Listen to me talk Yoko Shimomura on M Disk Playlist

5 / 23 / 15

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!

5 / 21 / 155 / 21 / 15

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!

gordon_fantasticbfs — 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.

Japan Envy: BlazBlue Pasela Café

5 / 13 / 155 / 13 / 15

Pasela Resorts is teaming up with Arc System Works once again, this time to offer a BlazBlue-themed café in Akihabara in honor of Blazblue: Chrono Phantasma Extend! I didn’t get the chance to cover their previous Guilty Gear collaboration, but this time I’m not going to miss out on a chance to drool over some cool video game-inspired food and drink.

Splatoon Global Testfire Impressions

5 / 12 / 15

In a surprising turn of events, Splatoon, Nintendo’s brand new IP for the Wii U, is one of my most anticipated games of 2015. Why? I’d be lying if it wasn’t largely in part of the game’s amazing aesthetic, but the idea of a shooter based around paint guns instead of real guns is really appealing to this cute, peace-loving blogger. Though I was pretty much committed to picking up Splatoon day one, when Nintendo announced they’d be hosting a Global Testfire, I was more than happy to jump in on so I could give Splatoon‘s online multiplayer a spin.

The Testfire was available for three one hour periods this past weekend, allowing players from around the world to play in online matches with a selection of four different weapons and two different maps. While Nintendo gave very little notice before the Testfire commenced, I was able to play during the first session, which started at 1 pm Saturday Australia time. I’m pretty helpless when it comes to shooting games, both first and third person… but even though I only won the very last game I played, I still managed to have a blast!

Charmixy: Witch Academy is the cutest Kickstarter game I’ve seen yet

4 / 24 / 154 / 24 / 15

I’m so glad Tess Young, creator of Charmixy: Witch Academy, approached me about covering the game’s Kickstarter campaign, because otherwise I might’ve missed out on this adorable mobile title! Charmixy is a puzzle action game for mobile phones that the developers plan on releasing completely for free if development is funded in order to reach as wide an audience as possible. It even has some romance game elements and a Puyo Puyo vibe… Totally awesome, right?

Rejoice! Otome game Amnesia: Memories is coming out in English

4 / 17 / 154 / 18 / 15

That’s right, Amnesia: Memories, one of the most requested otome games by the English community, is actually getting localized! I take back everything I said in my slightly scathing article about Idea Factory International not releasing any games from their Otomate library. According to folk son Twitter who attended the company’s inaugural press event, it turns out they’ve been hard at work localizing Amnesia: Memories for both PS Vita and Steam! Update: The official site is now live, along with an English trailer!

Amnesia: Memories is a relatively unique otome game that starts you out in the shoes of an amnesiac protagonist (okay, that part’s not that unique) who is thrown into a reality of your choice where she’s already in an existing relationship with one of the game’s dateable men. Each reality is slightly different, but the ultimate goal is always the same: figure out what caused the protagonist’s amnesia and get lovey-dovey with your sweetheart of choice.

Amnesia: Memories is slated to launch digitally for PS Vita and Steam in August. Stay tuned for future posts where I’ll talk about my experiences with the Japanese game!I honestly believe Amnesia: Memories is a great choice for an English release, given how popular the title is in Japan and among English-speaking otome game fans. But, while you may find yourself so excited for the game’s impending release that you’re tempted to watch the anime adaptation, I’m going to advise against it… Unless you enjoy things that are laughably bad.

Sony celebrates PS Vita’s 3rd birthday with massive sale and freebies

2 / 24 / 158 / 6 / 15

My, how time flies! If the Official PlayStation Blog hadn’t mentioned it, I would never have realized that the PS Vita is now three years old. I bought mine on launch day and haven’t been shy about sharing my love for the somewhat neglected handheld, and while Sony hasn’t been extremely supportive of the system in recent months, it’s great to see them celebrating the occasion with a big digital sale!

In addition to the large list of titles on sale from this week’s PSN update until March 2nd, PS Vita owners will also be able to download the adorable Toro and Friends theme (normally $1.99) from February 26th until the end of the sale. There are also a couple of free items for Destiny of Spirits and Fat Princess – head over to the official post to get all the details.

While you can read the full list of games that are part of the sale over on the Official PlayStation Blog, I thought I’d take the opportunity to recommend a few of my personal picks from the list:

Atelier Rorona Plus, Atelier Totori Plus, Atelier Meruru Plus ($15.99 each with PS+) – If you haven’t had a chance to play any of the games in the Arland Trilogy of Atelier titles, I highly recommend picking at least one of the updated PS Vita versions up. While everyone has their own favorite, Atelier Totori and Atelier Meruru are generally much more polished than the first game in the trilogy, Rorona, and the stories aren’t connected in a significant way that requires each title to be completed before moving on to the next. These RPG’s are prefect for portable play, and if you’re looking for something that is a little more relaxing than a regular JRPG, all three are great options.

Deception IV: Blood Ties ($15.99 with PS+) – I normally wouldn’t recommend a game I haven’t played, but I recently purchased a physical copy of Deception IV: Blood Ties solely based on my Nichiest Podcast Ever co-host shidoshi’s glowing recommendation. But let’s face it, how many games that came out in 2014 are based entirely around executing elaborate plans to murder people? That doesn’t sound creepy at all, right? Wait, where are you going?!

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd ($19.99 with PS+) – The Project Diva games are by far my favorite rhythm games on the PS Vita (not that there’s that much competition), and while they’re also available on the PlayStation 3, I highly suggest getting the handheld versions if at all possible. While 2nd is the only Project Diva game in the birthday sale, it’s definitely the better of the two, so I’d say it’s a great place to start. Even if you’re not sure you enjoy Vocaloid music, I can guarantee you’ll find at least a couple tracks to get your toes tapping! If I still haven’t sold you, check out my full review.

Monster Monpiece ($11.99 with PS+) – Okay, I know what you’re thinking. Yes, this is the controversial game where you literally rub your PS Vita suggestively to level up your female monster cards. Funnily enough, the game is actually quite fun outside of the blatant fan service, which I could quite honestly do without. For only $12, though, I’d still recommend it as one of the only card battling games to ever come out in English! You just might not want to whip it out in public…

Unfortunately, my favorite games of 2014, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair aren’t part of the PS Vita’s 3rd birthday sale, but as you can see, there are still quite a few great titles that made the cut! I actually own nearly everything I’d want on the list, but I am eyeing Tales of Hearts R… If anyone’s played it, let me know if it’s worth picking up in the comments!