The Pokemon Go Craze in the Philippines

Last August 7, 2016, Niantic, creator of Pokémon Go, opened its servers for the Philippines. Avid Pokémon lovers got its long waited hype. Most of them (including me) went to various locations that has Poke stops. I even bring my IPad and hotspot phone to work (I took the advantage of going elsewhere because of my work).

Venue: Bonifacio High Street

But today is different, My colleague and I went to Bonifacio High Street to catch some Pokémon although a sudden trip. Ayala Malls organized a Nationwide event for Pokémon Go from August 12 to 14. Other malls such as SM and Robinsons have this kind of event as well. When I got to the venue, the place is full of people playing the game, standing near the luring Pokestop. When my colleague met up, we walked around and catch them. It's surprising that many Filipinos are playing regardless of the age.

During our quest, I caught a Meowth, Scyther, Voltorb, Tangela, and Sandshrew. Evolved Kakuna into a Beedrill and hatched an Abra Egg. And of course increased Combat Power (CP) of my current creatures.

People playing Pokémon Go.

When I started to feel the hunger we tried to look for a place to eat, however, almost all restaurants around is almost full, luckily we found one. Good thing is that the there is a so close Pokestop in the restaurant, playing while eating that is.

This is the place my colleague and I had a bite.

A Pokestop signage.

Pokémon Go hype is overwhelming, it caused a worldwide craze. Niantic, might add beyond the original 151, because as of the press time, there are around over 700 creatures. It remembers me when I was in 5th grade, I was dying to have a GameBoy Color to play Pokémon and collect playing cards and compete with my friends.

pop'n FEVER and 8th style!

Last week, I received my purchase that I bought from Ebay. They are the CS versions' of pop'n music 14 FEVER and beatmaniaIIDX 8th style. I bought another IIDX 8th style because the first copy I have has many scratches and it causes lags and hangs during gameplay. I consider this a birthday present to myself as my natal day nears.

pop'n music 14 FEVER and beatmaniaIIDX 8th style for PlayStation 2

On the side note, I have completed the core pop'n music console versions that are direct port from the arcade, that also includes the pop'n portable 1 and 2. Although, I still need the pop'n music Wii, Utacchi for Nintendo DS, and the pop'n ANIMELODY for PlayStation to complete the entire collection.

I was thinking that if I already completed all the games for BEMANI, I guess the next to collect is the game soundtracks, artist albums, and merchandises.

A short visit to Shangri-la Mall and its Disney Tsum Tsum

Last Sunday is Labor Day, May 1, holiday on a weekend. I visited another Quantum Power Station nearby, situated in Shangri-la Mall in Mandaluyong City, where I could play arcade games. When I got there, there are only four people are playing. There is a jubeat Qubell and Dance Evolution ARCADE and its newest addition to their that is uses e-AMUSEMENT PASS, the Disney Tsum Tsum.

Disney Tsum Tsum is created by KONAMI where you have to link 3 or more Disney characters within 60 seconds. Per credit is 45.00Php for 2 tries and 7 credits for premium play with a NFC figurine that you can use during gameplay. Never tried the premium play because it's more expensive for normal game unlike the other BEMANI games. Disney Tsum Tsum is also available for iOS created by LINE Corporation. DISNEY TSUM TSUM is also available in other neighboring countries such as; Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand.

jubeat Qubell and Dance Evolution ARCADE

It seems that Quantum is taking advantage of the e-AMUSEMENT NETWORK by adding more games to its game centers. Although a bit pricey, local gamers doesn't bother as they enjoy the privilege of the online game.

It's Official! e-AMUSEMENT NETWORK is in the Philippines!

Rockwell Power Plant, Makati City

Great news for BEMANI fans all over the Philippines, as the e-AMUSEMENT service of KONAMI is officially online! As we all know that last month a location test was held at Quantum SM North for MUSECA and SOUND VOLTEX and ended last April 18. A few days after, Quantum released their latest BEMANI games; jubeat Qubell and Dance Evolution ARCADE. These two BEMANI games are available at Quantum SM North EDSA, PowerStation at Shangri-la in Mandaluyong and in Rockwell Makati.

Dance Evolution ARCADE acrylic marquee

My friends went to Rockwell early evening, knowing the fact that it's only a ride away from our house. A per credit pricing is 30.00Php on both games where Dance Evolution has two stages and jubeat has three stages. On both machines has about to receive an online update, meaning new content will be added the next reboot of the game. As of the moment, e-AMUSEMENT PASS cards are not yet available at counter, luckily, we all have our own cards. Some of us bought our cards overseas years ago.

An e-AMUSEMENT application for iOS

On the other hand, I was able to link my current e-AMUSEMENT PASS to my KONAMI ID, an app is available for free at the Japanese Apple App Store. I was able link it right after I played the location test 2 weeks ago.

jubeat Qubell

This was an exciting turnover as many of us are expecting new games will be available soon not just to BEMANI games but also to other KONAMI games. Being nostalgic, it took as around seven years of waiting for KONAMI to add us in their network. I am looking forward that we will be part of the next KONAMI Arcade Championship!

I guess the BEMANI hype is back again!

Refreshments during our gameplay!

Comparison: pop'n music mini controller 1 and 2

pop'n music is a long time arcade game since 1998 with more than 23 version since its release. During its early years, KONAMI released a home version of the game from PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and short lived for Dreamcast and PC. Of course! in order to mimic the game experience is to have a controller similar to the arcade, however, they are small in size.

pop'n music mini controllers

They released a mini controller for pop'n music. The mini controller has two versions, the mini 1 and mini 2. The first controller was released in 1999 for PlayStation and Dreamcast and the mini controller 2 was released around 2002 for PlayStation 2.

Both controllers almost have the same dimensions but different on buttons and color variations. The buttons of the first mini con are flat, where the mini con 2 are dome like shape similar to the arcades. The first one have transparent variation, while the mini con 2 has white for stand-alone controller only and limited edition yellow bundled with pop'n music 10 CS.

Tried both controllers and mini con 2 has my vote unlike the first mini con because I won't have to look on the controller while playing. If you want to play pop'n music with real arcade experience, an Arcade Style Controller (ASC) is also available blog entry kindly click here.

My Gaming collection

Since I was in college, I have been collecting video games. My first item was the PlayStation counterpart of DanceDanceRevolution 3rdMIX, since then, my passion for video game collecting grew. I started to buy games in various such as Japan surpluses in the Metro Manila, online stores such as Tipidpc and ebay, and trade games to other game collectors.

When I was collecting games, I dedicated myself to collect only games from KONAMI such as; Winning Eleven, Jikkyou Pawafuru Proyaku, Genso Suikoden and Gundam video games from BANDAI. There was a time that my games collected was over a hundred and space became a problem. My mother warned me to refrain from collecting because it collects dust and consumes household space. Suddenly, I realized that I have been collecting games that I don't really like. So I decided to relinquish those games that I don't like.

Now, I am still collecting video games from KONAMI, but limited to BEMANI, Metal Gear Solid, KONAMI's Arcade classics ported to consoles such as Gradius and Silent Scope. I think it's better to concentrate on te games we really love because we can enjoy the passion of collecting, unless, a huge space is available inside your house.

Elecom's PlayStation 1/2 Game Pad Converter

This Sunday afternoon, my friend and I paid a visit to Japan Surplus. While we are browsing stuff, I saw a Game Pad converter for PlayStation controller. The game converter is an Elecom brand. Searched thru the Elecom's Website and found out that retail price of this peripheral is 1,512.00JPY or approximately 700.00 pesos.

Elecom's PlayStation 1/2 converter

Fortunately, I bought it for only 150.00 pesos and it's brand new though.  PlayStation's Dual Shock 1 and 2 are compatible with converter and it can be used for PlayStation 3 console as wired controller. Over the years, my friends are wanting to have this kind of converter, as converters that are locally available are unreliable and sometime, not in good quality.

The converter's purpose is able to use wired DualShock controllers to PC's but it is also compatible with PlayStation 3 console, tried and it works just like a DualShock 3! Though there is no substitute for home button. I am planning to use this converter for my beatmaniaIIDX ASC, so that I can play IIDX to my PC or for my future use.

The First Location Test in The Philippines: SOUND VOLTEX -GRAVITY WARS III- and MUSECA!

Last sunday, I went to the very first location of BEMANI game in The Philippines, the SOUND VOLTEX -GRAVITY WARS III- and MUSECA.

Quantum SM North EDSA

The location test held at Quantum SM Norh EDSA in Quezon City. I was able to play SOUND VOLTEX but not the MUSECA due to long queue. Both machines are connected at the e-AMUSEMENT network, meaning e-AMUSEMENT PASS card holders can utilize it. For those who don't, e-AMUSEMENT PASS cards are available at the cashier counter for 200.00php a piece. The location test is until April, rumors have it that beatmaniaIIDX23 copula will have its location test here ,but no confirmation as of the press time.

SOUND VOLTEX -GRAVITY WARS III- and MUSECA

Good thing that KONAMI gave the Philippine arcade a second look if they can setup its network here. Hoping that our local operators and KONAMI would agree on the Operator - KONAMI profit sharing as I believe, one of the big hindrances in putting up the said network, and of course the latest games that KONAMI can offer.

The Unofficial instruction manual for SOUND VOLTEX

MUSECA Arcade game

SOUND VOLTEX cards

DDR MUSIC FIT!

Two weeks ago, I received my DDR MUSIC FIT bundle from Japan. I bought the game at Ebay for only $68.00.  It took 2 months before I received my postal letter from our local Post Office.

DDR MUSIC FIT bundle

Although used, the game and dancepad is in pristine condition. A lot of the songs of this game are ported to the arcade version, DanceDanceRevolution X2.

This game is the last DDR home console for Nintendo Wii, as they are (I think), concentrating on the arcade version.

Sony nasne

A few years ago, I made an entry post about PSX, a multimedia device with gaming capabilities. Well, related to that, Sony released nasne, a multimedia storage device that could connect to different kinds of Sony devices from PS3 to VAIO PC's, records and stores TV shows directly and music as well. The YouTube link below shows how nasne works.

A local online seller sells his Sony nasne for only 700.00Php, untested, and no cables, only the device itself. I had hesitation if the device works, but, I took the risk. When I went home, I rushed to look for the adapter plugs that can fit to nasne, and Viola! It works! The previous owner recorded some football matches and some HD commercials.

The Nasne that I bought.

ried to connect it with my PS3, without the torne software, however, I was able to browse the saved videos of the previous owner (It seems the previous owner loves to watch football).

Asking my friend to buy stuff to Japan...

Last April, my friend went to Japan for leisure and he asked me what things I want to buy while during his stay.

While he is in Japan, he keeps me updated on what stuff he saw on Used game shops like Hard-Off and other shops in Akihabara district. Because I only sent him 2,000.00 Php or around 5,000.00 Yen, he bought a handful of stuff according to my budget. First, is the pop'n music BEST HITS for PlayStation 2 for only 1,950.00 Yen. The game is in mint condition. Used but looks like brand new though,

pop'n music BEST HITS CS and DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2 CS

Next is the DanceDanceRevolution SuperNOVA2 for PS2, this one cost me around 3,000.00Yen. Again, the game is in smooth condition and scratch-free disc.

Sweet goodies!

My friend also gave me "pasalubongs" such as Pocky (my favorite!), Meiji products and lots of candies! He also gave me a pop'n music portable game (although I already have one) and a Taito Station eco-friendly bag.

pop'n music portable

I also bought a beatmaniaIIDX figure of Ameto Umegiri for 2,000Yen. The figure is slightly big and taller than the regular IIDX figures I have in my shelf.


Going to Japan is a lot easier than before as Japan loosens its visa processing for Philippine passport holders. It encourages a huge number of Filipino tourist to Japan and boost tourism economy of Japan. I really want to visit Japan, as my friend will visit again before the end of this year.

New game stuff during hiatus

During my hiatus from posting, I was able to buy game stuff starting off from our Christmas season until February of this year.

GuitarFreaks & DrumMania V3 CS

First, is the GuitarFreaks V3 & DrumMania V3 for PlayStation 2 which I bought last September last year. This game completed my GITADORA collection. Bought it for $29.99 at Ebay.

Love Plus (The silver colored game cover) and Love Plus + (blue colored game cover, which is featured in my previous post)

 

Next is the first Love Plus game for Nintendo DS. Bought this game last November at bought this game at $2.00! The cheapest game I ever bought at Ebay!

pop'n music 12 IROHA CS

Third is the pop'n music 12 IROHA CS for PlayStation 2, bought this game right after Christmas. Got it for only $20.45!

beatmaniaIIDX15 DJ TROOPERS CS

Finally, the beatmaniaIIDX15 DJ TROOPERS CS bought it right after Christmas, As far as I could remember, I had a bad time in receiving this game at the delivery man from EMS, It took me 5 days to get it, because no one is at home to get it, a total of 10 days in transit. Got it for $45.00!

Currently, I am on hiatus stage in buying game stuff online. Because this year, I have to minimize my impulsive behavior in buying game stuff. Although in hiatus, I have asked my friend to buy me stuff when he visit Japan this April.

Otomedius, maiden fighters!

It's been months since my last post and this is the perfect time to put something in this blog (because of observance of the Holy Week).

Anyways, a week ago, I went to my fave Japan surplus to hunt new game stuff. While I'm hunting at the CD section of the store, I scouted an Xbox 360 game, an Otomedius Gorgeous G! I started to feel the hype, as this is one of the hard to find games. The game disc, manual, and inserts are in very good condition. The game is a horizontal shooting game, similar to Gradius.

Otomedius Gorgeous G for Xbox 360.

They sell the game for 150.00Php (appromixately $3.80) which is 100.00Php higher that they used to sell CD's last year. Regardless of the high mark up, I still bought it. I wouldn't miss the chance to get it in a cheap price, unlike to those sellers at Ebay.