『 Spring / Summer Cleaning 』

The time has come. The sky is clear, the temperature is up and it's time to wash those windows, clean that house and get ready for the summer. Since I got some free times on my hands I got the window cleaning part out of the way yesterday. And what do you clean the windows with? Some proper chemicals and a hammer, of course [It's in the photo. Don't ask]


First BBQ party of the year is already behind us and I'm looking forward to the next ones, hoping they will be plenty. There's nothing like the great outdoors [just outside the door, on the porch is fine], friends, booze and food. If that's not what summers are all about I don't know what is.


Note to self: Make sure the supplies aren't running low when you have people over. BBQ is all about food and drinks baby! The photo is showing my friend's stash and you can tell he is well prepared for any eventuality. We didn't overdo it that night though. There is some left.

『 バーチャファイター5 X360 Rev.C 』

Virtua Fighter 5 has been out for ages on arcades, aswell as on both current generation hi def platforms. So far I've been faithfull to the arcade machine, playing the PlayStation 3 port ocasionally, but finally I got the X360 version and I'm not dissapointed.



As all of you Virtua Fighter playing gamers know, arcade titles often get updates, tweaks and some finishing touches. Just like first Virtua Fighter game got a remixed and textured version for the ST-V, Virtua Fighter 2 got the 2.1 revision, Virtua Fighter 3 was upgraded to Team Battle and Virtua Fighter 4 got both Evolution and Final Tuned, Virtua Fighter 5 is pushing the updates like crazy. The arcade version has reached revision D and a bigger update in a form of Virtua Fighter 5 R is on the horizon. But what does it have to do with the Xbox 360 version of the game? Let me tell you.



While you're playing the latest version D in the arcades [at least in Japan], the PlayStation 3 port was based on version B. B was the second revision of the original arcade release, with little to none changes. The Xbox 360 version however, is based on version C and that's where this port shines. Not only there's alot more customization, but the computer A.I. has been greatly improved. Not to mention Xbox 360 is the only one to get the online play mode thus far. The Xbox 360 version also supports memory card saving and has some major upgrades made to the Dojo mode.



I guess the only real problem with the X360 version is a lack of a real hi end arcade stick. Hori products are fine, but they're far from the real arcade stick quality. This can be solved by building your own or settling for the lesser quality. Aswell as most of the 360 games, Virtua Fighter 5 got some downloadable upgrades which were mostly additional customization items and a possibility of saving replays from online fights.


If you don't own Virtua Fighter 5 yet, Xbox 360 version is the obvious choice, if only for the online mode. Unless you have a bunch of friends playing the game all the time and you have some real pros to play with. Now all we have to do is wait and see if Vitua Fighter 5 R gets a PlayStation 3 release fully stocked and with online mode.

『 Sam & Max: Surfin' the Highway 』

Finally, after months and months of waiting, the hardcover signed edition of Sam & Max: Surfin' the Highway is heading for print. The regular edition has been out for a while and I was getting quite unpatient. Today however, I have recieved an email from Telltale explaining, that everything is fine and that the book should be out soon.

Steve Purcell has been signing 2500 special plates that will be placed on the first page of the hardcover edition, and I've already stated that I won't settle for anything less that numbers 1 - 20, or a nice even number like 100, 1000 or the last book to be signed, 2500. Let's keep those fingers crossed and hope I won't get a crappy 714 or some equally crappy number.

『 デジモンアドベンチャー02 ディーワンテイマーズ 』

If anyone says Digimon stuff is for kids, well, they're probably right for the most part. But that does not mean you can't enjoy a decent game based in the Digimon world. I bought this one recently, took it for a quick spin and what do you know, it's not half bad.


"Digimon Adventure 02: D1 Tamers" generally follows the story of the second season of the animated series. All starts with Ryo being transported to the Digital World to participate in D1 Tournament. The main objective is to defeat Moon=Millenniummon and that's pretty much it, to make a long story short.


The game plays like you'd expect it to play. It follows the standard Digimon adventure game scheme established by the previous title, so don't expect any "wow" moments. D1 Tamers is your standard variety Digimon / Pokemon / Tamagotchi adventure mix.


What's new, and quite neat in fact, is that the developers have somehow managed to equip this title with some awsome connectivity features. D1 is one of very few titles to support such wide variety of connectivity and data exchange options.


The title supports a standard link cable, a WonderWave wireless link connection, an internet connection through WonderGate [a dongle allowing you to connect your WonderSwan to the internet via a mobile phone in NTT DoCoMo network] and allows you to link WonderSwan with a couple of Digimon handheld devices, such as D-Terminal or Digimon Analyzer. The game supposedly features some kind of connectivity with Sony's PocketStation, but sadly the manual doesn't explain it.


This pretty much proves that Digimon is all about swapping and playing with your friends, and that's where the real fun is. It's pretty amazing when you think about it. WonderSwan came out before GameBoy Advance did, and it already had internet connectivity. For this kind of feat people outside Japan had to wait for DS and PSP.


The game features about 230 digimons, but we'll have to take Bandai's word for it, as I'm not in a real hurry to verify that. One is certain. You'll have plenty to do while playing this game and you will get your moneys worth.


Is it a game for everyone? Not really. First of all, it's in japanese, but then again all WonderSwan titles are. As it is an adventure game, without knowing what's being said, you won't know what to do and you'll get stuck pretty quickly.


If you're familiar with the language, you still have to think if you're willing to spend hours and hours gathering monsters. That, plus the fact that WonderGate service has been down for years and you probably won't fine anyone to connect with via link don't make it an attractive purchase. Still, If you like Digimon and you own a WonderSwan, why not.

『 THE お姉チャンポン～THE姉チャン２特別編～ 』

Ah, The OneeChanbara. What's more appealing than half naked, computer generated women, with big katana swords, slashing through the hordes of undead, half-dead and zombiefied foes? Nothing. OneeChanbara is just one of these series that you have to get to know before you can really appriciate how much fun it actually is. But let's start from the beginning.


The OneeChanbara is a series of hack and slash titles developed by Tamsoft Corporation [株式会社タムソフト] for D3, a publisher responsible for the Simple 2000 idea. "Simple" is a series of budget priced titles developed mostly by smaller companies for various platforms including PlayStation [Simple 1500], PlayStation 2 [Simple 2000] and Simple Wii.


"Simple" titles do not have the same production values as big, commercial titles, but they can be enjoyable nonetheless. One could say that the Simple series is the equivalent of Xbox Live Arcade or Wii Ware, offering titles developed by smaller companies, for reasonable cash. But back on the subject of The OneeChanbara ...


The developer behind The OneeChanbara is the previously mentioned Tamsoft. If the name doesn't ring a bell, try thinking of Battle Arena Toshinden or Choro Q. That's right. The guys didn't make it on the big market, so they decided to conquer the budget price world and to a degree, they succeeded.


Before I stant telling you about the gameplay, I'll explain the title. The OneeChanbara is actually a wordplay, combining two words: oneechan [older sister] and chanbara [sword fighting, a term commonly used to describe samurai themed movies]. So there it is. Sword fighting older sister. Different parts of the series can have slightly different titles and they usually are a pun of some kind aswell. The game you can see on the photos for example, The OneeChanpon: The Oneechan 2 Tokubetsuhen. Chanpon is a noodle dish originating from Korea consisting of fried pork, seaweed, vegetables and chicken soup as a base. The name itself means "a mix".


OneeChanbara games are often compared to Devil May Cry, and while both games are a hack and slash type titles, the way our character is controlled is completly different in Tamsoft's title. Controls are a bit crude, but there's not that much to complain about and all the flaws of the camera and steering are compensated by the auto aim funtion.


The game mechanics are simple. You can slash, you can kick and you can jump. While you're killing off your enemies, your sword starts dripping of blood, your attacks become slower and if the sword is too dirty, it will get stuck in the bodies of your enemies. You can easily clean it by shaking off the blood and that's pretty much it. You level, you have special moves, but the moves you'll be using will be short sword and kick combos.


The only upgrades that can be made to your character and that are worth mentioning are the costumes. You have to dress your babes for killing and you can dress them pretty nicely too. You can tell that most of the processing power is poured into how the main character looks.


If you think only Tecmo can make a game full of bouncy breasts and violence, think again. The OneeChanbara series is the number one with a bullet when it comes to babes and gore. There are six games out [seven, if you count the mobile phone title, but you can't get it aoutside of Japan, and without a phone registered with a japanese network] and I'll be reviewing them shortly, so be on the lookout and pick up this title now.