What the hell. I was just browsing Giant Bomb, and I discovered a listing for Lunar: Harmony of Silver Star for the PSP, another remake of Lunar: The Silver Star.
L:TSS compelled me to buy a Sega CD, idiot child that I was. It had the cheesiest intro song, to which I would sing along:
After that, Game Arts made a Saturn version, which never hit U.S. shores. Which is lucky, because I probably would've bought a Saturn if it had. The next re-release was on the Playstation, and it came to America courtesy of Working Designs. Awesome remake, lots of fun, and it had for-the-time magnificent voice acting. Even though its intro lacked the disco cheesiness of the original, I still downloaded it (in the days of dialup!) and watched it a good fiftysomething times.
Alright, so Lunar got re-remade on the GBA as Lunar Legend. Maybe it was good, maybe bad, but Working Designs was out of the picture, so I didn't play it.
All told, the PSP port of Lunar will be the 4th remake of L:TSS. Enough. Game Arts hasn't produced an original Lunar game since 2005's Lunar: Dragon Song, which by all accounts was slightly horrid. Before that, the freshest Lunar game is 1995's Lunar: Walking School for the Game Gear. Has Game Arts simply conceded that they can't make a Lunar game anymore, and resigned the series to endless remakes devoid of reinvention?
It's pointless to take offense at the actions of corporations who have in no way wronged me. I'm no stockholder. While Lunar isn't the best game I've ever played, it's definitely my favorite. It was my first RPG love, and it feels weird to see it reappear over and over, Dark Force style.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Messages From PAX
While in Seattle, I sent a ton of text messages to my friend. These are reproduced here to give a mostly accurate account of my time at PAX. Plus, it's the only really interesting thing I've done recently, so I want to wring as much out of it as possible.
Day Zero:
9/3/09 4:22pm:
I just had the greatest idea for a soft drink: Dr. Ribs! Available in Hickory and Dry Rub.
9/3/09 7:45pm:
I just ate probably the best steak I've ever had, served to me by a woman who looked like an angry Tina Fey.
Day One:
9/4/09 11:19am:
It's like a million bespectacled salmon swimming upstream to breed.
9/4/09 11:32am:
Don't know if that was a Jedi or just a guy in a bathrobe.
9/4/09 11:41am:
Okay, THAT was a Jedi.
9/4/09 12:45pm:
I just got my copy of Sneak King signed by Toastyfrog! I called him Mr. Parish. I feel dirty now.
9/4/09 2:42pm:
There's No More Heroes 2 toilet paper in the bathroom.
9/4/09 4:43pm:
Some guy started walking next to me on the street. Not sure if he was hitting on me or trying to scam me. Either way, KA-REEPY.
9/4/09 5:10pm:
I regret not cosplaying. This seems like the perfect place to dress up as some obscure game character. Like, the shopkeeper from Might and Magic 2 or something.
Day Two: Judgment Day
9/5/09 1:48pm:
I thought I saw a drug deal going down, but they were just exchanging a copy of Odin Sphere.
9/5/09 3:19pm:
Jeez, this place is full of Korean MMOs.
9/5/09 7:37pm:
Just saw a lady dressed as the player character from Persona 4 ... with a golf club. Respect.
9/5/09 9:36pm:
I just got whupped at a Magic tournament, but I enjoyed it heartily. And I was sitting next to a cut-rate Seanbaby.
9/5/09 9:48pm:
I'm about to take a shot of this godawful NOS energy drink. Pray for me.
9/5/09 9:51pm:
Oh god, it's like someone peed in rancid cough syrup.
9/5/09 10:44pm:
Rick Astley singalong!
9/5/09 11:45pm:
OMG FREEZEPOP
9/5/09 11:51pm:
WTF KEYTAR YES
9/6/09 1:16am:
This burrito kinda tastes like soap.
9/6/09 2:05am:
God, why did Freddie Mercury have to die?
Day Three: Rise of the Machines
9/6/09 12:54pm:
I live!
9/6/09 1:53pm:
Jonathan Coulton was kinda meh. He just didn't seem that into it. I liked his opening act, Paul and Storm, better.
9/6/09 3:55pm:
Sitting on a beanbag in the handheld lounge - this is my moment of Zen.
9/6/09 4:24pm:
There are these awesome aprons at the Diner Dash booth... but to get one I'd have to stand in line for ten minutes and play Diner Dash. No deal.
9/6/09 6:38pm:
PAX is a solemn reminder for all nerds: no matter what you walk of life, race, creed, or fandom, we're all the same under our ironic video game t-shirts.
Day Zero:
9/3/09 4:22pm:
I just had the greatest idea for a soft drink: Dr. Ribs! Available in Hickory and Dry Rub.
9/3/09 7:45pm:
I just ate probably the best steak I've ever had, served to me by a woman who looked like an angry Tina Fey.
Day One:
9/4/09 11:19am:
It's like a million bespectacled salmon swimming upstream to breed.
9/4/09 11:32am:
Don't know if that was a Jedi or just a guy in a bathrobe.
9/4/09 11:41am:
Okay, THAT was a Jedi.
9/4/09 12:45pm:
I just got my copy of Sneak King signed by Toastyfrog! I called him Mr. Parish. I feel dirty now.
9/4/09 2:42pm:
There's No More Heroes 2 toilet paper in the bathroom.
9/4/09 4:43pm:
Some guy started walking next to me on the street. Not sure if he was hitting on me or trying to scam me. Either way, KA-REEPY.
9/4/09 5:10pm:
I regret not cosplaying. This seems like the perfect place to dress up as some obscure game character. Like, the shopkeeper from Might and Magic 2 or something.
Day Two: Judgment Day
9/5/09 1:48pm:
I thought I saw a drug deal going down, but they were just exchanging a copy of Odin Sphere.
9/5/09 3:19pm:
Jeez, this place is full of Korean MMOs.
9/5/09 7:37pm:
Just saw a lady dressed as the player character from Persona 4 ... with a golf club. Respect.
9/5/09 9:36pm:
I just got whupped at a Magic tournament, but I enjoyed it heartily. And I was sitting next to a cut-rate Seanbaby.
9/5/09 9:48pm:
I'm about to take a shot of this godawful NOS energy drink. Pray for me.
9/5/09 9:51pm:
Oh god, it's like someone peed in rancid cough syrup.
9/5/09 10:44pm:
Rick Astley singalong!
9/5/09 11:45pm:
OMG FREEZEPOP
9/5/09 11:51pm:
WTF KEYTAR YES
9/6/09 1:16am:
This burrito kinda tastes like soap.
9/6/09 2:05am:
God, why did Freddie Mercury have to die?
Day Three: Rise of the Machines
9/6/09 12:54pm:
I live!
9/6/09 1:53pm:
Jonathan Coulton was kinda meh. He just didn't seem that into it. I liked his opening act, Paul and Storm, better.
9/6/09 3:55pm:
Sitting on a beanbag in the handheld lounge - this is my moment of Zen.
9/6/09 4:24pm:
There are these awesome aprons at the Diner Dash booth... but to get one I'd have to stand in line for ten minutes and play Diner Dash. No deal.
9/6/09 6:38pm:
PAX is a solemn reminder for all nerds: no matter what you walk of life, race, creed, or fandom, we're all the same under our ironic video game t-shirts.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Jason Andrew Relva
So, my friend's leaving town, and I'm totally bummed out about it. Back in third grade, my friend Josh moved away. Usually, I'll keep a couple friends around, but Josh was my lone confidant when he left for Wisconsin. I remember sitting in the dining room, eating terrible apple pie ice cream, listening to "J.A.R." by Green Day, and trying not to cry. Unsuccessfully. So I kind of feel like that.
I promised to give her the keys to this, my secret blog, and now I feel a bit agitated. There's an emptiness to writing on this unseen wall, but once I have a confirmed audience of one, it feels exhibitionistic.
Well, it won't be the first time I give someone directions here, but it may be the last. I'm still trying to decide what to do with Neue. Y'know, the name feels kind of pretentious, but I can't bring myself to change it. Maybe I'll write up its origin story.
I promised to give her the keys to this, my secret blog, and now I feel a bit agitated. There's an emptiness to writing on this unseen wall, but once I have a confirmed audience of one, it feels exhibitionistic.
Well, it won't be the first time I give someone directions here, but it may be the last. I'm still trying to decide what to do with Neue. Y'know, the name feels kind of pretentious, but I can't bring myself to change it. Maybe I'll write up its origin story.
My Notes from PAX
Post-N'Gai, Post EGM Video Games Journalism
Q&A
- "If this shirt doesn't stink, I'm not gaming hard enough."
- That guy's shirt? Drenched in sweat. - Gus Mastrapa looks like a flattened Alan Moore.
- Inexplicable Lil' Jon Noises
- Chris Kohler: "Games journalism needs an old guard"
- Mastrapa: How can journalistic outlets find a non ad-supported product to sell?
- Pat Klepek looks like that one kid from Freaks and Geeks.
- Klepek: "Clicks is juice, fool"
- Karen Chu: "Think more"
-Web 2.0: now that all this user-created info has been generated, what to do with it? How can you analyze it or make it more useful?
Q&A
- This guy majored in 'Informatics?'
- KChu: "It's easy to write a one-star review and be an asshole"
- Kohler: "You don't have to be the one definitive review."
- Sweaty shirt guy has finally dried out.
- Creepy British Asian guy just announced that he's started a magazine. I kind of hate him, but I admire his shameless self-promotion.
- Really, why should you care about games journalism being taken seriously?
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Draw Go
Starting later this month, I plan on making this a better blog. Neue has been like my bicycle for most of its life: it gets taken out of the basement once a month, I try it out, then my ass hurts and I forget about it. So there's going to be a regular update schedule (which I haven't figured out yet) as well as some cosmetic and functional changes. I may spin the Diaryland half of this off from the IGN half. I want to use my writing here as a portfolio, but I worry that leaving in the exhausting descriptions of my neuroses will make it hard for me to point at this and say, "Hire me!"
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