Videogame Crushes

[Essay]

(It's indicative on how little time I actually have that I'm posting this a day after Valentines' Day.)

We’ve all succumbed to it.  Perhaps been a little too infatuated with a videogame character.  On this...er, day-past Valentines' Day, I was just wondering what girls or guys you had a thing for.


A mess of a polygon face Natalya Simonova was on the N64, but I had the game box--I knew what her avatar represented in the real world.  She was worth fighting for. I distinctly recall my eyes darting to her in the control room—silently pleading with her to work quicker to re-route the satellite.  And the horrible anguish when I could not defend our position.

There was the camaraderie, too.  She and I, running through the jungle as a tandem.  I looking out for her well-being, and me not afraid to duck behind a tree, letting her be the protector when my health ran low.

Even now, I wake in a cold sweat.  It’s always the same dream.  I’m running to from one end of the train to the other…  I can never get there in time.  Just before I slide open the door, I’m abruptly awoken...





Journalist Nol Rinale from Phantasy Star Online was another.  A non-playable character, but a top-tiered one to me.  There was something about her sense of adventure, intelligence, and a slight hint of naivety that instantly drew me to her.  

The encounter was brief, and mostly consisted of me running back and forth through a moist, rain-slick night.  I don’t recall the tasks that were asked of me.  Only that I completed them with great eagerness.  I do not recall the monsters that I encountered.  Only that I felled them to complete my quest.  The air that night was overwhelmingly forlorn—so thick that I often thought I was dreaming.  Dreams end quickly, and perhaps because of that I trudged through the “typing” on a Dreamcast controller, hoping against hope to illicit some response from Nol.  Nothing was reciprocated.  And perhaps it was that fleeting encounter, the ominous atmosphere, or a certain sadness towards the character that made such an impression on me.



(This post was just for fun and should not be taken too seriously

[Emmett The Crab]

I hate Nol.  Some guy turned my character into Nol.  

[Barry the Nomad]

Ha! You know, I considered making an article like this yesterday, but I was too wrapped up with IRL Valentine's Day to get to it.

I would have to say my video game crushes were Ulala and Bisu (of JSR, also known as Mew in the English version and Rhyth in JSRF).

Ulala is self explanatory. I mean look at her! How could a fifteen year old (my age at the time the game released) not be attracted to her? It also helped that there were a number of real life women dressing as her.




JSR's Bisu crush was due to a few things. At the time (2000) I was getting into graffiti art, and I liked japanese girls (despite not knowing any). Thus, a video game character who was a female japanese graffiti artist became a crush. It helped that my favorite color is blue. A friend of mine had a crush on her as well, so we'd often hang out and one of us would play JSR while the other worked on our Jet Set Radio fan comic.

drawing I did when JSRF released:


We only got three pages done, but essentially the plot was: Bisu is alone in the GG's hideout, she decides to take a shower (and so begins a tasteful, but titillating series of obscured showering images). Meanwhile the Noise Tanks sneak into the hideout and steal the GG's graffiti sketches and paint supply. After her shower, Bisu (fully clothed now) discovers the Noise Taks leaving the hideout and follows them. There was something involving a VMU and I think one of the Noise Tanks falls in love with Bisu before she kicks his ass.

Ah to be 15 again...  :roll:

[Essay]

That's an excellent picture, Barry.  You were 15 (or shortly thereafter) when you drew that?  Very talented.

I think everyone...perhaps more otaku-inclined people not unlike ourselves (fans of videogame, anime, whathaveyou) goes through a stage where one is more infatuated with Japanese girls than anyone else.

Yeah, it's hard not to like the Jet Set Radio girls.  Though I think I was more a Cube or Piranha person, myself.

[Barry the Nomad]

That's an excellent picture, Barry.  You were 15 (or shortly thereafter) when you drew that?  Very talented.

Thanks dude, yeah, I think I was 17 then. I also did this PSO inspired one:



I think the ability to draw was another reason for the "crush", since I'm going to draw the characters I find most appealing. Not gonna find myself drawing what I find unattractive. Reminds me of a moment in High School when this girl gave me a hard time for not drawing heavier women, she said I only drew thin attractive women. So to appease her, I drew a heavy set man and a slightly larger woman in sailor moon outfits. It was actually quite funny, but I didn't find myself returning to them. To twist a phrase from Apple Jacks: "I draw what I like". Can't be all inclusive when it comes to my personal drawing habits.

[Emmett The Crab]

The tenten on Beat's shirt is in the wrong place, so it says ヒード (hi-do) instead of ビート (bi-to).

Nice artwork though!

[Barry the Nomad]

I was just a boy! Forgive me!

Actually, the hi-do was a cheeky reference to Jar Jar Binks way of saying "hello".

Actually, I lied, I got it wrong. I'm such a baka foreigner.

Thanks though

[Sega Uranus]

Tali'Zorah vas Neema from the Mass Effect games.

Yeah okay, I know that is an extremely recent series, but come on, she is so damn cute, even though you cannot see her face and stuff! I had a strong connection to all of the characters in Mass Effect 2, so most of my feelings on them in that are really strong overall.

Growing up though, I always really liked Tao from Shining Force for some reason, maybe not for looks, but I always had her in my party, she saved my ass in that game more times than I can count pretty much.

I also have always had a guy-crush on Kazuma. NO HOMO, just think he is a really cool guy who doesn't afraid of anything.

[CosmicCastaway]

Sophitia from the Soul Calibur series.



KOS-MOS from Xenosaga.


Those are some of mine.

[crackdude]

Lime from Saber Marionette J/J Again/J to X
I was about 13-15..

This is only anime related though. She did appear in an old fighting PS1 game.

I can't remember of any vidya related only..

[CrazyT]

Videogame crushes? Hmmm...

Ahh joy

[crackdude]

lol I used to take pics of Joy's TNA in the Xbox verison

[CrazyT]

That is so hilarious because I used to do the same

[Barry the Nomad]

Ha! In Shenmue IIx I had a photo collection of the ugliest people I encountered, and a photo collection of the cleavage I encountered. I liked to think that it was Ryo, not me, who was going out of his way to take these strange photos. I think there is a dark side to Ryo that we don't know about.

[CosmicCastaway]

Also Tyris Flare, both incarnations of her.