Mantis to name a few. This is where you really get some of Snake’s background and gist of the real mission. In Metal Gear Solid, you learn that the Foxhound unit is a next-generation special forces unit made of genetically enhanced Soldiers ... mostly clones of the perfect soldiers the government wants to recreate. Even Snake himself is a clone according to Liquid Snake.

Also released in 1999 was Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions which basically helped build up your stealth, sneaking and fighting skills with more than 300 stage-based missions. Those who owned a PocketStation could download and play the mini-games that allowed players to control characters including Cyborg Ninja and Meryl Campbell and even got a sneak peek at trailers for Metal Gear Solid and preview artwork for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.

In 2000, Metal Gear: Ghost Babel was released for the Game Boy Color. Totally ignores the Metal Gear storyline but uses the same familiar characters found in MGS: Integral. Using 2D overhead animations, Snake must infiltrate a base undetected with the help of Sgt. Chris Jenner, a female Delta Force agent. I managed to find a copy of this game and, believe me, it’s not easy. You can’t blend with your environment as well as you could in the current Metal Gear games. It took serious skills just to make it off the first level of the game without being spotted or caught.

In 2001, a sequel to the Metal Gear Solid series was released. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, introduces pretty boy Raiden who emerges from the ocean as Snake but had to quickly change his name to Raiden because the original Snake is rumored to be sneaking around the Big Shell tanker and may be working with the terrorists. Snake later shows up in one of the rooms as Iroquois Plissken (recognize the name?) and offers advice and tips to Raiden so he could finish his mission of locating and rescuing the President and people trapped inside the tanker.

In 2002, The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 was released as well as Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance. The Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 was more of a documentary about the making of the Metal Gear Solid games.

Announced in 2003 and published in 2004, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes developed by Konami and Silicon Knights was released for the Nintendo Game Cube system and is a remake of the Metal Gear Solid game. The game received a mature rating as did the original for the PlayStation version.

Also in 2004, while Nintendo owners got a chance to play with Snake, Konami released a spin-off for the Playstation Portable called Metal Gear Acid. In this game, Snake is on a completely different type of mission, chasing down a dangerous terrorist and a set of baby dolls with a twisted thirst for blood. It’s more of a side-story to Metal Gear: Ghost Babel and uses a card-based turn system to move Snake and Teliko in the game. The game had an arena function that allows players to pit their skills against familiar enemies from the game series like Vamp, Liquid Snake and others.

Big Daddy Snake: Gettin’ Naked and Eatin’ Snakes

Also in 2004, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater for the PS2 is released. Developed and published solely by Konami with a rating of M for mature, this game is set years before the previous games. In fact, in MGS3 Snake goes by Naked Snake which I personally take as meaning new and he is often referred to as “a child” by his mentor and lover, The Boss. This game is set during the Cold War in 1964, where Naked Snake is sent to the jungles of the Soviet Union to rescue a scientist named Sokolov and discovers that The Boss has defected and rejoined her team, the Cobra unit, with memorable protagonists including The Fear (can move through the trees like a spider), The Pain (controls hornets), The Fury (some sort of astronaut with a jetpack and flamethrower), The End (old man with an annoying parrot and an expert sniper) and The Sorrow (the spirit of a medium who protects The Boss and offers tips to Snake). In this game we also find Raiden, or actually Major Raikov a Soldier who looks like Raiden and is in fact Colonel Volgin’s other lover aside from Eva.

Moving on, in 2005, Metal Gear Acid 2 is released for the PSP using the same card-based turn system but this time more challenging missions and an easier story line to follow featuring cell-shaded graphics. A direct sequel to Metal Gear Acid, Snake is captured by a man named Dalton who forces Snake to obtain top-secret information within a SaintLogic research facility. But during the mission Dalton is captured by General Wiseman and Snake is now being forced to work with Venus to track down and eliminate key officials within the facility. The game came with a thin cardboard called the Solid Eye, which allowed players to watch movies in 3D that are unlocked by the cards you collect or use from the card shop in the game. The movies range from cut scenes from all the series CGI movies to a model showing off certain equipment used by Snake.

In 2006, Konami releases several games starting with Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence which offer extra missions and online capabilities that the original MGS3 didn’t offer.

Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel is released soon after Subsistence for the PSP. As an interactive comic book based on the Metal Gear Solid comic series in 2004 written by Kris Oprisko and illustrated by Ashley Wood which, as of 2006, has published 12 issues which fully covers the Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty storyline. The graphic novel also featured a 3D interactive mode that allows the owner to scan, collect and trade items with other players.

Also in 2006, those who didn’t want to spend time reading the graphic novel could play Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops for the PSP, which worked just like the games on PS1 and PS2. Portable Ops takes place six years after the events of MGS3, Snake’s former team, Fox Unit, has separated themselves from the CIA and have become renegades. After attacking and capturing Snake, the Fox unit torture snake for information and throw him in a cell next to Roy Campbell. Snake must enlist the help of defecting enemies to find these renegade members and stop them. If you played the Acid series, you can unlock those character cards for use in arena mode or use the Ops characters you find in the Acid arenas.

In 2007, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus is the standalone expansion of the first portable ops game. Difficulty ranging from easy missions to extremely hard missions. I’m still stuck in extremely hard myself. But if you save your game as often as I do, any previous Metal Gear games saved on your PSP memory stick duo will unlock special characters you can enlist into your team that will help you sneak past guards to the next mission. Old Snake, Solid Snake, Raiden, Venus and Null are a few unlockable characters you can control during the missions.

Now in 2008, just a few days from now Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be released for the PlayStation 3. Published and released by Konami the game received the usual M for Mature rating. Just watching the trailers for the game and playing the beta version that came with my reservation order, this game is simply amazing and yet sad. Sad because if this is the last game, I wouldn’t want it to end. In this game we find a much older Snake, code name Old Snake and a more mature looking Otocan. We find Meryl Campbell is now a leader of a rag tag bunch of Soldiers who to me personally look just like the Cobra unit in MGS3. Many familiar faces from Para-medic to Col. Roy Campbell makes an appearance at some point in the game. Even pretty boy Raiden and his oh so bouncy blond hair sporting a cool cyborg ninja outfit. I simply can’t wait to rip the plastic off Wednesday night and toss MGS4 into the PS3 and totally vegetate.

Read [Konami History List] Portfolio [Hideo Kojima] Site [Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots site]

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Nearly every successful video game series has a mascot, a character who immediately calls to mind a genre of games or perhaps a company. They’re instantly recognizable and, more often than not, prompt fond memories of classic games.

Mario, Sonic, Pikachu and Pyramid-head are some of the more recognizable figures, but there are plenty of other memorable mascots who often get pushed aside.  These are mascots from some really entertaining and enjoyable games that might not have enjoyed the same popularity as other series. Classic gamers may remember some of our five favorite obscure mascots.

#1. Mr. Saturn
With the speculated Virtual Console release of Earthbound, it is only right that Mr. Saturn takes the top place in this list.  Mr. Saturn refers not to a single individual, but an entire race in Earthbound (SNES) that live only in Saturn Valley. All Mr. Saturns are named Mr. Saturn (except for Dr. Saturn) and look exactly alike. They also happen to be pretty darn adorable.

Despite being situated in Saturn Valley, they do quite a bit of traveling. Mr. Saturn characters show up in Mother 3 (GBA), Super Smash Brothers Melee (GC) and Kirby Super Star (SNES). He also was popular enough in Japan to inspire statues and stuffed toys.

#2. PaRappa the Rapper
PaRappa is probably the best known of the mascots on this list, but still isn’t a huge star. PaRappa is the star of PaRappa the Rappa (PS1, PSP) and PaRappa the Rapper 2 (PS2), as well as having a cameo in the PaRappa spin-off, Um Jammer Lammy (PS1). He’s a rapping dog who has a habit of frequently exclaiming, “I gotta believe!” It’s a bit hokey, but that’s what makes him lovable.

His games were also incredibly entertaining. It was one of the first rhythm games which managed to make it to North America, had hilarious raps and was incredibly stylish. They were a joy to play. I’m still puzzled though, as to how a dog (PaRappa) can have an anthropomorphic sunflower (Sunny Funny) as a girlfriend.

#3. Stafy
Including Stafy, starfish star of the Japan-only Densetsu no Stafi aka Legend of Stafy (GBA, DS) games might be cheating since so few Americans have seen him in action, but he’s just too sweet to exclude. He’s a star/starfish prince who lives in the clouds and spend a lot of time in the ocean. He usually ends up assisting denizens of the deep in retrieving lost items and fighting wayward sea critters. He also is often accompanied by his little sister, Stapy, and his clam friend Kyorosuke.

Despite making his home in Japan, he’s made quite a few appearances overseas as well. Stafy was an assist trophy in Super Smash Brothers Brawl (Wii), was in a poster in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA) and there were Super Princess Peach (DS) enemies which resembled Stafy. In Japan there have been four games starring Stafy, along with an anime and manga.

#4. Klonoa
Klonoa is, well, he’s some sort of anthropomorphic animal. He looks like an odd kind of cat/rabbit hybrid. He also looks a bit like Sonic the Hedgehog, especially around the eyes. He’s a dream traveler from the world of Phantomile with his grandpa, and apparently is in the habit of traveling to other worlds to save them and protect their inhabitants’ dreams.

Klonoa has been in a number of video games but hasn’t recently starred in any. His first title was Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS1), and went on to star in Klonoa: Moonlight Museum (WS), Klonoa: Empire of Dreams (GBA),  Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil (PS2), Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament (GBA), Klonoa Beach Volleyball (PS1) and Klonoa Heroes: Legend of the Star Medal (GBA). Many of the games are classic action or platformer games, but the volleyball game is a sports title. He also stars in a manga called Shibuutenkoku Kaze no Klonoa, and had cameos in QuickSpot (DS), Namco X Capcom (PS2) and a Presea costume cameo in Tales of Symphonia (GC).

#5. Li’l Cactus
Li’l Cactus is one of the Mana series’ most recognizable characters, having appeared in Sword of Mana (GBA) and Legend of Mana. He’s an anthropomorphic cactus which has the ability to walk and write. He occasionally goes out on adventures but ultimately lives a sedentary lifestyle.

He happens to be an exceptional listener. In Sword of Mana the player can speak to him, and he’ll write little poems about each adventure the player has been on. If you run into Li’l Cactus in a Square Enix game, take the time to talk to him - he’ll appreciate it, even if he won’t say anything back.

Read [Gamertell] Site [RPG Classics Shrines] Site [Hardcore Gaming 101] Site [PaRappa the Rapper]

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After eight years, the Y2K bug that had half the world on edge with the turn of the new millennium finally affected someone’s computers. Don’t worry though, planes aren’t falling from the sky, cities still have power and nuclear missiles haven’t suddenly launched from their silos. The world isn’t coming to an end just yet.  In fact the only people affected are fans of Grand Theft Auto.

In a post by QJ.net, the site mistakenly reported that a countdown clock on the Rockstar web site suggested that Grand Theft Auto 2 (and yes there was other games before GTA3) was coming to Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network as a full download.  It was soon discovered that the source codes was actually from 1999. Fans of the series who wanted to see what GTA was like before it became the world’s most hounded game are out of luck.

The site’s codes had miscounted the date, setting the clock back to 1900. Rockstar has since confirmed with IGN that the error in its system and stated that GTA 2 isn’t coming out for download anytime soon. The countdown that was seen on the web site was in fact, the original countdown for the release of GTA 2 for the original PlayStation.

Read [QJ] Also Read [IGN]

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The current trend is to try and go Green to help conserve natural resources and protect the Earth. It should come as no surprise that videogames have been going Green for years. Quite a few titles convey Earth-friendly messages to players in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

Their methods may occasionally be unconventional, but at least they’re putting a positive message out there. In order to celebrate Earth Day (which happens to be today, April 22, 2008), Gamertell is going to salute Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Final Fantasy VII, Chibi Robo!: Park Patrol and Eco Creatures: Save the Forest. Just a few of the Earth-friendly games which have appeared over the years.

Each game will also be thoroughly analyzed to see just how effective its methods and execution are. After that, the games will be ranked in shades of green, based on the crayon colors shown at Crayola’s website.

Captain Planet and the Planeteers (NES, Genesis)
How is it Green? How is it Green? Can you seriously ask that with a straight face? It’s Captain Planet! Not only that, but his Planeteers are with him! Captain Planet and the Planeteers was an environmentally-friendly TV series that ran 1990-1996. NES and Genesis games based on the show came out during the series’ run. Both the show and the game followed the adventures of the 5 Planeteers as they tried to stop bad people from polluting the Earth. If a villain was too difficult, the Planeteers would join together to call upon the superhero Captain Planet for help.
Earth/Planet Friendly? Definitely. The game and show praised recycling and volunteering and showed what happened if people recklessly polluted. Of course the game focused more on the really cool powers of the Planeteers, but still.
Real-World Applications? The TV show definitely had some. At the end of every episode there would be some sort of tip for how kids could make the the planet a better place. The game didn’t really have that though. It mainly focused on Captain Planet and the Planeteers’ powers. Magic rings that let you control earth, wind, fire, water or hearts don’t really exist. It’d be awesome if they did, but they don’t.
Entertaining? The 1992 NES game stunk, but the 1993 Genesis version was surprisingly fun. Sadly, the Genesis version was only released in Europe.
How Green is It? I’d say its a Mountain Meadow if you factor in the TV show, but a Forest Green if you don’t.

Final Fantasy VII (PS1, PC)
How is it Green? The whole reason Avalanche existed was to stop ShinRa from destroying the planet with their constant Mako-siphoning. Then, once Sephiroth went on his little psycho-rampage, Avalanche went off to save the planet from a giant meteor. Its the story of a militant environmental group actually succeeding in saving their planet from eminent disaster.
Earth/Planet Friendly? It is debatable, but basically yes. Cloud & Co. don’t really spout off any Earth-friendly phrases, recycle, conserve resources or anything like that, but they mean well. And they did end up saving the planet in the end.
Real-World Applications? Absolutely none. Of course you could argue that it acts as a conversation piece, getting people to look at how real world companies are killing our planet.
Entertaining? Definitely. Final Fantasy VII is a classic and one of the best known and most influential games ever made.
How Green is It? It is definitely an awesome game, but when you look over everything, it’s Yellow Green.

Chibi Robo!: Park Patrol (DS)
How is it Green? Chibi Robo is sent to a dilapidated park to revitalize it and clean it up again. He does so by planting flowers. Once enough are planted in a section, that section is rejuvenated. People begin to come to the park to play outside once things start looking better. Chibi also can pick up scattered trash and throw it in the garage or recycling bin, whichever is more appropriate. Both he and his vehicles run on rechargeable batteries powered by love. (Hey, hearts power him, so it has to be love - right?)
Earth/Planet Friendly? Definitely. The best part is, it is presented in a way that isn’t preachy or overbearing. It just ends up being a lot of fun.
Real-World Applications? It promotes a lot of good ideas, like recycling toys, disposing of trash properly, planting flowers and trees, using wind power, using rechargeable batteries and spending time outside in parks.
Entertaining? Occasionally. It can feel a bit repetitive at times. However, plenty of park toys can be built for Chibi to play on, and even after the game is completed, players can try to unlock all of Chibi’s stickers.
How Green is It? Chibi Robo!: Park Patrol and Chibi Robo are so Green, they’re Tropical Rain Forest green.

Eco Creatures: Save the Forest (DS)
How is it Green? Players act as orange, fuzzy monster Dorian who sets out with his army of various rodents to protect and save the forest from the King, Queen and Minister who want to tear it down with their bad, unnatural, mechanical army.
Earth/Planet Friendly? It takes a fairly complicated issue - the destruction of Earth’s forests - and makes it palatable for kids. While it contains some fantastic and far out characters, it still does a good job of educating players about environmental destruction.
Real-World Applications? A massive squirrel army would be pretty sweet, but alas, it isn’t meant to be. It is a good way to get kids thinking about protecting forests.
Entertaining? Eco Creatures is a pretty good real-time strategy game, but it gets a bit preachy. The bad guy Minister told the King and Queen (2 kids) that the big, orange fuzzy thing was a monster (Dorian totally is) and that the forest should be torn down to make candy. Its kinda preaching to kids that candy is bad, and monsters and forests are good.
How Green is It? Even though the story is pure fantasy and there aren’t many tips applicable to real world situations, the whole “save the forest” message makes Eco Creatures a solid Green.

Site [The Nature Conservancy] Site [The Captain Planet Web Site] Site [Crayola Creativity Center]

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All too often, female characters in video games are given bit parts, or designed in a manner that shows developers clearly intended them to act as eye candy. While female characters have become incredibly visible in games as time has gone by, it still can be difficult to discern characters who are really good role models for female players.

To make matters worse, when lists are compiled of strong female leads, they tend to feature the same characters over and over again. I’ve seen Lara Croft appear in lists at least 20 times, and frankly she doesn’t always deserve the spot. Samus Aran is also a popular star in these lists. Lara’s got her merits, sure, but there are stronger and more competent female characters. And Samus really hasn’t had much character development - she’s a strong bounty hunter and fights aliens, but other than that we don’t know that much about her.

Here are eight female characters, many of whom are often forgotten, who should be considered role models for girl gamers. They are unique individuals in their various storylines and possess strong personalities. In order to help narrow down the field of eligible role models, the characters are all ones who appeared in role-playing (or RPG-like) games.

#1: Celes Chere, Final Fantasy VI (1994)
Celes was not only a strong character throughout the events of FFVI, but also beforehand. She was one of Emperor Gestahl’s three head generals. After being accused of treason because she questioned the morality of Gestahl’s actions, she is locked away in Figaro. After Locke Cole frees her, she joins the Returners resistance group. At one point, when the Empire fakes a truce with the Returners, she temporarily rejoins, onlu to help the Returners again when Kefka is trying to destroy the world. In the second half of the game, Celes acts as the star for a time, and singlehandedly sets out to find her former Returner comrades and stop Kefka. She’s strong, willing to put herself at risk for the good of the group and intelligent enough to make difficult decisions.

#2: Lenneth Valkyrie, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (2000)
Lenneth is a servant of the gods, a valkyrie who acts as Odin’s recruiter, collecting souls of fallen warriors for Ragnarok. Despite spending most of the game in a servant role, she is very dignified, elegant and imposing. She’s quite possibly one of the strongest and most formidable female characters ever created. She also possesses a strong sense of right and wrong, and isn’t afraid to defy orders to do what she believes is right - such as recruiting the less than perfect Arngrim and Mystina, choosing not to fight Brahms and confronting a fellow god. Once she discovers the truth about herself and her situation, she instantly goes about doing what is right.

#3: Mackenzie, Touch Detective (2006)
Mackenzie is a spectacular role model for young girls. She’s an intelligent girl who runs her own detective agency and goes around town solving mysteries. She’s intelligent, witty, unafraid to speak her mind and has a set of lofty goals for herself. She successfully works to be recognized as a detective by the Detective Society, and hopes to publish her touch journal as well. She manages to accomplish all this while still attending school.

#4: Rose, Legend of Dragoon (2000)
Rose had an incredibly difficult and challenging life. She originally was the Dragoon of Darkness in the Dragon Campaign, and the only one to survive. As the only survivor, she must wear a choker that gives her eternal life so she can stop the God of Destruction from being reborn and the world from being destroyed. This means she must a become a murderer, a Black Monster, who kills babies for thousands of years, also killing whoever sees the babies. She then joins Dart and the fellow new Dragoons to save the world and completely eliminate the God of Destruction. It takes a strong person to allow themselves to become a loathed and feared force for the greater good.

#5: Rutee Katrea, Tales of Destiny (1998)
While Rutee is certainly greedy, and at times may seem selfish and materialistic, she’s also incredibly independent, shrewd, carefree and strong. She also functions as a competant fighter and healer for the party. When Stahn meets her, her entire focus is on success and money, but she also knows what is important and is loyal to people she cares about. She also appears in a number of the Tales of the World games, and most notable is her role as an orphanage owner/bar caretaker in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology.

#6: Alys Brangwin, Phantasy Star IV (1993)
Alys Brangwin is considered one of the strongest and most famous people on the planet Motavia. She’s a famous hunter who has helped countless people on the planet, earned respect from village leaders and fellow hunters and is known as the “Eight Stroke Warrior.” Despite being both strong, controlled and analytical, she also had a good heart. She took the main character, Chaz, off the streets when he was alone and helpless, and raised him as her apprentice - giving him a home and a new life. She also cared deeply about those close to her, as evidenced by her sacrificing herself to protect Chaz from Zio.

#7: Etna, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (2003)
Etna has style, its undeniable. Sure she’s self serving, sarcastic, snide, shrewd and sometimes silly, but in her those manage to be positive character traits. She’s incredibly loyal to the previous King Krichevskoy, and even possesses a strange kind of loyalty to Laharl and Flonne. Occasionally she may try to backstab Laharl to get her way and become the best, has no problem abusing prinnies and has a nasty temper, but there are worse things to be. At the very least, she’s interesting. The world would be a better place with more Etnas and fewer Princess Peaches.

#8: Maya, Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator (1999)
Maya is really an admirable woman. She’s one of the few adults in a settlement that is filled mainly with old people and children, and helps support her community by working as a junk scavenger. When the various shells of the world are threatened by a Chosen named Doskias who is determined to find the keys to part the continents and get the power of the creator, Maya bands together with people from all different shells of the world and backgrounds to stop him. She’s unique as a female RPG character in that she doesn’t dress in a feminine manner, she has no love interest and her profession is one which would typically be held by a man. While she’s strong, logical and steadfast, she’s also very compassionate and forgiving, allowing a former enemy, Selina, to join her ranks.

Read [The List Universe] Also Read [Shiny Shiny]

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PC Authority writer Alex Kidman listed what he believes the five most violent games in last 25 years in a recent article. Instead of jumping to attention getting titles that have only been out for a few years, like Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat or Silent Hill, Kidman does his research and goes after some games which truly deserved their mature ratings. The five titles he lists as most violent/graphic are Custer’s Revenge, Night Trap, Carmageddon, Thrill Kill and Manhunt.

His article is definitely worth a read, as every title he mentions definitely would merit an M rating from the ESRB. In fact, Manhunt was the only title out of the five I’d heard of before the list. Frankly, I’m apalled to hear that a title like Custer’s Revenge was even made.

Kidman also calls for feedback at the end, asking readers to provide suggestions for graphic titles he may have missed. I think he really covered everything perfectly. Some of the titles he mentioned make current controversial games pale in comparison.

Read [PC Authority]

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If you’re a fan of music video games, then chances are you’re a Bemani fan without even realizing it. In Japan the term has become synonymous with music games, but it specifically refers to the music video games created by Konami. This division of Konami handles 10 different game series which all require music and intense player interaction to play.

In fact, many Bemani titles have been the inspiration for other music video games released in recent years. Also we can’t forget that the localization of Dance Dance Revolution is what brought dancing games to North America and helped game publishers and developers realize that audiences outside of Japan were ready for these kinds of games.

Since there are so many different series released by Konami, it is difficult to cover them all so I’ll concentrate on how the titles are played. While each of the series has unique, defining elements which make them unique, they do share some hallmarks that allow them to be grouped.

I’m the DJ

The most famous Bemani game in Japan is the series Beatmania, which inspired the name. Before this game existed, the music game division was known as GMD, aka Games & Music Division. The popularity of this single franchise made Konami’s music games famous.

Beatmania is basically a DJ game, where players use activator keys, turntables and pedals to mix the music. The original Beatmania, released in 1997, only had five keys and a single turntable. It was so successful that it multiple console releases of the game were made available, and Beatmania games could be found for the Playstation, Game Boy Color and the Wonderswan.

As players became more adept, Konami decided to provide more of a challenge. The success of Beatmania led to its 1999 replacement, Beatmania IIDX, which has seven keys, a turntable, more songs to choose from, a bigger screen and a better player area. Beatmania IIDX games also became available for play at home, with PS2 versions of the arcade games. The third entry in the series, Beatmania III, was released in 2000 and attempted to slightly mix things up by returning to five keys and the standard turntable, while also including a foot pedal. It didn’t enjoy the same success as Beatmania IIDX, so Beatmania III machines range from ‘rare’ to ‘non-existant’.

Beatmania isn’t the only DJ style Bemani game. There is also Pop’n Music, another wildly successful title in the division that was first released in 1998. It looks adorable but it is all a facade. When you first step up to a machine, you see adorable anime characters on screen, cute music and only buttons to press. It seems like no challenge at all, until you realize there are nine different keys to keep up with when playing.

The latest entry is Jubeat, which is frankly more similar to Pop’n Music than it is Beatmania. It is another arcade title, as most Bemani titles start, where there are multiple screens on the console that light up in time to music. When one lights up, you must touch it before it goes out or else you’ll fail. This game is so new that it is still in a testing phase in Japanese arcades, it was only even just revealed to the public in December 2007.

Dance for Me

The Bemani title most Americans are familiar with is Dance Dance Revolution. In Japan the title was first released in 1998 as Dancing Stage and, as pretty much everyone who has been in an arcade or video game retailer in the past few years, requires players to step up, down, left and right on a dance pad in time with the music. While Beatmania was undoubtedly the first major Bemani hit, DDR is definitely the second. Home versions were released on the Dreamcast, Gamecube, Game Boy Color, PS1, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Wii

The game inspired Konami to try releasing a more challenging spin-off in December 1999, known as Dance Dance Revolution Solo. Two more arrows, in the upper right and left corners of the pad on either side of the up arrow, were added in this release. It didn’t do as well as the main title, and it was later shelved - just like Beatmania III.

The success of DDR and the use of feet in play led Konami to create music games which required arm movement to succeed. The first game, Dance Maniax, was popular enough to warrant some machines being imported to America. (I remember seeing Dance Maniax at a local arcade during college.) In it there is what looks like a shelf jutting out towards the player, and it contains two motion sensors which can sense hand motions above and below them. You then must wave your arms above or below the sensors in time with the music. It didn’t do to well, and like Beatmania III and DDR Solo bit the dust.

The last dancing Bemani title is my personal favorite, and I was exceptionally sad when it too was shelved when the fad end. I’m talking about ParaParaParadise, first released in 2000. It involves using Para Para dance moves, triggered by five arrows on screen, to play. There are five motion sensors which register hand movements (left, diagonally left, up, diagonally right and right) and you must move your hands through the sensors. It features classic Konami music but also quite a few European dance tracks. I loved this game so much (a local Japanese mall had a ParaParaParadise machine), but once the Para Para dancing fad ended, so did the game. A home version of the game, with a special USB 5 sensor peripheral, was created for the PS2 during the height of the game’s popularity.

Musical Peripherals

If you love Guitar Hero, then you’ll love the Bemani title GuitarFreaks. Before you begin crying trademark or copyright infringement, you should know that GuitarFreaks (1999) actually existed before the Guitar Hero (2005) series ever did, and probably helped inspire that series. A guitar peripheral is used to play GuitarFreaks, and it is strikingly similar to the Guitar Hero controller. It has three fret buttons, a strum bar and the same motion sensor which causes action on screen if the neck of the guitar is raised. The series began in arcades and then was released in home versions. For all intents and purposes, a GuitarFreak game is nearly interchangeable with a Guitar Hero title. Home versions of this title were released for both the PS1 and the PS2, and are often bundled with our next Bemani game, DrumMania.

And then there is DrumMania, also released in 1999, which many Rock Band fans would be very comfortable playing. DrumMania provides players with four or five drum pads, which are beat in time to the music. It probably sounds like another peripheral you recognize. Like GuitarFreaks, PS2 home versions of this title were also played and it usually was released with GuitarFreaks.

There was a third entry released in 2000, Keyboardmania, but it now resides in the Bemani graveyard. While it was a game it could also be considered a teaching tool. This game had an actual 24-key keyboard attached to it and players needed to play the keyboard to progress through the game. There was even a mode called “Real Mode” which made gameplay even more difficult, as it required players to know how to read music and play a piano. Even though it eventually failed, there were still two PS2 versions of the game released.

An interesting point is the connectability between GuitarFreaks,  DrumMania and Keyboardmania. The arcade versions of each of these three games can be linked together if an arcade has all the compatible machines. Players can then form their own little band, minus a singer. I guess this is where Rockband got the idea from.

Before we end today, I just want to remind you all - while many of the titles above may be available for consoles and for sale at import sites, think before you buy them. In order to play Japanese console games, you either need a modded system (which voids your warranty) or a Japanese system.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Next week Important Importables will focus on a few games that might help you learn Japanese. If you don’t miss a single installment of Important Importables, or want to know right away when the next column is up, then sign up for the Gamertell Newsletter and RSS feed.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables reviewed Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side: 2nd Season.

Site [Bemani] Site [Music in Every Direction]

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In a press release sent out today (February 25, 2008) Sony announced the resignation of Phil Harrison, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, effective February 29, 2008. Kazuo Hirai, current President and Group CEO of SCEI, will step up and assume Harrison’s position. The executive has been with the company since 1992, and was instrumental to Sony’s success in the European market and worldwide throughout the lifetime of the PlayStation brand.

The current buzz indicates that Harrison is stepping down in order to join Atari (of all companies…) and bring the lagging publisher to the forefront of the casual games business. It’s still a rumor at this point, but 1up and GamesIndustry.biz are reporting that Harrison’s recent comments at GDC (criticizing Sony Japan for not seeing the potential of the casual market fast enough) seem to support the notion.

Read [1up] Also Read [GamesIndustry.biz]

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At this point in time there is only one backwards compatible version of the PS3, the 80 GB PS3, which is only available in North America. There are indications, however, that it might also be retired by Sony. It is clear that backwards compatibility is not very high on the list of Sony’s priorities but it might still give software simulation a try.

Eric Lempel, director of Playstation Network, told EGM magazine (latest issue) in an interview that backwards compatibility might stage a comeback on the PS3. He said that there were possibilities, through technology and software emulation, of PS2 titles appearing as Playstation Network downloads, though they hadn’t discussed it.

Though Lempel’s comments might elicit a bit of excitement among gamers who treasure backwards compatibility, PS2 titles’ availability as PSN downloads will still leave their PS2 discs unusable with the PS3. Imagine paying for downloading the same title you already own. (Oh wait, that is already happening with the Wii and Xbox Live). Even so, Sony would ensure some extra gamer loyalty if it continued to offer complete backwards compatibility.

Read [Kotaku] Site [EGM (1UP)]

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The past year hasn’t been too kind for the Bratz franchise. It was just last summer (2007) that Bratz made its debut on the big screen and was widely reviled by critics nationwide as one of the year’s worst films and failed to break $10 million dollars. Now, word comes that Ubisoft, the third-largest game publisher in the industry has won a $13 million payoff from MGA Entertainment, the makers of the popular Bratz line of toys.

The court battle had been fought over the sudden termination of the license that was moved over to THQ back in 2003. Before the breaking of the agreement, Ubisoft had been publishing Bratz games for the original PlayStation and Game Boy Advance. MGA had dropped Ubisoft without giving good cause in the attempt to renegotiate a more favorable deal. The two companies ended up suing each other, and arbitrator sided yesterday with the game publisher to the sum of $13.2 million.

Like most fads, this defeat in court might be the signal that the Bratz license’s best days may be behind it. THQ’s 2005’s Bratz: Rock Angelz and 2006’s Bratz: Forever Diamondz each sold more then 700,000 copies at US retailers. However, in 2007, Bratz: 4 Real, Bratz: The Movie and Bratz: Ponyz didn’t even manage to break 100,000 units sold all together. Combined with the dramatic failure of the movie, the future of the franchises is in doubt. 

Read [GameSpot] Also Read [Game Industry Biz]

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According to the PlayStation Blog, “father of the PlayStation” Ken Kutaragi has just been honored with the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences’ (AIAS) 2008 lifetime achievement award. The ceremony occurred earlier this week at the D.I.C.E. summit in Las Vegas.

Kutaragi is famous for his engineering skill, and is credited with much of the success of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 consoles. He got the ball rolling with the original PlayStation in 1994 and continued with the launch of the PS2 and PS3, the former being one of the most successful game systems of all time, the latter of which had a bumpy start, but will likely sail under bluer skies in the future. The PlayStation brand has undeniably revolutionized the industry (the original PlayStation was the first successful system to make use of CD-based technology) and Mr. Kutaragi was the man behind the machine.

This is an honor well-deserved for a man with such a massive impact on the industry.

Read [PlayStation blog] Via [GayGamer]

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