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Take a trip to the Dungeon of Windaria
After getting wind (yes, we know) of Dungeon of Windaria, we were intrigued. Maybe because we like the visual style we were presented with, or perhaps its our unnatural love for the act of crawling about in dungeons and killing countless enemies. Whatever it is, this new video isn't helping.Unlock most Japanese teaser trailers, this one is longer than 10 seconds. The rub is that about half the trailer won't be understandable to any of you who cannot read Japanese. Still though, nestled deep within is some tasty gameplay footage. We know how you all like that!
DS Daily: Mystery Genre
Roguelikes, specifically the Mystery Dungeon variety of the kind made by Chunsoft (and roguelikes made in the style of Chunsoft's Mystery Dungeon game), are booming. The list currently includes three DS Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, two Izunas, Shiren the Wanderer, Tao's Adventure, and homebrew games including Powder and Nethack. That's a lot of random dungeons.Roguelikes are a very strange genre: death as an essential part of gameplay, and extreme difficulty in general, are unusual for the DS, and things like random dungeons seem archaic at first. If you've gotten into one of these, were you always a Mystery Dungeon fan? Or did the explosion of Mystery Dungeon games on the DS get you interested?
European dates for Etrian Odyssey, LOL, Pokemon Explorers
News of a European release date for Super Smash Bros. Brawl has dominated coverage of Nintendo's latest European release schedule, but there are a number of tasty morsels on the list for DS owners.For a start, the continent will finally be getting Atlus roguelike Etrian Odyssey, and it's about time -- lest we forget, the title made its U.S. debut last May! Notably, there are also dates (of varying specificity) for Race Driver: GRID (May), the new Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games (July 4th), New International Track & Field (Q2 2008), and Cooking Guide: Can't Decide What to Eat? (June), the European version of Cooking Navi. "ArchimDS" appears on the list as well, though we presume this refers to LOL, or Bakushow as it'll be known in Euroland.Add all of those to this morning's Final Fantasy IV announcement, and Europe has quite the line-up of games to look forward to. Check past the break for the full list!
Promotional Consideration: Fushigi no Commercials
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out. In advance of this coming week's Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 releases, Nintendo has commissioned two commercials to herald the dungeon crawlers, one for each edition, Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness. Once again, this sequel adopts Chunsoft's Fushigi no Dungeon (Mystery Dungeon) design to allow gamers to play as a Pokemon. It's a solid set of titles, by most reports, but many genre veterans consider them inferior to games like The Nightmare of Druaga and Shiren the Wanderer. Nevertheless, kids are crazy for the Pokemon branding, and the original GBA/DS Pokemon Mystery Dungeon releases went on to sell over 5.5 million copies worldwide. And that's why we now have a major publisher supporting an extremely niche genre with two separate commercials.
Izuna 2: The gallery returns
At least one guy involved with Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns has a steady job: the guy responsible for uploading screenshots. Just one day after the initial announcement and the first delightful bundle of screens, Atlus has already sent us more screens of the ninja roguelike sequel! This time, it's all awesome 2D gameplay.What is up with the DS and roguelikes? We've got Izuna, three Pokémon roguelikes (and the GBA one that also works on the DS), Shiren, Tao's Adventure, and now a second Izuna game. The DS completely wins at having games at which you're likely to lose repeatedly.%Gallery-15250%[Via press release]
Wii Fanboy Review: Baroque
I'll be frank -- when I first started Baroque, I hated it. Being thrown into such a strange and ugly world with the barest of backstories was completely disorienting. I had no idea where to go or what to do, and didn't have the luxury of taking my time to explore because my vitality meter was plummeting from the get-go. One character (known as the Coffin Man) kept yelling "goddamnit!" at me, and when I finally got to the place where I was supposed to be, it wasn't long before I died.If I hadn't been reviewing this game, I probably would have quit right there. But, since it's (clearly) considered bad form to write a review after only twenty minutes of playtime, I trekked on -- and I'm extremely glad that I did. Once I delved deeper into the world of Baroque, I realized that first impressions aren't always the best impressions.Now that you've kindly read through my personal aside, let's move on to the actual review, shall we?%Gallery-11716%
Izuna 2: Jobless again in July
Back in February, when we wrote about our most anticipated titles of the year, we were hoping Izuna and her crew would return, and lo, Atlus has announced the sequel's localization. Rejoice and prepare to get your ass thoroughly kicked this summer, when Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns shows up for a second round of punishing-yet-hilarious roguelike action.While the first game was a solid offering, the second purportedly packs more action, more content, and more challenges -- but also offers up the buddy system to help you through the pain. Don't expect that to ratchet down the difficulty, however; import impressions indicate that Izuna's return is a much bigger experience, and very much worth the wait. Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns slides into an already-tight summer schedule July 22.%Gallery-15250%
Europe gets Baroque
We're impressed with Rising Star, who have been bringing a lot of niche games to Europe. The most recent one on the publisher's list is Baroque, which will be hitting the continent on June 27th. We're sure that Rising Star is hoping that the game will sell decently, but after seeing how it was received in Japan, the company might be a little worried. Of course, it can't do any worse than that ... can it?In any case, we're sure that at least some of you folks in Europe will be glad to get the chance to play Sting's hardcore roguelike on your Wiis. Gallery: Baroque [Via press release]
New screenshots, Koppa stand preorders for Shiren 3
Ever the pessimists, we're having a hard time convincing ourselves that Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 3 will ever make it stateside. Yes, we thought the same about the Shiren game that just hit the DS when localization rumors materialized, but we doubt that sales for the niche title impressed Sega, compelling the publisher into adding the Wii sequel to its North America release schedule.So, until monkeys fly out our butt someone announces a localization deal for Shiren 3, the only way you'll play this revamp of the revered roguelike is an expensive import -- provided that it's compatible with Freeloader. If you're shelling out the big bucks, why not grab the Koppa Wii remote stand, too? NCSX has the stands available to gamers who put down their $65 (plus shipping and handling) for an early preorder. Though Shiren 3 isn't due until June 5th, the import shop has a limited amount of stands, so reserve soon!Those of you who've played the DS remake of the SNES game -- all four of you -- and aren't sure if Shiren 3's additions are enough to warrant a purchase, make sure you check out the new boss characters in the Famitsu link below!Read - Preorder Furai no Shiren 3 at NCSXRead - New Furai no Shiren 3 screenshots
Shiren the Wanderer 3's Japanese release date, adorable bonus revealed
Back in January, Sega announced a delay for the Japanese version of Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 3, bumping the title back from February into June. Today, Sega announced the official release date, confirming that it (probably) won't be bumped further: June 5th. We're inclined to think that Sega delayed Shiren until production of the limited preorder bonus was finished, but Chunsoft was probably working on the game or something. The two events do happen to coincide, however: along with the release date announcement, Sega sent out a real picture of the Koppa Wii remote stand, which we want almost enough to import the game.
Rumor: Chocobo's Dungeon to be open to American adventurers
We love Gamefly. We hear they're okay for sending games to people, which is great. But more importantly, they love to reveal unannounced games to us. Case in point: their "Coming Soon" page includes a listing for Final Fantasy: Chocobo Dungeon. We've long suspected that Square Enix would decide to localize their adorable roguelike, Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon: Toki-Wasure no Meikyuu. There's really no reason not to believe Gamefly on this one. It's currently marked for a July 3rd release date on the website.Also found on the "Coming Soon" page: oddities! Like Space Chimps! Well, that's not really that odd, since there's a CG movie coming out by the same name. Anything called Space Chimps qualifies as odd by default, though, we think. But much more unequivocally odd is Guinness Book of World Records ... the game! Look forward to that this October, according to Gamefly.
Mystery Dungeon solved with Pokemon preorder
As excited as we always are when it comes to free stuff, we're ten times more thrilled with this excuse to reuse our Unsolved Dungeon Mysteries image. What better way to introduce a paranomal Pokémon preorder? To promote the April 20th release of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness, Nintendo is offering a free strategy book to anyone who reserves either edition of the roguelike. The Explorer's Guide will contain game tips, interviews, and an original manga from Ken Sugimori, likely similar to (if not the same as) Ginji's Rescue Team. For the uninitiated, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, like Shiren the Wanderer, are all entries in Chunsoft's Fushigi no Dungeon series. Catering to the license's audience, Explorers will be significantly less difficult and punishing than its peers. Having a strategy guide on hand should increase your survivability chances even more! If you're looking to ease yourself into the dungeon-crawl genre, this is the game you'll want to try out. [Via press release]
Metareview: Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer
Blame Shiren the Wanderer's old-school presentation and difficulty for its inconsistent scores -- some critics were able to overlook Shiren's frustrations in favor of its refined mechanics while others found the roguelike remake much too challenging and full of anachronistic elements. 1UP -- 83% (B+): Though Jeremy Parish saw Shiren as a humbling experience, he praised its rewarding depth: "The secret of victory in Shiren isn't brute force but rather a deep understanding of the game's possibilities ... The amount of depth to be extracted from the interaction possible among tools, foes, and random factors makes for one of the deepest portable RPGs you'll ever play."IGN -- 65%: IGN seems to miss the point of the game's randomized dungeons among other features: "Far too often the dungeon's exit would appear in the same room we started, thus negating any need to explore that floor, unless we wanted some items that may or may not be there. It doesn't seem like it'd be hard to program the exit to not be in the room Shiren starts in ..." This is intentional, forcing adventurers to choose whether advancing to the next floor without risk is worth skipping potential treasures and experience points.GameSpy -- 70%: GameSpy recognizes the roguelike's appeal while simultaneously noting the harsh limit of that appeal: "Shiren the Wanderer offers a lot of quality gameplay to a very small audience. What it does, it does very well. We're sure there's a small audience that will adore the game. We're also sure the majority of today's gamers will find it nasty, plodding, and archaic."Our opinion of Shiren the Wanderer? Let's just say that we've barely put any hours into Super Smash Bros Brawl because of our quest to reach the Lair of the Golden Condor.%Gallery-11488%See also: DS Fanboy interview: Shiren the Wanderer
Shiren the Wallpapers
Despite the endless praise Shiren the Wanderer's fans have for the new DS remake, you need only look to the nearest gaming forum to find examples of curious gamers immediately turned off by Shiren's US/EU boxart. Of all the marvelous concept art Sega of America had at its disposal, this is what the publisher decided on?In a post at Jeremy Parish's (of 1UP fame) blog holding roguelikes up as "the quintessential desert-island-game genre," commenter Emilio shared a link to wallpapers fashioned from that official artwork, and, as you can see in the cropped shot above, they are divine.You can grab 1024x768 and 1280x1024 versions by loading up the official Japanese site and selecting the fourth option in the top-right menu scroll. Or you can just page through the wallpapers in our gallery! Make sure to view them in "Hi Res" for maximum effect.%Gallery-11488%See also: 2008's Biggest Blips: Shiren the Wanderer[Via Toastyfrog]
DS Fanboy interview: Shiren the Wanderer
With Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer shipping out to stores tomorrow (March 31st for Europe), we called up Sega of America to chat with producer Keith Dwyer about the roguelike. We spent a good half-hour exchanging thoughts on the genre's appeal and the game's pitiless difficulty before we both wondered out loud, "Wouldn't it be cool if we posted our conversation on DS Fanboy?"Rather than spend the rest of our lives asking ourselves what might have been, we decided to post the Q & A session for you to enjoy, dear reader. After all, this will be the first time the Shiren series sees an official release outside of Japan, and the game is considered by many to be the finest console roguelike in existence, putting all other challengers and clones to shame. Pack a rice ball in your lunch box and venture past the break for our Shiren the Wanderer interview!%Gallery-11488%
Shiren picks up some companions
We've spent a lot of time talking about Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer and the incredible depth of the game (and our love for it). Not sure you believe us? Still on the fence? There's a new trailer available that shows off some of the game's quirks -- and interesting characters -- to their best advantage. Unfortunately, Butafooter is not included, but there is a little lost girl ready to tug at your heartstrings. Surely you can't resist her.See also: 2008's Biggest Blips: Shiren the Wanderer%Gallery-11488%
Sega Asks: Shiren the Wanderer
Promoting next week's release of Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer, Sega has sent out a transcript from a roundtable discussion with the roguelike's development team at Chunsoft. The group goes into detail on specific changes from the original Super Famicom game, differences in difficulty with other games in the Mystery Dungeon series, and Shiren the Wanderer's new Wi-Fi rescue mode.Though it's a very informative conversation on the production and peculiarities of the game, it's also a very lengthy session, so make sure to grab a snack before you jump past the post break for the interview.%Gallery-11488%
Shiren side quests and screenshots
There's a lot more depth to Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer than just traveling through and subsequently dying in its treacherous dungeons. As with its unique monsters, Chunsoft's roguelike offers an interesting variety of companions and side quests to add some spice to your journey.We've posted a new batch of screenshots of Shiren and his talking weasel, Koppa, chatting it up with the locals and getting all up in everyone's business in our gallery below. Apparently, there's a guy named Butafooter running a bungee jumping business on a bridge. That doesn't sound too safe. Also, what kind of name is Butafooter?! Who would name their kid that?! He must have had a hard life, growing up.%Gallery-11488%See also: 2008's Biggest Blips: Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer
In case you've forgotten anything: Chocobo's Dungeon preview
Gametrailers has posted a surprisingly comprehensive preview of Square Enix's new roguelike-lite, Chocobo's Dungeon: Toki-Wasure no Meikyuu (Dungeon of Forgotten Time). It does a good job of introducing the basics of the turn-based system, the methods of upgrading your character, and, of course, the storyline.We were amused by the major fakeout involved in the story: Chocobo and a treasure hunter named Cid head to a big tower, which we think is going to be the basis for the game, like The Tower of Druaga or something. They've got this perfectly serviceable roguelike setting, a tower made up of many floors, full of treasure, and then -- nope! The tower gets hit with some kind of beam that sends Chocobo and Cid into a vortex, landing them in the Land of Forgotten Time. Okay, we thought, so they'll explore this land, then, like Shiren the Wanderer.Then a space-baby shows up and lets Chocobo go into people's minds to recover their memories. And those are the dungeons.
Shiren 3 packed with online features
Chunsoft is adding a suite of online features to the newest entry of its revered roguelike series, further distinguishing Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 3 as more than just "a 3D remake of the original SNES game." Topping the list of online additions is a new versus mode in which you can take a break from having monsters, traps, and other common dungeon hazards kill you -- instead, you can die at the hands of other wandering Shirens.Like the rescue feature introduced in Shiren the Wanderer DS, you can resurrect your friends who've died during their dungeon travels (they can resurrect you, too!) in Shiren 3. Also, online leaderboards and a pot-trading system will be implemented in the Wii version, putting that Nintendo WiFi connection to good use. All that's left to ask for is a US release from Sega!
