Introducing: Swan of Wonders

I may not yet own a WonderSwan—which, for those of you who are out of the loop when it comes to Japan-only handhelds, is a portable gaming system that was first released in that region back in the late 1990s—but I still know a lot about this curious contraption.

Of course, I guess you could say I should know a lot about the WonderSwan, as I already own 11 games that were made to run on it. (I wrote about—and shared some photos of--10 of those titles in this recently published post.)

Even so, I’ve enjoyed perusing a just-launched site--called Swan of Wonders--that’s devoted to Bandai’s answer to Nintendo’s line of GameBoy products over the last few days. 



Admittedly, Swan of Wonder is a bit thin content-wise at the moment, but I’m sure that will change in due time. Thankfully, the little amount of text that’s currently available is a joy to read—with the site's "Top 15 WonderSwan Games" post being the highlight, in my opinion.

Are any of you also WonderSwan fans? If so, don’t be shy about it—share your WS pride in the comments section below.

While you’re at it, let me know which WonderSwan game most tickles your fancy or piques your interest. Or, let me know which WS system—three different iterations saw the light of day between 1999 and 2002, and each of them came in a wide array of colors—you like best.

See also: my WonderSwan-focused Flickr album

A new gaming blog draws near: Gaymer Quest

Although there are a lot of positives associated with maintaining a gaming blog, I'd be lying if I said some negatives didn't also come with the territory.

A particularly noteworthy negative, given the focus of this post, is that it can be difficult to keep up with all of the great gaming blogs other folks are busily maintaining.

I'm going to do whatever I can to keep up with a new gaming blog I was introduced to late last week, though--with the blog in question being the fabulously titled Gaymer Quest.



It was started by--and will be maintained by, obviously--a bloke who calls himself "Kaze" (kah-zay), who some of you may have spied in the comments section of this very blog.

Kaze, a self-described gaymer and aspiring Japanese translator, says he launched Gaymer Quest "as a fun outlet to discuss all the nerdy things I'm passionate about. So, expect a lot of posts about retro video games, modern video games, anime, manga, Japanese culture, gay culture and who knows what else."



Gaymer Quest's home to just three posts so far, but two of them--one of which focuses on the first Final Fantasy Legend GameBoy title, while the other discusses the GaymerX event and "the power of safe spaces"--proved to be intriguing reads (the first was little more than an introduction), so I'd say this is a blog that's well worth keeping an eye on for some time to come.

Oh, and should you want to check out or follow Gaymer Quest elsewhere, its Facebook page can be found at facebook.com/gaymerquest and its Twitter account can be found at twitter.com/gaymerquest.

Chocobo + Yoshi x Oskunk

I don't know which of the following pair of game-inspired "graffiti" illustrations I like better: the Yoshi one or the Chocobo one.

If I were forced to choose, I'd probably go with the latter, mainly because I've always had a soft spot for the banana-hued Final Fantasy mainstay, but also because I've had Square Enix's classic RPG series (and its spinoffs) on the mind lately due to the impending release of Theathrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call.

Regardless, both of these Oskunk creations are pretty cool, if you ask me. Speaking of Oskunk, if you'd like to see more examples of this French artist's work, I'd highly recommend checking out his blog, Custom Art, at your earliest convenience.

See also: 'An artistic mash-up I'd never considered before now: Kirby x Zelda'

Is that a Super Mushroom in your shorts, Mario, or are you just happy to see John Barrowman?

I'm currently feeling under the weather due to the cold my husband gave me, so please excuse the lazy-ish posts you're sure to see for the next couple of days.

I have a feeling quite a few of you won't mind my laziness after your eyes take in the focus of this post, which is the following photo of a scantily clad Mario cosplayer being groped by actor/singer/writer John Barrowman (of Arrow, Doctor Who and Torchwood fame).

The photo was shot by blogger Matthew Rettenmund during the recent New York Comic Con, by the way.

To see additional pics of New York Comic Con's sexiest attendees, check out this post and this post on Rettenmund's blog.

Thing you have to check out today: Ribbon Black's awesome Animal Crossing webcomic

If you can, pull yourself away from your copy of Animal Crossing: New Leaf (OK, so that suggestion may be aimed at myself) and take a few seconds to read through the following webcomic, which was created by the same "Nightmare Bruce" (proprietor of the Ribbon Black blog) who has been known to leave comments here.

Thing that probably doesn't need to be said: this Mega Man-themed GameBoy is stunning

In the opinion of yours truly, the only way the custom-pained GameBoy shown off in the photo below could be any cooler would be if the fireballs that surround Mega Man also had been depicted using pixels.

Still, even in its current state, I'd be hard-pressed to call this OSKUNK-made creation anything less than awesome.

A few additional photos of this unquestionably cool GameBoy--including a shot of its appealingly branded backside--can be seen on OSKUNK's blog, by the way.

See also: 'I'm not usually a fan of the black Wii U, but ...'

Magweasel's back!

Don't sweat it if you have no idea what "Magweasel" is. After all, it's been many moons since I last mentioned this superb gaming blog, which has been rather spottily maintained by former GamePro editor Kevin Gifford since early 2009.

I say "spottily" because after pumping out a good number of brilliantly in-depth posts about games--those released for the famed PC Engine, especially--and Japan between the site's inception and August 2010, Gifford and his witty commentary basically fell off the face of the earth (with the exception of a brief reprise that lasted from March to June 2011).



Anyway, as you've likely gathered from this post's header, he's back. Not only that, but in the last five or so days he's published four posts--including this one about the Famicom port of Hudson Soft's Lode Runner and this one about Yoshi's Safari (aka Yoshi's Road Hunting).

I have no idea how long Gifford's planning to stick around this time, but I sincerely hope he does so long enough to make a sizable contribution to his incomparable "I ♥ The PC Engine" series, which is what attracted me to his blog in the first place.

I'd kill for a copy of Minna no Balloon Fight (if it were a real Famicom game)

See the cartridge and packaging in the following photo? They're not of a real Famicom game, sadly. Instead, they're the products of the fertile imagination of the Ribbon Black blog's Nightmare Bruce.

Although I initially wanted to strangle Bruce after coming across these creations--because, really, who wouldn't kill (or at least consider doing so) to experience a four-player "battle royal" version of Nintendo's arcade and console classic?--but eventually I got over my Balloon Fight rage and decided I was happy someone not only came up with such an idea but was able to follow through with it and concoct the box and cart seen below.



To see more photos of Minna no Balloon Fight's box and cart--and even a blurry screenshot of this faux Famicom game--head on over to the Ribbon Black blog at your earliest convenience.

Oh, and if you've like to see a handful of (also fake) screens that don't look like they've been covered in Vaseline, check out this post on Nightmare Bruce's simply AWFUL tumblog.

I need this Pikmin print on one of our walls ... NOW

I'm sad to say that I can't remember where I was introduced to the Pikmin-inspired illustration seen below (and here).

I know it first came to my attention this past weekend, but I can't remember if I was trolling Twitter or reading a blog at that time. Regardless, I think it's all kind of awesome, so thank you to the person who's responsible for making me aware of it.



According to the artist responsible for it, Bobby O'Herlihy, the illustration was produced as a result of a private commission, with the goal of that commission being to celebrate the launch of the Wii U.

To see more of O'Herlihy's work, may I suggest hopping over to his blog, Cynic with a Pencil, once you're done here?

Additional evidence that Shigesato Itoi is an awesome guy

The main pieces of evidence that Shigesato Itoi is an awesome guy, of course, can be found in the trio of quirky-yet-poignant RPGs he made for Nintendo systems between 1989 and 2006 known as Mother, Mother 2 (aka EarthBound) and Mother 3.

Another such morsel of proof just popped into my conscience, though, thanks to the stellar Yomuka! blog--with that morsel being that Itoi and his colleagues at Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun (Almost Daily Itoi News) have a tradition of "celebrating the release of every Animal Crossing game by turning office-wide gameplay into an actual work project."



Not only that, but pretty much every employee at "Hobo Nichi," as Itoi's company is called, maintains a blog about their experiences. Check them out by visiting 1101.com and then clicking on the heads of each staffer (scroll down to the bottom of the page). If you only want to see Itoi's Animal Crossing: New Leaf blog, go here.

(Via yomuka.wordpress.com)

Poor Luigi

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride--or maybe in this case I should say, "Always the sidekick, never the star"?

Regardless, given the backseat nature of Luigi's life, it's easy enough to imagine that he may not be the most cheerful and positive chap. Is it possible, though, that his brother's annoying omnipresence has pushed him to contemplate suicide? I, for one, hope not, but New Zealand-based artist SUIKA seems to think otherwise.



Granted, SUIKA also believes Mario to be teetering on the edge (see this similar piece from earlier this year), so maybe I should take his thoughts on the matter with the proverbial grain of salt.

By the way, the Luigi painting above is 400 mm by 550 mm in size and was made (with acrylics) using a 17-mm-by-17-mm and 5-mm-by-5-mm hand-drawn grid.

To see more of SUIKA's works, check out his blog and his deviantart gallery at your convenience.

Don't mind me, I've just gone Animal Crossing crazy (again)

I don't know about you, but all of this talk about Animal Crossing: New Leaf--or Tobidase Dōbutsu no Mori, for those playing the just-released Japanese version--has me feeling a little, well, crazy.

What talk, you ask? For starters, there are blog posts like Chic Pixel's "Initial Animal Crossing: New Leaf Impressions" and "Gratuitous Animal Crossing 3DS LL/XL Photo Shoot"--both of which I've read and re-read more times than I'd prefer to admit over the last few days.

And then there's the spate of ads and promo videos that have been released in the wake of the Japanese iteration's release on Nov. 8. My favorite so far:



As for how I've been trying to quell this bout of Animal Crossing craziness: Would you believe I decided late last week to start a new town in the GameCube-based original?

My wide-eyed character, Mimi, is still getting a feel for the burgh she now calls home--Miminton, whose name was inspired by the import-only Wii game, Captain Rainbow--but I think both she and I will settle in soon enough. I just hope I don't settle in to the extent I did the last time I played it--as that experience lasted 80 hours (or more) and at least eight months.

Are any of you chomping at the bit to get your hands on this 3DS game? If so, has that desire caused you to make a return trip to the towns you created in the first Animal Crossing or in Wild World or City Folk?

Hot for Professor

I came across the photo below--of a rather steamy Professor Layton--while perusing the Boy Culture blog's coverage of New York Comic Con 2012 the other day.

You're far from alone if a feeling of déjà vu washes over you while taking in said photo, by the way. Apparently the guy posing (literally) as the esteemed Hershel Layton has appeared as a shirtless, muscled version of every gamer's favorite professor at numerous conventions and related events over the last few years.

In related news, did you know that someone actually created "an aggregate tumblr for general Hawt Proffy [as in, Professor Layton] stuff"? Well, you do now--and you can find it at hotforprof.tumblr.com.

I just perused the first few pages of said tumblr (for research purposes only, I assure you) and I'm sad, er, I mean happy to report that none of the drawings, illustrations and other images that I came across were of the not-safe-for-work variety.

What's cuter than a WadaDon amigurumi? A Mr. Saturn amigurumi, that's what...

Actually, I'm not sure about that. I mean, is the Mr. Saturn amigurumi shown below really cuter than the WadaDon (the precious Taiko no Tatsujin protagonist) amigurumi seen in this previous post?

Ah, who cares. Both are pretty damn adorable, don't you think?



Both of the above-mentioned amigurumi were made by the same person, by the way--with that person being blogger Spelinnea.

Those of you who can crochet may want to check out this recent blog post, as it includes instructions on how to make your very own Mr. Saturn amigurumi.

Mario doesn't call me a fag ...

New Zealand-based artist and blogger SUIKA recently showcased the piece of art below on his blog, IDC (I Don't Care).

What prompted SUIKA to produce this acrylic-on-canvas painting that combines a saucy bit of text and a blown-up sprite taken from that 16-bit classic, Super Mario World?



According to the man himself, the piece is "half a response to the question, Why do you like video games so much? Well, Mario's not gonna' complain about the state of the economy, or call me an abomination and tell me who I can't marry or criticize the way I dress. So, how could I not prefer video games to real life?"

I can't say I disagree.

To take a better look at this creation--which SUIKA calls "Super Mario Fag"--check out the artist's deviantart gallery here. (A similarly cool and uplifting piece, which includes a sprite pulled from Pokémon Silver, can be seen here.)

You've just got to love Mighta's beady little eyes (and hands and feet and everything else)

Mighta isn't the only Bubble Bobble character with beady eyes and other features in the photo below, of course. Bobblun (Bob), Bubblun (Bub), Monsta, PulPul and Zen-Chan are all a bit beady, too--thanks to the Perler Beads that make up their bodies.



The creations above were made by artist and blogger Kasey Tararuj, by the way. Check out her wonderful blog here, and check out a post about one of her previous creations--a three-dimensional Bubble Bobble-themed painting--in "For once, Bobblun gets the spotlight."

Additional proof that Kimimi (of Kimimi's Blog) is an awesome chick

Everybody who has been to Kimimi's Blog--and that's all of you, right?--knows that said blog's proprietress is an awesome chick.

(I apologize if the word "chick" offends any of you, by the way. I'm only using it here because I called Darwin Yamamoto a "dude" in this similarly-themed post. As such, I thought it would be only fitting to describe Kimimi as a "chick" in this one.)

Well, I recently discovered that Kimimi is even more awesome than I originally imagined. You see, after chatting with her--in the comments section of this blog post--about Sega's Sakura Taisen (aka Sakura Wars) series, Kimimi offered to send me her spare copy of the Saturn version of the series' first title.

Sakura Taisen's beautiful box art.

After hemming and hawing for a bit, I took her up on her generous offer--despite the fact that I don't currently own a Saturn. (Full disclosure: I've owned two in my lifetime, the first of which was bought and sold while I was a teen and the second of which was bought and sold about five years ago.)

I know I could play the game using an emulator like SSF, but I'd prefer to play it on the real thing. So, I'm going to do my best to keep from playing it until I pick up another Saturn (and a copy of the awesome-tacular Saturn Bomberman).

In the meantime, I'd also like to extend a hearty "thank you" to the folks at Aksys Games and Dudedle Studio, who recently sent me review copies of Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom and Sugar Shooter 2, respectively. Expect to see "somewhat gay" reviews of both titles shortly.

Happy New Year!

Happy new year, everyone! Are you ready for 2012 to rock your world? I hope so, because it's here whether you're ready for it or not.

In terms of games and systems, are you looking forward to anything in particular this year? For instance, are you looking forward to the release of the Vita or the Wii U? Or maybe you're looking forward to the release of a certain title (or two or three)?

Personally, along with the games I wrote about in this post and in this post, I'm very much looking forward to learning more about the Wii U. I'm also looking forward to learning more about Microsoft's and Sony's next-generation consoles.

The image above was created by bartotainment, by the way. It's actually an animated GIF, but apparently Blogger doesn't like such things. (Either that or I just don't know how to imbed them properly, which wouldn't surprise me at all.)

Anyway, if you'd like to see how the Galaga-esque (or maybe I should say Aleste-ish, thanks to the ship?) creation is supposed to look--you know, moving and all that--check out this post on the artist's blog, PIXELkitsch.

L is for Link, Z is for Zelda ...

Upon seeing the print below, it should be pretty clear to just about everybody that Houston-based artist (and blogger) Lizzy House is a big Nintendo fan.

After all, out of the 26 images that appear in the following alphabet print, three of them (L, N and Z) are related to the company that's best known for introducing Link, Mario and Pokemon to the world.

House is selling a limited number (125) of these prints via her etsy shop for $50 apiece (plus shipping). Each one is 18 inches by 24 inches and is printed on archival paper.

To see more examples of House's abilities, check out her blog, her etsy shop or her Flickr photostream.

Happy birthday to me!

I originally felt kind of weird mentioning this here, but then I thought, 'If I can't mention my birthday on my own blog, where can I mention it?'

So, there you go. It's my birthday! Yay me :)

What am I doing on this most glorious of days? Well, aside from sitting at my computer ... not much. I've been sick since Wednesday, though, so "not much" is actually preferable to most activities at the moment.

I am doing one fun, game-related thing (besides blogging) while I sit at my computer, by the way: I'm finding all sorts of ways to spend the chunk of change my parents sent me as a birthday gift.

Specifically, I'm buying some of the games (mostly Japanese ones, but not all) that I've been dreaming about for the last few months while I've been broke.

(Note: The cake in the photograph above is a recreation of the birthday cake that appears in the Animal Crossing games. To make one for yourself or someone you love, check out the Gourmet Gaming blog.)