- So as dumb as it may sound, the past few weeks I’ve been buying games for systems that I don’t even own. Basically, DS and PSP games which are now out of print (which were small print-runs in the first place) and that I’d better get now, otherwise I’ll have to pay twice as much (if not more) to some jerk-off on eBay.
I got Lumines last week at a pretty good price (thanks to a Best Buy coupon), and I picked up Castlecania: Dawn of Sorrow this past week for a reasonable price (which is retail, at least when one considers that its already getting pricey on eBay). It was procured at a really nice spot that has quite a few hard to find games, but call me needless paranoid, but I don’t even want to state where it is, except that its in Brooklyn, primarily because there’s a few other titles I need to get but am waiting to possibly find them, and at a cheaper price someplace back home.
Do I like do things? For fuck’s sake no. I can’t stand how companies go with such low print runs… though one can hardly blame them. The market is cut-throat, with the big used game market making it next to impossible for anyone to make a profit, so everyone has to play safe. And its especially applicable for DS games, which aren’t CD based; carts games will always be expensive to manufacture.
But as if buying video games didn’t feel like a waste of money already, this makes me feel even more foolish.
- In the news, obviously the biggest things to report is that the re-designed DS had finally been revealed, and it’s called the DS Lite:
It looks nice, and very Revolution-esque (notice the same exact cross-hair?). And apparently, it’s GBA-compatible, which is a shock since it was assumed that support would be dropped to make the system cheaper and smaller. Nice to know that’s not the case since the GBA slot offered a lot of expandability (and has been used as such… though primarily in Japan).
Many had assumed that it would be coming out any day now, at least in Japan where the previous system had become hard to find. And hey, I’m just glad that I can finally get one! And its the perfect color too (I was actually thinking of importing the all original white DS that’s been out in Japan for months now). Plus now I may really import the white PSP….
- As for other stuff that’s going on which folks may have missed (and that I forgot to mention previously): Mother 3 (part 2 was known as Earthbound) has finally been announced (Sweet!!! But will it come out in the US?), Hideo Kojima (the guy who responsible for Metal Gear) and Suda 51, a.k.a. Gouichi Suda (the guy behind Killer 7) might be working on a game together (sounds cool), and furthermore, at some event in Japan (that was also attended by Kazutoshi, the creator or Doshin the Giant… another awesome Nintendo game which for some reason we never got, btw), Suda 51 confirmed that his studio has begun work on a Revolution title (which again, sound cool… I may not have liked playing Killer 7, but I will admit it was “different”, plus it certainly had a few interesting concepts, so I’m looking forward to whatever else comes along).
- Perhaps the most distressing news though, is that shitty-ass 50 Cent game managed to sell a million copies. Let’s hear it for shitty mainstream tastes! I can’t wait for that dumbass Mark Ecko game to do really well also.
- Then you got one guy running for governor in Texas that wants to slap a 50% tax on video games (along with soda and abortions), and some representative in Utah trying to push a bill that groups video games with porn.
- At least some things are getting better: the folks who run E3 are trying to stamp out booth babes, at least the ultra slutty porn-star ones, with ginormous camel toes. And thank God for that.
- So some are saying that Rez might be coming to the PSP. Not only does do I think its bullshit, but its the worst kind: news that needlessly rises the expectations of a very small, yet extremely passionate and dedicated audience, which will only be trampled upon later down the road. I just don’t see this happening for a variety of reasons, and without Mizuguchi’s involvement, I just don’t want to see it happen period (Sega’s track record for even simply portings have been less than stellar). But if it was true… wow.
- The kids at Mega 64 have a new video up, and its Katamari related. Gotta say, this one is pretty disappointing when compared to their previous efforts (such as their brilliant Paperboy and Shenmue parodies). It certainly would have helped if they had gotten stuff to stick to their ball, and the only the thing that saves it really is the angry baseball coach at the end (which I have to admit, had a valid reason to be pissed). Plus most stabs at Katamari humor at this point feels tired. But the prince costume is pretty keen.
- Here’s a music video that’s been going around that offers a history lesson on the old 2600 E.T. game. On one hand the video is extremely well put together (especially the editing), though I really don’t care for the song itself (which seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the subject matter). But my biggest beef is the “history lesson” party, with is both incomplete and misleading.
First off, it would have been nice if they had at least mentioned that the person who created the game (Howard Scott Warshaw) had like zero tim e to do so, and was basically high the entire time. And some folks who have seen it have wondered if one can really go and dig up cartridges in the desert, and the answer is no: they were all steamrolled before being deposited into ground, and houses were later built on-top of the site.
Also, this bullshit has to end… E.T. is most definitely not the worst game ever made as so many people like to contend, and certainly not the worst 2600 game either!
- Hey, remember the video game playing averaging experiment that someone at Insert Credit was undertaking that I mentioned a short whiles back? Well its done. And even if all this makes absolutely no fucking sense to you, I would still recommend the video which is hella cool to watch regardless, and if you check out the credits, you see that chiptunes maestro Nullsleep took part in the experiment!
I also wanted to mention real quick that I will be forever indebted to the person behind this initiative, a one Ronn LeFeuver, for being the guy who helped to identify the very first “video game” I ever played back when I was just four years old and living in South Korea. It’s called Star-V and it’s technically not a video game, but an electro-mechanical game, which most people don’t even know exists, and unfortunately finding any info on them is pretty much impossible.
- While surfing through the GAF, I came across info regarding Megami No Etsubo, which is basically a “dissing” game. And given how “thug-life” games are so popular in this country, I’m really surprised no one has bothered to attempt one yet.
– I’ve also discovered that the latest entry in one of the best racing series that no one has ever heard of (or at least no one ever talks about) has arrived: TrackMania Nations. Here’s more info on the game, as well as a link to the trailer. And the best part of it all is that its going to be free!
Along with this and the the recent advances in Saturn emulation (I can’t wait to finally be able to play Psychic Killer Taroumaru, I have to get a PC sooner than later.
- And Kevin Gifford, the man behind Video-Fenky, which was the very first video game related blog I ever stumbled across (and its still to this day still one of the best, IMHO), has recently revealed a new project of his. It’s a site dedicated to archiving old gaming magazines. One a side note, check out Kevin’s collection! I highly recommend anyone who grew up reading (and breathing in) game mags back in the days to take a look.
- Okay, this has to be one of the greatest ideas for a video game of all time, and the title says it all: The Zombie vs. Ambulance.
As far as I can tell, you basically have to get patients to the hospital while running over zombies. Pure unadulterated genius! And yes MK, I am getting this game. 
- One last GAF related tidbit; a very nice fellow from there, a one Robert Garcia-Lago, who’s a budding game game designer in Miami, Flordia has recently asked if he could create a 3D model of my Rocket Cat-Bat, which graces the front-end of the site. Neat! Can’t wait to see the results, and I’ll be sure to pass along the results as well.
- I guess its as good a time as any to finally mention Lifemeter. Its a site (for now) which features artwork that pays tribute to video game characters and their world. Dave has been spearheading the initiative for a little while now, and while its not ready just yey, a LiveJournal community has already been established and is already featuring some stuff.
I’ve been meaning to whip something up ever since Dave first asked a while back, but I’ve never had a clear idea of what to do. My initial idea was to do something Mega Man related (like any Mega nerd, I too have my own idea for a “Mega Man 9″ and figured I could finally show mine off as a comic), but I then realized that quite a few folks might be talking a stab at him, but as Dave pointed out, there’s always room for more since, everyone does love the guy.
But now that I’m thinking…. I wonder if anyone has done anything Dynamite Headdy related in a while? Or if ever!
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Speaking of comics, yesterday K. Thor passed along his pages for Unlucky, and they’re fucking hawt. Its for the Nipple Boy story and here’s a taste:
As MK said yesterday: “He made you look like a Muppet!” Yes, yes he did. And boy is it ever awesome.
So yeah… I’m going back to Washington tomorrow and will be there all next week. I gotta say, its perfect timing too, because I really need a vacation right about now, despite the fact that the timing is sorta shitty. Each day I keep finding out new stuff that I’ll be missing out on, such as…
- A visit from Nintendo (along with games that I’ve been dying to play, such as Odama, Drill Dozer, and Chibi Robo, I bet the new DS will be on-hand as well) and Sega as well, I think (or at least that’s what my friend Jenny who works there said was the plan).
- A chiptunes show at the Cake Shop which sounds like its going to be fucking slamming.
- Another Gameoids gathering at Greg Costikyan’s place (primarily a chance to get shit-faced with fellow NYC game developers).
- Next week’s movie night, in which the final two episodes of Rome, that HBO series (which is really f’n good, btw) is going to be screened.
… and a few other things that I’m forget right now. Plus, I understand that it’s suppose to be raining non-stop all next week. Not that I can complain too much… after-all, this is Washington state we’re talking about. But it will put a damper on things, literally. Oh well…. so long as I get a chance to dine on corndogs the whole time, I’ll be happy. That and if I manage not to get stuck on an island full of lesbians this time around.
