[その他] 絶体絶命都市3 ~お姉さまイベント~

 So get this...

Irem seemed to be planning their time-honored April Fool's gag to serve as a marketing gimmick for the upcoming Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 4 release.However, since much of Kanto is still reeling from the effects of the recent earthquake, they eventually decided not to go through it, even going as far as canceling the release entirely. I would have wanted to see it since I'm a fan of the first three games, but I'm all for taking the feelings of the survivors into consideration too.

Admittedly, I started playing Zettai Zetsumei Toshi 3 again after learning about the disaster, which in turn motivated me to pick up where I left off in the FAQ I was writing for it. That being said, I wanted to share one of my favorite parts of the game with the non-Japanese speaking populace out there. Though it looks labor-intensive, this post actually served as a refreshing break from translating the dizzying array of dialogue choices on offer.

In case anyone asks, these scenes DO happen in the game. You just have to make the right choices to activate the Ayami flag. Irem is freaky like that.

*Beware, this entry is image and spoiler heavy.

[その他] 頑張れ！日本！！！

Shame on me.

For the past week I've been living under my proverbial hikkikomori rock.

It took me a while to hear about the tragedy that has struck Japan, coming in the form of a tsunami triggered by a Magnitude 8.9 (though some experts seem eager to round it off to a flat 9) earthquake. Disasters have been a periodical part of Japanese history because their territory is situated on the so-called "Pacific Ring Of Fire", but that doesn't make things any easier for them. Over 10,000 were killed, and possible nuclear plant meltdowns over some of the affected areas are also a major concern.

This is truly a dark time for a country whose collective culture I study and admire. While I could devote a whole paragraph into making a profound personal dedication, it isn't really necessary. Pro skier Noriaki Kasai pretty much summed up my exact same sentiments in a simple message written on his gloves:

Be strong, Japan!! Don't give in to suffering!

[PSP] ゴーGET!

Looky looky, I got myself a PSP Go.

Only I didn't buy it. Just won it off some raffle I entered for the heck of it. Truth be told, I wanted to win the Neptunia PS3 game (3rd Prize), hoard the artbook for my own viewing pleasure, then sell the game elsewhere standalone (I has no PS3; and as many of you may recall, I'm not really fond of localized games) to get monies for my future UMD purchases. Instead I get this.

I was also inclined to sell the Go at first, but then it hit me: Since I got so used to handling a 3000, maybe I can do my own review of how a Go feels compared to the former. Of course, since this puny squirt doesn't have a UMD drive, the only way I could do a gameplay test was to give it the CFW treatment. 

Keep in mind, I know how to make a JP PSN account, but since I pay for all my stuff with cash, I don't have squat in terms of loading it with Yen credits, since people here only import UMDs and the PSN credits they sell are mainly US, HK and Singaporean Dollars. So forgive me for being a cheapskate and dabbling in the dark side of PSP gaming. Besides, the games I downloaded as ISOs were ones that I own in UMD format anyway. No blood, no foul.