Author: Anne Lee

Sailor Moon Season 1, Set 1 LE BD/DVD Combo Pack Review

Sailor Moon Season 1, Set 1 LE BD/DVD Combo Pack Review

It’s no secret that the Sailor Moon anime has had a big impact on my life, both as a show that offered female role models to aspire to when I was young and being the impetus for my lifelong love of Japan. Earlier this year, I recorded a podcast dedicated to the franchise, and when VIZ Media announced the series would be coming to Blu-ray this year, I was thrilled. Now that I’ve gotten hold of the Sailor Moon Season 1, Set 1 Limited Edition Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack, I can say being able to watch the series in its entirety uncut is an absolute joy, but unfortunately the experience is marred by subpar video quality.

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Announcing the Doujin Community Game-Along

I can’t believe the first year of Community Game-Alongs is nearly over! I say “first year” because thanks to the amazingly positive reception my Game-Along survey has had so far, I’ll be continuing these themed gaming months through 2015! The survey is still available to fill out if you’d like to add some theme ideas to the pile, but I’m really happy to hear that everyone has enjoyed these enough to want another full year of them.

Anyway, to close out 2014, I thought it would be fun to celebrate a niche of games that is steadily gaining more traction outside of Japan, but still very much underrepresented. Doujin games are basically the Japanese equivalent of indie or fan games, but unlike the western indie scene, it is still an underground movement in many ways. On occasion, Japanese doujin titles such as Touhou Project or Cave Story gain enough popularity to break into mainstream outlets, but many only ever see release on PC in alternative distribution venues such as fan conventions.

Luckily, thanks to companies such as Playism, Nyu Media, Carpe Fulgur, and the recent Sekai Project, it’s easier than ever to play a wide range of doujin titles in English! While most doujin games are unfortunately PC-only, they’re generally not very demanding and can be run on nearly any computer, and some more popular titles get revamped for other systems, such as La-Mulana or Corpse Party.

I’m sure everyone knows the drill by now, but for those new to Chic Pixel Community Game-Alongs, all you need to do to participate is pick a game that fits the theme and play it during the month of December! Of course, be sure to share your experiences and impressions using #DoujinDecember on social media.

A lot of games that fit in this month’s theme were mentioned in previous months, including the aforementioned La-Mulana (only $2.99 on Steam as of this post!) and a slew of doujin horror games I listed in October’s Community Game-Along post. While those are all great picks for DoujinDecember, here are a few other titles to get you started:

Cave Story (PC/Mac, Wii, DS, 3DS) – Cave Story is, without a doubt, one of the most well-known doujin games in English. The Metroidvania-style adventure game was originally self-published for PC in 2004, making this year its 10th anniversary! If you’ve yet to play a doujin game, this one is highly recommended for its platform accessibility and high degree of polish. You can even still get the original game for free, though later revisions sport upgrades that would be worth checking out.

Unholy Heights (PC) – The great thing about DoujinDecember occurring right in the middle of Steam sales is it’s an awesome time to pick up some lesser-known doujin games on the cheap! Unholy Heights is one such game, and it’s only $0.99 right now. The RTS/apartment management sim is both addictive and adorable, with a drop-dead cute monster theme and fun but not too complex gameplay. If that isn’t enough to sell you on this game, it makes a great pick up and play title to fit in during the busy holiday season!

Yume Nikki (PC) – Speaking of the holiday season, you’re probably telling yourself that you can’t bear to spend any more money on anything, let alone more games. Luckily, another classic doujin game, Yume Nikki, is available free to download in English from Playism’s site. While perhaps not explicitly a horror game, Yume Nikki has players controlling a girl name Madotsuki as she travels through her dreams, and it has become quite notorious for its disturbing imagery. It’s a doujin classic worth experiencing, but you might want to play it with the lights on!

Hatoful Boyfriend (PC/Mac) – How could I not mention the most infamous doujin game of 2014? Hatoful Boyfriend has been available in English since February 2012, but the game only just launched on Steam in September of this year. Now that it’s available to an even wider audience, everyone seems to be talking about “that pigeon dating sim.” If you want something goofy with a surprisingly dark undertone and you’ve never tried a romantic visual novel before, this would be a great place to start! Like most of the games mentioned, it’s currently on sale, too. Keep in mind that it will be coming out for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita next year, so it may be worth holding off on if you’d prefer to experience it on those platforms.

There are dozens more doujin games available in English in a wide variety of genres, meaning there’s something for nearly everyone! I hope this month will be a good opportunity for some folks to step out of their comfort zones and try something new. Happy gaming! 

Chic Pixel’s Best of 2014 Black Friday Sales

While I no longer live in the United States and thus don’t feel the true power of the looming monstrosity that is Black Friday, thanks to the internet, I can still partake in some the good deals along with the rest of the world! This year, I thought it would be fun to highlight some of the deals that look most exciting to me – not an exhaustive list by any means, but if you enjoyed my holiday shopping guide, you might like some of the bargains I’ve rounded up here! Since these deals are hot off the press and very much time-sensitive, let’s get right to it!

Update: Now with some Amazon Cyber Monday deals!

Right Stuf – Right Stuf has some downright amazing deals on anime and manga right now. As of this post, the whole set of three Revolutionary Girl Utena DVD packs is available for only $86.39, which is a whopping 52% off the cover price. Unfortunately, it’s only available for a couple more hours, but keep an eye on their rotating mega deals!

If you missed out on Utena, never fear – the two volume complete The Rose of Versailles anime pack is available for only $46.99. That includes all 40 episodes of the classic shojo series as well as an exclusive art book! This would be a great gift for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of shojo.

Other anime deals that stand out are the Natsuyuki Rendezvous complete DVD collection for $17.49, the Ristorante Paradiso complete series for $15.99, and The Garden of Words Blu-ray for only $12.24. Natsuyuki Rendezvous is a great anime if you don’t mind a little cry, and Ristorante Paradiso is a great food-themed series based on a manga by one of my favorite authors, so both come highly recommended by me. I’ve yet to see The Garden of Words, but the animation looks stunning, and for $12.24, it would make a great stocking stuffer for an anime fan!

Oh, and you’re an Attack on Titan fan, you may be interested in volume one of the Levi spin-off series Attack on Titan: No Regrets manga for only $5.49, which just debuted in English this past June.

Nintendo 3DS eShop (pair any of these with Best Buy’s 15% off eShop cards for even more savings!) – If you’re at all interested in picking up Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Duel Destinies, it’s currently half price for $14.99 until December 2nd, which is the cheapest it’s been yet! Unfortunately 3DS games can’t be gifted individually, so you’ll probably have to just buy this one for yourself. I know I’ll be picking it up (even though I’ve yet to play a single Phoenix Wright game…).

Natsume is also having a sale, which includes Yumi’s Odd Odyssey for 50% off, making it only $10. Both this and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Duel Destinies aren’t available physically outside of Japan, so this is the best/only way to get your hands on them!

Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove and Hometown Story are both also 50% off, and while they may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I personally had a lot of fun with Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove.

Honorable Mention: While not an eShop game, Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny is currently $15 on PSN for PlayStation 3 as part of the Natsume sale. It runs until December 1st, so you have some time to mull over your game purchases before committing to them.

The Wonderful 101 (Wii U) – Navigating the Amazon sales is pretty brutal, but one game deal that stood out to me was The Wonderful 101 for $28.99. The game has seen mixed reviews, but it has quite the cult following. It might be a great game pick for a seasoned Wii U owner who has nearly everything! If you want to spend even less, it’s also $20.99 on the US eShop for a limited time!

Cyber Monday: Amazon has just added a few more games (that or I didn’t notice them before), including Trails in the Sky for PSP for only $10 and Drakengard 3 for $19.99.

Long Live the Queen (PC/Mac/Linux) – Another treacherous storefront to navigate is the Steam sales page, but I absolutely have to recommend Long Live the Queen, even though I’ve never played it! I just grabbed it for $5, which is 50% off its usual price, and for a game that’s lauded for its Japanese-inspired simulation gameplay, I’d say that’s a real steal.

Another worthy Steam mention is Hatoful Boyfriend, the infamous pigeon dating sim. It’s only 33% off, but how can you resist wooing pigeons for only $6.69?!

Update: Jlist is also having a storewide promotion for Black Friday/Cyber Monday that has been extended until December 2nd! Save 10% off any orders totalling over $60, and 18% off orders of $160 or more! Might be time to stock up on some of the gift ideas from my previous post…

Well, in the interest of saving both your and my wallets from complete and utter destruction, I’ll leave the Black Friday deals here. If you’ve found a particularly awesome deal worth mentioning, please share it in the comments! Better yet, let us know what bargains you’ve picked up…

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Giveaway for #NISNovember!

In a first for my monthly Community Game-Alongs, I’m excited to announce a themed giveaway! The wonderful folks at NIS America have offered two copies of Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair for the November Game-Along which, as you probably know by now, is centered around Nippon Ichi Software and NIS America games. If you’ve already been participating, great, but if you haven’t, now’s the time to start playing those NIS games!

To learn more about Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, be sure to check out my review! If you’re not familiar with the Danganronpa series, then Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc is the place to start. Grab a copy and celebrate the last week of #NISNovember in style! 
Entering the giveaway is easy! Just sign in with Facebook or your email address below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
The giveaway closes on November 30th at 12 am, EST. Two randomly-selected winners will receive a physcial copy of Danganronpa 2. The prize can only be shipped within the U.S. and Canada, sorry! There will be many more chances for international folks to enter future giveaways.

Good luck and happy gaming!

We Love Katamari PAL Box Art Appreciation Post (with Giveaway!)

We Love Katamari is the sequel to one of the most unique games on the PlayStation 2 and among my favorite titles for the system, but the garish North American box art did not do it any favors. Apparently I wasn’t the only one offended by MS Paint-esque art style and atrocious purple and green color scheme, either. Little did I know until just the other day, however, that PAL regions lucked out and actually got a very fun cover befitting of the game’s quirky style!

A recent trip to my local second hand shop netted me this near perfect copy of the Australian version of We Heart Katamari! Back in 2005 I didn’t usually go out of my way to look at game box art on the internet, so I had no idea the PAL box was so nice until I saw this in person. 

The back is equally fun, too, aside from that giant Australian PEGI rating sticker in the middle. At least they matched up the green with the green of everyone’s favorite other worldly-prince.

The manual is virtually the same as We Heart Katamari‘s North American counterpart aside from the lack of text, but the disc art sports a bunch of animals and princes instead of the King of All Cosmos. I really like the crayon art style, and the decision to use it on both the front and back cover of the box as well as the disc makes it so much more cohesive than the North American version!

I imagine the contents of the manual are pretty similar between versions, but just in case you haven’t seen it before, here are a couple of my favorite pages. Just flipping through this makes me wistful for when games always came with some kind of manual to look at…

Even a guitar can roll a katamari!

The Katamari games all have such great art! Now I want to go dig up one of my games and roll up some innocent children…

Oh, wait! Before I do that, I’d like to share with you some exciting news: this month’s Chic Pixel supporter-exclusive giveaway is going to be this PAL copy of We Love Katamari! All you have to do is donate $5 or more by clicking the Paypal donate button at my supporter page to be in the running. Not only do you have the chance to win a super cool game, but your donation goes a long way to help expand the content on Chic Pixel! Giveaway closes on November 30th at 10 pm EST.

Next month I’ll be back at the ranch (which is in no way an actual ranch, but that seems like a pretty cool way to refer to the house I grew up in), and I need to go through a lot of games, anime, manga, and more that I haven’t had the chance to bring over to Australia. I’m planning on getting rid of a lot of things through giveaways and quick-fire auctions on Twitter to help raise money for the site, so please keep an eye out for that if you’re interested!

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd Review

Hatsune Miku Project Diva f 2nd review

Back when SEGA released Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F last August, I was amazed to hear that a Vocaloid game would finally be coming out in English. SEGA only brought over the PlayStation 3 version initially, but six months later the PS Vita version followed due to the popularity of the PS3 release. Now, however, the digital idol Hatsune Miku is literally everywhere, from opening for Lady Gaga to performing on Letterman, so it makes much more sense to see Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd in English only eight months after the Japanese release. And this time, buyers have the option to choose between the PS3 and PS Vita versions at launch!

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Idol RPG Omega Quintet is coming to Western PS4s

Idea Factory International has decided that the second non-Hyperdimension Neptunia game they’ll be localizing for western audiences is Compile Heart’s PS4 RPG, Omega Quintet. Scheduled to launch in North America and Europe in Spring 2015, the game is notable for being one of the few Japanese RPGs on the PS4. Apparently it also makes use of the Move controller!

It’s interesting to think that the only idol games we’re seeing in English are Idea Factory titles (and Love Live on mobile devices), but there you go! Unlike a traditional idol simulation game, though, Omega Quintet sticks with its musical theme to create a unique RPG where characters utilize systems such as “concert mode” and “harmonics”that harness the power of music to beat down enemies.

Taking cues from games like Senran Kagura, the girls in Omega Quintet will have customizable outfits and take damage to their clothes, resulting in a “costume break” if a certain threshold is reached. It very much looks like a traditional Idea Factory game, but with improved graphics and resolution for the PS4, so if their games are your cup of tea, be sure to mark your calendar for Spring 2015!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, there’s at least one male character in the game (the nondescript fellow featured on the Japanese cover above). Because every idol group needs a manager, right? I hope there’s an actual rhythm component to the battles, as that would be a lot of fun! Now let’s take bets on how long it will take for me to stop writing the name as “Omega Quartet“…