Manga Anime Online Shop ANIMAXIS

About Tokyo Game Show 2009 (part 2 / last)
And there I was, the TGS 2009. This year, there were the latest streaming of "FF (Final Fantasy) XIII" and "DQ (Dragon Quest) 6" for DS on the screen, event stage of the "Dream Club", display of "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker", and lots more to see, experience, and to enjoy.

Within these great games, my two missions at TGS 2009 were:

1) to play the demoware of "Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida: 3D (Badman! 3D)"

and

2) to do the "Kanojo Tsuushin (Girlfriend Transmission / communication)" of "Love Plus"

As I said in my previous 4 panel comic strip volume 4, I am currently absorbed in playing this dating sims called "Love Plus". Within this game, there is a special communication tool called "Girlfriend Transmission (* read explanatory notes for more details)", and at this year's game show, Konami had set up a special area within their booth titled "Dixies Makuhari Branch (* Dixies = name of the family restaurant in the "Love Plus" game)" dedicated to do the "Girlfriend Transmission" among game players gathered inside. If I go there with my DS, I was to "meet" with many similar players like me - so why miss this great chance to exchange and share data? I mean, I have to go and do it whatever it takes.

And the day had come. Because my main aims for this year were the two I have mentioned earlier, I reached the convention center a bit after noon. As soon as I entered the hall, I noticed that the layout of the hall has been changed a lot since last year - may be due to the decrease of the participating company booth (which is due to the current recession). And right near the entrance gate, I found the CAPCOM booth where there was a special stage announcement of "Sengoku BASARA 3" being held.

The previous "BASARA" series had Date Masamune as its protagonist and the era was set in the Sengoku period (since the famous Incident at Honnou-ji is included in the game, the year is around 1582 A.D. ?). But from this third series, the protagonist changes to Tokugawa Ieyasu with the event set at the battle of Sekigahara - so the year is set around 1600. Tokugawa Ieyasu has been included in the previous series but he was a child then - and for this game, he is grown up, strong, and is full of M-U-S-C-L-E-S. I mean, this guy is big! And tough! Like he can knock his opponent out, fighting only with his fists.

Anyways, the announcement went on, and the decided characters appearing in the game were Tokugawa Ieyasu, Ishida Mitsunari, Date Masamune, Sanada Yukimura, Sarutobi Sasuke, Mouri Motonari and Honda Tadakatsu. More will be announced later I suppose, and I look forward to find out what kind of characters there will be.

After I enjoyed the "BASARA" stage show, I went to the interactive booth of "Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida: 3D", one of my two goal at this Game Show. I got hooked on the previous "Yuunama or2" when I was wondering around the booth at the last year's Game Show, tried it out, and... now I'm in love with this game ever since then.

Thinking back of last year's demo booth, I thought "well, last year wasn't so packed - it was real loose with not many people... so I guess I don't have to rush much"... but that was wrong. Totally, utterly wrong. I got to the booth all right, but in front of me was a sign "We are currently letting the people with numbered tickets to play the demo. The handing out of the numbered tickets is already over." Oh, darn... I was not expecting this to happen, not from what I expected from last year... It really made me blue...

After a few dark moments of shock, I got back to my feet and headed for my other target - the "Girlfriend Transmission" at the "Love Plus" booth. The booth entrance was set up like an entrance of the family restaurant with a sign "Dixies" placed on top, and inside was a nice, cozy, and relaxing set - the life-size stand-pop of the three main heroines, lovely indoor plant, small table set, etc. At the end of the room, a small portion was reserved for streaming the video, but still the room looked comfortable.

After I looked around and got myself a cozy space, I took out my DS with my heart pounding with joy and excitement. I started to open my transmission, and soon my DS monitor was filled with the names of the boyfriends (the players who with open connection for transmission in the same booth) were shown. And from many people, I selected one player, and started to exchange data, but... soon after, I got a sad sign in my monitor "transmission error"... No matter how many times I tried, I get the same result. Over and over. Sigh.

I was about to give the whole thing up, despite I was looking really forward to this event, but then, a man called after me: "Excuse me," For once, I thought he was a fellow player like me who wasn't able to communicate with the error I had, so he came to share the experience with me. I was quite excited to think that someone else was having the same problem, so I waited for his next words, but it was "Hi, I'm from XX TV, and I would like to interview YOU". Oh, my.....

When I was at the booth, there were about a dozens of people inside, but this guy chose me because "I was the only girl playing "Love Plus" at that moment". He was curious and he started to ask me loads of questions like: "It's kind of rare for girls to play "Love Plus" (because it's intended for male audience) isn't it?", "How do you feel (as a girl) having a girlfriend like this?" "who is your girlfriend?" "how often do you play?" and after looking at my monitor his reaction was "well... you are doing a lot, haven't you?"... and more.

It seems that he wanted me to answer "on behalf of women", and he kept repeating the phrase "as a female". But, hey, I'm just a girl and can't answer that kind of big question! If, he has been asking many female players and my answer was one of it, then I wouldn't have mind it that much, but I felt fear that he will use my reply as if I represent female players...

I don't know what happened to my interview, but I just wish he didn't twist my comment in a weird way. I don't know about other females, but I, personally do like this game. I'm not quite sure whether this is "fun" to play, but I do use about 5 minutes of my time, every day, and progressing a little by little. This game doesn't give me excitement, but kinds of soothes me a bit. That is my opinion of "Love Plus".

Oh, what happened to me after that? I went home, with a sad and tired heart...

explanatory notes

• * Love Plus

(refer to the notes on the game on the manga vol.4)

• * "Kanojo Tsuushin (Girlfriend Transmission / communication)" of "Love Plus"

Using the wireless chat system of Nintendo DS, this communication tool has your own "girlfriend" to "talk" with other players' "girlfriends". The "girlfriend's" talk reflects the daily play of the players, so talks like "How's your life recently?" "My boyfriend seems to love doing a long kiss. How's yours?" between virtual girls does make you embarrassed. If your "girlfriend" starts saying "Me? I'm too happy that I get scared sometimes", then you get a sudden urge to dig a deep hole and hide yourself completely from that scene. You need to be brave in a way to play this game.

• * Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida (Holy Invasion Of Privacy, Badman!)

This is a real-time strategy/god game for PSP with the player doing the role of "bad guys". By creating a dungeon (maze) with monsters, the player must trap the heroes that comes in and to capture the boss - the demon king (Overlord Badman). With the series of food chain (meaning the heroes) the player brings up the monsters, and let the Badman to conquer the world as a goal. If the hero clears the dungeon and saves the world, then the game is over.

Despite the game is for PSP, its game art deliberately uses pixel art - which is another uniqueness of the game.

The usual RPG game has the player doing the role of the hero and s/he must fight against the demon king, monsters, etc to save the world, but this game is a total opposite. The player is a god of destruction, and with the advice and coax by the Badman, the player makes dungeon filled with monsters using a pickaxe. The player must keep on creating monsters so the heroes won't capture the Badman and takes him out. The game sounds simple, but in order to create good monsters (mutation version), the player must know the good "food-chain" and lure the heroes into specific trap so the monsters can get them...

In the original Japanese version, the Badman has a really cunning but lovely personality. He has lots of good and funny talks, but I wonder if the American version released by NIS America on July 16, 2009 has the same characteristic and talking abilities... I hope so, because this Badman has a really good taste!