Bass Pro Shops, Scary Malls, Dave & Busted's

PLEASE NOTE: I will post pictures I took on my iPhone really soon but since I'm typing this at work, I can't do that just yet.  Later today...

Last Saturday was very strange to me.  And it's not cause it was 4/20 (I don't smoke, SORRY KIDS).  It's because my brother (2 years younger than me) and his girlfriend were driving to Orlando to come visit me for the day.  It was a treat since it gave me the incentive to do something besides sleep in all day to make up for my lack of sleep during the work week.

Whatever, so we're off to go do stuff.  First, we stop at Chipotle to eat tacos.  I throw around a lot of jokes, get a bunch of laughs.  Then after we eat, we want to do something fun.  Since we're near International Drive where all the tourist traps are, we think "Hey, let's go putt-putt."  So Brother searches for "putt putt" on his iPhone and we're off to some place called "Putting Edge."  Strange thing is it takes us to the Festival Bay, a gigantic mall near the end of International Drive (by the Fun Spot and the terrible outlet malls that sell clothes I'm not interested in).  We don't see a sign ANYWHERE for a Putting Edge but we do spot a Bass Pro Shops which served as an anchor to a large mall!  Because Brother and Girlfriend are into outdoors stuff, they inexplicably want to go in.  And I obliged.

In case you're like "dafuq is bass pro shops", it's basically a giant log-cabin department store with a shiatload of ourdoor merchandise--hunting, camping, fishing, boats, ATV's, an aquarium-esque fishing tank, "homemade" candy prepared an log cabin (yo dawg we herd you like...), NASCAR toys, Cabela's silly light-gun games (which reminds me, where the hell is Sega Bass Pro Fishing???), and old-timey red-state stuff.  A far cry from Academy Sports (from my hometown Slidell, LA) which is basically a white box with some sporting goods in it.  Since this place is so big, it was like an amusement park of its own.  Brother pushed Girlfriend around in the shopping cart, checked out the lousy light-gun game, tried on hats, looked at poor taxidermed animals, took pictures next to the Tony Stewart sign, also checked out the stuffed toy animals (I bought a coyote and a brown thrasher, I like little toy animals, I think they're cool so STFU), and sat in comfy recliners.

But after we've had our fun for about an hour, I glance at the other exit to Bass Pro Shops--the one leading to the actual mall.  Now the last time I was at this store, I hadn't gone into the mall.  But here, there was a sign leading to the "Fantasy Arcade" or something.  It was too alluring not to go so I told Brother and Girlfriend, "I'm going to check out that arcade, see ya later."

What happened next was rather surreal like a Twilight Zone or Creepypasta (at least to me anyway).  See, I had walked into....a dead mall.  It was a big, vacant hallway.  All the stores were boarded up except for a few stragglers like a sporting goods, Smoothie King, and the indoor glow-in-the-dark Putting Edge that took us to this very building in the first place.  As I was wandering around looking for the arcade, I felt like I had been here before...  Visually, this building is nearly the same as some of the macabre dreams I had before--ones where everything was dim, the building was on its last legs, and a shoddy arcade.  I did find the arcade and not to my surprise, it was a bunch of poorly aligned arcade cabinets with a bias towards American games (as usual).  No Sega racers but they had Cruis'n World (dumb) and San Francisco Rush (better).

I didn't play any games though.  Didn't feel like it.  Was too weirded out by the place.  I sort of wandered around aimlessly as I nearly crawled up into a ball to cry.  Pains of going to the Northshore Square Mall in Slidell, LA to play Daytona USA 2 wrought me with misery.  I feel like those dreams were just self-fulfilling prophecy of the death of malls (see this informative site), arcades, and Sega in general and that the happy times were never coming back.  And how my journey thus far was really a dramatic one--that malls like this is where my "life force" came from and I'm trying to bring it home for racing game fans everywhere but I been shut out from being able to help for so long.  Drama, I have it...

And like any good Creepypasta story, I didn't simply "run away" when things got weird.  I stuck around and wandered some more and took pictures (Frank West style, speaking of Dead Rising, yeah this mall looks like it).  Eventually, Brother & Girlfriend walked to the mall too but I ran back to Bass Pro Shops.  What would happen is 30 minutes of us trying to message each other in order to meet up again but to little success.  When I finally found them, in a cold I bought a bag of malted milk balls, munched on 'em in the car as I took off uneasy.  I told Brother & Girlfriend that I felt ill but they didn't get it.  I was very talkative up until the moment I went into the mall but afterwards, my energy was drained.

Well, what else is there to do on a Saturday night in Orlando?  Eventually, we agreed to go to Dave & Buster's, the one that I went to twice already (once, twice).  My mood lightened up once we got there.  We paid $25 to play some games and, obviously, I had opted to play Daytona USA (no really?).  Brother & Girlfriend stood on and watched but were mostly interested in getting in petty debates over dating stuff (which is why I'm currently single--no debating with girls and more time to play games).

While I shed a tear and was slightly healed from experiencing the cathartic effects of a Sega racer, the problem was the pedals were defunct.  If you floored it, the car only accelerated 70-90% of the way, varying on the different machines.  Like on Expert, I couldn't even pass a single car on the starting straightaway which is not supposed to happen.  After playing a couple of rounds to much disappointment, I spotted an arcade attendee repairing a House of the Dead 3 machine.  Told him "the pedals on those machines are off," he said okay but was mostly uninterested.  I highly doubt he fixed them.  Judging by how content people are from playing Beginner with the AT car bouncing off the walls with no skill, I highly doubt it was in Dave & Buster's interest to even repair the machines.  That is depressing.

The day did end on an okay thing.  We played this little football game where you score points by throwing tiny footballs through some holes.  I got the worst score of us three and, in three plays, got consecutively worse scores.  I Tebowed in the middle of the place.  Girlfriend got the highest score of all (WTF indeed), plus she also beat me at Daytona USA on beginner (a first for me) but only because my cabinet had busted pedals and hers didn't and she used rubber banding to win.  Was shitty but she didn't rub it in.

We go home to my apartment, I convince Brother & Girlfriend to watch a few Top Gear UK clips on YouTube, they go to sleep on the crappy Target futon, wake up early and drive back home.  It was an interesting Saturday but in many ways depressing.  It makes me think that over the last year or few, I sorta missed out on the pain that Sega & arcade games were going through and that I opted to spend my time on personal projects that had nothing to do with Sega, really.  I couldn't help but cry a little.

Man, the reason I'm going through this "journey" to Sega is to bring back the good times for everyone who was in my boat.  And we're making progress but still, I always feel I could've done better.

Good news though and that is my dad is coming up to visit me today.  I get to see my dad again, it will be fun.  Hopefully we don't get in any stupid situations like I did with Brother & Girlfriend, heh.  I just want to be at peace, that is all...

I love you, Dad.  I love you too, Sega, for your games fathered me like a real father would.  You convinced me to be this way so I'm trying to spend time with you again.  Just don't shut me out, please.  And yes, I do have a habit of spinning media about missing family/friends/loved ones into missing Sega games and now you know that.

Daytona USA 2 Saved/Ruined My Life

EDIT: Fixed some typos & stuff a day later.

Well guys, I'm back.  Let me tell you what's been going on.  Recently, I had a two week break which I spent at home in Slidell, Louisiana.  Then I drove back to Orlando, Florida and I've already completed one week of my internship.  Just didn't bother mentioning it until now.

Driving to and from Orlando by myself was a nine-hour nightmare (that happened twice).  It rained a lot both times (precipitation for about 40% of the distance) and there were two traffic jams in which I had to come to a complete stop.  The only excitement came from a "race" between me and a geriatric couple in a white Dodge Caravan.  I pass these guys and two hours later, they start creeping up on me (at 76 mph) so I slingshot past them (at 77 mph).  Hey, anything to keep me alert is fine by me.

Me driving with my little furry friend.  I'm not ashamed.

BTW, Florida toll booths are crap.  There's this one booth that charges $3 for a two-axle car.  What a piece of crap.  What's worse is that I didn't have $3 in change on me (sorry I don't walk around with tons of cash in my pocket) so I offered the toll booth lady my debit card.  They don't take cards of any kind.  Are you serious???  The hot dog cart lady outside of the FIEA building takes credit cards but the State of Florida doesn't???  So they took my license & plate number and now I have to mail them a $3 check within a very limited amount of time that my dad agreed to pay for me.  But he got lazy and said "you got a Louisiana license plate that's crap, don't bother."  So now, if Florida law enforcement tows my car, confiscates my license, and makes me face a judge, then I know who to thank.  Thanks, dad.

So now I will tell you about this old town of Slidell, Louisiana.  That's my home.  You check out what has changed and, as usual, nothing really has.  So I made another pilgrimage to Northshore Square Mall.  Not even this mall has changed.  That's not bad seeing as indoor malls are "on their way out" but whatever, it's still good to know.  Buy some expensive cookies, some flat greasy pizza, check out the arcade, sit on the bench, I have zero interest in buying clothes so what else is there to do so I left.

It is properly fitting that as I begin working in the game industry we visit the place that actually got the ball rolling on this career path.

This is the water fountain, a picture taken while sitting on a bench.

Another water fountain...ooo, that's pretty, I love palm trees.  Yu Suzuki does, that's why the AM2 logo is a palm tree (omg, symbolism).

This is the shot directly behind where I was sitting.  It's the arcade.  That's hallowed ground there.

As usual, my head was swimming with thoughts at the time.  Now I already told my arcade story a while back and how this all began, but I omitted some details.  I should mention these now.

I practically lived in Slidell my entire life until a year ago when I moved to Orlando.  I've always known about this arcade.  At first it was "Pocket Change," then it was "Namco Arcade," now it's "Coin It Up."  Pocket Change had a Turbo (1982 Sega arcade racer) cabinet and that was great.  I loved race cars as a kid and that was one of the many games that I played at the time.  Unfortunately, my parents were always reluctant to take me to the arcade for many reasons--it costs money, the mall is a ghetto full of gangsters and miscreants, and so forth so I didn't play much Turbo.

Never mind that, let's move on.  It was about 2000.  At the time, my greatest extent of racing game knowledge was Cruis'n World and Mario Kart.  Didn't know much else.  But Penny Arcade brought in a California Speed cabinet!  That was great--the first time I played it, I thought it was the greatest that racing games could ever get.  Stupid, I know.  Then what happens?  Penny Arcade closes down.  Aww, that sucks. I felt a bit sad but whatever, let's zip ahead a year when Namco Arcade opens a month or two later.  This is the make-or-break moment.  I mean, I had an It's a Wonderful Life moment and wonder if that arcade never opened.  Like if it were replaced with sporting goods, cell phones, or a hair salon.  Let me explain why.

What I've seldom said is that those years from 2000 to 2005 were some of the worst in my life.  I'm not going to paint a picture of doom & gloom--I had two parents who loved me, I lived in a nice house, and I didn't suffer any terrible injuries or sickness.  But I did suffer from extreme anxiety which I apparently got from my mother.  There's many reasons, most of which has to do with social situations.  EDIT: I wouldn't say I was a nerd (like Napoleon Dynamite) but I was just foolish when it came to these social situations.  I went from home school to a private school and I acted like an idiot--a Socially Awkward Penguin.  I also spent a lot of time on various internet message boards, making social blunder and blunder and not knowing why.  I was a fool who had just lost all of his childhood friends and made none other at that time.  School was miserable and all I really focused on was getting good grades--I maintained all A's from 9th grade up until my Senior year of College, true story but not like it matters now.  My loving grandmother died in 9th grade.  Took tons of anti-depressants.  I spent a lot of time playing "grind-it-out" games like The Sims which really proved to be a waste of time in the long run.  9/11 just happened and that was depressing.  And finally, I had some religious questions pertaining to my Christian faith that hung over me--not stuff like the existence of God but stuff like,  "What is Heaven like and what are you supposed to do for eternity," and "If the world is supposed to end soon, why bother doing anything?"  (please, for the love of God, no one comment on these things or I will probably delete it).  Oh, and puberty, that probably made me depressed too.  I try to block out this clusterf*** part of my life as much as possible.

Well, except for one thing: Daytona USA 2.

No, really, the new Namco Arcade had a twin Daytona USA 2 cabinet.  I can't remember the first time that I played it (purely on a whim, nonetheless) but it was pure joy every time that I played it.  What was otherwise a miserable time of my life was capitalized by the times I got to go visit the arcade and play it.  But like I said before, my parents hated going to arcade.  I only got to play Daytona 2 only a handful of times every two weeks.  I kept track of my fastest times with each car, bought Namco Arcade coupons to increase my number of plays, and ingrained the soundtrack in my head (whatever bits I could hear over the roaring engines).  In other words, old racing games that I thought were "good" were now bad because Sega moved to #1 in my book.

But as you know, Daytona USA 2 never came to home consoles.  I always read the occasional story while browsing lousy Reddit Gaming about how video games changing peoples lives for the better.  Pokemon, Halo, Portal, OH MY GOD GUYS they saved my life, thank you developers!  Yet the distinct difference between those games and Daytona is that you could actually play those games at home.  YOU COULD NOT PLAY DAYTONA USA 2 AT HOME AND IT HONESTLY BROKE MY HEART WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT (and still do today).  So I look up more Sega games, I buy a Dreamcast & find out about OutRun, Crazy Taxi, Sega Rally, the Dreamcast version of Daytona, all of which were great but why Sega chose to cast Daytona 2 away made no sense to me.

Then I always talked about that day: February 1, 2005.  Aaaand, it's gone.  Goodbye Daytona USA 2, it disappeared from Namco Arcade and never came back.  I stood in the rain and cried all night while my dad thought I was bats*** crazy.  He offered me the three most encouraging words from a father that you could ever hear: "GET OVER IT...."

I felt like a goldfish whose fish tank just cracked.  There goes my primary source of happiness.  And I did the only thing that I could--frantically post on the internet about Daytona, research more about Sega, learn about game design, and ultimately wallow in a state of depression.  I even e-mailed a 20-page document directly to Sega-AM2 with a bunch of ideas for a new Daytona--yeah the ideas were stupid but at least it was a valiant attempt.  They never replied back, to no one's surprise.

Then one day, I was sitting in a chair thinking about life.  You see, up until this moment, I didn't have a clear career track in mind for the future.  Until then, my mother was trying to groom me into this preppy, intellectual type--piano lessons, Latin classes, chess club, all sorts of honors societies.  But then, just like Forrest Gump, I had a revelation and got up out of that chair and said,  "There is no doubt what I'm going to do with my life.  I'm making a new racing game.  If Sega ain't doing it, then I will.  I'm bringing back the Daytona USA name once and for all and may the Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on those who try to stop me!!"  In Forrest's case, he just ran.

But I'm running too, sort of.  Running down a dream!  Go to Southeastern Louisiana University, get a computer science degree.  Never programmed anything before then!  Then I went to grad school and I'm nearly done with that.  I also made the Northshore Square Mall Counter-Strike map to exorcise some of the demons--it helped but it's still a sad state of affairs.

But it's so easy to lose track of the "goal."  Daytona USA 2 was released FOURTEEN YEARS AGO.  A lot has changed since then.  Arcades are dead, Sega is a deplorable, hollow shell of their former selves (which'll probably die out in a few years), I've been locked in a war of attrition with this new commercial-obsessed model for game design/publishing from the likes of EA and other game companies that have been stripping me of my morale.  Oh, and the racing genre is a complete joke now but that brings me to my next point...

Maybe Daytona USA 2 was a flash in the pan?  Look, most/all of us racing aficionados can say that Daytona 2 is a "good" game.  But is it a great game?  Perhaps it left that emotional impact on me because of the circumstances--it was one of the only good things going for me during those years, I seldom got to play it, it's gone now so it makes an emotional story...to bring the game back.  And all it does is make me irrational to think about it...to get mad at stupid video games (usually other racing games that I'm supposed to "like" so much) I don't like and ostracize myself from the rest of the community.  And it makes working on games especially difficult.  Other programmers are a happy-go-lucky type--they'll work on games X, Y, and Z without problem.  Yet with someone like me, whose has become so hung up on a 14-year-old game no one remembers, I'll work on X but struggle with Y and Z simply because "I hate it" or "I wish I was working on Daytona USA."

And then there's Bart's Model 3 emulator.  Once Daytona USA 2 (and Scud Race) finally came home, I wasn't overjoyed, I was FUCKING ANGRY.  Angry cause it took me so damn long to get this game back.  Angry that Sega did next to nothing to try to bring this game back...that it took the efforts of rogue fans to save the game to make some 50-100 people on the Internet happy.  Angry at whatever outside forces, directly or indirectly, held back any chance for Sega to redeem the game.  Angry that this game got no credit until now.  Angry at video games in general which have done nothing that let me down over and over again.  I played the emulator, yes, and I was thrilled, but it's not the same as it was before.  All I could do was throw rocks at the proverbial abandoned Sega building as hard as I could before giving out.

Of course, I learned more about Sega's situation at the turn of the century and clearly they were on hard times like I was.  So beating up on Sega is equivalent of beating up the special kid on the playground and it was no use.  So while I feel inclined to help Sega not just for myself but everyone else's sakes, I don't even know if I'll work there someday.  Whatever happens to Sega, I'll still bust my ass on that definitive racing game...the "utopia project"--whether it's Daytona 3 or some other game altogether.  It's only a matter of finding out who'll help me, whether it's Sega or some other studio or group of developers altogether.

So even though Daytona 2 was made available at home, my job's not done yet.  Which leads me to me and my very first game design "job."  Like I said, I can't tell you where I'm working or what game or platform it is, but I've just submitted a few lines of code to my very first game.  It really is a legitimate game--you could Google it and find out plenty of information on it.  But otherwise, it's a mellow job in which I work alone having just ditched all my old friends at FIEA.  See, I was the only person offered an internship from my cohort.  I did my best to leave FIEA on a good note--have fun, tell jokes, take people to Wendy's for lunch, etc. so I'm demoralized.  Despite my inability to make friends, those that I do become accustomed with over the years usually go away and I never see them again.  And this will inevitably happen--if I'm trying to go to Sega (or some other important place), well....goodbye, friends!

Back to Namco Arcade, I wondered if that arcade had never opened.  Maybe I had never played Daytona USA 2, I would've probably shed that depression, grown up, and become a fully responsible adult, never having to suffer the burden of dealing with "bad" racing games that let me down.  Maybe I would've been a pianist, a lawyer, a scientist.  Or maybe I still would've been a game programmer but I would've been a much happier person, able to work on anything at anytime with no emotional encumbrances whatsoever.  Stupid things like this can be morale killers which explains why I lose the motivation to do "necessary" things like post on the blog, work on Super Sprint, and engage in racing-related activities in general.  But my brain is full of f*** and I can't continue talking anymore so yeah, that's it, I'm done, I'll return when I feel like it.  Not proofreading this for a while.

TLDR: I was miserable from 2000-2005, then I played Daytona USA 2 which made me very happy.  I wonder what would've changed with my life had I never played it and never had that burden of living up to that game in my head.

I'M ON A PLANE YOU CAN'T TOUCH THIS

Hi guys, I'm back in Orlando in front of the computer and I can't really post anymore.  So I'm winging it--here goes.

I had a good two weeks with the family in the nice big house.  I was sad to go.  These breaks I have off are a real reality check, man.  One day, you're with your family, pets, and old friends staring at the water and the trees.  Next day, you're back in the cell again locked up with a bunch of homies who rave nonstop about Mass Effect and drinking beer.  Okay, that was low, sorry dudes.  But really, just strange to see people that aren't in that 25-35 age bracket for once.

Anyway, I flew home on Delta Airlines and I had a layover at Atlanta's Hartsfeld-Jackson Airport.  Yeah, reppin' the ATL, ya dig.  I was the guy with the Daytona Speedway hat.  Missed the 9:50 pm flight to Orlando cause the previous flight swerved out of the way of bad weather and took forever to let people off the plane.  Yeah, try running to another terminal while carrying two laptops in one bookbag.  So I ate a Burger King cheeseburger (that must've taken 10 minutes to make, so much for fast food) then I sweated it out, waiting for standby as the packed me into the 10:50 flight to the same destination.  So that's great.  I didn't lose my bag with the Xbox 360 & Rock Band Keyboards so that's a great, great success.

I really want to know what's the deal with these fancy airports.  They're like high class malls but you can't just park and chill out--you gotta fly somewhere or get lost.  So they have the food court and the book stores--I get it, but there must be a BILLION book stores, phone accessory stores, jewelry stores--they sell all the small things.  And they manage to cram these fancy restaurants like steakhouses or sushi bars in these narrow little concourses surrounded by boarding gates.  You see that Chili's over there?  Feels just like home!!  It seems awfully sporadic but I'll take it cause I like malls so yeah, it's cool.  Too bad you're usually hauling ass to the gate so you have time for nothing, not even a shoe shine.

On both flights, you get schooled on safety instructions.  Which makes sense--guess it's some sort of federal mandate.  But you can't simply fly anymore without being reminded "oh, you're gonna crash."  It's like trying to eat McDonald's without someone tapping you on the shoulder, "oh, you're gonna be get fat."  Debbie Downers.  On the flight to Orlando, stand-by put me right next to the emergency exit and I was like "ooohhhh noooo..."  I gotta rehearse opening the door!  And when do I open it?  I didn't ask for this!!



I can't believe they put the Delta In-Flight video on YouTube but they did.  My life is complete.  Nooooo smoking!!

I was listening to music on the plane.  First up was Steve Miller Band!  Fly Like an Eagle!  Jet Airliner!  Next up is Tom Petty.  Free Fallin!  Yeah, that was weird.  What's weirder was how the flight attendants took my Coke away and made everyone turn off the electronic devices 10 minutes before landing.  What's the big deal guys???  Breakin' my stride.  At least I got to show you fools what's up by playing Super Sprint at 30,000 feet!  Wait, should've busted out the Supermodel emulator...what a wasted opportunity.  They have the Mile High Club--well I got the Mile High...Video Game Design Club.

Considering the cost to fly, the hassle of having to bring all the stuff, waiting at the terminal, and sitting next to random strangers, it's much cheaper and about just as quick to drive home for 8 hours.  I haul my own damn luggage--no bag fees, no size restrictions, nothing.  Crank the volume up and take those interstate exits OutRun-style.  Just need to get behind the wheel of that bad boy and cruise on home, not slowing down for anybody (except the toll booths and the occasional state trooper my radar detector picks up).

Back in Orlando, I already miss home.  Made my rounds about the mall and got to pet the dogs one more time.  I had my doubts before leaving and I sure have a lot more of an emotional bond with things than my fearless teammates who work anywhere and on anything without question.  But that's okay because as you get older, you start to get used to these things.  I've been through high school for 4 excruciating years.  Been through Southeastern Louisiana University for another 4 years.  Now I'm here.  3rd time I left the house for FIEA.  This ain't new--I can make it.  And we're closer to finishing those super l33t games.  Plus I might get to go to the second Daytona race on July 7.  Also I don't have to worry about my little brother getting on my 360, embarrassing my good name on XBL by dying a lot on Black Ops Zombies so that is good news too.

So I'm spending a lot of my time now working on Super Sprint and Battle Fortress Tortoise so I may not post as much in the future.  It's not that this semester is hard but I'm also feeling glum about Sega.  Not that they're doing bad, but when you look at the games, I'm having a hard time getting into it.  Sonic & Mario at the Olympic Games sold 3.3 million copies.  Who's buying this?  Lots of kids and Sonic fanboys.  I saw next to nothing in terms of enthusiasm on the sites I visit.  But then again, the ability to shoot stuff as Vector the Crocodile almost makes it worthwhile.

Then after that, there's Sonic Generations, Yakuza, Football Manager, etc.  Sales are good but I'm having a hard time getting hyped about any game, Sega games included.  Yeah, there's Sonic & Sega Racing 2 (I refuse to call it by its actual title) but I still have slight doubts that it'll cater to hardcore racing fans like me and the OutRun 2 gang or is it all the Sonic/Dreamcast scenery porn at the oh-so-lousy 30 fps?  Let's see what you got, Sumo--make that damn racing game.

Well, that's it.  I got a lot of stuff on the stack of stuff to talk about, Super Sprint included, if only I have the time & focus to do it in a cohesive manner.

EDIT: There's one more thing I forgot to mention.  I sat in a window seat on the night flight home (twice actually...the flight going home two weeks ago).  Got to see the city lights as far as the horizon.  Very rarely do you get to see the forest from the trees.  Roads, window lights, parking lots, cars all lit up.  Outstanding--reminds me of a Billy Joel song.  I only imagine what it looks like at Christmas.  I only wish I had brought my camera so I'm gonna steal one from Google.  (Attribution)

Orlando at night.

The Next Generation Of Gamers

First, I would like to commend the Japanese women's soccer team (sucks that the US lost but at least it was classy) and Christian Lopez, the guy who gave back Derek Jeter's 3000th hit HR for free (even though he has college loans and taxes to pay).  Sports are an inspirational time...for some of us anyway.

But otherwise, this has been the most boring day ever.  There's a stunning lack of news on anything gaming-related.  I mean, I really am at a loss of words to speak about.  I watched part of Talladega Nights with Ricky Bobby and that's it.  It's a funny movie though (if you disagree, just shut it).

Yesterday's another story.  I went to the Northshore Square Mall again just to check out what's up.  Seeing as it's a Saturday, there's the usual crowd there.  There are plans to rework the mall but they won't begin until I'm way gone to Florida.  After I took a stroll and ate an Auntie Anne's pretzel, I sat on a bench by the fountain staring at the palm trees.

But I came up with something to talk about as I sat there and watched the kids throw spare change in the fountain.  And that is the things that I like are becoming more antiquated.

I'm 23 years old.  I think it's weird to think that the games I grew up with such as Goldeneye, Daytona USA, arcade games, regular old Gameboy, PC games that took multiple floppy disks, etc. are almost things that belong in a museum.  Games that made well with limited graphics and with split-screen multiplayer.  New franchises all throughout the 90's and the early 00's.  The hype for realistic graphics was greater than ever.

Now, I just don't know.  Kids play games like Call of Duty, Halo, Left 4 Dead, Burnout, Need for Speed, World of Warcraft and that's life to them (not saying these games are bad...well, most of them anyway).  The Facebook/Twitter/iPhone generation.  It's kind of strange, almost obnoxious, to see the kids grow up, never having played a Nintendo 64 (EDIT: Or a Dreamcast) or used a dial-up connection.  Like some of the magic was lost in transition.  Back then, you made it through with less.  Graphics weren't as good, but the devs made it happen anyway.  Like watching old action flicks without all the unimaginative CGI crap.  Nowadays, you just blow a big budget on some fancy hardware and 500+ man studio and half the damn planet buys it and everything is "good."

On the other hand, you can say you're older than I (preferrably over 30 years) and say you grew up with Atari, Game & Watch, text-based adventures, etc.  True, but more the reason to be annoyed by this current generation of games.

They say that the average age of a gamer, as of 2011, is 35 (which I admit is ridiculous).  If by gamers you mean the 70-year-old retirees who casually play Wii Bowling in their free time (which offset the angry 15-year-olds on Xbox Live), then I guess that flies with you talking heads.  Take a look at this GameFAQs poll on March 9, 2011.  Apparently, 14-30 year olds make up 90% of the GameFAQs voters.  That's your "hardcore" gaming base there--the ones most knowledgeable over decades of games.  Casuals don't "count" since they don't know as much as us diehards.

Speaking of which, how many kids know who Ralph Baer is?  You know, the "old guy" who essentially put video games on the map in the 70's?  Next time you meet a kid who thinks they know s*** about games, ask them that question.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that for the next generation's sake, us "veterans" of video games have to salvage what was once magnificent or dignified of our generation so we can tell others who will tell others and so forth.  Then maybe we'll get more "young people" on our side.  Besides, one of the points of history is so that people know what worked and what didn't (like the Atari market "crash").  I'm not saying that we should just throw out all technology and revert back to the NES era.  But maybe we can salvage a future of M-rated grey-scale FPSes, "everybody wins" hold-your-hand story modes, and other crap gimmicks like jumping in front of a TV to accomplish menial tasks...the kind of stuff kids are used to these days.

See Cracked.com's Top 5 Crucial Lessons I Learned From Watching Kids Play Games...which is basically play games that let you automatically "win," skip story/cutscenes/grinding, and blow up everything.  Well, they're kids--wait until they grow up and crave interactive movies in the form of games.  Games that involve blowing stuff up no doubt.  So apparently: convoluted story + big explosions = orgasm.

Thankfully, by looking at the older GameFAQs age polls (like this one from 1999), you see that the ages were much younger (13-24 made up 80%) so many gamers from the 80's-90's are still hanging around, ready to educate the young kids.  And we're getting ports/remakes/emulators of old games so you can't say these kids DON'T have access to old games...

Then again, this whole idea of the next generation being worse than this one isn't new.  Just trying to infuse some retro goodness in this generation, that's all.  The good stuff that is, not the dreck like all those games the Angry Video Game Nerd makes a mockery of.  Hey, we can use this new technology to our advantage (like, uh...this).  But even with this technology, things that were great (like video games) can turn to crap--like the Ozymandias poem:

And on the pedestal these words appear --
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.'

And as long as nostalgic gamers are around, at least the game industry retains a shred of credibility.  Otherwise, we are doomed.

BELIEVE.....

Bizarre Dreams

NOT THE SEGA DREAMCAST

Over the course of several months...hell, a year, I've had strange dreams.  Very rarely are these dreams "good" in nature but they're not nightmares either.

Most of these dreams involve me getting my hands on a Daytona USA 2 cabinet.  I am not making this stuff up.  Usually, I am  teleported to some outdated arcade with cabinets scattered about.  Then I find a Daytona USA 2 much to my surprise.  Unfortunately, I am not be able to play it like normal because the game's broken, it's completely different from actual gameplay (i.e. combine Daytona with Cruis'n World, OH GOD), or I don't have any money.  That's always what happens--the game is always out of reach and I spend my time sulking around doing nothing.

And to make it worse, I've been having dreams lately of dilapidated malls.  They will in some way resemble the old mall I used to visit for Daytona 2.  See the CS map I made:

I'm there but there are hardly be any people around.  Yes, there are actually people "there" if you can believe it.  Most of the stores are shuttered up with only a few places open such as an ice cream store.  The lights are dimmed and the building is painted in murky blue/green-ish hues.  Then the arcade will be open but in disarray, as if to scrounge together any profits from arcade goers before the cabinets are put into crates and shipped off to some warehouse where they will sit idle for the remainder of their existence.  It's like I'm standing on the end of time itself.  Then the mall will be demolished by explosives.

Even if it's not a mall-centered dream, it will inexplicably involve arcades...  For instance, I recently had a dream that I went to "video game designer" camp.  And there I was, wandering around with the producers, the artists, getting pinballed around by these jerks like I was in the middle of a college campus.  Then I find the programming HQ which resembles that of a fraternity house.  Okay, I'm home, I said.  There's an arcade with Cruis'n USA, Daytona USA 1, and so forth.  But all the games are broken by this little spoiled brat kid.  Then no one got to play arcade games and we were all sad.  The end.

I don't know why I have dreams like this.  They certainly aren't happy and I'm not going to say they "predict" the future, but they are a bit unsettling to say the least.  I mean, I don't really think about Daytona USA 2 THAT much anymore...I play Call of Duty, Rock Band, spend time with my family, watch sports, etc. but it's always arcades and malls.  What's going on here?  Is there something burned into my innermost psyche here?  I'm beginning to think so.

Now you know why I think I'm on a mission from God when it comes to this stupid video game design crap.  I could've been a lawyer, a surgeon, an artist, a professional athlete, or a business CEO, but when I was young, I blew it all away on video games...so I might as well go all in and make this video game experience worthwhile cause there's no turning back now...

...In other news, I managed to fix my Sansa Fuze 8MB MP3 Player spinny navigation wheel by opening up the bastard and piecing it together!  Thought I'd have to buy a new one there so that's eighty bucks saved.  Feels good, mang...

Secret Counter-Strike Map: Old Mall And Arcade

Hello, everybody.  This was something I've kept a secret for a long time.  I really should've talked about this sooner, but since I'm in a contemplative mood, I think you ought to see it.

This has to do with Daytona USA 2.  It's the mall that I once played Daytona 2 in.....as a Counter-Strike map I made.  Yes, you actually see a Daytona USA 2 cabinet in it.



I have been making Counter-Strike maps for a long time.  I'm very discrete about it.  This was one I've had as a secret for a long time.  I've only shown my family and maybe two or three other people.  I figure it doesn't do me any good to sit on it for this long, especially since CS 1.6 and GoldSource isn't getting any more popular as time flies.  So live and let die; I don't really care anymore...

The logic behind this map was because I wish I could just teleport places and be there, even if it's just to walk around and do nothing...  I used to like the mall for the pretzels, the pizza, the arcade, but since then, it's lost its luster so I wanted to go back in time per se...

Around '05, I tried to make the mall, but the layout and texturing was so horrible that I just scrapped it, never thinking I would come back.  After working on some other maps, I decided to go back to the mall.  I went around taking many pictures to gather info.  Eventually, I figured out an accurate floor plan (a pain in the ass) and I built it from the ground up.

I could've gone into more detail, but I ran out of texture space (8 MB limit), plus I nearly exceeded the face limit. Basically, you can't put too much stuff into a CS map.  I don't want to run the r_speeds up any higher as it is.

FYI, this map doesn't have any bombsites, hostages, or weapons.   I don't want to create any more controversy by blowing up or killing innocent people.  Although I don't know if using all these trademark logos helps my case either.  That's one reason I didn't release this map thus far.

T's spawn outside in the parking lot, CT's spawn near the Dillard's entrance.

It's kind of sad because it's been my Daytona USA 2 refuge for so long until they got rid of the game around January '05 which is what provoked the creation of this map in the first place.

And that's all I have to say. I don't know how to model which sucks, I know.   I can still possibly go back and edit the map, but I don't know...not much else for me to change.   I spent a lot of time on this so it's kind of a big deal to me. Goodbye.

PS: I'm not about to write the exact location of said mall because I don't want to cause that much controversy. Although I have a feeling they may find out anyway.

Rockin Around The Christmas Tree

Alright, enough with the video game rants for a little while.  This one's about Christmas.  So we only have two days left.  So far, it's been rather uneventful.  Haven't really seen many Christmas lights.  The cold weather (which I actually like...I'd move up north if I ever got out of here) has gone.  Like you'd expect to see Christmas carolers, snow, shoppers with bags, Santa Claus imposters, candy canes, manger scenes, etc. but...not a whole lot going on.  Maybe because we're in a recession, people are less likely to go do stuff so I don't know.

So I decide to go run some errands which basically means spend a lot of money for myself.  Alright, we're at the mall again and there's quite a few people there, but I don't see traffic jams or congested parking lots, it's cool as usual.  So I take the time to play Crazy Taxi again and I only get two tries.  I up my best score to $7,700 with Gena which is good but I can do much better.  Just like Daytona USA 2, I have to play the heck out of it to learn the subtleties of it.  It's another self-taught thing.  You know what--I bet that the Crazy Taxi game will be taken away soon, just a hunch.  Not like I see anyone playing it, but since it's a lone cabinet off in the corner somewhere, they probably won't think of it.

Oh, and this is quite interesting.  I told you about the Help Wanted sign I saw before.  I was thinking about getting a job there just to make some extra money in a comfortable environment since I've got plenty of time on my hands now.  On this sign was a phone number to call to get information, presumably the owner's home phone number.  That sign has been up for a week and I've called that number ten times and left two messages with not a single reply.  Now the sign's gone.  What a bunch of idiots.  There's also a Help Wanted sign in Office Depot...giddy up folks.

Back on topic, the only Christmas-y thing that I've done so far is prod my family into taking a drive around some nearby neighborhood with all these Christmas lights.  There were some good houses with lots of stuff.  I also counted about ten inflatable snowball Santas...take a while ball and put the hat, face, arms, and beard on it.

Also, my younger brother knows some rather wealthy friends from his school and he got invited to a Christmas party...just kind of sucks that I haven't gone to any social events either.

So, uh, I enjoy this time of year since you don't have to go to school and you get to to crazy stuff.  I wish I could put off Christmas for some time, but no.  I expect to get a few gifts like the Rock Band Keyboard and a digital camera, but that stuff's not too important to me.  I want my family to be happy.

I also thought about giving you guys something...not sure what I can do though I may have something fortunate for those who read my blog.

Anyway, hope you guys have a good one for now.

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Super Terrific Bonanza: This is two years old.  In case you don't know, I live in southeast Louisiana.  It never snows here, but when it does, all hell breaks loose.  This was back in December 11, 2008 which is the day of that infamous Louisiana snowstorm.  I was driving to school to take an exam, but then it snowed on the way there and I started to take some shots on my cell phone.  Hey, I was stuck in traffic...I had time.  Check it out:

One of the best days of my life!

Arcade Crazy Taxi Is Crazy (And So Are Malls)

You know, there's a couple of things I could talk about, but I'm not going to deviate from the main story.

During Christmas time, I like to go do stuff.  It's actually quite cold out which is nice.  I decided to check out that old mall arcade (old Daytona 2 place) to see what's up.  I went alone since TBQH, my family is a bunch of duds when it comes to going places.  So anyway, they have Crazy Taxi there which is a miracle as far as I know.  And seeing that I just got some practice on the Xbox 360, I played it four times (50 cents a game).

I think when you go from a console to an arcade cabinet, there is an increase in difficulty.  The cabinet's bigger, it may be broken or defective, less decisive controls, you need to exert more energy turning the wheel and so forth, you can't tweak the settings in your favor, it costs money per try, and there's no restart button so you screw up and you have to live with it until it's over.

Before I mention how I did, it's worth noting that there was one glaring flaw--the seat kept moving around.  It wouldn't lock into a certain position so it was a pain in the ass.  Oh yeah, and the best that I did was $7,000 with Gena which I'm not too pleased with.  Other than the seat shaking, I couldn't get the timing on the limit cut down.  Not sure what the heck's going on there.  The timing window when you shift just feels off for some reason.  Hey, it's not like pressing a button on a controller so that's a disadvantage.

I must be the only person in this arcade that has ever seen the credits (make over $5,000).  In all seriousness.  People just don't take these games seriously anymore.  Oh, correction--the only exception is DDR and maybe Street Fighter, but that's it.  Doesn't help that you got this Fast and the Furious crap everywhere.

...Boy, I tell you what.  I talk about all these great games on my blog and I practice and have fun, but I never reach that "one level of achievement."  Like I wish I had a real knack for this stuff, but I can only do well enough to get by.  And this doesn't get me much social clout either--like if this guy can't play for real, then get the hell out of here.  You know I wish I were better at a lot of things, but I won't bog you down with this right now.

So while I'm out, I go venture around the mall.  Boy, this is an old mall.  FYI, it's Northshore Square Mall in Slidell, Louisiana.  I've been here for years.  It's not a "crap mall" but it's just a one-story middle-class establishment.  It's in a major commercial zone with Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Home Depot, all the fast food places, and a highway on-ramp so it's not like it's isolated from the public.

I know it's a Tuesday night, but it's the Christmas season.  I just don't see a whole lot of anything going on.  Like I looked to see what happened to the old Babbage's (game store like GameStop) which closed up years ago and there's this antique/house decor store instead.  I sat there, eating my Auntie Anne's pretzel and just thinking about what the heck I'm doing here?  The arcade has hardly anything going for it, I don't have anything to buy, and no one wants to go here with me.  Maybe I just showed up on a bad day, I don't know.

When I drive to and from the mall, I play the Daytona 2 soundtrack (with the windows rolled up, I'm not one of "those people") hopefully to impart some good will on the place and put my mind to rest.

Oh, and I saw a Now Hiring sign at the arcade.  I wonder what a job there would be like.  I have plenty of time this upcoming semester for a job.  I would rather work in an environment like that than some place like McDonald's where it's easy to screw up.  I'll give it a shot if the sign's still up in a few days.

Playing Some Initial D, Black Ops: The "Nuketown Secret," and RB

EDIT: Updated a few days later.

Today, I wanted to go back to the old mall arcade where Daytona USA 2 once was.  Yes, there's still an arcade nearby that's alive and kicking.  So I'm checking it out to reminisce on old times and there's no change in the game lineup from a few months ago.  They've always been stubborn when it comes to games which is good if you're a fan of anything so you can play it for years (my Daytona 2 career was extended this way).  There's Initial D and Fast and the Furious, but that's it.  So I decide to give Initial D a try.  For 75 cents, it better be damn good cause I'm not paying a dollar for anything besides Daytona USA and stuff.

I really apologize for giving Initial D a hard time in the past.  It is one of Sega's creations after all.  I once was like, "This game's stupid, it's taking away from Daytona USA," which is sort of true, but I'd rather have Initial D than that Cruis'n/FnF junk.  Before today, I only played the game once a few years ago with a broken steering wheel.  So I was going in cold turkey here.

So I picked the '98 Subaru WRX, manual (yeah baby), that easy level, the second guy (2-stars).  I whoop his ass.  1:00 first lap, :58 next two laps.  It's fun drifting and stuff.  I don't like how you can rub off the walls like they're coated in vaseline (see Gran Turismo) but other than that, get a few powerslides going OutRun 2-style.  I can assure you I wasn't wall-riding or driving like a lunatic.  It was good, made me feel happy afterwards...  I didn't buy a card though but I found one lying around with a Honda S2000 with the name "MUNKY" but I don't know if I wanna use that one.  I'm a big Subaru guy anyway.

I'll say this.  If a decent Initial D port is released someday, I'll try it out.  It has to be something for Xbox 360 and all that.  I hear the most recent Ridge Racer is okay, but I don't know...it's Ridge Racer...RIDGE RACER!!!...that we're talking about.

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About NASCAR's Sprint Cup, this is the final race of the season.  This race is at Homestead, Miami (during the day which sucks).  It's between Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Kevin Harvick.  Johnson is only a few points behind but he has a much greater starting position than the others so he'll probably win again.  I don't have a favorite here.  I know no one really cares but it's worth mentioning cause of the Daytona-themed blog and all.

UPDATE: Jimmie Johnson won; this is his 5th straight title.  Hamlin and Harvick, you are both chokers who should be ashamed of yourselves.

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Now this has to do with Black Ops.  Anyway, Treyarch loves to put little easter eggs/mysteries in their games for astute gamers to try to solve.  We've seen clues in CoD:WaW zombie maps and with the GKNova/Henry Langham transmissions so this is not new.

There is a multiplayer map in the game called Nuketown.  It's a '50-style neighborhood in the middle of a desert built to demonstrate the results of an atom bomb test.  In this map, there are 30 mannequins lying around.  In one interview, a developer dropped a little tidbit--if you shoot off all the mannequins' heads in a certain amount of time from the start of the match, you unlock a "secret."  So people scrambled to see what this secret was, but it was obscenely difficult because the mannequins are in random locations every time.

People made up stories about what happened when you accomplished the goal, though no one had any proof because "they forgot to record it" or "they didn't have a camera."  Remember, pics or it didn't happen.  According to rumors, this event triggered a combination of any of the following:

* Screen fades to pitch black
* Warning sirens go off
* Red strobe lights
* Military planes drop napalm
* MW2-style nuke countdown occurs
* Mannequins turn into zombies
* Mannequins drop weapons
* Unlock a new zombie map
* Unlock a new title
* The map goes from a standard multiplayer to a zombie game on the spot

Well some people actually did it.  And do you know what happened?

The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" starts playing over the speakers.  That's all.  Proof:



The same song plays in one of the campaign missions (shooting up Charlie on a gunboat).  So Treyarch loves messing with the people, I love it.

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Ooh, one more thing.  This is Rock Band 3 we're talking about.  I was fooling around with my capture card, playing a random setlist and I got that Ace of Spades Expert Guitar FC just like that (FC = hit 100% of the notes without breaking your combo).  What an absolute shock.  I played this song like 100 times before and I always missed one or two notes.  It's not that hard of an FC though.  I also FCed Carry On Wayward Son, Welcome Home, Monkey Wrench, The Metal, Pinball Wizard, Smooth Criminal.  I have screen captures of these for proof.  Hwevero, this video's just for fun.  Check out the cool characters.

Adventures In Daytona USA (Part 1, 2000-2005)

Right now, it's thundering outside. I could come up with different things to talk about such as sports, Rock Band, miscellaneous internet articles, but I'm not gonna do that. I'm going to take a emotional 180 and talk about how I played this game and what I did after that. Get ready for long post...

Anyway, it’s 2000. By this time, my life was Nintendo 64. Oh, and occasionally Playstation. The greatest games in the world were Mario Kart 64 and Cruis’n World. Just couldn’t stop playing these. I eventually picked up stuff like Gran Turismo which managed to find their niche somewhere which is why I still like racing sims today.

At my local mall (Northshore Square Mall in Slidell, LA), there has been this niche in the place that has always been an arcade. At first, it was called “Pocket Change.“ I used to go there to play Cruis’n World and California Speed and that was about it. After the 9/11 fallout, I think during 2002, the arcade just closed up. After a short grieving period, I went about my life but then, another arcade rose from its ashes! This one was called “Namco Arcade,” ya know, with all the Pac-Man stuff. Good times were here again.

So they completely changed the lineup of games. There’s this game called Daytona USA 2: Power Edition, oh what’s that like? Let’s try it. BOOM. Outlook on life completely changed. The only reaction to this was something along the lines of “GIVE ME MORE MONEY SO I CAN PLAY THIS!”

Because I had zero advice from others on how to play, I simply played the game until I figured out what worked for me. My means of playing the game were radically different at first. I needed to know how to power slide so I became proficient with the Hornet classic first. The car could slide really well so I guess that means I started with Daytona 1, lol. Eventually, I started trying out the Scorpio and the Phantom. It was great to beat the clock in all the courses, but to come in first on the Challenge course with the Hornet, oh that was probably my greatest moment.

I always sat there with my Palm Pilot writing down my best times. This was really the only game I wanted to play. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a real car or a driver’s license at the time so I had to get rides from my dad or anybody else so I only go to play every week at minimum. I can tell my parents weren’t infatuated with visiting the mall often so they tried to deprive me when they didn’t feel like it…

In ‘02 or ‘03, I would begin doing research on other Sega games. I stumbled upon the Sega Dreamcast and realized there was a Daytona port for it so I bought one. It obviously didn’t handle the same as D2, but I played that one for quite a bit and put up some decent times. I also bought Sonic Adventure 2, Hydro Thunder, and Soul Calibur, but I didn’t play those as much--it was all about Daytona USA.

Namco Arcade were such good sports. The D2 twin arcade cabinet was nice and clean, all the buttons worked, the sound was nice and loud, and the price was cheap (50 cents). However, on the Player 1 side, the cost was 25 cents instead of 50, so what do I do? Abuse the hell out of that side, play it for what it’s worth! They eventually caught on to this and changed it to 50 cents. Also, one time, the sound went out on one side for a week. Getting a bit pissed off, I took a sticky label and wrote “Please fix the sound so I can hear,” and stuck it to the dashboard. Needless to say, I think they were a bit pissed off about the sticker (those can be hard to peel off), but the sound was fixed next time I visited!

Obviously, I would spend a lot of money in the process, but Namco Arcade once again made things much easier for me. They offered these pre-Christmas coupons that you could buy for a dollar and turn in on a later date for $5 in tokens. So I exploited the hell out of this. I had tons of Daytona 2 money, which was good, but I can’t help but think they were pissed at me for trying to do this…

Competition-wise, yeah, didn’t play a whole lot of 2-player. I did play these young black guys on Beginner who wrecked like four times (they used the Phantom so they kind of knew what they were doing) so I won that one. After that, not much 2-player outside of beating my father down. There was this sly white guy with a light brown goatee in his late ‘20s that put up a good time on the Expert course and he caught me trying to beat his time. But it didn’t matter, I beat that boy down by a couple of seconds.  He obviously never showed his face there again.

I think I only received like six or seven compliments during the whole D2 run. Just some little kids or an arcade employee who liked what I did. Hopefully I was able to entertain them a little. Better me than those DDR jerks if you know what I mean.

2004 was a rough year. That was the year that I brought my camera to the arcade and took those D2 pictures seen here. It was also the year that I saw the Marubaku videos for the first time. Needless to say, I was pretty deflated…I thought I was good considering my 3+ years experience, but no. I tried my hardest to do the best with the Phantom car but I just got really irritated. My best times were IIRC 2:15 on Beginner, 2:54 on Advanced, 3:47 on Expert, and 2:56 on Challenge. December ‘04 rolled around and my attempts to improve were in vain. I got frustrated and blew off the game. And it would also be the last time that I played it and no amount of Christmas magic could save me…

February 1, 2005, I finally convince my parents to take me back for another run of frustration when I walk in and realize the cabinet is GONE. Gone. In the D2 cabinet’s place was a freaking crane machine. A CRANE MACHINE. The pain was like snake venom--at first I couldn’t really feel it but then it sunk in bad. When I got home, I just about lost it. It was raining on a school night and I just stood out in the rain and my parents just chastised me for my emotions. A four year run, not too bad but still.

February 2, I go to school like normal. It was my Junior year BTW. I felt pretty sick about it. Eventually one thing I did out of complete desperation was type up a 10+ page essay about a new Daytona game and e-mailed it to Sega-AM2. It was so stupid--some people on the internet liked it, but AM2’s response? I could’ve elicited the same reaction out of a road kill squirrel--nothing. I mean, I had to do what I had to do--just hang in there despite the odds.

Around April ‘05 I think, Namco Arcade moved in Initial D, Fast and the Furious, and--get ready for it--Daytona USA 1 cabinets. Obviously D1 enthralled me and I got some time to play it. But I SWEAR that they must’ve kept that game there for two weeks. Such a short period of time they’d get rid of it and keep Initial D and freakin Fast and the Furious. Wow, what a way to disgrace one of your longest-standing visitors.

Anyway, August ‘05 was also the date of Hurricane Katrina which hit landfall nearby and covered my city of Slidell with mud and destroyed everything else. It was the beginning of my senior year and it was total bedlam. Not going to school and staying in other people’s houses with generators running 24/7. It actually was kind of exciting, but obviously not for others. Eventually, I got back to the mall around October I think and “Namco Arcade” just shut its doors and got outta dodge. Second arcade to leave. Even if they didn’t get rid of Daytona 1 or 2, I think that they would’ve gotten rid of it by now so I was just begging for life support and that’s about it.

All I know is that if I hadn't played these games and learned about Sega in general, I would've been a spineless loser.  No, it had nothing to do with liking Cruis'n World.  I was incredibly shy and/or awkward and would spend my days on message boards full of Nintendo and Yu-Gi-Oh fanboys just getting pissed off because no one would understand my point of view.  Like I had to live up to God and family, I also had to live up Daytona USA 2 so I feel that I've been fulfilled as well as matured by the game even though it's gone now...

...

Out of my Photobucket album, here's a pic I took in 2004 that I thought was stellar.  I used it in part of my website as you can see.....  I'm tearing up here.

CLICK HERE FOR PART 2