Latest News: May 1st, 2008 
 - We Aim To Please - | |
Greetings y'all! Bel Cain here. We've been pretty busy last month, so we couldn't get as many site related activities done as we wanted. You know that saying "April showers brings May flowers"? Well, we definitely had our share of showers down here in VA (Virginia). Not only that, we got hit by several very nasty tornadoes estimated to be roughly category three (or even CATEGORY FOUR)...so talk about devastation. The damage is quite extensive and between the whole "Election 08" matter and everything else that's wrong with this world, those suffering from this natural disaster aren't getting the attention they deserve. Of course, those of us who live in the United (Recession) States of America probably don't see this as anything new. We just try to lighten the mood by bringing joy and relief to those in the best way we know how: Through hardcore gaming.
Vtd and I have increased our YouTube portfolio by over fifty percent...or in other words, we've made roughly fifty new videos. What? You say that doesn't sound like much? Perhaps, but we've got a life too...wait, WHAT??? You say you didn't know we even HAVE a YouTube channel? Wow...well, I can't say we advertise our site very well. You can check us out on YouTube too, where we have interesting video intros and endings, a few sick level runs and much more to come in the future. Additionally, we have one new article for the SNES that consist of two games. We take an extensive look at The Jetsons: Invasion of the Planet Pirates which has an unusual connection to Kadokawa Shoten and Sting when combined with it's Japanese counterpart, Youkai Buster Ruka no Daibouken. It's a pretty lengthy, though interesting read. Also, JJ Hendricks of Video Game Price Charts was kind enough to add a link to our site and stated that he feels that many of his readers would like our site. Thanks JJ! As courtesy, his site link can be found on the bottom of this page as well. It's almost like the stock market for video games. You can see the rise and fall of game value as times change and things appreciate and depreciate. It's pretty neat.
One last note: We've been adjusting all our articles and experimenting with new article designs as well as developing a site mascot (an original one that will be used in certain instances). Our new article designs haven't spanned the whole site yet, but you'll see what we mean if you read our latest article. Let us know what you think! Later!
 March 31st, 2008
HEY! Bel here, bringing more Gaming Sanctuary gospel!! YEAH!!! [/Sugar Rush]
I'm pumped, and for good reason...we actually have a half decent update, and its been a while. Now that we've searched over the site and maintenance is at a minimum, we've got more time to do the things that make people love GS; Expand our horizons. As March Madness draws to a close, the site comes up with another update. We've made some other news which pays homage to Ziff Davis Media, since (if you haven't heard) they have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy...so we had to say our piece (you can read Joystiq's article too). We're also adding another new element (of course) to the Game Info Archive, "Game Mags 'N Ads". The news of ZDM touched us and made us realize that we've got to do our part...we had hundreds of mags in our youth, but they were thrown away during our teen years...oh, the horror! Still, we've got a little bit up our sleeves that we'd like to share with you folks. With the unveiling of this section, we'd like to highlight one of the coolest things so far in this section, the original Nintendo Power Ninja Gaiden II comic! You never knew there was one? Well, it's not particularly easy to come by on the net...actually, we couldn't find it, so we scanned it up. Oddly enough, Nintendo only made this awesome comic for the second game in the series...the rest you'll find were either drawn by folks not from Nintendo Power or in a sprite comic somewhere. We've also got strange books that talk about canceled titles and of course, a few obligatory art books that will all make an appearance with time. You want to expand our archives? Just let us know at [worldofgaming@yahoo.com].
The new articles on our roster today are interesting to say the least. For starters, we're taking a look at an incredibly obscure Super Famicom click-and-pick adventure game, Motoko-chan no Wonder Kitchen. Besides being one of the only SFC/SNES games to have cooking-sim elements like "Ore no Ryouri" and "Purumui Purumui" (besides the just as obscure SFC "Yoshi no Kuruppon: Oven de Cookie"), it's also a text adventure with lots of imagination and with a demographic geared towards children. It's even weirder because you couldn't buy this one in stores, it was only originally available to fans of Ajinomoto products, specifically mayonnaise...but we payed a hefty sum to bring this one out in the open the way it deserves. Next, let's expand our Game Boy and Game Gear realm with a couple of games, since those oldies don't get enough love these days. We've procured another tough find, Kaito(u) Saint Tail. It's one of the last titles made for Game Gear and is a Kids Gear title. Is it worth a play? Read within to find out. We've also got Mr. Chin's Gourmet Paradise (our last encounter with Mr. Chin was in Thunder & Lightning). We've also covered three games you can play on your PC folks, and they're all regarding Chrono Trigger. No, we aren't talking about THE original Chrono Trigger (there will be time for that later), and we aren't talking about Chrono Cross or Radical Dreamers...even though they can all be played on you computer if you know where to look. We're talking about "Chrono Killer", a Chrono Trigger beat-em-up made with the "Beats of Rage" engine as well as "Chrono Trigger Arcade: Zenan Defense", a Space Invaders-esque game starring my favorite CT character, Frog, not to mention its "sequel", CTA2: Battle Trainer! The Chrono Trigger Arcade games are counted as one article and can be read here. That should do it for now, at least regarding unrevised articles. With hundreds of new scans and screenshots (500+), this update pleases us at GS!
Note: We have updated the text version of our SD Hiryu No Ken section in the Game Guides section (image guide update comming soon). A huge thanks goes out to GameFAQs member EkaSwede, who provided so much additional information on the game that I could have perhaps made another mini-guide for the game alone! It also shows me just how advanced SD Hiryu No Ken is among other SNES/SFC fighters, even though it doesn't appear that way on the surface. Speaking of text versions of FAQs, you can now access them without clicking into the picture FAQ. Actually, you can do something similar regarding reviews too. You'll know what I mean if you are scrolling through the Game Reviews section. We've also partially upgraded the graveyard forum and finally got rid of our test banner for something slightly more flashy (we'll focus much more on the forum in the future). We'll be making more great updates in the future so stick around!
 March 11th, 2008
Greetings everyone, Bel speaking. We're putting up another small update to tide things over during our site maintenance period. We've fixed even more articles with new upgrades as well as some minor coding issues (things that we aren't even sure if people encountered such as unusual page obstructions in some EX pics areas like Keio Flying Squadron). We've also spiced up a few of the more minor sections of the site and have gone back to scanning more games and illustrations for the public. Speaking of scans, we've discovered that the quality of our scanners from 2007 and 2008 aren't up to snuff with a scanner we bought back in 1999, which resulted in some of the scans having lower (though tolerable) quality. It's embarrassing but true, so we made a generic computer with a 20GB hard drive and installed Windows 2000 on it to run ol' reliable so we can get back the quality scans that we really like (currently getting Sega Genesis caught up). We also got some requests to put up new pictures for our game collection, so we've gotten some pics of games in our new place in the Collection Section. They are certainly better than the ones we had for starters, and I know a lot of people are probably saying "it's about time", though we still need to get a decent picture of the handheld games, among other things.
Jonokuchi! In the world of Oozumou (or what Westerners call Sumo Wrestling), it's an expression meaning this is only the beginning. Unfortunately, it's likely to be the end in the U.S., at least as far as titles starring Sumo Wrestlers are concerned. If you thought U.S. gamers didn't get a title with a Sumo Wrestler, you should think twice after reading Sumo Fighter. It's a little known Game Boy game with a slightly sad story to tell and it's drenched in Japanese culture and weirdness. Next, we edited numerous articles as far as text and MP3s, but I gathered additional images for Flink for the Sega CD. We've also talked about the Game Gear version of Shikinjo...we don't care what the Japanese experts have to say about the pronunciation, since it says "Shikinjo" in plain English on the box and it's not that important arguing the semantics at the moment. It's a lot like Soukoban, except it's unusually colorful and you assume the role of a Chinese vampire. We contacted a representative of Toei Animation, Shirahama Yukiko (from the Press Section), to answer some of our inquiries surrounding the popular game, such as why they sought to publish certain versions of the game (NES/Family Computer and Game Boy) and if there was any animations based on the game that they may have developed. After all, they are a world famous animation studio and many of the games we have seen published by Toei also have cartoons and the like (Puss 'n Boots, some Hokuto no Ken games, Magical Taruruuto-kun/Magical Troll Adventure, and more) so we figured we should ask. We confirmed our suspicions when Yukiko stated that they simply produced/published the games, but it allows us to better inform our fans and it was kind of Yukiko to get back to us. We don't like always taking the easy way out. We'll be talking about a few strange games in our next update, since our shipment from Japan has arrived.
 February 27th, 2008
Welcome back everyone! This is Vtd speaking! It's been roughly three weeks since our last update and we're bringing it in with style. While this update was primarily one of our "fixing loose ends" update, we had to do something for this site's ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Ah yes, it's really hard to believe that we've been around for one year already...I remember when this site was just on a black screen with images thrown on it all willy-nilly, but this site has come a long way since then. One year ago around this time, we didn't know anything, but we've established some level of order, a setup that I can proudly call a website and not just a webpage, and we've become more skilled and sharpened our wits with each passing day. Working on this site with my brother isn't just a means of putting things up on the internet, it is a learning experience. Even more unbelievably, the majority of all this was done by two average guys in Microsoft (MS) Notepad, though that isn't saying we are foreign to things like Javascript and Dreamweaver. As usual, we must tell you of some of the things we have planned!
We're obviously going back and fixing old articles, since we can always find something to nitpick or add to them. Our articles are now going to include audio samples. No, we personally are not going to supply you with full-blown game OSTs or links to download ROMs and ISOs (because this site encourages people to buy their games). However, there are still a few nice things to this. Firstly, each track we've supplied is in MP3 format, so you can take it with you when you go, should you wish to, since it isn't in a mostly proprietary format like .zst, .rsn, etc (which a lot of people don't know how to use or aren't willing to use). Several other perks are no file download waiting periods, MP3s for some of the more unusual games (and eventually every game on this site), and even specified file size before you click something! The links set up for the audio samples take you directly to the download page, so you can just go ahead and get them. We've used File Front for this service (one of the leading video game file hosting services), though we put the obligatory link to their site out of common courtesy. I think it's a fairly sweet deal. You guys just get this because ya keep comin' back! Speaking of you guys, we probably wouldn't have nearly as much passion if you weren't sending supportive emails or quietly lurking in the background, giving the occasional thumbs up. We have to thank the tens of thousands of unique visitors as well as all the numerous returning visitors. Thank ye, thank ye!
Moving on, besides GS making more revisions, new additions, and forming traditions, Bel Cain also made a neat new banner to celebrate the occasion. It's got a funky Japanese feel to it, and it even has our sanctuary moniker in Japanese! He did that to show that we'll go deep into the depths of Japan if we have to, digging up all sorts of oddities along the way, though he threw in a few familiar faces. He's also working with me on an AWESOME Tadaima Yuusha Botsuchuu Okawari FAQ (YES!!), which has some translation notes and tells you more or less everything you'd want to know about the game. I'll have to get back to my other FAQs soon too. We don't have much in the way of new articles at the moment, but we have an interesting article for Hinokakera and a WIP article being leaked for Eternal Fighter Zero, two of many doujin PC games worthy of mention. We also have a revised article for the Wonderswan version of Riviera, as well as other surprises that you'll likely run into. We'll be making all sorts of additions, announced or not, so keep on checking with us. Thanks for stopping by, and we think this year will prove to be better than the last! This is only the beginning!! {-Vtd and BCTE-}
 February 7th, 2008
Hello folks, this is Bel here. Are you happy to see us back? A lot has happened over the past month and change that we've been down, though it's not exactly our fault. Still, I won't be so naive as to shift all the blame on other people, but I can tell you what's been going down.
We've moved successfully! Woot! It took a LOT of time for me and Vyse to manage all our stuff properly. We had to clean up the new place, bring all our crap in, catagorize it properly, condense some of our stuff and sell a few things around the city, throw away old stuff, clean out the attic, kiss babies, throw some previously stated crap in the attic, donate 3/4 of my wardrobe and anime VHS/DVDs for charity, buy a whole new wardrobe...blah blah blah. Needless to say, it took at least two weeks just for us to start getting situated. Furthermore, the phone service took much longer to get activated than anyone would like, which just plain sucks. This means all the banners and things we designed for last year's yuletide holiday season will just have to be used this year. There is some good news to all of this though...
We are finally back on track and that's good news. While some folks were out having big feasts and toasting to the onset of 2008, we've been doing some site work (we're not Scrooges though...we had some fun too). We are constantly at odds trying to make the site more convenient by adding new features but keeping the overall site design simple and enjoyable. This site's goal is to learn from all the great fan sites out there while making our own additions so we can forge our own identity. We believe in quality and hard work, but we also believe in having fun and taking pride in what we do. I think this is part of what makes us so ambitious, because we are so passionate about our work and not too concerned about simply being #1. We hope to one day give every article on this site, no matter how important or trivial the title, a chance to have equal coverage and have its own "shrine" dedicated to it. We don't wanna skimp on the little titles or dismiss them as unimportant because that's not how we roll. No matter what we say about any games on this site, know that we were passionate enough to take time out of our lives to give them the extensive coverage they have. This just means it's tough love folks.
Seriously now, enough with our rambling...you just wanna know what's NEW right? We've made some "Other News", which basically just glosses over some of our New Years resolutions. We finished up numerous articles, expanded some older articles (which look like brand new articles), grabbed more screenshots (1000+) and implemented one of what will be several new features: Quick Game Overviews. This is a highly condensed version of our articles which mainly consist of pros and cons. It can be from one reviewer or from many, but it is intended for those who don't like to read or are in a hurry. It basically sums up what the reviewer believes to be the ups and downs of a game. We're also gonna start grabbing more images of our gaming hotspots, so you can get an idea of what to look for. We have a few images of the new place that we are going to upload soon and if you haven't noticed it, we also have a link to VGC (Video Game Central) at the bottom of our page. They sell various gaming goodies; Both old and new. Besides that, the site also has a cool blog and a forum too. Check em' out.
Anyway, here's the list of reviews ladies and gentlemen. We would like to thank you for visiting GS and we'll be back soon:
NEW ARTICLES:
Super Gussun Oyoyo (Super Famicom/ SFC / SNES)
Super Gussun Oyoyo 2 (Super Famicom/ SFC / SNES)
Porindama/Porindama Online (Japanese PC game/ Adult Only Title)
The Terminator (Sega CD/ Mega CD)
Rise of the Dragon (Sega CD/ Mega CD)
Keio Flying Squadron (Sega CD/ Mega CD)
Gekioh Shooting King (Playstation / PS / PSX)
Sol Divide (Playstation / PS / PSX)
Astal (Sega Saturn/SS)
Galactic Attack (Sega Saturn / SS)
Golden Axe: The Duel (Sega Saturn / SS)
Sonic R (Sega Saturn / SS)
Little Samson (Nintendo / Famicom)
Kick Master (Nintendo / Famicom)
REVISED ARTICLES:
Royal Stone (Game Gear/Japanese)
Alisia Dragoon (Genesis/Megadrive)
Arrow Flash (Genesis/Megadrive)
Bubble and Squeak (Genesis/Megadrive)
Cacoma Knight (SNES/SFC)
Great Greed (Gameboy)
Fire 'N Ice (NES/Famicom)
Krion Conquest, The (NES/Famicom)
 November 25th, 2007
This is Vtd. Not too much news to say right now. We are in the middle of moving to our new place...as a matter of fact, there isn't even a bed in the room as I type this news. I just figured that I'd update with something before we move over though. You ever wanted to enter a world with monsters and babes with psychic powers? Who doesn't want that right? ....Okay, don't answer that question. Originally on the MSX-2, a brand of home computers back in the 1980's, Psychic World (or "Psycho World" as it was known back on the MSX-2) will let you fight as a righteous babe named Lucia who battles monsters to save her dear sister and she will use psychic powers to do so. Sound like something you might be interested in? Why don't you check it out.
We have a number of reviews that are mostly finished as well, but due to the move, you won't be able to set your crazy eyes on them until afterwards...I'm joking about the crazy thing. Expect a review or two for the Sega CD, a couple of SNES reviews (SNES fans are yelling "FINALLY!"), as well as our typical surprises. Also, the site has seen a number of review revisions and other renovations. We have gone back to gathering some scans and illustrations since it has been a while since any significant progress has happened in that regard. You can find scans and/or illustrations for Puyo Puyo/Puzlow Kids (Game Gear), Psychic World (Japanese Ver. Game Gear), Seifuku Densetsu: Pretty Fighter (with a cool mini-manga. SNES/SFC), Arrow Flash (Japanese Ver. Genesis), Akumajou Special: Boku Dracula-Kun (NES/FC), Blue Breaker Burst: Bishou o Anata to (Playstation), Gekioh: Shooting King (Playstation), Saiyuki: Journey West (Playstation), Toshinden 4 (PAL Ver. Playstation), The Terminator (Sega CD), Super Gussun Oyoyo (SNES/SFC), SM Choukyoushi Hitomi: Volume 2 Remix (SNES/SFC), and more! There are also videos for games like Psychic Force, Tomba!, Saiyuki, etc., in my Youtube channel here. There will definitely be more soon!
 November 9th, 2007
Bel here, with another update announcement. As many are aware, the first of November up until November the 8th was mainly site maintenance. We've got a little more accomplished with this time than Vyse or myself thought we would. We've tweaked the layout some more and changed the place of certain bits of text on the screen. Previously, the site was only believed to be quite multi-browser compatible, mostly due to the simplicity of the code, but GS is now attempting to make the site serviceable through numerous screen resolutions. The site is now feasibly viewable through three of the four major resolution settings on standard computers (800 x 600, 1024 x 768, and 1152 x 864), with 1152 x 864 being our favorite setting for the site. This is a big step forward for GS and brings us a little bit further from a "Ice" or "Jello" design and a little bit closer to a "Liquid" design.
We've also fixed up the code a little more and have been going back and expanding some of the older articles with written material and screenshots...we're also thinking of implementing an interesting feature for the reviews in the future, but we won't say anything right now (and it will take some time to implement). We've even gone as far as embedding a few videos to showcase what a particular system can do and added system .gifs with minor transparency effects (click them to get larger images of a particular system). You also don't have to worry about the site going anywhere for awhile...I'm paying for everything right now. It's a sweet deal for everybody, especially the Blue Rogue that runs this site.
We didn't really have to put anything else in this update, but maintenance sucks, doesn't it? Well, I think so, but it's necessary I'm afraid. Still, we have thrown together one new review to tide loyal viewers of Gaming Sanctuary over until the next update. We've analyzed an unusual Playstation shooter, Philosoma, the shooter that plays like many shooters you've played before and yet manages to play like nearly no other shooter out there. Why is this? Read on ladies & gentlemen, read on. Later.
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