JRPGJuly Community Game-Along

7 / 1 / 177 / 1 / 17

JRPGJuly is back once again! By far the most loved Community Game-Along theme, JRPGJuly has been a mainstay since the first year I started hosting them. This year’s event is especially exciting since Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age is coming out on the 11th! Whether you’ve got a JRPG sitting in your backlog you’ve been dying to finish, or a new title you’ve been meaning to check out, simply grab a JRPG and play it throughout the month of July to join in the fun!

June 2017 Community Game-Along: Puzzle Games

5 / 31 / 17

Hello, June! It’s a busy month for video games, especially with all the E3 news coming up, so I though it would be fun to select a less time-intensive theme for this month’s Community Game-Along. But then again, how much time you decide to spend with a puzzle game is entirely up to you!

Puzzle games are perfect for fitting in a few minutes here and there during your commute or while waiting for leftovers to heat up (am I the only one that does this?!), so be sure to grab a game and share your impressions throughout the month using #PuzzleGameMonth! If you’re not sure what to play, never fear, because I’ve rounded up a few recommendations!

NieR: Automata Review

5 / 14 / 175 / 29 / 17

Despite having put over 45 hours into NieR: Automata, I still can’t believe it exists. Director Yoko Taro has become something of a niche gaming icon over the years, but due to some very, very rough edges, NieR: Automata‘s predecessor NieR only achieved a small cult following among the few who saw past the subpar gameplay and lackluster graphics to appreciate its atmosphere and heavy-hitting themes.

I fall in the camp of folks who saw what NieR had to offer in terms of an overall experience, but always left my short sessions with the game infuriated by the miserable gameplay. It was clear to me that Yoko Taro had a lot of great ideas that would shine if he only had a just few more resources at his disposal… And lo and behold, those resources have finally come in the way of Platinum Games, a development studio that excels in smooth-as-butter action gameplay!

May 2017 Community Game-Along: Intelligent Systems

5 / 4 / 17

To celebrate the English release of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia on 3DS on May 19th, I decided to dedicate May’s Community Game-Along theme to developer Intelligent Systems! In addition to the Fire Emblem games, Intelligent Systems is also famous for Advance Wars, WarioWare, and the Paper Mario games, so there are tons of great titles to choose from!

March 2017 Favorites: Sakura Koi and Sad Robots

4 / 15 / 17

Happy Easter! I hope you’re having a wonderful, chocolate-filled weekend if you celebrate. March was a relatively quiet but busy month for me, full of trying to juggle thesis work with playing all the hot new video game releases while also remembering to take some time away from electronics to decompress. Blasphemous, I know, but I’ve been finding it really helpful to my overall mood! Read on to learn about a few of my favorite things from this past month!

Holika Holika Gudetama Lazy & Easy Skin Peeling Gel [Amazon] – I’ve really started diving into the world of Korean skin care, and I’m loving all the affordable yet good quality options there are! I fully admit I bought this peeling gel due to the amazing Gudetama packaging (it looks like an actual egg!), but it does a great job removing dead skin and leaves my face feeling super fresh. You just need to use a small dollop once a week, so it’s sure to last a while, too. And it’s only $13! This is the second item I’ve purchased in the Holika Holika Gudetama range, and I’m itching to buy more.

Sakura Koi 24 Watercolor Field Sketch Set [Amazon] – In February I started using watercolors in my Hobonichi Techo, so I decided to upgrade from my dirt cheap set to something that would give me more vibrant colors for a reasonable price. I’d heard amazing things about the Sakura watercolor sets, so I sprung for the $14 24 color set on Amazon, and as I’ve gotten to use it more, I’ve found it totally lives up to the praise! It’s technically a travel set, so it’s super compact and easy to put away when I’m done, which I really appreciate since I only bring my paints out about once a week. The brush can be filled with water, too, so you don’t even need a separate water dish! Talk about convenient!

NieR Automata [Amazon] – As I’m sure you’re aware, March was a downright killer month for video game releases! With plenty of other things to play on my plate, I thought I would be able to wait to play NieR Automata until later in the year, but after seeing people start to talk about the game, I knew I had to experience it myself as soon as possible (and hopefully avoid any big spoilers!). So far, I’m utterly loving it, from the music to the questions it raises pretty much from the get-go regarding what it means to be human and more. Look for a review and spoiler-filled discussion of my final thoughts when I finish!

What were some of your personal highlights from this past March? Let me know in the comments!

April 2017 Community Game-Along: Grasshopper Manufacture

4 / 1 / 17

April 2017 is a big month for Grasshopper Manufacture. The Japanese game developer is finally seeing its first title, a visual novel called The Silver Case, released in English on PlayStation 4 on April 18th. Originally released for PlayStation in 1999, The Silver Case has never been localized until now! The remake has been available in English for PC and Mac since last year, but to honor the widespread release of this classic title, I wanted to dedicate April’s Community Game-Along to Grasshopper Manufacture!