FORT90

Time to wrap this sucker up!

NYCC 2009 Day Two (continued yet again)

As day two was winding down, myself and the rest of the Sweet Rot gang decided to play some games at the Bandai Namco booth. Here we have June giving We Ski & Snowboard a try…

… Some might recall me being somewhat of the fan of the original, and this one looks to be just as good, perhaps even better. Provided they manage to sneak in assorted Namco tunes throughout like last time.

The Dynasty Warriors meets Gundam game, aptly called Dynasty Warriors Gundam, had its sequel on display. I had to play quite a bit of the first one while doing research for an article for Anime Insider, and the follow-up is very much like its predecessor. Which is to say, it’s not very good…

Finally we have the PSP fighter based on the upcoming Dragon Ball Z live action movie. And was about as horrible as one can imagine…

… I’m still morbidly curious about the film, though.

At last, the day two of the New York Comic Con was over with. And finally it was time to sing! At last year’s show, a few folks and myself went over to a cozy little maid cafe/karaoke joint in midtown after one of the days to celebrate my birthday, and this time around it was Katie’s turn!

… A great time was had by all, despite a number of annoyances. First off, the place no longer has its female employees dressed up as maids. Bummer. Though the biggest one was how, despite making reservations weeks in advance for a the big room, since we had a fairly decent sized party, at the last minute we were relegated to a smaller booth because an even larger party all of a sudden showed up. And this tiny room could barely contain those that were already in attendance, forcing me to call folks still on their way and tell them that, sorry, there just wasn’t any room yet. And that was pretty f’n lame. Also, this smaller room had zero air circulation, hence why everyone looks all sweaty in the pics. That and we were SINGING OUR HEART AND SOULS OUT! Plus the drinks were pricier than last time, plus the bar food menu had also changed, with that delicious chicken teriyaki sandwich from before now completely absent. Still, we came, we drank, we sang, we conquered is the most important thing.

NYCC 2009 Day Three

Again, a very late start to the day, due to the previous night’s hijinks. Which included me trying to sweet talk myself, Katie, and Pat into a hotel lobby past 2 in the morning, so those two could pee. Pro-tip: if you’re in Manhattan and seriously need to use the bathroom, just walk into any luxury hotel and pretend to be waiting for someone to come down first, then proceed to the lavatory. Unfortunately this work only works during the day and early evening, so we were denied, but Pat was still impressed by my valiant attempt at bullshitting.

Anyway, I had made most of my video game appointments for Sunday, since the last day is traditionally the slowest. I was wrong; the place was just as bumping as it was on Friday it felt like. Which meant there were still plenty of folks in costume to be found…

Unlike many, I totally love the new Captain America uniform. I guess Steve Rogers is still dead, huh…

Okay, this Jughead simply oozes pure awesomeness…

So Sunday is generally when most comic conventions try to have “family day” where folks are encouraged to bring their kids to check out assorted family friendly programming and the like. And for the most part, you see a few tykes running around but that’s about it. Not this time; the kids came out in droves, which made checking out games that day a bit of a challenge. Though I’m certainly not complaining, whereas others… I’ll get to that in a second.

Anyhow, THQ had a fairly huge set-up, which included Deadly Creatures, and which I also believe came out earlier this week…

… I mentioned how at the fall press event that they held last year, my editor from Nick Mag and I were only shown Nicktoon stuff and how I only stumbled upon Deadly Creatures at the very last minute, well after I was the only one there, and then asked why it was never brought to our attention sooner. When the PR person at the time game me this look as to why, I simply explained that kids love bugs, who then just shrugged. The THQ person at the show could only react by giving me that look that said “Christ did that person ever f*ck up”.

Then there was Legends of Wrestlemania. Only Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant were playable though…

I tried to get my hands on the Wii version of Ghosbusters, but to no avail, so I simply went around the other side of the Atari booth and gave the new Ready 2 Rumble Revolution a spin…

… Truth be told, I was never the biggest fan of the original Dreamcast game, boxing has never been my thing, but I knew plenty of people that were and still are (I foolishly recommended EA’s Facebreaker to these same people, which didn’t go over too well). So I can’t say how well the revival compares to the last, but I did ask it’s producer flat: so what does this offer that Wii Boxing already doesn’t. Among the selling points was a robust fighting engine, comparable to a fighting game, a la Street Fighter, as well a robust character creation engine. All I can say is that I found it a considerable amount more fun to play than Facebraker, so that’s good I guess. Didn’t get much of a chance to really dig deep cuz about five minutes into my game, this five year old dressed as Iron Man came up to watch, and how could I not pass the controller to him? Instead, I chatted it up with producer and learned more about the Atari of today, which is quite the different animal from the company of recent years. I guess the fact that they recently published N+ and recently aligned with Q Entertainment proves that finally someone over there has a brain and half. It was astutely pointed out that the Atari logo ain’t going anywhere, that it will live on for many years to come. Though what it will represent is totally up in the air at this point. At the very least, it’ll continue to represent gaming as a whole, and make another excellent logo for a shirt, but why not make one last great attempt to become a game publisher that truly matters?

Upon returning back to the Wii Ghostbuster demo, I was pleased to discover that the same two jerk-offs hogging the set-up from before were still hanging around. So instead I moved on over to SouthPeak booth and gave their new American (actually, Russian) animu title, X-Blades a quick try. It was okay; I always approach any anime-anything that’s not from Japan with a bit of trepidation, but the game seemed fine for what it was. Next was Velvet Assassin, which is basically Metal Gear Solid, expect during WWII and starring a hot chick. Again, fine for what it was. Sorry no pics of either.

Next was Hudon’s area, where Kororinpa 2 was available, and that was awesome. The sequel is a worthy follow-up to the original, with enhanced multiplayer, new balls, the ability to use Miis, and even balance board support. Yet again, didn’t spend a heck of a lot of time with it on the show floor, mostly because I was passed along a demo, so more impressions later. Afterwards I returned to Atari one last time, where those dudes were still there, and I finally had to say “f*ck this.” Though what came next really pissed me off: some kid was playing the next-gen version of Ghostbusters, when some dick basically snatched the controller out of his hand. His excuse to the kid’s pissed off father? “Sorry, but I’m a journalist and I need to play this game.”

Here’s the thing: I’ve stated multiple times that there’s nothing worse than a whiney video game journalist. Yes, playing bad games can get to you after a while, and the pay isn’t always spectacular, but still, you’re getting paid to play and write about video games. That already is every teenage boy’s wet dream. Hence all the associated egotism and bitterness that many seem to outright ooze just plain disgusts me. At the end of the day, we can’t compare to people that actually contribute to society in a meaningful manner, like doctors or schoolteachers, I’m sorry.

All that being said, there are a few valid things to bitch about, and the worst part of the job for me is easily dealing with other writers. Especially these days, when the talent pool is so over-flooded and there’s a real scarcity of real work to go around. So now, every game press related thing feels like being at the prom where you and all the other girls are wearing the same exact dress. And with that comes all this petty competitiveness and needless showboating. Make no mistake, we’ve got some ultra talented and hard working folks out there, but for every one Steve Totilo, you’ve got ten random blogger or small game site that no one knows about, and which they’re determined to make themselves known, no matter how obnoxious or embarrassing the shtick might be. There’s various different methods and “personality traits” that these types like to employ, but most are simply variations of the same annoyingly, over-critical and difficult to please, wannabe Angry Nintendo Nerd/Zero Punctuation archetype. While Pat was playing Ghostbusters earlier in the weekend, some dude was filming and providing commentary at the same time. The dude started complaining non-stop about the lengthy load-times, to the point where I just had enough and had to go “Listen, it’s still work in progress, it’s not going to be perfect, so cut them some slack!” Though for the most part, all these douchey types all act like they’re star of the show and demand to be catered to, which means playing the same stupid demo level, which is honestly only supposed to be played fifteen minutes max, over and over and over and over again, because they can.

So not wanting to get cause some big scene, I simply headed on over to where some ultra deluxe action figures/statues where on display, where Ghostbusters could still be found…

This prototype Gentleman Ghost looked pretty keen…

… Too bad it was somewhat busted…

Then it was off to the ORGANIC booth, makers of some of the finest figures and sculptures in Japan…

… That last one is from Sky Girls, which I’ve heard from everyone, including Hilary and Nullsleep, is like the worst anime ever. But it normally retails from $125 online, and at the show it was available for just $30, plus I just have a thing for animu girl/machine hybrids! How could I resist?

… Hence why I picked up two!

… Other killer deals I took advantage of (and there were tons of them, I kid you not), where three Marvel trades, recent ones, for about $12 and Wild Palms on DVD, this bizarre combination of Twin Peaks, Max Headroom, and Blade Runner that ran on ABC in the early 90s which impressed the hell out of me (when I was 15, mind you) for just $6.

Back to Hilary, she was mostly working the Publishers Weekly table the weekend, so we didn’t get a chance to hang out like we normally do, but here’s a pic of her at the end of day three, with a glorious prize won via some raffle…

The end of the last day was mostly spent… or to be more exact, wasted… at the Rockstar area, where their new Grand Theft Auto for the DS was front and center…

I actually tried signing up for a guided tour, simply because I wasn’t able to make heads or tails of the damn thing on the show floor and the Rockstar people on hand were less than helpful, the very instant I showed up on day one. And long story short, I kept getting shuffled around till an appointment was set in stone for me, at the very end of day three. Which of course, did not happen. Another long story short, and please excuse my pettiness, but this is a blog after-all: the people who run Rockstar’s RP, at least the vast majority of them, flat-out hate my guts. And at this point, my opinion of them is pretty unfavorable as well.

It all started years ago, when I was invited to check out the unveiling of their Table Tennis game, which I largely appreciated, whereas everyone else was rather lukewarm (though you’ll all have to keep in mind that this was well before Wii Play’s interpretation of video ping pong had hit the scene, which would re-soundly trample all over Rockstar’s well meaning, but ultimately far too complicated endeavor). But when I opening my praised filled piece with “From the same company that’s mostly know for creating hooker banging, cop killing simulations…”, I immediately got on their sh*t list, which was especially retarded because everything I had written was true, and still holds today. Most recently, I was invited to check out their somewhat competent, but ultimately mediocre Midnight Club: Los Angeles, and they immediately shat a brick when they discovered that the publication I was representing was not so interested in coverage, which culminated in a hilariously whiney email that my editor and I still laugh about. Oh, and for the record, this is all stuff I’ve tried brining up with them, all of which has been completely ignored, so I’m not try to be passive aggressive or stir up drama. I guess I’m just so fed up with their crap that I just have to vent.

Was going to share a detailed account of my last thirty minutes at the show, hanging out at the Rockstar area and getting dirty looks from all the NoHo hipster f*cks that ran things the entire time, and how I got supremely dicked around at the very end, simply because I’m a nobody. Unless you’re from someone big like IGN, they make it abundantly clear that you’re just some piece of trash not worthy of their time. Their inability to handle someone unwilling to suck them off was also too much for them to handle (as also evidenced by the Midnight Club incident). But it’s really not important I guess, just as I’m really not important I suppose. Why should they waste their time, taking me out to fancy dinners, strip clubs, and coke dens, when my reviews don’t register with GameRankings.com? Like I said, I did spend some time with GTA: Chinatown Wars this past weekend, but I’m so sick of Rockstar and their shenanigans that, unless I’m writing for someone else, I could honestly give two sh*ts about that game. Hence why I’m not bothering to pass along my impressions, as limited they might be. This by the way is precisely why I need to just stick to folks like Atlus and Xseed.

Well… not exactly how I wanted to end my report, but I guess that’s a wrap!

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Where we last time? Oh yeah!

NYCC 2009 Day Two (continued)

As stated last time, the program book was an absolute mess, and as a result I missed a bunch of panels that I had hoped to catch. Though there was one I made sure not to slip past by, which was Chip Kidd’s talk about Bat-Manga. When I ran into Miss shortly beforehand, she was down with running around and trying to figure out when and where the super secret Watchman panels, as also previously stated, so she came along. And it was so awesome!

First he shared a taste of his favorite cartoon as a kid, a black and white Japanese import call 8 Man, created by Jiro Kuwata, who would go on to create original manga based on the character of Batman, which had become popular in his native land when the TV show made its way over there, which Kidd would later attempt to compile and present to America. Which was no easy feat considering that none of the stories were compiled, so each individual installment had to be tracked down in Japan, where it was already supremely rare. Eventually a number of issues were collected and made part of a presentation that Kidd did for the president of DC Comics, Paul Levitz, to okay the project, who had absolutely no idea that such things existed. Later, Kidd would come in contact with Kuwata, who he was pleasantly surprised to find out was still alive. Who also was “… happy to hear that people in America was interested in the Japanese Batman manga!” Though Kidd’s response would be “Well, they’re not… yet!”

What followed a was presentation outlining it’s brief life (the thing only lasted about a year), highlighting its unique qualities (such as how Batman in Japan had his own set of enemies, as well as how they all very much wanted to kill the guy with mostly guns and not put him in sticky situations like their American counterparts at the time), what made Kuwata’s art so amazing, as well as look at some of the amazing Batman themed toys that came out at the time (mostly awesome tinker-stuff, with the best one being the Bat Tank, which predated the one in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns by quite a few years).

Though the highlight was easily how Kidd, early into the project, asked Kuwata to ask his publisher if any original artwork still existed. At the time, the very idea seemed crazy since that kind of stuff was rarely kept for long, if at all, and this was again many years ago. But I believe by the time the collection had wrapped up, or perhaps shortly afterwards, some original pages were uncovered, and thus the crowd got a very special look at a few…

… Apparently, Kidd is hoping for a follow-up, where these and rest will shared with the rest of the world!

Immediately afterwards was the Penny Arcade panel, or at least I thought it was. Instead, the thing had actually started an hour prior… oh well. Once again, I guess it worked out fine that I wasn’t reporting for anyone else that weekend. Next up was the Robot Chicken panel, which was on my radar, but the killer line was a deal-breaker, plus I was hungry. So off to the cafeteria I went, where I hooked up with Joe, June, and Joe’s pal from back home John who was once again in town. That’s also where I spotted this dude dressed as the gothic lolita-bot from Soul Calibur 4…

Next was one of many Baronesses at the show, but this one was easily the best…

Though easily my favorite costumed crazy from the entire weekend was this dude running some booth, dressed like a band member of Winger that had been magically transported to the bride of the starship Enterprise and somehow became a crew member…

Unfortunately, by this point, the show floor had become so packed that it was getting tough taking pictures, mostly of folk in costumes (since it involved asking people to stop and pose, which often time leads to congestion around them). That and I was basically on auto-pilot the entire weekend, hence why I totally missed the chance to take several shot that I’m still kicking myself over for. Like… remember a couple of years ago, when I witnessed some dude dressed as Batman on some stage, eating a bat, as part of some comedy act. Well, when I thought I saw the same exact dude, I simply had to find out if he was. And his response? “I’m sorry, you have me confused with someone else.” The best part? HE DELIVERED IT THAT STUPID GROWL THAT CHRISTIAN BALE USED IN THE DARK KNIGHT. Amazing, simply amazing.

Then you had the angry Starbucks employee. This wasn’t someone make believing, it was an actual Starbucks employee, giving out coupons to attendees for some reason, and acting like a real a**hole. He’s offer coupons to whoever passed by, and if they refused, he’d have some sarcastic/snarky comment about. Like “Well at least I don’t look like a f*cking idiot.” Oh God, so awesome. But it didn’t dawn on me how truly awesome it was till it was too late; by the time I realized that I had to talk to this dude, he had disappeared. I would later find an actual Starbucks booth, with other employees giving out samples, but the first dude was nowhere to be found.

Here’s a brief list of other characters I wish I had been quicker with the camera:

- There was some dude dressed as Hagar the Barbarian. Talk about obscure!

- Then there was some other dude dressed up as NiGHTS!

- Along with someone else in an extremely tight Skull Kid get-up, a la Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.

- It’s hard to describe, but this one kid’s get-up as Han frozen in carbonite was simply hilarious, just trust me on this one.

- As was the girl who was dressed like the crazy chick from Misery!

- I can’t even begin to tell you the number of Jokers that were seen over the course of those three days. All of whom going the Heath Ledger route, naturally. But there was this one short, somewhat pudgy fellow, also with the long-ish hair. Basically, he looked JUST like Sam Kinison… but as the Joker!

Back to actual imagery; here’s a shot of a booth set-up by Cinemax to promote some new sexy sci-fi show called Forbidden Science. All I can say is that anyone familiar with my wacky sci-fi laden sexual fantasies, about girls getting cloned and stuck in cubes can easily understand why I scrambled to get this shot…

Here we have June being accosted by a sleestack…

So yeah, I really need to catch up on my Marvel Comics, since I know Iron Man, who was being pushed like crazy, is apparently out of the spotlight, which I guess sucks, but I’m guessing that everyone was getting sick of the dude. But I’ll never be. Anyhow, I thought these busts looked pretty neat…

Though this Batman bust, inspired by Mike Magnola, is all kinds of hawt…

In addition to familiar faces, comic cons is a place where old character come to be reborn. Take The Outer Space Men for example, which was a series of toys from the 60s that’s aiming to ride the retro wave and make a comeback…

The one thing I always look most forward to at any comic show is attire, and unfortunately, almost nothing stood out. Pretty much everything was stuff I had seen before. Though these ultra cool, and somewhat creepy, tees are pretty neat. Again, I’m kicking myself for not noting who they’re from…

Here’s one being worn by a girl working the Jim Hanley booth that was so neat that I simply had to ask where it was from. Unfortunately, at some random clothing store in Florida is all she could remember…

Despite the fact that I’m so totally over Star Wars, that Boba Fett armor will never cease to look cool in my book…

It’s Chun-Li and Ryu! Check out the awesome footwear…

Even more Pokemon…

Joe was especially impressed by this one: screw Slave Princess Leia, it’s all about Cheerleader Princess Leia!

By the end of the day, it was time to head on over to where Guinness, of Guinness World Records fame, was attempting to set a record from the largest gathering of video game characters in one spot…

And here it is…

… I kid. I had obviously missed it, though the official gathering that my pal Jesse, on the behalf of MTV Multiplayer, had caught was… I dunno…. less than impressive. There’s gotta be ten times the number of video game cosplayers, easily, at any given Otakon.

At least myself, Joe, June, and John were in time for the big costume contest, which yet again, was a real mess. The four of us were too far away from the stage for my crappy camera, though my furry photographer friend was in the thick of things, like a real pro, so I’ll pass along a Flickr page when the time is right. At least I managed to capture the following before things got underway…

… That dude as the Hulk was indeed awesome. He was moving around on stilts, and quite capability might I add. Plus had a built in speaker to help him talk to others. I’m not sure if he won… the part the four of us caught was the “home made costume category”, despite the fact that virtually every girl that had dressed up as either Supergirl or Harley Quinn had obtained their treads at Ricky’s. Speaking of, there’s nothing more annoying that some “hottie” that dresses up as either of those two, along with Slave Princess Leia, and it’s abundantly clear that they’re so not into that stuff but instead only want to make nerds drool over them. Which unfortunately works. But that’s life…

Anyway, we’re coming down the home stretch! To be concluded.

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