Tag Archives: video games

Sunday Spotlight: Abstract Cactus Fan Art

Sunday Spotlight Chic PixelI’m quickly realizing that it’s going to take a lot of willpower not to just feature amazing artists in my spotlights every week! There are simply too many awesome people out there making art, whether it be fan art or otherwise Makku of Abstract Cactus is an artist I’ve been following for over a year now, and she stands out in particular for a really eye-catching, signature style.

Abstract Cactus Majora's Mask Fan Art

Like Romy, who I featured the other week, Makku is a big fan of otome games. Head over to her Tumblr and you’ll quickly realize that Hakuoki is her otome game of choice, but she also has many illustrations of other popular nerdy characters. Some of my personal favorites include Lina and Naga from Slayers sharing a parfait and a slightly unsettling Hatoful Boyfriend birthday image. I also can’t neglect to mention the gorgeous Masato Hijirikawa (from Uta no Prince-sama) fan art she drew for my birthday last year!

Okay, so if it wasn’t obvious already, I’m totally partial to Makku’s work. Be sure to give her a follow on Tumblr and Twitter if you are, too! She’s also currently open for commissions right now and in need of money to pay some medical bills, so if you like her work, do consider hiring her to draw your favorite character!

Sunday Spotlight: XO Mia Cosplay and Geek Lifestyle Blog

Sunday Spotlight Chic Pixel

Happy first Sunday of October! For the first Spotlight of the month, I’d like to urge you all to check out Mia, an awesome cosplayer and blogger at XOMia.com.

XO Mia Animal Crossing Cosplay
source

I first learned of Mia’s site after stumbling into photos of her adorable Isabelle cosplay. I love how all of the Animal Crossing characters in the group photo above have been translated to humanoid versions, but Mia’s Isabelle takes the cake. She even has a makeup tutorial if you want to recreate the look yourself!

Like me, Mia specializes in all things cute and nerdy, but her particular area of focus tends to be cosplay and con recaps. I don’t go to a lot of cons myself, so I really love being able to live vicariously through her! If those things sound up your alley too, I definitely recommend her fun site.

October Community Game-Along: Kusoge

Deadly Premonition Screenshot

Ah October, a time of pumpkin spice lattes and spooky decor! This used to be my favorite time of year when I lived in a country that actually celebrated these things, but now I have to satisfy myself with shrimp on the barbie or some other appropriately Aussie thing whenever the holiday season rolls around.

But I digress! October would be the perfect time to do another horror-themed Community Game-Along like I did last year, but I thought it would be fun to shake things up with a different kind of horror this time. That horror is… kusoge! Literally “shit game” in Japanese, kusoge can range from unplayable garbage to diamond-in-the-rough titles that have some unpolished aspects but shine in other areas.

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PS Vita Slim Unboxing and Screen Comparison Video

I shared a glimpse of my new light blue/white PS Vita Slim back in my writeup of the Tenso forwarding service, but if you were hoping for a better look at the system, this is the post for you! Check out the video below for a full unboxing, as well as a screen comparison with the original PS Vita’s OLED display.

If it wasn’t obvious, I’m extremely happy with it! In an ideal world I’d love a system that felt like the slim model but had the screen of the original, but the light weight and more ergonomic feel of the slim has me more than happy with the purchase. But just after I bought mine, Sony announced three new color options for Japan! What do you think of the new version?

Aqua Blue New PS Vita 2000

The color on the front is an neat touch, but I much prefer the light blue/white combo! If you’re looking to add a Vita to your home, you can find all of the models at Play Asia.

Makura no Danshi Otome Game Coming to Mobile Phones

Makura no Danshi kittens
from Makura no Danshi episode 9

I’m sorry to say, but this isn’t an announcement about a new kitten book featuring cute anime boys (though that would be amazing). Rather, this season’s crazy otome anime Makura no Danshi will be getting its very own romance simulation game! Aside from the fact that it will be for both iOS and Android and is coming out sometime this winter, there’s not much else in the way of information, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to admire the wide variety of content this series is garnering.

makuraapp

If you’ve been listening to Chic Pixel Plus, you’ll know that Sarah and I have been following Makura no Danshi this season. Given the horrendous production values that result in extended still frames, awful animation, and a strange lack of audio during numerous sequences, I’m honestly surprised they’re actually putting more money into this franchise! In addition to the recently announced mobile game, there are also a number of upcoming drama CDs, as well as a sleeping aid app exclusive to au phones in Japan (pictured above).

I guess this is an indication that Makura no Danshi is more popular than I thought… I hope this means we’ll see even more otome anime and associated media in the mainstream going forward! Also, big thanks to Gredlen for pointing out this news to me – I’m honored to have friends that make sure I stay up to date with pillow boy news.

Sunday Spotlight: Aiccio’s Video Game Cross Stitch

Sunday Spotlight Chic Pixel

Another Sunday, another Spotlight! This week I’m really excited to share one of my absolute favorite crafters. Cross stitcher aiccio is only on Instagram, as far as I’m aware (update: they are also on Twitter), but their mostly video game-themed projects are some of the best I’ve seen! Video games, particularly ones featuring pixel art, tend to lend themselves really well to cross stitch, but aiccio stands out for highlighting series and characters that you don’t often see get much love.

Check out some of their awesome works:

The above two pieces are Mother-themed book covers aiccio designed for the Hobonichi Techo planner, inspired by official designs. I think I prefer them to the official ones!

大きさは直径38mmです。#クロスステッチ #crossstitch #pixelart #8bit

A photo posted by @aiccio on

Buttons! Check out the rad Splatoon one!

Recognize this? It’s Angelique, which popularized dating sims for girls!

ファミコンリミックス⑥ #crossstitch #nintendo #nesremix #pixelart

A photo posted by @aiccio on

Of course, no video game cross stitch collection would be complete without some Mario. I could seriously link every single one of aiccio’s Instagram posts, they’re all that awesome. But instead, do head over and check out the rest of their work! They only have about 1,500 followers, which is not nearly enough, if you ask me, so give them a follow if you can! If you don’t have an Instagram account, show them some love on Twitter. Now I want to go do some nerdy crafts…