- So it’s been a pretty crazy week in video games (as you might have noticed). With so much going on, such as all the bullshit with EA, the demise of GMR (XBN as it turns out is still on life support; it might return with a bimonthly schedule and hopefully full time return once Xenon hits), all the debates that either that slams or justifies the PSP’s battery life (I mean, come on people, how could anyone think that five hours is acceptable?), and even more shots from Katamari 2 coming in, it’s easy to loose track of things, such as the just announced a SD card reader to allow mp3 and mpeg4 playback on the GBA.
It’s a curious little contraption, which everyone assuming is suppose to help Nintendo face off against the much vaunted multimedia capabilities of the PSP. While it’s a good idea, the whole thing brings along way too many questions, observations, and hassles to be even worth it. First off, it’s for the GBA, and not the DS. Why? Cuz SD cards are too big for the DS. Fine enough, since the DS can play GBA carts anyways, so no problems right? Wrong. There are conflicting reports regarding it’s cross-compatibility. If true, this is just going to confuse and frustrate people even more so than they have, and potentially drive away (even more) customers.
Also, playing movies on the PSP, no matter how dumb I might think it is, just makes more sense; it may be small, but it’s screen is still much bigger than the GBA’s and DS, and is much nicer to boot. Folks also need to keep in mind that SD cards aren’t exactly cheap, and you will need a SD reader for your computer to really use it. And I’m not keen on having to lug around yet another cartridge type thing for a Nintendo handheld. Plus, and this is going to sound really retarded, but here goes: it just looks physically unappealing. Sorry, but handhelds are all about looking somewhat sexy, and unless Nintendo can do a massive overhaul of the design, it’s going to re-enforce Nintendo’s “kiddie” image, which is not going to help with this particular product. And not only is big and bulky unappealing, but inconvenient, which goes against what a handheld should be.
Though the fact that Nintendo really hasn’t made such a big deal out of it, plus it looks as if its only going to be available in Japan and via online, shows how committed they are. Nintendo is really starting to look like Sega (circa 1995) these days, if you know what I mean.
- Also in Japan, Snake Eater just came out (yesterday I think). So you know what that means? More chicks with crocodile hats!
FYI, the game sold more copies on one day in Japan than in the first two weeks here in the states (actually, the latest Metal Gear has been somewhat classified as a bomb in the U.S.). I’d like to think that stuff such as this is the main reason why. Seriously, game commercials here in the states are really lacking these days.
- Here’s a story of some guy who spent $26,500 in actual US currency to buy a piece of real estate in a MMORGP. Fucking crazy.
- Speaking of crazy, here’s some drawings by a guy who clearly loves his wife, named Peach, and has decided to depict her as the character with the same name in the Super Mario games…
Hey, it’s great that he’s so in love, but to such a degree, and with video games intermixed, is just plain strange (and I really do mean that in the nicest way possible). Though I do like how he manages to incorporate other game characters. He’s a big fan Space Channel 5 I see. And I have no clue who the hell this “Fire Faerie” is.
As bizarre as they might be, they are still pretty cute. But why the hell is his nose bleeding in this pic?
- Still sticking with love and video games, here’s a neat music video that mixes both.
- On the personal side of things, I’ve working double time to make sure things are wrapped up by next Thursday morning, which is when I fly back home. I’ve gotten most of my Xmas shopping done, thankfully, plus I’ve managed to get a thing to two for myself.
I finally got a chance to go back to Chinatown and get that rare game from J&L which I mentioned from before. It’s Blast Corps btw, the last decent game every to come from Rare (who my opinion has always been way overrated anyway). I also looked around a bit and noticed that most of the prices of their PSone games have been slashed down. There’s a few titles I’ve always been on the fence about which I might actually pick up. I had the urge to get Cosmic Race, if only to say that I owned the officially worst game that no one has ever heard of, but $25 still isn’t worth that mantle. Some titles I’m seriously thinking about picking up for the trip (mostly GBA titles, since that’s pretty much all I have to keep me entertained while at home) but again, I’m the paranoid type so I’m not naming names. Also, they still have a DS for $275.
Plus, I finally got Robotic Alchemic Drive (or R.A.D.) thanks to Job! After reading a while back of my failed attempt to procure a copy, he offered to sell me his extra one. Thanks again Job!
BTW, Job’s girlfriend made him for the holidays a truly awesome stuffed Katamari Damacy plush. I asked Job for some pics, so once I get them, they’ll be posted. And also, the next Gamers Nite Groove is next week on Wednesday night. I’ll pass along the info once I get it.
- Last night I met up with Nelson, a nice fellow from SVA that’s interested in producing video games, and we went over the design specs for a game we’re working on together. It’s based on an idea I’ve had for a very long time, so it’s nice to know that it’s finally happening. Sam, another guy with similar interests joined up with us to attend the Large Animal Christmas party that I was invited to.
It ended up being a ton of fun. It was almost like an IGDA meeting of sorts (well my friend Corey from Large Animal does run the New Jersey chapter of the IGDA). I think it’s probably best that I don’t divulge in great detail what was discussed, at least not yet. Let’s just say there some interesting things brewing for next year in regards to the New York game development community, and a good opportunity to really get my hands wet.
As expected, there was a game to be played there. Everyone was classified as a “Good Elf” or “Bad Elf” (I was a baddie) and you had to get a person from the other team to say a special word, which changed every fifteen minutes. If successful, you had to give up a small present, which were really just game pieces (and those were really just laundry clips with a small drawing of a Xmas present glued on). I forget who won since by the end of the evening, I was too into talking without actually playing the game, and gawking at a guy’s N-Gage (the “old-school” Sidetalkin’ model).
If there’s one thing about New York City, you never know who or what you’re going to run into. After the party, Nelson, Sam, and myself went for a drink at a local bar. Then while walking towards Penn Station, Nelson mentioned how he had just played Katamari and remembered me talking about the game, way back in March (gushing is perhaps a more appropriate term). Then Sam brought up Ikaruga in relation to something. Anyway, some guy who was walking alongside us asked if we worked in the industry due to the kind of games we were talking about. The guy said he used to work at Rockstar and didn’t really like it. Seemed like a nice fellow, and not like some total jack-ass, so I’m assuming he didn’t fit in.
Then on the subway ride this morning to work, one kid was playing a Neo Geo Pocket! Strange…
