Sean Akizuki's Personal Blog

It sucks when the gaming community starts to move towards greedy vs. sustainable profit. Here's Angry Joe of the Angry Joe Show -- the very person who I avoided the mediocre Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and chose Mortal Kombat (2011) instead in the 2000s. I'm no doubt I enjoyed the PlayStation saga. I had played across the PS1-PS4 saga. Right now, having been devoted to other hobbies (like BLOGGING is just a HOBBY), I haven't played PS5 games yet. However, reading the news that Sony plans to end physical discs by 2028 has me worried as a casual gamer. I was thinking the hybrid model worked better. I thought about PlayStation Store downloads for old games. However, I would've preferred the collection discs like the Mega Man X Legacy Collection or the Mega Man Legacy Collection . It's a real bummer (actually) when I think about Angry Joe's rant here. It's sad, really, but it's the reality. Sony probably got intoxicated with its past successes, like: I was told to s...

One event that happened was that Toys R Us closed and filed for bankruptcy last 2017 . However, it was still operating in Asian countries even after that . I could still remember entering a Philippine branch of Toys R Us for the heck of it! Man, I never noticed that the American branches have reopened this year! I wrote this post because of the latest Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger episode. Toys R Us still operated in Asia while the American branches closed down. The American branches re-opened in 2023. The character of Geoffrey the Giraffe was invited by Princess Himeno to the Kingdom of Ishabana. I even speculate that there's probably some celebration by Toei. It's been 30 years since Toei entered the American market. Why this sudden placement of Geoffrey giving away the stuffed toys? I wouldn't be surprised if gift certificates were handed over to the cast members. I guess there's a deleted scene of giving away gift certificates to the people of Ishabana. Anybody who'...

Sega vs. Sony is such a fond memory. Back then, I actually whined back then for almost everything I wanted. We had an old Family Computer and later had a moderate LONG enjoyment of the first Playstation which eventually broke down. Then I remembered getting the PS2 then much later the PS3. The 1990s also had one memory of people having Sega Systems and me being jealous. Namely, it was because I was a crazed fan of the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon. Later, I ended up playing the classics on the PS2 and many of them tested my skill rather painfully.  Sega had the Sega Genesis and the Sega Megadrive. Then it happened - Sega Saturn was launched and Sony released the Playstation. I wish I had both though I'm currently thankful I had only one of them before. Though I received the PS1 on sale like I got the PS2 on sale. There was also the Sega Dreamcast which eventually crashed down and the PS2 stayed for a rather long time before the PS3 became a major hit.  The failed naked woman ad O...

I was thinking about how to do business in the Bicol region. There's that whole thing that kept in my mind that if you can't stand Bicol then you can't stand Thai food. I don't like Bicol express and the use of bagoong. I remembered as a child that I was given green mango with bagoong. I preferred to use salt with bagoong. For me, bagoong was one of the stuff that I usually avoid when I can and will only eat it if I'm left without a choice. There are tamarind and pili nuts from Bicol with chili which I also dislike. However, some Indian food use coconut milk. I've heard the Hyderabadi people in India love to use coconut milk in some of their dishes. Chances are I never realized I was actually eating curry with coconut milk or actually enjoyed it. Opening a Hyderabadi-style restaurant in the Bicol region may definitely work much better than most parts of the Philippines. Sure, Filipinos in other regions enjoy it but would actually request a less spicy version.  W...

I remembered writing my rage on annoying and MISLEADING mobile ads . Those ads were meant to be infuriating and I really HATE watching them. Then I just got lucky that some new ads showed up that gave us the GAME that we wanted. Yup, games LIKE THE ADS. So how are they? There's the game called Save the Girl by Lion Studios. I remembered downloading this game and I admit - it's been VERY entertaining. It's a game that was shown to advertise Townscape, Gardenscape, Klondike, etc. - games I UNINSTALLED as a form of protest. I remembered the amount of crazy entertainment this game had. Consider you got through if you made the right choice. Making the wrong choice got you a hilarious consequence. Either way, it's been a dirty finger to those ad makers who kept making those infuriating ads.  Hero Rescue finally gets a puzzle version. Yup, after that rather annoying pull-the-pin ads that NEVER gave you that kind of game. Super Game Studios created the puzzle vers...

Disney is one company that once produced many of my beloved childhood movies. Some of these movies in my parents' time are like Cinderella , Snow White , and The Rescuers . The 90s gave me some of my favorite films which they RUINED with bland remakes such as Beauty and the Beast (which is personally my favorite) and  Aladdin . Now, it's time to consider the douchery that's Disney and the possibility it's trying to ruin the free market capitalist system in the United States. Hmmm... maybe they're among the forces trying to get protectionism to be the new thing - to protect their own interests! Disney right now seems to be ruining competition by buying off competitors. The moment Marvel and Fox were bought by Disney - I had a red alarm already. The Marvel Comics these days are now full of unnecessary retcons (such as the parentage of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch is no longer that of Magneto's family tree) or just worse plots left and right. Another you can na...

The first isn't always better. Sometimes, the second is better. The same can be said about video games. So what games were actually made better during their second entry than their first entry? I would like to share some of these games that got more focus upon the second game than the first game. Megaman 2  The first  Megaman  game was a success but it was the second that gave the basic framework. Two more robot masters, more gameplay mechanics, and no wonder it's beloved in the fanbase. For me, this still continues to be the most unforgiving  Megaman  game for the NES era. What would be so amazing is that the game somewhat standardized both  Megaman  and  Megaman X . The game does suffer from drawbacks like you need that PIXEL PERFECT timing (and  Megaman X2  had that too) which was so argh to me. I did finish the game but I really find it overrated. You like the game? No problem but don't shove it down my throat, okay? Street ...

I was thinking about Playstation Plus. I can understand if I had to pay to play because server maintenance and upgrades don't come cheap. However, what I couldn't take is paying to play for an entire year. I would be paying around PHP 1,000+ to PHP 2,000+ for an entire year to play BUT I don't play all the time. I think it'd be a waste considering that there's more life outside the online gaming. Also, I don't enjoy online play as much as peers joining in. What's my wish for paying to play online? Perhaps a more sensible thing is to use Playstation points or credits instead. That is you pay like you play in an Internet cafe. You get charged every time you go online. You only get to pay only when you play. It would make more sense to get charged only for playing and not in it being idle. What do you think?

Did Saban selling the  Power Rangers  brand to Hasbro have something to do with Toei's long history? Remember that Toei shouldn't just be associated with being the actual owner of Power Rangers. It has served as an outsourced animation studio for American companies too. Transformers may have started off as a product of Takara Toy Company though it was later co-produced with Hasbro. Then there was the Transformers cartoon and the G.I. Joe cartoon. A history of Toei Animation would also tell us that while both cartoon were under Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions - Toei Animation Studio was outsourced for the animation. In short, Toei had a history with Hasbro in that regard because they were outsourced for properties based on  Hasbro . The history of the declining Transformers G1 series didn't stop with Transformers Season 3 and its failed attempt at a fourth season. Rebirth was later disregarded with a hanging finale (which was a disappointment) and then ca...

Once upon a time there was a legend who revolutionized the 3D graphics fighting game area. That guy was Namco's Katsuhiro Harada. Although Virtua Fighter was the first 3D graphics fighting game but it was Tekken that revolutionized and evolved that industry through ups and downs. I remembered how I wasn't always a fan of Tekken due to sluggish controls during the first two games (the third started fixing that so I did become a fan of Tekken 3) though those games sold in the 90s. The first Tekken game took the world by storm and a second one was released just a year later after the firs game. Tekken 2 was starting to evolve with more character endings but there was still the problem of the computer is a cheating bastard. Tekken 3 was the last fifth generation console (and it was still a PS1 exclusive) before the arena upgraded into the much more powerful sixth generation consoles with Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 4 and Tekken 5. I still can't forget reading from an old el...

I remembered how seven years ago became a big turning point for Samsung -- it was when Samsung sold more phones than Apple. It's the principle of substitution. It always reminds me of how some people who have way more money than I do still take a less pricey substitute rather than the more pricey luxury items. In economics, that would be the principle of substitution.  It was based on my experience when I lost my i-Pod to damage. Sure, I could afford to have it repaired but it startled me. I remembered when my Samsung laptop won't turn on and I only paid around PHP 2K+ for the repair while I would have to pay for almost PHP 10K+ for the repair of my i-Pod. With that in mind -- I chose not to repair my i-Pod yet I chose to repair my Samsung laptop. Then I thought that even if I bought a more expensive Samsung item -- repairs may not cost as much as the luxury items. Talk about me paying for repairs for a Toyota over a BMW -- one costs much less than the other! It makes me t...

I just had a thought of how the download patch or the downloadable content (DLC) can be a good thing but it can also be misused and abused. Innovation is a wonderful thing at the hands of competent people but a terrible things at the hands of the incompetent. This is the issue right now I have with video games since the download patch phenomenon finally appeared to fix up mistakes. Sure, it's helpful tool but it's becoming an excuse for game companies to release a BROKEN GAME... The Killer Instinct reboot (which was done after the franchise was long DEAD for some time during the 90s) did that excuse. Sure, you've got more characters now but let's take at the first season. It should be better called as "Killer Instinct: Broken Edition" because of its utter lack of content! Yes, that was really so inexcusable. Why couldn't they just start making up the game with sufficient content and add minor DLC later? I mean, it could have been cool if all the cha...

It's my thought that innovation needs to be seen in action first. Let's think about this chart concerning innovation from the Iowa State University ... Innovation starts with defining what you want to do, discovering new stuff, developing it and finally delivering it. It's hard for me to talk about innovation until it's delivered for one reason -- I have little to ZERO IDEA what's happening with innovators during the first three stages. Those are all top secret information. You don't want the secret behind your innovative mind leaked out and exploited, would you? I have to wait until  I see the final product and experience it in action before I can really talk more of how good or bad a new product or service is. I could only say right now, "Oh that's a cool concept." though there's the concern of does it deliver good results or is it well-implemented? I could go ahead and read all the scanned catalogs of upcoming products and services. I c...

I remembered the days of the MS-DOS era. Yes, there was the joy of the MS-DOS gaming era but the MS-DOS was something that its creators would eventually get rid of. Just like game cartridges, Betamax and VHS it was going to be the end of the MS-DOS era soon enough. I remembered how the MS-DOS era was pretty much a hassle. There's the frustration of typing commands and changing directories. You had to type WIN at MS-DOS to start the Windows application. Later, Windows when it's installed will start automatically. What was also good was that the end of the MS-DOS era meant this - installing new software was easier as you weren't limited to just the keyboard. Ironic how some MS-DOS games required you to use a mouse, right? For the end of MS-DOS it's something to think how Microsoft ended it and why it had to end. Bill Gates knew it was time to end something. He couldn't rely on past successes as the chairman of the board of Microsoft. I'm glad the MS-DOS ...

What can be disheartening is when your childhood memories go away doesn't it? I remembered getting toys from Toys R Us on the Holiday Season during the 90s. I thought about how interest can switch from toys to video games in one easy step. I felt it myself especially when I saw some children look forward to the coolest video game than the coolest toy around. I decided to read NBC News where it reveals something about what could have gone wrong. Video games are now the latest competitor. I remembered how my childhood went from the toy store to the video game store. It was still old school gaming when loading times were pretty slow. It wasn't the glorious time of DVD technology in video games for that time. The digital age vs. physical toys? Here's an interesting excerpt that I think I could use to analyze the situation: Toys Swiped to the Side "They got stuck in 1985," Robyn O'Bryan, an author based in Boulder, Colorado and the mother of four childre...

As a kid, I remembered how I started out as a fantard towards American culture (while hypocritically watching Tagalog-dubbed or English-dubbed Japanese shows) then it happened. I watched more Japanese shows and I remembered reading a very old edition of Questor Magazine with an article called "Sentai: It's Not What You Think". I wondered what in the world was Sentai then I found it it's the very TV show that Power Rangers was based from. While I acknowledge that Toei and Saban worked together and made big tons of money from it but I still feel that deep inside, they're probably still grumbling while saying, "Are Americans really that chicken?!" I can't say they are and I won't say they are but I'd dare say that they're probably grumbling like that. Sometimes, making money means making a lot of difficult decisions that makes you feel stupid but you need to do it anyway. After writing Part 1 on JEFusion , I felt like Part 2 should be...

Do you ever feel what it's like to be an old customer of a certain product? I thought I lost interest in some stuff that I like. It's like that you've eaten in some of your favorite restaurants or played certain video game series for a long time. Even if the brand may yet to suffer from franchise fatigue anybody can experience the problem called taste fatigue. It tends to happen that a new release can attract in a lot of new customers but old customers may just be momentarily bored.

Who says new school is always better? Seriously?! I always want to think about how Capcom used to produce a lot of good games during the old school days. Some people may think I'm just innovation but I'm not. Here's what... sorry to say but Capcom needs to be renamed as Crapcom. With my plans to get a Playstation 4, I'm glad that I didn't immediately get it. After the bailout Sony gave Capcom but guess what... we've got Street Fighter V: UNFINISHED EDITION . It's a bigger issue than Netherrealm Studios' cancellation of Mortal Kombat X because of technical issues. At least, Netherrealm learned its lesson and later released Mortal Kombat XL for those who weren't able to get an eight generation console immediately. Plus, the delay was worth it because I hate downloading patch by patch. Mortal Kombat X shows a lot of content that would make me want to get a PS4 though there's not so many games I want to get... yet. I'm going to show how change...

Not all the appealing mascots of today are as appealing as yesterday. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this the late Yul Brynner from the King and I? To say that the original is always the best is an overstatement. He does look like Lex Luthor here and not very appealing for an advertisement. The current Mr. Clean looks more appealing and friendly. So who says original is always the best? Besides, a lot of company mascots needed to be revamped so they look more appealing to the public. Otherwise, it's just bad publicity. 

As a fan of Japanese entertainment, I can't deny that there are times when something just goes horribly wrong. Innovation may or may not work depending on how it's done and when it's done. Just because somebody innovates doesn't mean it's going to be good. It can be bad or good depending on what kind of innovation was being done. It's not all the time an innovation replaces something. While PCs and laptops have replaced typewriters in producing office documents but electronic books have not replaced paperback. Sure you can reduce stress in working with a PC but you can't deny you still need to print it. Paperback books have not gotten obsolete. The methods have improved but innovation doesn't necessarily get rid of the old in favor of the new.