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umihara kawase!!!!

ebay. i got my copy for $20 or so a couple years back. dunno what it goes for now. it's certainly worth buying, though. it's a sublime platformer, and the best implementation of a grappling hook in gaming. also check out the psx version, umihara kawase shun, for an entirely different set of levels and tweaked physics.
 
There's actually 2 versions for the PS1. Regular and 2nd Edition (lower price, removed commercials, extra levels).

There's an english translation ips patch for the SFC version.

I've tried in the past a few times to get it over here... and there's a new project I'm working on which might give it one more chance at a US release (in a very small print run), but we'll see. Would've made an interesting GBA game... (I wonder how it plays on that snes emu for GBA...) I had someone poke around the code to see how hard it'd be to localize off a retail copy, but the code is compressed so without the source...

Oh, and I've talked to the character designer once or twice. Nice guy. I have an Umihara promo poster that I'm hoping to get him to sign the next time I make it to Japan.

My favorite piece of Umihara art from him/his website - http://www.ceres.dti.ne.jp/~uhyo/kawase_01.jpg

The devteam who made the games was doing a wacky PS2 game where you'd slide across electric powerlines on phone poles with a coathanger, but that was scrapped. I wonder how wacky/fun that would've been. Umihara is a classic, and I have some wacky stories...
 
hey, i remember that powerline game. it was among the first crop of ps2 announcements, as i recall. what was it called? denki something? had no idea it was connected to umihara kawase. shame it got canned.
 
Wow, a real live Umihara Kawase fanboy... That's awesome, keep it up Priz! :D

(There is no sarcasm in this post! <-- That wasn't sarcasm either. God damn it...)
 
Yep. Sam Kennedy knew my love of Umihara and told me about playing it (the PS2 game) at TGS... sounded fun from his description. Ah well...

Oh, and from the character designer's website, here's a map of Second Edition's levels (how level #'s jump from one stage to another and such. I believe the ones marked on the left in the little box are all the new levels for 2nd Ed.

map5hh.jpg


EDIT: There's a guide for each level as well if you're stuck...

There's also a speedrun video I have of someone blowing through the SFC one in like 3-5 minutes from start to finish. It's insane.
 
I have the video's also, which made me want this game. Tried ebay so far no luck also tried yahoo auctions and jpn auction. No luck ::sigh::

oh if anyone wants the video pm me
 
Wow, thanks for that map. I love Umihara in all forms, though I'm not good enough with the physics tricks (rocket jump, swing up to ledge) to do incredibly well just yet. Practice, practice. I should put up a new all-Umihara page...
 
jiji said:
Wow, thanks for that map. I love Umihara in all forms, though I'm not good enough with the physics tricks (rocket jump, swing up to ledge) to do incredibly well just yet. Practice, practice. I should put up a new all-Umihara page...

Here's something to start you off - an ad for the SFC version:

cm4zu.jpg
 
Yes! It's a very nice game. I also looked into the code for it a while back, translating the text and moving around the HUD a bit. Then I found out someone else had already translated it, so I thought I'd put some more work into the patch to make it clearly superior. Those things usually don't happen though...
 
ahhh... umihara kawase. i burned myself a copy of priz's in marty chinn's hotel room at E3 99. GOOD TIMES.

of course, i replaced it with a legit copy of the second edition when that came out. NO JOKE. and i bought a used copy of the SFC version in japan as well.

shame that PS2 game never happened. i didn't realize it was related to umihara kawase, either. sniff.
 
... so now you will have to totally reevaluate your relationship with the character.

Those fanfics will need revising, too.
 
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