Week of 4/6/2008

Journey

So we just finished recording the "Journey" episode of Team Fremont Live. For those of you who haven't been paying attention, we made an ill-advised bet with the folks at Gamers with Jobs that...well...I'm in no condition to explain right now. Let's just say that we had to replace all of our music with Journey tunes for one episode.

The experience reminded me of this awesome episode of Beavis and Butthead, which was not only hilarious, but illustrates exactly how bad Journey sucks. I mean...air keyboard playing? Fucking jerkoffs...



John



Every Month

We're over a week out of Shmuppreciation Month yet its claws remain in me. Thanks to Carlson over at Mad Gear it doesn't look as though I'll be letting go of the shmup obsession any time soon.

The game that has really sunk its hooks in me is Batsugun for the Saturn.



I'm so glad Hilden talked me into buying this game, because after watching the above video the night before Midwest Gaming Classic, I wasn't too inspired to rush out and spend $50 on it. But in the days since, I've come to appreciate the beauty of Batsugun; so much that I might even go as far as to call it one of the top five best shmups I've ever played. Perhaps that's because I feel as though I'm actually making progress with it and a 1cc isn't too far out of the question. Granted, I still have to come to terms with Level 4, but the first three stages are now well within my reach.

My great white whale during last year's Shmup Month was Radiant Silvergun. I spent more on that game than any other shmup I've ever purchased, but it was well worth the price as it has since cracked my overall top five list of all-time favorite games. This year's white whale was Espgaluda, a game that I only caught moments of at last year's Daryl Awards on Savory Cade's PS2. But there was something about it that captivated me. It was certainly a Cave shooter at its heart, but the style was just different enough to make me pine for it over the next 14 months.



Next up is Twinkle Star Sprites: La Petite Princess. Wow...that has to be the most girly title for any video game ever. The Little Princess? Nevertheless, this game is utterly fantastic in nearly every way. A competitive shmup that even my wife would play? How can that not be awesome? Though Carlson tried his best to convince me to purchase the Dreamcast version as he claims it's the superior game in the series, I had already purchased this PS2 game nearly a year ago, thinking my Japanese PS2 would be arriving sooner than later. But it was well worth the wait. Yesterday I sat and unlocked all the characters and the Neo Geo mode and loved every second of it. This is one fantastic party game.



And finally, when Carlson came to visit last week, he brought a copy of DoDonPachi Daiujou, which I was dying to buy, but figured I had given away enough money. After the show, in a drunken haze, Hilden made the purchase despite not having a Japanese PS2, and after thinking it over for a couple days I offered to buy it from him. Like the other DoDonPachi games, this one is insanely awesome and a must for any shmup-fan's collection.



So these are the four games that have been occupying all my time while my "next-gen" consoles get cold. I'm not sure what it is about shmups that I'm so enamored with, but once you get the bug it just seems to take you over. I'm so glad MC came up with this idea as it's truly made me appreciate this genre on a much deeper level than I ever had before.

John



Sunshine

Though the first day of spring was technically two weeks ago, it snowed like a bitch that day. So I hereby declare today the first day of Spring 2008. It's a beautiful day, sunny and 70 degrees. The snow is clinging on desperately, but that shit doesn't stand a chance. And for the first time since he was born, we were able to take Ethan outside in the yard to play.



I think life may not be so bad after all.

Let's check some mail...

Yay Snow

Yeah its snowing here too, not coming down as hard as you guys, right now i wanna say we got 1/2 inch-inch....but its coming down reasonably well

At least the temps are staying in the 30s though which keeps the roads wet, and not super icy.....hope all this snows melts away fast though, I was finally going to install the toolbox on my truck I got for Christmas today, but that'll prolly have to wait another week.

I hate this white shit as much as you, but the good days are soon to come, so I'll battle on. Later!
-Dale

First off, Dale, no more using "prolly". You're my friend and I love you, but let's put an end to that right now. Secondly, today is proof that the good days aren't far off. Hell, they may even be here. Thanks for the note.

RE: Friggin' Snow

Well, you're right; I do think those pictures are beautiful. And since I think so highly of your opinion, I'm going to take your suggestion and kill myself. Goodbye, John.

Update: I'm still alive. Turns out I'm a really lousy shot. I tried shooting myself in the head, but I missed, six times in a row. I'm gonna poison myself instead. Goodbye, John.

Update 2: The "poison" I was drinking turned out to be that Minute Maid juice you recommended a few weeks ago. Rather than killing me, it instead turned me into a super-genius. I just got hired as a Wal-Mart greeter and now I'm gonna be making the big bucks. Suck on that!

Update 3: After returning home from my first day at the new job, my suicidal resolve is renewed. More to come later, unless I'm dead.

-M.C.

Damn I love you. So maybe saying "kill yourself" was a bit extreme. But getting a foot of snow on the first day of spring can only sour a man's mood. By the way, MC, this is a closed circuit message to you: stop deleting your damn forums account. We love having you around, and unless posting on the forums is some sort of uncontrollable, compulsive habit, I can't really understand the logic. Anyway: come back, dammit.

RE: TV Japan

After years of listening to the podcast I finally know the words to the intro song. What the hell? The story helps it make a bit of sense, but as with most things Japanese it only makes half sense. At any rate, I downloaded the songs from MySpace and have been enjoying them. Is there a place to get more? I'm seriously. ;)

Andy

Is there a place to get more? I suppose there is. But I'm not too proud of some of the stuff we put out there, honestly. However, Hilden's been put in charge of completing the final Stone Nowhere album, which has been on the shelf, collecting dust for nearly seven years. If he ever gets around to finishing it I'll keep you posted.

RE: Midwest Gaming Classic

The jealousy sets in yet again. Fuck classes, gas prices, and bad excuses. :::((( (That's an EXTREME frowny-face. Tell your friends.)
-rwiggum

It would have been great to have you there. This was easily the best MGC of them all and I encourage everyone to mark down next year's event on your calendar.

Well, that's all for today. Time to get back outside.

John