Considering how many hours I spend on this here blog, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to hear that I'm a bit of a geek (at least as far as games are concerned). Some good things come from that geekery, though--such as, well, the nuggets of information that make their way onto this site.
As proud as I am of what I'm attempting to create here, I'm fully aware that there are zillions (yes, zillions) of other gaming sites out there (some gay, some not) that deserve your (and my) attention. So, every once in a while I'm going to post a link to one of them. Here's the first: http://www.auntiepixelante.com/.
I'd be lying if I said I stumbled upon this great site on my own. Actually, someone I'm following on Twitter (thanks, whoever you are!) mentioned it recently in a tweet and I, always up for a new experience, clicked on the link. I'm glad I did.
Anyway, AuntiePixelante.com is the brainchild of Anna Anthropy, who describes herself as a "freelance scratchware game creator, critic and all-purpose pervert."
If that sounds interesting to you, check out the site when you have a second (a few minutes would be better, but beggars can't be choosers, right?). I think you'll be glad you did.
Although Square-Enix has posted a number of gameplay clips on the DS title's official website over the past few months, I don't think they've released an actual trailer until now. Here it is:
Instead of sharing my own reaction to the trailer, I'd like to share the reaction "batbeg" posted in the game's official thread over at NeoGAF:
"Giant baby-headed octopus will give me nightmares. Music is godly. Graphics are insane. Music is incredible. Art direction is fantastic. The music has it's hands down my pants right now."
I'm especially in agreement with batbeg when it comes to his (her?) second, fourth and sixth comment :)
Anyway, Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden will be released in Japan on Oct. 29. If Square-Enix doesn't announce a stateside release soon, I'm going to import this sucker--despite the fact that I don't know a lick of Japanese.
I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this, but last night I played Frontier Developments' WiiWare title, LostWinds, for the first time.
I meant to buy it back when it first appeared on Nintendo's download service (last Christmas!), but for one reason or another I didn't--and then I forgot about it.
I remembered it last night, though, and promptly purchased it. What a wonderful little game! I've only played it for about an hour so far, so I can't exactly review it at this point, but I can say that I'm enjoying it quite a bit.
Anyway, enough with the gushing. The real reason I'm writing this is to remind everyone that Frontier's sequel, LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias, will be coming out in October.
For more information, check out the official site and the most recent trailer for what looks like a wonderfully worthy sequel:
Well, it seems the fan translation of Fatal Frame IV (you know, the sequel that Nintendo refuses to bring to the States--or anywhere outside of Japan--even though it sold more than any of its predecessors) is nearly finished.
According to the folks actually doing the translating, the project is 93 percent complete. Considering they've only been working on the patch since late April, I think it's safe to say it will see the light of day soon. In time for Halloween? I sure hope so!
In the meantime, order a copy of the game (calledZero: Tsukihami no Kamen in Japan) and watch the following trailer, which shows off a bit of what the translators have accomplished so far:
If you're going to make a tennis game for the Wii, it's got to stand out from the crowd. And when I say crowd, I mean Wii Sports. After all, the celebrated Wii pack-in contains one of the most enjoyable and playable tennis games around.
EA Sports' recently released Grand Slam Tennis did a great job of differentiating itself from Nintendo's title by including many of the options that were sorely missing from Wii Sports tennis, such as career and online modes.
Aksus Games' Family Tennis also tries to set itself apart from the pack (i.e., Wii Sports), though it does so by going in the opposite direction of EA Sports' offering. For instance, rather than aiming to create a realistic representation of the sport, the folks at developer Arc System Works seemingly set out to create an easy-access, arcade-esque experience for Wii tennis fans.
Were they successful? Well, not exactly.
Don't get me wrong: Family Tennis has its charms. For starters, it's cute. It's also easy to pick up and play. Oh, and at just 500 Nintendo points ($5), it's pretty darn cheap, too.
Compare those positives to the title's negatives, though, and it's clear Family Tennis is only worth your hard-earned cash if you're a die-hard tennis fan. Among my complaints: The game looks like it could have been a launch release for the PlayStation 2 and features an ear-splitting soundtrack that I'm guessing even its creator can't enjoy.
Even worse: Although Family Tennis controls much like its counterpart in the world-conquering Wii Sports, it's not nearly as precise. Forehands and backhands work well most of the time, for instance, but every once in a while (too often, if you ask me) the same swing used to send a shot into the far corner of your competitor's side of the court becomes a lob that lands many feet beyond the baseline.
Speaking of competitors, don't expect to see many of them in Family Tennis. In fact, expect to see just four of them: Billy, Sally, "Mommy" and "Daddy." Players can compete against the titular family members in three modes: Elimination Match, Free Match and Thrilling Rally. Unfortunately, once you beat all of them in the first mode, there's little reason to boot up the game again.
As such, it shouldn't be too surprising to hear (see?) me say that Family Tennis, despite its cuteness and cheapness, is an absolute "NAY."
If you're like me and you have to play every single tennis game that's published, go ahead and drop the $5 needed to download it. If you're not, spend your dough on a much more deserving title (such as Art Style: Cubello or Orbient).
Yep, I'm gay. And I like video games. Old Japanese games and systems are my favorites--the Famicom, PC Engine, original PlayStation and GameBoy, especially--but I like plenty of newer ones, too. If you have similar interests and you don't mind perusing a blog that's got the word gay in its name and is practically slathered in pink, you'll probably enjoy your time here. I'm also on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter, by the way. Oh, and my Switch Friend Code = SW-5852-5514-6897.
