Here's some news: A-Kon sucked

The Black Knight · Jun 8, 2002

I'd just like to say that the gaming side of A-Kon was a diseased rotting cesspool this year, and not just because of the lack of a Neo-Geo. For this, I'd like to thank:

Closed-mindedness, in all its forms. Oh, and greed. Definitely greed.

Animation Town, the best half-assed Japanese cabinet arcade in the world. All of the games, none of the ability to take care of them. And let's not forget the "GGXX" tattoo burned into your forehead. *salute*

Brigade, who thinks "Halo and SSBM" are the only answer to the question "what videogames do you like to play", no matter who you ask.

GameStop, for being the absolute shittiest videogaming chain EVER. You guys rank somewhere around pond scum and Best Buy. I hope you go out of business permanently, along with Electronic Boutique.

And last, the A-Kon staff. Due to fact that they are nothing but a bunch of annoying, out-of-shape anime nerds, they are totally out-of-touch when it comes to videogaming. But I do have to thank them for all the comedy...having such a laughable anime nerd security staff, and having no decency standards (how many fat crossdressing men does one convention REALLY need) makes for pathetic people I can laugh at. You work SO hard at being embarassing human beings that you almost deserve some kind of "A for effort".

I didn't pay a cent to get in this year, and I still feel like I was ripped off.

But I certainly had a good time away from the con. Nothing but Kun and friends, playing KOF95. The walls of Athena are in full effect.

And Daigo, thanks for trying to fix A-Kon with your room-based Neo play. A futile effort, but impressive nonetheless.

In closing, I have no desire to help "fix" A-Kon. Even though I heard of tons of complaints, from sources I cannot name, I hope the con never recieves a fair shake. A-Kon and anyone else involved with them deserve eternal shame.

- The Black Knight

rarehero · Jun 8, 2002

i went one year with a friend whose uncle was
a dealer.
i thought it was dumb myself.
elbow to elbow with people that are way too old
to be dressing the way they do.
its like a star trek convention except worse.
and you d think that since most of them stay at
a local hotel motel joint they would shower.
wrong.
i think the only thing of value i got was some
animation cells.
and then i bought a fire valkrye off a friend.
thats it.
i got to meet the man.
the guy who made ninja high school
i got him to sign my first issue.
he was an ass.
so there was my thought that he was okay.
all in all i thought it was kinda stupid.
i didnt mind being with my friends though.
and i guess thats what you have to take it as.

nick_th_fury · Jun 8, 2002

LOL,
Well I was at akon on saturday.

Game room felt like I was at my local MALL. <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[Crying]" />
Gamestop was truelly pathetic.

After BigBruno & I hit all the rooms i didnt think it was all that bad.

Lots of original fan art on display & thats always cool.

All the art books were disapointing though.
Used & priced at $40+.
Those lames need to wise up to ebay.
I could get any of that shipped from japan new for less.
Their loss, & they were not selling well it seemed.

The staff & anime fans were pretty much the same as always.

Animation Town, the best half-assed Japanese cabinet arcade in the world. <hr></blockquote>

Care to elaborate?
What I saw was kids having fun.
Not my type of games, but then im a oldschool 2d gamer.
I just dont see why it would bother anyone.
25c a play is cheap & fair, & the children loved it.
Seemed like a win/win to me.

Wouldnt spend a weekend their, after a couple hours its pretty much all over.
Luckily BigBruno had kof2k1 playing up in his room.
There were 6 or so up there saturday night, & that was straight up fun as hell.
Thanks Phil!

elbow to elbow with people that are way too old
to be dressing the way they do.
its like a star trek convention except worse.
and you d think that since most of them stay at
a local hotel motel joint they would shower.
wrong. <hr></blockquote>

No kidding.
God daMN, some of those people need to be instructed in the use of deoderant.

[ June 08, 2002: Message edited by: nick_th_fury ]

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Dolphin · Jun 8, 2002

Well, I wanted to attend this travesty myself and see the weirdness first-hand, as I am fully aware of what sort of freaks surface at such events. Being a veteran attendee of last year's "Quakecon", I could ramble on at length at just how many absolute weirdoes come around for a weekend long LAN party event. Hell, just ogling all the “humanity” was just as entertaining (if not moreso) than the gaming and Q3A tournament itself.

I can only imagine who and what all turns up for an Anime hoedown of massive proportions. I’m sure it would’ve made for great people watching fun, if for only a few hours. I planned on making it to A-Kon 2001, but as it turned out, I was out of the country (and in Japan, ironically enough) at the time it was being held. As I stated in one of my posts in another thread, I wanted to make this year’s A-Kon, but as per the usual, I ended up being preoccupied with something school related, and yet again unable to attend. Oh well, at least the musings in this thread have convinced me that I didn’t miss all that much.

The Black Knight · Jun 8, 2002

Ah...Animation Town. I'm just ticked that they are really just another U.S. arcade. It'd be nice to have an arcade just like the ones in Japan. Animation Town isn't that, and they don't really claim to be that, either.

I'm just an irritable old man, that's all. I hold them to a higher standard than most anyone else. As just another U.S. arcade, of the variety you'd find next to any miniature golf course, they're fine. As a Japanese arcade, they're not even on the list. Them showing up at A-Kon just brings yet another thing I don't like very much into the picture.

As for GameStop...

Frankly, I wouldn't want to be GameStop's successor when it comes to the game room. Besides, that won't happen. I've asked around, and it's 99% sure GameStop's simply going to be asked to do a "better job" next time. What A-Kon is getting out of the deal is too sweet to pass up. A few lost attendees mean dick in the long run.

Also, running a gameroom the "old" way is a serious risk for people's equipment. The con is deathly afraid of liability, and the volunteers are deathly afraid of having their stuff damaged. GameStop conglomo doesn't give a shit, because it's their frequently-abused demo systems anyway. I admire the people that have the balls to bring their Neo-Geos to one of these things, with all the rabid, abusive anime fans around.

And yet, with enough rules and enough care, I've seen it work. But it's just not going to happen at A-Kon.

Oh well. There's other conventions. Or Japan. In fact, people keep vindictively telling me to go to Japan and stay there. I wonder why they do that...

*looks innocent*

- The Black Knight

Caris Nautilus · Jun 8, 2002

Brigade, who thinks "Halo and SSBM" are the only answer to the question "what videogames do you like to play", no matter who you ask.<hr></blockquote>

Brigade is a fucking ass, I wanted to punch him at the Kon just for how he talks down to everyone on the Akon messageboard, but I never saw him, and I don't know what he looks like.

GameStop, for being the absolute shittiest videogaming chain EVER. You guys rank somewhere around pond scum and Best Buy. I hope you go out of business permanently, along with Electronic Boutique.<hr></blockquote>

Anytime a retail chain is running a gaming tournament, it's bad news, because that autmatically means no imports, and we all know that the best fighting games are domestic right?!

And last, the A-Kon staff. Due to fact that they are nothing but a bunch of annoying, out-of-shape anime nerds, they are totally out-of-touch when it comes to videogaming.<hr></blockquote>

hehe, it's the same at every convention. I've meet a few cool people who worked staff, but most of them are total losers, who watch their calender counting the days to Akon, because for that weekend they get to "seem" important by talking down to everyone else and acting like their cool.

BTW we had a fucking ball at Akon, we were in the overflow hotel, we had a supergun and a ton of import dreamcast games. Someone was supposed to bring a Naomi, but that didn't work out.

I only went in the game room once on friday, and tried to give a shoutout about my room, however we could only have about 10 people at a time in the room, so I didn't advertise that much.

I checked the online scene and my email a few times on the DC, then I was at Gameworks for like 3 hours on Friday night, and spent about 70 bucks, and then went to hard rock. So I really wasn't "at" the con all that much.

Anyways I left the convention Saturday around 8, because my friends brother was having a graduation party, and I just crashed at his house in Dallas till I left.

If you want a good con go to AWA, they sure as hell won't have Babbages or anything like that running the game contests.

[ June 08, 2002: Message edited by: Drift King EX ]

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The Black Knight · Jun 8, 2002

Amen to all of that, Drift King.

- The Black Knight

aria · Jun 8, 2002

My 2 cents:

1st cent: It sounds exactly what I pictured it to be.

2nd penny: I really dislike arcades that don't take care of their own machines. It's somewhere between puppymills and Nazi workcamps.

Ran Thrie · Jun 8, 2002

damn thats pretty bad. At Otakon last year there were two Neos and a 2slot Cab. I always "Thought" I wanted to go to akon but maybe i was wrong.

PoOF!
((Shinobi VAnish))

BioMotor_Unitron · Jun 8, 2002

It is things like this that make me want to try something crazy, like <a href="http://www.neo-geo.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=18&t=002470" target="_blank">THIS</a>.

Daisuke Jigen · Jun 8, 2002

I'd be all for that, if I could plug in my concentrator.

JHendrix · Jun 8, 2002

A-Kon? I don't even know what or where that is.

I'm going to my first Otakon this year in baltimore. My girlfriend actually convinced me to Cosplay w/ her and the rest of my friends, luckily I get to do SNK chars. However one thing still pops into my mind every time I think about this:

WHAT THE FUCK AM I THINKING!?!?!

I never envisioned doing this at all, but I guess I'm ok about it sort of.

Anyway, I'm hearing there's an Arcade there, so i know where I'll be spending most of my time (in a corner crying about how much I suck after people whoop me). Apparantly they'll have CvS2 running (but on DC/PS2 so no arcade sticks, which means I'll really loose

) so I'll be there for quite some time.

So, is anyone here going to be there at all? I'd be really cool to meet up with some people from here. So let me know (and don't worry I don't plan on being in costume the WHOLE time (makes me wonder why I'm doing it in the first place).

Peace

JHendrix

Brandon St Randy · Jun 9, 2002

Yeah, that gamestop run room sucked balls.

Sorry if I couldnt meet anyone, especially Drift King. I couldnt get ahold of many people at all. My cell phone is a piece of crap, lots of people i met said they tried calling me, but I could never hear the damn thing ring. But dammit, that gameroom... I walk in, all they got going is a damn SMB tournament. Ghey. hell, all they wanted to you do was buy games. all the games available for play were for sale via their website they had on those PCs. Coincidence? Naaaah :/

I brought my neo anyway, a couple of people played, I was fine with that..oh well I thought last years akon was a lot better..

get this, someone who attended the closing meeting said the are gonna try and have neo and classic gaming in the game room next time. I talked with Brigade (i never met him btw) on that akon board PM, he mentioned that they would be interested me me as game staff for next year..maybe I could tell them what the people want.....but with gamestop around, i DOUBT IT. heh.

[ June 09, 2002: Message edited by: Daigo ]

Viewpoint · Jun 9, 2002

I was there thursday morning and sunday morning. The rest of the weekend I ended up hanging out & have a lot of real fun isntead of putting up with a overload of fucking Slayer cosplayer that had all of them LAUGHING like Naga all at once.

ugh fucking soup!!

Neo Rasa · Jun 9, 2002

OH HO HO HO HO!

Caris Nautilus · Jun 10, 2002

My cell phone is a piece of crap<hr></blockquote>

I tried calling you from my room Friday Night when we had a session going on, but it rang like 10 times and no answer. Then I just forgot to call back.

[ June 10, 2002: Message edited by: Drift King EX ]

chuckclown · Jun 10, 2002

hey guys whats up.this is chuckclown here to say some things about a-kon.ok lets start with the GGXX thing.ok we got the game in thursday.and that bitch that send it to us forgot a part.so that put us back a day.on that same day those stinky bitchs from a-kon came by to pick up the cabs that we wanted to take to a-kon.these were the cabs we had in the back.ok these are not the best looking cabs in the world but fuck it thay still work.so thay pick those up and i told them we will have GGXX ready by friday.well friday come along and those lazy bitchs didnt want to pick up the game.we had it ready inside a big as neo 50 for 25 cents.but those bitchs didnt want to pick it up.so that what happin to GGXX.as for the games we had up there.well makeing 2,000 bucks off of games no one like i think it went well.no lie.the big money makers were dragon ball z and gem fighters,and dd2.not bad as i do say so my self.but i am sorry we didnt get GGXX up there in time.but that how the poop flops.

and black knight i dont know where you got the idea the we were trying to be a jap arcade. we just like the jap cabs better the the us ones.shit we are not even japanese.im a lil fat mexican and roger(autobotclown)is latino(i dont know what kind)but we just like the jap cabs better.as for a-kon it self man i was there only to sleep and get to drunk.the best 3 day off i ever had.and to buy some transformer.poop on fool!!!!

Shikyoh · Jun 10, 2002

Sadly I didn't get to go this year

rarehero · Jun 10, 2002

Originally posted by JHendrix:
Anyway, I'm hearing there's an Arcade there, so i know where I'll be spending most of my time <hr></blockquote>

careful.
you might lose your girl to a cross dressing male
disguised as sailor moon.

SNK4EVER · Jun 10, 2002

Ah yes, anime conventions. I can vouch for the crossdressing males. As, when I went to Anime Central '99 in Chicago. I saw the man, the myth, the one who you all know as Orpheus's avatar 'Big Joe'.

EvilMike · Jun 10, 2002

Slightly on topic.

At Katsucon last Febuary they had a 1 slot Neo machine with SamSho 4 though it was in the "old school room" it was still pretty cool. They had a tournament where I lost in the finals. (I of course attempted to kill myself due to the shame but was stopped and now I am forced to live with my dishonor)

Big Bruno · Jun 10, 2002

Well,

alhtough I well say that the Kon was a lot worse this year then the last 2. Most of it was because of the hotel and new airport regulations. 2 years ago when they had it at this hotel there was a east and west side. the west side was torn down though this year because of 9/11 and you could no longer go into the airport to eat. Not having the extra walkway and having to leave the airport to get food added to the problem.

there were also a lot more people this years. The theaters were to crowded.

The gameroom was bigger this year but nothing worth mentioning. except they did give out some cool free stuff (beserk eps 1 dvd, yu yu hak. eps1 dvd and some DB keycains I gave to my nephews)

the dual Jewel Concert was fun as well and playing neo with some friends was cool as well.

I am actually not looking forwarded to it next year as much. But the year after that the hotel they will be having it in is hugh. Now that will be a blast.

So it looks like Animefest in aug-sept then Ushicon Feb 2003, ushicon was actually a lot of fun last year. even though i did not stay at the hotel. this next year the hotel they are using in Austin is also suppose to be realy big.

Tolarin Skylar · Jun 12, 2002

Tolarin here! I'm new! Some of you will know me though! (I dressed up as Kyo Kusanagi at A-KON!)

Hmmmm... A-Kon was a mixed bag for me.

It sucked that there was no *offical* Neo-Geo room.

Gamestop's gameroom to me, seemed like a big advertisement for their games. Which would have been okay, as long as they had still tried to make some focus on the gaming crowd. (Namely, those of us who like to kick the crap out of each other virtually.)

Daigo made a valiant effort though... boy, did I suck or what? ::laughs:: Too bad we didn't get to play KoF 98... and I've finally gotten around to actually playing KoF 01. (Heh heh.... no one told me you had to press A and C to get those damn things working! ::laughs:: )

The other good thing was the SNK cosplayers! You guys rocked. (Drift King EX, Mikayla said you did King, right? That was an awesome costume man!) We got a bunch of pictures of the group and we're gonna upload them soon!

So while A-KON's offical side might have sucked... the people who attended made it all the better!

And that shot of all of us beating up Mick Kensou is priceless!

::laughs::

Laters folks!

Viewpoint · Jun 12, 2002

Originally posted by Tolarin Skylar:
Tolarin here! I'm new! Some of you will know me though! (I dressed up as Kyo Kusanagi at A-KON!)

Hmmmm... A-Kon was a mixed bag for me.

It sucked that there was no *offical* Neo-Geo room.

Gamestop's gameroom to me, seemed like a big advertisement for their games. Which would have been okay, as long as they had still tried to make some focus on the gaming crowd. (Namely, those of us who like to kick the crap out of each other virtually.)

Daigo made a valiant effort though... boy, did I suck or what? ::laughs:: Too bad we didn't get to play KoF 98... and I've finally gotten around to actually playing KoF 01. (Heh heh.... no one told me you had to press A and C to get those damn things working! ::laughs:: )

The other good thing was the SNK cosplayers! You guys rocked. (Drift King EX, Mikayla said you did King, right? That was an awesome costume man!) We got a bunch of pictures of the group and we're gonna upload them soon!

So while A-KON's offical side might have sucked... the people who attended made it all the better!

And that shot of all of us beating up Mick Kensou is priceless!

::laughs::

Laters folks!<hr></blockquote>

I keep wondering if I should have stuck around a bit more seeing as some people actually showed up during the Kon who was worth a damn.

I ended up playing a mess of Neo games with nick_the_fury at his place so we had a blast there. If things happen like this again next maybe we can have an all out Neo gaming session & whatnot and really just blow the Kon off for the most part.

It should be said that with them charging money for the gameroom I didn't think much money would be made but boy was I dead wrong. They cleared about $1200.00 alone in those cabs for 3 days. I have to admit by my standards that just blew me away.

Daigo, Drift_King, next time you buttheads show up to the Kon let's make a serious effort to meet up and game allright?

TBK,
As always it's a blast to have you around for a gaming session. I have to admit playing KoF '95 came out a lot more fun than I had poriginally thought it would be. I had to laugh when I saw you pull Athena's old school SDM on command just by barly looking at the move list.

Good gaming overall is what makes me goto these events. The dealers room are ok but, I'm only there to have a blast.

Hmm You know Rasa, Don't tempt me to goto Otakon this year. I might actually have to slap you in the head in person if you laugh like that irl.

Brandon St Randy · Jun 12, 2002

Drift King Cosplay? never! The King cosplayer was EurobeatKing form the Akon board...

Here's some news: A-Kon sucked

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