Game ideas I've had for a while

Here are some ideas for video/computer games that I've had floating around in my head for a while.

Modifications to Existing Games

• Zone of the Enders (PlayStation 2; Xbox 360)
  I have a couple of ideas for this. The first is adding an option to toggle between first- and third-person views. The first-person view is already present for in-engine cutscenes, so it probably wouldn't take too much work to activate it for regular gameplay. Since most combat is done while locked-on, this wouldn't present any control challenges, either. The only issue would be that some of the particle effects might obscure the view.
  The second idea for this would be to add twin-stick compatibility. This would work very well for Zone of the Enders, using a control scheme similar to the Cyber Troopers Virtual-On series; pushing the flight sticks in the same direction to move in that direction, moving them opposite ways vertically to rotate, maybe adding a button for free-look, and having the player spread the sticks apart to ascend (and together to descend). The PlayStation Analog Joystick would be perfect for this, and has already been officially compatible with a few PS2 games; the Xbox 360 also has a (absurdly expensive) twin-stick controller for Virtual-On, made by Hori.

More to come (eventually...)

Identifying with the wrong characters

As one could imagine from listening to me talk, I love watching movies. I also love reading reviews of movies, especially ones that I've seen myself; it's fascinating to me to read a well-written, clearly formulated explanation of why a person liked or disliked a movie. I have a problem when I watch certain movies, though: I tend to identify with the wrong characters. Not always the 'villains' (although that certainly does happen), but often someone whose point of view is diametrically opposite to that of the protagonist.

Allow me to give a couple of examples. Oh yeah, major SPOILER ALERTS for both of these movies and TV shows, although they've been out for some time now.

1. The Matrix (1999)
   Cypher is right, no matter how wrong his actions were. Going from a more or less normal, drab existence to one that is even more bleak, monotone, and (both literally and figuratively) unpalatable seems like a pretty raw deal to me, especially since something amazing was presumably promised by Morpheus and his crew. The superhuman abilities that redpills enjoy when they temporarily reenter the Matrix would only throw the depressive nature of the 'real world' (i.e., Zion) into more stark relief. To be fair to the Wachowskis, it seems that they realized that a lot of people would think the same way as Cypher, and incorporated an entire faction dedicated to keeping bluepills 'plugged in' when The Matrix Online was created.
   
2. Initial D: First Stage (1998)
   Midnight street racing is boring. This seems to be a genre convention of anime and Japanese-designed video games in general: the idea that the subject of the given story is so popular that literally everyone in the world is obsessed with it. Pokémon, Custom Robo (Arena, at least), and others have the titular collectable things being used by everyone for everything, from kids' toys to manual labor to law enforcement. In the first episode of Initial D, when Takumi responds to his friends' manic excitement over what might as well be stock-car racing with "It's okay, I guess," I'm inclined to agree with him. Of course, having a character who is not obsessed with the given hobby would make too much sense, so it turns out that he's secretly the fastest driver in the whole world or something; I should write a blog post about how anime conventions like this turn me off of the majority of anime.

If I think of more, I'll add on to this post.

Building my first Gundam model

For some time now, I have been meaning to buy a small, inexpensive Gundam model to build. Not only have I found Mobile Suits increasingly awesome after playing Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, it seemed like the logical step from building with Technic and Bionicle sets as a kid. Fortunately for me, my friend was also into building Gundam models (or "Gunpla"), and we decided to go to our local hobby store together to check out the selection.

When I got there, I was wowed. Not only had they rearranged significantly from the last time I had gone, they made some changes in the stock on hand. Sure, certain things (the tiny models, and "eraser" markers) were now gone, but there were some things there that literally could not have been before, since they were only released last year. There were two things at first that jumped out at me.

The first was a 1:144 "High Grade Reconguista in G" model of the CAMS-05 Mack Knife. This seemed like a good choice for several reasons. First, it was the least expensive Gunpla in the store (not counting accessory packs and the "BB Warriors"), which was a major factor for me. Second, its outwardly simple, streamlined design implied a slightly easier construction job, which was good seeing as my only previous model-building experience was the Robin from Custom Robo. Third, it came with a stand, which was good since its pointy feet meant that standing it up would be next to impossible. (A fourth, minor consideration is that it reminded me a heck of a lot of the Orbital Frame Jehuty from Zone of the Enders.)

The second was also 1:144 scale, a "High Grade Build Fighters" model of the KUMA-F Beargguy F. This stuck out to me more due to its unusual design, and I immediately thought that it would make a good present for my girlfriend (who loves bears, especially tiny cute ones). Its price point, while not excessive, prevented me from buying it at this time.

The third, which I only found after a long and fruitless search for the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam, was the WD-M01 ∀ Gundam (or "Turn A Gundam"). Not only was this one at a reasonable price point, it was a Mobile Suit that I had grown to like recently, thanks to playing it in Dynasty Warriors: Gundam. The disadvantages were its lack of an included stand, and its potential complexity; however, in addition to various weapons, it came with interchangeable hands - something the Mack Knife was sorely missing. I decided to get this, and after taking it home and working feverishly for about three and a half hours, I had built my first Gundam model.

When it was done, I realized several things. First, it would look a lot better with some simple paint accenting the various lines and grooves all over the body; this was partly done, after a big mess and a ton of cotton balls and rubbing alcohol. Second, the gun it came with was a waste of time; not only did it look crappy without the stickers (which I lack the dexterity or patience to put on), it couldn't hold it securely with both hands.

Overall, this was a great experience, but next time I'll be trying the tiny models my nearby bookstore has. Not only are these cheaper, they'll take up less space; if they look and move decently, I may use them exclusively.

Mobile Suits I want to eventually build:

• RGM-79 GM
• RGM-79G GM Command
• Musha Gundam (if only...)
• RB-79 Ball
• XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero