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Daily Archives: July 18th, 2010

Secret of Mana – 聖剣伝説2 – سر مانا

“ Secret of Mana, known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 2 (聖剣伝説2, Seiken Densetsu Tsū, lit. “The Legend of the Holy Sword 2″), is an action role-playing game (RPG) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed and published by Square in 1993. The game was re-released for the Wii’s Virtual Console in 2008, and was ported to Japanese mobile phones in 2009. Secret of Mana is the sequel to Final Fantasy Adventure for the Game Boy and the second installment in the Mana video game series.

Rather than using the traditional turn-based battle system of games like Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana utilizes real-time battles akin to the Legend of Zelda series, also employing typical RPG elements and a unique “Ring Command” menu system. With its brightly-colored graphics, expansive plot, innovative cooperative multiplayer gameplay, and acclaimed soundtrack by Hiroki Kikuta, Secret of Mana was an influential game in its time.” (Wikipedia, accessed July 17, ’10).

My favorite feature of Secret of Mana is the following: ”The game may be played simultaneously by two or three players.”! This is awesome for SNES! I’ve always wanted to play Secret of Mana since it was out in stores, but for some reason the English version wasn’t available in our region. 16 years later, I’m reconsidering playing this game on PSP! Yes, I will downgrade and abuse my PSP for SNES, NES, SEGA, GAMEGEAR and GAMEBOY ROMs~

Ikebukuro – 池袋 – إيكيبوكورو

” Ikebukuro (池袋), the largest city located in Toshima ward, is a commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo, Japan. Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits.

At the center of Ikebukuro is the train and subway station, a huge urban gathering shared by the JR East lines, the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and the Tōbu Tōjō Line. It is one of the main commuter hubs in the western Yamanote area of Tokyo. Ikebukuro Station is the second busiest station in Japan, second only to Shinjuku Station.Around the station are the Seibu and Tōbu department stores. Seibu, written with the characters for “West” and “Musashi (province)” 西武, is on the east end of the station and Tōbu, written with the characters for “East” and “Musashi” 東武, is on the west end. East of the station, on the site of Sugamo Prison, stands Sunshine 60, which was Tokyo’s tallest building at the time of its construction. Otome Road, a leading shopping area for otaku products aimed at women, is located nearby. Marui and Don Quijote also have department stores in the area. The principal electronics retailer in Ikebukuro is Bic Camera. There is a small pleasure district similar to Shinjuku’s Kabukichō, but less lively and less attractive for tourists.” (Wikipedia, accessed July 17, ’10).

Ikebukuro is one of my favorite areas in Tokyo mainly ‘cos of two reasons. First, Ikebukuro is where I’ve stayed during my ”FIRST” visit to Tokyo. Second, it’s fun and busy all day. Ikebukuro is not usually included in tourits’ must-see places/locations as Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ginza may attract typical tourists more, besides their more convenient locations compared to Ikebukuro.

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