Your new favorite tumblr: Katakana Kitten

OK, so maybe Katakana Kitten isn't your new favorite tumblr, but it's definitely mine.

Why? A quick look at this unique tumblog's description should help explain things: "Hellow, I'm Midori. I know some Japanese. This blog posts one example of katakana usage a day, usually from video games. Please use these posts to bolster your own Japanese studies."

Here's a recent example of the kind of content Midori has published on Katakana Kitten since the tumblog debuted last December:





She always follows up the screenshot and katakana sample with a short blurb about the game in question, too. Here's the text she typed up for Clock Tower:

"A noteworthy point-and-click horror game originally made for the Super Famicom, developed by Human Entertainment, 1995. Much of the game’s content and style was inspired by the work of horror film director Dario Argento."

In other words, not only can Katakana Kitten help boost your Japanese language abilities, but it also can broaden your knowledge of Japanese video games. Now if we could just convince Midori to start a second tumblr devoted to hiragana or even kanji usage in games...

Introducing: the Famicart Art! tumblr

As most (all?) of you know, I'm a real sucker for anything related to the Nintendo Famicom.

Which means, of course, I've become a tiny bit obsessed with Walter Parenton's latest tumblr--he also maintains one called boygraphics--since I first became aware of it a couple of days ago.

The name of Parenton's new tumblog says it all, really: Famicart Art!

Here are a few examples of what you'll be able to ogle if you decide to follow the Famicart Art! tumblr:



The colorful cartridge above contains a Jaleco-made game called Ochin no Toshi Puzzle Tonjan!?



This spooky-looking piece of plastic, on the other hand, houses Yamamura Misa Suspense: Kyoto Hana no Misshitsu Satsujin Jiken, a Japan-only (duh) adventure game from 1989.



Finally, we have Pony Canyon's adorable Onyanko Town. This 1985 release has been on my "to buy" list for ages now. Maybe this write-up will push me to get off my butt and buy a copy of it.

While you wait for my inevitable slew of blog posts about Onyanko Town, you should head over to my Flickr photostream and check out all of the photos I've taken of Famicom game boxes, cartridges and instruction manuals.

See also: previous Famicom-focused posts

Guess what? I'm (back) on Tumblr, too...

Because I apparently hate having any free time whatsoever, I recently decided to start making use of the tumblr--TheGayGamer, aka gaygamer.tumblr.com--I launched ages ago and then promptly dropped like a hot potato.

I'll be honest: at the moment, I'm mostly turning to it to help promote posts that are published here, but I'm also regularly favoriting and passing along others' posts that I find particularly interesting or that are in line with the kind of content I tend to produce.



Well, except for the not-safe-for-work stuff (that I favorite or pass along, not that I publish myself)--which you may want to watch out for if you aren't into bara and the like.

One more thing: if you're on tumblr, or if you follow any tumblrs you think I'd enjoy (NSFW or otherwise), let me know in the comments section below.

Spread the word: #Miiquality

Those of you who read my recent "Open Letter to Nintendo of America" should be well aware of the fact that I'm pretty peeved the company's upcoming--and otherwise completely enticing--3DS title, Tomodachi Life, presumably won't allow players' Miis to form gay, lesbian or bisexual relationships.

I'm not the only gamer upset by all of this, of course. A number of people in this NeoGAF thread about the game, for instance, also have admitted to being disappointed by it--with one of them being someone who goes (there and elsewhere) by the username of Tyeforce.

Tyeforce has done more than just express on an Internet discussion forum his displeasure with Nintendo of America's handling of the situation, though; in the last few days, he's started a movement, basically, that's centered around the theme of "Miiquality."


#Miiquality from Tyeforce on Vimeo.

The gist: if you'd like the brass at Nintendo of America to add same-sex relationships to Tomodachi Life, let them know by using the hashtag #Miiquality while on sites like Facebook and Twitter. (Or, as commenter Rob_in_Baltimore suggested here last week, you also can let them know by contacting them via the company's website or by signing this petition.)

Oh, and don't forget to show your support for (and stay updated on) this issue by following the Miiquality Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr pages--if you're so inclined, of course.

See also: 'The day we've all (or at least three or four of us have) waited for has arrived: Tomodachi Collection is coming to Europe and North America this June'

Paper Pokémon

Screw Paper Mario. Thanks to that series' last two entries, I've lost a lot of interest in the IP. (That said, if Nintendo can return it to its former brilliance--say, with a Wii U-based sequel that picks up where The Thousand Year Door left off--I probably could be swayed to give it another chance.)

I've far from lost interest in the idea of Nintendo games that feature a paper-y aesthetic, though. I'd love to see a The Legend of Zelda spin-off that stars characters and locales that look as though they're pieces of origami, for instance.

Would I like to play a Pokémon game that uses some sort of Paper Mario-esque art style? Until fairly recently, I would've responded to that question with a resounding, "Hell no!" Now that I've seen this deviantart gallery, though, I'm not so sure.

After all, artist Paprik-a's creations are as awesome as they are unique--or at least that's my opinion of them. Case in point: his take on Pokémon X/Y's Chesnaught.

His Delphox is pretty sweet, too:

As is his Greninja:

To see more of Paprik-a's inventive Pokémon portraits, check out paprik-a.deviantart.com or paprik--a.tumblr.com.

Speaking of Pokémon X and Y, by the way: which starter are those of you who are picking up one or both of these titles this weekend (or at some point in the future) planning to select?

Ever since I decided to buy a copy of Pokémon X, I've been leaning toward Fennekin as my starter (and Bulbasaur as my Red/Green/Blue starter).

A few days ago, though, I changed my mind and decided Froakie and Bulbasaur may be better picks--what with a special version of Torchic being made available to early-ish adopters.

Will any of you be taking a similar route, or will you be going with a different duo of starters?

Wart and Birdo, sittin' in a tree ...

While scouring the Interwebs for the Mr. Saturn illustration that anchored yesterday's EarthBound-focused post, I came across the curiously titled (in a good way) Sketchamagowza! tumblr.

Although said tumblr is filled with awesome pieces of art (here are a few yummy examples), most of which are inspired by or related to video games and nearly all of which are produced by someone who calls him or herself Shmorky, my current favorite is the Super Mario Bros. 2-inspired you see below (and here).



Nintendo seriously needs to bring back Wart, don't you think? And all of the other guys and gals who were featured in Super Mario Bros. 2 (aka Super Mario USA or Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic), too.

Silly aside: if you're any kind of RPG fan, be sure check out Shmorky's hilarious "Secret of the Dungeon" comic.

Can't get enough of Animal Crossing: New Leaf? These pillows should be right up your alley ...

I've only just gotten around to thinking about the interior of my Animal Crossing: New Leaf homes, so I'm not as educated as I should be about things like customizing furniture and other household items (although I have dabbled in it a tiny bit).

As such, I've yet to make--or even encounter in someone else's town, really--the kind of customized crafts that inspired Australian game-design student Bilvy to make the fabulous throw pillows seen below (and here):



Blathers, Chief, Lolly and Punchy aren't the only Animal Crossing characters Bilvy's immortalized in her pillows, by the way. Bob, K.K. Slider, Octavian, Stitches, Tangy and Wolfgang are included among the first batch--being sold at society6.com/bilvyy/pillows for $20 each--as well.

Although I initially was a bit disappointed not to find Snake, Bluebear or Barold (my current favorite Animal Crossing villager) pillows, it appears Bilvy is willing to take requests, so maybe I should take her up on that offer sometime soon?

Bilvy also maintains an New Leaf-focused tumblr, willgrayhound. tumblr.com, and an art blog that's intriguingly titled "there is no gender in jumperland," by the way, so if you like what she did with the cushion designs seen above, you might want to give them a look, too.

Reed Bond's 'Pink Yoshi'

Remember the "Sexy Shy Guy" I wrote about a few days ago? (Check it out here if you don't.) Well, it appears it was part of some sort of concerted effort by the folks behind the Drawed Goods site to illustrate characters from the Super Mario Bros. universe.

Another of the pieces created as part of the aforementioned effort is the one seen below (and here):

It was made by Atlanta-based artist Reed Bond and is, in my humble opinion, the definition of "adorbs." (I'm especially fond of Yoshi's side-eye.)

To see more of Bond's work, hop on over to his tumblr--reedicule.tumblr.com--when you have a second. Also, I'd highly recommend checking out drawedgoods.com while you're at it.

A trio of terrific(ally gay) tumblrs

Last weekend, I promoted (by way of this post) one of the many tumblrs I tend to frequent. I thought I'd promote a few others today--namely, the trio of tumblrs operated by regular commenter Steve Pixel.

* F*CK YEAH CHO ANIKI!!!!!!!--As its name implies, the focus of this NSFW (not safe for work) tumblr is the series of Masaya/NCS Corp. shmups that feature scantily-clad muscle men and surreal imagery. Cho Aniki isn't its sole focus, though; it also includes GIFs, illustrations and screenshots of games, manga and anime that are stylistically similar to the Super Big Brother titles.

* Obscure Video Games--Although I love the aforementioned tumblr with all of my heart, I'd by lying if I said I preferred it to this one, which focuses on  GIFs, illustrations and screenshots of "weird old games that most people have forgotten." A good example: the crazy PC Engine cover art seen below, which has long been one of my favorites (due to the mustachioed, muscle-bound dude at its center, of course).

* Pixelboys--Last, but not least, is this tumblr, which focuses on male nudity in video games. As I'm sure you can tell by that description, it's completely NSFW--unless, of course, your workplace allows you to look at pixelated and polygonal penises and such.

So, there you have it--three more game-related tumblrs to check out next time you're in the mood for such things. If you know of any others that I should be aware of, by the way, please let me know about them in the comments section below.

Note: only two of the tumblrs discussed above are explicitly gay. Still, all three are quite terrific.

Sexy Shy Guy

I'm not entirely sure why, but awesome, Atlanta-based artist, Drew Green, recently decided to draw a "sexy Shy Guy."

I found it completely adorable when I came across it on Facebook, so of course I had to share it here.

To see more of Drew's work, be sure to check out his deviantart gallery and his Tumblr at your convenience.

Oh, and check out his wonderful comic, Ross Boston, too, if you're into that sort of thing.

'Let's have some fun with joysticks'

What does it say about me that the first thing I noticed about the following illustration is that the half-naked guy who I assume is supposed to serve as its focal point is playing what appears to be a PSone (one of my all-time favorite consoles)?

Of course, the guy in question isn't exactly "my type," so maybe that has something to do with it.

I discovered this image while perusing one of my favorite tumblrs, by the way--with that tumblr being Games With Boys.

Did you know that Justin Difazzio, aka the regular commenter formerly known as viewtifuljustin, is the proprietor of Games With Boys? Well, you do now.

FYI: The box art created for Ganbare Goemon Gaiden (and its follow-up) is freaking amazing

Don't believe me? Check out the following scan, which I recently grabbed from the similarly awesome markinjapan tumblog.

The first game is called Ganbare Goemon Gaiden: Kieta Ougon Kiseru, with the subtitle translating to something like "The Disappearance of the Golden Pipe," according to hardcoregaming101.net, while the second game's title is Ganbare Goemon Gaiden 2: Tenka no Zaihou (translated subtitle: "Treasures of the World"). Both are RPGs and were released for the Famicom in 1990 and 1992, respectively.



Although I've shied away from buying and playing untranslated Japanese-language RPGs since I attempted to work my way through the epic PC Engine-based adventure known as Tengai Makyō II: Manjimaru a few years ago, I may have to buck up and give these a go at some point, as the write-ups at hardcoregaming101.net make both of them sound (and look) pretty interesting.

See also: Other posts about box art

Hot for Professor

I came across the photo below--of a rather steamy Professor Layton--while perusing the Boy Culture blog's coverage of New York Comic Con 2012 the other day.

You're far from alone if a feeling of déjà vu washes over you while taking in said photo, by the way. Apparently the guy posing (literally) as the esteemed Hershel Layton has appeared as a shirtless, muscled version of every gamer's favorite professor at numerous conventions and related events over the last few years.

In related news, did you know that someone actually created "an aggregate tumblr for general Hawt Proffy [as in, Professor Layton] stuff"? Well, you do now--and you can find it at hotforprof.tumblr.com.

I just perused the first few pages of said tumblr (for research purposes only, I assure you) and I'm sad, er, I mean happy to report that none of the drawings, illustrations and other images that I came across were of the not-safe-for-work variety.

'What an awesome crotch'

A few days ago, I happened across the following illustration thanks to Tumblr user dizzybone (proprietor of the tumblog known as the laboratory).

The drawing caught my attention for two reasons: 1) it features the flame-haired protagonist of a rather awesome Mega CD/PC Engine/Super Famicom action-adventure game called Popful Mail, and 2) when the aforementioned tumblogger re-blogged it, he/she added the comment, "What an awesome crotch."

Which, of course, made me chuckle.

As for who is responsible for creating this lovely drawing: I don't know his/her exact name, sadly, but I can direct you to his/her Tumblr, SssHannah-Man.

The cutest Kirby drawing ever

I don't know if you're aware, but I've become a huge Kirby fan in the last year or two--ever since I played (and enjoyed the hell out of) Kirby's Epic Yarn. (Buy it here if you haven't already done so.)

As such, I practically melted in my seat when I came across the absolutely adorable illustration below while perusing the awesome Games With Boys tumblog a few days ago.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you who produced this wonderful drawing. I can tell you, though, where he/she first shared it: pixiv.net.

See also: More Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby's Return to Dream Land posts

And here I thought I had seen everything related to that ancient Billy Herrington meme

The always-fabulous Video Games Made Me Gay tumblog proved me wrong by highlighting the following video in a recent post:



I don't know about you, but I think it's a crying shame that no one ever took this idea and made it into a full-fledged racing game.

I mean, who wouldn't want to take control of a nearly naked Herrington as he rides his similarly muscular (and similarly lacking in clothing) bud in pursuit of ... whatever the hell it is they're chasing in the video above.

See also: 'Billy Herrington Tetris'

Yet another great gayming tumblog: Gay Geeks and Gaymers

As you can probably ascertain from its title, the Gay Geeks and Gaymers tumblog doesn't focus all of its attention on gaming.

That's no reason to ignore it, though, especially if you consider yourself to be a gaymer and/or a gay geek.

I mean, it's pretty likely guys (and probably a few gals, too) in both camps would enjoy the photo--of Captain America himself, actor Chris Evans, during some sort of 3DS event--above, which was recently shared (and likely drooled over) on said tumblog, don't you think?

For plenty more, er, gay geekery and gayming goodness, go to gaygeeksandgaymers.tumblr.com.

Queer pixels

One of my favorite gayming-related tumblogs, Video Games Made Me Gay, recently turned me on to a similarly themed (and similarly fabulous) tumblog called 48 Pixeles.

I'm not yet sure why it's called 48 Pixeles, to tell you the truth, but it really doesn't matter. What does matter: It shines a light on gay-positive illustrations that were created by the tumblog's proprietor (or is it proprietress?) by combing--and sometimes slightly editing--game sprites.

This Yie Ar Kung-Fu image perfectly exemplifies the content of this wonderfully fun--and totally gay--tumblog:

This Final Fantasy V-inspired illustration is pretty darn magnificent, too, don't you think?

I'm also quite fond of this Bomberman-inspired one:

Other games currently represented on 48 Pixeles: The Adventures of Link, Harvest Moon, Ice Climber, The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Ganbare Goemon), Maniac Mansion and Tetris.

See also: 'Another great gayming tumblog: Games With Boys' and 'Video games made him gay'

What's cuter than a couple of kissing gaymers?

A couple of kissing gaymers who are wearing Mario and Yoshi t-shirts (like the ones in the photo below), that's what.

Other than that, I don't suppose anyone knows where a gay, I mean a guy, like me can buy the Yoshi shirt worn in the photo above?

(Via videogamesmademegay.tumblr.com)

Famicommercials

I've rarely met a Japanese gaming commercial I didn't like. Retro ones, especially. I think it's because so many of them are equal parts earnest and, well, bat-shit crazy.

The one below, for the Famicom Disk System version of Metroid, is a good example, although it's definitely more serious than silly.



This ad was nabbed from the recently launched tumblog known as FC.CM ("a collection of commercials relating to the Nintendo Famicom"), by the way.

If you decide to pay it a visit (and I sincerely hope you will), be sure to check out the commercial for the Korean version of the Famicom/NES (called the Hyundai Comboy).