#Pen Pen TriIcelon

[quirky-vg]

From: Pen Pen TriIcelon

[posthumanwanderings]

Pen Pen TriIcelon (General Entertainment - Dreamcast - 1998)

[g4zdtechtv]

Cinematech Reborn: Nocturnal Emissions #2 - So Help Me Bob

Hey, you. Looking at the description. Do you like weird things that are weird? Then, you gotta watch this episode of Cinematech Reborn NE, dude.

And man, is there a lot to take in - from a posh frog with the voice of Vinny Vinesauce, to a cat going ghost, to two games connected to a joke religion that some people took part in, not knowing it WAS a joke!

(catch it also on 4GTV!)

DONATE AND KEEP 4GTV ON THE AIR - http://bit.ly/4GTVDonate | http://streamelements.com/grupstra0/tip

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Dreamcast - Pen Pen TriiCELON

Title: Pen Pen TriiCELON / ペンペン トライアイスロン

Developer/Publisher: General Entertainment / Land Ho!

Release date: 27 November 1998

Catalogue No.: T-17001M

Genre: Racing

Pen Pen is one hell of a crazy racing game. There are no cars, no boats, no planes, no nothing except crazy-looking creatures who can waddle, swim and slide on their stomachs (^v^). Select one of 8 oddball characters and race against the opposition through beautifully colored and designed landscapes. It's actually like racing through a fun house at times. One character looks so dull but has a very funny name. In Japanese his name is Hanamizu which translates into Snot in English, hahahahaha, great name. You can also see the Pen Pen characters make a cameo appearance in Climax Graphics' Blue Stinger.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS reminds me of, more than anything, a 1998 Sega Dreamcast launch title called PEN PEN TRIICELON.

Think FALL GUYS but with colorful, scrunkly penguin-hybrid creatures competing in icy, snowy races. When I got a Dreamcast back in late 1999, this was one of the first games I got with it, so naturally I played it quite a bit and really dug it. I always loved its quirky worlds, jaunty soundtrack, and delightfully weird characters, even if the gameplay was sometimes clunky.

(Warning, there is some really racist imagery in one of the game's worlds.)

PEN PEN wasn't, to my knowledge, named as an influence on Gooseworx when coming up with THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS, but I feel the game does fit nicely within the late '90s/early '00s CGI stuff that inspired it. One of the things that heavily influenced the show was POPEE THE PERFORMER, which was CG, from the year 2000 (when most non-Pixar/PDI CG had that plastic/video game look to it), and Japanese like this was.

The toys and sweets courses in this game are what came to mind when I watched TADC for the first time, and even Alex Rochon's performance as Caine recalls this game's enthusiastic announcer.

So a bit of PEN PEN, and a lot of '90s aesthetics in general, particularly the utopian scholastic, Memphis Jr., and Wonka PoMo schools of design, and maybe a bit of Frasurbane too.

Not my photos, but daaaamn, sometimes I just wanna say... "Take me back".

Looking forward to episode 3.

[maireadralph]

Just when Pen Pen TriIcelon couldn’t get any weirder it turns out the Japanese version of the game has these bizarre loading screens..and these are some of the tamer ones.

Looks like Future Me has a fun translation project to do ��

[calebddfwa]

"He baffles everyone with his wacky style!" He's just like me fr!

[ganenetheinkling]

Gijinka Sparky (Pen Pen TriIcelon) ✨ 🐧🥽✨

Started in May of last year and finished this morning.

I did own a Dreamcast but not this game.

[dioxidano]

Pen Pen Triicelon for the Dreamcast

[segacity]

Choose your Pen Pen, from ‘Pen Pen Tri-Icelon’ on the Sega Dreamcast.

[quirky-vg]

From: Pen Pen TriIcelon

[posthumanwanderings]

Pen Pen TriIcelon (General Entertainment - Dreamcast - 1998)

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Dreamcast - Under Defeat Limited Edition

Title: Under Defeat Limited Edition / アンダーディフィート 限定版

Developer/Publisher: G.REV

Release date: 23 March 2006

Catalogue No.: T-46704M

Genre: Realistic Vertical Scroll Shooting 3D Action

According to Sega, this is officially the second to final Dreamcast game ever to be produced, and what a way to go out! The first Dreamcast games were released on the 27th of November 1998 (Virtua Fighter 3 TB, July, Godzilla Generations, and Pen Pen Triicelon). Under Defeat was released on the 23rd of March 2006. That's a whopping 7 years and 4 months the Dreamcast lived for in Japan. It's a shame to see it officially over but like I said, what a great game to end on.

Under Defeat is yet another vertical scrolling shooter but one which stands out above the rest. Converted from the Naomi arcade board, this Dreamcast shooter is playable in both normal horizontal modes with a squashed-down image or full arcade vertical mode. There's even an option to rotate the pad controls so that you can play it as a horizontal shooter as well.

Graphically Under Defeat is breathtaking. Easily the best-looking shooter on the Dreamcast. Tonnes of massive, beautiful explosions, very high levels of detail on all the models used within the game, and some very nice real-time smoke effects. One really nice touch I like about Under Defeat's graphics is the way the smoke from explosions actually blows away if you let off a massive bomb or the way falling aircraft leave a beautiful smoke trail as they fall to the ground. It doesn't end there though. G.Rev has even added in camera shake to the game! I don't know of any other shooter that incorporates camera shaking into the actual gameplay (some use it for boss explosions). For instance, you can suddenly have a massive fighter jet fly over you with such force the whole screen will shake as well as your control pad as long as you have a buru buru pack installed. This effect really adds something to the look and feel of the game.

The control system in Under Defeat is also quite unique. Your helicopter can fire in 3 directions (straight, left, and right angles). To change the direction of your fire you simply let go of the fire button and push in the direction you wish to aim. Once in that position hit the fire button again to lock your helicopter into firing in that desired direction. To change direction just let go of the fire button again. It may sound quite awkward but believe me it's not. Very easy to get to grips with. Personally, I like to use the reverse controls whereby pushing left will turn the helicopter to the right (moves left but rotate right) and vice versa. There's also a little option that you have that can be fired off every time your option energy bar flashes green. The option can only be used for a limited time however before you must set up a new one. The option has a variety of attacks depending on what power-up you collect. The power-ups range from a Vulcan, cannon, and bomb. The bomb can only be used once but will wipe out almost anything with one hit.

Under Defeat only has 5 levels but you must finish the game starting from round 2-1 (only available once completing the game from round 1-1) to see the true ending and also to open up all the secrets in the Gallery mode.

As well as the standard game there's also a practice mode and replay mode. The replay mode is very handy to see where the enemy craft weaknesses are. Also, you can pause the game and rotate the camera around as well as panning up and down to give that good old "bullet time" 3D effect used in the Matrix movies. Very impressive stuff.

There's also a special Dreamcast version of the soundtrack plus remixed tracks. Finally, as an exclusive offer to Sega Direct customers, each person who pre-ordered the game before they all sold out received an Under Defeat B4 poster and sticker which you can see below. I have 2 of the same sticker.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Oh looky, I just watched something that all the cool folks are into. Or, were into?

THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS...

It's been out for two months now, so I'm - as usual - late to the party.

Kind of like a barfed up '90s utopian scholastic hodgepodge purgatory with an ominous and grim underbelly, probably an indictment of capitalism making one's desires unattainable and one's subsequent pursuit of such desires a one-way ticket to insanity... Or maybe not. The characters are instantly likeable and cool, and work off of each other so well. The variety in design, even within the characters themselves... just so neat- It's also lowkey funny. "Gloink" is such a late '90s kids show/game word for something.

As someone who grew up in the late '90s/early '00s, this was right up my alley. My immediate thoughts were basically... This is a lot like colorful (and sometimes educational) PC games of the era, wacky textbook covers, things like I SPY, and a Dreamcast-exclusive game called PEN PEN TRIICELON. One of creator Gooseworx's influences on the project was a CGI Japanese children's show called POPEE THE PERFORMER. In some ways, POPEE does kinda fit into this wild and varied aesthetic that was so prevalent in a pre-9/11 era.

I particularly appreciated its veering towards a dream-like... Maybe, trance? Almost? I love it when animated media, and most media in general, takes on a sort of irreality, and can sometimes be ambiguous as to what's happening and what isn't. Particularly this scene towards the end where protagonist Pomni is running through endless sterile rooms, until briefly coming across a boxy late '90s PC. The void, too... Visceral flashbacks to being at my Compaq in, like, 2000-01... Playing a game where there was nothing beyond the environment I was in. Just endless sky and nothingness. That kind of thing always brought an eerieness to that era's games, to me. Hey, that's why the "Lethal Omen" game from GEMINI HOME ENTERTAINMENT really worked for me.

This sort of unsettling spin on past, and possibly outdated aesthetics, has arguably been done to death. Especially after the explosion in analog horror and FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S, but I'm quite impressed with AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS' more digital yet-still-vintage take on this sort of thing. Wait... Stuff from 2000 being vintage? That's a dreadful thought... It's also cool to see more productions embrace how early CGI can be unnerving for some, too. An underrated aspect of early features and shorts, for sure. This married a lot of that, and I appreciated it for doing so.

[maireadralph]

Pen Pens - Sparky, Back and Sneak

Someday I’ll eventually draw all the Pen Pens

Previous: Mr. Bow (who is clearly the best Pen Pen)

What’s a Pen Pen?

[g4zdtechtv]

FULL EPISODE: The Electric Playground - Wipeout Kings

Hop on board Interstate ‘82.

(CLICKY TO SUB TO EPN ON YOUTUBE)