(Archive) Super Columbine Massacre RPG - RM2k

"While I've never played it, I heard that Super Columbine Massacre RPG!, despite the morbid subject matter, is good from both a strictly gaming point and as a satire on the events and media hype surrounding them." -  (from HG101 Forums - "Good/Underrated RPG Maker Games" by Woody Alien - January 18, 2016)

(Will probably post more, once more information becomes available)

Mirror Download

Nintendo Game Boy ‘Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru’ DX Color ROM Hack In Development - [Retro Collect]

(from RetroCollect.com by Cauterize- April 26, 2016)

"In 1992 a Japanese exclusive adventure for the Nintendo Game Boy known as Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naruhit Japan. Although remaining an exclusive release to the Far East, many would soon experience what the game had to offer as its engine was reused to create The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. A decade later Nintendo began work on updating the title and colourising it for the Game Boy Color - only it was soon shelved in favour of the upcoming Game Boy Advance line up.

Fast forward to today and retro gamers have already begun picking up where Nintendo left off. This has seen a fan translation of the game released (with the newly translated title of For the Frog the Bell Tolls), and now ROM hackers are working on a DX version of the game in a similar vein to Nintendo’s Link’s Awakening DX.

Taking to the ROMHacking.net forums, toruzz recently revealed screenshots of his work in progress and also a quick video detailing the hack in action. Needless to say the game looks fantastic in colour and already has plenty of fans lining up to play it.

A release date is yet to be set for this DX upgrade, but until then, here’s a few quick samples of the game in action."

Via RetroCollect

Cherry Tree High Comedy Club - RMXP - CAPCOM

(from HG101 Article by Jonathan Kaharl - December 12, 2015)

"The rise of Steam has lead to a lot of obscure Japanese games finding new audiences in the west. While Recettear is the most notable name among these, another that tends to pop up in conversation is Cherry Tree High Comedy Club!  It's a sort of adventure game/visual novel that's modest in scope, but charming in its simplicity. It's also about subject matter not normally explored in games at all; stand-up comedy. Well, sort of. The game uses that as a jumping off point for its real themes, resulting in a game oozing with personality. It's also a great example of how different comedic sensibilities between western and eastern tastes are.

The story starts at the beginning of Japanese spring break, as Mairu Hibisu returns to town and her high school, fresh off some unseen adventure. She wants to resurrect the school's old comedy club, which gave birth to a popular comedic duo many years ago, but her rich rival Chitose has other plans. Now a member of the student council, she's not willing to let Mairu bypass the rules to establish a club, stating that she has until the end of April to gather together three more members besides herself and her best friend Hoemi, or else the club won't be officially established or funded by the school. So, the goal now is to scout out possible club members across town, then convince them to join..."

"...Like many low budget Japanese games brought over to the west, Cherry Tree High suffered some translation problems on first release. As usual for Capcom (who helped publish it), the game was originally released in the vain of Phoenix Wright. Japanese words, names, and concepts were brushed aside and called by American names, even when it's obvious that the game doesn't take place in America. There's a Shinto shrine with a shrine priestess and a man who lives at a Japanese mansion in a kimono, it couldn't possibly be anywhere else than Japan. Even the names of the characters were different, such as Mairu being called 'Miley.'

After enough complaints, the translation was fixed to use proper Japanese terminology, causing several of the cultural jokes to suddenly make sense. Playing the game in Steam allows you to switch between the proper localization and the westernized version whenever you start back up, an admirable attempt to please those who liked the original translation regardless. However, a few lines here and there still read as the westernized version while playing the proper translation, such as Hoemi calling Mairu 'Miley' when you talk to her in the dorm room. Thankfully, these moments are only in basic dialog when you start talking with someone."



(From NeoGaf- "RPG Maker Games: Underlooked Gems" by Dust Golem 12-26-2012)

"Comedy fanatic and high school student Miley Verisse has decided to set up a comedy club in her school, but her nemesis and the head of the student council, Octavia Richmond, isn’t about to make things easy… The school rules require a minimum of 5 students to set up a new club and Miley is 3 people short! Spring break has just started and Miley has until the end of April to recruit the 3 new members she needs to start the club or Octavia will have the last laugh!

The game takes on a very Persona-esque look and feel of the social linking done in that series, but with a style that's completely surrounded around that. Published by Capcom, the translation was helped on by part of the Team that did the translations for the Ace Attorney series, and the tone they bring fits the game perfectly. This game isn't free, but worth checking out for people who are particularly interested in visual novels as most of what you do is explore, interact, and manage your time.

You can check out the games Steam page here.

You can check out the games official website here."

(Spotted) Radio the Universe - Custom - sixe

by sixe
KickStarter Page
(...was originally on RMN at one point before moving away to kickstarter)

(Spotted) Revenant Gods: Ragnarok Chronicles - RMXP - iRPG

Via irpg
RMN Game Page

(Unrelated) Compiled Memories Vol.1 - RM2k, RMVX, Wolf RPG Editor

(2014 April Fools Animated Short, featuring Rpgmaker Games Ib, Witch's House and Mad Father)
(Will eventually provide downloads/website links here)

How a Private Video Game Collection Turned Into a Museum - [Motherboard]

"There’s a treasure trove of video game history deep in the heart of Texas.

Packed into an unassuming building, nestled between a community theater and an art gallery, I spent a quiet afternoon watching families explore the past. A father and his two young children fiddled with Rubik's Cubes while Wang Chung blasted over a sound system, telling us about their dance hall days.

A ten year old boy sat on a bed made up with Pac Man sheets and blasted away atDuck Hunt on a small TV. Playboy magazines peekedout from under the bed, leering up at a Super Punch Out trash can and a Pole Position poster.

This is Frisco’s National Video Game Museum and the bedroom, mocked up to look like the typical gamer’s bedroom from 1987, is one of many exhibits..."

Continued on Motherboard

(Archive) OFF - RM2k3

(from HG101 Article by Iwant - November 30, 2013)

"Communities centered around RPG Maker used to be very active a few years ago. The French-speaking scene was no exception; some might say it was a little world in itself. It's no surprise Enterbrain's legendary tool attracted so many people, mainly beginners who had no knowledge of game design at all, but really wanted to make their own game. Of course, game design is difficult, so only the most determined of those makers managed to complete their projects. In spite of the flow of games that were ultimately cancelled or sometimes not even started, what could be nowadays called cult classics ended up marking their era. It's not rare to find French gamers that didn't really follow the development scene but know about games like Dark Soul, Aëdemphia or Mystery of Solarus nonetheless.

And it's been two years now since a certain game born from this background started garnering popularity in English-speaking forums: OFF, which was initially released in May 2008 exclusively in French after a year-long development with RPG Maker 2003. It was granted several "Alex d'Or" awards at the time, but its popularity remained confined to a somewhat private audience within the French-speaking web.

It was a ground-breaking success from a critical standpoint, though, and dedicated fans collectively known as the "Reconstructed Game Team" would go on to make an English translation of the game in the hope that it would help it achieve much deserved international success. And their hard work paid off. OFF ended up becoming a cult hit in foreign niches.

The team behind OFF, called Unproductive Fun Time, is actually a collaborative effort between two twenty-something Belgian guys who had been friends since high school: Mortis Ghost and Alias Conrald Coldwood. Mortis first and foremost a comics artist, but he was also fiddling with RPG Maker since his early teens, and he decided to initiate a more serious project around 2006. He produced a draft, which he showed to his friend ACC, who was interested enough not only to offer his help as a programmer, but also to propose to compose a soundtrack. One of the main concepts behind the production was the use of purely "custom" assets, in opposition to the frequent reuse of the software's stock libraries in such productions.

Besides, you'll need to forget your potential prejudice towards RPG Maker-made Western amateur games. Not that you could really be blamed for it, though. Cliché'd plotlines, generic backgrounds and overall lack of depth are rife in these productions. But then again, if you thought two unknown guys couldn't possibly make a difference, you'll see how you'll have been mistaken..."

(Continued on HG101)

(...need to find a better trailer)
(From NeoGaf- "RPG Maker Games: Underlooked Gems" by Dust Golem 12-26-2012)
"OFF is a free French RPG where you take control of a mysterious person called “The Batter”, who is described to be on an important mission. The Batter, and yourself as his controller, are dropped off in zone 0, the first of 4 zones in a perplexing, unknown world about which you slowly find out more and more in the process of the game.

Known for its amazing characters, original soundtrack, and a twisted yet entertaining journey into the depths of this strange world, it is worth it for fans of RPGs, especially those that like Mother 3, which it draws some inspiration from. It is very off-beat, but very well made."

Via Oniromancie (French)

Mirror Download (English Translation)
Official Website (French)

(Spotted) Long Gone Days - RMMV - RMN

Via RMN

(Spotted) OneShot - RM2k3 - RMN

Via RMN
Steam Page
(teaser trailer of OneShot, pax east etc. - will revise this entry once I have a bit more info)