As you all probably have noticed, there's a new t-shrit in the shop. I know the printing is only on one side, but it knocks about $5 off the price, so I figured that was a good deal. Not to be a greedy robber baron, but check out some of the other merchandise while you're at it. You'll save on shipping if you buy a few things at once. And if you do have Pie2k shirts, don't forget to represent at Otakon this year!
     So Kurt's got a Japanese PS2, and to be honest, I expected it to be a little more different than it is. I mean, the case is exactly the same except that AC cord isn't polarized (you know, when one of the plugs is bigger than the other). Also, the label in the back may be in Japanese. Heck, even the BIOS is pretty much the same, from what I've seen. The menu is entirely in English. The only real difference is that, since the BIOS says "Japanese" it plays Japanese games and region 2 DVD's. ARGH. I'm really against the whole concept of region "protection." It doesn't protect anything, not even sales. The only thing it does is encourage the use of mod chips, which in turn encourage piracy. The only thing that region protection ends up doing is frustrating consumers and discouraging a healthy import/export trade. I don't see how either of those lead to a healthier video game market, or even how the benefit any of the companies that make games.
     And before people call me completely ignorant, I understand the concepts of localization, and how I probably wouldn't want to play a lot of the games I play in the original Japanese. That makes total sense. Also, I understand that with NTSC, PAL, SECAM, and all the other crap out there, it's important to have a local copy so that you can ensure that the game works on your video setup. But the users who would import a game instead of waiting for it are the ones who already understand these concepts and can purchase something that will work on their setup, and that they can read enough of to play.
     At any rate, Silent Hill 4 is freaking cool, just like the rest of the series. I shall investigate further if I happen to finish up with Outcast any time in the near future.