- Remember that program which allows OS X users make their own games that I mentioned last time? Well it seems that the folks who make that piece of software and MK share a connection.
Sawblade Software’s mascot is a mooserider, Mooserider Julie to be exact, who happens to be second cousin of Mooserider Jenny, the star of comics from several folks. MK did one, and so did Katie, which sorta explains this comic that I saw years ago (I never even thought about a possible backstory… foolish me). And the man behind the Sawblade is the guy who gets beat up in the opening of Rock Fighter, which was done by one of the guys behind the epic Basil Warriors saga.
Again, Basil Warriors vs the Rock Fighter NEEDS TO HAPPEN!
- So Optimus Prime Is Dead. Again.
It happened the other night while I was on the phone; I was pacing back and forth in my bedroom, a bit excited about something (I can’t talk about it, at least not yet), and I somehow knocked my 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime off its shelf and onto the floor, smashing into several bits. The head flew off, causing the mouth plate to get loose, a plastic hinge from somewhere inside snapped, and the chest plate became misaligned. Given that the thing’s made mostly of solid steel, you’d think it would be a tad bit sturdier. I tried my best to put everything back in place, but no matter what, the whole thing was super loose, so in a fit of frustration I just tossed it in the trash (though I did hold onto the Matrix). Though as cool as it was, it was a total bitch to transform into truck mode, he was barely possible, the hands couldn’t hold onto jack (especially his plasma rifle), and those shorted exhaust pipes on his shoulders (to accommodate parents with dumb kids that will jab anything into their eyes) always annoyed the fuck out of me. Plus its not like I paid much for him anyhow; I think I basically got it for free when I traded in a bunch of games at Gamestop.
- What I’ve really want is a nice big, detailed Soundwave, just like that statue from before. In fact, I did buy one online weeks ago, from this store, and I have yet to receive it. And when all my phone and email inquires went completely unanswered, there was the fear that I was ripped off, until I finally got a response the other day; seems like the owner had to take some time off for the birth of a child, and his business became totally messed up under the care of some incompetent temporary help. I almost wanted to say that I know a person (Jason) who just had a kid and he took just one day off, but at this point, I just want my damn Soundwave.
- Plus, here’s my latest adventure with eBay: I bought an iPod cable from some guy at a really good price (around $8). The pic in the auction seemed to indicate that it was brand new (it has the cover over the Firewire plug and was plastic holder thing). Shipping and handling was a little over $7. Yup, it’s almost the price of the item itself!. Anyway, I still paid for it, assuming the seller was going the extra mile with ultra speedy shipping and extra sturdy packaging, which I always appreciate. A week later, I get the cable in a plain manila envelope. Guess how much he spent on shipping? A whopping sixty cents! Un-fucking-believable. Plus the cable was not the one from the picture; what I got was obviously used, and not exactly in pristine shape. So I emailed the seller to let him know how pissed off I was over being both mislead and completely ripped-off, and demanded a refund. And here’s what I got in response:
“We never claim it is a brand-new cable.”
… First off, I love when eBay people get angry, all proper grammar goes out the window. But more importantly, when did slapping any generic picture in an auction become an acceptable practice? Just because its a pic of what’s basically being sold doesn’t mean that its necessarily what the buyer is actually getting. Okay, so the auction doesn’t state that its brand new, but if you have a pic of one, that’s what people are going to think? What, so I now have to scrutinize every single word of the description?
“Send it back to get exchanged or refunded. Please note S&H may NOT get refunded.”
… So I guess the jackass missed the part about me demanding a refund, largely based on the over-inflated s&h charges. Which I like mentioned to the guy like two or three times beforehand.
“As you know, part of the S&H is used to cover eBay listing and final value and PayPal fees(about $2 each)because the price for my item is so low.”
… that shit doesn’t mean a DAMN thing to the buyer, and it shouldn’t. I’ve been selling and buying on eBay for about six years now, and how do I deal with the fees? I take it like an adult.
“For international mail, extra fee is charged because I have to line up in the post office. Time is money!”
… Do I even have to point out how stupid above statement is?
“Moreover, S&H fees consists of Shipping fee(envelope, label, postage, ink, tape, gas for dropping off to the
post office, etc) and Handling fee(time to pack the package)”
… Wait, so my $7.25 went towards, among many other things apparently, the ink in his pen, the tape on the envelope, and the GAS IN HIS CAR?!
“For the second time buyer, I am offering $2 off S&H.
Welcome to bid again.Thanks for your understanding,
iPod-Accessories-Deals”
Needless to say, I left him negative feedback in hopes of preventing others from getting ripped off. And when doing so, I finally discovered that the seller has over 170 complaints against him. I really should have checked on this beforehand. And almost immediately I got negative feedback, though he had very little to say other than I wouldn’t take the offer for a refund (without some key info left out). Then I got a request to mutually retract negative feedback, which nulls it on both ends (a popular tool when two people pass along harsh words in the midst of anger) with the following message:
“Withdraw your damn negative feedback to get your full money(including S&H) back!”
That’s another thing I love about eBay users, in particular the “power sellers”; as soon as they get negative feedback, they will do or say anything to get it retracted. I guess its a big deal if you make your living selling shit on eBay, and if that really is your life… I’m sorry man. Anyway, I declined the motion which drove him even more nuts. So in the end, $7, a scratched up iPod cable, and a few nasty words was actually worth driving some eBay guy crazy!
But seriously, I think I’m gonna give buying stuff a break, at least online. After-all, I should really be saving money up for SPX next month. Though I’ll probably check out the new NYC Giant Robot store after work and will more than likely buy something that I don’t need (but at least it’ll be really cool).
- Onto something which actually did show up in the mail, my homemade Ikaruga shirt has finally arrived, and its pretty sweet. Though unfortunately the homemade Red Dwarf shirt that Jason got for me as a birthday present is missing. I think I left it at MK’s friend Morgan’s beach house.
- And onto video games real quick: earlier last week I was on the hunt of Sigma Star Saga, the shooter/RPG for the GBA, but a steady stream of complaints, mostly from shooter aficionados, diminished my enthusiasm greatly. The biggest complaint centers on the shooting portions which comprises the battle component; they’re all randomly generated, and ask any shooter fanatic, they’ll all tell you that it’s all about the level designs. Plus I hear the hit box for your character is crazy big, and that’s no good.
So instead I (finally) picked-up Wario Ware Twisted. Yeah, another game that I swore that I would get on day one, but I’ve been busy, plus spending money on stupid shit online. Anyway, I’m loving it thus far (no surprise, of course). And I now have the Mona’s Pizza tune stuck in my head (and here’s the Japanese version in case anyone wants to hear it).
- On Friday night, I decided to take a break from work and chip away at my massive backlog of games. I got through a good deal of Killer 7 (I totally love the game, though once again, I can totally understand all the hate it gets) and went through Sexy Parodius once more, but am still unable to get the “good” ending. I also finally popped in Napple Tale for the first time since getting it weeks ago, and to my shock and dismay, the game does not work. After pressing start at the title screen, it just freezes, though the music still plays. And where did I get the game? eBay of course!!! And that too was another messy and annoying transaction… I swear, I have no fucking luck with that place.
- As for the rest weekend, MK & I went up to the Bronx to visit Jason and his wife where we finally got to see the new baby, Alana. I was actually nervous going in, but thank God, I didn’t drop the baby.
MK & I have also decided on what to be this Halloween: characters from some made up fighting game. So the next step is to flesh out our characters by figuring out names, personas, and special moves. Well, at least that’s MK has to do… I have my end covered; I’m probably going to just retrofit my fake wrestling character from years back. Can’t wait to yell “Johnny Spike!” and “Wheel of Woe!” and “Tears Fall Down!” at a party.
- Another thing I can’t wait for? Long story short, for months now I’ve been telling everyone about this film coming out next year starring Samuel L. Jackson about him being stuck on planes with some snakes. The name of the film? Snakes on a Plane. I know what you’re thinking… greatest name ever, right? Well then came word that it was being changed into something far more generic. Well word has come that the title is being changed back, by request by the star of the movie himself, and due to fairly obvious reasons. So Snakes on a Plane lives!
- And as for “real” news, here’s something that Farel brought attention to on his LiveJournal: some drug addict that was bleeding to death stumbled across a guy opening up Moby’s foo-foo restaurant in the morning, who happens to be a friend of mine. Weird…
- Back to YTMND’s, here are some good ones that I’ve stumbled across recently, including:
… Conan O’Brian making popcorn
… some reasons why the 80′s were so damn cool
… Brian Peppers & Iron Chef
… some guy ranting about anime
… “cuppy cakes”
… Mr. T from that awesome TV Funhouse parody
… the Predobear (which is based on the ever popular Pedobear)
… something cold and wet and sad
… Brian Peppers & Ewoks
… Darth Vader on a game show
… Darth Vader on another game show
… one based on that old Nickelodeon game show, Nick Arcade
… White Ranger power!
… a really neat Metroid/Katamari hybird
… and another one that just has everything that’s popular in YTMND
… Conan remixed via a Tiger handheld
… What Is Love also remixed via a Tiger hanheld
… What Is Love & Back To The Future
… and finally, A-Ha & Office Space (this one’s for MK)
- Finally, I’ve updated several spots on my site, including the news and links pages. Things are still under construction, so if I promised you a link, please bare with me!
