The walls of our home won't be complete until one of them sports a pixelated portrait of Ellen Ripley from Konami's Aliens arcade game

I've had a bit of a "thing" for the Alien and Aliens films since I watched them for the first time as a teenager.

You'd think that would mean I've long had a similar thing for games inspired by those flicks, but it doesn't.

There have been a few exceptions, of course. Sega's Alien Syndrome and Alien Storm are two examples. Xenophobe is another.

None of the above compete with Konami's Aliens quarter-muncher from 1990, however. OK, so it takes some liberties with the source material. It's such a blast to play, though, that I don't have any problems overlooking those "creative differences."

It's also gorgeous, of course, with wonderfully detailed backdrops and sprites that evoke the 1986 movie that spawned it.

Apparently Atlanta-based artist Ashley Anderson agrees with that last tidbit. After all, he recently referenced the above-mentioned Aliens arcade game in the acrylic painting that can be seen below.

Before you go and think this is just some paint-by-numbers copycat, consider what Anderson said about it on Instagram:

"I limited my palette this time to traditional portrait colors, prussian blue (to mix with umber to make chromatic blacks), titanium white (for opacity), and zinc white (for warmth and translucence)."

As much as I like this piece, I like this next one, which Anderson calls "Ellen (Withering Heights)," even more.

For the curious: Anderson made "Ellen (Withering Heights)" using color pencil on toned paper.

I'm also quite fond of the similar "Sigourney Weaver," below, from 2010:

Anderson produced it using graphite on paper.

As for what prompted him to go down this particular path eight or so years ago, the artist shared the following explanation on Flickr:

"In keeping with my interest in pixellation's relationship with painting and its mechanics [and] traditions, I have begun collecting images of recognizable personalities as they are depicted in games and drawing them as one might create a portrait drawing from a photograph or a live sitter."

Want to see more of Anderson's pixelated depictions of the Aliens protagonist? Check out "Ellen (Ms X #1)" and "Ellen as April as Ellen."

Consider scouring his Instagram and Flickr photostreams, too. Both are filled with fascinating, game-inspired works of art.

Help me remain strong as I wait for the Vita version of VA-11 Hall-A to be released

I've been curious about Sukeban Games' VA-11 Hall-A, which the developer describes as a "cyberpunk bartender action" title, since I first became aware of it some time ago.

Considering publisher Ysbryd Games' finally made it available to the world yesterday, you might assume I'm currently feeling ecstatic. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong.

That's not because I've reconsidered my stance on this lovely looking visual novel, mind you. Rather, it's because only the Linux, Mac and PC versions of VA-11 Hall-A are able to be purchased at the moment.



The Vita iteration, the one I've been dreaming of playing since this deliciously retro title was unveiled, is nowhere to be seen.

Apparently it'll see the light of day later this year, if the word on the street is to believed, so in the meantime I've either got to sit tight until VA-11 Hall-A Vita hits both virtual and physical store shelves, or I've got to bite the bullet and buy the Mac release for a not-inconsiderable $14.99.

While I decide which path to take, check out the game's final trailer (above). Or, if you've already played some form of VA-11 Hall-A, share your thoughts on it in the comments section below.

A new Famicom game is coming and it's called Kira Kira Star Night DX

Who could've imagined we'd see new Famicom cartridges be produced and released 13 years after Nintendo officially discontinued its first real console?

I certainly didn't see such a thing coming, and yet here we are--thanks to a company known as Columbus Circle.

Actually, some of you've probably heard of Columbus Circle, or at least you may know one of its previous products: the 8bit Music Power Famicom cart.

I didn't buy that offering, but I'm seriously contemplating picking up the publisher's next one, which appears to be some sort of score-attack action-platformer.



This despite the fact that Kira Kira Star Night DX is far from the prettiest Famicom game I've ever seen. I like its color palette and its use of parallax scrolling, though, and Yuzo Koshiro had a hand in creating its soundtrack, so I still think its worth considering.

If you feel similarly, you might want to keep these details in mind: physical copies of Kira Kira Star Night DX are set to hit the streets in late July and when they do they'll cost 5,378 yen (about $50) each.

No word yet on where you'll be able to purchase these suckers, but I have a feeling amiami.com will be one option.

(Via japanesenintendo.com)

This video of Super Mario Maker's adorable Ice Climbers costume just made my week

I don't own a Wii U. I also don't own a copy of Super Mario Maker. I wish I owned them, though, because if I did, I'd be all over both when the Ice Climbers costume showcased in the following video  is added to the latter.

That's supposed to happen later this week in Japan, by the way. Most folks think it won't be long until it's made available to Super Mario Maker players in other regions, too.



In the meantime, you could do worse than spend some time reading up on the Famicom (or NES, if that's more your kind of thing) game that inspired this drool-worthy bit of DLC. Here's my rather pithy review of Ice Climber, for instance, and here are a couple of photos of (as well as a few thoughts on) that same title's gorgeous Japanese packaging.

If you're still begging for more, check out these write-ups about the Famicom Disk System version of Ice Climber: 'For the sixth game of Christmas, the UPS man brought to me...' and 'Reason #401 I could be considered an eccentric (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer'

See also: 'I think I've changed my mind about Ice Climber'

I've never been keen on The Legend of Dark Witch, but I'm beyond interested in Brave Dungeon

For whatever reason, The Legend of Dark Witch and its sequel, both made by Inside System and published outside of Japan by Circle Entertainment, have never really pinged my radar, if you know what I mean.

The developers' latest effort, though--a role-playing spin-off of The Legend of Dark Witch called Brave Dungeon--currently has my full attention.

Why? Its stellar pixel art, on full display in the following trailer, is a particularly noteworthy reason.



The genre switch is another reason, as I haven't been the biggest fan of run-and-gun platformers--à la Mega Man and the first two The Legend of Dark Witch 3DS titles--since I was a teen.

Unfortunately, the folks at Inside System currently are being kind of coy as to when Brave Dungeon will hit the Japanese 3DS eShop (or the eShop of other regions). All they're saying at the moment is it'll see the light of day sometime between now and the end of this year.

Oh, well, it's not like I'm desperately searching for a new game to play right now. As such, I'll sit tight and hopefully savor its retro-tinged adventure whenever it's finally released.

(Via japanesenintendo.com)

As much as I love this new World's Longest 5 Minutes (Vita) trailer, I love the contents of the game's limited edition even more

Full disclosure: I've already pre-ordered a copy of this Japanese Vita game via the usual source.

The problem is, the version I pre-ordered a few weeks back was the regular edition. Here's hoping the folks at amiami allow me to switch it to the stunning limited edition.

Why? For a few extra bucks, it tosses in a two-disc soundtrack, a "daily flip tabletop calendar" and what I believe is some sort of art or guide book. (Please correct me if I'm wrong about that last item.)



Are you a World's Longest 5 Minutes virgin? No worries. It's an adventure game (aka a "visual novel") set within the confines of a pixel-filled, retro-tinged RPG. Or at least that's what I think it is based on all I've seen of and read about it so far.

Thankfully, this just-released trailer suggests my assumption's pretty spot-on. (I kind of wish that weren't the case, by the way, as I'd much prefer World's Longest 5 Minutes to be a straight-up, old-school RPG.)

Regardless, this Vita title is being made by smartphone app developer Syupro-DX, while Nippon Ichi Software is publishing it. Its street date is July 28, and the price tag of the regular edition is 3,980 yen. (I'm not sure what the limited edition will cost at retail, but amiami's selling it for 5,280 yen--or about $50.)

(Via gematsu.com)

How many of you also are considering picking up one of these PocketCHIP handhelds?

Like a lot of folks, I didn't know a thing about the PocketCHIP handheld system until today.

Now that I'm aware of it, though, I can't help but want one--and rather desperately, at that.

If you're still out of the loop as to what the PocketCHIP is, well, there isn't much I can say to bring you up to speed. That's not because I'm a big jerk, mind you; rather it's because I don't quite understand it myself.

This trailer should at least give you an idea as to what you'll get if you ever buy one of these suckers.



Speaking of which, this adorable, minuscule handheld--which plays games made for the PICO-8 "fantasy console," that much I know--will set you back just $49.

Or at least that's all it'll set you back if you pre-order one soon.

I'm seriously considering doing that, of course--in part because the PocketCHIP just seems like a cool gadget, and in part because I like the look of some of the PICO-8 games that can be found on lexaloffle.com.

How about all of you wonderful people? Are any of you contemplating picking up one of these portables on or around its June launch?

Yep, Cladun Sengoku (Vita) definitely is yet another Cladun title

Considering my love of Nippon Ichi Software's first two Cladun games, you might think I typed the header above without an ounce of malice.

In reality, I typed it with a bit of charitableness as well as a smidge of malice. The former because I'm honestly stoked to play another Cladun title, and the latter because this third Cladun effort looks awfully similar to the two that came before it.

Don't hate me for saying this, but while watching Cladun Sengoku's first trailer yesterday, I had a hard time convincing myself it looked appreciably different from Cladun and Cladun x2.



Which isn't the worst thing in the world, of course. After all, I thought those PSP-based Cladun titles looked pretty darn great. Seeing Cladun Sengoku look almost identical to them, though, was--at least at first--undoubtedly disheartening.

Still, I'd be lying if I said I'm no longer intrigued by this upcoming Vita release. Does that mean I've already placed a pre-order for a copy via that old standby amiami.com? Not hardly, but I am giving it serious consideration.

How about you? Are any of you planning on--or at least thinking about--buying Cladun Sengoku once it's available in a few months?

See also: 'Nippon Ichi Software's teasing a new game, and I think it may be related to the Cladun series'

Nippon Ichi Software's teasing a new game, and I think it may be related to the Cladun series

Raise your hand if you had a blast playing Nippon Ichi's Cladun: This is an RPG at some point after the quirky dungeon-crawler earned a worldwide release (for the PSP) back in 2010.

Now raise your other hand if you also enjoyed that game's sequel, Cladun x2, which first saw the light of day in 2011.

To those of you who now have both arms raised: I'm not quite sure how you're going to read the rest of this post (or start the video below), but I'm sure you'll concoct some sort of solution.



To the rest of you: watch and listen to the snippet above--yes, even those of you who have yet to even think of raising a hand--which the folks at NIS helpfully and straightforwardly named, "Title Teaser BGM."

In other words, the musical numbers featured in this teaser probably are from an upcoming Nippon Ichi game.

Given the chiptune-y sound of the tracks and the character sprite revealed at the video's tail end, I have a feeling the title's related to the company's Cladun series in some way. What do you think?

There's no such thing as too much Zombie Daisuki

Chunsoft's Zombie Daisuki may not have been all I had hoped for given its pedigree, pixel-rific graphics and its focus on the undead, but that doesn't mean I consider it to have been a complete waste of my hard-earned cash.

In fact, despite my rather ho-hum reaction to this import-only DS game (read all about it in my latest #ADecadeofDS post), I'm still pretty darn glad I picked up a copy of it some time ago.

Of course, how could I not feel that way when Zombie Daisuki's packaging is so cute? Seriously, check it out in the photo below:

The little zombie illustrations that parade across the game's cover imagery is awfully adorable, too, as should be obvious from the following snapshot:

Comparably, this game's illustration manual is a wasted opportunity, if you ask me. A few of the zombies from the box art pop up here and there, but for the most part it's your basic DS manual--a lot of text, a good number of screenshots and a select few illustrations or other embellishments. 

If only more designers had skewed things more in favor of the latter elements like they did in the "good old days."

At least it's "story" page (above) shows a few signs of life. Not that I can understand a word of it, mind you--well, aside from "story" and "zombie," I mean--but who cares when the imagery behind it is so whimsical? 

Zombie Daisuki's cart label features the same art--albeit in a slightly altered form. I have to say, I really like how the game's curvy, bubbly logo looks smooshed between the helicopter in the upper-left corner and the farm buildings that sit below it.

Have any of you played this Japanese curiosity? If so, what are your thoughts on it? Or, what are your thoughts on its box art, cart label, manual and more?

See also: my #ADecadeofDS post about Zombie Daisuki

'Bitch, I'm Madonna' (8-bit Remix)

There isn't much "grey area" when it comes to Madonna. You either love her, or hate her.

Me, I love her. Always have, probably always will.

Which should go a long way toward explaining why I'm posting the following "8-bit remix" of one of the Michigan-born popstar's latest songs, the fabulously titled "Bitch, I'm Madonna." (Actually, I believe the official title of this "Rebel Heart" tune is "Bitch I'm Madonna," but I refuse to refer to it in its comma-free form.)



Of course, it's not like showcasing this remix here is a total stretch. The person who produced it was inspired by "classic Nintendo songs," after all.

Plus, its YouTube cover art (or whatever you're supposed to call the imagery that fronts the rest its content) features a pixelated Madonna.

Anyway, check it out if you're a fan, and obviously feel free to ignore it if you're not. Oh, and if you'd prefer to hear version of this remix with vocals (from someone other than the "Vogue" songstress), here you go. (Personally, I think the latter iteration sounds a bit too much like a Kidz Bop recording, but that's just me.)

If you're going to own an EarthBound-inspired keychain (or two), it may as well be one of these

Although I need a bunch of keychains like I need a hole in the head, I'm seriously considering pre-ordering the "Mother 2 Kizetsu Plate" set shown below.

After all, these aren't your typical EarthBound/Mother 2 keychains; rather, they feature the game's four main characters--Ness, Paula, Poo and Jeff--in their "unconscious" states, halo-topped noggins and all.



For me, though, the standout of this set is the "teleport failure" keychain. That's the one I'd be sporting if I were to pick up these Takara Tomy Arts-made gashapon figures.

Thankfully, I've got a bit of time before I have to make up my mind one way or another, as it appears they won't be made available until February of next year.

Should any of you already know you want them, though, you can pre-order a complete set (for $22.90) via shopncsx.com.

Looks like the Metroid-esque Xeodrifter will be my first Renegade Kid game

I guess it may surprise some of you that I've yet to buy any of Renegade Kid's previous releases--such as Dementium: The Ward, Moon, Mutant Mudds or Planet Crashers--but the fact is that I've never been a fan of first-person shooters (which explains my of interest in Dementium and Moon) and until this game I've never been much of a fan of this Texas-based developer's character designs (see Mutant Mudds and Planet Crashers).



Renegade Kid's latest effort, Xeodrifter, however, is a Metroid-esque side-scroller--see the trailer above for evidence of that fact--that stars an attractive-enough protagonist, so for the moment, at least, I'm planning to pick it up whenever it finally finds its way onto the 3DS eShop--assuming it's priced appropriately, of course.

'Ugh'

OK, so the actual title of the colorful piece of pop art, produced by deviantartist melonjaywalk (aka Francis Gordon), that serves as the focal point of this post is "Hero." I really love the speech-bubble-wrapped "ugh" that appears in its upper-left corner, though, so that's what I went with when I came up with the header above.

Anyway, should one or more of you fine folks know which game the sprite showcased in "Hero" was pulled from, I'd greatly appreciate being enlightened as to its name in the comments section below.

'Yr Surprising No-One'

I'm not entirely sure what inspired artist melonjaywalk to produce this lovely piece of art, but I think it may have been Far Cry 4's controversial cover imagery.

Of course, it's possible I'm just reading too much into this quote, which Francis (melonjaywalk's actual first name) posted alongside his pixelated painting:

"I feel lame to the max seeming as the only way I could identify a character as 'gay' in this is via the colour pink, but I guess being obvious is better than abstraction at this point."



The sprites included in this acrylic-on-canvas creation were pulled from 1995's Super Bomberman 3 (SNES/Super Famicom), by the way--which is one of the few Bomberman games I've yet to experience.

Anyway, if you'd like to check out more of melonjaywalk's stuff--and why on earth wouldn't you want to do that?--saunter over to his deviantart.com gallery at your earliest convenience.

See also: 'Don't get yr hopes up'

To buy or not to buy Super TIME Force (XBLA) tomorrow, that is the question

So, in case you didn't already know, Capybara Games' curious-looking "time-travelling, side-scrolling, run-and-gun shooter," Super TIME Force releases for Xbox 360 (XBLA) and Xbox One tomorrow.

This game has been a long time in coming, and I've been interested in it pretty much since day one. Of course, how could I not be when it features such delicious sprite work?



The problem for me is that I haven't turned on my Xbox 360 since ... I can't remember when. As such, do I really want to spend $15 on a game that I may hesitate to play because it's going to reside on a console (strike one) that gets very little, if any, of my attention these days (strike two)?

How about all of you? Are any of you planning to pick up Super TIME Force tomorrow or at some point thereafter--either for your Xbox 360 or Xbox One?

If you're still on the fence, by the way, or if this is the first you've even heard of Super TIME Force, you may want to watch the video above, which showcases a whopping 50 minutes of gameplay.

What can I say? Guys with bouncy shovels (knights, especially) bring me to my knees...

Especially if they're pixelated. The guys, I mean. Actually, I kind of like pixelated shovels, too.

Anyway, the pixelated guy (and shovel) that's bringing me to my knees at this particular moment is the one showcased in the latest teaser trailer produced for Yacht Club Games' long-awaited, Duck Tales-esque platformer, Shovel Knight:



Shovel Knight is set to hit Steam as well as the Wii U and 3DS eShops on March 31, by the way. How many of you are planning to buy it--and which version(s) are you going to pick up?

Me, I'm going with the 3DS iteration. No question. Of course, I can't imagine you can go wrong with any version of this one.

And now I'm sad that Sega's Rhythm Thief wasn't released for the DS as originally planned

Am I alone in not knowing until now that Sega's Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure, released early last year for the 3DS, began life as a DS game?

I'm probably also late to the party when it comes to seeing the following screenshots of the Rhythm Thief that wasn't meant to be, aren't I?

No matter. I'm going to talk about them anyway.

Specifically, I want to say that I love the looks of this scrapped version of the game--perhaps more than the looks of the version that hit the 3DS. For the most part, that's because they display a sort of charm and character that isn't quite matched in the polygonal 3DS release.

I wonder if the DS game would've been more enjoyable to play, too? After all, one of my main issues with the 3DS iteration is that a number of the gyro-controlled mini-games either don't quite work or are completely broken, and I doubt they'd exist had the title been finished for the DS.

None of the above matters, of course, because it wasn't finished for the DS. Also, it's not like the 3DS game we ended up with is a complete turd.

Still, now that I've been given a glimpse of what Rhythm Thief might've looked like on the DS, I can't help but wish we'd been given access to that title first--followed by a 3DS-based sequel, of course.

See also: 'The Great Gaymathon Review #61: Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure (3DS)'

I'm always up for a Kotaro Yoshida-made game

Unfortunately, I don't own a device capable of playing the game in question, called PiyoPiyo Quest.

Those of you who actually own an iOS device or three and enjoy a good puzzler, though, should hunt it down and give it a go.

After all, it was made by Kotaro Yoshida, the same man who gave the world Half-Minute Hero, it features some lovely sprite work and it looks to play a bit like that other mobile puzzler all the kids seem to be talking about these days, Puzzle & Dragons.

Here's a brief PiyoPiyo Quest primer from NeoGAF user Goli, for all who are interested:

"You fight monsters by touching the different panels you can see above.

"The sword panels make Crest [the game's protagonist] attack with his sword, the fire ones make Crest cast magic, the leaf ones make Crest recover HP and the gold ones give you money, which you can use later to temper Crest's equipment and deal more physical/magical damage or increase his defense.

"The more panels you group together the better their effects. For example, if you group four sword panels, Crest will attack four times and so on."

Go here to read more of Goli's impressions.

Should any of you pick up PiyoPiyo Quest anytime soon, would you please share your impressions of it in the comments section below?

For a good time, call ...

Remember this post, in which I shined a light on the peculiar pieces produced by artist Kasey Tararuj for the recent 3NES Show (held at the Bottleneck Gallery in Brooklyn, New York)?

Well, today's post is devoted to a few more pieces that were produced for that show, although these pieces--which also focus on Peach, Samus and Zelda and are titled, "For a Good Time, Call Peach," etc.--aren't quite as "safe for work" as the ones Tararuj concocted.

As such, I'm only going to show an extremely cropped version of one of them "above the fold," as it were. To see them in all of their appealingly smutty glory, click on "read more" below.