Tokyo Game Show 2004

Well another Tokyo Game Show is all over with and this year was a doozy. Lots of big games and new releases I could get my hands on. Games such as Halo 2, Viewtiful Joe 2, and Resident Evil 4 of which I also have 4 demo discs. (he he he)

I saw the newly designed PS2 which was a surprise seeing as I only heard about its existance the day before the show. Looked real nice but the only reason I took pictures of it was because I thought it was a hella thin Olson Twin, and when I looked back through my pictures I found the new PS2 instead. Which, I guess, is ok too.

Mmmmm....what else? I tried out Metal Gear Acid (boo), and the FPS Coded Arms (meh) on Sony's new PSP. The PSP was ok. A little bigger than I imagined. I expected a little more out of it though seeing as people have said its got as much power as the PS2 which I assure you it does not. Maybe the 3rd generation games coming out for it may come up to the low PS2 standard currently set, but I don't see it happening soon. Plus Sony better have one hell of a battery if they want to light up that big beautiful screen for more than 4 hours on one charge, if not then they'll still sell an ass load but there will be a lot of unhappy twenty something's.

One thing that surprised me about it was the analoge. Instead of a control with depth like a normal analoge stick, this was more like a tiddly wink that had horizontal travel. Worked alright but my thumb kept sliding off because the pad is like a meat tenderizer texture and not a rubbery nub, plus it's got some weight to it pulling back to a center position.

And the boo for Metal Gear Acid comes from it being a grid type strategy game. You move your allowed squares and get a menu of options for what you want Snake to do when you've arrived. Lame.

I also just found out that I was on CNN when they showed footage of the show. That's pretty cool. But don't tell Yumiko anything because I was supposed to be at home sick that day. Oops! (Just kidding.)

As for freebies this year, things were kinda slim. I recieved a few demo discs (mostly for PS2, which I don't have, but what else would I expect getting at a Japanese game show.) and passed on all the stupid ads and papers. Capcom was giving away reflective green wrist slappers/wrap around things and Microsoft demo's for Phantom Dust, some SNK fighting game and some other Metal Wolf game I haven't tried yet. Oh and capcom also gave out dvd's with lots of cool new movies on, like Resident Evil 4 and Killer 7. I also filled out a survey at the Famitsu booth but I have to wait for that surprise to arrive in the mail.

If you want to check out all the pictures I took at the show, just check them out here. But I warn you, there's a foxy cross-dresser shuffled into the mix.

You have no chance to survive make your time.

Holy crap, this rocks so hard.

Some guys decided to made a flash animation/music video from the old game "Zero Wing" using the legendary "All your base are belong to us." line and they come off pretty successfully minus a few stumbles here and there.

The main one being the music. First of all the dude that just has to wail on his guitar is alright with me, cause sometimes that's what you have to do, but I hold no patience for the other guy trying to rock on his casio. There is no excuse for that. Just look at Jerry Lee Lewis. The man is dead! You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain, indeed Mr. Lewis.

Because of that fool and his casio key board, I give you permission to just turn it off after a minute or two in, or if you're like me, just keep watching the first half over and over and over.

Links to Stuff

Lately I've been finding some pretty cool stuff on the internet that I think are worthy of a click.

Mass Mania (NOT WORK SAFE)(Offensive material)

*EDIT: NOW POSTED TO THE PROPER SITE.*

First off is this crazy site that is, again, NOT WORK SAFE. Simply because of a pair of boobies in the sites banner and one questionable article which has been censored, but I still say wait till you're at home.

It's just this crazy Japanese man who says he feels it's his job to educate foreigners on the "real" Japan. Anything that he disagrees with he'll flip the bird. He also brings up a lot of funny things that most Japanese people around the nation ritualistically ignore.

Most everyone here has the mind set that if one ignores the problem then the problem no longer exists and in a turn about way fixes the problem without actually doing anything about it. This brings to mind an ostrich and a hole.

Thank heavens for this guy for finally bringing up everything I've complained about only to have people say it's me who has the problem.

Bug Me Not

I'm not sure how I feel about posting this, but I for one think it's a pretty awesome idea. This is a service for those of you tired of having to register to a free site just to view one thing. Just go there, fill in the site you want and use their dummy log in name so you don't have to deal with any potential spamming down the road. Simple and very useful.

This is just awesome.

I'm definitely going to have to work this into a home video someday. Babies first steps? Or toddler falls on dog and learns about life and death. (It's linked to the incredible hulk music by the way...)

Tokyo Damage Report

A site done by the self proclaimed "American Jerk", is updated regularly with stories about the strange and "Underground" parts of Tokyo. Dealing with all sorts of things from punkrock, to chick fights, to visual arts and to all things bizarre in Tokyo, I'd say it's biggest draw is the list of cool things you can see around all the major stations in Tokyo. His diary entries are pretty entertaining too.

The Japan FAQ: Know Before You Go

I wish I had known about this site before I went to Japan. It's pretty overwhelming how much a new resident has to do to get set up for a somewhat permanent stay. (<--Meaning more than a few months)

The information is slightly dated, but touches on almost everything you need to know how to do and has a ton more links to other useful sites. Even if you don't plan on coming to Japan just take a look at how crazy long the laundry list of stuff you have to do is. I would have thought twice about coming if I had seen this first.

And to end off the post I'll leave you with a bunch of Japanese men who just can't let go of the good ol' rockabilly era. In the link, just click "see the video" and take a trip back in time with some dancin' leather and hair grease.

Volcano strikes again!

Well it looks like Mr. Mount Asama erupted again. That's twice in about 2 weeks. Hmmmm..... But Mrs. Kobayashi says that we'll be ok because nothing bad ever happends in their area. Except for earthquakes and murders. And spiders who jump. But never volcanoes. And by "their area" she means their immediate area much like a child believes the world consists of only the living room and the local park. Where as "their area" in Canadian terms would mean much much more in terms of space. Oh well, glad to know I'm so snug inside the comfort zone.

Also, there was reported volcanic ash in Takasaki, some 45km from Mt. Asama, and Takasaki from my house is like *points* right there. I'd say about 20km. So the comfort zone is somewhere with in that range.

If you want to check out the big steaming pile, below are links to numerous webcams pointed directly at it, allowing you to watch in somewhat real time.


Web cam site #1 multiple angles

Web cam site #2 another cam

Web cam site #3 yet another one

An article explaining how minor it was.

Good pictures of the eruption but lots of naughty language so it's NOT WORK SAFE.

If you are still concerned, you can look up more on the subject. The volcano is called Mt. Asama. Not "that volcano they call Asama" like I'm sure everyone was thinking.

And as for the murder that happened in town, I'm not too sure. I thought I would hear some dirt on it but haven't. Sorry.

Genius I Say!

Once again stealing from the Something Awful Forums cause I'm lazy and they're funny, today's piece will be intitled "Swapping Babies Head with Grandpa's Head". It's funny because old people and babies are almost the same, except for the majority of old people being taller than babies.



You can find the other 80 or so entries at this link here.

Sacrificial virgin, wasn't virgin after all...

Recently things have been a little more exciting than usual.

Probably the biggest thing at the front of my mind would be that an eff'n volcano erupted in my area! I wouldn't say it's close but it's really big and I can see it from my house. What is this? The stoneage? Since when do volcanoes erupt? I know things are a little outdated here but this is pretty ridiculous. (HAR! HAR! HAR!)



As we can see from this picture, scientists have concluded that when God was handing out land, Japan thought he said "sand" and said "Make mine hot and bubbling!"

While on the topic of volcanoes, I was talking to Yumiko about it and she said, "Of course Japan has a lot of volcanoes. Why do you think there are so many hot springs?" Then amusingly this article came up blowing the lid off of all the scandalous hot springs around Japan.

And I quote:
"According to research conducted by the Environment Ministry, out of over 2 million facilities in the country that provide public hot springs, not even 10% use pure, uncontaminated water taken directly from the natural source."

"In Kagoshima Prefecture, a hot spring famous for its unusual green color was revealed to be the result of dissolving household "Bath-Clean" bath salts into the water."

"...one of the hot springs of the Shirahone Hot Springs chain in Nagano Prefecture, favored by bath-nuts around the country for its milky white water, has been artificially colored with store-bought bath salts."

Really, how hard would it be to find a natural hot spring and sustain it enough for commercial purpose? Obviously it's pretty goddamn hard according to those who are in the business here.

Of course the water should be treated enough for people to sit in it but this article makes it sound like most hot springs in Japan are nothing more than big public bath houses filled with bath water and store bought salt which is honestly pretty disappointing.

Ok, back to volcanoes the only thing that has personally affected me from the recent eruption is the ash that resulted, sprinkled down on all the delicious cabbage in the area making it inedible. :( And according to Yumiko's dad during supper last week, I ate the last delicious cabbage of the year that night because the cabbage that they buy only comes from our area and cabbage grown elsewhere in Japan is not up to our area's standard. But I'm sure I didn't need to explain that.

Next up:
Murder in Kamisato! (<--- The town I live in...)

rasputans penis

is 30 centimeters long

is currently in a jar

is engorged with not blood, but pickle juice

is making this woman think twice about it

is researching its next role as a chocolate icecream waffle cone

and is hiding in this link because it's shy.