Re: Awesome collections - Do you have one? (2 years ago)

Really like the way he has all that gear stored too! Very cool!!

Re: Gaming collections. Pictures! (2 years ago)

Thanks for the kind words guys.

Here are few more of the newest acquisitions - believe it or not I found all these sitting on the side of the road while heading to work (out side a recycle centre)! Spoke to the guy running the place and he said they were all going to be destroyed for bare materials - I couldn't let that happen, and after telling him of the obsession I have he was happy to hand them on for nothing!

Stripped and cleaned them all up, and the only work still to do is change the belt on the DiskSystem, backlight on the PSOne and fix a few buttons on the Second Famicom - other than this everything was great! Gotta love Japan...

















There is also another N64 cart (Mario 64 rumble pack version) which was left in my other N64 when I took these pics.

EDIT:
Here is a pic of the Megadrive stuff I mentioned in a previous post, but most of these are being sold on.

Re: Planning For Japan - Advice (2 years ago)

Hanami season is really fun - getting drunk with a bunch of strangers in a park takes on a whole new meaning that's for sure. I would say coming for the snow and coming for Japan-fun would be separate trips.

Good luck with convincing.

Re: Gaming collections. Pictures! (2 years ago)

Here are a few pics of the pile - although there have been some more additions since these pics were taken which include things like around 40 more Saturn titles inc Metal Slug, and a heap of Mega Drive stuff. Also not shown in these pics are the boxes of gear waiting to be sent back home to the guys, my PS2, 360 collection, or the other GCs in another room.









This one above is of the home-job Mame panel - Sanwa sticks, Seimitsu buttons and Ultimarc Spinner.

Re: Planning For Japan - Advice (2 years ago)

I'm in Ishikawa and around that time all you'll get is sloppy wet conditions around here (the Japanese call this "sherbet"), and that's if you're lucky - most places will be closed. I have been to Nagano a few times in April when I have wanted one more session and you should be able to get a so-so run there, but late January and February are by far the best months - last year the snow kicked arse! If it's snow you want then leaving it till April is a mistake - April will be better for things like Hanami and general Japan-ing though.

Re: Your newest purchase (2 years ago)

Those were the days! Nice pickup.

Re: MS Kinect. Total Bargain. (2 years ago)

No more peripherals for the 360 for me.... I love hanging out with mates over live, but I just can't trust the thing enough to buy anymore.

Re: What game are you playing? (2 years ago)

On a bit of a retro kick at the moment - haven't played anything 'new' in weeks!

Currently:
Samurai Spirits on the NeoGeo AES.
Waverace Bluestorm on the Gamecube.
Rtype on the PC Engine.
And a huge amount of Arkanoid on the Mame setup.

Could be months before I get back to 2010!

Re: Your newest purchase (2 years ago)

That is a huge haul Sey! Very nice indeed!

Re: "Japanese gaming is dead" Keiji Inafune (2 years ago)

Thanks for digging up some stats Benza.

This pretty much brings my home point home, and these are just the companies that are doing things on a world scale. The companies I am thinking of are concentrating on the domestic market and they are creating things that probably wouldn't do well overseas - my personal opinion here. I anticipate that the development within Japan may yield unexpected results later globally. I think that this will happen in hardware first, but software will soon follow.

C'mon Goob, you are talking about a governmental body here, not the general population. I have seen footage of people in Japan being shown 'The Cove' here, and they didn't have any idea this is even going on. When people find out what is going on I would say on the most part they are extremely embarrassed by it - I wouldn't describe them as arrogant in the least. I wouldn't say that this issue is covered up, but lets just say that this sort of information is highly regulated.

Seriously Goober, stereotypes gained through mass-media exposure shouldn't be a substitute for getting out and seeing the world.

So what was the topic of this thread again?

Re: "Japanese gaming is dead" Keiji Inafune (2 years ago)

This is one of the issues many westerners have with the Japanese way of doing things - myself included. I would actually say it's slower in Japan though, as the steps you have to go through to do the smallest of tasks take a lot of time.

In Japanese there are the words 'kohai' and 'senpai' which we don't have words for in English, but these are the words given to people to indicate hierarchy of people in the same actual position - even if you have the same job as someone, he/she may still be your 'senpai' (like boss) only based on the date you join.

Thanks for the kind words. I am not a fan of people arguing blind on either side, and there are the Japanese obsessed willing to do just that, as well as the people who do the same in the other direction.

One thing you have to take into consideration is the sheer size of the population here - Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures have around the same population as the whole of Australia. Even 8% (imagine what that would be with Nintendo!) is still substantial if that isn't including the domestic market.

The companies that aren't doing well seem to be the ones focusing on the outside market. There are games (specially in the arcades) which are making a heap of money just because they are aiming at the market here. I just hope that once they develop something unique for the Japanese market that the rest of the world takes it onboard - WII was an example of this happening.

Just remember there is a reason they didn't include Nintendo in that 8% - it would make a pretty crappy article if the number contradicted everything said.

Re: Gamecube Games (2 years ago)

I only have about 15 or 20 or so, but I plan on getting more after I finishing buying Saturn, DC and AES games.

I bought my first GameCube only a couple of months ago, and after playing a few games I had no idea why I waited so long. Mario Sunshine was so cool I replayed straight after finishing it!

Re: "Japanese gaming is dead" Keiji Inafune (2 years ago)

You know the interesting is that I think you guys are taking me as a person who is defending Japanese culture. I have lived here for more than 8 years and trust me that couldn't be further from the truth. Man, the frustrations I have had....

All I am doing is looking objectively at that article, and bringing other elements to the discussion. Bringing up the origins of anime is pointless though guys, as the important thing is what's going on now. The Japanese didn't invent video games, they didn't invent animation, but the fact that you guys know what 'manga' is, and also that you've probably played Mario and loved the originality of it means that these Japanese creations crosses boarders.

I hate over-generalizations, and that article is exactly that. How can it even be said that Japanese gaming is dead when they have Nintendo?

Due to my work I am involved with people in research regarding technology here, and there are ideas coming from Japan which give me a fair bit of faith - nanotech is probably the most eye-opening. Don't disregard Japan as a gaming nation just after reading one article. He is just pissed he didn't come up with the Bandai arcade machines idea.

Great thread though!

Re: "Japanese gaming is dead" Keiji Inafune (2 years ago)

I wouldn't say I am a defender of Nippon - live here for long enough and any misconceptions of the rising sun fade away. Ever lived in Japan Goober?

All I am saying is that looking at things objectively, there are markets here which are booming (no where near shrinking) and none of these markets have anything to do with other countries. Basically the developers that are trying to kiss the arse of the western consumers will always fail, and it's these companies who have the shrinking you mention.

Look at Nintendo for example; do you really think their market research would have told them that cute and cuddly would sell in Australia - doubt it. But they go ahead and make the most cute sickening games that sell by the tonne. They do the "Japanese thing" and it sells....

Now in regards to having figures to how well pop-culture is, you know that I don't. But just look around... Ever heard of Naruto, Pikachu, Akira, or even the word Manga? Personally I am not a fan of the 'Otaku', and I am not in Japan because I have a deep love of the culture, but it would take a blind person not to see it.

Re: Your newest purchase (2 years ago)

Man, looked at his profile and he is so generous!!! Good to see people like this even exist.
Thanks for clarifying guys.

Re: "Japanese gaming is dead" Keiji Inafune (2 years ago)

And this shows that he probably isn't in touch as much as he should be. Unfortunately Japanese pop-culture has spread like the plague in recent years and many of the Japanese things that sell in the west would probably surprise him - suprises the crap out of me alot of the time.

My point is that the companies making money in Japan like Bandai have the idea of only catering for the Japanese market; the companies trying to break into the west are fighting for survival. My guess is that like early Nintendo these Japanese companies may develop something new that takes off abroad.

One thing that pisses me off with that article too.... Why they don't include Nintendo in their figures too?
"But Japan only has an 8 percent of the global gaming market. (Note: Excluding Nintendo.) "
Probably as having those figures in the article would completely go against every he is saying.

Re: Your newest purchase (2 years ago)

Great stuff! Hey excuse the ignorance (haven't been on this forum long), but when you say "SONY" do you mean the company? I have seen a few guys mention Sony, so just wondering?

Regardless, nice haul!

Re: "Japanese gaming is dead" Keiji Inafune (2 years ago)

But adaption implies change to fit an existing system or market. I think the market here is very different to what exists in the western countries. There is some real innovation in the arcades - card based games where you collect cards, scan them in for different fighting combos and strategies (my kids love these things) is one example. These kind of games wouldn't catch on back home I'd say, but it's proof that ideas are being developed to the point of public release - always a good sign.

My hope is that the Japanese ignore what's going on everywhere else, follow their ideas and then blow us all away in the future..... Can always hope I guess.

Re: "Japanese gaming is dead" Keiji Inafune (2 years ago)

Work commitments meant I couldn't get to the TGS this year, but from what i hear I didn't miss much. Gaming houses are joining forces so fewer booths.

I don't think the Japanese gaming houses are dead though, as there are still upcoming releases from companies like Cave or Capcom, but I will say that it's become stagnated a little bit - might be the calm before the storm though. I am noticing more and more people getting into the retro and arcade scenes here, and very little influence from western gaming houses. I reckon Japan might take a new route in the next few years and release some unexpected stuff. Fingers crossed.

Re: Your newest purchase (2 years ago)

The guys on the Aussie Arcade expressed exactly the same thing!

I was soooo lucky it's crazy. It was missing the price tag, so I asked the guy in the store how much, and he talked with his colleague and came back with that price. My jaw hit the floor and the words 'ja onegaishimasu' (umm yes please) stumbled out of my mouth - I am still in shock about it!

Re: Your newest purchase (2 years ago)

The latest buy yesterday, and I'm damn happy with this one!







Managed to get the deal of the year with this stuff - around $30aus for the console, controller, adapters and AV, plus another $20aus for the games! Still can't believe my luck... Even for Japan this is so incredibly cheap it's insane!!

Re: Fire Pro-Wrestling announced (2 years ago)

I have been playing the crap out of FirePro 6 man on the Saturn the past few days and loving it! Wrapped it's coming, but I hope they don't screw it up though...

Re: 007 Goldeneye DS screenshots (2 years ago)

Golden eye was a great game for sure, but I too think it might not be that great on the DS. I did think the controls on CoD were pretty cool, but it just wasn't as playable as it needed to be - same applies here.

Re: THQ announces Saints Row 3 and more (2 years ago)

I had an absolute ball with Saints Row 2 on the 360 - spraying crap over the town cracked me up! But I don't think I could justify the purchase straight off at full price on release (too much on my plate at the moment), but I will definitely have it on my 'to buy' list once the price drops.

Re: COD BO censored in japan, will it happen in Aus? (2 years ago)

Yep, Japan can be a bit strange when it comes to violence, but it's often the because of the theme and not because of the violence itself a game banned or censored here. Strangely enough though, buying games in which you can sexually assault seem perfectly ok though.

Game censorship really sucks regardless of where you live, and unfortunately Aussie is one of the worst offenders.

Re: Your newest purchase (2 years ago)

Great thread!

My latest buys in the past two weeks...

PC Engine with two controllers, Multitap and 50 games.
Sega Saturn with 4 controllers and 100+ games.
Sega Dreamcast (yet to arrive) with a gun and controller and 5 games.
25 Dream cast games separate to the unit above.

Yep, it's been a good week or two.

Re: The Welcome Thread (2 years ago)

Posted an intro thread before seeing this one. Sorry about that guys.
Here was the first thread:
http://palgn.com.au/viewtopic.php?p=779034#779034

Anyway that said, I'm an Aussie living in Japan and I am into gaming in a big way; pretty much into all forms of gaming, but recently I am getting into the retro stuff - PC Engine, N64 and Saturn mainly, although a NeoGeo is on the cards too.

Looking forward to seeing more on the forum!

Re: Have been recommended to join here, so a quick self intro. (2 years ago)

Thanks for the welcome guys!

Yeah after looking around a bit it looks like there are few people floating between the two forums. Great to see more Aussies making a presence!

Have been recommended to join here, so a quick self intro. (2 years ago)

Hi guys,

Hope this is right section to post this in. Please move the thread if not.

Anyway, I've been recommended this forum by an Aussie Arcade forum member, so here I am.

I'm an Aussie, but I have been living in Japan for a fair few years now. I am into pretty much all forms of gaming - have a few arcade machines in storage back home, a heap of console stuff here in Japan, Sanwa/Seimitsu Mame panel, and also do a bit of PC gaming as well.

The main reason for being recommended this forum is because I am always trying to sell off doubles from my Japanese console collections on the Aussie Arcade forum, and I was told that this place might be good too.

Well that's about it for the intro. Does look like a pretty slick forum you guys have got going here, so I am looking forward reading some of these threads.