What it feels like for a gay game developer

As the little header at the top of this page says, I'm gay and I'm a gamer. I'm not sure which one I knew about first, but both aspects of my life are pretty important to me. Hopefully that comes across not only in what I write here, but in the articles I write for other media outlets as well.

My latest feature for Gamasutra.com (my third!) once again blends gay issues and gaming--this time taking a look at what it's like to be among the small minority of LGBT people in the gaming industry. I had a great time talking to people for this article and am very happy with how it turned out.

Hopefully a few developers will read it and think about the environment they help create every day--whether it's a welcoming or non-welcoming environment. If you'd like to read it, too, here's a direct link for you.

I think the U.S. will be getting its grubby hands on Grim Grimoire pretty soon

Funny that I just mentioned this game in my post last night about Odin Sphere.

Although it hasn't been announced yet, I'm fairly sure Nippon Ichi's Grim Grimoire is on its way to the U.S. sooner rather than later.

A slew of translated videos (including an official-looking trailer) and screen shots were added to IGN.com today.

Go here to check them out--and stay tuned for what I'm sure will be official word from NIS America!

Hopefully this isn't an early April Fool's prank

Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle--the first screen shots of Sega's Nights sequel (apparently an exclusive for the Wii) have popped up on line, as has an interview with the game's designer.

I can't help but take these with a grain of salt until official word comes from someone at Sega or Nintendo or at least a more reliable source than some random foreign gaming mag, but call me excited nonetheless.

For more drool-worthy images, pay a visit to GoNintendo.com. Also, someone has kindly translated the interview that accompanies the pics and posted the text on the NeoGAF forums.

Disgaea PSP coming to the States in August?

For me, the best reason to own a PS2 is that it allows you to partake in all of NIS America's lovely RPGs. La Pucelle Tactics, Disgaea, Phantom Brave, Makai Kingdom, Disgaea 2--all are extremely satisfying if you're an RPG freak like me.

Well, when news broke that NIS was updating the original Disgaea for PSP, I nearly lost my lunch. I don't own a PSP and I never planned on owning one either (the DS lite pretty much fills all my portable gaming desires, thank you very much), but the thought of playing a re-vamped version of NIS' wicked SRPG while commuting around town was just too much for me to take (OK, I'm being dramatic, but hopefully you know what I mean).

Although the game was released in Japan late last year, and the PS2 original was a bit of an underground hit here in the U.S., I really didn't expect it to make its way over here anytime soon (if at all). I guess I should start working my foot out of my mouth, though, as the folks at IGN.com are now saying Disgaea will be coming Stateside in August. They even wrote up some early impressions of the game, presumably to whet our appetites until more information can be spilled. Thanks, IGN!

Turbo geeks get some Virtual Console love

Don't worry, I count myself among the TurboGrafx geeks out there. Heck, I not only owned the basic Turbo system back in the day, I also owned the CD-ROM attachment and purchased a TurboDuo when it came out, too. I loved the TG-16 then, and I still love it today.

Thankfully, Hudson is going to be releasing a slew of TurboGrafx-16 games onto the Wii Virtual Console in April. Making the cut this time around: Battle Lode Runner, Bonk's Revenge, Bravoman and Shockman.

I may be wrong, but I'm fairly certain Battle Lode Runner wasn't released in the U.S. If that's true, this will be the first time the addictive multi-player game will hit our shores. Nice going, Hudson!

The other "must buy" on this list, of course, is Bonk's Revenge. Personally, I think this is the best of Bonk's three adventures and it's well worth a measly 600 Wii points.