What's up people. Yes, I am blogging from Japan. Hence it is probably very dark where you live right now, but sunny here ＾＾
Actually right now I'm in Fukuoka and just had some good ramen. Heading out for Kyoto tomorrow morning. I have about one week left until return. Went to a book store today and found Death Note manga, but decided not to buy any since I've seen the whole anime series now.
In Tokyo, I stumbled upon a game store, where they had some awesome colors for PSP. And I would totally buy one if there weren't the newer PSP-3000 or whatever coming out with better graphics. (ps are there any details on this outside of Europe yet?) They better start bringing these colors to the US... learn from Nintendo please! Those pink DS' were sold out for months. Also, went to the arcade in Shibuya (Tokyo), and that was a lot of fun.
Speaking of DS', I saw a good number of people playing them before the plane ride, and even today there were a couple of girls playing them. Those numbers about everyone in Japan (all ages) playing DS is totally true lol. But I haven't seen a Wii Fit yet. And for some reason the game Africa is being promoted like crazy! A whole display full of PS3 africa games... I was so confused. Japanese like taking pictures a little too much. But it makes me feel better about taking a bunch myself.
But 95% of my time is doing non-OTAKU things though. I am so tired from sightseeing everyday that I can sleep at like 8pm. But lately I've been watching a bunch of TV ＞＜. I'll try to take it easy for the next week. Especially since I hear there's not much to see in Nagoya. And I can't even count the number of obento's that I'll have eaten by the time I return.
I haven't bought too much, but I got a few rare things, one that I've wanted to get for a while now. And now that my time is becoming short, I'll probably start blowing money. 1万円 like nothing (~$100). I find like a Ghost in the Shell box set or something, you better watch out. I don't like to buy a souvineer "just because", but just when I find something really good, and so far that's been few and far between. Luggage should be a bit easier from here on out though, so I can pack it up.
So I'm enjoying my time and learned a lot, as expected. But I'm still going to be happy to get back to the US and get a pizza! There are a couple of things I've realized and want to change in my life when I return, and it will be interesting to see where I go from here.
This will probably be my last blog until I am back from Japan. I'm heading out Monday and am starting to pack. Ok.. so I haven't started yet. But I think I'm gonna buy an MP3 player since there is so much travel time on the trip. I'd wait and get a better one in Tokyo, but then I wouldn't have any of my music during the trip, and that defeats the whole purpose (i don't have a ton of use for mp3 player at home). So I'll go get one that's on sale in a little bit. I need to go buy a couple last minute gifts too. I should be playing mostly the new Advance Wars or Ouendan 2 if I can find it in a store.
Well there's not really much to say except goodbye for now!
There are a lot of games that I really don't care about. Big releases and art house hits (you probably already know which recent ones I'm talking about). They come in all shapes and sizes. And being a self-named gamer, I'm on this site and I see just about everything that comes out in one form or another. Maybe I just watch the video review, or see it passingly on the E3 coverage. But it's not a bad thing that one wouldn't like these games. It just means that gaming is much larger than one's own interests. It's the job of sites like Giant Bomb to cover them all, and it's natural for fans of every game to be very excited for them all.
If you know me, you probably already know I don't care about a very large selection of popular games. All FPS's on consoles, for example. Or action-adventure. And although I don't like them... I still appreciate what they bring to gaming, and enjoy
Comerica Park, last weekwatching other people playing them. When I don't have other plans, I really enjoy tuning into multi-hour gameplay marathons on website like Giant Bomb and just hanging out. Reviews of games which I already know I won't enjoy are fairly meaningless to me. A review is meant to tell the reader how well a game achievesa it's style and presentation of gameplay. Whether or not you will like that style is a different question altogether.
And what about the games I do care about? I don't expect anyone else but myself and people with similar interests to like them. This sounds like a dumb statement, but the point is: once a niche, always a niche. I don't think there are many people who are decidedly non-strategy gamers will ever come around to Civilization games. It's just not going to happen. Those who play Civ are Civ-groupies, and those who don't will not have a change in preferences. I've been playing RPG my whole life, from the original Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, Shining Force, etc., and now still playing their sequels, 15 years later. I loved River City Ransom and Streets of Rage... and button mashing and mouse clicking carry with me from Diablo to Hellgate: London. Unreal Tournament to UT3. Doom to Doom 3. I think there's a reason that there are so many sequels in games, and that is not that people love "Diablo stuff" or "Warcraft stuff" so much. But they like a style of gameplay and always will.
It kind of reminds me of movies. A movie or music genre is the closest thing to a gaming genre. Obviously, they are both entertainment, but also each of them allow sequels and new games/movies to give a similar type of entertainment through very different presentation. Seven Samurai may very well have the best action sequences of any movie, but it doesn't directly compare to the type of "awesome" feeling that The Matrix gave. Yet I got the same emotional excitement from watching each. (I'm not saying that one can be guaranteed to enjoy the older one though... I mean, is Warcraft 2 still fun?) . Just like movies where one will probably never get sick of Action movies in general, I don't think an FPS gamer will get sick of FPS' very soon.
Ok, so I may be generalizing too much. Tastes can change over time on the micro- level (person to person), and even on the macro-level (entire audiences). Take the point-and-click PC adventure game. It surely died down to a fraction of it's former self. Then again, was it really the fault of the genre? It's been said that a lack of innovative games killed the genre, and this would support the idea that it wasn't the audiences' fault. Gaming, like movies and music, must change regularly enough to keep the audience captivated. People have attention spans and in general, pretty good memories. An intelligent mind gets bored easily.
So what the conclusion of all this? For a game to be enjoyable it needs to be two things. (1) It must be a style of game that you enjoy. I can not count the number of times that I read a game is good, went out and bought it, and not played more than an hour. Just because everyone else likes it, it doesn't mean I will. (2) It has to be successful in being different in some noticeable way. Even though Final Fantasy games can seem monotonous... they all have some type of tweak or improved style that keeps it different enough to feel fresh. Derrivative games don't last any longer than ones that don't fit the first criterion. And this is how gamers decide with reviews what to play. If it passes (1), then the review ought to tell you if it passes (2). And you don't need to care about a game genre to understand if a game is a good change for its genre.
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Update on games:
75 hours into Persona 3: FES. Nearing the end of November in game. Played some mor Soul Calibur IV online. Still a lot of fun. Except when 95%+ player kicked the snot out of me with a purple panda wielding a giant squid. Seriously? WTF. TF2 - always fun. Almost up to 20 hours in some of the classes. Average about 13 or so on each. I injured my foot playing Rock Band drums. (I think that's where I got it from). It was sore for about 3 days and just now getting back to normal. Note to self: don't play System of a Down on expert for extended periods of time. I think something was/is strained.
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I've reached the 70 hour mark in Persona 3:FES. I wonder if I can finish it in the next two weeks. Some more Soul Cal 4 on PSN, which was a lot of fun. Since I haven't played online in a week or two, it took me a few rounds of getting beat down pretty bad before I remembered how to block against button mashers, and I'm learning very quickly in matches what moves each opponent repeat. So you better be mixing it up if you want to beat me! :P I'll probably be on TF2 for most of the night.
Music
So I've got the "rough draft" down of the cover song (Thursday - "Paris in Flames") that I'm recording. Pretty much all the tracks are recorded, but none of them are perfect (except the programmed drums). I hope to get some better recording of the tracks during the next week, and mix/finalize it the following week before I leave the country. I'm having to re-teach myself how to scream vocals, since it's been a long time, almost 4 years, since I was at the prime of my screaming days. I think my general singing has gotten better since then, but I need to bring back the good diaphragm usage. Actually, I need to get new strings on the PRS before I record it again. I was surprised how much better the J-bass recorded compared to the P-bass. Might just be the newer strings on that one though.
Japan Trip
Sigh. Just when you think the whole trip is planned, there is a ton more left to do. Turns out I'm gonna have to book another three days of hotels. Which is nothing compared to what I've already done, but still... at some point I just feel like these travel websites aren't actually doing what you think they are. I just don't fully trust them at this point. But they haven't let me down within the US, so I'm gonna trust em for international. So the extra couple days are at the end of the trip: instead of going back to Tokyo, I'm thinking of staying in Nagoya for two nights. Also, I'm trying to get a friend to help me buy concert tickets and shuttle bus pass to go to this show. I'd love to be able to see Maximum the Hormone live. I wonder if there are mosh pits at Japanese concerts? Anyways, it'll be a good Mt Fuji photo op. Lastly, I think I'm gonna get Travel Insurance. Mostly because I'm connecting in Chicago. And if you've ever done that before, you already know the reason why.
I got an email from my Japanese friend who is planning out our Tohoku trip, and it sounds awesome! Staying at about every time of lodging you can imagine: Cheap hotel, Onsen-Ryokan (traditional style inn with hot spring), Minshuku (bed & breakfast style home). But sorry no Capsule Hotel. I'd be up for it if I didn't have luggage that I needed to keep safe. I don't think the capsule hotel lockerse would be big enough, and money isn't that big of an issue. It's vacation anyways. I'll just try to pass exam and get raises so I don't go broke every year traveling like this!
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Well since everyone (family, friends, etc) happened to go on vacation the same week, I had some free time the last couple days. Not much to do when you've got free time than to work on projects that you've wanted to do for a while, or on the contrary, just waste time by playing games. I did both.
Music
I'm happy that I got a good amount of recording done. I'm working on recording a cover of Thursday's "Paris in Flames", and I'm trying to cover every part of it. I.e. multiple guitars, vocals, bass, drums... basically make a stand-alone cover recording. It's a lot of fun so far. Now that I have two mic's, I'm recording everything (except vocals) in stereo, and I put down 3 guitar tracks with different panning on the Left and Right sides. It actually sounds really good! I was so surprised how professional it sounds. And I haven't even started to mix or EQ it. Just a little on the mixer. The drums are programmed on the computer and you don't notice the computerized "mechanical" sound too much when it's mixed with the other tracks. I've pretty much got the drums down right (since it's programmed), but need to get better guitar tracks - since I mess up about once on each. I need my bass player to get back from vacation, too.
Check out some pic's of the "recording studio" (my bedroom) here: Pictures
Games
Played some Soul Cal 4, mostly the story mode so I can level up each char's style level and the extra characters/stages/items. Not too much online play recently, but I have a couple friends on PSN now that have SC4, so that should be fun in the future. Some more Perseona 3 FES, up to like 64 hours into that game now.. just started November. Lastly, a game or two of Civ4 and several of TF2.
Drinks
The next part has to do with people who are of drinking age in your respective countries. I had some vodka I wanted to finish off tonight, and I invented two more mixed drinks (i have one other), based on what I happen to have available. Try it if you want to and you're not gonna drive anywhere. While I don't officially condone illegal activities in blogs, I can't say it's dangerous if you're just at home playing video games and are responsible...
Blue Moon (appx 8-10oz glass) 3-4 cubes ice 1-2oz vodka (or however strong u want) fill glass with mountain dew voltage or revolution
Mother Pucker: in a shot glass 1/2oz vodka 1/2oz Puckers sweet & sour shnapps (i'm using cherry)
As always, TF2 after a few of these is a blast.
Japan Trip
And for an update on my Japan trip. Three weeks left. I think I've picked out my hotel in Shinjuku, like a minute from the station so I don't have to carry luggage much. And the Narita Express line goes from the airport right to shinjuku station. I'll book that soon, and check out places in Kyoto. Looks like there's a holiday inn for like $50 a night. I ordered my JR Pass and will go see if it came tomorrow. JR Pass is awesome for a gaijin.^^ I'm keeping in touch with my friends from Kyushu University and it looks like we may have a welcome back party for me =). It will be great to see them again. Also, I'm going to be in the Tohoku region for about a week, staying at various onsen-ryokan's (traditional style inn, with hot spring/bath). Everyone says I'm going to find a girlfriend in Japan (actually they say wife), but I doubt it. But I'm certainly open to it, so I guess we'll see =P. Although I should have internet access in some of my hotels, I'm not taking a computer, and probably will not try to get internet at any time, so you're not going to get updates from me. I can chronicle it when I get back if anyone wants. Ok.. I probably will either way.
Oh man, I'm so psyched about Soul Calibur IV right now... just realized it was out today, and picked it up after work. And it was exactly what I needed after a day like today. Some 1v1 fighting!
I've always been a big fan of the Soul Calibur's... since the second one. I played it first when a friend brought over his imported SCII for Gamecube to a party, and it was awesome. You don't need to memorize one characters every move to play successfully. Though, it will help to make some fighting strategies, just using the horizontal/vertical/block controls, etc, are enough to be quite good. You can be good at all of the characters if you just know how the fighting mechanics work.
So I'll be playing that right as soon as "I Survived A Japanese Game Show" is finished. Which by the way, is my favorite show right now, despite it's reality elements. Speaking of Japan, I decided most of my travel plans. Basically, Tokyo, Tohoku, Fukuoka, Kyoto, Chiba. I'll post more about it as we get closer to departure.
Lastly, while waiting to find a Best Buy associate to unlock the cage to get my game out -- which I hate trying to find someone at retail to try and help you, but anyways -- I found the Rock Band drum pad covers and they were only $20. I thought I saw them around $40 before and that's way too much. But $20 was low enough for me, a serious Rock Band drummer, to get them :P. They kind of stick on with some tape on the back of the pads, and they even cover the rim of the drum heads. Overall, I happy with the lower sound that they make. It still makes noise, but it's not a snap or crack-sound... it's more of a thud. I'm sure my apartment neighbors will appreciate it! I recommend them if you play the Rock Band drums a lot. They say that there's better bounce, but I can't notice it too much. You still can't do a drum roll or anything.
I bought the second Advance Wars game for the DS, used. Was $27.99 with perfect box and manual. I think it was $35 new a few months ago? Anyways, should last me for many hours during my summer travels. Which I calculate to be at least 40 hours. I should be sleeping for a good chunk of that, though.
Saw two movies this weekend, for $5 total: Dark Knight and Onibaba. Can't contrast too much more than a comic hero movie that came out a week ago and a 1960s Japanese B&W horror. My review for the latter is up on the website.
Two more hours into Persona 3:FES... up to about 63 hours now. Holy crap is this game long. That's not including deaths and lost time, which is probably another 10 hours.
It's been more than two days since I submitted my Radiant Silvergun page... three days actually. meh.
I'll probably buy two more Rock Band songs in the next week, haven't decided which.
Anyways, there's not much going on this next week. Almost everyone I know is going on vacation, both friends and family. So there will probably be a lot of gaming. Maybe I should work on recording some songs. I feel like I've been singing better lately, with plenty of practicing in Rock Band and in the car.
Ps. I made two lists - basically stuff I'm playing now and stuff I'm looking forward to. Eventually I'll make my favorite games ever list. 6 Comments
So, where to begin? I'll get the part that sounds like everyone else out of the way first: This site is the best thing to happen since youtube.
Or even better? It's a focused wiki with a community. Basically, the best part of youtube (the community and subscriptions), the best part of wiki (free edits, information), it's about games (so it's always fresh and interesting), there's blogs, and forums. I don't know of any other reason to go online. Oh yeah.. and networking.
Giant Bo.... errr.. fireworks in Pinckney, MISo I wrote about everything I could thing about for Radiant Silvergun on it's page. In fact, I got the Sega Saturn out today, which still works. Except the battery is dead again.. so it asks for the date/time every time I turn it on. So I'll have to get a new battery for that. Maybe I'll play some more Shining Force III, lol. Actually, I probably would, but Persona 3: FES is taking up all of my RPG time.
Recently, I bought The Who pack on Rock Band, but I would recommend people just to buy like five of the good songs from it. Some of them are slower and not as fun as some others, unless you're really into the band. Leaving Here is the best one on drums, but Babo O'Riley has to be the best overall. My Generation and Who Are You would be my other recommendations. The last song from the pack, alphabetically, is pretty much dragon force on drums. I don't think I'm even going to attempt it on Expert.
I'm choosing a DS game right now for the upcoming (month away) trip to Japan. It's going to be long flight, and I think I'll get either FFTA2 or the newest Advance Wars. But that's a minor detail. I'm getting so psyched about the trip. My friend over there is planning our intra-country trip and it's going to be so awesome. The fact that I'll be using a quarter of my yearly spending money is not important, lol.... not compared to what I get in return.
Anyways, thanks for all the adds on Giant Bomb. I was surprised that Jeff, Rich, etc are all accepting friends requests, too. I didn't expect that they'd want such a massive friend's list. I appreciate it guys!
I plan on starting up regular blogs on here, so keep reading if you like. I'm not sure if I'll be adding *everyone* that wants to be friends, but I am for now until it gets to be too much.
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