I'd like to preface this quick little rant by noting that Fred has put me in charge of compiling the MegaTokyo FAQ before the new site comes up (which will, yes, have the Characters page if all goes according to plan). If you would like to see whether or not your question is going to be answered in it, please check the forum topic where I'm asking for question submissions.
Anyway. It's always weird for me to find out that anyone in my family shares my hobbies--I mean, I'm a Geek's Geek, given my penchant for card games (whether collectible or not), anime, manga, comic books, and sundry other pursuits that you tend not to associate with a family full of bon vivants.
I mean, my interest in sports is easy to share with family--we're all in a fantasy football league with each other, and we get together for dinners and poker nights pretty frequently. But my nerdier pursuits, I thought, would let me be a geek in peace.
Then two years ago, my illusions came crashing down when one of my cousins, who I'd grown up with and gone to school with, came up to me and asked me to autograph his friends' copies of the MegaTokyo book.
We didn't look each other in the eye for weeks.
Then came my niece (in the broader sense--my cousin's daughter), who's now an anime fan and has borrowed DVDs from me.
And last week I found out that another cousin is playing City of Heroes on another server. She's invited me to her supergroup because they want more Defenders. I don't really know what to say to that, "Alright Kiwi, let's go defend justice together" or "That's a little weird..."
Then again, nothing's as weird as signing autographs for your cousin.
October 14, 2004
So Ultima Online: Samurai Empire went gold today, and it would probably damage my friendship with Greg Dean if I didn't mention it--especially since Game Watch has a very amusing interview with Jonathan LeCraft and Anthony Castoro that involves them trying not to look like idiots while wearing hakama and toting katana--and failing miserably.
While I can't translate the whole thing right now, there are a few questions in there I want to point out: first, after mentioning the usual "Ninja Scroll, Seven Samurai and Musashi" references, they joke that they hired a Ninja Consultant for Samurai Empire. And, Jonathan LeCraft likes Pocky.
Gee, I wonder why
So if you've never heard of Za Conbini/The Conveni (AKA The Convenience Store), that's because it's one of those games that gets marked off as Distinctly Japanese in its weirdness. You... run a convenience store. That's it. And so I always wondered how an online version of the game could possibly work after they announced The Conveni Net Battle.
Guess what? It didn't. As of December, they're giving The Conveni Net Battle the axe, putting an end to perhaps the most ill-conceived idea since the millions of attachments to the Genesis.
October 15, 2004
I'm all about retro game music remixed--that's why I bought the Mario and Zelda Big Band Live CD, it's why I have OneUp Studios' The Very Best of Sega, and it's why I'm interested in Team Studios' Sega Ages soundtrack. That Space Harrier and Alien Syndrome groove will bring me back to my childhood... hopefully. But I still can't found the Streets of Rage 2 soundtrack for a reasonable price.
Tales of Not So Ugly As I Thought
I'll admit it. When I first saw the art for Tales of Rebirth, I thought it was going to be the ugliest RPG since... I dunno, since something very ugly very long ago. But after seeing some screenshots of how the game actually looks when it's not on a poster, it's definitely not ugly. So I apologize to you, Tales of Rebirth. Now stop putting burning paper bags on my porch.
