It’s a new episode of Pixel x Pixel, now rebranded to the Tony Todd appreciation podcast! What can we say, he’s a cool dude that comes up a whopping three times in this episode. Your podcasts co-hosts have been up to many things since they last recorded: Anne returned to the Aksys otome stream to celebrate Olympia Soiree‘s English release, and Marcus published reviews for Tsugunohi, the Fosmon Quad Pro 2 Charging Station, and secret Razor hardware that was embargoed when we were recording. Be sure sure to stick around for the best of the last two weeks of news, including not one but two legal stories!
25:00 – Cookie Clicker, Tootsie, All That Jazz, Final Destination, Candyman, X-Files: I Want to Believe, 91 Days, Super Animal Royale 59:00 – Tony Todd to voice Venom in Spider-Man 2, Matrix Ressurection trailer released, Twitch sues two people for hate raids, Epix vs. Apple results
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
Phew! We’ve reached both September and Pixel x Pixel episode 70 all in one fell swoop! We’re back with an audio-only treat for your ears after our exciting live video stream for episode 69, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have fun and get worked up over some video game news. Marcus plays the so-called scariest Japanese horror game of all time Tsugunohi, Anne uses her expertise in blogging and podcasting to lecture and inspire(?) some youths, and both watch some movies, including one with a very handsome Katharine Heppburn (pictured above).
23:00 – Media Minutes: Sylvia Scarlett, Mortal Kombat Legacy, Hachi: A Dog’s Tale 44:00 – Notable News:Museum of Pinball auction, Moon coming to Steam, McCree name change in Overwatch, Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop first photos, Boyfriend Dungeon and content warnings
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
It’s the big live one! If you didn’t catch us live and in full color on Twitch, you can view the unedited recording here. Or if audio podcasts are still your thing, listen on! But even live, it’s the same old Pixel x Pixel you know and love. Marcus has started going through the WarioWare series as part of his Checking the Score column, tries and fails to play an online game with a friend, and he shocks everyone by picking up an anime series to watch. Meanwhile, Anne regales the tale of her All Aksys stream appearance and how she is now an artiste. Plus, we hear what news our viewers are most interested in, and answer a question from the live chat!
24:00 – Media Minutes: Back 4 Blood, Cooking with Paris, Paranoia Agent, It, Highlander, Speed, Phone Booth, Genshin Impact 1:04:00 – Notable News:Sony acquires Crunchyroll, Seven Seas licenses 3 danmei novels by MXTX, Touken Ranbu Musou announced, El Shaddai coming to PC September 1
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
The All Aksys stream this past Friday was chock full of exciting news for otome game fans! Aksys Games was kind enough to invite me to record a segment about the games to air during the stream, so I’ve been sitting on this news for a little while now… I could hardly contain myself! Anyway, if you missed the livestream, Aksys announced that they will be localizing four additional Otomate games, bringing their upcoming otome lineup to seven!
The new titles announced are Lover Pretend, Paradigm Paradox, Kimi wa yukima ni koinegau, and Piofiore: Episodio 1926, the sequel to Piofiore: Fated Memories. Plus, the upcoming three previously-announced otome games, Olympia Soirée, Dairoku: Agents of Sakuratani, and Variable Barricade each now have a special Aksys store bonus soundtrack CD version available for preorder for an additional $10. Olympia Soirée is coming out very soon on September 9, so there’s not long to wait for more otome game goodness!
If you’d like to watch the recording of my appearance on the All Aksys stream and learn more about the titles, you can do so below! I’d recommend checking out the trailers over on the Aksys Games YouTube channel first so you can visualize the titles as Sami and I chat about them.
Since I already did a pretty summary of each title in the video, I’ll refrain from doing the complete overview again here. But since I didn’t really share my personal thoughts on the stream, I’d say I’m most excited for Lover Pretend, since it looks like a really fun romcom with gorgeous art and bright colors. Plus, it has Tomoaki Maeno, who plays Lupin in Code: Realize along with a lot of other great characters! Visual-Novel.Info has a great overview of the VAs in each announced title plus other otome/joseimuke roles they’ve had if you’d like more info (the site is in German but can be translated at the top left).
Paradigm Paradox also looks amazing because of the magical girl theme and the gender-bending aspect: each of the eight guys transforms into a magical girl! I don’t think that’s something I’ve seen in an otome game before (though as soon as I post this someone will probably remind me of one I’m forgetting) and I’m really excited to see how it plays out in the game. KimiYuki also looks great, though it’s a more series story and a historical setting, which is not always my favorite. But it has a killer voice actor cast and great art by the artist behind Clock Zero, so it’s shaping up to be really good, as well!
Of course, Piofiore: Episodio 1926 is a wonderful announcement for all of the fans of the first game. I haven’t played beyond the common route yet, so I need to get on it ASAP! What title are you looking forward to most? Let me know in the comments!
Happy August! This month, Anne is putting down the controller to walk with Pai Pai for 45 minutes a day to raise money for Guide Dogs Australia (ok, after the 45 minutes she picks the controller back up). Marcus has been keeping busy with his Bustafellows review as well as a review of the inexplicably named Mad Catz B.A.T. 6+ Performance Ambidextrous Gaming Mouse. Plus, we give all the deets on our extra-special upcoming live episode to celebrate episode 69 on Friday, August 13 at 4pm PT! Warning for discussion of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit at the beginning of Media Minutes, in which we get rather heated (understandably).
11:00 – Media Minutes: Speed, Fear Street 1666, Thunderbolt Fantasy Season 3, Pokemon Unite 34:00 – Notable News:Activision Blizzard lawsuit, Cupid Parasite coming this fall, New Pokemon Snap free content update, Picross S Genesis and Master System Edition
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
Idea Factory International, the international branch of Otomate’s parent company Idea Factory, recently had a summer event stream where they announced not one, but two otome game localizations, and teased a third! Cupid Parasite was announced fall 2021 release (for those in the Northern Hemisphere), and a Birushana Senki: Genpei Hika Musou localization was confirmed without a release window specified.
This news is especially exciting as it marks IFI’s return to otome game localization! While Idea Factory is Otomate’s parent company, IFI hasn’t published any English otome games in quite a while. Previously, they took over the Hakuoki series from Aksys Games and put out Amnesia: Memories on PC and PSP, but there’s been nothing from them since then. And personally, Cupid Parasite is an otome game I’ve had on my wishlist for a while, so I’ll definitely be picking it up when it comes out! In fact, there’s even a limited edition available to preorder, though the contents haven’t been revealed yet.
Cupid Parasite follows a top bridal advisor for a company that specializes in finding the perfect match for their clients, but the secret to her success is that she’s actually the goddess of love, Cupid! She’s been tasked to find love for the company’s five most difficult clients, so she comes up with a plan to host a reality sharehouse-style TV show starring the five men.
I love the vibrant art in this game, which is done by Café Enchanté artist Yuuya. The scenario writer is Ririka Yoshimura, who also worked on Café Enchanté and the very well-regarded Ken ga Kimi. In terms of voice actors, if you enjoyed Shiraishi in Collar X Malice or Nicola in Piofiore, you’ll be pleased to know that their voice actor, Makoto Furukawa, plays the role of Allan Melville! Not only that, but Allan is an incubus who works in a luxury pillow store… No, I’m not making this up!
Other notable voice actors include KENN, voice of Shelby Snail (yup), who you probably know from at least half a dozen other anime and video games. He features as Limbo in the recent English otome game release Bustafellows, and plays Urianger in Final Fantasy XIV. Junya Enoki plays the fashion designer Ryuki F Keisaiin – you might know him from OZMAFIA!! as Hansel or Yuji from Jujitsu Kaisen. I could go on, but then we’d be here all day!
As for Birushana Senki, I’ll admit I haven’t followed that one as closely due to the fact that I’m not always that keen on historical dramas, but I know a lot of folks who have very good things to say about it, and the art is certainly gorgeous! This one takes place during the Heian period and features a heroine who is raised as a man to fight in the Genpei War after her father is killed.
Makoto Furukawa also features in Birushana as Minamoto no Yorimoto, and if you’ve played NEKOPARA – Catboys Paradise, you’ll recognise Sage’s VA Yuichiro Umehara as Benkei Musashibo! Taira no Shigehara is played by frequent otome game and anime voice actor Jun Fukuyama, who is also Mozu in Bustafellows, Tokiwa in the upcoming Aksys Games otome game Dairoku: Agents of Sakuratani, and perhaps most famously, Lelouch in Code Geass.
As for that final, mystery game… Who can say? I’d love to hear your guesses in the comments! I’m still holding out hope that Otomate will give Moujuutsukai to Oujisama a second chance after its failed Kickstarter a few years back, but I’m not counting on it…
Howdy, it’s Pixel x Pixel comin’ at you hot with a hefty podcast chock full of news and things we’ve been doing! Marcus has new articles up in his Collector’s Cabinet and Checking the Score series, while Anne wrote a review of the hot new catboy game, NEKOPARA – Catboys Paradise. We have a lot to say about the Steam Deck, a little to say about the OLED Nintendo Switch, and a whole lot of fun in store for you in this episode!
19:00 – Media Minutes: Logan’s Run, Bustafellows, Fear Street 1994 & 1978, Loki, Genshin Impact 31:00 – Notable News: Cruel King and the Great Hero coming west in early 2022, Cupid Parasite rated in Australia, All Aksys showcase August 6, OLED Switch announced, Steam Deck announced
♫ “Willie Lomans,” “5 minutes pleasure,” and “6 pence and moon” from Alphabet Planet by Hiroki Kikuta
