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Crafter offers Haggle Man buttons for Retro Game Challenge purchases

by Griffin McElroy { Jun 28th 2009 at 9:00PM }

We've humbly requested that our readership purchase a certain title to ensure the development of a sequel many times before (picked up your required 15 copies of Gitaroo Man yet?), but rarely does our fervor for a video game series build to a level that inspires us to offer actual, tangible rewards for your compliance.

We suppose we've never loved a game as much as craftwise classic gaming fan Benjamin loves Retro Game Challenge -- he's offering a cross-stitched Ninja Robot Haggle Man button to anyone who purchases a new copy of the game. Just send in your receipt, and he'll pay the shipping. As he sees it, its his only way to get XSEED to localize Retro Game Challenge 2 -- we usually just send developers large sacks of money to accomplish such a goal, but we realize that's not always possible for -- ahem -- blue collar types. Good luck, Ben!

[Thanks, Michael!]

Retro Game Challenge 2 localization unlikely

by JC Fletcher { May 4th 2009 at 12:30PM }

Are you ready to be depressed? We were having a perfectly good morning until we came across this RPGamer interview with XSEED's Ken Berry. After some discussion of Little King's Story and the loss of Muramasa (a result of financial troubles), the interview turns to Retro Game Challenge 2 (Game Center CX 2), the one thing we've wanted most from XSEED since, well, the release of Retro Game Challenge.

"We're getting by, but not doing as well as we'd like," Berry said about the sales of the first game. "Retro Game Challenge started off well but still hasn't gotten to the point where we can justify bringing over the sequel. It's amazing how many people write to thank us for publishing that game, so perhaps as those enthusiast fans continue to spread the word we will get to where we need to be eventually."

With the addition of things like alternate-console versions of Retro Game Challenge games, 16-bit games, and even simulated Game Boy games, Game Center CX 2 looked like it could be even better than the first one, which was already one of our favorite games of 2009. And since RGC2 includes an RPG and two graphical text adventures, it's not exactly the most import-friendly thing.

In more positive news, XSEED plans to announce an "enhanced remake of a classic PSone RPG" soon for North America!

Retro Game Challenge references the modern gaming world

by JC Fletcher { Feb 13th 2009 at 3:00PM }

We're pleased to see people around the internet playing the wonderful Retro Game Challenge and sharing their experiences with the not-actually-old games found in the collection. One of the most unexpectedly enjoyable parts of the game is conversing with the young version of the maniacal Arino (Game Center CX host Shinya Arino), who represents a startlingly authentic young gamer of the '80s -- sitting with him is eerily reminiscent of our own NES experiences with friends.

But Arino's dialogue isn't entirely authentic -- a few anachronisms slip through, like The Wizard references made years before the movie actually came out. The screen above shows one such anachronism, seemingly a commentary on the current state of third-party games on Nintendo systems. We didn't hear the term "shovelware" until the early CD-ROM era, when it was used to describe a disc crammed full of old games -- ironically, precisely what Retro Game Challenge would be, were it not composed entirely of new games.

Despite the use of the term "shovelware," Arino isn't even complaining! He concludes that even the most boring games can be enjoyable.

Gallery: Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge

Joystiq Review: Retro Game Challenge

by Justin McElroy { Feb 11th 2009 at 2:10PM }

Adult gamers, I think, often get a bum rap as modern-day Peter Pans, using their hobby to try to cling to their youth. We all know better, of course. We know that interactive entertainment has gone far beyond its heritage as a toy to become its very own, often very mature type of media. But know this: When you pick up a copy of Retro Game Challenge on the DS, vicarious childhood is exactly what you're signing up for.

Gallery: Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge

Continued →

Game Center CX 2: New screens of new old games

by JC Fletcher { Feb 2nd 2009 at 11:15AM }

Retro Game Challenge comes out in North America next week, but Japan is already one game ahead of us -- the sequel, Game Center CX: Arino no Chousenjou 2, comes out there on the 26th. Famitsu has screenshots of two brand-new games in the sequel, and four ... kind of new games.

Guadia Quest Saga is a sequel to the original game's Dragon Quest-like RPG, released late-ish in the (fake) Famicom's lifetime, in 1991. GunDuel, the sequel to StarPrince, is a vertical shmup with much more detailed backgrounds.

Four "rare" games are only available in the (in-game) game shop, presumably because your character can't afford to buy them! Cosmic Gate: MASA-X version is a port of the first game's Galaxian-like shooter, made in the style of MSX computer games. Rally King EX is a special "time trial" version of the original's racer, and StarPrince SA is a special version of StarPrince in which players have just a few minutes to accrue a high score. Perhaps weirdest of all is Karakuri Ninja Haguruman: Koume Version, which was (in the alternate universe of the game) a special release of Haguruman with the hero sprite swapped out for his sister Koume, given to members of that character's fan club!

DS Daily: Holiday rush, continued

by JC Fletcher { Jan 5th 2009 at 9:00AM }

Elebits. Moon. Big Bang Mini. Retro Game Challenge. Personal Trainer: Math (like it or not, it's a first-party release, and thus high-profile-ish!). The Chase: Felix Meets Felicity. Legacy of Ys. My World, My Way. Magician's Quest. Fire Emblem. Dragon Quest V. Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. Avalon Code. Blue Dragon Plus.

We just went through Gamestop.com and culled genuinely interesting games coming out in January or February in North America. The list above represents a hasty gathering of quality games coming out in just these two months. Isn't the schedule supposed to slow down after the holidays?

We kind of don't have a real direction for today's discussion topic, only general marveling about the next two months on DS. Even if some of this stuff gets delayed, the DS still has a lineup in January or February to rival or beat most fall/holiday lineups. Who plans to buy more in these two months than they did in late 2008? Who else is really, really overwhelmed?

Doors to official Retro Game Challenge site creak open

by Chris Greenhough { Dec 23rd 2008 at 5:30PM }

Retro Game Challenge's official site recently opened to the public, with a design that is particularly righteous, to use appropriately '80s parlance.

By using the on-screen TV remote to navigate the site, you'll be able to view the above trailer, read a synopsis of the utterly daft story, and browse screens of (some of) the games you'll have to beat to overcome the creepy Game Master Arino: games like Cosmic Gate, Guadia Quest: Feast of the Mad King, Rally King, and the very awesome-looking Star Prince. Feel free to peruse the 30 new English language shots in our gallery.

Oh yes, and there are wallpapers. Very, very rad wallpapers. Wallpapers that are so unlimited in their supreme radness that they have totally replaced our self-made Josh Groban tribute background -- at least until tomorrow.

Gallery: Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Pokemon Platinum, Fire Emblem, tons more Q1 releases officially dated!

by JC Fletcher { Dec 17th 2008 at 10:30AM }

Nintendo has graced us with their customary infodump of the next quarter's DS and Wii releases, and by far the biggest news in terms of guaranteed sales: Pokémon Platinum has finally been officially confirmed for North America (not that there was ever a speck of doubt), and it's indeed coming March 22. Statistically speaking, you will probably purchase it. Also in first-party news, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon hits February 16, a bit earlier than Circuit City predicted. Personal Trainer: Math will be Nintendo's first DS release of the year on January 12.

In third-party news, we're thrilled to see a January 6 release date for Retro Game Challenge -- except that according to the list, it'll be competing with Big Bang Mini. Atlus's My World, My Way is on its way February 3, with Legacy of Ys following on the 10th, and Trackmania on March 17.

GTA Chinatown Wars has yet to be dated in this release, but we know it's March 17. And Monster Band from DreamCatcher: could it be Music Monstars? Is that just for us?

Check the post break for the full list!

Gallery: Pokemon Platinum

Continued →

The games central to Game Center CX 2

by JC Fletcher { Nov 20th 2008 at 11:00AM }

The latest issue of Famitsu features images of the new games found in Game Center CX: Arino no Chousenjou 2, the sequel to Retro Game Challenge. Like the first game, Game Center CX 2 is a collection of individual challenges regarding specific goals in made-up retrogames.

The new games include Triotos, a falling-block puzzle game made to look Game Boy-esque; Mutekiken Kung Fu, a scrolling martial arts action game in the style of Karateka; Wiz-Man, a Pac-Man style maze game starring a ghost wizard thing; Kacho wa Meitantei (The Chief is a Great Detective), a graphical text adventure; and Demon Returns, a cute platformer starring the little demon seen above.

Weirdest of all is Kugure! Girijan MAX, a fictional handheld "game training tool" that seems to teach platforming skills. Hit the link for 1up's description of each game!

[Image via Wii Everyday]

Get zapped into the '80s with Retro Game Challenge

by JC Fletcher { Nov 19th 2008 at 11:00AM }

A collection of original Famicom-style games on the DS doesn't need a story to be awesome, but Retro Game Challenge has one, and it is wonderfully amusing. The embodiment of Game Center CX star Shinya Arino's gaming frustration becomes personified inside his DS and sends you, as a potential challenger, into the past to play old games with his childhood self.

Of course, in this version, he's just some guy named Arino who gets upset with games. It still works, kind of. 1UP's preview goes into the localization in more detail, including the use of Western game journalism in-jokes in the fake GameFan Magazine found in-game. More videos of the localized Retro Game Challenge, including a readthrough of a GameFan issue, follow the post break.

Gallery: Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge

Continued →

DS Daily: Arino's Challenge

by JC Fletcher { Sep 27th 2008 at 10:35AM }

Retro Game Challenge is a collection of small games designed to imitate both the look and the gameplay style of classic early-era NES games. That's pretty risky in and of itself, but not unsellable. However, it's also a game based on a show that isn't available in the US, starring a comedian that nobody has heard of.

You know our stance on Retro Game Challenge (100% awesome), but what about people who aren't us? Is a game built around a (for all intents and purposes) nonexistent license going to work? Will people be confused by the Arino character? Or are there enough nerds out there who know all about Game Center CX that it doesn't matter?

Gallery: Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge

Retro Game Challenge keeps the spirit of the original

by JC Fletcher { Sep 26th 2008 at 12:23PM }

Finally, 1UP provides us with our first look at Retro Game Challenge, the English-language version of Game Center CX: Arino no Chousenjou. When XSEED showed the newly-announced US version of the game at E3, they simply used retail Japanese cartridges in the demo units. We asked the XSEED rep at the time how they planned to approach localization, but they weren't talking yet.

The good news is that not much has changed, other than the words being in English. The young Shinya Arino character is still Arino, and the Famicom on the floor still looks like a Famicom. We can see from a very quick flash of the menu that the magazines are still there; we were a bit worried that they would be left out.

[Via Ray Barnholt's 1UP blog]

E308: DS Fanboy's E3 Endgame Evaluation

by Alisha Karabinus { Jul 19th 2008 at 11:10PM }

In its second year as a diminished behemoth, E3 still manages to be packed full with news, media, and more. While there wasn't much from Nintendo themselves for the DS this year, third parties are still incredibly strong and we're faced with more games than we can possibly handle. We're also pretty sure we saw almost all of them at E3 this year. Relive the entire experience right from the convenience of this post!

Check out our choices for show highlights right here, or hit the break for the full rundown of our E3 coverage. Of course, we're still adding things, and will be over the next few days; keep up by clicking the E3 graphic in the sidebar.

GTA: Chinatown Wars shooting up the DS in winter!		Transfer data from Animal Crossing: Wild World to new Wii game
Highlights from Nintendo's keynote		Rhythm Heaven bumped by Cammie Dunaway's wrist
Konami booth tour		DS Fanboy reacts to the Nintendo keynote
Three DS news items you may have missed		Chrono Trigger's controls explained (and hands-on)
DS Fanboy enters the Retro Game Challenge		Rhythm Heaven is the best musical microgame collection at the show

Continued →

E308: DS Fanboy enters the Retro Game Challenge

by David Hinkle { Jul 17th 2008 at 2:15PM }

Holy crap is this the most awesome DS game! Seriously, when JC was talking up the title, I trusted the man's judgment, but he couldn't possibly prepare me for how utterly great the DS game is. And when I met up with the folks at Marvelous here at E3 to try out their titles, I had no idea that they were going to have to physically pull me away from Retro Game Challenge.

Lucky for me, I have a good grip. So I get plenty of play time with what is sure to be one of my favorite DS games this year.

Gallery: Game Center CX: Arino's Challenge

Continued →

Three DS news items you might have missed

by Eric Caoili { Jul 16th 2008 at 8:45AM }

With several major press conferences yesterday and a deluge of media assets, it's easy to miss all the smaller news items that popped up. We've rounded up three of them for you so that they won't be completely forgotten!

1. Retro Game Challenge logo! Yep, there it is, right above our post. It doesn't look too different from the Retro Game Master DVD logo, but we'll find any excuse to talk about this wonderful, nostalgic title. In fact, keep an eye out for our hands-on impressions from the E3! For now, you can check out five new screenshots in our gallery below or have a look at the Retro Game Challenge sell sheet past the post break.

2. Zoo Games is working on a Puzzle Quest clone? Any time we see the words "puzzle" juxtaposed with images of fantasy-type warriors, as was the case with Puzzle Kingdoms, our minds immediately go to last year's surprise hit, Puzzle Quest. Though developer Infinite Interactive already has two official Puzzle Quest clones in the works, the hybridization of RPGs and puzzle games are addictive enough that we don't mind seeing knock-offs. We hope to see more than just three pieces of character art for Puzzle Kingdoms soon!

3. Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades coming out less than six months after Guitar Hero: On Tour? Alright, so you might have heard that Vicarious Visions is preparing a Guitar Hero DS sequel for the holiday season, but if you stop for a minute and think about it, you'll realize that the original game came out only three weeks ago! That's a shorter gap than the time in between Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero: Aerosmith's releases (8 months) for consoles!