NieR: Automata Review

5 / 14 / 175 / 29 / 17

Despite having put over 45 hours into NieR: Automata, I still can’t believe it exists. Director Yoko Taro has become something of a niche gaming icon over the years, but due to some very, very rough edges, NieR: Automata‘s predecessor NieR only achieved a small cult following among the few who saw past the subpar gameplay and lackluster graphics to appreciate its atmosphere and heavy-hitting themes.

I fall in the camp of folks who saw what NieR had to offer in terms of an overall experience, but always left my short sessions with the game infuriated by the miserable gameplay. It was clear to me that Yoko Taro had a lot of great ideas that would shine if he only had a just few more resources at his disposal… And lo and behold, those resources have finally come in the way of Platinum Games, a development studio that excels in smooth-as-butter action gameplay!

Tokyo Gacha World Review

5 / 9 / 175 / 9 / 17

These days, you can buy almost anything from Japan your heart desires online, but there’s one kind of item that’s always been particularly hard to find: Gachapon! Because gachapon toys are generally only sold through machines that spit out a random capsule toy, living outside of Japan means you miss out of the surprise of putting a few hundred yen into a machine, turning the knob, and waiting with baited breath to see what comes out… But with Tokyo Gacha World, a subscription box dedicated to gachapon, you can experience the delight of receiving random gachapon every month!

May 2017 Community Game-Along: Intelligent Systems

5 / 4 / 17

To celebrate the English release of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia on 3DS on May 19th, I decided to dedicate May’s Community Game-Along theme to developer Intelligent Systems! In addition to the Fire Emblem games, Intelligent Systems is also famous for Advance Wars, WarioWare, and the Paper Mario games, so there are tons of great titles to choose from!

Chic Pixel Plus Episode 54 – Reading Too Much (Into It)

4 / 25 / 17

In another overdue episode of Chic Pixel Plus (which should no longer be an issue after Anne submits her thesis in July, promise!), we talk about whether or not we read too much into the media we consume, and Anne gets a little heated up about Twitter Discourse™. Sarah talks about what it was like to make a point and click adventure game for Resist Jam, Anne shares some early NieR: Automata impressions, and Granblue Fantasy comes up once again. Don’t miss Sarah’s impressions of the Kingdom Hearts concert in Tokyo at the end!

00:01:58 Resist Jam (Sarah and Roy’s game Rootless)

00:10:38 Kawasaki Kenko on Takarazuka Revue during the US occupation (audio)

00:14:09 Free! movies announced

00:18:46 Talking about games on the internet

00:35:28 NieR: Automata early impressions

00:40:21 Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

00:48:44 Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

00:58:29 Granblue Fantasy Corner

01:07:11 Kingdom Hearts concert

Opening ♫ – “stay gold” – Utada Hikaru
Closing ♫ – “Dearly Beloved (Kingdom Hearts II version)” – Yoko Shimomura

[DOWNLOAD] [ITUNES] [RSS]

March 2017 Favorites: Sakura Koi and Sad Robots

4 / 15 / 17

Happy Easter! I hope you’re having a wonderful, chocolate-filled weekend if you celebrate. March was a relatively quiet but busy month for me, full of trying to juggle thesis work with playing all the hot new video game releases while also remembering to take some time away from electronics to decompress. Blasphemous, I know, but I’ve been finding it really helpful to my overall mood! Read on to learn about a few of my favorite things from this past month!

Holika Holika Gudetama Lazy & Easy Skin Peeling Gel [Amazon] – I’ve really started diving into the world of Korean skin care, and I’m loving all the affordable yet good quality options there are! I fully admit I bought this peeling gel due to the amazing Gudetama packaging (it looks like an actual egg!), but it does a great job removing dead skin and leaves my face feeling super fresh. You just need to use a small dollop once a week, so it’s sure to last a while, too. And it’s only $13! This is the second item I’ve purchased in the Holika Holika Gudetama range, and I’m itching to buy more.

Sakura Koi 24 Watercolor Field Sketch Set [Amazon] – In February I started using watercolors in my Hobonichi Techo, so I decided to upgrade from my dirt cheap set to something that would give me more vibrant colors for a reasonable price. I’d heard amazing things about the Sakura watercolor sets, so I sprung for the $14 24 color set on Amazon, and as I’ve gotten to use it more, I’ve found it totally lives up to the praise! It’s technically a travel set, so it’s super compact and easy to put away when I’m done, which I really appreciate since I only bring my paints out about once a week. The brush can be filled with water, too, so you don’t even need a separate water dish! Talk about convenient!

NieR Automata [Amazon] – As I’m sure you’re aware, March was a downright killer month for video game releases! With plenty of other things to play on my plate, I thought I would be able to wait to play NieR Automata until later in the year, but after seeing people start to talk about the game, I knew I had to experience it myself as soon as possible (and hopefully avoid any big spoilers!). So far, I’m utterly loving it, from the music to the questions it raises pretty much from the get-go regarding what it means to be human and more. Look for a review and spoiler-filled discussion of my final thoughts when I finish!

What were some of your personal highlights from this past March? Let me know in the comments!

April 2017 Community Game-Along: Grasshopper Manufacture

4 / 1 / 17

April 2017 is a big month for Grasshopper Manufacture. The Japanese game developer is finally seeing its first title, a visual novel called The Silver Case, released in English on PlayStation 4 on April 18th. Originally released for PlayStation in 1999, The Silver Case has never been localized until now! The remake has been available in English for PC and Mac since last year, but to honor the widespread release of this classic title, I wanted to dedicate April’s Community Game-Along to Grasshopper Manufacture!