Looking Forward

I’m still beavering away on the fifth Project Zero game to finish off this current (rather longer than anticipated!) Cover Game feature, so I thought now would be a fine time for an update and a look forward to 2019.

In particular, I wanted to highlight (and in some cases reiterate) my plans for the site as a whole, share a few things I’m interested in looking at in detail next year, and hear what you might be most interested in seeing over the course of 2019, too.

So let’s take those things one at a time after the jump!

MoeGamer in 2019

MoeGamer in 2019 will operate pretty similarly to the format I’ve settled into now as we reach the closing weeks of 2018. The main difference, as I’ve mentioned previously to some of you, is that the Cover Game feature will be moving from a strict, inflexible monthly schedule to something a bit more flexible.

My reason for this is pretty simple: sometimes a month isn’t enough. Sonic was a good example — I didn’t get to cover some of the later games that I was particularly interested in looking at, though I hope to perhaps rectify that in December or early January — and the current Project Zero feature is another good one. Sometimes a good game or series demands an in-depth exploration over a longer period; and sometimes the damn games are just a bit too long to rush through!

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Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii)

For the unaware, MoeGamer isn’t my full-time job. I’d love for it to be, but regrettably that’s not an option at present. (You can help a bit towards that goal by becoming a Patron, of course!) I work a day job, then I do MoeGamer in my spare time — evenings and weekends. As such, while gaming is my primary hobby, I don’t have all day every day to play games, and thus long RPGs in particular take a while for me to get through, even playing with as much of my free time as I can spare. (I don’t get out much, so this really is literally most of my free time.)

I’m keen to stick to my self-imposed mission, however; by the time I’ve finished a Cover Game feature, I want to have seen a game or series through at the very least to seeing the credits roll for the first time, and preferably at least some of the postgame (if one exists), too. In the case of visual novels, I want to have played all the main routes and seen all the main endings, where practical. All that takes time. If we’re talking an RPG that is 100+ hours just to beat the main game, I’m unlikely to be able to squeeze that in to a single month… though I’ll do my best!

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Yes, Trails, I’m talking about you.

To help myself out a bit with this aspect of time management, I’m also going to try and avoid doing Cover Game features on entire series at once, and instead stick to single games from a series at a time. That opens up the possibility of returning to that series for future installments down the road, and also means I don’t have to rush my way through multiple games just so I can speak from an informed perspective on all of them. On top of that, it means I can examine the specific game on its own merits as a standalone product.

If I cover a game and there’s particular demand for me to immediately move on to the next one, I’m more than happy to do that; if there’s no specific feedback, I’ll probably vary things a bit for the sake of people who only check in occasionally, otherwise I run the risk of, say, becoming a Trails in the Sky fansite and nothing more! (Because oh yes, the Legend of Heroes games are very much on my radar.)

I’ll also be continuing my video work. View counts may be relatively low compared to someone doing video more “full-time”, though frankly I’m not doing any of this for the numbers — I just enjoy doing it, plus the video series are a great way to explore games and series that need experiencing over time and which perhaps aren’t practical to write about.

I’m going to complement the main ongoing Let’s Play features with a weekly “reading” of an article from the archives. I’ve found that Saturdays when I’m not recording/editing an episode of the podcast are a convenient time to bang out a whole bunch of video episodes in one go, then distribute them over the course of the coming weeks, so I’ll likely incorporate this into my workflow.

The reason I haven’t done more “reading” videos are because they’re a bit more work to put together and edit. Rather than simply providing “in the moment” commentary on a single piece of game footage as in the case of a Let’s Play, they require me to track down (usually capture) relevant footage to what I’m talking about, and that can take a while. Okay, yes, I could simply read the article over a single piece of game footage, but where’s the fun in that? The whole point of video readings — I believe, anyway — is to provide a visual complement to the content.

Anyway. TLDR for the lazy: same format, more relaxed schedule on Cover Games, more “article reading” videos. Done. Bosh.

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This one’s for Kenji

On the Agenda

I haven’t planned out exactly what I want to cover next year yet, but I have a huge pile of interesting games that I haven’t booted up at all yet because I’m very keen to do Cover Game features on them. They include but are not limited to the following, presented in no particular order:

428 Shibuya Scramble: A Chunsoft-developed visual novel, originally for Wii in 2008, but recently localised for the first time for current-gen systems. Blends traditional visual novel storytelling with photography and video sequences rather than anime-style artwork, and is widely regarded as something of a “classic”.

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Mary Skelter Nightmares: I’ve been champing at the bit to play this for ages but I’ve been holding myself back. I definitely want to cover it in 2019, though. For the unfamiliar, it’s one of Compile Heart’s most well-regarded games, taking the form of a dark fantasy dungeon crawler that draws inspiration from fairy tales, among other things.

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Unlimited SaGa: People hate this game. Hell, I hated it back when I originally tried to play it on its original release. But as I’ve grown older, wiser, more tolerant and more interested in peculiar games, the very concept of this game — a console RPG executed and presented more like a tabletop RPG than anything else — has come to intrigue me greatly, so I’m very keen to explore it. Plus it has an amazing soundtrack, and these days I will forgive all manner of sins if the music is good.

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Tears to Tiara II: I know very little about this game other than the fact it came highly recommended when it was originally released, and I have promptly failed to play it or find out anything about it. It’s remained at the back of my mind, however, so I’m definitely keen to give it the in-depth treatment. From what I understand, it’s an Aquaplus-developed tactical role-playing game with origins as an 18+ title, but the version we got in the West was the PlayStation 3 release of the sequel.

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Utawarerumono: I think I spelled that right. This is another game (well, series) that came highly recommended, but I don’t know a lot about. I’m kind of inclined to hold off on this one to see if we get a localised release of the first game’s remake currently in development in Japan, but we’ll see.

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The Eden of Grisaia: I friggin’ love Grisaia, as is well-documented. I still haven’t seen how it all ends, though, and I’m very keen to find out! I’ll likely bump this up the priority list when (if?) the Grisaia Complete Box ever ends up in my possession.

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Wonderful Everyday (aka Subarashiki Hibi, aka SubaHibi): A visual novel I know very little about (spotting a pattern here?) but backed on Kickstarter after assurances from people I trust that it was well worth looking into. Like Grisaia, I’m kind of waiting on physical goods before I look into this too deeply, but it’s definitely on the agenda.

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Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash: I’ve been meaning to cover this for God-knows how long now. This year is the year! Let’s make it a summer of titty ninjas!

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Eiyu*Senki GOLD: A turn-based strategy game based around great figures from history represented as cute girls. I am all over this for numerous reasons.

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Seinarukana: Aselia the Eternal is one of my most treasured gaming memories, so hell yes I want to cover its follow-up.

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Muv Luv: Another series of legendary visual novels I’ve managed to remain completely unspoiled on up until now, so I’m keen to actually see why they’re so well-regarded. Given the size of this undertaking, however, this one might take a while. I’ll have to do a bit of looking into how long each of its component parts are.

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Trinity Universe: I know people like to crap on PS3-era Compile Heart, but the original Neptunia charmed me so much I’ve been following what they do ever since. With that in mind, I’m keen to take an in-depth look at Neptunia’s spiritual predecessor — because if Nep taught me one thing, it’s that despite the jank, Compile Heart are really good at playing with interesting, weird mechanics. Also Tsunako art, yum.

To reiterate: these aren’t the only games I’m interested in covering, they’re just the ones that sprang immediately to mind as I sit here typing this. I have many more, so if you have something you’d particularly like to see me cover, let me know and, if I have it in my collection (or if it’s easily acquirable) I’ll put it on the list, for sure.

Which brings me on to the final point for today!

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Evenicle (PC)

Let’s Hear It!

MoeGamer has grown enormously over the course of the last two years in particular, and I have you, dear reader, to thank for that. As such, while my intention for this site has always been to write “for me” first and foremost — what can I say, I just enjoy it — I’d also like to make sure that I’m providing at least a bit of service for those kind enough to stop by these pages now and again.

Besides what I’ve already mentioned about wanting to hear from you on what games you’d like to see covered, I’d also like some ideas for revamping my Patreon. At present, I simply don’t have the time to offer particularly substantial rewards and work on the site, so apologies if you were hoping for something a little more concrete! Your support is very much appreciated, though, and each month your generous contributions go towards new games, accessories and hardware to keep me in things to write about.

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The MoeGamer GameCast, Episode 7

What I can potentially offer are things like Patron-only game nights, streams, videos, game requests or whatever… let me know what (if anything) you’d like to see for your rewards. I’m also considering resurrecting The MoeGamer GameCast in slightly different format — more narrative-based, less strict on being “podcast-like”, since now we have an actual podcast — and may make that a Patreon reward if there’s interest.

I dunno. Let me know if there’s anything you want to see, bearing what I’ve said above in mind. Or let me know if you’re happy with how things are now, that’s good too!

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Sacrament of the Zodiac: The Confused Sheep and the Tamed Wolf (PC)

Thank you for bearing with me through a turbulent few years in both my personal and professional lives alike, and continuing to indulge me as I engage in what I love doing more than anything. Your support — whether it’s simply with eyes on my pages or with a dollar or two each month — is sincerely appreciated.

Have a lovely evening!


If you enjoyed this article and want to see more like it, please consider showing your social support with likes, shares and comments, or become a Patron. You can also buy me a coffee if you want to show some one-time support. Thank you!

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6 thoughts on “Looking Forward”

  1. I certainly look forward to Subahibi. I read it back in December (so, nearly a year ago now) and it became one of my favorite VNs. It’s certainly interesting in many (and at times unpleasant) ways. I’d also like to say something similar about Muv-Luv, but I really only read the first part (or first two, depending on how one looks at it). I do plan to tackle Alternative when I’m done with Rewrite (which should be soon-ish), though.

    Since you like yuri, it might be a good idea to check out the Flowers series. The first one is rather rough and, due to the way the series works, has a very unsatisfactory ending, but I really liked the second one a lot. I’d say it’s my favorite yuri VN, but since I only read that, Nurse Love Addiction (which is pretty weird, not always in good ways) and several Sono Hanabira games (which, for at the beginning, were pure nukige), that’s not saying much.

  2. You’ve still got Spirit Camera to get to after Maiden of Black Water! Though it will probably only take you three or four hours to see everything it has to offer, it’s mostly a tech demo that shows off all of the weirder features of the 3DS.

    1. I have to draw the line somewhere! Spirit Camera does intrigue me, but I also know it’s not terribly well-regarded so it hasn’t been a priority. I may try and squeeze it in at a later date for completionism’s sake though!

      1. Yeah, it’s… well, it does some interesting things but it’s definitely not a must play. If you do try it out, I recommend playing it while sitting in a chair that swivels, with nothing around you that your feet might catch on or knock over… and preferably without an audience.

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