Rumble Roses, Konami's all-girl wrestling game, has finally made its debut on the Xbox 360 as Rumble Roses XX. It's gotten pretty bad reviews from American websites, getting a 6.6 from Gamespot and a 6.5 from IGN. Compare that to Famitsu Xbox360, who gave it a 34/40 (9,9,8,8) which is not a bad score at all.

Personally, I'd rate the game somewhere in between. Granted, I've never played Rumble Roses before, but I found the game to be pretty fun. My biggest gripe is that the game kind of just throws you in the middle of all these options, without really telling you where you're supposed to go and what you're supposed to do. There isn't really a story mode as I was expecting, it's more like you just keep fighting until you become popular enough to take out the champion. There might be more to it than that, but I've just started playing the game yesterday and have only become champ with one character so far.

So is this game more popular in Japan than in America? It would seem so with the multiple magazine covers that have the roses gracing them. Famitsu Xbox360 has had the main characters of RRXX on their cover for two months in a row. For the month of March, the cover shows their original, "good-guy" versions on a white background. For the month of April, it's their "bad-guy" version on a dark gray background. Pretty cool. Not to be left out, Dorimaga's April issue features some Roses as well. Both the April issue of Dorimaga and Famitsu Xbox360 have Rumble Roses XX ads on the back cover. Both ads feature some interesting cross-sell items such as gashapon figurines. Check it all out below!

Posted by Gyoshi at 09:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Are you a Super Mario Bros. fan? Wish you could take some of the sounds from the game wherever you go? If so, you should check out this great set of gashapon toys from Bandai. Each "soundrop" has one sound from the classic 8-bit game which can be activated at the push of large round button. There are eight soundrops in all, each in a different color. The type of sound effect is illustrated and written out on its surface. The list of sounds is as follows:

1. Start
2. Jump
3. Big
4. Coin
5. 1up
6. In
7. Swim
8. Ouch!

Each soundrop is in a teardrop sort of shape and has a metal chain attached. They're perfect for attaching to backpacks, bags, beltloops, keyrings, Christmas trees, rear-view mirrors, or just about whatever you want to attach it to.

They are a bit larger than I thought they would be, measuring approximately 2 1/4" x 1 3/4" (6cm x 4.8cm). The sound is of decent quality and is pretty loud. The "Big" sound (the sound when Mario grabs a mushroom) is the only one that sounds a bit off to me. There doesn't seem to be the right amount of bass in this particular sound effect, or it's probably just a limitation of the sound chip. In any case, I think they're quite fun, and you can grab a whole set for about $25 or so if you can find them.

Photos: 

 So where can you buy these? Play-Asia is currently sold out, and I got mine from Jbox.com who is also sold out. Ebay may be your best bet.

Posted by Gyoshi at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week I went to Hawaii to visit family and do some business. One of my favorite areas on Oahu is the Kaimuki area which has some great video game/anime/comic stores such as Toys n' Joys and Collector Maniacs. One of the newer stores is Mechahawaii which primarily sells gashapon and trading figures. Their selection is simply awesome and I've yet to see a store in America that can beat them. There were many trading figures that I've never seen before, and when I saw the Ys Figure Collection series, I had to buy at least one.

Looking at the box, I was surprised at the figures being offered. Besides Adol Christin, the rest of the figures are girls, two of which are from the latest Ys game, Ys VI-The Ark of Napishtim. As with most trading figures, these are blind packaged meaning you don't know which character you'll get. I was kind of hoping for Adol, but got Lilia who was next character I wanted.

The figure comes unassembled in a plastic bag. Putting together the figure is simple, and the pieces fit snugly. Lilia looks pretty much how she did in Ys II, with her light blue dress and red hair. Her pose is sort of dainty and a dove has just landed on her arm. She has an expression of happy surprise. The sculpting is adequate, but I've seen better sculpting in other figure sets. It certainly isn't terrible, but I find the details a bit on the soft side. The paint job really helps make this figure look pretty good with some nice airbrushed shadows on her dress and hair. The eyes are nicely with sharp detail, but I'm disappointed with the mouth. The paint they used for the inside of her mouth is too light which makes it hard to tell that her mouth is even open. The figure stands just shy of five inches and also comes with a display base. See more photos HERE.

All in all, it's a nice figure for the Ys fan, and it's nice to see a classic RPG series getting some character goods. So where can you buy these? If you're in Hawaii, I definitely recommend going to Mechahawaii. They've got a great selection and the owner is a cool guy. If you're not in Hawaii, you can try Play-Asia. They sold out on Series 1 (the series shown here), but have Series 2 in stock! Series 2 figures are $6.90 each and there are six different characters. You can also try eBay if you so wish.

Remember to check out the gallery to see all 13 photos of this figure!

Posted by Gyoshi at 02:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Portable gaming isn't always as portable as I'd like it to be. I don't have many pants that have pockets large enough for a PSP or a Nintendo DS, and carrying around a man-purse to hold all my gear isn't always my favorite option. Enter the Game Boy Micro. Released on September 17th of 2005, the Game Boy Micro is small enough to fit in practically any pocket.

The general release versions of the Micro come in black or silver, and on November 28th of 2005, Nintendo released the 20th Anniversary Edition pictured here. 20th Anniversary of what though? The package doesn't really say, but Nintendo Power states that it celebrates the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America...which is odd since this Micro is modeled after the Japanese version of the NES, the Famicom. On the package there is a sort of crest that has an image of Mario from Super Mario Bros., but that is the only clue for those who don't who don't know their history.

The Japanese release of the 20th Anniversary version isn't quite as vague--their package has a similar image of Mario but with the words "Happy Mario!" with it, referring to the 20th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. This should be a familiar image for Japanese gamers, as there was a slew of Mario related items released that had this image printed on it somewhere--all part of the anniversary. In fact, the major difference between the Japanese version of the 20th Anniversary Micro and the American version is that the Japanese version has the "Happy Mario" image printed on the back of the system itself.

But back to the system, I didn't actually go out and buy the Micro because I wanted it, no, I only bought it because I thought the 20th Anniversary Edition looked cool. I mean, I've already got a Game Boy Advance SP and a Nintendo DS, so why should I buy the Micro? But when I got home and opened up the box and held the unit in my hand, I fell in love. My first surprise is that this this thing is made of metal and not the usual plastic casing. The metal body makes it feel durable, tough and all the more sleek. Just look at those shoulder buttons! Sexy. My second surprise was how clear the screen is. I figured, it's small and it's not going to be that great. Wrong! This thing is bright and crystal clear, and you can even adjust the brightness. Other cool touches are the way the start and select buttons light up (the actual words light up blue, and also red when power is low), and the interchangable faceplates.

Sure, now there's the new Game Boy Advance SP's with the brighter screen, and yeah, there's the recently released Nintendo DS Lite which also probably has a screen of similar quality as the Micro's, but neither of those are as small as the Micro. Just check out the comparison pic to the left. The micro is smaller than my old Nokia cell phone, and only slightly bigger than my Motorola RAZR. Now that's small! If you have room for a cell phone, you have room for the micro. And that is its greatest strength. As a testament to that strength, I think I actually play with the Micro more than my DS and PSP because of its superior portability.

So is the Micro worth buying? Only if you want a portable game system that you can have on you at all times. I tend to think of it as a hardcore gamer's system since it's a bit of a luxery item. I mean, you can buy the GBA SP for cheaper, or you can spend a little bit more for the DS and still have access to the same games that the Micro plays--only a somewhat hardcore gamer would choose the Micro over those.

Additional photos:

*The Game Boy Micro pictured here has a Hori Face Filter Micro applied.

Posted by Gyoshi at 01:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As promised, here's issue 3 of Working Designs' newsletter, Direct Line. This issue builds upon the model of the second issue with two more pages of information! Lots of neat information here, such as Working Designs' intent on bringing over Cosmic Fantasy 3 and Exile 2. They even mention that they'd bring over Cosmic Fantasy 1 if interest and sales are good. Other titles mentioned are Cyber Twins (possibly Kaizou Chounin Shubibinman 2 or possibly 3), and Ghost Warrior Spriggan. Of course, Exile 2 (Exile: Wicked Phenomenon) was the one out of all of those games that were released here in the US. I wonder how far along the localization for Cosmic Fantasy 3 was, as that would have been the one game I would've liked to see most.

So when was this issue mailed out? Well, we know that the drawing for the contest results on Page 1 occurred on or around May 16th, 1992, so this issue had to be released well after that. This issue also implies that Exile had not been released yet and that it was scheduled to be released in October. So we're looking at a time frame of around June through September of 1992.

Anyhow, on to the actual issue!

Page 1 - Welcome message and Parasol Stars contest winners. Man Yip Yan is the man.

Directions '92/93: Working Designs lets us in on what games they're planning on bringing over. They also announce that they will be doing CD games from now on as there "aren't many cartridge games coming out in Japan that we feel are good enough to be called 'working' designs."

Page 2 - Cartridge Refresher Course: blurbs on their two cartridge games, Parasol Stars and Cadash. Awesome CD games: Cosmic Fantasy 2 and Exile summaries.

New Directions (continued from page 1): Cyber Twins, Ghost Warrior Spriggan, Cosmic Fantasy 3 and Exile 2 are mentioned. WD also announces that they'll support the Super System Card 3.0 since Exile 2 and Cosmic Fantasy 3 require it.

Page 3 - Hot Merchandise! Apparently there was an outcry for Working Designs merchandise (or at least they'd like us to think so) and so they whipped up some poster, t-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags and jackets.

Bit o' Turbo: WD wants your opinion! They ask four questions to get feedback on their box art, advertising, favorite game types and if you'll buy the Duo or Super System Card.

Turbo Tips: Parasol Stars, Cadash, Cosmic Fantasy 2, and Exile secrets and tips.

Page 4 - Letters to Working Designs: Lots of gushing over Cosmic Fantasy 2. Cosmic Fantasy 3 is mentioned a lot here, with WD even including a brief description of what characters return, the new main character, the numerous speaking parts, and how the Super System Card helps improve the game.

One reader asks if they'll ever have a Genesis or SNES contest. WD answers that they won't be expanding into the SNES or Genesis markets. Lunar: The Silver Star for the Sega CD was released in late 1993.

Posted by Gyoshi at 01:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)