So I was going to mention this yesterday, but yeah, mission accomplished…
I managed finally to get the Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence Limited Edition package, along with the Metal Sear Saga DVD. I seriously had my doubts, but the EB in the Manhattan Mall pulled through in the end. Though things were not looking so hot in the end. In fact, I almost had a blow up when I called yesterday morning to see if everything had finally arrived; you might recall me going to the store Wednesday morning, when everything was technically due, but nothing had shown up, so I was told to call later in the day, and when I did I was informed that the LE was there but not the DVD, though I could pick up the game and simply get the DVD later. Fearing that getting the games beforehand might somehow complicate matters, I opted to take a risk and just wait till everything was in, plus I got caught up in matter by that evening anyway and couldn’t have made it to the store. So when I called yesterday morning and discovered that the DVDs were finally there, I’m guessing after my previous call, in early evening, and they had already run out, I almost blew my stack, till the woman recognized me as the guy who had been calling every single day for the past two weeks, so stuff was set aside from me. But that didn’t stop me from rushing to the store. Once, persistence can be your best friend.
Everyone knows that I am no fan of EBs and Gamestops in general, but I do believe in this case, Konami fucked up big time. The person I spoke with mentioned how every company, when doing pre-order bonuses, pass along all relevant and important information, and I guess it didn’t happen in this case. There was also a statement given by a Konami representative that was passed along to the GAF recently regarding the decision to finally give Canadian gamers the Saga DVD after-all, but it ended with an excessively trite and condescending sentiment of “But you’d better hurry, because supplies are limited!” as if they couldn’t be bothered to, you know, just fucking print up extra copies since they know demand is insanely high.
Though on my end I was certain that it was going to be another case of game store employees stealing bonus just to make a profit on eBay, which is illegal as far as I can tell. From what I’ve heard, the LE package is already fetching 100+ dollars. So yeah… I actually got my game! So sorry, but no vid of me kicking over a magazine rack.
Otherwise, I’m a bit out of the loop in regards to the rest of the gaming world (believe it or not, I still haven’t recovered from this past weekend… once again, I’m getting old). But the big news, in my opinion, is that the Katamari Damacy series has apparently come to a close. Please excuse the laziness, but I’ve already passed along the details to Insert Credit, so when that item gets published (whenever that I might be, I’ll pass it along, but if you understand Japanese, then you can simply check it out for yourself).
My 2 cents? This is good news really. Its no secret that Keita Takahashi, the game’s creator, didn’t exactly want to do a sequel in the first place, and it seems that many great games get too many sequels, too quickly (Viewtiful Joe comes to mind). I’m eager to see what new game Takahashi comes up with, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he simply quits the business and actually pursues making playgrounds, which he has previously expressed interest in doing. And to be totally honest, that world needs him more than the video game world (anyone who’s familiar with “modern” playgrounds will know preciesly what I mean).
As for other stuff, here’s a few things I’ve come across but just haven’t had the chance to post yet…
- Word has it that Yuji Naka might call it quits from Sega. This is good news. I know he gets shit on a lot and perhaps deservedly so, but the guy helped to create NiGHTS, so I can never hate the guy.
- Game Revolution has put together a handy little chart that does an excellent job detailing the clusterfuck that is the Gizmondo.
- For those who don’t know already, there’s a new Consolevania for the world to enjoy.
- Get ready for the worst goddamn Xbox 360 faceplate in existence.
- And here’s some screenshots of the Metal Gear Solid Digital Comic that’s coming out. It basically just the art from the comic adaptation by Ashley Wood, with minor interactive elements, but its still very pretty.
- JeuxFrance also has some pictures and video of Shigeru Miyamoto getting knighted in France (alongside other video game luminaries).
- Remember Accordion Hero? Well, here’s the story behind the next big gaming sensation.
- Did you guys know that Bowser, back when he still went by the title King Koopa, used to have his live action kids show? Well here’s the intro.
- Time for another YouTube classic (seriously, best fucking site ever… like everyone else, I too fear for the day it gets shut down, due to all the crazy, and often illegal, shit it hosts… I’m also trying to figure out how in the hell it stays operational) courtesy of Joel: awesome, real-life robot vs robot action, featuring Gundam vs. Mazinger. These bot make those from Battlebots look like absolute pussies, for sure.
- In other, non-game related junk (which I’m REALLY out of the loop on… so much internet and not nearly enough time, I’m afraid), we all know how lame blogs can be, but there’s some good ones out there. The first is something MK showed me a while back, and it belongs to the creator of Ren & Stimpy, who was a childhood hero of mine, John Kricfalusi. There you’ll find tons of info on classic (i.e. much better than most of the shit we have these days) cartoons and even drawings by the man himself (he’ll often do caricatures of famous celebs, which are often depicted as hideous, malformed mutants… which is often not far from the truth). Its also worth noting that the fucker takes good care of himself! I’ve seen photos of the guy for almost 15 years, and he seems to look younger and younger as the time goes by.
Another blog that I’ve also become a big fan of is Chewbacca’s. Its sorta tough to explain…. you just have to see for yourself.
… Meanwhile, in the real world, seems like everyone has been sick this past week. Almost every at work as been hit, as well as bunch of friends, including MK, who’s stuck at home recovering instead of coming out to the city to celebrate St. Patrick Day’s. So no green cupcakes at Joe’s or Blackout Shoppers for her I’m afraid.
EDIT: One last thing; as mentioned in the comments section, a bunch of friends have all passed along the trailer to THE MOVIE OF THE YEAR, all in a span of just two hours (perhaps because they know I haven’t been able to shut up about it in the past year or so), and even though everyone should hae seen it by now, for those who haven’t, here it is…
Ladies and Gentlemen, planeSnakes On a Plane!
EDIT #2: It’s down! Awww… 
