Sunday Spotlight: Hobby Luv

2 / 15 / 16

This week’s Sunday Spotlight is a little late for those of you on my side of the world, but luckily my internet came through just in time to get it in while it’s still Sunday somewhere! Today I’d like to share another adorable blog that you’re sure to enjoy if you frequent Chic Pixel. Nozomi has been blogging in Spanish about anime, manga, figures, and more over at Fangirl Ninja for 4 years, and she has just launched Hobby Luv as a companion site for her English speaking friends, making it a great recommendation for Chic Pixel readers!

While I highly recommend browsing through Fangirl Ninja with the help of Google Translate due to the sheer amount of posts Nozomi has published over the past 4 years, Hobby Luv is already off to a great start. There’s a neat look at Backstage Pass for the Dating Sim Community Game-Along, which includes some updated impressions after Nozomi played the game multiple times through. It’s not often people write about how their experiences with media change over time, but it’s always so interesting to read!

You can also follow Nozomi on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sunday Spotlight: Miski

2 / 7 / 16

My first encounter with Miski’s adorable art was a t-shirt design at Yetee depicting a Snorlax in a sundae. That’s right, a Snorlax in a sundae! Of course I bought one immediately, and it soon became one of my favorite tops. Since then, I’ve become a huge fan of Miski’s work. While she’s already very well known, I wanted to make sure that I shared them with you all for this week’s Sunday Spotlight!

Not only that, but this is a great opportunity to let you all know that I’m now a Society6 curator, which means that any products you purchase from the site help support Chic Pixel! Miski sells everything from Sylveon sweets tote bags to mugs featuring Splatoon‘s adorable duo Callie and Marie, so if you enjoy the art featured here, I highly encourage you to check out her Society6 store!

You can find Miski on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr. Be sure to follow her to keep up to date on when her new t-shirt designs debut on Yetee!

February 2016 Community Game-Along: Fishing Games

2 / 1 / 162 / 1 / 16

Fishing games often get a bad rap, or at the very least largely ignored, which makes them a great candidate for the Chic Pixel Community Game-Along! I love themes that highlight under-appreciated genres and titles, which is why this February is all about celebrating how fun video game fishing can be.

Any and all games that have fishing as a significant gameplay element qualify for this month’s theme, so grab a title that appeals to you and start casting some lines! Share your favorite fishing game picks, experience playing your chosen title, or even some choice fishing gameplay videos using #FishingFebruary on your social media of platform of choice so other participants can see! Whether you stick to classics such as Sega Bass Fishing and Fishing Resort or broaden your horizons to fishing in MMOs, I hope you enjoy this laid-back Game-Along theme!

If you’re stumped for a fishing game to play, here are some options:

Family Fishing (3DS) – If you’re looking for a cute, easy to pick up fishing game for your 3DS, look no further than Family Fishing! I’ve also teamed up with Aksys Games to give away 3 copies for #FishingFebruary, so be sure to enter!

Fishing Planet (PC, Mac) – Fishing Planet is an online first-person fishing simulator that is currently available for early access on Steam, and while I normally wouldn’t suggest an early access game, there’s no denying the rave reviews this game has received so far. If you’re looking for a low barrier of entry into this month’s Game-Along theme, Fishing Planet is certainly it, as it’s 100% free to play!

Fantasy Life (3DS) – This is a great example of a game that isn’t a traditional fishing game, but features fishing as a strong component if that’s how you want to play the game. Play as the Angler life class for an adorable fish-filled RPG experience!

Let’s Fish! Hooked On (Vita) – Want your fish with a dash of moe? Look no further than Let’s Fish! Hooked On, my personal candidate for best video game title localization ever. If I’m being honest, this title isn’t the best fishing game on the block, but if cute anime characters and a hilarious title are enough to sell you on it, then I certainly won’t stop you!

Fishing Resort (Wii) – I will never stop hollering about Fishing Resort. One of the most overlooked games on the Wii, Fishing Resort is not only an amazingly adorable (and fun!) fishing game, but the resort setting has you dressing up your Mii-like avatar and exploring various islands in a manner not often found in straight-up fishing games. I’m so in love with this title that I even recorded a short gameplay video to illustrate how neat it is.

This month I’m finally going to fire up my copy of Fantasy Life, as I’m in the middle of moving and don’t have access to most of my games. But honestly, I’m overdue to start Fantasy Life anyway, and I’m really excited to see how the Angler class plays! What will you be playing for #FishingFebruary? Share your picks in the comments!

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!