[rahga]

So, there's a set of three Kunio GBA carts coming out in Japan from Atlus now... web page here, but you won't learn much from it. I think the first was released on the 25th, the second was yesterday, and I don't know about the last one.

The first one, KunioKun Nekketsu Collection 1, includes both "Super Dodge Ball" and "Street Basket: Ganbare! Dunk Heroes". And when I say "includes", I'm speaking literally.... There's no River City Ransom EX treatment here. Rather, both games seem to use dumped roms and a NES emulator on the cart.

Kinda disappointing, though it does mean that this page will likely remain #1 google hit for "Dunk Heroes" and other phrases, and a legal cart of Dunk Heroes is actually somewhat affordable now. In this process, I've also discovered GBA NES emulators (hey, I've been away, what can I say...), and for $70 for a GBA SP and $70 for a transfer kit and memory cart, I can get a new way to play NES games on the road. (If you have a cheaper offer, I'm all ears...)

Also, technically, Nekketsu Dunk Heroes does not stink at all. I just wish I didn't have to burn several hours of my life yesterday to discover it's just a rom + emulator in a GBA cart.

[TheRedEye]

Aw hell, I thought those were being polished up. That's some bullshit.

[Smeg]

The second cart doesn't come out till October. My order for the first one still hasn't shipped

[Johnny Undaunted]

I heard about them quite awhile ago. It was kinda suspicious that they releasing them as 2-in-1 carts anyway. As dissapointing as RCREX might had been to some, at the very least they actually spent time adding all those nifty new features and updating the graphics.

If Million is gonna just start rehashing Technos Japan's library instead of making new stuff, at the very least they could've done some on an actual game console. Hell, a Kunio-kun/Double Dragon arcade compilation would've been nice.

On the positive side, at least now I can legally own Dunk Heroes without selling my organs to the black market. I still would prefer to own the actual FC cart though.

[Smeg]

[Johnny Undaunted]

[kap]

I guess that means the Game Boy Player doesn't count either.

Resolution and graphics and whatever the fuck else might not be up to current non-portable system standards, but you know what? THEY'RE OLD FUCKING GAMES ALREADY. Why bother putting them on a home system when a GBA game can already be played on your tv?

My only complaint is that all the games aren't on one cart, but that'll never happen.

[Johnny Undaunted]

[TheRedEye]

I forget the name, but there's a GTA clone that came out for the PS2 in Japan recently that feels a lot like a Kunio game. It has the same style gang uniforms, ridiculous special moves, etc. etc.

[Smeg]

[KatanaJon]

[TheRedEye]

Yeah, that's the one. One of the main gameplay gimmicks is your abilility to gaze and stare people down. You can stare at old people until they get freaked out and run away, or you can use it to challenge rival gang members. It's pretty fun but, honestly, very close to impossible without a deep understanding of Japanese.

[Johnny Undaunted]

Yes, I heard about Kenka Banchou before. I'm thinking about import it as soon as I'm able to afford it. Is it good?

[TheRedEye]

You can read Japanese, can't you? I played it for maybe twenty minutes or so, and I had a blast personally. Staring people down never really loses its charm. You can be strutting around looking like a badass, and then a kid walks by, and you give him a DEATH STARE and he runs away screaming. And the fighting engine itself is really cool. I dunno, I'd recommend giving it a shot, again, if you're really fluent at Japanese. You have to pull off some quick reaction stuff, there's really no time to sit there and analyze the sentence. You have to be able to read and process it instantly, and then respond appropriately.