Tag Archives: Japanese

Legend of the River King 2, Game Boy Color

Released in 1999, this is the sequel to Legend of the River King and is another JRPG twinned with a fishing game. It is more detailed and refined than its predecessor and is by far the better game of the two. It was developed by Victor Interactive Software and published exclusively for the Game Boy Color by Natsume.

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Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, Megadrive/Genesis

Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master is the second sequel in the Shinobi series, released by Sega – exclusively for the Megadrive/Genesis – in 1993. Shinobi III sees Sega slightly changing the focus of this famous platform/action game, with less emphasis on difficulty and more on the speed at which you play the game and the timings of your attacks. Which will be welcomed by some players.

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The Revenge of Shinobi, Megadrive/Genesis

The Revenge of Shinobi (known in Japan as “The Super Shinobi“) is the 1989 Megadrive/Genesis sequel to the classic Sega arcade game. It once again features Joe Musashi, and takes place three years after the events of the first game. The criminal organization “Zeed” have reformed and have renamed themselves “Neo Zeed“, and they have decided to exact their revenge on the Oboro Ninja Clan by killing Joe’s master and kidnapping his bride, Naoko. So you must rescue your fiancée, and get revenge for the death of your master.

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Shinobi, Sega Master System

The Master System conversion of Sega‘s 1987 arcade game, Shinobi, is arguably the best of its type on the console. The developers have obviously taken care to make the game play well and look as good as possible on Sega‘s 8-bit system.

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Space Invaders, Super Game Boy

The 1994 Game Boy version of Taito‘s classic Space Invaders is legendary for its Super Game Boy enhancements. It not only features a variety of well-designed borders and enhanced colour palettes, but it also includes an exclusive, separate ‘arcade’ port that is only accessible when using a Super Game Boy on a SNES.

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Wonder Momo, PC Engine

Developed by Namco and published – in Japan only – by NEC Avenue in 1989, Wonder Momo is a conversion of a weird Japanese arcade game featuring a female lead character who must fight off attackers during a theatre stage play. And, if that sounds bizarre, then – well – that’s because it is! Unlike the arcade original, the PC Engine version of Wonder Momo has been fan-translated into English and Spanish, so is more accessible to Western audiences.

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Wonder Momo, Arcade

I first encountered Namco‘s Wonder Momo on the PC Engine, because it had received a fan translation, and I was curious to see what the game was about. I then discovered that it was a conversion of a 1987 arcade game, featuring a young girl called Momo, who can turn into a ‘superhero’ by building up her “Wonder Meter“.

This bizarre arcade game was only ever released in Japan, but has subsequently built up a cult following around the world, and has also inspired manga/anime, and resulted in a sequel that was released in 2014.

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Salamander, MSX

The MSX port of Konami‘s classic arcade shooter, Salamander, was first released in Japan – on cartridge – in 1987. And although it shares the name and certain elements from the arcade game, this is a completely new version of Salamander, with a new storyline, new characters, ships and levels. It is sometimes referred to as “Salamander: Operation X“.

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Atomic Runner, Megadrive/Genesis

A conversion of the 1988 arcade game, Atomic Runner Chelnov. Developer/publisher Data East dropped the “Chelnov” part from the title of the 1992 Megadrive/Genesis release, but the gameplay stays more or less the same.

You must shoot and jump your way through seven continually-scrolling stages, only stopping to fight bosses at the end of each.

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Legend of the River King, Game Boy Color

Developed by TOSE Co., Ltd. and published by Victor Interactive Software in Japan and Natsume in North America and Europe, Legend of the River King is a JRPG that is based around the sport/pastime of fishing. It was initially released for the Game Boy in 1997, and the Game Boy Color version (which is Super Game Boy enhanced) came out in 1999.

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