Augment Your Reality With Love Plus Bundle

Last November Konomi's Love Plus, the "personal girlfriend simulator", made international headlines when an otaku enthusiast married his favorite character. SAL9000 tied the knot with his in game girlfriend in a very public showing and succeeded in breaking gaming's meta fourth wall.

Well it looks as if your lonely straight boys and I suppose curious lesbian girlfriends can now re-create this spectacle in their own game. In honor of Valentine's Day, Konomi is releasing a Love Plus bundle replete with the sultry sim and an augmented reality card that will enable you to super impose whatever your dirty mind can devise on screen and "in" game.

It is my firm belief that general Love Plus enthusiasts will mange to come up with tasteful entries that don't make use of the overstated askey penis.

Import this charming bundle now before supplies run out at $58 or 5,220 yen.

Spend a Lonely Valentine's Day With Love Plus [Siliconera]

Gamestop Unveils Back Of Final Fantasy XIII Case (Xbox 360 Version)

We are all well aware of Gamestop's entitled opinion of itself when it comes to well, just about anything. From broken street dates, to at times spotty customer service, Gamestop has never shown any shame in throwing its corporate weight around. This time it appears to work in our favor because Gamestop leaked a photo of the back of the Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII! The images are a little blurry but you can plainly see that the highly anticipated RPG will have us also anticipating some downloadable content! The current buzz is that Final Fantasy will be a gorgeous albeit linear affair. Here is hoping this is an indication for optional side quests that will expand on the world and in game mythos. Assuming the contest is worthwhile, this kind of news is great to hear for a Final Fantasy game! Who has this pre-ordered for the 9th of March? What kind of DLC are you hoping for?

Final Fantasy XIII On Xbox 360 Has "Game Content Downloads" [Siliconera]
Make the jump for enlarged image

The Legend Of Zelda Second Quest Was A Mistake!?

In 1987 I was knocked out by the Nintendo Entertainment System. I loved Super Mario Bros. and Mega Man was already aiding in the development of my explosive vocabulary. But The Legend of Zelda on the NES was truly the first game to bite me hard. With its open world map, and seemingly endless possibilities, it helped me to develop an understanding of memorable gaming experiences and personal story telling. Much like we see in games like Left 4 Dead, the average person is tossed into a very mystical world and is charged with saving the day. Saturdays on the couch with friends became a new kind of interactive experience where everyone could be part of the fun and the following Monday day at school would swell with tales of the muti-bomb death of the dreaded Dodongo! Each gaming session became filled with a sense of trepidation and wonder. These tiny, pixelated enemy monsters and special weapons became the stuff of legends. This week I found my self playing through it again and after finishing the first quest in under an hour I was prompted to try a new quest, something I had completely forgotten about!

To experience the second quest, after you finish the first quest you are prompted to start again (or you can simply type in ZELDA in the name prompt the first time). While the over world map remains the same in appearance, the dungeons and shops, etc are all relocated, redesigned and more difficult to find. This time around, not only are you dealing with more difficult enemies, but invisible walls as well! This quest truly forces the player to master the mechanics and problem solving techniques learned in the first to persevere. I was only able to find four of the dungeons on my own before I had to ask a friend for help. It turns out that if it weren't for a mistake by The Legend of Zelda's supervisor and graphic designer Takashi Tezuka the second quest might have never been. According to Toshihiko Nakago, President of SRD:

"I created the data exactly in line with it [the map], but then Tezuka-san made a mistake and only used half of the data. I said, 'Tezuka-san, there's only half here. Where did the other half go?' and he was like, What?! Oops, I messed up...' But Miyamoto-san said it was fine just like that.""So, using the half of the memory that was left over, we decided to create the Second Quest."

Apparently there were space issues with the game that later became irrelevant, prompting Miyamoto to keep the game data separate and after some tweaking: a second quest was born! Thank goodness for that! While it is definitely more challenging, any extra time I can spend in this world of tight mechanics and puzzle solving is a pleasure. I am wondering if any of you have any shared memories of this grand game that spawned such an influential IP?

The Legend of Zelda's second quest happened purely by mistake [GoNintendo]

The NES Hands Free Controller: An Oral Fascination!

In the late 1980's, Nintendo was it. Seemingly endless gadgets and toys poured out from the video game juggernaut. Much of Nintendo's panache came form a little magazine known as Nintendo Power. I wonder how many of you were right there with me as I stared in astonishment at an issue of Nintendo Power? Here, the opening pages of the magazine were often filled with the strange and wonderful. It was here I learned about a GI's nuked Game Boy that still worked and stole my first lustful glances at that new trade show E3.

In one particular issue, I found a perplexing photo of a gregarious-looking boy with a cybernetic arm protruding from his naval. The Hands Free Controller (HFC) the boy had strapped to his chest allowed the physically disabled to operate the NES controller with the power of the "sip and puff" method. Resting on a chin strap, the player utilized the power of his/her mouth to manipulate the nozzle and interact with the on screen maneuvers. The promise of being "more fun than most physical therapy exercises" with the potential to strengthen one's neck served to bewilder my young mind further. This type of controller was presented by a Nintendo ambitious enough to want to welcome (and own) every possible corner of the gaming market. As an able-bodied person, I cannot imagine this device being that much fun to play but I will admit that if for some reason I lost function in my hands, you could be damned sure I would have asked for this product and proudly learned to "sip and puff" years before my neck would be in need of that kind of "conditioning." It sold for $179.00, including the NES control deck and game cart, but locating this relic today might run you upwards of $379.00; some might consider that a paltry sum for ownership of this special piece of "oral history!"

Announcing the Hands Free Controller! [NESPlayer]

Player Completes The Unthinkable In Demon's Souls

It's hard to see from the thumbnail above, but if you click over to the Siliconera story, you can see a larger version of the somewhat unbelievable image. A member of the Japanese forum 2ch posted screens (possible spoilers, if you can read Japanese) which show him or her having collected 99 of not just every demon soul but every boss soul in the game! As of now, there is no known duping exploit that would allow someone to do this, and the images don't appear Photoshopped, so this seems like the real deal.

Anyone who has spent some time with this incredibly difficult game will attest to how much time and dedication was required to achieve such a feat. Since not every soul can be collected in one playthrough, and he or she probably used at least a few of those boss souls to get the more powerful spells and weapons in the game, it likely required quite a bit more than 99 plays to get all the items. More like New Game++++++++++++++, right?
I mean, after the first couple playthroughs, you're probably powerful enough to breeze through the game (relatively), but then there's the matter of going through the motions another hundred odd times to max out all the souls.

Demon's Souls was released in Japan last February, so this person has had a bit more time to accomplish this than North Americans, but that's still a lot of work. Has there ever been a game you could have played 200 times over and still loved? Or is this just OCD and a severe case of agoraphobia?

This Gamer Gave Their Soul To Demon's Souls [Siliconera]

Xbox Live Aims To Help You With The Ladies

Are you nervous while talking to girls? For most gay men talking with woman is been much easier than attempting to navigate the off times tricky playing field of dating men. But for our straight friends who have not yet dipped into the infinite pool of knowledge we field from our female friendships there is the Xbox 360 game Don't Be Nervous Talking 2 Girls. Looking at the screen shots inspires thoughts of the 1994 3DO game Plumbers Don't Wear Ties, where the player is tasked with "getting the girl" through navigation of a series of dialogue trees. This laugh-worthy relationship game tears up the screen with chiseled stock-porn rejects straight out of a homemade sitcom or a troubled couple's therapeutic homework video. The production value looks just as low rent in Don't Be Nervous Talking 2 Girls, as shown by the screenshots of a globally endowed blonde in a tight sweater set "reacting" to the player's ridiculous responses. The value is clear in the indie game's 80 point (1$) price tag but the question remains if this will be something worthy of your HDD space. A fun party game? Perhaps. But when it comes to advice on talking to hot chicks, you just might be better off giving your gay friends a call!

A Look Back At Stocking Stuffers from 1999

This year we have had stellar releases like Street Fighter IV and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. While these most certainly fill out the landscape of our current gaming microcosm, my sexy friend here thought it was important to look back at what brought us here in the first place. After the break, I've listed some notables from a decade ago, giving a peek at what Santa may have brought to gamers in 1999.

Character Creation: Playing God With Polygons

I'll admit it. I am one of the many addicted to character creation. I am also one of those who will lament over the avatar creation screen as much as skill trees or weaponry. He or she simply has to beautiful! Soul Calibur 4, Fallout 3, City of Heroes. There were times I would boot each game with the sole agenda of playing dress up with my "dollhouse" of creations. Here is my Dragon Age: Origin's Mage Class: Bronx mixed up in some of my own impromptu "fan fiction". I think it's a bit comical that he looks like a Disney prince compared to Fereldan's butter faced denizens. I found this game's creator to be much easier to manage than the others mentioned. What are some of your favorite character creators and games linked to those favorite creations?

Confessions Of A Conventionist With A Fetish For Gaming

This past September I flew out to Seattle for North America's largest gaming convention the Penny Arcade Expo. I thought I'd share some of the highlights of my now favorite con including my slightly embarrassing first attempt at cosplay as the indomitable Kanji from Persona 4 (ironically, I chickened out of bleaching the hair). I also had the pleasure of meeting the impossibly charming Chris Furniss. A sometimes guest on the GayGamer Podcast, Chris knows who's who in the world of gaming and when not cosplaying as a dashing vault dweller he runs a fairly fetching podcast himself at The Weekly Geek. What are some of your own favorite conventions? Who are your favorite characters to cosplay?

Gamer's Closet #8: Barbie (NES)

After reading my article yesterday asking for new entries for our Gamer's Closet, reader Sarahvait wasted no time in tearing down the door of her Gamer's Closet to bring us this classic tale of a young girl's love for Barbie and all her pink glory.

When I was first introduced to it, video gaming was still pretty young. Our family's first console was the original NES, and my sister and I liked it very much. I was a cute little girl at the time, young and naive, hardly able to finish any game I was given because, as a child, I was stupid. But, I do remember that we often played games together with our next door neighbors. And one game I remember distinctly at these gatherings Barbie, for the NES.

Yeah, this was a cash cow game based on a doll that little girls begged their moms to buy them in droves. While I wasn't exactly doing the whole drove thing, I had my fair share of Barbie dolls. And I was young, so I still liked pretty things, and the color pink.
Anyway, I would watch my older female neighbor play through this game in about an hour, since it wasn't very long. As the story goes, Barbie goes to bed after reading a riveting tale of mermaids. As she falls asleep, she goes through her mental checklist of all the super fun things she's going to do tomorrow. In the game, she enter her dream world to visit these places. When you completed each level, you would get a piece of an outfit. From the mall to the Soda Shop to the ocean where you become a mermaid, you collect shoes, a gown, and a tiara. What happens when you win? You get to show up at a party, pretty as a princess, with Ken waiting to escort you. When I was actually given the chance to play it myself, I had a lot of fun. My neighbor had to walk me through it, but it was great to platform through the game.

Well, I'm older and wiser now. After my sister got me a CD with hundreds of original NES games and an emulator, Barbie included among them, I thought it might be fun to revisit that old nostalgia. But surely, it would just feel silly to my matured sense of taste in gaming.

WRONG!

Gamer's Closet: Call For Entries

I was perusing some of the lesser trodden areas of the site yesterday and realized that we haven't had an entry to the Gamer's Closet in many moons. So, I thought I would put out a call for more stories to round out this section.

Gamer's Closet is a place for you, our faithful readers, to write in and tell us about your darkest gaming secrets. Everybody has at least one game that they played and loved, but if they told anyone else how much the enjoyed it, they'd be the object of much finger pointing ridicule. Think of Gamer's Closet as a confessional of sorts, where you can feel free to admit your love without fear of retribution. Past entries have included Spice World (The Spice Girl's Game), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Princess Tomato and the Salad Kingdom, Final Fantasy X-2, Rugrats' Scavenger Hunt and the one that started it all, Strawberry Shortcake's Musical Match-Ups. If you need some help figuring out how it works, check out the Gamer's Closet section and see some of the pieces that some of your fellow GayGamers have written. Once you have your piece ready to go, send it to us here at info@gaygamer.net with the subject "Gamer's Closet".

So, tear down the doors of your gamer's closet, brothers and sisters, and step into the cleansing light of confession!

Gamer's Closet #7 : Princess Tomato In the Salad Kingdom

Back in the days of 8-bit and 16-bit gaming, I played a ridiculous amount of games. On weekends, my mom would take me down to the local rental store, and I would get to pick out one game to devour until Sunday evening. I remember looking at the wall of games with wide-eyed wonder. Which title should I pick? It better be a good one, ‘cause it would suck having to play a crappy game all weekend. That’s how I came across Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom. The title instantly grabbed my attention, and when I flipped the box over, I noticed that the game looked like it would play like Shadowgate and Deja Vu. I really loved those games, so I took it home one weekend, and was never the same.

Princess Tomato is a point and click adventure game similar in style to the NES adventure games of it’s time, Shadowgate and Deja Vu. You played the role of Sir Cucumber, a knight of the realm of the Salad Kingdom. The evil Minister Pumpkin betrayed King Broccoli, kidnapped Princess Tomato, stole the royal Turnip Emblem, and retreated to the castle in the Zucchini Mountains. Sir Cucumber, ousted from his castle, must make his way back to the castle with his trusty persimmon sidekick Percy, and rescue his fair Princess Tomato. The journey is long and treacherous, Sir Cucumber must dodge the terrible Farmies and Dice-O-Matics, join the resistance, and squash the terrible Minister Pumpkin.

When vegans dream, do they dream of crying persimmons, persecuting pumpkins and electric sheep? It’s a quandry that keeps me up at night, every night.

For more screenshots, go to MobyGames

For even more coverage, check out this article at TRSrockin