A Bit Special
Here we have all the games in the A Bit Special Section.
Sega Saturn
A Bit Special
Sega Saturn related digital magazine with RPG Club, Barbara’s Game Experience Corner, Digital Gallery and Girls Collection featuring Sakura Wars and Virtua Fighter 3. Collectable kitsch.
GameBoy Original
A Bit Special
Recreating the joy that represented Nintendo’s Game & Watch series that covered infinitely more playground kudos that any Rubiks Cube or Fart Spray. In this delightful piece of simplicity we have Vermin, Parachute, Chef, Helmet and Donkey Kong. Each title is available in nostalgic original form or in updated modern day shape. Either way the pure gameplay is irresistible.
Wii
A Bit Special
A little bit of a different experience with the games main protagonist and hero Minon being able to alter the domino action world. Fingers crossed this can be as enjoyable as No One Can Stop Mr. Domino on the PSX. Eight stages to enjoy with a battle mode and two player play possible.
Playstation
A Bit Special
Very bold title that sets you up trying to become the next pop idol by creating a music video. There are some loopy loops such as ‘Cheap Bicycle’ and ‘Da! Da! Da!’ but its the madcap Tim Burton created in game persona’s that really take the biscuit.
Playstation
A Bit Special
Denki Groove is a funky techno chap lending his tunes to this deviously devilish mini game compilation. Players must complete tasks in the game which is like the more familiar Made in Wario and its ilk mini game series. However the games have a darker edge more in line with cult cracker Baito Hell on the PSP. A young lad must chop wood by a simple button press, but the old man helper will sneak on a pink bunny rabbit from time to time. Players must hurtle off in a race of chicken: the winner being the one who can stop closest to the cliff edge without flying off it. A Wolfenstein style avatar has plenty of sneaky glances left to right as he counts the folk strolling along the street. A real underground favourite in Japan and after a few minutes its easy to see why.
Nintendo DS
A Bit Special
The stunning solicitor series created by Capcom as players must go all out for the conviction. Credit to the Japanese game market which still pulls out its own genres every now and then. I mean few companies would be bold enough to test out such a title. Known in the West as Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney.
Wii
A Bit Special
Nine various games to ground you in the skills required to play the console to its full potential. Nintendo takes you by the hand through a Duck Shoot style blast, a round of ping pong, a rack of pool – mimicking the cue action, a race with a herd of cows, a spot of fishing and a game of air hockey amongst others. All good, clean fun and an excellent starter title.
Nintendo Hardware
A Bit Special
Also known as Wii Play, the bundle features nine various games to ground you in the skills required to play the console to its full potential. Nintendo takes you by the hand through a Duck Shoot style blast, a round of ping pong, a rack of pool – mimicking the cue action, a race with a herd of cows, a spot of fishing and a game of air hockey amongst others. All good, clean fun and an excellent starter title.
Dreamcast
A Bit Special
Email sender looking very pretty in pink for fans of Sanrio’s Kitty chan. Unfortunately the Dreamcast servers have long since ground to a halt, but this remains a nice curio for the DC completist.
Nintendo 64
A Bit Special
Long before Pokemon Go, N64 fans were using the Voice Recognition System to chat with Pikachu and enjoy a days fishing for Magikarp or planting in the garden. A great idea cleverly executed. Known as Pikachu Genki Dechuu in Japan.
Nintendo DS
A Bit Special
Set in a hammed up seventies kung fu movie, players have to exhibit their kanji (or Chinese character) prowess rather than any praying mantis forms. The stylus is used to write the hiragana reading of characters, the kanji of hiragana words or even identify the correct radical. So its definitely a study aid, but a very well executed one with plenty of style and tight character recognition.
Mega Drive
A Bit Special
Twenty party games all of a rather bizarre nature in this sequel to Tanto R. The mini games involve jumping over frogs, spotting the differences, catching rice balls as they fall on a kebab stick even a recall test where the silhouette of the young wife appeared last in the apartment window… A popular Sega title in Japan.
Sega Saturn
A Bit Special
Basically a fan disk to Zico whose brand of Brazilian football enthralled many and boosted his popularity in Japan into the stratosphere. The title translates as Zicos thinking football, though Genkis Portuguese isnt quite what it used to be. Plenty of footage of the original galactico with some top tips to hit the back on the onion bag.
Playstation
A Bit Special
Plenty of fun mini games make this a great after hours title with punk penguins Rocky and Hopper.
Nintendo DS
A Bit Special
Not a game as such but an electronic dictionary with writing recognition thanks to the DS stylus. The equivalent machine would cost significantly more than price of a DS and this cart making it a serious alternative to the Casio WordTank for the budding linguist. Includes Game and Watch titles that can be unlocked as rewards for your hard studies making this the perfect balance between work and play. Also features a kanji quiz such as the different characters for country names. And the writing recognition works well assisting in progressing studies as its simple to look up a kanji character. Both Japanese to English and English to Japanese modes. Great for those import gamers looking to attain the next level.
PS2
A Bit Special
Title translates as ‘Lump Spirits’. Play as a pile of rubbish that builds up as you roll around the screen. As your proportion grows so does your potential to swallow up people, animals, buildings… Converserly the gaming area seems to shrink. Shamefully over looked for a Western release. Clinically insane, but in a good way.
Playstation
A Bit Special
Nice Playstation curio coming with disk and cable that allows it to be linked to a Japanese mobile phone. Once hooked up, users can save their data from their phone or play around with a few new melodies on the console.
Gamecube
A Bit Special
The ‘Kero Kero’ of the title comes from the onomatopoeia for the sound a frog makes. But no wonder the frog is squawking as it gets hammered around the course in a game of croquet with frogs instead of balls. Various conditions to consider too like in golf such as the wind direction or the fact that the ball is a frog and will jump off spiders webs or launch at passing flies. Comes with a really enjoyable four player mode to take full advantage of the hardware.
Playstation
A Bit Special
The Kids Station controller simplifies the buttons from the control pad making for simple mini games, but plenty of fun. The lower age range makes this a great tool for those learning Japanese, especially at Genki’s level.
Playstation
A Bit Special
The title translates as ‘I can do it on my own’ and has players making various dishes that even Genki fancies being able to rustle up. Based on the NHK programme, the Japanese equivalent of the BBC.
Playstation
A Bit Special
A fine collectable curio for Playstation devotees coming with this Winnie the Pooh themed mouse to help those progress through the educational levels of the game.
Dreamcast
A Bit Special
Voice command led game in which an array of space critters can be bossed around before they start bossing the player. Experimental and great fun for the adventurous.
Sega Saturn
A Bit Special
Little known ‘life adventure’ game in a futuristic science style setting.
Playstation
A Bit Special
Part of the Kenki Ippai series and as such related to Crane and Shovel Master, here players must again don hard hat and take up the challenge of mastering the controls of vehicles ranging from dumpers truckers to bulldozers. Features mini games seeing diggers scramble for buried treasure, or see who can build the biggest pile of earth – a lot more fun than it may sound. But the main bulk of the game is on the building site – once drivers can show the harsh lipped foreman they have the necessary skills.
Super Famicom
A Bit Special
Paint package for the Nintendo which utilises the mouse very well and has slick presentation as you’d expect for a Nintendo title. As a Mario game very collectable too. Not only drawing facilities but you can produce animations and music too with colour in pictures of Mario for the less budding artists. Also includes an insect swatting game to improve mouse skills.
Nintendo 64
A Bit Special
Madcap mini games galore, all fitting the bill of being quick to pick up and great fun, especially in multiplayer.
Second hand. Also comes with Happy Mini Games Collection manual. Creasing to covers of both manuals. Box dents and scuffing with a small tear on the top edge.
Gamecube
A Bit Special
A must for multiplayer adding so much more enjoyable by beating those you hold dear to the mini party games. Simple to pick up and play, but the fun really draws out the competitive spirit.
Nintendo DS
A Bit Special
Great fun and very generously can be linked u between up to four DS’s with just one copy of the game. The action is light hearted and varied with Nintendo rarely lacking in imagination: be it dances offs, avoiding falling off a giant roller or avoiding the footballs Goomba kicks at you.
Playstation
A Bit Special
Sony’s answer to Samba De Amigo with high tempo soundtrack (including of course Tubthumping) but instead of using maracas, players attach sensors to their wrists and ankles. The player then follows the martial moves of their on screen persona gaining points for successfully landing a kick or punch at the correct time. There is also a visual reward for landing the moves on time such as being able to see a fireball travel across the screen. Done with intent the techniques give a good work out and the graphics are nicely done set in stereotypical Chinese situations. Includes a two player mode where on screen adversaries swarm in for the kill and they are dispatched with a deft flick of the wrist.
Playstation
A Bit Special
Sony’s answer to Samba De Amigo with high tempo soundtrack (including of course Tubthumping) but instead of using maracas, players attach sensors to their wrists and ankles. The player then follows the martial moves of their on screen persona gaining points for successfully landing a kick or punch at the correct time. There is also a visual reward for landing the moves on time such as being able to see a fireball travel across the screen. Done with intent the techniques give a good work out and the graphics are nicely done set in stereotypical Chinese situations. Includes a two player mode where on screen adversaries swarm in for the kill and they are dispatched with a deft flick of the wrist.