Author: Anne Lee

Guess who’s churning out some amazing Journey fanart?

Now, you may not have heard (because I somehow completely neglected to blog about it), but I completely and utterly loved Journey. In fact, it’s the first game I’ve given a 5 out of 5 score over at VGW!

One thing I’ve found really intriguing about Journey is how positively it’s been received in Japan. A quick search for Kaze no Tabibito (the game’s Japanese title, literally “People of the Wind,” often shortened to Kazebito) on Google brings all sorts of discussion and fanart for the download-only title. I’m not aware how popular thatgamecompany’s previous games were in the land of the rising sun, but download-only titles generally never really gain a very high following due to the fact that Japan just hasn’t jumped on the online gaming bandwagon in the same way the rest of the world has.  

Journey, however, appears (at least from a fan standpoint) to be changing that. There’s been a huge surge of fanworks for Journey from Japan in the recent weeks. Isn’t that fabulous? Now prepare to feast your eyes on some of the raddest Journey fanart around:

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The above artist does the funniest illustrations! These selections are actually from a long strip of various images, and I highly recommend taking a look at the rest of them. You also need to take a look at the artist’s awesome Journey-themed Twitter page, even if you can’t understand Japanese. Too cute!

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People who have played the game are probably wondering who on earth that bigger wanderer with the black robes is. Unless I’m missing something huge, he does not appear in the game anywhere, and is a product of fan imagination. What’s interesting about him is how popular he’s become, with various artists all over the internet depicting him as a sort of fatherly figure for the two, smaller wanderers. I don’t know about you, but I get a huge kick out of the above picture.

Update: Apparently the black and red wanderer is actually based on the game’s initial art from a series of prototypes released early on in the game’s development. The more you know!

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I love how creative the fans are being with making new designs or imagining new scenarios for the wanderers. Did you see the Christmas-themed wanderer at the top left of the above image? Adorable!

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Of course, I’m not discounting the amazing Journey fanart out there by artists who do not hail from Japan. I woudn’t have enough space to post all of the great work I’ve seen, even if I wanted to! But I think it’s worth highlighting how this title has really taken off in Japan. I hope we see much more love for download-only games in the future. But before I end this post, here’s one of my favorite pieces by a western artist (just so you all don’t think I’m playing favorite too much):

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Have any Journey fanart you’d like to share? Feel free to do so in the comments!

The Secret Art of Otome Games

Before Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom was released in English this past Valentine’s Day, otome games remained largely off the radar of the vast majority of western gamers. Unfortunately, as far as I can tell, Hakuoki hasn’t caused a huge surge of interest in otome games. Still, it’s been nice to see some people who wouldn’t normally pick up an otome game review Hakuoki or purchase it on a whim.

But reading about my friends’ and others’ first steps into the world of female-oriented visual novels and dating sims has reminded me how difficult the world of otome games can be for newcomers. I don’t by any means claim to be an authority, but there is one very important piece of advice that most fans of the genre often neglect to mention to inexperienced players that I’d like to make very clear:

In order to get a “good” end in an otome game, one must always select options with the character who’s ending they wish to obtain in mind. 

This may seem so obvious that it’s not even necessary to state, but I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t realize that was how I needed to play when I picked up my very first otome game. Ah, Christopher of Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 2nd Season, we just weren’t meant to be…

My first failed prospect

When presented with a game like a visual novel that allows one to choose from multiple options in order to advance the story through various “paths,” you’d first think to choose answers would be based on what you would do in real life, no? Or, at the very least, a player might fashion a new persona for the sake of playing the game and choose options based on what kind of character they were role-playing as.

How would this strategy fit into an otome game, then? Under normal logic you would think that based on the various options you choose, a male prospect would be selected by the game for you. Otome games, however, are not so advanced, and in an effort to create some kind of difficulty, have a very strict, structured way that they must be played in order to obtain the best endings.

Otome games are based around the idea that the player is going into the experience with a favorite character already in mind, first and foremost. Whether visual novel-style or featuring more sim-based elements, otome games leave little to no room for changing one’s mind, meaning that from the second the “start” button is pressed, all energy must be focused on obtaining one, and only one, “datable” character. This is because set parameters must be met and/or extremely specific options selected in order to advance to the “right”path. Make one wrong decision and it’s a “normal” end, or worse, game over.

It’s going to take a lot of trial and error to see scenes like these

With so many paths and endings to obtain and sometimes seemingly arbitrary decisions that must be made in order to reach them, many players of otome games read walkthroughs before or during play. Though this may seem like it takes all the fun out of getting the right ending through trial and error, saving and reloading a game file every time you make a bad decision (and you often won’t know what was a bad decision until the end of the game) can get extremely frustrating. No one plays otome games for the difficulty, anyway, so the easiest and fastest way to see the whole story unfold is often the most preferable. Luckily, many titles such as Hakuoki offer visual cues to indicate when correct answers have been chosen, and relationship meters that can be viewed at any time to see how well you’re doing with the game’s various characters.

So, next time you want to jump in to Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom or other such otome game, take a moment to consider which male prospect you would like to pursue before loading up the game. Character-specific endings are always so much more fulfilling than the generic ones, and you may even find yourself drawn to a character you wouldn’t have found appealing otherwise!

But, I’ve gotta admit: it’s a little depressing when you first realize what your mother always told you about just being yourself won’t get you any guys. Hah!

Manga Recommendatons: Wandering Son volumes 1 and 2

I absolutely love libraries. Sometimes they’ll randomly get the most exciting things! I’ve been following the manga/anime series Wandering Son (Japanese title Hourou Musuko) for many months now, but I never expected my local library here in Brisbane, Australia to order not one, but multiple copies of the first two volumes! As such, I was finally able to sink my teeth into this series, which has been hailed in Japan and abroad as being a heartfelt and honest coming-of-age story that tackles issues surrounding gender identity.

What with all the gender bending and boys’ love manga coming out of Japan, you may be thinking that the Japanese simply refuse to tackle gender issues in a realistic, meaningful way. And perhaps you would be right… Though representations of gender in Japanese media are much more fluid than those found in the west, they’re still largely limited to a few, narrow stereotypes. This is why Wandering Son is so important. 
The story follows the everyday lives classmates Shuichi Nitori and Yoshino Takatsuki, two transgendered youths on the threshold of adolescence. Drawn in a minimalist style, the series tackles the various issues and questions raised associated with coming to terms with one’s gender identity in a subtle yet meaningful way. For much of the first volume, Shuichi’s biggest hurtle is whether or not he can summon up the courage to try on female clothes, and the unknowingly hurtful things his friends and family say or do while they remain in the dark regarding Shuichi’s discomfort towards living his life as a boy. 
On the flip side, Yoshino is a forward young girl who is widely accepted for her tomboyish appearance and even receives some advances from fellow women when crossdressing as a man. Shuichi’s friendship with Yoshino eventually gives him the push he needs to start experimenting with a female identity, and it is his small steps towards becoming happy with himself that stuck with me long after I’d put down the second volume. 

I highly recommend anyone who has an interest in LGBT issues to pick up Wandering Son, regardless of whether or not you read a lot of manga. It is, in many ways, distinctly Japanese, but its straightforward and honest deception of gender issues is rare in any medium, and it shines equally as a coming-of-age tale, especially for anyone who’s ever felt they never quite fit in. 
It’s also worth noting that the hardcover editions of these two volumes are gorgeous – the oversized format, color pages, and essay by translator Matt Thorn in volume 2 all highlight what a masterpiece this series is. I’m eagerly awaiting volume three, and I can’t wait to pick up my own copies to add to my bookshelf.

Pokémon Battle Royale art show

I don’t think I’ve ever wished I lived in Minneapolis, but there’s a first time for everything, right? Well, after seeing a sample of the amazing pieces to be included in the Pokémon Battle Royale show at the Light Grey Art Lab, I sure wish I did.
151 artists contributing to catalogue all original 151 pokémon? Anyone want to fly me to Minneapolis for opening night? They’re going to be serving Pokémon-themed drinks!
If any of you do live in the area, I highly suggest making your way to the Light Grey Art Lab to view these gorgeous pieces of art in person. And if you’re interested in attending the opening on April 20th, by all means do so, and blog about it so the rest of us can live through you! More information on the show is available on the gallery’s website.
But luckily many of the pieces have already starting circulating around the web, so if you’re like me and have absolutely no hope of making it to Minneapolis, you’ll likely be able to find many, if not all, of the art online at some point. Here’s a roundup of my personal favorites!
Venusaur by Mare Odomo
Dragonite by Chie Y. Boyd
Gloom by Julianna Brion
Clefable by Katie Turner
Honestly, I don’t think there’s one I don’t like! You should definitely take a few minutes to see these, and if you have some more time on your hands, head over here to see the full list of what artist contributed which pokémon. Many have links to their personal portfolios, and if you do some digging you’ll most likely be able to find their entry to the show. There are some big names in there, so it’s definitely worth checking out!
If you do, head back here and tell me which was your favorite!

Japan Envy: Japanese Club Nintendo strikes again

To be honest, I haven’t been a member of Club Nintendo all that long. I believe I first joined in 2010, when I realized I actually bought enough games that came with point cards to actually get some free stuff. And what fun I’ve had! So far, I’ve snagged the 2012 calendar for being a gold member in 2011, the psychedelic 1-up tote bag, the limited batch of 3 Kid Icarus Uprising AR cards, and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask for the Wii Virtual Console (hey, I’ve never played it!). I’m still holding out for my holy grail of Nintendo Club rewards: the elusive 800 coin Mario hanafuda cards. Someday! 
All in all, I’d say it’s a rather good haul, considering it’s all perks for buying games I would’ve purchased regardless of coins (or stars, if you live in AU –– and yes, I have a Nintendo Club AU account, as well). Nevertheless, I’ve been green with envy at the amazing Club Nintendo items Japan gets on more than one occasion in the short amount of time I’ve actually been tuned into the various things each region gets. This time, though, takes the cake: Japanese Club Nintendo members have the opportunity to score Nintendo-themed polo shirts. Not only that, but they’re completely customizable! 

For a mere 550 points (funny how every region uses a different “currency”), one of these babies could be yours. Well, if you live in Japan and haven’t spent your hard-earned coins on one of the many other awesome rewards that’s come out in the past few months.

What I find most exciting about this is the fact that you can completely customize what decal you want, the shirt color, and even the size. Don’t like the color combinations above? No problem, just head over to the Club Nintendo site and play around with the colors and images until you find something that you like. Just don’t blame me if, in doing so, you get really depressed about the fact that we’ll probably never see these outside of Japan.

It’s pretty obvious what I’d pick, but if you’re curious, I’d definitely have to go for the purple Animal Crossing cat. It’d look best on a pink or light blue tee, don’t you think? My runner up would have to be the heart capsules, but the Game & Watch one is pretty cute, too…

Man, I don’t even like polos!

The “animefication” of Little King’s Story

I don’t believe I’m the only one who noticed that the new art direction for the sequel to Little King’s Story, titled The King, The Demon King and the 7 Princesses: New King Story (now that’s a mouthful), differs significantly from the original. Case in point:

King Corobo from Little King’s Story
“New and improved” King Corobo

I would be lying if I said I didn’t like his new character design at all, as I actually quite like the illustration above, but the fact of the matter is the original had such a unique, quirky art style that has been completely thrown out the window. I assume the majority of the reasoning behind the vast change in art style stems from the fact that anime/manga style art appeals to a much wider audience. With developer Cing dissolved, Marvelous Entertainment probably has free reign to do what they wish with the intellectual property rights. As such, we get this:

Who put thighs and ass in my Little King’s Story? Granted, shots like these are stills from event scenes and probably make up a small percentage of the game, but it’s clear that the series has a new, much more mainstream, direction. With early reports from Famitsu stating that the game will even have “love elements,” it sounds like New King Story is very much trying to catch the attention of a certain crowd. 
In-game screenshot from Little King’s Story 
New King’s Story. As you can see, the in-game graphics are ever-so-slightly more realistic. 
It’s sad to see such an original-looking title changed so drastically for what I can only assume to be an attempt to garner better sales. Though I don’t mind the new art direction, it looks too much like so many other games out there already. Little King’s Story‘s King Corobo was so iconic, but the Corobo from the new title? Not so much. 
Regardless, I’ll still be picking this one up when it’s released in the west (it’s already out for the PS Vita in Japan). And that’s even without having played Little King’s Story. I own it, I just haven’t gotten around to it, okay? Oh, the shame! 

Sumioni initial impressions… and pizza!

Basically what I look like when I try to play video games

I debated calling this article “why I suck at video games” but that would be defeatist, now wouldn’t it? But let me take a moment to me recall a recent scenario for you:

I’m playing Sumioni, a PS Vita downloadable title, for review. Being the good, timely reviewer I am, I dive right into it, playing whenever I have a free moment. Enter the first boss of the game: A glowing, floating eyeball thing with pointy projectiles, that also happens to be the final boss for the game’s first ending (yes, ending – I’ll clarify momentarily). You know, the first and second tries don’t really count, since you have to get used to the enemy’s patterns, right? Well, yours truly probably clocked in at about 10 tries before throwing in the towel and handing the shiny black handheld over to my husband, who hadn’t touched the game before that moment. I throw him into the deep end and have him restart the level I’m currently on – why waste time replaying earlier levels just so he can learn the ropes? 
Shaun beat that boss in two tries. That’s once to figure out all of the game’s controls and the boss’s attack patterns, and a second time to get ‘er done, as they say. I knew my husband was a fiend when it comes to games (you should see him play DotA…), but I was not prepared for immense gap in our skill levels. Does that mean that Sumioni is disgustingly hard, or even more difficult than your average platformer? Well… probably not, because I already knew I was pretty bad at gaming. But it makes for a good story, eh? 
That said, I’ve only gone through the first two endings of the game so far (with help from Shaun, of course). You get a rating at the end of each level (which so far have only taken about 2-4 minutes to complete) which will dictate how you will progress on the level “tree.” There are a total of six endings, the first being the easiest to obtain and that last, which I assume is the “best,” being the hardest. You’ll need to get a lot of 2 and 3 star level ratings to follow the tree down to the better endings, which means replaying the initial levels a lot of times. The fact that the game doesn’t really tell you how it scores you at the end of each level is a little confusing, but from what I gather it’s based on the usual stuff: how much damage you’ve incurred and how long it took you to clear the level. 
Graphically, I’m quite fond of the game. Many have compared it to Okami, and it’s true that they’re both based on the Japanese art form known as sumi-e, but Okami was so much more colorful and vibrant than Sumioni, so I think in the end the comparison is pretty arbitrary. The backgrounds are rather sparse, much like sumi-e paintings, but so far have been pretty varied between levels. I’ve been seeing a lot of the same enemies, though… Let’s hope that changes as I progress further. 
And what self-respecting Japanese game
would be complete without a cute princess?
Sumioni utilizes the front and back touch pads in a continuation of the sumi-e theme by allowing you to draw platforms and execute spells by swiping the screen as if your fingertip were a paintbrush. At the same time, you’ll be controlling your demon’s movements with the analog stick or directional buttons, and jumping and attacking with x and square, respectively (I find I prefer using up on the analog stick to jump, though). When your ink meter runs out, and it will run out, you’ll need to rub the back touch pad in order to recover ink. Let tell you, this happens a lot. I don’t know if it’s the way I play, but in boss battles in particular, my pattern of actions goes something like this: thunder magic, fire magic, swipe swipe swipe rear touch pad. Rinse and repeat. You’ll need to be fast, and regaining your ink feels so painfully slow… It’s a fun mechanic but I’m finding it a little hard to get used to. For one, it gets tiring swiping so furiously after a while! Drawing platforms on the screen to evade enemies and position yourself for optimal attacks never gets old, though. 
From what I’m hearing the game doesn’t take more than 6-8 hours to complete, so I should be able to finish my playthrough and have my review up before the week is out. Until then, feel free to ask any questions if you’re at all interested in this title and I’ll do my best to answer them!
Oh, wait. Did someone say… pizza?
Yup, that’s right! And not any pizza. Sumioni pizza. The few blogs I read that covered this interesting collaboration seemed rather disgusted by the prospect, but I have to say, if I lived in Japan, I would’ve ordered that pizza the day it was released. As it stands, it the promotion was just concluded yesterday, unfortunately.
This awesome pizza not only has squid ink sauce to make it look like it was splattered with ink, but also those funny looking pointed crust pieces that are meant to look like demon’s horns, or so the advertisement says. Other toppings include cheese (of course), basil, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and actual squid. 
So, the big question is: Would YOU eat it? I’m personally salivating at the very thought.