5 more games I bought in 2015 that I've regrettably (and embarrassingly) failed to play

Just before 2015 turned into 2016, I published a post with a headline very similar to the one you see above.

As was the case with that write-up, this one shines a spotlight on a handful--five, to be exact--games that I purchased last year but failed to play for even a second. (Hell, a couple of these suckers have yet to be unwrapped.)

Hatoful Boyfriend (Vita)--OK, so I don't feel too bad about "ignoring" this intriguing visual novel. For starters, I only bought it a few weeks ago. Also, I couldn't have played it even if I'd wanted to, as my Vita didn't have enough space to accommodate it. Now that I own not one, but two 16 GB Vita memory cards, though, I should be more than set to start wooing some avian hotties (or something along those lines).

MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura DX (3DS)--Out of all the titles singled out in these two posts, this one pains me the most. That's because I've wanted to play some version of this adorable Monster Hunter spin-off since the first PSP game hit Japanese store shelves in 2010. Now I own both that release and this 3DS port (of sorts) and I've yet to boot up either of them. Mark my words, I'll put some time into MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura DX before 2016 comes to a close.

Ni No Kuni (DS)--I know this portable take on Level-5's Studio Ghibli-backed, Dragon Quest-esque RPG supposedly pales in comparison to its PS3 counterpart, but I'm still itching to play it. Will I get hopelessly lost at some point because I can't properly traverse its inch-thick (at least) "Magic Master" book? (See a few photos of it and the rest of Ni No Kuni's beautiful packaging, in this post.) Quite possibly. Still, I'm willing to give it a go. Fingers crossed the game's more forgiving that some Japanese RPGs due to the fact that it was aimed at children.

Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives (3DS)--You know how I said earlier that at least a couple of the titles discussed in this pair of posts have yet to be opened? Well, this is one of them. And, yes, I'm ashamed to admit that. I'll do my best to put that shame to good use in 2016, though--meaning it should spur me to give this first Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives effort (as well as its just-released follow-up, which includes even more 3D-enhanced Sega classics) the attention it so clearly deserves sometime in the next 12 months.

Virtue's Last Reward (Vita)--Here's another Vita game I've only owned for a short while. In fact, my copy only arrived on my doorstep a day or so before I headed to Wisconsin for the holidays. So, I have a bit of an excuse for neglecting it. I wouldn't expect it to be neglected for much longer, though, as I absolutely loved the nearly 22 hours I spent with its DS-based predecessor (read some of my thoughts on 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors in this post), and I've wanted to return to its oh-so-tense world ever since I finished it.

How about you? Did you buy any games in 2015 that, for one reason or another, you failed to play by the end of the year? Let me know which ones in the comments section below.

And yet five more games I'm looking forward to playing between now and the end of 2015

Just over a month ago, I published a pair of posts--here's the first one, and here's the second one--that detailed a handful of games I'm looking forward to playing between now and the end of 2015.

My original intention was to wrap up this series (if it can even be called such a thing) within a couple of days of the second post's introduction to this thing we used to call the World Wide Web, but, well, if you've been visiting this blog for any amount of time, you know that's how things go sometimes.

With all of that out of the way, let's get to the final five games that I'm looking forward to playing before this year comes to a close.



The Legend of Legacy (3DS)--Is it weird that I'm going to buy the North American version of this open-ended, SaGa-esque RPG even though I've owned the Japanese release for some time now? (You can read about it, and peruse some photos of its beautiful packaging, in this previously published post, if you're at all curious.) I don't think so, especially since I'm basically stumbling through my current copy of the game at the moment. I was OK with that when it was my only option, but once an English localization joins it as a possibility I won't hesitate in swapping out the former in favor of the latter.



Monhun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura DX (3DS)--Here's another entry that may shock a couple of people, as back in February I devoted an entire post to small handful of photos I'd taken of the first Animal Crossing-ish Monhun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura game that was made for the PSP, which I had acquired a few weeks earlier. Considering I've yet to even pop the aforementioned UMD into either of my PSP systems so far, why would I want to hand over my hard-earned cash to buy this updated 3DS iteration? Because I have a feeling I'll be more likely to play such a game on my go-to portable of the moment (Nintendo's latest dual-screened handheld, naturally), that's why. Here's hoping that's what actually comes to pass once this import cart is in my grubby paws.

Mysterious Chronicle (Vita)--Some of you may know this upcoming PS4 and Vita game by its Japanese name, which is Fushigi no Chronicle: Furikaerimasen Katsu Made wa. It's a remake, of sorts, of a mobile game called One Way Heroics. Both titles are roguelikes that, as far as I can tell, take place aboveground--or at least outdoors--as opposed to indoors or below ground, which is typical of the genre. Honestly, that last bit alone would be enough to make me want to track down a copy of the erstwhile Mysterious Chronicle as soon as possible, so when you add in its stellar spritework, well, you should be able to see why I'm smacking myself around for not having it on pre-order. 

Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale (3DS)--True story: I've wanted to play a PoPoLoCrois (this is how the title is written in Japan, by the way) game for ages. Specifically, I've wanted to play one or more of the three beautiful, sprite-based PoPoLoCrois games--two of which are RPGs and one of which is a roguelike--that were made for the original PlayStation since I first become aware of them a number of years ago. This 3DS-based release isn't as gorgeous as any of those 32-bit efforts, I've got to say, but it still looks pretty good. Plus, I'm intrigued by the fact that this one includes content that calls to mind the Harvest Moon (now Story of Seasons, I guess) series.  

Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)--How am I going to play this precious-looking platformer when I don't yet own a Wii U console? I have no idea, but I'm going to do my best to make it happen. After all, I'm going to need a Wii U if I'm finally going to experience Splatoon, Super Mario Maker and Illusory Revelations ♯FE, right? As for what's pushing me to do whatever needs to be done to experience this game, that would be that it gives off serious Kirby's Epic Yarn vibes. That game was one of my favorite Wii titles, regardless of genre, so if Woolly World is even half as entertaining, it will be more than worth the price of admission.

How about you guys and gals? Are you looking forward to playing any of these games between now and the end of 2015? Or maybe you're looking forward to playing some other games that were recently made available or will be made available soon? If so, please let me know about them in the comments section below.

See also: 'Five games I'm really looking forward to playing between now and the end of 2015' and 'Five additional games I'm looking forward to playing between now and the end of 2015'

Capcom, Nintendo and Square are doing their darndest to suck me (and my bank account) dry

And here I thought this morning's Japanese Nintendo Direct was going to be a dud.

Instead, it ended with me adding a bunch of items--not just games, but systems and even accessories, too--to my ever-growing 3DS wish list.

Admittedly, a couple of the aforementioned titles that are going to be picked up as soon as is possible--which means the minute they're released--were announced prior to today's broadcast, but I wasn't sure about either of them until I saw them in action or saw their box art.

The 3DS port (of sorts) of Dragon Quest VIII is the game that I had to see in action before deciding to purchase it, by the way.

Speaking of which, its first trailer can be seen at the beginning of the Nintendo Direct. I don't know about you, but I think it looks pretty wonderful. Even if it didn't, though, I'd probably buy a copy of it just so I could experience the "pudding slime" spotted at the 2:07 mark firsthand.

Dragon Quest VIII will hit store shelves in Japan on Aug. 27. Here's hoping it somehow makes its way westward, too.



As for the 3DS game that I want to own now that I've seen its box art, that would be Doubutsu no Mori: Happy Home Designer.

Seriously, look at the packaging above and try to tell me it isn't fabulous beyond belief.



Actually, scratch that. This Animal Crossing spin-off's cover art is just fabulous when compared to the special New 3DS LL system (above) that's set to be released alongside it.

Even more fabulous, in my humble opinion, is the Happy Home Designer-branded kisekae plate that also will hit the streets of Japan on July 30.



You can rest assured I'll pre-order the latter as soon as someone allows me to do so--despite the fact that I've yet to pick up a New 3DS system.

This latest Nintendo Direct didn't focus only on already announced 3DS games, thankfully. A handful of surprises found their way into the broadcast, too, with the side-scrolling Guru Guru! Chibi Robo! and Monster Hunter X being two of them.

To be honest, as happy as I am that Nintendo's giving Chibi Robo another chance, I'm not sure I'll be purchasing this latest effort. (I'd far prefer an adventure that apes the series' original offering.)

Also, as nice as Monster Hunter X looks, I can say with quite a bit of certainty that I won't be adding it to my collection of 3DS games.



I can say with just as much certainty, though, that I'll be buying one of the other out-of-left-field titles that were announced earlier today--with the title in question being MonHun Nikki: Poka Poka Airu Mura DX (aka Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airu Village DX).

After all, I've wanted to play one of the MonHun Nikki games for ages, and I can't think of anything more appropriate than finally doing so on my Japanese 3DS.

(This kind of puts the copy of the first MonHun Nikki for PSP I acquired a short while ago in a precarious position, I guess, but what can you do?)

What did all of you think about this morning's Nintendo Direct? Did any accessories, games or systems stick out at you as "must buys"?