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.

'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.

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.

Strangest game-related products you're likely to encounter for some time to come: Square Enix's 25th anniversary SaGa dishes

The powers that be at Square Enix have chosen a wonderfully weird way in which to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its SaGa games: porcelain dishes.

Specifically, the Tokyo-based purveyor of Japanese RPGs is recognizing the milestone by selling a slew of porcelain platters, plates and cups that feature artwork related to the quirky series.

My favorite of the bunch: the following cup-and-saucer set that'll only set you back about $200.

The seven-inch platter seen below is pretty sweet too, though--plus, it's comparatively "cheap" at $150.

And then there's this rather colorful five-inch plate, which will run you just $86.50 if you buy it via shopncsx.com. (It's only $60 or so when purchased through the Square Enix estore, although I can't say I know how a foreigner is supposed to accomplish that task.)

To ogle the rest of Square Enix's SaGa anniversary dishes (including a couple that ring in at just under $10,000 apiece), head over to store.jp.square-enix.com/special/saga.

I'd be a lot more interested in these if they were Dragon Quest-branded coffee mugs rather than 'melamine cups'

To be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure what a "melamine cup" is. Are we just talking about a plastic cup that a person might use to drink milk or water?

Regardless, I can't help but wish the Dragon Quest-themed vessels (above and below--oh, and there's a blue one, too!) that will soon be sold by the folks at shopncsx.com were porcelain mugs rather than melamine cups.

Of course, I need a game-related mug like I need a social disease (some would say "another social disease"), so maybe I should forget about this particular wish while I'm ahead.

Are any of you chomping at the bit to own one of these cups (which can be bought for just $8.90 each), or are you perfectly fine with whatever other cups you already own?

Who wouldn't want to be seen wearing an 8-bit-ified 'Virgin de Guadalupe' t-shirt?

I, for one, would strut around town as proudly as a peacock if I owned the t-shirt bearing the design seen below (and here)--which was produced by one of my favorite gaming-inspired artists, Ashley Anderson.

Of course, I could acquire one of said shirts pretty easily if I made my way over to fallenarrows.com and handed over $28 of my hard-earned cash.

I may do just that in the next few days, to tell you the truth, as I really like how Anderson's sprite-based illustration looks against a sage-y green American Apparel tee.

Do you think it would clash too much if I paired the shirt above with this "Black Honey" pin that Anne Lee (of the Chic Pixel blog and The Nichiest Podcast Ever) recently turned me on to?

I kind of hate to admit that I'm a bit curious about Final Fantasy: All The Bravest

So, what would you like to hear first--the good news, or the bad?

I think we should start with the good, which is that the folks at Square Enix just announced and released--yes, all in the same day--a new, sprite-based Final Fantasy game.

As for the bad news, well, the aforementioned title--known as Final Fantasy: All The Bravest--doesn't seem to be a "real" RPG, despite the fact that it's being described as a "pick-up-and-go RPG with massive battles."

Oh, and it's an iOS-only affair at the moment, which is a bummer for those of us who prefer to do the bulk of our gaming on dedicated handhelds and consoles.



Still, I'm curious about it. It helps, of course, that the sprites used in Final Fantasy: All The Bravest look to have been pulled from, or at least inspired by, the vaunted series' 16-bit releases.

Also, the battles look pretty crazy--although I'm feeling a bit flummoxed as to why some of the enemies (like the Goblin and Nutkins shown at the beginning) in the trailer above now seem to have sky-high HP.

Since I don't currently own a device capable of playing Final Fantasy: All The Bravest, I'd greatly appreciate it if any of you who wind up buying it would share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

If only these sprites had been created for an actual Final Fantasy game (rather than an album)

Shocking admission of the day (yeah, right): I prefer the sprite-based Final Fantasy games to those that are polygon-based.

As such, I was pretty stoked when I came across a post on siliconera.com that stated the powers that be at Square Enix recently hired pixel artist Kasuko Shibuya to create sprites for a Final Fantasy tribute album that's in the works.

Here's the result of Shibuya's hard work:



I know this is a pipe dream, but wouldn't it be awesome if Square Enix teamed up with Shibuya to create a Final Fantasy tribute game? My only requirement would be that it feature an HUD that's less hideous than the ones that appear in Final Fantasy Dimensions and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (WiiWare version).

(Via siliconera.com)

The Gay Gamer Giveaway™: Ashley Anderson Edition

Atlanta's one and only Ashley Anderson recently surprised me by sending me the poster--of his crazy, sprite-filled collage titled "Cabana Fever" (below)--that was showcased in a recent issue of Young Foxy & Free magazine.

As much as I love the poster, I thought it might be cool to offer it to one of you via the second Gay Gamer Giveaway™. After mentioning this idea to Anderson, he said he'd send another so I could keep one for myself and give one away. Awesome, huh?

A few details about said poster before I get to how you can win it: It's approximately 18 inches by 23 inches. Also, it's been signed by Anderson. Oh, and it'll be shipped rolled up and in a tube (as opposed to folded and stuffed into an envelope).

Winning this particular giveaway is just as easy as the last one, by the way. Just leave a comment below between now and the end of the day (let's say 11:59 pm Pacific Daylight Time) on Friday, May 25. I'll announce the winner of this oh-so-fabulous poster on Saturday morning.

Those who don't win may want to check out Anderson's society6 shop, where art prints, stretched canvases, stationary cards, iPhone skins and t-shirts featuring this image can be purchased for as little as $12.

See also: 'Ashley Anderson's Cabana Fever'

Ashley Anderson's 'Cabana Fever'

Remember how I introduced you to the "Alien Goose of Love" a couple of weeks ago? (If not, you'll probably want to check out this post before continuing on.)

Well, artist Ashley Anderson just shared (OK, so he shared it a few days ago) the full, final product on his Flickr photostream and, boy, is it a doozy. Don't believe me? Click on the image to the right and take a good, long look at it.

The piece's official title is "Cabana Fever," by the way, and it's currently featured (as a pull-out poster, I believe) in the latest issue of Atlanta's Young Foxy & Free magazine.

Sadly, I can't tell you at this time which games Anderson, who's also based in Atlanta, plundered to find the sprites that make up this crazy collage. I'll ask him to spill the beans--via his Facebook page--shortly, though, and then share the details here, OK?

Any of you who really like "Cabana Fever," by the way, might like to know that prints, stationary cards and iPhone cases/skins featuring Anderson's illustration can be bought via society6.com.

See also: Previous Ashley Anderson posts

'Alien Goose of Love'

What's an "alien goose of love," you ask? Why, it's the ... thing showcased in the image below (as well as here), that's what it is.

Also, it's a small part of a collage that Atlanta-based artist Ashley Anderson is working on for Young Foxy & Free.

Anderson recently took to Facebook to comment on this much-anticipated (by me, at the very least) project:

"This constitutes about one-sixth of a collage I've been working on for Young Foxy & Free. If you like this, you will have an absolute conniption at the sight of the whole thing!"

The cropped image above is the "this" Anderson is talking about in his Facebook quote, by the way.

Anyway, keep an eye on this blog--or on Anderson's blog, Facebook page or Flickr photostream--for more information on this sure-to-be-intriguing piece of art.

Is Mickey Mouse sticking his nose where I think he's sticking it?

Artist Ashley Anderson recently shared (on his facebook page) the following "sneak peak" of a piece he was producing for a show at Beep Beep Gallery in Atlanta.



Is it wrong that my initial reaction to this piece was, "Where'd he get those strawberry sprites?"

The Mickey-centric and probably-not-certified-by-Disney image above takes up but a small portion of the completed illustration, which is called "The Human Centerpiece," by the way. Check it out in all of its not-entirely-safe-for-work glory after the jump.

Manual Stimulation: Super Mario Bros. (Famicom)

I'd be hard pressed to call Super Mario Bros.' instruction manual disappointing, but I'd definitely call it a bit underwhelming considering the status the game has achieved since its release in 1985.

Still, I think it's nice enough to highlight in one of these "Manual Stimulation" posts--thanks in large part to its not-at-all-stingy use of illustrations and sprite art.

You may want to skip past the next few scans (as always, click on them for a closer look) if all you're interested in are the above-mentioned illustrations and sprites, by the way, as Nintendo's designers take their sweet time getting to them.







In fact, the first one that's at all worth mentioning doesn't appear until the manual's seventh page. Sure, it's a wonky drawing showing regular Mario and super Mario both standing still and jumping, but it's better than a bunch of text, don't you think?