You probably figured out from our first podcast and the ludicrous site skin on the front page that we're on the ground and semi-coherent in Tokyo. So far I've had a chance to observe a few personal traditions common to every TGS trip.
Old Traditions
YES.Neglect my DS and PSP completely on the plane. I read Cell by Stephen King cover to cover instead. I guess I'll try to finish Final Fantasy IV on the way back. That still needs reviewing, right?
Listen to the entirety of Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space by Spiritualized on the long bus ride from the airport to downtown. I don't know why that album reminds me of Tokyo, but it does.
Get my ass whooped on the year's new fighting games populating the arcades here. Hey, this year that means Tekken 6 and Street Fighter IV. Sweet! People are disturbingly good at fighting games here. I wish that kind of skill and competition still existed in the US, outside of tournaments and whatnot.
Eat some kind of egg-covered katsu dish purchased via vending-machine ticket at the local Don Don. Vending machines keep personal interactions at a minimum!
New One(s)
Thank the TGS gods for moving the show to October. The weather's actually pretty pleasant! Usually TGS swelters. It must be 10-15 degrees cooler than the old show in September.
Something else we'll figure out and document.
???
Profit!
Now we're off to Akihabara to contemplate spending too much money on useless old games in the Super Potato, and try to goad Jeff into buying a high-def handheld camcorder we can use to shoot surreptitious footage in the city's many camera-unfriendly game and electronics emporiums. Look for videos in the near future!
