Gaming Nation

The Christmas season is known for being the most important period for retail sales in North America. In Japan, with the upcoming year-end holidays and Westernized ideas of Christmas, the season is also noted for its important sales numbers. It therefore remains that with all of the recent console and game launches that advertising and branding be very much a part of game company strategies.



The big three (Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony) need to enter consumer minds, tell us that we need them to have fun, and appeal to our collective attitudes of wanting to belong. It's no secret that one way of entering our minds is through the power of advertising.



While walking through the streets of Shibuya, one of the most frequented districts in Tokyo, I spotted a number of larger than life advertisements; most of them showing off how fun the Wii can be with family and friends.

Before you join with the hordes of pedestrians making their way across the Shibuya intersection, you can look across the street to see this billboard plastered along the side of the largest video rental store in Japan, Tsutaya. The ad is massive. It's imposing, but not in a frightening way. Look at those people. I'm having a terrible day. Hell, I am having trouble just weaving through all of these incredibly awkward walkers. But these people above me, they seem to be having so much fun. They look so powerful. Hmmm, what is this Wii thing?



I might ignore and forget about it. That is, until I make my way farther up the hill. That's where this next ad lies in wait.

Whoa, more people that have got to be having the time of their lives. OK, I need to get more details on this Nintendo Wii. And that is how the Wii appeals to the casual and even non-gamer. Nintendo didn't stop with ads plastered across town. They have strategically placed their ads on trains, on TV, and in stores. Their launch saw gamers line up overnight and systems sell out in minutes. It made international news reports. The Wii is already a household name. Nintendo made the right marketing decisions this time around. They learned from the DS that in order to make major profits, companies need to appeal to a universal market, the everyman. The Wii does just that and the marketing campaign reassures you of it. So Nintendo's only real problem then was marketing to the hard core gaming market. But they already figured out how.



I am one of those that believes that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is nothing more than a Gamecube game in disguise. It was in development for years and should have been released a year ago. Talks of tweaking this and improving that were mentioned but I suspect the delay was nothing more than insuring that the Wii had a launch title that appealed to the hardcore gaming community. Mario Galaxy didn't make the deadline, nor did Super Smash Bros. So Nintendo wisely chose to make Zelda its "killer ap." While many argue that it is unfair to compare the next gen. systems with the Wii, I find it somewhat unavoidable. I can forgive graphical downgrades so long as the game is fun. Unfortunately, going from the graphical superiority of Blue Dragon or Gears of War to the graphically inferior Zelda is tough to do. Yes, I called Zelda inferior.




On its own, Zelda looks wonderful and plays fairly well. If I refrain from turning on my Xbox 360 for some time and stick to my Wii, I can enjoy and am sometimes even moved by the director's use of mood and graphics in Zelda. There is no doubt that this game is good. What the game lacks is the feel that it needs to be a Wii title. Did we need a sword that slashes when I swing the Wiimote? Is targeting all that much better with the Wiimote than with a cross hair controlled by an analog stick? I suppose the answers will vary depending on the respondent. However, the play controls are so similar to past 3D Zeldas, I find them counter intuitive. I want a button to act as my sword and many times find myself running into enemies without it drawn.



Zelda plays like no other Wii title. In other words, it feels like it was forced to become one. Had this been a Gamecube title, I would be more willing to overlook some of its graphical flaws and its controls would have been fine, even if unchanged from previous incarnations. The move to make it a Wii title was most likely a ploy to lure hard core fans and gamers than it was the result of wanting to make control enhancements.



Nintendo and its followers will tell you that it's not about the graphics and I agree to a point. The DS doesn't render its graphics as well as the PSP but over here in Japan, it has far outsold it. However, I have to evaluate Zelda on its merits as a game title for the new system. If Nintendo isn't going for cutting edge graphics but instead for "revolutionary" new game play, then I have to rate it accordingly. Zelda is a great Gamecube title, but it lacks that extra punch as a Wii game. It is enjoyable and deserves many of its received kudos but next time, please remind us why it should be on the Wii, otherwise, just let us use our regular controllers.



That said, what Nintendo has done with its console launch this season is marketing genius. They've captured the hardcore gaming market that would be the ones to line up overnight for a Wii, as well as those non-gamers that just want a new piece of hardware to have fun, just like the people in the media blitzkrieg.



Nintendo wasn't the only one out this season fighting for its place in our homes. Microsoft has fought hard and continued to provide Japanese gamers with more of what they want.

Here is the so-called, "Do-Do-Do" campaign, in time for Christmas. Microsoft has ads appearing on TV focusing on its new games, Blue Dragon and Lost Planet. It has noticeable displays spread across electronic stores, with Xbox girls explaining the latest and greatest game titles. Its Lost Planet/Xbox 360 box sets are sold out in many shops. Could this be Microsoft coming back? Blue Dragon created a spike in Xbox sales from 4,053 units sold the week prior to 35,343 units sold in the week following its release. Lost Planet sold about 20,000 copies in its first day. Though gamers have been responsive and some even optimistic, this may not be enough to propel the system forward. The point here is that Microsoft is trying to appeal to the Japanese market. They are definitely making their presence known. Now they need to work on erasing their negative stigma as being an "otaku" vehicle.

So where does this leave Sony? Nintendo has ads stretching throughout the land. Microsoft is fighting hard to stay above water, releasing market focused games and campaigning with strategically placed ads. Sony has the PS3. And...

The name alone is enough. The PS3 is selling like hotcakes. Who needs ads? Sure there was a focused ad campaign when the PS3 launched, but who needs that now? I don't remember one ad that sticks out in my mind regarding the PS3. It's a cultural phenomenon for sure, but why should we own one. Where are the reminders that tell us how fun it is?

The game stores have demos set up for us to play. Let's review what we've got. There's Gundam, a game that should appeal to Japanese gamers except that it is the worst rated title for the new system. That wouldn't be so bad if the rating wasn't below average. Next, we have what is considered the PS3's "killer ap," Resistance: Fall of Man. That might be great if Japanese gamers liked first person shooters. Genji? No, that got poor reviews too. The list continues with either mutli-platform games or games that received mediocre scores. So why rush to own a PS3 now? Why does Sony seem to be narrowing its market while others try to expand theirs?

Did we need Blu-ray in the machine? Wasn't this just another marketing ploy in attempt to ensure Sony's hegemony in the next generation of home entertainment visual mediums? They certainly don't want to repeat what happened with Betamax. So we have games that aren't all that appealing, a system that is beyond many people's price range, that includes technology that is not yet necessary nor thoroughly desired and to top it off, a lack of a real ad or branding presence. Will the Sony name and reputation in gaming be enough to keep them on top? Initial sales were great but will they continue and how will shortages affect the market? Only time will tell.

I'll close this entry with a photo of an ad for a well done manga, now anime. Enjoy and Happy New Year.

Link

Dreams Into Nightmares

Today marks the official release of Lost Planet for the Japanese Xbox 360. So as expected, when I arrived home from work this evening and opened my mailbox, nestled deep in its corner, I discovered a courier's slip notifying me that my copy had arrived while I was away. Sometimes Japan offers you little conveniences to life: One of those being the ability to call delivery drivers on their cell phones until 9pm so they can bring your games back to you on the same day they were meant to arrive. Please be sure to note the "sometimes" in the last sentence.


I promptly made the call and then started my transformation from salaryman, back to entertainment maven. I finished dinner and began to shed the suit that has slowly begun grafting itself to my body when the doorbell rang. It had come.

Lost Planet was here but I wasn't excited. I was worried, stressed even. Why would a gamer stress over a hotly anticipated holiday title that he already had in his hands? The answer can be seen below.

You don't see it, do you? To most gamers, the photo featured above is a dream: The sold-out Wii with a copy of Zelda: Twilight Princess, An Xbox 360 with copies of the rapidly selling Blue Dragon, the just released, Lost Planet, and the killer ap, Gears of War. So what's the problem? That's hours of fun just waiting to be had. And therein lies the problem; it's waiting to be had.

What happens when you take a guy who loves entertainment, place him in a Japanese company that focuses on semiconductor technology (a completely unrelated and foreign field) and where overtime is required but not paid? The answer is simple: You get one stressed out gamer.

I have only just begun to dive into Zelda. I have solely scratched the surface of Lost Planet. Gears of War and Akumajo: Gallery of Labyrinth have been put on indefinite hiatus. And Blue Dragon needs to be played again before I forget the control scheme. All of these great games and no time to play them. Having all of them arrive within a 3 weeks period complicates matters as well. It is truly a gamer's nightmare.

Luckily, work holidays begin on Friday evening, giving me a week and a half to get reacquainted with my games. While other game sites are on break, expect updates here. Christmas will provide the time necessary to get back into the field where I belong.

Happy Holidays!

Link

Wii Users In Action

Despite all the controversy (or however you'd describe it) around the Wii controller's problems, I doubt that anyone faults it for a failure of pushing the envelope in terms of the console controller paradigm.



Which is why this gallery of Wii users -- in action -- is so gratifying. (Does that mean they're "Wii-ing"?) It's also downright worrisome: If you're like me, you're thinking, Do I look like that??







Enjoy. (Link)



Via Boingboing

Testing new software

Since 95% of blogging seems to be about blogging itself (meta-blogging... dig!) I'd thought I'd write about how I'm attempting to use new blogging software. It's called Performancing, and among other things, it provides a pop-up window in Firefox on which to blog about whatever I'm looking at.



If this just winds up destroying the blog, Pete, I'm sorry.

Blue Dragon: Early Impressions

Hironobu Sakaguchi, Nobuo Uematsu and Akira Toriyama; they are some of, if not the most recognized names in RPGs. Among other things, the names surely conjure up images of small, spritely Final Fantasy characters, memorable victory music, and a distinct art style. If RPGs are your thing, you have without a doubt, experienced at least one of their creations. This is the second time all three of these RPG gods have come together since Chrono Trigger (though Uematsu left that project early on) , a highly acclaimed RPG for the Super NES. Microsoft is hoping that Blue Dragon will push Xbox 360 sales in Japan by feeding its gamers so hungry for the next rival to Dragon Quest/Final Fantasy.

And the name of the game is Blue Dragon. This keeps in line with what seems like a fascination that Toriyama has with the mythical beast (Dragon Quest, Dragon Ball, and now Blue Dragon).
After playing through about 6 hours of the game, I can say that it looks like Mist Walker has a hit on their hands.

The graphics are beautiful. I found myself smiling at how gorgeous the game looked. It felt like I was watching an animated movie rather than playing an RPG. The characters have that trademark Toriyama look and feel. This works for the game and holds that bit of nostalgia that a lot of us would have with RPGs and anime.

The story thus far hasn't been too thought provoking. This is no Final Fantasy XII, where you are given a multi-layered plot that often forces you to question just who or what is wrong. This is just a simple story of a young boy and his friends on their way to save the world. Maybe it gets more involved further on, but for now, it's just a fun story of good and seemingly evil. Though to be fair, the main villain appears to hiding his true intentions.

The battle system is a welcome change to the role playing formula. Once you gain control of your shadow (the big blue monsters that reflect your "feelings"), you will be able to begin arranging abilities. There are different categories of skills that you can learn and they range from assassin to monk and your more traditional white and black magic. Once you select a skill for your shadow, you will then earn sp points for it in the same way you would gain experience points. As you gather more points you begin to unlock new skills.

The fighting itself is turn based but there is a function that allows you to hold the "A" button so that you can select when your character will strike. A bar appears with your characters' and enemies' pictures positioned above it. Each character's turn position is placed on the bar. Holding down the "A" button will cause the bar to fill up and move your character's turn position. The problem is that you cannot predict the speed at which the bar will fill so you need to be careful.

I unfortunately don't have much time to go into many more details but I do want to include one issue I had with the game. Although it doesn't prove to be a complete nuisance, I found that the camera angles can sometimes keep you from knowing where the action is and it often takes a few seconds to regain your orientation. Other than that however, Blue Dragon has so far turned out to be a vibrant, exciting and imaginative journey. I hope that it just keeps getting better.

Link

David Lynch + Psychological Horror Games

On a related note (to my last post, that is) My girlfriend and I went to the IFC Center to check out the new David Lynch film. This went about as well as you can expect:: an incomprehensible narrative, some very convoluted plotting, strange inside references, and occasional bouts of (not unwelcome) nudity. We saw the actor Justin Theroux after the show, and he attempted to answer some questions, but mainly just reinforced the notion that no one besides Lynch has any idea what's really going on. That is to say, David Lynch was in fine form.

The film also gave me the moment to fantasize, as does any lengthy period of semi-boredom, about video games I'd make. The first one I came up with would involve an alien (who looks like the baby in "Eraserhead," maybe) inside your house, creating passages to other buildings, times, and dimensions and slowly driving you insane. The other one would involve trying to prevent your own death by assuming control of the bit players you encounter throughout your day, which happens to be the last day of your life. I'd expect neither to sell well, if at all.

Reminds me: Whatever happened to the "psychological horror" genre of video games? Do those still exist? I'm talking creepy horror titles – the kind of horror that doesn’t feature zombies constantly jumping out of sewers (not to mention gigantic mutant alligators.) Stuff like "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" and "Darkseed".




Some might argue that those sorts of adventure games (that elicit a deeper and creepier sense of horror and dread) largely disappeared when consoles became popular and started edging out computers for the video gamer's hard-earned dollar/yen/etc. -- the old "console gamers aren't as smart as PC gamers" theory -- but I know Darkseed also came out on the Sega Saturn in Japan. And, hell, there were plenty of creepy moments in Final Fantasy games, for my money. But still, the FF series isn't fundamentally about horror, so the problem stands.

Maybe one day we'll have computer horror games that frighten and disturb by means other than that tired old routine of having zombies play possum, before suddenly becoming reanimated and jumping up -- usually just as you're walking your character out of the room. Is this some sort of industry requirement in survival horror games? I'm just wondering.

Bathroom graffiti

Hiya. I'm going to start my inaugural post with about 98% culture commentary, and 2% gaming. An inauspicious posting, maybe, but I think that all of you out there on Pete's side of the planet might enjoy a look into a nicely storied institution here in New York City -- but which is certainly not limited to the Big Apple, as it's found in most (but not all, of course) major cities worldwide.

By this, I mean graffiti in bathrooms. (What else?)

After leaving a theater where we'd just seen film -- not just any theater, the indie-theater-for-people-who-love-movies-but-hate-going-to-the-Angelika theater, the IFC Center; and not just any film, David Lynch's indie-film-for-people-who-love-movies-but-hate-understanding-them film, "Island Empire" -- my girlfriend and I swung by a Belgian beer bar that used to be one of our favorites. (It's since fallen out of fashion in part because two equally fine Belgian beer places have opened near our apartment in Hell's Kitchen, but that's neither here nor there.)

The bar, located over in the Village, is clean, well-stocked, has a literate college-y/West Side-y clientele, which is reflected in the graffiti one sees in its bathroom. Now, bathroom graffiti is certainly nothing new in NYC, nor anywhere else, but I think what it says, and how it says it, are important indicators of cultural values... and other crap. Mainly, it's just kind of funny to check out what morons are writing when other people are lined up outside waiting to piss.

Pseudosociographical rambling aside, I snapped a few pictures.

The wall (a mop closet door, really) that greets you as you walk in. It wasn't until just now that I realized that someone had tagged "HELL" at the top of the door. Not sure what this means, exactly.

Exhibit one: Some random URL. These are all over the place in the city as people take to the Web to drum (heh) up support for their crappy band.

Exhibit two: Political graffiti, the first of MANY in this bathroom.

Side wall. Tags, band stickers, doodling, and some sort of inspirational message, perhaps?

Tag detail.

More political graffiti.

Awwww.

Bwa ha ha ha

I'd say a good 50% of the graffiti on NYC bathroom walls is about mocking someone else's graffiti.

Still more political graffiti.

See?

???

Rear wall. More assorted tags, some nice X-rated doodling, and so on.

A random tag.

Truer words have never been written.

Hell yeah! (Although I guess some of you know the game in reference as "Bare Knuckle")

The Salaryman and the Dragon

Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to make this a full entry, story or review so a brief entry will have to suffice.



Today was the day: The official release date of the Xbox 360 title, Blue Dragon. Like most salarymen in Japan, I am shackled to my desk for more hours than is legally allowed. The fact that I don't get overtime pay adds to the torture I must endure each work day. Today however, I managed to escape early enough to get home and receive my scheduled delivery of Blue Dragon.



I was lucky enough to get a bonus mouse pad and stickers for my Xbox with the order. I don't have any time to play this evening but I'll prepare a review as soon as I can. Expect entries on Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, Gears of War, and Blue Dragon in the near future. For now, here is a picture of my new friend.

Wii Launch

In video game journalism, it's difficult to report on the games without being a gamer yourself. It's impossible to simply be a conscientious observer. In order to report about the games and their respective culture effectively, one needs to be a part of them, to understand their ins and outs. This is reflective of "gonzo journalism" (minus the fiction) and its embedded elements of sociology keep the reader more involved by reading exposition rather than basic words describing a scene. Maybe this sounds all too unnecessary for an article about games but as gamers will tell you, they not only want to hear about the games, they want to know about motivations behind them and the energy that surrounds them.

With that in mind, the following report is a tale about 3 people pursuing Wiis, 3 people with different levels of enthusiasm, and the power of hype and collectivism.

Chris has been a gamer for many years. He's not what you'd call a hardcore gamer but he has his PS2 and plays games with the occasional anticipation over the next hot title. Chris had no original intent to line up for a Wii. Sure, "It looked good," he thought, but it was something he'd get eventually, nothing he needed to have right away.

Simon had no intention of actually owning a Wii. He was more along the lines of what a casual gamer would be. He had his home system and his DS but he played it out of boredom or to get his occasional sports game fix.

I have been a hardcore gamer since the age of 7. My Atari kept me busy for hours on end and spawned what would become and endless addiction. However, even with that background, I wasn't too excited by the PS3 launch. Who needs a system with Blu-ray when you don't have an HDTV or an expensive game machine that lacks what it needs most to function, games? Resistance: Fall of Man? FPSs aren't for me as my gaming tastes coincide more with that of Japanese gamers than those of my American brothers.

The Wii had more to offer. It was to be the "revolutionary" new console. That alone had my interests but Nintendo played its Trump card when they moved Zelda to the new console. Zelda was a game I needed to have. It appealed to the hardcore gamer. But there was something else. The system seemed to contain a universal appeal. Anyone could play. It was to be the system to bring people together for fun and the advertisements, the branding and the marketing were all there to remind us of this on the macro level.

We all saw it. It permeated our cultures. There is no need to explain it as you must have by now, experienced it first hand. What about the influence of this meme on the micro level?

As the launch date approached, I began to get excited. My enthusiasm and anticipation began to spread to those close to me. Chris decided he would accompany me on my quest. Originally, I thought it would be necessary to line up the evening before December 2nd. Chris didn't seem so pressed. If the PS3 launch was any indicator, we would be able to arrive on the first train at 5:30am and still secure our Wiis. Analysts seemed to be agreeing with him. Japanese newspapers reported that with such a large number of Wiis ready to hit the market, one could arrive at a game store at any time before 12pm on the 2nd and procure a Wii. It is my nature to be skeptical, and skeptical I was. But I had a contingency plan.

Akihabara (Akiba) is a heaven for otaku. Yodobashi Camera is one of the largest electronic store chains in Japan. Combine the two and you have a cornacopia of joy for gamers. You can get anything your fetish mind desires in Akiba. So it only made sense that the Akiba Yodobashi be the place to go for your Wii. That's where we set our marks. And to nearly assure my chances, I had my girlfriend (hereafter referred to as our Osakan correspondent) line up at Yodobashi Camera Umeda in Osaka.

Chris suggested seeing a movie to kill time. Simon came along. Roppongi seemed like the perfect place to wait. The theatre there was state of the art and the subway would take us straight to Akiba. The film ended at about 3, giving us 2 more hours before we could catch the first train.

Simon was feeling hungry so we headed to the nearby "Chinese Cafe." It looked more like a restaurant to me but how could one argue against a sign that read, "Enjoy cafe and Chinese time?" I was too full from the massive amounts of caramel popcorn that I had eaten at the theatre to eat any more but the others enjoyed a small meal. At about 4am, a phone mail from our Osakan correspondent made its way to my phone. When she arrived at the scene at 1am, she was given a ticket by the Yodobashi staff securing her a Wii. They were moved to the building's indoor parking lot where, to quote, "(she) felt like a refugee." She was number 1,643 and at 4am, there were over 2000 people waiting. How would this bode for our chances at Yodobashi Akihabara? Did we have a chance? Before we could make it there, we needed to get coffee.

It was getting cold and sleep was trying to take control of us. Roppongi was spilling over with inebriated party-goers. We weren't a part of them tonight, Things looked so different, clearer, We had a goal to reach. We got our coffees and made our way to the subway. It was almost time.

We finally arrive in Akiba, thinking that our true wait had only just begun. We were expecting to be greeted by an immensely large line, instead we were greeted with this:

Now what? We were supposed to see an endless line. We were supposed to feel anxious. We were supposed to be afraid we might miss our chance being too far back in line. But we got none of that. That's when I noticed a change. Simon and Chris had gone from being passive observers to wanting to take control. After all, they had a goal and they weren't settling for failure.

We walked around Akihabara but it was almost a ghost town. A few people waited in lines here and there for nothing more than raffle tickets giving them a chance to get a Wii. This Gamers store had only nine units but there were already over 2o people in line.

I suggested that we make our way to Shinjuku. If everyone has already secured Wiis in Akiba, we might have a chance if the abundance of electronics stores in Shinjuku had been neglected. We had to take action.

On the train ride to Shinjuku, Simon had begun gathering intel using his phone and online blogs. Conditions seemed grim. Akiba was almost sold out completely. Areas in Tokyo that didn't exhaust all of their pre-orders did not have enough capacity to provide all of those in line with a Wii. Shibuya had fallen. Akiba was already gone. And prospects in Shinjuku weren't looking good.

(Photo is sideways for your pleasure)

We were fortunate enough to have our conversation heard by a Gamespy contributor. He gave us even more information on the launch. Perhaps travelling to the outskirts of Tokyo would be safer. After all, it seemed that the Internet community was pointing to the fact that Wiis would be easier to get out away from the major cities. But we were steadfast and stayed our course.

We made our way to the Shinjuku Yodobashi Camera. Things seemed better, well at least there was a line to wait in this time. It was now 6am.

There must have been already a few hundred people ahead of us. Most people lined up in places where they were assured a Wii if they waited early enough in line. This line must have been for the people like us, the ones that got there too late. It sounds unreasonable to wait this long for a lottery but I wasn't surprised. Chris had already gone from not caring too much about having a Wii to overflowing enthusiasm for one. He needed to have it. And Simon was hoping for one as well. He was the real surprise. Before the night began, Simon wasn't even thinking about owning one, but now he too was secretly hoping he could get one too.

I was calm. I knew that I had my Wii out in Osaka. In fact, I may have actually lost some excitement because I knew I wasn't going to be able to go home to play.

At about 6:30, the employees came out to give us our lottery tickets.

That's right I was number 545 in a line for a lottery ticket! This didn't look good. Chris was getting a bit worried. Were they going to have enough supply? We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Wiis being shuffled into Yodobashi but there only seemed to be a few hundred. Was that going to be enough? Were they going to keep the number of raffle winners low?

Collectivism is a large part of Japanese society and this gave us a chance to bond with people of common interests. We even got to make friends with a guy named, Ko. He had just decided to wake up early and get in line for a Wii. It was almost an afterthought for him. He wanted a Wii but it wasn't a top priority. At this point I think Chris was thinking that Ko had made the right decision. We were tired and getting hungry and we didn't even know if we'd win the lottery.

At a little after 7am, the employees came out to announce the winners. This was just chaotic. It didn't seem like the Yodobashi workers were ready for the large amount of people. Their megaphone announcements couldn't reach all of those in line. People soon disbanded from their neat lines and became one huge unorganized crowd.

People began complaining about not being able to hear. They wanted to know where they stood. They wanted to know if they'd get their Wiis.

Then there was a calm. The amplified voices started becoming clear and everyone listened with trepidation. The winning numbers were called. Any number ending with a 1,2, 3, 4, 7, 9, or 0 was a winner. I had lost, but to me it didn't matter. I already had me Wii. But what about Chris and Simon. Chris lost too. He was 546. But Simon had won! He was nice enough to give his ticket to Chris though. He knew Chris needed it now. Simon could go without, but I could sense he too wanted it now.

Now all we needed to do was wait to get in and pay for it. We just had to wait for about 300 people before us. Then from behind, a figure moves close and in English speaks to us. "Hey, you guys want this?" It was another winning ticket. "My friend already got us a Wii somewhere else. I don't need it." And like that, Simon had his wish. From having no desire for one, to going through great lengths and overcoming odds to get his hands on a Wii.

There is no doubt that the Wii launch was a success for Nintendo. We'll get official numbers soon, but all units gone in a flash. We decided to take our new spoils and head for a well deserved breakfast at McDonalds.

There we met a friend of Simon's. He was drunk from a long night out. We were drunk on euphoria and lack of sleep. When Simon's friend caught sight of our Wiis, I could sense the feeling of envy, of being left out. We told him of our night's adventures and he said he'd get his someday. Then we parted.

Moments later, Simon got an email from him. Somehow he had walked into a ma and pa shop and bought a Wii. Maybe those analysts weren't completely wrong after all.

Launch

Well, so it begins: Our first attempt at publishing an online magazine. It all begins with an idea and effort. But you are saying to yourself, "Hey, this looks like a blog." Probably because that's what it actually is. Going against certain rules, I will start out by saying this is more about marketing than it is an actual magazine launch. That requires effort, time, and resources that we have yet to gather.

What you see here is a passion of ours, one that includes writing about ideas based on our combined interests. You'll read about games, culture, and entertainment from Japan and the US. Being based in both New York and Tokyo helps keep us at the forefront of information and technology. We hope that this blog will allow us to convey our experience and understanding to an audience that wants to read about them.

The bottom line is that this blog is here for you but it is mostly here for us. This is what we want to write about. This is how we want to write about it. We can only hope that you want to read it.

Thanks for your support.

Pete