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Dengeki Rankings I Ys: Oath in Falghana Coming Soon I Dragon Quest Slime MoriMori 2 Info I Drag-On Dragoon 2 Gets a Date I Culture Corner: Ask Sensei I Sayonara
JAPANDEMONIUM
Liberated Internet March 20, 2005


Konnichiwa

Last night, I learned a very valuable lesson, but I didn't know that I'd learned it until today. While on my couch last night, I heard my modem make a somewhat familiar clicking sound that means that my internet is dead. It's done this before, and I suspect that it will do it again. When this happens, I just wait it out, and my internet comes back.

But this time was different. My internet didn't come back, and my phone was dead too. What was going on? With little that I could do, I decided to go to bed and check it out in the morning.

Well, this morning, I got up and checked my internet. It was still dead, and my phone was too. So, I got dressed and headed to a pay phone to call Yahoo BB and complain. I wasn't able to get in touch with the service people, but I did call the billing people. By talking to them, the truth of what had happened was slowly beginning to dawn on me. There was no problem with the line; I had been disconnected.

Of course, I hadn't paid a dime since I got my internet, but I didn't think I actually had to. I was under the impression that my internet was being automatically deducted from my bank account in Japan. After all, I completed the paperwork for that to happen. But there were problems with me doing that. It never worked. What I thought were notices telling me how much they had taken out of my bank were actually paper bills that I was supposed to pay in cash.

And according to Yahoo BB, my not paying these bills had gone on too long.

Well, I paid my bill, so here's hoping that they are swift at turning my internet and phone back on. I would have gladly paid it months ago if I'd known it had to be paid. I generally paid my internet bill for months in advance in New Orleans.

So my dead internet combines with a somewhat slow news week to give you a thin column. I am sorry about this... but it's better that I give you a thin column than nothing at all. I shouldn't even have internet now, but I'm at GEOS stealing theirs. Wait... did I say steal? Um.. no... I am liberating this internet. No one comes around on Sunday, so I'm able to come in and plug into their modem and liberate their data! But if I get caught, I'll be in trouble, so I can't stay too long.

In other news, I have finished Xenosaga II. I have seen the ending, and it's pretty darn cool, but I haven't gone through the optional dungeons yet. I've gone back to Metal Gear Solid 3 to see if I can't finish that one off too. I've got a serious backlog to finish, and I plan on doing it.

So, with that sad story told, I guess it's time to get this liberated party started.



 Dengeki Rankings

This week has plenty of games on the chart. In fact, there are 11 of them, and a couple of them are new titles. It makes me happy to see some new titles on there. The top spot is still held by Dynasty Warriors 4, but it turns out that we call it Dynasty Warriors 5 in America. We got an extra game in that series back in the beginning. Don't know how that worked out though... Regardless, I'll stick with the name Dynasty Warriors 4. I think it's more correct.

In other news, Pokemon Emerald has returned! I delete the code from the chart and look what happens. The Japanese go out en masse and buy the game like crazy. *sigh* That what I get for taking it out of my column instead of commenting it out...

But anyway, it's time to see some numbers!

Position Title Publisher Platform
3 Tales of Eternia Namco
6 Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim Falcom
12 Shadow Hearts 2 Director's Cut Aruze
14 Growlanser IV Return Atlus
15 Megaman.exe 5: Team of Colonel Capcom
25 Megaman.exe 5 Team of Pruus Capcom
29 Pokemon Emerald Nintendo
33 Super Robot Wars: Original Generation 2 Banpresto
24 Popolocrois: Pietro Monogatari SCE
42 Dragon Quest VIII Square Enix
45 Radiata Stories Square Enix


Source: Dengeki Online



 Ys: Oath in Falghana Coming Soon

Falcom has just announced that Ys: Oath in Falghana will be hitting Japanese retailers in June. It is of importance to state that this is not Ys 7. Instead, this Windows game is meant to be more like Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, the game that first introduced the area of Falghana. While the story and setting are reminiscent of Ys III, the graphics and gameplay will be the same as those used in Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim.

Expect more as the game nears release.

Source: Impress



 Dragon Quest Slime MoriMori 2 Info
Square Enix

Square Enix has announced a sequel to the odd little Dragon Quest Slime MoriMori which will be called Dragon Quest Slime MoriMori 2 for the Nintendo DS. In this game, players will get to become a slime from the popular series and go on wacky adventures. It seems that other than the fact that the game will follow in the first game's action-adventure footsteps and that the game will take full advantage of the dual screens of the DS, there is little known at this point. But knowing Square Enix, there is bound to be more information just around the corner.

More on this game as it develops.


Source: Impress



 Drag-On Dragoon Gets a Date
Drag-On Dragoon 2

Square Enix has pinned down another release date, and this time it's for Drag-On Dragoon 2. It will be flying into stores on June 16, 2005. In the meantime, you can take a look at some more beautiful screens for this game. I have to say that it IS pretty. I don't know much else about this game, but I do know that it's very pretty.

There's still no mention of a certain Final Fantasy XII, but for every game we have a date for, that brings us all one step closer to finding out when it will be released.


Source: Impress



  Culture Corner: Ask Sensei

Last week, I asked for emails about how love and video games have mixed in your life. As I check my inbox one last time, it looks like no one replied. Either you guys don't have any luck with love and video games at the same time, or you just didn't feel like sharing your story. Either way, I got a whopping zero questions in my inbox. The only letter I got was a correction from last week...

It makes me sad that this column is so thin and I don't even have any mail to help fill it, but at least I'll tell my story as promised.

On January 29, I went to my school's DDR club to see what it was all about. It was just beginning, and this was the first meeting. Anyone that knows me knows that I really enjoy DDR, and I'd also had my best luck with the ladies at the arcades. I figured it couldn't hurt to take a look and see if I could find any cute DDR girls.

I got there and danced a bit on their home pads, but I didn't get any good vibes with any of the girls there until these two Asian girls came in. They asked to play, and they weren't bad. One was a little taller with really really long hair, but the other one caught my eye. She was just cuter. Figuring I had nothing to lose, I started up a converatation with the cuter one, and it turns out she was starting an anime club. So, I offered to help her and lend her some of my anime.

The next night I happened to run into her at Tulane's Asian Food Fest, and we started talking again. Her roommate, the tall one with long hair, suggested that we get bubble tea, but I'd never even heard of it. But my lack of knowledge of bubble tea didn't stop me from suggesting we still go out in search of it. A little over an hour later, we were at the best bubble tea shop in New Orleans getting a tasty snack that started everything for Caroline and I.

After the bubble tea, we watched some anime, and I asked her out the next day. After that things just kept going, and if all goes well, we'll be married by the end of next year.

So there you have it. That's the story of how I met my fiancee by playing DDR. I hope you enjoyed it. For next week, send me some letters. Heck, I don't even care what they're about. Just send me a few. I'll have internet by next week.



MSRP Correction


Jordan,

I don't know if I agree with you about Japan not having MSRPs. While it may not be enforced like in the USA they definitely do have a "suggested retail price" which is given by the manufacturer. Following is a link to an example (I recently bought a sharp e-dict) of one. I do however agree that prices vary a lot. Even on items like game systems, which would never fly in America

http://www.sharp.co.jp/products/pwa8300/index.html

Ryan Connors


Sensei

Ok, Japan DOES have an MSRP for things, but it doesn't actually mean anything. I suppose I phrased it poorly the first time. To illustrate this example, I'll talk for a bit about Gundam model kits. I've bought several of them, and they all have the price stamped on them for what they should sell for. In the case of the Gundam RX-78 GP01 Perfect Grade model, the price is 20,000 Yen (roughly 200 US). But, at an expensive department store, I saw it marked at 28,000 Yen. At another store, I saw it for 14,000 Yen. At a model shop, it was 15,000 Yen.

This phenomenon doesn't just apply to model kits. I paid less than half of the highest listed price for my first electric razor, and I've seen everything else do it too. Stores sell products for whatever they want to. It's not quite that some stores are cheaper than others though. It's just that some stores are cheaper than others for some things. The very same store that had the cheap razor had overpriced rice cookers just two aisles over.

And no, there is no set price for video games either. I know if you go to the website for any game, they'll tell you it should sell for X Yen. But if you go to a store, you'll find that the price range for a video game will range by as much as 3000 yen from one store to another. That's around 30 bucks US. I found Paper Mario 2 new for 4600 Yen by going to several shops and not paying 6800 Yen at the first store I saw it.

The original statement was meant to be that since there is no standard price for anything, shopping around is needed. There IS an MSRP, but people follow it just as much as they follow speed limit signs and red lights around here. They just don't mean much.



 Sayonara

Last week's column was so full that this one seems like table scraps. I'm sorry about this, but there's not much I can do about it. I'd love to dig up all sorts of nifty news, but I can't risk staying here much longer. Should the manager come in to check something or get something, I'll be in big trouble.

I'll try to make it up to you next week.

Catch you on the flip
Jordan "Give me liberty or give me death!" Jackson




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