Alicia and I have finally recovered from our whirlwind trip to Japan last month, and taken our first stab at narrowing down the large number of photographs into something worth viewing. We only visited four cities during our two-week journey (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima), and it feels like we barely scratched the surface of the country. Needless to say, it proved to be a fascinating and refreshingly different culture, one where old traditions collide with new technology and forward thinking.

A lot of people have asked why we chose to visit Japan, and to be honest, I’m not entirely sure. I think we were looking for a challenge of sorts, a bigger trip that would top some of our previous vacations and end up being a true adventure. Alicia had taken a class in Japanese so she knew a little bit of the language, and myself being a video game and gadget addict also felt drawn to this country for obvious reasons. Maybe I’ll write up something more about the trip down the road, but in the meantime, feel free to ask any questions you might have in the comments.

On a related note, I’ve also put together a new 8 Tracks mix of Japanese bands, some of which I had already been a fan of, and others that I discovered while on the trip. It should provide a sufficiently wacky and eclectic soundtrack while you browse our photo album.

I’m not a huge fan of everything on Adult Swim, but I always take notice whenever Adam Reed and Matt Thompson, creators of Sealab 2021, have a new series in the works. This time around, Adam Reed has struck out on his own to do a new show for FX called Archer, and after watching the first episode I can say that it’s very much in the same vein as Sealab and Frisky Dingo.

The show is a James Bond parody of sorts about a douchebag egomaniac spy whose mother runs the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS). As you might expect there’s not a ton of action and it focuses more on the mundane, but the animation is slightly higher calibre than Adult Swim. Episodes are also a full half-hour, but the only thing that sucks is that the show doesn’t actually start until January and the season is only 6 episodes long! Well I guess it’s all about quality over quantity, right?

I’ve been wondering for a while now how exactly these DJ games are going to work and whether or not they will be even remotely as fun as Guitar Hero or Rock Band. I gotta admit, this trailer does a pretty good job of selling it.

Bossa nova or Chevy nova? In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 4Kids Entertainment is making a direct-to-DVD animated movie called Turtles Forever where the new TMNT team up with the 1980s TMNT in a collision of art styles and culture. Unfortunately they couldn’t get the original voice actors for some reason, which is pretty lame, but I’m still curious enough to check this out. It will air on CW4kids at some point over the next couple of months, then be released on DVD before the end of the year.

Source: Topless Robot

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but at what point does friendly imitation become an insult and a rip off? In the world of video games, the idea of plagiarism is almost a moot point. Perhaps it is because video games are a part of the digital age, or perhaps it is because recreating other games is easier said than done, but you don’t often see game designers accusing each other of theft. When it comes to Shadow Complex there’s no question where the inspiration came from. It is a masterful clone of the 2-D Metroid games, and even though it features so many elements lifted directly from Super Metroid, I cannot help but admire its tight design and attention to detail.

One thing that Shadow Complex does differently is that it restricts you to 2-D movement within a 3-D world, which makes the game feel modern while maintaining the purity of the 2-D gameplay. Sometimes this creates confusion as you move across a room, since you are unable to judge where the ledges and platforms are just by looking. On the other hand, it creates a sense of depth by allowing you to aim your weapons into the frame as well, which is kind of cool.

The game disguises itself with a different story and contemporary setting. Loosely based on the Orson Scott Card book Empire, it feels more like Metal Gear Solid than Metroid and doesn’t have quite the same eerie mood. But the bottom line is that you’re still using missiles to open red doors, bombs to open green doors, a flashlight to scan for weaknesses in walls, a hook shot to climb walls, and so on and so forth.

In the end, the gameplay mechanics and exploration still make it an absolutely addictive and absorbing experience. My only complaint is that there isn’t much variety in the enemies, and the final boss fight is a bit of a let down. Either way, it’s well worth the $15 download and probably the only game I’ve been truly hooked on so far this year.