Hubba hubba, part quatre

Can a single blog publish too many posts about the hottest hunks in video games? I hope not, as this is my fourth such post on the subject. (The first three can be found here, here and here. Oh, and the quatre mentioned in the headline is French for four, in case you didn't already know.)

Will I pen more of them in the future? I'd say it's pretty likely, although I don't have any particular studs in mind right now.

In the meantime, here's a look at the game-based beefcake that's been bouncing around in my brain as of late:

1. Simon Belmont (Castlevania: Lords of Shadow--Mirror of Fate)--Truth be told, I have little to no interest in the gameplay of this Konami-published 3DS title. I have quite a bit more interest, though, in two of its main characters: Trevor Belmont and Simon Belmont. As for why I decided to highlight the latter rather than the former in this post: Simon isn't afraid to show off his guns. Oh, and he's a ginge.

2. "Conversationalist" (Ana Holic!!)--Don't worry if neither this character nor the game in which he appears ring any bells. After all, Ana Holic!! is a Japanese PC game (a rather adult RPG, more specifically) made by the folks at Underground Campaign and, as such, it hasn't received much press outside of its home country. Given this guy's, er, "fashion sense," I'd have to say that's a crying shame, wouldn't you agree?

3. Marlon (Pokemon Black 2/White 2)--I realize that this choice is a bit suspect at first blush. In fact, I didn't even consider Marlon (aka Shizui) until after I came across the piece of fan art that can be seen above. Now that I've seen what a few years and a little time in the gym could do to him, though, I can't imagine this post without him.

A trio of terrific(ally gay) tumblrs

Last weekend, I promoted (by way of this post) one of the many tumblrs I tend to frequent. I thought I'd promote a few others today--namely, the trio of tumblrs operated by regular commenter Steve Pixel.

* F*CK YEAH CHO ANIKI!!!!!!!--As its name implies, the focus of this NSFW (not safe for work) tumblr is the series of Masaya/NCS Corp. shmups that feature scantily-clad muscle men and surreal imagery. Cho Aniki isn't its sole focus, though; it also includes GIFs, illustrations and screenshots of games, manga and anime that are stylistically similar to the Super Big Brother titles.

* Obscure Video Games--Although I love the aforementioned tumblr with all of my heart, I'd by lying if I said I preferred it to this one, which focuses on  GIFs, illustrations and screenshots of "weird old games that most people have forgotten." A good example: the crazy PC Engine cover art seen below, which has long been one of my favorites (due to the mustachioed, muscle-bound dude at its center, of course).

* Pixelboys--Last, but not least, is this tumblr, which focuses on male nudity in video games. As I'm sure you can tell by that description, it's completely NSFW--unless, of course, your workplace allows you to look at pixelated and polygonal penises and such.

So, there you have it--three more game-related tumblrs to check out next time you're in the mood for such things. If you know of any others that I should be aware of, by the way, please let me know about them in the comments section below.

Note: only two of the tumblrs discussed above are explicitly gay. Still, all three are quite terrific.

Sexy Shy Guy

I'm not entirely sure why, but awesome, Atlanta-based artist, Drew Green, recently decided to draw a "sexy Shy Guy."

I found it completely adorable when I came across it on Facebook, so of course I had to share it here.

To see more of Drew's work, be sure to check out his deviantart gallery and his Tumblr at your convenience.

Oh, and check out his wonderful comic, Ross Boston, too, if you're into that sort of thing.

I kind of hate to admit that I'm a bit curious about Final Fantasy: All The Bravest

So, what would you like to hear first--the good news, or the bad?

I think we should start with the good, which is that the folks at Square Enix just announced and released--yes, all in the same day--a new, sprite-based Final Fantasy game.

As for the bad news, well, the aforementioned title--known as Final Fantasy: All The Bravest--doesn't seem to be a "real" RPG, despite the fact that it's being described as a "pick-up-and-go RPG with massive battles."

Oh, and it's an iOS-only affair at the moment, which is a bummer for those of us who prefer to do the bulk of our gaming on dedicated handhelds and consoles.



Still, I'm curious about it. It helps, of course, that the sprites used in Final Fantasy: All The Bravest look to have been pulled from, or at least inspired by, the vaunted series' 16-bit releases.

Also, the battles look pretty crazy--although I'm feeling a bit flummoxed as to why some of the enemies (like the Goblin and Nutkins shown at the beginning) in the trailer above now seem to have sky-high HP.

Since I don't currently own a device capable of playing Final Fantasy: All The Bravest, I'd greatly appreciate it if any of you who wind up buying it would share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

So, who bought Corpse Party: Book of Shadows (PSP/Vita) yesterday?

I'm sad to say I didn't.

The main reasons: I've yet to beat the first Corpse Party (I'm pretty sure I'm not even close to the end credits) and I'm still trudging my way through Elminage Original.

Also, I can't say I'm tickled pink about paying $19.99 for a digital game that likely would cost the same amount if it were given a retail release.

Still, I want it, and I'll probably pluck it from PSN sooner rather than later.

If any of you bought Corpse Party: Book of Shadows yesterday, though, I'd love to hear what you think about it in the comments section below.

For more information on this PSN title (which is perfectly playable on both the PSP and Vita, by the way), check out this blog post and this NeoGAF thread.