[NDS] かわいい子猫DS2

Despite having childhood allergies, I absolutely adored cats. It was a lucky break for me that I quickly outgrew such a hindrance, so I have not been without a pet cat for years... that is, until I had to move to a new place where pets were not allowed. I begrudgingly had to bid farewell to my three beloved furbabies, and all I have left of them now are the memories and the multitude of pictures I took during happier times.

I'm not particularly fond of games that involve virtual pets, but had no other alternative since looking after the real thing cannot be done anymore. Kawaii Koneko DS2 was one the initial game purchases for my new DSi, and playing it has become a regular habit ever since.

[NDS] 恋するプリン! ～恋は大冒険! Dr.カンミの野望!?～

While it may not reflect in my prior posts, I like to lose myself in platformers every so often. I'm not a stranger to Mario, Sonic, Rockman, and several other iconic characters who went about their devil-may-care business braving pitfalls, squeezing through narrow pathways and getting past fiendish obstacles, animate or inanimate.

Koisuru Purin! ~Koi Wa Daibouken! Dr. Kanmi No Yabou!?~ is based on the shoujo manga that first ran in Shogakukan's Ciao! magazine. It tells the story of an oddball love triangle happening between an ikemen boy, a high-spirited (*cough*tsundere*cough*) girl and... a cute little blob of pudding? The game itself is a platformer with all the usual flavors, but adds it's own sugary style to the mix.

[NDS] もえスタ～萌える東大英語塾～

It's oftentimes a running joke in Japanese media how the general populace are required to learn English as a second language, but most of them almost always fall flat when it comes to practical use due to it's purported "difficulty". As a Japanese language student, I find myself befuddled by this mentality mainly because English is built on just a few simple rules, whereas Japanese has more complicated quirks, leading a handful of frustrated people to call it "The Language Of The Infinite".

To make the "Language Of The Not-So-Infinite" less difficult, a few English-themed edutainment games have been circulating around. Of course, with the still-prevailing moe culture among otaku fandom, decrypting the lingo will bear more fruit when you feature cute 2D girls as your virtual tutors. Unfortunately, most of these games still fall under the hit-or-miss category, with one or more factors (uncomfortable testing system, poor seiyuu diction, etc.) ruining the whole thing. Mirai Shonen's Moe Star: Moeru Toudai Eigo Juku is one of the more notable titles of it's kind, and while I personally do not need to learn English, I was still curious to know how this game plays out.