I guess this means I'm going to have to get Castle Crashers soon

Along with a PS3 or an Xbox 360, of course. (Did you hear that? It was my husband groaning.)

Why am I going to have to buy the above-mentioned beat 'em up, you ask? Because the folks at Behemoth are finally--on Feb. 8--going to release a DLC pack that allows gamers to play as the Pink Knight.

Castle Crashers has been on my lengthy "to buy" list ever since I saw this oh-so-fabulous fighter--who bashes foes with a swirled lollipop--in a video of the company's Castle Crashing the Beard flash game. (The Pink Knight appears at the two-minute mark.)

"Pink Castle Crasher pt. 2" by artist Phill Gonzales.

Unfortunately, I discovered shortly after viewing said video that the Pink Knight wasn't a playable Castle Crashers character--a fact which killed most of my enthusiasm for the game. Of course, it also kept me from running out and buying a PS3 (or an Xbox 360) right then and there, so I guess it wasn't a completely negative discovery.

Does that mean I'm going to run out and buy one of those systems now? No, but I'm sure to do so eventually--and when I do, Castle Crashers (and "The Pink Knight Pack") will be among the first games I download.

(Via gaygamer.net)

'The Ultimate Combo'

While clicking through Gallery 1988's website last night (I do that sometimes), I came across the following Street Fighter II-inspired screenprint:

I've always had a bit of a thing for Street Fighter II--despite the fact that I suck at it--so I'd probably buy one of these 18-by-24-inch prints (for a mere $35) if such a thing were possible.

Unfortunately, artist David Soames is only selling them to folks who can pick them up in San Francisco.

Oh, well. Maybe next time.

Heartthrobs

Artist Curtis Bathurst recently CC'd me on the following tweet:

"When I was twelve, Earnest Evans was my 16-bit heartthrob."

Naturally, that got me thinking about gaming crushes. Honestly, I'm not sure I've had any. Of course, I've rarely fawned over actors or musicians, so maybe that's not so surprising.

Image taken from the splendiferous Segagaga Domain.

Still, I can understand why someone would consider a game character--especially a hunky one like Earnest Evans (above)--to be a heartthrob.

My question to anyone reading this, then, is: Have you ever had a crush on a game character? If so, which one(s)?

See also: 'Hubba hubba'

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection edition)

Well, it appears Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection will be making its way to the States after all.

That's not to suggest that I thought the game would languish in Japan--I mean, which versions of Final Fantasy IV haven't been released stateside in the last few decades?--but you never know with Square Enix.

Anyway, here is the art that will grace the cover of the North American version of the game, which will, according to Amazon.com, hit the streets on April 19 carrying a $29.99 price tag:

And here is the Japanese version's box art:

Although a bit bland, I prefer the North American art--if only because it features but a single logo (and not three, like the busy Japanese art).

That said, I prefer the art that appears on the Final Fantasy I and II PSP remakes that were released a few years ago to both of them.

See also: 'I'd like this a lot more if it featured just one logo'

You can handle one more Bubble Bobble post, right?

I sure hope so, because the "other game" mentioned in this post is none other than the Famicom Disk System version of Bubble Bobble.

I'm sure it could go without saying that I bought it during that "Bubble Bobble on the brain" phase I battled a few weeks ago.

That isn't the only reason I bought it, though; I also was swayed by the fact that it was cheap and that it would allow me to (finally) test the disk drive on my Twin Famicom.

All that said, isn't the disk itself (above) awesome? I love that it's banana yellow and that it features a three-dimensional "NINTENDO" logo along the bottom edge.

Oh, and I can't get over the size of it. It's tiny--just 3 inches by 3 1/2 inches.

See also: 'I've been called a lot of things ...'