Last Day in Japan (DNP and Square-Enix)

DNPenguins, the official mascots of DNP.

Today was my last day in Japan, and though it felt bittersweet at times, overall it was a memorableday filled with some very insightful presentations.  Our group first visited Dai Nippon Printing (DNP), which presented us with a variety of futuristic technology.  First they showed us an interactive museum kiosk where we could zoom in and out to detail on artifacts from ancient Greece.  The kiosk also had a Q&A feature where you could access frequently asked questions and find answers.  Instead of listening to a tour guide or audio guide, people nowadays prefer information that is easily accessible in front of them.  Both of these features are extremely useful because they will attract much more attention to museums if they are adapted.  Additionally, DNP presented a new texture editing software and a route planner that could plan your subway route to the exact minute.  These inventions are extremely useful and should help attract more business to the places they are instituted.

The next place we visited was the world renowned Square-Enix HQ of Shinjuku!  This was the moment that everyone had been waiting for!  The atmosphere at SE was very relaxed and lively.  The employees were very welcoming and offered us some delicious chocolate snacks.  They also showed us video previews of current games that they’ve developed such as Dragon Quest X.  In the main presentation, Jacob Navok, Director of Business Development, outlined the ecosystem of videogames in the market and talked about the way that companies try to market games by adding DLC, virtual releases, and subscriptions.  By offering these different payment methods, gamers can get the full gratification out of what they’re paying for games abd even pay to skip levels, such as in games like Angry Birds.

Another amazing point that they talked about was the procedure they used to develop the tech demo for Agni’s Philosophy with Luminous Engine.  Though originally criticized for being off-kilter, what may people don’t realize is all the work that went behind it being developed in real time.  The 3D artists modeled the main female character’s hair off a real hair model that was professionally styled and unlike anything else, and the shading and pre-rendered like graphics took over a year to perfect.  The landscapes looked beautiful with the new particle systems they used, and when compared to pre-rendered images, they looked almost identical.  I look forward to seeing more real time capabilities being developed for the next gen consoles.

Navok giving an awesome presentation on games in the market!

Though my trip to Japan is coming to a closure, I can’t wait to catch up with friends, share some hilarious stories, and reflect on all of the unforgettable memories that I’ve made here.  I love the technology, the food, and the overall friendly atmosphere that Japan has.   Thank you to all of my colleagues and professors that made this trip possible!  I enjoyed traveling with all of you, and plan on coming back to Japan in the future.

Cafes and Giant Mechs

Have you ever been to a restaurant that directly involves you with themed events and interactions?  Today we visited the Capcom Café and got to witness a planned zombie invasion as well as sample a variety of Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, and Phoenix Wright themed food items and beverages.  The service there was amazing, all of the waiters really put a ton of enthusiasm into their acts and the food tasted amazing.  I had a Dante strawberry parfait.  Two of my colleagues ordered Phoenix Wright onion rings that were stacked like gavel and hammer.  Though in America themed restaurants also exist, none of the waiters are as truly as into their roles and there aren’t videogames and TVs set up to play like they are here in Japan.  Overall, it was a truly amazing sight to see, and well worth the price.

Next we ventured to Odaiba where we saw the famed Mobile Suit Gundam statue.  As a Gundam fan for over 6 years, this was truly a sight to see.  At night it lit up and its eyes glowed a shining green that was truly breathtaking.  I had the honor of getting my picture taken next to it as well as buying a bunch of souvenirs at the Gundam Café including Haro chocolates and a coffee mug of my favorite character, Lockon Stratos.  Inevitably, today was a day filled with fandom and neat experiences.

GUNDAM IKUZE!

Big Shopping in Akihabara

With its wide selection of electronic, anime, videogame, and specialized goods, Akihabara is a dream come true for anyone even slightly interested in Japanese pop culture!  As we strolled through the lively streets, my group was amazed by the diverse and wide range of products.  As we made our way to the central streets, we were greeted by shops filled with anime figurines and mecha models.  We also entered Akiba Central that was 8 floors and contained manga of all different volumes, anime DVDs, and figures upon figures behind glass cases.  Being the huge anime and videogame fans that we are, we spent hours browsing the goods and were like kids in a candy store.  Shopping in Akihabara is intense and filled with so many choices that we didn’t even know where to begin!

Intense advertising in Akihabara!

After exploring the main streets and entering a few more figure and games shops, we decided to dig a bit deeper and search for a store that I’ve wanted to visit since I was a child: The Tales of Store, a homage to my favorite videogame series.  It was on the 2nd floor of a shop called Kotobukiya and there I dropped over $200 on specialized merchandise.  I picked up a towel, hair tie, and alarm clock of my favorite character Leon Magnus from Tales of Destiny, and also a T-shirt and necklaces from the latest title, Tales of Xillia.  I also picked up a NERV T-shirt from Evangelion, a Spookies mug from SMT: Soul Hackers, a Saber Lily keychain from Fate/Stay Night, and a Haro and Zaku model for a friend.  It’s safe to say that I spent my worth in Akihabara!!  And this is only our first time here!

My wallet took a critical hit! But it was well worth it!

The thing I like about shopping in Tokyo and Japan in general is that everything is conveniently located nearby at a walkable distance. I enjoy shopping at tiny specialized shops instead of huge general malls like in America.  Our shopping experience tonight was truly unforgettable, I loved being able to see so many things that are relevant to my interests.  My friends and I got some amazing deals on figures and will definitely come back here to hit up some more shops!

Game Console Analysis

Game consoles are basically specialized computers centered around their CPUs.  Some of the major pros to using a console as compared to a computer is that consoles load games faster, are less expensive, and allow multiple players.  The majority of current generation consoles have the ability to read discs and DVDs, but currently the PS3 is the only console that has Blu-Ray DVD support.  As technology improves, more games will have support for more realistic environments complete with textures, pixel and vertex shading, and increased memory bandwidth.  Game engines are often specific to their genre, but all require the basic requirements of user input from controllers and audio systems.  As for animation, a large number of games use a 3D rendering loop with multiple static images used in succession similar to how Hollywood uses different motion perspectives in their movies.  As game consoles become more complex, more input devices, such as guitars and dance pads in place of controllers will be implemented.  Additionally, improved graphics and wider online support will be available connecting players all across the world.