Aural Gratification #4: 'Snowy Fields' from Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)

I was reminded of this wonderfully wintry track when my friend Anne recently sent out a tweet about a similarly seasonal tune from Yoshi's Woolly World.

The reminder was much appreciated, as both "Snowy Fields" and Kirby's Epic Yarn have long had a special place in my heart.

Not only did I declare the latter my favorite Wii game of 2010, but I now work my way through it every year in the run up to the holidays.



Why? The game's "Snow Land" is a major reason, of course, but the rest of Epic Yarn's many worlds play a role, too. After all, each and every one of them look (and sound) like they sprang out of a child's toy chest.

Plus, the whole adventure evokes that same wide-eyed feeling of wonderment and awe that washed over me as a kid after I woke up on Christmas morning and first caught a glimpse of the brightly wrapped presents under our tree.

Do any of you also have fond memories of Kirby's Epic Yarn? If so, please share them in the comments section that follows.

See also: previous 'Aural Gratification' posts

All I want for Christmas is ...

Well, it's that time of year again--if you celebrate Christmas or any of the other "winter holidays" in some form or fashion, of course.

I do, although not in a religious sense, which means I've been forced--yes, forced, I tell you!--to come up with a list of potential presents for a select few people in my life.

Here are the gaming-related gifts that made it onto my list this year, in case any of you are curious:

16GB memory card for Vita--When I bought my pink-and-white Vita early this year, I was so excited about it that I completely ignored the fact that the system comes with just one GB of internal storage memory. In other words, I've barely bought any digital titles since March. Or, rather, I've bought some, but I can't play them because I don't have enough room on my Vita to download them. So, this may be the present--game-related or not--that I want the most this holiday season.

Kiki Kaikai (PC Engine)--I have kind of a weird history with this Taito-made, Japanese-folklore-themed run-and-gun game. When I first played it a few years back, it made me turn up my nose in disgust. To say the game looks a bit bland is an understatement of nearly criminal proportions. Plus, it's tough as nails--and in this case, I don't mean that in a good way. Over time, though, Kiki Kaikai's grown on me--to the point that I'm now chomping at the bit to own a complete-in-box copy of it.

One of these Japanese 3DS cover plates--Full disclosure: I already own three cover plates for the New 3DS I imported a couple of months ago. I tend to think of these cover plates like I think of my precious baseball caps, though--in other words, I want one for every outfit and every occasion. Which should go a long way toward explaining why I long to own both this pink-and-white striped one and this watermelon-inspired one.

Pink Yarn Yoshi amiibo--Would you believe I don't own a single amiibo figure? Hell, I wouldn't believe it if I weren't me. (Does that even make sense?) After all, I just admitted that I'm gaga over Nintendo's New 3DS cover plates, and I admitted last week that I can't be trusted when it comes to that same company's Nintendo Badge Arcade app. For whatever reason, though, I've yet to be bitten by the amiibo bug. That said, I find the pink Yarn Yoshi ones to be the definition of adorable.

Steins;Gate (Vita)--It is with great shame that I reveal I never pre-ordered this game as I promised in the lead up to its release. Actually, that's not true. I did order it, but I later canceled it when I discovered I'd overextended my gaming budget a bit and had to scale things back a bit. I still very much want to experience this highly acclaimed visual novel, though, so even if my parents or husband fail to put a copy under the tree for me, I'll buy one for myself in the days or weeks that follow.

So, those are the gaming-related items I've included in my holiday wish list. What are all of you asking your loved ones for this season?

I also got this adorable 'Pupupu Friends' 3DS XL pouch for Christmas

So, the copy of Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley I chatted about yesterday isn't the only game-related present I received this holiday season. I also got the following 3DS case from my sneaky sister-in-law.

I'm calling her sneaky, by the way, because she figured out I wanted it by reading the "All I want for Christmas is..." post I published a few weeks back. (I honestly didn't realize until Wednesday that she occasionally checks out my blog.)



Anyway, this Kirby-themed case is pretty sweet, don't you think? And not only is its exterior the definition of adorable, but its interior is nicely cushioned and includes a couple of pockets for DS or 3DS carts.

Even better than either of those attributes, though, is that it perfectly complements my pink-and-white 3DS XL system--as should be evident for all to see in the photo below.



Now I just have to find a case or pouch that can be used to protect and carry my gold Pokémon Center 3DS LL. I've been considering this cute Monster Hunter airu one for ages now. What do you think?

Also, what kind of gaming-related gifts did all of you get this holiday season? Spill the beans in the comments section below--if you're willing to share, I mean.

Santa Claus brought me a copy of Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley, and I'm going to play it despite shidoshi's warnings against it

I've been curious about Natsume's homegrown take on the ages-old Harvest Moon series since it was announced earlier this year.

There were all sorts of reasons even then to give this recently released 3DS game a pass, with the Nintendo 64-esque visuals and the fact that it was being made internally rather than by series creator Yasuhiro Wada and the folks at Marvelous being the most noteworthy.

Still, I wanted it. So, I included it on my birthday wish list--and then, when I failed to get it for my birthday (I got Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call instead), I moved it over to my Christmas wish list.

Considering it was the only game I named on said list, I really shouldn't have been surprised to find it was among the Christmas gifts my parents sent to me, but I was.

Sadly, but not shockingly, I've yet to even start The Lost Valley. That's mainly because I'm still busying myself with three of the games mentioned in my last post (Fantasy Life, Slime MoriMori Dragon Quest 3 and Woah Dave!), but I'm planning to dial back my playtime with those titles over the next few days so I can find for myself if Natsume's effort is as crappy as everyone--including my podcast mate, shidoshi--says it is, or if it has even a couple of redeemable qualities.

I'll let you know either way in my next installment of "Shall We Do It?" In the meantime, are any of you playing Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley? If so, what do you think about it?

Christmas comes early thanks to Justin Difazzio

Remember how, a couple of weeks ago, I devoted an entire post to the game-related items on my holiday wish list? (If not, you can read it here.)

The first blurb in that post focused on the handful of Japanese and North American DS titles I'd love to get as gifts--with Okamiden being one of the games in question.

Long-time reader and commenter Justin Difazzio apparently decided that particular portion of my list was aimed at him, as he promptly mailed his completed-and-now-just-collecting-dust copy of Capcom's portable sequel to Okami to me.



The copy in question arrived on our doorstep on Friday afternoon. Justin even wrapped the darn thing (see above) in some snazzy paper and included a rather adorable card inside the same package.



Here's a shot of the game in its unwrapped state. I'd kind of forgotten how nice its box art is. (Its Japanese box art is nice, too.)

I haven't started playing it yet, but I'll get to it shortly. (As soon as I wrap up Fantasy Life, which should happen in the next few days.)

In the meantime, I'd like to offer a heartfelt "thank you" to Justin for sending this wonderful (early) Christmas present and for being an overall awesome guy.

All I want for Christmas is ...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. OK, so that isn't completely true here in Seattle, although we did get a dusting of snow over the weekend. (A rarity here, I assure you.)

Still, it certainly feels like Christmas here, or it's starting to feel like it. As such, I can't stop thinking about my holiday "wish list"--which is kind of funny, as I'm sure to get a small handful of presents from my parents this year and that's about much it. (That's not a complaint, mind you. I'm just pointing out how things work in my family circle at this point in time. And given that, producing a "wish list," as I've done here, is kind of pointless.)

You don't really need to know the details of my family's gift-giving traditions, though, do you? No, you do not. So, let's push all of that to the side and get to the contents of my kinda-sorta holiday wish list:

1. A couple of Japanese and North American DS games--Which ones? Here are a few of the DS games I'd love to add to my ever-growing collection: the first Ace Attorney title, Final Fantasy Tactics A2, Ghost Trick and Okamiden. As for Japanese releases, the ones currently topping my "obtain as soon as humanly possible" list include Dig Dug: Digging Strike, Nanashi no Game and Ni no Kuni.



2. Cyber Neko-Nyan silicon cover for 3DS LL/XL--I've wanted one of these suckers ever since the guys over at Tiny Cartridge first mentioned them in a post. Specifically, I want the pink one for my pink-and-white (North American) 3DS XL and the tortoiseshell one (above) for my black-and-gold Pokémon Center (Japanese) 3DS LL.



3. Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley--Although I love that my parents got me a copy of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call for my birthday, if I'm allowed to be completely honest, I kind of wished they'd gotten me this 3DS game instead, as I've been curious about it since the first screenshots of it popped up months ago. Oh, well, that's what wish lists like this are for, right?



4. "Kirby Taikoushin" hard cover--Yep, another 3DS LL/XL accessory. I'm kind of hesitant to ask for this one, though, as I'm worried that attaching it to, or removing it from, my system may scratch its surface. Still, I'm willing to risk that thanks to the overwhelmingly adorable design of this particular "hard cover." (I especially like the message on the bottom lid: "Pink. Puffy. Powerful.")



5. "Kirby Friends" soft pouch--Isn't this just the cutest thing? Seriously, it's so cute it makes me want to barf--and I mean that in the most positive way possible. Another reason I want one of these beauties (which can be bought here): I just know my pink-and-white 3DS XL would feel right at home tucked inside of it.



6. Light pink/white PS Vita--If I'm going to get a Vita, it's got to be the pink-tastic version showcased above. Sadly, it's only available in Japan at the moment (and is unlikely to ever see an official release in North America), but that's not as unfortunate as it sounds given the strength of the dollar--in comparison to the yen, at least--right now.

Now that I've had my say, which systems, games or even game-related items are you hoping to receive from your loved ones this holiday season?

All I want after Christmas is ...

One of my blogging buds, Minee, recently published her holiday wish list on her site, Vast Sea of Games, and then asked her readers to share theirs in its comments section. I liked the idea and thought it might be nice to do something similar here--and then I realized I'm not really asking for anything gaming-related for Christmas.

I'm sure that sounds kind of strange given my usual proclivities, but there's a good reason for it: the only people in my life who give me Christmas presents at this point are my parents, and they tend to give me (along with my brother and our spouses) small gifts and a nice amount of cash rather than larger gifts such as game systems and the like.

Will I be buying any systems or games with this impending holiday haul? Of course! In fact, I've already got my eyes on a few potential purchases, including the following:

Zoo Keeper 3D--I have a feeling I'm a member of a very small (and, let's face it, very odd) club of gamers thanks to my interest in this Japan-only 3DS title. What can I say? I love the GameBoy Advance version of the game (called Zooo, strangely enough) and also quite like the DS iteration, so I'd like to try this one, too.

Possibly one or more import-only DS games--Which ones, you ask? 7th Dragon (above) is one. Nora to Koku no Koubou: Kiri no Mori no Majo (aka Noora and the Time Studio: The Witch of the Misty Forest) is another. Oh, and Maestro! Jump in Music, too--which is a Europe-only DS release, strangely enough.

Definitely an obscure GameBoy title or two--In fact, it's extremely possible I'll forego all of the above and blow my entire wad on obscure (and mostly Japanese) GameBoy titles, like the one pictured above. That is how obsessed I am with this 24-year-old handheld at the moment.

Although there's a chance I'll spend my Christmas cash on something else--don't be too shocked if a Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color or PSP game enter the fray, for example--the best bet is that you'll see a few posts focused on one or more of the above once the holidays are over.

Now that I've had my say, what gaming-related presents are all of you hoping to receive from your loved ones (or, like me, buy for yourself) this gift-giving season?

Anyone up for a few more QR codes of Animal Crossing: New Leaf Christmas clothing designs?

As if one post packed full of holiday clothing designs for Animal Crossing: New Leaf wasn't enough, right?

Actually, I like the ones featured here a bit more than the ones highlighted in my last post--"Is it too early for me to post QR codes of Animal Crossing: New Leaf Christmas sweater designs?"--on the same subject. They're more fun and creative--or at least I think they are.

The first of the bunch (below) was inspired by Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, obviously.



Now that I think about it, three of the four designs shared here incorporate reindeer--including the next one, which was inspired by those ugly Christmas sweaters that are all the rage these days.



I stole the reindeer "sprites" from this old Animal Crossing: Wild World pattern, by the way.



And then there's the shirt above, which is supposed to depict that iconic moment when Santa and his sleigh (and reindeer) are seen soaring above the rooftops (the gray triangles at the bottom of this particular design) courtesy of the shining moon.

By the way, I seriously considered creating a shirt design that depicted "Santa coming" in a more straightforward and direct manner, but in the end I decided against it. (Drat, right?)

Finally, we have the "Holly Dress," above. It would make a pretty terrific pair when combined with the "Xmas Tree Dress" I shared here, don't you think?

All of the above-mentioned designs were developed in Arbor, my "alt" New Leaf town, by the way. (Ardenne is its mayor.) Should you ever want to pay it a visit, feel free to do so using this Dream Code: 5300-3135-3333.

See also: 'Is it too early for me to post QR codes of Animal Crossing: New Leaf Christmas sweater designs?'

I'd love to receive one of these Animal Crossing 3DS XL cases for Christmas (hint, hint)

Don't worry readers, the "hint, hint" in the header above isn't meant for any of you.  It's meant for my husband. Or my parents. Or my sister-in-law.

Basically, anyone who typically buys me a gift or two for Christmas.

Unfortunately for me, none of the above-mentioned folks read this blog with any regularity (if at all), so I'm keeping my expectations low.

Still, I think the snazzy Animal Crossing 3DS XL case shown above is well worth sharing here--especially if it (or one like it) ends up in your possession after this season's holidays.

This particular case was made by etsy seller PaisleyMouseHandmade, by the way, and it can be bought here for just $20.

Green not really your color? No worries, PaisleyMouseHandmade is willing to customize orders--to a point, I'm guessing. Although who knows? Maybe she'd actually make me a rainbow-patterned one if I asked really nicely.

Actually, I think I'd prefer something a little more subdued--like the brown-and-blue 3DS XL case above with an Animal Crossing logo attached to it--but that's just me.

Is it too early for me to post QR codes of Animal Crossing: New Leaf Christmas sweater designs?

I know the answer's a resounding yes, but I'm going to share them here anyway. After all, winter and its related holidays are just around the corner, so even if now isn't the time, it will be soon enough.

Not all of the following QR codes (you'll likely want to click and enlarge them before scanning) are of Christmas sweater designs, by the way. One is simply a long-sleeved shirt, one is a sweatshirt and one is a short-sleeved dress. I also made an autumnal coat that could be worn by those who turn their noses up at tacky holiday clothing.



The "Santa KK sweater" above is my favorite of the designs I conjured up, of course. It's also by far the most elaborate.



The candy cane sweater, on the other hand, is quite a bit more subdued, although its red-and-white piping gives it a smidge of seasonal whimsy.



You can't have winter garments without one of them being branded with a snowman, right? The one above does double duty by also featuring s pair of gaudily wrapped presents.



Here we have a rather plain sweater that's been perked up with a prettily decorated tree. (Note: this is the one I most want my villagers to wear in the coming handful of weeks.)



The wreath sweater above caused you to nod off, didn't it? Don't lie. I understand. Really, I only made this one to better cover both the color and holiday spectrum.



I made the "Xmas tree dress" above, though, for Aino, the mayor of my main New Leaf town. She hasn't worn it yet, but you can bet your butt she will right after the first snowfall hits the ground in Animachi.



Finally, we have the autumnal coat I mentioned at the start of this post. It would look rather classy paired with a brown beret, don't you think? And maybe some colorful pumps?

Have any of you designed any festive clothes for the upcoming holidays? If so, feel free to share links to photos or QR codes of them in the comments section below.

See also: previous posts featuring Animal Crossing: New Leaf QR codes

I'm pretty sure our Christmas tree *needs* one of these ornaments

I know it's a little early to be talking about Christmas or any of the other upcoming winter holidays, but I think you'll forgive me for doing so once you lay your eyes on the Christmas-y thing about which I want to talk.

Showcased in the photo below is a GameBoy ornament (or keychain, if you prefer) that's currently being sold by Canadian fiber artist Michelle Coffee via her etsy shop.



A single 2.5-inch-by-3.25-inch ornament will set you back just over $12 (not including shipping, it seems)--which really isn't too much when you consider the, er, adorableness it'll add to your tree or wreath this holiday season.

See also: 'Kirby in process'

What gaming-related gifts did you get?

With Christmas and the rest of the season's gift-giving holidays now behind us (or nearly behind us, since Kwanzaa just started) what gaming-related presents did all of you get?

I received just two gaming-related gifts this year, but one of them was a doozy: A "flame red" 3DS. (The other was a copy of Super Mario 3D Land. Read about it and the 3DS in yesterday's final "12 Games of Christmas" post.) You can bet I'll be spending some quality time with both of them today as the hubs and I fly back to Seattle.

I'll share all of my 3DS details--mainly my friend code, or whatever Nintendo's calling it this time around--shortly after we get home.

In the meantime, tell me in the comments section below what gaming-related gifts, if any, you received from your loved ones!

The 12 Games of Christmas

What do you do after you buy and/or receive as gifts a crapload of games between your birthday (which comes just after Thanksgiving) and Christmas? If you're me, you take photos of said games and then share them in a series of posts called "The 12 Games of Christmas."

The first of these posts will be published tomorrow morning. Another such post will be published on Thursday morning and then another will be published on Friday morning and so on and so forth until Christmas day.

Although I'm calling this series "The 12 Games of Christmas," don't look for that title when searching for the above-mentioned posts. Instead, look for headlines like, "For the first game of Christmas, the UPS man brought to me..."

The games that will be highlighted in this series cover the gamut, by the way. Some of them are Japanese and some are North American, for instance. Also, some of them are older (yes, a few of them are Famicom and PC Engine games) and some are newer.

Anyway, tune in tomorrow to see the first one! And then, if you're at all interested, keep tuning in every day (yes, even over the weekend) until Christmas.

Mario Kart 7 or Super Mario 3D Land?

A question to all of you who have played both Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land: Which 3DS game do you think I should buy first?

Don't worry, I intend to own both of them at some point, but at the moment I'm planning to buy just one of them between Christmas and, say, the end of January (assuming I can hold out that long).

As for which way I'm currently leaning: Super Mario 3D Land seems like the better bet as a "first game," given its single-player focus. That said, Mario Kart 7's online multiplayer modes sound awfully appealing, too.

Oh, hell, maybe I'll just get them both at the same time. Should I cave at the last minute, though, I'd greatly appreciate hearing which of the two above-mentioned games all of you would buy first if you were me.

I'm dreaming of a DSi-enhanced Christmas

Before anyone asks: No, I'm not dreaming of getting a DSi for Christmas. That would be a bit strange, don't you think? Especially since I've been pining for a 3DS for so long.

No, the headline above has to do with the trio of holiday-themed drawings artist and musician Billy Polard created using his DSi (and a copy of Nintendo's Art Academy).

My favorite of the bunch is Polard's depiction of Yukon Cornelius (from my all-time favorite Christmas movie, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"):



That said, his spot-on renditions of The Grinch (see it here) and Frosty the Snowman (here) are nothing to sneeze at.

Sadly, I've yet to "play" my own copy of Art Academy for even a few minutes. Maybe I'll finally do so over the holidays.

What's on your holiday wish list?

With Thanksgiving in the rear-view mirror, it's time to look forward to all of the gift-giving and gift-receiving holidays that dot the December page on the calendar like so many pieces of candy on a gingerbread house.

Speaking of gifts, what gaming-related ones are you hoping to receive from the fat man in the red suit (or whoever presides over your winter holiday of choice) this season?

Surprisingly, my wish list contains just one item at the moment: A 3DS.



A red 3DS like the one above, in particular. I know I've spent a lot of time whining here and on Twitter about wanting a pink one--and only a pink one--but it's now quite clear that the pink 3DS that's already available in Europe and Japan isn't going to be released in North America anytime soon and, frankly, my desire to obtain a 3DS, any 3DS, by the end of 2011 currently outweighs my desire to own a pink 3DS at some future point in time.

Anyway, the point of this post wasn't to share my holiday wish list; it was to ask about all of yours. So, have at it!

It's like a bad Christmas sweater, but better

I can't remember with any certainty the last time I owned any kind of Christmas sweater, be it of the bad or good (is there such a thing?) variety, but I think it was back when I was a pre-teen and I think it (the sweater) had reindeers sashaying across the chest.

Well, I'd proudly own (and even wear) one again if said sweater used the t-shirt design below, created by Tim Shumate and called "8Bit Christmas," as a source of inspiration.



As a t-shirt, though, I'm not sure what I think about it. Oh, it's creative and interesting and all that, but I honestly couldn't see myself buying it and wearing it around town. How about you?

(Via gonintendo.com)

A pixelated present

My sister-in-law, Jan Schowengerdt, made me and my husband (her brother, duh) the following painting--which she calls "Digital Cherries," appropriately enough--for Christmas:

At first I thought she had pulled a sprite from Mickey Mousecapade, à la Ashley Anderson, but it seems that's not the case. Rather, she found an image of two cherries on line, altered it, pixelated it and then used it as a reference while she recreated it (using acrylic paint) on a pencil-drawn grid.

Anyway, isn't it cool? We're going to hang it in our kitchen as soon as my husband can get around to it. (He's handy like that.)

Go here (and here) for a clearer and closer look at these "Digital Cherries."

You can handle one more holiday-themed post, right?

Thanks to reader Starfighter for pointing out the following Christmas tree, which apparently resides (or resided) in a home owned by a PC Engine or TurboGrafx-16 fan.

Now that we have a Famicom-inspired tree (see this post) and a PC-Engine-inspired tree, all we need is some sort of Sega-inspired tree to complete the trifecta.

One last time: Happy holidays!

The message above isn't from me, by the way; It's from Santa Mario (below).

Sorry, I've had too much spiked egg nog. Anyway, I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas day/weekend!

See also: 'Have a Merry Mario Christmas'