Sunday Spotlight: Sami Spoon

1 / 17 / 16

I’m super excited for this week’s Sunday Spotlight, because today I’m talking about a good pal Sami Spoon! Sami is a blogger from the UK who loves all the same things I do, but most importantly, she has excellent taste in video games and all things kawaii! Sami recently launched a new personal blog to catalog all her interests, so if you like Chic Pixel, I highly recommend checking it out!

I especially like her recent loot post where she shared a bunch of limited edition New Year PokéCenter goods such as the adorable charms above. Her photos all have her signature rounded corners, which makes them extra cute, don’t you think?

You can also find Sami on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook, as well as her fun video game-themed Tumblr. Be sure to tell her I sent you!

Sunday Spotlight: natsukigirl

1 / 3 / 161 / 3 / 16

Happy new year and welcome to the first Sunday Spotlight of 2016! This week I wanted to highlight an internet friend who is very inspirational to me (and I am secretly hoping to channel more in 2016). Natsukigirl always posts colorful photos of their Japanese games, toys, manga collection, and all-around cute stuff, and I seriously can’t get enough of it! They can be found in a variety of places on the internet (that I’ll link to at the end of this post), but for their photography, I highly recommend their Instagram for tons of cute stuff like this:

In addition, if you’re a fan of Yokai Watch, they make all kinds of content for Watch of Yokai, a Yokai Watch fan site. I admit I haven’t been bitten by the yokai bug yet, but natsukigirl’s merchandise photos are always super cute!

You can also find natsukigirl on Twitter, Tumblr, and their personal site, in addition to Instagram. Just don’t blame me if you suddenly develop an interest in cute Japanese dolls and Yokai Watch medals!

The Complete 2016 Community Game-Along Schedule

12 / 31 / 1510 / 23 / 16

Can you believe it’s been two years since I started doing Community Game-Alongs here at Chic Pixel? I certainly can’t! What began as a month dedicated to celebrating Nihon Falcom games has evolved into a fun event where every month of the year is designated a new video game-related theme, and I’m so excited to continue it into 2016.

If you’re new to the Community Game-Along, fundamentally it’s very simple: all you have to do is play at least one game that fits the theme of the month. Try a title you’ve never played before, revisit an old favorite, or share your experiences with others… As long as it fits the theme, how you choose to join in is up to you! For those that like to plan ahead, I’ve compiled a full list of the themes for 2016:

January – Dating Sims
February – Fishing games (suggested by @_Kimimi!)
March – Monster Hunter-likes
April – Yuzo Koshiro (composer)
May – Metroidvania
June – Media tie-in games (suggested by @BadoorSNK!)
July – JRPGs
August – PlatinumGames
September – Strategy games
October – Horror games
November – Erotic (R18+/adult content) games
December – Hudson Soft games

I hope to see lots of you participating over the course of the year!

Chic Pixel’s Favorite Games of 2015

12 / 28 / 15

Things have been a little quiet here at Chic Pixel during the holiday, but now that I’m feeling refreshed and recharged, it’s time to get back in the posting groove! And what better way than with some best of 2015 lists? First, I’d like to share my five favorite video games that came out this year. There are many (so, so many) games that came out in 2015 I still need to play, so please keep in mind that the titles that appear here are simply those I put enough time into to consider. But enough with the caveats… on with the list!

First Impressions: Monster Hunter X

12 / 17 / 15

Things have been very busy over the past few weeks here at Manor de Chic Pixel, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t found time to sink some time into the Japanese version of Monster Hunter X! 24, to be exact. While that might be more than enough time to do a full review for any other game, I still have a long ways to go before I see all the content Monster Hunter X has to offer. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have some first impressions to share with you today!

Japan Envy: Nerdy Christmas Cakes

12 / 12 / 15

Christmas is just around the corner, and in Japan that means reservations for Christmas cakes are everywhere you look. While most western cultures probably associate fruit cakes with Christmas, Japan has popularized a light, usually white cake with strawberries and cream as a common Christmas eve treat. Now, Christmas cakes are so popular that they come in nearly every flavor imaginable, and every decoration imaginable, too! From Monster Hunter to Yowamushi Pedal, all kinds of nerdy fandoms are represented in Christmas cake form… And I’ve rounded up some of the best to share with you today.

Sunday Spotlight: JRPG.moe

12 / 6 / 1512 / 6 / 15

Yet another Sunday has rolled around, and you know what that means: Time for a Sunday Spotlight! Can you tell I’m running out of witty things to say in these intros? Moving on…

Here at Chic Pixel, we love a good JRPG. That’s why this week’s Spotlight is highlighting an awesome website that is all about just that! JRPG.moe bills itself as a site for those who get “fired up” about Japanese role playing games, so don’t let the .moe scare you – it’s definitely not only about cute anime girls! I love that JRPG.moe covers both Japanese and English game releases, and is written by someone proficient in Japanese, so you can count on it for accurate import impressions and news translations! Start off with JRPG.moe’s December release calendar to see what you need to put on your shopping list this month before moving on to some in-depth editorials and JRPG news.

Be sure to like JRPG.moe on Facebook and follow it and its editor on Twitter to stay up to date on all things JRPG!