WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA!!
Everyone calm down, LWK...Big Bear. Let's look at this for a moment.
I shed no venom towards ECM. I've never talked to him, he's never stolen my Juice Box. However! I have followed his career, like everyone else, through countless issues of GameFan and countable issues of GameGO!.
ECM is not The Alpha and The Omega of the 'hardcore gamers'...I'm not sure he ever was!
Sure he was always a big supporter of 2D shooters, and in the "resurgance" of 2D shooters a lot of people seemed to have credited him with spreading the word.
Shooters probably woulda came back if ECM was never born.
What has ECM really done to alter the game world as we know it?
GameFAN kicked ass........ran into the ground. Who's fault? Beat's me.
GameGo! kicked ass.........self-destructing.
Who's fault?......well, who am I to point fingers?
Shawn has done more for the gaming community that ECM! A lot of people are quick to tell you how "small" the SNK community is...but it's sooooo deep. The PC-FX community consists of me and 20 other guys. Go check out
www.pcenginefx.com, there's a post every week there...usually about ISO's.
Frankly it sucks!
Neo-Geo.com has brought togehter NOT ONLY SNK fans, but general game fans as well.
Shawn LITTERALLY brings games stateside...
Do you think SNK would run a US release if this community didn't exist?? Are you fucking stoned?
There are other Neo-Geo websites and bulletin boards, but this really is the big 'un.
Anyone who doesn't see this as a true contribution is totally dilluded.
Does this make Shawn the ultimate fan? Hell no. There are people who have done more than Shawn, but that doesn't diminish what he's done.
Here's the burning question.
If ECM was so fucking "hardcore"...why is he gone?
Answer...it was a job to him. Nothing more. If it's something you love, you do it.
I love making videogames.
I'm not working for a Game firm. That's all I want to do. You get a job elsewhere and do EVERYTHING you can to do what you love.
If no one will hire me, I'll do what I have to to make enough money and hire my damn self...and if you fail, god damn it you pick your sorry ass up and do it again.
ECM is a half-assed "Hardcore God".
If this is the best that the world-wide gaming community can do...I'm ashamed to be apart of it.