The 2nd Annual JRPGJuly has Begun!

7 / 2 / 15

If you’ve been following Chic Pixel for a while, you might remember that I did a JRPG-themed Community Game-Along last July. It turns out that was by far my most successful Game-Along of the year! Tons of people used the hashtag on Twitter to talk about the games they were playing, and there were even a few long form submissions, too. Since it was such a big hit, it only makes sense to do it again this year!

As always, all you need to do to participate is play a JRPG during the month of July. If you’re so inclined, use #JRPGJuly to talk about your experiences or share game recommendations with others on your social media platform of choice. Livestreams, blog posts, podcasts, or any other form of media where you play/discuss JRPGs is highly encouraged, as well! And if you’re looking for a way to stand out, it’s always great to see some lesser-known titles get some love.

I’m sure you’re all wondering what I’m going to be playing… Well, I’m excited to announce that Nier was the winner of my recent Twitter poll to decide the JRPG I’ll tackle this month! Earthbound was a close second, with poor Fire Emblem Awakening taking up the rear. To keep myself accountable, I will be posting weekly updates on my progress every Sunday for the month of July, so keep an eye out for that!

Though I usually end with a list of game suggestions that fit the month’s theme, I’m sure there will be no shortages of JRPGs at your disposal. However, I’ll leave you with a question: If there is one overlooked/under-appreciated JRPG you would like to see someone play this month, what would it be? Maybe someone will take on your request!

The Full 2015 Community Game-Along Theme List

Winning Costume Design Coming to Splatoon as Sushi Chef DLC

6 / 25 / 156 / 25 / 15

Famitsu Splatoon Squid Fashion Contest — via the official Japanese Splatoon Twitter account

In a collaboration with Nintendo’s new ink-based shooter Splatoon, Japanese magazine Famitsu recently held a Squid Fashion Contest to design a new outfit for the game. After going through over 800 submissions, the winning design has been revealed! It will be made available as free costume DLC in August in Japan.

Isn’t it awesome!? There has been so much detail put into this sushi chef design, right down to the shape of the apron knot. And take a look at what kind of sushi that Inkling girl is serving up… Here’s hoping this also comes to North America and Europe!

A number of other finalists were posted, but while they will be receiving prizes for their interesting designs, unfortunately only the one will be making it into the game. You can see the full list over at Famitsu, but here are a couple of my favorites:

Raincoat! This makes total sense – I’d definitely want to wear a trendy neon raincoat if I was constantly getting shot with ink. I suppose it’s a little basic design-wise, but it would be fun if the color of the coat, boots, and glasses changed depending on your current ink color like some of the other clothing in the game.

Now this!! This is adorable. If you’re familiar with Japanese bento, you’ve probably seen miniature hot dogs cut into the shape of octopi before. I absolutely love the idea of turning that into a dress, and the slightly morbid implication of an inkling wearing an Octarian’s skin that the outfit implies. Also, that squid-shaped thing on her head? A toothpick! How neat.

Unfortunately, I imagine some of the runners-up weren’t selected for the DLC due to the fact that they’re designed exclusively for the female inklings. I guess it goes to show that pretty much everyone likes the girl design better!

E3 2015: Chic Pixel’s Best of Japanese Gaming

6 / 18 / 158 / 22 / 15

Things have been relatively quiet over here at Chic Pixel for the past few days, but who wants to read my latest three month late review or post gushing over Japanese merchandise when the biggest gaming event of the year, E3, is underway? While the expo will continue to offer new gameplay videos and hands-on features for those at the event throughout the week, now that we’re past the majority of the big presentations, I thought I’d take the opportunity to round up my favorite moments related to Japanese gaming.

You’ll probably see a lot of similarities to other lists floating around (how can I not mention the Final Fantasy VII remake bombshell?), but you won’t get to hear my personal take on all the exciting news anywhere else!

Professor Layton Revoltech Review Now on Youtube!

6 / 12 / 154 / 20 / 18

It’s been a long time since I last posted a video to my channel, but I’m so glad to be back in the swing of things! In my latest installment of Apricotsushi Reviews, I check out the famous Professor Layton Revoltech. It’s certainly a lot different to do a video review versus my usual written format, but it’s fun to change things up every once in a while. You may recall the Professor Layton Revoltech was featured in my February Ami Ami unboxing video as well as my DIY lightbox tutorial, but this is my first time actually covering the figure itself!

Unfortunately the lighting in my current apartment is not very good for these kinds of videos, but I think it turned out okay! I’d love to hear what people think of this sort of review video and if you’d like to see more like it (either of figures or other items). Please let me know either in the comments here, or on YouTube! Speaking of video content, you can also check me out (well, my voice and lack of gameplay skills) in the Splatoon episode of Asobee with Sarah and Roy. If you’ve got Splatoon fever like I do (and even if you don’t!), it’s definitely worth a watch.

SUPERBEAT: XONiC to bring more rhythm goodness to the Vita this fall

6 / 10 / 156 / 10 / 15

DJMax Technika Tune is, in my humble opinion, one of the most overlooked PlayStation Vita games out there. After the game was released to little fanfare for the Vita in September 2012, the future of the long-running rhythm game franchise has looked increasingly bleak… But SUPERBEAT: XONiC, developed by PM Studios with the help of Nurijoy, looks to be a spiritual sucessor to the all-but-dead handheld DJMax games. Both teams have had previous experience working on the DJ Max series, and SUPERBEAT‘s 45 track lineup sounds like it is shaping up to be as groovy as ever.

I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking at, but sign me up! acttil, the company in charge of handling SUPERBEAT‘s English press releases, says they are working on an upcoming gameplay trailer, and I can’t wait to see how it plays. From the screenshot above, it looks like the blue and green lines move outward from the center and need to be tapped on the left and right sides of the screen.

Hectic rhythm gameplay + bright and catchy music cover art = the DJMax influence I know and love!

SUPERBEAT: XONiC will launch both physically and digitally in North America this fall. While there’s not much more information to go on at present, you can get a taste of the game’s music at the official website.

June is all about fighting games… It’s June of Fighters!

6 / 2 / 15

For the Chic Pixel Community Game-Alongs, I always try to pick a theme that highlights games that are somewhat overlooked or under-appreciated. Fighting games, however, are extremely well known (virtually everyone has played Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat at some point), and not exactly lacking in the appreciation department. There is, however, a certain barrier of entry for those looking to delve a little deeper into the genre, and the community has been called out for being relatively unwelcoming on numerous occasions. As such, I thought this month would be a great chance to promote a friendly community with which to play and discuss fighting games, whether it be Street Fighter II or something more obscure like Chaos Code.

To participate in this month’s Community Game-Along, just play a fighting game and share your experiences with others! That’s all there is to it. It’s always great to see long-form written pieces, podcast, or other venues of discussion, but you can also use #JuneofFighters to chat about your progress and thoughts on social media. Thanks to @daswhalebeard for the hashtag suggestion!

Norn9: Var Commons Joins Aksys Games’ Otome Game Lineup

5 / 27 / 15

The year is 2015. In the greatest upset in gaming history, all video games are now otome games. There is nothing else, only otoge.

Okay, I might be going a little overboard here, but when I said I wanted to see more otome games (otoge for short) in English, I never in a million years expected to see three announced in the same year! Is this a dream?! This time, Aksys Games strikes again with Norn9: Var Commons for the PS Vita. Scheduled to release both physically and digitally in North America this fall, Norn 9: Var Commons is once again developed by Otomate, suggesting that Aksys and Otomate have some kind of agreement. Not that I’m complaining, but there actually are other otome game companies besides Otomate out there!

Regardless, I may be most excited for this announcement simply because this is the one otome game coming out in English this year that I don’t already own in Japanese. Shocking, I know! You can read Aksys’ official PlayStation Blog post to get the full rundown, but the most interesting aspects of Norn 9: Var Commons for me is the sci-fi narrative and three different female protagonists! I don’t think I’ve ever played an otome game with more than one protagonist before.

Also, the art is simply gorgeous, which is why I’m going to stop my gushing and end this post with a gallery of some images from the official Japanese website.