You could say a lot of things about Capcom's Keiji Inafune ("he looks youthful"), but you can't say he's without a sense of humor. Why else would the creator of a video game about a man trapped in a shopping mall fending off swarms of brain-hungry zombies trap himself in a shopping mall to fend off swarms of autograph-hungry fans?
Despite the veiled insult, fans lined up for a chance to get some of Inafune's brain droppings scribbled on various things. Fans like Joystiq VIP Philip Palermo, creator of the super limited-edition Joystiq-zilla tee. Philip managed to make it out alive, but not before taking some great snaps of the mayhem, Frank West-style, and sending us in his observations of the event.
"Oh the irony. Dead Rising Executive Producer Keiji Inafune celebrated the release of a game set in the middle of a mall by hanging out in the middle of the mall. Fans lined up outside the Redmond EB Games to meet with the man behind Dead Rising, Lost Planet, Mega Man and etc. etc."
"Inafune signed copies of his new Xbox 360 game, as well as blasts from his past like Megaman 2. Those in attendance included fans of his older games, at least one Joystiq reader and, curiously, a handful of Nintendo of America employees."
"The man on the right, displaying an excellent taste in clothing (ahem) goes by the name Raymond. I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw him walk up, but I didn't tell him why. Hope he didn't think I was laughing at him!"
Of course, Philip designed the shirt. Go Raymond!
Oh God! It's horrible! The zombie hoards have been sated with signatures and t-shirts ... don't look ... turn away.
