Sunday, June 29, 2008

Wahjah? Oh? WAHJAH.

Top 10 Weirdest, wahjah, omgwtf moments for me in video games (in no particular order and completely subjective)

Disclaimer: I in no way harbor any kind of bias towards Japanese developers. If anything, my love for video games was created and fostered by they of the violent-tentacle-porn cartoon East.

Rather than give a dictated description on what I found to be some of the oddest, wahjah moments in games that I’ve played in my most recent memory (older games with shitty translation do not count, as shame wasn’t invented yet in the golden era commonly referred to as the Eighties), I decided to make my descriptions through dialogue between two sides. There’s “John”, the white-boy side of me that was birthed in the resentment of 24 out of 25 years of my life spent in one location while the rest of the world passed me by, and then there’s “Me”, the otherwise Asian-prideful young upstart aspect of my personality that knows he shouldn’t like all these weird-ass fucking Japanese games, but does anyway.

So here you go:


  1. Guilty Gear X2

John: “This game’s kinda fun. Like Street Fighter on really tainted crack. But I have my reservations about this Sol Badguy. He’s kinda cheap.”

Me: “Yeah, I say we take a break from using him, then. Who else haven’t you used?”

John: “Ummm… how about this Ed chick? Ed… that’s a weird name for a girl.”

Me: “Well, that’s ‘cause Ed ain’t a girl. It’s really a little dude.”

John: “No shit?”

Me: “No shit. A little Aryan dude who thinks he’s a girl, and fights as a little girl would; well, that is, he fights however a perverted Japanese game dev imagines a little blonde girl would fight.”

John: “With a razor-tipped yo-yo and lots of moves that involve falling down and revealing panty shots?”

Me: “Yeah, pretty much.”

John: “This entire game is like one bad 4chan meme. I don’t get you people.”


  1. Devil May Cry 3


John: “So, what happens after you beat this boss? On a related note, I could’ve sworn I’ve seen this chick in like every single iteration of Castlevania ever made.”

Me: “You know how I beat those other bosses and they channeled their energies into a weapon? She does the same thing.”

John: “Sweet, another weapon.” (waits) “Cool guitar. When do you get your weapon?”

Me: “The guitar is the weapon.”

John: “You’re high.”

Me: “No, watch. It’s called the Nevan and it’s really awesome. You can build up really sweet combos when you use it in conjunction with the Athena. Here, watch… see how I’m shredding that monster riff? That builds up those energy bats around me.”

John: “Wow. Huh. So, when faced with mortal danger, Dante does what anyone would do in his situation – bust out his guitar and shred.”

Me: “I’m gonna start carrying around my Guitar Hero controller like a samurai.”

John: “That’ll teach fools to f*ck with you.”


  1. Final Fantasy X


John: “Oh my God. This voice acting is so wahjah.”

Me: “Yeah, no shit.”

John: “Oh my God. Why won’t they stop laughing?”

Me: “Well, Tidus is trying to keep Yuna’s spirits high by getting her to laugh in the face of unsurmountable odds that will probably lead to her inevitable death.”

John: “But..”

Me: “I know, the voice acting. But it’s still kinda touching when you think about it.”

John: “I want to use their skulls as ashtrays.”


  1. Need For Speed: Most Wanted


Me: “Holy shit. FMV. Didn’t that shit die out after the first Resident Evil?”

John: “Apparently not. EA’s bringing that back in full force.”

Me: “Haha. Oh my God. I’ve seen better acting in hardcore Thai tranny porn.”

John: “If I run into any of these dudes on the street, I’m charley horsing them on principle.”

Me: “Man, how old are you? That stopped being funny back in like 7th grade.”

John: “Dude, if EA can revive shit like this with zero shame, I can bring back whatever I want. Any trend, anything from any time.”

Me: “You mean like handlebar moustaches?”

John: “Hell yeah. While we’re on that bit, you wanna bring that shit back?”

Me: “No.”


  1. God of War II

John: “Dude, that was sick. So, is the Colossus dead?”

Me: “Nah, not even close. You have to school him like at least two more times, and then, as if that weren’t enough, you go into the Colossus itself and school him from the inside.”

John: “That last bit sounded kinda dirty.”

Me: “Not as dirty as this part.”

John: “Hello. What do we have here?”

Me: “Behold, sex mini-game in triple ‘A’ title.”

John: “Is this like one of those Japanese dating sims?”

Me: “I don’t know if I’d go that far. It’s basically a combination of button presses and analog twirls that are supposed to simulate different actions during sex.”

John: “So, basically, you’re simulating sex by yourself using nothing but your hands? How is that any different from what you do before you go to bed every night?”

Me: “I’m tabling this conversation five seconds ago.”


  1. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

John: “I don’t get it.”

Me: “I don’t get it.”


  1. Kingdom Hearts II

Me: “Christina Aguilera. She was a Mouseketeer, too.”

John: “Yeah. That’s three talentless asshats that have sold their soul to the Devil in order to achieve fame.”

Me: “I dunno. At least Christina Aguilera has pipes. I mean, she can really sing.”

John: “I still don’t see what this has to do with the fact that Mickey Mouse, one of my all-time favorite cartoon characters, is dressed up like an S&M goth ninja-puppet.”

Me: “I’m just trying to make a point. The kingdom of Disney has produced more embarrassing specimens of pop culture than Goth-Ninja Mickey.”

John: “What’s next in this game? Does Minnie wear a tattered Bauhaus T-shirt? And goddamn it, what’s up with all the zippers in this game?”

Me: “OK, I got it. Britney Spears is responsible for bringing K-Fed into the public consciousness. Embarassing byproduct, true, but product nonetheless. I mean, seriously, which is worse? My Chemical Mickey or Popozao?”

John: “…Popozao?”


  1. Fugitive Hunter

John: “Dude, this is it. The final boss of all final bosses.”

Me: “Osama Bin Laden/ Where you been hidin’?”

John: “Damn, for an old dude with breathing problems, Bin Laden jukes like a pro. He could probably make Lennox Lewis his bitch in like four rounds.”

Me: “These rap lyrics are ridiculous.”

John: “Oh my god, hahahahaha. Do you think if I get him mad enough, his face’ll turn red and he’ll spout steam from his head like a train whistle?”

Me: “Any person that says video games aren’t politically and socially relevant has their head way up their ass.”


  1. Final Fantasy VII

John: “So, what’re we looking for again?”

Me: “Well, we’re trying to get the Sexy Cologne.”

John: “And so far, we’ve got a Silk Dress… and a Ruby Tiara….”

Me: “After we get the Cologne, all that’s left is the Sexy Bikini.”

John: “…Sexy Bikini?”

Me: “Yeah, dude. That’s the only way we can get in the Don’s good graces.”

John: “Wait, I completely tuned out after like the seventeenth bout of endless dialogue. What in God’s name are we doing again?”

Me: “We are gathering all the aforementioned items because we are trying to present Cloud as the prettiest girl at the ball so the Don picks him first as his bang buddy. That way, we can bypass the legions of naked bodybuilders.”

John: “You’ve got this really wicked twinkle in your eye. I’m starting to feel really uncomfortable, and not cute-uncomfortable like in those John Hughes movies.”

Me: “Just keep your trap shut until I find the Sexy Bikini, or I will silence you myself.”

John: “Dude, can we play something else?”

Me: “SEXY BIKINI.”


  1. Every single rhythm game that’s been released since the genre’s inception

John: “You know, five minutes before I picked up this plastic Fisher-Price guitar and played the game, I could’ve swore that this was probably the single-most embarrassing thing I could be caught doing. Seriously. I would have to like, leave no witnesses alive.”

Me: “Sign of the times.”

Monday, June 23, 2008

Go ahead

It's probably no secret by now that, to all of those who know me, I'm kinda gay for games. Since I was a wee awkward little lad, I had small inklings of wanting to work within the gaming industry, either outside of it as a "journalist" or within, as an underpaid, under-appreciated slave with the proverbial nose to the proverbial grindstone. Well, aside from a change in register of my voice and height, and maybe one or two hairs on my otherwise bare chest, nothing has really changed. If anything, the gaming industry itself has changed immensely, and I've just been trying my best to keep up.

Hence, this blog. Before I go any further, here's a little bit about the web address; namely, what exactly is an "unskippable cut scene"? As games have gotten more and more cinematic, narrative has become a big issue, with cut scenes functioning as a framework to highlight what you, as a player, are fighting for.

Cut scenes are fine and dandy; as long as they're not too overly verbose or take themselves too seriously, I'm okay with watching them all the way through (take "Devil May Cry" as an example). Either that, or they have to be really vital to the impact of the game, ie. Metal Gear series, or extremely well-produced, ie. Heavenly Sword. Beyond the criteria I've just listed, my overall biggest piece of criteria is that I, as the player and ultimately a consumer who's just purchased a product that is ostensibly designed for my entertainment, must have the option of skipping the cut scene if I feel like it.

Most games have gotten pretty good about this, but there is still a plethora of games that cling onto this flaw like their lives depended on it. Take FF7: Crisis Core on the PSP for example. At one point in the game, you have to fight an uber-version of one of the main bad guys in what might be the toughest boss fights yet (as of that point). The first time, I got my ass kicked pretty squarely, so I reloaded my most recent save file and tried at it again. Only thing is, before I could progress, I had to watch the same drawn-out cut scene again, and then word bubble after word bubble of dialogue, which is unskippable to begin with. Although it wasn't more than around 5 minutes total of button-pressing to advance the dialogue, I immediately began to consider the inherent risks involved with failing to defeat the boss a second time; that's right, I would have to sit through this drek again with one thumb planted firmly on the x button, and the other straight up my ass. I turned off my PSP in disgust.

Now, beyond a detailed explanation of what an unskippable cut scene might be, everything written was just a big digression, much in the way of an unskippable cut scene in a game. My writing style, essentially.

So yes, games. Aspirations, and what have you. I will be keeping up with latest trends in the industry, plus my take on new releases and that internet buzz we're just so fond of. Now, I have no illusions of being some kind of member of the journalistic elite, alongside people like, say Stephen Totilo or the folks over at 1up; rather, I'm going to give my personal opinions with my unique brand of humor (read: not unique at all). With that in mind, please excuse the liberal amount of source-swiping I will be conducting.

That's about it. Stay tuned, sports fans.