Author: Anne Lee

Introducing the Monster Hunter 10th Anniversary Community Game-Along!

As another month comes to a close, it’s time to start thinking about next month’s Community Game-Along! March is a bit of a toughie, considering some big releases are coming such as Dark Souls II, Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD, and Deception IV: Blood Ties (okay, that last one’s for me). As such, it was rather difficult to come up with a good theme that people could participate in while still having time to play all the exciting new releases.

After much deliberation and considering your suggestions, I’ve decided to dub March… MonMonth! As you’ve probably already guessed from the title, March will be dedicated to all things Monster Hunter and its clones. Let’s face it, Monster Hunter has proved to be so popular, particularly in Japan, that it has pretty much become its own genre of games. Rather than limit the month to specifically Monster Hunter games, especially considering how notoriously difficult the series is for newcomers, I’ve decided the best way to celebrate would be with any Monster Hunter-like titles. And did you know March 11th also happens to be the 10th anniversary of the original Monster Hunter for the PlayStation 2? Good timing, eh? (I swear it was all according to plan)

If you’re scratching your head for ideas of what to play, here are a few places to get started:

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (3DS, Wii U) – The most obvious pick, Monster Hunter 3U is the latest Monster Hunter game to come out in English, and the Wii U version even supports online play for hunting with friends all over the world. Whether you’re new to the series or looking to raise your hunter rank a few levels, this is a great place to start. Those who speak Japanese and/or want to be on the cutting edge should definitely check out Monster Hunter 4, as it’s the first portable Monster Hunter game to have solid online connectivity. If you’ve always wanted to try a Monster Hunter game but have always been too intimidated to dive in, I highly suggest picking up Culty’s Monster Hunter Beginner’s Guide!

Don’t forget to check out MyFairHunter.com for some great gameplay videos and tips!
(source)

Toukiden: The Age of Demons (PS Vita) – If you want to be on the cutting edge of the English release side of the gaming spectrum, look no further than Toukiden. This feudal Japanese monster hunting game only just came out on February 11th and has been met with a very positive reception so far. If Monster Hunter is too intimidating, this would be a great place to start, especially considering the online multiplayer should still be bustling throughout March. It’s also worth noting that the game has a robust demo available, and save data transfers over to the full version, so it’s a great way to check the game out before committing to a purchase.

Soul Sacrifice (PS Vita) – Soul Sacrifice is Keiji Inafune’s attempt to get a piece of the Monster Hunter pie, but it manages to set itself apart in a number of ways. The game’s aesthetic is much darker than its hunting brethren, and it has both a unique magic system and a save vs. sacrifice mechanic that effects your character’s growth as well as appearance. Like Toukiden, Soul Sacrifice has a free demo available that provides a good 5+ hours of gameplay, and save data is compatible with the full version of the game. If you’re lucky and have a PS+ account, you may even already have a copy of this one! In addition, the game’s sequel, Soul Sacrifice Delta, will be launching in Japan during MonMonth, making a it a timely release to pick up if you want the latest and greatest.

Ragnarok Odyssey (PS Vita) – Without a doubt, Ragnarok Odyssey is the anime-ified cousin of the Monster Hunter series. While Toukiden is steeped in Japanese lore and Soul Sacrifice goes for a dark, almost gruesome look, Ragnarok Odyssey is all about bright, colorful, fantasy anime worlds. It also happens to be on sale on the North American PSN store until Monday, March 3rd, so for $20 or less you too could jump in on the MonMonth festivities. The only thing to keep in mind with this one is that an updated version, Ragnarok Odyssey ACE, will be coming out on April 1st, but luckily save data from Ragnarok Odyssey does transfer over to ACE. Fans of colorful games and juggling enemies may want to check this one out.

The great thing about Monster Hunter games and their brethren is that you really don’t have to “complete” them to get the full experience, which is why I think they’ll be great for such a busy gaming month. This will also be the first month where participants can actually play the Game-Along titles with one another, which should make it even more fun than previous Community Game-Alongs!

UPDATE: I’ve made a Google Doc for folks to add their Friend Codes and IDs to to facilitate multiplayer sessions, so be sure to add yours to that if you’d like to participate!

As always, the aim of the Game-Along is to play games within the theme and talk/write about them, so be sure to utilize #MonMonth on whatever social media (Twitter, Instagram) you like to use! We’ll also be using #MonMonth to organize multiplayer gaming sessions, and I hope to see a lot of folks trying out some games for the first time and writing about their experiences! I’ll be doing two roundup posts of articles and content created over the month, so be sure to put your contributions where I can see it if you want it included. If anyone is interested in helping me with a NeoGAF thread for the month, please get in touch with me in the comments.

So what are you waiting for? Pick out a title or two and get ready – the hunt commences March 1st!

Dating Sim Community Game-Along Roundup #1

When I decided February’s Community Game-Along should be all about romance and dating sims, I had absolutely no idea whether it would be as big a hit as January’s Falcom theme. Imagine my surprise when it quickly turned out to be vastly more popular than its predecessor! The combination of some friends in high places helping me get the word out more and what I assume to be the gaming community’s skeptical fascination with dating sims in general has really helped lots of folks jump into the genre over the past couple weeks. And honestly, that’s all I ever wanted to achieve with these Community Game-Alongs, so I’m really glad to see people enjoying them!

“I funded this theme park with all that Mighty No 9 Kickstarter money. Ha suckers” #DatingSiMonth http://t.co/BZHjReCKEV
— Badr Alomair (@BadoorSNK) February 4, 2014

First of all, I need to give a massive shout out to my buddy Elliot Gay, who was kind enough to start a Dating Sim Month thread on NeoGAF! Since I’m still only a junior member (what can I say, I never post!), I’m not able to make threads of my own, so I would’ve never been able to have one without his help! It’s a great place to interact with other participants if you prefer doing so in a forum setting. While folks seemed really excited to join in when it was first announced, things have slowed down significantly in the past week or so, so I hope that doesn’t mean interest is waning…

The Dating Sim Community Game-Along was also picked up by Chic Pixel friend and prolific writer Pete Davison. He’s been dedicating his weekly JPGamer column over at USGamer.net to dating sims, which has done wonders for getting the word out about some niche titles available in English, as well as this event in general! His first installment focuses on Aselia: The Eternal and comes with a great introduction to the term “dating sim” and all the nuances that surround it. Aselia: The Eternal is unique in that it combines RPG battles and traditional romance visual novel gameplay, making it a more interactive experience than many other dating sims currently available in English. The second game he covers, Magical Diary, however, is an otome game by a western developer, which is something we haven’t seen many participants tackle so far.

“Magical Diary really highlights one of the best things about dating sims and relationship-centric visual novels: the fact that the relative lack of other ‘gameplay,’ for want of a better term, allows developers and writers to focus on exploring characters in an extremely in-depth manner, both as individuals and as parts of a relationship.” – Pete Davison, JPGamer: Dating Sim Month: Magical Diary 

I believe this is the first time we’ve had video submissions, as well – Tobiichi Karlsson has done a series of Let’s Play videos of the Japanese PSone game Magical Date! She chronicles the entire playthough in four videos, which are definitely worth a watch just to see all the weird mini-games.

I was unaware that Snake was in Sakura Wars 3. What a pleasant surprise! #DatingSiMonth pic.twitter.com/8BZeh18i4D
— Elliot Gay (@RyougaSaotome) February 3, 2014

But that’s not the end of the dating sim video content – Pete dives head on into the Love Plus fan translation, and put his adventures up on YouTube for all to see.

Marcus over at Pixel Pacas also did a news piece about this little shindig. Thanks, Marcus!

Falcom Month contributor Davzz returns with a very interesting niche pick, Mujintō Monogatari R for the Sega Saturn! This bishojō game finds the male player character stranded on a tropical island with, you guessed it, a bunch of cute high school girls. The game is unique in that it actually has you managing your party members and scraping to survive by scrounging for food and attempting to be rescued while at the same time trying to woo the ladies. What is even more interesting, as Davzz notes, is that the game actually had male romance routes in the original PC version, but they were removed for the Saturn port. It’s very rare to find a bishojō game with male suitors!

Kamion over at Gaoism decided to join in the fun, and her first game for the month is an odd little otome title called Otometeki Koi Kakumei★Love Revo!. The whacky and rather offensive game’s premise revolves around, if you can believe it, losing weight to get the guy of your dreams. I actually have a copy of this on the PS2, and am considering popping it in for this month’s festivities… if I can stomach it!

So much fluffiness (´∀｀) Well, first route cleared, time to go after the tsundere brother #猛獣使いと王子様 #DatingSiMonth pic.twitter.com/BEOCrmWyZM
— エクセレン (@_Exelen) February 2, 2014

While I had a rather bad track record during Falcom Month (just organizing is a lot of work, you know!), I’ve already made my first submission to Dating Sim Month in the form of a podcast with the lovely Amanda Cosmos! Be sure to give it a listen if you are at all interested in dating sims aimed at a female audience. In a related piece, Amanda gives a great introduction to otome games, starting with the origins of the genre, on her own blog. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re new to the genre!

Finally, Kerry Brunskill, aka Kimimi, wrote a very interesting piece for Push Square regarding her feelings playing Mōjūtsukai to Ōjisama and how nice it felt to be catered towards as a female gamer for once. I definitely would like to see more posts like this that explore how playing dating sims (and romance sims, visual novels, etc. etc.) make people feel!

“As someone’s who’s trained herself to sharp-elbow her way into a hobby that can be unwelcoming and in some cases downright threatening to anyone that’s not part of the perceived ‘norm’, it’s a strangely novel feeling to come across a series that’s actively pursuing me as a consumer.” – Kerry Brunskill, Soapbox: How a Niche PS Vita Exclusive Made Me Feel Wanted

Check out Voltage otome games. ♡♡ We have new episodes & discounts during #DatingSiMonth! ♡♡♡ https://t.co/flFzAitJ1q pic.twitter.com/G1AaAUGkQa
— Voltage Ent. (@VoltageRomance) February 4, 2014

As always, I’m sorry I can’t include every tweet or forum post! If I’ve missed your article, though, please let me know and I’ll be sure to include it in the next one. For future Community Game-Alongs, I may stick to a bi-monthly roundup schedule, as keeping to weekly roundups proved a little too tall of an order for me. But if you have a preference, please let me know so I can consider it for next month! Also, it may seem early, but I’m already starting to think about next month’s theme, so feel free to shoot me any theme ideas. But I’m getting ahead of myself – let’s be sure to end Dating Sim Month with a bang!

Chic Pixel’s Best of Wonder Festival 2014: Good Smile Company

Forgive the double figure-related posts, but if you haven’t noticed already, I may be a little obsessed! And you know what’s the worst event for a new figure fan? Wonder Festival. Wonder Festival, or WonFes for short, is a bi-annual event for Japanese figure companies to show off their latest sculpts and announce exciting new additions to their catalogue. It’s a great chance to see what everyone is working on, but it’s not so great for your wallet!

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m not particularly interested in non-posable figures, so for the purposes of this post, I’m going to focus on newly-announced and upcoming posable figures from the company I’m most interested in as a new fan, Good Smile Company.

Of course, the figure I’m most excited for right now is the 2014 Snow Miku Nendoroid! The more I see of her, the more I can’t wait to get my hands on one! As you can see in the first image, she comes with her own storage book that also doubles as a display stand. Her bunny familiar, magical wand, and witch’s cap are all so adorable! I also love that she comes with a mini stack of books. Note the details in the second picture, such as the snowflakes in her pupils and the quaint design on her dress! Amazing.

Perhaps the most exciting announcement of the day was Sakura Kinomoto (Card Captor Sakura) Nendoroid! Apparently this figure has been in the works for a while, but this is our first time seeing it, and I have to say I can’t wait to see her other facial expressions and additional parts. It’s a little unfortunate that she appears to be holding that Clow Card with her middle finger, though!

Next up is Aoba Seragaki and his AllMate (familiar), Ren, of the boys’ love game DRAMAtical Murder. To my knowledge, this is the first character from a BL to get a Nendoroid, so needless to say I’m extremely excited. I think his colorful character design will translate really well to Nendoroid form, and I can’t wait to see the painted sculpt! I hope he sells well enough to encourage more male Nendoroids, perhaps even other DRAMAtical Murder characters.

Other exciting Nendoroid announcements include some more game-related figures: Solid Snake (Snaaake!!), Wind Waker Link, and Rina Ozawa (Touch Detective), who comes with her own Funghi! While they all look like they’re going to be pretty awesome, I don’t think I’ll end up getting any of them unless GSC comes out with some really stellar accessories. I imagine Snake, in particular, though, would be a lot of fun to pose!

While Nendoroids are easy for me to swoon over, I’m not as quick to jump on the more “realistic” figmas. The above Snow Miku, however, is too cute to resist. I love the gradient on her hair, and the adorable snowman statue (he’s even holding a microphone!). Other Miku-related figures that caught my eye include this year’s racing Miku design and this adorable schoolgirl Miku figma (the same design is also getting a Nendoroid).

One thing’s for sure: after seeing Good Smile Company’s offerings at the first Wonder Festival of the year, I know I’m going to need to hold on tight to my wallet if I want it to make it through 2014 in one piece! What about you? Have any of these figures caught your fancy, or do you think I’m completely nuts?

Swooning Over Puchi Chara! Sailor Moon Figures

Combine my recent discovery of the wonderful world of figures with the resurgence of Sailor Moon merchandise to coincide with the upcoming anime and you’ve got a deadly combination. While I’ve been pretty good about not giving into temptation so far, my mom inadvertently added fuel to my addiction when she preordered a set of six Puchi Chara! Sailor Moon figures for me over the holidays. 

Jlist has finally started sending out those preorders, and I was beyond thrilled to receive mine in the mail on Friday. Since I never buy this sort of thing, I had no idea what to expect… Sets come with six random figures, and the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Max have two different designs each, making for a possibility of 12 different figures to get. According to the box, some lucky people even get Luna and Artemis figures! But what would be in store for me?

Really, they’re all adorable, so I wasn’t really worried about getting one over the other, but I have to say Tuxedo Mask without his mask is pretty high on my “want” list.

I suppose it goes without saying to expect lots of gratuitous photos in this post…

It also goes without saying that I made sure to keep the box in pristine condition! It’s too cute to just throw away. 
Here you can see the six individual boxes the set comes with. You can generally buy singles of these kind of random boxed toys in shops in Japan, but (crazy) fans like me will preorder a whole set in order to try and collect them all. 
More adorable packaging… Note the 20th anniversary Sailor Moon logo at the bottom left of the box. There’s also a little note saying that the figures themselves are each 60 mm tall. 
I was pretty surprised to find out that the figures have a couple of joints in them, allowing for some minor pose changes. You can alter the angle of the head and twist the legs around a bit. Oh, and these toys are for children ages 15 and up, so it looks like I’m safe. 
But what about the figures themselves? Opening each box is a real treat since you have no idea what’s going to be inside. I won’t hold you all in suspense any longer – I actually got one of each of the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask, which means I have a complete set. No doubles! Plus, my Sailor Moon came with Luna and Sailor Venus came with Artemis. I don’t know if that means that I’m super lucky or that each box of six is guaranteed to come with one of each of the characters, but since I was prepared to get at least one double, I was definitely impressed. I’d love to know what others got, though! 
Sailor Moon type A with Luna
The figures themselves are very nice quality – they have a good weight to them and the sculpts look really great considering how small they are. Each character came in at least three parts: head, torso, and legs, which needed to be assembled after opening. While I didn’t expect this, it gives an added flexibility to how they’re displayed, allowing for some minor changes in the angle of the head, etc. 
What I don’t like about the Puchi Chara! Sailor Moon series, however, is the pegs that connect the figures to their stands. They’re made out of extremely cheap, flimsy plastic, and I actually managed to break two of them while trying to set them all up (technically, I broke one and my father-in-law broke another, but that’s a long and boring story). If you look closely at the picture above, you should be able to see a crack near where the peg connects to the bottom of Venus’s base. I was able to glue it and bring it back to a functional state, but I don’t think it’s unfair of me to say that I was really disappointed in the quality of the stands compared to the quality of the figures. 
Now that I’ve learned from my mistakes, though, I do have a suggestion to anyone who has bought or is planning on buying the Puchi Chara! figurine series: be sure to assemble the figure and connect it to the peg before attaching the peg to the stand. Then, after the peg has been secured in the stand, adjust the position of the figure on the stand by moving the figure around, not the peg itself. When I broke the peg, it was because I tried to adjust the angle of the peg from where it attached to the stand. Don’t make the same mistake! Let me tell you, it’s no fun at all to break a toy you’ve literally just opened. 
Sailor Jupiter type A
Aside from the peg issue, I’m really happy with these figures. I’m even happier now that I’ve got them all assembled and looking great. Sailor Jupiter here is the other figure whose peg got broken, but you really can’t tell, right? Right?!

Sailor Venus type B with Artemis
Sailor Venus could maybe use a little adjusting, but I wanted to make sure the glue on her peg had completely dried before fiddling around with her positioning. Still, I’m happy that you can’t see that something was broken from the front. 
Sailor Mars type A
If you look really closely, you can see each character has their symbol etched into their base. It’s a really neat touch! 
Sailor Mercury type B
Sailor Mercury is probably my favorite of the inner scouts, and I’m really happy I got her B version! She looks super adorable in that pose with both her eyes closed. 
Tuxedo Mask type A
Tuxedo Mask is actually the figure with the most detail in the collection. Both his cloak and his hat are removable, and he even gets a rose to hold (though it’s not removable). 
Tuxedo sans hat
I have to say, I wasn’t sure how much I’d like little figure like these, but the whole experience of opening the boxes and not knowing what I was going to get combined with the great quality of the figures themselves overall has me totally in love with this set. So in love, in fact, that I’ve… gone and preordered the Outer Senshi set! 
I must not be the only one in love with the Puchi Chara! Sailor Moon series, as they’re already reissuing them. Preorders are open now, with a scheduled release sometime in June. If you’re interested in purchasing the Puchi Chara! Sailor Moon six piece set for yourself, you can do so at Jlist, Play-Asia, CD Japan, or Ami Ami! I can personally vouch for each of them, but if you order form Jlist or Play-Asia, I’ll get a small commission which all goes toward supporting content on this site.
Finally, I hope you liked this “Swooning Over” post – I’ve been trying to find a way to showcase a few odds and ends I’ve picked up in recent months without “reviewing” them per say, and I think this will be a good fit. There should be more in the near future, but in the meantime please do let me know what you think! 

Final Fantasy XIV Valentione’s Event Tutorial + Impressions

Love is in the air in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn! As expected, February’s seasonal event is a tie-in with Valentine’s Day. In keeping with the game’s tradition of “re-imagining” the names of real-world holidays for the game world, though, they’ve added an “o” to Valentine… I suppose it’s meant to sound exotic?

As always, the Lodestone illustration for the event is simply gorgeous. Honestly, I’d probably be happy if Square Enix did away with events all together and just posted a new illustration every month! Okay, that’s definitely an exaggeration, especially if they do more awesome outfits like the one you get for completing the Valentione’s Day quest line!

Full event details at the Lodestone

There is absolutely no combat in this event, and it’s quite straightforward, so I’m going to try to make the tutorial as snappy as possible. That means I won’t have screenshots of absolutely everything, but all the info will be here for those who want it!

You’ll first need to speak with Larsonient, who is located at X:11, Y:13 of the Limsa Limonsa Upper Decks. As usual, the seasonal even quests are only level 15, so most people should be able to participate. After speaking with him, you’re immediately directed over to Lisette De Valentione, who gives you the first item in the Valentione clothing set, completing the quest. This unlocks three different quests, “Sweet, Sweet Love,” “Right Here Waiting,” and “Love Is a Battleground,” which require you to spread love to the inhabitants of each of the three main cities. I suggest talking with Lisette to initiate all of the quests before setting out to complete them, as it saves time in the long run. I tackled the Limsa Limonsa quest, “Love Is a Battleground” first, but it doesn’t matter what order you do them in.

The first NPC you’ll need to talk to for Love Is a Battleground, O’kalkaya, is located right near Lisette at X:12, Y:13. The following tasks are extremely straightforward, so just follow the quest icon on your minimap. Completing the quest will net you two bitter heart chocolates if your character is male, or two pure heart chocolates if your character is female. Hold onto these for later!

Next, let’s head over to Ul’dah! Again, the order in which you do these quests doesn’t matter, as long as all three get done. The NPC you need to speak with to initiate the Sweet, Sweet Love quest is Yellow Moon, located at X:14, Y:13 in the Weaver’s Guild. She wants a bunch of odd ingredients for her concoctions, so you’ll need to speak with all of her admirers to acquire the required items. The first pair of admirers are located at X:11, Y:11, and the second pair are at X:10, Y:8. Completing this quest will reward you with two more chocolates.

Finally, it’s off to speak with Nemoh Mainhov at X:12, Y:6 in Gridania for Right Here Waiting. She’s looking for her lost lover, so you’ll need to go talk to three men who look like him around X:9, Y:9. After returning to Nemoh, you’ll then need to head to the North Shroud to Gwayne at X:28, Y:26. After jumping back and forth between Gridania and North Shroud, you’ll finally complete the quest for another two chocolate hearts. Now you can finally return to Lisette De Valentione in Limsa Limonsa!

Your final quest, Never Say Farewell, requires you to turn in one bitter chocolate heart and one pure heart chocolate to Lisette. The only way to do this is to trade with a character of the opposite gender who has also completed the first three Valentione’s quest. If you hang around Lisette, you should find others looking to trade, so be sure to let everyone know in the chat! Since I did the event quests the day they were released, there were plenty of people around looking to trade. Be sure to only trade one of your chocolates for the one you need to complete the quest, though, as you’re going to need the rest to trade for the remaining items in the Valentione’s outfit! Completing the Never Say Farewell quest will get you your Valentione’s top and an achievement for finishing the seasonal event.

Now, the in the areas decorated for the seasonal event in each of the three cities are a House Valentione Butler <Purveyor of Love> and a House Valentione Maid <Purveyor of Love>, but the most convenient ones to access are located right near Lisette in Limsa Limonsa. No matter where you find them, make sure to trade your chocolates to the Butler for the rest of the Valentione’s set and purchase some limited-time items from the Maid! The left and right Prismatic Hearts are very cute for using in screenshots with friends, so I made sure to stock up.

I’m really liking how Square Enix is switching up the formula with each event quest – the last one was very FATE-centric, so it’s a nice change to not have to do any FATEs this time. And look at that outfit! All the running around was certainly worth it to see Chive in such cute garb.

The Valentione’s decorations themselves are nothing special, though they are featured in every city. I don’t think they really compare to the winter holiday decorations, but I suppose you can’t have both a great outfit and great decorations, eh? At least I got to spend some time with other folks in their Valentione’s gear. My only complaint about the event is the fact that it was a requirement to exchange chocolates with someone of the opposite gender in order to complete the quest. Really, Square Enix, it’s 2014!

As I’ve said before, it’s great to see monthly events, but I’m not sure how much longer Square Enix will be able to keep it up… I wonder what the next seasonal event will be?

Falcom Community Game-Along Wrap-Up (Weeks 3 + 4)

I still can’t believe what a success the Falcom Community Game-Along has been! What started as a offhand comment on Twitter turned into a fun month-long event that got all sorts of people playing games and talking about them, and I couldn’t have asked for more. Though things quieted down around week three, which prompted me to postpone that week’s roundup until the end, content really began to pick up again as the month came to an end.

This roundup post will focus more on the great selection of blog posts that went up, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t also lots of tweeting going on! Be sure to check out #Falcomonth on Twitter to see how the month panned out.

And that’s Ys V finished. It was lots of fun. Special thanks to @GideonZhi‘s team for translating it #Falcomonth pic.twitter.com/PSTVYAyeo8
— Badr Alomair (@BadoorSNK) January 17, 2014

Today’s Series Dedication Sunday (No. 3!) is more of a Company Dedication for #falcomonth : Falcom Games! pic.twitter.com/TsOqeP3hpz
— CephiYumi 愚かな醜い (@CephiYumi) January 19, 2014

@Soulhouf pointed out a brilliant article on Hardcore Gaming 101 that covers the entire Ys series. It’s a definite must-read for both fans and those interested in checking out the series. I’m seriously impressed by all the details they’ve packed in.

Next, @DavZZGndm contributed a piece on Vantage Master Online – a game from a lesser-known Falcom series that is actually available for free in English translation from Falcom themselves! Davzz’s in-depth look at the 1v1 strategy’s systems, complete with plenty of screenshots, should be enough to make anyone interested in Falcom games want to check it out. And for the price of free, how can you pass that up?

meanwhile, in #falcomonth: ADOL, MASTER SWORDSMAN (but seriously how cute is this) http://t.co/kHWu1MkLHQ
— Ant Cooke (@TepidSnake) January 21, 2014

Over at One Million Power, Brian Clark whipped up a great piece about his experience playing the Famicom port of the original Ys. Unfortunately, the Famicom port featured some changes that were not for the better, such as the strengthening of all of the bosses except for the final one, who was made weaker (I might not mind that!), and reducing Adol’s movement speed. Even so, Brian notes that he enjoyed the experience overall and now has the perspective to see how modern action RPGs have evolved.

Badr Alomair managed to check out the fan-translated Ys V and reported back on his blog, Video Games! and other stuff. Often cited as the black sheep of the series, Ys V never got an official English release, but Badr asserts that he enjoyed his time with the game and considers it to be a decent introduction to the series, even with its flaws.

@apricotsushi The pressures of social media forced me to finally try out the classic Ys. #Falcomonth success!
— aka_Chewie (@ciscoidiot) January 30, 2014

Yay peer pressure! Ahem.

Cody Winn earns double, nay, triple points for not only covering Ys: Memories of Celceta (which we only saw covered in a couple of unrelated but well-timed reviews) but also having the most punny title of the month: “Ease into Ys.” I do love a good pun!

Anyway, Cody remarks that though he’d never played a Ys game for more than 10 minutes, he found Memories of Celceta to be fun and fast-paced. He does, however, mention that the music is one of his least favorite aspects, which is a bit of a kick in the gut for any Ys fan! However, it’s an unfortunate truth that Memories of Celceta was a little lacking for tracks.

Finally, Alois Wittwer wraps up Falcom Month with another great post about the very first Ys game. Unlike other write-ups, he chose to focus specifically on the game’s combat, and it’s a piece as snappy as the good ‘ol bump system. It’s a great way to finish up the month, as he manages to capture the beauty of Ys‘s battle system in a way few have done. Even if you think you’ve read enough about Ys, I highly suggest you go give it a read!

@_Kimimi Well happy! Now I can continue my own personal #Falcomonth (or months!)
— Paul Darbyshire (@pablo_0151) February 2, 2014

That’s right, Paul! Falcom Month is never truly over. As if we could ever stop playing Falcom games!

Once again, I want to give a huge thanks to everyone who helped make this Community Game-Along a success! It was a ton of fun, and I really hope everyone enjoyed sharing the Falcom love. If you’re interested, be sure to check out February’s Community Game-Along. The theme? Romance, of course!

Introducing the Dating Sim Community Game-Along!

January’s Falcom Community Game-Along was so successful that I thought it would be a shame to have the festivities end after only 31 days! As a result, you can look forward to having monthly game-along themes for the duration of 2014, or at the very least until interest and participation starts to wane.

Since February is the somewhat official month of romance, what better way to celebrate than with some dating sim games? The dating sim genre hasn’t ever had its time in the limelight outside of Japan, where it’s actually quite popular with both men and women. In fact, the term “dating sim” isn’t even really correct, as it only encompasses romance games that have simulation elements (usually meters for stats that you have to raise to get the girl/guy you’re pursuing). The Japanese term ren’ai, meaning romance, is generally used to refer to any games that focus on the romantic pursuit of one of usually a number of selectable men or women, but since “dating sim” is more the well-known term in English, I’ll be using it for the purposes of this event to refer to any game with romance elements, be it simulation, visual novel, or otherwise.

The “otherwise” is important here, too, since there many games such as the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory series that incorporate romance. It should also go without saying that romance games aimed at anyone are fair game, be they catering to a predominately male audience (bishōjo) or female (otome). Here’s a quick sampling of titles available in English that fall into the dating sim genre:

Arino plays Angelique Trois

Katawa Shoujo (PC, Mac, Linux) – If you’ve never played a dating sim game before and want an affordable first experience, you can’t really go wrong with Katawa Shoujo. Not only is it free, but it tells a surprisingly heartfelt journey of a young man who suddenly finds himself with a life-threatening disability. There are five female romance options, all with different disabilities, and the game treats its delicate subject matter more seriously than most games in the genre. Be aware, however, that this is an 18+ game, which means it features sex scenes, but they can be skipped by selecting an option in the menu.

Hatoful Boyfriend (PC, Mac) – For those who are ready to go all in, you can’t go wrong with Hatoful Boyfriend. While it’s a dating sim aimed at women, you’re not dating men… not human men, anyway. All of the suitors are male pigeons! The free version allows you to date seven different pigeons, but the full version with a mysterious eighth pigeon only costs $4, so it won’t break the bank.

Hakuoki series (PSP, 3DS) – One of the few major official otome game releases in English, Hakuoki is a must for all serious fans of the genre. Fully voiced in Japanese and taking place during the Edo period in Japan, the game is a great example of the kind of otome visual novels that are currently all the rage in the land of the rising sun. If samurai warriors aren’t your cup of tea, you may want to try Aksys Games’s other otome release, Sweet Fuse: At Your Side (PSP/PSN), instead.

Of course, there are many, many more games than the couple I’ve listed here, but it would simply be impossible for me to include them all! Here are a couple more titles you may want to check out: Dandelion (PC, Mac), Aselia the Eternal (PC), Absolute Obedience, Persona 3 and 4, and any entry in the aforementioned Harvest Moon and Rune Factory series. There’s also tons of free content available from last year’s Pulse Pounding Heart Stopping Dating Sim Jam! Finally, for folks who want to brush up on the classics, both the Angelique and Tokimeki Memorial series are great places to start. If you’re still having trouble finding something you’d like to play, let me know in the comments so I or someone else can help you out!

It’s easy to participate in the February Dating Sim Game-Along – all you have to do is play and write about dating sims in some form, be it on your blog, Twitter, or elsewhere! If you’re using Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram (or some other newfangled social media that also uses hashtags), please use #DatingSiMonth so that I can keep track of your submissions and include them in my weekly compilation posts. Of course, you’re also welcome to submit podcasts or any other critical work to the Game-Along – as long as you’re talking about dating sims, virtually anything goes!

I hope you’re all ready to date some cuties and share your experiences come February! I’ve got a pile of Japanese otome games and Katawa Shoujo calling my name, so I, for one, am all set!