Hubba hubba, part quatre

Can a single blog publish too many posts about the hottest hunks in video games? I hope not, as this is my fourth such post on the subject. (The first three can be found here, here and here. Oh, and the quatre mentioned in the headline is French for four, in case you didn't already know.)

Will I pen more of them in the future? I'd say it's pretty likely, although I don't have any particular studs in mind right now.

In the meantime, here's a look at the game-based beefcake that's been bouncing around in my brain as of late:

1. Simon Belmont (Castlevania: Lords of Shadow--Mirror of Fate)--Truth be told, I have little to no interest in the gameplay of this Konami-published 3DS title. I have quite a bit more interest, though, in two of its main characters: Trevor Belmont and Simon Belmont. As for why I decided to highlight the latter rather than the former in this post: Simon isn't afraid to show off his guns. Oh, and he's a ginge.

2. "Conversationalist" (Ana Holic!!)--Don't worry if neither this character nor the game in which he appears ring any bells. After all, Ana Holic!! is a Japanese PC game (a rather adult RPG, more specifically) made by the folks at Underground Campaign and, as such, it hasn't received much press outside of its home country. Given this guy's, er, "fashion sense," I'd have to say that's a crying shame, wouldn't you agree?

3. Marlon (Pokemon Black 2/White 2)--I realize that this choice is a bit suspect at first blush. In fact, I didn't even consider Marlon (aka Shizui) until after I came across the piece of fan art that can be seen above. Now that I've seen what a few years and a little time in the gym could do to him, though, I can't imagine this post without him.

Looks like Pokémon Black and White 2 will be just as gay (literally) as their predecessors

Those of you who have been visiting this little, rainbow-splashed slice of the Internet may remember a post I published just over a year ago. It's headline: "There's something about Brycen (or, Pokémon Black is pretty gay, isn't it?)."

In that post, I rather cheekily suggested that Pokémon Black and White--or, more specifically, a number of those game's gym leaders--were gayer than the Golden Girls dressing up as Cher, Judy, Lady Gaga and Madonna and singing a mash-up of "I Will Survive" and "YMCA" (hey, it could happen) at Elton John's Halloween party. (Yes, I know I just dated myself with that remark.)

Thanks in large part to this recent post over at the Video Games Made Me Gay tumblog, I'm getting the distinct impression that Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 will be just as gay.

What makes me think Shizui (right), one of this sequel's many gym leaders, is gay, you ask? Well, for starters, there's his glitter-covered coiffure. And then there's his broad shoulders, shaved bod and fashion-forward (not to mention skintight) trousers.

Granted, that nasty tan line around Shizui's waist is a bit questionable, as is his lack of nipples (aren't those, um, a requirement?), but I still think he's likely "gayer than a three-dollar bill," as my mom used to say. (Don't worry, I got her to stop long ago.)

Anyway, all of the above really is just a long way of me saying that I'll be plopping down my hard-earned cash on Pokémon Black 2 (or maybe Pokémon White 2) as soon as someone allows me to pre-order it.

While I was away ...

I may have been tending to my dad (and mom) for the past week or so, but that doesn't mean I've been completely oblivious to the goings on in gaming world while I've "been away." Here are some of the stories that have popped onto my radar over the last few days:

* A bunch of Bravely Default demos are about to hit the Japanese eShop--If you're like me, you groaned when you read that they're only hitting the Japanese eShop for the time being. Here's hoping Square-Enix announces a western release for this 4 Heroes of Light-esque 3DS RPG soon--and pops the aforementioned demos onto the Australian, European and North American eShops tout de suite, too.

* Etrian Odyssey IV was announced--For the 3DS, of course. And, as of now, only for Japan. I have a feeling the folks at Atlus will bring Etrian Odyssey IV to North America eventually, though, and hopefully to Australia and Europe, too. Although I've yet to buy, let alone play, Etrian Odyssey II or III, I'm planning to pick up this sequel on day one--assuming it's released in my particular region, of course.