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.

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?)

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?

A few quick-and-dirty impressions of Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku (aka Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed)

Although I've been playing a wide range of games lately--turn your attention to the "Now Playing" section to the right for proof--the one I've been spending the most time with this week, surprisingly enough, is Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku (aka Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed).

Because this import-only 3DS puzzler hasn't been talked about much in this part of the world (or in any part?), I thought I'd share at least a few impressions of it here:

It's basically Zoo Keeper, with a couple of twists--If you've ever played Zoo Keeper, you've basically played Funghi's Big Breed. Well, kind of. The big addition to this game is that if you align four tiles in such a way that they form a square, something that looks an awful lot like a bodybuilder Funghi (that's the name given to the little mushroom characters in this game, by the way) erupts onto the screen and wipes out not only the tiles that started the whole thing but the 12 tiles that surround them, too.



Oh, and if you align four tiles in a row, a wolf-like Funghi zips across the screen and takes out the entire column of tiles to the left or right (or above and below, if the aligned tiles are vertical rather than horizontal). Anyway, both of these changes add a nice bit of zip and even drama to the experience and help differentiate Funghi's Big Breed from its predecessor.

Its art style is all sorts of awesome--Although the main reason I decided to buy Funghi's Big Breed earlier this year was that its gameplay apes (for the most part, at least) that found in Zoo Keeper, another reason was its darkly adorable art style. Plus, I have a sort of inappropriate affinity for the Touch Detective series' Funghi characters.



It's got a great, boppy soundtrack--For me to consider a puzzler "top tier," it has to have a soundtrack that makes you tap your feet while also making your pulse race. Funghi's Big Breed succeeds at accomplishing both--although I wouldn't have complained if the folks at developer Success had produced a few more tunes (as they did in Zooo, the GameBoy Advance/PS2 version of Zoo Keeper).

It's a bit lacking in terms of modes--My only real complaint with Funghi's Big Breed at the moment--well, besides the fact that I think I prefer Zoo Keeper's slower pace and more limited rule set--is that it's a little thin when it comes to the number of modes it offers players. There's a "simple" mode (where all possible "matches" are constantly visible), an "earnest" mode (possible matches only become visible at certain points) and a challenge mode (where players are tasked with meeting specific requirements, such as capturing a certain number of one kind of Funghi or creating a certain number of chains).



For me, the simple mode is too, well, simple, while I've never been a fan of challenge modes in such games, so the only one I'm making use of right now is the "earnest" mode. Although it's a lot of fun, I wish Success had thrown in a "time attack" or even "Tokoton" (collect 100 of a single type of Funghi, a la Zoo Keeper) mode as well.

So, there you have it--my impressions of Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed (aka Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku). Sorry a few of the bullet points above are on the long-winded side. Also, be on the lookout for an actual Great Gaymathon review of this game in the next few weeks.

See also: other posts about this import-only 3DS game

I'm *this* close to pre-ordering Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc's limited edition

And, yes, that's despite the fact that I don't yet own a Vita.

What can I say? I'm really interested in this title, whose gameplay is said to be part Ace Attorney and part 999. (Bonus: it sports a really cool art style.)

Making matters worse is that Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc's limited edition is just $10 more than the regular release (which will carry a $40 price tag), even though it includes an appealingly designed collector's box, a soft-cover art book and a jewel-cased soundtrack.

Thankfully, it seems I'll be able to hem and haw about this decision for at least a little while yet, as neither version of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc will hit the streets until Feb. 11, and at the moment more than 75 percent of the limited edition's stock is still available.

Have any of you already staked a claim to one of these beauties, or are you considering doing so at some future point in time?

Pre-order: Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc limited edition and Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc regular edition