We're nearly legal (aka The Nichiest Podcast Ever #17 is now available for your aural pleasure)

Are you the sort who likes to listen to silly people chat about video games during your free time? If so, you'll probably get a kick out of the latest installment of The Nichiest Podcast Ever.

What do Anne, Mollie and I blather on about this time around? A bunch of recently released and soon-to-be-released North American games, for starters, Also, a small handful of just-announced Japanese games.

Oh, and all of the above are niche-y as hell, of course.



We also spend a couple of minutes discussing our ever-embarrassing backlogs, with SaGa Frontier 2, We Love Katamari and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D being a few of the games I singled out.

Finally, we pull out our favorite pom-poms and cheer on a trio of titles we think deserve a bit more attention. (Actually, my pick--the fabulously EarthBound-esque Undertale--has gotten a whole lot of love on line as of late, but I bring it up here anyway because I'm enjoying it so much.)

Sound scintillating? Point your Internet browser of choice to radio.morningproject.com--or search for "The Nichiest Podcast Ever" on iTunes, I guess--and have a blast.

The Nichiest Podcast Ever: Take 16

If you need a little Monday pick-me-up (and, really, who doesn't?), you could do worse than listen to at least a few minutes of the latest edition of The Nichiest Podcast Ever.

That's especially true when you consider that this "take" is: a) a bit shorter than usual--just an hour and 21 minutes--and b) perhaps a bit more fun than usual, too.

The latter's purely my opinion on the matter, of course. Regardless, though, Anne, Mollie and I had a blast recording this installment, and I think that comes through in the finished product.



Which games and systems brought out the best in the three of us? Here are a few examples: the North American launch of the smaller New 3DS, the release of Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX in the Western world, the revelation that New Style Boutique 2 (aka Girls Mode 3 or Style Savvy 3) will hit Europe this November, a whole slew of recent Vita game announcements and releases and more.

Sound appealing? Head over to radio.morningproject.com to check it out. (Don't worry if you'd prefer to listen to it via your smartphone or even tablet, as relevant links can be found there as well.)

Also, keep an eye (ear?) out for the 17th iteration of The Nichiest Podcast Ever, as it will include banter about the saddest (because we've yet to play them) as well as most embarrassing games in our enormous backlogs.

The Nichiest Podcast Ever gets even nichier in its 14th episode

Those of you who enjoy spending a couple of hours listening to three people blather on about all sorts of niche-y gaming experiences should get a kick out of the latest episode (or "take," if your name is shidoshi) of The Nichiest Podcast Ever.

This is the 14th time we've recorded together, by the way, which I think is pretty cool. Oh, and it's the first time my portion of the discussion was captured using a real microphone, pop filter, sound board and the like, which I also find kind of cool.

Another "cool" element of this particular Nichiest Podcast Ever take, in the opinion of yours truly: we cover even more ground than usual, or at least that's how it felt while we were chatting. For example, some of the games we discussed this time around were A-Train: City Simulator (3DS), Amnesia: Memories (Vita), Class of Heroes 3 (PSP), Fatal Frame V (Wii U) and Starlight Vega (PC).

That's far from the extent of what's included in this latest, greatest installment of The Nichiest Podcast Ever, mind you. We also talk about a few other 3DS, Vita and even PC games during its just-over-two-hour running time.

If you're curious to find out which PC, Vita and 3DS titles I'm talking about here, or if you're really itching to hear what Anne, shidoshi and I have to say about any or all of the aforementioned releases, head on over to radio.morningproject.com at your earliest convenience.

Shall We Do It? (Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley)

If you follow me on Twitter, you've likely seen me comment on my Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley playthrough quite a bit over the last couple of weeks.

A lot of those tweets have been pretty negative, and for good reason. This 3DS game--which was made internally at Natsume rather than by the folks at Marvelous Entertainment--does nearly everything it can to break the heart and soul of the person playing it.

First, there's the blink-and-you'll-miss-it passage of time. As in, each in-game day lasts about five minutes in the real world--which may not sound all that bad, but it surely is when you have to try to fit tending to your crops, milking and feeding your cow, chatting with semi-random visitors and many other, similar sorts of tasks into such a severely compressed period of time.

This is what summer looked like in my version of
The Lost Valley--for two whole days.

That's especially true when it comes to the portions of the game that revolve around watering flowers and other plants as well as the Minecraft-y ones that involve re-sculpting the landscape (by digging into the earth or excavating stone) in various ways. Crops are fertilized, watered and harvested one plant at a time, for instance, and digging and excavating stick to a similar formula.

Another way in which The Lost Valley attempts to deter even the most Pollyanna-ish players is tied to all of the annoying "fetch quests" that are forced on those who would like to push along the story that sits at the center of the experience.

Here's a much more typical view of my particular
portion of this 3DS game's world.

And believe me, you'll want to push along the story as quickly as you're able, as doing so allows you to eradicate from the game one of its biggest and most obnoxious issues, which is its seemingly never-ending winter.

For those of you who've yet to read or hear much about The Lost Valley, you may be surprised to learn that it drops you (or, rather, your avatar) into a desolate, snow-covered landscape. Unbelievably, that's about all you'll see for the first 20 hours or so, assuming your playthrough is anything like mine has been so far. That's because, as per the game's story, your main task during your first year in The Lost Valley is to help bring the seasons back to this harsh and deserted environment. Although it's possible you'll be able to do what it takes to see a couple days of spring, summer or fall before they cruelly snap back to winter, the most likely scenario is that your initial 120 days with this title (each season lasts 30 in-game days) will be spent staring at a blanket of white.

Presented without comment.

As I said while recording the latest episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever, a part of me actually respects and even appreciates that The Lost Valley's developers were so brazen as to plop players into such an uninviting world. Another part, though, absolutely hates them for it, as what seemed like an acceptable-enough situation for my first few hours with the game has since become almost unbearable.

Note I just said "almost" unbearable rather than, say, completely unbearable. That's because despite all of my complaints so far, I've still devoted more than 20 hours to The Lost Valley since I first crammed its cart into my 3DS a couple of weeks ago. Clearly, something keeps drawing me back, even if that "thing" is nothing more than a stubborn desire to prove--to myself, to shidoshi, to designers who surely snickered as they pieced together this masochistic experience--I can make it through the game's abominable opening salvo.

Believe me, I enjoyed summer as much as I could while it lasted.

I'm nearly through my first year in The Lost Valley, by the way, so it's possible the game will take a turn for the better shortly. Being an avowed cynic, I'm not going to place any money on that coming to fruition, but who knows? Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised for once.

Even if I'm not, I'm planning to plow ahead (pun intended), at least for the time being. I won't be shocked if my interest in the game wanes sometime the next week or two, though, as I just can't imagine it's going to change enough once I rid the world of its oppressive frigidity to the bowels of hell--or somewhere similarly suitable--to keep my attention. 

I'll let you know one way or the other in my next "Shall We Do It?" post, of course. In the meantime, have any of you played Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley? If so, what are your thoughts on its particular pros and cons?

The Nichiest Podcast Ever turns 13

Not 13 years old, mind you. Thirteen episodes--or "takes," in shidoshi speak--old.

Anyway, another iteration of The Nichiest Podcast Ever is available for your listening pleasure, should you be a person who enjoys hearing a trio of fellow humans blather on about niche video games and systems.

As always, we cram a lot of niche-y game-y chatter into the latest episode, take, whatever you want to call it of the podcast. Among the topics covered this time around:

• the impending release of the New 3DS in North America
• the episodic visual novel, Harvest December, that's being localized by the folks at Circle Entertainment
• the many Japanese 3DS, Vita and even PC titles that supposedly are being worked on (for Western audiences) by the folks at Xseed
• the plethora of Vita game announcements that followed the holidays (one of which was tied to an English release of Steins;Gate)

Oh, and during our "Cheerleading" section, Anne declares her love for Pikmin 3 (Wii U), while I do the same--to various degrees--for Coming Out on Top (Mac), Woah Dave! (3DS) and Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley (also 3DS).

Speaking of which, look for me to expound on my feelings--both positive and negative--regarding The Lost Valley in a post that will be published tomorrow.

In the meantime, check out The Nichiest Podcast Ever 13 at radio.morningproject.com, if you dare.

Hold on to your hats, ladies and gents--a new episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever is here

Can you believe it? The Nichiest Podcast Ever is back, and only four months have passed since its last episode appeared, fully formed, as from the head of Zeus (or something like that), on the World Wide Web.

OK, so four months actually is kind of a long time. Still, there have been far bigger gaps between Nichiest Podcast Ever recordings than that in the past, so I guess we (Anne, shidoshi and myself) shouldn't be too hard on ourselves.

Anyway, as is typically the case, the three of us cover the niche-gaming gamut in this particular 'cast. Among the topics of discussion: shidoshi's experience at this year's Tokyo Game Show, all of our impressions and opinions of the just-released (in some parts of the world) PlayStation TV and new 3DS systems and the miraculous appearance of Vib Ribbon on the North American PlayStation Store.

We also chat about Solitiba (aka Soliti Horse), Mini Metro, Fantasy Life, Bayonetta 2 and Banshee’s Last Cry, a Chunsoft-made "sound novel" that began life (in the mid-1990s) as a Japan-only title--for the Super Famicom, PlayStation and GameBoy Advance--but earned a worldwide iOS release earlier this year via Aksys Games. Can you guess which ones I personally talked up?

Should any of you want to give it a listen, you can do so via iTunes or radio.morningproject.com.

Also, some of you may be interested to hear that, moving forward, the three of us are looking to record a new episode on the first Tuesday of every month. Here's hoping we're actually able to stick with that plan.

See also: 'Five reasons it's a shame Game Freak hasn't yet released its quirky 3DS eShop title, Solitiba (aka Soliti Horse), outside of Japan' and 'I've spent two weeks with Fantasy Life (3DS) and here's what I think of it so far'

All you need is Nichiest

Can you believe that shidoshi, Anne and I have gotten together and recorded two episodes of The Nichiest Podcast Ever in the last month? I sure can't.

The latest one is our 10th, by the way--which is pretty impressive ... until you're made aware of the fact that the first Nichiest Podcast Ever was published 24 months ago.

Anyway, we're doing our best to get things back on track. Just don't go expecting to hear our 11th one in the next three or four weeks, as Anne's traveling to Japan shortly (jealous!) and I believe she won't be back until mid-August.



In the meantime, I hope those of you who enjoy listening to gaming podcasts get a kick out of this one. We certainly had a blast recording it.

As for what's covered in this "take": we chatted about the many niche games that were announced at or around E3 2014, we talked about Tomodachi Life and the likelihood of its sequels allowing (or not) same-sex relationships, we discussed Anne's JRPG Community Game-Along (aka #JRPGJuly) and a whole lot more.

Should the above have piqued your interest, you can download or listen to the latest Nichiest Podcast Ever at radio.morningproject.com.

See also: previous posts about The Nichiest Podcast Ever

The reports of The Nichiest Podcast Ever's death have been greatly exaggerated, take two

The last time I published a post about The Nichiest Podcast Ever, it was late January. So, if you thought I might never write about it again, I can't really blame you.

Anyway, what do shidoshi, Anne and I cover in this particular episode of the podcast, our ninth? Well, we chat about what we’ve been doing in the months since we last recorded, we reminisce about tennis RPGs (yes, you read that correctly), we look into the big Harvest Moon shake-up, we discuss some of the niche games that were on tap for E3, we talk about the titles we’d most like to see announced at the show (one of which came true!), we go rogue in our re-titled segment "Harassment Squad & The Lone Cheerleader" (Hyperdimension Neptunia Producing Perfection, Tomodachi Life and Yoshi’s New Island) and we square off once again in "The Nichiest of Them All." Oh, and we read a letter sent in by a listener!

Should you want to check it out, you can do so by directing your favorite Internet browser to radio.morningproject.com.

And if you'd like to check out previous posts I've published about The Nichiest Podcast Ever, click here.

I guess you could say my life is now complete

Why, you ask? Because the sweet "Yaranaika?" t-shirt my podcasting pal shidoshi bought me while in Japan late last year finally is in my grubby little hands.

Please accept my apologies for the rather crappy nature of the photo below. Apparently the camera on my MacBook doesn't like sunny mornings. (How Seattle of it!)

Hopefully you can make out enough of it to see that the shirt bears the same image found on this blog's header.

In case I haven't said it before, the text on the shirt is Japanese for “shall we do it?” and it comes from a  rather dirty--and gay--manga called Kuso Miso Technique that was first published back in 1987.

The question is: will I enjoy Hometown Story more than shidoshi has so far?

Full disclosure: I only bought Hometown Story now--as opposed to waiting and asking for it as a birthday or Christmas gift--because I wanted the "Red Ember" plushie seen in the photo below that was given to everyone who pre-ordered the game from Amazon.

Because as anyone who has visited this blog in recent months likely is well aware, the last thing I need at the moment is to add more games to my 3DS backlog. (My as-yet-unused copies of Etrian Odyssey IV, Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask and Shin Megami Tensei IV are glaring at me right now, as are my underplayed copies of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon and Paper Mario: Sticker Star.)

Still, I bought it. And now that it's in my hands, I can't say I regret that decision one bit. I mean, just look at the adorableness below:

Of course I've yet to actually pop the Hometown Story cart into my 3DS. There's a reason for that, though: rather than play it this past weekend, I put a good amount of time into Pokemon X, Sayonara Umihara Kawase and Touch Detective: Funghi's Big Breed (an import puzzler I've been meaning to try for ages) instead.

This coming weekend (if not earlier), though, I promise to put Hometown Story through its paces--or at least devote an hour or two to it.

By the way, do you think this game's cover has enough logos and other text on it? First, there's the "Family of Harvest Moon" logo in the upper-left corner, followed by the Hometown Story one to its right. Then you have the ESRB rating in the lower-left corner, Natsume's logo opposite and ... the gigantic blob of text you see above.

Although I applaud Natsume's design folks for their nod to French and Spanish gamers, I'm not sure we really needed the "Playable in 2D and 3D" blurb repeated three times.

Anyway, I don't suppose any of you also picked up a copy of this "Family of Harvest Moon" title--or plan to do so soon?

The reports of The Nichiest Podcast Ever's death have been greatly exaggerated

Considering Anne, shidoshi and I haven't gotten on the horn together since April, some of you may have started to believe the Nichiest Podcast Ever had been quietly put out to pasture, as the saying goes.

Well, I'm here to tell you that it's still alive and kicking--and not only that, but another episode (or "take") is ready for your listening pleasure.

We cover a lot of ground this time around, including the just-released Sweet Fuze: At Your Side for PSP, Sayonara Umihara Kawase for the 3DS and a ton of other niche-y Japanese games that have been announced for Western release in recent weeks. 

Oh, and of course we have another spirited discussion during the "Nichiest of Them All" segment, which finds Anne and shidoshi chatting about a pair of DS treasures (although some will obviously argue that designation) and me talking about a long-forgotten (for most) GameBoy title that features a beret-wearing penguin. 

Should you want to tune in after reading all of the above, please direct your favorite web browser to radio.morningproject.com at your earliest convenience. 

Got a couple of hours? Check out the fifth installment of The Nichiest Podcast Ever ...

Of course, you don't have to listen to all two hours and 15 minutes of this edition of The Nichiest Podcast Ever in one sitting.

And don't worry, we don't spend that entire time giggling (or at least Anne and shidoshi don't spend the entire time giggling)--we spend it discussing Corpse Party: Book of Shadows (PSP) and Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS) and Ni no Kuni (PS3) and Pandora's Tower (Wii) and all sorts of other games that were mentioned in this previous post.

Should you actually give it a listen (you can do so here), please let Anne, shidoshi and I know what you thought of it, will you? You can do so in the comments section below or you can do so via Twitter (apricotsushi, pikoeri and thegaygamer, respectively).

Also, we're planning to record another one sometime in early March, so expect to hear more about that in just a few weeks.

Who needs Thanksgiving leftovers when you've got a new episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever?

OK, go ahead and enjoy those Thanksgiving leftovers, too. (Assuming you even have them, of course.) I don't think it would be a terrible idea to wash them down with a cold, refreshing glass of The Nichiest Podcast Ever, though, do you?

Especially since this "take" (our fourth) includes chatter about a whole heap of niche-y gaming goodness. Cases in point: Anne (aka @apricotsushi) talks about the Animal Crossing-branded 3DS LL (XL elsewhere) she recently acquired, while shidoshi (@pikoeri) and I continue salivate over the pink-and-white XL that just hit (some) store shelves in North America.

We also confer on Style Savvy: Trendsetters, the slew of niche-y PSP games due to be released throughout North America between now and next summer, the Deadly Premonition Director's Cut that's set to come out (for PS3) this coming March, and the possibility that the wacky PS2 title, Chulip, may soon find its way onto PSN.

Oh, and we also blathered on for a bit about the recent launch of the Wii U. Are Anne and shidoshi planning to join me in picking up Nintendo's next console at some point in 2013, or are they going to give it a pass?

Check out this episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever (here) and you'll hear the answer to that question and also hear the three of us "cheerlead" in support of Dokuro (for Vita), Magical Whip: Wizards of Phantasmal Forest (DSiWare) and Persona 4 Golden (also for Vita).

The Nichiest Podcast Ever: Take 003

Got a few minutes (OK, more like 110) to spare? If so, you may want to head on over to morningproject.com and listen to the latest, greatest episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever.

What do Anne, shidoshi and I chat about this time? The blurb that shidoshi conjured up describes it pretty well, I think: "Nintendo announces shidoshi’s perfect 3DS XL (and some other models), all about the Wii U, a whole lot of talk about Tokyo Game Show 2012, follow-up about the Gaymercom name, Dead or Alive fans love big breasts, Cheerleading (Tokyo Jungle, The "Denpa" Men), and Nichiest of Them All."

I have to add, of course, that "shidoshi's perfect 3DS XL" (aka the "PINK x WHITE" model I've mentioned far too many times since it was announced just over a month ago) is my perfect 3DS XL, too--although the Animal Crossing-branded 3DS XL (or, rather, LL) that's also discussed during this podcast may soon push it out of that top spot (in my brain at least).

Should you decide to check out this episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever, would you do me, shidoshi and Anne a favor? Would you let us know your thoughts about it--good, bad or otherwise? Feel free to do so in the comments section below or aim a tweet at any or all of us (Anne can be found at @apricotsushi, shidoshi at @pikoeri and I'm at @thegaygamer).

See also: Previous posts about The Nichiest Podcast Ever

Third podcast's a charm?

As of about 14 hours ago, the audio for the third episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever is in the can.

What did Anne (@apricotsushi on twitter), shidoshi (@pikoeri) and I chat about this time?

Well, we began by shooting the spit about the recent Tokyo Game Show (which shidoshi attended in person, the lucky devil) and the heap of niche-y games--3DS and Vita ones, especially--that were announced during the multi-day event.

We also discussed the just-announced Animal Crossing-themed 3DS LL (it'll hit the streets of Japan on Nov. 8) and the just-released (on Sept. 27) "PINK x WHITE" 3DS LL that I wrote about earlier today.

 Oh, and we touched on Bayonetta 2, Dead or Alive 5, THE "DENPA" MEN, HarmoKnight, Tokyo Jungle, and a few other games I can't mention here because they were part of the do-you-know-this-game segment of the podcast that's called "The Nichiest of Them All," too.

As always, I'll let you know when this episode is available for listening. In the meantime, why not check out episodes one and two?

The second Nichiest Podcast Ever is now available for your listening pleasure

Well, folks, it's that time of the month again. No, not the time of the month when I contemplate dropping even more of my hard-earned cash on yet another Famicom, PC Engine or WonderSwan game despite the fact that I need one like I need an additional hole in the head. Rather, it's the time of the month when The Nichiest Podcast Ever coyly shows its face and charmingly clues listeners into the existence of all sorts of old and new games and systems that are the opposite of "mass market" and, thus, have been largely overlooked.

Among the games discussed during The Nichiest Podcast Ever's second trip to the rodeo, so to speak: Banana (Famicom), BlazBlue (arcade/PS3), Rainbow Moon (PS3), Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure (3DS), Sound Shapes (PS3/Vita), Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (360/PS3/WiiU) and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (3DS).

A few additional niche-y games are discussed during the "Nichiest of Them All" segment, but you'll have to listen to the podcast to find out which ones.

Should you actually take the time to listen to our latest podcast, would you be so kind as to let us know your thoughts? You can do so by leaving a comment below, by leaving a comment on The Nichiest Podcast Ever's morning radio page or by tweeting me, Anne or shidoshi.

See also: 'Another (hopefully entertaining) episode of The Nichiest Podcast Ever is in the can' and 'Introducing: The Nichiest Podcast Ever!'

Introducing: The Nichiest Podcast Ever!

So, I have a bit of a surprise for you today. I actually considering bringing it up a month or so ago when it first came to light, but I decided against doing so because I didn't want to jinx anything. Anyway, what's the surprise, you ask? Well, it's that I recently--as in, just a few, short days ago--participated in a new podcast that I very much hope will become a regular (or at least regular-ish) gig.

This brand-spanking new podcast is called, as I'm guessing you've picked up by now (assuming you read the header above), "The Nichiest Podcast Ever." Shockingly, our first show focuses on all kinds of niche-y game-related stuff--like some of the smaller titles that were overshadowed during E3 2012 and a few recent, worthwhile releases that we feel have been overlooked by the masses.

We also spend a bit of time chatting about the 3DS XL and the Wii U, and have a lot of fun with a segment called "The Nichiest of Them All," during which we try to stump each other about some of the lesser-known games we've played throughout our lives.



As for who "we" are: Well, you know enough about me, I'm sure. (Or at least I hope you do by now.) You should know a bit about one of my, er, podcast costars--blogger, translator and yaoi enthusiast Anne Lee, otherwise known as apricotsushi--too, since she's not only left a number of comments here over the last few months and years but authored a post on this here blog, too.

My other costar--and, really, let's call a spade a spade and admit that this person is the star of this particular production--is writer and podcaster extraordinaire shidoshi. (You may recognize that name from seeing it in the pages of EGM, GameFan and Play magazines or from hearing it in WARNING! A Huge Podcast.)

That's all well and good, but what you really want to know is how can you listen to the first installment of "The Nichiest Podcast Ever," right? Don't worry, I'm getting to it. In fact, I'll get to it right now. If you're obsessed with getting your podcasts from iTunes, go here. (Note: should this podcast stand the test of time, it'll eventually get its own iTunes page.) Another option is to go to radio.morningproject.com and either listen to it or download it there.

Should you actually check out "The Nichiest Podcast Ever," would you be so kind as to let Anne, shidoshi and I what you think of it? Feel free to do so in the comments section here or on Twitter (@apricotsushi, @pikoeri or @thegaygamer).

Yoshinori Ono on Final Fight's Poison: She's supposed to be mysterious

Attention Poison fans: EGM just (well, yesterday) posted an extremely interesting interview between its own Eric Patterson--you may remember him as Shidoshi from the old Diehard GameFan magazine--and Capcom's Yoshinori Ono.

"Poison" by Speeh

Rather than pick Ono's brain about his upcoming 360, PS3 and Vita brawler, Street Fighter X Tekken, Patterson picks the producer's brain about one of that title's key cast members: Poison, the lovable female thug who first appeared in Final Fight.

The highlight of this fascinating tête-à-tête, in my opinion: Ono seemingly backtracks on his earlier assertion that the fuchsia-coifed character is trans- gender. (In late 2007 he told EGM that "in North America, Poison is officially a post-op transsexual. But in Japan, she simply tucks her business away to look female.")

While chatting with Patterson, however, Ono said, "Capcom’s official stance has and will continue to be that we don’t have a stance technically. It’s supposed to be mysterious; if people want to talk about it on forums or what not they’re welcome to, but we’re not going to give you a straight answer because, well, there isn’t one. We deliberately want to make it a mysterious thing—that question of what’s at the core of this character. At the end of the day, we don’t have an actual canonical answer to that."

That's not the only eyebrow-raising comment included in this Poison-focused Q&A. Read the rest of them by checking out the full interview here. You may also want to check out this NeoGAF thread, which was started by Patterson and features a number of interesting insights.