Collection Update #01 - 04/26/2011

  Alright, in an effort to get off my lazy butt and update the blog with stuff I keep getting, I'll be posting the newest unlicensed games I've attained shortly after they're in my hands.  I'll try to keep this up for as long as I can.
  So to start this update, I've recently acquired six Game Boy titles from Sky League's Taobao page.  Here's a scan of the games as well as a brief explanation about them (from upper-left to bottom-right, "Z" formation):

-Digimon Crystal Version II [數碼暴龍-水晶版II]: Remember 2003 Pocket Monster Carbuncle?  It's the same game, except with crude Digimon sprites.  They didn't even change all the graphics, as you find yourself fighting Mankies and Shroomish as you proceed.  You'll also notice how some sprites are simple edits with the same animation; for example, Biyomon's sprites are animated the exact same as the character she replaces, Pichu.  There's two saves on this cart at the end of the game, but I need to grind a bit to clear it.  I'll post the ending up if the saves work this time (I'm still wary from Pokemon Carbuncle...)

-Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon [卧虎藏龙]: An RPG by Gowin/Hotkid.  Haven't played this too much, but you move around a 2D overworld and fight ninjas and whatnot.  It's not too bad, though you have to constantly heal to clear the first battle (which is the first thing you do, might I add.)

-Wukong Jiangmo Lu [悟空 降魔錄]: A platformer that plays rather similar to Dino Century that tells the tale of Sun Wukong's life from Journey to the West.  Even though it looks like a generic bootleg, it's actually a board from an official copy in a generic case, which is evidenced by the "GOWIN" logo that appears on boot-up (and no, it doesn't work on GB Player, I've tried).  One thing I want to add is that after playing these new Hotkid games, I've noticed how some of them come off as quite same-y, which also applies to...

-Binary Monsters II - Adventure of Hell [數碼怪獸-地獄大冒險]: Fun fact: the Chinese translates to "Digital Monster - Hell Adventure".  Kinda knew it was very Digimon-inspired from the "binary" part of it's name (and the first game being a tamagotchi clone) but still.  This one is a platformer where you control either the Gua Gua Dragon or that furry guy next to him.  The sound engine is taken from the old monochrome Gowin titles and the game plays very much like Story of Lasama, for the one or two people who've actually played it.  At the end of each level there's a monster gate and a boss to get by, though like in Lasama, you don't have to kill the boss, just get to the other side.  Also gotta dig that Hotkid logo there.

-Pokemon Leaf Green [口袋妖怪葉綠]: Another Sintax platformer that controls much like Digimon Yellow Jade, Harry Potter, etc.  I was pointed out that some of the graphics are from Tiny Toon Adventures for the NES and the music is from Parasol Stars.  The game itself isn't that bad, though Sintax's platformer engine can be unresponsive near ledges.  Another problem is that you can't move the screen up or down, so you're forced to make a lot of blind jumps.  Very annoying when you add the fact that whenever you die, you have to start the level over from the beginning.  Such a stupid problem, too.

-Shenqi Tie Jin Gang [神奇铁金钢]: An uninteresting game with an interesting presentation.  It's just a Sokoban clone, except you play a "boss minigame" every five levels.  It also features a bunch of cutscenes before and after the boss rounds and has a lot of digitized audio.  There's audio of the villain chuckling, sirens, your mech starting up, and even a girl's voice when you continue or pick up a power-up.  If you aren't tired of Sokoban yet, you'll enjoy this one quite a bit.  The bosses range from shooting approaching enemies, "wrestling" a giant robot by approaching it from behind a throwing it against a wall, and diffusing bombs.

  Another thing I got were Sky League cards.  What they're for is beyond me, but I seem to have gotten three for each game I bought.  They give info on the game/accessory on the card and have levels on them.  Some kind of trading card game like Magic or Pokemon, I suppose?

In case anybody's wondering: yes, elephant shin-chan is the main thing shown on the game's box.  Why that is is beyond me.

  That's all for now!  I'm expecting another package from Taobao with some Vast Fame games in them.  Nothing new, but there is one Digimon game in the bunch I've never seen before, and it's a monochrome game.  Hmm...