Tag Archives: video games

Professor Layton Revoltech Review Now on Youtube!

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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

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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Norn9: Var Commons Joins Aksys Games’ Otome Game Lineup

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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.

Listen to me talk Yoko Shimomura on M Disk Playlist

Yoko Shimomura talks Kingdom Hearts

I’m always excited to guest on other people’s podcasts, because not only do I get to talk to new people, but I also get a chance to chat about things I might not normally discuss on one of my own shows! I was presented with one such opportunity the other day when I was invited to talk about none other than game composer Yoko Shimomura on episode two of the M Disc Playlist podcast. If you like video game music, please give it a listen!

On the show, host Nitro and I discuss Yoko Shimomura’s extensive video game music history, as well as our five favorite Shimomura tracks. Nitro is extremely knowledgeable about her work, but I make up for my lack of knowledge by bringing my own special, uh… je ne sais quoi, I guess!

Of course, Shimomura is most well known for her work on the Kingdom Hearts series, and if you’re interested reading her discuss her Kingdom Hearts music, I definitely recommend checking out this transcript from her appearance on Square Enix Presents last year. If you’d rather hear the music in action along with some funny commentary, check out Sarah and Roy’s playthrough of Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep! Now there’s a whole bunch of Shimomura-related media to get you through the Memorial Day weekend (if you happen to be in the US).

Now, I want to know – what are some of your favorite Yoko Shimomura tracks?

Fantastic Boyfriends Needs Your Help!

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It’s finally happening! Back at the beginning of April, I mentioned that I was working on the translation for a Japanese mobile game aimed at gay men titled Fantastic Boyfriends: Legends of Midearth. Well, the Indiegogo campaign just launched yesterday, and to get the full game localized into English, we need your help!

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As I mentioned on latest episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever, Gordon is one of my favorite characters!

If you’d like to learn more about the game, head over to the Indiegogo page or check out the post I did last month. There’s also an English website, as well as a lovely NeoGAF thread made by a fan that is chock full of information! Even if you don’t have any spare change at the moment, word of mouth is really helpful, so please spread the word about this exciting project!

And, of course, by making a pledge toward Fantastic Boyfriends: Legends of Midearth, you’ll be helping to put food on my table, so don’t forget to leave a comment here so I can personally thank you! I’m sure I’ll be talking about this game a lot more over the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for future updates.