Geek vs Life

Yes, it’s time for Sakura-Con. And this year’s Sakura-Con is looking to be huge, in multiple ways.

First off, we’ve got more space this year. In previous years, we’ve had function space in the rooms around the escalators on floors 2 and 3, and then the area just before the skybridge and inside the big glass doors at the top of the escalators on level 4, and then level 6. This year we’re adding the skybridge itself, one of the rooms on the other side of the skybridge, as well as the “north” rooms on levels 2-4.

Secondly, attendance. In 2007, we had roughly 5400 preregistered attendees, and around 10,500 attendees total. As a general figure, half of our total attendees preregister. There are over 7000 preregistrations this year.

Programming, on the other hand, is subjective on if it’s bigger or not. For me, it is. Here’s a heads-up of the guests and major events coming March 28-30:

Voice Actors Vic Mignogna (btw, Wilhelm in Xenosaga: The Animation), Derek Stephen Prince (btw, chaos in Xenosaga Episode I), Todd Haberkorn, Caitlin Glass, Brina Palencia

Musical Acts ketchup mania, ALI PROJECT, SCANDAL, and The Slants

Author Roland Kelts

Japanese industry guests Aki Tsunaki (Director of Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time), Toshihiro Kawamoto (character designer, including Cowboy Bebop), Nobuteru Yuki (character designer, including Xenosaga: the Animation), Yutaka Izubuchi (character designer, including Record of Lodoss War), Hiroshi Nagahama, Hiroki Kikuta (composer for Secret of Mana), Yuji Shiozaki, Yuna Kagesaki

American industry guests M. Alice LeGrow, Brandon Graham, Jake Myler, Joshua Ortega, Penny Arcade, Wes Hartman, Robby Bevard, J.L. Anderson

Major Events:

Friday
10-11am – Opening Ceremonies
2-4pm – Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time premiere
3-5pm – The Slants/ SCANDAL concert 1
6-7:30pm – Dreamcatchers Performance (Dreamcatchers are a local voice-acting school)
6-8pm – Masquerade Ball
8:30-10:30pm – AMV Contest
8:30-10:30pm – Karaoke Contest
9pm-4am – Neko Dance

Saturday
11am-12pm – Vic Mignogna performance (i.e. mini-concert)
2:30-4:30pm – ketchup mania /ALI PROJECT concert
3-4:30pm – Cosplay Chess
3-6pm – Rock Band – Battle of the Bands (yes, a Rock Band tournament)
4:30-7pm – All Anime Dance
4:30-6:30pm – xXxHolic (TV) premiere
6-8:30pm – Cosplay Contest
6:30-8:3opm – Youth Karaoke Contest
9pm-4am – Starship Sakura Homecoming Dance

Sunday
11am-12:30pm – The Slants/SCANDAL concert 2
1:30-4:30pm – Charity Auction
4:30-5:30pm – Closing Ceremonies
6-7pm – Assault and Flattery

Well, I leave tomorrow, so I guess I’ll see anyone there.

Ever have the urge to rock out while on the bus? Feel the need to string the perfect solo while on a plane? Does your ever moving from one place to another lifestyle prevent you from being the best damn console air-guitarist ever? Your prayers have been answered: Guitar Hero: On Tour for Nintendo DS will hit the streets this summer.

Using the GBA slot to connect to the DS using the “Guitar Hero Guitar Grip”, the game promises to allow you to “Rock out, Anytime, Anywhere.” Also included with the game is a new Guitar Hero type stylus shaped like a pick that will allow you to strum on the touch screen.

On Tour will feature the ability to play head to head with your favorite strummers in local area network game play. Either Face Off, Pro Face Off or Co-op play to your cramped fingers content. Alone? No problem, the game also has career mode and quick play for those rides from Shoreline to Downtown Seattle.

The game will make full use of some of the more “forgotten” features of the DS such as the seldom used microphone. Yelling out “Rock Out” will so exactly that and when faced with your guitar being set on fire by out of control pyrotechnics, blowing into the microphone will help settling the blaze.

Playable content information is scarce at the moment. So far only OK GO, Nirvana and No Doubt have been rumored to be on the set list. More information as it becomes available.

Here’s a trailer for the game featuring “Do What You Want” by OK GO.

It’s no surprise to most that when Rock Band ships for the Wii on June 22, it will have no downloadable content. The Wii just isn’t really built for that type of integrated content it seems. The game will be similar in functionality to that which is currently available for the PS2, with the exception of five additional songs.

Wii owners can expect the same “Special Edition” version of Rock Band as all the other consoles that will include the game, microphone, drums and one wireless guitar at an MSRP of 169.99 USD, BYOB (Bring Your Own Bass).

With the other consoles already having entered the “Rock Band Arena”, the Wii version has only one thing really going for it: Wii sales. You own the console, might as well own one of the most talked about games in the past year.

Is it too early to start talking about PAX 08?

It has been confirmed in his blog that keynote speaker and fan favorite from last years PAX, Wil Wheaton will be back. This time not to deliver the keynote address, but he is coming in more as a fan. There will be book signings and maybe a lecture form one o his books, the the focus this time around will be gaming.

PAX 08 will be held in the Washington State Convention Center from Aug. 29 to 31. Early birds 3 day passes are on sale now for $40 until March 31.

As you can see, GvL looks a little differently now. It’s no longer the offspring of another php designer’s whim and fancy. Instead, it is the offspring of a sick and twisted mind. As usual with a new design, some kinks need to be worked out, so if you run into a bug, or notice something that could and should be fixed, let us know via comments or via email.

Peace.

EDIT:

FIXED! Yay, Dan!
Apparently I busted the comments

EDIT 2:

And apparently it won’t work in IE 5/6. Craptastic! (Use a standards compliant browser!) I thought I had fixed the problem with the Google ie7-js javascript fix, but I guess not. Anyone care to help? Email me at dangayle [at] gmail [dot] com.