On the surface this looks pretty interesting – it’s double pack and the idea of having two games for the price of one is exciting (although due to rarity it’s technically two games for the price of about two and a half). Then there’s Mushi Mushi Pork! & Pink Sweets.
Unlike its 360 counterpart, this version is region free, and it’s an excellent game well worth importing. Sure, it was released three years later, but that hardly matters any more. It’s also one of the few CAVE titles to star brooding men rather than sexy anime girls – so bonus points for variety.Īlthough region locked on Xbox 360, Ketsui is the only CAVE game also available for PlayStation 3. Aesthetically it’s not too far removed from the DoDonPachi games, although maybe a little bleaker. But aside from presentation values inferior to CAVE’s own work, the game is a an excellent port of a really amazing arcade game. Up next we have Ketsui, the last title 5pb would release after the DoDonPachi DaiOuJou fiasco. Naturally CAVE didn’t allow the cowboys at 5pb anywhere near future ports such as Mushihimesama HD, which they handled themselves. However DoDonPachi DaiOuJou was ported by 5pb, and required the intervention of CAVE to bring the game up to standard. Incidentally both games previously received ports on the PlayStation 2, although as you might expect these aren’t as competent as the Xbox 360 versions. Overall Mushihimesama HD up there with DoDonPachi DaiOuJou as one of the best region locked games that you can get for the console. Of course thematically and visually it’s similar to its sequel (think Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind on a mission to exterminate bugs), but in terms of level design it perhaps has the edge.
The game is hardcore bullet hell madness without some of the complexities found in their later titles, the graphics are super slick, and the overall presentation is superb.
Because of this the game strikes a nice balance between CAVE’s classic mechanics and new presentation values – a contrast more prevalent here than in any of their other releases. Even though the game came out in 2012, three years after Futari, Mushihimesama HD is a port of the arcade title that was released first (2002). The limited edition Mushihimesama HD is packaged in a similar way, opening up to reveal the 360 box (with fancy artwork) and soundtrack CD. However the limited edition disc is region locked, unlike its standard counterpart. The game comes in a larger outer cardboard box, opening up to reveal a soundtrack CD as well as the game – which features alternate artwork to the standard retail version. Now I also have the limited edition version, a luxury item I wouldn’t have purchased on its own, but as part of the bundle I’m certainly not complaining. There’s also Mushihimesama Futari, which technically I already owned. Finding these deals did take a while however, although the reward was certainly worth the patience.Īs these games are filling in the gaps in my existing CAVE collection, we’re generally talking about some of their weirder and rarer titles. I was also able to sell on the duplicates to make back some of the money I’d spent. Some of these games are really expensive, so this was a pretty good deal the Muchi Muchi Pork! and Pink Sweets double pack usually sells for around £100 alone, and Mushihimesama HD for £40 isn’t half bad either. The overall cost of the games was £170, which broke down to £40 for Mushihimesama HD and £130 for the rest bundled. In total I purchased eight games – I made some big savings by buying in bulk but also ended up with duplicates of DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou and Deathsmiles X2 (not pictured). But although it took longer than expected I think I’ve finally got them all, and today I’ll run through everything new in the collection since last time.įrom left to right: Mushihimesama Futari (ltd edition) Mushihimesama HD (ltd edition), Ketsui, Raiden Fighters Aces (not technically a CAVE game), DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu ver 1.5, Muchi Muchi Pork! and Pink Sweets double pack. Unfortunately the large cost of both the console and the rare import shmups meant that in order to prevent financial ruin I had to put my quest on a temporary hold. Back in September last year I imported an NTSC-J Xbox 360 and began my mission to acquire all the weird and wonderful CAVE games that never made it outside of Japan.