Time for another update on the 2009-2010 donation drive. Here's the updated list of donors: Jacob, Nikita, Dominick, Timothy, Kelsy, Anthony, Ben, Aaron, Michael, Jon, Pamela, Terry, Anton, and Brad A special thanks goes out to Mrs. C who also sent in a generous donation.
We're sitting at $410 in the paypal account. Big thanks to all those who have donated, and for those who have not we would really appreciate the support. Again, 100% of donations go directly towards the server costs for the site. Click here to make a donation. As always, keep it on channel 3!
After reading an earleier piece about Adventure Island from Crabmaster, and having not played much of it or its SMS counterpart Wonder Boy I decided to do my own comparisons of the two ports and share my opinions.
Adventure Island Vs. Wonder Boy
Prologue
First off, a small introduction. Both of these games are ports of a Sega arcade game entitled Wonder Boy. I have not played the arcade game, so I won't be comparing either of these ports to the original. As a young Nintendo acolyte, I didn't have any opportunites to play SMS games, so this gives me a great chance to get to know some titles and how they stack up.
Gameplay
I will freely admit that I didn't play either game until the end, but as the core gameplay mechanics don't vary much from stage to stage I feel confident in my comparison. I find that both versions play basically the same. The major changes are that the NES version contains hidden eggs and a bigger variety of items and an extra power up. The SMS version contains more stages (10 on SMS against 8 on NES), of which the last stage can only be reached by collecting all of the Doll items from each stage.
Winner: Tie
Graphics
The SMS extended graphic capabilities really shine here. The colors are fantastic, the sprites are small and well designed. I have no problems understanding what the enemies are or what object I am picking up. The NES on the other hand fairs poorly in comparison. The sprites are larger, with the eggs that contain power-ups looking ridiculous in size. Color limitations lead to more bland looking enemies, and from playing the SMS I know what they are supposed to be, but I question if I would if this was the only version I played. For some reason the skate board power up stands out the most to me, as the sprite looks very bad compared to the SMS.
Winner: Wonder Boy
Sound
The SMS music is unfortunately extremely dull and repetitive. Sound effects are decent, but are nothing special. The NES on the other hand has much better theme music, and I found the tunes sticking in my head. The sound effects are sufficient.
Winner: Adventure Island
Control
The SMS version requires the run button to be depressed to get the high jump, which is required on a regular basis to avoid enemies and collect items. This can make it difficult as the run button is also used to throw axes, so jumps and attacks can get tricky with many enemies present. Other than this, the controls on either system are the same. I do prefer the NES control with a major point for me being able to pause from the controller, so I do take this into account.
Winner: Adventure Island
Difficulty
The SMS version automatically allows for infinite continues, which is absolutely needed if you plan to play through on the actual console, especially if you are out to collect all of the Dolls. The difficulty ramps up slowly and steadily. The only frustrating point for me being the platforms that can drop quickly with no real differentiation in look from standard ones. This leads to many deaths just to memorize the layout of each stage, but with the continues flowing freely I didn't find this to be a major issue. The NES game on the other hand starts out much more difficult than it's rival. Many enemies are larger in size making them harder to avoid, new enemies are present, and some enemies have tougher attacks. For example, snakes that are stationary obstacles in the SMS version are larger and have a venom attack in the NES rev. Without a secret item and code, you cannot continue in this version. While the trick isn't hard to perform in order to continue, I find this an irritating decision.
Winner: Wonder Boy
Fun
Obvoisly fun is the most subjective measure here, but I thought it very important to include it. While the basis of the game is so similar, I honestly enjoyed the SMS version more. It was more forgiving, was more pleasant to look at, and I didn't find the control issues to overcome any of this. If I could only somehow graft on the NES music, it would have been perfect.
Winner: Wonder Boy
Conclusion
So as you can see, I have to give this fight to the SMS. I'm glad I took the time to get to know these games, and it really seems logical that a port of a Sega arcade game should end up better on their machine. No doubt Adventure Island is the most well known version, but I highly encourage you to snuggle up with the Sega cart and enjoy some play this winter.
Winner: Wonder Boy
So what do you think? If you have played both versions feel free to chime in with your thoughts.
I'm going to change it up a bit this week and cover a game that can still be purchased at retail. Amazing, I know. So if you're looking for some more action on your Wii, and with budget price tag as a bonus, check this game out.
Well, it's been another spectacular month here at RFGen, submissions abounded and good times were had by all. There were a toal of 726 images submitted last month, 324 games were added, and 471 game pages were edited. There was a whopping 1,684 total submissions in November.
There were four members who each submitted over 100 submissions, those members were ApolloBoy, Fuyukaze, Pop Culture Portal, and Spoon. Rounding out the top ten top submitters were ga5ket, Paully3433, Funk_Buddy, Tynstar, dom meatball, and NES_Rules. A special thanks goes out to all of you for taking the time and energy to make all those submissions. And for the 46 of you that made submissions but weren't in the top ten, I thank you as well, every little bit certainly helps. And for those of you who didn't submit anything in the last month, what are you waiting for? Your fellow gamers and collectors need that information you have, so why not submit it and share the knowledge. Even just filling in something as simple as UPC codes is a help.
But as always, submissions do no one any good if there is no one reviewing and approving them. The top approvers last month (with well over 100 approvals each) were Fuyukaze and ApolloBoy.
And if anyone noticed, there was no RFG Thanks for October, this was not intentional, it just completely slipped my mind until I started doing this write up, I can still hardly believe November has come and gone already. And since a late thanks is better than no thanks, thanks to all that submitted stuff in October. The top submitters with over 100 submissions were ApolloBoy, ga5ket, Donkey Kong Kid, and Funk_Buddy. The rest of the top ten submitters was den68, tigerhandheld1989, Spoon, Madir, NES_Rules, and Darth Sidious. Thanks again guys.
The top approvers in October were ga5ket and ApolloBoy, again, both with well over 100 approvals.
If you weren't mentioned for October or November and want to be, there is one way to fix that, make some submissions! And even if you don't make the top ten list for the month, your name will be forever immortalized on the game page you helped make better.
I've finally got some juicy pictures for you guys, so enough of me talking:
An unassuming door leading to something magical.....
Couch's Eye View:
Empty spot on top left is for an NES
Empty spot on top right for Gamecube
Temporary home for my record collection until I need the space for more games:
There are more shevles to put up so things will get spaced out more and some of the stuff you see lying around in cardboard boxes will get unpacked, but its a great start. The next update should be just as exciting.
I finally got some more wood (not the stuff we originally planned to use, but we made it work), had my buddy come over to help install it, painted it, put it up, filled it with goodies!!
Unfortanutely we went to a friends house and forgot our camera there so i cant take any pics until he brings it back (thursday if he remembers). We didnt completely finish though. We only put up one side of shelves, but it was enough to cram everything onto. Once we get the other ones up I can spread things out a bit and give them some breathing room. Any way its looking really cool and I cant wait to share some pics with everyone.
Hello everyone, A Levels have started becoming more challenging, and more facinating (especially Computer Studies). But just because I have school and a 5 day a week job doesn't stop me TRYING to increase the Mega CD collection. So, thanks to the money I made from selling my old Robosapien and the one penny Yumemi Mystery Mansion
So yeah, I haven't done a blog entry in quite some time, but I figured why not come back with a bang? Here's my yearly Black Friday deals post, a little early this time. As far as I know, everything on this post should be accurate. I used leaked scans from the ads found at blackfriday.info and some info from cheapassgamer.com. However, I did start working on this post about a week and half ago, so deals may have changed last minute. I'll review it on Thanksgiving day to check and see if what I have is correct. If you see any errors, please leave them in the comments.
Items in bold are ones that I think are pretty cool and worth checking out.
First things first: here's some notable deals I want to get out of the way from retailers that don't get a special spot in the listing:
Dualshock 3 for $30 at RadioShack Lego Rock Band FREE when you buy $20 of stuff at Old Navy
For PC gamers, Steam is having day long sales every day for the next five days. They have some GREAT deals right now, like Osmos for only $2 and Batman Arkham Asylum for $25. Check this page every day for new offers.
PS3 owners, Sony is having a sale on various PSN games this week.
$5: Bomberman Ultra Comet Crash Flower The Last Guy Prince of Persia Classic
$7.50 Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao Smash Cars
$15 Fate/Unlimited Codes (PSP)
Killzone 2 DLC sale: Flash and Thunder for $3, DLC Bundle for $10
Anyways, now on to the brick and mortar stores. Click on the link to skip directly to the store you want to see.
Though not a huge game collector, I do tend to invest in software for the more unique systems in my collection. I enter into this fully aware that the games (for the most part) will see limited action and will require me to pay a premium due to their limited availability andor production. This is something we all encounter to various degrees in our respective treasure hunts. That being said, there are some specific consoles that require heavy financial commitment to collect for, regardless of the title.
The systems listed below have software libraries that exceed, at a minimum, 20 titles. It is true that these could hardly be considered mainstream in regards to overall market penetration. With the exception of the Neo Geo AES, the remaining contenders were basically failures in the gaming industry.
One consistent characteristic shines through for each one of these consoles - the high price of their software. Regardless of the title, these systems have the highest average mean when it comes to collecting. This is mostly due to availability as well as how the system was initially marketed and the respective target audience.
Nintendo Virtual Boy System Released: 1995 Games Released: 22
Pioneer LaserActive System Released: 1993 Games Released: 44
In all honesty, I have no idea what the attraction is for this systemgames. Sure, it was innovative for the time, but all I get from an experience with the Virtual Boy is a severe migraine. The games overall are pretty crappy IMHO, but yet most CIB games will run you around $20-$25 at a minimum for the common titles. I am not exactly sure why games for this system fetch a high price tag. Want a Japanese version - tack on another 20% (for most titles) plus the extra shippinghandling .
The second most expensive game system ever released and the games will still hit your wallet pretty hard. It is true that most of the games for this system originally retailed at around $100 USD. In today's market, these Laser Disk games begin at around $40 USD and go on up. None are really anything to write home about, but I do admit that they do look impressive compared to a NES cart. Most of the games have to be imported from Japan, where the Pioneer LaserActive was a much bigger hit than in the USA.
Neo Geo AES System Released: 1990 Games Released: 154
Bandai Pippin System Released: 1995 Games Released: 93
Still regarded as the 2D powerhouse of the home console market, the Neo Geo produced games on cartridges that rival the size of a library book. Ginormous is the only way to describe them. Be prepared to shell out some cash to add some of these beasts into your library. The cheap games will fetch around $20 USD, but on an average you can expect to doll out between $50-$60 USD for most average titles.
Lack of availability completely drives the Bandai Pippin game market. The releases were pretty average for the day, but the system itself failed miserably trying to become the first true consolecomputer hybrid in the market. Most titles were released in Japan, but even there software is scarce. Expect your credit card to get beat on by an average of $50 USD (plus shippinghandling) when getting any title - much more for the true gaming software.
I used a 20 game minimum library to create this list. This takes out the truly obscure systems like the Capcom CPS Changer, Bandai SuperVision 8000 and the RDI Halcyon. Obviously, those systems with under 10 total games released command top buck.
I picked up Power Blade at a garage sale for $1 about 3 months ago. It looked (and still does) very lame from the artwork on the label. Because of this (also because I was moving at the same time) it sat around the bottom of my priority list. Well I've finally gotten around to playing some of the NES games I've been putting off for so long. Man was I wasting my time on some junk in the last 3 months when I could have been playing Power Blade instead.
To keep up with the expectations of being a staff blogger, I'll no longer be focusing on the Gamecube exclusively for my Unloved series. Instead, I'll be highlighting any game for any system I think needs some more attention. Being mostly familiar with Nintendo systems there is a good chance that many games will be for Nintendo released systems, but when the chance arises I will definitely give some time and respect to other systems.
Look for a quick write up on Power Blade for the NES in the next few days and let me know what you think. Thanks
Special thanks goes out to everyone who donated in the past couple weeks. Here's a list of the people who have made donations so far: Aaron, Michael, Jon, Pamela, Terry, Anton, and Brad. If you're lucky maybe you can match some of them to their usernames.
So far we have $167 raised. Big thanks goes to those who have already made a donation. For those who have not, we could really use your support. Even a small donation would be greatly appreciated. You can follow this link to make a donation. Let's keep RFGen user-supported and ad-free. Thanks in advance!
Originally a PC title, this third person survival horror in the vein of Resident Evil would see a release on the PlayStation nearly a year after the PS2 was available in all markets. Because of this late launch, as well as graphics and a control scheme generally viewed as poor at the time of its release, it's been largely overlooked by the mainstream.
Here's a rough estimation of the plot:
"In Martian Gothic, the player is able to assume the roles of three characters sent from Earth to a Martian base to examine why it has been silent for 10 months, after a base member broadcasts a final message of "Stay alone, stay alive." Upon arrival the player finds that all the residents are apparently dead and that the base hides a horrible secret."
That's right, you play as three different characters with different abilities. While they all control the same and use the same weapons, each has skills required to pass the various puzzles or sections of the game. All three begin the game from different hatches on the base, and are not meant to come into contact with each other. If they do, that nasty unification bit occurs, and the characters are killed instantly. As for why that happens, don't worry, it will be explained in this bizarre Lovecraft-esque science fiction story.
Since the characters can never enter the same room together, items must be deposited in a series of vacuum tubes spread throughout the facility. Only four items can be put in the vacuum tubes at any time, and players can only hold limited items, so various item storage containers must be used. Unfortunately this means items can get lost and forgotten, though PC terminals will reveal what items are in certain containers around the base if necessary. You can still lose an item by putting it in the wrong location, so think before you stow something.
Maneuvering between these spots might also be difficult for some folks, as Martian Gothic uses the same "tank" control scheme used in the original Resident Evil, lending credence to the claim that this is just another poor RE clone. The game also uses pre-set camera angles, so enemies can sometimes be difficult to see(and it doesn't help that your basic enemy is a zombie). But Martian Gothic also borrows an interesting element from the first Alone in the Dark: you can't kill your enemies. You can put them down for a little while, but they do get back up eventually. This makes avoiding fights absolutely key, which can be extremely difficult in the cramped tunnels of the Mars colony. And even if you could kill some of these things, it's probably better to run from some of the nastier ones anyway.
To progress in the game, you'll have to listen to computer recordings, solve puzzles, and search corpses while making your way through the Mars base and eventually into Olympus Mons and both over and under the Martian surface. It's interesting to note that the game actually started life as a point-and-click adventure title for Windows, but was drastically rewritten and changed when author Stephen Marley(known for his Chia Black Dragon series) joined the cast as a game designer. This means there are lots of puzzles. And they're not easy, either.
The game wasn't exactly well received, getting a Metacritic score of 64. In other words, it's considered average, not spectacular. That said, it also tends to go for dirt cheap. While the Windows version was only released in the United States, the PlayStation version was put out in both the US and Europe.
I haven't heard anyone mention this classic NES title in what seems like years, so I thought I'd make it my job to drudge up any loving memories/haunting nightmares you guys may have that are related to Adventure Island.
Since last week I went with a very well known title in horror gaming, I figured I'd go for something a little bit more obscure, and a bit more mellow. In fact, this odd futuristic ghost story is more sorrowful than anything else. That doesn't mean it's without it's freakier moments, but the gameplay in this title doesn't have all the big action sequences of other titles. It's also the third in the Echo Night series, so if you're familiar with those, you should know what to expect.
In Echo Night: Beyond, you play Richard Osmond, a passenger on a space shuttle heading to a small lunar base. His fiance, Claudia, lives there, and it's their intention to marry once he arrives. But things don't go according to plan. His shuttle crash lands, colliding with the very place you're trying to get. Richard awakens to find himself alone in the wrecked shuttle. He decides to grab a spacesuit and enter the base to find Claudia.
Unfortunately for Richard, it appears everyone inside the base is dead, the power is out, and ghosts are wandering the halls. To progress in the story, you'll have to find various items and appease the wandering spirits so that their souls get released from this mortal coil. To do this, you'll have to talk to them, which is a bit unsettling as they tend to fade in and out depending on how close you are. There's also lots of backtracking in the game, which can become annoying, though much of the game takes place around a central junction, so nothing is ever terribly far away.
So, you're wandering in the dark, there are corpses everywhere, and their ghosts are wandering around. Could it get worse? Well yes, actually. You see, there's a bizarre mist that has spread throughout the base, making ghosts that inhabit it hostile, and if they get near you for long enough, your heart rate will spike and you'll go into cardiac arrest. This means two things: every encounter can be fatal fast, and your only options are to run away. There's no camera to fight with, no proton packs, no nothing. Instead, you have to sneak past them and pray one doesn't find you.
Also, the game's first person view really adds to the tension here, because these ghosts just have to be near you. You don't have to see them, and likely you won't: as your heart rates goes up, your vision blacks out. It can be a harrowing experience to enter a room with one and suddenly scramble for the door, only to realize you can hardly see where you're going. And if you do see it, well...some of these things get downright creepy.
Still, ghosts register on film, so you can use the vast network of security cameras to watch their patterns and discover their routes, since most of them follow set paths. Note I said most: there's one ghost in particular that will stalk you throughout the game, and he knows when you're using a security camera. Whenever you look at him he's got a nasty habit of looking back at you.
And then there's the atmosphere: you'll spend a good chunk of the game wandering around with just a flashlight, though it's not as bad as when you wander outside in my opinion. Once outside, there's little gravity so you jump really far, and the lighting gets a bit odd. The first time outside, I nearly threw myself off a cliff into a crater. To make matters worse, there are quite a few jumping puzzles while outside, and you do still have to look out for spirits.
The lack of action might bother some players, so this game definitely isn't meant for everyone. But if you're a fan of the old point-and-click adventure gameplay or enjoyed titles like Penumbra or other first person horror games, such as Juggernaut, D, or Hellnight, this may be right up your alley. And as an added bonus, it saw release in all three major regions, so getting it shouldn't be too difficult. Just be aware that in Japan it's known as Nebula: Echo Night.
We are a community of collectors, gamers and the likes, and some of us enjoy to let the world know what is on our mind. For those members, we have the community blogs, a place where they can publish their thoughts and feelings regarding life, universe, and everything. Some of those members might even choose to write about gaming and collecting! Whatever they write about, you can find it on their blog. You can either see the latest community blog entries in the feed you see to the left, or you can browse for your favorite blog using the menu above. Interested in having your own blog hosted on RF Generation? It's rather simple, first be a registered member, and then click the "My Blog" link that you see in the navigation above. Following those two steps will certainly get you on your way to blogging.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy our entries, rantings, and completely unrelated series of thoughts. We write for you to read, so we certainly hope that you enjoy our material.
