Reassuringly Refreshing Retro Reminisences

Welcome to the freshest update of gaming goodness, squeezing
in plenty of zesty titles to leave a refreshing, honey-sweet
aftertaste to the most parched of palettes.

Getting in shape for summer on the DC with the Dance
Dance Revolution mats back in stock along with the Club
and 2nd Mix versions of the funky, booty-jiggling rhythm
action title.

Final Fantasy collectables aplenty on the Famicom with the initial three instalments a must-have for Square completists as the prestigious company thinks outside the box of game design.



Crack Down delivers a solid Metal Gear impersonation
on the Mega Drive and the restocked Treasure classic
Yu Yu Hakusho shows what the console could do when
the boundaries are pushed, shoved and kicked through.

The Neo Geo CD demands attention for its affordability in
games such as Big Tournament Golf costing a fraction of its
AES brother and exclusive titles such the King Arthur inspired Crossed
Swords II. Ninja Commando captures the coin grabbing feel of
the Jamma coin-ops era perfectly.

Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 is up for pre-order on the Nintendo
DS and Genki can't wait to sample more of this exquisitely crafted
joy of a series.

Remote Control Dandy exposes the underground credentials
of the import PSX scene with Miyamoto-esque innocence in
the boy and robot scenario with the equally charming sequel back
in stock on the PS2.

Thunder Cross blazes a blast across the PS2's bows
as another fine release in the Game Centre series, this time in
the Shoot 'Em Up genre. There are also an array of fine SNK fighters
on pre-order to complement the uber smooth Street Fighter III
3rd Strike with Garou Mark of Wolves, King of Fighters, Last
Blade, Art of Fighting and more representing stupendous value.


Ninja Gaiden Sigma on the PS3 pre-order looks like
delivering a timely, classy, triple-A title to the sleek beast with
Tecmo's signature eye for action as sharp as the hero's shurikens.

Blackthorne shows the dark side of the Super Famicom
with two more accessible Gundam titles, the eternally maniac
Smash TV and the genre defying Fire Fighting bringing
Burning Rangers to the console.

The Wii gets ready for legions of undead in the special version
of Biohazard 4 with the remote really coming into its own.
Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race would be better recommended though
for the witching hour.


Plenty of restocks on the Saturn with Pretty Fighter X
and Choaniki and the PC Engine in City Hunter
and Samurai Ghost.

Happy Genki Gaming!

April Additions

Welcome to our latest update with Gunspike, Gigawing 2 and Karasu leading the aerial assault on the Dreamcast.

Keio is a delightful Mega CD shooter bringing much kudos to the platform that enjoyed an Indian summer in the Far East.

Jewel Master, Monster World IV, Hellfire, Super Shinobi II and Double Dragon II are ample consolation for Mega Drive owners without the CD upgrade though.

A couple more big hitters on the AES crack their knuckles menacingly in KOF 2000 and Fatal Fury 3.

Whilst the CD exclusive Oshidashi Zintrick and the supernatural Ghost Pilots show the Neo Geo CD’s tricks to be way beyond a juggling monkey.

The DS comes good with a cracking little update of Front Mission 1^st. There’s even a kanji dictionary for those determined to decipher those Red Label Saturn titles…

Marvel Vs Street Fighter and Guardian Force make welcomed additions to the Saturn section proving beyond doubt it’s the ambassador’s choice of 2D gaming.

The Japanese Master System with its special sound chip shows Sega’s early console heritage off very well.

Kamen Rider, Ganbare Goemon, Tondemo Crisis and Fuuun Gokuu Ninden enhance the PSX’s reputation no end with the sort of gameplay only available on import. Martial Beat is far more fun and far cheaper than joining gym with a boxercise class.

The savvy Fist of the North Star is joined on the PS2 by the hard knock Kenka Bancho 2 and the bargain Guilty Gear XX Slash with Guilty Gear XX Acore and the irresistible Metal Slug Complete up for pre-order.

Super Paper Mario on the Wii has certainly whet our lips in anticipation of some of that Nintendo magic dust due later in the month with a high velocity Sonic to keep us entertained until then.

Power Smash 3 returns the expectation generated from the DC editions with interest right down the PS3’s tram line.

Bleach 4 is up for pre-order on the PSP with a bargain version of Princess Crown to bring a tear to the eye with its lush graphics and emotive gameplay.

Sailor Moon, Combat Tribes and Sengoku give the Super Famicom a light work out with each needing a few thousand kicks and punches to dispose of the imaginative henchmen in the classic side scrolling beat ‘em up style.

Wario Land and Red Alert add two triple-A titles to the Virtual Boy catalogue. Finally more magazines to relish with the latest instalments of Video Game Collector.

Happy gaming.

Spring in your Step

Introducing some select software on the GenkiVideoGames.com site guaranteed to put a spring back in your gaming step...

The eternally youthful Dreamcast gets another fine release courtesy of Warashi with Trigger Heart and this is backed up with some pefect puzzle action from the back catalogue in Sega Tetris and Puyo Puyo 4.

There’s also additional shmup action on the Mega Drive with Raiden the hardcore, hardcore shooter vets choice of punishment along with the sublime Pulstar for the Neo Geo CD (with a martial arts fest going off on the Neo Geo AES system…) In fact the PC Engine spoils shooter fans this month with Super Darius II in stock plus the essential hardware for enjoying this exotic console.

More puzzle conundrums on the GBA too with the addition of a couple more devilish bit Generation titles.

The PSX once again enjoys a strong showing with Plue no Daibouken and Punch The Monkey exemplifying the kind of title sadly missing from its club savvy Western catalogue. And Hippa Linda, Remote Control Dandy and Skygunner demonstrate the diversity on the PS2 if you know where to look, as does Baito Hell for the PSP. Plenty of restocks on all formats including the PS3, with Power Smash 3 up for pre-order and setting pulses racing with its serve and volley action.

Kunio kicks a few derrières on the Super Famicom with Ushio and Tora bringing back memories of the machines forte: highly playable platform titles. Last but by no means least, Cooking Mama whisks up a culinary delight in the Wii kitchen. Bon appetit.

Genki Interview Exclusive

1. Tell me a little bit about the company. What can I find if I visit your store?

GenkiVideoGames.com was founded to bring more 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 improved, but going back over the last decade we can see countless examples of fine games not being released outside Japan, particularly on machines that excelled in Japan such as the PC Engine and Saturn.

Genki launched properly on seven eleven (7th of November) 2005 (though we have no connection to the convenience store.) Genki genrally means "fine", and is frequently used to ask "How are you?" In Japan. The language translation software often brings this out as "Is it vigorous?" which is slightly more vague in the English language.... ;) Luckily certain members of the Genki team speak Japanese allowing us to avoid disturbing the harmony too much with our gruff Western ways on buying trips to Japan. And it also lets us get hold of titles not commonly available - but we always base our price on what we have paid for the game and not what we could potentially sell it for. Hopefully in doing so we are making import gaming less exclusive.

2. Do you have many customers from other countries than UK? Is it easy to order games, pay etc?

Our main customer base is in the UK, but we also export overseas around half of our games - mainly to North America and Western Europe. The site is rigged up with a cart system to WorldPay with its ultra safe system, but we accept other payment methods too.

3. Do you see any interesting trends in the import/retro world from your perspecive as an seller?

To be honest the beauty of the import market is the vast variety of genres and systems it has. 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 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. 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.

4. Do you play/collect games for yourself?

Yes. Personally my first import machine was a Super Famicom and unfortunately the folks didn't see the warning signs then. :) Having beautiful box packaging added to the regret of selling them and was probably when I first realised I was a collector. Buying a Neo Geo and brand new carts probably wasn't the intented way to spend an eighteenth birthday £1k coming of age present. Nor was getting a PSX for £700 on release. But such misdemeanours are all part of import gamings rich tapestry. Luckily Genki would never charge such prices... :)

From Import Dreamcast Shooters to Akihabara Geek Chic Maids...

More from the latest additions to the GenkiVideoGames.com web site. A real bumper haul fit for the Captain's table...

Power Stone 2 delivers the action packed arcade experience on the Dreamcast whilst the machine refuses to fade away with Karasu now up for preorder.

Nintendo Puzzle Collection, Mario Party 7 and NBA Street V3 Mario Dunk demonstrate the GameCube's diversity and array of solid, playable titles.

Space Battleship Gomora adds to the burgeoning amount of quality Mega Drive shoot 'em ups.

Metroid Prime Hunters exemplifies the raw power of the DS whilst the graphically simplistic Pac Pix opens the Pandora's Box of potential for the stylus control method.

The Bit Generations series adds some gameplaying chic to the GBA.

The Super Grafx may not have an extensive catalogue, but it is a very obtainable one for completist collectors.

The PSX once again flexes its hardcore muscles with Real Bout, Gradius Deluxe Pack, Gussun Oyoyo, Soukyugurentai, Oh No, Pepsiman et al proving there was a real gamers machine beneath the Sony hype. Import PSX consoles in stock too.

The PS2 is also well represented with all action crackers from Tetsujin 28 to The Maid with some excellent value Simple 2000 releases...

The PS3 gets in the groove with F1 looking like a Sunday afternoon dream.

Konami declares its love of PSP owners with pocket size PSP conversions of its back catalogue of sublime shooters.

The Wii gets some hefty back up from the likes of Zelda, Wii Sports and Kororinpa. No wonder its sold out everywhere in Japan....

There are also plenty of restocks on the Saturn and the Super Famicom too. Happy gaming.

Wii wish you a Merry Christmas...

The Wii remote already responsible for more broken crockery than the Genki Christmas office party. Still hats off to the usually conservative Kyoto company for breathing vitality and greater social acceptability into our beloved gaming industry. Who else would allow you to sample all the fun of the Japanese festival in the comfort of your living room in Festival Master?

A few Nintendo masterpieces have been hung in the GameBoy/GameBoy Color sections too with vibrant gameplay in the much imitated brush style of Wario World.

Melon Chan's Growth Diary is a typical Japan-centric Neo Geo Pocket title the sort of which has next to no chance of making it to Western shores and has nothing to do with green fingers.

Art Truck Battle gives you a real gritty taste of life on the open road complete with wagon design that'd put a head honcho yakuza's tattoos to shame. Claymen Claymen 2 is a delightful title also on the PSX with experimental visuals sculpted to perfection. Crisis Beat too has a feel of AM2 in their prime whilst Crane Master brings the fun back to building sites!

God Hand announces Capcom's divine return to form on the PS2 with some fearsome specials and hammed up acting with Genki lapping it up.

The Biohazard Dreamcast is further evidence of Sega's reciprocated love for Dreamcast Gurus in the most stylish, slender curves of all the limited edition Dreamcasts.

Sonic Council pushes all the right buttons, as if another excellent 2D beat 'em up were required on the Saturn. Steam Hearts causes a few steamy windows with the bizarre Game Paradise Pack more for family consumption.

Ganbare Daiku Gensan and Super Empire Strikes Back for the SFC are two classic platforming titles from an era when graphical prowess was equally balanced with blistering gameplay.

Besides the new Home page, the boffins here at Genki have been working on the RSS Feed to ensure full gaming sustenance for all by keeping you up to date with the latest additions to the site.

All the staff at GenkiVideoGames.com would like to thank all our customers for their support during 2006 and wish them all a very Merry Christmas. See you in the New Year!

Game & Watch

Seeing the slick Famicom GameBoy Micro brought back so happy memories of Nintendo Game & Watch titles of old. Most of the Genki team were happy to hammer away at Donkey Kong's rubbery keys through school ski trip bus journeys or even challenge a chum to a playground battle of two player Donkey Kong Ice Hockey... But it seems in Japan these sublime Mario gift sets were available to the lucky, lucky few who came out top in the Famicom F1 Grand Prix challenge. And luckily for Genki coming across a veritable Aladdin's cave of the handhelds, the budget wouldn't stretch as far as adding this to the site. Still hopefully it'll still be sat there waiting in an Osaka back street for our return...