I hope you're up for a little more MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura (PSP) love

Early last week, I published a post in which I blathered on and on and on about the stupendously sparkly--and purple--PSP that my pal, Jess (he of the Kiblitzing blog), recently bought and sent to me.

A small handful of photos were included in the above-mentioned post, and two of them featured peeks at the complete-in-box copy of MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura that I recently picked up.

This Monster Hunter spin-off--which is supposed to have a sort of Animal Crossing feel to it, not that I would know--is worth more than just a passing glance, so today I'm giving it a bit more attention.

Specifically, I'm giving its box art, UMD label and instruction manual a bit more attention.



Fun fact: I could've bought the follow-up of this game, called MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura G, for pretty much the same amount of money I spent on the copy highlighted throughout this post, but I went with Capcom's original effort because I prefer its cover art.

The game's UMD features art that's nearly as adorable, if you ask me. You may not be able to tell in the fairly crappy photo above, but the Poogie that sits just to the left of the MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura logo is wearing a watermelon-themed outfit.

The backside of MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura's instruction manual is beyond cute, too--or at least I think it is.

Sadly, that's about all I can say about this Japan-only release at the moment, as I've yet to even pop it into my beautifully purple PSP. I'm going to do my best to rectify that soon, though, as once I do, I'll share my thoughts on it here (probably in a future installment of my "Shall We Do It?" series).

Does the impending North American release of Brandish: The Dark Revenant (PSP) mean I can continue to dream of a similar localization of MonHun Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village?

OK, so we all know that isn't going to happen. MonHun Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village finally getting a North American release, I mean.

I can't help but wonder, though, if some adventurous company--you know, like Xseed Games, for instance--would have brought it out here if it weren't a Capcom property.

Oh, well, why bother fretting over that when games like Brandish: The Dark Revenant actually are coming to our shores, and likely before the calendar flips over to 2015?



Unfortunately, Brandish: The Dark Revenant's impending North American release will be of the digital-only variety (something that's likely to limit buyers to Vita owners, I believe), but it's kind of hard to fault publisher Xseed Games for going that route in this day and age.

Anyway, to learn more about this curious-looking, Nihon Falcom-made dungeon-crawler, check out the trailer above (yes, the Japanese version actually came out all the way back in 2009) or the rather cool "localization blog" that was published on Xseed's Tumblr last week.

P.S. I'm pretty sure this is the longest header I've ever written for a one of my blog posts. Don't worry, I won't make a habit of it.

Four PSP games I'd like to buy and play in 2014

Following up yesterday's post about the four retro games I'd like to buy and play in 2014, here are a quartet of PSP games I'd like to pick up--and, yes, put through their paces--sometime in the next 12 months.

7th Dragon 2020--Actually, I can't decide if I should start with the first of Sega's 7th Dragon 2020 games or skip right to the second one. Either way, I desperately want to play some iteration of this 7th Dragon spin-off series sometime soon, despite the fact that I likely won't be able to understand a word of what's going on while I do it.

Criminal Girls--Is it strange that a gay guy (me, of course) wants to play a game that's all about--or at least partially about--spanking and otherwise abusing girls as they traverse a treacherous tower, RPG-style? I suppose. Still, I'd like to give it a go, mainly because of its art style and gameplay. (I've always been a sucker for a good--or even bad--dungeon-crawler.)

MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura--This game is often described as "Monster Hunter meets Animal Crossing." I'm not completely sure what that means, to tell you the truth, but since I absolutely adore the Animal Crossing series and I've always liked the airu/felyne character, surely I'll enjoy playing a game that somehow combines the two, don't you think?

Yuusha 30 Second--So, the truth is I've only spent a short time with this title's predecessor, which was given a new name--Half-Minute Hero--when it made its way to North America. It was a long enough stint for me to know I'll enjoy the full game, though, and likely have a similarly great time with its Japan-only sequel, too. Should I actually buy a copy in 2014, I mean.

Other possibilities: Final Fantasy Type-0, K-On! Houkago Live!!, Nayuta No Kiseki and Sweet Fuse: At Your Side