Games to Own - #1

Here's part one of a series of posts that will recommend some quality titles for your gaming collection may be under your radar. First pick goes to Bully: Scholarship Edition for Xbox 360. Another great game by Rockstar, the makers of the Grand Theft Auto games, Bully places you in the shoes of Jimmy Hopkins as he aims to survive at Bullworth, the school his mother has ditched him at while she goes of on her own.

Originally released on PS2, the game has received a nice graphics upgrade and some extra missions. Bully features a clever, funny and interesting storyline as well as some unique and fun mission types fans have come to know and love from Rockstar. There's plenty to do and even if you just speed through the missions, you'll still get a good 15 hours or so out of the game.

There are a few negatives of course. For one thing, while the graphics have been nicely improved, the loading times have not. If you're used to playing these open world games with no loading times, you'll be sorely disappointed. Every time you enter and exit a building, you'll be greeted with a loading screen. It's not too bad and certainly not game breaking, but it does get a bit annoying the further you delve into the game.

Also, while you earn respect with the various gangs at Bullworth, you can't choose which side to ally with. You're stuck doing the predetermined story missions which influence your respect. There are some other small niggling issues, but they're really not worth mentioning.

Bully is a fun and interesting open world game and less complicated than Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto titles. This one comes recommended with a score of 8.5 out of 10. It's also available on Wii.

The ideal date - Harukanaru Toki no Naka de

"Previously released on the Nintendo DS to celebrate the mother company, Koei's 30th anniversary, Yume no ukihashi is now upgraded and re-released for the television screen on your PlayStation2.

Watch the scenarios between the three generations of Hachiyous, marvel at how the same seiyuus could bring out the difference in the characters and see how the 24 retainers chat with and tease each other in this cross generation party.

The PlayStation2 version comes with more fully voiced scenes, from the small ones such as assisting you to cross the dream bridge and exchanges with each other occasionally. Get to know more about the two divine guards as they get more plot scenarios.

Meet all your 24 retainers as well as other important figures in Harukanaru Toki no Naka de history in this classical romantic adventure."


Figures of the Haruka boys have been released earlier, and its time to see their actions in the game. Designed by shojo manga artist Mizuno Tohko, its no surprise that the game is gearing towards the female markets. In fact the studio which made the game, called Neoromance, already spells out who the game is for.

Mainly a text based dating game, the Harukanaru Toki no Nakade series mixes beautiful stills and animations together with turn based RPG elements and mini games. It creates an environment that pulls in a different sort of gaming community.

Shojo, however, doesn't just mean teenage girls (in some cases, even men are referred to as shojo. But this is another matter). Besides school girls, a lot of housewives and working women are in love with the game as the Neoromance radio program shows.

Letters have been sent to the host of the program, stating how the game fulfilled the ladies' desire for loving words, praises or even romantic poetry, that husbands or boyfriends tend to neglect.

Not everybody can write poems or is able to recite them properly. Even badly written ones require a lot of talent and effort. Creating an atmosphere where reciting poetry is more romantic than hilarious is a lot of work as well.

So ladies (and gentlemen?), stop putting so much pressure on your other half and play the game instead. Gentlemen (and ladies?) if you just happened to be in love, or is in need to impress someone who refuses to compromise, play the game and learn a thing, use it as a tutorial.

Harukanaru Toki no Nakade Yumenoukihashi is available on both Nintend DS and PlayStation2 while the Haruka 2 and the new Haruka 3 Aizoban are available on Sony PSP.

Flavor's Random Pick: Pipe Mania

Pipe Mania, aka Pipe Dream, has been around for quite some time. I think that I still own a GameBoy cartridge of it somewhere in my basement, though versions of the game even predate that. On top of those, there are countless clones and spin-offs with similar gameplay. I have even played one called "Home Before Dark" on my daughter's Webkinz account in which your goal is to line up paths for pets to get to their houses before the sun sets.

The current incarnations of Pipe Mania have been released recently on the PSP, Nintendo DS, PS2, Wii, etc.


Pipe Mania is a simple game to learn. The different incarnations throughout the years and on different platforms may present the playfield differently and the input mechanism may vary, but the game is always the same. You are in charge of placing pieces of pipe in such a way so that the liquid can safely reach its destination. These pipe pieces are arranged in a queue so that you can see the upcoming pieces which allows you to make better decisions about where to place the current piece. That's really about all you need to know to play the game, and it ends up looking something like this (screenshot from the PSP version).



The new (PSP, DS, PS2, Wii, etc.) versions of the game introduce some new elements: attacks that come while building your pipeline, hidden treasures, and unlockables, but at the heart of the matter, it's still the same game that you've either come to love or you should try and see if you love. You're not going to find deep storyline, strategy, or role playing elements here. My recommendation is to pick this game up on a handheld console (which will probably be a recurring theme for my posts since that's where my interests really lie). You can pick up Pipe Mania and play a level in for a few minutes, run through many levels, or really try to maximize your points in any given level by making long and interesting pipelines. It's a great game that way, so you can easily play it whether you have 5 minutes or several hours.

I have tried both the Nintendo DS and the PSP versions, and I have to say that I prefer the game on the PSP. I found that after a while, I didn't even use the stylus on the DS, and PSP's larger screen seemed to fit the playfield better. Of course, you get an extra screen on the DS, but it didn't seem to add anything to this particular game. All I'm saying is that if you own both, pick up the PSP version. If you only own a DS, don't hesitate to grab it for that platform, though. It's good either way, and I have to assume it's just as fun on the PS2, Wii, or PC.

As always, Play-Asia has all of the Pipe Mania versions you could possibly care for here.