Back In The Race, Baby!

Oh snap guys, where do I begin...

Well, as you guys know, I've been in the wilderness looking for game programming jobs for a whopping eight months (June 2013-March-2014).  It's been hell having to sit on the sideline and watch my friends' dreams come true and watch Sumo Digital/Sega jobs come and go.  I've spammed resumes to numerous game and simulation studios in the Southwest US.  I've done numerous phone screenings from recruiters and have taken a couple of written tests too.  Needless to say, I've gotten use to the phrase "we're not looking for someone with your skill set," which is the blandest way to say "you suck" without any good feedback on what to improve on.

But that's all changed now.  I am in sunny Austin, Texas at my new job in a inconspicuous game studio.  I'm honestly not telling you where I'm working.  All I know is out of all the butchered job applications, this place flew me in for an interview which resulted in a 2-hour written test, a 1-hour interview with two programmers, another 1-hour interview with two other programmers, and a 30-minute interview with two producers.  A 4-and-a-half hour long interview.  Thankfully I knocked it out of the park and everything that could've went well did.  The tides turned in my favor for once, thank God!

Again, I'm not inclined to tell you where I work.  It's not a racing game studio nor is it affiliated with Sega.  It's a place that treats me well and has the potential to be better than my previous two jobs.  I am in debt to them because if not for this generous offer, I'd still be out on my ass because I had no other leads at any other game studios.  Seriously, this company has been very nice to me thus far and I no longer have the disdain I once had for them.  Now not the time to be a hipster!  Don't let Reddit circlejerkers or personal vendettas get in the way.  Seriously, the Reddit crowd is useless.  Those slovenly neckbeards grovel and complain but they don't contribute anything of value besides shitty gaming memes.  Get off your ass, get a gaming degree and a job, and make your own games for once.  Otherwise, shut the fuck up.

I have to work hard to impress my coworkers.  I'm serious when I say this because through grief comes wisdom.  I learned what not to do at my previous jobs and now I have a chance to put that wisdom to work.  Also, I have nothing else to do in Austin so why not sell myself wholly to my work?  I need to make money anyway so I'm going to hone in on my work as much as possible.  The fear of being fired for a third time lingers in my head and I have to power through it and get my stuff done and NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.

"Gentlemen, it is better to have died as a small boy than to break the build," said no one ever (until now).

Also, a little solace to my firing at my previous job.  Basically, when I was let go at the end of May, the game I was working on was canceled in November and a bunch of people were laid off.  That was the last green-light they needed to pass before they could go gold with it.  But they failed.  Did I have anything to do with it?  I'd like to wish that them firing me was the reason it failed but not very likely.  Needless to say, there was a bit of schadenfreude to be had but it was short lived once I realized "damn, now I have more people to compete against for job openings."  Sadly I cannot tell you what game I was working on.  This haunted game has sunken to the ocean floor and anyone who dares explore it will be cursed.  So yeah, my previous three months of work completely destroyed but at least I don't have to worry about whether my name would be in the credits or not (odds are it wouldn't, man, fuck you guys).

Still, I'm not exactly feeling good about our Sega chances regardless.  Sega hasn't filled me with optimism lately.  The Wii U and its Sonic games are an abysmal failure in terms of sales.  Sonic Boom is looking more like a cash grab to sell more toys and permanently change Sonic's image for the worse.  Sega of Japan reeks of xenophobia as they are denying service/banning non-Japanese players on Phantasy Star Online 2.  Then Sega loses the Shenmue license!  That's more of a good thing since Sega won't use it for anything good so give another publisher (Sony?) a chance to work with it.  And--what's this?  Nagoshi-san is counterfeiting his own money now???

100 million yen, what a baller.

Yush, Sega is boring me.  Though this mini-resurgence of Sega racers (Sega All-Stars Racing, 90's Arcade Racer, Model 2/3 emulators) do buy us some time to seize the return of the glorious Sega racing golden age.  Gotta get back to business!  Had a wet dream a few days ago of Daytona USA 2 in Xbox One/PS4 graphics.  Needless to say that was a hella good dream.  Let's do it boys and girls!!! :D

Inquiring About The Public's Opinion Of SEGA (Part 2 With Sonic) ...

CLICK HERE TO READ PART ONE.

This is a part two of a rant about irrelevant and stupid Sega is.  I left off talking about how Sega and Sonic are one of the same.  If you're in doubt, the best example of Sonic's dominion over Sega is the Sumo Digital line of games.  First was "Sega Superstars Tennis," a game that, despite the nostalgia, was okay at best and didn't sell well.  Then comes "Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing," a better game with more Sega nostalgia, but they put Sonic's name in the title for good measure because "Sega" is a dirty word that doesn't get the fans buzzing.  Finally, they release "Sonic All-Stars Racing: Transformed," the best of the three games but they completely removed Sega from the title altogether.

This is as embarrassing as having a Christmas display without the word "Christmas."  Casual fans mocked the game as being "another shitty sonic game" while Sonic fans (yes, the dreadful always-whining fanbase you love to hate) tried to assert dominion over it, even going as far as to complain "why is sanic driving a car???"  They all completely missed the point and that is this was a SEGA game, not a SONIC game, but people can't shut the fuck up about Sonic when it comes to Sega, can they?  Sonic already has three series of racing games dedicated to him (Sonic R, Sonic Drift, Sonic Riders) so why can't they go muck those up and leave All-Stars Racing to the Sega fans as a whole???  (yes, I did go on this spiel multiple times already, but it's one that needs to be drilled into your friggin heads).

SONIC FAN: SUMO PLEASE GIVE US MORE SONIC CHARA--

DARTHS0L: NO DAMMIT!!!

Now look.  I do like Sonic the Hedgehog though I wouldn't call myself a diehard fan of the franchise.  If Sonic keeled over and died, I'd fear more for Sega's well-being more than anything.  To me, Sonic 3 and Sonic Adventure 2 will be the pinnacles of Sonic games in terms of fun and storytelling and they haven't been surpassed yet.  To me, those games were "cool."  The new Sonic games aren't and I'd probably feel embarrassed to tell my friends if I did play them.  Hell, the Internet loves to make a mockery of Sonic and I can't blame them.  Here's two reasons I came up with for Sonic's ineptitude.  They're rather common sense, but I'll explain it the best way I can.

1. There's no consistency left with these games.  Every single new title tries to reinvent the wheel.  Of the post-SA2 era, Sonic Generations seems to be the one people like the "most" but still, you get complainers anyway.  Case is, there will never be a "good" Sonic game for a long, long time.  And even if you get that "good" game of yours, Sega will mix things up again the next time!  It's like that Twitch Plays Pokemon experiment in which 60,000+ users are constantly kicking a ball around in the general vicinity of where it should go but in a manner that pisses everyone off.  The fans want way too much input and usually get it, even if it reveals new flaws in the process.  More 2D!  More 3D!  More speed sections!  More puzzles!  Only Sonic and Eggman!  More new characters!  More old characters!  Less melee sections!  Easier!  Harder!  Hand the game over to Nintendo!  Let Dimps do it!  Get Yuji Naka back!  It's like before every Sonic game, you must be given an index card with all the game's problems and nuances.  They don't call the Sonic fanbase the worst fanbase on the Internet for no good reason.  Then again, when your fanbase was exposed to the radioactive waste that was Sonic 06 and Shadow the Hedgehog, of course that's going to leave a permanent mark.

Also, who the hell is buying Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games?  The first one was intriguing--mini games featuring Mario and Sonic characters!  Cool, it's worth a shot!  Now we are on the FOURTH title???  Is this some psychological experiment to see how far Sonic fans will go to support the series???

2. I really don't know how to say this without ruffling a few feathers so here goes.  Post-SA2, the Sonic cast of characters has become entirely unlikable.  If SA2 was a movie, I could potentially sit down and watch it all the way through.  Sonic 06 and Shadow, as inept as they were, had okay stories that kept me interested enough to beat the game.  After that, sayonara Sonic, because your storytelling has degraded to shit.  The characters have become predictable: Sonic is a smartass who is never threatened by anything and always wins by himself, Tails is a useless nerd, Knuckles is braindead, Amy is a psychopath, and Robotnik is an idiot who's just a speedbump to Sonic's awesomeness.  It's so cheesy and incoherent it reaches to Zelda CD-i levels of bad.  I don't care if it's Sega of Japan or the tag-team duo of Warren Graff and Ken Pontac (of f**king Happy Tree Friends, for God's sake) writing the plots, they can't do this shit anymore.  I did watch part of that "Sonic Dissected" series again, especially the part on humor and Sonic Colors, and it's really eye opening how much potential they missed out on these games.

Of course, in the context of the "cool" theme I was going with before, these Sonic game cutscenes CAN be enjoyable...but from a storytelling perspective, does it even compare with the dialogue from more respected game franchises like Halo, Mass Effect, Fallout, etc.?  No.  If I told people I played Fallout recently, I'd get pats on the back.  On the other hand, if I told people I played Sonic Colors recently, I'd get my ass kicked.

Also I'll go ahead and say this.  Fuck Jason Griffith's voice.  I can't stand him as Sonic.  His voice is so damn boisterous it just accentuates all the things I dislike about this new Sonic.  There, I said it and I mean it.  I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in thinking this.

Two more links to click on that I read.  Here and here.  Now that Sonic is officially part of the Nintendo family, you get Sonic: Lost World which is basically Sonic with Nintendo's greasy fingers all over it.  The gameplay is "meh" all over again and it doesn't strike me as memorable or good like previous entries.  All I see is the Yoshi's Island DLC and that anti-climatic ending (compliments of geniuses Graff & Pontac), both of which make me want to punch a baby.  I think the less said about this game, the better.  Why Sega is still riding the sinking Nintendo fail-boat, I dunno.

So what's next for the blue blur?  Sonic Boom.

Oy vey, this is tricky.  Especially Knuckles, MAH GAWD, KNUCKLES, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU???  Sega is on record saying the game is not canon, which is codeword for, "if this game sucks, we'll pretend it never existed."  While I do commend Sega for allowing Big Red Button Entertainment (a Western studio formed from some Naughty Dog guys) to come up with their own interpretation on the franchise, I'm afraid if this game/cartoon/toy combo (yes, Sega is going all in with this new style) is a success then hey, guess what--maybe Sonic Boom will be a permanent rebranding on the Sonic franchise for the new generation of gamers!  That...really doesn't make me happy considering how much squandered potential they had over the last 10 years of Sonic that they're sealing with concrete.  I mean I kinda liked Sonic with the Soap shoes and without the duct tape.  But hell, like I said, I don't give a damn what they do with Sonic, just as long as Sega gets money, right??? :D :D :D

UPDATE: So yeah, Sega released a behind-the-scenes for the game and TV show.  It looks nice (albeit somewhat generic) but the characters and plot sound cheesy...like a Westernized Sonic Heroes (bad) with juvenile Sonic Colors humor (terri-bad).  Sonic dresses like Nathan Drake because Naughty Dog devs think this is Sonic's ultimate "adventure," okay, because the last decade of games weren't adventures at all.  The VA's and jokes still piss me off.  I'm not too optimistic but it sounds like the game devs had a lick of sense to what they were saying and doing so I'm not going to denounce it just yet...



You know, back to what my original point about Sega being cool, here's what I'd do about it.  And frankly, it's not going to work without talented, dedicated individuals, but here goes!  My bullet points:

> DO SOME HOUSE CLEANING!!!  I have a hunch Sega is swimming with inept employees.  Get 'em out of here.  I want to see skilled employees at Sega who are emotionally invested in the company and actually like the games they make.  Employees who are willing to take a bullet for Sega.  Okay, maybe not that far but you get the message.

> START ADVERTISING BLUE-SKY GAMES AS COOL AGAIN!  Grow some balls.  As a gamer, I'm sick and tired of being trampled by the grey-sky, realistic, doom & gloom games.  Start making colors fashionable again.  Come out and say, "so-and-so game is cool" and actually mean it.  Aim for that 18-35 year demographic.  Steal the cool baton back!

> STOP DROPPING THE SONIC FRANCHISE ON ITS HEAD!  Again, Sega lives or dies by the Sonic franchise.  What can be done about it?  Well, find that niche again between speed and platforming.  Cut down on the bland storytelling and bad jokes.  Bring in other characters that actually serve roles rather than stand there and act stupid/clueless.  And most importantly, give Sonic WEAKNESSES because an invincible protagonist is BORING.  Again, read the thousands of other Sonic articles out there for hints on how to improve Sonic! :)

> STOP PUBLISHING BAD GAMES!  Stick with Football Manager and Total War.  Kill the Aliens franchise, I don't want Gearbox taking any more of your money.  Speaking of which, stop using publishing as a crutch.  You should do this...

> START PROTOTYPING GAMES AGAIN!  What's beautiful about a lot of Sega arcade games is that they're small yet concentrated experiences.  Daytona USA only had two cars and three tracks but it's one of the most memorable racing games ever.  Sega needs to start churning out small in-house games, maybe posting them as online arcade or mobile titles, see what works, and then expand upon them if they are successful.  This allows you to get publicity, revive old IPs, and experiment with things that work.  Genius, right?

> RELEASE SHENMUE 3!  Oh, what's that?  You might've lost the Shenmue trademark because of inactivity?  Well get it back and make it anyway!  Help old man Yu Suzuki out!!!  He's the man that made Sega the ex-superpower that it was, you should return the favor to him and the stalwart Sega fans! Cheers!

Come on Sega, I know you can do it.

Inquiring About The Public's Opinion Of SEGA...

As I sit here mulling over the bowl of cereal I don't have because my family forgot to buy some, I got to thinking about our dear friend SEGA once again.  You see, brand recognition and popularity is what helps keep companies in business.  So this leads me to ask this vital question...

Do you think Sega is "cool" anymore?

Where does Sega go on the Cool Wall?

Top Gear, telling you how it is since 2002.

Now.  Some of you will say, "Well of course Sega is cool!  They made some kickass games!  Who cares what people think of Sega?"  You're sorta right.  Us Sega hipsters got this little circlejerk going on and screw what anyone else thinks!  But it is IMPORTANT what other people think of Sega.  Sega cannot survive alone cause of a couple of fanboys on the Internet, they need a portion of the Average Joe gamer demographic to run out and invest in their stuff too.

See, that's what I mean about being "cool."  The term "cool" as in "genuinely interested in their products."  Being cool is important--it's how crap pop music, TV, movies, and video games manage to be relevant despite lacking any original content or substance at all.  Being "cool" is neither a good or bad thing--it's like handing off the baton or being "King of the Hill."  You gotta reach out and grab it somehow.  Sega was cool back in the 90's!  Sonic the Hedgehog!  Game consoles!  Arcades!  Kickass!  People loved that stuff.  But nowadays, everyone has written off Sega as a decayed corpse as they flock around the Western developers--FPS, RTS, adventure, MMO's with "realistic/grungy/shockingly depressing" hi-res graphics.  In other words, the complete antithesis of Sega! :(

This whole "cool" topic came about reading this compelling article about Nintendo and violent games' places in the marketplace.  Basically how the concept of "family entertainment" that Nintendo has relied on for so long has eroded over the last decade.  Think about it....what are the most popular games these days?  Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Halo, Gears of War.  Games with copious profanity, violence, and (some) sexual content.  They sell Halo and GoW toys in kids/family stores though MS/Epic shrug at the thought of directly advertising violence to kids.  Case in point, these games have claimed the "cool" mantle.  Realistic, gritty games are in vogue, clean happy games are out.

How did this happen?  You can name many reasons.  Kids look up to teens/young adults for what is cool--adults play violent games, so do kids.  The concept of a "family" has diminished--we spend less time face-to-face and have high numbers of single parent households therefore.  We've conditioned ourselves to violence and the "Jackass generation" that we hardly flinch at the idea at our of kids disrespecting each other.  I'm not a sociologist so I won't pursue the issue longer but look at this point mentioned in the article--55-60% of parents do not check nor do they even care about ESRB/PEGI ratings.  This is ridiculous.

But don't get me wrong...I'm not blaming violent games for society's problems, nor am I saying you can't enjoy these games yourself.  But these kind of games are adverse to Sega's M.O., plus don't you get tired of people realistically shooting, stabbing, blowing each other up?  Why is it that whenever anyone unveils a non-violent, colorful game, it's a cringe-inducing kids title, a shameful freemium game, or both?  Also would you let this kid play Call of Duty?  There's thousands of kids like this every day.  Boy, violence is good for them!

EDIT: This YouTube video makes another good point about game popularity--YouTube Let's Plays.  Nintendo has been vigilant in the past about taking down any YouTube gameplay videos.  Other companies, notsomuch.  I'm not a Let's Play watcher but I can see what they're getting at here--YouTube clips are basically free advertising and Nintendo better accept that soon.

And what does Nintendo, Sega's last ally in the war against gray skies, do about it?  SUCK AT EVERYTHING!  The Wii was a success cause they advertised it to that core young-adult demographic and did a great job with the motion control stuff.  Now the Wii U gives us some awkward gaming pad and is advertising itself to...little kids?  I swear, I saw a Toys R Us commercial last Christmas with little kids harping on a Wii U sales deal.  Is THIS the game console that the mainstream demographic (18-35 year olds) going to buy?  Especially with its outdated graphics and same old games from last generation?  I'm not a graphics junkie but at least Sega's new releases were top-notch technology (i.e. Scud Race/Daytona 2 being years ahead of the N64/Playstation).  Seriously, the 3DS is the only thing keeping Nintendo alive.  I still don't know how Pokemon remains relevant as ever these days, especially since all I hear from Pokemon nostalgists is bitching about how perfect Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow was (news flash--there were "bad" Pokemon in that game too) but shit, if it makes Nintendo money, then great.

Nintendo is a company I want...no, NEED to succeed in order to establish "balance" against Sony and Microsoft.  Now they are throwing their arms up and open for acquisitions or mergers?  RED FLAG!!  The fact Sega has hooked its anchor to Nintendo's sinking ship (in the form of Sonic games exclusive for the Wii U) is suicidal.

You want a kids console?  Buy a V-Tech.

Now, time for a pop quiz!  Get out a sheet of paper and writing utensil.  Write down up to five things that you think Sega has done that was "cool" at any time in its history.  You have thirty seconds, now....GO!

...

Time's up!  Compare your list to mine.  If you're like me, you've probably written down a list of things like this:

1. Sonic the Hedgehog!
2. Expertise in home consoles!
3. Expertise in arcades!
4. A backlog of vibrant blue-sky games that made fun the primary focus!
5. A brash, edgy marketing campaign!

Now, let's run through this list and compare them to the Sega of today.  Home consoles?  Sorry, Sega put the kaibosh on that in 2001 so let's cross that out.  Arcades?  Those are dead in the West and the only stuff we see are mediocre and never live up to the 90's so cross that out too.  Blue-sky games?  HA, please spare me, Sega does the bare minimum to keep their legacy from eating dust by releasing sparse, straight ports of their games to cash in on nostalgia from the fanboys so let's cross that one out.  Brash?  Edgy?  Name for me ONE bold thing that Sega has said or done.  No "Sega does what Nintendon't" or Sega screams.  Almost all of Sega's official advertising is done through their online blog site as they cut and run like a scared puppy.  So cross that one out as well.  So what does our list look like now?

1. Sonic the Hedgehog!
2. Expertise in home consoles!
3. Expertise in arcades!
4. A backlog of vibrant blue-sky games that made fun the primary focus!
5. A brash, edgy marketing campaign!

Yes, it's true, love it or hate it, Sonic IS Sega.  Sonic is the only thing that Sega has going for it...the only thing Sega hasn't given up on in the last 22 years, even dragging the franchise through the horse shit that was the post-SA2 era.  Seriously, just listen to the first forty seconds of this Giant Bomb video and you'll see what I mean.  "Sonic" = "Sega"  I'll probably talk about this in a Part 2 next time cause I'm tired and have gone on for too long, good night all.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PART TWO.

Real Life Sega Racin'--Plus Poor, Poor Peter Moore :(

Well guys, last Friday was one of the greatest days of my life.  What happened, you say?  It was morning time and I made the 15-minute drive up the highway to try to get to work on time.  The pavement was wet from rain.  As I was traversing the offramp to take one of those nifty 180-degree banked turns, I always instinctively punch it and hit the racing line.  Seriously, it's little things like "go 50 mph around a sweeping turn" that really help me get through the day cause seldom does anything else.

And as I throttled on around the turn, I started to drift.  Not hydroplane but DRIFT like in Daytona, OutRun, Initial D.  The little blue FWD coupe started to slide at (I guess) 15 degrees for about 3 seconds.  But what makes this even more exhilarating was that I handled it like a mother f***in champ.  Didn't panic like "OMFG I'M GOING TO DIE", just sort of eased off the gas, counter-steered and whoomp--car straightened out and I was on my merry way.  Just like Captain Chelsey Sullenburger (with ice water in his veins) as US Airways Flight 1549 made an emergency landing in the Hudson River with no casualties.  Sorta like my brain snapped and said "I got this bro," as I realigned the car without a sign of panic.

The drift goes on my repertoire of things a race car driver must do to to become a bonafide driver.  Things like trade paint with the wall (thanks wooden fence), spin out on the highway, survive a wreck on the highway (no damage to either cars, I'm that good), floor it 10 times trying to beat the red light, do a 3-point turn, parallel park once, have a 95% success rate (min. 25 attemps) doing a right turn into a parking space, beat every Sega racing game, start a blog and talk about race cars, and so forth.  Most legit driver ever, watch out Travis Pastrana.

By the way, listen to some cool ass music:

Anyway, this is kind of a hilarious story.  We know about our beloved Peter Moore, right Sega fans?  Well, Peter Moore is now the new Chief Operating Officer of EA.  Basically, he's the Master of the Domain.  And he posted an editorial in EA's defense titled "We Can Do Better."  Obviously it doesn't mean jack shit to the legions of angry Redditors out there but still kinda funny to watch EA become self-conscious of their behavior.  Will they change?  Meh, not counting on it...

Head of EA: Our cheeky m8 took AGES to get dis good, wot u say bout him nao???

But after reading it, to be honest, Peter is kinda right, partially cause he's not scumbag John Riccitiello with the microtransaction quotes.  The thing that is most telling is "The tallest trees catch the most wind."  Yeah, EA, as much as they suck ass, still has a few good games to their name--Battlefield, Mass Effect, Madden, The Sims...QQ all you want about them but that doesn't change the fact they're at least decent.  The fact that they're so famous means they'll catch the most crap.  Fairly certain there are smaller companies just as scummy but you'll never hear people mocking them.  Plus I was reading a Cracked article yesterday called "6 Harsh Truths That'll Make You A Better Person."  Here's a good segment at the article's conclusion that you should probably read:

Remember, misery is comfortable. It's why so many people prefer it. Happiness takes effort.

Also, courage. It's incredibly comforting to know that as long as you don't create anything in your life, then nobody can attack the thing you created.

It's so much easier to just sit back and criticize other people's creations. This movie is stupid. That couple's kids are brats. That other couple's relationship is a mess. That rich guy is shallow. This restaurant sucks. This Internet writer is an asshole. I'd better leave a mean comment demanding that the website fire him. See, I created something.

Oh, wait, did I forget to mention that part? Yeah, whatever you try to build or create -- be it a poem, or a new skill, or a new relationship -- you will find yourself immediately surrounded by non-creators who trash it. Maybe not to your face, but they'll do it. Your drunk friends do not want you to get sober. Your fat friends do not want you to start a fitness regimen. Your jobless friends do not want to see you embark on a career.

Just remember, they're only expressing their own fear, since trashing other people's work is another excuse to do nothing. "Why should I create anything when the things other people create suck? I would totally have written a novel by now, but I'm going to wait for something good, I don't want to write the next Twilight!" As long as they never produce anything, it will forever be perfect and beyond reproach. Or if they do produce something, they'll make sure they do it with detached irony. They'll make it intentionally bad to make it clear to everyone else that this isn't their real effort. Their real effort would have been amazing. Not like the shit you made.

Geez...no doubt about it, I'm sick and tired of people who complain but don't contribute anything to society.  BUT I DO.  I'm a game designer/blogger of 2.5 years and what EA does is garbage.  Like God's Honest Truth, Reddit Gaming, if you hate EA so much, go do something proactive about it besides sit in your corner of the Internet and circlejerk over it as you continue to suck at the teat of EA by buying all their crap.  Your site is almost 4chan bad now.  Oh, that's right, you stole all the good stuff from 4chan (like every meme there is) so, as the Brits say, go sod off...

EDIT: Wait, more to say about Reddit.  As I continue to skim over /r/gaming/ (Lord Jesus Help Me), I'm convinced I found the template for every top post, a shitty meme-pic as such:

EVERY POST HAS BIG IMPACT FONT

*le picture*

AND CONTRIBUTES NO THOUGHTFUL CONTENT*

* - Bear in mind that this was at the top of /r/gaming/'s front page.  What passes as "quality" content on that site.

But one choice quote from Peter Moore, just for fun:

Many continue to claim the Always-On function in SimCity is a DRM scheme. It’s not. People still want to argue about it. We can’t be any clearer – it’s not. Period.

I don't care if SimCity's Always-Online function is a DRM or not, it sucks.  I don't want to be forced to play online with other people when I play SimCity.  The server downage, lack of user mods, and constricted gameplay make it simply untolerable as it is.

Oh, and speaking of Always-Online, check out the new Xbox which is rumored to function the same exact way.  The one that makes the Kinect a mandatory feature.  Yeah, that's two strikes by Microsoft--always-online and Kinect-required.  And then you have this Microsoft guy talking smack over Twitter against people who can't stand the Always-Online connection.  Apparently the guy was joking (smart move, especially with angry Redditors trying to pounce on any EA/Microsoft/Activision employee they can get) but it really gets me thinking about Always-Online and how this kind of stuff is "perfectly okay" according to these people.  I'm joining the PC Master Race if this is the case.  New Xbox is looking more like shit every day.

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I just felt like throwing this in here for fun.  Super old but I don't care.  Here's Richard Garriott (of Ultimate fame) saying that "most game designers really suck."  I've never cared about Ultima and I think Richard is an arrogant asshole but I do agree with over-infatuation with the game designers and how they trot up on stage and give the same-old self-aggrandizing speeches and soak in all the attention like they're gods among us mere pawns & peasants.  You guys would be nowhere without the programmers and artists who helped you get there.  Yeah, power to the programmers (and artists too, although they don't like drawing cars so boohoo), you guys are the best.  Now go shave your neckbeards.

------------

One more thing.  I keep hearing about these guys called the "Game Grumps" from all my ex-FIEA classmates.  And how they talk about the Game Grumps playing Sonic '06 and how astonished they are at how bad that game really was.  Um, welcome to the life of Sega fans seven years ago.  I beat Sonic '06 from  start to finish and everyone's like "NO WAAAAYYYY."  Yes way.  It was like eating prison food while fans of every other company got to eat 5-star steak and lobster.  As a bitter Sega fan, I want every non-Sega fan to suffer with us.  Ok, adios guys.

HOLD THE PRESSES (SONIC ADVENTURE 2)

I saw le post on Reddit Gaming, it's le best post I've read so go to the thread and give him sweet, sweet karma for EXTREME BRAVERY LEVEL THROUGH THE ROOF.

I can't help it--this is the coolest thing I've seen all day.  Best thing to a Sega racer card.

I know this kid got all A-emblems.

Thank you Reddit for "Luke's 7th Birthday Party."  Or "Luke's Birthday 7th Party."

Sonic Adventure 2: Still best Sonic game EVAR.

A Merry Sega Racer Christmas To You

Merry Christmas you bastards, now here's my NOT AT ALL HASTILY MADE Christmas card (two hours of this BS).

Outside the famous Daytona International Speedway, the Sega gang is all here for the big Sega race, giving away free Dreamcast 2 consoles to all attendees!!!

I wish.....

EDIT: I really should've done this sooner but here goes.
LIST OF PEOPLE/CHARACTERS FOR INFORMATIVE PURPOSES:

Toshihiro Nagoshi: Tan dude with white shirt/pants, dead center.  Producer of Daytona USA, Super Monkey Ball, F-Zero GX, and Yakuza.  Currently the Main Creative Director of Sega in general.

Yu Suzuki: Smiley guy at bottom right.  Producer of OutRun, Hang-On, Virtua Racing, Virtua Fighter, and Shenmue.  Considered "best game producer ever" by many Sega fans for bolstering their arcade division to first-class.

Tetsuya Mizuguchi: Guy on bottom left in a pink shirt sitting down.  Producer of Sega Rally, Sega Touring Car, Space Channel 5, Rez, and Lumines.

Yuji Naka: Guy on right center in white suit.  Producer of many Sega hits including Sonic the Hedgehog, NiGHTS, Phantasy Star, Billy Hatcher, and Burning Rangers.

Danica Patrick: Lady in blue racing suit, dead center.  Drove the Sega Sonic car at Texas Nationwide Race.  Spokeswoman for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.

Takenobu Mitsuyoshi: Guy in upper left with yellow shirt and mic.  Sega composer and infamous vocalist of Daytona USA soundtrack ("Rolllingggg sttttarrrrttttt!!!").

Makoto Osaki: Guy in blue shirt, upper center.  Director for Daytona USA 1/2, Scud Race, OutRun 2, and Virtua Fighter.  One of the main guys who fine-tuned these games so damn well but gets no credit.

Hajime Satomi: Guy on TV, lower left.  Founder of Sammy Corporation and current owner of Sega.  Rumored to be a leader of the Yakuza.  Nobody likes him.

Ryo Hazuki: Guy in brown leather jacket and jeans, dead center.  Main protagonist of Shenmue 1 and 2.  Knows martial arts.  Trying to avenge his father's death.

Segata Sanshiro: Judo guy in center of image, arms crossed.  Infamous fictional spokesman for Sega Saturn, known for beating up people who don't play the Saturn and deflecting a giant missile from destroying Sega HQ.

Jennifer, Alberto, Clarissa, Holly: Four people standing on left in front of presents.  Alberto is the "protagonist" of OutRun 2.  The three girls are you passengers for OutRun, Heart Attack, and Mission Modes, respectively.

Hornet Classic: Red and blue car on left center.  Based off a '94 Chevy Lumina, it's infamous stock car from Daytona USA.  Also appears in Fighters Megamix (a fighting car), Ridge Racer Vita (as DLC), and Sonic & All-Stars Racing: Transformed (unlockable character).

Sonic the Hedgehog: Upper center.  Everyone knows who this is.

Axel, B.D. Joe, Gena, Gus: Four guys on right center side of screen.  The four playable characters from the original Crazy Taxi.  Racing around town, catching big air, making huge tips along the way heading for KFC and Pizza Hut.

Ornaments: Cars from the following Sega games from top to bottom--Unicorn from Daytona USA 2001 (DC), Toyota Celica from Sega Rally, Ferrari F40 from Scud Race/Sega Super GT, Phantom Full Force from Daytona USA 2, F1 car from Virtua Racing.

Dreamcast 2: Poster in upper left corner.  Not real (of course) but all Sega fans want to see this (you do too, just admit it).  Rumored to exist through Sega's Ringedge/Ringwide hardware but it's pure speculation.

Sumo Digital: Tiny poster in center of screen.  Game company from Sheffield, UK responsible for porting OutRun  and Sega Rally Online Arcade to XBLA/PSN.  Also made Sega Superstars Tennis and both Sonic All-Stars Racing games.  Considered one of the last bastions of Sega goodness remaining on Earth.

Daytona International Speedway: Backdrop to this image (crap but there's so much stuff in the way so w/e). Located in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA, it opened in 1959, it's home to the most prestigious race in NASCAR (Daytona 500) and lends its name to Sega's 1994 arcade game Daytona USA.

THE MORE YOU KNOW...

Get the full size image off deviantART (please favorite!!!).  Sonic Claus fanart attribution.  Remember to keep Christ in Christmas and have a super day with family & friends.  Oh, and Happy New Year too.

Coke Zero 400 Versus MASHED POTATOES AND GRAVY

This post is WAY overdue.  But because I miss NASCAR so much, it has to be done.

Now, it's July 2012 and the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway IS ON.  What am I going to do in the meantime?  I could go to the race and listen to this (not my video):

Or I could watch it on TV and sit through this commercial 1,000,000 times:

Now that commercial's pretty funny (confession bear time) but NASCAR trumps all.  This is my recount of the race (with pics using my new camera).

Like last time, the drive from Orlando to Daytona Beach is one hour.  Me and my dad show up a few hours beforehand, looking around town for some place to park.  We pay $20 to park in a Denny's parking lot about a mile from the track.  Great, but that's the breaks--this standard town is filled to the brim on race day and I sure as hell wasn't going back to that grass field with the bus rides.

A few hours before the race, there's the pre-race show going on next to the track.  You can walk around, check out some cars & drivers, the merchandise trucks, the Speed Channel booth, etc.  It costs nothing to walk around so it's good to do if you have time to kill.  I didn't carry a Sega sign with me this time, thank goodness.  But I did wear my Sonic the Hedgehog hat.  Rub two brain cells together...Fast Sonic = Sega = Daytona USA.

Got a picture next to Aric Almirola's #43 US Airforce car.  Do the math why he's my favorite driver: the "43" blue car with (close to) my first name.

I saw Aric hanging out by the Air Force tent but he ducked away at the last second before I could shake his hand.  Aric, I could've made you Super Sega famous (as opposed to Danica who's just overrated) but you missed your chance, man!

Hey it's Juan Pablo.  Ask him what it's like to hit a jet dryer.  Or race a donkey.

Tire Plinko from the Price is Right.

I should mention a main problem going to Daytona for me was always the weather.  In February, the problem was rainy, chilly weather.  In July...it is HOT.  So by this time of walking around, I had to stop at Denny Hamlin's FedEx tent before I died.  Those shirtless rednecks might be on to something...

This truck makes a million dollars.  Speaking of Junior...

There's the Hendrick Motorsports tent.  And as you may have guessed, a very important person is there.  Me just trying to get to shade, go over there as well.

Who's that over there?

Yeah, it's Junior.  Answering personal questions like "Who's your best friend off the race track?"  I think he said Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin though that was so long ago who cares.

Junior walks off stage, signs three things and runs away.  I was just five feet away from him!  Yeah he's probably pissed that everyone wants to bug him.  I'd be too if I were that famous.

Some more cars & stuff.

It's the new Ford Sprint Cup Car which looks nothing like an Aston Martin, I swear.

Nothin wrong with Ford trucks.

It's Greg Biffle's car SAWED IN HALF.

It's the Speed Center booth.  People just waving their hands when the studio isn't even on air yet.  But I don't want to be on TV so I just ran away!

Never mind this nonsense, let's go take our seats.  It's near the same location I sat before--front row seats just before the entrance to pit lane.

There were a lot of people on the grass.  You see, the band Train (the ones responsible for the elevator-tastic Drops of Jupiter) were performing on the in-field as people were walking in.  Wait, what's with all these emo alternative bands like Coldplay doing in my NASCAR anyway?  Where's the AC/DC, Motley Crue, etc?  Whatever, so we're listening to music waiting for the race to begin.

Somewhere during the Train concert, we duck under the bleachers to catch some shade.  It's here when I get a phone call from my future employer saying they're going to make me an offer (was later fired for tragic reasons but still, not bad).  All of this with Train blaring in the background.  So this is a good view for me.

So there's a Coke truck making the rounds.

An army of Ford trucks...

And a jet dryer OMFG stay away Juan.  And about this time, Train plays Drops of Jupiter and leaves.  Wow, about time, Train.

I have plenty more pics besides these but I'm going to conclude this post...later.

Sega All-Stars Racing 2 Spoilers?

Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed is currently sitting in stores, waiting for the release date.  Except some stores have already started selling pre-release copies which means there's people among us playing the game.  Um, SPOILER ALERT!!!

I stole this from Ebaum's World but it's okay, Ebaum's World steals everything too.  Two wrongs do make a right.

First of all, a lot of people are running their asses on the Internet right now.  So I'm going to give you a tentative feel to what I know.  This is mostly from browsing around the official Sega All-Stars Racing forum.  Here goes (once again, SPOILERS):

...

* Every character that was in Sega Superstars Tennis EXCEPT Alex Kidd is in.  EDIT: No, that's false, Alex Kidd IS IN.  That means MeeMee (Super Monkey Ball), Gum (Jet Set Radio), and Pudding (Space Channel 5).  All girls.

* There is a Burning Rangers track.

* There is a House of the Dead track.

* There is a Billy Hatcher track.

* There is a "Race of Ages" track that is similar to Mario Kart's Rainbow Road and features references to many Sega IPs.  No idea if there's any references to Daytona or Virtua Racing.  I doubt it but we'll see.

* The following characters are probably not playable: Chu Chus, Zobio & Zobiko, Jacky Bryant, Opa Opa, Bonanza Bros, Vectorman, Toejam & Earl, Big the Cat, Billy Hatcher, Bayonetta, Banjo-Kazooie.

* Sunshine Tour, Future Shibuya, Death Egg, and Roulette Road are the only tracks from the first Sega All-Stars Racing to be in Transformed.

* EDIT: There's two Jet Set Radio tracks, the one from the first game and a brand new one.

* There is a third 3rd-party character besides Danica and Wreck-It Ralph that hasn't been found.  And it is, according to some file names on the disc...Team Fortress 2 Spy/Heavy/Pyro?  I can't make this s*** up if I tried. I think this is total crap but at this point, I don't discount anything.  EDIT: There's also "references" to a Football Manager character, Total War character, and Alex Kidd just like the TF2 characters.  It makes no sense, I know.  EDIT: The TF2 "character" is most likely a PC exclusive character, makes sense if this is released on Steam...

* Then there's some "ultimate fanservice Sega character" that hasn't been mentioned.  It takes a very long time to unlock.  According to some guy's BS, it's....Taro Sega from Segagaga?  He's from some 2001 Japan-only Dreamcast game that looks like Phantasy Star but with lots of Sega character cameos.  Now like I said, this is probably crap so I'm not holding my breath on this.  I think Segata Sanshiro would make a better pick anyway but what do I know.  Taro Sega makes a slight amount of sense anyway from a fanservice point.  FORGET THIS, IT'S WRONG, this guy's full of it.

* EDIT: BRAND NEW, THE EXCLUSIVE CHARACTER is possibly the "Segabot," a robot constructed of various Sega things such as the Dreamcast VMU, the Afterburner Jet, and the Hornet from Daytona USA.  OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It totally makes sense, Hornet = land, Afterburner = plane, VMU, no Dreamcast controller = boat (well it's shaped like one).  I'll believe it once I see it.

* Segata Sanshiro exists somewhere in the game's code but most likely as a cameo.

* EDIT: Looks like Billy Hatcher was the 30th character but he got cut from the game.

* Now about our beloved Ryo Hazuki.  I don't think he's a playable character after all.  He's a hologram that appears in the Race of Ages track.  Same with a couple of other guys like Bonanza Bros. and Opa Opa.

Look, I'm not going to say anymore since I think everyone's full of crap.  I'm going to get the game in the mail in a week and then we'll play it and have lots of fun.  But about Ryo, I think it sucks that they dropped him.  He had a good showing in the first Sega All-Stars Racing but that's it.  Riding Ito's motorcycle and the forklift.

I think the main reason why Ryo didn't make the cut is because in the realm of this game, I just don't see how the bike or forklift could transform into a boat or plane.  It makes sense for guys like Joe Musashi, Vyse, and Gilius cause they come from fantasy worlds (or zones) with all these elaborate tools, gadgets, weapons, magic and stuff.  But Ryo is not a cartoon character, he's some average joe on a bike so it was crazy enough he was in the first game but the second was too much apparently.  Or it could be because no one gives a damn about Shenmue anymore so screw it, Ryo is gone?

As for all the girl characters, Danica included, I think it's ridiculous that some series like Super Monkey Ball would get two characters (who was stoked to see MeeMee in the game anyway?) but they needed more female characters so there you go.  As for all the people complaining about Danica taking a spot, I say this.  I think she's a totally unique character with a unique vehicle.  Yeah she's "realistic" like Ryo but between race cars, Go Daddy, and Hot Wheels, I think she has character traits appropriate for this game.  She also fills the quota of female characters.  Bayonetta would make a great female character except for the whole "being in a M-rated game" thing so that's unfortunate.  If you think someone like Ryo or Segata Sanshiro is more deserving than Danica, fine, I don't doubt it.  But see the forest from the trees...Sumo probably knows something we don't.

Speaking of which, this situation is awfully reminiscent of when the Super Smash Bros. Brawl roster was leaked.  I was there for that crap.  I hated the game but I wanted to know what 30-something characters were in the game, sort of like Willy Wonka and the Golden Tickets--you were stricken with curiosity.  And I saw first-hand the guys who wept over the absences of potential characters like Mewtwo, Issac, Ridley, Megaman, Geno, etc. so it sucks.  But it's impossible for these AAA games to cater to every single person so I'll leave it at that.  Adding one character to a game is hard enough.  Adding twenty-five is takes AGES.  So sorry they couldn't add 26, 27, or 28 instead of 25.

There'll probably be many complaints about this game, let's get by them, see what we can take away from the game such as the GAMEPLAY which looks solid!  Pray for DLC which I'll buy it if Sega offers any but they have really shied away from DLC lately so it's gonna be tough.  Just don't get on this "we need 100 more Sonic characters and tracks" bandwagon or I'm going to snap.

Me In The Mornings

If I were a hero chao with bunny ears...

Alarm clock set to blare terrible pop/rap music in the late morning (10 am, lazy ass me)...BLAM, BAD AUTO-TUNE SINGING TO GENERIC 4/4 BEATS THAT IDIOTS LISTEN TO!!!

Hit snooze twenty times in a row until guilt takes over.

I get up and do stuff now.

Lawl, I look like Sam.  Or is it Max...I forget. 

Sonic The Hedgehog Dissected!

Hey, what's up guys!  Typical Call of Duty/"Let's Play" Youtuber intro.  So I want to talk about Sonic the Hedgehog.  Anyway, I'm on deviantArt looking at furry porn fan art and whoop, what do ya know--I run into some Sonic flash movies.  This is from a guy named Roger aka "Rogerregorroger" from the Netherlands, home of windmills, the Nintendo 64 champs and marijuana legalization before it was cool.  All of his "Sanic Gaem in X minutes" videos are already on YouTube:

Well, maybe you find them hilarious, maybe not.  But there's more!  I suggest you check out Roger's "Dissecting Sonic" series of Flash movies.  To my knowledge, they're only on deviantArt.  Each one only takes 5 or 6 minutes to watch but you should watch all eight eleven in order.

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7  Part 8  Part 9  Part 10  Part 11  Part 2 of Part 11  WHEEEEE!!!!

The reason I bring these up is because it makes you think about Sonic games in a much different light.  Most of what is mentioned has to do with the story & characters as opposed to gameplay.  But here's a few things I learned that I basically agree with:

* You talk about Sonic characters and you will always get a bunch of haters, "no more of Sonic's friends," so to speak.  But most every video game series has a huge cast of characters (see Mario for instance) and they always get away with it.  So what is Sonic doing wrong?  Because Sonic was a character with weaknesses.  Sonic is fast, Tails is smart, Knuckles is strong, Amy is sociable.  They just worked together.  But post Sonic Adventure 2 (when most agree the series took a huge dip), they turned Sonic into a character with no weaknesses whatsoever.  Sonic shows up, kills everything, and cracks a stupid joke.  Eggman is never on par with Sonic as he has become the gag villain for too long.  All other characters are tacked on just for fan service.  People aren't complaining about the characters--they're complaining about the characters being used incorrectly.  Cheesy voice acting & dialogue doesn't help either.

versus...

* Sonic Adventure 2 debateably has the best Sonic story for the 3D games.  Even if it's in cheesy "stuff just happens" Sonic fashion, I agree with this.  The game's excitement peaks and drops like a good movie should as new information is revealed at regular intervals.  Sonic needs help and shows emotions besides "cocky and in control."  The characters are actually doing stuff and events pay off in the future and make for a satisfying story.  Meanwhile, a lot of modern Sonic games like Secret Rings, Unleashed, and Colors usually have the characters stand around exchanging time-wasting dialogue and the action only peaks near the end when you fight a boss that you saw at the beginning of the game, spoiling the surprise and making it less exciting.

* As for gameplay, this is addressed in Part 8.  Some people compare Sonic to Mario and say "if Mario can do 3D platforming, why can't Sonic?"  Well Sonic has always gone a step above Mario in terms of obstacles such as the loops, the City Escape truck chase, the Final Chase rails, etc.  Meanwhile, all Mario has to do is have Mario run around the world jumping off stuff.  Not that what Mario does is bad or that bad Sonic gameplay is excusable, but it makes you think twice about why Sonic Team chose to program their games the way they did.

Go ahead and watch the videos if you haven't already.

Danica's Race Is Upon Us...Let's Go SEGA

Hello boys and girls, hope you had a fun Halloween with House of the Dead and lots of candy.  I hope and pray everyone is okay with Hurricane Sandy.

Anyway, check this out.  Today's GameFAQs poll: Which scheduled November release are you most looking forward to?

Halo 4 -- 23.36% 

Paper Mario: Sticker Star -- 12.58% 

Call of Duty: Black Ops II -- 12.17% 

Persona 4: Golden -- 11.52% 

Hitman: Absolution -- 10.71% 

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale -- 8.49% 

New Super Mario Bros. U -- 6.93% 

LEGO The Lord of the Rings -- 5.34% 

ZombiU -- 4.04%

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two -- 1.98% 

PlanetSide 2 -- 1.83%

LittleBigPlanet Karting -- 1.04% 


For me, it's Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed.  But wait....it's not on there.  But LittleBigPlanet Karting is.  What gives?  Anyone here enthusiastically waiting for Little Big Planet Karting?  Really???

But this isn't to knock LittleBigPlanet since I don't have a bone to pick with that.  It's a racing game that's not Need for Speed/Burnout/wreck 'em clone so that's a huge plus.  But Sega All-Stars Racing's absence falls in line with this Sega anti-bias that I've mentioned before.  That any game Sega puts out is somehow a joke or not to be taken seriously.  Like this Sega All-Stars Racing game is "another terrible Sonic sellout game, just a Mario Kart clone, Danica Patrick sucks, herp derp, why bother listing it in the poll."  Okay, I am probably making much to do out of nothing (maybe the poll guy just "forgot" about Sega All-Stars Racing) but look--if you're going to stiff Sega in some way, I'm going to call you out on it.  Cause if I don't, who will????

And yeah, if Sega All-Stars Racing was in the poll, it would barely scratch 1-2%, I know.  But just having the game's name on the poll would make me happy enough.

While we're on GameFAQs polls, I went back one month and looked at the poll for October: Which scheduled October release are you most looking forward to?


Assassin's Creed III -- 27.89% 

Resident Evil 6 -- 21.32% 

Pokemon Black/White Version 2 -- 21.01% 

Dishonored -- 11.21% 

XCOM: Enemy Unknown -- 5.9% 

WWE '13 -- 2.97% 

Ragnarok Odyssey -- 2.8% 

Forza Horizon -- 1.71% 

007 Legends -- 1.59%

Fable: The Journey -- 1.56%

Medal of Honor: Warfighter -- 1.31%

Skylanders Giants -- 0.72% 


I notice there is an absence of Need for Speed: Most Wanted - A Criterion Game (no seriously, look at the GameFAQs page, Criterion changed the f***in title at the last minute).  Can't say I'm shed any tears over it but it makes Sega All-Stars Racing's absence from the November poll a little more tolerable.  Anytime someone "takes down" the competition, I am happy. :D

I see that Forza Horizon and Need for Speed: Most Wanted - A Criterion Game have the same Metacritic average--an 85 out of 100 which is great but not outstanding.  In the Fantasy Zone, Sega: All-Stars Racing: Transformed could possibly rank higher than these two ( >= 86 ) but do I think that'll happen?  No.  They'll probably dump all over the game for the reasons stated earlier.  And in theme with the upcoming elections, that is why we need to turn out MORE THAN EVER in defense of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed on November 20th.  It is THAT IMPORTANT.  I mean, I've denounced "professional" reviews many, many times before, but as long as these dolts continue to piss all over our games for reasons I disagree with, my knee-jerk reaction is to hit them for it.

Stolen from this epic bread

Which leads to Danica Patrick driving the Sega Sonic the Hedgehog car at Saturday's Nationwide Race at Texas at 7 pm ET.  She finished 10th at Saturday's Nationwide race at Kansas (and dropped 14 f-bombs on RaceBuddy) and got in a tiff with Landon Cassill and spun out on Sunday's race and looked like friggin idiot on TV.  Well I am SCARED now for Danica and Sega.  Because if Danica f***s this up, then it WILL NOT help our cause any.  I'll be tracking Danica this Friday & Saturday in anxious anticipation on how she treats the Sonic car.  I mean, I know Danica doesn't give two s***s about Sega, she's overrated, she's in lousy GoDaddy ads, and she had a bad temper, but FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DANICA, YOU HAVE TO WIN THIS FOR US!!!!  YOU ARE SEGA'S LAST HOPE!!!!

From a Something Awful post THAT I CAN'T READ

Seriously, if Danica somehow wins (or at least passes Joey Logano in the stupid ass Forza Horizon/Need for Speed: Most Wanted - A Criterion Game car) then I will flip my s***, throw a damn party, buy a copy of of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing: Transformed for every platform as well as this $320 1/24 scale diecast car.  Though I am only buying the stuff if Danica actually wins, she's gotta be So Good It Takes AGES for me to actually spend money:

Danica...IT CAN BE DONE!!!

EDIT, check this out:

Here's another new trailer.  Also, I would like to say this.  For the last time, people, if I have to hear one more complaint about this game over Sonic the Hedgehog, I'm going to puke.  This isn't a Sonic game, this is a SEGA RACING GAME and that's why I'm 100% behind it.  So enough of this "sonic this, sonic that," play the game to GO RACING, BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY!!!

On Hiatus & More Model2 Games At Last

I'll try to make this quick as possible.  Anyway, I'm not posting much because right now I'm busy, tired, and lazy at the same time (awesome, huh?).  The racing timeline and Super Sprint are both on hiatus (of course, like I needed to tell you that) but I am working on some other things I have yet to share that might surprise you.  Might change a few things on the blog as well.

Anyway, in case you're just an idiot who hasn't read any of the Sega sites recently, Sega has surprised us with a five-pack of Model2 arcade classics--Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Striker, Sonic: the Fighters, Fighting Vipers, Virtual On.  Boy, the amount of "Virtua" and "Fighters" in that list is outstanding.  Love me some Sega-AM2 Magical Palm Tree Games.

But I am glad, I really am.  None of the games are on my "OMG MY LIFE IS COMPLETE" list and it seems strange we'd get three fighting games, but what the hell--they are all unique in their own ways.  Plus they will have online multiplayer which is GREAT.  The games are only limited to Japan but Sega would be stupid not to release them in the West.

I think it's great that Sega is really starting to ramp up on the classic ports.  Sega's glory days are relived in a new era for all the little kids to bear witness to.  But a part of me can't help but feel a bit irritated Sega isn't doing anything "new" with these games.  Oh, there' the widescreen support and the online multiplayer (some of them anyway) but when you look at it, we already had these games playable on the emulators.  The fans beat Sega to the home releases.  I would love to see Sega take these games to the next level and "one-up" us fans.  (EDIT: Sonic the Fighters port got Honey the Cat and Eggman as characters--I'm not knowledgeable on the game but that's what I'm looking for).  They have...sort of, but they made some mistakes.  Like this Jet Set Radio port--the game's great but the graphics aren't as stellar as the original Dreamcast version.  And then there's Crazy Taxi without the Offspring and the KFC.  And there's Sega Bass Fishing without the Dreamcast Fishing Controller--a regular joystick doesn't do the game justice at all.  Most of these things are peanuts but they add up.

But it's funny...El Semi, the Nebula Model2 emulator creator, went AWOL for some time and I think he had a role in assisting Sega with some of these recent ports, Daytona USA included.  I think anyway, it's just "cool" to assume that.  Now Bart, Supermodel3 emulator creator, put Supermodel on hiatus for a while and I'M NOT SUGGESTING ANYTHING BUT...what the hell I really am--but we could get some Model3 ports in the future.  Thanks, Bart!  I think seeing these Model2 games really improves the odds of seeing re-releases of Daytona 2, Sega Rally 2, and Scud Race.  What a glorious day that would be though knowing Sega, I wouldn't bet on it just yet.

Just so you know, it was in 2008 that Kotaku hosted an interview with Sega of America's Simon Jeffery.  And he was on record saying Sega "lost the source code" to some of our favorite games.  Which really sucks because if you know anything about game design, it's nigh impossible to expand on games without the source code.  And at the time, we panicked about the prospect of Sega losing the source code to Daytona USA.  I think the superb XBL/PSN ports put that to rest.

But I really wonder if they still have the source code to Daytona 2/Scud Race on source control or some USB drive somewhere.  I mean, those games weren't as successful as Daytona 1 so it's possible that bad things could happen to it..  Either someone deletes it on purpose (assumes the game will never be touched again) or on accident (with the source code to hundreds of Sega games on your computer, a few of them might get wiped out).  Or the computer could break or just die on you like that.  Not trying to downplay the massive devastation that Japan underwent a year & a half ago but God forbid some natural disaster were to occur at Sega HQ or somewhere and take out the source code like that.  It's a possibility.

Really though, I still assume the source code to these games exist SOMEWHERE.  And if I could open that s*** up and check it out, I would.  With the fervor of an AP History teacher getting early copies a day before the exam.  And if the code DOESN'T exist...well, I've said it before and I'll say it again--WE'LL REBUILD DAYTONA 2 AND SCUD RACE OURSELVES!!!  IT CAN BE DONE!!!

And then there's NASCAR--everyone's golden boy Dale Jr. suffered a concussion at Talladega, the second of the season, and by doctor's orders is forced to sit out two races, erasing any chances that he had at being the Chase victor.  The first concussion seemed to have an impact on his performance.  You never truly recover from these things anyway and too many and you have to retire.  Surely all the talk about wrecks and we tend to forget that these drivers can actually get hurt (hell, we have Dan Wheldon die on us a year ago) and it takes away these guys' abilities to do what they love to do and that is friggin race cars.

All I have to say is even if you are out of the picture and have no chance at getting a trophy, an accolade, or even a pat on the back, then go out there and perform for pride.  I don't mean the deadly sin but say, "You know what, I'm alive, I have opposable thumbs, I'm gonna do this to make myself and the Lord above happy," so go get 'em guys.  Win anyway, even if there's no reward if you do.

Hah, turns out this post wasn't quick at all.  Until then, check out some slippin and slidin from the Hornet.