Geektro - Your Intro to Geek

Geektro Episode 8: New York Anime Fest '09

Sean Jaques — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:27:00 +0000

We had an awesome time at the New York Anime Fest ’09, where we did an introduction in to cosplay. If there is a weak part of my Geek resume it’s Anime. I don’t know that much about Japanese animation or cosplay so the NYAF was a truly eye opening experience. Enjoy!

Geektro Special: Anamanaguchi Interview

Sean Jaques — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:50:48 +0000

We had a great episode on Anamanaguchi earlier but our entire interview (which ran about 20 minutes) was so interesting we wanted to release the entire thing uncut. So here it is. There’s some great insight in to how they make their music, what’s compelling about the chiptune scene, what Anamanaguchi means, and the stage graphics they use in every show.

The only disappointing thing about the entire night was that I don’t think our episode can really convey how cool their live show is. If you could crawl in to a game of Megaman and have a dance party there, that’s what it’s like to watch them perform.

Geektro Episode 7: Anamanaguchi

Sean Jaques — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:49:57 +0000

We had the really cool oportunity to meet Anamanaguchi during their record release show in Brooklyn. They were promoting their recently released album Dawn Metropolis. The entire interview was really great and about 20 minutes long so we’ll be putting it up on the blog over the course of the next week. I’ve really wanted to meet these guys since they tore the place down at PAX last summer.

At PAX, like any concert, most of the patrons were there to see the headlines and couldn’t care less about the opening acts. Anyone that wasn’t the Minibosses, Jonathan Coulton or MC Frontalot were just killing time until the real acts came on. When Anamanaguchi took the stage, the crowd had a vaguely disinterested vibe. That lasted all of five minutes until everyone was asking “Who the $%*& are Anamanaguchi”?

That’s one of the reasons I was really jazzed to meet these guys in person. The other reason was to get up close to their “gear.” The devices they’ve built to play the 8-bit sounds of long lost gaming systems are pretty impressive. These guys are not only talented musicians but decent programmers, making them perfect for Geektro.

Geektro Special: NYCC Outtakes

Sean Jaques — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:48:09 +0000

David did an outstanding job as our host for the New York Comic Con and we are all really happy to have him on board. He has the terrific ability to get people talking about the things they are passionate about, which comes in handy at a website about geek culture. The only problem is we can’t get half of the great stuff David does in to the time limited Geektro episodes. Fortunately, we compiled a few of them in this video. Enjoy!

Geektro Episode 6: Magic the Gathering

Sean Jaques — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:30:47 +0000

I know almost nothing about Magic the Gathering. I played a few times in the seventh grade but once I was beat by the same guy seven times in a row, I gave my cards to another kid and gave up. I think he was cheating. How one cheats at magic, I’m not sure but I definitely think he was cheating.

Geektro Episode 5: Jedi Knights

Sean Jaques — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 05:00:10 +0000

Whether it was a lightsaber or a scabbard or in my case, a broomstick, no young boy (and some girls) ever got through childhood without playing some version of swords with your friends. The only difference between you and the members in NY Jedi is they never stopped. NY Jedi is a group of performers that combine martial arts, stage fighting and a lightsaber to recreate the coolest imagined fights of your childhood.

The men and women of NY Jedi are a bunch of interesting cats. Most of the higher level performers come from a martial arts background and their dedication to Star Wars canon is clearly lacking. Because the only thing they stay true to is the use of the lightsaber, members can make up their characters as they see fit. Flynn, the founder, wears a predator mask when he performs (both with his lightsaber and his guitar) and other members were dressed as the Joker and or as a dark Valkyrie. But somehow, this strange amalgam works.

Learn more about NY Jedi at newyorkjedi.com.

Geektro Episode 4: Dungeons & Dragons

Sean Jaques — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 04:25:54 +0000

My friend Omer has played Dungeons & Dragons going back a long ways. The way he describes 4.0 is that they took the some of the traditional role playing elements from D&D and revamped the combat system to be similar to popular MMORPGs. The WoWization of Dungeons & Dragons. I certainly understand why some of the more traditional players would be turned off by this and continue to play traditional 3.5. But I’ve never played before 4.0 and now, I can’t stop.
The new combat system is way more accessible than the previous one. A marked improvement in “playability.” But making the game easier to play makes enhances the other elements of the game. Role playing becomes easier when you don’t spend half the game looking up rules or trying to win the encounter in the most efficient manner possible.

It was awesome to meet Chris Perkins, also known as the Dungeon Master for the PA/PVP/WW podcasts. He was a generally cool dude and I can understand that those podcasts are really enhanced by his involvement. Though, I’m sure listening to Gabe, Tycho, Scott Kurtz and Wil Weaton recite php code would be entertaining.

Geektro Episode 3: PAX Omegathon Part 3

Sean Jaques — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:53:10 +0000

Everyone has played Jenga, but very few people have played Jenga in front of a room of two hundred people. This event was, by far, the most intense of the tournament, perhaps the most intense table top game of anything I’ve ever seen. The first match, Joey Geko v. Amandl went on for almost a half hour. I was so sure the match would end at the twenty minute mark I lost $20 in a bet. At times it seemed that even by getting close to the table the game was on would topple the tower. And yet it kept growing.

As for the final round, the surprise game was Vs Excitebike, a game that never actually came out in the US. Being in a crowd of 4,000 cheering on two guys playing a twenty year old Nintendo game is something I’m never going to forget.

The match, however, was a little disappointing because Joey Geko destroyed Fallout 5-1 in a best of 9 series. It wasn’t really fair. Joey had actually played the game as a kid because one of his friends imported Japanese games. There’s a certain symmetry to that. You couldn’t feel better for the guy who sold his game systems to come to PAX and walked away with $5,000 to spend at TGS where he can import, well, whatever Japanese games he wants.

The Omegathon is properly named. It certainly is a marathon…or a triathlon…or both. By the end of day three we were beat and we had only been watching. PAX is unique and unlike any comic convention or game expo I have ever been to. We are seriously looking forward to attending the East Coast PAX early next year with a full Geektro crew.

Geektro Episode 2: PAX Omegathon Part 2

Sean Jaques — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:27:23 +0000

The Omegathon is an interesting competition in that, no one, even the creators of the event, think that surviving round after round makes you the best gamer. There is a lot of random chance in the competition that make the outcome of game difficult to determine. As Tycho explained, the competition is like a reality television show that tortures its contestants, nothing is proved and much fun is had.

As we rolled on to Geometry Wars we meet the next Omeganaut near and dear to the hearts of us at Geektro, Joey Gecko. Joey told us he sold his Xbox and his Playstation 3 to afford to come to PAX and had been practicing for more than a month. After passing Peggle and slipping through an elimination round of Boom Blox, eliminating our good friend Plutonium, Joey destroyed the opposition in Geometry Wars bringing him to the front of our attention.

Rockband proved an important turning point in the competition for our two favorite Omeganauts. Joey became the lead singer for one band, Omegadeath and Pickachoochoo the guitarist for The School of Hard-Cocks. Omegadeath was the winner, sending Joey on his way to round five and Brian back to his hotel room.

The general consensus was that Omegadeath and TSoHC were evenly matched on the instrument side but that Joey was a far superior lead singer to his counterpart meaning one person had caused three others to be eliminated. I guess this isn’t really fair, but if you are wondering that, you don’t understand the Omegathon.

Geektro Episode 1: PAX Omegathon Part 1

Sean Jaques — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 02:24:49 +0000

Last year we traveled to Seattle to catch the world’s greatest gaming convention, the Penny Arcade Expo. In addition to being held in a really awesome town, PAX had an amazing vibe from top to bottom and we couldn’t be happier with the experience we had there. We spent most of our time covering the Omegathon and while there were definite draw backs (the events were scheduled at some of the least convenient times and in least convenient locations) it was definitely worth it to watch the event unfold from beginning to end.

The secret of covering competitions like this is that the story comes together much better if you have interviews with the winner early on. Unfortunately, as a very small crew, we have to pick out our favorites early on and hope for the best. Early on we became partial to two Omeganauts, the first of which was Brian Jo, or Pikachoochoo. Brian was the high scorer in Peggle so we naturally interviewed him and found his story compelling.

One of the chosen Omeganauts had to bow out of the competition and the last spot was being given away by the scientific game of “Pick A Number From One To A Million.” Brian picked 498,123 and won. For the remainder of the con, Brian’s friends followed him around as his entourage wearing matching shirts with the lucky numbers printed on the backs and blocked anyone from interrupting interviews (you can see them in the background of our video). Brian cruised threw Peggle and slipped out of an elimination round of Boom Blox in the first two rounds, making us feel pretty good about our choice. Of course you can’t put all of your eggs in one basket…