Thoughts on the Nintendo Switch and Niche Games

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Occasionally I write articles for sites that aren’t my own (gasp!), and last week I had the opportunity to write my own particular spin on the recent Nintendo Switch news explosion for ZAM.com. The most appealing aspects of the Switch for me are that it 1. is region free and 2. already has a bunch of “niche” games in development (think funky JRPGs, import-only titles, and revivals of forgotten favs), so I combined them into a piece on 3 reasons why the Nintendo Switch has the potential to be a great system for niche game fans. For the third reason, and some elaboration on why those things are so exciting to me, head over to ZAM and read my piece!

I definitely have a lot of additional thoughts on the Nintendo Switch that didn’t fit the scope of the article, which I discuss in detail with my podcast cohost Sarah on an upcoming episode of Chic Pixel Plus. In the meantime, I’ll be honest and say the promise of games in the future is not enough for me to purchase a console day one, so I don’t envision myself getting a Switch anytime soon. Plus, I’ve made one of my personal goals to finish 5 games in my free time this year (i.e. not for review), so I have plenty of things in my backlog to work on!

I would love to know: are you planning on getting a Nintendo Switch day one? What games are you most looking forward to? Leave your thoughts in the comments! And if you haven’t preordered one yet, grab yours at Amazon, a Chic Pixel affiliate, to help support the site!

Fan Campaigns for More Gatchaman Crowds Nendoroids

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Gatchman Crowds was one of my favorite anime that aired in 2013, so when I heard Good Smile Company was making Nendoroids of two of the main characters, Hajime and Utsutsu, I was thrilled! I finally got my hands on the Utsutsu Nendoroid last year, and seeing it in person confirmed that illustrator Kinako’s character designs look absolutely amazing in Nendoroid form.

Unfortunately, however, Good Smile Company has yet to announce any further Gatchaman Crowds Nendoroid releases beyond Hajime and Utsutsu, which is a shame because there are so many other iconic characters in the series! I’m not the only one who thinks this should happen, as user Dhamaphorn has started campaigning across social media asking fellow Gatchaman Crowds fans to submit requests for more Nendoroids to GSC through their online form. What sets this campaign apart, however, is that Dhamaphorn has created her own mockup Gatchaman Crowds Nendoroid designs to increase interest, and they look amazing!

January 2017 Community Game-Along: Dating Sim Games

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Happy New Year! I’m planning on doing a Chic Pixel-style year in review post in the next week or so highlighting some of my favorite media from 2016, but since this is my first official post of 2017, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has read, commented on, and/or shared my posts over the past year! Your support means the world to me!

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that the Community Game-Along is back for another year full of themed gaming months, starting with the return of #DatingSiMonth for the month of January. Since I’ve done the dating sim Community Game-Along twice now, I’ll refer you to my previous posts for ideas on what titles to play. But if this is your first time participating in a Game-Along event, read on for details on how to join in the fun!

Visiting the Melbourne Kit Kat Chocolatory

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I’m something of a fiend when it comes to special Kit Kat flavors, to the extend that there was no way I was going to miss the Kit Kat Chocolatory in Tokyo when I was there last in 2014. When I heard they opened another location in Melbourne, Australia, back in October, I knew I had to make the pilgrimage! Luckily, I had the perfect excuse when I was down for an academic conference earlier this month. Read on for a full report!

Otome Game Inspired by Alice in Wonderland Needs Your Help!

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If there’s one thing I’ll never get enough of, it’s Alice in Wonderland, so when I heard there was a new otome game on Kickstarter inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic book, I just had to check it out! On top of that, A Very Important Date is a romance visual novel that takes place in a café, which is another tick on the “things Anne absolutely loves” list!

I had a look at the demo, which contains the prologue and three chapters each for two different character routes. The premise immediately struck me as something of a mix between OZMAFIA!! and Alice in the Country of Heart, so if you’re a fan of either of those games, definitely check it out! While the characters generally fall into certain common archetypes (the strict stoic guy, cool suave guy, pervy guy, etc.), the designs are fun and evoke Alice in Wonderland in subtle ways. Stretch goals for the campaign include additional girl x girl and boy x boy romance options, which would be great to see!

A Very Important Date demo screenshot — #relatable

I recommend trying the demo for PC, Mac, and Linux first, and then heading over to the Kickstarter page for details on all the reward tiers. The game is also currently on Steam Greenlight and could use some upvotes! The Kickstarter is looking to raise $11,000 by January 5th, so be sure to get your pledge in before then if you’re interested.

December 2016 Community Game-Along: Hudson

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We’ve finally reached the last Community Game-Along theme of 2016! This time of year, I like to choose a theme that is completely different from the AAA blockbusters that are coming out in spades for the holiday season. What better way to differentiate the monthly theme than focusing on a developer that for all intents and purposes no longer exists?

Hudson Soft, best known simply as Hudson, was a Japanese company famous for titles such as Bomberman, Adventure Island, and Bonk. Sadly, it shut down in 2012 and was merged with Konami Digital Entertainment. Today, many older Hudson titles are difficult to obtain for modern consoles or remain unreleased outside Japan. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of interesting games that can be played this month! Just pick a title released by Hudson and play it during December to participate in the Game-Along. Be sure to share your experiences using #HudsonMonth to spread the love for this classic developer!

Hudson is a company I’m woefully uninformed about, so I asked folks on Twitter what games they’d recommend to play this month. Here are some of their suggestions!

Pokémon Trading Card Game (Game Boy Color, 3DS Virtual Console) – I was extremely surprised to find Hudson developed Pokémon Trading Card Game for the Game Boy Color, and with Pokémon fever at a high right now, I just had to include it on this list! You can even boot it right up on the 3DS Virtual Console for easy access when you’re sick of getting zubats from the Pokémon Sun and Moon Wonder Trade.

Kororinpa (Wii) – Kororinpa is an adorably-titled early Wii game that has players tilting the Wiimote to navigate a sphere through a variety of mazes. Sweets maze? Sign me up! That, and the fact that Kororinpa and its sequel, Marble Saga: Kororinpa, can be found pretty cheaply these days, make this a great quick pickup if you’re looking for some lighthearted fun.

Bomberman ’94 (PC Engine, Genesis, Wii Virtual Console, PSN) – Bomberman is very likely Hudson’s biggest claim to fame, so it wouldn’t be Hudson Month without at least one Bomberman game suggestion! But since I have no idea which Bomberman game to suggest, I’m going to go with @Link6616’s recommendation of Bomberman ’94, which can be purchased on the Wii Virtual Console or digitally on PSN for the PS3 or PSP (I believe the PSP version should be compatible with Vitas, as well!). If you’re looking for some multiplayer bombing fun, this would be it!

Star Parodier (PC Engine, Wii Virtual Console) – Star Parodier is, as the title suggests, a fun parody of Hudson’s more serious scifi vertical shooter series Star Soldier. One of the playable ships is a giant flying Bomberman! Interestingly, the original Star Parodier was not released outside Japan, but you can now purchase it in Europe and North America on the Wii Virtual Console.

Since I’m really not an expert on Hudson games, I would love to hear more about your favorite Hudson titles or game recommendations for December! Be sure to share what you’ll be playing this month, too!