There isn't much that hasn't been said by everyone else doing a blog post about leaving so I'll keep this short and sweet.


I've been on Gamespot for about 10 years now under various accounts before settling down on this one. Most of my memories have always been associated with unions and recently the one UCB I'm in. Sadly with these gone there is little point in my staying here. I'd like to thank everybody that posted on my blogs, on Fuse with me, on my various unions, and UCB for the good times we had. 

It's sadly all come to an end, but for those who want to keep in contact with me, I'll drop this right here:

PSN: Josefu64

MAL: http://myanimelist.net/profile/Josephl64


Until whenever we can meet again after this...sayonara~

******I forgot there was one other place where you can get in touch with me and also where some of the Gamestop people are going. Here it is: http://w11.zetaboards.com/lazy_folcks_forum/index/

Maybe I'll see you there?

I actually have a pretty big blog for this month so let's get started. Also please note that I haven't had the chance to play any of these yet (except for Spinnerweb's beloved title and one other) so it'll basically just be pics only:

K-ON! (PS3)

I played a couple songs on this so far. Way harder than Project Diva F to me, but I'm getting the hang of it :)

Project X Zone [Limited Edition] (3DS)

(Contains: OST and artbook)

Date A Live [Limited Edition] (PS3)

(contains: 2 Drama CDs, 1 novel/artbook, and 1 phone card)

I still need to get that poster to upgrade it to a Famitsu DX Pack :/

Majo to Hyakkihei [Limited Edition] (PS3)

 (Contains: signature card, nendoroid, artbook, and OST)

Hyperdimension Idol Neptune PP [Famitsu DX Pack] (Vita)

(Contains: Poster, tapestry, OST, stand, manga, Vita skin, and 1 strap)

Valkyria Chronicles [Limited Edition] (PS3)

(Contains: Tank model, Alicia Melchiott figurine, and artbook)

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Feel free to reply and comment  ~ 

I found this as I was cleaning up my PC, and decided that I might as well share it. If it seems fast-paced, not revised, rough, and short on details...it was a term paper I did an hour before class was due...anyways here you go:

A History of Videogames in Japan by Genre

                The beginning of videogames started out with the advent of arcade machines. Sega, Taito, Namco, and Nintendo were amongst the biggest names at the time during the early 1970s. These companies very quickly gained prominence and became a major player in the development of arcade video games including famous titles such as Space Invaders by Taito. This will be the mainstay until the American videogame industry collapses in 1983 when Nintendos Famicom enters foreign markets and the Nintendo Entertainment System. This then starts making the idea of home console generations a mainstay. However, there are many different types of games. Now we will take a closer look at how these different game genres developed over time and what their beginnings were.

            One of the first genres in video games was visual novels. Visual novels or VNs for short, started out as strictly text-based games that contained static pictures to go along with the story the developers were trying to tell. These games were actually amongst the first which were available for purchase to the masses. This was due to the increasing popularity of personal computers in Japan during the 1980s which coincided with the increasing popularity of visual novels at the same times. The majority of early visual novels were bishoujo eroge or erotic in nature. Some of the first companies that delved into this were companies we know very well today such as Koei which is famously known nowadays for their Dynasty Warriors and Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. Another famous company that started out with eroge was Enix which is now famously known for the Dragon Quest series.

As the genre developed, more variety has been added to visual novels. One of the most famous examples was Portopia Serial Murder Case by Enix which is widely considered a classic by many today and one of the first detective games in existence. Nowadays as technology has advanced, so have the possibilities which can be employed when making visual novels. Until the 1990s pixel art was used before using real images. Sometimes animated video clips will also be used in visual novels in order to break up long scenes of intended text. Character sprites later became more dynamic and gained simple animations as well. Morality systems which changed the possible endings depending on a players actions, professionally composed music by famous artists, and more branching storylines also grew as visual novels evolved through the ages. As RPGs developed further, they became melded with visual novels and it is not uncommon to see visual novels having battle sequences with such action as noticed in the Rance Quest series. Although visual novels have mainly stayed a Japanese only genre for the most part, there have been two largely notable exceptions to this rule. A game by the name of 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors by Chunsoft and most importantly Katawa Shoujo by Four Leaf Studios. The latter is significant as it was an international collaboration by people all over the world to create a game which was later distributed for free on their website

Secondly, RPGs or role-playing games are also one of the largest video game genres. This genre was created differently at the same time from different regions with varying degrees of differences and similarities. This is why the terms WRPG meaning Western role-playing game, and JRPG meaning Japanese role-playing game were coined. WRPGs in short grew from and were directly inspired by traditional board games in which you played the role of your character. JRPGs however grew very differently. This was due to the fact that many of their influences came from visual novels which are in large part due to that genre coming around first and was one of the main reasons big companies like Enix decided to switch over from visual novels to working on this new genre. JRPGs and RPGs in general began their mainstream success beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

What made JRPGs so different from their Western counterparts was the strong emphasis on storytelling which was borrowed from visual novels as well as their art style. Stories typically followed a group of adventures and covered their trials and tribulations with the player controlling somebody who already had their own past and was not user created. Some of the first famous Japanese RPG titles include Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy which have both become popular franchises to this date. These games used to always have combat happen on a two-dimensional plane in which players had to micromanage their party while choosing moves and leveling their party up. These used to be strictly turn-based also. Although this type of play is still rather popular, other new styles of JRPGs have evolved and include 3D environments. Many of these are real-time based and do not wait for whoever is playing to make their move. There are also some titles which constantly try to reinvent the genre or meld the two styles of gameplay together. The most famous of these is the critically acclaimed Valkyria Chronicles series published by Sega. In short, the game forces the player to take turns by planning where their character will go and once their decisions are locked in, the game plays itself in real-time. The last change to the normal RPG formula occurred due to the popularity of the internet. People wanted to be able to play these games online with their friends and thus the MMORPG or massively multiple online role-playing games was formed. This allowed people all over the world to play together in a fashion similar to what they were able to do before alone.

Fighting games have existed ever since the days of the arcades and are still amazingly popular today with fighting game tournaments taking place worldwide. The fighting games as we know them today were born in arcades during the late 1970s. However, this genre did not become popular or gained worldwide acclaim until the mid-1980s. Fighting games generally for the most part include two players controlling two different characters on a screen in which they must knockout their opponent utilizing a variety of combos and special moves. The game that set the mainstream conventions for what a fighting game should be like and how they should be played was Street Fighter II by Capcom in 1991. This success helped create a plethora of franchises and sparked the creation of a giant community based on competitive play at tournaments. The modern big fighting game titles include Street Fighter, Tekken, The King of Fighters, Mortal Kombat, Virtua Fighter, Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive, and Super Smash Bros.

Fighting games have changed very little since their early creations besides better graphics and detail added to the combatants, but there are new styles of play. As technology grew, 3D fighters became a possibility which allowed players to move around a stage or sidestep an opponent. Some franchises such as Dead or Alive and Virtua Fighter changed the emphasis from merely attacking into being able to read what your opponent wants to do and employ a variety of counters unseen in 2D fighters for the most part. Also, an exception to most of the normal conventions of what a fighter can be has been shown in Nintendos Super Smash Bros. which released on the Nintendo 64. It was one of the first games which did not feature a life bar and was remarkably different as it focused on players knocking each other off the screen. Today there seems to be resurgence in popularity in the fighting game genre which explains how all these franchises can co-exist.

            Shoot em ups or shmups for short are one of the first genres of games available to play and first made their appearance one personal computers in the early 1960s with Spacewar! before getting ported to arcades. The genre did not become popular however until Taito game companys Space Invaders which was released in 1978 for Japanese arcades. Shoot em ups as a genre usually feature the player under constant attack whilst having to avoid a multitude of projectiles on a flat vertical or horizontal plane. Some of these titles force the player to memorize where enemies may pop up and allow for upgrades to your avatar. While Space Invaders brought about the idea of this genre to developers and became the basis for horizontal shooters, another game by the name of Xevious in 1982 created by Namco pioneered vertical shooters and was also amongst the first to portray a realistic background setting. Other notable entries which changed the genre include Asteroids by Atari in 1979 which allowed the player to rotate their avatar, and Konamis Gradius in 1985 which gave the players more control over weaponry and gave the idea of strategy into the genre. The golden age of the genre lasted from the end of the 1970s until the beginning of the 1990s before shoot em ups as a whole nearly died due to a lack of innovation.

            In todays world the shoot em up genre is still alive but has fallen in size considerably and is considered a niche genre which only very few people play. Nowadays the biggest names in the genre are the companies Cave and Team Shanghai Alice. Cave is actually the last large sized company which is solely dedicated to the creation of games in this genre and generally keeps their games from releasing overseas because of a lack of interest in the genre. Team Shanghai Alice however actually just consists of a single member who goes by the name ZUN whose real name is Junya Outa. ZUNs main franchise and most famous work is the Touhou series which is a subgenre within the shoot em up genre called bullet hell shooters. His games feature many differently and brightly colored projectiles which are shot at your character and meant to test your dexterity and patience to avoid. They usually follow beautiful patterns that can easily cover the whole screen and many times require the player to memorize a correct style of dodging and adapt to each situation. This has become the new standard subgenre which has easily become the mainstay of the shoot em up genre. These games also tend to involve light stories with almost no central plot tying each sequence together.

            My personal interests in video games and Japanese video games in particular are intertwined and have existed for a long time. I remember my first game that I ever received being Super Mario Bros & Duck Hunt for the Nintendo Entertainment System when I was about five or six years old. It would mark the beginning of my being entertained by the medium which was later increased exponentially the day I got my very own Game Boy Pocket with Pokemon: Red Version as a gift one day. From then my favorite genres have changed slightly and I have experienced many different types of games before I opened myself into accepting something new for once. I realize today that the reason I enjoy Japanese video games to be that the sheer creativeness employed by the game designers and developers to be astounding and remarkable as opposed to what is often done in the West which is just to go for realism. Then I have come to understand that what I probably enjoy the most about my favorite genre being Japanese role-playing games is the deep story often written which is sadly neigh non-existent in their Western counterparts. Being able to play as a character and understand their backstory, and why they do things the way they do, as well as what their motives were has always fascinated me. It has truly become the reason why I come back to gaming constantly so I can experience all these different intriguing storylines.

Works Cited

·         Black, Macs. "KOEI Historical Simulation Series." KOEI Historical Simulation Series. MobyGames, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.

·         Coleman, Matt. "A History of Console RPGs." IGN.com. IGN Entertainment, 25 Oct. 2011. Web.

·         Hanson, Brian. "The Portopia Serial Murder Case Killers, Thieves and Lawyers." RetrowareTV.com. Retroware TV, 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2013.

·         Todome, Satoshi. "A History of Eroge." A History of Eroge. Shii.org, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.

·         Werner, Nicholas. "All Your History: Street Fighter Part 2 Greatest of All Time." Inside Gaming Daily Blog All Your History Street Fighter Part 2 Greatest of All Time Comments. Inside Gaming, 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.

There has been many games announced recently, and thus here is my list of games not yet released that I'm interested in order of their release dates:

*In the Nintendo Titles section, everything is a must buy for me

**In the Sony Titles section, I placed some kind of indicator indicating my level of interest for each game

Nintendo Titles:

X (Wii U)

We know very little about the title, but being as I enjoyed Xenoblade Chronicles so much, I do believe this game should be great.

Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Yet another Mario Kart game? Sure, why not? Although this isn't the main reason I'll be getting a Wii U, I have enjoyed pretty much every Mario Kart game to date, and playing with friends is especially fun. We might even hold tournies featuring this game at my college once this comes out~

Super Smash Bros. (Wii U)

The reason I'm getting a Wii U, the game looks amazing so far from what I've seen so far which is admittedly close to nothing besides 2 mock battles. I am really interested in playing as the new Wii Fit Trainer which was announced as well as Mega Man(obviously). Of course Pikachu was easily confirmed, so I can only hope for the neigh impossible chance that Lyndis will be playable...

Shin Megami Tensei  X Fire Emblem (Wii U)

There isn't much I can say here. Anybody that knows me can tell that I'm a huge fan of Fire Emblem to extreme levels...I am just really curious as to how the game will play out and how does the game decide what characters can we use? I do have to admit however that I've sadly never played a Shin Megami Tensei or Persona game so some fanservice and references may be lost on me when I play the game.

Yarn Yoshi (Wii U)

I like Yoshi...

Sony Titles:

Dragon's Crown [Famitsu DX Pack] (PS3) *purchased

Dragon's Crown feels like a rare throwback to the sidescrolling beat 'em ups I enjoyed growing up so I had to pick it up...also if anybody is wondering, I am definitely picking the Elf :)

Majo to Hyakkihei [Limited Edition] (PS3) *purchased

The combat interests me and so does the story to an extent. I wonder how technical the combat really is? Either way it does seem to look pretty enjoyable...and the art is as beautiful as always with this company

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate [Red & Blue Limited Edition] (PS3) *very low interest

As great as this seems to be, it is pretty expensive...couple that with the fact that I own both the Vita and PS3 versions of the original version is making me leave this for last. I doubt I will ever get this title, but I may pick it up way down the line if there are no games in the horizon that interests me(an impossibility)

Fairy Fencer f [Limited Edition] *moderate interest

Truth be told, I was highly looking forwards to this title, however "Arcadias no Ikusahime" outshines this title for me, but I do want to definitely pick this up later.

Arcadias no Ikusahime (PS3) *high interest

Personally, I think this game looks amazing, and I always welcome more sidescrolling action games :)

Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Taisen Sangokushi Engi [Limited Edition] (PS3) *high interest

For those not familiar with the "Koihime Musou" series, it is basically a large parody based on the novel entitled "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". There is an anime series with multiple seasons released, but I feel like the character development and anime themselves are shortchanged and mediocre. Not only that, but all real violence is removed in the anime despite its source being all about war... If you want to get the full experience, I would look into their Visual Novels as it's a blend of VN eroge with strategy RPG elements(selecting formations in battle, battle paradigms, etc.). Anyways, this is a spinoff of the franchise as a 2D fighter so it's a must have for me as a fan of the VNs.

Anime for those interested: http://myanimelist.net/anime/4262/Koihime%E2%80%A0Musou

Musou Orochi 2 Ultimate (PS3) *low interest

I would be more interested in this game if there weren't so many other great titles coming out. I was gifted Musou Orochi 2(Warriors Orochi 3) for free from a friend and I'm totally interested in the promised new storyline, new characters, and battle mechanic twerks. However, seeing as I've already seen the majority of what the game will have to offer, I will only get this game after a price drop or once I get other titles that I want

Exstetra (Vita) *high interest

There isn't much seen from the game when regarding actual battles asides from a couple seconds in various trailers and some screenshots, but it seems to have a decent battle system in place. The art is also beautiful, and Claris sings the theme of the game which is always a nice extra plus.

Chou Jijigen Geimu Neptune Re: Birth 1 (Vita) *low interest

I would be more interested in this game, but this is basically the same deal as Musou Orochi 2 as where I've beaten the original game before, so I feel like I should pay attention to the newer titles as opposed to remakes.

Drag-On Dragoon 10th Anniversary Box (PS3) *high interest

This is probably my most anticipated title(Drakengard 3), I love all of the games in the series including Nier, although I do wish I could play Nier Replicant in addition to Gestalt which is what we got overseas. The plot seems interesting, and I like the deep backstory behind the main character that they created

Final Fantasy 13 [Lightning Ultimate Box] (PS3) *moderate interest

Val would love this...Anyways, I am one of the few who actually enjoyed FFXIII and its sequels so this appeals to me greatly, also it's an easy way to get the JP copies of the series in one go, and the extra goodies such as the figurine looks great. I guess I'm kind of fortunate as this is the last game, because as great as it looks...if there were to be a 4th game in this story, I would have probably gotten tired of it by then and never play until the end.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd (PS3) *high interest

This is a must-buy for me seeing how much I enjoyed the games prior to this one. Hopeful "1925" and "1/6" makes the cut, but I'm extremely doubtful especially of the former. I only wish that one day Super Sonico will get a game like this as I much prefer her voice to any of the Vocaloids.

*Pic of Super Sonico will be added at the end for those who don't know who she is

Super Heroine Chronicle (PS3) *moderate interest

This is basically a crossover of various anime franchises(plus Sonico as she doesn't have an anime) and a few original characters into an RPG. The idea seems interesting, so I'm keeping a lookout for it at the current time.

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Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this short blog about what I'm looking forwards to.  Feel free to reply and comment :) ~

Ah, it's been a while hasn't it? Anyways, I'm taking summer classes now and thus regular blog postings won't come back until maybe September. That being said, let's get started :cool:

Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX

I had to get this being a major Kingdom Hearts fan and having never played the other 2 games in the collection. Granted, one of them is just the equivalent to a large movie, but I still had no idea about the plot of it. I feel like this got me even more hyped up for KH3, and I want it out so desperately soon :) Also the Japanese version didn't get quite the same treatment others did, and just has a packaged in card instead of the artbook for preorders

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F

Loved the game so much for the Vita that I platinum'd it really quickly, and had to get the PS3 version. There's nothing much to say here besides that i find the greater graphics and song choice to be amazing. The only thing is that i felt like the controls were more natural on the Vita, but all it takes is a little getting used to. The pre-order bonus was a cute little keychain/strap(forgot which as I haven't opened it)

Sharin no Kuni, Himawari no Shoujo

I wanted a new visual novel and somebody recommended this to me so I picked it up for PS3 for cheap on a site as a collector's edition. There are several doorhangers(I think they're called?) that are double-sided along with a couple keychains. I've been too busy to start it though, but I will be free this August, so I can't wait ~

Photo Kano Kiss

This one probably takes a little more to describe what's supposed to be going on here. First of all you play as yourself and your father leaves you his camera, and with this new hobby you start to actually make friends at school. At its core you mainly take photos of various girl in a kind of love sim. There are 2 kind of photos being "beautiful" and "erotic". The difference is obvious, one you're a perv and the other you aren't. You also pick your personality at the beginning of the game which affects your dialogue. At the end you are supposed to fall in love with one of the main heroines. There is actually an anime spinoff of the series which some of you guys might have heard about, but I'll just leave this link here for those that don't know: http://myanimelist.net/anime/16397/Photokano . Anyways, for those that pre-orderd it also comes with a CD that doubles as a drama cd and an installation CD for DLC which is pretty odd.

Dead or Alive 5+

I picked this up a while back as some of you may know just because I love DOA so much. It's the only fighter that I enjoy to such an extent(I do play Tekken but not so often). Anyways, it comes with the game, OST, Vita skin, codes, and an artbook which doubles as a character guide of sorts(there's multiple sections):

Pandora's Tower

Part of the famed "Operation Rainfall" trio, this was my 2nd most anticipated after "The Last Story". Haven't had the chance to get into it though sadly enough.

...and that's all for the games. However, I did receive a manga from a friend who went over to Japan and I did buy some figurines at Anime Matsuri. Two of these figures however (Senhime, and Erica Hartmann) were purchased online. The box in all of the pictures belongs to the latter figure.

Girls und Panzer vol. 1

This was made into the anime above and has a signed card in the manga package as part of a first press deal. I completely recommend the above show :)

K-ON!

I got some K-ON! merchandise being card sleeves, but they weren't selling cards for that game which was disappointing. Maybe the next one? Also got a Yui figurine too as they didn't have a Mio one.

Strike Witches

I got an Eila figure earlier at the convention and really wanted a Erica Hartman one so I just bought one online from Alter which made way higher quality ones than the companies that made earlier figurines. "Strike Witches" is a decent show, but you watch it for your favorite character. If you want a more serious take on it then watch "Sky Girls"

http://myanimelist.net/anime/3667/Strike_Witches
http://myanimelist.net/anime/2604/Sky_Girls

Rance Series

If you don't know what Sengoku Rance is...don't worry about it. In short it's part eroge VN mixed with turn-based battle RPG. You play as a man named Rance along with his slave Sill who Nobunaga hands over the control of his country to. He then proceeds to try and conquer the entire country and every girl in the land. It's part of a smaller series which follows this man's journeys. Also, yes Kenshin is my fave :)

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And that's it for this post, feel free to comment, ask questions, and the such :) ~

So it's been a while and seeing how it's Spring break for me, I finally have the time to do a new blog post. I received alot of stuff from Amiami so let's get started~

Shin Sangoku Musou 7(Dynasty Warriors 8)

As some of you guys might have known, I'm a big fan of the series. I couldn't wait for the next installment so I skipped over DW7 Empires and decided to get this...I have no regrets :). Anyways, I actually got the "Treasure Box" edition of the game so let's see what it comes with:

First off, it coms with a soundtrack CD and an LED light display:

It looks alot more impressive in person, but I have a pretty bad camera so oh well...anyways it alternates between 4 different colors representing each of the kingdoms.

Next there is the artbook, and I'll just show you my top 3 fave characters sections, it's pretty massive too:

I've enjoyed my time with the game when I had a chance to do so, but as much as I enjoy the new changes, I'm not exactly how I feel about many of the officers not being launchable without an EX skill or Musou attack, but I'll see later when I spend more time with it. So far I beat Shu's story mode(my fave kingdom), and gotten part of the way through another.

Lollipop Chainsaw

I haven't started this yet, but decided to get the Valentine's edition as it was pretty cheap(around $40), and heard it was a decent game. Anyways, this is what it comes with:

The DVD apparently comes with some behind the scenes footage, desktop gadgets, wallpapers, cinematics, free dlc, and the instruction booklet for the game has its own exclusive comic book which is pretty cool.

Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus

This is probably the game I spent the most time with so far and I even got so into it that I got the platinum trophy is less than 3 days since I opened up the game. This is probably partly due to the fact that during Spring break, I left my PS3 back at my dorm in college, but nonetheless it's amazing. The game is kind of like an ecchi Dynasty Warriors which is why it appealed to me so strongly at first, coupled with the fact that I already knew some of the characters from the currently airing anime. Anyways, this is what comes with my Nyunyu DX Pack edition that I got:

The first thing I got were pre-order bonuses that included an artbook with Yumi on the cover(she was apparently voted everyone's most favorite character on their website's poll), and a non-descript Vita pouch(there is also a zipper on the other side for Vita games). Also I will show off Ikaruga's page as she is tied for first as my fave character in the game:

Afterwards, inside the box I received a soundtrack CD compilation

And lastly, a set of figures with detachable parts so you have to assemble them yourself. They include the 5 girls of the Hanzo Academy

If you're curious this is what the game actually looks like in action(this is the first stage in the game):

There are also special techniques called "ninpo" which are accompanied by a small skippable cutscene, these are some pics from that:

And lastly here are some pics of the convo after a mission, my maxed out OP Asuka(for those curious about her costume, yes those are customizable), and what home base looks like(differs slightly per school)

Moe Moe Daisensou Gendaiban++

I just started this game, but I'm getting utterly destroyed in it since I tried to rush without learning the controls which is pretty bad. Anyways, it seems kind of fun but it will probably always remain as a secondary side game for me. It's basically a turn-based strategy war game where you control girls who represent warplanes in the modern day.

I got a premium edition of it because it was also pretty cheap(for the Vita), and it came with drama CDs and mini posters:

Well, that's it for now. As always feel free to comment :)

Sadly it's been awhile since my last blog due to me being either far too busy with tests or a delayed shipment. Either way, I'm finally back :)

Game Pickups:

I've received alot of games since the last time I posted a game pickup blog back in December.

PS3

Resident Evil 6:

I wouldn't exactly call it a "fun" game, but it's decent enough for your first playthrough. However the second you want to play through it again, the repetitiveness and the horrible storyline just makes it nearly impossible to enjoy it fully. Hopefully the next Resident Evil game in the main series will be way better.

Vita

Sengoku-hime 3: Tenka o Kirisaku Hikari to Kage [Deluxe limited edition]:

It's pretty cool and came with pins of some of the main characters, a cloth poster, and a drama CD. The game itself is pretty fun, but at the same time probably has the largest language barrier difficulty possible in a game. The strategy feels to be a bit more complex than most if not all strategy games I've played and draws many similarities to how the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" series plays.

Genkai Totsuki Monster Monpiece [Famitsu DX Pack]:

This edition came with special DLC cards, an artbook, some physical cards used in the game, a wallscroll, and a special Neptune card(from Hyperdimension Neptunia) with a code so she could be used in the game. The game is alot more fun than I expected it to be. It's also surprisingly difficult and I find myself constantly buying cards in-game and changing up my deck constantly in order to keep up with the OP cards that some AI characters use against me. The only sad part is that Compile Heart advertised the game by basically only showing off a minigame which stopped alot of people I know from buying it. It's a shame since Monpiece has quickly become my 2nd favorite strategy game this year after "Fire Emblem: Awakening".

Playstation Vita (Wi-fi/3G model) [Hatsune Miku Limited Edition]

So I finally got myself the Vita I always wanted and will be selling my last one to a friend so all is good. I definitely can't wait to get more use out of this next month when I get more Vita games :) .

3DS

Fire Emblem: Awakening

I recently picked up "Fire Emblem: Awakening" and am pretty happy with it. I wouldn't say it's anywhere near the best Fire Emblem games, but it's still pretty good and I love the fact that they brought back marriage into the series. Sadly I found out that you can't marry DLC characters which was kind of disappointing(no Lyndis!!!), but it's overall been great. I haven't gotten as far as I should have though since I got distracted by playing Fire Emblem 6.

Gameboy:

Gameboy Pocket

I recently also picked up a Gameboy Pocket online in excellent condition which is pretty nice. It also came with the original instruction booklet, box, and insert ads. Strangely enough it's a Japanese one that was cheaper than its American counterparts even including the shipping. And since I picked up my Gameboy Pocket I also decided to get...

Pokemon GB games Gen 1(JP)

I decided to play through them all again and beat them all. It's also a nice addition to my growing collection of games :)

Anime & Manga:

I will finally be able to work on my backlog of anime since I just caught up on "One Piece" not too long ago. It took me roughly 4 months without making it take too much of my time away, but it's a pretty decent show so it's not like I necessarily had to force myself through it once I started.

I also recently received "Oda Nobuna no Yabou" volume 1 for free and it will become my little side project to try to read in Japanese as the year goes on.

Other:

The last thing that happened recently is the gaming club at my college made me their officer of finance which is kind of cool, and I now have the power to hold tournies and create game nights :)

...and that's about it. Feel free to comment~

As I said in my last blog post, I have finally made this game of the year post. Sadly it's long overdue, but I've been busy with university stuff so I'll start now.

Katawa Shoujo

This game may have been overlooked as it was released very early in the year, January 4 of 2012 in fact. Otherwise, people might have just avoided it because it was "too Japanese", or maybe they didn't like the idea of play a visual novel. In either case that would be a grand mistake as it has one of the deepest and most impactful storylines I have played in a game ever. The game was also an international effort by amateur developers from around the world. Best of all, there is no excuse to skip out on it as it was created and intended to be free and is available for download off of their website http://katawa-shoujo.com.

Without spoiling too much, the premise of the story is about a guy by the name of Hisao Nakai who is afflicted with cardiac dysrythmia which was dormant, but becomes a problem and he can no longer live his everyday life at his highschool. Thus, Hisao is forced to attend a highschool for people with handicaps or disabilities hindering their lives. There he is forced to struggle onwards as he meets people who will change his life forever. The game has 5 routes for different girls in the story which he can hopefully find true love, problem is that he has to help each of them face their fears and accept them for who they are despite whatever affliction they may have. Knowing all of this, even though it has 18+ scenes it becomes pretty obvious that those are far from the main point of the game although some of those are important in exploring some of the characters' insecurities. However, if you have problems with viewing 18+ material, there is an option in the menu for turning said scenes off, and impressively enough, not disturb the storyline too much.

Due to it's amazing art, beautiful soundtrack, and powerfully driven story..."Katawa Shoujo" easily became my number one pick for game of the year in 2012.

The following is a list of the protagonist along with the 5 main girls and their afflictions:

Hisao Nakai (cardiac dysrythmia)

Emi Ibarazaki (legless amputee)

Hanako Ikezawa (severe burns)

Lilly Satou (blind)

Rin Tezuka (armless amputee)

$hizune Hakamichi (deaf)

Anyways, that's it and I'll just leave you some pics of the artwork:

2012 was a year of many memories for me as a gamer, but 2013 might be even better. Here I'll discuss the games I am looking forwards to as well as games that have started to interest me. Sadly this won't be a complete list as I'm fairly certain more games will be coming out then are announced as of yet. Also many of these will be imports, but I shall make those obvious to you.

Beyond: Two Souls (PS3)

This game has me really excited as I loved the unique experience of "Heavy Rain", and thus I can't help to wonder where this story takes us this time and what vision David Cage has for this game. I feel like this is an insta-buy for me whenever it comes out.

Demon Gaze (Vita) *import

There are a couple of points I would like to make about this game. First of all, after reading on it and seeing all of the news articles associated with said game...I like its interesting approach towards the genre like rampage mode(which changes appearance and personality), the unique abilities, and the feature which allows you to have as many adventurers as you wish to have. The artwork seems beautiful as well as the soundtrack from what I've seen so far. There is just one problem though...I dislike dungeon crawlers, and that's why at this point it's more of a mild curiousity in the game and I will mostly likely only get it if the game receives a warm reception post release.

Dead or Alive 5 Plus (Vita)

To be perfectly honest, chances are I won't get this game due to the fact that I already own the Collector's edition for the game on PS3. However, I am following it just to see how well Team Ninja handles this and I might actually get it later on after a price cut.

Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)

Finally, the game I first purchased my 3DS has come out in the West. I've pre-ordered it as soon as my local Gamestop were able to take pre-orders and the free artbook incentive is also a nice little extra. I can't wait to begin another adventure in my favorite gaming franchise of all time :)

Genkai Totsuki Monster Monpiece [Famitsu DX Pack Limited Edition] (Vita) *import

This is actually a title I was very skeptical about as well as probably a ton of people when it was first announced(rather poorly) with horrible promo vids. Later on though I was able to actually find a gameplay video of the game itself and it turned out to be pretty interesting and the ecchi stuff seems to be an extremely small part of the game(i think it's to powerup cards for battle), anyways the video is here for those curious about what this game is or why I would even pick it up(although the guy who is playing it is horrible). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fBurb8bWCs

P.S.: If you're wondering why I didn't just leave the title buy titled it as a limited edition is because I've already gotten in pre-ordered for free as a gift.

God Eater 2 (Vita)

I've always been interested in getting into God Eater, but have sadly never gotten the chance to do so. MY being able to play this game all depends on how much I have leftover and when I can beat the first God Eater which a friend has that he will lend to me.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva(PS3)

This is a revamped version or a game by the same name(save for a lowercase "f") which got released on the Vita in 2012. This game is supposed to have 6 brand new songs along with new features and controls better suited for the system. Seeing how much I loved the game on the Vita which is still my fave game on the system(and 1st rhythm game ever), I had to get this game so I've already pre-ordered my copy ~

Pokemon X and Y Versions (3DS)

As anybody that knows me from Fuse would know, I've avoided the main series for a long time. I could get into that, but I'd rather not, let's just say my last Pokemon game was Pokemon Diamond which I found to be a disappointment. Alas, things have changed after watching Nintendo's "Pokemon Direct Conference". There Iwata revealed these 2 games exclusive to the 3DS being the first time the main series has gone in 3D, or well the 1st in stereoscopic 3D. Not only this, but the battle animations look much improved as well as gym puzzles. It's suffice to say that Nintendo has rekindled my interest in the series and I will wait until seeing which Pokemon are the version exclusives before choosing which version I get(and the following has the starter I like).

Sengoku Hime 3 Tenka wo Kiri Hisaku Hikari to Kage [Deluxe Limited Edition] (Vita) *import

This is probably the least import friendly game you could possibly get which means it should prove to be a problem to play even to me, but hopefully it will be worth it. As you could have guessed this game takes place in feudal Japan and is a strategy RPG where you are meant to conquer the land. This was an adaptation from an earlier visual novel with h-scenes removed and is available for both PS Vita and PS3. The game is really intrinsic and requires tons of management, however the combat is fun and acts like a semi-turn based battle system. For those who have played "Sengoku Rance" or any of that series...the battle system is basically identical.

Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus-Shinobitachi no Shoumei [Nyuu Nyuu DX Pack Limited Edition]

(Vita) *import

If you're wondering what this is, it's basically the story of rival ninja clans in schools, but this game unlike the 3DS games which were sidescrolling action games, is a hack-and-slash style game much like Dynasty Warriors. The only real differences would be obviously the setting as well as this series is known for its fanservice at times however that doesn't really distract from the gameplay of it. An anime of it is currently airing this season and if you want to see what the game is like, you can find out by watching this vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWKnrHxqol8. I've already pre-ordered my copy of the game :)

Shin Sangoku Musou 7 [Treasure Box Edition] (PS3)

What can I say...it's just a limited editon of Dynasty Warriors 8 for the PS3. Myself and some friends from my Japanese class are importing this so we should have quite some fun with it.

And that's basically it. If Yakuza 5 and Yakuza 1&2 HD come out this year in the states it's going to be an instant pickup for sure, but besides those 2 games there is nothing more on the horizon for me.

I should be able to do 2 more blog posts really soon, one being what my favorite games are of last year as well as my personal game of the year which I technically should have done before this blog post, but oh well. The second might be a new pickups blog post which should be fun if some stuff has arrived, but no guarantees on the latter. As always feel free to comment :)

So this is the time where I will show what I got this year as a whole and how much is cost me. I probably spent too much this year, but oh well... :

New Love Plus Limited Edition 3DS: $371

Playstation Vita: $250

Toki Towa [Famitsu DX Pack Limited Edition]: $201

E.X. Troopers [e-capcom Limited Edition]: $198

Kami Jigen Neptune V [Limited Edition]: $168

Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- f: $109

BlackRock Shooter: The Game [White Premium Box]: $105.98

White Album 2: Shiawase no Mukougawa [Premium Edition]: $103.88

The Idolm@ster 2 [Limited Collector Box]: $86.47

Dead or Alive 5 [Collector's Edition]: $79.99

Little Busters! Converted Edition: $73

No More Heroes: Red Zone Edition: $66.50

Final Fantasy XIII-2 [Collector's Edition]: $59.99

Playstation Vita 16GB Memory Card: $59.99

Record of Agarest War 2 [Limited Edition]: $59.99

Tales of Graces f: $59.99

Tekken Tag Tournament 2: $59.99

Yakuza: Dead Souls: $59.99

The Last Story: $49.99

Xenoblade Chronicles: $49.99

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception: $49.49

Catherine: $39.99

Gravity Rush: $39.99

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance: $39.96

Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny: $34.99

Dynasty Warriors: Next: $29.99

Paper Mario: Sticker Star: $29.99

Yakuza 3: $28.95

Yakuza 4: $28.95

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: $25

Heavy Rain: $18

Grim Grimoire: $15

Bayonetta: $13.95

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots: $13.49

Nier: $11

Valkyria Chronicles: $11

Shinobido 2: Revenge of the Zen: $9.98

The 3rd Birthday: $2.49

Asura's Wrath: Free

Atelier Meruru: The Alchemist of Arland [Premium Box Set]: Free

Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention: Free

Hyperdimension Neptunia MK2 [Gameindustri Savior Set]: Free

Mugen Souls [Limited Edition plus Figure Set]: Free

Record of Agarest War: Free

Resident Evil 4: Free

_______________________________________________________

Total: $2714.94

Yeah, that's a sadly large number, and luckily I don't see next year's line up even adding up to half that luckily enough. I should be able to sell some of them and make a hefty return though.

Last 2012 Game Update

Also you may have noticed some titles I didn't mention before that I got recently so let's talk about that.

First, I didn't think I would be able to get E.X. Troopers for a while, if not at all, but luckily I managed to be able to get it, and the limited edition at that. It comes with the game, 2 phone straps, and a good sized figurine of one of that characters in the game. The guy in the following pics got the exact same straps I received as the second one is randomized. I've started to play it, and it's been pretty fun so far. I am still early on though and only beat episode 2.

I also found somebody selling "Little Busters! Converted Editon" well below the normal selling point so I felt like I had to take advantage of it. Obviously I don't understand a good portion of the Japanese yet, but as it's basically the same as the PC version, whenever I have difficulty I could just play those 2 in conjunction with each other. I was also able to get a drama cd with the game too :)

The next 2 games are ones that I haven't received yet, but are in shipping.

The first is "Kami Jigen Neptune V [Limited Edition]" which comes with an artbook as a bonus as well. I love the series so far, and I only expect this one to be even better. It includes:

-Neptune Nep-figure
Neptune and Pururuto figure
-Booklet CD (2 disc set)
1. Original soundtrack CD
2. Moshi megami ga yome dattara ** shichau kamo shiranai. CD

And lastly, White Album 2: Shiawase no Mukougawa [Premium Edition]. I've played parts of the original which I should finally finish up(on PC), so I decided to get its sequel which is coming out on the 20th. This edition will include:

1. White Album 2 Radio Club CD (Special Edition)
2. White Album 2 Piano Score
3. Opening Anime Storyboard
4. IC Card Sticker Set

Anyways, that should be it for now...please feel free to comment or suggest ideas for another blog :)