January 2001 – Azure, Azure~

As for the whole Sega situation…

Post published:Tuesday, January 30th, 2001
Reading time:2 mins read

Hum. I’m really not sure what to think. Perhaps I’ve just been numbed by all of these neverending rumors, but up to a point this does seem like the best way to go. As long as the DC stays, that is. As long as it gets games first, and as long as it gets games that no one else gets.

Space Channel 5, though? The only reason I can see that Sega would choose this as its first title as a third-party publisher would be to attempt to get it the attention that it so deserves. If they can push Ulala to a wider audience, I know she’d catch on — and so perhaps this is what they’re doing. It’d be great advertising for New Space Channel 5, certainly.

What I anticipated was arcade ports, rather than ports of home games. As long as Sega keeps Shenmue and Phantasy Star and Arcadia and Sonic (the GBA doesn’t figure here), the less-iconic fare can go where it needs to fund what really matters.

Hum. It’s better that Sega do this, and do it strongly, than to go bankrupt and fade away quietly. This doesn’t necessarily have to be defeat, as long as it’s done with pride. I shudder to think of Sega’s market dominance if they do this well…

But why do I keep having disturbingly analogic thoughts of SNK?

Addendum

Post published:Saturday, January 27th, 2001
Reading time:1 mins read

Just because I feel like it, here are my top ten most anticipated games at the moment:

Shenmue II
New Space Channel 5
Sonic Adventure 2
Eternal Arcadia 2
toejam & earl 3
Soul Reaver 2
Sakura Wars 3
gun valkyrie
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
Bangai-O

I’m curious about Agartha and Headhunter and Hundred Swords and Farnation, and I eagerly await announcement of a DC port of Planet Harriers or word of the new Chakan game (which seems to have fallen off the face of the planet). SEGAGAGA sounds fascinating in its own strange way, but I doubt I have to worry much about it being released here. So…

Anyway. There’s that.

Rolling Over

Post published:Saturday, January 27th, 2001
Reading time:1 mins read

By next weekend, PSO and the two broadband adapters should be waiting for me. Also… just because it wasn’t very much and I needed a keyboard anyway in order to get as much out of PSO as I can, I ordered Typing of the Dead and its particular key peripheral. This will be the last DC game I can get for a long while, I think. Phew…

I still have to deal with these RPGs I grabbed up last month. Hrm.

here’s my advice: Never get a bunch of role-playing games all at once. If you get Shenmue, get Jet Set Radio as your next game. If you get Arcadia, pick up Typing of the Dead or MSR or something next. It just creates an impenetrable clog to have four or five RPGs sitting around, demanding one’s life.

Ah, well. I’m satiated for a while at least. Good thing it’ll be a few months before the flood starts up again.

Oh, as a note — Illustrator is keen. If I can figure out the proper way to combine this with Photoshop, I believe I might create some rather fascinating effects.

Same light taste

Post published:Sunday, January 14th, 2001
Reading time:1 mins read

Bottled Orange Juice — for that great airplane flavor!

Less than Grand

Post published:Sunday, January 14th, 2001
Reading time:1 mins read

I’m not too fond of Grandia II. Arcadia I adored, but… this is just another unambitious, retreaded — if pretty — console RPG. Not even a terribly interesting one. At least the Evolution series is charming and enjoyable. Grandia is a chore… But there is an AI mode, so I don’t have to bother with the battle engine! That is one plus. And Ubi Soft took a lot of care with its localization and packaging and such. This is very nice, as well — cuts down on the relevance of Working Designs significantly.

Reverse Recollection

Post published:Monday, January 8th, 2001
Reading time:1 mins read

I just had a dream where Groucho Marx and Charlie Chaplin were having a furious battle for headlines and viewership, resulting in all sorts of strange stunts including shaving their moustaches in weird ways.

This all started when a priest and a young boy drove off an embankment and the boy, after holding onto the edge of the freeway for a long while, dropped down onto a floating bit of road and balanced there as he turned into Groucho. The neighbors and police were alerted, and this is where it all began.

The reason the priest drove off the embankment is because he kept seeing “signs from god” telling him the boy was a sinner — these were babies carved out of carrot which the boy had made earlier, and which somehow were floating in the treetops, seen only to him.

Where they were driving away from was my house. I can’t remember the specifics, but people were tearing down buildings for no good reason…

Hm.

I guess that’s it.