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The Origins Game Fair is going on this weekend here in Columbus, and I'm attending like I have for the last several years. While things are a bit more toned down compared to previous years, the exhibitor's hall still offers plenty for those who look through all the offers on table-top RPGs, dice, board games, miniatures, and more.
One of the exhibitors is Hydra Miniatures, a small Michigan based company that provides games and miniatures inspired by old pulp science fiction and serials. However, one of the minis in their "Retro Raygun" line is "Blocko the Squarebot," which clearly takes its design from the same Smoking Robot toy that this site's mascot is descended from. Only $7.00, and you can have your own little Destructoid.
I've picked one up today and I'm deciding what to do with it. I could put it together and paint it in the familiar green, silver, and red. Or I could take another miniature of a man in a fashionable suit, remove its head and replace it with that of the robot. Oh yes. Oh yes. read more
Yeah, everyone's been keeping track of Kojima's latest tease until he finally says something later this afternoon. For the last week we've watched the teaser site count down as a storm rages in the background, with cryptic letters and numbers flashing on the screen and sometimes familiar faces.
But now, with only a few hours to go, the site has changed again.
The storm has finally broke, the sun shines brightly from behind the clouds, the gentle sounds of wind, birds, and dripping water is all to be heard; and now the only cryptic message is the number 8 softly fading in and out.
The eight is clear: If this is a new Metal Gear title, it would be the eighth one that Kojima would have designed. But also, perhaps it's nothing, there was something else that caught my eye:
We all know that most major chains suck when it comes to games. Big electronic stores are unlikely to have titles that the hardcore really demand, and places like GameStop do plenty to shortchange customers, the industry, and even their own employees.
When you're involved with a hobby like hardcore gaming, small business is often the best way to go. With local game stores, the owners will be more passionate about games, there'll be a better selection of used games for older systems, you can develop a better rapport with the staff and owners (and hence, they'll know what you like), and you can even find those rare items and imports. For instance, a trip to my local store, Yo! Games, produced this:
Luckily, Yo! Games is located in a shopping center that is frequented by the local Japanese population (most of who moved here thanks to the Honda plant in Marysville) that also hosts a grocery and an import book/gift shop. In fact, a recent pile of trade-ins contained many of the Japanese 16-Bit Final Fantasy ports and other SquareSoft titles for the PSX and even a sealed copy of the original Final Fantasy III for the Famicom.
Along with import software, Yo! Games also helps out on the hardware side. One local arcade stick maker frequents them for parts. There's also a good selection of collectibles and DVDs of Japanese and Korean films and TV dramas.
You know what, I want to challenge the Destructoid community. If there's a locally owned game store that you frequently shop at, write about it in your D-Toid Blog. It's good to help small businesses. Do your part. read more
Tonight in Columbus at Circus (formerly the High Five), The Gothsicles along with Prometheus Burning are opening for Caustic in a $5.00 show.
In case you're wondering why I'm posting about this here, well you just have to look at the works of The Gothsicles. Taking goth/industrial influences and classic video game humor, they've put out tracks like "Triple Shot," "Konami Code," and "One Second Ghost" along with more irrelevant tracks like "I Can Tell That You Shop at Hot(t) Topic," "Nine Dudes Freaking Out," and an Industrial cover of "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
As you may know, Takeshi's Challenge is a rather infamous anti-game co-designed by comic/director Beat Takeshi, mostly while drunk. A huge sardonic take on gaming in the 80's, Takeshi's Challenge requires the player to engage in a number of pointless and tedious tasks, such as long sessions of singing karaoke, not moving the controller for an hour, a shooting stage where you can't move up, and a boss that literally takes 20,000 hits to defeat. In a twisted way, it may of been one of the first successful attempts to produce a game as a work of serious art.
Anyway, if you're in Japan (or you have some sort of hacked account) then you can download this work of art on the Virtual Console on the 31st. But in order to prepare you, it's best to watch someone else play it first. In this case, Shinya Arino of GameCenter CX and Retro Game Challenge. In his very first episode, Arino set the tone for the rest of the series by attempting to play the infamous anti-game to the very end.
Besides, I've wanted an excuse to post some GameCenter CX.
But first he set out to learn more about the game's development and the lethal consequences it had for the writers of the strategy guide:
Now armed with knowledge, Arino sets out on his first of many challenges:
And I end by asking: When are we going to get DVDs? read more
So there's a new manga series that has slowly been going around in western fan circles as of late, thanks to its use of both geek humor and eroticism (no, no nudity). Houkago Play (After-School Play) by Rendou Kurosaki is a 4koma (four panels) series about a short frumpy game otaku, his leggy domineering girlfriend and the games they play.
Now let's just stop for a moment. The girl in the series is practically a walking checklist for fetishes. Tall, leggy, uniform, black stockings, long dark hair, dominant, sometimes wears glasses, sensitive legs... and a hardcore gamer.
Right, right. Anyway, the series follows the unnamed couple when on any given afternoon the girl visits the guy's place with the intention of playing the newest games, and perhaps hopes for something a bit more. That is when our hero isn't in the middle of a grindfest or something else.
Of course the girl's temper is often set off by her guy's pour decision making, but also other things that only gamers can understand.
And really, there are plenty of other headaches that any gamer can relate to.
Well, almost all since...
Er... yeah. Anyway, the book has been selling like mad in all the otaku hangouts in Japan, and the first volume has just been scanlated into English here. Of course, if you download it that means you're obliged to buy it when an official English printing is released.
Now while there's noting really explicit in the series, it's not quite work safe. Oh hell, just read it at home when you're alone. Leave it at that. read more
Chris "Gilgamesh" Bradshaw is someone I've brought up here before. A long-time Street Fighter fan, he has owned and operated the Chun-Li fansite Kikouken.Com for nearly eight years and operated similar pages on various other hosts before that. The last time I mentioned him on this blog was due to less then ideal circumstances in dealing with former SNK Playmore USA president Ben Herman. This time, the occasion is much more positive as he examines the much awaited Street Fighter IV.
I'll allow you to visit the review yourself, rather then post it here. Nothing wrong with letting people visit his site anyway. But as someone who's seen the bad and good that Capcom has done in the last twenty years, he is thrilled to see such a strong effort after so many disappointments. Here's some quotes:
"... There was nothing to fill that enormous void in the holes of our fighting souls. We have tried to fill it with games like Tekken, Soul Calibur, KOF, and Guilty Gear, but we found ourselves in the gaming equivalent of getting drunk and having empty sex with a reasonably attractive chick because her hotter sister was no longer available."
"When Street Fighter IV was first announced, fans were cautious because we all remembered how disappointed we were when Capcom took all of their iconic, genre-defining characters... and abandoned them at a fire station in the middle of a cold winter's night and introduced a bizarre 50/50 mix of badass fighters and retarded mutants that looked like Darkstalkers rejects and dared to call it Street Fighter III."
"All in all, though, the little things that annoy me about Street Fighter IV are greatly overshadowed by just how many things Capcom did right. If the current reception is any indication, Capcom appears to have their biggest hit in years on their hands, and all it took was a simple thing like listening to what the fans wanted. Who'da thunk?"
Haven't signed anything yet, but so far I've found the best deal on the north side. And it's going to be in August.
In order to move forward, I need to know who's going to help me out. Staffers are needed for details such as security, admission, keeping hardware running, video, running events, and so on. Equipment is also needed. That reminds me, if you know anyone who is getting a new TV for the DTV switch, see if you can get a hold of the old one so we can lend it.
That's the current page for the Columbus Electronic Gaming Expo... at least until getting a domain becomes necessary. Yeah, it's MySpace, but better then nothing.
Also, if you or someone you know lives in or frequently commutes to the Central Ohio area, and wishes to help out, leave an email at CeGeXX@Gmail.Com .
More info as it comes. See you in the Summer. read more
Got a good deal on a used 80 Gig. Lack of PS2 support is lame, but at least the PS1 is still there. Picked up Saints Row 2, grabbed SFT:HD and Bionic Commando, and will be screwing around with the online features.
So, any PS Network hangouts for D-Toiders? My id is Paul_Soth . read more
An aging hand at all of this, from the Golden Age of the 2600 to the networked crap of today. Been there, done that, wants more... and therefore created CeGe.
Inane Facts:
* Once had aspirations of becoming an Apple // software pirate (What? Like you were never 14...).
* Has attended at least two conventions a year since 1995.
* While working at Micro Center's distribution warehouse in the summer of 2000, witnessed over 200 copies of Daikatana set to be shipped to one store and one store alone.
* Was once paid in parts while working at a small computer repair shop.
* Co-Accepted the Origins Game of the Year Award for Hackmaster.
* Perhaps the first man in North America to cosplay a character from Cave Story (the Doctor).
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