Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Dark Souls edition)

From Software's much-anticipated sequel to Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, is still a few months away from release--Japanese PS3 gamers will get the first crack at this action RPG when it hits the streets on Sept. 15, while North American and European PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers will gain access to it on Oct. 4 and 7, respectively--but that shouldn't keep us from playing another round of "Which Box Art is Better?" right? (The correct answer is "no," in case you were wondering.)

Let's start with the box art that's being prepped for the Japanese PS3 release, shall we?

Next, let's check out the art that seemingly will appear on the cover of the collector's edition of the North American PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game. (Pre-order the former here and the latter here.)

I have to admit that I'm not at all sure which of the following illustrations will grace the covers of the European PS3 and Xbox 360 iterations of Dark Souls. I mean, some folks are saying the box art below--which supposedly will appear on the standard editions released in North America, too--will be used for these versions of the game:

While others are suggesting European gamers should keep an eye out for this cover come Oct. 7:

Personally, I prefer the blue-tinged piece of box art that's possiblymaybe going to show up on European store shelves in a few months. I also quite like the moody illustration that will serve as the Japanese version's cover art, although I understand why the folks at Namco Bandai (the game's publisher outside of Japan) decided against using it in other territories.

So, that's my opinion on the matter. What do all of you think about the Dark Souls box-art options shown above? Don't be shy!

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts

Ask me anything

I don't know if any of you have noticed, but I recently added Formspring to the "The Gay Gamer's not just on Blogger, he's also on..." section of this here blog.

In case you've never heard of or experienced it, Formspring is new-fangled, Q&A-based social-networking site. To give you a better idea of what that means, here's a question that someone--who visits this blog now and then, incidentally enough--recently posted on my Formspring "wall" (for lack of a better word): "Is there a video game that you know is terrible, but love it despite (or perhaps because of) its flaws?"

To which I responded: "I'm sure I like/love a lot of games that fit this description, but the one that immediately comes to mind is SaGa Frontier. Despite its many flaws, it's probably my favorite PS1 game."

Anyway, if you've ever wanted to ask me a serious or even silly question (gaming-related or not), get yourself a Formspring account and start following me (formspring.me/thegaygamer). Oh, and if you're not a homophobe or a stalker, you can safely assume I'll follow you back and ask you serious/silly questions now and then, too.

Behold: The Famigun!

By now, it should not be surprising to hear me say that I'm a big fan of Ashley Anderson. After all, the Atlanta-based artist has been the focus of at least 13 posts on this here blog in the last year or so.

It should go without saying that I didn't write any of those posts in the hopes that Anderson would notice my adoration and send me a free piece of art. Simply put, I like his stuff, and since it's nearly always game-inspired or game-related, I wind up writing about it with some regularity.

As such, imagine my surprise when, just about two months ago, Anderson contacted me via Flickr and asked for my mailing address. He didn't say why he wanted that information, but I assumed it was because he was planning to send something to me.

You know what? I was right. Late last week, a mysterious package arrived on my doorstep. Inside was a  handwritten note, a number of postcards (featuring Anderson's illustrations) and the following sculpture:



It's called "the Famigun," by the way, thanks to its Famicom-esque color scheme, and it's the fifth addition to the series of acrylic-on-poplar pistol sculptures Anderson has created that's based on a handgun that appears in the NES classic, Contra Force.

For more information on the Famigun, or to order one for display on your desk or fireplace mantle, check out Anderson's etsy shop.

See also: Previous Ashley Anderson posts

My mom would be so proud: I'm included in Gayme Bar's 'Pass-Around Party Podcast'

Actually, I doubt my mom knows what a pass-around party bottom is, so she probably wouldn't be as horrified by my inclusion in the "Pass-Around Party Podcast" as I'm thinking she'd be.

You're wondering what the "Pass-Around Party Podcast" is, aren't you? (Please don't ask me to explain what a pass-around party bottom is. Google is your friend!) Well, for their latest podcast, the guys at Gayme Bar decided to chat it up with a whole bunch of gamers instead of just one.

Each participant was asked the same set of questions: What's your "Game of the Year" so far? What game are you most looking forward to playing this year? Oh, and what were your favorite and least favorite things about the just-finished E3?



If you're at all into gaming podcasts, especially ones of the "pass-around party" variety, I'd highly recommend listening to the latest one from the Gayme Bar guys (here).

I haven't listened to it yet, so please accept my apologies in advance if I (once again) sound like a complete idiot.

See also: 'Belly up to the Gayme Bar, boys (and girls)'

Robin Williams' beard, daughter star in adorable Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D ad

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D will hit store shelves around North America in just a few days--on June 19, to be exact (pre-order it here)--and the folks at Nintendo want everyone who's ever watched and enjoyed Mrs. Doubtfire to know about it. At least, that's the impression I had after watching the following commercial:



All kidding aside, I think the commercial is pretty darn cute. Sure, Robin Williams looks kind of like a hobo, but his obvious affection for both his daughter and The Legend of Zelda make it easy to overlook that fact.

(Via tinycartridge.com)