How could I resist such an adorable chubby star? |
I don’t even know how I’d transport UMDs… |
I share my nickname with the protagonist of the game, though… |
How could I resist such an adorable chubby star? |
I don’t even know how I’d transport UMDs… |
I share my nickname with the protagonist of the game, though… |
With just one sleep left before the 24-hour Extra Life gaming marathon to raise money for children’s hospitals, I’ve managed to raise nearly 80% of my initial goal! But my work’s not over yet –– I’ve still got 24 hours of gaming ahead of me and $65 left to raise! Every dollar counts, so please consider clicking the image above and donating some change, if you have any to spare.
Update: I’ve reached my goal! I’d like to give a huge thanks to everyone who donated! However, Team VGW still has a ways to go before we reach our ultimate goal of $2000, so please keep on donating!
Also, did you know that if you live in the United States and donate over $12, you can enter Video Game Writer’s drawing to win a Roxio Game Capture HD Pro unit for streaming and recording game footage, valued at $150 a pop? Yeah! Definitely go check out the details of that giveaway here, as I have it on good authority that there have been very few entries to date, so your chances of winning are high. Since I’m a member of Team VGW, donations directly to me count towards the contest, too!
Now I know I had a lot of lofty incentives in my previous post that never came to fruition for a variety of reasons, so I’m going to scrap all that and give everyone who reads this post to vote for which titles you most want to see me play!
You can even submit ideas for other games I haven’t included, but of course there’s always the possibility that I don’t own it or have already played it, so please keep that option for general suggestions only. The highest voted picks will have the highest priority in my play list, but of course I reserve the right to change my mind whenever I feel like! Let me tell you, 24 hours is a long time, so if playing one game over another means the difference between staying awake and phoning it in early, I’m going to do whatever it takes to stay awake!
Tune in from 3 am PDT (awful time, I know, but that’s actually 8 pm here in Australia) to my Twitch account to watch me play games in real time! I’ll also be tweeting my antics if you’re not interesting in watching/listening to me ramble. Video Game Writers will be giving away game codes and swag the whole day, so be sure to follow them, too!
I hope to see you on Saturday!
After taking a walk down nostalgia lane with Angelique‘s packaging and manual in my last post, I sat down with the game so that I could report back on its gameplay systems and how it stacks up against modern otome games.
This year I’ll be doing something I’ve never done before, and I’m extremely excited to share it with you all! Video Game Writers is taking part in the Extra Life gaming marathon to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals around the United States and Canada, and I’ve jumped on board! On October 20th, myself and a number of the VGW staff and readers will play games in our backlogs for 24 hours straight, and many of us will be streaming our gaming sessions online for your viewing pleasure. You can view the official VGW event listing on Facebook here.
If you could take a few seconds to check out my personal fundraising page and perhaps donate a dollar two, it would be greatly appreciated. All donations will be going directly to the Vermont Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, as that’s where I was born and raised, and I would love to give back to my home state. And for those of you who are interested in my gaming streams, I have a couple of neat incentives planned.
I’ll probably have at least one of each of these over the 24 hours! |
UPDATE: It looks like the amazing folks at Corel Corp. will be providing me with a review unit of the game capturing hardware, so I will able to stream PC, Wii, and PlayStation games! This changes my incentives slightly –– instead of having two separate goals, I’m just going to work towards my original target of $300. If I reach that by October 10th, I’ll open up what games I’ll be playing to a community poll! There may also be some special giveaways for those who donate in the form of game codes, so keep an eye out for those!
First, if I reach my target of $300 by October 5th, I’ll purchase a Roxio Game Capture HD Pro so I can stream PlayStation 3 and Wii games to my Twitch channel in addition to PC games. Currently I do not have any game capturing software, so I am limited to streaming PC games only, which severely limits the number and type of games I can play. Currently, the only games in my PC backlog are Amnesia: The Dark Descent, LIMBO, Bastion, Lone Survivor, Psychonauts, Sword and Sorcery EP, VVVVVV, and Chantelise. Come to think of it, that would probably keep me busy for a while, but wouldn’t you rather see me play more Japanese games?
If I open my backlog up to include Wii and PlayStation titles, things get a lot more interesting. A quick sampling of games I own but have yet to play includes: Nier, Alice: Madness Returns, Disaster: Day of Crisis, Little King’s Story, Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, Monster Hunter Tri, Pikmin 2 (Wii control enhanced version), Sakura Wars ~ So Long, My Love ~, Saints Row 3, Um Jammer Lammy, and many more! Helping me reach my goal early will ensure that I can play a wide variety of games!
I won’t be tackling any 40 hour RPGs in an attempt to power through as many games as possible. How many do you think I can beat? |
And finally, if I reach my stretch goal of $400 by October 15th, I’ll leave the decision of what games I play to all of you! I’ll compile all of the above selections into a poll (plus a few others) where anyone can vote, whether they’ve donated or not. So if you really want to make sure to see me suffer through the entirety of Amnesia: The Dark Descent while hyped up on caffeine and only semi-lucid, don’t forget to donate!
Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and in closing, I’d just like to remind everyone that reads this blog that there is no pressure for you to donate whatsoever, so please, only donate if it’s something you feel comfortable with doing. I am not making any profit out of this, and am simply doing what I can to help a Vermont children’s hospital and play some fun games in the process. Finally, everyone is free to watch my game streams on the day at my Twitch channel, whether you’ve donated or not! I hope to see you all there!
Every once in a while, Shaun and I stumble upon a really good find here in Brisbane. First it was the talking Pikachu and Rilakkuma plush keychain at the local vintage shop, then it was the Japanese Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town strategy guide from the used bookstore in the city. Now, I dare say we’ve uncovered the crown jewel of awesome game-related discoveries: the Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary Ultimania File 3: Battle. Where did we find this rare tome, you ask? In the discount bin of our local comic book store for only $25! To get an idea of what a steal this is, $25 is pretty much on par with what you’d pay for this beast if you bought it from a bookstore in Japan… yet it was originally listed here at a whopping $70!
Now, the Final Fantasy Ultimania series is basically a bunch of glorified guide books for, you guessed it, the Final Fantasy games. They don’t generally contain step-by-step walkthroughs of the game, but instead act as a catalog for everything from weaponry to enemies, with in-depth character profiles and exclusive developer interviews containing all sorts of nuggets of information about the world of Final Fantasy.
The 20th Anniversary trilogy of books was released in 2008 (on that note, it’s kind of scary to think that Square Enix is celebrating Final Fantasy‘s 25th anniversary this year), each book focusing on a separate facet of the Final Fantasy world –– one for characters, one for battle-related information, and one for scenario, or the game’s story/world. As you can see, this particular volume is of the battle persuasion, meaning it catalogues everything pertaining to Final Fantasy battles from Final Fantasy I all the way up to Final Fantasy XII (including X-2!).
I have to say, I never thought I would be compelled to pick up a Final Fantasy Ultimania, but flipping through 20th Anniversary Ultimania File 3: Battle is a real joy. There’s everything from character stats and enemy information to summon lists and all sorts of neat comparison charts for all the different Final Fantasy games… I think anyone who’s a fan of a series will soon see what I mean!
Character profiles certainly aren’t as in-depth as they would be in the character volume, but the short descriptions featuring Amano or Nomura’s art, along with sprites and alternate versions, if available, is a nice touch.
I’m glad they didn’t actually localize his name as “Balflear” |
All of the different job sprites from Final Fantasy V |
I’m really happy they included Final Fantasy X-2. The dress spheres were something else! |
Shaun has played Final Fantasy VII at least seven times, but he says he’s never seen this enemy! Hard to believe, isn’t it? |
A fun comparison page detailing a variety of common enemies in the Final Fantasy series. |
All sorts of interviews are scattered throughout the book. I can’t wait to read them! |
Or “I literally couldn’t fit the whole name of the game in the header.” Excuse me if I continue to shorten Corpse Party The Anthology: Sachiko’s Game of Love – Hysteric Birthday 2U to Corpse Party: 2U, as any other alternative is just far too long.
“That’s right, a romantic comedy. High school romantic comedies are really popular right now, right?” |
I have to say I’m more interested in the gruesome death scenes than I am in seeing teenage anime girl cleavage. |
Yes, this is an actual scene in the game. No, it was not in the demo. |
This is around the time I really started wondering why I kept playing… |
Fan service. Anyone with a passing interest in Japanese media, be it manga, anime, or video games, has probably encountered fan service in some form or another. Fundamentally, fan service is anything added to a product with the intent of pleasing fans, whether it be excessive violence, sexual elements, etc. (or anything catered towards a specific fandom), but in recent years it has come to be most often associated with titillation – think panty shots, skimpy clothing, and pin-up-like poses.
Swimsuits are a common sight in anime magazines |
A common character illustration from BlazBlue‘s story mode |
An official CD featuring a male character with an open shirt in a sexy (?) pose? Gasp! |
An actual in-game CG. Arc System Works must be aware that this character has a number of female fans… |
A fan illustration. Proof that BlazBlue is subject to more than one type of gaze. |