It’s that time of year again: Metacon! Many conventions are held here at the Hyatt annually: Anime Detour, Convergence, Animinneapolis, and about four others I don’t go to. Metacon is a tiny convention, but it makes for a nice, peaceful end to our hectic con season. Today, however, I was half asleep and wasn’t in the mood for this shit. I never bother to preregister, and I’m always afraid tickets will sell out on the first day, so I decided I drag my exhausted self over to register before going back to bed.
Before heading home, I figured I’d scope out the dealer’s room. Most of the good stuff usually disappears within the first day, so you’ve got to comb through it as soon as the con opens. It was around this time I started to notice something was wrong. There weren’t many cosplayers roaming around the dealer’s room that was being used as the game room this year. When I checked my phone, I suddenly noticed the date. It was a whole week before Metacon. So that left the question:
Where the hell was I?
As it turns out, this is the Twin Cities’ local video game convention, 2D Con. I’d heard about this con in the past, but it was always held on the other side of town, so I never bothered to go. What I didn’t know is that they decided to hold it in the same convention center as every other con this year. In retrospect, the badges saying “2D Con” should have been a giveaway… (it’s not that uncommon for other local conventions to advertise on the backs of the badges)
But as you can see, a decided video game convention had a much bigger arcade than most anime cons. Even Anime Detour dwarfs in comparison to this. Hell, if I were anyone else, this would probably be the most arcade machines I’ve seen in one place. Place your bets now for how many arcade machines they have. Don’t worry; we can count them as we go.
Let’s start right here with these two. It’s a pretty regular Pop’n Music cab running the latest version and some version of Groove Coaster. Most of the “very Japanese” imports were grouped over on the left side of the game room. My photos are messy since I had to just take the shots whenever the machines were open. It took me two days to finally get a picture of these two without anyone playing them.
Machine count: 2
This game is one of the rarer imports, especially a complete set like this. It’s “Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Maxi Boost ON”. One thing I don’t like about these Japanese 3D fighting games is that it’s tough to figure out how to play them in one sitting without being able to read the instructions. This one wasn’t nearly as bad as something like School of Ragnarok, but I wasn’t entirely sure if I was playing it right, so that I won’t talk too much about it. I’ve heard people compare this series to Virtua-ON, but I didn’t get that impression from what little I played it.
By the way, that screen in the middle is something that’s pretty common in these kinds of multiplayer games in Japan these days. Since the game is a chaotic 4-player brawl, it’s hard to tell what the hell’s going on just by standing over someone’s shoulder. The middle screen gives onlookers a spectator’s view of the game, complete with a control panel to swap between different camera views freely. Nobody at the convention used it since nobody playing had any idea what they were doing.
Machine count: 6 (I’m counting it as four machines)
Here’s one you might recognize: Gunslinger Stratos. This one’s a mainstay in most US Round 1 arcades. Of the two I’ve been to, it was broken in one, and the other didn’t have it. This is the first time I’ve actually gotten to play it. And it’s… another one of those super-complicated Japanese 3D fighters. Great. This machine was vacant for most of the con since a lot of people couldn’t figure out what the hell the controls were. I can’t blame them since the control style is pretty unconventional.
It’s a 3D fighting game controlled entirely with these dual-wielding light guns (you have no idea how many people I saw who mistook it for a two-player game). But unlike 2Spicy, it doesn’t play like a standard light gun shooter. The game is a third-person instead of the usual first-person or over-the-shoulder shooters. You use a tiny thumbstick on each handle to move your character and rotate the camera. Each gun has a different ability tied to it that varies from character to character with different cooldowns. Some of them are what you’d expect, with things like “shoot the screen to make your character shoot a laser at where you shot,” but things like dashes can also be tied to one of the guns. It’s really, really difficult to explain how damn strange the controls are.
On top of that, the game has another gimmick. You can press the two guns together like I’ve done above (or another where you put them on top of each other) to switch to one of the character’s two secondary weapons. For the most part, they’re much slower, more potent weapons that take away your mobility options while they’re out. I get the feeling this game would be fun if you take the time to learn it, but the controls take so long to get used to that it doesn’t lend itself to first-time play. And this isn’t even the strangest control scheme we’ll be seeing today.
Machine Count: 7
The Beatmania machine was NEVER open. I guess the local IIDX players were taking full advantage of having an arcade machine that isn’t in someone’s basement. The hardcore ones spread their legs REALLY wide when playing this and Pop’n, so they’re shorter, and their elbows are closer to the buttons. I had a few photos of people playing like that, but I opted to go with this guy. The ones spreading their legs looked so absurd that I’d feel like I was trying to embarrass them if I included them in a photo.
Machine Count: 8
Nostalgia, one of Konami’s newer rhythm games. It’s been making rounds at most of the local cons this year, but this is the first time I’ve been able to talk about it on the blog. It’s Konami’s second attempt at a piano-theme rhythm game after the somewhat obscure Keyboardmania. Unlike that one, Nostalgia follows a much more fast and loose system. You have to hit any key within the designated zone instead of fishing for the exact note it wants. There are a couple of other modern rhythm games that use a similar system, but we’ll get to those.
Machine Count: 9
Now we’re heading back to the other side, where all the other rhythm games were held. This whole area was, by far, the busiest section of the game room all day. A few of these always had such a line that I only got to play them once or twice. By Sunday, when this picture was taken, it had mostly died down.
Also, I didn’t take a better photo of the four Jubeat machines on the left, so we’re counting those now. I don’t know why these things always come to conventions in groups, either.
Machine Count: 13
I finally saw Taiko Master for the first time back in Chicago, but it was a small single-player unit. This is the first time I’ve ever run into the gigantic double-drum setup. Of all the games here, I’d say this was the most popular. Sure, IIDX had a handful of guys playing it all weekend, but this game always had people waiting to play. I’d have liked to play on it a bit more since I rarely see them, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Maybe another time.
Machine Count: 14
The nice thing about this weekend is that I paid at the door, so every machine was free for me to play to my heart’s content. That meant I got to put some time into games I usually ignore because I don’t feel like playing a buck to play them, like this one. It gave me a new appreciation for some of these games. For others, like the Project DIVA arcade, I realized I was right for ignoring it. I seriously don’t get the appeal of this one…
Machine Count: 15
Look, it’s a game I wasn’t sure I would ever see in person. It’s Chunithm, one of Sega’s modern rhythm game series. I always blab about Sega on this blog, but I’ve never been impressed with their rhythm game offerings. This, Project DIVA, Crackin’ DJ, CrossxBeats… None of them are games I’d bother with if there were any Konami offerings around. I feel MaiMai would fall into this category, too, if I could find one.
This and Nostalgia are very, very similar games. Except instead of having a row of keys, there’s just a touchpad. The general gist of them is the same otherwise. If you’ve never played either, imagine a cross between Beatmania and Dance Rush Stardom. Chunithm has another gimmick with a sensor bar (the pink lights on the sides) that you have to break by holding your hand up to them for specific notes. It sounds a whole lot more interesting than it was in practice.
Machine Count: 16
While I’ve made it pretty clear that I wouldn’t say I like this game, seeing it always takes me back to that fateful day in Philadelphia when I saw it for the first time. It’s not a day I like to remember, but it’s somehow nostalgic. I can still close my eyes and remember exactly which wall they were lined up against. That reminds me, the next time I’m at a bigger Round 1, I need to remember that some of these machines have functionality I haven’t gotten to show off yet. I want to try it once before those versions of the machine go extinct.
Machine Count: 18
A pair of DDR machines running newer software. I wanna say they were both running DDRA, but I’m not entirely sure. That aside, these machines are both very rare sights to behold. The one on the left was originally a Japanese DDR Supernova machine. It has two major differences from the American version you usually see: The machine is very red to match Supernova’s menu theme, and it has a pair of e-amuse readers next to the screen. The one on the right is the Japanese edition of the DDRX cabinet. I’ve talked about how notoriously crappy the US version of this machine is, but the Japanese is a sight to behold. Look at that super-modern black and silver color scheme. Gaze upon the light bars detached from the speakers. This is probably the only time you’ll see either of these editions. Thankfully after these two, most major locations started importing Japanese cabs again, so the white cab that followed the black one is pretty easy to find in the states.
By the way, have you seen the new machine that got shipped out with A20? It’s really a sight to behold. I think I’ll finally get to see one soon.
Machine Count: 20
Sorta out of practice, though. That’s a solid B as far as I’m concerned; new ranking system, be damned.
The Pump machine didn’t see a whole lot of play. It just goes to show you that nobody wants to play this when there’s a modern version of DDR around. One of these days, someone’s gonna get mad at me for constantly shit-talking Pump It Up on this blog.
Machine Count: 21
It was SO hard to get a good photo of Scotto that really did it justice. The goal here is to bounce a ping pong ball off that white square in front, onto one of those light-up drums, then into the funnel in the center. It’s way, way harder than it sounds. The game often asks you to make a ball bounce from one drum to another a couple of times before putting it in the goal. Unfortunately, I don’t think I got to experience this game at its full potential. The menus were in Japanese, and there were quite a few different modes with different objectives. Every time I played it, I ended up in a mode where it lit up two specific pads you had to target. I know there’s another mode that looks more fun, but this is another machine I only got to play once or twice. It was a popular one.
Machine Count: 22
Initial D 8 is one of my life’s biggest monkey paw situations. For years I wanted to play a newer version of the game. Now it’s everywhere, except it’s a version of the game where you have to level the hell out of your car before it even plays right. God, I hate trying to play this game without an upgraded vehicle. Trying to drift without losing most of your speed is a nightmare.
Machine Count: 26
We’re jumping to a different section of the game room now. It’s still over on the left side like the other imports, but it’s across the row from the first few games I talked about. Well, this particular machine wasn’t an import outside of its cab. It was running some weird indie-looking game called Vagante or something. Not something I was interested in.
Machine Count: 28
These two were running… Uh… I think it was an advertisement for Sound Voltex? This image sat on the screen the whole time, and none of the buttons did anything. I’m sorry, I’m not knowledgeable enough about the software people put on candy cabs to know what the hell was going on here, but they did swap it out for Blazblue eventually. Please tell me if you know more about it than I do.
Machine Count: 30
At the actual Metacon a week after this, a friend of mine got REALLY into CrossxBeats. She spent most of the con sitting around playing it. I still don’t get the appeal, but I’m glad she enjoyed it.
I got to spend some quality time with Final Fantasy Theatrhythm this weekend. I usually group it in with the Hatsune Miku game and ignore it. Now that I’ve put some hours into it, I can safely say it’s okay. Not something I’d ever pay to play, but it’s mostly inoffensive. It’s a bit too simple for my taste. I REALLY liked that they included the boss music from Live A Live in here. I assumed Square-Enix had forgotten about that game. Go play it if you haven’t. It’s one of my favorite Super Famicom RPGs.
Machine Count: 32
Yes, I may have spent 40 bucks to get into a random convention. I didn’t mean to, but this makes it all worthwhile. You may remember that I loved the hell out of 2009’s The BishiBashi in Vegas when I first started this blog. Back in 2016, it was still the final entry in the series. Just last year, Konami finally decided to dust it off and give us the first new BishiBashi game in almost a decade: BishiBashi Channel. Instead of the previous game’s gimmick of a yellow button that’s only used at the end of every minigame, the green button has been replaced by a Museca-style spin button (You know? Museca? That game with the five buttons? No, not NeonFM, the other one. THAT Museca). This opens the door for all sorts of crazy new games that either involve left and right input or just spinning the button as fast as possible while being ready to stop it on a dime. Even the Bemani in-jokes are back. My favorite was where you had to play Sound Voltex with two buttons, except it’s framed as driving a farm truck and collecting produce. It ends with the screen spin, just in case the joke wasn’t obvious enough.
As I was walking down the hall on the second or third day, a group randomly flagged me down because they needed a fourth person, so I was able to play through the story campaign with a group. I REALLY didn’t like that there were mini-games where the worst player could drag the entire group down. For example, one of them involved quickly shooting a sequence of the ninja. The following line wouldn’t spawn until every player made it through, so one particularly slow player meant that there wouldn’t be enough waves of enemies for anyone to get a passing score before time ran out, which sucks because it’s a score-based co-op game where the strongest player can usually get a high enough score to offset the weakest player. Meh.
Machine Count: 33
Anyway, that’s it for the import half of the game room. I decided to split this post in two since there are a LOT of machines on the other half. Many of which I have almost nothing to say about.
