Uxi

I know I was a sucker for not having a better deal with Graham, but hey, it's hard to get the mushroom cloud back into the metal cannister! Am I getting nothing at all for the usage of my handle right now? Will it let me still get 80% additional revenue without any more R&D to gain access to a market I have no chance of getting in otherwise? Given our previous history, I'll make sure my lawyers dot all the i's and cross all the t's on the deal, but if it all checks out, then yeah, let's do business.

I think you're letting the disgruntled robotech.com exile in you override any skills and knowledge you might have as a businessman. "Let go of your hate." Business ethics? Maybe. As long as it's business, and not personal (your framing of BW pov sounds more like the latter than the former). Profits? They're getting a whole lot of nothing right now. Probably 99.9% of the video obtained internationally is advertising free without a single yen to them, either torrent or HK bootleg. Which of us here not knowing Japanese wouldn't be happy to trade the 720p fansubbed MKV of Macross Frontier for a 1080p Blu-ray with proper subs? Moving beyond the niche that is Macross World or even the slightly larger anime on the interwebs, there has to be some percentage, however small, that would buy/rent Blu-ray and DVD from their local shop in Europe or the Americas. That's 100% missed profit. I used myself as allegory, though you apparently missed the implication. Right now the only thing they see is the tiny slice they'd get from the dozen Yamato or Bandai valks most of us here own? It's pennies on the dollar to make a Blu-ray. It's even less than that for DVD. Distribution adds a bit, but the same holds for video that retail for significantly more. Reduce the pricing on the toys and merchandising and sales at least to the point of the natural MSRP, though it should be lower given the proportionally gigantic market base in Europe and the Americas. So even if anime there doesn't have the same status as in Japan, being either more of a "kid thing" or more towards the sci-fi genre (if you're feeling generous), toys and videos on the shelves in the huge populations in Europe and Americas would lead to at least some casual blind buys, as well as decent sales to their more core anime consuming market segments, that there is zero chance of reaching right now. Same for games on the shelves in Game Stop, Best Buy, or Fry's would have at least a tiny potential for a non-anime consumer to see. Where's the common sense? If HG is pure shady and duplicitous then they make sure their legal team gets a better contract than the one they did with Tatsunoko.

I'm rarely disappointed, but maybe your evaluation of me as an optimist is misplaced. Just because I think that a sensible solution would be for BW and SN to suck it up and stop being butthurt just to get their product to an available market for it doesn't mean I think HG wouldnt' or couldn't bork up. For starters, so I can get Yamato and Bandai Macross toys at more reasonable prices, so I can get a US version of Macross Ultimate Frontier with english or at least engrish subtitles and controls/menus, US region PS2 version of the DYRL game, etc etc. I already said I think there's a spot for Robotech Seven and Robotech Frontier... if they can facilitate that by putting in a Reba-West version of Basara and Fire Bomber, out there, so be it. I already have torrents of the originals... and anyone interested can easily obtain them, as well already. The merchandising though the gray market pays a tax because of the corporate shenanigans. From that perspective, Big West is as much the problem as HG. Both of them are faceless corporations who aren't trying to maximize the value of my greenbacks, so I don't see the benefit of partisanship to either side in their spat over their poorly written contracts filtered through the vagueries of international IP law. I don't care how they come to a final solution... makes no difference to me whether BW and HG shake hands nicely or one of them ends up grabbing their ankles.

Well that certainly sounds like a more casual game that I can be into. It would be bad enough starting and finding all you goons as Admirals. But not taking that long to catch up would be encouraging, in that regard. The best way to avoid that problem is to make it a skill based game and avoid the levelling (or at least the player perception of it), as much as possible. Ah, how I miss the original SW: Galaxies system. I hate class/leveling in RPG's. Such an artificially convoluted and arbitrary mechanism.

lol if I'm a terminal optimist, you're a terminal pessimist. It's ok, it's a bright and sunny day, Debbie Downer. If you were paying attention, I mentioned RT adaptations where they would presumably dumb them down like they did Macross and Mospeada, especially, so they could get their saturday morning slot in syndication on KTLA, but doubt you're any more optimistic on that.

Not just the anime itself, but the merchandising on everything from the stupid little figs and kids toys to the "real" toys like Yamato, etc to getting a show on Cartoon Network (anything outside of adult swim would require a dub, probably), to the video game releases that we never get over here because of this petty bickering. It's most definitely niche, but it all adds up.

By the pics on new-un-spacy.com, I'm liking the OG carrier arm with the darker body. Not too keen on the spelled out "SMS" on the legs, either. hmm... maybe one of you guys with the first Quarter will want to trade carriers?

Hmm... sounds like you should be pissed at Bandai unless you did something... ill-advised during transformation? Any tips on avoiding it?

The Space Jockey was huge IIRC and way too big to be a normal Predator. Most of the allure of the Space Jockey is the mystery... they'll most likely ruin it by revealing too much... still Ridley doing another horror/suspense Alien instead of an action yarn? Could be good.

That's where I actually don't think it's understandable. I could see Kawamori and Studio Nue being bent about it, but still think that's where business sense should separate itself from artistic/creative cliches. They should be content with whatever paltry revenues they're getting through the gray market compared to a hefty/majority percentage of profit x from a legitimate and fully supported international distribution? Barring them getting the American rights through legal means, they're leaving money on the table. Their toys could be distributed through Diamond to comic shops throughout the US, if not Toys R Us, and the like. DVDs and Blu-rays in Best Buy, TRU, and Wal-mart, etc. Unless there's a plan for legal action or less adversarial means of getting those rights, the choice is to leave that money on the table. Given it's niche status, I imagine both of those options would have a rather low cost/benefit ratio... What could HG want? 20? 50%? Even 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing.

Robotech: Frontier could be great. Grace is just looking for Rick Hunter and the SDF-3.

Wow, liking those colors much more.

I could dig it!

I have a hard time justifying continued playing on games without Trophies, since I turned into a Trophy whore. Even good games, I tend to try to finish up trophies on other games. Still need to go through Force Unleashed, and Both Uncharteds to try for those Platinums...

That's just like, your opinion man. Different compression is only one of the benefits BD offers. The rest is vastly increased storage. Besides, one could theoretically still do mkv and fit a bunch more on there.

Only if you don't ignore the whole "sensible path" part.

I do like certain aspects of the story. I don't expect the fools at HG to actually to take a sensible path that would lead to profit and success... I'm just pointing out the possibility.

I hate changing discs! Indeed.

Most of the improvements given to Valkyries aren't known to have been incorporated into Destroids. Most logical developments for destroid survivability would be first energy conversion armor, then ballistic shields that we see as early as VF-11, then Pinpoint Barrier systems. Hell just look at the evolution of GBP to VF-11 Protect Armor to the Armored Pack VF-25... take out the transformation mechanisms, wings, fusion engines (maybe keep but would it really hurt to give it the thrust of an advanced Battroid?) and that's how Destroid development should roughly look with the goodies like PPB systems...

There's no Trophies for Valkyria Chronicles is there?

If they went ahead and made nice with BW/SN maybe Kawamori could design the Gamma/Delta follow ups to the Legioss/Tread?

Got my shipping confirmation around 1:30am, too. w00t!

I definitely want that. But I'd also want more focused games. I'd really like a multi-player version set in SWI, starting on South Ataria Island and flying around realistic terrain, landing on the Prometheus, etc. PSN coop/versus, etc would be a must. I don't have a PSP and ALMOST want to get one for Ultimate Frontier...

I was 14000 yen exact, as well (just out of LA, California). Daiohma, that's from the Gallia set right? Jealous! I wish Bandai would do a general release accessory set that ami ami, hlj, etc can pick up. Not interested in speaker pods, though. Gimme Reaction Missiles, a standing Ranka, Sheryl, maybe a crouched/flight EX-Gear Alto, and the Foldo Boosta.

Was yours in perfect condition? Any greasiness or chipped paint?