japanese posts

Sometimes you just need to sit down, slide a floppy into your A: drive, and enjoy gaming retro style. We know this all too well! That's why we have a list of the best and brightest from days long gone. These are some of our favorite games of all time, and we're sure that you'll love them as much as we do, if not more. Welcome to Boot Disk, and enjoy the retro ride!

There are some games that are not notable upon original release, but as time goes on, grow and grow into that almost undefinable quality known as "classic". Every game featured so far on Boot Disk is timeless: games that were good from the day they were released to now. This week's game, however, is a little different. Unlike those other games, it was not until later on that its impact and classic nature were truly seen by most. The game is Shogo: Mobile Armor Division, and as both a launching platform for Monolith's LithTech engine and as a first-person shooter, it excels. While it does have some problems on modern machines from time to time, it's definitely worth playing just one more time.

There's not a lot of games that attempt to place life under the microscope into the framework of a fun, accessible experience. Nanosmiles does just that. While not exactly educational, Nanosmiles does take inspiration from cellular life to create an immensely entertaining arena shooter game. After all, it was showcased as the Sense of Wonder Night at the Tokyo Game Show 2008 and garnered significant attention. With an English translation that was aided by Siiseli, English-speakers can now play it without having to learn a new language.

Playing a darting little nanoship, you must gather together other ships to attack for you, as your ship has no actual way to attack enemies and dies in a single hit. The enemies you face are actual cells, with the kinds ranging from hunter-seekers that chase you down to ones that spawn other cells. Some of them drop more ships, though, which you can then pick up to further your army. It's very fun, and worth a play at the low price of free.

[Via TIGSource]

Have you always wanted to beat the snot out of other girls? And only girls? No, I'm not talking about Arcana Heart, I'm talking about Vanguard Princess, an extremely professional and free fighting game released recently. The art is phenomenal and the gameplay is reminiscent of Street Fighter 2 in its execution, with a focus around extremely technical play. Did we mention the art is phenomenal? Because it really is. I mean, look at that screenshot up there. Absolutely stunning, assuming you enjoy the detailed anime style.

To play this masterpiece, you'll need a Windows OS with the East Asia language support installed, and be willing to sit through a long download from a Japanese download site. There is also no online multiplayer, but fighting games are the sort of game that you really need to play against somebody in person. There is just something about murdering somebody in head-to-head and then dancing around in real life over your victory. No translation as of yet, either. But with this high a quality graphics and gameplay, who needs to know the translation?

In much the same way that Sonic had the rotating bonus stages, a new platformer with rotating stages has been released. Unlike Sonic, it is a full-blown platformer and not just a minigame. Kaiten Patissier is the name of the game, and rotating is its claim to fame. We're sorry for that rhyming, those responsible have been sacked.

In order to progress through the game's several stages, the player must rotate the level to their advantage, manipulating objects and gravity to solve puzzles and reach new areas. The eventual goal of each stage is to collect all of the items via cunning use of the rotating mechanic. You can download the game off of the developer's site. Be warned, it's all in Japanese. However, the download link is marked "download in English".

[Via IndieGames]