It’s Hikari Friday, Skeletor Needs A New Home And Funko Wants To Send Him Your Way…

Hikari logo 

Yep, it’s that time of the week again and this time, it’s everyone’s favorite skull-headed nuisance who wants to invade your collectibles shelf. Check out this Havoc Skeletor Hikari Sofubi Figure Funko is giving away to ONE very lucky winner:

Havoc Skeletor Hikari Sofubi Figure

#1 of only 2000 can be all YOURS if you get on over to one of Funko’s social channels, enter and do whatever lucky dance you do when you really want to score a win:

www.facebook.com/OriginalFunko
www.twitter.com/OriginalFunko
Instagram @OriginalFunko

Well, okay… dancing is optional when you enter, but I’d bet you a buck you WILL dance around the room if you DO win this one. I know I’d be doing just that if I got that email next week saying I was the big winner! And if you don’t win, just poke your head into your favorite comics shop or other retailer that stocks Funko products and see if they have this in stock when it ships out in September. Anyway, GOOD LUCK as usual and check back next week for another Funko giveaway!

Super Fighter Team Brings Back Beggar Prince!

Beggar Prince ReturnsWell. It’s been quite the week or so for retro game news in terms of 16-bit Sega games making a comeback. Pier Solar HD is headed to (some) modern consoles, It Came From The Desert is finally arriving on the Sega Genesis later this year and now, Super Fighter Team is finally bringing back a retail edition of Beggar Prince, one of its most popular titles.

Developed by C&E, Inc., this turn-based RPG was initially a Taiwan-only release back in 1996 until Super Fighter team took notice of it and localized, debugged, and partially reprogrammed the game in order to bring it to audiences worldwide. The game’s low print run sold out and of the games the company has released since, this one’s been the most requested for reissue status.

bprince01 bprince02 bprince03 bprince04 bprince05 bprince06 bprince07 bprince08 bprince09

more screens here!

While the game is currently available as part of the excellent RPG Trifecta Pack digital download, collectors have been clamoring for a physical reissue for years and now they have the opportunity to snap this up at a mere $63 (US) or $70 (international). Considering the price of the original game is now in the hundreds of dollars and Super Fighter Team doesn’t see a penny of those resales, finally getting the game out as a reissue is a great thing. I know a certain SegaDude will be dancing around his room when he gets this news…

EDIT! Oops. I was so excited that I forgot to mention the other cool games SFT has for sale: Magic Girl and Cascade are still up for pre-orders on the Genesis/Mega Drive and Nightmare Busters is getting a second go-round of orders for you Super Nintendo/Super Famicom fans. GET THEM BEFORE THEY’RE GONE!

Pier Solar & The Great Architects HD Trailer: The Return of Watermelon’s Modern Retro JRPG

I only own ONE copy of Pier Solar at the moment (one of the reissues with the Sega CD/CD soundtrack bonus), but that’s about to change soon when the fully revamped HD version of game FINALLY makes it to PC (for a few operating systems), Sega Dreamcast (!), PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Wii U (yes!) at some point this year. Or is it next year? It’s hard to say, but I’m sure it’ll be well worth the long wait in the end. The visuals certainly benefit from the transition, the new cut scenes also look great and yes, I’m betting the game is still as tough as it was when it was initially released. Anyway, the fine folks at Watermelon are to be commended for getting this new and shiny version out on pretty much anything that can play it as it needs to be played (on a large screen, of course). Nothing more to say here other than let the waiting begin!

Collection Update: One WARP Mystery Solved, One Begun!

WARP Duo

 

Well, now. I knew about the kooky Flopon World on the 3DO for years, but have never seen a copy until a few weeks back when someone pointed to one up for sale on eBay. I let it sit there for a while watching it and hoping the cover would scare the more prudish collectors who might have wanted it off (how you explain two near-naked dudes on the cover of a match-3 variant puzzle game is all up to you, folks!) and I guess it worked. I made an offer and grabbed this for less than I thought I’d be able to. One down and what I thought was the LAST game I needed in my WARP collection (well, except for that legendary Enemy Zero limited edition that I’ve NEVER seen an image of) other than whatever other demos the company produced for the Japanese 3DO magazine than what I have here.

I guess I was wrong, as a few days later I see Flopon P!, a PlayStation game not listed as part of WARP’s output on GameFaqs… which has the WRONG cover image for Flopon World, by the way. I have NO idea what game is pictured other than to say it’s on the Flopon World disc as one of at least four games, so perhaps it’s a demo disc I’ve never seen? Anyway, the PlayStation game was published by Asmik in 1995 and the serial number SLPS 00032 just may mean that not counting demo discs, it was the 32nd PlayStation game released in Japan. But I think that numbering system went off the rails at some point. While it doesn’t have the WARP logo on the package or in the manual (and I don’t have the spine card to check if it’s there), both WARP and Asmik have copyright info on the game and the late, great Kenji Eno’s name is in the manual’s credits page. Hmmmmm… perhaps this was a co-production and thus not an “official” WARP game? I need to find this out, as it’ll make those who collect the few games made by this defunct company run out and track this one down. I think this one only cost me about six dollars, so that’s a steal and a nice addition to the library.

Funko Does A Double Giveaway Today: Hikari Turtle and Guardians of the Galaxy Figures Up For Grabs!

Marvel GoG logo Holy Swag, Batman! Oops, wrong comics company, but you’ll forgive my transgression if you happen to enter this awesome Funko contest and win ALL THIS STUFF:

Guardians of the Galaxy Giveaway Technically, this contest isn’t “free” to enter, as you need to have a ticket to see Guardians of the Galaxy in order to enter:

HOW TO ENTER
Post a picture with your Guardians of the Galaxy movie ticket and tag us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
@OriginalFunko
Use the caption “I want to win the Guardians of the Galaxy Prize Pack from @OriginalFunko! #FunkoGuardians”

The giveaway starts NOW and runs through Friday 8/8 at 12am PST!
Good luck!

But wait, there’s more… Continue reading

Onechanbara Z II: Chaos PS4-Bound In Japan (Yes, We Could Use It Here As Well)…

OneeChambara Z II Chaos LogoIt’s tough being a fan of a SUPER-niche series like the OneeChambara(also spelled Onechanbara, folks!) games, but I’ll admit to liking the games to some extent as a purely guilty pleasure. Well, except for that PSP game that felt half completed because of the oddball controls. Anyway, D3Publisher in Japan dropped this trailer yesterday for OneeChambara Z II: Chaos and both Gamekyo and Gematsu ran a ton of screen grabs and concept art for this first next-gen game in the long-running series that started out on the PlayStation 2. The game is set for an October 30, 2014 release and developer Tamsoft is promising a blazing 60 frames per second and full 1080p resolution, a first for the series.

Sure, compared to other games on the PS4, this one isn’t going to be the best-looking at all, but it’s nice to see Tamsoft make a game that looks like the cut scenes they’ve done in previous Onechanbara titles. As for this one getting an full English translation and US release? Well, that’s a tough one to call, as D3Publisher of America probably didn’t sell a ton of the first two Onechanbara games they localized (one for the Xbox 360 and another for the Nintendo Wii). I guess we shall see what happens, but I can see this getting at least some minor to moderate success in Japan if it plays well and had legs. Er, longevity, that is. I’ll bug someone at D3PoA in a bit to see what’s what. I’d love to play this one and really hope it’s being looked at for a potential North American release at some point. Sexy gals wiping out zombie hordes by the boatload and doing it stylishly? Yeah, it’s supposed to be silly and semi-serious simultaneously, but that’s what makes this guilty pleasure work so well, folks. Off to cross my fingers and hope…

Doctor Who Goes To The Movies (And Yes, You’re Invited!)…

Doctor Who_Deep Breath Poster 

Ha. I figured this would happen, so it’s nice to have the option of seeing the first Peter Capaldi episode on the big screen or at home. Naturally, the theatrical version will have more footage (that’s going to pop up eventually on TV) and sure, you can dress up if you wish (and if you dress up at home, I don’t need to know unless you’re importing Jelly Babies and want to share). I’ll most likely stick to my living room for the entire season just because there aren’t any theaters where I live now, the nearest one takes some time to get to and the tickets are quite overpriced. That said, options are always a good thing (but not having a movie theater in a neighborhood that had five or six at one point is a damn shame, grrrr!)…

WIN FREE STUFF! Funko Keeps The Hikari Friday Madness Rolling With A Turtle For One!

Limited Edition Nickelodeon Exclusive Metallic Michelangelo Exclusive Hikari Sofubi Figure

Hikari logoSo, you’re all cranky that you’re NOT sweating it out at the San Diego Comic-Con swimming in free swag from all those companies giving stuff away and free germs from all those people coughing and wheezing all over you. Well, Funko has your back ladies and gents… er, provided you’re the LUCKY winner of this week’s Hikari Friday giveaway.

In case you haven’t guessed yet, the prize this week is a Limited Edition Nickelodeon Exclusive Metallic Michelangelo Exclusive Hikari Sofubi Figure (#1 of only 500). The other 499 are on sale at SDCC this weekend, but YOU can stay home safe and sound and maybe WIN this one and barely lift a finger.

Okay, well… you DO need to at lift at least ONE finger (two are better for typing slightly faster) and boogie on over to one of Funko’s social network pages:

www.facebook.com/OriginalFunko
www.twitter.com/OriginalFunko
Instagram @OriginalFunko

Enter away, and cross a few things in the hope that you’re the one they pick to get this cool Turtle you won’t see in any retailer (unless some comic shop snags one at the con and resells it for a small fortune).

Incoming RPGs! Nihon Falcom Fans Get To Shake It And Smile Soon. Twice!

It seems we’re in for a Nihon Falcom “revival” of sorts. Granted, PC versions of their games aren’t uncommon at all in Japan, but it seems they take a backwards route here in the west, coming over as console ports and a few years later, making it to PC gamers who also happen to be JRPG fans and want to see more of these titles and faster. Anyway, we’re getting The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky via Steam next week thanks to Xseed Games and it’s been recently announced that Mastiff Games is trying to get Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure up on Steam as a Greenlight game.

In the case of the latter, publisher Mastiff came up with the idea to give away the game to those who voted to Greenlight it AND leave a comment on the game’s discussion boards, but some feel this is a wee bit too much. I think it’s a fine idea, although it could backfire if EVERY person who wanted to see the game pop up as a product they should BUY ends up being a game they all get for nothing at all. I’d have made it a better giveaway by only giving codes to people who still OWN a physical or legal digital copy of the PSP game or happen to have the Japanese PC game somewhere in their possession. Granted, that number might be smaller than the votes needed to get the game on Steam, but it would have at lease quelled the light to medium annoyance some people are feeling who think the publisher is trying too hard to “game the system” as it were. Even though I voted and posted a note, I still own my copy of Gurumin and will gladly post a photo here to score a free code if asked.

Of course, at the end of the day it’s all about the NEW fans who pay for, dive into and have a blast with this modern classic. So here’s to seeing some big sales once the freebie frenzy dies down. I’d love to see some wise publisher get as many Falcom games onto PC’s here at some point (perhaps in a big ol’ box set or series of sets), but that’s me pipe-dreaming up a small storm again…

Not Going To San Diego Comic-Con This Year? Funko Still Wants To Give You Something Hikari!

Hikari logoThree SUPER limited edition Hikari Sofubi Vinyl figures are up for grabs this week and only THREE very lucky people will be getting the first of these three figures you can ONLY get if you attend the upcoming San Diego Comic Con! In other words, even if you DO go to the con and line up, if you’re person number 1498 to roll up to the Funko Booth (#5343), you’re pretty much SOL here. Anyway check out the trio of awesome up for this week’s giveaway:

Mean & Green Raphael:
Mean and Green Raphael

Ice Freeze Batman:
Ice Freeze Batman

Red Rain Batman:
Red Rain BatmanAs usual, if you want to win, here’s the ONLY way to do so:

Hit up one of Funko’s social media channels:

www.facebook.com/OriginalFunko
www.twitter.com/OriginalFunko
Instagram @OriginalFunko

Follow the instructions and hold your breath until next Thursday when the winners are announced. Good Luck and if you happen to win one AND pick up another at the convention, good for you, you lucky soon to be chased around by other Funko collectors guy or gal, you!