You probably figured out from our first podcast and the ludicrous site skin on the front page that we're on the ground and semi-coherent in Tokyo. So far I've had a chance to observe a few personal traditions common to every TGS trip.
Old Traditions
- Neglect my DS and PSP completely on the plane. I read Cell by Stephen King cover to cover instead. I guess I'll try to finish Final Fantasy IV on the way back. That still needs reviewing, right?
- Listen to the entirety of Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space by Spiritualized on the long bus ride from the airport to downtown. I don't know why that album reminds me of Tokyo, but it does.
- Get my ass whooped on the year's new fighting games populating the arcades here. Hey, this year that means Tekken 6 and Street Fighter IV. Sweet! People are disturbingly good at fighting games here. I wish that kind of skill and competition still existed in the US, outside of tournaments and whatnot.
- Eat some kind of egg-covered katsu dish purchased via vending-machine ticket at the local Don Don. Vending machines keep personal interactions at a minimum!
New One(s)
- Thank the TGS gods for moving the show to October. The weather's actually pretty pleasant! Usually TGS swelters. It must be 10-15 degrees cooler than the old show in September.
- Something else we'll figure out and document.
- ???
- Profit!
Now we're off to Akihabara to contemplate spending too much money on useless old games in the Super Potato, and try to goad Jeff into buying a high-def handheld camcorder we can use to shoot surreptitious footage in the city's many camera-unfriendly game and electronics emporiums. Look for videos in the near future!