Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

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PhantomPhotonX
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Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by PhantomPhotonX »

Otakon is running this year from July 30 through August 1, and as always will be at the Baltimore Convention Center. You can go to http://www.otakon.com for all the details, but let me just sum it up for you. Registration is $65 for a three-day pass if you register online before June 18, and afterwards is $75. If you want to reserve a hotel room close to the convention center, I suggest you do so as early as possible, because I hear the rooms go pretty fast.

So why am I posting this here? Well, according to VOOT KING VASH, Virtual-On will be playable this year at the convention. He emailed an Otakon representative who confirmed this information, but I don't think the rep stated which version it will be (VOOM/VOOT/Force) or which platform (console/arcade). My guess is that it will be VOOT on the 360, based on its newfound popularity. Anyway, that was enough information for me to register. So you will have a rare opportunity to meet me and Vash in person, and to play against us in Virtual-On live!

If you've never been there before and are in the area or willing to make the trip, I highly recommend it. This is one of the biggest anime conventions in the country and is pretty well known. I primarily go there for the video game competitions, namely, in Super Smash Brothers and Mario Kart, but there's plenty to do for all you anime lovers out there. Most of the details as far as guest appearances and exhibits are pretty sketchy at this point, due to the event being three months away, but I'm sure they will get filled in as the end of July approaches. And of course, be sure to check the website for any updates.

With that being said, I'd like to know who is coming! Post here with any comments, questions, etc.
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by DeepInTheHops »

PhantomPhotonX wrote:My guess is that it will be VOOT on the 360, based on its newfound popularity.
Newfound popularity? I didn't get the memo. :|

If it was close I might go, but it's way too far to be worthwhile for me. I've never been an anime fan (I don't dislike it, I just never got into it), there probably won't be any games besides VOOT that I'd be interested in, and I doubt there will be many VOOT players. I guess if you got everybody from Schooly's invitational tournament to show up, I'd definitely be in. :lol:
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by JStryke »

If it wasn't for possible financial trouble this summer, I'd be tempted to go (a group from another forum I visit is also going). I am only 2 hours away, so I could easily make the drive, I just don't know if I'll be able to find a new job by then or not.
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by Vash »

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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by chunkypuff31 »

Vash wrote:Image
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by MasterFygar »

I might try to make it, if many of my friends from other forums go. Any interest in me taking a two player linked VOOM machine?
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by PhantomPhotonX »

That sounds great! I'd love to play some VOOM! I hope you can make it!
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by MasterFygar »

Awesome, it's On! (bad pun, hahaha.) Or at least, I'll definitely try my best to make it. That's right after all the performances and obligations I have in the Summer end. The only complication is my living in Virginia, but that didn't stop me from getting a Space Invaders machine from a guy further in MD than this is! :lol:
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by Vash »

VOOM sounds like fun I might give it a try it.
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by RVR - 42 »

Oh man! I'd SOOO love to attend one of these. Think of all the VOOT swag. <3 But MD is a bit North for me. =/ One year though, one year.
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by MasterFygar »

Hey guys, any clue how they accommodate getting machines in or what the best way to transport a VOOM machine would be? It's looking like I might be in town for this after all and I'd like to be able to play some of you guys... but I had the machine delivered and I doubt it'll fit in a minivan xD
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by PhantomPhotonX »

I wish I could help with this, but at the very least you'll probably want to contact the staff:

http://www.otakon.com/contacts.asp

There is a form you can fill out, and someone from the staff should be able to contact you. They also have a phone number you can call, 610-577-6136. Since there's only one month left, I'd get on this right away. The other problem is that you'll want to make sure they have enough space in the game room for it. They have so much other stuff that they might not be able to make space for it. I have no experience transporting arcade machines, so I'm not the best person to ask, unfortunately.
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by MentholMoose »

MasterFygar wrote:Hey guys, any clue how they accommodate getting machines in or what the best way to transport a VOOM machine would be? It's looking like I might be in town for this after all and I'd like to be able to play some of you guys... but I had the machine delivered and I doubt it'll fit in a minivan xD
The cheapest option would be to borrow a friend's trailer if your van has a hitch. You can rent one pretty cheap, too. You will want something low to the ground with a ramp since it will be very difficult to load such a large cabinet into for example a pickup truck. A U-haul with a lift gate would be the best choice but might not be cheap since you will need something fairly large.
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by MasterFygar »

Alright, thanks guys, I'll get on it. I don't know anybody with any trailer or truck so this may be complicated xD

At the least I hope to see you guys there and play on the 360 VOOT!
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by PhantomPhotonX »

The Otakon staff have updated their Website, and they have revealed the list of tournament games this year. As I expected, VOOT is not one of them, but as I didn't expect, Mario Kart also is not one of them. I was fully expecting to win something at Otakon this year, so it looks like in order to do so, I will have to temporarily focus my attention on the game that stole me from Virtual-On nearly 10 years ago...

(So poetic, I know)

I am going to resume playing Smash Brothers Brawl for the next few weeks. I will play VOOT on a more limited basis. If there are any extra-kind souls out there who would like to help me train, go ahead and post your Wii friend code here.

My previous tournament history with that game hasn't gone so well, unfortunately:

2002 (Melee, Otakon): I made it to the second round of the free-for-all tournament. Stepped on my own mine in Onett and then got hit by a car. My friend went on to win.
2007 (Melee, Otakon): I got eliminated in the first round of the free-for-all tournament because it was a stock time-limit match, and I didn't see the timer. I lost by time-out. And then I wasn't able to enter the one-on-one match, because I arrived 10 minutes after registration started. All the entries were taken by then.
2007 (Melee, C3): It was one of those qualification-type tournaments where you had to win as many rounds out of 5 just to enter the elimination-style tournament. I had won two and lost two, and my final match came down to the freaking wire, with a lucky shot by the other guy to win. I was literally one hit away from advancing.
2008 (Brawl, Gamestop): This was the tournament held by Gamestop on the day of Brawl's launch. I made it to the final round and whiffed with a Final Smash, and my friend (not the same one as in 2002) KO'ed me with a Cracker Launcher and won.
2008 (Brawl, C3): No words could describe the slaughter. It was so bad that my brother, my two friends (yes, the one from 2002 and the one from 2008), and I vowed never to play the game again.
2010 (Brawl, Otakon): ???

Let's hope my luck changes.
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by PhantomPhotonX »

Well, it's finally over, which means I don't have to listen to Vash talk endlessly about it every time I play against him in VOOT! ;) I had a great time, and I'm pretty sure Vash did too. Here are the highlights:

1. I decided against playing in the Smash Bros. tournaments due to the fact that I may have only gotten about 5 hours of practice (max) between when I "committed" to practicing and the actual tourney. Stupid busy schedule.
2. I got three autographs: Michael Sinterniklaas, Stephanie Sheh, and LittleKuriboh (who created Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series). To get the first two, I had to stand in line for about two hours.
3. More standing in line! To even play a game of Smash Bros., I had to wait at least 15 minutes to get through the line of everyone else who wanted to play. And I had to wait in line for Mario Kart too, because a "game" of Mario Kart really consisted of a series of 4 races, which can take about 15-20 minutes to finish.
4. Some idiot set off a fire alarm which caused the evacuation of the whole convention center. The evacuation lasted for about 1.5 to 2 hours. I'm glad I wasn't wearing a costume.
5. Vash slept with Mario in the convention center, because he insisted on spending the night there. Moving on...
6. The panel that I really wanted to participate in was a dubbing panel where they would play a segment of some anime, and you could actually record your voice over it! Unfortunately, the lines were so long that time ran out before I could record. The cutoff point between those who did record and those who couldn't was at...me. :cry:
7. I saw grown men wearing diapers. Literally. That was their costume.
8. There was also a panel that was supposed to discuss the influence of Sailor Moon on today's anime. Actually, they showed hentai. I'm talking hardcore sh*t here. I definitely was caught off guard, and Vash and I were both permanently scarred from that event.
9. Although Maile Flanagan has a ridiculously annoying Naruto voice, she is actually a cool person. I attended her Q&A and it was both interesting and informative.
10. Oh yeah...there was no Virtual-On anything, anywhere. Should have guessed.

Thanks to Vash for coming along!
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by JStryke »

PhantomPhotonX wrote: 4. Some idiot set off a fire alarm which caused the evacuation of the whole convention center.
I actually heard about that one (had a couple friends go down). I don't know if they were joking or not, but they were saying the "reason" it was done was because of the Ho-Ohs running around (there were 4 that they saw).
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by MasterFygar »

Sounds like it was pretty awesome, sorry I wasn't able to swing it. I'll be there next year with VOOM and hopefully Ocean Hunter! :lol:
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by PhantomPhotonX »

I have pictures too. The first one is me and Vash (in costume).
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Re: Otakon 2010, Baltimore, MD, July 30 - August 1

Post by Vash »

I Had alot of fun I was a member of Team Rocket and got to see X Japan I found a video and yeah thats my big head walking throw someones cam lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehZ2XPEiRj8 I will post more vids and try finding myself as a member of team rocket
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