Winter and New Games

Winter is cold, and winter is depressing. The only thing I really like about winter is that I get to wear sweaters, but that can also be done during the fall, which technically, we are still in, but it doesn't feel like it.
Right now, the weather is disgusting. Last night, while at a friends house for a party, there was a thunderstorm, complete with lightning, thunder, rain and wind. Soon afterwards, the temperature falls to 20-something fahrenheit, and freezes every last drop that fell to the ground earlier.
This morning when I woke up to go home from my friend Angel's house, my car door was completely frozen shut. After I got my car de-iced, and was on my way home, the roads weren't so bad. They were wet, and slick in some spots, but not bad.
That's going to change later tonight, surely.
The electricity at my house keeps going out, making it very difficult to do anything except use my laptop and play hand-held games. It is really frustrating!!!!


This is a picture of the tree in front of my house. It's covered in ice :(

Anyway, this post wouldn't be complete with some updates in my current gaming life, now would it?

First off, my coworker, Josh, gave me a Hanukah gift! It's really cool, something I've been wanting for a long time now, but always put off buying.



A NeoGeo Pocket Color!!!! Cool! Awesome!!!

Wow, Josh is really cool!!! Thanks so much for that Josh!!!

I only have one game right now for it, and that's Gal's Fighter. I think the NeoGeo Pocket Color is going to help me in my game reviews, since there are some decent games on it, but not many people own one, or even know it exists anymore. I remember hearing about it a lot when I was a little bit younger, but never knew where to find one. It's actually a very superior system for it's time!! It's not expensive either, you can pick one up for about $25-30 used, which is about the same price as a GameBoy Advance these days. If you see one you should pick it up!!

Also!!!! I've been playing a different game lately, on the PlayStation 2. It's called GrimGrimoire.


It is soooo badass! You know, to be completely honest with you, I'm not the type of person that likes Magic, or Wizards, Warlocks, Sorcery, Dragons, Elves, Fairies, (Do I really need to go on? I think you get the point..) BUT! I Do like this game a lot! Why? Well, aside from all of that stuff, if you can overlook it (Unless you are really into that kinda thing) it makes for a really great game! It's an RTS(Real-Time Strategy) style game, where you learn different types of Magic and use them in battle. All of the gameplay is done through battles, not unlike almost every RTS game ever made. The difference is, that rather than an over-head view or 3/4 view of the battlefield, it uses a sidescrolling 2D battlefield. The art style is exactly like Odin Sphere (Probably because they are both designed by the same company, VanillaWare. The story is hilarious (Probably because of the NIS localization) but also pretty dramatic. I'm only about 9 hours into the game and on the third "Day 1". If you play the game, you'll know what I'm talking about (THAT MEANS GO BUY IT!!), OH YEAH! And one more thing! If you're living in America, and you are interested in this game at all, liked Odin Sphere, love RTS games, collect rare games, are a fan of NIS, or just want something fun to play, you really need to go and buy it. But don't buy it from GameStop or EB Games! BUY IT AT WAL-MART! When I bought mine, it was only $20, but on eBay and other places it's still $40-$50 and will rise! I can't guarantee that it will be at your Wal-Mart, or that it will still be $20, but seriously, if you see it there, don't hesitate to pick it up, because you won't be disappointed!

Well, I suppose that's about it for now! I'll write more if I think of anything else.

Games You Don't Play #1: Chulip PS2

Hey guys! This is my first game review! I hope you like it!

People that know me and know the kind of games I like to play would probably say that I like weird games, quirky games and cute games. It's true. I'm addicted to the oddities of the gaming world.
So, I'm at EB Games in Penn Square Mall (My corporate store of choice) and I'm scanning the PS2 wall. I see a game that I haven't seen or heard anything about, called "Chulip." I pick it up, look at the cover, see "Natsume" written in the bottom right corner, scan the back of it and decide to buy it. I really didn't know anything about this game when I bought it, I just thought "Oh this must be a little like 'Harvest Moon.'"
When I got home that night, I popped it into the PS2 and started playing.
My first impression? WTF.
Chulip starts off with your main character walking up to a tree. The tree suddenly has a very odd looking face erupt from a hole and then asks you your name. Then, a girl walks up to the same tree and stands next to you. It asks her name. It then proceeds to ask if you love each other, you say "Yes" and then it tells you to kiss.
You then wake up in the bed of a pickup truck, pulling up to a rickety old house. You're poor, moving into a new town with your father. The whole tree-girl thing was just a dream, but what a dream! You love this girl already!
Your father tells you to wander the town and one of the first people you meet is -- you guessed it! Your dream girl! But she hates you. You have a bad reputation and you've never kissed anyone before. You can try to tell her that you have, but she can see right through your lies. And this brings us to one of the main goals in the game -- Kissing!
I know what you're thinking... "Kissing?" Yeah, I know. How did this game make it to the U.S. shores?
So, you spend your time exploring the town you live in, talking to your neighbors and learning about them and their daily problems. Everyone here has something interesting to say, as Chulip doesn't skimp out on hilarious dialogue.
There's an older alcoholic woman that spends her time wandering the town sweeping, cleaning and gossiping; An unemployed musician that lives in a trailer; A metal Lion that works in the bath house and private tearoom (who knows what goes on in there at night?); And all sorts of other very interesting characters, above ground!
But then, there are the people who live underground as well. They are the ones that no one appreciates, they are depressed, lonely and they do all of the real work around the town. What purpose do they serve? Well, to make them happy, you kiss them of course! And when you kiss them, your heart becomes stronger. How do you know it becomes stronger?? When you go to sleep at night, your father reviews your day, how many people you've kissed, and then the same tree from your dream makes your heart grow.
You earn your reputation by helping various characters in the game and kissing. This is how you win the girl of your dream's heart.
The controls of the game are a bit wobbly, but tolerable. The gameplay, story, graphics, music and theme of the game make up for it big time. The clock is a bit irritating, but it only gives the game some challenge.
I'm really happy that a game like this got licensed in the United States. It's not very often that something this "out-there" is released here!! I'm definitely in love with this game. Everything about it. It just makes me.... Happy!
The character design is great. Fantastic even. It's been a good long while since I've seen such interesting and original character design.
The music, sound effects and voices used by the characters are also very interesting, entertaining and original. The NPC's speak a language that "kind of" sounds like Japanese, but it's not. It reminds me of Simlish(The Sims) or Animalese(Animal Crossing).
You sometimes have to dig through garbage cans to get items to sell to the local pawn shop, but sometimes you get an item called "Poopie" which takes your life away. You can sell it for 1Z (1 dollar).
You can buy cigarettes and smoke but it's illegal.
At some point you will appear naked in public, also illegal.
It even gives you the opportunity to commit suicide, sort-of. Play the game and see for yourself!
All in all, this game is awesome.

Thank you Natsume!

I give this game 3 1/2 out of 5, and I recommend it if you're a collector, japanophile or are into the very very strange.


Here's a video of some kissing on Chulip: