Treasure Fan Art

One of my favorite game makers ever is the little Japanese company, Treasure. They started out blowing our minds with games like Gunstar Heroes, then blowing our minds again with hits like Radiant Silvergun and Guardian Heroes, and continue today with hot games like Sin and Punishment 2. They consistently make fun games that push their platforms to the limits. Here is my small tribute with fanart pulled from Pixiv. Sadly, I couldn't find more for Dynamite Headdy.













Here is a cool piece that was released within the Sega Ages 2500: Treasure Box on PS2 in Japan. It is a beautiful and rare piece of official promotion artwork used for Gunstar Heroes.

Classic Review: EarthBound (SNES)

The Super Nintendo was a RPG powerhouse. We were given wonderful games like Chrono Trigger, Final 4 and 6, and one other hidden gem. That gem would be the cult hit, EarthBound. These days you will not find it on Virtual Console, and it's awesome sequel was released only in Japan. The only way to (legally) play Earthbound is to track down the cart and pop it in the old SNES. The game is pretty expensive these days as a result. Is it worth the high price eBay dictates?

EarthBound comes from the Mother series of RPGs developed by Nintendo. The first Mother released on the Famicom. An English translation was created, but never officially released due to the dawn of the SNES era. The Super Nintendo would see Mother 2, better known in the US as EarthBound. Mother games all revolve around aliens, psychic powers, and comedy. Another neat attribute of the series is that each is set in a modern world.


EarthBound follows a boy named Ness and his attempt to stop an evil alien from dominating the world. He meets three allies along the way, each with unique attacks and fighting style. The plot sends the player everywhere from a town haunted by zombies to Stonehenge to The Great Pyramind. Each setting is designed wonderfully, and populated with really fun NPCs.

Comedy separates Earthbound from most most RPGs in the West. The writing is very self-aware and intelligent. NPCs in each location are actually fun to talk to unlike most games. I usuallly hate finding a clue in a town, but in this game it is a treat to hear comedy gold from most anyone you talk too (even animals.)


The graphics are simplistic but I think they hold their weight well with modern games. Small objects are very detailed like cars and buses. Elaborate dance animations are giving for musical performers in the game. Also the battles use strange hypnotic coloring for backgrounds. It is trippy! It might not be Chrono Trigger, but for 16 bit it is pretty awesome.

The music is strange. Some tunes are catchy like the Sky Runner theme (a UFO you fly around in), but others like the Dungeon Man Theme are awful. Apparently some bits use samples from Beatles' songs and Monty Python, this is one reason people attribute to the game being unavailable for Virtual Console due to legal issues. The music is honestly, hit or miss.


The game difficulty is also strange. The first couple hours of the game are brutal. Be prepared to grind for boss fights. It gets easier with progress, as new party memebers help balance the scales of power. A few boss fights towards the end are also brutal, but nothing a few good items can't beat. Another quirk is the rare items being very hard to acquire. If you want the only weapon for Poo (yes that's his name), you need to fight a certain enemy that appears briefly, and you have a 1 in 128 chance of getting it from him!

EarthBound is a cult classic. It is very loved by a small hardcore crowd. The weirdness of the game will almost surely draw you in. The difficulty can be a rude awakening, but trust me it is worth sticking through to the end. As for my first question: Is it worth the high price? Absolutely.


This is how a re-make could look on today's systems.

Random Stuff

- Mother 3, this game's sequel, has a great fan translation available. If you like RPGs at all, then you should get it.

- GameReproductions sells the NES version of Mother for 30 dollars. That is pretty cheap for a cool game.

- Ness appears in all three Smash Bros. titles. His Mother 3 counterpart, Lucas, appears in Super Smash Bros Brawl as well.

Busy Days

I have been super busy with real life these days so I haven't posted much on here lately. I will try to post some new art soon or review something old. In the meantime here is a kick ass picture I saw on Kotaku today!


EWOK IN A DELORIAN!!!

Metroid Fan Art

I am a huge Metroid fan, so I am very excited about Metroid: Other M. In Samus Aran's honor, I devote this gallery of fan art collected from Pixiv.
Enjoy!

My New Games

I decided to get some new PSP games today. My first game is the new Ys Seven. I bought the special edition since it reminded me of the old Working Design special edition games. The package art is sexy and comes with a CD, art book, and a cloth map! I haven't opened it yet, but the graphics look to be amazing for a PSP game.





I already owned Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker, but I learned about a special edition with an art book and special case that was available in limited numbers. Being the Metal Gear fanboy I am, I tracked it down. A local GameStop still had a copy for 49.99. This will be on my shelf with my other Metal Gear goodies.



A few days ago I ordered a new, sealed copy of Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne on Amazon for 29.99. This copy will replace the one I sold several years ago. If you don't own this game, I suggest buying it now. It is one of the best RPG's on the PS2 and it will surely go up in value for the hardcore crowd.



Now if I could just work my way through StarCraft 2, I could play some new games after that :-p

Quick Movie Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

If you love gaming or indie music, then more than likely you will love the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The movie is a geek's dream come true with cool fight scenes, inside references galore, and brilliant special effects. The movie is based off a graphic novel which I never read so I can't make any comparisons to the book. However I can offer my kind words as a gamer and film buff.

The movie stars Michael Cera as the geeky bass player, Scott Pilgrim. He hasn't had a real girlfriend in over a year, so he takes up dating an underage Asian girl named Knives to boast his ego. He quickly finds her dull after seeing Ramona Flowers, a hot indie girl with an attitude. Eventually Scott wins her heart (much to the other girl's chagrin) and believes life will be good from then on. However, things take a turn for the worst, when an evil ex of Ramona crashes Scott's battle of the bands performance. The evil ex tells Scott he must defeat all seven evil exes to stay with Ramona, so like any fool in love would do, Scott begins whooping each of their asses when they appear to keep her affection.

The fights look fantastic, easily on par with the latest superhero flicks. Each fight seems like something out of an anime or a retro video game. Some effects seem a little cheesey at first, but for the most part this is done to make the viewer laugh. Any action fan will love these scenes.

Many game references appear through out the film. The movie even opens with the Legend of Zelda theme from Link to the Past. In a key scene, Scott tries to win Ramona's heart with a lame re-telling of the history of Pac-Man's name (with hilarious results.) Also for a really obscure reference, one band is named Clash at Demonhead...that's fuckin' hardcore.



The acting was terrific. Michael Cera was awkard (as usual) but also he some how pulls of being a badass at just the right time. The skilled actor, Jason Schwartzman, effortlessly plays a very cool and arrogant ex-boyfriend. The performance that really impressed me was from the unknown, Ellen Wong. She played the adorable Knives, the girl Scott puts on the back-burner for Ramona. She comes off as geeky and comical, which plays as a nice foil for the calm and collected Ramona.

The movie is funny as well. One portion parodies Seinfeld, which is a little lame, but for the most part the one-liners are hilarious and Scott's aloofness make for a fun viewing experience. Another thing that makes this movie so great is the soundtrack. I literally left the movie and went to Best Buy to buy the soundtrack. It is that good.

Go see this film! I read it is underperforming this weekend due to being released against the Expendables, Sly Stallone's new film. I would hate to see this movie bomb, because I fear we will never see anything like it again if that happens.

One last thing: Check out the game on PSN. It is a love letter to old school beat-em ups like River City Ransom and Double Dragon.

Shin Megami Tensei Fan Art Galley

Here is a massive fan art update for Shin Megami Tensei fans. I tried to collect art for all of the games in the series, but I may have missed one or two of the more obscure titles. Some of these pictures are really amazing and very detailed so feel free to use these for desktop wallpapers. Once again, these are from the artists of Pixiv. Enjoy.