A video game or console can be great, but without the right input device who really cares?  Playing a bit off of Tan's article on the Saitek Cyborg 3D Gold USB, The RFG Pulse wants your opinion on the Best Digital Controller.  But first a little history might be in order.

Digital controller technology was the primary method utilized until about the mid 1990's.  To put it simply, this was basically an On-Off technology: push a button, directional button or joystick and a single response was transmitted to the console to execute an action.  The amount of pressure applied was not a factor, as it is in today's analog controllers.

When considering your vote, take into account innovation, control, feel, overall performance and usability.  There were many, many more digital controllers released who did not make the list that you see in this poll.  The most notable missing is the 'pistol' controller for the Bally Professional Arcade - a truly sensitive and responsive controller for its time, but not considered a mainstream system by most gamers.

There are some heavy weights in this poll.  Who will win?  Vote and add a comment to state your case!

Atari 2600 - Joystick Simple, elegant and easy to use.  A true classic.	Mattel Intellivision Innovative at the time, allowing complex user input.  The 'circle' pad allowed quick directional input.	Nintendo NES The introduction of the first gamepad.  The D-Pad exists to this day in our modern controllers.
Sega Genesis Excellent design and fits like a comfortable pair of shoes.	Nintendo SNES Slightly small, dog bone design, but introduced us to the 'shoulder' buttons still utilized today.	SNK Neo Geo AES The mother of all controllers.  This true arcade stick was / is a classic with excellent control.

Comments are always welcomed!  Let's hear from you!

Why does NOA do this to US? Posted on Jul 24th 2008 at 06:27:32 PM by (TraderJake) Posted under Modern Gaming, Skip, Nintendo, Wii, Gamecube, GiFTPiA, Captain Rainbow

There is this rather quirky Japanese developer that goes by the name, Skip, Ltd. Stateside, you might know them as the developer of the Chibi Robo series. If you follow the Japanese scene also, you may know a bit more about them. In fact, most of their games have been released only in Japan. It's a real damn shame. You know, they developed many of the Bit Generations Games. These small, quirky games are sort of like the Wii Sports and Wii Play for the Game Boy Advance, but cooler. Way cooler. Of course, such is to be expected from the former Square employees, people who may have worked on one of the Best Games Ever, Chrono Trigger.

So, Skip really hasn't seen many releases Stateside aside from Chibi Robo, and it's a shame, a real damn shame. We've not only missed out on the Bit Generations series, but also other interesting and quirky games like GiFTPiA, a GameCube Game where you as the main character have to earn back your honor. It's a real interesting, and unique, game. Sadly, it's Japan only, and that pains me.

Skip has a new project, and I imagine that if you follow the gaming blogs at all you probably know what it is. The title is called Captain Rainbow, and aside from looking like a homoerotic fantasy, it looks pretty damn amazing. You play as a super hero, Captain Rainbow, who does all types of heroics on an island filled with washed up Nintendo Characters. The concept is absolutely genius, and given the track record, I bet it doesn't come out here. Very, very sad.

Check out the videos, after the jump.



Continue reading Why does NOA do this to US?

Reggie Wants You to Know that in America, Storage is a Problem Posted on Jul 24th 2008 at 03:35:18 AM by (TraderJake) Posted under Modern Gaming, Nintendo, Wii, Geeks and Otaku, OH NOOOO!

I remember a time and place when people who were asking for more storage space for the Wii were "geeks and otaku". I remember being very displeased by this statement of arrogance, and may have callled someone an ass. Whoops. Turns out that while in Europe people asking for more storage are "geeks and otaku," a different tune is being spun stateside.

Apparently, Reggie has a different story about the plight of the Wii Gamer, that, or he and Laurent are on totally different pages. See, Reggie says that while they have nothing to announce now, they are in fact working on a storage solution of some sort, and are aware of the situation. Huh. You don't say, Reggie? Furthermore, Reggie acknowledges that the problem extends far beyond "geeks and otaku":



So, the storage problem is a problem? OH NOOOO! What are we going to do? Nothing has been announced, and there are games with DLC coming out soon. I need my Samba DLC! Please Reggie save us!

Seriously, though, this issue is sort of laughable. Let us actually use the SD cards we actually bought. Lots of storage there. Oh that's right, you're afraid of piracy, Nintendo. Perhaps you could code encryption? The truth is that holding out forever won't solve the problem, and the casual gamer isn't going to want to spend a crapload of money to fix the storage issue. So, for your sake, I hope you can find a marketable solution, and find it quick.

Nintendo: Wii Storage Limitations Becoming A ‘Mainstream Problem’ [MTV Multiplayer]

RFG Release List: Week of July 20, 2008 Posted on Jul 23rd 2008 at 06:36:07 AM by (Tondog) Posted under Modern Gaming, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Playsation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PSP, DS, PS2

Ok, this week, there's damn near nothing coming out. That's the summer game drought in full effect.

Playstation 3	Xbox 360	Nintendo Wii
...	...	•Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor  •Order Up  •SNK Arcade Classics V.1
PSP	Nintendo DS	Playstation 2
...	•Final Fantasy IV •Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor •New International Track & Field	•Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

The SNK compilation might be neat but it was on PS2/PSP not too long ago. That leaves Final Fantasy IV, and I don't like JRPGs...so, there's nothing coming out this week. Oh, Siren: Blood Curse comes out on PSN this week along with 1942: Joint Strike on XBLA and PSN! I'll probably get 1942 because it looks like an AWESOME update of the original classic.

Cammie Dunaway wants you to know she is not a fake Posted on Jul 22nd 2008 at 02:38:16 AM by (TraderJake) Posted under Modern Gaming, Nintendo, Cammie Dunaway, Meh

Cammie Dunaway apparently is a scapegoat for Nintendo's press conference. I honestly wouldn't know, because I spent the last week in Destin, Florida, burning my skin on the beach while occasionally going into the seaweed infested ocean. Good times indeed. But! I did get to watch two of the three press conferences, and one of those conferences happened to be Nintendo. As someone who was looking to be wowed by Nintendo with announcements for the "core gamer", I was underwhelmed. Did you know Animal Crossing was for core gamers? Seriously? Ha. Might has well throw in the meh fest known as Wii Music in there as well. Why get Wii Music when you can get Guitar Hero World Tour?

Anyways, Nintendo's conference was underwhelming, and some of you apparently have been hateful towards Cammie Dunaway, saying that she is a fake. Well, to be honest, she did seem a bit fake at the conference. Fake smiles and actions, she did in fact seem staged, unlike "Kicking ass and taking names" Reggie Fils-Aime. So, some of you have been berating her, sort of like I just did, and she has some news for you.

Turns out, she's for real. At least, that's what she told Wired. She is apparently a generally nice person, with genuinely nice smiles. Do you believe that? After watching her presentation, I call bullshit, but she claims otherwise. Do you give her the benefit of the doubt?

Nintendo's Cammie Dunaway: I'm Not Faking It [Wired]

Treasure Hunt Chronicles #13 Posted on Jul 21st 2008 at 12:50:52 AM by (NES_Rules) Posted under Collection, Trophies, Treasures, Scores, Deals, Milestones

Like last week, this weekend was another one for the record books. I didn't get a whole lot of games, but a lot of hardware instead. Including another system I never thought I'd actually find.

The day started off really, really bad. The first 5-10 houses were a walk up to the garage, see piles of baby/kid's clothes/toys and walk away. Neither my dad nor I found anything worth even looking at. Luckily, things got better for us both.

My first find of the day was a stack of PS2 games, there wasn't much I really wanted, but the prices were good, they were marked between $0.50-1.50, I didn't feel like adding it up and I don't think the woman selling them did either so I offered $10, there was about $14 worth as marked.


Continue reading Treasure Hunt Chronicles #13

The RFG Pulse - Best Media Presentation Posted on Jul 20th 2008 at 08:09:10 PM by (Marriott_Guy) Posted under The RFG Pulse

Best Media Presentation

Sega Genesis

Atari 2600

Nintendo NES

Sega CD

Panasonic 3DO

Neo Geo AES

Other (not listed)

Getting poll results. Please wait...

Through the years we have seen games come in all sorts of packaging, some pleasant to the eye while others being downright abysmal.  This next installment of The RFG Pulse focuses on the overall appeal of the media's casing - not the performance or content of the format itself. 

When thinking about how to cast your vote, consider how well a particular game package would look in your Room of Doom.  Other items to consider are the durability and artwork of the housing for a respective system.  I did not include the latest CD or DVD game offerings - they pretty much are all the same (except the Xbox's distinctive neon green case).

Some of the pictures depicted below are not entirely indicative of the game case - but you get the general idea.  This is especially true with the Panasonic 3DO and the Neo Geo AES pictures.

Without further adieu, the contenders for the Best Media Presentation.

Sega Genesis Excellent design, durability and artwork.	Atari 2600 Classic design with easy to read details	Nintendo NES Great artwork on most games
Sega CD Excellent design and distinct blue coloring utilized	Panasonic 3DO Those long boxes were either loved or hated by all gamers.	SNK Neo Geo AES Those monster carts and 'book binder' casings made you feel good about that big purchase

Comments are always welcomed - state your case on your choice.  Let's hear from you!

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