I've got to admit, Dragon Quest Builders looks quite a bit more appealing than I imagined it would when it was first announced

Full disclosure: I've never played Minecraft. In any form.

I can't tell you why that is, sadly. I guess it's possible I would've played the game by now if it were available for a Nintendo platform, but I have a feeling even that may not have pushed me to jump on the bandwagon.



That's not to say I have something against Minecraft or its makers or its fans or anything like that. For whatever reason, it just hasn't pinged my radar up to this point.

Anyway, as a result of all of the above, Square Enix's announcement a couple of weeks ago that it is prepping a game called Dragon Quest Builders--which seemingly combines elements of Minecraft with the Dragon Quest series--for PS3, PS4 and Vita didn't exactly send shivers up and down my spine.



I don't know that I would say I'm feeling those shivers now that I've thoroughly perused the first Dragon Quest Builders screenshots that can be seen throughout this post, but I'm definitely a lot more interested in the game than I ever thought I'd be.

The question is: will the powers that be at Square Enix actually release any version of Dragon Quest Builders in North America?



I wouldn't bet against the PS4 iteration crossing the pond, so to speak, especially since Square Enix seems so bullish on that console at the moment, but I'm not so sure about the Vita iteration--which of course is the one I'd buy if I were to do such a thing.

What do all of you think? Will Dragon Quest Builders see the light of day outside of Japan? And should that come to pass, will you buy one or more copies of it?

How on earth did I fail to hear about Ray Gigant (Vita) until now?

OK, so we all know the answer to the question posed in the header above: the reason I'm only now learning of this upcoming Bandai Namco RPG's existence is that I've been far too focused on trying to wrap up Atlus' My World, My Way for DS.

Seriously, though, I'm fairly surprised this game avoided appearing on my radar until the last few days, as the final product is going to sport some pretty snazzy cover imagery.

Actually, "snazzy" is a word I'd use to describe the look of Ray Gigant's battles, too, as they utilize a perspective that's pretty unique as far as Japanese RPGs are concerned. Here are a handful of examples:







Unfortunately, that's about all that's known about this Vita title, which will be released sometime this summer in Japan, at the moment. Well, other than the fact that parties will be limited to only three members and the gameplay will be broken into an undisclosed number of chapters.

Hopefully the folks at Bandai Namco will share a trailer for this sucker with the world soon--and if it proves to be impressive, hopefully they'll follow it up with an announcement that the game will see the light of day in other regions at some point, too.

I'm having way too much fun taking screenshots while playing Tomodachi Life

Would you believe me if I told you I've snapped more screenshots while playing Tomodachi Life than I have while playing any other 3DS title?

Well, it's true. Or at least I think it is.

As for why that is, the only worthwhile response is that this portable "life sim" throws players into so many weird, wacky and funny situations that you can't help but try to capture them in a snapshot.

Cases in point: the following photos of the babies that have been born to Rainbow Island's residents thus far.

The above portrait is of one of my Internet pals, Hayden Scott-Baron (aka docky), his wife, Cher, and their newborn girl, Chloe.

The shot above is of Nikki (of Swapnote fame), her husband, Bill Trinen, and their baby girl, the controversially named Genesis.

And here (above) we see Link keeping a watchful eye on his (and wife Zelda's) adorable baby boy.

Sadly, "adorable" isn't the first word I'd use to describe the first child--a girl, Claire--born to me and Ganondorf.

Both of us are hoping she'll eventually grow into her face. And learn to smile once in a while. Anyway, she's now traveling the world--or waiting to travel the world, at least.

Rainbow Island's kids aren't the only things worth capturing in photographs. Other photo-worthy sights include the tropical locale's many fights--with the one above being between former Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi and Metroid's Samus Aran.

Dear Sony: bring Over My Dead Body 2 to the States and I'll finally buy a PS Vita

True story: I've been eyeing up copies of the original, PlayStation release of Over My Dead Body (aka Ore no Shikabane wo Koete Yuke or Oreshika) for ages now.

Why haven't I bought one yet? Because Oreshika looks to be a rather convoluted JRPG--albeit a beautiful one--and I'm just not sure I have it in me to try to stumble through such a game anytime soon. (A summary of its intriguing plot, via RPGamer.com: "A lineage of demon-hunters is cursed to live, age and die within a single year's span. A twelve-year campaign against the lord of demons thus becomes a matter for the generations.)

Anyway, I have a feeling I'm going to have a similarly tough time resisting Alfa System's upcoming sequel once it's finally released for the Vita sometime next year.

In large part, that's because the sequel looks absolutely stunning--as evidenced by the following, just-released screenshots:







Assuming Over My Dead Body 2's story and gameplay is even a smidge as impressive as its graphics, well, I think it's safe to say it's going to be hard for me to pass up this sucker--even if I don't yet know (much) Japanese and if I don't yet own a Vita.

Of course, Sony's North American arm could solve both of those problems by localizing and releasing the game here--but, really, what are the chances of that happening?

See also: more amazing Over My Dead Body 2 screenshots

Aino's (and Bryan's) Adventures in Animachi, Week Two

So, I've been playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf for about a week and a half now. How much have I been playing it? I'm going to plead the Fifth on that one. Let's just say I've played it a lot.

What happened during all of that playtime? I thought you'd never ask! Here's a not-so-brief glimpse at the goings on in my New Leaf town, Animachi, over the last week or so.

As you can see in the screenshot below, the week started with a ceremony to celebrate the completion of my town's "vital" campsite project.

And, yes, I punished all of the villagers who failed to show up for this momentous occasion.

One villager who got a pass for not being there: Ankha, who was moving into her new home at the time.

Although I wasn't sure about Ankha at first, I warmed up to her after checking out her new home's decor.

Shortly after the above-mentioned festivities, Animachi experienced its first Bug-Off event. Mayor Aino took part despite the fact that Nat, the master of ceremonies, proved to be more than a bit creepy.

Aino endured the creepiness, though, and ended up winning the whole she-bang.

Oh, and that empty spot on the podium? That's where I would have been standing I hadn't been off fishing or stalking beetles or picking my ears while I gazed lovingly at the "Pikmin Garden" I won via a fortune cookie the other day.

He likes Animal Crossing: New Leaf and he loves to abuse the screencap function

Those of you who frequent the comments section of this here blog (and to those of you who don't: why not?) may recognize the username Zaphod65.

Well, that same Zaphod65 has been posting silly, and even a bit saucy, Animal Crossing: New Leaf-inspired comics via Twitter for the last week or so, and as of Friday he's publishing them via a tumblog as well.

Here's an example of one that's both silly and saucy (in my humble opinion, of course):



To see more of Zaphod65's "The Dunwich Hoarder" comics (he's published nine as of yesterday), check out dunwichhoarder.tumblr.com at your earliest convenience.

And if your Animal Crossing: New Leaf itch hasn't been scratched after you finish perusing the above-linked tumblog, scroll through this recent blog post--devoted to my own playthrough of this uber-addicting 3DS title.

Welcome to Animachi

For the last two days, I've been doing what every self-respecting 3DS owner has been doing for at least that long, if not longer--playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf as much as possible.

Granted, much of that time has been spent fishing and "hunting" various insects with my trusty butterfly net--as opposed to, you know, gardening or landscaping or planning the layout of the gyroid-filled mansion I'm sure to own in the future--but considering that's how I've spent 90 percent of my time while playing previous Animal Crossing games, I guess it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.

That's not what you came here to read about, though, is it? No, I'm guessing you came here to read about--and see screenshots of--my New Leaf town and characters. Thankfully, I've got all of that in spades.

Below, for instance, is a snapshot of my female character, Aino--named after a figure from Finnish mythology--stepping foot into Animachi, my town, for the first time.



I came up with the name Animachi, by the way, by combining the first three letters of "animal" with one of the Japanese words for town or village. Fitting, don't you think?



Oh, and here's a shot of Animachi's first citizens (aka my welcoming committee): Rizzo, Barold, Snake, Winnie and Chevre. (My favorite at the moment is Barold, by the way--don't tell Snake!)



One of the first things I--er, I mean, Aino--did after getting settled in Animachi: buy a fortune cookie from the nearby Nookling Junction shop. (And, no, I don't know why Aino decided to wait until she was inside the museum to crack it open.)



Aino sports the above-mentioned "green hat" (aka the "hero's cap") in the screenshot below. Pretty nifty, eh?



Not so nifty: the fact that the river that runs through Animachi is infested with piranha. Not that Aino seems to mind.

This one's for the ladies

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