Thursday 20 December 2012

Game For Japan

Eight Gaijin worthy of the name "Yakumo" take on all and sundry in a giant gaming fest with a big slice of Gaman required of retro 'Endurance' style game shows of old. 
http://gameforjapan.com/
The Event kicks of at:
6:00 AM (06:00) (GMT) on the 26th and 27th of December.

Hope you can pop by the Facebook page to win prizes and some special DLC...

All in the name of helping those still suffering the effects of the Tsunami. As mentioned, worthy of the name "Yakumo". Ganbatte kudasai!


Otsukare sama deshita.

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Genki: Man of many languages



Few know just how talented a linguist Genki is and here is the proof. Definitely recognise it as a Scandinavian language. And going by the email address I'm going to say its Swedish. Just goes to show gaming is a universal language.

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Game Collecting: Condition

Genki understands the need to get a game in good condition. With regards our website, basically all the games are in good condition unless something is mentioned in the game info. Such games with special comments in the game info probably only amount to a handful that could be described as faded due to too much sunlight. But like I say 98% are in good condition to the point you may wonder if their previous owner actually played them. Generally we find the condition of Japanese second hand games much better than the condition of second hand UK games. Must be something to do with throwing objects around being taboo in Japan... Shame that doesn't apply to our office joypads. We think sourcing the games direct from contacts in Japan, as opposed to auction sites, often means the games have usually had only one previous owner... Or at least appear that way. All games are complete unless marked in the title by 'Unboxed' or 'No Manual' or 'Cart Only.' Again the vast majority of our games (96%) are complete. As collectors ourselves we only try to pick up complete and mint editions...
In terms of games that came with spine cards, a lot of the games we sell do contain both their spine and registration cards. But unfortunately not all of them. This is again mentioned in the 'Information/Additional Information.' As mentioned we are collectors ourselves and understand the need for a perfect copy. As such we have been busily scanning some of the more collectable titles on the site
. Recently added scans are listed below...

PSX
ANGEL EYES
ARCADE GEARS IMAGE FIGHT & X MULTIPLY
CAPTAIN COMMANDO
FUUUN GOKUU NINDEN
GRADIUS DELUXE PACK
GROOVE JIGOKU V
JIKKYO OSHABERI PARODIUS
KYUIIN (BEST OF THE BEST VERSION)
PANZER BANDIT
PUZZLE MAKAIMURA
SILHOUETTE MIRAGE (NEW)
TENCHI O KURAU II
THUNDERFORCE V PERFECT SYSTEM
UMIHARA KAWASE SHUN
UMIHARA KAWASE SHUN SECOND EDITION
WONDER 3 ARCADE GEARS
ZANAC X ZANAC

DC
BAKURETSU MUTEKI BANGAIO
BLUE SUBMARINE NO.6 TIME AND TIDE
BORDER DOWN
CHAOS FIELD
COOL COOL TOON (NEW)
COSMIC SMASH
GUNBIRD 2
GUNSPIKE
JOJOS BIZARRE ADVENTURE
LACK OF LOVE
MARS MATRIX
POWER SMASH 2 (NEW)
RAINBOW COTTON
REZ
SAMBA DE AMIGO 2000 (NEW)
SHIKIGAMI NO SHIRO II LIMITED EDITION
SHIKIGAMI NO SHIRO II LIMITED EDITION (New)
SONIC ADVENTURE 2 BIRTHDAY PACK
SPACE CHANNEL 5 PART 2
SPACE CHANNEL 5 PART 2 (New)
STREET FIGHTER ZERO 3 FOR MATCHING SERVICE
SUPER PUZZLE FIGHTER II X FOR MATCHING SERVICE
TOKYO BUS GUIDE BEAUTIFUL BUS GUIDE PACK (NEW)
TRIGGER HEART EXELICA (NEW)
TRIGGER HEART EXELICA LIMITED EDITION
TRIZEAL LIMITED EDITION (NEW)
TWINKLE STAR SPRITES
UNDER DEFEAT LIMITED EDITION (NEW WITH STICKER)
ZERO GUNNER 2

PS2
ESPGALUDA
MARVEL VS CAPCOM 2
SENGOKU ACE & SENGOKU BLADE TAITO BEST
TAITO MEMORIES ONE VOL 1

Sale
BAKURETSU MUTEKI BANGAIO (SALE)
TRIGGER HEART EXELICA LIMITED EDITION (SALE)
RADIANT SILVERGUN (SALE)
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (SALE)

SS
ARCADE GEARS IMAGE FIGHT & X MULTIPLY
ASTRA SUPERSTARS
BOKAN TO IPPATSU DORONBO KANPEKIBAN
CHAOS SEED
CLEOPATRA FORTUNE
DODONPACHI
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS COLLECTION (RAM CART PACK)
ELEVATOR ACTION RETURNS
GUARDIAN HEROES
KERIOTOSSE
KONAMI ANTIQUES MSX COLLECTION ULTRA PACK
LAYER SECTION II
MARVEL SUPER HEROES VS STREET FIGHTER (RAM CART PACK)
MASS DESTRUCTION
NANATSU KAZE NO SHIMA MONOGATARI
NEKKETSU OYAKO
PANZER DRAGOON ONE AND TWO SET
PHANTASY STAR COLLECTION (SEALED DISK)
PLANET JOKER
PRIKURA DAISAKUSEN (CALENDAR)
PRINCESS CROWN
PUZZLE MAKAIMURA
REAL BOUT GAROU DENSETSU BEST COLLECTION (NEW)
ROCKMAN X4
SAMURAI SPIRITS BEST COLLECTION
SAMURAI SPIRITS BEST COLLECTION (NEW)
SEGATA SANSHIRO (NEW)
SILHOUETTE MIRAGE (WITH DEMO DISK)
SONIC COUNCIL
STELLAR ASSAULT SS
STREET FIGHTER ZERO 3 (RAM CART PACK)
STRIKERS 1945 II
TENCHI O KURAU II
THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD (NEW)
THUNDERFORCE GOLD PACK 1
THUNDERFORCE GOLD PACK 1 (New)
THUNDERFORCE GOLD PACK 2
THUNDERFORCE V SATURN COLLECTION
THUNDERFORCE V SPECIAL PACK
TWINKLE STAR SPRITES
ULTIMATE TIGER II PLUS

MD
ALEX KIDD IN THE ENCHANTED CASTLE (NEW)
BATTLE MANIA
CONTRA THE HARD CORPS
CRUDE BUSTER
EL VIENTO
FIRE MUSTANG
GENERAL CHAOS
GHOSTBUSTERS (New)
MAMONO HUNTER YOKO
MAOU RENJISHI
MICHAEL JACKSONS MOONWALKER
MONSTER WORLD IV
OUTRUNNERS
PAPERBOY
PENGO
POWER INSTINCT
RAINBOW ISLANDS EXTRA
RUNARK
SLAP FIGHT MD
SUPER FANTASY ZONE
T2 THE ARCADE GAME
TASK FORCE HARRIER EX


Right back to the scanner....

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Meet Mr Genki



What's the very first computer game you played?
 Chiller on the Commodore 64. I guess £1.99 doesn't extend to buying the Thriller license, but it was not missed as your imagination did the rest. Either that or Bruce Lee on the Speccy. It'd always end in a brawl with my brothers when the rather rotund gadgie would, despite promises of assistance, attack Bruce. Still occasionally he would come to the rescue - to the tune of my brothers singing "Yan'll be there, Waiting for you."

What's your best gaming memory?
 I got hooked on GoldenEye on the N64. On a review's advice, I was playing on the top, 007 difficulty setting. Don't get me wrong - I usually lack such morals when it comes to difficulty settings. It seemed to take a near perfect game to collect all the satellite pieces from the lab and make it to the checkpoint in time. But I managed to deny daylight and under many a moon managed to fight through eventually with pupils dilated and very sweaty palms. That has to be the closest to pure gaming.
On a more sentimental note, I loved the diverse gameplay of Xandra's Big Adventure on the Super Famicom. Poor bloke - just your average jelly baby, family farmer, but with a poorly child. But it gave me a real desire to succeed against such odds as invisible platforms with the wee man pulling your heart strings and lives long in the memory. 

What's the one system you can't live without?
 I think it'd have to be the PC Engine LT just shading out the Super Famicom. I've always loved handhelds from the days when a local toy shop sold Game & Watch and quickly followed by the GameBoy, then onto busting Cheech & Chong vehicles in APB on the Lynx via Mickey Mouse on the Game Gear. The PC Engine has a real Nippon-centric array of titles due to it flourishing so much in its domestic climes. Missing it first time round has added to the pleasure of unearthing a few of these blooming beauties. And the compact LT screen gives a clean, crisp look that you can play in bed. Definitely the most under-the-covers fun - even surpassing the PSP with a hot UMD.

What retro systems do you currently own?
 Saturn, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Playstation, Lynx, Jaguar, Neo Geo CD, GameBoy, Neo Geo Pocket besides those mentioned. Having beautiful box packaging on the games added to the regret of selling my Super Famicom collection and was probably when I first realised I was a collector. But getting them back can be just as much fun. Buying a Neo Geo and brand new carts probably wasn't the intended way to spend an eighteenth birthday coming of age present. Nor was getting a PSX for £700 on release. But such misdemeanours are all part of import gaming’s rich tapestry. Luckily Genki would never charge such prices... :)

Do you play newer games?
Not too much these days. But I've always an eye on the fresh titles. Pole's Big Adventure (almost) makes me want to set up my Wii net connection again. And having been brought up on the Super Famicom, Super Mario Brothers U looks like a dream from the future. 

How long has GenkiVideoGames been running now?
Seven years. Being a new company means we work hard to please without laurels to rest on. Genki generally means "fine" or "healthy", and is frequently used to ask "How are you?" In Japan. The language translation software often brings this out as "Is it vigorous?" which never fails to entertain our simple minds. 

Why did you set it up?
GenkiVideoGames.com was founded to bring more exposure to the delightful Japanese exclusive titles that don't make it to the West. In a global world, influences from other cultures cross pollinate across the internet and growing exposure to manga, anime and Akiba culture has meant bringing out Japanese games in Western markets is much more feasible. The situation has therefore improved, but going back over the last decade we can see countless examples of fine games not being released outside Japan such as some of the DC shooters. And going further back there's plenty of treasure to trawl up to the surface. We also want to make import gaming less exclusive in terms of price, though unfortunately the Pound ain't what it used to be at the minute.

What are your most popular products?
Whilst there will always be the big titles on each system such as Taromaru, Crows and Dungeons and Dragons on the Saturn, or Kaze Kiri, Steam Hearts and Sapphire on the PC Engine, we get requests for train sims, pachinko titles, anime - themed Famicom games, a bomb diffusal game on the PSX, war sims... Of course our staple market is the shoot em up and 2D fighting titles with liberal lashings of platformers. But the real beauty lies in the diversity of titles out there. Such requests are always welcome through our "Customer Request" facility - it often alerts us to brilliant titles we may have missed and hopefully ends with another very satisfied customers...

We try to give as much coverage to various consoles as our customers will allow us: as such we are particularly well stocked on the Saturn, Dreamcast, PC Engine, Super Famicom, Mega Drive and Playstation. Whereas the Famicom, WonderSwan, XBox and PC FX tend to have less of a fan base so we have to go steady on our spending sprees there.

What are Genki Games doing this year?
Continuing to sniff out undiscovered gems of retro titles, like a gourmet truffle pig.

Which game did you play the most last year and why?
Probably Animal Crossing. Bit embarrassing, so I'll say it was to try and build up some kanji power! The Wii release was disappointing, but something grabs you and won't let go until you've paid your mortgage, rid your house of roaches and run a helping of cold medicine across to a sick friends gaff before checking if Crazy Red has anything new in stock and if there are any big fish in the bay.

If you could make a retro game yourself, what what you do?
Good question. There would have to be ninjas in it such as Kaze Kiri. But humour too like the Ganbare Goeman series. And perhaps the odd idol princess to challenge to a game of paper, scissors, stone like a UMD game. Which is why we don't develop games!

What do you think is the best system of all time?
The Super Famicom. Like the Saturn and PC Engine its almost unrecognisable in its Japanese form to its Western incarnation. There are a wealth of titles as fresh as a recently cut tuna that slipped the net here: a charming platformer called Violinist of Hamelin, Syo the Seal is a cutsey one and Nosferatu is a nice gothic platformer like Prince of Persia meets Castlevania. Assault Suits Valken is a belting shooter as is Cotton 100% and Kikikaikai, Septentrion is a highly original title…

At what age did you start gaming?
About nine I think. I had a C64 which was fun (when they loaded.) That bizarre robot ROB nearly got me into the NES, but instead I ended up dishing out shurikens like confetti in Shinobi and wondering where on earth Alex Kidd came from on the Master System.

What is your biggest gaming achievement?
I pretty much played though Zelda on the Super Famicom in one sitting. No major achievement I guess, but it was quite a few hours. I was spellbinded though by the emotional intensity at times and the enchanting game world. It'll always remain the perfect gaming experience.

Why do you think Retro remains so popular?
Not wishing to be too philosophical, I think we look back on alot of games and have plenty of warm, happy, nostalgic memories of that time which also helps the game to attain immortal status. Like alot of music where you recall what you were doing at the time, you never forget the first time you played Super Mario World.

Why focus on Japanese games?
Just because there are so many that never got released here. I personally prefer the box art too. The situation is alot better now, but it used to always be some gruff Conan look alike on the front of box. Not that there's anything wrong with gruff Conans of course!

What's the rarest Japanese game you sell?
The rarest one was a prize edition of Bangaio on the Dreamcast that has already featured on Retro’s pages. There were only five of them used for a competition and winners received the game, developer signed phonecard and poster.

You sell merchandise as well: is there a lot of demand for that?
I think we have quite a hardcore following as the merchandise has not been too popular. Just to ruin our hardcore credentials, we have stocked a lot of Animal Crossing merchandise over the years. Plus its always hard to resist a Club Nintendo hanky release…

Do you have a brick and mortar store? If not, why not? If yes, where is it located? How is business?
It was a shame but not even a Central London CEX import store could last. So we think outside Japan it’d be hard to survive with a physical store. But business is fine thanks – we continue to sniff out import truffles and most importantly at the right price.

What are your biggest pre-orders right now?
Due to the high value of the Yen, we tend to concentrate on the retro games that hold their value (ie aren’t heavily discounted if it doesn’t sell enough units…) So for new releases, we mainly go for the 360 shooters (such as Akai Katana and Eschatos) and and pick them up on re-release for the better price. The Neo Geo USB pad is proving there are still plenty of fans of the Rolls Royce of consoles.