Waifu Wednesday

Waifu Wednesday: Nepgear

8 Comments

A month of coverage for a Neptunia game is as good a reason as any to celebrate my favourite series waifu and indeed joint-favourite waifu of all time (alongside Amane from Grisaia).

Yes, it’s Nepgear, the long-suffering sister of series protagonist, reluctant and self-conscious protagonist of her own games (Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 and its subsequent remake Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2: Sisters Generation) and all-round bucket of pure nerdy adorability. That’s totally a word, I don’t care what my spellchecker says.

I’ve mentioned Nepgear a few times over the years, most notably in last year’s Valentine’s Day piece, but it’s high time she got her own article. So here it is, by goodness!

Continue reading Waifu Wednesday: Nepgear →

Cover Games, Cyberdimension Neptunia

Cyberdimension Neptunia: Introduction and History

7 Comments

cybernep-header-8252663This article is one chapter of a multi-part Cover Game feature!
Next > | Latest >>

The Neptunia series is not only one of the most remarkable success stories in Japanese gaming, it’s also one of the most interesting, diverse franchises out there.

From its humble beginnings as a low-budget RPG with an atrocious critical reception to its current, widely recognised status inextricably associated with Sony platforms, even the most hardened cynic has to admit by now that there’s probably something to this series.

A big part of what has kept Neptunia fresh and interesting over the years is the fact that it’s not afraid to step outside of its traditional RPG comfort zone and experiment with gameplay styles. And, since we already explored the history of the mainline series when we dove deep into Megadimension Neptunia V-II back in 2016, it’s these spinoff games we’ll be looking in more detail today.

Continue reading Cyberdimension Neptunia: Introduction and History →

Community, One-Shots

New Year Well-Wishes, and a Look Back on an Interesting 2017

2 Comments

A slightly early “happy new year”, everyone! I was originally going to post this at midnight but figured no-one would actually read it then, so I’m posting it now to go with all the other people posting 2017 roundup threads on Twitter and suchlike.

It’s been an interesting year and, I’m pleased to say, one that has been overall very positive, which is a very nice contrast to the numerous challenges I’ve encountered over the course of… well, probably the last seven years or so, now.

As such, I wanted to make this post a bit of a personal one to look back over the last year, to celebrate the things that went well, and to look forward to what 2018 holds. Regular gaming coverage will continue on Tuesday!

Continue reading New Year Well-Wishes, and a Look Back on an Interesting 2017 →

Features, MoeGamer Awards 2017

The MoeGamer Awards: Game of the Year 2017

3 Comments

The MoeGamer Awards are a series of made-up prizes that give me an excuse to celebrate games, concepts and communities I’ve particularly appreciated over the course of 2017. Find out more here, but you’re out of time to leave me suggestions, I’m afraid!

Well, here we are on the last day of 2017, and I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling something of a sense of anti-climax after what has been an extremely chaotic and interesting year in many ways. Still, what better way to see out the old year than with a completely arbitrary declaration of what the “best” game of 2017 was?

This was an extremely tough decision, particularly as I’ve always said these awards were based on what I played in 2017, not necessarily what was released in 2017. But, as it happened, the two front-runners happened to both come out in 2017, so that all works out pretty nicely, doesn’t it? So which one did I pick? I’m sure you’re on the edge of your seats.

And the winner is…

Continue reading The MoeGamer Awards: Game of the Year 2017 →

Features, MoeGamer Awards 2017

The MoeGamer Awards: The Fond Farewell Award

1 Comment

The MoeGamer Awards are a series of made-up prizes that give me an excuse to celebrate games, concepts and communities I’ve particularly appreciated over the course of 2017. Find out more here, but you’re out of time to leave me suggestions, I’m afraid!

One interesting thing about modern gaming — and, to be honest, something I’m not all that thrilled with as an aspiring gaming archivist and historian — is the fact that we’re increasingly starting to see aspects of the hobby with in-built “expiry dates”.

Whether it’s games with multiplayer servers that shut down after it’s no longer viable for the publisher to keep them running, games that are patched beyond recognition from their physical releases via online storefronts or games that are straight-up no longer available to buy anywhere due to the closure of their digital distributors, it’s going to be a strange and difficult period to accurately preserve for the future. Today’s award celebrates one deeply fascinating aspect of modern gaming that we’ve already lost, only five years after it appeared.

And the “winner” is…

Continue reading The MoeGamer Awards: The Fond Farewell Award →

Features, MoeGamer Awards 2017

The MoeGamer Awards: The Traffic Magnet

4 Comments

The MoeGamer Awards are a series of made-up prizes that give me an excuse to celebrate games, concepts and communities I’ve particularly appreciated over the course of 2017. Find out more and suggest some categories here!

This year, there’s been one game I’ve covered that has indisputably drawn more traffic to this site than any other. The article (singular — yes, it wasn’t even a Cover Game feature) about it gets an impressive number of hits every day and shows no signs of slowing down; likewise my YouTube video of its gameplay remains one of my most popular videos.

It’s interesting how this works. The game in question is a solid and enjoyable game, of course, it just seems like a strange one to be so popular. And yet people keep coming here to find out about it. Maybe I’m the only reliable source of information about it on the Web? Who knows. Either way, there’s only one clear winner of this award for 2017…

And the winner is…

Continue reading The MoeGamer Awards: The Traffic Magnet →

Community

Midori’s First Fanart!

4 Comments

Just a quickie for now, a full article coming later — but I wanted to share this.

My good buddy Chris “MrGilderPixels” Caskie has been beavering away on a piece of Midori fanart, and it’s finally ready to share with the world! Check it out, I love it to bits.

2017-12-28-moegamer-midori-poster-2017928Chris makes pixel art in both the physical and digital realms, including lovely wooden pixel art wall plaques and standees. Check out his site for updates on his various projects’ progress, and order some of his past work or commission yourself a pixel art avatar on his Etsy shop.

Features, MoeGamer Awards 2017

The MoeGamer Awards: The “I Shouldn’t Have Hesitated” Award

6 Comments

The MoeGamer Awards are a series of made-up prizes that give me an excuse to celebrate games, concepts and communities I’ve particularly appreciated over the course of 2017. Find out more and suggest some categories here!

There are certain games and series whose reputation precedes them. Of course, there are those series that are legendarily excellent — which, to be honest, I tend to find often sets you up to be disappointed and underwhelmed when you finally try them — but there are also those that are known for… less salubrious reasons.

Today’s award looks at something which I had held off trying for a while because I wasn’t sure I’d be into it… but subsequently it turned out to be one of my favourite things ever. That is, as they say, the way game chasin’ go… wait, that’s something else, isn’t it?

And the winner is…

Continue reading The MoeGamer Awards: The “I Shouldn’t Have Hesitated” Award →

Features, MoeGamer Awards 2017

The MoeGamer Awards: Best Christmas Present

9 Comments

The MoeGamer Awards are a series of made-up prizes that give me an excuse to celebrate games, concepts and communities I’ve particularly appreciated over the course of 2017. Find out more and suggest some categories here!

Welcome back, and I hope you’ve had a suitably restful Christmas break with good food, good company and, of course, presents.

Today I wanted to highlight a particularly awesome present I received. To be fair, I knew I was getting it well in advance of Christmas, so it wasn’t a surprise or anything, but it’s still awesome. And I somehow doubt I’m the only one to receive such a present this year, either!

And the winner is…

Continue reading The MoeGamer Awards: Best Christmas Present →

Announcements, Community

A Very Merry Christmas!

5 Comments

Christmas is coming! Hopefully most of you have had your last day of work before the holidays by now.

I have, which is why I’m taking a (hopefully well-earned) few days off for the holidays. I’ll be back with more awards on the 27th of December.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported MoeGamer this year, whether it’s through likes, comments, shares, Patreon pledges or cups of coffee.

It’s been a genuinely great year for the site with a ton of growth in my readership, some refinements to my format and a bunch of additional site functionality. I hope I don’t sound too arrogant if I say I’m really proud of what I’ve created here, and it makes me extremely happy to know that other people are enjoying it.

I’m looking forward to what the coming year holds, and I hope you enjoy what you see on the site. For now, I wish you all a very restful and enjoyable holiday season, and I hope Santa is good to you.

Big love,
Pete Davison

The best of overlooked and underappreciated computer and video games, from yesterday and today.