Why I'm both intrigued and annoyed by Code of Princess

Before today, I hadn't paid any attention to the upcoming Japanese 3DS title, Code of Princess, but as soon as this box art appeared, it immediately went on my radar.

Is that not a gorgeous illustration? Generally I don't like very busy box art, but I love the colors and attention to detail in this one. Above all, the character designs have me very intrigued – though I am decidedly not in favor of the surprised female knight with bikini armor (more on that later). 

It's always a little thrilling to learn about a game for the first time from its box art. There's nothing more fun than browsing though a game store and coming across a title that looks interesting but you've never heard of, then rushing home to Google it as soon as possible. ... What's that? Yes, I am still living in 1999 and do not have internet on my phone. 

Of course, finding new boxart when you're already browsing the internet is a different thing altogether, but no less fun. I've learned that Kinu Nishimura, the woman behind the illustrations of 9 Hours, 8 Persons, 9 Doors and the more recent Virtue's Last Reward, was in charge of this gorgeous cover as well as the character designs for Code of Princess. No wonder I like them! 

I particularly like the pink haired lady in the middle.

Nothing quite like a swashbuckling guy with big pants and feathers in his hair.

But even with all these exciting character designs, I still manage to find something to gripe about. Brace yourself for my biggest beef with Code of Princess:

Where on earth do I start? Well, admittedly, her sword and cloak are both pretty amazing and display the kind of detail that I love, but my positive comments end there. Not only is she wearing less clothing than is physically possible, but Kinu decided her only armor would be in the form of gauntlets, which is pretty much worthless considering how little else she's wearing. And, though the box art for the game features this lady, who is the main character Code of Princess, in a relatively active fighting stance, this official art, which has already been made into a resin figurine in Japan and is the most popular result when searching Google for Code of Princess images, is about as passive as it gets. She's not only holding her sword in a pathetic excuse for a defensive pose, but she also has a frightened expression on her face, with her arm extended backward in a way that sexualizes her more by rendering her powerless, if that's even possible. I hate to dwell on issues such as these, and of course I know Kinu Nishimura has done her fair share of "sexy" illustrations (999's Lotus, anyone?), but this image takes the cake for portraying a female main character in the worst possible light.

Well, now that I've gotten that off my chest... Is there anything else good I can say about this game? For those who aren't familiar with it, Code of Princess is a 2D brawler that shares many similarities with Guardian Heroes. It also touts an extensive 4-player multiplayer mode, and I've got to say, even the gameplay looks pretty interesting:

Mark that one down in the books, folks: I said even the gameplay looks interesting!

Talking games, importing, blogging, and more with The Gay Gamer

Bryan Ochalla is by far one of my favorite people on the internet. He's the voice behind the colorful gaming blog, The Gay Gamer (not to be mistaken with GayGamer.net), and is known for his quirky tastes in games and a penchant for collecting boxed retro titles in immaculate condition (sometimes just for their cover art). He covers all manner of games from the PC Engine right up to current-gen titles in his Great Gaymathon reviews, compares regional differences in game box art, and takes some incredibly sexy photos of his game collection. His newest series, Manual Stimulation, focuses on highlighting some of the best game manuals in his collection, reminding gamers how much care and attention used to be put into those few often-overlooked pieces of paper.

All of this is done with a down-to-earth yet cheeky pizzaz that makes The Gay Gamer a joy to read day after day. Bryan also fosters a great community of like-minded gamers who have some great discussions in the comments section of almost every single one of his posts (and he posts pretty much daily, mind you!). Rest assured, if you comment on one of his posts, he will always read and respond to you, making him one of the most easily-accessible and charismatic people I've ever had the pleasure of "meeting" online. 


Bryan was kind enough to agree to answer a few questions via email, so I took the opportunity talk with him about his gaming history, interest in Japanese import titles, and a bit about what it's like to maintain a blog. He gave some great responses, so please take the time to read through the whole interview, even though it's a bit long! 

Apricotsushi: Would you mind starting with sharing your first influential game?

The Gay Gamer: Wow, that's a pretty difficult question to answer, especially since I'm not sure I can remember that far into my past. That said, I can recall at least two games that were pretty important in terms of turning me into a fan of video games.  

The first is the arcade version of Bubble Bobble.  It's one of the first games of any sort (arcade, console, etc.) I remember playing, and to this day it remains one of my favorites.  Everything about it amazes me -- its wonderfully realized graphics (especially all of the food and other items you collect -- I've been a sucker for that kind of thing ever since), its hummable soundtrack, its ability to pull you back for "just one more game."  I don't think I'll ever tire of playing it, to tell you the truth, which is pretty amazing given its age and simplicity.

The second game, strangely enough, is Kid Icarus, which is the first console game I remember obsessing about as a kid. Oh, I liked Super Mario Bros. well enough, and Metroid and The Legend of Zelda, too, but for some reason Kid Icarus really stood out for me.  I think it was mainly due of the mythological theme, as I've always been a sucker for Greek gods and goddesses and the stories that surround them.  I also remember being entranced by its graphics -- especially the enemy sprites -- and Hip Tanaka's amazing soundtrack, though.  Anyway, I know the game isn't all that highly regarded these days, thanks to its overt difficulty (some would say cheapness), but I loved it as a kid and still play through it now and then in order to relive some of those "good old days."

Japanese import Hello Kitty World 

Apricotsushi: What are your favorite game genres?

The Gay Gamer: If I were forced to whittle them down to just two, I would say two-dimensional platformers (a la Super Mario Bros.) and turn-based JRPGs (like Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy and EarthBound/Mother, especially).  I also like puzzlers a lot, though, and rhythm games, too.  Really, I like most genres, with the exception of first-person shooters. I actually enjoy watching other people play FPSes, but I can't for the life of me play them myself (due to the perspective, I think). 

Apricotsushi: As a fan of Japanese games myself, I've noticed you do a lot of importing of niche Japanese games. What do you find so appealing about them? 

The Gay Gamer: When I was a kid, I thought Japanese Famicom games and PC Engine games -- and their boxes and cartridges -- seemed so much more exotic and beautiful than the ugly NES and TurboGrafx-16 games my parents bought me.  I've also always liked quirky games and, back in the day, especially, companies either didn't bring the quirkiest titles (like Parodius, for instance) to our shores or they altered them to make them more American (which didn't appeal to me at all).  Anyway, that's what finally prompted me to start importing -- I wanted to play Parodius and TwinBee on my TG-16, but I knew neither NEC nor Konami would bring them to the US.  So, I imported them from Japan Video Games or some company like that.  From then on, I was hooked.

Apricotsushi: Do you have any favorites in particular?

I still consider my copies of Final Fantasy V and VI for the Super Famicom to be prized possessions, even though the former is completely mangled and worth about $2 (if that).  That's probably due to the fact that they were among my first import purchases and because they're two of my all-time favorite games.  I also love my original white PC Engine and the many games I've amassed for the system -- Parasol Stars, Photograph Boy and Mizubaku Daibouken, in particular.  Oh, and my Famicom "Pulse Line" carts.  If I could, I would mount all of them in some sort of museum-quality case -- they are that beautiful and interesting to me.

Bryan's photos of his Pulse Line carts are just gorgeous!

Apricotsushi: You've been writing at your blog, The Gay Gamer, for a couple of years now, right? Have you done any other game-related writing for other sites/publications?

The Gay Gamer: Yep, I started the blog in early 2007, so it's been around for more than four years now.  I did take about a year (or more) off, though, so I guess that's not entirely accurate.  

Anyway, I wrote a few features for Gamasutra.com when I first started freelancing and I also wrote a number of gaming-related articles for The Advocate (a North American LGBT magazine) and GayWired.com a few years ago, but I haven't written anything gaming-related for money (professionally) in a long time, mainly because it often doesn't seem worth my while monetarily speaking.  

Also, I like that I have full control over what I write for my blog.  I don't have to worry about what would appeal to the masses or bring in the most hits, I can just write about whatever interests me at the moment.

Apricotsushi: I know you've mentioned you write for your day job, as well. Even so, you post daily for your personal blog. After writing for work all day, what motivates you to post in your free time for The Gay Gamer?

The Gay Gamer: Well, to be honest (and maybe a bit blunt), I like writing posts for my blog more than I like writing anything else -- and that includes the articles I write for the magazines that help me and my husband pay our bills.  So, I basically use my blog writing as a "getaway" of sorts from my day job. 

I have to admit that sometimes I feel a bit burned out in regards to the blog, but it never lasts long.  Plus, something inevitably pops up -- a game announcement, the release of a new system -- to get me excited again.  

Also, I really like interacting with the folks who visit my blog and comment on my posts.  In fact, oftentimes the "high" that I get from that kind of interaction is even more enjoyable than the one I get from writing posts in the first place.  

One of the many great manuals featured in Bryan's Manual Stimulation series

In closing, I asked Bryan if he had any tips he has for fellow aspiring game bloggers. Here's what he had to say: 


Write about the games and systems that interest and inspire you if you want to make the most of the time you spend writing.  Also, if you have a blog and you allow comments (and you get comments), respond to them!  It just might help you create a bit of a community -- if that's what you're looking for, of course. 

You can find Bryan at his blog The Gay Gamer and on Twitter @TheGayGamer. For his drool-worthy game collection photos, check out his Flickr. 

Gender Disparity in Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny

I've yet to play a Rune Factory title, and I consider that a crying shame. With my newfound love for the Atelier series and borderline obsession with doing everyday tasks like fishing and furniture purchasing in games like Animal Crossing, Rune Factory, with combined elements Harvest Moon and traditional RPGs, is clearly up my alley. So, of course, I was very excited when I heard there was a Rune Factory game coming out for the PS3. Not only that, but this time it was to feature a female protagonist! Best of both worlds, right?

Unfortunately, a couple of things have come to my attention recently in regards to Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny (also known as Rune Factory: Oceans in Japan). You do get to play as a female, that's true, but there's a catch: Azel and Sonia, the male and female protagonists, are trapped in the same body. As such, you're required to play through the game's main story as Azel, the male protagonist, before unlocking the ability to switch to Sonia.

Even more frustrating than that is the number of bride to groom options. One of the big draws of Rune Factory, much like Harvest Moon, is the number of potential partner choices available, allowing you to woo the man or lady you choose depending on the gender of your main character. Of course the lack of  a same-sex relationship option is a bit disappointing, even though it's not surprising. In Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny, though you do have the option to marry while playing as Sonia, the pickings are rather slim: there are only 4 marriageable men in the game, including childhood friend Azel, contrasted by a whopping 10 marriageable women for gamers who choose to play as Azel.

According to Yoshifumi Hashimoto, Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny producer, the decision to keep the number of groom characters low was so that they wouldn't have to cut into the number of bride characters, given the time it takes to create each one. Mr. Hashimoto, I'm sorry, but that just seems like you're saying,"we couldn't really be bothered to make more grooms because we're really catering this game to men anyway" to me.

Needless to say, I'm a bit disappointed... But that probably won't stop me from buying the game in the future (Even with all the ladies, that trailer still looks gorgeous). I hope that when Rune Factory 4 comes out for the 3DS, however, they will give gamers wishing to play as the female character an experience that is on par with that of the male equivalent.