This past week at GamerDad.com, I took a look at some books and games featuring obscure and not so obscure Namco game characters. But they’re all pretty strange so I dubbed it “Nutty Namco Week.” So here are links to those along with a few other reviews. Please click on and read as many as you can, and maybe even leave a comment or two. I’d appreciate it. OK, on to the reviews.
Bravoman is an obscure Namco arcade game from the late 80’s about a superhero who can stretch his arms and legs to punch and kick bad guys. It was only released in the US on the TG-16. It’s not that great of a game, but the zaniness keeps it from being totally forgettable. Shifty Look is an online comics web site who recently has started to publish comics based on obscure classic Namco game characters. Bravoman is one of their most popular strips, and it has even spawned into an online animated cartoon (which is pretty good and features high quality voice actors like Rob Paulsen), and a tablet video game (which is not so good). And they just published a hardcover book featuring the first 100 strips. I’m glad they did that because I’m more accustomed to reading comic strips in books or in the newspaper rather than online (yeah I’m old fashioned). I also wanted to show my support to Shifty Look because I enjoy their comics and cartoons, but it’s all free (not sure how they make money). So I figured I’d show my support by buying the books and writing about them.
The other Shifty Look book I bought is about Wonder Momo. Wonder Momo was another arcade game from Namco and this one poked fun at “Magical Girl” anime cartoons and ‘sentai’ super hero shows like Power Rangers. In the game you played as Momo who kicked bad guys on a theater stage (there was an audience and curtains and everything). By running into a tornado and spinning really fast, Momo could turn into Wonder Momo with stronger attacks and a hula hoop she could throw. It was never released outside Japan, due to its slightly suggestive nature, so it seems like an odd choice for Shifty Look to make into a web comic and online anime series. But it’s still fairly popular in Japan so maybe that’s why. The comic strip isn’t a retelling of the original arcade game’s story, but instead is set in modern times and stars the daughter of the original Wonder Momo. But her mom still powers up and saves the day, and her kid, and she’s my favorite character in the comic. Why do teenagers always get to be the hero? Why can’t adults and parents with kids be heroes, too? Anyway, I don’t like this comic as much as the Bravoman one, though, mainly because I don’t really like “Magical Girl” anime or teen pop idol stuff.
Even though Pac-Man is a very well-known Namco character, the new tablet game they put him in is kind of a strange choice. One popular genre of tablet games right now features RPG-like monster battling mixed with match-three style puzzles. The most popular of these is probably Puzzle and Dragons, and I reviewed a similar game last year called Monster Match. Well, now Pac-Man is entering the fray with his own take on this genre. The RPG battles are like the other games of this ilk, but they changed the puzzle gameplay to mimic more of what you do in a Pac-Man game. Unfortunately, it’s not very much fun, and they don’t explain some of the rules and aspects very well. I do like the art style, though, and I still check it out from time to time to see some of the classic Namco references they throw in. Read the review if you want to find out what they are! If you’re curious, the game is free so you don’t have anything to lose by checking it out regardless.
OK, the last four reviews have nothing to do with Namco, but I put them on here anyway. This one kind of came out of nowhere and surprised me. You play as a blob and try to eat everything in sight to grow bigger so you can eat more things. It’s like a cross between Katamari Damacy and an old SNES game called Smartball (Jelly Boy in Japan). This game was done by the same folks who did Guacamelee. I’ve never played it, but I’ve heard it got a lot of praise. Luckily, I just got a review code for Guacamelee: Super Turbo Champsionship Edition, so be sure to check that review out in a couple of weeks!
In this cute little tablet game, angel pigs fly up to heaven from the bacon factory, but one holy hog bumps into an airplane and falls into a pit leading to…that other place. Now he must use his newfound angel wings to avoid hellish obstacles and traps. It’s a simple 2-D game that controls like Joust, and I love all the silly oinking sounds.
I kind of want to see the movie, because I saw the first one and it was better than what I expected. The video game has nothing to do with the film sequel, which is good since I haven’t seen it yet as of this writing. In the game you play as any of the main characters and their dragons and compete in dragon flying races and other competitions. Most consist of fire breathing target practice or racing through rings. And we all know how well that worked with Superman 64. So yeah, I really can’t recommend this game to anyone.
Ugh, Compile Heart can’t make a good RPG to save their life. I like the colorful graphics, but the RPG gameplay is too complicated and the humor is too juvenile for me.
Conclusions
And that’s all for now. Thanks for reading my reviews and posting comments. I really appreciate it. Later! --Cary
Momo:
Yeah Momo!
I have no idea who that is.
He's from Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Yeah I don't really watch that show, but I do have respect for it being an action-adventure show that kids can enjoy.
Fact: Momo means 'peach' in Japanese. It also means 'butt.'
I knew right away it was a character from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but when I did a Google search for a Momo image later, I got all sorts of other stuff like food and sexy anime pics.
You might've also gotten pics of a little boy coming out of a peach. That's because Momotaro is a popular Japanese fairy tale about a tiny boy who was born in a peach.
I really love the graphics in Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, but I'm not much of platform game fan. I hope Xbox puts it as one of their Games With Gold freebies. Then I'll give it a try.
It's really fun, and you don't have to be a platform expert to enjoy it.
Ok, I'll put it on my list. I can't wait to drink in those gorgeous graphics.
Graphics aren't that great, but they are fun and cartoony.
One of these days I should go and see the stuff of Shifty Look. They all seem interesting and many artists that I like and follow have worked there.
Unfortunately I just looked up Shifty Look's Web site and it looks like they've closed up shop. You can still read their comics there, but I don't think they're going to be doing anything new.
I'm glad you posted something on Mugen Z....I've been wondering about it. Now I can stop wondering, lol.
You're going to have a good time with Guacamelee!....but be forewarned, that last stage is damned unfair.
Tales from Space sounds fun...I had a ps3 wallpaper/theme from that game up as my own not too long ago....I liked the colors.
I've noticed that Guacamelee is a bit harder than Mutant Blobs Attack already.
Its all about using the correct tactics for each individual enemy.
Yeah, also the game relies on a lot of fighting game techniques, of which I'm not good at!
Book reviews!?!?! This is out of the ordinary. I'll have to look into these after I listen to some music blogs from on here.
Oh I've reviewed books before. Mostly strategy guides. Hope you get a chance to read 'em!
I'll pick up both the Bravoman and Wonder Momo books when I get the chance. And when I do I won't feel like such a jerk for not paying when I read them online.
You can find them on Amazon. At least that's how I got mine.