Well, well, it`s been a while since my last post...wish I had happy news or funny stuff to talk about today, though...

Just got an e-mail - press release, actually - from NC Games, one of two major videogame distributors acting in Brazil. There, the company tells me "they're gonna brin King of Fighters XII EXCLUSIVELY to brazilian gaming market"...for R$ 299.00.

Wait, what? R$ 299.00? That's a staggering US$150.00 pricetag, using a quick, non-accurate conversion! Are you kidding me? I mean...people call me crazy for expending big chunks of money on my gaming addiction, but seriously...am I that much of a nutjob?

Also, another funny fact: Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5 are both titles that were "EXCLUSIVELY bought" to Brazil by NC Games, even though the first copies of both hit the shelves with a Synergex Brasil logo - their only rival, and a brazilian branch of David Aielo`s Synergex Corp. Strange, huh?

And I thought I was having it hard only on the journalism field...

After quite along time without posting (sorry, boys and girls, I've been working too much, and my sleeping time hasbeen reduced to pretty much nothing), I make a not so great comeback, irritated for something that happened today.
You know that Brazil has the potencial to be one of the greatest gaming markets in the world, but for a lot of reasons, make piracy the biggest, publishers and developers don't give us a second look, right? Because of that, instead of having new releases' advertising on EGM Brazil and everything else, we got retailers advertising.
Naturally, it's part of the job to socialize with people when a new retailer opens. I'm not complaining about it...I actually like those parts:it's called networking...the world turns around for you because of your contacts, so you better have lots of them, right?
Where was I? Oh yeah...moving right inside the shop, I go through the door and hear something that really tends to make me angry: the yelling lady on the mic started shouting the new titles that the store just received and opened to sale. It was something like this...

"And here we have PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii, the most sold-out TOY IN THE WHOOOOLE WORLD!"

Wait a minute...did you just say "Toy"? Did you went all emphasys-like on that word? THEY'RE NOT TOYS, DUMBASS! They're electronic entertainment stations, which is faaaar more different than "toy". A toy is a Barbie doll, a Hello Kitty thingy, a brand new G.I.Joe figure...that, my dear, is a toy. But a Wii? A PS3? Hell no! Maybe it's because of this state of mind, this thought of "it's just a child game...my 6-year-old kiddie would play this for a few hours and get tired of it" that makes gaming culture so tough to endure here in Brazil. Politicians, attorneys, and even journalists from other areas state that "videogame is a thing for childs", and that pains me, violently.

Sorry to those who disagree, but I'm feeling disrespected: would a "quick time-killer play for childs" have its own place on journalism? Would it make billions a year? Would it research, develop, and use new technology day after day after day? I refuse to think so!

I've been looking at this tiny little blog from time to time, and lately, I've been thining...WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH IT?

Not that I don't know how a blog works...I got tons of them. It's the layout I'm talking about. It's too damn simple: I like to be shocked with myself, and then I get this: a hugely white page...with a Dtoid header (the only pretty thing here)...this is so not me, man!

So, I started thinking "What should I do to makeit better?". Then it hit me:make a post, jackass! A post asking people what they think that this place should/could have....something nice...not only on the looks, but on the usefulness side to...catch my drift?

So tell me? What do you think I should do with this place (CAUTION: funny jokes like "Delete It" won't be read..I guarantee!)?

Blazes!
Life is so unfair! I know I should be a patriot, love my motherland and all that...it's just that...sometimes it gets hard to keep at it, you know?
I'm saying this because I love contests. You know...that kind of "fill the form, enter the RSS feed and win stuff" kind of contest. And when I get to the form page, lose five minutes of my hard living life filling it...I click on the terms and rules of the contest, which usually says "This contest is open to all US citizens who reside in US Territory..." or something like that.
Why, I ask thee, why? Why can't you just send over Swags to Brazil? Don't you know how people buy PS3/Xbox 360 stuff here? WE IMPORT THEM! We do that because buying from a brazilian retailer is too pricey, and we can save about 50 bucks, maybe 100, if we bring them from the outside for ourselves.
Awww...I saw this contest of winning a PS3...wanted to join, but US outsiders weren't allowed...of course I already have one, but hey...it's called "making profits": if you got more than one, sell it...

Can any light of heaven shine my way? Pu-leeeeease?

I know, I know...I don't have to buy a game the second it comes out. Neither does it have to be a Collector's Edition of some sort, but hey, that's my weakness: I gotta have them goodies, and I gotta have them fast! I just went through a quick research on the internet, and a single dollar, here in Brazil, is hitting R$ 2,00 (that's "dois reais", if you're wondering how to pronounce it...).
Why do I say that kind of crap? Simple: Brazil doesn't have a gaming culture, as you all are probably aware of it. Since things here work this way, of course videogames and their titles here would be expensive, because they're coming into the country on a imports basis. Let's just say I'm screwed before I even do anything...
I want Mirror's Edge. I want Dead Space. I want Bayonetta. I want Street Fighter IV. I want Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe. I want Resident Evil 5. I want The Conduit. The entire Fabula Nova Crystallis (and especifically Final Fantasy XIII both on PS3 and Xbox 360).
That all, and some other titles that my mind fails to remember right now, should be labeled as "pricey", at least. Of course, I'm talking titles that will come out between next month and the first six months of 2009, but as I said, I gotta have'em. That said, I will blow myself up in the bank, because they will call me about three times a day, reminding me of my money issue...mafia-style.
A PS3 game, in the US, costs...what? 80 bucks? Something close to that? That would be R$ 160,00 (again: you pronounce it "cento e sessenta reais") on brazilian retailers but wait! The retailers doesn't simply change US$ to R$: they charge us for their expenses, like mailing, importing...plus, they want to get something for themselves, like every other store! Long story short, a game like....errr...Resident Evil 5 wouldn't be allowed to leave the store unless you pay at least R$ 300,00 for it (I don't think you care about it, but once more I help ya: you say "trezentos reais") and trust me: that's a ****load of money, for one game...

So...I'll be in trouble or what?

Well...how do I put this? I constantly read about rumors going like "Metal Gear Solid 4 hitting Xbox 360 real soon", usually said by people who doesn't know jack about gaming (don't you dare to go bitchin' me about that! I just think that way, OK??).
Well...I don't believe, nor like, exclusives (the idea of buying a console only because such game is there, and only there, is just plain unfair, but once again, that's just me). But I have to say: if MGS 4 is to be released on Microsoft's machine...that'll probably happen in...about 5-7 years from now. You know how Xbox Originals work, right? I believe MGS 4 would go down the same path in the future...
Of course, Sony's gotta be paying a huge chunk of Drebin Points to keep Snake inside their black box, but money never held a game forever (unless that's a Mario game, but that may be going too far in this case). I just don't see it fitting the Xbox 360: it's waaay big, and by that, Big M's only got 2 choices: either compress the game to death (and kill its awesome quality) or leave it unpacked and distribute it in...hmmm...three dual layer DVD discs?
Judging by the time MGS 4's been out there, I think it's safe to say that a ***tload of gamers have already finished the game. Unless you're some hardcore freak (like me), what's the point on seeing Microsoft turning Snake's iPod into a Zune, or changing Otacon's MacBook into something generic, label-less?
What? Do you think Microsoft would allow those to stay? Sorry, no can do. I work directly with them: trust me, the wouldn't dare.