The following post originally appeared on attractmo.de, on December 5, 2013.
________________________________________________________________________________

image

It’s Isabelle! And she’s asking where in the hell has the mayor of New Inaba been for the past several months (that’s the name of my town in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, btw; Persona 4 represent, yo). Though in the friendliest manner possible, as always.

It’s also been a while since I last showcased the wonderful world of video games, as seen through the eyes of those who use Instagram. A couple of weeks before PAX Prime 2013 to be exact, which is where the cosplayer above hails from.

I was actually too busy with Fangamer X Attract Mode related business to take many pictures (once more, prints from that show is finally available online). But I at least had enough time to play Super Mario for the Atari 2600…

image

Like usual, I avoided all the big publishers and instead sought out indie offerings. That’s how I ran into Jazz Punk again! Which I first encountered in May, at the very first Bit Bazaar, during Comics Vs. Games 2; it should finally be available to everyone soon, via Adult Swim…

image

And alongside Galak-Z and Synchroma as my picks for games of the show, for obvious reasons, was Crypt of the NecroDancer. It’s also where I finally met Attract Mode member Ted Martens!

image

Again, really didn’t take in PAX proper, but I was at least around long enough to get a couple of new residents for New Inaba…

image

Which, in turn, have led me to doing a little redecorating in my own home…

image

A lot has happened since Seattle. Like the passing of Hiroshi Yamauchi, who not only made Nintendo what it is today, but also singled handedly brought video games back from the brink of oblivion. Many showed their respect in various forms, like Giant Robot

image

And Stu Brett, aka the Super Famicom Guy…

image

TGS 2013 has also come and gone. Could be there myself, but Mike was able to capture some of its cosplayers in action…

imageimage

Speaking of, here’s Jenni showing the world how Yukiko is done, and done right…

image

Meanwhile, here’s Dom doing what he does best as well, and that’s making games in which you try to protect window washers from birds by flying around in a jet pack…

image

And here’s a behind scenes look at an earlier game, which I believe was featured in an earlier Instagram round up…

image

Turns outs, the MoMA isn’t the only museum that appreciates the finest music game ever made, aka Vib Ribbon, as Mathew’s recent visit to the Ontario Science Centre proves…

image

Via miki800; hey kids, wanna go inside Mario’s belly?

image

Yeah, the Famicom kinda does look like Mario! Okay, not really…

image

Man, I really do miss ultra spastic school girl with a Dreamcast for a head mascot…

image

I seriously have no idea what the hell is going on here…

image

Congrats David Murray on his certificate of chiptune!

image

As some of you may know already, our good friend Brandon Boyer was recently diagnosed with cancer. And here’s a work in progress shot of Kimika comic to show her love and support…

image

I wonder what Taku Yamamoto used for the dragon wings in his Monster Hunter cake…

image

Speaking of game cakes, my buddy Rich’s son recently celebrated a birthday. Guess he likes Big Buck Hunter

image

Ryu also likes ramen, as Patrick Miller points out…

image

Pat states: ”Billy and Jimmy have seen better days.”

image”This is the shadiest sign ever.” Again, the truth…

image

Sorry Tracey, but those look like old Disney movies on VHS to me…

image

Now, this is a sign, one that adorns the Annie Koyama (and whomever else’s) residence…

image

I love how Annie continues to play Words With Friends, even though it never seems to accept anything she chooses…

image

Yet another thing that happened was the opening of Kojima Productions LA; members of the press were given ceremony sake masu. Which McWhertor is using to feed his pet bunny…

image

I’ve said this a thousand times already, but whatever; I love Kyle’s cat to death. Here we have Kyle wanting to give GTA V a spin, which had just come out, but Chums not giving a fug…

image

For reals; why isn’t this cat a superstar? Kotaku, you paying attention to this beautiful beast?

image

Speaking of cats (and Homer Simpson), check out Lacey’s latest creations…

image

I only recently stumbled upon the work of Jack Teagle recently, but am already a huge fan…

imageimageLamar, I honestly couldn’t put it any better…

image”Whenever I see kids with phones I secretly wish they were playing with handheld video game systems instead.”

image

Whereas Toby Jones sez that he started drawing Sonic erotica at the request of a friend, but ”I didn’t like where it was going.”

imageAndrew states that this is Keita Takahashi’s license plate…

image

As seen by Dave Roman while on road. Real words to live by kind of stuff…

image

It’s Jayson Ramos and his clearly surprised younger brother, enjoying a game of Virtua Fighter 2 from back in the day…

image

And Heather enjoying Street Fighter, back when she was going through ”my red hair phase as a kid.”

image

This image of Chinatown Fair in NYC from the Instagram account dedicated towards the upcoming documentary on the subject, gives me hope that the focus will not purely be on the latter days (cuz the early years are literally a hundred times more exciting)…

image

Though on somewhat related note, courtesy of Asif comes the unfortunate death of Japan Arcade, that place that Adam and I had such fun times at when I was in LA, as seen in the last Instagram dump…

image

But where there’s death one place, life springs eternal elsewhere. Some might recall the forthcoming Two-Bits Retro Arcade in NYC in an even earlier round up, and as Droz points out, it’s now open for business…

image

Unfortunately, we all know the harsh reality of gaming today, and that’s how arcades have so much to compete with. Not only are consoles even harder to compete these days, but plenty of other experiences can be found outside the living room as well. Like this life-sized version of Mouse Trap that Matt Hurst encountered at World Maker Faire…

image

Am delighted to know that Zack’s penchant for bizarre golf games continue on…

image

And I believe this is a shot from Harvester, easily one of the craziest crappy video game that no one has heard off…

image

And while not as bad, there’s this semi-obscure combination of JRPG and Mario Party that the guys were obsessed with over the summer that isn’t exactly good either; here’s Pete putting out the call, once again…

image

So… how about an intermission? The last time I did this, there was like 70+ images, which might have been a bit much for most, so a hair under 50 might be a good cap. But there’s plenty more, coming in just a bit!

No comments yet

The following post originally appeared on attractmo.de, on November 26, 2013.
________________________________________________________________________________

It’s the holiday season, which means seeking out that perfect gift for that perfect person. In some cases, he or she will be relatively easy to shop for; now has never been a better time to pick either the PS3 or Xbox 360, for example, mostly because both the systems and games are both (relatively) cheap.

You also have the reasons why such bargains exist in the first place; the PS4 or Xbox One are now options as well. But what about that special someone whose favorite game will always be PaRappa The Rapper or Ranger X? Or the special someone who would appreciate something different, and most importantly, deserves something different?

Then head on over to the Attract Mode Shop, where artwork from this summer’s Fangamer X Attract Mode is finally available online! Please note that, because some pieces are made to order, it may take a few weeks for something to arrive. But I have been assured that if they are placed right about now, one can expect their arrival before Christmas!

No comments yet

The following post originally appeared on attractmo.de, on November 20, 2013.
________________________________________________________________________________

Okay, not to be THAT guy, but I’m having a hard time mustering up any enthusiasm for the PS4 and Xbox One when there’s so many amazing PSone games that have yet to be discovered and enjoyed.

Case in point: Suzuki Bakuhatsu. Last night was another gathering of like-minded individuals, in which everyone brought together the more eclectic portions of our PSone/PS2/Dreamcast libraries. And Joe Keiser (you’ve probably already read his exposé on Nairobi’s pirated/hacked game scene) shared with us the aforementioned title, which arrived in the mail only earlier that day.

Basically, you’re a Japanese woman who must defuse bombs wherever she encounters them. And they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Here she is preventing an orange from exploding:

I’m a sucker for any game that looks and feels like a UNIQLO store display, though Suzuki Bakuhatsu is legit fun to play. The interface is mysterious yet easy to understand, and I love how your character hums while trying to dismantle a particularly challenging explosive. It’s exactly what I’d do to steady my nerves as I undertook the task of stopping the moon from blowing up:

No comments yet