August 2004

Since I had a small surplus of vacation time to spend before losing them at the end of this month (my one year anniversary working at SVA), I’ve just been laying low, mostly staying close to home, and getting some much needed rest (especially with so much on the horizon in the coming weeks). Didn’t do anything too exciting other than hang with a few friends, see some movies (which I’ve been meaning to talk about, but that’s for another time), and play some games (mostly old Saturn and Dreamcast titles… as hard as I try, and as good as I was with Radiant Silvergun, I totally suck at Ikaruga).

Perhaps the only “exciting” thing to report from the past few days was wondering when the pull was going to be plugged on this site. As mentioned before, this journal seems to enjoy a very healthy readership, which is still a total shock to myself; I had simply assumed I was just talking to myself, especially since my posts seem to generate zero comments, though that’s starting to change bit by bit (by the way, I hope the previous statement was not interrupted as a thinly veiled plea for comments, cuz it’s not… I fucking hate it when people pander themselves like that). So when I got notice from my web host that I had exceeded my allotted amount of traffic, I was afraid the site would go dead at any minute (and since it was the weekend, there was no way to contact anyone about it).

So with that in mind, I investigated some possible alternative outlets to utilize just in case. The most logical alternative was to use the blog function of my 1UP page, which I had only played around with on a minimal level beforehand. But the thing is… and I know I might a ton of shit for saying this publicly, but… the entire 1UP site is a complete mess. On the technical/performance side, it’s slow and buggy as hell; I have a more than competent computer and connection speed, as well as a variety of browsers, but to no avail. Even if it did work like it should, the overall look and feel of the main site is piss poor (I can’t believe Ziff Davis saw what IGN did with their recent make over and used that as something to work towards). It’s virtually impossible to find anything, from the stuff you expect, to cool things worth stumbling across; I know that there’s a ton of great writing going on, but unless you have the direct link to whichever writer, you’ll never know it. Maybe this is by design, to help foster the site’s goal to create a “gamers’ community” by encouraging world of mouth, but… whatever, I think I’ll stop here before I really incriminate myself.

Though I feel that I have to mention this: one thing which I thought was cool was the ability to upload a listing of one’s game collection, But it’s pretty retarded when you can only list titles that are in the databanks; I have Sparkster for the Genesis, but only the SNES version is listed. Plus I have tons of obscure PSone imports, and there’s no means to modify or add your own titles. Lame. So don’t expect any updates until they fix things, or I find myself very, very bored.

But I guess none of that matters anyways; after the weekend, I was finally to speak with my provider and the situation has been resolved. I know I’ve bitched a lot about 1and1‘s customer service in the past, but I will say this: their rates are simply phenomenal.

Also, thanks to my previous post, I am now a member of the Internet Archive’s staff (actually, just someone with admin privileges, but still…). Seems what I wrote impressed one particular visitor of this blog, who also happens to be the Archive’s administrator (and editor for one of the best places anywhere for gaming news, and easily the most underrated, Slashdot games). Soon I’ll be doing write ups on games which I find noteworthy, so keep any eye on the “Staff Picks” found on this page.
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As for happenings in the real world, I went to a party on Friday night where I learned of my friend Steve‘s course of political action. As some may know, Mayor Bloomberg wants to promote peaceful protests in the city for the upcoming Republican National Convention by offering Peaceful Political Activists Savings Cards, which is worth 10% discounts at select businesses. So Steve has invited anyone who wants to voice their distaste for the Bush regime by indulging in the very tasteful wings that are served at Applebee’s. Though if I do go, it will be for the pizza sticks.

On Sunday, I finally took the opportunity to walk around the neighborhood, which I had been dying to do since moving there in February. The upper west side of Manhattan really is that nice, with tons of great restaurants, places to shop, and… of course.. cute college girls everywhere (thank God for Columbia University). Also, it’s nice to stroll around the campus of where the Ghostbusters used to teach.

And of course, as I walked around the streets, I had to do so like an typical New Yorker: talking loudly on the cell phone the whole time. At least people were amused by some of the snippets they picked up, such as when I asked a former roommate some questions regarding his homosexual lifestyle…

“I still can’t understand why my question was so strange. Yeah, I know I’m straight, but I still want to know: does it really feel that good to get slam up the ass from behind?”

Well, I really dig my neighborhood. So much so that it almost makes dealing with my insanely disgusting roommates somewhat worthwhile. Though the past few days have been especially bad; I’m used to looking in the fridge and seeing eyeballs or paws floating in a jar, but Saturday night was the first time I ever saw teeth. And they almost looked like human teeth. Plus that Sunday afternoon, after the stroll, the smell of vinegar was so overpowering, I swear to God, my sinuses have been fucked up ever since. My roommates drink it like water, no joke: they fill 1/8 of a glass with water and the rest with pure vinegar. And they were drowning some vegetable with it as well. There’s something to be said about not having every single thing bit of food covered in sauce.

Anyway, on Monday, my last day off, I went to Coney Island yet again. This time I was by myself, which I know might sound pathetic, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do (though I did invite someone, but she was stuck at LAX waiting for the redeye the previous evening, and was therefore catching up on sleep that afternoon). It was just nice strolling around the park at my own pace, and during a day when it’s not so busy, if only to hear the futile attempts at getting a nonexistent crowd to shoot the freak. Also, being by myself meant I could enjoy games at the arcade without fear of boring any companions. I got a pretty decent score on Ms. Pac Man (a hair short of 120,000… hey I never said I was that good at the game), plus I spent almost an hour on OutRun 2.

On a coincidental note, as soon as I got home, there was a video posted on the Gaming Age Forum of the Xbox version, and I’m quite happy to report that the home version looks absolutely spot on, at least in motion. There was also plenty of talk this weekend regarding the inclusion of bonus tracks in the game, which are actually tracks from Daytona USA 2 and Scud Race. This has been long rumored, and supposedly have been finally confirmed, so of course, there was much joyous celebration throughout the land… that was until details started materializing, such as how the quality of the tracks don’t match up to their arcade counterparts. And instantly, there was much anger and confusion. Some are naturally puzzled as to why the Xbox is apparently unable to recreate environments from a pair of dated Model 3 based games. Maybe the Xbox is not that powerful afterall? Maybe fans of the arcade classics are blinded my nostalgia? Maybe Sega is just being lame again? Sorta like who they removed the glass dome for the 777 Speedway track in Daytona 2 for “looking too cartoony” and which sadly does not seem to make a re-appearance in the Xbox iteration.

At the same show from which the OutRun Xbox footage came from (some gaming event in Germany) was a new video for Metal Gear Solid 3. Once again, it’s an amazing vid which, besides looking gorgeous, brings up more and more questions and wild speculation. First off, despite Kojima’s assertion that there will be only one playable character in the game, there now seems to be two… or maybe it’s still one, I guess it depends on one’s point of view. Now it looks like you’ll be playing as modern day Snake in addition to Snake from the past, which is Big Boss, the person whom Snake was cloned from. This could be cool.

Also, it seems Big Boss’s real name is Jack, which of course, was Raiden’s real name. Plus there’s more details on the tall woman who always shown kicking Snake/Big Boss/Jack’s ass, and her names is…. get this… The Boss. And even La-Li-Lu-Le-Lo was uttered yet again Some people groaned once they heard this, but I think it’s pretty interesting, and makes total sense (and might actually clear up some of the nonsense from part 2).

I’d host the video, but then I’d really get raped on the bandwidth, so a streaming version from the Konami site will have to do. But as consolation, here’s a pic I also got from the GAF, which I find pretty damn awesome:

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Once again, here?s even more random stuff from the world of games which I haven?t had a chance to mention before due to being too busy/lazy?

- The Internet Archive recently unveiled a massive collection of video game movies. It?s mostly press videos, but there?s some behind the scenes stuff, speed runs, and even Machinima movies. Not only is it fun to revisit past favorites (watching the Virtua Racing vid bring back so many good memories, and those Genesis produced polygons still look genuinely impressive) but to also checking out games which were never meant to be (such as the all chick X-Men game, X-Women).

Perhaps the one most worth checking out is a promo vid for the Neverhood, an adventure game from the mid-nineties. A brainchild of Doug TenNapel, who?s mostly known for his character design work on the classic Genesis/SNES side scroller Earthworm Jim, everything about the world is made entirely in clay? 3.5 tons of it apparently.

The video features interviews with TenNapel, plus Steven Spielberg (this was Dreamwork?s first published game), as well as behind the scenes stuff, and a decent amount of footage from the game itself. It?s use of clay instead of polygons, especially at a time when everyone was starting to go 3D, was what got me wanting to play the game, despite my unfamiliarity with the point and click adventures. Since then, I?ve tired out titles like Grim Fandango, and have learned that I?m not very good at them, but I?d still love the chance to give the Neverhood a shot.

But despite critical acclaim, it was a flop (though the $55 price tag probably didn?t help). There were two more games produced that were set in the Neverhood universe, and both for the PSone: SkullMonkeys, which was a side scroller that I never got the chance to pick up (fuck, and now that I remember, Game Express had it for like $10 new or something) and the other was BoomBots, which I actually did play. It was an arena fighter, sorta like Power Stone, if I remember correctly. I also remember it not being so hot.

I saw TenNaple at ComicCon two years ago to support his new graphic novel at the time, Creature Tech (which is still on my pile of comics to finish) and mentioned that he was working on a Neverhood TV show that he hoped to get picked up. Till then, at least there?s the official website.

Also, I really want that Klaymen costume from the end of the video.

- Nintendo has officially stated that the upcoming Nintendo DS, which can play Game Boy Advance games, will not support original Game Boy or Game Boy Color titles. This is due to a lack of a Z80 processor, which is what runs GB/GBC titles, and is found in the GBA, but won?t be for the DS. And the funny thing here is when Nintendo was last in town, I asked if the DS would play those older games , and it totally threw her for a loop (which I totally love doing). I think she ended up saying (though not at all confidently) yes.

Well on one hand, this pretty dumb, especially since it can?t be that hard to emulate 15 year-old hardware. But then again, the DS is not a true Game Boy, and I would expect that support will be there for Game Boy Next. Plus, the SBA looks dumb enough playing those old carts, and it has to look just as bad, if not worse, on the DS (since the GBA cart slot of off center I think)>

- Now onto the GBA proper, the latest line of NES Classic Series game have been revealed, and it?s pretty disappointing. Us Americans are getting just four titles: Dr. Mario (which anyone can play as Dr. Wario in WarioWare, plus I never even liked that game), Metroid (which anyone can unlock in Metroid Zero Mission), Zelda 2 (which I might pick up), and Castlevania. The interesting thing here is the box, which is based on the original from almost 20 years ago, also features the original (and far superior) Konami logo, though it suffers from poor layout.

I know expecting Wrecking Crew was a bit much, but no Kid Ikaurs? Given how successful the first line was, you?d think Nintendo would be releasing their entire back catalogue of NES games (despite the questionable price, they still sold). Granted, Bomberman and Xevious didn?t do so well, but anyone could have guessed that. It?s still no reason why Kid Icarus, as well as other popular, non-Nintendo produced titles like Ghosts ?n Goblins, should be left in the dust.

Time to order from Play Asia again I guess?

- Speaking of, it?s just been revealed from their site that Sega?s producing a pair of compilation soundtracks to celebrate the Saturn?s 10th Anniversary. This could be potentially awesome. I sorta wish Insert Credit didn?t report this news, since it?ll simply call to attention that they still have copies of the Radiant Silvergun soundtrack, which once again, I should have picked up at Game Express when they still sold stuff like that years ago.

- Meanwhile, at the Insert Credit forums, one poster has suggested that on September 9th, the 5th anniversary of the American release of the Dreamcast (9/9/99), that everyone tag the DC logo wherever they can. This would sorta be like that guy who goes around the world spray-painting Space Invaders. Have to admit, I am somewhat interested?

- Back at the Gaming Age Forums, one guy recently posted picture from an old issue of EGM which featured pictures of a Super Famicom Prototype (see below).

I?ve always been a big fan of Nintendo?s hardware designs (at least Nintendo of Japan?s) and this model in particular just looks damn sexy. Hell, I almost bought a Super Famicom just to have one (which prompted me to actually buy a copy of Pop ?N Twin Bee). It?s a shame that the art of hardware design, with the exception is GameCube and the GBA, is so poor. I guess I?m used to the PS2, but the Xbox is still ugly as hell.

Alright, the PSP does look pretty awesome, but it?s too big. Reminds me of my Nomad, which I was too afraid to take outdoors.

- Staying on the Super Fami/Super NES tip, Lost Levels, a neat little site dedicated to games which never saw the light of release, has a great story about the NES version of Mother, or the original Earthbound as some calls it. But besides being an interesting read, it only makes me even angrier that I sold off my Super NES, which I?ve stated before had Earthbound as part of the library. I know the constant bitching is getting old, but heartache seems to only get worse and worse? I pray to God that Nintendo will eventually re-release the game here in the states (like Mother 1+2, which came out for the GBA in Japan).

- But one thing which we are getting is the Gradisu V DVD when one preorders the game. If I?m not mistaken, it includes super play vids, artwork, and interviews. It?s been suggested that one should preorder online and not deal with the flakiness of Gamestop/EB employees, and that?s good advice indeed. I seem to have nothing but bad luck with those goons. In fact, yesterday I picked up Astro Boy for the GBA once I head that Sega only released a few copies to retailers (this Sega just being it?s stupid self, as usual). So I went to a Gamestop and asked for the game, and the following conversation ensued?

Me:?Do you have Astro Boy for the GBA in??

Gamestop Clerk: ?Yes we do.?

Me: ?Good. I?ll take one.?

Gamestop Clerk: ?I dunno if you should do that. I heard it sucked?

Me: ?First off, you have it confused with the PS2 version, which does indeed suck. Second, do you want my money or what??

- silence -

Gamestop Clerk: ?Would you like to preorder Halo 2??

Me: ?NO.?

- One more thing: last night I had a dream in which I had to choose between having sex with some hot girl and listening to old Genesis tunes direct from the system (via the headphones and the headphone jack on a model 1 system). The details are hazy? I sorta recalling being a bit indecisive, but I don?t know why?. I love Genesis music and all, but the girl was, if I recall correctly, was pretty damn hot

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