In this post:
1. an old friend visits New York City
2. my two cents regarding the G.I. Joe the movie, plus a few words on Harry Potter 6 and Transformers 2
3. am not enjoying Devil Survivor all that much, I’m afraid
4. Konami also came to town, checked out a few of their stuff
5. plus assorted video game news and nonsense
Been a fairly busy week…
That Is One Ghetto Goku
- First off, an old friend from back in the day, Suzanne, was in town with her new husband Mark, on their honeymoon. Here they are in my apartment this past Wednesday night, after a day spent in Chinatown, with a little something they picked up…
… Mark needed a gift for his son (from a previous marriage), and in Chinatown there’s like a zillion gift shops to chose from, which can be a bit overwhelming. So I took them both into one at random… actually, not entirely true, because this particular spot used to be my primary destination for bootleg Hong Kong movies and bootleg Japanese game soundtracks, both of which are hardly around thanks to the internet these days. Anyhow, way back in the corner and near the floor was this lone, ultra ghetto assortment of Dragon Ball Z figures, that I bet has been in the store for like ten years, at least, and which I mostly pointed out for a cheap laugh. But Mark thought it would be just fine (apparently he also purchased a full set of ultra ghetto Power Rangers that his son loved to death… he’s like six in case anyone’s wondering), hence the purchase!
Another highlight from last night was showing them both what Manhattan-ites do for a good time: prank calling cable access show. Katie and I had a really awesome routine going with the old British female psychic, till she started using caller ID on us. Oh well. Though I’m not sure who enjoyed hanging out with Suzy more, me or Katie. My girlfriend simply had a blast hearing about how I was back in my high school daze from a second person, and on my end, it was nice to hear someone else recall the same tales of the wacky people I was surrounded by in Washington State, again with a slightly different point of view. Suzanne actually made me remember certain details that I had long forgotten about, like how the Mad Shitter was REALLY mad.
- As for the night before, on Tuesday… I almost feel embarrassed to admit this, btw… I went to see the live-action G.I. Joe flick with Dave Mauro and Joe Salina. A while back, dmauro suggested a drunk viewing of Transformers 2, which never materialized cuz no one else was interested in wasting their time and money in such a manner. Can’t say I blamed them. So when G.I. Joe was suggested as a replacement, I figured why the hell not. Was never a fan of the show, nor was I really interested in the toys, so I had zero emotional investment going in, whereas I’m still pissed that Transformers has been “ruined” for lack of a better term. Plus I’d finally get the chance to check out the ghetto $5 theater in Queens, which I had only heard about. And it certainly lived up to the hype; the seats were uncomfortable, plus many of them broken, the audio wasn’t even in basic stereo, instead all the audio came from behind the screen, leading to a garbled, headache-inducing mess, and the bulb running the projector was clearly close to burnout, meaning the picture was super dark and even more of a migraine maker. If you head there to see The Ugly Truth, whose screen was directly next to the bathrooms downstairs in the basement area, here’s the sign that’s directly above it’s entrance…
Anyway, G.I. Joe… what can I say? Just another ridiculously stupid orgy of explosions and cgi from Hollywood, as expected. But one I actually enjoyed, though I believe the booze and the low cost of admission played a large part in that. Also, somewhat attractive ladies in tight, vaguely super-ish/S&M gear beating each other up is always going to be a thumbs up in my books. Most of the problems that the film suffers from are hardly unique at this point; it’s pretty frustrating how it’s just a big set up for a planned sequel, since everything has to be a trilogy these days (that’s just how stuff is pitched in Tinsel Town at this point), especially since you just know that there’s not going to be a sequel. At best there’ll be a second G.I. Joe movie that’s direct to home video and totally done in CGI, sharing almost nothing with the live-action bomb. It is a bomb, right? Much like Transformers, there’s this idiotic need to do away with whatever worked in the past, just for the sake of being new; I hate to be a spoiler, but Cobra Commander doesn’t look nearly as cool as he did in the cartoon. At least the Baroness in the movie was fairly faithful, though I wasn’t the biggest fan of her glasses. Also, Snake Eyes has these goofy lips molded onto his mask, but since his attire is still all black, you hardly notice, plus everything else is more or less exactly the same.
The one thing I was looking forward to the most, that being bad-ass vehicles, which was the only element that drew my attention from Transformers back in the day, was completely absent and that sucked. But on the flip side, I was actually somewhat impressed by the pacing and editing, especially near the end, in which there’s like four sets of people and action set-pieces that’s happening concurrently, with the film constantly jumping back and forth in-between, but not once was it confusing. I guess that’s the handy work of the Academy Award winning editor that was brought in after that initial test screening, which was so bad that the director was fired on the spot. God I would give anything to see the original cut. Again, hate to spoil stuff, but this is G.I Joe we’re talking about, but there’s this big chase sequence in the middle that features those retarded bionic suits that everyone’s seen in the trailers, though the drama that drives the action, that being the impending destruction of the Eiffel Tower, was quite satisfying. The two expected outcomes is either it’s saved at the last minute and the day ends on a happy note, or you think it does but the whole thing crumbles at the very mast moment. Instead, disaster befalls the landmark, but then there’s this urgent rush to save what’s left, and I found that rather intriguing. Again, we’re talking about a cookie-cutter Hollywood blockbuster, so my standards are going to be lower.
Hey, did I ever mention that I saw Harry Potter 6 a while back? On opening night in fact, at midnight! Long story short, I liked it, even though I had no idea what the hell was going on for the most part. Never got around to reading the 6th book, even though everyone uniformly says it’s the best one; the ultra boring 5th one simply scared me away that much. All the complaints seem fairly consistent and hardly surprisingly, that being why such-and-such cool thing wasn’t included, and once again, it’s more or less impossible to translate every little thing in a considerably dense book into a two, even three hour movie. As the still to this day awesome third movie showed, the best approach is not so much cramming all the fine details but just creating a compelling atmosphere that also embodies the spirit of the book. Once more, didn’t read the source material so I can’t say if that mark was met, but I was happy enough with all the bits and pieces, despite being confused by a number of things. Most important part was how Hermione and most of the ladies of Hogwarts in general were totally awesome, though I vastly prefer the Katie Bell featured in previous flicks. Dave Roman also agrees that this new one is not nearly as cute as before!
BTW, hung out with Hilary last night, who suggested we catch Transformers 2, after checking out this review (as many have already pointed out, the film as at least managed to produce countless different hilarious reviews…. all of them infinitely more enjoyable than the subject matter itself). But instead, we just got drunk at my place and watch lots of Zeta Gundam. Cuz that’s what Friday nights are for!
- And as for what I’ve been playing, Microsoft was kind enough to pass along a copy of Shadow Complex for me, and thus far, it’s been awesome! Though I’m afraid of saying too much, before it’s officially come out, and wondered if it was even okay to mention that I have it in the first place, but since Brandon Boyer and Mike McWhertor have already done so, guess I’m not breaking any rules. Though still, to be on the safe side, may as well move on right now and simply state that I’m super close to giving up on Devil Survivor.
I really, REALLY want to like it, but only because it’s a Shin Megami Tensei title to be perfectly honest. I constantly hear how awesome the story is, but I’ve been stuck on day one since forever. Now, I fully accept how punishing the MegaTen fight mechanics tend to be, but the added strategic gameplay is just way too much. Then again, I’m a novice when it comes to the genre, so maybe it’s supposed to feel like the computer knows exactly what your doing and have an unfair advantage. Perhaps those kinds of folks also don’t mind spending close to an hour, chipping away at the enemy’s defenses, only to get completely (and unfairly) obliterated by the enemy in one foul sweep, over and over again. It’s beyond frustrating. Though what really pisses me off is the reward system at the end of each of bout. Depending on what you do, a fight that would have normally netted 5 XP points and 15 bucks can get you 50 XP and 500 dollars instead… or 1 XP points and 0 dollars. Guess which I end up with the most? It would help if I knew what criteria is being used to make such calls to then better myself. Speaking of, the game has one of the worst interfaces for any DS title I can recall, and not at all suited for a game with such depth. Because things are either explained poorly or not at all, I screwed up a few times when first fusing Personas, which I’m still pissed about. The idiotic inventory system sure doesn’t help, which like virtually every issue could have been easily avoided if they had simply used both screens. The complete lack of stylus driven navigation and/or control is also totally befuddling.
One of the biggest additions is the ability to buy Personas via an online auction, which sounded great in the beginning, till I realized that the entire system is fundamentally broken. Not to the point that it breaks the whole game, but simply in one of those “well, what’s the pointing of having it in the first place?” kind of fashion. It’s actually a lot like eBay; what’s the point of even bothering with an auction when you can just pay the Buy It Now price? It’s okay right now, but I can easily see myself getting frustrated beyond belief later down the road, hence why I feel like bailing. Have hardly put a dent in Nocturne, which I know is hard, but at least doesn’t have the bullshit strategy component, far more interesting characters, better graphics, etc. Did I mention already how dumb some of the character designs of Devil Survivor are? Sub-par DeviantArt levels indeed.
It’s Like Dance Dance Revolution, But With Your Hands
Back to games that aren’t out yet; Konami came to town as well (man, everyone’s either been or still is in NYC this week, including Heather Campbell, whose performing at the UCB all this weekend, for the Del Close Marathon), with a bunch of upcoming holiday releases. And the ones that stood out in my mind…
- Pop ‘N Music (Wii): At long last, the one Bemani series that’s been kicking it in Japan exclusively since forever is finally coming stateside. But for the Wii (there’s been like 72 editions for the PS2 back home) and sans its custom controller. Instead, you wave the Wiimote and nunchuck in a certain direction, almost in DDR fashion. So yeah, the action isn’t as precise as hardcore Pop ‘N Music fans are used to (who as far as I can tell, are nonplussed by this latest version, to say the least). Still, I enjoyed it quite a bit, though it hardly felt like Pop ‘N Music proper, despite the decent amount of J-pop (plus some Western standards will be included, but that almost can’t be helped) and a few recognizable faces. Due to its change in mechanics and emphasis on upper body movement, I guess it’s actually closer to Para Para Paradise?
- Reflection (DSiWare): I forget if I’ve stated this title already; there’s always tons of games I’d love to pass along info about, but you all know how sporadic my posting schedule is. It’s actually a student title that was picked up by Konami, mostly because one of the folks who run the school the title originates from is a key employee at Konami. It’s an action side-scroller played with both screens; the same character appears on both, and the same input controls each simultaneously, but their environments are often slightly different. The character on top might not be able to go forward despite a lack of obstacle… cuz more than likely, that thing in the way is down below. That make any sense? It’s similar to another DSiWare title from Way Forward, Mighty Flip Champs, but that one is more of a puzzle game with platforming elements, and this once is the other way around. Only got the chance to play around with the early levels, which were simply tutorials, but I totally loved the controls and animation. Not so much the art design, which screams indie game. But that already sets it apart from the rest of the pack, so maybe it’s a good thing?
- Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii): When the game starts, your character is talking with a shrink who asks you to fill out a questionnaire. At that point. my demo person excused herself, because she noted that in the past, a few journalists felt uncomfortable answering some of the questions in front of other people. As I went down the list, I began to see why; the final question was “have you ever cheated on a girlfriend?” Interesting… The answers one supplies then directly influences various elements within the following game. The actual events that play out is one long flashback… that of the first Silent Hill. Though the remake changes things up quite a bit, with the same faces playing different roles, or so I’ve been told. But the biggest difference is in the combat; there isn’t any. Instead of beating random creepy things with a pipe, all one can do is run away from them or throw them off if they’re on top of you. Not sure how I feel about that, but then again, combat has never been the series’ strongest points. Still, it’s by far the most interesting looking and sounding Silent Hill game since part 4, and definitely one to keep an eye out for later this year.
“It’s really a phenomenal idea and it’s uniting families, apparently.”
Hey, time once again for a bunch of random game related links! Sure some it’s old news, but I’m certain some of it won’t be…
- The biggest news from the past week, at least for me, was hearing how Insert Credit is coming to a close. The reason is quite simple: Insert Credit was one the first online destinations of it’s kind back in the day to cover all the aspects of gaming that I love the most, primarily all the really cool stuff happening in Japan that no one else was talking about, along with all the cool stuff happening on this side of the ocean that was again wasn’t much of the mainstream’s concern. Both areas were firmly rooted in an understanding and appreciation for the classic era of gaming to a large extent, whether it be a look at a forgotten classic or a tribute of some kind. IC was a true revelation to many… myself included… and since its debut, countless website and blogs have popped up to do the same thing … this one included as well.
I too have been seriously bummed with the lack of serious front page activity in recent months, along with all the technical problems that’s also plagued the message board as of late (that place simply has some of the most knowledgeable gamers you’ll find anywhere). And hearing that Brandon was quietly putting his brainchild to pasture was quite sad, yet not entirely surprisingly either; the dude is way too busy these days, plus there’s now so many other resources out there delivering the same kind of information, that perhaps it’s time has past? Who again, were all directly inspired by Insert Credit, so perhaps there’s some irony in all of this. All I can say is that I’m still quite proud of my time as a front-page contributor, as brief as it was. When I first got wind of this announcement, I was somewhat tempted to drop him a line and ask if I might be able to possibly help keep things going, but it’s been made abundantly clear that it’s his baby; if Brandon wants to lay it to rest, so be it. Too bad that, much like solidsharkey.com and click-stick.com before it, another major inspiration of mine is no more, or at least will soon be.
- I’m assuming every Xbox 360 user out there has already downloaded and installed the update to their dashboard, which brought with it a slew of improvements and enhancements, some big and much needed, whiles others… not so much. The added Netflix options are gladly welcomed, whereas the addition of the avatar marketplace is fairly douchey as expected. Funny how it’s so obvious that MS wanted to nickel and dime people for personalization options since day one, but held off initially due to a possible backlash. Whereas now, it’s not such a big deal I guess. Though the fact that people actually like Microsoft’s wannabe Miis still blows my mind. I can’t stand looking at mine, and the same goes for Katie. And hey, I like Tokidoki and all, but enough to fork over $2-$5 of real money to adorn my still not as interesting Wii avatar? Yeah right.
Though I must admit, I do like the BioShock Big Daddy helmets, and the remote control Halo Warthogs, but I were to get them, I’ll immediately become that guy who clearly wastes money on stupid crap. Which I do in the real world already, but virtually? I’ll also be dying to know the sales figures for these items once they become available.
- In addition to Konami, Sega was also in town this week, though I wasn’t invited to stop by. Oh the perils of no longer being associated with a major publisher! Though Stephen Totilio was, naturally, who took the opportunity to grill them on a variety of topics. And as a result, we discovered that they won’t be making a fuss over the Dreamcast’s 10th anniversary, which is a real crying shame, how they’re basically are never gonna give what longtime Sonic fans have wanted since day one, as well as the reason why Bayonetta has been delayed, which at least makes sense, along with various notes and observations on the successes, or lack thereof, of recent releases. I guess at the end of the day, when you get down to it, the Sega of old is dead, it’s a completely new company. Which I suppose is a bit depressing, but that’s just what happens.
- BTW, along with the DC turning ten next month, on 9/9 (which is also the birthdays of both Joe Simko and Hilary, though I’ll be busy that day seeing the Boredoms), yesterday was also the twentieth anniversary of the Genesis! To mark the occasion, I played a bit of Sonic 3, Gunstar Heroes, Ranger X, Thunder Force 4, and Virtua Racing. How about yourself?
I must say, after all is said and done, the Sega Genesis remains my personal favorite console of all time. I’ve been obsessed with gaming since the age of 4, when I encountered Phoenix in an arcade at the snack bar inside the PX in South Korea, which is where I grew up before coming coming to America. I dearly loved both my Atari 7800 and NES later on, but the day I got my hands on Sega’s 16-bitter (Christmas 1991) was when my life was seriously forever changed. It’s hard to explain, but I suppose it’s worth noting that I had just turned 13 and my eyes were finally opening to the world at large, so my memories of playing the first Sonic and Quakshot, as well as each subsequent awesome Genny game, is firmly sandwiched between many other powerful moments of the past. I could seriously go on forever, recounting my favorite Genesis-specific moments, though this one image is perhaps my favorite, since it embodies a time when video games were truly exciting, in a way that has yet to be equalled in my mind…
- Okay, back to modern times: I know most people have seen this already, but for those who haven’t, Steve also recently wrote a fairly terrific piece on Nintendo’s foray into the world of motion control, and how it hasn’t exactly been as smooth sailing as it would seem. Though I will say, I’m pleasantly surprised to hear that as many Wii Sports Resorts have been sold thus far.
Again, it’s funny how both MS and Sony and pointed at laughed at Nintendo for their use of a non-traditional control mechanism, and despite the fact that it’s hardly perfect, they still feel the need to play copy cat. Natal I’m still convinced about, but I do feel there’s some potential, whereas Sony… using an actual baseball bat to swing a pretend baseball bat in a video game might be dumbest thing ever. Seriously.
- I’m generally content with living a life without cable. But this past Sunday, I really wish I at least had QVC to witness the hour spent selling their home shopping audience on the splendors of The Beatles: Rock Band. And apparently, their bullsh*t skills were in full-effect: “I think it’s going to be great to realize that Ringo really WAS a great drummer.”
- Hey, so what’s going on with the game’s primary competitor? As some might have already heard, Guitar Hero 5 is set to feature the late, great Johnny Cash. Seems about as classy as when Diet Coke featured Fred Astaire. As in, it’s not very. Also, nice to finally see this much lauded change in art direction in action. As in, what change in art direction?
- Caught the following in the pages of Retro Gamer recently… or what it EDGE? I forget. Anyhow, anyone else every hear of the Pocket Retro Game Emulator?
Looks pretty neat, huh? The idea of a GBA Micro-sized device that plays NES, SNES, Genesis, and a whole bunch more via SD cards seems like a gift from the heavens, though as I would discover, it does indeed not perform as well as one would hope. Bummer.
- Meanwhile, and back to Sega, did anyone else catch this? It was quietly revealed at this past E3, and only GameSetWatch managed to pick up on it. Color me interested, though the hardware is nowhere as sexy as the Nomad’s.
- Sticking with GSW, and Sega to a certain extent, anyone remember Typing of the Dead? Well, here’s somewhat of a spiritual successor, though this one’s all about texting!
- Here we have a dude that makes really tiny arcade cabinets…
… dmauro once told me of an arcade kid that’s ultra tiny that he felt I’d be interested in, since I’d love an Astro City in my apartment, but I just don’t have the space to spare. Reminded me of that. Unfortunately, Dave is out of town at the moment, so I can’t ask him about that thing.
- Does anyone remember Dark Presence? Probably not. It’s a Mortal Kombat-esque digital 2D fighter that I first mentioned a long whiles ago (wish I could bring up the original post, but once again, WordPress’s search function totally sucks ass), and it’s finally coming out soon!
… You simply cannot believe how badly I want to play this thing. Thank God it’s still alive.
- So what could possible be bigger news than Virtua Hamster’s prototype ROM getting released to the public at long last? BTW, that game was seriously on my list of reasons to justify the purchase a 32X back in the day. Anyhow, back to the question at hand, it would have to be the release of the X-Men: Mind Games prototype rom, also for the same system! I had zero idea that such a game existed. Now, if memory serves me right, there was a X game slated for the console that never should have been, but it was set to star only it’s female team members, called X-Women. I wonder if that became this? On a side note, man, I miss Scavenger, Inc.
- GSW is also the home of numerous awesome columns, like Roboto-chan, which is all about games featuring mecha and penned by arguably one of the most authoritative minds on the subject, Ollie Barder. I particularly liked his recent piece on all the various Transformers games that we’ve been graced with, mostly because he’s one of the few to point out how cruddy that one title for the PS2 based on the Armada line actually was (I recall being one of the few at the time that wasn’t totally blown away, unlike everyone else).
- Then you have Tokyo Beat, a relatively new column that explore game culture in Japan, and I found the most recent piece, on what it’s like to play along side expert Street Fighter 4 players in a Tokyo arcade.
- There’s also the occasional interview with notable game related talents, like with classic Sega composer Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, the man behind the sounds of Daytona USA! Which reminds me, I really to stop screwing around and nab Let’s Go Away anniversary collection before it becomes too late. I should also point out that the linked video fills my heart with so much joy that I can’t come close to putting it into words properly.
- And here we have a few words with Japanese doujin distributor for the West, Rockin’ Android.
Though they’re not the only ones bringing out niche, esoteric Japanese fare to American audiences at long last. Let’s not forget Manga Gamer, which specializes in eroge titles and recently brought out KiraKira (NSFW btw), yet another title I also mentioned not too long ago…
… At least the idea of controlling the lives of a bunch of ladies in an all girl rock band seems a tad bit more approachable when compared to their most release, the very well known (at least in it’s respective circle) Shuffle! Again, NSWF! Seems like standard hentai shlock, a bunch of teens from either heavenly demonic or heavenly backgrounds in the same highschool, screwing. Yet I still feel the need to at least know and then write about this stuff, don’t ask me why.
- Sticking with Sankaku Complex, did anyone else catch their Dragon Quest 9 coverage last month? They appeared to be the only ones with the real straight, and not so kind story.
- And here’s the girls from that hostess title that I’ve made note of more than a few times, dressed in different game-related garb…
- Back to doujin-soft, here’s a little something from Original Sound Version that has something to do with Touhou Project and Last.fm, but as I’ve said countless times, I’m confused by what Last.fm is supposed to, so it’s there for those who might be interesting. At the very least, it does trace a popular meme that I was a big fan of last year, i,e, the Japanese Werther’s Candy YouTube vid that I was obsessed with, though the linked Ronald McDonald one is not too shabby either.
- Unlike Dark Presence earlier, I’m assuming that all of you will recall my serious disdain over the look of Athena in KOF 12. Well, here we have what she looked like during the game’s development at different points, and unfortunately, we totally got shafted in the end.
- For those who have DSi’s and might have missed it, Flipnote Studio is finally out in America! I already downloaded mine, but have been too busy with Devil Survivor to give it a spin just yet. I wonder if I’ll need the manual?
- On a semi-related note, another reason why I hate being so sporadic with my posting schedule is how some stuff will simply disappear by the time I get writing about it, like the essay by psychiatrist Rika Kayama in Japan?s Mainichi Daily News, who talks about how many of his patients feel so withdrawn from society due to personal electronic devices, including handheld game systems. Thankfully, Eric at TC was able to pass along an expert. I also really dig the illustration that goes with it….
… Must say, it does perturb me to see sitting around Central Park on a beautiful day, their faces deep into their DSs.
- Offworld recently had a fantastic look back at one of the most criminally ignored titles for the GameCube, Cubivore! I know the VC is all about old NES/SNES/N64 titles, but it would be nice if classic Cube games could also be distributed for those who missed the boat originally. Plus we could then have a taste of Doshin The Giant and Giftpia! Hey, one can always dream…
- Brandon also gave the head’s up on a designer who claimed that everything he learned about game design stems from… Disneyland?
- Speaking of Disneyland and Offworld, yet another oldie but still goodie: I totally can’t wait for the dystopian Magic Kingdom title that Warren Spector is creating…
- Hey, even more super old news. Yay! The creator of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus has a few things to say about GTA 4 and Super Mario Galaxy and not much if it is kind. I agree with his points on Grand Theft Auto, obviously, though I have to wonder if his tune might change about Galaxy when the sequel comes out, in which Miyamoto promises to go the extra mile that they couldn’t the first time around.
- Then there’s this, which at least flew under everyone’s radar at the time: this Craigslist post that promises expert StarCraft tutelage from an “authentic” Korean.
- Man, the Indie Games section of Xbox Live is a weird beast, that’s for sure. Not surprisingly, the stuff coming from Japan is generally the most noteworthy (again, not necessarily the best, just noteworthy), like the game that’s all about interior design created by people who traditionally create software for more salacious material.
Though when it comes to the really obscure from Japan, Siliconera covers that base like no one else. Again, via the 360′s indie channel, here we have a Zelda clone…
- And according to Spencer, Tomensanner, the Wii game that’s a port of a Japanese cell phone title in which you do everything from avoiding piles of pink poo to break dancing, all with just the touch of a single button… and is yet another potential gem that I could have sworn I’ve written about already, but my WordPress’s search function might once again epically failing on me… might be coming to America! I might be interviewing someone over at Konami, over Reflection, in the coming weeks, so I’ll be sure to ask about this one. I just hope it looks as good in motion as it does in still pictures…
- I’d normally wait till another rundown of toys and figures to pass this along, but what the heck; here we have a very nice Mushihime-sama Futari statue that’s available via National Console Support…
- Also stopped by Good Deal Games, for the first time in ages, and just noticed their beefed up NES selection. My top-loading NES is buried in dust and I’ve have been looking for a good reason get it back in action. Perhaps the NES version of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier could change that?
- Guess what’s happening next weekend? Why, Game Unicon, a brand new (I think) game convention that takes place in Massachusetts. Most of the convention appears to be driven by assorted game tournaments, mostly standard fare like Street Fighter, Smash Bros, and Halo. But I saw air hockey included in the schedule (1am on Friday). There’s also a dealers room of sort, along with panels it would seem, though I couldn’t find a schedule for them of any sort. Then you have the “concerts”, featuring assorted video game tribute rock bands, though the one thing that caught my eye was: “Dive-In Movies … That’s right Movies in a pool.” Sound interesting! I’d like to go, but the timing is just not right. Maybe next year?
- As for later this weekend, one last thing for you New Yorkers out there, there’s an old school Street Fighter 2 tournament going on in Williamsburg tomorrow that I might be checking out with Joe Salina. Too bad Dave Mauro isn?t around, otherwise it could be Street Fighter Club part 2…
