Commentary 25/10: VGHell, TSS Is 8 & Rockin’, SoS 09

Well I finally got home from Video Games Live at about 2:30am, after finding that London Bridge tube was closed, having to navigate all the way around London to get to Bank station where I could realisitically walk to LB train staion from only to find out they’d re-opened the tube again. Getting to London Bridge only to find there were no more trains, before getting a night bus (on which there was a fight) to somewhere nearer to home than central ruddy London before spending ANOTHER £25 on a “taxi” which got lost before I abandoned it having seen a landmark I recognised and walking through the cold night past a couple of gangs who definately “thought about it”.

I was SO glad to be home.

Anyway The Sonic Stadium, our partner in Sonic crime turned 8 yesterday. Aww. Wrecks is but a young pup, wet behind the ears at 4 this year in comparison. Anyway Svend has put up a marvelous speech telling all of TSS’s achievements in the field of achieveviness-ness MOST of which I agree on.

Unless I’m reading this wrong Svend seems to suggest he was responsible for the creation of the SEGA Europe Community Team as a whole and Sonic City. The second probably has a grain of truth in it as SEGA would have looked at sites such as Stadium and pointed to these as justification for Europe’s own Sonic portal. I’m not sure when Version 1 launched, but it was obviously before Sonic 06. As for the first, er… no mate. Just no. Lol.

Also to clarify something regarding me and SEGA and how I got the job: Svend had a hand in introducing me to SEGA Sonic predecessor Romily Broad and saying how fantastic I was, etc. I did an awful lot of stuff behind the scenes (a lot more than people think actually) for a while before getting a short term contract at SEGA. I also put my life on hold, litterally, for six months during which time I was lobbying SEGA constantly. So Svend might’ve unlocked the door – something for which I shall always be greatful – but I went through it.

I’m not being bitchy, but this IS the second time in recent memory that TSS has said “its thanks to us” or something like it and WRECKSCON Status is currently at 4 – “Raised Eyebrows”. Lol perhaps I should reveal the WRECKSCON scale some other time.

Anyway main point is that The Sonic Stadium is f’n amazing and deserves a lot of credit for kicking and dragging the term Sonic fan from a quiet snigger-enducing phrase to something with real meaning. It is the cornerstone of the Community and they are lucky to have someone like Dreadknux AND those others who people sometimes forget. For instance, B-Man.

I’ve said several times the day B-Man leaves the community will be the day it either dies a lot or is rendered structually unsafe. Dread might be the foundations of TSS but the quiet unassuming B-Man, the resident technical and coding genius, is the cornerstone. He’s begun to get more credit but I’d like to see more. Perhaps we can make the first week of December B-Man appreciation week? I’d be up for that actually. Whenever there are server issues Ian’s on the job. Whenever SSR is on the fritz (when isn’t it) the cry is “call B-Man, B-Man will save the day.” B-Man FTW.

Roarey Raccoon is also deserving of much praise, but then when isn’t he. He’s the head of SSR, chief forumite and who I would judge the “concience” of TSS. Roareye Black is just plain awesome and brings his own unique brand of anarchy and encyclopedic games knowledge. I’m not joking when I say I could listen and talk to Rory for hours and hours on all manner of gaming music things. Violet, the radiant flower of the SSMB (she’s gonna be SO embarrassed now). Shadzer who has his finger on the pulse and is bombarding Svend with up to the minute news reports for TSS as is TSS’s resident jar of Marmite, Slingerland.

There are so many I’m afraid where to you know, stop, but I’ll do so here more over because its bloody cold in my bedroom atm (insert your own gag here) and I want to go downstairs where there is TV, heat and Mini Babybels.

Also Summer of Sonic 2009 has been announced on TSS and by that I mean its been announced that it’s happening. Dreadknux got his knuckles rapped (lol – Knuckles rap) in the SSMB Staff forum by me for saying he was going to announce it… but not telling/asking me. Then Urtheart set upon him with a Cornish knuckleduster, which is a pasty taped to a fist. It was most brutal. But yes it is occuring, not sure when exactly but SoS 09 does suggest 2009.

I’m sure if you ask GAME, Amazon, etc they’ll tell you an “official” date then complain that we put the convention back when haven’t announced a date. OOOOH… UNLEASHED-RELATED BURN(!)

The idea is that myself and Svend will make things happen, with SEGA stumping up more money than before and helping organise an awful, awful lot more – like finding us a massive hall and renting it for instance. Essentially this means Community fills it, SEGA lays the foundations of it and me and Svend run it… with help. This will no doubt all mean I will end up doing even MORE work, than I did for SoS 08 (I thought it wasn’t possible, how wrong I was) but at the very least I’ll have some SEGAy backup this time.

Nothing is set in stone, nothing. Do not expect anything. Do not expect a free concert like last time. Do not expect world records. Do not expect ANYTHING. Well, you can expect F-U-N obviously. 🙂

Knuckles is Red, Sonic is Blue,
Where’s that DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald?

– ArchangelUK –