thoughts Archives - Page 2 of 10

Celebrating 5 Years of StreetPass Brisbane

June 13, 2016 by Anne

When I first moved to Australia five and a half years ago, I was pretty isolated. Not only was I in a completely new country, but my husband and I moved to a city where we didn’t know anyone, much less fellow nerds! That’s why, when StreetPass groups started popping up around the world for folks outside Japan to have more chances to obtain those precious StreetPass hits, I immediately set out to create my own.

Five years later, I’ve organized StreetPass meetups in Brisbane nearly every month. Not only have I been able to complete many, many StreetPass puzzles, but I’ve also been able to bring other Nintendo fans together to enjoy a hobby they love in a welcoming environment. Let me tell you, it’s been a whole lot of fun!

5 Awesome LINE Sticker Sets for Otome Game Fans

September 2, 2015 by Anne

LINE may still be relatively unknown in the west, but the messaging app’s vast array of adorable stickers and themes has taken already Japan and much of Asia by storm. From Rilakkuma to Hatsune Miku to nearly every Disney character you can think of, these illustrated reaction images make chatting constantly adorable and fun. If you aren’t using LINE already, you can download it for free for iOS or Android and start using the free sticker packs right away. Once you’ve made an account, you can even install and sign in to the app from your PC or Mac!

With the recent addition of the Creator’s Store, now anyone can create and market their own sticker sets. The unfortunate side effect of this is that there is no real way to easily find what’s available looking for, and most Japanese creators do not share their sticker release announcements in English. While you can do a simple keyword search, they often gives hundreds of results to wade through!

The good news is, if you’re into otome games like me, there are actually a plethora of official stickers available. Since they’re so hard to keep track of, I thought I’d highlight five of my favorite sets so you can make sure to add them to your LINE library. If you want to see more, let me know in the comments and I’ll whip up a part 2!

E3 2015: Chic Pixel’s Best of Japanese Gaming

August 22, 2015June 18, 2015 by Anne

E3 2015 Best of Japanese Gaming at Chic Pixel

Things have been relatively quiet over here at Chic Pixel for the past few days, but who wants to read my latest three month late review or post gushing over Japanese merchandise when the biggest gaming event of the year, E3, is underway? While the expo will continue to offer new gameplay videos and hands-on features for those at the event throughout the week, now that we’re past the majority of the big presentations, I thought I’d take the opportunity to round up my favorite moments related to Japanese gaming.

You’ll probably see a lot of similarities to other lists floating around (how can I not mention the Final Fantasy VII remake bombshell?), but you won’t get to hear my personal take on all the exciting news anywhere else!

10 Japanese 3DS Games Worth Importing

February 20, 2017January 20, 2015 by Anne

Now that the RegionThree exploit makes region-free 3DS gaming a reality*, you may be wondering how you should utilize this newfound power. Well, what better way than to import some cool Japan-exclusive 3DS games? Keeping import friendliness in mind for those who know little to no Japanese, I’ve compiled a list of 10 great Japanese 3DS games worth checking out!

*Before reading on, head over to the full news post to learn how to use the RegionThree exploit on your 3DS and whether your system is compatible. While this isn’t a complete region-free gaming solution, it’s a great way to try out a few Japanese games before you decide to commit to importing a whole system! Note: RegionThree no longer works, but there are other exploits available for playing region free games on 3DS.

Monster Monpiece added to growing list of niche Japanese games coming out in English this year

April 18, 2015January 27, 2014 by Anne

If I were to preemptively name 2014’s theme, I might be inclined to call it the “year of niche Japanese game releases.” Not only are we getting Danganronpa, Yumi’s Odd Odyssey, Conception II, and Steins;Gate, but now Idea Factory International has announced that they will be bringing their card battling RPG PS Vita title, Monster … Read moreMonster Monpiece added to growing list of niche Japanese games coming out in English this year

Battle Princess of Arcadia looks like a super cute, HD Odin Sphere

April 18, 2015September 4, 2013 by Anne

I’ve always been a fan of NIS America for consistently bringing super niche Japanese titles to western audiences, but I’ll admit many of their recent titles, such as Mugen Souls and the Neptunia series, haven’t really appealed to me. For one reason or another, however, I’ve never quite kept up to date with what their Japanese … Read moreBattle Princess of Arcadia looks like a super cute, HD Odin Sphere