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Tycho

Now you know who to blame, at least.

I guess some places aren’t going to sell it, or will be selling only censored versions.  Big whoop.  There’s no such thing as bad publicity, and remember who we’re talking about here - Acclaim - which pioneered shit like “advertising on tombstones” and quote identity marketing.  Once again, they’ve proven what a simple matter it is to subvert the fundamental workings of media:  with just enough controversy to break the surface, you trick them into running your campaign.  I mean, look - I had no intention of ever drawing attention to them again after their Turok thing, and here I am, on-board, and utterly complicit!  They’re criminal fucking masterminds!

Worse than that: I have been seized by a terrible curiosity about the game, though I am well aware of curiosity’s deleterious effect on felines.  BMX Triple-X exerts forces upon me like a great star.  Friends, we will buy the game.  We will subject ourselves absolutely to its rigors.  We will collect the coins that reveal the schoolgirls, such is our unwavering commitment to you.  We are steadfast, and our resolve is unalloyed.  Seriously, or as serious as I get anyway, I refuse to believe that the guys who made Aggressive Inline didn’t hide a fun game in there somewhere.

I’ve never played any Wild Arms games, but I traded some shit in yesterday and picked up the third one that’s out now.  Seeing some middling reviews out there, for what it’s worth - but I’ll pop it in in the next couple days and chat it up.  I wholly endorse videogames investigating western themes - everyone who is anyone recalls Lucasarts’ Outlaws with affection, and more recently the extraordinary Wild West stage in Timesplitters 2.  Red Dead Revolver also deserves mention.  I’d never even heard of Wild Arms before 3, but until recently I only played Square RPGs on consoles.  I know that seems weird, but I’ll bet it’s not that uncommon.

Also, I keep forgetting to mention it, even though I think about it all the time.  Every day, I probably spend a half an hour or so just being excited about Splinter Cell.  I don’t know why.  I saw it at E3 and was hooked immediately, and I couldn’t have been the only one because it won awards up the ass.  When I started reading the features on the moves and these Goddamn developer diaries, it cemented my affections.  This is the sort of game that Gabe might get, and I might watch and tell him he’s doing it wrong, but it’s not the sort of thing I’d usually rush out and get, let alone pine for.     

Yesterday was my third anniversary, and let me make clear just what a sentimental, sappy bastard I am.  We’re at a restaurant, this guy on the piano is playing “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” and I literally felt the love.  I don’t feel the love this morning, of course - oh no.  I feel the nausea.  They’ve got this liquor now, you might have heard of it. 

(CW)TB out.

i’m full of hate

Gabe

I just have a couple quick things to mention this morning.

Rumors are circulating that SNK (now owned and operated by Playmore) is going to be re-opening their US branch. The website www.snkneogeousa.com has a teaser image on it that points to October 25th as their opening day. Word on the street is that this new site will be an outlet for sales and rentals of their arcade machines and games in the US. Playmore’s official site lists snkneogeousa as the name of their US wing, so it’s not inconceivable that this could actually be true. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

The response to Club Penny Arcade this month has been overwhelming. I had no idea so many of you were so excited for Over Easy. I wanted to let you all know that the gift for October has not been sent out yet. My goal is to get it finished by next weekend. This is a very important project for us and I am taking a lot of time with it. Hopefully you will all agree that it was worth the wait.

-Gabe out

Tycho

It might count as spoiler material if you watch it, but you might be interested anyway.

People keep saying The Ring is a hell of a movie, based on a Japanese movie (or movie series, really) that was also very good.  So, I’m going to go see it tomorrow.  Apparently it concerns a videotape that kills you or whatever, which sounds hokey but if the Flick Filosopher likes a movie I’m going to go see the Goddamn movie.

Regardless.

The videotape they watch in the film is actually available in a variety of media formats, if you’d like to watch it and get in the mood.  If you want to go into the film totally cold, maybe you shouldn’t watch it.  Myself, I couldn’t wait.  I found it unpleasant. 

(CW)TB