I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm so obsessed with Miitopia that I've got to quit it cold turkey

It isn't often that I find myself having to quit a game cold turkey to escape its clutches and move on to other titles.

In fact, the only games that put me in that awkward position before Miitopia were Animal Crossing (all of them) and Pocket Card Jockey.

Oh, and maybe Tomodachi Life.

Considering Miitopia shares a bit of Tomodachi Life's DNA, I guess I should have seen this current bout of obsession coming.

Instead, before I bought it, I imagined I'd traipse through Miitopia in a breezy 20 or 30 hours and then turn my attention to all of the Switch games that are piling up in front of me.

Well, I blew past the 30-hour mark some time ago. This weekend, I blew past the 70-hour mark.

To say Miitopia is one of those games that regularly prompts you to say, "just one more level," may be the understatement of the year.



Here, it's not simply about beating more more level; it's also about leveling up your party members one more time, or unlocking one more weapon or outfit, or wrapping up one more post-game quest.

Every time I think I'm satisfied with where I'm at or what I've accomplished, another outfit, weapon, or quest pops up to entice me to play for a few more minutes. And of course those "few more minutes" almost always stretch out to 30 and beyond.

I'd be fine with that if I thought the end was near, but I have a feeling it's not. As things stand, I'm pretty sure I could put at least another 30 hours into the game, and that's assuming I find a way to ignore the three post-game quests Miitopia offers up each day (after you've beaten its main campaign).

So, rather than spend the next week or two finishing Miitopia's last real chunk of content, I'm going to put it on the back burner--perhaps for good, perhaps nots--and turn my attention to the many Switch and Vita games I've been itching to play since early last month.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation like this, by the way--where you were so obsessed with a game you had to yank yourself away from it? If so, please share your story in the comments section below.

FYI: I'm quickly becoming obsessed with the GameCube

Granted, it's really damn easy to fall head over heels in love with Nintendo's fourth console thanks to the adorable form factor of its hardware. Also, the packaging of the system's Japanese games is beyond precious.

Speaking of which, the latter is what's prompted me to regain interest in the GameCube in recent weeks.

What do I mean? Well, after spending time with Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits last month,  I decided to get off my lazy butt and buy Mr. Driller: Drill Land as well.

In case you weren't aware, Drill Land's box art is pretty darn nice. Just as nice, though, is its overall package, which is a lot smaller and cuter than you might think (about the size of a Japanese GBA game box, although thinner). Plus, the little cardboard sleeve that covers and protects the plastic case beneath is a nice change of pace from the bulky DVD cases publishers have used since the PS2 hit the streets all those years ago.

Anyway, that single purchase spurred me to pick up a few more Japanese GameCube titles as well--all of which I'll of course chat about in future blog posts.

I'm also seriously considering finally picking up an "orange spice" Japanese GameCube system sometime in 2016. Not only have I wanted to own one for ages, but making it happen now (or soon) would allow me to play all of these recently acquired games in style, wouldn't you agree?

That may be just what I need to finally get behind this "failed" console. After all, I've hardly been its biggest fan over the years.

I don't know if I've ever shared this here, but I'm surprisingly inexperienced--given my overall love of Nintendo games and hardware--with the GameCube.

I waited a good couple of years before I bought one, and even then it was only because the console was $99 and because I felt a desperate need to experience the weird life sim, Animal Crossing, for myself. (The latter also was on sale at the time, thanks to it being one of the company's rare "Player's Choice" offerings.)

I purchased a few other GameCube titles afterward--The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Mario Power Tennis and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door among them--but once I was done with them, I moved on to other systems and rarely looked back. (Animal Crossing has been the one exception, naturally.)

So, this will effectively be my "second chance" with this sixth-generation console--and believe me, I intend to make the most of it.

What do all of you think of the GameCube, by the way? Do you like the system and its catalog of games, or is it a console that's never really done much for you?

The Nintendo Power article that's responsible for my interest in Japanese culture and video games

Here's a piece of news that should shock no one who has visited this blog on a somewhat regular basis: I've been interested in--some would say obsessed with--Japanese culture and video games for a very long time.

How long? According to the filled-out-but-never-turned-in "Player's Poll" I just found in my well-worn copy of Nintendo Power's premiere (July/August 1988) issue, the answer is 26 years. (On the above-mentioned poll, I listed my age as 11.)

As for what the first issue of Nintendo Power has to do with all of this, well, if memory serves, the article above--which I just scanned from said issue--is what prompted me to fall in love with the Land of the Rising Sun in general and its video games in particular.

Seeing that throng of people standing in line, waiting for their copies of the just-released Dragon Quest III set my hear aflutter, as did the screenshot of the Famicom game's overworld. (For whatever reason, making all four party members visible while traversing said overworld completely blew my young mind.)

Assuming at least some of you have a similar fascination with Japan and its games, what pushed you in that direction?

Just in case you didn't know, Animal Crossing: New Leaf has taken over my gaming life

And worse, it's nearly taken over the rest of my life, too, but that's another story.

(That said, I should note that things have gotten quite a bit better in that regard in the last week or so due to the fact that I'm pretty darn happy with my New Leaf village at the moment--so most of the time I now spend in it revolves around me chatting with my buds, checking the shops, digging up fossils and gyroids and plucking errant flowers from the soil.)



Anyway, I'm sharing this here because: 1) I'm guessing at least a few of you are in the same boat and, as such, may be looking for a bit of supportive company, and 2) I'm hoping it'll help explain why my blogging output has been suckier than normal since Animal Crossing: New Leaf entered my life three or so weeks ago.

With that out of the way, are any of you also finding yourself a bit obsessed with this disturbingly addicting 3DS game?



If so, which aspects are most responsible for your New Leaf obsession? Is it arranging flowers, or planting and maintaining orchards? Or maybe it's decorating your house, or creating fabulous pieces of clothing?

For me, the main draw at the moment is the overall town-planning element--laying down paths, deciding where to place public works projects, that sort of thing. Soon, though, I'll likely transition from focusing on that to focusing on getting the interior (and exterior, really) of my home(s) in order.



By the way, if you'd like to check out my village, Animachi, but are too shy to visit it while I'm there (or you have a hard time attracting my attention while I'm playing the game), you can do so by sharing my "Dream Address"--5600-2252-0337--with the Dream Suite's Luna.

Feel free to share your New Leaf town's Dream Address in the comments section below, as I've love to check them out when I'm not busy watering my precious flower beds or stockpiling (and selling) beetles that have been scoured from Animachi Island.

Sonic Game Gear

I really shouldn't be allowed to have a credit card.

I say that because if I weren't in possession of a credit card, I wouldn't be able to buy any of the games and systems that, like so many shiny objects, catch my attention (seemingly out of the blue), blossom into full-blown obsessions and then quickly dissipate as soon as another compelling game or system comes into view.

The last such "shiny object" to grab my eye, you may remember, was the WonderSwan. Although I'm still keen on picking up one of these Bandai-made handhelds (especially since I've already bought a few WonderSwan games--more on that soon), I'd be lying if I said I was as interested in it as I was when I wrote this post.

As for what prompted my interest in this peculiar, Japan-only portable to wane a bit (just a bit): Sega's Game Gear.

I'm not entirely sure why I've currently got Game Gear on the brain, but I have a feeling it can be blamed on this recent review over at Red Parsley and this one over at VG Junk.

Regardless, I'm spending way too much time thinking about the Game Gear right now. I even spent some time searching Flickr for images of Sega's brick-like handheld over the weekend. That's when I came across the Sonic the Hedgehog-branded Game Gear seen below:



Said system was created by none other than the artist who calls himself OSKUNK, of course.

I think my favorite part of this OSKUNK creation is how the reflections on Dr. Robotnick's (or Dr. Eggman's, if that's how you roll) sunglass lenses double as labels for the portable's I and II buttons.

As much as I love this expertly customized piece of tech, I'd chuck it to the curb like a piece of stale bread if OSKUNK offered up a Game Gear with Pengo characters painted on it. And that system would be tossed out in favor of one branded with characters from the coolest GG title ever created (according to moi): Magical Puzzle Popils.

Anyway, should you want to see more of OSKUNK's work (and why wouldn't you?), feel free to head over to his blog, Custom Art, or his Flickr photostream at your earliest convenience.

See also: Previous OSKUNK-centric posts

On how the Bandai WonderSwan wormed its way into my head (and heart)

Those of you who follow me on Twitter likely are aware that the Bandai WonderSwan--aka one of the few handhelds that dared to compete with the GameBoy, GameBoy Color and GameBoy Advance in the late 1990s and early 2000s--has worked its way into my brain as of late.

What prompted this (quite frankly baffling) fascination-bordering-on-obsession? Honestly, I think it was this recent post over at Kimimi's Blog. After I read Kimimi's commentary about the WonderSwan RPG, Namco Super Wars, I recalled being intrigued by a few earlier posts dedicated to games--Flash Koibitokun and Tane wo Maku Tori, especially--that were released for this odd, Japan-only portable.

The original, monochrome WonderSwan.

As much as I'd like to say this is nothing more than a passing fancy, that would be far from the truth. After all, I've already picked up a few WonderSwan games via eBay (don't worry, I'll reveal which ones sooner rather than later), and I've currently got my eye on a rather sweet looking SwanCrystal system.

(Quick aside: The SwanCrystal, released in 2002, was a fairly capable, and comparable, competitor of the GameBoy Advance--what with its screen resolution of 224 by 144 pixels and ability to display 241 colors at once. The WonderSwan Color, released in 2000, was similarly capable, but its screen was quite a bit less desirable than its curiously-named successor, while the original WonderSwan, designed by Gunpei Yokoi and released in 1999, had a monochrome screen à la the first GameBoy.)

Anyway, do any of you have a WonderSwan, or have you ever dreamed of owning one, as I currently am?

What would you rather spend 950£ on: Food, rent or a PC Engine LT?

It's a fairly well-known fact that I fancy the portable PC Engine--branded the "PC Engine LT" because it folds up like a laptop--that the ballsy folks at NEC released back in 1991. (Or, rather, it should be a well-known fact, since I've mentioned this sexy system in a number of posts--including this one and this one. Oh, and this one, too.)

Will I ever actually buy one of these sexy-but-bulky (for a handheld) systems? I'd love to tell you "hell yeah," but I'm not so sure--especially after seeing this eBay listing.

For those of you who aren't interested enough in the PC Engine LT to click on the link above, it takes you to an auction for an unboxed PC Engine LT, a blue-and-gray PC Engine controller and copies of four shoot 'em ups (Final Soldier, GunHed, Solider Blade and Super Star Soldier).

Oh, and the whole shebang will set you back just 950£ (about $1,500).



Hey, at least shipping is included.

As appealing as that price is, I think I'll pass--especially since I've seen plenty of unboxed PC Engine LT's appear on eBay with much smaller price tags (usually between $600 and $800).

Also, if I were to drop that kind of dough on a PC Engine LT--you know, if I somehow won the lottery and didn't mind spending nearly $2,000 on a game system--I'd drop it on a complete-in-box PC Engine LT like this one.

(Via retro-treasures.blogspot.com)

A little PC Engine LT love

At least once a year, I become a wee bit obsessed with the PC Engine LT.

I've wanted one of these sexy, laptop-esque portables ever since I saw a photo of one in an old issue of either Diehard GameFan or Electronic Gaming Monthly (or maybe it was Super Gaming, an EGM spin-off) magazine as a youngster, but I've never bought one because they're so darn expensive.

That hasn't kept me from dreaming about the day I throw caution--and my credit card--to the wind and purchase one, though. Until that day arrives, I'll waste my time reading blog posts about and watching YouTube videos of NEC's little gray wonder.

Speaking of the latter, the following video--produced by YouTube user futurematt5--is helping me get through my most recent phase of PC Engine LT obsession. (I wonder if that'll be considered a diagnosable and treatable disorder when the DSM-5 is published in 2013?)



Here's part two of the video, by the way, and here's (actually, go here and here) a series of videos in which futurematt5 attaches the PC Engine LT to the Super CD-ROM2 peripheral. Oh, and here's a fabulously porn-ish video that features "high-quality footage and close-ups" of the system.

Anyway, here's to hoping that next year at this time I'll be posting my own photos and videos of the portable system that futurematt5 says is the gaming world's equivalent of an eccentric uncle.

Note: This post originally appeared on my PC Engine-focused blog, iwasateenagepcenginefan.wordpress.com.

10 video games that made my life gayer (#9): Animal Crossing

Would you believe it if I told you that I held off on buying a GameCube until early 2004--more than two years after its North American debut? Well, it's true.

What prompted me to (finally) pick up Nintendo's boxy little system? By the time I bought one, they were just $99, for starters. And then there was the release of Animal Crossing.

OK, so that game was released (in the States) in late 2002--more than a year before I acquired a GameCube. I'd had my eye on it from day one, though, and as such it was the game I bought alongside my (now beloved silver) system.

Was it worth the wait? In a word: Yes. I've rarely put as much time into a game as I put into Animal Crossing. Something about its "life simulation" concept really resounded with me, I guess.

"Animal Crossing Painting" by Pocketowl

I know some people consider the game to be boring or tedious, as most of the time you're running errands, planting trees, picking fruit and watering flowers. Well, call me crazy, but I seem to enjoy those rather mundane chores when they're wrapped up in such cute packaging.

My only beef with the game? No matter how many love letters I sent to my female neighbors (my character was female, too), none of them reciprocated. Oh, well; you can't have anything, right?

See also: all of the previous '10 video games that made my life gayer' posts

Stick a fork (or maybe a spear) in me, I'm done

After putting more hours into it than I care to admit, I've decided to take a bit of a break from Dragon Quest IX.

This isn't the first time I've had to step away from a game with which I've become a tad obsessed. Most recently, I played Animal Crossing: City Folk to the point that it felt like I saw my in-game "friends" more than my flesh-and-blood ones.

Does this ever happen to any of you? Do you become so enamored with a particular game that you play it whenever you have a second to spare?

My last Dragon Quest post (I promise!)

I wrote the following haiku at the same time I wrote this one, but I didn't post it because I thought it was a bit too rhyme-y.

Bright eyes, brighter grin
Red, blue and metallic skin
Beating you? A sin

Why am I posting it now? Honestly, I wanted an excuse to share the following image, which I found on tinycartridge.com a few weeks ago.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't know if the slime sprites were pulled from actual Dragon Quest titles or if they were produced specifically for this image.

See also: 'A slick haiku'

Sexy secretary

My main Dragon Quest IX character, Madonna, is sporting a "sexy secretary" (or should I say "sexy administrative assistant"?) look at the moment. (Check out the photo to the right for some rather crappy photographic evidence of said costume.)

Sorry, I just had to share.

I'm still (slowly but surely) working my way through this wonderful little game, by the way. In fact, I just found the seventh and final "fygg." I guess that means I'm nearing the end of the main quest?

I won't be finishing it anytime soon, though, as I've barely experimented with the title's alchemy or class systems. Also, I just found my first treasure map (yeah, I'm a little late to the party when it comes to those)--so I've got plenty of exploring to do before I move on to the final boss (or whatever I'm supposed to conquer to trigger the end credits).

See also: 'But what about Beyonce's blue ball gown?' and 'The gayest (Dragon Quest IX) party ever'

But what about Beyonce's blue ball gown?

I've always been a bit obsessive--OK, a lot obsessive--when it comes to collecting loot (i.e., accessories, armor and weapons) in RPGs, but Dragon Quest IX has taken those obsessive tendencies to new heights by allowing me to actually see the accessories, armor and weapons my avatars are currently sporting.

The problem with this "feature" is that I tend to equip my party members based on how a particular accessory will make them look as opposed to how it will help them in battle. For instance, Beyonce, my martial artist, currently sports a silver tiara, a spangled dress, fishnet stockings, high heels--and a shiny pair of crow's claws.

Thankfully, the former Destiny's Child frontwoman--and her digitized Dragon Quest IX cohorts--are a bit over-leveled at the moment, so they're still holding their own rather handily despite the fact that they're all wearing less-than-desirable (from a defense standpoint) gear.

I don't suppose any of you fabulous Dragon Quest IX aficionados are experiencing this same, er, "issue"?

See also: 'The gayest (Dragon Quest IX) party ever'

It's that time of month again...

No, it's not that time of month, silly; it's the time of the month where I obsess over a game--or, more likely, a system--I wish I owned.

Which piece of gaming equipment is the object of my obsession this month? The PC Engine.

Sadly, this isn't the first time I've spent an unhealthy amount of time thinking about NEC's little white wonder; in fact, I've  done it a number of times since I first became aware of the pocket-sized system in the late 1980s.

This is one of the best photos of a PC Engine I could find on line.

How exactly am I obsessing about the PC Engine? Oh, reading reviews of its games (TheBrothersDuomazov.com is current fave), searching for images of the system and its games on Flickr--that kind of (bat-shit crazy) thing.

Ironically, I bought a PC Engine CoreGrafx II and a slew of games on eBay a few years ago--only to turn around and sell the whole shebang when my husband and I moved to Seattle. It's just as well, I guess, since I've always preferred--and, as a result, wanted--the alabaster original.

See also: 'I hereby declare March 15 Hug Your PC Engine (or TurboGrafx-16) Day'