Japan and Gunpla (Patreon)

Vani and I are only about two weeks away from our trip to Japan. Lodgings are set and some basic plans have been laid out. Tickets have been purchased for Disney Sea and Universal. We’re going to see a Dragon Gate wrestling show, something I’ve wanted to do since it was Toryumon in the late 90s. We’re doing some preemptive packing planning. My goal is to go as light as possible. I bought a very small Sony field recorder so Vani and I can recap our travels every few days. These will be sent back to Jon and used as Filler for the Extra Napkins podcast while we’re gone. I’m incredibly excited, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous as well! I’ve traveled around the US and Canada for conventions, and also raves when I was younger. I’ve been to Tijuana a bunch. I’ve never been overseas, though. It’ll all be brand new.

In the meantime I’ve been sticking around the apartment and trying to keep busy. If I’m not throwing myself into work I’m playing Gundam Breaker 4 on the Switch or crocheting. I picked up the hooks again and have been making tiny, flat appliques of pumpkins and bats. It keeps my mind off of things and my hands busy. GB4 has been a blast. I played the original game on PS3 when a friend of mine bought me an import copy specifically so I could play it with him. I never picked up 2 or 3, and when New Gundam Breaker came out the fans of the series said it was awful. I thought that might be it for the series, but just as I was thinking about the game again I saw an ad for 4. I’m happy I picked it up. I’ve said in past writings and on the podcast that one of the best ways for me to deal with grief and stress is to throw myself into a game with a lot of grinding. That’s mostly what the Breaker series is about. Building Gundam models, taking them into battle to beat up other Gundams and break off their parts, and then build new models with the new parts. It’s an addicting loop if you like customization and mecha. Unlike, say, Armored Core, GB4 doesn’t have a strict set of rules when setting up mecha. You can basically do whatever you want without worrying about weight limits, overheating, etc. Both games are great, they are just different from each other. Online play is easy and joining up on a mission isn’t much harder than Phantasy Star Online back on the Dreamcast. It’s a low stakes, easy game to get into that provides as many things to do as the player wants. Painting, dioramas, photo modes… It’s definitely for the model fans. I don’t think you have to be a fan of the models or Gundam to enjoy it, though. If you like customization, there’s a lot here to be enjoyed. You won’t be playing it for the story mode, that’s certain!

-Ian