Ganbare Goemon: Toukai Douchuu DS

[Goemon]

I'm surprised no one has made a thread on this yet! Not unless I missed it!

Well I've only managed to play it for about 1/2 and hour so far but initial impressions are very good.

IMO it is graphically awesome! It is gorgeous to look at with environments looking like they are straight out of an art book and it is all wonderfully animated to boot. Back to the old school this title oozes classic traditional JPN style, it already feels like it could be a classic Goemon.

Music is very good (through headphones) with of remixes of many of the classic SNES & N64 incarnations.

Did I tell you how gorgeous it looks!?

Gameplay so far has also been very good with some good use of the stylus (and a few a bit quirky) to help you through.

My only gripes so far are minor...

The first is not being aware of where you are in releation to the enemy, this can be slightly disorientating with you swinging into mid air, no where near where you thought the enemy was. I think you can learn to conpensate this tho.

The other is even more minor...

Did I tell you how gorgeous it looks!?

Is that some of the views are isometric which as well as the above enemy hitting actually focusing on people to talk can sometimes be tricky.

Hilarious Bit!

->Open Spoiler<-

Getting into a prison to speak to the wiseman I check the other cell and its New Age Goemon, looking very sorry for himself!!

So far I am very impressed. Beautiful to look at, excellent to listen to and great to play. It's a real long time since I played an original Goemon game and this has so far lived up to my classic Goemon yearning.

It is typical Goemon. So in there sense it is an adventure game, there is a lot of JPN text so if you're not into muddling your way through I would advise avoiding the game until a western release. I haven't got stuck so far but I generally know how Goemon works...And of course you get stuck and thats what these forums are about! :P

Any Goemon fan owes it to themselves to check this title out, IMO you won't be disappointed...Looks to be the best Goemon in quite a while.

Oh and 1 more thing...Did I tell you how gorgeous it looks!?

[VR46]

Oh and 1 more thing...Did I tell you how gorgeous it looks!?

heard it was really the first DS game to make full use of 3D on both screens, glad it lives upto the expectation.

[fishbowlhead]

anyone got a US release date yet?

[Kotatsu Neko]

I don't think it has a US release date, which is pretty worrying.

I wanted to pick this one up but the amount of Japanese text is offputting. Is it all kana? I might be able to manage that, but if it's a kanji fest I soon tire of looking stuff up.

[Strider]

I don't think it has a US release date, which is pretty worrying.

I wanted to pick this one up but the amount of Japanese text is offputting. Is it all kana? I might be able to manage that, but if it's a kanji fest I soon tire of looking stuff up.

I found it ridiculously hard to make progress in it. So much so that we won't be reviewing it until it gets a US/PAL release. It's obvious to see that there's a fantastic game underneath all the Japanese text though.

[Mofoman]

I have got half way through it and I know no japanese at all, it is similar to the n64 goeman in that it is not completely linear and it involves swapping stuff to make progress etc, it also does not tell you when to use the touch screen, you have to figure it out yourself, the graphics are the most amazing I have seen on the DS or PSP in this feild, it is completely gorgeous to look at, I have never seen a 2d game with such fantastic artwork, stunning!!!!

Head over to amefaqs, for when you get stuck but I just done a hell of a lot of trial and error and got there in the end.

It really is an amzing game and I would reccomend it to people who are familiar with Goeman games even if you do not know japanses, a couple of people on the net are working on translations as we speak as well, so it is not all doom and gllom, if you could do the jap n64 first goeman game then this is for you. you will know the score about how much trial and error is needed, plus Importaku has it and he can read japanese.

[importaku]

Been playing this on & off all week (chibi robo has all my attention at the moment).

It's a very good goemon game, stunning to look at & ingenious use of the touch screen. Im upto the 1st inpact battle & im loving it.

Had a bash on the 2 minigames that unlock if you have a copy of the goemon 1 & 2 ports for the gba.

Space mambo is a great little shooter, hehe you can fire using the regular ds buttons or for that more authentic experience use the space bar on the virtual keyboard on the touch screen.

The other game is a puzzle game called quarth, I used to play this for hours on my gameboy but the ds version has some extras thrown in like a boss at the end of each stage.

[Kaladron]

Hmm. The text makes this a little prohibitive to get through but its nothing a little lateral thinking won't solve. The only thing I feel like I'm missing out on is a few in jokes.

The touch screen is used sparingly but effectively. The first example being when you stand on a tight rope and have to pull the rope down in order to fling Goemon into the air and up to a higher ledge. It's an interesting use of the screen and should pave the way for other imaginative platformers.

The music is one of the best things in the game, with the headphones in I feel just like I'm walking round feudal Japan.

I just got to the first giant robot bit and have to say that this part is better than any previous game. You use the d-pad and face buttons to control Goemon in a horizontally scrolling level whilst the robot occupies the background as you use the touch screen to make him move and fight. Dual controls for two characters at once! Genius.

FAO Importaku - When playing Space Manbow did you find that the game ended once you beat the first boss? Do you know if its possible to unlock additional levels?

[importaku]

Hehe i havent gotten to the end of the 1st level in space mambo yet as im **** at it but if i do i'll let you know

[Mofoman]

Talk about great graphics, the further I get into this, the better the graphics get, I cannot believe the power of the DS if used correctly, I am shocked that castlevania is not going down the same artistic style as this, this is 2d at it's absolute finest, with a hint of 3d obvioussly, but boy, does this kick ass in the graphics department, this has really shown me the power of the DS.

If game's constinue to look as good as this and they have the artistic genuis of this game, then the DS would not look that bad beside a PSP when they are put against each other in the local Gamestation in the land of the ****e, err UK.

[Mofoman]

Hmm. The text makes this a little prohibitive to get through but its nothing a little lateral thinking won't solve. The only thing I feel like I'm missing out on is a few in jokes.

The touch screen is used sparingly but effectively. The first example being when you stand on a tight rope and have to pull the rope down in order to fling Goemon into the air and up to a higher ledge. It's an interesting use of the screen and should pave the way for other imaginative platformers.

The music is one of the best things in the game, with the headphones in I feel just like I'm walking round feudal Japan.

I just got to the first giant robot bit and have to say that this part is better than any previous game. You use the d-pad and face buttons to control Goemon in a horizontally scrolling level whilst the robot occupies the background as you use the touch screen to make him move and fight. Dual controls for two characters at once! Genius.

FAO Importaku - When playing Space Manbow did you find that the game ended once you beat the first boss? Do you know if its possible to unlock additional levels?

I have to agree with everything that you have said mate, isn't the music just spookily good???? I have to say that I never ever thought I would hear music this good off a cartridge game. It truly is spectacular. out of ten must be given to the music in this game or the reviewer is off thir rocker, mind you most reviewer's are when it come's to game's like these.

[Kotatsu Neko]

I wish you guys would stop raving over this game! I had just managed to convince myself to hold out in hope of a US release....

[importaku]

But its just so GOOOOOOOOD

Oh and there is no kanji problem as they have furigana above them so reading them is easy.

[Mofoman]

Did we mention how good it look's as well, god I am still blown away by every new part of the game I get too.Goeman has finally came back to the character that we fell in love with on the Super Famicom and Nintendo 64...where have you been Goeman????YOU DA MAN!!

Another thing I have to mention is the game just keep's on getting better with every new part as well, and the touch screen stuff link's perfectly with the button sontrol, there are some really innovative use's of the touch screen and this is how I imagined DS gaming to be, linking the two control method's so you just feel the touch screen is another button.

OH GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!THIS GAME IS JUST SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!

Anyone who does not buy this for the Ds is missing out on the handheld game of the year, it's that good folk's!

[Kotatsu Neko]

Just how much text is there in it? I don't mind a bit that I can fumble through reading kana and getting the gist of things, but if it's page after page then my slow progress grows tiresome.

I've emailed Konami US and IGN DS to ask if there's a US release in the pipeline...