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We will make you love Shiren
Sega really wants to make sure you notice Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer, and we're firmly on their bandwagon. But we're crazy, sprite-loving masochists around here; we frequently whip ourselves with strips of leather wrapped around old River City Ransom, Ninja Gaiden, and Castlevania carts. We relish the pain. Come March, we'll be fashioning a cat o' nine tails from all the copies of Shiren we'll find lying forgotten on shelves. While we practice a little flagellation, wander into our gallery and check out the latest array of screens from the forthcoming roguelike wonder.%Gallery-11488%
Shiren trailer: Wondering why you're not into Wanderer
The lack of enthusiasm American gamers have shown for Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer is depressing. Reading the comments viewers left on its GameTrailers page, it's clear that many just don't understand the appeal of roguelikes. Trust us, despite its SNES-level graphics and infamous difficulty, Shiren the Wanderer is an excellent game. As for "the appeal of roguelikes," for us, it's always been about the satisfaction that comes from surviving with limited resources, relying on your wits to escape what initially seem like sure-death scenarios. If you're looking for something with more action (Mystery Dungeon games are all turn-based) and better graphics, you should probably look into an ARPG like Dungeon Explorer instead. Otherwise, expect Sega to ship out Shiren the Wanderer to North American and European stores around early March.%Gallery-11488%[Via Siliconera]
Shiren possibly wandering to the US
One of the best examples of the Mysterious Dungeon subgenre of roguelike RPGs appears to be on its way, one step per turn, to the US. Fushigi no Dungeon 2: Furai no Shiren (Mystery Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer) was one of the few entries in Chunsoft's series that didn't carry a license-- it's actually numbered as a sequel to a Dragon Quest spinoff game, despite the total change in setting. It's been ported from the SNES to the DS, and was released in Japan in 1995. If, as Gamestop says, Sega is releasing it in February, it'll be the first American release for the game, which also recently came out on the Japanese Virtual Console.The DS has some experience with the genre: Chunsoft is working on their second Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, and Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja is similar in gameplay. So if you've played those, you have an idea of what to expect. If you like random dungeons, unknown items, and permanent character death (and, really, who doesn't love permanent death), you'll probably enjoy Shiren the Wanderer. If you're a normal person, you'll probably cry a lot. Still not sure? Check out this exhaustive two-part writeup of the SNES version![Via NeoGAF]
Stay away from the Mystery Dungeon if you value your humanity
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon featured the story of a human who gets transformed into a Pokemon and ends up exploring a big dungeon with a team of Pokemon. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 features the story of a human who gets transformed into a Pokemon and enters the fast-paced world of fashion design. Or does the human explore a big dungeon? We always get the two mixed up. Now that we think about it, it's definitely the dungeon one.We're willing to accept that an entire society is built around the concept of capturing animals and making them fight. We're okay with the idea of technologically rendering said animals pocket-sized for convenience. But this? Preposterous.
Rescue Pokemon at a discount price
If you're desperate to join the Pokemon playing masses, but don't have enough cash to spend on luxury items like Diamond and Pearl releases, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team might be more suited to your budget. Amazon has a one-day deal for the game, offering new copies of the dungeon crawler at a sale price of $16.99. Though this title strays from the usual Pokemon formula, fans of roguelikes will have a lot of fun with it. That Piplup punk can take a hike anyway! Squirtle for life![Via CAG]See also: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 in the works
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 in the works
A sequel to last year's Pokémon-infused roguelike, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, was announced in the latest issue of Famitsu. The original was received with mixed reviews, but fans of the dungeon-crawling formula welcomed the game with open arms. Both versions (Blue Rescue Team for the DS, Red Rescue Team for the GBA) sold well enough in the states, so we can probably expect to see this follow-up translated for English audiences eventually.Not much else was revealed about Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 2, except that WiFi support is planned. An "enhanced" story and changed format were mentioned, but neither were discussed in detail. The premise for the first game was a bit goofy, featuring a human character transformed into a Pokémon, but it was enjoyable enough to make us hope for a similar scenario with this sequel.[Via NeoGAF]
