Phase 5: Rain

I knew the good weather was lasting a bit too long. Go figure. I woke up to a cloud-filled sky and a weather broadcast calling for light rain most of the day (amidst Ratchet and Clank PS3 ads, distributed amongst the weather map -- yes, really). Bummer about the rain. Ah, well. Aside from toughing it out for the walk to the station, most of my time today will be spent inside anyways.

So I hung around the hotel room until about 9:30, figuring most of the morning rush hour would have ended by then, making my commute to Electric Town Akihabara a bit less crowded than the last couple of times. My uncle gave me his MCI calling card information, so I was able to give Lisa a call before I left. It was good to hear her voice. I really miss her, and wish she could be here experiencing all of this with me. Then again, if she was, I probably wouldn't be writing huge blog entries about daily activities then, would I? No, not really. Hmm.

Anyways, the train was fast as usual, and dropped me off at Akihabara about 5-6 minutes after boarding. After leaving the station, which is becoming a routine by now, I noticed that - to my dismay - most of the stores were still closed! Apparently, store hours in Japan are a little different than those in the states, and most places don't open their doors until 11 AM or later. I had a bit of walking to do in the meantime...

Fortunately, there were a couple of places that opened sooner, one of them being the game center I scoped out earlier. I was one of the first ones in the door and the workers were still setting things up. That means there was me, an empty arcade, and a bunch of "no pictures allowed" signs but nobody to enforce them. >:D You know what that means... Enjoy!




I played a few games of Tekken 6 (not coming to the States), Arcana Heart 2 (the first one is just coming to PS2 in the States next week - the sequel's already out here), and Guilty Gear Accent Core... and got my ass kicked quite thoroughly. Little did I know that some of these machines were NETWORKED TO TEH INTARWEBZ and before I knew it, people were challenging me to online matches... -_- Needless to say, I didn't last very long... Sadly, the fighting game floors of the game center tended to get very smoky as they filled up with customers. Some of the games have designated "no smoking" seats, but that obviously doesn't help with the air around you. Each machine has an ashtray on it. Yuck.

Aside from the many fighting games, there were also quite a few shooting games as well. Not of the typical FPS variety (although there WAS a Half Life 2: Survivor machine), but side (or vertical) scrolling, bullet-hell shooters like Gradius and 1942. LOTS of them. On new hardware. One that piqued my interest was Otomedius, a side-scrolling shooter with a touch screen made by Konami, which I believe to be the latest in the Parodius series. You pick out a cute anime-chick (or buff anime dude), get on a rocket, and start shooting cartoon penguins, giant turtles, mechs, Egyptian sarcophagii, seals in clamshells, and more as the screen scrolls left to right. The difficulty curve is set up such that you can actually play for a few minutes without getting blown up, which is really nice when compared to other shooters in the genre. It was also graphically pleasing, and I'm hoping Konami decides to release it for the PS3 in Japan so I can import a copy. This was probably my favorite game I tried out today, and I visited two different game centers with an INCREDIBLE selection of games. The other game of note is the Dragon Quest Battle Monsters card game, which I was able to figure out how to play despite the fact that there were far too many kanji to understand what I was actually doing. I won both battles, and have a trophy card to prove it. Probably wouldn't play that game again though, as it's basically the worst parts of Pokemon (with real money) combined with timed button presses. If you don't have good cards, you can't win. It was still VERY cool to get to try it out, though, since it'll never, ever, ever come to the US.




After exiting the second game center, I looked around a few shops and picked up a couple of things. Interesting thing about Akihabara is that there are _A LOT_ of used software shops, and the prices actually tend to vary rather wildly. A DS game you see for full-price in one place may actually be significantly cheaper in another (and keep in mind, here the 'full price' for a DS game is upwards of 4500 yen, or $45+). Thus, I did some bargain shopping before picking anything up, but ended up giving in to the "BUYYYYY ITTTTT!" urge and yoinked 3 different games.

There were quite a few more that I almost picked up, but they were either difficult or impossible to play on our systems back home, and would only be for collecting purposes. Did you know a used, boxed copy of Chrono Trigger sells for less than $20 in Tokyo? Yeah, I didn't either. But it's in Japanese and can't be played on a US system. Same with Final Fantasy VI. The expensive games around here are either Neo-Geo (interesting), Sega Saturn, and (to a degree) Playstation 1 collector's editions. There were a few stores devoted solely to retro games, and I admit I almost picked up a dual NES/SNES player and a couple of compatible Japanese games. I resisted though, remembering I probably don't have enough room in my suitcase for a game system. Still no sign of Vii (sorry guys, I tried), though Wii's are actually fairly easy to come by around here. Cheaper than in the US, too.

Around 11:30 or so I started getting hungry. The Takoyaki (octopus dumpling) stand wasn't open yet, but there was a MOS Burger right across the street. Now, for those who don't know, MOS Burger is basically the Asian equivalent of McDonalds. They're EVERYWHERE. However, their menu is substantially more limited, their portions are smaller and a bit more expensive. I HAD to try this. I ordered a Teriyaki Burger (their specialty) and a small vanilla shake. A Japanese take on a classic American meal. The burger was a bit small, which was fine by me, and REALLY tasty. Usually I hate mayo, but it wasn't overkill on this burger and actually went really well with the teriyaki taste of the meat. Then again, it's also Japanese mayo, so it has a slightly different taste anyway. The shake was thick, less sugary than a McD or Arby's shake in the States, and very good. I'd almost make a special trip to Akiba tomorrow just to eat at MOS Burger again. And there are still so many other restaurants to try...



After more window shopping (and more buying T_T) I passed the Takoyaki stand one more time on my way to the train station, and ordered the octopus dumplings. They looked really yummy until the guy behind the counter doused them in mayo and "cheese".

I popped one in my mouth, expecting the worst....



It was actually tasty, except for the fact the filling was SCALDING HOT. The roof of my mouth, and part of my tongue were immediately burned. The shop didn't sell drinks, either! I ate the rest of the takoyaki once it cooled, and then hurried into the nearest building - a game center (yay), and quickly bought a Coke Zero. Aahhh...cold caffeine-y goodness, same as back home. This second game center was even larger than the first, and I spent quite a bit of time in here (and dumped more money than I'd probably like to admit into Otomedius), but was well-staffed so I couldn't take any pictures this time. I'm almost tempted to come back here AGAIN tomorrow before we leave for Kobe.

Afterwards I returned to the hotel via the train. I figured I'd hang around here until I'm supposed to meet the IBM Tokyo guys for dinner. My legs are still sore from walking the other day, and the weather isn't the best anyways... I'll post some pics from the dinner later on tonight.

Phase 4: Discovery

This wake-up-at-4AM thing is getting old. I'm pretty sure at this point that it has to be a side-effect of the jet lag and/or the fact that I'm probably still running high on adrenaline. I woke up early again today, missing the phone call last night because I had already passed out an hour before. Fortunately, there were no changes to the plan, and I managed to go back to sleep and wake up again around 8 AM - much more reasonable.

I met Kamijoh-san in the lobby at 10 AM, and we took the train to Akihabara. The first stop was Traders, the used game and DVD shop where I found the cheap copy of Disgaea 3 the day before. This time, I was looking for a pick-up for a friend...Osu! Tatakae!! Ouendan!!! 2. Since the title had changed and was actually a lot longer and more complicated, Kamijoh-san and I asked the clerk for help. We located the game, I bought it, and then we continued to walk through Akihabara. I found another game center - this one owned by Taito, apparently...and it was A LOT better than Club Sega. There were quite a few games I wanted to play here, including many that I didn't know existed yet, such as Arcana Heart 2. There were separate floors for shooting games, fighting games, mech games, ticket games, and card games. Ticket games are popular in Japan, but not nearly as popular as they are in the States -- where they've managed to suffocate the entire arcade industry. Not so here in Japan. Video games still rule the roost, and there's still a fierce competitive spirit among fighting game players (not unlike the US during the Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat heyday). Only bad thing was, I knew for a fact that if I were to challenge anyone in there, I'd get my ass kicked from here to Tienemen Square.

I played a round of DDR Supernova 2 (no pictures allowed in the game center, of course --- this is really starting to get old), but didn't want to make Kamijoh-san wait around for me too long, so I left after two songs. I played a round of Guilty Gear as well, but again, left before I died. The cheapest games in these arcades are 100 yen (about a buck) and the big monstrosities like House of the Dead 4 and Silent Hill Arcade are even more (2-300 yen). The most expensive game I saw was a Gundam simulator, which was 1200 yen ($12) per play. Ouch. Interestingly, the fighting games are set up such that each player gets their own screen, and faces the other player, like this:

p1-> (-_-) [machine1][machine2] (^_^) <-p2


And those machines are linked, so they play against each other. People can observe someone playing by watching the empty machine on the other side. If you're REALLY good, apparently you get your matches broadcast on the TVs located around the fighting game floors. I want to come back here tomorrow and waste some money... :) I also found a used game shop that carried a ton of boxed Famicom and Super Famicom games, and hybrid players that were also compatible with NES and SNES. I may go back to get one of these... On our way back to the train station, we came across a stand selling octopus dumplings. Now, I wasn't hungry at the time, but believe it or not I actually do want to try these things (most likely tomorrow). They looked good enough on TV, though my uncle says to be wary of smaller restaurants, lest you get food poisoning and become sick. Well, it's not unagi, so at the very least I won't have to find pants to fit over the POWAA if I do end up getting sick.

Next stop after Akihabara was Shinjuku, and Square-Enix. Now, I'd normally come here to see this on my own, but the truth is, this time I was on a mission. I wanted to pick up something special for the girl. After getting on the wrong train no less than 3 times (and this is WITH someone who knows Tokyo guiding me - yes it's that confusing), we got off at the right station. After maybe 20 more minutes of attempting to find the place, we get there. (Cue Final Fantasy victory theme)



Unfortunately for us, apparently the Northern Crater is located right below central Tokyo...



I was trying to find a stuffed Cactuar for the girlfriend, but sadly all they had were about 50,000 different varieties of slimes, chocobos, and tonberries. There was one huge cactuar, as big as my suitcase, selling for thousands and thousands of yen. As cool as it would be to bring that back for her...I'm thinking...no. There were some really cool exclusive T-shirts --- for $65 a piece. CRAP! So yeah, the S-E character showcase was actually a disappointment (the small museum being the only highlight), but I actually did end up finding something really cool for the girlfriend there, but obviously I can't spoil by posting it here.

We finished up our Tokyo tour at a place specializing in Yakitori and Oyakodonburi, located at the top floor of a 14-story mall in Shinjuku. Chicken dishes, for those unfamiliar with the names. Kamijoh-san lived in Shinjuku for years, and he sure knew how to pick the restaurant. The meal was 3 courses and was a little under $18. The only thing that sucks is ordering a coke costs around $3, is very small, with no free refills. The first time I go out to eat back in the states, I'm going to gulp down about 20 cups of coke...Which reminds me, I'm really fricking thirsty right now.

And with that, between the amount of walking I did yesterday and today, my legs feel like they're about to fall off, so I'm going to rest and watch some weird Japanese comedy shows... Maybe I'll head back to Akihabara later, but it depends on how I'm feeling at the time. I'm really fricking sore, so I'll probably take it easy tonight. Tomorrow I'm meeting the IBM Tokyo guys for dinner and drinks at a restaurant near the hotel. Hopefully I don't get drunken under the table -- apparently they do this often...

Phase 3: Blooming

Today started early - and when I mean early, I mean EARLY. 4AM early. And the strange thing is, I wasn't even tired when I woke up. I don't know whether this is a side-effect of the time difference, or something else entirely..but I honestly felt like I had a good night's sleep despite the early rising.

My uncle and I began walking towards Tsukiji - the largest open-air seafood market in the world. This is the place where most of the restaurant owners in Tokyo get their fish on a daily basis, so you KNOW it's good stuff. We never got lost, never got confused -- it was really, really straightforward (literally two streets, although the walk itself was a little over two miles). We could tell when we were getting close, because the city streets transformed into an open-air market selling everything from fish that was still alive to fresh vegetables. Most of the stuff was street food, but there were a few non-food stands selling books and other various cheap goods. Near the market we ran into a yummy-looking sushi menu that I had to snap a picture of. Little did I know that when I pulled my camera out of my pocket, my JR Pass went with it. After snapping the picture, we walked for another 5 minutes or so, stopping to take a picture of the fisherman's shrine right next to Tsukiji --- and then I noticed my $274 piece of plastic was missing...

"Shit!"

"What?"

"My pass is gone!"

"What pass?"

"My JR Pass!"

"SHIT!"

At that point, my uncle suggested doing a quick about-face and retracing our steps. It wasn't long before I saw something glimmering on the corner right by the sushi bar we photographed a few minutes ago.



JR Pass RE-GET!!!

That was a close one. Tsukiji itself was cool, but pretty much what I expected. A seedy-looking, busy, warehouse market where every kind of seafood possibly known to man is sold both alive and dead. Just about every time you turn around, you see someone either "cleaning" or dispatching a fish, so if you have a weak stomach for those types of things, this is definitely not the place for you. I couldn't help noticing the size of the tuna they were bringing in...they had to be upwards of 100 lbs...and wondered whether or not my dad would ever go ocean fishing for stuff like that after he retired (not in Japan, but elsewhere). Random thoughts aside, it was a really interesting experience, though it's probably not a place I would visit again.

On our way back we stopped at a McDonalds (just to sit down), which was a pretty funny experience in itself. They actually have bigger burgers than what's present in the states, but no free refills on drinks. Interesting. We just got cokes and sat for a while. Most of the clientele of the McD's were fellow gaijin, the only Japanese people in the place were the ones behind the counter.

After leaving the McDonalds, we stopped at a fruit stand with the most delicious looking strawberries I've ever seen. I had to get some, and I was particularly hungry since I hadn't ate anything for breakfast, so I ran in and grabbed a package for a few hundred yen. Good decision...they WERE the most delicious strawberries I've ever had. Which is strange, considering they were most likely imported. But they were about 110% more appetizing than the ones I occasionally get from Target. Fresh, juicy, and sweet. No bitterness whatsoever, and nothing over-ripe either.

After returning to the hotel and resting for a bit, we decided that we would kill some time and go to Akihabara. This way, I wouldn't have to trouble Kamijoh-san tomorrow with running into all the stores I wanted to see. The train ride was cake. Absolute cake. I'm now very certain I will have no problems getting anywhere in Tokyo where the trains run. Had some of the most delicious curry I've ever tasted in a little hole-in-the-wall place in Akihabara called "Curry Kitchen", which was filled to the brim with customers. My uncle says to "trust the crowds" when it comes to restaurants. If a reastaurant's really packed, then the food must be good., he says. This rule of international travel doesn't quite hold true back home - otherwise places like Green Mill and Olive Garden wouldn't be packed every weekend in Rochester.

Anyways, back to Akihabara. Well...to say I cleaned up would be an understatement. I got just about everything I wanted to get while here in Japan - and then some. Still on the lookout for a couple of requests and one more game for myself. Oh, and something special for the girl, of course. ^-^



This evening, Iwama-san met us and took us on a night sakura viewing in one of Tokyo's most famous parks. It was VERY cool. We did have to hurry back fairly quickly since I'm expecting a call from Kamijoh-san, but what I was able to see was absolutely incredible. I took pictures, but unfortunately none of them turned out too well due to the poor lighting...

Phase 2: Wonder

I can't lay in bed anymore. I'm simply too excited. My uncle is introducing me at 9:30 AM to Iwama-san, his colleague in charge of the meetings here in Tokyo. I bought him a Minnesota Twins cap while I was still back home (as it's customary to thank your host with gifts when traveling in Japan), because I hear he's a big baseball fan. I still haven't been able to call for my Ghibli tour, because the plane was delayed and I had no way of contacting them during business hours. Feeling kind of hungry, so I took a quick glance at the room service menu. 2500 yen for toast, jam, juice, and tea. ($25!) OUCH... well, no breakfast. I'll just shower up, get dressed, and explore.

Ended up running into my uncle on the way down, and he was hungry too we had breakfast at the hotel's main restaurant. BAIKINGU!~ (Buffet!~)


The buffet was 2700 yen ($27), and included both the familiar and the bizarre. Wrapped bean curd topped with ginger and a unique take on French Toast using puffy rolls were my favorites, along with freshly squeezed OJ. My least favorite was actually something that looked the most familiar. Bacon. They called it "crispy bacon", but when I bit into it, it was like chewing on a mixture of glass and cardboard. It had barely any flavor and tasted like it was made out of pig skin and some sort of fish mixed together - and it probably was. I ate a bunch of fruit too, which was actually pretty fresh - even the pineapples. Now I'm just waiting for 9:30 so I can call and confirm my tour details, and then go exploring before my pickup time. Iwama-san seemed caught a bit off guard by my speaking to him in Japanese, but gladly took the gift I offered him.

Got the tour set up, and went exploring for a short while. Unfortunately due to it being Friday here in Japan, the East Gardens are closed. I need to come back either tomorrow or early next week to get some sakura pictures. Bought some AA batteries for the camera and a Diet Pepsi (both barely more expensive than in the States) at the hotel's shopping arcade.

It's fun to interact with the Japanese, I can speak enough to where I feel (mostly) comfortable asking questions and receiving answers - except when I'm nervous, then I screw up. Ah well, good enough for me. A lot of the signs are all in kanji (for the roads and stuff) but fortunately most have English too. I would have settled for hiragana, as that would have made me feel a bit more educated and might have allowed me to have a stronger case for convincing my uncle to learn it...he's over here enough that it would REALLY help him. :)

The Ghibli tour was an experience in itself. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed inside the museum (which ROYALLY sucks, since there's so much I wanted to take pictures of). BUT...hahahaha...I managed to snap a picture in the most unlikely (or likely, I suppose) of places - the ONLY place away from the prying eyes of the camera nazis in blue shirts - the MEN'S ROOM. And it just so happens that there was a huge display from Laputa (I think it's Laputa anyway...) right above one of the urinals. Since I was in the bathroom alone at the time, I managed to ninja-snap this picture... Enjoy:



The museum itself was split up into several sections... The outdoor garden (where pictures were allowed):




The Saturn theatre, where a short Studio Ghibli film was shown (Koro no Daisanbo) about the misadventures of a lost dog. The film itself was pretty boring, but I loved the Ghibli art style and there were some funny parts. The best part of the movie? I understood all the dialogue. If this film was available outside of the museum, I could have completely subtitled it into English. It's been the first time here in Japan where I haven't felt like a complete baka...

There was also the downstairs exhibit room -- this room was my favorite, and also the most difficult to describe. There was a carousel that, when a strobelight was activated, caused the individual character elements to animate. There was a "history of the projector" - from what I could tell, I couldn't read it all - and a timeline of Miyazaki's work, which included the still-barred-from-the-US-by-a-copyright-dispute Tales from Earthsea. Nearby was a playground shaped like the Neko Bus (damn that no pictures rule) and the obligatory gift shop with overpriced Miyazaki souvenirs.



And finally, a simulated artist's studio and a special exhibit on "Sanbiki no Kuma" - the Three Bears. Yes, of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. They had "life size" bears that took up literally an entire room. I'm wondering whether this is Miyazaki's next big project or if it's simply some kind of offshoot. I'm hoping for the latter. DO NOT WANT.

Also on the tour I met a young couple from the UK - both huge video game nuts - and also a family from Los Angeles... All very nice, very interesting people (especially the family from LA - who are world travellers and have lived abroad for a number of years in Latin America and Europe). I learned a lot, and got some very interesting stories, on the way to and from the museum itself. The tour disbanded at Tokyo station, and everyone dispersed rather quickly, which for me led to a sprint across one of Japan's largest railway stations looking for the JR Pass Exchange counter. After a few misadventures while attempting to ask for the location of this counter, I eventually found it. Phew. JR Pass GET!

I feel empowered now, and thanks to the Ghibli tour I feel I can get practically anywhere I want in Tokyo on the trains. I need to make sure I remember to write down the address to the Square-Enix store in Shinjuku, since I'd like to go there on Sunday with Kamijoh-san if possible. There's no way I'll be able to find that place on my own.

Upon my return from the misadventures of the JR pass, I met my uncle in the lobby, who had apparently just finished his round of meetings. He wanted to go exploring in a place where he was taken during the workday - Marunoichi building. Now, this place is part high-fashion shopping mall, and part high-class food court. There are traditional Japanese restaurants as well as restaurants serving Italian and French cuisine. There is an amazing grocery store on the bottom floor serving lunches for around 700 yen...the cheapest I've seen. I'm TOTALLY eating there a few times to save money for more goodness from Akiba. The restaurants on the upper floors are cheap too, but definitely gaijin-unfriendly. All the menus are pure Japanese, and even the prices were in kanji. Unfortunately, A LOT (and I mean probably close to half) of these places had menus where I could count on one hand the number of entrees I could figure out, much less order. The rest (such as the katsu, tempura, and sushi specialty shops) appeared a little less intimidating. I want to go to the katsu place sometime and eat lunch or dinner - I think it would really help my Japanese to be thrown into situations where falling back on English isn't a sure bet.

I'm tired, but still wired. I think I'll need the Tylenol PM again tonight. Tomorrow begins with an early visit to Tsukiji Fish Market at 6AM (yes, that early...I KNOW...but I have to see it) and then - well, I'm not sure yet. But my uncle and I are going to explore together, so that should be fun.

Phase 1: Prelude

My mini-vacation to Seattle was fun but fairly uneventful, minus a two-hour flight delay out of Minneapolis. Lots of video games were played. A kitty was there. Sushi was eaten (TWICE!). A good time was had by all. I bought Phantom Hourglass for DS and Tales of Phantasia for GBA from the Nintendo store. And I found an angry chick song on Rock Band. Lisa will approve.


As I type this, the plane to Tokyo is finally pulling up to the gate after a 2 hour delay...and I'm already tired. Fortunately, it looks like we'll be boarding soon - as far as I can tell from the announcements in English and Japanese. Interestingly enough, sometimes the status update announcements come first in English, and other times in Japanese. The people seated behind me seem to be native Japanese speakers, their kids seemingly VERY excited to board the plane, and there's a guy who looked to be in his mid 30's sitting across from me on my left intently prodding a DS touch screen. I don't have as much patience as I thought I did, and I'm certainly not looking forward to sitting on a cramped plane for a 10-hour flight. I actually sent the wrong work documents to my email account and didn't notice until a few hours ago... how convenient, right?

My uncle's talking to a couple of other American passengers - middle aged women. Apparently, one of them has a son in Japan and she's seeing her grandson for the first time. Another Japanese<->American union success story, apparently. :) I ran over to the convenience store and picked up a hat for Satoshi who's taking time out of his schedule to show me around on Sunday and introduce me to colleagues on Monday, and also some AA batteries for the digital camera (both items topped off with a nice airport tax).

Seattle has a 9% sales tax both inside and outside of the airport...I'm beginning to wonder if not having to pay income tax is indeed equivalent trade.


Well, it's boarding time. Time to fly. Sayonara, Seattle.

@2:00 (hours on flight)

Wow. This is the biggest plane I've ever been on. It feels more like a comfortable bus rather than an actual plane. Believe it or not, they even give you "free" wine and beer on international flights...as much as you want, assuming the cart is there to serve you...BONUS! Especially after the flight to Seattle on Northwest, which charges for all food and drinks except a single beverage (either pop, water, or juice). It's so nice not to have people try to SELL you food, but rather GIVE it to you, and you get a choice of what you want, even!

The in-flight movies are meh, and run the gamut from that Disney reality-meets-cartoon Enchanted to Rock Hard with that chick who plays Pam on The Office. If I get really bored I may watch Rock Hard with the Japanese track turned on, that may be good for a few laughs, though I'd much rather get some sleep if I can.

They served us food, too. Chicken with stir-fry vegetables. You know the IBM caf is in trouble when airline food manages to pwn it... and believe me, this food isn't that good either (picture incoming for next meal) ^_^.

My uncle actually managed to use his frequent flyer status to negotiate my seat up to something called "economy plus" so my legs aren't cramping up as I type this...but they say nothing about extra armrests...the person on my left uses the entire left armrest and I'm using the entire right one, it still feels cramped in here despite the fact it felt VERY spacious upon first boarding. Sardine-can, indeed. Not a problem, though. I can cope.

According to the in-flight map (yes, they give you a GPS channel that shows exactly where the plane is --- COOL), we're over Juneau, Alaska. It's time to get some sleep... or at least sip this green tea they served me and attempt to get some sleep. *yawn*. It's not that I'm not tired, it's just so cramped in here, and I'm running on adrenaline...

@4:15 (hours on flight)

No sleep. None. The plane is still noisy and cramped, though a lot of people have passed out. Really wish I could join them. It's slightly more comfortable since one of the people next to me moved a while ago, most likely to an empty seat. No complaints here. Extra armrest FTW.

The in-flight map says we're over the Bering Sea, and will cross the International Date Line in the next hour or so. I can see Japan on the map now, it looks like we're about halfway there, maybe a little less. I'm grateful I can read the Japanese status reports on the map, since they stopped giving the distance remaining, speed, time in air, etc. in English. No idea why.

Interestingly enough, I haven't touched a video game since we've taken off. Not once. Weird, huh? Just had no desire to play. Not even the stuff I just bought.

I got up to stretch a little while ago, which was nice. My uncle has taken an interest in my book of sights of Japan, I wonder if he's going to suggest places to go to his Japanese colleagues when he's not working?

I just finished watching National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Apparently, the long lost City of Gold is hidden under Mt. Rushmore. Could have fooled me, I thought all that was in the Dakotas is a whole lot of farmland, cows, and < $50k housing. :D That's why it's a movie, I guess. Typical National Treasure, just like the first one. Mildly entertaining and killed an hour and a half, so I can't complain too much. International travel isn't as bad as people say it is. I'm still wired - I'm going to have a hard time getting to sleep tonight, I think. @4:40 (hours on flight) Tokyo just showed up on the in-flight map! It's ALMOST as short as a domestic flight from here! It looks like we're going to fly right over Russia. They should land the plane and give us some vodka...

@6:30 (hours on flight)

Still unable to sleep. They served dinner. Vegetarian Lasagna. United Airlines = 2, IBM Caf = 0. Sad. Really, really sad... Out of sheer boredom (plus the fact that the laptop battery is down to a measly 25%) I decided to entertain myself with other movie selections. Walk Hard was just as bad as I thought it would be - I actually preferred August Rush (that movie about the music prodigy 11-year-old product of a one night stand searching for his parents who didn't even know he existed)...but I even stopped that one halfway through since I began to count down the seconds until we were on the ground.

@Japan

Japan's air smells...interesting. It's not quite smoggy big city, which it should be given it's Tokyo, but it's more...subtle. If anything, it's less crisp than Seattle's but not as stifling as Florida's. The temperature is a comfortable 55 degrees, so my overpacking for insane weather shifts looks to be unnecessary. Time to settle in and have some fun!

After a really long day, a painless waltz through Japanese customs, and a beautiful albeit uneventful 90 minute car-ride from the airport to the hotel, I don't know how much more I can write. The hotel room is nice, a bit small (especially for $230 a night), but one thing I had to mention...they gave me an ubertoilet. Notice the control panel on the left.


I've heard rumors about these things for years, apparently they're better for your rear end than using TP. Not sure how eager I am to try out those remote controls, but from what I can tell, I push the button and warm water cleans off...certain areas. Yeah, um....I'm tired. Do not want.

House of the Dead 2&3 Return

Review 6: House of the Dead 2&3 Return - The next game in Sega's line of budget Wii software is here... but is it another Ghost Squad?

2008. After another stellar holiday season and the strongest first-party releases to date now in the marketplace, no one can deny the status of the Wii as the current contender for worldwide "winner" of this generation's console war. Despite this, most third-party publishers are content with porting massive amounts of trashy PS2 games and tacking on waggle controls. They often tell gaming news sources that this strategy is due to the fact "people only buy Nintendo games on Nintendo consoles."

One third party that isn't afraid to push new content onto the console is Sega. With new games in the Sonic and NiGHTS franchises, along with ports(both good and bad), Sega sees potential in the 'cheap PS2 dressed up like a Mac'. Fortunately for light-gun afficionados everywhere, HotD2&3:R is a GOOD port, and a perfect fit for the Wii's control scheme (cheap Zapper excluded).

That being said, you basically get what you're expecting. Arcade-perfect versions of House of the Dead 2 and 3, along with a few extra modes tacked on for good measure. And when I say arcade-perfect, I mean it. There's no Wii-specific watering down here, which is a welcome change from something like Ghost Squad. Sadly, I was actually surprised by the crispness of the graphics, despite their simplicity when compared against today's standards.There are a few unexpected framerate issues with HotD3, but nothing nearly as painful as playing the Xbox version on the 360. No noticeable issues are present in HotD2.

The games control very well with the Wii remote, although surprisingly there appears to be a bit of lag between pointing at the screen and having the cursor go where it needs to. Both HotD2 and 3 are MUCH harder than I remember in the arcades, and reloading quickly is actually somewhat of a chore, despite the accuracy of the controls. This is a small disappointment, though a noticeable one.

The cheesy voice acting synonymous with the series remains intact here, and fans of the HotD games wouldn't have it any other way. Interestingly, without the loud beeps, bleeps, and blaring music of the arcade, the voices are actually MUCH, MUCH cheesier than I was expecting. Music is mostly forgettable and 100% arcade authentic.

The extra modes present in the game pretty much match point-for-point with the DC version for HotD2. HotD3 contains an extra mode containing an option for a melee attack along with a time attack mode. In my opinion, more work could have been done to add additional modes to HotD3, because it seems pretty barren in comparison to HotD2.

Overall, for a ported compilation on the Wii, this game is surprisingly solid and well worth the $30 price tag. For those who are fans of the arcade versions, picking this one up is a no-brainer, as the control on the Wii goes hand-in-hand with rail shooters, and the port quality on both games is good. Additional options and modes would be greatly appreciated, but given its budget price, it's really difficult to complain too much. Thanks, Sega.

Rating System: Who needs stars and numbers? I'm all about the otaku emoticons!

*-* = Amazing
^-^ = Good
-_- = Fair
T_T = Poor


Graphics: -_-
HotD2 is a perfect arcade/Dreamcast port. HotD3 is nearly perfect but suffers from scattered framerate issues that weren't present in the arcade version (however, not nearly as problematic as the Xbox version of HotD3 when played in a 360). That said, the lack of widescreen and 480p support is a glaring flaw. All Wii games should be required to support these options. Also, these games are a few years old, and are beginning to show their age. Red blood wasn't taken out (a relief - considering the preview videos showed the green blood) and can be turned on in the options menu.

Sound: ^-^
Cheesy voice acting is here in full-force, along with all the sounds you'd expect from the arcade versions. Music is arcade-perfect as well. Not particularly memorable, but recognizable nonetheless.

Replayability: ^-^
Additional credits and difficulty settings open up if you perform well or poorly. Completing both HotD2 and HotD3 opens up an additional mode for HotD3. Extra modes (including Time Attack, Boss Attack, and Original) are plentiful in HotD2 but are seriously lacking in HotD3. Both games can be beaten in under an hour if you have enough credits, but that won't be the case at first.

Downloadable Content: N/A
Wii game. No DLC planned.

Fun Factor: -_-
These are arcade ports, and therefore are more fun to blast through with a friend. The additional modes (especially Original mode on HotD2) add a lot to the game as well. My only complaint is the length of each game (especially when compared with RE:UC), but given these are ports rather than a new original game, it can't be helped.

Overall: ^-^
Not bad, Sega. Not bad at all.

SSBB

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is incredible. The online mode stinks, though. Since just about everyone has that game anyway, I'm going to provide a review of....something else!

As for Brawl, I intend to place links to the stages I created on this blog - once I find a place to store them.

Work's getting busy, plus I'm getting ready for my Japan trip, so I haven't had as much time to review games as I would like. I plan on doing a "post mortem" on Lost Odyssey, a brief impression of DQ:S (not good so far - uh oh) and my special feature on Naruto will also be including Shippuuden EX2 (which I will be picking up in Japan and will be able to play on my Wii courtesy of the new WiiLoader...thanks Datel!)

In the meantime, HotD2&3 Return review is incoming. Is it better than Ghost Squad? Let's hope so.........