- First off, bad news. Unity, the Jeff Minter/Peter Molyneux collaboration has been cancelled.
Wow. As a 1) big Jeff Minter fan (you wouldn’t believe how happy I am to say that I’ve actually played Tempest 3000), 2) big time shooter enthusiast, and especially 3) hardcore Rez fan, this is extremely disappointing.
Not even the biggest Minter fan expected Unity to rake in millions of dollars, but still, we’ve all been waiting eagerly and patiently for a number of years to play this title. Hopefully we’ll still something from the project surface somewhere, somehow. And hopefully it will be for a system that’s owned more than just six people (and no, I’m not talking about the GameCube).
- At least Lumines seems to have some really strong buzz surrounding it, which is awesome to hear. Not only is there plenty of talk about the game in America (far more than I could ever expect) and is already in most people’s lists for must have PSP games. I wonder if Sega feels even stupider now for failing to deliver that promised Rez re-release?
Plus the game is being heavily promoted in Japan. Nice to see Bandai being serious about this. Though after two puzzle games, and especially after the demise of Unity, more than ever I’d like to see something on the scale of Rez. But not necessarily a Rez 2; I love the game so much that I almost don’t want to see a sequel since I’m afraid that it could never be as special as the first one (sorta like why I’m actually opposed to a NiGHTS 2). But if there was a Rez 2, I’d eat infected monkey meat to eat if necessary to play it.
- So here’s something I’ve been meaning to mention for a while but kept on forgetting: back in March, 147 Otakus killed themselves on the day Dead or Alive Ultimate was delayed.
I’m just amazed that it’s been completely ignored by the American press. How could over a hundred Japanese kids swallowing silicone due to anger and depression over the most prominent boobies shaking game being delayed not make the news?
Meanwhile, the French media has been on top of things, albeit as part of a smear campaign against video games in general, but at least it’s getting coverage. I first found this out from Chaz, who’s a really swell fellow from the IC forums and has been monitoring the whole situation as it develops. You can read his findings here.
- Speaking of Chaz, he was the guy who told me about that Mega Drive book. Well I tried looking on Amazon Japan but had no luck finding it, so I asked another kind fellow, this time from the GAF. Brandon tracked it down for me, but I still haven’t ordered it, though I will soon; I just want to make sure I have enough money for presents this holiday before getting anything big for myself. Though I did grab a few of the Sega History Gashapons while buying some stuff for others, which I first found out were finally released from Steve (which I also forget to mention before).
I really didn’t want to get the whole set, so I just picked up one. Hopefully it’ll be the Mega CD or 32X since I know the book comes with a mini Mega Drive, Though I’d be perfectly happy with the Dreamcast. Too bad the Saturn isn’t white; that system looked hawt.
- And still on the subject of books, and yet another thing I forgot to mention before, was one that came out recently called Gaming Hacks, by my good buddy at the Internet Archive, which I seriously am behind on updating (sorry Simon! I’ll do one by the end of the weekend, I promise!)
- Remember me bitching about the Karate Kid play? Well check this: a one man stage production of Star Wars. And after watching this vid, I wouldn’t mind catching it.
- Anyone who knows me is well aware for my affinity for Korean cinema. I heard of A Tale of Two Sisters a whiles back and have been meaning to see it ever since (along with the seven thousand other brilliant Korean flicks I’ve yet to catch). Well now comes word of the American remake (of course) and it will feature the Olsen Twins! Can’t wait for that Memento Mori remake with Hillary Duff and Linsey Lohan!
- Plus the teaser trailer for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory just came out. Now, from day one, I was opposed to this things. Tim Buton used to be my all time fave director till he started doing stuff Sleepy Hollow and Planet of the Apes (though Big Fish was not that bad). So when I heard he was remaking Wily Wonka, I pretty much had it with him; besides the general rule of remakes almost always sucking I’m a big fan of the original and nothing’s ever gonna top it. But as soon as I was made to understand that it wasn’t a remake of the film but a reinterpretation of the book (I forgot that Wonka’s name is not in the title) I relaxed a bit, and as soon as pictures started circulated of Depp in costume, my interest rose. And the new Oompa Loompas, in my opinion, rocks.
Anyway, now that I’ve seen a small taste, I have a good feeling about the movie. I love how sickly looking Wonka looks. Plus he has that “Hey it’s magic, you retard!” look and attitude down pat. Plus, it’s Burton and Depp together again, and all their work together has been simply amazing. Except for Sleepy Hollow, I still think that movie is crap.
Actually, I sorta hope it does well enough to warrant a sequel based on the second book, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. Now that was one crazy kids book!
- Ever since I’ve been working on a project related to Anime and Manga these past few months, I’ve been looking high and low for stuff related to it, even if it’s from fans. Fan produced material is almost always either really awesome, incredibly stupid, or fucking bizarre. Often all three at the same time.
Well here’s a comic that pretty much re-affirms every positive/negative stereotype that you might have about Japanese comics. I guess it might help if you are familiar with Evangelion. And/or Deadly Joy (and for God sakes, if you’re going to bother to Google that, don’t look at the page at work or around people that you don’t want thinking you’re a psycho).
Gotta say, I love that bear in the 10th strip.
- Speaking of cartoons, ever wonder what Hello Kitty’s skeletal system looks like? Well now you know.
- Oh, and one more thing I forgot, from last week…. I’ve always envisioned a future where everyone has a super cool robotic suit. Well, it’s finally almost here. Problem is, its turning out much gayer than I had expected.
- And finally, my game design class is starting up again in the spring, and the applications are now being accepted! So if you’re interested, by all means, sign up now!
