US Suikoden Manual
Quantum Mechanics of Suikoden
It is not uncommon in the world of video games for something to be delayed, cancelled, or forced into vaporware due to the break-up of a team. Its also not uncommon for the head honcho of production to feebly attempt to save some fans with an uncertain promise “this does not mean we will never do it, just not now.” But no one does this in such the interesting manner as Osamu Komuta, director of Suikoden Tierkreis. According to Komuta, the group that worked on the DS title disbanded several years ago. But he does not want to rule out the possibility of another Suikoden title altogether, instead offering a glimmer of unusual hope:
“The game’s universe now lives in the ‘Infinity’ where it is possible for all the games to co-exist while leaving room for great growth and exploration in the series because both Tierkreis and the previous games are essential elements for the Suikoden universe.”
Glad to know video game developers have an eye out for news in other dimensions. Komuta’s next project, Frontier Gate is a joint project between Konami and Tri-Ace; following the loss of the Suikoden staff, Konami felt they had lost their RPG know-how and turned to Tri-Ace to fill that gap. Frontier Gate will be released for the PSP sometime in 2011 for Japanese markets, with international release possibly following.
Take that, evildoer!
Too Much Halo
The majority of the Lusipurr.com staff and readers believe that looking at a copy of Halo means you have already wasted too much time on it. The developers at Bungie have spent egregious amounts of time on Halo and you would think they would be brain-dead and useless by now because of it. But you would be wrong. Jeff Fletcher, one of Bungie’s IT staff, was going to the bank this week when he saw an argument break out between two men. Their argument quickly escalated into gunfire, leaving one of the men wounded and the other fleeing the scene. Using his Halo skills and, more likely, his skills as a former security guard and son of a police officer, Fletcher pulled out his own firearm and went after the fleeing suspect. Carrying his father’s old handcuffs, he was able to restrain the man until police arrived. Seattle, Washington allows gun owners to obtain a license to conceal a firearm, so his admirable heroism was legal, if a little ill-advised.
Probably not in the app.
Giant Robot GPS
Commuting is a horrible, awful thing, especially when you encounter traffic. How amazing would it be to have your very own giant mech to stomp through rush hour in time for you to get your morning coffee before settling down at your desk? Well, that is not possible (yet) but there is something else that can help you attempt to alleviate that boredom. Bandai Namco is releasing an app for the iPhone featuring a variety of Gundam Mobile Suits. Users can choose either Earth Federation or Republic of Zeon, with their car being represented by a respective Mobile Suit. If you ever find yourself lost, just fire up the app, and a selection of characters will show you the way to your destination. The more you use the app, the more characters and Suits will be unlocked. There are also random encounters, in which you will see your Gundam fighting against enemies, which is great until you need to know where to turn. To have your Gundam GPS, you better be willing to shell out for it. Gundam Navigation is a subscription-based service that will run you US$46 per month.
So we did.
EVE Online Scammers
On the topic of you losing a considerable amount of money, you should be happy you are not an EVE Online player. If you are, you may be out a few thousand dollars. Not just in-game money, but actual green paper. Approximately eight-thousand players that invested their in-game currency, ISK, in a company called Phaser, Inc. found themselves out of luck and out of money when the group was found to be part of a huge Ponzi scheme. Those that ran the scam did not quietly disappear either, they updated their site with a tactless announcement stating that “the ISK is gone; you will not ever see it again.” Overall, just over one trillion ISK were lost to Phaser, a profit of over $50,000 over the course of their eight month scam. What hurts most about this scam is that it is not going to be punished; in fact, it was perfectly legal and violated none of the game’s rules. They detail the purpose and practice of their dealings at their website and offer the valuable lesson to never trust anyone on the internet.
