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Doki Doki Majo Shinpan in-store advertising
By way of Senaka Blog, we're shown several different in-store advertisements for everyone's favorite upcoming grope-fest Doki Doki Majo Shinpan. The in-store advertisements, which feature a television running a trailer for the game and several posters showing ... well, you know what they're showing! We all know what they're showing.%Gallery-3277%[Via Go Nintendo]
Doki Majo ads to make shoppers uncomfortable in public
We can't resist posting this gallery of advertisements for our favorite witch-groping game, Doki Doki Majo Shinpan. Like pretty much everything else about the game, these ads show a brazen sexuality that we aren't used to. Sure, American ads have plenty of scantily-dressed women, but they don't have Shift-JIS mascots pointing at those womens' chests and exclaiming "Breasts! Breasts!" We aren't going to turn this into a debate about decency. We just want to enjoy this game and these ads, which display the website's "Are you a bad person?" entry question, on the level of pure hilarity. This game doesn't make us want to discuss society's issues. It makes us want to giggle.
Translate! Ultimate Stars
Jump Ultimate Stars is one of the most popular DS games with importers. Since it's a fighting game, it's not a huge deal to play Jump without knowing Japanese, but there are a lot of missions that may be difficult to figure out. Also, the game actually tries to tell a story, which is rare for a fighting game. Abel Tamayo wrote in to tell us about a wonderful wiki project he's managing, called, appropriately enough, the Jump Ultimate Stars Translation Project. We've seen amazing fan translation projects from single translators, but never a project done in a collaborative wiki format. It's a great idea, one that will allow tragically busy people to help out. If you know Japanese, why not sign up? Translating a fighting game-- that's another rarity. SNK never bothered to do it.
English-speaking gamers can hunt witches, too
At least, we hope that the new English version of the Doki Doki Majo Shinpan site means we might see it in this part of the world sometime in the distant future. Though the site still only lists a Japanese date, there are at least two translated versions -- Chinese and this rough new English site -- so we'll keep our eyes peeled for any signs of a non-Japanese release. [Thanks, Ricardo!]%Gallery-3277%
Massive SNK-themed PS1 update hits the Japanese PSN today
Sony continues to taunt North American and European PS3 owners today by releasing a huge amount of PS1 titles for play on the PSP or PS3. Weighing in at a staggering 13 titles, this batch has a heavy emphasis on fighting games -- especially the King of Fighters series which has three new games alone! Here's the full list:Guilty GearKing of Fighters '95King of Fighters '96King of Fighters '97Little Princess: Maru Oukoku no Ningyou Hime 2Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special: Dominated MindSamurai Spirits: Kenkaku Yubinan PackSeptentrionSpectral Force 2Spectral TowerSuna no Embrace In addition to the huge list of PS1 titles above, Sony is also releasing a free demo of a XI, also known as Devil Dice. Meanwhile, we get Championship Sprint -- joy. For North American and European users desperate for new content, Guilty Gear in particular looks like a nice purchase. It was kind of hard to find back in the day in America and it should be fairly easy to play for those of us not fluent in Japanese. The King of Fighter's games come heavily recommended too ... if only for Mai Shiranui. Double-sided tape FTW![Via PSP Fanboy]
SNK dominates latest PS1 update in Japan
The Japanese PS Store has updated far more frequently than America's. Their selection of downloadable PS1 titles (which still requires a PS3 system) has expanded yet again, with a strong emphasis on SNK's classic fighters:Guilty GearKing of Fighters '95King of Fighters '96King of Fighters '97Little Princess: Maru Oukoku no Ningyou Hime 2Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special: Dominated MindSamurai Spirits: Kenkaku Yubinan PackSeptentrionSpectral Force 2Spectral TowerSuna no EmbraceThere's also a free offering on the Store, a demo of XI, also known as Devil Dice. While Japanese gamers are enjoying frequent updates to the retro catalog, American gamers haven't had anything new since the release of Wipeout in March. Of course, that's far better than the sparse availability of titles for Europeans: zero. Hopefully, with the new PSP store arriving this Fall, we'll have better access to these PlayStation classics.[Via Siliconera]
Tons of Doki Doki Majo Shinpan screens
We've just updated our gallery of screenshots and art from SNK's Doki Doki Majo Shinpan. As is the norm for this game, there's a lot of weird stuff to enjoy.We'd like to point out the character seen here, who is a retro game freak and therefore totally not a witch so leave her alone. Oh, wait ... is that Athena? Hmm. Either she is a witch and she uses awful games as weapons, or she's proudly displaying a copy of Athena and something is terribly wrong with her. In either case, should you encounter this character in the game, just put your DS on the ground and run away from it until you pass out.There's also a boy witch, apparently. Good to know SNK is providing equal opportunity for everyone, regardless of sex or sexual orientation, to be uncomfortable. Gotta grope 'em all!%Gallery-3277%
DS Daily: If only
Sometimes, you pick up a DS game, play it for a while, and think, "Wow, this could easily be the best game ever ... if only it offered an online multiplayer option." Some games just cry out for it. Puzzle Quest is the first that comes to mind, but it's not the only DS game that just seems half-finished without WiFi support. Enedora needs to be able to take her show online. What about SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters? Begging for it. We're happy that Nintendo at least implemented online play with the DS, but we want more. You know how it is -- we're just never satisfied.
The witch hunt goes international
SNK's Doki Doki Majo Shinpan has been doing great business in preorder, and seems to be getting a lot of attention. Now it looks like SNK is responding to this success by marketing the game in ... China! A new translated version of the website has appeared, offering the same content in Chinese. No, it doesn't help us any, but at least they're thinking about some international marketing. That's one baby step closer to an English localization, right? The Japanese page has been updated too, with the screen cleaner shown above (which some Japan-based reader should really think about securing for us) and new screens of the first-person Magic Battle Mode. Apparently, somehow, you can do something to upset the girls. Just touch the "Read" button to determine if it's a witch check out the screens.[Via Canned Dogs]
SNK fixing Card Fighters DS
Luckily for people hoping to get their New Game+ on in SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters DS, SNK is aware of the game-breaking bug. Unfortunately, they'll have to wait more than six weeks to get their hands on a repaired game.SNK president Ben Herman released a statement on SNK Playmore's official message board stating that they have ordered new cartridges from Nintendo, which will take six weeks to receive. At that point, SNK will issue instructions for getting your game switched out for a corrected one. Be patient! Don't return the game to the store yet, because the replacement copy will have the same issue.Anyone out there playing Card Fighters DS? We wonder how many people this issue affects. That's a nice way of saying we wonder how many people bought this game.
Amazon.co.jp shoppers are crazy about witch-hunting
SNK's Doki Doki Majo Shinpan, the already-infamous adventure game about examining young girls for evidence of witchery, seems to have gotten Japanese gamers' hearts beating. The preorder listing for DDMS is now the top-listed video game on Amazon.com's Japan store.It's currently ahead of the Final Fantasy Tactics PSP remake, Vanillaware's rather delicious-looking Odin Sphere, and even Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. We have to admit, we're happy to see SNK experiencing such success, though it's weird that we think of SNK as underdogs now when they used to charge people $300+ for their games.[Via NeoGAF]
SNK vs. Capcom Glitch Fighters DS
SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters DS has already had its share of negative press; now that it's joined the exclusive club of DS games that don't work, things are just going to get worse. The game-breaking glitch happens when, after completing the game, you start a "New Game +" and attempt to talk to a fellow in the Card Tower named Card Battler John. The game freezes and further progress is hindered.Depending on your idea of finishing a game, this could make it impossible to play completely through Card Fighters DS. It definitely renders you unable to get all the cards, which, in a game called Card Fighters that contains both the place name "Card Tower" and the name "Card Battler John," is probably pretty important.
Fan-made project makes Card Fighters awesome again
What's an SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighter fanboy to do? Previews and reviews for the NGPC classic's DS revival haven't been kind, calling out its flawed AI and monotonous story mode. The title's lack of online support is upsetting enough, but it doesn't even allow for download play with local matches, dropping your chances of finding another person to play against to a multiple of zero.ASCIIMATTER's Card Fighter's Project brings the series back to its original mechanics and adds a whole new realm of accessibility that you just can't get from a video game. Dueling with a friend will be as easy as printing out the project's mocked up set of cards and reading the posted rules. Each card is fashioned after its NGPC counterpart, mirroring SvC: Card Fighters' Clash's super deformed artwork. There are still a great deal of cards left to be converted, and ASCIIMATTER predicts that he won't be able to finish all of them until late Summer. Unlike SNK Playmore's DS release, however, we expect the Card Fighter Project's completion to actually be worth the wait.[Via Insert Credit]
We can't resist looking at Ontama again
We knew we were going to blab about Ontama more. Sure, it'll probably turn out to be a mildly interesting game for children, but until we find out for sure we're going to continue on the OMG RHYTHM GAME tack. Here are a few things we learned from watching the video again and from poking around the recently updated website, making full use of our terrible Japanese language skills.Not only does the game involve tapping directions on the D-pad rhythmically while circling blobs on the touch screen, it also involves blowing into the microphone. For something that seems to be for young audiences, it certainly has a lot going on. Also possibly of interest: J-pop fans may (or may not-- we have no idea!) be pleased to hear that Ontama contains music from a group called 80 Pan.And, via Insert Credit, a little background on the developer Noise Factory: they used to be an internal SNK team who developed fighting games for the Neo-Geo. The fact that a fairly hardcore fighting game developer is working on this is another reason to think that quality gameplay might be found in here.
PSP Fanboy review: Metal Slug Anthology
Most people only read reviews to find out if they should buy, try or avoid a particular game. With that in mind, here's that info on Metal Slug Anthology for those who don't want to read a full review. Buy: If you are a Metal Slug fan or enjoy 2D shooters (ex. Contra). Try: If you haven't played Metal Slug or a 2D shooter before, but enjoy action games. Avoid: If you don't like dated graphics, 2D games or shooters.
Another look at Doki Doki Majo Saiban
We've talked at length about SNK's suggestive Doki Doki Majo Saiban before, mostly about the controversy involved in the game. We've discussed the most obvious feature of the game, which is the witch-hunting mode that has players investigating young girls with the touch screen to determine witchery.Well, we'll focus on the other part of the game today. As self-avowed adventure game freaks, we feel that we should focus on that part of Doki Doki Majo Saiban at least once; we've chosen new screenshots to that effect. We are interested in the adventure aspects of the game. We like SNK, and to be honest, if there's real puzzle solving and item collecting to be found, then we'll actually be interested in Doki Doki Majo Saiban. If it's just a matter of walking from location to location trying to find the right girl to talk to, then we aren't as thrilled. The fact that the main character keeps a log is promising, indicating that there is stuff worth keeping track of. We've been surprised by DS games before. Remember the comedy game about murder trials? That turned out okay. If the gameplay's there, we might even be able to see past the questionable content. With a C rating, the game shouldn't be too out of control. There's always the chance, too, that the game is actually satirical and pokes fun at the assumed perv audience. The website supports that theory.
PSP to learn Art of Fighting
VGGEN is reporting that the Art of Fighting Anthology that was originally set for PS2 is also coming to PSP and Wii. This continues this console release combination that has been so popular recently. For those who don't know about the Art of Fighting franchise, it was SNK's 2nd fighting series after Fatal Fury. There were only three Art of Fighting games ever created, but characters from the series did appear in other SNK fighting titles. I am personally more interested in this anthology on PSP since there aren't a wealth of 2D fighters yet on my favorite portable. Will you be picking up Art of Fighting Anthology, or is it too old for your tastes? No release was given for the PSP version of Art of Fighting Anthology. The PS2 version is out in May though, so hopefully we don't have to wait too long. [Via DCEmu]
SNK bringing Art of Fighting Anthology to Wii?
Our network of crow spies have reported to us that the mountain pass is blocked, enemy troops are amassing at our eastern border, and Art of Fighting Anthology for the Wii has been spotted on the ESRB's list of future releases. Eager to learn more about any possible wartime advantages, we've consigned a scout to gather more information on SNK's 2D fighter.The Art of Fighting Anthology collects the entire Neo Geo trilogy of releases (Art of Fighting, Art of Fighting 2, and The Path of the Warrior: Art of Fighting 3). 33-characters strong, the anthology will feature series hallmarks like spirit gauges, desperation attacks, and a graphical-scaling camera system. It hasn't been revealed yet how the Wii's unique controls will be used, but we hope it won't turn out to be a debacle like Metal Slug Anthology's implementation.With hints of a Wii port accompanying Art of Fighting Anthology's PS2 and PSP releases, could this also mean that SNK's Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Volume 1 might have a version for our fair console too? And how long will it be until we see some Neo Geo games like Garou: Mark of the Wolves and Neo Turf Masters on Nintendo's Shopping Channel? Jump past the post break for a showcase of super moves from Art of Fighting 2. [Via Siliconera]
DS releases for the week of April 23rd
As you may have heard, there's some serious Pokémon action this week, and the sheer magnitude of that spotlight has somewhat dwarfed everything else -- but fear not, there are other games for those who aren't Poké-fans. Note that we're not promising they're good ... we're just saying that they are, in fact, games. We're curious how SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters turns out, definitely, since we've heard mixed reports. Classic Action: Devilish Pokemon Diamond Pokemon Pearl SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters DS Check after the jump to see what's out this week in the rest of the world. Japanese-speaking importers, take note: there is some serious hotness releasing in Japan this week, along with 367 other games.
SNK's Ben Herman chats up the VC
Ben Herman, who already let us know that we could expect Neo-Geo games to pop up on the Virtual Console service, came back from his short interview hiatus to discuss SNK and the upcoming support of the Neo-Geo system. While Ben couldn't give us an exact date on when this is all going down, he did manage to cast away our doubts that the company wouldn't stick to a consistent release schedule with its titles, much like we've already seen come from the Virtual Console, promising to provide a steady flow of titles once the floodgate has been opened. Sadly, the games will cost us though, as Ben confirms the price will be a bit higher than the current price tag of SNES titles. As of right now, games for the Neo-Geo system are slated for a worldwide arrival on the Virtual Console service this Summer.
