Sundown

My goodness. Does no one understand that Hung's CD isn't about musicality, nor is actually meant to be listened to for something other than a snicker? Of course the guy doesn't belong in the music industry. Of course he can't carry a tune. That's precisely why his CD exists... mere exploitation of his goofyness, novelty, for comedic value alone, wrapped up with a tiny bit of wish-fullfilment meant to "inspire" the rest of us who also have no talent. You're meant to think, "if a fella like him can get a record contract, by pure determination and total lack of shame, why can't *I*, with my modicum of talent, do the same?" Of course the reality is that you can't, not because you have even less talent than Hung, nor because you don't have as much drive... but because you're probably just not as fun to laugh it. -Al

That drawing of the VF-1S is actually a Kevin Long piece. Yes... of Palladium's Robotech RPG fame. Still remember it from one of the RT RPG books I've got. -Al

Your favorite celebrity also tips your results one way or another-- picking Mila Jovanovich, I got Jill Valentine... picking Ahnuld got me Solid Snake. Guess I was straddling the line between the two of them with all my other answers: Can use a gun, prefer assault rifles, wanted to be a cop, etc. -Al

It isn't simply because of the camera angle. I've seen the IMAI at various angles and all of the shots have screamed chunky to me (the same goes for the Gakken, whos proportions have annoyed me even when I'd played with one some 20 years back). While some of Toynami's parts may not line up properly according to the line art, it still "feels" more like the anime overall. I think the main reason the IMAI's appears chunky is because the legs seem too short, and the chest and shoulders too wide. -Al

I dunno... the IMAI soldier mode looks much too stocky and ungainly here, and doesn't quite pull off that mode proportionally, at least when compared to the line art or anime. I dare say the Toynami's soldier mode resembles the anime more-- and was one of the first things I'd noticed about the sculpt. It's also telling that when seeing that picture up above, I'd wondered how the Toynami got so chunky and disporportionate all of a sudden, then realized it was the IMAI kit I was seeing. Now Capt. America/Moscato's Legios kit was a compromise that did actually feature extremely accurate soldier mode-- gorgeous-- but unfortunately, fighter mode suffered with its stubby nose and overall chunkiness, and it no longer really resembled the line art. I know that's exactly what he was going for-- that fighter mode would be secondary and sleekness and proportion be damned... but it was a compromise that I personally had a hard time getting over, especially since it was lauded as being overall "more accurate" than Toynami's MPC. I guess I'd rather have a nose that hangs too long in soldier, not being that prominent from a front view anyway-- than a much more innaccurate nose that calls attention to itself in fighter mode, especially when the rest of the kit was so finely crafted. -Al

The irony is, that episode with the farked paint jobs is actually the one that pays most homage and stays most true to the original Macross series. Milia back in her 1J... SDF-era old timers taking a Monster out for a spin... actually made me wish the rest of Mac 7 was more like that episode. -Al

Beats Vega, or Dan I guess. No wait, it doesn't. Did like playing as her though.

*Shudder* The new Yamato looks like an amateurish CGI kitbash. Eek. -Al

And according to that page, Minovsky particles themselves aren't detectable... only it's effects are (which at beyond-visual-range, would be the precise effect of nothing being there, like everywhere else you look). Convenient. -Al

Well, it's one ninja-step better than a certain other series that this description bears vague resemblance to. -Al

Yeah, and heavens forbid they actually try to release some new material, and do what fans had been pining for, right? Silly them, attempting something vaguely different from what we like to accuse them of doing. -Al

I'm not exactly sure why everyone's so hung up with the "Shadow Technology" thing all of a sudden, even as corny a title as it makes. Had folks bothered to be even vaguely informed, they could have taken issue with the Shadow technology thing some 20 years ago, when Robotech aired-- instead of acting as if it's a surprise and some big goofy corny thing now. It's always been a part in the Robotech continuity, not to mention being the stuff already present in Mospeada, taken and twisted a step further. That's almost like making fun of Macross 7 now for having Music-Wins-All-Wars as a theme, and being shocked when it presents a goofy sounding idea, when that something's always been key to the series. Music in Macross? *gasp* No way! And that sounds as goofy and stupid as it did the first time around. Why are we snickering at the idea of Robotech going kiddie fare, again? We had no problem with that sort of thing in Macross. -Al

Funny. Sort of puts all the Reba West Suxorz jabs into perspective. While we fanboys are pitting them against another, one's comfortably appreciating and enjoying the other. You like, like grown adults. -Al

Sigh. Chill buddy. Asian here and I gotta agree with Stamen0083. Anime characters generally look more Caucasian and "white" to me than they do Asian... even when the character is supposedly undeniably Japanese. There's been more anime in recent years with Asian characters that do bear remarkable Asian resemblance, beyond "slanted" eyes or other characturistic Asian features-- the character designs actually capture what makes an Asian person look so, without needing to over exaggerate (ie. some of the cast in Patlabor)-- but anime staple in the 80's were full of Asian characters that looked... well, purty farking white. It's no secret that Japanese society holds Western features up as one particular ideal of beauty... and most anime characters simply do not look at all like any Asian folks I know. And dag. Enough with the vehement Asian angst. It's not a witchhunt here. For one of the most successful and best assimilated minority groups in the States, we sure can be whiney and angry folk. Abercrobe and Fitch anyone? Ie: up in arms about vastly over-priced T-Shirts that we're lucky enough to be able to afford and acquire a taste for in the first place...while other ethnicities have um... real issues. Not that we don't, but we sure as hell seem to feel the need to speak out at all the lame times about some of the dumbest things. Back on topic. Big reason why anime characters appear Western simply lies in the fact that when you simplify human features into a drawing, they tend to look somewhat Western. And when you take an amalgam of all sorts of human features and come up with a hybridized, raceless, universal face that's aesthetically pleasing, it still... ends up looking a little bit Western (or a little bit Happa I guess). It almost seems that one has to go *out* of their way to draw characters that would look recognizably Asian (or certain other ethnicities for that matter). That, and the fact that the Disney influence still remains strong after all these years... and that Japanese folks seem to think that saucer sized eyes look good. -Al

Sure, but it's also arguable that more time for development gives more opportunities for better development... and the simple truth is many SDF fans are more compelled by the TV version of things. So it ain't better because it's longer... it's better in some eyes simply because of their subjective experience watching the thing. To me, the plotline in DYRL just feels abrupt, choppy, chaotic. Same with the character development, which seems to be charactures of what are already charactures. To me, it just feels as if it's an attempt to cram the major plot points of the series into a two-hour movie-- which is exactly what it is-- rather than the telling of a story crafted intentionally for movie format. Few of the plot milestones are presented in a manner that allow them to really sink in, because by the time one's been reached, it's already time to jarringly move on to the next one. As a result, I think it comes across a little bit forced... and loses something narratively, at least it does here. Sure, some questions get answered as the movie plays through, and others are left unanswered-- which is important or unimportant depending on your take on things. I know I consider who these Big Giant Fecking Aliens With Cauliflower Growing Out Of Their Heads are and why they're attacking us pretty farting important-- or what the Macross is exactly, and where it comes from, how special it seems, and given that it's the namesake of the SERIES... but it does remain that the pacing and development leaves a lot of initial confusion for the viewer-- in a way that doesn't appear to be a narrative device and is in vague danger of losing some viewers. -Al

DYRL was utterly confusing the first time I'd watched it, the only previous experience I had with Macross being Robotech. Then again, could be because the audio was garbled and it was subtitled... in Chinese. Which I can't read worth a lick. But I imagine that watching SDF wouldn't have produced the same sort of utter and total confusion. -Al

Gotta agree, David. The non-scribed A4 looks tons better and a lot more convincing. Seems modellers too often focus on "Look at meeee! I panel lined! Look! Look!", rather than "Look at meee! I look farking real!" It's just not that convincing when details that aren't prominent on an actual real life plane are emphasized for detail's sake. -Al

It's kind of scary that our defense funding is determined by people silly enough to believe what the Air Force brass is trying to push with the "results" of this exercise. -Al

It looks surprisingly good. Lots better than I imagined it would, since I'm not a big fan of how digi-camo looks on uniforms. It straddles that line between cheezy and super awesome. -Al

For all the fanfair put into the "Three Laws Directive" in the media hype, it's funny that the three laws in their entirety can't be found anywhere in the trailer or even the movie's (very, very slick) websites. Not even in on NS-5.com, where it's a "product feature". I don't know what they're planning... if they're trying to surprise us with what the Three Laws are by revealing them only in the movie-- or if they're trying to have their cake and eat it too by using the idea as a hook, but ignoring it completely so they're not weighed down by its real implications that might clash with the pop-corn action flick they want to make. You know... if you actually tell folks what these laws are and have them think about it for a moment... the movie might fail to make sense. Sooo, chances are, the 3 Laws are being used as a cheap plot device ("Robots are safe... really!") without any real thought, emphasis, or weight actually given them. My worst fear is that it's just there for overshadowing and will simply be ignored when it's time to get to the action sequences-- and it looks that way from the Japanese trailer, as one character outright says, "But emotion can override logic." Uh huh. Right. The whole premise of Asimovs' stories was that these laws couldn't be violated (except under the super secret zeroth law, and other extreme and mitigating circumstances). This lead to all sorts of logic hijinks and funny behavior by robots, trying their darndest to function-- sometimes causing them to positronically meltdown-- in situations where the Three Laws clashed and couldn't be resolved. Hence good stories. Asimov certainly didn't come up with the Three Laws so that the first widely produced domestic robot line can up and ignore it like it didn't matter and go on a destructive spree. The Three Laws were there to just for that sort of thing. But damn. Slick movie-related websites though. Reminds me lots of BMW and Apple advertising. -Al

As someone who's played both, and defended SWG on certain things it manages to do decently on... I'll have to say that content's not one of them. Neither the Deathwatch Bunker nor Corvette are dungeons that I'd consider "wonderful", especially regarding the hype given them. Both are geared towards large groups of double elite combat, min-maxing, fully buffed, fully armored powergamers-- yet provide inadequate rewards for the effort needed to complete them. Both were added as content meant to inject more Star Warsy-ness... but neither are really accessible to the anything less than the most well organized and hardcore players and groups on the server. Casual players and their casual player friends are pretty much left out to rot, and it says something when a only a very small percentage of the server base has actually completed the Corvette quest (despite the huge interest and anticipation). Not to mention that the Corvette being instanced allowed for the developers to actually *scale the difficulty to the party* if they had been a little bit more creative and a bit more inclined. Instead, they just populated the most Star Warsy set with Stormtroopers, Super Battle Droids, and Imperial Admirals that each have more HAM and hitpoints than Ancient Krayt Dragons. Starwarsy, that ain't. FFXI does very well what it sets out to do-- provide a tight and cohesive combat system that requires cooperative and interactive play, and tons and tons of things to do, kill, gain, and acheive, along with a well defined path to do them-- constantly luring you with the next biggest carrot and get you to keep playing. It's a solid and tight game, even if it doesn't have all the fun and neat trappings that SWG provides. But as far as core systems, like classes and combat balancing go, FFXI kicks SWG's rear and then some. It says something when a year after SWG's launch, the professions are still not remotely balanced-- that there's 32 of them to be done-- that there are certain professions still largely useless (Squad Leader, anyone?)-- that every attempt at bringing them up to par as either been lackluster, created other serious problems, or made them the uber-profession-of-the-month-- and that the great "combat balance" is still yet to go in game. SWG does provide its own amusement in terms of diversity, freedom, and roleplay... it does quite a few new things, and manages not to flub them... but as far as solid, game design goes, it's barely adequate-- and my trust in the developers on them having any real vision continues to wane. They seem more bent on providing the next big gimmick to keep and lure subscriptions, than making a solid core game-- just take a look at JTL: so much of their resources have been diverted to the expansion (which I don't expect to be any more creative in the way of missions and general gameplay), while they leave the core product limping along. As an old timer, semi-achiever, and roleplayer, I really don't see how the game has come *that* far since launch. Yes, we've got a few new systems, some tweaks, some revamps (that make for new imbalances), along with mounts and vehicles. But the core systems still smell of inelegance and lack of thought, new changes often accompany new problems predicted long before publish, and the only content SOE seems to be able to provide (and take their sweet time doing) are either those that can be run through in a shallow couple of hours, or those that are simply neigh impossible for most of the playerbase. There's no happy medium, and there's nothing that you can complete parts of, where each part takes a fair amount of time and gameplay to complete. It's kind of sad, when significant members of the roleplay group I'm in (on a roleplay server no less) have left the game (some twice). These were some of the most reliable players, being able to provide their own fun constantly. But that only goes so far, and I guess they figure that 15 bucks a month should be going towards immersive content that they can also enjoy-- not just that enjoyable by a few well connected elite min-maxers looking to be the amongst the scant few on the server to look like l33t b0Ba f3T7. Sorry for the vaguely off-topic rant. -Al

Well I'm personally torn between the cyclical Robotech idea being the coolest thing ever, and the stupidest thing ever. But many super-fragilistically good ideas ride that line pretty close. As do colosally stupid ones. Does make the whole series kind of pointless though, and feeds into Macross fanboy accusations that RT's just a shallow, warmongering piece of poop (because fruity JPop singing valks for peace somehow makes a series so much deeper and ever more meaningful). Pointless-- where the heroes being the ones who indirectly destroy the Earth, over and over again. Wait. That's cool. Or stupid. Can't. Decide. -Al

Other than looking a little plasticky, and almost bearing a vague resemblance to some matchbox toys in finish... it looks pretty fantastic. The legs actually bend backwards more than they did in one of the prototype pics, and resemble the line art more closely. A great, great thing. I'd agree that the Monster would be lots better served with decals, panel lines, or a spray of a matte colored paint-- to give the finish less of a plasticky toy look and more of a painted armor look. It won't look so plain and chunky with the right dull finish, even as is. But that'll never happen. =P -Al

Nah. Just a fan of Woodland, and gear that both looks good and looks like it's meant to work together. 90's era military gear looks fantastic, and some of the stuff guys are wearing in Afghanistan and Iraq look decent enough. I rather hate the blue, really. On a soldier it screams cheese, while grey screams Nazi, and we can't have any of that. *Sobs.* -Al

What's odd is that lots of military gear, custom made for high-speed low drag teams-- I'm talking about the stuff by the little custom shops that make things specifically for these folks-- still includes a fair amount of velcro. I've a London Bridge Rifleman's Vest designed for and used heavily by Navy SEAL patrol teams-- and it's got big patches of velcro-- on the M203 grenade saddlepack pouches at least. Can't remember if the magazine pouches are fasted with velcro, but the attached canteen pouch isn't, and the butt pack might not be. Could be that they've used velcro only on the pouches you wouldn't be fiddling much with on patrol, and would only be reaching for when the poop hit the fan. -Al