Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel freeware game

(tags bishoujo, game, freeware)

Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel, a gambling slot-machine created back in 2006 by the Trivy Corporation and Sammy Corporation, now makes it onto the Windows PC. Sammy ran with this bishojo concept and besides having currently serialized manga, enlisted major seiyuu like Yukari Tamura (田村ゆかり), Mamiko Noto (能登麻美子) and Masumi Asano (浅野真澄) for the 2008 OVA.

Now they enlisted Kogado Studios Koneko-san Team of bishojo all-ages game fame for this free 2009 New Year's present: Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel: Illusion Girl (快盗天使ツインエンジェル 幻の少女). (Thanks to Zepy for the tip).

Free. I can't believe this is free. \(>_<)/ 1.33 GigaByte download. 3 scenario writers. FREE.

This freeware game plays like an extended Flash game, but with unheard of 1280 pixel wide visuals. And though they call it a Visual Novel, almost every line is voiced. It's more like an anime with subtitles.

I want to figure out who did the character design for this particular work, because it's really kawaii. But it's either the OVA animator Makoto Koga (古賀誠) or it's someone that calls themselves "Sakana" (魚). A hard to find psuedonym? Oh wait, there is an illustrator called Sakana and the illustrator's web page confirms the connection.

Is this nagomi-inducing moe? At least the visuals are, yes. I captured these screens in Windowed mode using the Print Screen key, and the water-marking logo on the left hand side automatically imprints.

Sadly the story is maho-shojo cliche to the point of irritation. Normal teenage girls (15/F/Japan) transform into super powered heroines (CERO 12 transformation scene) to battle the evil-bent but mostly incompetent Black Auction Corporation. Their senpai backs them up without revealing his identity, using an eye mask (is this a Sailor Moon motif?). Other maho-shojo cliches abound, though thankfully there is no upskirt fan-service.

I am annoyed with the ditzy character Yukarin voices. Noto has the humble know-it-all role. Masumin voices the overly competative rival. I applaud her energy but the dialogue is so predictable.

The first battle plays out with fighting game life bars, but the actual game mechanic is a my-first slot machine with easy to hit targets. I suspect that the rest of the battles to be the same. The story progresses with a choose your own adventure style branching, with episodes like playing vollyball or cooking food in class.

Free. On one hand I can see this kind of work selling for 7000 yen or more (typical PC game prices). It doesn't have the advertisement atmosphere, so it makes me wonder if this was intended to be a retail package. However this is a sugar-coated, heavenly-sounding, girly eyed junk. I "play" this game by putting it on auto and waiting for the next battle or reading my web browser. I haven't finished the game, but I bet there's at least 4 hours worth of stuff in here. Hm. Continue.

Idolm@ster DLC sale part 4

(tags game, Xbox 360, cosplay, bishoujo, purchase, Idolmaster, shmup, Trigger Heart Exelica)

Another month, another Idolm@ster sale. Is this the last one? This time the goodies are mainly audio, although there is a slight price cut on the school swimsuit. This is the first month where there are no additions.

I'm a little late with this kind of post. Only 3 more days.

See my posts on the previous sales, part 1 and part 2 and part 3.

I have a slight dilemma this time. I have 2000 XBLA points right now, and this sale requires 3100 points. I am going to buy the two Idolm@ster Live For You XBLA cards, but those 7000 points won't be in my account in time for the sale.

Huh? Where's the dilemma? Get the 1400 point card. Done.

Going that route, I'll have to wait a little while to get next week's XBLA shmup game, Trigger Heart Exelica (トリガーハートエグゼリカ). I did bothered to get it on the Dreamcast almost one year ago, meh. I am one of the do-not-open Dreamcast game (shmup) fools. The review by racketboy makes me want to play it though.

Idolm@ster DLC sale part 3

(tags game, Xbox 360, cosplay, bishoujo, purchase, Idolm@ster)

Another month, another Idolm@ster sale. Let's just get this over with:

See my posts on the previous sales, part 1 and part 2. This time, the 19 sale items includes the Neneko accessory set, rawr. I snapped a picture of a Yumeria Neneko clock a long time ago.

Oh and this month brings the 12th new DLC set, which is a hakama graduation dress with matching "taisho era" ribbon. 1000 XBLP for it. I'll be waiting forever for these 1000 XBLP DLCs to drop in price, me thinks.

Idolm@ster DLC sale part 2

(tags game, Xbox 360, cosplay, bishoujo, purchase, Idolm@ster)

Idolm@ster has a second DLC item sale, "Platinum Collection Celebration Part 2" (「アイドルマスター」のプラチナコレクション発売記念第２弾！！), starting from 11-28 to 12-24. See part 1. This time, 17 items are discounted. It's Mr. Driller cosplay time! Of course, we must tabulate the "savings".

As you can see, you save 2650 Xbox Live Points if you buy all of the discounted items next month. Or, rather, coming from my perspective, the sale items will cost 2450 XBLP.

I have yet to get through enough Idolm@ster to figure out if I need the first sale's items, and time is running out. Is it going to be a Idolm@ster weekend? haha.

At the same time, the eleventh catalog is maid dress (meido). But the stockings are FAIL. They should be plain white. Yet again Dengeki Online with the best pictures:

(photo from 「「アイマスカタログ」第11号のEXTENDはカラフルなメイド服！」2007-11-22)

I just noticed this pose is the same as the 8th catalog "China Dress" goods. Miki again is very kawaii.

Idolm@ster DLC sale?

(tags game, Xbox 360, cosplay, bishoujo, purchase, Idolm@ster)

Announced in last week's Famitsu in the Idolm@ster "sequel" article was the "Platinum Collection Celebration Part 1" item sale (「アイドルマスター」のプラチナコレクション発売記念第１弾！！). There are 22 items discounted at 33% or more, and the sale lasts for about a month (until 11/26). I wonder if there's going to be another sale, since it says its the first one.

So I collected the pricing info on all of the DownLoadable Content (DLC). I have a whole Google Spreadsheet with all the items, but the long and short of it is, you could be buying a PS3 with the money:

First off, I totalled the Microsoft points. That's the first column. The remaining columns are various ways to get points, such as a credit card, or a prepaid card from a retailer like Sofmap or Sega Direct. The first row is "Purchase all items". It's 43,050 points or a flabergasting 6_4575 yen. Buying points by credit card gives you the least amount of bang for your ... yen, so let's try retailers. I already bought a card from Sofmap, so I had to include them there. If you keep buying from them, then you save 3000 yen. Big woop. The surprise was Sega Direct's pricing, which helps you save up to 6000 yen. Unfortunately Sega Direct is all out of cards.

There might be additional sales later on, so let's just consider the current sale items. That's the last line row there, and the price is 5000 yen, give or take. Terrific. If you truly can't wait for any additional sales, you can get the whole thing for 59100 yen, starting in 2 days.

Are these items unlockable in the game or no? They must be additional items. Probably some of them are rare items. In any case, it is imperative to play the game before reaching for the points.

Beginning the closing thoughts on Otome-boku

(tags anime, game, bishoujo, DVD region 2)

In that previous post, 'Amber-orange twin-tail goddess... "So Lovely"', I totally forgot about Takako-sama. So much for blogging as a memory guide.

I want to go over Otome Wa Boku Ni Koishiteru since I finally finished watching it on DVD, but right now I need to get over the shock of losing that online order "theft".