Some Photos from My Game Collection

Out of sheer boredom tonight, I decided to take some pictures of my game collection. I do not have a massive collection, but I still have some cool shit that is worth mentioning. I may do this again sometime as I actually enjoyed taking these pictures.

Here is Momohime from Muramasa. She is ready to kick ass.

The NES shelf is fiercely guarded by Mega Man. The DVD case comes from the Super Mario Special Collection.

This is a weird 99 in1 Famiclone portable I picked up overseas.

A few of my favorite imports from the 32-bit era. Super Tempo costs way too much these days!

I am a big fan of game art books. These are two of my favorites.

Capcom art books fill my collection, the Mega Man: Official Complete Works stands out for the amount of translation work done by Udon. Bravo to those guys, this book rocks.

Here is my art book shelf. I also have Langrisser displayed there because I love the game's cover. A Rockman 10 box is also on display.

Chrono Trigger for the Super Famicom...one of my favorite games.

Finally, here is the Dreamcast shelf. It is guarded by my favorite ninja, Ibuki. Yes...she is even guarding Seaman.

The Art of George Kamitani

I love 2-D games. One of the last bastions of beautiful 2-D is the developer, Vanillaware. The lead artist and designer, George Kamitani is responsible for great games like Princess Crown, Muramasa, and Odin's Sphere. Today's art gallery is dedicated to his masterful work. Enjoy.

Region Free Japanese 360 Exclusives

I have noticed there is a no list on the net concerning Xbox 360's region free Japanese exclusives. While many US games are region free, Japan likes to region lock it's titles. I am not sure of why they do this, but it sure keeps us "gaijins" in the dark on some of their more obscure titles that never get released anywhere else ( I am talking to you Gal Gun.) Without further ado here is a list I have compiled (feel free to message me if I am excluding a few):

- Mushihime Futari ( CAVE shooter game, popular with manic stg fans)

- ESPgaluda 2 ( CAVE shooter game, only the regular edition of the game is region free)

- Virtual-On Force ( Sega's fourth game in their slick robot fighter series)

- Muchi Muchi Pork/Pink Sweets ( CAVE shooter, two games for the price of one)

- Eschatos (shooter game, packed with two Wonderswan stg hits)

Japanese demos have no region protection as long as you make a XBLA account for Japan. Here is a list of fun demos that are Japanese only:

- Catherine (weird but fun puzzle game with sexual overtones)

- Gal Gun (shoot a love gun to capture school girl's hearts, shoot enough and you can enter fantasy mode)

- Zegapain XOR (mech action game from 2006)

I hope Catherine gets picked up by Atlus for distribution here. The demo is great. In the meantime pre-order Eschatos, they deserve our cash for including the super rare, Judgement Silversword as a bonus.

Overseas Adventure: Gaming in the Philippines

Last month I wrote a small article for Hardcore Gaming 101. The article is based on my trip to the Philippines and the gaming culture there. I mention bootlegs, the arcade scene, and a wacky electric ape; here is a link :

hardcoregaming101.net/GOTW/Philippines/lbenfield.htm

In a personal note, if anyone knows a cheap booking agency for tickets there, let me know. I want to go back to visit, but it can be quite expensive to fly around the world. Someone really needs to invent teleportation machines.

Evil Ryu and Oni Revealed Earlier Than Expected

Hackers have found a way to make Evil Ryu and Oni (a more powerful Akuma) unlock in Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition without Capcom's consent. These characters were not officially announced, but were hinted at a few months prior to SSF AE's release. Now savvy code crackers in China and the US have found a way to get these two new characters without Capcom's approval and they are pretty angry about it. People who have posted videos of the two new characters on Youtube, are having their accounts banned as it is now copyrighted material. This seems pretty unfair since some of these people probably didn't know the characters were hacked out, and more likely assumed they were unlocked legally.

Oni and Evil Ryu look pretty bad ass in action. The character selection screen seems to show a spot for two more characters. I am hoping Rolento and Alex are hacked out next. The AE DLC for consoles has yet to be officially announced by Capcom.

Want to play as Evil Ryu or Oni now? Head to Chinatown Fair in NYC; they seem to be using them without any fear of Capcom reprisal.

Pictures from Magfest 2011

Magfest 2011 was a blast. The gaming was great, and I met plenty of cool people at the con. The vintage machines, and classic systems were amazing this year. I have photos of one of the most amazing arcades ever assembled, and it was only available at Magfest.

If you ever have a chance, you should go to Alexandria, VA for the event. Any gamer would love Magfest, it is truly arcade heaven!

Christmas Break...START!

My college exams will soon be over, and Christmas break will begin. I am looking forward to a vacation from school, and some time to see my family and friends. The holiday season will also bring some downtime to play the games I have been neglecting like Ys: Oath of Felghana and Fist of the Northstar. I will probably not update the blog for awhile due to my travel plan over the Christmas season; so everyone have a Merry Christmas. I also wish all the gamers a great new year.

Here are some great reasons to look forward to 2011:

Mass Effect 3

Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Metal Gear Solid Rising

Devil May Cry 5

I can't wait to play these games, what about you?

Cave asks "Do you like fat chicks?"

It is a strange question, but Cave's shooter, "Muchi Muchi Pork" involves girls who were turned into pigs. What does this have to do with anything? Cave decided today to make its combo shooting pack," Muchi Muchi Pork and Pink Sweets:Ibara" region free. This means that you can play the Japanese game on your Xbox 360 in America or Europe.
I played both games at Magfest, and enjoyed them. While the theme for Muchi Muchi Pork is slightly annoying, the game play is typical Cave bullet hell madness. Pink Sweets is super hard, and it is more like an old Raizing shooter than something like Mushihime Futari. It is up for pre-order at Play-Asia and Amiami. Amiami is cheaper. The first print has a free DLC card inside.

Pink Sweets action.