Kizyr

Just tossing out the question here, but do you listen to Japanese hip-hop at all? Folks/groups like King Giddra, Shing02, and m-flo or Dragon Ash come to mind (though m-flo and Dragon Ash are kind of on the cusp of pop/rock/hip-hop). You mention Japanese lyrics, so I'm wondering if you're drawing any influences from there. KF

Ok, finally to give my thoughts on MAGFest... Like I said, it was incredible. And I was impressed at every step of the way. I have never seen people come from so far and wide for a convention of this size (smaller conventions rarely attract many people from outside the immediate area). And I have never seen this kind of support for a convention come from the average folks just attending the con (no other convention I know could pull off the idea of "supporter badges" and get people to buy them). I don't know all of what Brendon and the other MAGFest staff are doing, but they're doing it right, and it made all the difference. First, the concerts... This was one major draw for me, and I didn't even expect to get as wrapped-up as I did. Thursday night was awesome--with guys like The Megas and Entertainment System (on that note, I'm really looking forward to The Megas MM3 album). Too bad Power Glove and Select Start couldn't make it, but I definitely enjoyed a few of the other bands the rest of the weekend. Oh, and: It was Rare Candy. They actually have it on the CD they were selling at the concert ("Gotta Rock 'em All"). Second, the JamSpace... This was a great surprise. I really think that the JamSpace characterized the entire convention--just a lot of folks who love video games getting together, having fun, and inviting anyone else to join in. I first ran in when I overheard "Star Salzman" being mentioned (which is when I ran into pixietricks, zircon, DrumUltima, et. al.), and also coming in periodically the rest of the weekend was always worth it. Saturday there was also another performance by The Megas in JamSpace. And on account of getting there early, I got to see Prince of Darkness and his jaw-dropping bass skills. Third, the game rooms and arcade cabinets... Like a kid in a candy store, really. Fourth, the major, major highlight of the weekend was getting to meet or see again many other folks on these forums. I'm worried about listing everyone since I just know I'll leave some folks out, but really, it was awesome. My only regret is that there are still several people here that I wasn't able to meet (which for me has never happened at any other forum for any other convention, since I'm not used to so many people being in attendance in one place). I mean, seriously: OCR-IHOP01.jpg! After seeing that Dr Horrible JamSpace bit, I'm positive that I saw both you and your girlfriend there a few times. Unfortunately, I didn't recognize you at that time... sorry. (If it helps, in that IHOP photo I'm the one in the front row, third from the left--next to zircon and Taucer.) Next year, I guess? I really hope you're feeling better now, and you make a fast recovery. But, I wanted to add that if I'd had the chance I probably would've challenged you at SF since, I think, you're the only one there I'd've had a remote chance at beating (although I'd wager that the reverse might also hold true). Man, I know! Not just JamSpace, but everything! Usually with smaller conventions, there's just tons of down-time and not a lot going on. MAGFest was the polar opposite: always stuff going on, and sometimes so much that you have to get selective. Again, I dunno what they're doing to make it like this, but they're doing it right. I gotta echo what yodaisbetter says. The DJing was great! Coming both from me (who really isn't into the scene) and my friend who was with me (who really is--or was for a long time--into the scene). And I mean, if you really need any more validation: DJBlind-JillAndy02.jpg (...zirc's gonna end up hating me for this) My only complaint (and a 100% subjective one at that) is that I'm not much of a fan of metal, and a lot of the bands seemed very metal-heavy. So, I wasn't really getting into Armadillo Tank (though I agree that there's potential there), Arm Cannon was sort of half-and-half for me, and I didn't actually go to see Metroid Metal (everyone assures me I missed out, though). But, I'm still satisfied with having seen The Megas (twice!), Smash Brothers, and Entertainment System at the very least. Oh believe me, you're definitely not alone there. This PMD is setting in for almost everyone here, and I think for a lot of the same reasons. But, there's still the chance to meet up again next MAGFest, or even sooner if the opportunity arises! Thanks! I sort of recognized OA (though I was worried with the flash and all that it may well have been Larry, Jose, or Shael), but I couldn't tell it was BGC from the back. Oh man, that's the first thing that I thought when I saw the two of them (bLind and Jade, that is)! And that did cross my mind when I saw pixietricks and zircon way back at Otakon the year before last. I didn't want to be the first to say it, though, for fear that it might come off as too cheesy. I mean, sure, some folks might find it odd that y'all picked MAGFest as your honeymoon spot, but I think it totally suited you. Ok, time to try to do some work to get my mind off of MAGFest... if I can. KF

This news definitely makes me happy. Would it be awful if I admitted to never having played FF4? I didn't get around to playing FF6 until last year. ...maybe I should go and take care of that problem before the album comes out. KF

Seeing this at the MAGFest OCR panel really got me excited about the release. So many great tracks on it--plus a few vocal ones, which is always a bonus (I saw two by DA, at the very least, but there could be others?). KF

Ok, I finally got all my photos cropped and uploaded. I'll do the photos first, and say a bit more about the con later when I can think a bit clearer. A couple shots of the OCR panel on Saturday (sorry Overcoat, you were kind of behind one of the speakers from my view): OCR-Panel01.jpg OCR-Panel02.jpg And plenty of great shots of the HD Remix one-on-ones (excuse the blur--had to take these without flash): DJP vs (new challenger): OCR-HDR02.jpg Shael vs Theory of Nonexistence: OCR-HDR04.jpg Mazedude vs (new challenger): OCR-HDR05.jpg Jose the Bronx Rican vs (new challenger): OCR-HDR06.jpg Larry getting beat in some Guile-on-Guile action: OCR-HDR07.jpg Battle of the initials with BGC vs OA: OCR-HDR08.jpg A few shots of The Megas in JamSpace (didn't bring my camera into their concert on Thursday, which was no less than incredible): Megas-Jam01.jpg Megas-Jam02.jpg Megas-Jam04.jpg And some shots from JamSpace on Saturday night... This is how bLiNd rolls: DJBlind-Blind02.jpg DJBlind-BlindJade01.jpg (<- ) This is how q-pa rolls: DJQpa-Q-pa01.jpg DJQpa-Q-pa03.jpg (aside--I really liked the NES-screen visuals in both the JamSpace and concerts) And this is how zircon rolls: DJBlind-JillAndy01.jpg DJBlind-JillAndy02.jpg DJBlind-JillAndy03.jpg (<- ) On Sunday, we converged en masse at the IHOP down the interstate: OCR-IHOP01.jpg ( ) OCR-IHOP01r.jpg (<- higher res ) I'm gonna respond to comments and say more later when I can think more clearly. But of course, it was tons of fun, and I'm already missing it and looking forward to next year. KF

I'm exhausted. MAGFest was a lot of fun; I'm glad I made it this year and got to meet so many other folks from here. It's really the best small/medium-sized convention I've ever been to--you rarely see that kind of all-around support coming not just from people staffing but also your regular attendees. Plus the guests were all awesome, the concerts and JamSpace was incredible, and I definitely lost a lot of time getting hooked on the various arcade games set up. I'll definitely be there next year. I stepped in since he was playing right before The Megas were going to go on stage, and I was pretty floored. Sonic Gargles with Golden Marbles was amazing. After I get a chance to rest, I'll probably say a little more about the convention. And, say, stuff that's specific and won't make me run out of adjectives similar to 'awesome'. KF

Just adding that I think the track with the most potential (or my personal favorite, at least) is the fairy battle theme--what plays in the background as you're fighting the three fairies in Erana's Garden (as a wizard). I recall dying a few times because I got distracted by how good that song was. KF

A bit scattered in the beginning, but it settles into a nice groove very quickly. I'm really digging the beat on this one--the percussion's probably my favorite aspect, at that. Only (very minor) issue is that much of what goes on between the 2:00 and 4:00 mark sounds like it repeats, and likely could've been shortened. Funny timing on posting this, too. I heard about it from q-pa as he was checking the site, not five minutes before heading into the Howard Drossin panel at MAG. KF

That's sounds similar to the justification CDBaby gives for not doing single-song downloads, but only whole-album downloads when offered (http://cdbaby.com/mp3). I don't think that there's need to fear that downloading will erode away the importance of an album altogether. If you think about it, one of the reasons single-song downloads became so popular is because album quality overall was pretty poor--that is, people were tired of only liking 1-2 songs off an album but having to pay for the entire thing. I think it's just as likely, if not more so, that the prospect of downloads and selection can prompt a resurgence of producing entire cohesive albums that aren't simply a scattered collection of songs--a slapped-together album will only get partially listened to (and purchased), while an album with thought put into it will get purchased on the whole. KF

I'll keep an eye out for you when I stop by the JamSpace next time. And I'll be at the OCR panel tomorrow, of course. I was there earlier today when I heard pixietricks, zircon, DrumUltima, et. al., starting up Star Salzman's The Incredible Singing Robot from down the hall. My ears kind of perked up when I heard the words "Star Salzman". Chances are you may've seen me already. By the way, I'm really enjoying my first MAGFest. I'm wondering now why I never went in previous years! KF

Well, leaving my place now. Be there in ten minutes! Hopefully there's no big reg line. KF

Coming in a little late here I suppose... But how does this work? Registration's not 'til Thursday. So, can you just drive up and walk on in the room? ...this also being my first MAGFest, I have no idea where the rooms are, also. 'Course, I'm a rubbish/nervous performer, so if I am able to make it, I'd just be listening instead of playing anything. KF

Heh, yeah, it's an understandable error, considering the distinction is between "SciFi [Channel] Original" and "original SciFi". Science fiction's one of my favorite genres, so I hate to see it done so slipshod. ...also, I'd never down a group of movies that includes Metropolis--it's been 80 years and that film is still amazing. But this thread is about the worst movies, not the best. KF

The other issue is that debates tend to flare up over genre classification... especially when you try to finely dice it up (like subgenres of metal or electronica). I don't know if that happens here, but at least in my experience elsewhere, genre discussions have a high likelihood of descending into arguments over semantics and technicalities that. 'Course it's also worth mentioning that OCR isn't the one and only standard for all things remixed. There're other places with different goals in mind, like VGMix or OLRemix, and it's not like anyone's in competition with one another. Then again, it's not really possible to compete with the amazing quality that is OLRemix. KF

Eh, I'm starting to see what you mean. Not with the triple-posting business, but after the 5th or 6th page it seemed to just get to talking about overrated movies. ...well, except for the mention of SciFi Originals. Those are pretty horrendous. KF

Clearly, the solution is to volunteer at MAG enough to be considered staff. ...or maybe that's their trick. Thanks. (Almost) any time on Saturday would be pretty good timing. I was just worried it'd be, say, the same morning that I register (like with Otakon and AnimeUSA in '07). KF

Never saw Chicken Little. But Doogal (linked it earlier) definitely proves that a good voice cast can still result in a terrible movie. The absolute worst-of-the-worst movies are ones I've only seen on TV or video. But there have been a few I recall seeing in theaters that made me regret going: - End of Days - War of the Worlds (the newer one) - The Black Dahlia With Black Dahlia, I saw it with two of my friends (on someone else's recommendation). About halfway through the movie, I wanted to walk out, but was worried in case either of the other two were enjoying it. After it was over, it turns out that they were thinking the exact same thing. KF

Definitely a classic. This song is so incredibly chill that it's on my nighttime playlist--which is a good thing, as it's hard to find music that's so relaxing. I always liked this theme, and I think this may be one of the best renditions I've ever heard of it. KF

Has there been a schedule posted anywhere yet? Just wondering since in years past at Otakon, it's helped to know when the OCR panel is well in advance... KF

Hot tub in January? Now you guys have me intrigued. I'll bring along some trunks just in case, I suppose. Although if the weather continues like it's going now, it'd be pretty good weather for swimming regardless of the season. KF

Problem with finding the worst movie of all time is that the truly horrendous movies tend to go straight-to-video and get lost in all the crap. The two worst movies I've ever seen have to be: Say it Isn't So, & Doogal I find it hard to imagine that any of the other movies listed so far could be worse than either of these. Not saying that it isn't possible--just, I don't want to dwell on how something could be worse. Eh, on second thought, any of the Wayans Brothers' movies could be worse. But I'm not enough of a masochist to test that hypothesis. KF

Swimming in January? You guys are crazy. KF

So... has anything been sorted out with New Years Eve yet? I haven't heard anything about it, but I might just be looking in the wrong place. KF

Coming a little late on this, but congratulations! Hopefully I'll run into you two at MagFest and will be able to say the same in person. It also seems that you've had an excess of good cheer that's spilled over into the rest of OCR. KF

I just got the album last week. Thanks so much for the card! I'll leave a review a little later (already left one on your page--I'll leave a slightly shorter one there). And for anyone who hasn't checked it out yet, it really is fantastic. KF