MAGFest 2016 Day 3 (02-21-16)
This post originally appeared on 2/21/16.
Before we look to the new, let's appreciate the old. Here was my favorite part of last night's TWRP/NSP performance. And if you missed yesterday's post READ IT NOW!
I may now be a fan, but there is no way I am waiting in this line to meet you. Notice the "C"? The line goes all the way to "E" and then some.
I have only one life to live and it wasn't to stand in line. It was time to head back to the Killer Instinct 2 machine and kick the living shit out of Donovan. I told you, my button-mashing skills are unmatched. Let's go flip some more tables.
The guys from Fat Gatsby held a panel where they matched every Zelda game in the series in tournament brackets and debated each one until we found a winner. The decision was made with a mix of panel votes, audience votes, and online polling. I have to respect them for giving the weight of the decision of the people, even if they were wrong. A Link to the Past knocked out Ocarina of Time in the semi-finals and was all set to win the whole thing. All was right in the universe. Then, by a 0.7% margin, Majora's Mask took the whole thing. All was not right in the universe.
Majora's Mask is great and all, but it is a derivative of the series. Zelda was born as an overhead 2D action-adventure game and A Link to the Past perfected this style. Coming off the heels of The Adventure of Link, which was not received well by most fans, A Link to the Past brought the series back to its roots and established what a Zelda game is. How can you deny this game its rightful place at the top? This is why you can't trust important decisions to the general public. Do you want Trump as president? Because this is how you get Trump as president.
Anyway, Keiji Inafune was in the building and I needed to see the man that created the Mega Man franchise. Most people my age have a lot of memories tied up in Mega Man 2. Speaking of age, I was a kid when I was playing a game he created. How the fuck does he now look younger than me?
He was there to talk about a few of his upcoming games, Gunvolt 2 and Mighty No. 9. Keiji only speaks Japanese, so you had to wait for him to complete his thought and then to be translated. I was still trying to recover from last night, so it was hard enough to focus and with this delay I found my mind wandering to thoughts like, "his translator is hot."
No! Not that translator! The other one.
Ok. So, one of the main reasons I came to MAGfest was to see Bit Brigade. About a year ago I saw a video of a band that has their "lead singer" speed run classic NES games while they play the soundtrack live. I remember thinking, "fuck you for having such a brilliant idea." They were rocking out Mega Man 2 and I was an instant fan. Did I mention that game was a big part of my childhood? That soundtrack is some of the best VGM there is and lends itself perfectly to the concept of a band like Bit Brigade.
This year's game performance? Ninja Gaiden. This game embodies the definition of Nintendo hard and I thought it was a bold choice to speedrun live. No worries. Noah made this game his bitch. Well, except that one time, he died. He claims the stage lights were in his eyes. Yeah. Ok, Noah. Just own it like a man.
In the NES days, most games didn't have a plot. Ninja Gaiden was a rare exception and perhaps evidence as to why they probably shouldn't have. The cheesy dialogue and broken English were quite entertaining.
At the end of the set, I was left wanting. It was over too soon, but now they are going to announce the winners of the Dwelling of Duels. If you didn't know, we (Moiré Effect) had a song in the competition but couldn't reveal which was ours until the winners were announced. We were not the winners. Remember what I said about leaving important decisions to the public?
I headed to the bar to cope via a glass of Pinot. This is where I met Justin, Chelsea, and their child Fibonacci.
Perhaps because the only baby I have exposure to is my friend Ashlee's daughter, I absent-mindedly referred to Fibonacci as "she." Justin and Chelsea loved that I made this faux pas. They ascribe to the philosophy that what makes a "boy" and what makes a "girl" are social constructs and they are cool with whatever "he" wants to be. Alright, you and I are gonna have some interesting conversation.
We got to talking about Bit Brigade and they dropped a bomb on me. There was a secret underground show and rumor had it Bit Brigade was gonna perform Mega Man 2. I almost creamed my pants. Coming to MAGfest I knew they would be doing a new game and I had no illusions that I would ever get to see them perform that set. Now you're telling me this may be a reality? My inner nerd just got a raging boner.
I ran down the stairs to the MAGfest underground. It was a cozy little venue that wasn't listed on any of the event's official schedules or maps. I managed to work my way to the front of the stage while they were setting up. You can't get any more intimate with a band than this.
Guess what! The rumors were true! They were really playing Mega Man 2.
FUUUUUUUUUCKKKK YEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You mean the very band I came to see was playing a secret set of my favorite "album"? This is a reality I didn't know was possible less than an hour ago. I am losing my shit at this moment! klsd7iofh37uibcilhabklasdyigcukcdk
You know you're getting the real deal when you're getting sprayed with the drummer's sweat. Mike puts his soul into every performance. Rock the fuck on!
I really wanted to end the night on that high, but out of respect for I Fight Dragons I decided to check out their set. I mean, they have a really impressive resume including writing the theme song for the Goldbergs, being signed to Atlantic Records, and getting hired by Nintendo to do a song promoting the 3DS. But, for me, it was like watching porn after you've blown your load. It just doesn't have the same appeal. Their performance, for me, was cuddling after sex. It was definitely enjoyable and a solid way to end things.
MAGfest, you exceeded my expectations. You can expect Wario to crash your party again next year. tenouttaten.
~Scott
Now watch Bit Brigade rock Mega Man 2
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