@MontyCircus The TE crew are good eggs!

Glad this one wasn't over-egged as a hidden gem. It's definitely better than the western SNES Casper game but it sits very firmly on that border between and Fair and Good for me, there is definitely some amusement to be had with it, and the music is indeed good (didn't realise Kinuyo Yamashita worked on the audio).

I enjoyed the first Gravity Circuit, more of that sounds good to me!

Absolutely, but given my articles on here that's not entirely surprising. And for a period of time I didn't need to import at all having lived in Japan. But I have also imported games from Canada and the USA in the past as well.

I became aware of import gaming through Super Play and there were tons of ads in those magazines from companies that practically only sold import (or as it was more often known then as grey importing). It wasn't until the PlayStation that I actually got in on importing from Japan and North America as I only ever owned 3 Super Nintendo games back in the day, yeah, sucks to be me but I had to buy everything with my own money, no parents buying me stuff beyond the SNES itself for Christmas.

My first import title was Konami's Gokujou Parodius Da! Deluxe Pack SLPS-00002. An odd one because it was sold in the UK but I guess I had my reasons and I very much doubt it had anything to do with NTSC vs PAL and probably everything to do with cost.

It's now at the point where almost the majority of my collection is non European/UK. Even the Switch stuff.

It's a brilliant game which totally trashes the first GB Castlevania effort. I play it at least once a year. The soundtrack is an absolute banger.

Remarkable work deserving of every praise. RIP.

Always nice the full SP about a studio whose output I refer to as "tiertex dreck" — sounds like a completely soulless entity. I've probably been in more stimulating insurance broker's reception areas in the late 90s where due to the mind numbing tedium, you catch yourself thumbing through two year old issues of Bella or Country Life whilst waiting to be served.

@A_WINNER_IS_Mii I agree with all your points — as a retro gaming focused website, that's why I major on the points that retro games can provide. I'd hope most learners will soon come to realise that every day Japanese is quite different to what you will commonly encounter in manga and video games.

A broad range of things that you learn from and study from is the best way and indeed regular Japanese conversation will help you massively. Whilst it's not noted in the article here due to needing to keep to some semblance of focus and word count - the main way I learn is through conversation and speaking. I'm always learning something new, and that's the fun.

The aim for this article was explaining to an audience into retro gaming how to use them as part of your overall Japanese study process. Everyone has their own things that work for them, things they swear by etc. and it's only by trying and building up a consistent routine we discover what works for ourselves.

For me video gaming has been a huge encourager to keep on persevering with my study overall but for some people - it may barely register.

@HammerGalladeBro Just try, I'm not sure what your level is but give it a go and see how you get on. Not having a Nintendo 64 (I was firmly in the PSX camp) I unfortunately don't have much advice for that particular game.

@AzzurraIrisLeaMonde Whatever works for you works, we all learn in different ways. I'm good at memorising certain things but others like rote grammar drilling - forget it!

@GravyThief Yep, that's a feeling I remember well!

@romanista Don't get discouraged and don't get too hung up on Duolingo. I used it for a short period but when it started teaching me sentences that I would never use, I dropped it immediately.

There isn't a right or wrong way, but I'd recommend keeping your study and learning base broad, a bit of this and that and make sure you throw in stuff you enjoy.

Even if it's listening to a Japanese YouTube channel on a subject you're familiar with e.g. a particular console, or video game. You may not understand much of it at first but you are being exposed to rhythm, cadence and sound of the language and there will be a few bits you recognise, a word or two, or an expression or you will instinctively know what was meant by connecting your existing knowledge to the point being made.

It's important to know your understanding doesn't require you to translate it back into either your native language or a language you are already fluent in. I learned a ton of Japanese admittedly spoken form way before I could read or write (in kanji) and never had the need to learn its English definition because I had an instinctive understanding what was meant. The most bizarre way this occurred out of all of them was when I was in hospital for 2 weeks when I broke my wrist skating in Ichinoseki. I learned more Japanese those 2 weeks in hospital than any other 2 weeks in Japan. Even to this day I couldn't write shibiremasu (to be numb etc.) kanji, but I certainly instinctively learned what it meant along with many others such as shakkotsu (ulna), masui (anaesthesia) etc!

Good luck, you can do it!

@Oldretrogamer Good purchase!

@missingno_fgc It's absolutely true some old games have terrible legibility which is where my suggestion of at least 4th generation, ideally 5th generation onwards is where the legibility takes a marked step up. And as I said in my reply to Ruka I do agree modern games have overall better legibility, furigana but as Time Extension is a retro focused website I didn't want to major on that too much, though I ought to have mentioned modern remakes being a good way to go e.g. Live a Live, Zelda no Densetsu Yume wo Miru Shima nado nado nado

@JetPackAndButlers Keep going! And keep enjoying it I agree that language learning is one of the most rewarding things going.

@Ruka Thanks for such a lovely reply and glad you found the article interesting. I do agree modern games which offer things like furigana and better readability do offer a lot of benefits — but given TimeExtension is aimed at the retro audience I didn't want to make too much of a focus on that, but maybe I missed out on the opportunity to mention the remakes — so that's a very good shout.

I think everyone has a language learning experience that works for them which is why I wanted to point out that people need to find a method and routine that works for them. There isn't a right or wrong way, certainly less efficient and more efficient ways but I think this varies from person to person. For example I found focusing on speaking and listening actually hugely beneficial but if you're shy or don't have the opportunity to converse, it would be a shame to feel that would be barrier to making any kind of progress.

Again with Anki, I totally agree and I think everyone is different, the way I use it is context so if I read something, and want to internalise the grammar, vocabulary, I'll put that in instead of just the words or a grammar rule as I find that works for me. For me drilling grammar is nigh on useless but I know that works for some people. I hope my 5 suggestions for starting are "generic" enough to fit anyone to at least get them started and off on the road of finding out the ways that work for themselves.

Another great article, I often wondered what happened to Nintendo's presence in Fareham/Eastleigh.

"Arshion" - looks like Google Translate or similar has transliterated アーシオン might need correcting

The GB Micro reminds me of a time when small electronics equalled cool electronics. I remember being literally mind blown when I saw a friends Nokia 8210 for the first time. It made our 3210s look like bricks!

Whilst I still take a Game Boy with me (usually a Pocket or my AGB-001) — practically these days my Miyoo Mini Plus is my go to.

It does look good, but most of my emulation needs are better suited to a 4:3 display so I think on balance I'll stick with my Miyoo Mini Plus or whatever it is, though the spice orange colour-way looks pretty rad.

@Zybex242 I think lacking the 2 button support and USB connectivity is missing a trick indeed as the Tac2 is a good joystick no doubt about it.

I get packages from Japan weighing under 2kg delivered within 2 days via UPS to the UK for no more than £30. What are they shipping these with and via, a dumbbell via flying Rolls Royce?

This is great news. Such an iconic game, for me mostly because of the soundtrack because in 1999 I was headlong into trance culture. Gonna have to give this a go.

@Sketcz The only prism through which this makes sense to me is that some of us see these things as games, and other people see them as investments. And in the latter world, a whole other value proposition comes about. (Which I couldn't be more bored by)

Blimey this press release from Anbernic was really striving to hit the nostalgia buzzword bingo wasn't it. "recreates those shining moments straight out of memory." Which in a way it kind of does, albeit SD Card memory

@RupeeClock yes it definitely exists. I own one bought when I lived in Japan. It’s not particularly rare.

@AxioMaxiM 🤮

@Arcadia_Official well spotted! it's a junk bin SFC controller I bought in Hard Off in Ueno, Mie and I scrubbed it up clean and replaced the buttons to match up with GBA's indigo/violet shell. I kept the original buttons of course should I need them.

@obijuankanoobie Interesting on the lag, I know there is replacement software if you use Swiss (excuse my slight ignorance not knowing the exact details) - but one of my biggest concerns was lag on this docking device and I can't detect any that meaningfully impacts gameplay. I can't vouch for Bluetooth controllers paired to it but certainly I've had a great experience with a SFC controller directly plugged in.

@romanista You know...the thought occurred to me after I submitted the article about Happy Panechu and I have a solution. Get a USB C female to male cable, connect the GBA to the dock via that cable and off you go! It works really well.

As for the article being split I guess I just wanted to talk about some cool GBA stuff, and I didn't feel the mod needed a full article personally and I really wanted to share 5 really good GBA games that nearly nobody talks about as part of that enthusiasm. If I can clear anything up just ask here

@obijuankanoobie No composite out on this mod buy those HDMI to Composite adapters exist, no idea if that's viable but that was not what I required. I think if you need analogue video, best stick with the Game Cube + GB Player. The mod can be found here: https://hispeedidostore.com/search?q=gba+dock&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

All of the docks work with a SNES or SFC controller, a NES Classic Controller (SNES Classic / Wii SNES controller with nunchuk plug does not work) or one of the 2.4GHz Wireless adapters for the NES/SNES Classic with matching controller.

@A_WINNER_IS_Mii LOL! Why didn't I think of that And I I wanted to record the footage I should have just set up my tripod and Handycam and pointed it at the screen. All it needed was some of your lateral thought

@Henchdog Haha yeah...fundamentally I needed a solution where I could use my original cartridges and save files and capture the output. It was either this or the GameCube + GB Player + Flippy Drive...this won out and I'm really pleased with it.

@JJtheTexan Worth considering, it's not hugely complicated. The worst bits are cutting the space for a USB-C port, which I did via a small hacksaw blade and then filing very carefully for a good couple of hours to get a really good result. And if anyone else tries this, tin the test pads on the GBA motherboard first before soldering the flex PCB in place, as this will help make a good connection.

@Peteykins I think it has had a number of "quiet" revisions over the years since they first started appearing and it seems pretty mature now. It would be even better if the dock itself had more heft and there was a convenient reset button rather than fumbling for the switch but at least it's up to par with where it counts now.

@AlienX Unfortunately not, of course OCRs exist elsewhere, which is fine as I respect that not everyone is able to or willing to devote themselves to the years of learning Japanese!

@Razieluigi Definitely! However that original non-backlit screen is too dim now for my eyes, and how on earth anyone played Happy Panechu on it is beyond me. But it was a huge leap forwards for handheld gaming at the time, and naturally you can tell I am still a fan.

@KingMike Spot on, that's exactly it. Don't think I've ever got the FEDA ranking though! It's certainly my favourite of the 3 games in this collection.

I loved this article Damien, let's call it "good timing"... Anyway, I've always long held such a love for the Game Boy, I still find it astounding what was achieved on it and though I am mighty tempted by what you have shown here the likelihood is my DMG-01 will stay stock, just as I have one GameBoy Pocket with a stock screen still. I have a couple of modded GameBoy's with back lit screens which are the ones I use in the main.

The one thing I may have to look into one day if I ever buy an Everdrive is a USB-C Battery mod, as the AAA's in my GameBoy Pocket are strained enough as it is, currently 3 hours on Eneloops with an original cartridge and with a backlit screen.

This sure looks tempting but my X5 mini is still doing solid service, and I already own the couple of motion based games I want for the GBA but the Boktai support is intriguing. Just imagine a later revision with rumble for Drill Dozer....A girl can dream

@Shaw_Brothers Also check out Time Extension's excellent review of the DS Pico.

Most people don't want to do their day to day computing on a Commodore 64 and/or use an expensive flip phone. These are the products for enthusiasts with deep pockets.

I think the translation sphere is quite a contested space. On the one hand, I know from years of studying Japanese that the more I learned, as the old adage goes, I only became more aware of my shortcomings and the true scale of what's involved.

To get to where I am has taken years of dedication, literally studying every day almost for at least an hour, taking tests, living in the country for over 5 years and do I "know it all" now. Of course not!

I recognise that for me there is a sense that I personally want to have this knowledge and ability within myself. I needed to know the language when I needed my van serviced in Japan; I needed to understand Kansai dialect with Tomiyama-san and to have our long rambling chats about our travels around the country! Or when I broke my wrist and had 2 weeks in hospital in Ichinoseki and had to go through two surgeries and communicate with doctors, nurses and anaesthetists!

But...that's me, and I have to acknowledge my own pride in knowing the language and what it has taken, is not to be confused with or taken against those who will find how useful some of these AI and/or translation tools available to the wider masses who have no inclination to learn the language.

They have come on a long way, but they do still produce quite stilted unnatural translations or just flat out get things wrong, and not just because of the dropped subject issue in Japanese vs English. They'll continue to improve to the point of being good enough.

Honestly, I can see the future being that the translator becomes more of a proof reader and in many cases some have been for a while now. By proof reader, I mean looking at the source and machine translation and adjusting at sentence level and taking into account the wider passage's tone. When it comes to video games or manga or whatever involves characters, maybe speaking to the creator to get that sense of who the character is allows the translator to get into the character's shoes.

Recently, Yuji Horii was unfairly critiqued in English media for supposedly saying English is a simpler language than Japanese therefore the nuance of the original can't be put across. That's not what he said, he was saying there are some things that just plain don't exist in English that do in Japanese and therefore it takes a very skilful translator to articulate that nuance of a character. The irony of his "lost in translation" comments being "lost in translation" was not lost on me....

Anyway probably a bit tldr but I care about this stuff

It's not impossible, a grain of sand a day stacked will one day make a mountain.

Honestly, to get to a point where you can read more or less all of what they teach kids in Japanese class (the so-called Jouyou - everyday - kanji), and of course hiragana/katakana, get to a fluent speaking state with good listening comprehension and a vocabulary of well over 10,000+ words took me 8 years with 5 years of living in Japan.

It can be done, I am nearly 43. It requires persistence, patience and determination more than anything else.

I run a YouTube channel dedicated to helping learners as well as those who have no intention of learning Japanese understand a bit more about mostly Japanese exclusive games and what level of Japanese is required if any. I won't mention what it is here as it's advertising.

I can highly recommend the Langrisser I & II package on PlayStation if you've reached a high level with your Japanese (JLPT N1 or so).

Soccer Kid is a bit like James Pond 2 Codename Robocod, seemingly everywhere but that's not necessarily a good thing in my book.

@JackGYarwood Same here! PSX is where I started too.

I must admit, I have a love/hate with Japanese arcades as they were, great games and often a lot of choice, but absolutely full of rancid tobacco smoke made it an unpleasant experience for a non-smoker, just as clubbing in the UK in the late 90s/early 2000s was, enjoyed the vibes and music, didn't like the stench. Maybe I'm just sensitive to it, used to bug the hell out of me skating in Japan too that I'd been enjoying a good ramp session and then someone would spark up outside and suddenly the place reeked of tobacco.

Personally I have more nostalgia for the small arcade we had in the local bowling alley which also had quasar. That was always a great afternoon out, bowling, quasar, dodgy hot dog and chips, Daytona USA, Virtua Cop, Air Hockey and then prank calling 0800 numbers from the payphone, halcyon days

Love Broken Sword, and you can get the excellent first entry on the DS for £2.50 from CEX, worth that all day long!

ご愁傷様でした。

Really sad to hear of his passing. The revival of Popolocrois in the mid 90s by SCE was wonderful, and sure Poporogue is fine, the first and secondnd games were absolutely stellar, and really respected the brought alive the world of Popolocrois. There is even some charm to be had in the PS2 outings though I don't rate them as highly. What a world Tamori-san left us. Precious and heartfelt.

Whether it's AI or not, the original Japanese text just reads a bit dry and reads like a basic run down of the mechanics and things that made them stand out. AI or not, its worst crime is that it just reads boring.