Messages

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: "The PC-FX: A Devotional Film" (Dec, 2009)]

I suppose it was a love letter from me to the FX - I think that fits pretty well!

I have some good news - I am already in pre-planning stages for my next film which will feature all of the NEC consoles together as one big "love letter" (PCE/TG/PC-FX).  I won't be using an Ayumi track but an absolutely beautiful classical orchestra piece I just found....it's seriously might bring a tear to your eye.

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: "The PC-FX: A Devotional Film" (Dec, 2009)]

How did you infill the side bars on the widescreen display?  Did you shoot it twice (once for 'normal' and once for 'stretched') and stick 'em together, or did you do it all in post-production.  However it was done, it looks mighty cool and much better than plain ol' black/gray bars, though a 4:3 screen might've been even better.

I first recorded the PC-FX footage into the computer at 4:3, then I created 2 layers of the footage in post which one layer was the original 4:3 footage, and the 2nd layer was resized to 16:9 and blurred out.  I then had to export all of the game footage to a 16:9 DVD which was then replayed on the HDTV while being filmed.

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: "The PC-FX: A Devotional Film" (Dec, 2009)]

That would be great.  It could be something like "The Games of the PC-FX" or whatever.  How many games are there total?  Be sure to feature each one (that would be a chore, but still)!  And we know who will be providing the music. 

There are about 64 games, but I won't be featuring them all that is for sure (film must fit within one song).  I already have the perfect song picked out for a sequel film, again from Ayumi Hamasaki.  It will have system shots and game footage like the 1st film, but with an entirely different look.

I was wondering what kind of editing software to do you use cause your video looks very professional.  

Thank you.  The film looks professional because of how I utilize the tools at my disposal, not really because of the editing software...but I use Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 for editing with Magic Bullet Looks for color correction and post effects.  Of course the post-production process is only as good as the footage shot, so for filming I use a Sony FX1 HDV video camera, Lowel Tota hot-lights w/umbrellas and 10'x20' photography backdrops.

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: "The PC-FX: A Devotional Film" (Dec, 2009)]

I'm thinking as this video went over so well that there might be an encore presentation film with more game footage...we'll see.

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: "The PC-FX: A Devotional Film" (Dec, 2009)]

Yep, a 1080i version is coming...be a little bit as the machine is rendering other projects at the moment.

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: "The PC-FX: A Devotional Film" (Dec, 2009)]

Thanks to all who have responded and enjoyed the film!

I've added a 30s trailer for the film in 720p & 1080i Windows Media as well as up on YouTube (see #1 post).

[Staff / Re: Sneek Peek: PC-FX Devotional Film]

Final video is now live: https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=6210.0

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: "The PC-FX: A Devotional Film" (Dec, 2009)]

Updated thread with the final LIVE video!

[Media (PCEFX Radio/TV) / "The PC-FX: Devotional Film" - Watch it now!]

I am proud to announce that a new devotional film dedicated to the NEC PC-FX 32-Bit video game console has now been released.  Nothing on this scale or production level has ever been done for the PC-FX and most likely never for any other game console outside of official promos.

The idea behind The PC-FX Devotional Film was simple - create a never-before-seen, high-production and powerful film that the PC-FX so rightly needed...but to make the film stand out from the rest it had to be special - so after 4 days of all live-action filming, 60GB of 1080i HD footage and applying professional filming & camera motion techniques, we have a finished devotional film that does the PC-FX console justice.

This has been a long time coming and after many dozens hours of production work on the film I'm proud to release it for all to see.   Watch the film and post your questions or comments here - I'd love to hear from you.

VIEWING OPTIONS - ONLINE & HD DOWNLOAD (see below - in order of quality)
ONLINE STREAMING:

Crackle: http://crackle.com/c/Short_Films/The_PC_FX/2417903#ml=fi%3d%26fu%3d2264517
(HD 720p streaming available for fast connections)

Vimeo: wayback.vimeo.com/2520066
(HD stream quality & HD 720p download available)

Veoh: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v169253993JbtSEBq
(480i, low audio quality...use only if you can't get Crackle or Vimeo to work)

Yahoo! Video: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4118461/11097873
(480i, low audio quality...use only if you can't get Crackle or Vimeo to work)


HD DOWNLOAD:
Direct from pcengine-fx.com (right-click and Save As):
Windows Media 480p - https://www.pcengine-fx.com/main/dls/ThePCFX_480p.wmv (90MB)
Windows Media 720p - https://www.pcengine-fx.com/main/dls/ThePCFX_720p.wmv (230MB)
H.264 480p - https://www.pcengine-fx.com/main/dls/ThePCFX_480p.mp4 (165MB) (removed due to quality issue)
H.264 720p - https://www.pcengine-fx.com/main/dls/ThePCFX_720p.mp4 (270MB)


TRAILER: (added 12/15)
Youtube -

pcengine-fx.com - Windows Media 720p -
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/main/dls/ThePCFXTrailer_720p.wmv (15MB)

pcengine-fx.com - Windows Media 1080i -
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/main/dls/ThePCFXTrailer_1080i.wmv (26MB)


Enjoy!

[Staff / Re: Sneek Peek: PC-FX Devotional Film]

Yah they have a audio & video computer screening app which does a really good job at identifying copyrighted material (and in this case, the music label that owned the track has choose to reject all uploads).

Oh and I will be posting up the announcement thread here in less than an hour.

[Media (PCEFX Radio/TV) / Re: Devotional Film "The PC-FX" - Production Notes & BTS Photos]

The devotional film has now wrapped production and is now LIVE.  Please see the new announcement thread for the final film and post your comment there..thanks!

[Staff / Re: Sneek Peek: PC-FX Devotional Film]

It is due to the music, that's why.

[Staff / Re: Sneek Peek: PC-FX Devotional Film]

CRAP!  I must have read that a dozen times and still didn't catch that typo.  I did start upload it to various sites (YouTube won't take it) but will re-export again with the change.  I'll probably make the video live on Tues or Wends to give me more time to prepare the marketing for the video...

And yah, wonder where Nat and Keranu are...Keranu posted on my public thread so....?

[Staff / Re: Sneek Peek: PC-FX Devotional Film]

Ok this is the very final edit.  I've changed the following:

-Tweaked timings for vertain scene cuts to match better with song beats
-Tweaked opening PC-FX logo animation
-Added a few extra scene fades
-Replaced audio in the credits to something less grating (I was using a sub-par MP3 before)
-Tweaked fades of titles in the credits

I plan on making this version live on Monday so watch for it in all formats....

[Media (PCEFX Radio/TV) / Re: Devotional Film "The PC-FX" - Final Edit Under Review (12.12.08)]

I use Premiere Pro CS3 for all of my editing.

[Staff / Re: Sneek Peek: PC-FX Devotional Film]

After review here at work, this could be the final edit.  I'll be watching it again when I get home, but I think i'm pretty happy with this as it stands.  You can view this edit here:

Changes include:
-Tweaked the "Presented in HD" title
-Tweaked all color correction & blur settings for all scenes for consistancy
-Smoothed out shots which were choppy due to the slow motion-effect
-Added ending title
-Added ending credits

[PC-FX Discussion / Re: "The PC-FX: A Devotional Film" (Dec, 2009)]

The topic has been updated with day 3 production notes & more behind-the-scenes photos of the shoot.  Final edit is now under review.
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=6201.0

[Media (PCEFX Radio/TV) / Re: Devotional Film "The PC-FX" - Now Filming (12.7.08)]

PC-FX Devotional Film Production report - Final day of of Filming & Finishing Post-Production - 12.12.08

Day 3 of filming finished on 12/10 with final pick-up shots last night and tonight for last-minute changes.  I have been in full post-production mode for the past 2 days and am now exporting the final film for my review & final tweaks.

Some more behind-the-scenes shots from day 3 filming:

The camera filming the entire collection of PC-FX games



An 8 foot camera jib was used to move the camera dramatically for the video



Exporting the final edit...which consists of over 60GB worth of 1080i HDV video

[Staff / Re: Sneek Peek: PC-FX Devotional Film]

Glad you like the changes!  I think the video is even better with those additions.  The song is by Ayumi Hamasaki called "Rainbow".  Here is her official music video for the track:
http://www.imeem.com/socrazy/video/9n2ZVLJo/ayumi_hamasaki_ayumi_hamasaki_rainbow_music_video/

I can compress to any format from my setup so don't worry about encoding it.  I'll have quicktime, ipod, psp, wmv, youtube, HD and any other version I can export to ready to go.

I think I have one more evening of shooting tonight - I have an idea of adding a shot of the PC-FX laser turing on and hitting the camera which I think will look really cool....we'll see.

[Staff / Re: Sneek Peek: PC-FX Devotional Film]

I've replaced the file with an updated one I exported last night.  It is still not 100% done yet but I'm getting very close (still need to add a end title & credits and fix the slow-motion stuttering).

[Staff / Re: Sneek Peek: PC-FX Devotional Film]

I'm also going to change the final shot to have ALL of the FX games (not just the box ones) with the PC-FX in the center.

[Staff / Re: Sneek Peek: PC-FX Devotional Film]

Very nice!  I love the production values and you made great use of the dolly.  Did you build it yourself?  If not, where did you get it?  The shots of the actual products were perfect, especially with the added blur done in post.  I probably wouldn't add too many titles to that, but I'm not sure what you are thinking of adding, so maybe it will be good.  The music is great and goes perfectly with the action.

Thanks for the feedback Joe - for the PC-FX and TV scenes I used a tripod on a dolly....the dolly is homemade which I made a long time ago (just a square wood platform with skateboard wheels that roll on tubing).  For any of the game box shots I used the dolly for forward/back movement, while the camera was attached to a professional 8ft long jib arm for vertical movement.

As for additional titles, I was thinking of adding the title of each game in English during the shots of the game box.  This would allow people who don't know what game it is to know what they are looking at.

Of course I have comments from my point of view:  The only thing I thought felt a little weird was watching the TV with the images playing on it.  It seemed kind of disembodied to me.  It would be great if the PC-FX was somehow in those shots, as if it were the device providing the source video.  If possible I would use a 4:3 screen since it is a console designed for a 4:3 era.  It looks like a promotional piece, but that TV... dunno.  Just seems weird.  Maybe some direct feed video instead.  Also, how about showing some gameplay instead of just the cartoons?  Any system with a CD drive can play cartoons.  Show more of what makes the PC-FX special.  I have never used a PC-FX so to me it seemed like you were just showing off the intro cartoons.

Interesting point there Joe about watching the TV.  My feeling when creating the video is that anyone can do direct-feed, but to make this video stand out from the rest of the devotional videos out there I had to step up the production values, which meant a live-action moving camera at all times.  I can see why this may be strange as it probably hasn't been done before (?...at least I've never seen a devotional done like this).

I thought about using a 4:3 TV... and it would have been a lot easier instead of having to format all of the FX intros to 16:9 like I did... but I like the fact that even though I'm paying tribute to a classic console, there is a symbol of modernism to the video as well (HDTV, as well as the video is in HD).

One other thing that you brought up is the game footage.  Yes, I was just showing off the intro videos.  I have been thinking a lot about this and have decided to film game footage for some of the videos...that should make it a lot better.

Some parts of the playback seemed a bit choppy, probably because of the WMV format.  Do you plan on offering Quicktime H.264s as well?

The video should play back perfectly smooth on any modern PC, but I think what you are seeing is stuttering of the video when I move the camera too fast (this is due to the slow-motion effect).  I will be fixing all of the stuttering for the final video and will be offering the video in every format on Earth

[Staff / Sneek Peek: PC-FX Devotional Film]

Heya guys,

I wanted to give you a sneek peek at my new PC-FX devotional film currently finishing up production to get your feedback on it.  It is an entirely live-action film showing off the PC-FX and games, shot in HD 1080i to be released very soon.  I currently only have a 720p Windows Media version encoded which you can download here:

Please note that I still have a lot of post-production left to do on the video (going to add more titles, tweak scene cuts, etc).  Enjoy.

[PC-FX Discussion / "The PC-FX: A Devotional Film" (Dec, 2009)]

I am proud to announce that a new devotional film dedicated to the NEC PC-FX 32-Bit video game console has now been released.  Nothing on this scale or production level has ever been done for the PC-FX and most likely never for any other game console outside of official promos.

The idea behind The PC-FX Devotional Film was simple - create a never-before-seen, high-production and powerful film that the PC-FX so rightly needed...but to make the film stand out from the rest it had to be special - so after 4 days of all live-action filming, 60GB of 1080i HD footage and applying professional filming & camera motion techniques, I have a finished film that does the PC-FX console justice.

This has been a long time coming and after many dozens hours of production work on the film I'm proud to release it for all to see.   Watch the film and post your questions or comments here - I'd love to hear from you.

TRAILER (added 12/15)
The PC-FX Devotional Film (trailer)

FILM

ORIGINAL CUT (previously unreleased)

ORIGINAL CUT & RELEASED FILM (side-by-side edit compare)

Enjoy!

[Media (PCEFX Radio/TV) / Re: Devotional Film "The PC-FX" - Now Filming (Day 2-12.9.08)]

PC-FX Devotional Film Production report - Day 2 of Filming - 12.9.08

Day 2 of filming the PC-FX devotional film is now complete.  After receiving the new backdrop for the shoot (and steaming out all of the wrinkles) it was time to setup the shot.  This shot is of a TV which throughout the video will display PC-FX game footage, while the camera moves around it.  Because the TV used was an HDTV, I had to create a custom DVD of PC-FX footage formatted for 16:9 aspect ratio.  After the DVD was created, playback was done using a portable DVD player hooked up to the HDTV, then recorded as the camera was moved on the dolly.  Below are a few shots of the setup and final shots:

The entire PC-FX game library waits on the table in the background (game box shots will be used for day 3 of shooting)




Final images from film (color corrected & post-processed)

[Media (PCEFX Radio/TV) / Devotional Film "The PC-FX" - Production Notes & BTS Photos]

Hello everybody, hope everyone is having a good holiday so far.  I'm proud to announce that a PC-FX devotional film is now in production (and filming as I speak) to be released later on this month.  This devotional film will be unlike any other "fan made" video for a console EVER created mostly because I'm filming everything live-action in 1080i with professional equipment...

With that said, here are a few behind the scenes shots of the intro sequence as well as few screenshots from the work-in-progress film!

The intro will have the PC-FX on a rotating platform


Closeup of camera framing the PC-FX


Shot from the work-in-progress video - the PC-FX is rotating so that's why it is slightly out of focus


Light flashes in this shot to reveal the controller ports


Every shot moves in a way - in this shot the PC-FX drive lid opens, reflecting the spinning CD inside


I'll update this thread with more behind-the-scenes shots - scene 2 should be filming this week....

[Media (PCEFX Radio/TV) / Re: Thanks, I enjoyed PC Engine FX TV]

I don't currently have plans to do another PcenginefxTV episode, but I do have a PC-FX promotional/devotional video in the works which I hope everyone will enjoy.  It will probably be one of the best looking devotional videos for ANY console you have ever seen...

[General Gaming / Re: The dreamcast is not dead]

Here is the email about it:


Dear Fans, Followers and Customers of Pier Solar,
You will have received this email after people registered to our newsletter,
this is because our preorders emails aren't stored in a mass mailing list
to ensure superior confidentiality and required a different sending method.
Thank you for your understanding.

As you may have heard in the last couple of months, we lost a member of our
graphics team and a year's worth of their work on Pier Solar; we tried our
best to resolve the issues with this team member but failed.

Since then we have been working around the clock to try and replace the
graphics including what this team member did for the project, our resources
have been stretched to their limit and sadly we have been unable to
complete the missing work within a suitable time frame.

This issue combined with the enhancements to bring the graphic quality to a
higher standard has caused the project deadline to slip considerably.

It gives us great regret to announce that we will not make our 24th of
December 2008 deadline and will be delaying the game's release until next
year.

If you have any questions or comments in response to this announcement then
please email enquiries@piersolar.com

Best Wishes,
The Water Melon Development Team

[General Gaming / Re: The dreamcast is not dead]

I just got an email from the Pier Solar guys - looks like it will be delayed because one of the team members wouldn't give them permission to use his artwork for the game (he left for whatever reason) and now they are set back by year!

[Off-Topic / Re: Astronomy Stuff (11/13 - Shuttle Launch Friday!)]

Live Shuttle coverage has started....we are OK TO GO (in 2 hours).

Update: Cabin pressure test starting.  NASA says no issues blocking launch at this point.

Update 3:41PM PST: Planned count hold starting.  NASA says 80% chance of launch (20% chance of weather causing issues).  Whiteroom crew leaving pad.  We are OK TO GO.

Update 4:36PM PST: HDNet cable coverage has started.  Launch is a OK TO GO in 20ish min.

Update 4:41PM PST: Someone might not have secured a door in the white room and NASA is investigating.....update again, the door is not secured.   Looks like they will launch with the door unsecured so it will just break off....

Update 4:51PM PST: LET'S LIGHT THIS CANDLE!

Everything looked great for launch....ET sep just occured.....they are in space

[Off-Topic / Re: Astronomy Stuff (11/13 - Shuttle Launch Friday!)]

Oh believe me, I want to see a live launch.  I've been to KSC twice but never during a time of a launch....you really need to live there to see it because they scrap or move the launch date so often it is really hard to fly down for something like this.

[Off-Topic / Shuttle Launch Tomorrow!]

Space Shuttle launch tomorrow at 7:55PM EST/4:55PM PST.

LIVE LAUNCH STREAM INFO:
http://neighborsbeyond.blogspot.com/2008/11/shuttle-launch-info-sts-126-this-friday.html

I'm planning on watching this at work for the first time in HD (Comcast HDNet chanel 123) but you can also watch the launch starting at 2:30PM PST online (stream info above).

Safe mission Endeavour!

[Media (PCEFX Radio/TV) / Re: At the end of PCEnginefx TV show 3]

Yah in Ayumi's albums she always has breaks where she'll put a short instrumental track in there.  I can try to upload some others.

[Media (PCEFX Radio/TV) / Re: At the end of PCEnginefx TV show 3]

Wow I found it...wasn't easy as I have over 30 of Ayumi's CDs here!  Here you go:

Artist: Ayumi Hamasaki
Album: "I am..." (2002)
Track: #2 "Opening Run"
./temp/OpeningRun.mp3 (192kbps)

[Staff / Alert - Seeing large influx of new accounts]

Heya guys,

Hope you all are doing good these days.  Just a heads up - I've been seeing a large influx of new account signups and even though I have approved most of them (about 75% approved...the rest I rejected based on my gut feeling) I wanted to let everyone know to keep an eye out for bots/spammers on the board.  Thanks!

[Media (PCEFX Radio/TV) / Re: At the end of PCEnginefx TV show 3]

It's not from a game - it's from a Ayumi Hamasaki album (my favorite J-POP music artist)....which one I'll have to check.

[Media (PCEFX Radio/TV) / Re: 08.03.08 - Pcenginefx Radio now online!]

Sorry about that - it's back up.

http://pcefxradio.dyndns.tv:8000/listen.pls

[General Gaming / Re: The dreamcast is not dead]

As much as I love my Dreamcast, I'm far more excited by the "homebrew" game that's coming out this Christmas for the Genesis: Pier Solar.

Wow, that game looks amazing (plus I LOVE the CD sound option).  I just pre-ordered it...now time to get a new Genny+CD....

[News / Fun pcengine-fx.com Site Stats for October 2008]

From time to time I like to look at my site stats and let people know how the site is doing - so here is some interesting site info for the month of October 2008:

Total number of times pcengine-fx.com has been "visited" by a real person: 31,417
Total number of times pcengine-fx.com has been "hit" (any call to the site by either a person, other website or robot): 3,800,264
Total GB served: 40.72GB
Highest month GB served in 2008: Jun (59.63GB)
Peak time visitors hit site: 9PM
Japan accounts for 6% of site traffic, and USA accounts for at least 75%

Top 20 Search Strings:
pcengine-fx.com
pc engine
pcenginefx
pc-fx
pc engine fx
pc-fx emulator
ë,,라에몽
pc-engine
neutopia 3
battle heat
hi-ten bomberman
akazukin cha cha
pcenginefx forum
nec pc-fx
pc fx
pc fx emulator
pcengine
pcfx
www.pcengine-fx.com/forums pc boy
turbotv

[Feedback / Re: Bonk Favicon]

I've just changed the Bonk favicon which loads fine now in IE7 (had to clean out cache for it to pop up).  Let me know if you don't see it in the browser of your choice.

[PC/Console/Mobile Ports / Re: "Lords of Thunder: The Return of Landis" (status: v0.3 released)]

I was hoping to get out a big update last night but I ended up hitting a bug which I was unable to fix all last night (and frustrated me to no end!)  As soon as I can fix this bug a new update will be out!

[PC/Console/Mobile Ports / Re: "Lords of Thunder: The Return of Landis" (status: v0.3 released)]

Just a quick note - my LoT project isn't dead...a new version will be coming out any day now.

[Staff / Re: Users posting other's e-mail addresses, etc]

Thanks for bringing this up Joe - My feeling is that we don't need to police this kind of behavior.  If people don't like what they are doing then they won't deal with them (mostly for fear of a bad deal).

[Off-Topic / Re: Astronomy Stuff (10/19 - updated with Moon photo)]

Just updated my blog with a new photo of the Moon (2nd attempt).  This one turned out really good:

[Turbo Memoirs / Scroll: 0]

If you didn't know, I just got back from Japan recently and picked up a few pieces of PCE hardware - the first item is the NEC Memory Base 128 (which cost around $15 USD).  Enjoy the shots!

[Off-Topic / Re: Pcenginefx In Japan 2008 Mega-Post (lots of pixs)]

I wanna picture taken with a cute maid. 
I suppose those cafes would be the japanese equivalent to Hoosters, huh?

Well, the @home cafe is not really sexual - I'd feel fine bringing my entire family there just to experience what a live-action anime cafe feels like.  Hooters is more sexy/male orientated so there is a difference.

[Off-Topic / Re: Pcenginefx In Japan 2008 Mega-Post (lots of pixs)]

So do you tip in Japan?  I can't imagine what the tip would be for a $900 dinner.

Luckily, no....no tipping in Japan (at least where I went in Tokyo).

[Off-Topic / Re: Pcenginefx In Japan 2008 Mega-Post (lots of pixs)]

You didn't even say how good the steak was! I'm dying to hear! 

The steak was the most tender and flavorful I've ever had (and I eat a LOT of meat).  I was with 3 other people at this dinner and the bill turned out to be over $900 USD ($600 for the Kobe alone).  Worth trying once in your life at least, but I wouldn't do it again.

Uhmmmm, booth girlies. 

So these maid cafes..... are they happy ending types of places?  If so, count me in.

Not this one at least...it was really male/female friendly.  I saw an ad for a more male-centric schoolgirl cafe which I wanted to hit but didn't have time...

very nice, looks like you had a damn good time… i had to scroll back to view the Hudson Info booth again along with the girl in red and black and that violent erection poster

Oh yah, that poster cracked me up...had to sneak a shot of that!

even though the price is high, I like the ones marked 1980 yen

I almost picked up some control pads but paying $20 at that place was too high.  You should have seen their A/V cables for the DUO - $30 each (OUCH!)

wasn't it probably super star soldier?

Could have been...thought it was one of those shooters

[Off-Topic / Re: My Tokyo Game Show Report (25% done)]

Thanks for the report Sensei!  I just posted my Tokyo trip highlights (but mine is more sightseeing/booth babe centric).

[Off-Topic / Pcenginefx In Japan 2008 Mega-Post (lots of pixs)]

So I was just in Japan from the 9th-13th and I'd like to share some of my experience to those who have never been there before via the magic of digital images:

This is the view from my hotel in Tokyo.  Buildings as far as the eye can see.


I have arrived at the Tokyo Game Show 2008!


A few booth pixs - SNK, Hudson, Koei & Au:















And of course the ever so wonderful booth babes.  This is only a small sample of photos I took ;)















After TGS, it was off to Akihabara (known as "Akiba")...this is just one side street of many in the area.


My favorite curry place in Akiba..."Homemade Curry Time"


Oh look!  Found one used game store that has PC-FX & PCE goods!


After going in, I saw that they had a PC-FX, DUO, DUO-R, DUO-RX, GT, LT (which was not for sale!) and a LaserActive... the posted prices in this poster were not exactly right (could be "starting" prices as the marked prices on the systems were higher).


They also had an assortment of controllers and cables...


After leaving the store, this happened to me:


...and what better way to solve my problem than to visit a maid cafe!  If you don't know what a maid cafe is, it is QUITE the experience and I highly recommend you go.  The @home cafe in Akiba is English friendly so it was quite nice.  The maid I had was ultra-cute and of course they all speak in anime voices.  The @home cafe is pretty much family friendly so you won't feel strange bringing your girl along....well other than the maids calling you "my master" all the time :-D

Yah, that's me before entering the maid cafe...


The cafe is so popular that is spans multiple floors.


Photos of my maid.  If you pay 500 yen you can get a personalized photo of yourself with your maid (which I did).


After saying goodbye to my maid I turned a corner and saw a group of people looking at a HDTV.  People were mesmerized by the game on the screen...which was of all games, BLAZING LAZERS. 


Well it was about time for me to leave Japan, but one more thing had to be done...I had to eat Kobe Beef!  I found a high-end place in Shibuya where I could finally taste this king of all beef which was all of 10 bites for $140(ish) USD...


...and here it is, the most expensive steak in the world.


Hope you enjoyed the highlights of my trip.  I did visit more used game shops in Akiba and picked up some PCE/FX goods which I will be showing off later....