Hi. My name is *up there* (^^^), but I like my name so I will say it again: I am Eric James Jordan. I have had the pleasure of working with both Mr. Shawn “Lusipurr” Cooper and Nate “Bup” Liles as an Assistant Manager at an EB Games location in Michigan, but my post-EB-now-former job as a Retail Representative for Nintendo has moved me from my beloved mitten state to the home of Rice-A-Roni, San Francisco.
For a number of years I have used the moniker “bmbnbs,” which is “bomb on bus” without the vowels; I got it from the hit movie Speed starring Keanu Reeves, though Speed is far from my favorite movie. Lately, however, I have just been using my plain ol’ regular name to identify myself as… myself (perhaps you have seen me in the comments!). I cannot really attribute this change to any one particular thing, but I blame getting old. I blame everything on getting old. I’m 28 currently, and my love of the video game industry, culture, and products should go without saying (having been asked by Lusipurr to contribute here and all).
This love (for video games, though I love Lusi) started 24 years ago on an Atari 2600 and certainly did not stop when my sister received the NES for Christmas when I was six. I will not bore with the gritty details of my console ownership, but I am as well versed in the classics as I am with the currents and attempt to remain “console agnostic,” though I’ll be damned if the PS3 hasn’t become my baby as of late.
In addition to video games, I have a deep love of beer, movies, music, and people. I generally do not fancy bigots, books, or clam chowder. I can be a bit OCD about things like alphabetization and will, more often than not, list things as such to remove hints of favoritism (outside of a Top # List, then it is all about favoritism).
Regarding video games, I find it difficult to pinpoint my exact likes and dislikes with regards to genres or styles, but tend to appreciate gameplay and originality over all else. I can say, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I abhor turn-based gameplay regardless of the story that it is wrapped around. As a result of this fact, I have not played a number of RPGs. I have no regrets.
As much as I love games, it’s rare that I play them to completion. This is something I have been working on, but old habits die hard. That being said, the focus of my contributions to the site will most likely take an editorial disposition.
I am honored that Lusipurr has asked me to write for the site and am grateful for the opportunity to contribute. I look forward to being a part of your lives until the end of time.
Lusipurr
Bup
Ginia
Lane
Eric J
2009.11.10 at 12:07
Sweet man! Congratulation! More Lusipurr.com content is welcome. Do you have any company bias?
2009.11.10 at 12:24
I try not to have any particularly strong company biases, but again, I have been playing more PS3 lately. My 360 is being borrowed by a friend for what very well might end up being forever because I can’t think of any exclusives that excite me. My Wii doesn’t get much play these day, but I think a lot of people are in that funk. I like my handhelds, but rarely find an opportunity to play them.
I can tell you that I’m currently in a period of my life where I cannot stand Activision, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m boycotting them or anything. They just irritate that crap out of me.
What about you? Do you have any company biases?
2009.11.10 at 12:27
Also, thanks for the welcome! Sorry that my need to respond to your question overtook my manners for a moment. Won’t happen again.
2009.11.10 at 12:37
Seems like a great addition! As a RPG fan, I love the RPG-centric content, however another opinion is almost needed at this point, so I’m excited. I look forward to another voice.
2009.11.10 at 12:44
I appreciate the vote of confidence, Ethos. Thanks!
2009.11.10 at 14:24
@Eric J – Sounds good man, I have a strong love bias towards Squeenix. That’s all really. It’s just nice to know what companies/game genres/franchises reviewers are in to, so you can best relate yourself to their review.
2009.11.10 at 15:18
Woah, woah …. woah. There are games that are not RPGs? I am confused and a tad frightened. Just kidding.
I’m glad that there will be someone else about who also has difficulty finishing games. Now I do not have to be so ashamed of the fact that I haven’t completed a game since … oh geeze … 2007? You’re probably not quite as terrible as I am, though. Together we can overcome adversity and finish something, though! I believe in you!
Welcome aboard. I’ve heard quite a bit about you, so I’m looking forward to your contributions. :)
2009.11.10 at 15:20
@Squalldane: I certainly didn’t mean to dance around my likes/dislikes by sounding like I love everyone equally. I enjoy puzzle platformers quite a bit. I like racing games that don’t bog me down with technicality. I like modern shooters that are more than just run-and-gun and classic shooters that are just that. I love games that let me horde loot without having to deal with others if I don’t want to. I’m still not done enjoying rhythm-based games, but have never been into DDR. I have an undying affection for shmups, but am fully aware that it is not economically viable to develop them with the love and care they deserve.
I can’t pick one company to love like some people might pick Square-Enix or Bioware or Namco-Bandai, but I don’t hold it against people that can and hope that it won’t be held against me either. Clearly Squeenix’s games speak to you and your likes, and that’s awesome! I’m just kind of this mish-mash of ideas of things I like, and no single company holds the key to my heart based on that description. Maybe (and this is a strong maybe) pre-2001 SEGA or pre-Wii Nintendo, but those would be broad strokes I would be using to paint this self-portrait with acute enough detail to be worth a damn.
There were a couple posts over the past two weeks where I felt strongly enough to want to comment, but not strongly enough to dedicate myself to a particular side of the discussion, so I simply commented “I like games.” That’s probably the least compelling thing I could say on any discussion on this site and kind of Chance-ish (that is a Being There reference, if that slips by anyone) all together.
2009.11.10 at 15:28
@Ginia: I have only just finished the first Uncharted, and Flower before that, and Portal before that, but that sums up the last two years of my gaming triumphs, so my guess is we’re on equal footing there.
I believe in you too, just keep on pushing forward!
Also, thanks!
2009.11.10 at 16:36
Hello EricJ, good to have you on board.
-The PS3 is also my baby (as seems to be the case for most people who work here, and the readers too).
-I also have a healthy disdain for Activision and Bobby Kotick, and i I ever find myself buying one of their games, will endevour to get it used. I also absolutely despise Square-Enix, though I have a proportional love for the Final Fantasy series, a contradiction of sorts.
2009.11.10 at 16:50
@SiliconNooB: Hello and thank you!
I’m trying to make similar Activision purchases, which should be easy since I’m not a fan of most of their titles, and Bobby Kotick has no dick as far as I’m concerned. I’m glad to hear you say these words.
I guess I’m curious as to why you despise Square-Enix? Is it Shakespearean, your only love sprung from your only hate?!
2009.11.10 at 17:15
I love NISA! Probably because they remind me of Square back before they became huge, monolithic, and DEADLY SERIOUS about making games. NISA is still having fun, and their games show this. No one plays a NISA game without a smile on their face.
I used to love SE but now I think, like SN, I just love the Final Fantasy series. SE’s other productions are just schlock. Nier? Last Remnant? Infinite Undiscovery? No thanks.
Part of SE’s problem is that the heart-and-soul of their development left and formed Mistwalker, which now makes the sort of classic JRPGs that I love. Unfortunately, they’ve only made two of those, and they are both for a console that I no longer (nor ever will again) own. They need a PS3 release, STAT.
I should also point out that SN’s comment about the PS3 being beloved of our staff is not without realism. Our PS3 examination pointed out the holes in the system, and it’s certainly not perfect–however at the present moment it is the least imperfect of all three systems: it’s not the shovelware platform that the Wii has become, neither is it merely a venue for a company to screw its users out of money left and right like the 360. It’s just a console, and really, that’s all I ever wanted in the first place.
2009.11.10 at 17:25
Without Sakaguchi SE is just a collection of affiliated studio’s, even more-so since adding Eidos to their fold. And I had the cynical way they pump out sub-standard dross in order to milk their most popular franchises. Squaresoft is my most beloved developer of all time, but it’s subsequent re-animation as SE created an abhorent, defiled monstrosity, which seems nothing short of a mockery of their former virtue.
And each and every time they talk about making a game directed at Western audiences, I involuntarily facepalm myself.
2009.11.10 at 17:26
*hate* not *had* XD
2009.11.10 at 17:38
And each and every time they talk about making a game directed at Western audiences, I involuntarily facepalm myself.
That’s me as well. There’s something completely detatched and schizophrenic in such statements, though–as if SE believes that the audience which has been eagerly awaiting their JRPGs for decades has, to a man, uniformly rejected JRPGs and now requires patronisation in the form of faux Western-style bilge.
2009.11.10 at 17:53
Yeah, the 360 used to be my favourite, but the PS3 has swiftly taken the top spot for me as well. I still like both systems quite a bit, but the PS3 has also become my baby.
2009.11.10 at 17:54
The last time they used that line (as far as I can remember) was with TLR, and I couldn’t exactly pick any distinctly western elements out of that steaming mound of night soil, it was just your typical, trademark broken Kawazu game …
2009.11.10 at 17:57
Actually Kawazu games are the one thing that hasn’t changed post-merger, they’re keeping the wrong traditions alive …
2009.11.10 at 18:02
so has thea left staff?
2009.11.10 at 19:21
@volke93: Yes, her job and other work projects reduce her time considerably. She also does graphic editing and stuff on the side from her normal full-time job, and she just doesn’t have time for writing gaming articles anymore.
2009.11.10 at 20:00
I like Daisuke Ishiwatari (Guilty Gear, Blazblue), Hideki Kamiya (Devil May Cry, Bayonetta), and Akitshi Kawazu (Final Fantasy II: self mutilation makes you stronger).
yes I know about his horrible track record, yes I know hes been quoted saying “yeah, I’m aware that the games I’ve made have never been, you know…good.” but I love Romancing SaGa” Minstrel Song, Final Fantasy II, Romancing SaGa III, and SaGa II. those are the only games of his that I’ve played so he has a good history as far as my history is concerned.
I don’t really hate any group or person. I always figured getting mad at people or organizations for doing shitty things was sorta like getting mad at a dog for licking his testicles: no point in getting mad at something that’ll never change.
welcome Eric J! lieutenant of the Lusipurrian army! -salutes a soldier of higher rank-
2009.11.10 at 20:24
@Lusipurr: She will be missed (although I’d imagine she’ll still be around in some capacity), but all hail the new Thea! Welcome, Erik J!
- As far as the biases, my feeling have been that there’s nothing wrong with liking one system (or game or franchise or whatever) more than another, but it becomes a problem when you expect everybody else to share in your opinion. I think that’s the difference between a fan and a fanboy/fangirl.
- That being said, there are a few franchises I’d describe myself as a fanboy of (although not in compliance with the above definition :F. I don’t care if people agree with me), mostly JRPGs of one form or another, but I also really enjoy a wide variety of genres (I consider myself pretty decent at FPSs, although I prefer Sci-Fi to WW2). Anything I can play with my friends get an instant boost, especially if it’s something that has split-screen features (unfortunately, this seems to be a dying game mode as people try to get more and more rendering power out of consoles).
- @Ginia/Erik J: I was really bad at finishing games up until recently. About 1/2 way through last year, I started keeping track of what games I was playing (purchase dates, last played dates, current progression through the story, etc) in a database and that’s helped me stay much more focused on the games I’m currently playing. Maybe some similar system would help you guys? My view’s always been, though, that the fastest way to not like a game is to force yourself to finish it. Games are supposed to be fun. If they’re not, then you’re doing it wrong :D.
2009.11.10 at 21:54
@breaka666 & darthgibblet: Thank you both for the welcoming!
@breaka666: You are right to a degree about complaining, but this isn’t a dog that doesn’t know better, it’s a large corporation that should. When sales of a franchise or in a genre dip year after year (I’m thinking of Tony Hawk and the music genre specifically here, but this is not limited to those), the proper action is not to make a game that requires yet another new peripheral (and inflated prices to match) or flood the market with crap rehashes hoping something sticks, you have to re-evaluate what you’re doing on your end to make it better. You also should not casually talk about dumping core titles because they lack “annualization” nor make jokes about increasing the prices, because that is not what consumers – recession or no – need to hear.
Sorry if that comes off as argumentative. It wasn’t my intention. I love you.
@darthgibblet: That is a method worth considering, though my problem comes down to over stuffing my plate and realizing that maybe I wasn’t as hungry as I thought… gamingly speaking, of course.
2009.11.10 at 22:01
I’ve finished more games this year than I ever have in my life. I’m not quite sure why. Maybe it’s Riddlethos, maybe it’s all the new systems I have, maybe it’s the quality of gaming. Either way, it’s BIZARRE. I used to be like Eric J and Ginia.
2009.11.11 at 01:54
I’d finish more games if they weren’t all clumped together into the same release period …
2009.11.11 at 02:25
For those interested, I added my PSN ID at the end of this post and you are all welcome to add me to your Friends List if you would like.
Or you can just stalk me at your leisure. Creep.
2009.11.11 at 05:07
Yo, Good to see you join us. I’ll take you up on your offer and stalk you. ;)