'Dreamy Mushroom Munchers'

Sorry for the art inundation as of late. I guess I've just been in an artsy kind of mood. (Another possibility: the headlong sprint into winter--here in Seattle, at least--has temporarily sapped me of the energy that's usually reserved for writing blog posts.)

Anyway, the focus of this particular art-centric post is the following illustration, created by a deviantartist who calls himself "Luce in the Sky."



The piece's title is "Dreamy Mushroom Munchers," appropriately enough, and it was produced in honor of Luigi's 30th anniversary.

To see more of Luce in the Sky's stuff, check out his deviantart gallery or his brand new (and as such still sparsely populated) tumblr.

For anyone who cares, a small sample of my favorite Animal Crossing: New Leaf QR codes

After spending just about a month and a half with Animal Crossing: New Leaf, I'm finally at a place where I'm pretty darn happy with the look of my town. As such, I thought I'd take a moment today to share some of the QR codes I've put to use while developing Animachi.

For instance, here's the path design that twists and turns its way around my humble borough:





(I found it while perusing the wonderful merongcrossing.tumblr.com, by the way.)

I considered using the following design instead, but in the end I preferred the more natural look of the one above.



That said, if I ever buy another copy of this game (a distinct possibility given the number of 3DSes in my possession at the moment), I may finally put it to use.



I also like the path design shown above, but I've been unable to find a QR code of it anywhere. (FYI: QR codes for the "little boats on water" pattern can be found here.)

Those of you who have visited Animachi in person or via its Dream Address (5600-2252-0337) likely have encountered the adorable Isabelle "photo face board" that sits just a hop, skip and a jump away from the town's Re-Tail shop.



It was nabbed from soeurs-doigts-de-fee.skyrock.com, in case any of you would like to know where I first came across it.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the fabulously fungal pattern that covers the walls of my main character's (Mayor Aino) cozy study.



It was produced by Pixiv illustrator Meyu, by the way, and I was turned onto it by my pal Anne (of chic-pixel.com).

If any of you have favorite New Leaf QR codes you'd like to introduce me to, please feel free to do so in the comments section below.

See also: 'Aino's (and Bryan's) Adventures in Animachi'

Super Dead Mario

I love pretty much every aspect of the following piece of art, produced by the always creative Oskunk, but my favorite part, it has to be said, is the mushroom with the X-ed out eyes in the lower-left corner.



To see some more of Oskunk's wicked (I mean that both literally and figuratively) creations, check out his Flickr photostream and/or his blog, Custom Art.

Kind of embarrassing admission: Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku is my most-anticipated 3DS title at the moment

Oh, and in case you didn't already know it, Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku is a match-three spin-off of Beeworks' Touch Detective series of portable point-and-click games.

As for why I'm looking forward to this Japanese 3DS title as much as I am at the moment: for the last week or so I've spent more time than I'd like to admit playing (what I'm pretty sure is) the Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku demo that can be found at mg.success-corp.co.jp.



I know what some of you are thinking after watching the trailer above: isn't it just a Zoo Keeper clone with a few added bells and whistles? Yes, but that's OK with me, as I've long been a fan of that puzzler's gameplay.

Plus, you can't go wrong with all of the cute-as-buttons--not to mention penile-esque--Funghi characters  that are packed into Osawari Tantei Nameko Daihanshoku. (My current favorite: the fuzzy pink ones.)