03/10/2013

“Hi! I’m PaRappa. And this is my DREAM CAR!”

by Matthew Edward Hawkins

Once again, time is flying by at a breakneck pace; the 2013 edition of PAX East is just around the corner, which means the 2013 edition of my PAX East report will surely follow. But before that, some random Instagram pics from the past few few weeks, which I need to pass along before they’re officially in the way…

Corpse on the Imjin!

So last time I spoke about the first ever IndieCade East, though one key detail I forgot to mention was how Kris had asked to crash at my place and I had to tell him no. Why? Because it was cold as hell that week, and for whatever reason, the heat in my apartment was borked.

It was so bad that I seriously fired up Ted‘s Pixel Fireplace by my bedside, in hopes of convincing myself that I was sitting next to the real thing. Guess what? It worked…

Oh, so I’ve been busy has hell, putting two… things… together, back to back (will explain more in a bit, when the time is right), plus I’ve been designing an iPhone game, PLUS I’ve got more freelance work than I know what to do with. Which is why, among other things, I’ve barely left the apartment these past couple of weeks.

So one Saturday night I forced myself out, to finally check out Kyle‘s (not so new) apartment. Where I discovered a treasure chest of game controller. Literally…

I also got to finally meet Chums…

On my way home, while waiting for the G to arrive (Kyle lives in Greenpoint), I got bored and decided to take a subway selfie…

The following weekend, on my way to Mitsuwa, the old rundown house I always pass by looked especially creepy and decrepit (so naturally I had to take some pictures)…

As for Mitswua itself, while stocking up on the essentials (i.e. curry, curry, and more curry, plus this miso flavor salad dressing that is simply the best thing ever), I decided to swing by the candy section, where their karaoke themed sweets seemed might tempting…

As was this brand new line of sake they had on sale…

While on the topic of delicacies, have I mentioned that I get all my pearls of wisdom from Chinese fortune cookies?

I’ve mentioned Ventla once already, and recommend him to basically every chance I get. When people ask where to start, I always recommend Anti-Vivant

Like most folk, I usually get bills or junk in my mailbox. But the day in which both the latest edition of Shooting Gameside and a print out of a Gothamist post both showed up on the same day was sorta exciting (for the story behind the latter, simply click here)…

Not long after, this showed up, which I’ve been eyeballing for ages now (and which I found on eBay for a crazy low price)…

… As for how it plays, I wouldn’t know! The drive door to my Xbox 360 is busted, so I haven’t been able to play the damn thing. Along with how my Wii’s OS is somehow corrupted (it took several days, but was able to finally download the definitive version of Retro City Rampage, the WiiWare edition) and how my PS3 can’t do jack on the internet, I sure do love how this generation of gaming has turned out!

Actually, I do know how the game is; been enjoying the iOS version since it first came out. Highly recommended! BTW, I don’t think I’ve ever shown off my Transformers Masterpiece edition of Soundwave, have I? Him, alongside Zero Suit Samus from before, is my pride and joy. Now, unlike Dodonpachi Daifukkatsu cost and an arm and a leg, and was worth every damn cent…

You know, I was afraid of showing him off, since the main reason why FORT90ZINE4ANSWER is in limbo is due to not having enough cash for print solution #7012. Let’s just say that he was acquired when my finances were a bit more stable, and was also one of those spur of the moment, “dear God I’m super depressed, maybe if I buy the one toy I’ve always wanted as a child, which they finally got around to making, 28 years later, I might cheer up, and besides, it is Christmas after-all” type of deals.

… Though, the latest financial headache comes in the form of a trucker from Pennsylvania, or at least that’s who I think it is. Long story short: Simon was in town, the other week, for a pre-GDC mixer in NYC, and I took him to my favorite Sri Lankan place for lunch. Problem is, I didn’t have any cash and the place did not accept cards. It’s also located in a place in which there are seriously no banks nearby, so against my best judgement, I decided to use one of those ATMs you use in the middle of the street in NYC. Which I always avoid, cuz, they look sketchy as hell. And wouldn’t you know, my paranoia was completely warranted; a few weeks later, a decent chunk of money was stolen from my bank account, to purchase diesel gas in Pennsylvania, hence the assumption that it was a trucker. Or so the theory goes; there’s no real proof that the ATM was actually rigged, but it’s the only wild card that would attributed to my credit card info getting jacked. There’s an investigation going on, and while I’ll get all my money back eventually, it’s still been a massive pain in the ass, and yet another reason why my bank account has been dangerously close to zero.

Anyway, back to Transformers: here’s a work in progress GPK card that Joe’s working on, featuring Sunstreaker, that I spotted when swinging by Wax Eye HQ this past Friday night…

It’s actually a commission; as a fully licensed and certified Garbage Pail Kids artist, he gets all kinds of wacky, personal requests. Like the following that he just recently wrapped up, featuring an Indiana Jones and Boba Fett mashup…

Together, along with June, we swung by the Society of Illustrators, for the Art of Harvey Kurtzman opening…

For those who aren’t familiar with Harvey Kurtzman, he’s basically one of the greatest cartoonists to have ever walked this earth and put pencil to paper. He’s up there with Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, and Art Spiegelman. In addition to highlighting Mad Magazine, which he created, the exhibit also showcases some of his Two-Fisted Tales tales output…

Along with Little Annie Fanny, which was a comic strip that ran in the pages of Playboy and that Kurtzman did alongside longtime collaborator Will Elder…

… That’s not Kurtzman btw, but Elder, along with a total hottie of a Playboy bunny. But anyhow, there’s not much to say here, other than how Kurtzman was truly one of a kind…

The retrospective is simply amazing, though also a tad bit depressing. Aside from the obvious (it’s sad that he’s not exactly a household name, even though his impact, not just on comics but entertainment in the past 50+ years across the board is more than evident), it also made me feel like a shlep for not drawing regularly these past 14 years.

Before I got involved in video games and writing, I was first and foremost a cartoonist. But that’s a discussion best saved for a later time.

“She’s attractive and is the size of an average human mother.”

Anyhow, time once again to pass along a few random game related links and images, just like the good old days! Starting with…

- Cory posted the following the other day on Twitter, of what he calls the 3DSi, and I want it pretty badly! At the very least, it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who isn’t in love with the 3DS XL either (it’s better than the normal 3DS, but only marginally so)…

- And via Tumblr comes “a real man’s room”

- Back to Ventla; he’s the one who passed along this

- Yes, I totally follow a site whose URL spells out Let’s Go Lesbos (NSFW, perhaps obviously), but the most important thing is the following pic that was posted: does anyone know that game that she’s playing? It’s something for the PS2, that’s all I can tell…

- Well, I’m glad that horrible and gross looking “Pikachu” has a roof over its head

- Corey (not Schmitz, but Lewis; note the extra “e”) says his Revengance fan art might be print soon. I hope so!

- I spotted the following on Rodney Greenblat‘s Facebook page I believe…

- Good news: Vanguard Princess has been translated, and it’s only $5! Bad news: it’s apparently censored, and it’s not getting a hold of the Japanese version, which is totally free, is all that hard.

- Even better news: Mamoru-kun might be coming to America! That’s sorta random.

- Hey, did you hear about how Darth Vader introduced Wicket the Ewok to video games? It’s totally true.

- I forget where I first saw this, or if I’ve ever passed this along before, but at any rate: check out the smallest ass Game Boy you’ve ever seen.

- This woman beating some dude in Soul Calibur, and without even looking at the screen is mighty impressive.

- Turns out, Leonard Nimoy not only has a PS4 already, but he’s had it for 30 years now.

- I totally want to play the rarest PSP game ever produced, which is all about being a Hilton hotel employee.

- This pretty much single-handedly sums up why I love the Yakuza games so much.

- In case you’ve forgotten: Sonic fans are quite insane.

- Exhibit #2…

- Am totally gonna nab this brand new Chie figure from Bandai, though I only wish I knew how big she is…

- Though even cooler is this Raidou Kuzunoha figure

- Sorry, I forget who the artist is. But it’s a heartwarming scene, is it not?

- Though I know who did this rad Punch-Out illustration; Ed Piskor

- I totally love these rejected Mega Man bosses by Anthony Clark that Tiny Cart posted the other day…

- I so badly need to make my own custom Radiant Silvergun arcade stick (from this site)…

- Hey look, Mortal Kombat pizza…

- Came across the follow the other night, while trying to figure out why I can’t get Kega Fusion to play any Sega CD redbook audio…

- Kris was the one who gave me the heads up on the race for the first 3D printed home. Don’t know about you, but I totally want to live in a house that looks like a Crocomire’s skull (a la Super Metroid)…

- Anyone out there familiar with 8-Bit Zombe?

- Though the real big news from the past couple of weeks is sudden and untimely passing of Kenji Eno. Before I began idolizing the works of Masaya Matsuura, Fumito Ueda, Goichi Suda, and even Keita Takahashi, I was a total fanboy of the guy who made Enemy Zero (the absolute greatest survival horror game ever made), who told Shigeru Miyamoto right to his face that he thought Mario 64 kinda sucked (Shiggy was extremely grateful for such brutally honest criticism), and who totally punk’d Sony at their own presser (instead of announcing a new game for their PlayStation, he stopped on the console and a toy based upon Jumping Flash; God I wish video of that existed).

This recently published interview that had long been unpublished, courtesy of Kotaku, is a must read. But before that, and especially if you haven’t check it out already, this epic, 10 page long interview from 1UP is absolutely required. Especially now that 1UP’s days are numbered.

Which is why you should also not just read, but download, their incredible retrospectives on Panzer Dragoon and Shenmue, plus one of the best interviews with Tetsuya Mizuguchi you’ll find anywhere.

A Couple More Things…

K, time to wrap this up. But first, a few Attract Mode posts, since last time…

- At long last, your long overdue Nintendo World Championships 1990 recap.

- Part three of Lil B and his “classic” video game collection.

- And my most recent Instagram dump, featuring a heavy dose of cats

… And two final PAX East 2013 notes: remember how I said that I would be moderating a panel? Well, there’s now a time and a place! You can find out, plus more, via its homepage. Yes, the panel has its very own site! That’s just how we roll.

Also, for those of you who plan on going to Boston via the Chinatown bus, please note that the Fung Wah is no more. So I’d suggest getting tickets sooner than later!

  • http://www.facebook.com/VitaminSteve Steve Flack

    http://steveshirt.tumblr.com/post/21024693280/shirt-by-8bit-zombie-never-has-a-company-name

    I picked up an 8-Bit Zombie shirt awhile ago. I like it in theory but the print is way too big and there’s a little too much going on (including something written on the back). I feel like a 14 year old when I’m wearing it.

    • https://www.fort90.com/journal/ fort90

      Yeah, that’s… pretty big! The design I mean.

  • Jason Duane

    Loving that photo of the house.

    I’m going to PAX on Friday, but only Friday ;___;

    Hopefully the panel will be on youtube or somesuch afterwards. Good luck, man!

    • https://www.fort90.com/journal/ fort90

      As luck would have it, the panel is going to be filmed, to be put on YouTube later on!

      Sucks you can’t be there on Saturday, but I know how hard those PAX passes are to get. Hopefully we’ll brush shoulders the day before!

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