Tag Archives: Monster Hunter

Japan Envy: Shibanban x Capcom

Capcom has just announced its latest line of collab merchandise, and it’s with the adorable shiba line Shibaban by illustrator Yasuteru Ogoshi! There are five main designs from four of Capcom’s iconic game series, Okami (Amaterasu and Oki), Monster Hunter (Palamute), Mega Man (Rush), and Resident Evil (Cerberus). The Shibanban shiba looks absolutely adorable in all of the different themed costumes!

The merchandise lineup includes everything from acrylic standees to washi tape and sticky notes. The products will be released both online on the Parco Capcom store and in official Capcom stores in Tokyo, Osaka, and Umeda on March 25th. Check out all of the super cute items below!

I find it really interesting that they chose to include Oki, as I feel like he’s not featured in a lot of merchandise. Plus, there are two dogs from Okami, and only one from each of the other games. Did they run out of Capcom dog characters? Can you think of any others that could’ve been good candidates?

Though, I’m certainly not complaining, as I love every one of the designs!

In addition to the items you can buy outright, Capcom is also releasing UFO catcher exclusive items that must be won through Capcom’s UFO catcher app, Capcom Net Catcher, or an arcade in Japan offering one of the machines.

There are two cooler bag designs at the top right! How cool is that?

All of the UFO catcher items will also release on the 25th. Guess I’ll scouring the Japanese second hand market…

Finally, there are two special tote bag designs! The Amaterasu design will be offered as a free gift at Capcom stores with any purchase of the Shibanban x Capcom line products totaling over 4,000 yen. The Palamute bag will be offered at Capcom arcades to people who spend 1500 yen on the Shibanban x Capcom UFO catcher machines; you will collect one ticket for every 500 yen deposited, and can exchange three tickets for the tote bag.

The Amaterasu and Palamute designs are definitely my favorites, so I love that they chose to put them on the promo tote bags! You bet I’d get desperate to get my hands on at least one of them if I was in Japan. Neither promotion will be available for online orders, so unfortunately they will be harder to get than the other products.

For those unfamiliar with Yasuteru Ogoshi’s Shibanban illustrations, I highly recommend checking out their Instagram account! They release lots of super cute shiba merch through Mindwave such as stickers and other stationery, as well as products with other companies. They even have a wide range of stickers for LINE!

If you are interested in trying to snag some of these items from the Parco Capcom online store when they go up for purchase on March 25th, you can do so using a forwarding service such as Tenso. For more information on my experience with Tenso, check out this post!

Monster Hunter: World Review

Monster Hunter World review Chic Pixel

Monster Hunter: World is a game I was not at all interested in when I first saw it. The initial reveal left me more than skeptical – I honestly wrote it off as an attempt to get a broader audience into the series that was going to be too much of a departure from what I loved about Monster Hunter to enjoy.

But after actually spending time with the game during the beta last December, I had a complete change of heart! Monster Hunter: World played exactly like the Monster Hunter I knew and loved, just with some tweaks that actually made it easier and more fun to play. That’s why, when the game finally came out for PS4 and Xbox One at the end of January, I was beyond excited to jump back into the world of Monster Hunter.

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March 2018 Community Game-Along: Monster Hunter(-like) Games

Monster Hunter Community Game-Along

March means something very special at Chic Pixel… It’s time for the Monster Hunter Community Game-Along! Even though Monster Hunter has gotten pretty mainstream, especially with the release of Monster Hunter: World, there’s no denying that the series has some notoriety for its complicated systems and lack of in-game explanations. I started the Monster Hunter Community Game-Along to highlight the Monster Hunter series and the wide range of games that emulate the Monster Hunter style in hopes that I could encourage more people to play what has become one of my favorite series.

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Monster Hunter World Beta Impressions

Chic Pixel First Impressions

The second Monster Hunter World beta is currently underway for PlayStation 4, so I jumped on the chance to spend some time with it. As a relatively new but very avid Monster Hunter fan (I started with the Japanese version of Monster Hunter 4 in 2013), I’ve been apprehensive about the footage I’ve seen of Monster Hunter World so far.

The monster, armor, and environments look really drab! The game shows you how much damage you’re dealing! These may seem like minor nitpicks, but when it’s the little details that got me into the series in the first place, I was worried so many changes might indicate that Monster Hunter World might not be for me. Luckily, the game still feels like the Monster Hunter I know and love!

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March 2017 Community Game-Along: Monster Hunter-likes

Monster Hunter Community Game-Along 2016

It’s March, and that can only mean one thing… It’s #MonMonth! Every year, there are two Community Game-Alongs that are so popular I keep bringing them back, MonMonth and JRPGJuly. While JRPGJuly is pretty self-explanatory, MonMonth requires a slightly longer introduction.

The theme of MonMonth is to play Monster Hunter-like titles, since the series and games it has inspired are practically their own subgenre at this point. The key defining aspects of Monster Hunter-like games are action RPG gameplay with tons of gear and boss battles where learning the enemy’s patterns are essential to victory.

If you’re keen on importing and want to stick to Monster Hunter games, Monster Hunter XX comes out in Japan on the 18th. Otherwise, Monster Hunter Generations for the Nintendo 3DS is the latest and greatest title in the series available in English. If you’re looking for a Monster Hunter-like game for PS4, God Eater 2: Rage Burst is a great option. There are a surprising number of titles that fit this month’s theme, so have a look at my previous MonMonth posts if you need some more ideas! There’s even a Final Fantasy game that qualifies!

To participate, just choose a game that fits the theme and play it sometime in March. Share your experience with your game selection through blog posts, let’s plays, or just tweeting your impressions with #MonMonth! Happy hunting!

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