#game arts

[acquired-stardust]

Lunar: The Silver Star Sega CD 1992

[vgadvisor]

[segadriven]

2 of the SEGA Saturn’s most beloved RPGs are returning in a newly remastered format for PS4, PS5, PC, Switch and Xbox One. The Lunar Remastered Collection bundles Lunar: Silver Star Story and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue together, and features the original pixel art but now with upscaled cutscenes and some fancy depth-of-field effects.

[fuck-yeah-intro-movies]

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)

[vg-music-i-like]

Fire Emblem Theme // Super Smash Bros Brawl

Lyrics:

Latin:

Fire Emblem iter sine fine Vadite eris sociis

Umbrae labantem invidiae Ac sanguinans diritas Villae hastam velavit ignibus ab aditus est

Ego illam diem commemorabam Nunc simul cum meis socii oriar

Fire Emblem, nostrum vinculum numquam frangamur

Ut relicum manendi consistimus Insuper hastilium qui diem salvae

Fire Emblem, ad insigne summato coheres lux

Fire Emblem, multa stella Suspicis tenens tuum ferro

Umbra terra haud quadam es aura adducere Harenes adsurgus dium astra terram

Fire Emblem, de illustra Qui vallum oriens fulgebunt?

English:

Fire Emblem, companions walk The endless path together.

In the wavering shadow of spite, Our home is faced by the oncoming spear, Engulfed in flames

I keep that unforgettable day in my heart And now rise up together with my companions.

Fire Emblem, our bond shall be never broken.

We hold fast to protect tomorrow And the one who awaits our return.

Fire Emblem, light gathers on the flag we unfurl.

Fire Emblem, we gaze upon the multitude of stars, Gripping our blades.

If we do not bring light to the darkness in these lands, The shooting stars will soar over a wasteland.

Fire Emblem, on whom does the morning sun shine As she climbs over the edge of battle?

[satoshi-mochida]

Grandia(non-HD) releases today digitally for the PS4/5. It is also available digitally for the Switch(along with Grandia II) and on Steam(HD).

[easternmind]

A compendium of references to Portugal in Japanese video games

The beginning of the historical relations between Portugal and Japan dates to the year 1541, when a Portuguese ship washed ashore at Jingujiura. Nearly sixty Japanese words are of Portuguese origin. A variety of Japanese traditions and culinary delights were introduced by Portuguese traders, sailors and missionaries. But in what way has this cultural exchange extended to the more recent phenomenon of Japanese digital games? As a portuguese devotee of Japanese culture, the topic seemed relevant enough to merit some additional exploration.

To my knowledge, the first significant reference to Portugal in Japanese video game is found in Koei's The Age of Discovery from 1990, a game published in the west under the title Uncharted Waters. The main character is a disgraced Portuguese nobleman named Leon Ferrero who resorts to maritime exploration, trade and naval warfare to restore his family's good name and prestige.

Its 1993 sequel, known in the west as New Horizons, diversifies the base game structure of the original by including multiple characters to select from, each with their own story and mission. Among them is the tale of João Franco, the son of the original episode's protagonist Leon, who sets out to discover the mysterious location of the fabled Atlantis, no less.

Another meaningful reference can be found a year later in ArtDink's 1991 strategy game The Atlas, in which the player takes on the role of a 15th century explorer with a five year contract with the King of Portugal to discover and chart lands around the Iberian Peninsula.

In 1998, ArtDink recreated the game for contemporary systems and published as Neo Atlas. The protagonist is a Portuguese trading company owner seeking business expansion opportunities in remote territories, as well as discover and chart hitherto unknown parts of the globe. A similar premise is found in a later sequel, Neo Atlas III.

Apart from nautical strategy games, a few other titles exist where mentions to the Portuguese territory, language and culture can be traced.

Galvanized by the success of Cyan's world-renowned point and click adventure CD-ROMs, Sony Computer Entertainment helped to publish The Book of Watermarks, a game designed by a miniscule Tokyo-based studio named Watermarks that is brimming with interesting first and second-hand references to Shakespeare's The Tempest. The objective of this visually impressive pre-rendered journey is to aid in the recovery of a series of ancient tomes, each including the nuclear bases of knowledge for mankind.

The very first lost volume is named the Book of Navigators, said to be owned by the historical Infante Dom Henrique from the 15th century, condensing information on shipbuilding, oceanography, geography and astronomy. While a purely fictitious book, the reference to Prince Henry is historically accurate, him being a pivotal figure in the early age of Portuguese maritime discoveries, the governor of the Order of Christ who at once built and ruined his reputation through his various campaigns in the African continent.

Atlus' futuristic vision of Earth in Maken X includes a most unexpected tour of Europe, with a mandatory stop in Lisbon. Inexplicably, the developers got its geographic location wrong and moved to all the way to the northern Spanish region of Léon. The level, itself, boasts a reasonably accurate depiction of one of the city's oldest quarters, Alfama, and the architectural styles found therein.

Although I could not discern any actual references in the game itself, the Grandia II soundtrack by the veteran composer Noriyuki Iwadare contains two themes whose lyrics are written in Portuguese: A Deus, a double-entendre that can be translated to both farewell and to God; and Canção do Povo, meaning People's Song. Also, the name of the official soundtrack is named Melodia, which translates to Melody as you'd expect. Both themes were performed by guest singer Kaori Kawasumi, who took on the composer's challenge to sing them despite her not knowing the language.

She was coached and assisted by José Álvarez and Motoi Sato from the Portuguese Arts and Culture Center in Japan, whom she thanks in the acknowledgement section. The Grandia II Special Package edition booklet contains a page with two photos of Portugal, one for the Jéronimos Monastery in Lisbon and the other, seemingly, for the Moorish Castle in the nearby town of Sintra.

The last Pomping World (a.ka. Buster Bros/Pang) that Mitchell Corporation ever produced before shutting down was the 2010 DS European exclusive Magical Michael. It includes two levels set in Portugal, one in Lisbon by the Belém tower, a nautical landmark, and the other in the Sintra National Palace. Their representation is at once pleasingly stylized and true to life.

This final reference is found in Spike Chunsoft's third installment of their successful visual novel series, Nyūdanganronpa V3 Minna No Koroshiai Shin Gakki. Among the dozens of MonoMono machine items that can be acquired, one is a weathercock styled after a traditional Portuguese folktale hero, the Galo de Barcelos, meaning the rooster of Barcelos, a town in Northern Portugal.

As per the description, this animal became famous through an age-old tale involving a man wrongly sentenced to death who seconds before his execution remarked he was as certain to be innocent as it was certain that a nearby rooster would sing. Because the bird did crow, much to everyone's amazement, he was exonerated. Thus, the black rooster became a symbol for truth.

I would like to thank @diogojira and @DanielOlimac for their assistance in making this article possible.

[they-have-the-same-va]

Alex Noa from Lunar: Silver Star Story shares a voice actor with Ashley Angel from O-Town from Clone High.

Voiced by Ashley Angel (from O-Town)

[mvfm-25]

" Have you heard who's on your Nintendo Gamecube? "

Electronic Gaming Monthly n156 - July, 2002.

[fancypantsrecords]

Noriyuki Iwadare - Grandia II Memorial Soundtrack | Wayô Records | 2023 | "Light Of Granas" Yellow Marbled | /500

[smbhax]

Grandia - PS1

[acquired-stardust]

Urusei Yatsura: Dear My Friends Sega CD 1994

[gmology]

Grandia (1997) | 26 yrs

[shinigami-striker]

TMNT: Smash-Up | Sunday, 09.22.24

As a solid platform fighting game in its own right, but not nearly as good as Smash Bros., Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up was released in North America 15 years ago on the Wii and PlayStation 2 consoles.

However, as of 2011, Ubisoft lost the license to make more TMNT games after this and was forced to also delist Turtles in Time Re-Shelled digitally due to Nickelodeon acquiring the rights to the franchise IP.

[vg-music-i-like]

Pokemon Center // Super Smash Bros. Brawl