I never imagined I’d be the kind of person to buy a sexy calendar, but after seeing this 2014 GAMEboys calendar by Jak, I might just have to rethink that…

If you ever wanted to see your favorite male video game characters in, shall we say, a new light, then this calendar might be for you, too! While “sexy fantasy ladies” is practically a whole calendar genre of its own, it’s definitely a breath of fresh air to see someone give male characters similar treatment for once! Here’s a teaser image of what characters are included: 

See any of your favorites? I know I do! I’m particularly interested in seeing how the male wanderer from Journey is interpreted and, believe it or not, Pyramid Head from Silent Hill! Let’s get a close-up of the wanderer, shall we… 

It may sound cliché, what with the many Final Fantasy games being highly regarded for their soundtracks by nearly everyone in the gaming community, but I definitely count Nobuo Uematsu as one of my very favorite composers, regardless of genre. Though he hasn’t been composing nearly as many game soundtracks in the past few years as he did in his Final Fantasy heyday, I still like to keep an eye out for his latest projects. As such, I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the news that he would be publishing a picture ebook, and in English, no less!

This is definitely a guy I’d like to meet someday!

As it turns out, the recently-founded jack-of-all-trades localization company acttil (stands for “acceptance,” “creativity,” “teamwork,” “trust,” “innovation,” and “love”) will be publishing Uematsu’s ebook, titled Blik-0 1946 on iOS devices next month for $9.99. The entire picture ebook was written by the man himself, and the iOS version will include three musical tracks to give the while experience that real Uematsu feel (the upcoming Kindle release will not include the songs). The illustrations are by Uematsu’s colleague Hiroki Ogawa.

Even robots love to read!

Since this is my first time back to my home-away-from-home in four years and I’ll be attending my host sister’s wedding while I’m there, this trip is a rather big event for me. You know, I always refer to the family I stayed with when I lived in Japan for a year as my “host family,” but more accurately, they’re my Japanese family – we may not be blood related, but they hold a very dear place in my heart, and not only did they make the trek down to Australia for my wedding, but we have kept in touch over these past four years, which I think says a lot! I consider myself very lucky to be able to call them my second family.

Host mom helping me put on a yukata

But enough of that! What else is on tap for my trip? Well, lots of shopping and eating and visiting all of my favorite places, of course! Here are just a few things I’m particularly looking forward to (all photos from my last trip, 08-09)…

A necessary pilgrimage for any fan!

Awesome signage

My favorite local bar

Crazy tie-in merchandise and campaigns

Weird advertisements…

And, of course, good eats

Unfortunately, I haven’t planned any additional posts for while I’m away, but I’ll be posting pictures of our travels in real-time. If you want to stay updated, be sure follow me on Twitter and/or Instagram! I’ll be posting all pictures to Instagram for archive purposes, but everything will be cross-posted to both.

Finally, I hope to do a few round-up post throughout my trip of particularly noteworthy events, which will consist of photos taken from my Instagram feed and some additional commentary. Of course, I’ll also write up much more in-depth posts when I get back at the end of the month, so please look forward to them!

After announcing that I was going to participate in the Pulse Pounding Heart Stopping Dating Sim Jam last week, I’m extremely proud to report that I did it! In just two days, I completed my very first game. Granted, it’s only a very short Twine game and ultimately isn’t really a “dating sim” by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s a great feeling to have completed something.

The early stages of The Tightrope Walker (that typo was fixed before publishing)

What I ended up with was a Twine game I decided to call The Tightrope Walker, and without giving too much away, I’d describe it as a meditation on balancing different kinds of relationships in one’s life. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to incorporate the “gay planet” theme of the MIT Game Lab QUITBAG jam into the game, but I purposefully left the genders of the characters ambiguous in order to make it as universally relatable as possible. I implore you all to head here, download the html file, and give it a whirl! It should only take 5 minutes to play through, maybe a little more if you have trouble finding the ending.

I’d like to give a huge thanks to Jake Lawrence, who provided the illustrations, and my husband Shaun for composing a short musical piece to accompany it. Unfortunately we only had access to a free music program that he had to learn how to use as he was composing, but I think the end result is quite sweet and fits the mood of the game very well.

But before I forget, I’d also like to say that though I’ve only played a few of the 70+ (!) submissions to the jam, I’ve loved every one so far. You can view the full list over at jam organizer Madam Luna’s Tumblr! I’ve especially enjoyed Rowan’s game about the online gay dating community, anna anthropy’s emotional piece about an Xbox Live date and a whole lot more, Jurassic Heart, which, as a dating sim about dinosaurs effectively combines two of my favorite things (dating sims and dinosaurs), and J.J. Cappa’s silly Javascript Persona 4 dating sim appropriately titled P4D: Persona 4 Ultimate Dating in Javascript Arena. There are so many other great games I’ve played and even more I haven’t gotten a chance to yet, so hopefully I can do a roundup post detailing my favorites and why you should check them out sometime in the future.

If you give The Tightrope Walker a go, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it! And for anyone who’s ever wanted to make a game but feels like they don’t know how, I highly recommend downloading Twine and just jumping right in. It’s not at all daunting to use, so it’s a great place to start. I guarantee you’ll feel great being able to say, “Hey, look, I made a game!”

It’s only the first week of April, but already things are busy with a capital B! In fact, there are not one, but two awesome game jams happening this weekend, and they’re both very much up my alley, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to spread the word.

First up is the Pulse Pounding, Heart Stopping Dating Sim Jam, which not only has one of the best game jam names I’ve ever heard, but it’s centered around one of my favorite game genres, as well. The full details are here, but basically anyone and everyone is encouraged to take part using simple, free programs such as Twine and Ren’Py and to post their work online using the tag #PPHSJam on Twitter and Tumblr.

My favorite part of the jam is that the curator Madam Luna (a very talented lady, I might add!) has decided to leave what constitutes a dating sim open-ended, so the sky’s the limit! The term “dating sim”  is actually a little problematic, as I find it implies some kind of stat management, or at least more involved gameplay than your usual Choose Your Adventure-style visual novel, but by not defining the term, Madam Luna has enabled virtually anyone to participate.

Next we have MIT Game Lab’s QUILTBAG Jam, which will take place on the 6th and features a very special guest… Christine Love of Analogue: A Hate Story fame! The theme will be “gay planet,” which sounds very fun indeed. More information can be found on the MIT page, which also assures potential participants that you don’t have to be local to attend in spirit! There’s a lot of crossover between the two jams, so hopefully we’ll see some dating sim games that explore queer themes early next week.

And now, I have a little announcement to make: I’m going to be participating in the PPHS Dating Sim Jam! I’ve never made a game in my life, but I’ve done some research on Twine over the course of the week and think I’m ready to take the plunge. I’m certain whatever I come up with will be a dinky little text adventure that may or may not even really qualify as a “dating sim,” but that’s what jams like these are for, right? I hope to tweet about my progress throughout the weekend, and Shaun has agreed to offer moral support, so be sure to follow me on Twitter if you want to stay up to date with my dating sim antics. Basically, I’m hoping that putting my intentions in writing will actually push me to finish something! Expect a follow-up post sometime next week where I’ll (hopefully) share the final product and talk about the experience!

Is anyone else going to be joining in the fun? Even if you’re not, do you have any rad ideas for dating sim games or something that could fall under the “gay planet” theme? Share them in the comments, and I promise not to steal!

Come ’round, gather around the campfire. What I have for you today is a tale so terrifying, so bone-chilling, that you’ll lie awake at night for weeks wondering just how something so horrible could even come into existence…

Okay, I don’t think anything I’ll write on this blog will ever be that scary, but the free iPhone app I discovered this week comes pretty darn close. The name of that app is Alpaca Niisan, or “Alpaca Brother” (also known as Alpaka Evolution on Android devices).

This cigarette-sporting alpaca quickly sets the tone of the game

Alpaca Niisan starts off innocuously enough – players are presented with a single alpaca leisurely meandering around a green pasture, a pleasant, upbeat tune adding to the strangely-endearing quality of the slightly-ugly alpaca. But before long, more alpacas start to appear, and it quickly becomes clear that there is only one aim to this “game” – knock other alpacas out by tapping on them so your alpaca can absorb them, gain experience, and evolve into increasingly horrific alpaca hybrids.

The aftermath of alpaca-on-alpaca violence

Your alpaca fusing with the bodies of its fallen comrades

Macho level 2 alpaca

Pressing the star on the bottom right corner will show you what level your alpaca is and provide a brief description about its current form. Alpacas respawn even when the app isn’t open, so it’s important to keep checking it frequently in order to level up quickly.

Getting into nightmare territory…

Sorry if you wanted to sleep tonight

Now, if you’re already following me on Twitter, you’ve probably noticed that this app is literally all I’ve been talking about for the past week (if I’ve subjected you to that and you’re still reading through this post, thanks for being such a trooper). The reason for that is that it’s both horrifying and horribly addictive! Not only that, but I’ve gotten my husband into it, as well, so whenever I forget to check on it he’ll enviably do some alpaca fusing for me. So what exactly makes this creepy-cute game so addictive? It’s hardly even a game – all you do is tap the screen!

Well, I’m certainly not the only person who finds Alpaca Niisan amusing, as it’s quickly become one of the most popular apps in Japan (it’s good to know I’m not the only weirdo out there…). I think everyone who tries it quickly develops a morbid curiosity to see what will happen next – just what will the monstrous alpaca evolve into, and how will each form move around and interact with the other alpacas on screen?

Since half of the fun is discovering the crazy forms your alpaca evolves into for yourself, I’ll refrain from posting some of the later (and even more disturbing) evolutions. Alpaca Niisan is currently available for both iOS and Android devices worldwide. For some reason the title hasn’t been translated for the iOS version (nor the app itself, for that matter, but you definitely don’t need to understand Japanese to enjoy it), so find the game on an iOS device paste アルパカにいさん in the search bar of the app store or view it here online. Android uses will find the game under Alpaka Evolution on their device or the online Google Play store. Note: These instructions apply to the North American Google Play/app stores, so the name of the app may be different depending on your region 

As we near the end of the year (some of you will already be in it by the time this post goes live), many gamers use their precious holiday vacation to reflect on the best titles they’ve played over the past 12 months and rush to complete a few last games before the clock strikes 12 on New Year’s Eve. I, of course, have been doing that as well, but I’ve also become acutely aware of just how many games from 2012 I’ve yet to play. It’s downright overwhelming! As such, I decided to whittle them down to an apt 12 personal must-play games from 2012, along with whether or not I own my picks and how likely I am to play them in 2013. So, without further ado, here are 12 games from 2012 that I have yet to play:

Gravity Rush
In possession: Yes
Likelihood I’ll play it in 2013: High

Considering virtually everyone I know who’s played Gravity Rush has raved about it to the point of dubbing it a “must-play” for all PS Vita owners, it’s downright silly that I never got around to it in 2012. In fact, I didn’t even get around to purchasing it, but my PS+ account netted me a free copy just the other month that I’m not only extremely grateful for, but I’ve already gone so far as to download it and play the opening sequence. I fully intended to play it this past month, but unfortunately I just didn’t get around to it, so it’s definitely high on my list for next year!

I love the Kiki’s Delivery Service vibe of this image!

Sine Mora
In possession: Yes
Likelihood I’ll play it in 2013: Medium

I don’t talk about them very often, but I’m actually pretty fond of shmups, with Einhander being among my favorite PSone games. Sine Mora wasn’t very high up on my “to-buy” list, but a recent Steam sale made me cave (darn those good deals!). I doubt I’ll ever beat it since I’m notoriously bad at shmups, but I’ll definitely give the first few levels a go sooner rather than later.

Crimson Shroud
In possession: Yes
Likelihood I’ll play it in 2013: High

I’ve never been one for table-top RPGs, which is what Crimson Shroud is said to pay homage to, but I really like the look of this third game from Level-5’s Guild01 package. Of course, I’m not one to pass up anything by Yasumi Matsuno (though I still haven’t played Tactics Ogre…) and I’ve also heard that this RPG can take less than 10 hours to complete if you don’t get screwed over like one Brad Gallaway when it comes to obtaining certain essential random drops, making it a more doable RPG excursion than, say, another Final Fantasy installment. I’m prepared to give this one a go soon, as I’ve already downloaded it onto my 3DS XL!

The Denpa Men: They Came by Wave
In possession: No
Likelihood I’ll play it in 2013: High

Given that one of my very favorite bloggers, The Gay Gamer, has praised this game inside and out and even named it as his favorite 3DS game of the year, there’s no way I can’t check it out! Luckily The Depna Men looks like it’ll be right up my alley, as it’s an RPG and a cute one, to boot!

Harvest Moon: A New Beginning
In possession: Yes
Likelihood I’ll play it in 2013: Sky high

I kid, but honestly, this is one of the games I was looking forward to the most in 2012, and it’s a near miracle that I haven’t gotten around to it! My mom was sweet enough to preorder me a copy for my birthday, so I even got the adorable plush yak, but I’ve yet to actually crack it open. I’ll chock that up to being a little too preoccupied with Style Savvy Trendsetters this month, but I can guarentee that as soon as I’ve exhausted that, Harvest Moon: A New Beginning will be next!

Persona 4 Golden
In possession: Yes
Likelihood I’ll play it in 2013: High
Can you believe I’ve never played Persona 4? Well, it’s time to remedy that and see what all the talk’s about. Part of me thinks it can’t be as good as everyone says, but how can I pass up a JRPG with dating sim elements? My lovely husband got me a copy of Persona 4 Golden, so there’s no way I can’t play it this year.

Xenoblade Chronicles
In possession: No
Likelihood I’ll play it in 2013: Low

I hate to say I probably won’t get to Xenoblade Chronicles in 2013, but I have to be honest! There’s just no way I’ll be able to get to everything on this list over the course of the year in addition to all of the new things coming out and trying to tick a few offenders off my ever-present backlog. But since it’s considered by many to be one of the best JRPGs of 2012, I have to keep it in mind for an eventual purchase and play.

Kid Icarus: Uprising
In possession: No
Likelihood I’ll play it 2013: Low

Now this is a funny one. I’ve never really been that interested in checking out Kid Icarus: Uprising, and the initial reviews weren’t exceptionally positive, but I’ve heard a lot from people who enjoyed it despite its flaws. Something about its sense of humor looks really fun, too! But again, I’ll be honest… Unless I receive this as a present somewhere down the line, I probably won’t ever get around to buying or playing it.

Binary Domain
In possession: Yes
Likelihood I’ll play it this year: Low/Medium

I did something sneaky when it comes to this one: I tried to convince Shaun he’d like to play it and added it to his Amazon wishlist (with his permission, of course) so that he’d get it for Christmas! Now, before you go and say I’m a horrible person, I must remind you that I do suggest many games to Shaun, and he does usually end up liking them (Theatrhythm comes to mind as one I was particularly successful with). While I do personally want to play this, I may just end up watching him play through it and leave it at that.

Persona 4 Arena
In possession: No
Likelihood I’ll play it in 2013: Low

I certainly don’t feel very happy about the whole region-locking debacle that surrounds Persona 4 Arena, but there’s no denying that it’s a fighting game developed by the same people who made my favorite series of fighters, BlazBlue. If I did ever get Persona 4 Arena, it’d probably be after I got through Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable anyway, which very likely won’t be until at least the end of 2013. I guess I can scratch this one of my list! It does look gorgeous, though.

Elminage Original
In possession: Yes
Likelihood I’ll play it in 2013: High

Can you belive I won a copy of this harcore dungeon-crawler from The Gay Gamer? I certainly can’t, but I’m overjoyed that I did! As such, I’ll definitely need to play it and post my impressions, though I’m a tad wary considering it is a little notorious for a steep difficulty level and poor English translation. Regardless, I think it will be a really interesting experience.

The Last Story
In possession: Yes
Likelihood I’ll play it in 2013: Medium

Now here’s a game I totally didn’t expect to purchase anytime soon, even though I’ve heard many good things about it. Funnily enough, though, I caught it while it was going for only $8 on Amazon… and how could I pass that up?! Still, I’m on the fence about whether or not I shoud prioritize this one this year. I’m open to suggestions, so if you’ve played it, do try to convice me that it’s worth a shot!

I have no idea who this character is, but now I’m 90% more interested in The Last Story than I was before (yes, I’m very shallow)

So, are there any games you missed from 2012 that you want to play? Do you see yourself playing them anytime soon? Looking at this list, I certainly have my work cut out for me!