I hope someone other than Sega brings this game to the States

"This game" being Chunsoft's Furai no Siren 4--aka Shiren the Wanderer 4--which will hit store shelves in Japan in just a few weeks.

Should someone pick it up for release in the U.S., I hope they also pick up the rights to these adorable ads (if such a thing is possible), which have been promoting the title in Japan:



(Side note to Chunsoft's CEO: Make a Shiren sequel with character models that look like the figures featured in this trailer and I'll not only buy copies of said game for everyone I know, but I'll bear at least one of your children--even though that isn't scientifically possible at the moment.)

Sega brought the DS remake of the original Furai no Siren to the States as Mystery Dungoen: Shiren the Wanderer in early 2008, but it bombed spectacularly. I have to imagine this rather hideous box art had something to do with it:

As you've surely read on this site, Atlus is bringing Furai no Siren 3 to the States--as Shiren the Wanderer--in just a few days (Feb. 9, to be exact). (Order a copy here.)

The box art for this iteration of the series is about 100 times better than what was produced for its predecessor, so hopefully its sales will see a similar boost--and hopefully those stellar sales will spur someone to announce the localization of Furai no Siren 4 soon.

See also: 'Who you callin' a roguelike rookie?' and 'ITIGTJTP: Shiren the Wanderer'

The folks at Namco Bandai really know how to hurt a guy's feelings

So, I was randomly surfing the Interwebs a short while ago when I came across this image:

The bright blue Muscle March-branded Speedo (right) was delivered to the MTV Multiplayer offices packed inside the similarly branded jug of protein powder (left), by the way.

Maybe if I give the Namco Bandai's PR folks a ring and promise to model said Speedo on this site they'll send me one, too? :)

(Via multiplayerblog.mtv.com)

Another one of those 'I'd buy this game if I had a DSi/PSP/PS3/360' posts

Chime, the first game from non-profit publisher OneBigGame, has hit Xbox LIVE Arcade, and it looks pretty darn hot.



I like the minimalist look of this musical puzzler, developed by Zoe Mode, and I downright love the way the music (from artists like Moby and Orbital's Paul Hartnoll) builds upon itself. I'm not so sure about the actual gameplay, though--it seems like the whole "fill up the screen with Tetris-like blocks" could get a bit boring.

Still, if I owned an Xbox 360 I'd more than likely drop 400 Microsoft Points ($5) for the title, especially since net proceeds will be donated to Save the Children and Starlight Children’s Foundation.

Japan gets a NieR RepliCant (aka 'that game with the hermaphrodite') release date

The seemingly random capitalizations in the game's name drive the editor in me batty, by the way.

Anyway, enough about me and my analities. You clicked on this post to read about the release date for NieR RepliCant, right?

Actually, the folks at Square-Enix announced a Japanese release date for both NieR RepliCant and NieR Gestalt yesterday: April 22.

Kaine prepares to kick the crap out of a rather curious- and freaky-looking foe.

In case the only thing you know about either of these games is that one (or maybe both) of them features an intersex character (Kaine's her name, in case you're wondering): Both are action-adventure titles that were developed by Cavia and will be published by Square-Enix.

NieR RepliCant, a PS3 exclusive in Japan, focuses on the titular Nier and his quest to find a cure for the "Black Scrawl virus" that has infected his little sister, Yonah. NieR Gestalt, on the other hand, is an Xbox 360 exclusive in Japan and focuses on Yonah's father--who also appears to be named Nier.

To make things more confusing: Only NieR Gestalt will be brought to North America (no word yet on whether it'll hit Europe, too), though it's title will be shortened to NIER and it'll be released for both the PS3 and the Xbox 360.

See also: 'Square-Enix releases NieR RepliCant trailer'

Knowing me, knowing you

You know you're reading a "gay blog" when you see a headline that references an ABBA song :)

Anyway, that's not the point of this post. The point is that I want to tell you a bit about myself--and hopefully learn a bit about all of you as well. So, without further ado ...

What I do when I'm not playing or writing about games: Well, to put it bluntly: I write about other stuff. (I've been an editor and writer for the past decade or so.) Actually, once in a blue moon I'm paid to write articles about games (or the games industry), but more often than not I'm paid to write about business-y stuff. I'm sure that sounds more than a bit boring, but it pays the bills :)

What I do when I'm not writing about other stuff: I like to do all sorts of mundane things, really. I enjoy baking and cooking, reading, watching movies and working out. I also like spending time with my husband of nearly six years--especially when it means going on a walk and then treating ourselves to a beer and/or something sweet (which usually means doughnuts).

My all-time favorite games: If my life (or the life of someone I loved) depended on me coming up with a list of my favorite games, here are the ones I'd probably spew out: Animal Crossing, Balloon Fight ("Balloon Trip" mode FTW), Bubble Bobble, Donkey Kong, Earthbound, Final Fantasy IV/V/VI, Final Fantasy Tactics, Katamari Damacy, Kid Icarus, The Legend of Zelda and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Ms. Pac-Man, Paper Mario, Rainbow Islands, SaGa Frontier, Shining Force, Super Mario Bros. 2 and 3, Yoshi's Island.

My all-time favorite systems: I have to say, it's a bit easier for me to come up with this list than the last one. That said, I still can't choose just one--as the NES, the SNES, the original PlayStation and the PS2 all have a special place in my heart. I also have a soft spot for the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine and the Saturn.

Now that I've blathered on about myself, why don't you tell me a bit about you? You don't have to talk about your non-gaming hobbies or what you do for a living if you're not so fond of sharing intimate details about yourself with complete strangers, but at least tell me a few of your favorite games and systems, OK?