After running across the entirety of Tokyo today, I am much too tired (and busy writing up the games we looked at) to actually post a blog. I can’t even upload today’s photos to my flickr thing because the camera transfer cable is in my suitcase, which I had to ship to our new hotel and won’t arrive until tomorrow. I do, however, have time to throw up this link:
because I had the good sense to edit the article while I was on the plane a few days ago. I is an genius.
Today was stressful and tiring, but fulfilling: I currently have the high score on the ancient Xevious machine at the coin-op museum in Bandai Namco’s headquarters in Shinagawa.
I just had a thought Jeremy. You, and the rest of the 1up crew, go to Japan quite a bit. On top of that, you’re always playing Japanese games for preview. How many people over at 1up speak and read Japanese?
Probably so he can be brought to a lab and hooked up to a Nintendo DS that would implant false memories and thoughts directly into his head. From my experiences, this guy’s being used as a puppet for some wackadoodle nut job religious cult. The term Shivam would use is avatar. I’m not exactly thrilled by this.
You’ve earned yourself a victory celebration! Go ahead and enjoy a nice Mister Donuts. Just don’t confuse the カレー filling for チェリー by accident. That shit’s a real shocker.
when i worked at 1up, there were very few people who could get away with any japanese at all–folks like shane and parish and karen and myself, and maybe a few others. For the most part, people make heavy use of official translators in japan.
Cool photos on that flikr page. I want to go back to Tokyo, but it might not be for years (if ever). Don’t take for granted that you get to travel there, even if it’s for work! :-)
Cool Flickr pix. If I can’t go to Japan, at least I can live vicariously through others! By the way, there are still Shakey’s restaurants in the US. I seem to recall seeing a few in southern California.
Davs–There’s at least one that I know of near me. It’s very good, too, though the pizza selection is nowhere near as “out there” as the Shakey’s mmy wife and I visited in Tokyo. Still, they have a pretty amazing lunch buffet. You just have to make sure you go hungry!
Better snap some pictures of NOVA English schools now while you still can.
The only time I’d ever heard of Shakey’s Pizza was an episode of South Park where Cartman used stem cells to clone himself a personal Shakey’s Pizza restaurant; I thought the place was fake.
I thought the quality of the Phoenix Wright article wasn’t up to par with the rest. Actually I overall miss the Parish-only articles. I didn’t mind waiting a long time between updates.
Aw, man.
If I could make a suggestion… I feel that the article has too many polysyllabic words, and this disrupts its flow. For example:
“Sometimes certain evidence appears to contradict specific dialogue in the testimonies.”
This sentence reads like The Economist or Gamespot.com. Just as I’m starting to get a sense of your style, a dry pretzel like this lands in my mouth. If you cut “certain”, “appears” and “specific” you get a much smoother and shorter sentence, which can lead into something more interesting.
Just writing “gameplay” is infinitely better than writing “gameplay mechanics”, because you cut out a lame word and avoid a cliche.
Overall, I would say the article was a success because I can see the Kobleness of it, but you really need to be more bold, loose and fun with your writing so that more of that uniqueness shines through. Here’s my favourite sentence:
“Know the facts from tip to toe and memorize them until you have a headache”
More of this!
He he. Thanks, I’ll try. To be honest, I was not surprised to know somebody didn’t like it. It is not that good. But thanks for the advice :)
Without question, my favorite part was “Whether you’re at school, at work or dying on a sinking boat.”
Parish, don’t listen to this people. This website is 10000000 times better since you started putting articles by other, very nice, intelligent people. So, keep up the good work. At least I am enjoying it.
Marty, i couldn’t disagree more.
I realize it’s personal taste, but your suggestions would have turned the sentence into something akin to what one would find in a letter to Official Yu-Gi-Oh magazine.
I’m not saying that the sentence couldn’t be improved, as it most certainly could, but I don’t think a Hemingway-style castration is the way to go. If anything, I’d blend it with the sentence that follows; shortening both but making something that is still vaguely Steinbeckian.
Mostly, the article just lacked trying metaphors and attempts to tie the game’s style and pacing into Marillion’s later works.
Forgot me own name! Sorry, that’s me ^^ right there.
Alright, the post that was referring to vanished…
Anyhow, I agree with full-fledged partner.
FWIW, I’ve really enjoyed the user-created content.
Then again, I am neither an English professor nor a literary critic,
so picking apart and/or deconstructing an article is far beyond my meager skills ;)
Much less actually writing one.