Shenmue 2 and Kowloon: Preserved in Gaming

I was looking at Asian urban decay on the net today, and I came across pictures of Kowloon the Walled City. I remembered the city from Shenmue 2, but little did I know, the city no longer exist in the real world. Kowloon, was once a sprawling location in China nicknamed "the City of Darkness." In 1993 the infamous city was demolished due to it's lawless nature and network of criminal activity.

The city now exists only in the photos, videos, and memories of people who lived there or visited. I read it described as a chaotic world unto itself, akin to a cyberpunk landscape not unlike the world of Blade Runner. Sadly, I will never be able to go there. However, that is why a game like Shenmue 2 is so special to me. Kowloon exists there, preserved in 1987 (the time Shenmue's story occurs) forever for curious people to explore and behold. I cannot think of a better game to preserve it's glory either, as Shenmue's creators were meticulous in their efforts to recreate the time and places represented in the storyline.

Video games give us the chance to do things we could never do otherwise. I could never be a ninja or fight a dragon, but gaming allows me to do those things in a virtual world. What makes exploring Kowloon so special in Shenmue? It was a real place that can explored virtually for generations to come. You can explore Nazi Germany in Call of Duty, but are you really exploring or just wandering around killing enemies? Sega made the city as true to life as possible. When you play that section of the game, the city is crime ridden and it looks like another world.

If you haven't played the game or even if you have, this section of the game is worth another look if only to see a part of world that no longer exists preserved perfectly in 1987.

Leaked Games You Should Play

Cancellation is a sad word for gamers. I have lamented the loss of many titles like Castlevania for the Dreamcast and most recently the highly anticipated, Duke Nukem Forever. Sometimes, through various means, unreleased games get leaked to the masses. This offers a rare chance to play something you weren't meant to ever see in the first place, for good and possibly bad.
Trying to compile a list of every leaked game would be insane, so I can only point you to a few interesting prospects. (Note: These are all in complete English and playable)

Rent a Hero
This interesting adventure title is for the original Xbox. This wacky Sega game was canned after low retail orders showed there was little to no interest in the release. Rent a Hero was based off of the Sega Dreamcast version with some minor improvements made for the transition to the Xbox including a complete English translation. You will need a modded Xbox to play, but it is worth the effort as it is very strange and original.

Mother
The NES Earthbound prequel was ready to go out the door when it's release was canceled. It was cited that Nintendo didn't feel it would be commercially viable so close to the Super Nintendo's release in America, and axed the game. A few years ago, a finished prototype emerged, and fans have been enjoying the "lost" Earthbound ever since. Don't miss out on this unreleased classic.

Princess Maker 2
This game was originally going to be released for the PC in the Nineties. It is a great parent simulation developed by anime studio, Gainax. Unfortunately, the game was never released to retail in America. It was leaked however, and it is a fine game if you download DOSbox to enable play on modern versions of Windows. The creator of the English translation has shared his view that no one should download this version of the game, but I think it is a crime that this title was never released commercially (with the exception of a special copy given as a gift to the Japanese director of Princess Maker 2 from the translator himself.) It is the only Princess Maker of the series to receive a full English translation. Also, people will tell you the game is creepy, but it is not at all. In fact, the game is pretty wholesome by design as you can be a shitty parent, but your girl will die! No one should want that, so being a good parent is a must.

These are a few lost games that have been leaked for us lucky gamers that love obscurities and rarities. For even more fun look up the unreleased version of Sonic 2. It is almost completely different when compared to the one Sega actually released!

Dude Looks Like a Lady: Weird Fan Art from Japan

In Japan, fan art can range from really incredible and official looking to off the wall utter insanity. Today we will take a look at the latter of the two. Fighting game fan art is really popular there, but some folks wanna see their favorite male character as a female for some reason. Enjoy this odd look at gender bender fan art from Pixiv.

Jedah and Terry Bogard

Ragna the Blood Edge

Sol Badguy

Ryu, Ken, and M. Bison

Super Street Fighter IV Dojo Edition Back In Stock

The Capcom store has restocked the Xbox 360 and PS3 Super Street Fighter IV Dojo Edition. This special edition has been sold out for awhile, but now there seems to be more in "limited availability." Grab this up if you didn't have a chance, it is an amazing special edition unlike any this writer has ever seen. Here is what is included:

• Super Street Fighter IV game
• SSF 4 duffel bag
• Dudley t shirt
• Ibuki water bottle
• Juri memory stick with comics, art , and more
• headband

The price is 79.99.

Fan Translations: The Past, Present, and Future

Many games never see the light of day in America and reduce fans to tears in the process. In the older console generations, hundreds of awesome RPGs and adventure titles would be considered "too Japanese" to even consider releasing in the US or Europe. Upset fans eventually started to take up the mantle of translating and hacking import games to be presented in their own native language. These days gaming enthusiasts can usually find someone working (or attempting) to translate almost any niche title America was denied in the past. It is good times that we live in.

Picture is from the translation of Segagaga in progress courtesy of James Howell.

Let's take a trip to the 16 Bit and 8 bit era...

FAN TRANSLATIONS OF THE DISTANT PAST

My first experience with fan translations came around 2000. I started to take a growing interest in games I saw in the import section of Gamefan and online, so the hunt began for English versions of these mysterious gems. Soon I had an English rom of Seiken Densetsu 3, the sequel to Secret of Mana. The game blew my mind! The translation was good and made me wish for a commercial release ( I am still waiting BTW.)
Fast forward to today and I have played many great fan translations on all manner of consoles. Here is a brief look back at some early fan translations:

SD Snatcher As far I know, this is the first fan translation. The game is a mini MSX version of Kojima's brilliant Snatcher, which originally appeared on the Sega CD. The translation was modified this year to fill the opening sequence. Overall this is a cool game and a must download for fans of Snatcher or RPGs in general.---> http://www.romhacking.net/trans/1385/
Final Fantasy V This unpopular title was originally released on the Super Famicom in 1992, then skipped for US distribution until Final Fantasy Anthology came overseas many years later. Fan group RPGe translated Final Fantasy V to English and gave many gamers their first look at the "lost" title in the series. It has been released several times since then on platforms ranging from the PSX to the GBA, but as this was one of the first full RPG translations, it still remains very memorable to players even today.----> http://www.romhacking.net/trans/353/

Seiken Densetsu 3 Another early triumph over the cruel bastards at Squaresoft that decided to pass on an English release. The only Mana game to never be released outside Japan, is also the best (go figure.) The graphics are stunning, the music is amazing, and Neil Corlett's script is excellent. You need this translation if you like video games.----> http://www.romhacking.net/trans/440/Sweet Home Capcom's Famicom RPG is a creepy horror game that some say is an early idea for Resident Evil (although I have also heard it is based off of a Japanese movie) that deserves your attention. Gaijin Productions did a nice job finding this obscurity and placing it into English. Remember, Capcom and Famicom almost always means joy for the player.----> http://www.romhacking.net/trans/440/

FAN TRANSLATIONS OF THE PRESENT (AND MORE RECENT PAST)

With emulation being possible for pretty much any system imaginable, fans have pulled off some amazing projects. There have been so many great and recent fan translations released, that it is tough to narrow a few, but here are the true stand outs:

MOTHER 3 Simply put, this game rocks! Earthbound fans were very sad when Nintendo passed on official distribution of Mother 3 in the states. The game is amazing, and the fan translation is equally amazing. This is one of the best games ever made for the GBA, and it should be a sin that Nintendo kept this baby in Japan, but that is how big business goes sometimes. Check out the translator's site for tons of information on this masterpiece.---->http://mother3.fobby.net/Persona: Innocent Sin Persona fans clamored for a translation to this PSX classic since playing Eternal Punishment and wandering just what the hell was going in with the missing plotline. Expert translator Gemini saw fit to bless us with an exceptional translation for what maybe the most interesting prequel in gaming. Rumors say Sony passed on official release of this game to due to themes like Neo Nazis, homosexuality, and Hitler. You shouldn't pass on this translation, as it is one of the best ones available.---->http://tsumi.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/already-an-update-damn/Policenauts This is Hideo Kojima's only big title to never be released outside Japan. Policenauts' gritty story follows a washed up space cop on a job that leads him back to his past. The translation for this game took an immense amount of time, but it was well worth the wait. The game reminds me of a cool retro anime, and also Snatcher since it is also from Kojima-san. The translation is for the PSX version only.---->http://policenauts.net/
Namco X Capcom Ever wanted a strategy RPG with Ryu from Street Fighter beating the shit out of Klonoa? Then this is your dream game! This odd PS2 collaboration between Capcom and Namco, which features tons of characters from each universe duking it out in a manner similar to last year's DS hit Endless Frontier, will rock your fanboy world. The script on this one isn't the best, but this game is really cool for fans of both companies so I still recommend it.---->http://www.romhacking.net/trans/1270/Tales of Innocence This is a very intriguing fan translation as it for a modern portable system, the Nintendo DS. Tales of Innocence only came a few years ago, but a team saw that it would be left in Japan and decided to step up and translate it for the fans. The game is a main series Tales title, so the story and world design are great. The team, Absolute Zero Translations, also went out of their way to fix glitches included in the original game. Amazing job guys!---->http://www.absolutezerotranslations.com/2010/06/29/tales-of-innocence-patch-released/#more-1046

FAN TRANSLATIONS OF THE FUTURE

The future could be a very interesting place for fan translators. Recently the translation of Ys: The Oath of Felghana for PSP was purchased by Xseed. I hope more publishers pool the talents of fans and developers to make quicker and easier localizations available. I know smaller companies are open to this, but how long before the big companies like Nintendo and Square Enix give in?

As pictured above, the long awaited translation of Segagaga is slowly underway. Here are some more translations to keep an eye out for in the near future:

Samurai Shodown RPG The translator Deuce, also responsible for the Ys translation, is working on this one. Progress seems to be coming along, so hopefully this one releases by the end of the year. This is one of those "lost" RPG classics that deserves more attention. Sadly, he chose the super obscure Neo Geo CD as the platform of choice for the translation. On the bright side, it is the best port of SamSho RPG. http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177727
ASH Archaic Sealed Heat This is a cool looking Nintendo DS RPG that seems to be out of the translation phase. Beta testing began some time ago, so it shouldn't be too long before we get some official word on the patch's release. Try GBAtemp's forums for news or google the English patch for more details.
If you do intend to download the newer DS game translations, please try to buy the Japanese version from a retailer. These companies need your money to survive, so don't be a dick and just pirate new games to save a buck. If you like a game vote with your dollar. Maybe this will convince the company to release the next game in the US if sells are good enough.

In closing, I am eager to see what happens with fan translations. Really great games like Mother 3 are now available in English through unofficial channels, but it is interesting to think what cult classics and obscure gems could look like re-released legally on platforms like the Wii Virtual Console or Steam. My personal hope is someone gets these game companies on board with Xseed's plan of hiring fans for fans. I guess it all depends on how well Y's: Oath of Felghana sells in the US.

Now if only the Sega Saturn game Wachenroder was easier to hack and translate, I have wanted to see this game in English since it was released in the late 90's. Hopefully one day it will happen!

Hidden NES Gems Part Two

As I promised, here is the follow up to my look back at the obscure gems of the NES library that deserve your attention.

Willow- Only Capcom could make a wonderful game based on a movie about a midget in tights traveling with a surly Val Kilmer (actually the movie is kinda cool too if you like fantasy flicks.) The game is a RPG in the vein of Zelda, but not quite as good. The soundtrack and graphics are very impressive for the NES era, and show what a movie to game transition should be...yes I am looking at you, Total Recall. The controls are a little odd in this one, but aside from that, it comes highly recommended. For more Willow and Capcom magic, check out the kickass arcade game on MAME.Shatterhand- Do you like bad box art? If you do, then this game is for you buddy! In all seriousness, this is one of those truly awesome games hidden behind a very shitty cover box. Shatterhand follows a cop in his efforts to destroy every robot and cyborg he comes across. The gameplay is a mix of Mega Man, Bionic Commando, and a little Ninja Gaiden. Each stage is selectable in whatever order you choose, and the difficulty is just enough to make the game fun but not overly painful. The graphics are descent and the music rocks. This one is also really cheap on eBay, go get it now!Summer Carnival '92 Recca - The title is a mouthful, but it is a true shmup classic. It was sadly only released for the Famicom in Japan. Recca was also only released in limited quantities as it was created for a gaming competition, so it is a very expensive and rare title to come across even overseas. It is beyond obscure, but everyone should know this game, because it is the best shooter on the NES. The game plays very fast and it is insanely hard. The frantic shooting frenzy is matched by an equally bumping techno soundtrack. Recca is hard as nails, but this shouldn't stop a shooting game fan from owning it. The developer went onto work for Cave, the company known today as the "bullet hell" masters. An original copy can be quite expensive, but sites like GameReproductions have very reasonably priced repro carts available.

Link Hates Navi Too

Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time is a wonderful game with one annoying character: Navi. Hey...Hey... Listen...Listen...Listen...Link...Listen...SHUT UP ALREADY!! Good to see her get what she deserves.

As seen on Deviantart via Udoncrew.

Hidden NES Gems Part One

I have been buying random NES titles lately and decided it is well overdue for me to compile a list of kick ass hidden gems. The Nintendo's library is vast and for every Super Mario 3, there is ten Dick Tracy's waiting to make you regret playing video games in the first place. Here are some of my favorite hidden gems, that are worth blowing money on and blowing cartridges over...

River City Ransom- Do you like beating people up with random objects? This is the grand dad of Final Fight style beat'ems and it has plenty of the aforementioned activity. The game involves two dudes attempting to rescue their girlfriends from a geek named "Slick." Along the way you fight random gangs, and exchange strange dialogue like "Barf" with various thugs. It is campy and fun. River City Ransom also has some weird ( and funny) RPG elements like buying items and getting nude spa treatments. Don't miss this one, it needs to be in any self respecting gamer's library.Clash at Demonhead- While this game has a super hardcore title, it is actually about a dude trying to stop a mad scientist. The game play is all about platforming, shooting stuff, and collecting power ups to reach new areas. The controls work well and the graphics are nice and colorful. It should have been a classic like Mega Man or Castlevania, but for some reason it remains in total obscurity. On a personal note, when I beat this game, the cartridge stopped working entirely and has never worked again.Faxanadu- This Zelda 2 clone is pretty awesome. Your character starts out looking like a homeless version of Jesus but you slowly gain armor and cool weapons to improve your stats and appearance. The story is fairly generic, but the game play is right on target. The password system is a pain in the ass however. This game can be found for super cheap, so I highly recommend it. Did I mention that the soundtrack is amazingly good?
Capcom Disney games- Ducktales, Little Nemo, and Rescue Rangers, etc. are all fantastic platformers for the NES. Each game captures the spirit of Disney and the wonderful game play of Capcom. I know Disney doesn't exactly bring the best gaming memories to mind, but these are all worthwhile titles. I would actually rank Ducktales and Little Nemo as some of the best NES games ever. Don't pass on these gems, every collector or true gamer needs these games in their collection.
That is a short list of NES hidden gems. I will continue this another day with even more obscure games like Shatterhand that rock your face off.

BlazBlue and Deathsmiles Fan Art

Aksys is bringing two big releases this summer: BlazBlue CS and Deathsmiles. I am super excited for both titles. Here is some nice Pixiv fan art to pay tribute to their upcoming arrivals. Only six days till Deathsmiles, look for a review to follow.

Hot...

OMG...

In unrelated news, Team USA is kicking ass in the World Cup. Go America! Go soccer! I will be drinking and cheering them on Saturday then possibly rioting if we lose :-p

Top Six Cheapest Fighting Game Bosses

I love fighting games. One aspect of fighting games I hate are cheap ass end bosses. In the old days these bastards were created to take unsuspecting arcade customer's quarters, but more recently they seem to exist simply to annoy the player. I figured it would be fun to assemble a list of the cheapest bosses and talk about just why they are so freakin' lame to fight in the first place.

6. Azazel (Tekken 6) - Tekken bosses can be cheap with projectiles and flying abilities, but the 6th installment's boss takes the cake. Azazel, a huge crystal dragon, stands between you and complete victory. Why is he so cheap? For starters he blocks all the time; when you do manage to hit him the AI makes him vanish before suddenly popping out of the other side of the screen to kick the shit out of you. He has a devastating projectile attack and he does insane damage with frame stealing combos. Why the hell are you fighting a giant dragon anyway?
5. Onslaught (Marvel vs. Capcom) The original Marvel vs. Capcom took the idea of making a two part boss and going nuts with it, standard versus series fare. The two part boss is named Onslaught, a mixture of Magneto and Professor X gone apeshit. His first form teleports around firing lasers that are impossible to avoid. If you make it through that nonsense, then you will see his screen-filling second form. In this form he rains downs super attacks constantly and tries to crush you with his giant hand. He can be handled fairly easily with some heavily projectile based characters like Mega Man, but good luck with Zangief or the Hulk. He is very cheap and unbalanced, but he is from the Versus series...
4. Igniz (King of Fighters 2001) - SNK has always been notorious for cheap bosses. Igniz should earn a prize, because his fight takes cheapness to a new level. He is hard as hell to damage, his normal combos do massive damage, and if his super hits you just go ahead and kiss your ass goodbye. He can destroy a three man team in no time, and the continue bonus of "boss starts with 1/3 health" doesn't really make him any easier to kill. For fun download him for MUGEN, he puts almost every fighter to shame.
3. Gill (Street Fighter 3: Third Strike) - Gill is a self-proclaimed god. He also looks pretty cool aside from the fact he is barely clothed. However, his cool factor is negated to due some really cheap tricks he can pull. Since Gill is a deity, he can resurrect himself from the dead with one super move. I can't tell you how many times I beat him only to watch him come back to life to beat me instead. He also has a super move where he sprouts wings and delivers a super devastating rainbow attack that takes about 90% of your health bar and is unblockable. Good luck maintaining your sanity after losing a few rounds to Gill.
2. I-no (Guilty Gear XX) - I-no has two forms. One is the selectable form for players to choose on the selection screen. The other form is the hell bitch boss that looks the same as usual but gets a dramatic new move. In her boss form, I-no gets a punishing super attack that even shows a flashing warning on the screen prior to her using it. If she lands the attack, you are dead. Your only option is landing an instant kill on her prior to her getting the attack off on your character. It is much easier said than done.
1. Shin Akuma (Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo) - Akuma is a tough guy in his normal form, but when he shows his true power, watch out! Shin Akuma teleports constantly, has move priority over almost everything, and his super move is pretty much an instant kill. He is super fast and the AI is so cheap it seems like it knows your moves before you even can use them. Shin Akuma is the secret boss and he has tough requirements before he appears, but if you see him rush M. Bison on the final stage, get ready for the fight of your life.

Here are some runner ups that can be really frustrating as well:
Alpha 152 (Dead or Alive 4)
Geese Howard (Real Bout Fatal Fury)
Omega Rugal (King of Fighters series)
Goenitz (King of Fighters 96)
Magaki (King of Fighters XI)
Justice (original Guilty Gear)
V-13 (BlazBlue)