We've all been there, haven't we?

I've been a fan of artist Ashley Davis (heartpuncher over on deviantart.com), but for some reason I haven't shared any of her work here. I mean, until now.

Davis recently posted the following drawing of the first-gen Pokémon Ivasaur in her deviantart gallery.

I'm not sure which I like better--the drawing or the description (below) that accompanies it.

"Eager to leave its awkward teenage years behind, this Ivysaur casts Grow, hoping that its bud will soon bloom into a beautiful flower."

A hand-knit Mario hat for $140? Uh, let me get back to you on that...

The website run by Earthbound/Mother creator Shigesato Itoi will soon offer up for sale (in Japan) the above-mentioned wool hat as well as an all-wool, hand-knit sweater that features Mario and Luigi sprites on the chest and coin sprites inside the pockets.

Hefty price tags will be attached to both products, according to andriasang.com, with the hat selling for ¥12,000 (about $140) and the sweater selling for ¥36,000 ($422).

I'm begging you, Nintendo, don't bring these to North America

Nintendo of Japan recently decided to add a few new morsels of game-related goodness to its Club Nintendo goodie bag.

Along with a set of New Super Mario Bros. Wii-branded remote straps, the Japanese giant will soon offer gamers what appears to be an Animal Crossing grocery bag.

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I'd "buy" that grocery bag without a second thought if it ever appeared on the North American Club Nintendo site--despite the fact that I know I'd never use it.

(Via andriasang.com)

Pre-order Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, get a pair of posters

I don't know about you, but when I think of awesome pre-order bonuses I think of flimsy posters that ape a game's cover art.

As such, I was blown away to find out that folks who pre-order a copy of the forthcoming Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (it'll be released on Oct. 5) at GameStop will walk away with not one but two posters. Here's the one that doesn't ape the DS RPG's cover art:



Folks who pre-order the game at Amazon, on the other hand, will walk away with the poster above and a $10 games credit.

Can you guess where I placed my pre-order?

(Via joystiq.com, by way of tinycartridge.com)

Stab me once, shame on you; stab me twice, shame on me

My first reaction to seeing the following Tonberry figure, produced by Atlanta artist Jared Cain (aka Nikejerk): "Awwwwwwwww!" (Yes, even though the Tonberry is toting a rather nasty-looking knife.)

My second reaction: "I really need to get back to that 100-floor, post-game tower in Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon."

To see more of Cain's figures, check out his Flickr photostream.

'It feels like ... pants'

The latest issue of Nintendo Power includes a two-page preview of Kirby's Epic Yarn--which in turn includes the following screenshot (seemingly taken from the title's intro):



Is there any question that this game, developed by Good-Feel (of Wario Land: Shake It! fame) and HAL Laboratory, is going to be the Game of the Year (if not the Game of the Forever)?

Pre-order: Kirby's Epic Yarn

Stick a fork (or maybe a spear) in me, I'm done

After putting more hours into it than I care to admit, I've decided to take a bit of a break from Dragon Quest IX.

This isn't the first time I've had to step away from a game with which I've become a tad obsessed. Most recently, I played Animal Crossing: City Folk to the point that it felt like I saw my in-game "friends" more than my flesh-and-blood ones.

Does this ever happen to any of you? Do you become so enamored with a particular game that you play it whenever you have a second to spare?

Maybe I don't need a 360 after all

Here's a pointless piece of trivia for you: I've been pining for an Xbox 360 ever since Pac-Man: Championship Edition hit the the system's XBLA service in June 2007.

Three years later, it remains one of the only reasons I want Microsoft's boxy, black system.

So, the question is: Will I still want an Xbox 360 after the game is released later this year as a PSP Mini? At this point, I'm not so sure.



Anyway, speaking of the PSP version of Pac-Man: Championship Edition--a playable version of the game was shown off at the recent Gamescom event in Germany.

Hopefully that means it'll hit the PlayStation Store soon (he asks with hope)?