To: Crecente From: Ashcraft
This morning: Went to the gas station. Another customer, a man on a motorcycle pulled up. He was wearing S.S. Nazi garb — shit thee not. His jacket had an eagle on it with the S.S. insignia and a swastika. An inscription read “In Hitler Solidarity.” Maybe he doesn’t know, maybe he can’t read German! :/
This afternoon: Went to Kyoto to interview a bikini lady. Ten minutes into the interview, she points out that I am wearing a wedding ring. I proceed to talk incessantly about my wife’s morning sickness and my son’s TOMY car collection and my excitement for the new baby — which we’ve so far named after a character in a Miyazaki film. Bikini lady looks annoyed.
This evening: Went to the supermarket. Bought the most amazing toilet paper. Well, it’s not the *most* amazing toilet paper, but it’s pretty great. Perhaps, I’ll take a snap of it for time. OH, THE SUSPENSE.
What you missed last night Even Final Fantasy Can’t Save Xbox in Japan Kojima Is “Thinking” About MGS5 Damn This Samba Trailer Is Fun This PC Is Awesome Top 20 Women In Gaming New MGS4 Screens Better Gun Metal PS3
Think about what you did in the last two hours. Maybe you got something to eat, did some work, studied, I dunno, something. Now look at this guitar. Flickr user Monkey River Town writes:
When I get bored, I start projects. Here I completely took apart my Guitar Hero controller, sanded it, primed it, painted it in ‘hammered bronze’ with a chrome pick guard. The neck is now oak veneered with the frets being strips of metal tape. Still works and rocks harder than ever! Only took me about two hours to do, not counting drying time.
Just imagine if this human had three or, shucks, four hours.
Customised Guitar Hero Controller [flickr Thanks, Alice!]
The Cliffster has it rough, real rough. He makes big games like Gears of War 2. With big games comes big pressure and a big spotlight. What does The Cliffster think about that?
If I had a nickel for every time I was called a fag on the internet, I could retire. It’s just the way the fans are sometimes; you do a good job and they’ll hold you up in a chair and carry you through the streets. You screw up once and they’ll be the first to tart and feather you, and that’s the risk I take when I stick my neck out there.
That’s The Cliffster, takin’ risks, stickin’ his neck out there, livin’ on the edge. Dude.
The Cliffster Interview [CVG][Pic]
Okay! Make-believe time. Let’s say that Microsoft had a lot of money to burn. No wait, start over. Let’s say that Microsoft was able to convince Square Enix to give it Final Fantasy as an exclusive. Like, Final Fantasy XIII is only on the Xbox 360 and wouldn’t be on the PS3. Would large numbers of Japanese consumers break down and buy an Xbox 360? According to Microsoft’s Shane Kim:
In case you missed it, Penny Arcade’s first foray into the game-making world, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, is out now. I’ve been playing it all day. It’s great. Notsomuch for the gameplay, which is standard stuff, but definitely for the charm. If you’re not the type to trust my recommendation, however, (though really, you should, I’m a nice guy) anyone with a PC (Linux included) or Mac can grab a demo of the first episode, take it for a spin, see how it feels. Even if you hate smashing item boxes and turn-based combat, it should at least put a smile on your face.
On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness Demo [Windows, Linux, Mac]
Metal Gear Solid 4 isn’t even out and whaddaya know, the game’s creator Hideo Kojima is already thinking about Metal Gear Solid 5. While MGS4 was supposed to be Kojima’s last entry the series, he seems to have had a change of heart recently. Isn’t he ready to move on to other things? Dunno. What we do know is what he told Famitsu [*spoilers ahoy!*] :
Some Lost Odyssey DLC was released in Japan last month. For 400 MS Points, they got a new dungeon with one new boss and one new item. Nothing to really set your goodness gracious great balls on fire, then, but it’s better than nothing. Good for them. So when do we get it? Yeah, the headline gave it away. It’ll be available this Friday, May 23. Same stuff, same price.
This just *might* make us forget there’s no special maraca peripherals. Maybe. We’re still thinking about it.
The Chimp Is Awesome [Sega Nerds]
This is Acer’s new dedicated gaming PC, the “Predator”. I could tell you the specs (Intel Core 2 Extreme, Nvidia nForce 780i SLI, 8GB memory), but really, that’s not why we’re here. We’re here for that case. That ridiculous, completely unnecessary, completely awesome case that looks more like a writhing Patlabor fetus than something you use to keep your PC’s delicate bits away from the elements. I mean, just look at it. It doesn’t just “flip open”. It transforms from a closed state to an open one. And before you start, yes, it’s “just” a case, but this is probably the first and only time I’m going to gush over one, so indulge me for a minute, could you?
Acer Predator [Acer]
Nintendogs was a great pet sim. If you didn’t have a pet, you could play with your virtual pet! Because, really, let’s face it, real pets are a hassle. You have to feed them, wash them and play with them. Worst part? You can’t switch off real pets when you get sick of them and then switch them back on when you’re keen for a game of fetch. Upcoming DS game Konnichiwa Akachan does the same — for babies! In this “communication” game, players can do things like feed a baby and wash a baby, but not play fetch. As like with Nintendogs, when you get sick of your baby, you can just cut the power. Oh, the humanity!
Konnichiwa Baby [Game Watch Impress via Hatimaki]
