Seems I'll be importing another PSP game soon

The name of the PSP game that I'll likely be importing: Airu de Puzuruu.

Those of you who are Monster Hunter fans may know that in Japan the series' adorably devious-looking cat characters are known as "airu." (In other regions, they're called "felynes.")

Unlike the last airu/felyne spin-off title, the Animal Crossing-esque Monster Hunter Diary, Airu de Puzuruu will be--surprise!--a puzzler.

It won't be just any old puzzler, though. According to various sources (namely andriasang.com), Airu de Puzuruu will be based on Capcom's vaunted Puzzle Fighter series.



Given my dual love of the airu/felyne characters and of puzzle games, you can rest assured that yours truly will be picking up a copy of this title shortly after it hits the streets of Japan on July 19.

(We all know there's not a snowball's chance in hell of Airu de Puzuruu making it to the States, so why bother waiting?)

(Via andriasang.com)

The most adorable (and interesting) Pokémon illustrations you're ever likely to see

When I first read about the Pokémon Battle Royale art show that's taking up space at Minneapolis' Light Grey Art Lab through May 11, I was jealous that I no longer lived close enough to check it out in person.

Now that the show's 151 pieces--each of which are based on the the original 151 Pokémon--can be viewed on line, though, I no longer feel so envious.

Pokémon Battle Royale features so many fabulous works of art that it's hard to pick a favorite, but if I were forced to do so I'd probably single out Andrew Kolb's Ivysaur, below.

That said, I'm also quite smitten with Shane Richardson's pooping Pidgeotto:

And Diego Garcia's pixelated Paras:

Really, though, all 151 pieces are worth a look (here) if you're even the slightest bit interested in the Pokémon series.

See also: Chic Pixel's recent write-up about the same show

Animal Crossing x Time Cowboy!

I don't know about you, but I've been thinking of the next Animal Crossing game ever since Nintendo of Japan's Satoru Iwata mentioned it during the company's recent Nintendo Direct broadcast.

Sadly, it seems I'll be thinking of it for some time yet, as this 3DS game--which will be called Tobidase Doubutsu no Mori in Japan, with "tobidase" apparently meaning "leap out" or "jump out"--won't be released until sometime this autumn.

In the meantime, I'll satisfy my Animal Crossing craving by keeping a watchful eye on Time Cowboy!, the tumblog maintained by Melbourne, Australia-based illustrator, Jake Lawrence.

That's because Time Cowboy! regularly includes on-point, four-panel comics (like the one above) that are inspired by Nintendo's blockbuster social sim.

I'm also quite partial to this one, which casts a rueful eye toward what Lawrence calls "the disappointments of the sea."

(Via tinycartridge.com)

Acquisition #129: Final Fantasy (PSP)

So, over the last month or two I've mentioned quite a few times--or at least I think I have--that I'm slowly but surely working on increasing the size of my (heretofore rather meager) PSP game collection.

This portable remake--the 20th, I think--of the first Final Fantasy is one of said acquisitions.

There are three major reasons I finally decided, after much hemming and hawing, to hand over my hard-earned cash for this Tose-developed rehash of Square Enix's classic RPG:

1. I really like its cover art (see image to the right),

2. I kind of like what I've seen of this version's higher-resolution graphics (despite the fact that I'm a huge fan of the chunky sprites found in the NES original), and 

3. It was an absolute steal, setting me back less than $10 (including shipping).

I'm sure some of you are wondering, How many times can you play through the same, old game? I'm not sure how to answer that question, to tell you the truth, as I've played through the original Final Fantasy many, many times over the years and I'm still not sick of it. 

That said, it'll be interesting to see if I make it to the end this time around or if I stop somewhere short of the credits. Regardless, I'll get as far as I can and then work up a review of it that lets you know if I consider it to be a worthy remake or a waste of your time and money.

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts

Is this a portable game system or a vending machine prize?

I don't think I've ever mentioned this here, but I've long wanted to own a GameBoy Micro. For various reasons, though, I've avoided buying one.

Until recently, of course.

My original plan was to buy one of the Special 20th Anniversary Edition systems--the ones that are red and gold a la the Famicom--but then I saw, on good ol' eBay, the hot pink GameBoy Micro seen in the photos below.

As you probably can tell (by, again, checking out the photos above and below), this particular GameBoy Micro is of the complete-in-box variety. And, surprisingly enough, the box in question is in pretty great condition--as is the system itself.

I haven't spent much time with it yet, but I've spent enough time with it to have come to the realization that these suckers are tiny! Too tiny? I personally wouldn't say so, although I'm sure some folks feel that way.

Anyway, would it surprise you to hear that this latest acquisition has piqued my interest in GameBoy Advance games? I'll bet not.

I haven't yet added any new GameBoy Advance games to my collection, but I'm planning on doing so soon. Which games? Well, I've been eyeing up (on eBay, of course) copies of Kurukuru Kururin and Legendary Starfy, for starters, so maybe I'll start with those.

See also: A few more photos of this awesome little system