Happy (belated) 26th anniversary, Final Fantasy IV!

Although I recently singled out Final Fantasy V as one of the 10 titles that most shaped my taste in video games (read this post for more of my thoughts on the matter), that doesn't mean I dislike its 1991 predecessor.

On the contrary, I adore Final Fantasy IV nearly as much as I adore Final Fantasy V. The former's characters, graphics and soundtrack all blew me away when the game originally landed on store shelves 26 years ago--nearly to the day, if we're talking about the Japanese release--and they continue to have a special place in my heart today.

Going back a bit, though, can you believe Final Fantasy IV first saw the light of day 26 whole years ago? Actually, I can believe it, as it definitely feels like it's been ages since I was 15. (That's how old I was when the game hit the streets in my neck of the woods.)

Illustration by bykillt

That said, I remember tackling Final Fantasy IV for the first time like it was yesterday. The SNES my older brother and I shared was set up in the lower level of our childhood home, attached to a tiny color TV our parents bought us for Christmas a few years earlier. (Granted, it was quite the improvement from the even smaller black-and-white television we previously used to play our stack of NES carts.) As we did with most games back then, my brother and I huddled in front of the aforementioned monitor and slowly but surely made our way through Final Fantasy IV as a team. One of us would play for a few hours--with more than a bit of verbal assistance, of course--and then hand the controller to the other so he could do the same.

My fondest memories of that initial experience (spoiler alert!): being introduced to Rydia and her summoning skills, climbing Mt. Ordeals so Cecil could become a Paladin, Palom and Porom sacrificing themselves, and journeying to the moon to defeat Zeromus and save the planet.

What are your most cherished memories associated with Final Fantasy IV? Also, which version of the game do you like best? (I personally prefer the original release, though I'm also pretty fond of the DS remake.)

See also: previous posts about Dōbutsu no Mori's 15th anniversary, the GameBoy Advance's 15th anniversary, the GameBoy's 28th anniversary, the SNES' 25th anniversary, Sega's 56th anniversary and Taito's 63rd anniversary

EarthBound on the brain

You know what I'd like to play on my 3DS sometime soon? No, not Fantasy Life--although I'll definitely be ripping into this role-playing game's packaging and popping its cartridge into my pink-and-white XL as soon as it arrives on my doorstep late next month.

In fact, the game that's currently topping my 3DS wish list isn't even a retail release; rather, it's a digital one--or it would be this time around.

As for which digital title I'm talking about: it's EarthBound--although I kind of gave that away in the header above, didn't I?

In any case, why has Nintendo made its classic RPG available to folks who own a Wii U but not to those who own a 3DS? I have no idea, but I hope they rectify the situation in the near future.

While all of us Wii U-less EarthBound fans wait for that to happen, we may as well content ourselves by ogling the following pair of illustrations that were inspired by this Shigesato Itoi-made masterpiece.

This first piece was produced by Orioto and is called "Night Visitor." (See it in all its original glory here.)

The colorful creation above ("Psychic Kids"), on the other hand, was concocted by Ry-Spirit. (Take a closer look at it here.)

See also: 'Thanks to my recently completed EarthBound playthrough, I can't get this tune out of my head'

'Sweet dream' indeed ...

I don't know about you, but I haven't run into many examples of NSFW-ish fan art devoted to Nintendo's pugilistic Punch-Out!! series over the years--which, in my humble opinion, is a crying shame.

Sadly, the piece of saucy fan art below (titled "Sweet Dream") doesn't include Little Mac, but it's so appealing even without his presence that I won't spend too much time complaining about the oversight.

This drawing was produced by the hand of artist Pauli Kohberger (aka madamluna), by the way. To see more of her stuff, check out her deviantart gallery (which contains a number of additional Punch-Out!!-inspired pieces) or her site, Electric Stories.

See also: 'Kirby and Meta Knight en fleur'

If I weren't already married, I'd want to marry the person who created this 'DENPA' MEN 3DS XL skin

Ot at least I think it's just a skin--as opposed to a 3DS XL (or 3DS LL, if that's how you roll) system that's literally been covered in THE "DENPA" MEN graffiti.

Regardless, it's a beauty, isn't it?

As far as I can tell, it was created by someone who goes by the handle "detteiu9" on Twitter.

He or she also has a pixiv account and is known as Teu (てう) on that site.

A handful of completely adorable "DENPA" MEN-inspired pieces of fan art can be found on Teu's pixiv page, by the way, so I'd highly recommend checking it out if you're even half as interested in this series as I am.

(Via photozou.jp by way of gonintendo.com)

Awesome thing that's on my radar (and that should be on yours, too): Animal Crosszine

I first heard about the Animal Crosszine after randomly coming across a tweet by the esteemable Jake Lawrence--who revealed in said tweet that he was working on a submission for this forthcoming Animal Crossing-focused 'zine.



Co-editors Meghan Lands and Justin Woo are pushing for their publication--which they say will be "comprised of comics, stories and fan art celebrating Animal Crossing"--to be in readers' hands by Animal Crossing: New Leaf’s North American release date (June 9).

In the meantime, feast your eyes on a colorized excerpt of Lawrence's contribution (below--taken from the Timecowboy! tumblr) and Daniel Bressette's similarly awesome "Tom Nook cut-out" concoction that can be found over at tinycartridge.com.



For more information on Animal Crosszine, check out its official tumblr at animalcrosszine.tumblr.com.

I want Animal Crossing 3DS baaaaaaadly

Ever since the Animal Crossing-branded 3DS LL was announced for Japanese release (alongside the game on Nov. 8) and the Tobidase Dōbutsu no Mori-focused Nintendo Direct was broadcast (on Oct. 5), I've spent more time than I'd like to admit daydreaming about the next entry in this adorable, world-conquering series.

As if that weren't bad enough, I'm so obsessed with the game right now that I've even taken to sites like deviantART in search of Animal Crossing-inspired illustrations.

The first piece of such fan art that I came across is the one you see above (and here), which features Cheri, a bear cub who only appeared in the first Animal Crossing, and Chevre, a Francophonic goat who has been featured in every Animal Crossing title thus far.

It was created by Japanese artist who goes by "Marys-Lamb" by the way. Also, it prompted the punny headline above.

I also came across a few holiday-themed illustrations that were inspired by Animal Crossing, including the one above (conjured up by Thai artist DC9spot).

This effort, produced by US-based artist Rin, caught my eye, too:

Sigh. The next few months are going to be tough for those of us waiting for non-Japanese versions of this game, aren't they?

I can't quite put my finger on it, Link, but there's something different about you these days!

Oh, wait, I know what it is! It's the facial hair, right? Yeah, that must be it...

Anyway, I can't say I'd like to play a version of The Legend of Zelda that features such a sinewy Link, but I don't have any qualms with looking at fan art that depicts the Hyrulian legend in such a fashion.

To see more of Chilean artist Gonzalo Ordóñez Arias' work, check out his deviantART gallery at your earliest convenience.

Ashley Davis' anti-Mario, pro-Hudson tumblog

I like Mario, Metroid, Pokemon and Zelda fan art as much as the next guy, but I also like fan art that looks to other, less-appreciated games and game characters for inspiration.

Which is why I'll be visiting artist Ashley Davis' new tumblog No Marios Allowed!! on the regular from here on out--or as long as she continues to update it. My visits will be especially regular as long as Davis is in a Hudson kind of mood. (She says she's going to focus on the now-defunct company's games for a while "because their games are so good but have such a small presence on Tumblr.")

Thus far, Davis has turned her attention and talent toward Hudson's Bomberman and Bonk (PC Genjin) franchises. Will we eventually see her take on Adventure Island, Milon's Secret Castle and Tengai Makyou (Far East of Eden), too? I sure hope so.

(Via tinycartridge.com)

'All you do is blow a whistle and watch them die'

The quote in the headline above is a pretty apt description of the following, rather dark piece of Pikmin-inspired fan art, produced by deviantartist Fenryk, don't you think?

Speaking of Pikmin, I don't know about you, but I was a bit disappointed when I heard that Shigeru Miyamoto said, during the recent E3 event in Los Angeles, that the much-anticipated Pikmin 3 will be released for the Wii U and not the Wii. I know the Wii is all but dead at this point (thanks in no small part to Nintendo's lack of software support), but a third Pikmin title would have made for a fine swan song for the system.

Oh, well, at least this means we'll get to see Captain Olimar and his precious, plant-like companions in HD sooner rather than later.

Buy: New Play Control! Pikmin