Friday, November 22, 2013

Is it too early for me to post QR codes of Animal Crossing: New Leaf Christmas sweater designs?

I know the answer's a resounding yes, but I'm going to share them here anyway. After all, winter and its related holidays are just around the corner, so even if now isn't the time, it will be soon enough.

Not all of the following QR codes (you'll likely want to click and enlarge them before scanning) are of Christmas sweater designs, by the way. One is simply a long-sleeved shirt, one is a sweatshirt and one is a short-sleeved dress. I also made an autumnal coat that could be worn by those who turn their noses up at tacky holiday clothing.



The "Santa KK sweater" above is my favorite of the designs I conjured up, of course. It's also by far the most elaborate.



The candy cane sweater, on the other hand, is quite a bit more subdued, although its red-and-white piping gives it a smidge of seasonal whimsy.



You can't have winter garments without one of them being branded with a snowman, right? The one above does double duty by also featuring s pair of gaudily wrapped presents.



Here we have a rather plain sweater that's been perked up with a prettily decorated tree. (Note: this is the one I most want my villagers to wear in the coming handful of weeks.)



The wreath sweater above caused you to nod off, didn't it? Don't lie. I understand. Really, I only made this one to better cover both the color and holiday spectrum.



I made the "Xmas tree dress" above, though, for Aino, the mayor of my main New Leaf town. She hasn't worn it yet, but you can bet your butt she will right after the first snowfall hits the ground in Animachi.



Finally, we have the autumnal coat I mentioned at the start of this post. It would look rather classy paired with a brown beret, don't you think? And maybe some colorful pumps?

Have any of you designed any festive clothes for the upcoming holidays? If so, feel free to share links to photos or QR codes of them in the comments section below.

See also: previous posts featuring Animal Crossing: New Leaf QR codes

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Four GameBoy titles I'm surprised never saw the light of day in the Land of the Rising Sun

You may have heard--you know, at the bar down the street, in that dark alley outside your apartment, over on that cesspool of social interaction (I kid ... for the most part) known as Twitter--that I've got GameBoy on the brain at the moment.

OK, so it's really been on my brain for the last eight or 10 months.

Anyway, as a result of my, er, obsessive thoughts (for lack of a better word) on the subject, I've been discovering and re-discovering all sorts of "gems" that were released for Nintendo's first handheld, including the four discussed below--each of which I was surprised to learn were never released in the system's home country.


Balloon Kid--I know this one was released in Japan eventually, but that didn't happen until 10 years after it appeared elsewhere, and even then it was only released (for the GameBoy Color) as part of the Nintendo Power flash RAM cartridge system. Which is a shame, as the GBC version of Balloon Kid (called Balloon Fight GB in Japan) is top notch and its packaging surely would've featured some awesome art.


Buster Bros--I only recently discovered that this odd, Capcom-developed action game had received a GameBoy port (courtesy of Hudson Soft). Shortly after, I discovered--much to my dismay--that while it was released in Europe (as Pang) and North America (as Buster Brothers), it never made it to Japan. I find that kind of strange, especially since similar games like Tumblepop and Snow Bros. Jr. saw the light of day in that region.


Dig Dug--This may be the worst offender of the bunch, as the "New Dig Dug" mode included in this portable release is all sorts of awesome (as well as hair-pullingly frustrating at times, it has to be said). Also, a Japanese release of this game would've allowed me to compare and contrast its cover art with that of its North American counterpart (which I actually find to be more than acceptable).

Update: shortly after I published this post, someone brought it to my attention that both of the above-mentioned Dig Dug games were included in the 1996 Japan-only release, Namco Gallery Vol. 2, which you can read about here.


Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters--Full disclosure: I've barely spent any time with this one over the years, despite the fact that the original Kid Icarus is one of my all-time favorite NES games. Of course, the main reason for that is I've heard some terrible things about it. So, maybe it's a good thing Of Myths and Monsters never earned a spot on the shelves of its country of origin?

See also: 'You really need to try these three GameBoy titles, if you haven't already'

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Here's hoping Glen Brogan gives us a 'Video Game Console Guys' calendar in 2015

So, artist Glen Brogan (aka Albino Raven) recently decided to concoct a calendar that features female pin-ups "inspired by the design aesthetics of classic video game consoles."


A few of the consoles that inspired Brogan while he illustrated the above-mentioned pin-ups: Atari 2600, Commodore 64, Game Boy, NES, Sega Master System, SNES, Vectrex and Virtual Boy.

The final product is 8.5 inches by 11 inches in size and can be purchased at albinoraven.com for just $20 (plus shipping).


As much as I like Brogan's style, and as much as I support this particular endeavor, I really hope that next year he gives us a similar calendar featuring male pin-ups.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Aino's (and Bryan's) Adventures in Animachi, Weeks 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22

When we last checked in with the residents of Animachi, Aino and Bryan had just finished remodeling their homes, Robin and Winnie had just moved out of theirs and Chadder had moved into one of his own.

What has happened since then? For starters, Halloween happened.



Mayor Aino's favorite part of this spook-tacular holiday? Scaring the crap out of her neighbors--especially the ones who didn't vote for her during the last election.



Halloween wasn't the only cause for celebration in the last four or five weeks. Another: Snake's birthday on Nov. 3. Aino got him a treadmill as a joke, but Snake actually seemed to like it so she did her best to stifle her giggles after he opened it.



Aino and her fellow Animachians also celebrated the grand opening of Katrina's fortune teller shop earlier this month.



Sure, it could be a bit more visually appealing, but it still looks better than the defiled trash can that used to fill this empty alley.

Speaking of grand openings, Animachi recently welcomed the T&T Emporium to its main street, too.



The highlight of this gigantic, multi-floored store for Bryan: Gracie Grace's shop--despite the fact that its proprietress is a bit on the (strange and) snobbish side.



Although the fair citizens of Animachi said a good number of "hellos" in the last month or so, they also said a few "goodbyes." Case in point: Poppy decided to move to greener pastures shortly after Halloween. (Hopefully it wasn't because of that prank Bryan pulled on her?)

Monday, November 18, 2013

I'm seriously considering importing a copy of Bravely Default: For the Sequel for its box art

I feel like an ass for admitting this, but I've nearly convinced myself to pick up a copy of Bravely Default: For the Sequel--the Japanese version of the game that will hit European store shelves on Dec. 6 and North American ones on Feb. 7--shortly after its release (on Dec. 5).

I feel like an ass, of course, because I know I should wait for the North American release so I can give this portable RPG the support it'll likely need in this region.

Despite that, For the Sequel is looking really appealing to me at the moment for a couple of reasons.


First, there's the fact that, even if I pick up For the Sequel during the first week of the new year, I'll still have it a month before I would if I waited for the proper North American release.

Second--and I fully admit this reason's a bit sad, or at least silly--there's the fact that I much prefer For the Sequel's colorful cover imagery (see above) to the rather stark art (below) that's seemingly going to be used for the North American iteration.


I know what some of you are thinking: but the North American version's box art is the same as the art that graced the cover of the original Japanese release of Bravely Default!

Although I realize and appreciate that, I guess what I'm saying here is that I simply prefer this newer, more vibrant alternative.

The question is, though: do I prefer it enough that I'm willing to pay a premium--and feel like a bit of an ass--to obtain it?