The results for the British Academy Video Games Awards were announced on Tuesday The 23rd of October. What is essentially a tech demo winning six awards doesn't sit right with me. It may well be a good game but there were much better games in some categories.
With a year of speculation and anticipation, a Wii version of this Dreamcast classic has made its rounds in the rumor mill, and last month's announcement in Nintendo Power only caused more head scratching. Now comes news straight from Sega themselves confirming that this title is indeed coming to Wii. Developed by Gearbox Software (makers of Brothers in Arms and the PC Half-Life expansions) this title will be Wii exlusive with a release date of Spring 2008.
Known as Mr. Modchips, Bristol resident Neil Stanley Higgs has amassed over £1 million since 2002 from his operations with http://www.mrmodchips.co.uk and http://www.mrmodchips.com. Higgs was found guilty last month for owning and selling a number modchips and chipped consoles... totaling 26 offenses altogether. These include discontinued 'Xecuter' Xbox modchips and the 'Viper' GC chip.
Yesterday the Mr. Modchip business headquarters (his parent's residence) was raided by police after the ELSPA determined that several of the items offered on his website were illegal. Michael Rawlinson, managing director of ELSPA, said:
Quote
This case today sets a major precedent which marks a milestone in the fight against piracy, protecting the games industry's investment in fantastic games. It sends a clear message to anyone tempted to become involved in 'chipping' consoles that this is a criminal offence and will be dealt in the strongest possible way. The modification of consoles is an activity that ELSPA's anti-piracy team is prioritising â€" it is encouraging to see the UK courts do the same.
I had an interview at my town's football/rugby stadium this morning. They sent a taxi to pick me and someone else up, then to take us home. I was really nervous during the interview and was shaking a lot. My only other job interview was two years ago and I was on strong medicine so I didn't even know where I was. This one went well, I thought. Well enough for me to get the job.
I don't know what my role will be yet but it's either flipping burgers in the food kiosks on match days, or working in the bar/restaurant as a waiter/barman. I have an induction day tomorrow so I'll find out then. I wouldn't mind either position. Both 6pounds/hour for 12-16 hours a weekend with bonuses for working every weekend in a month, being the hardest worker, referring friends, etc.
I'm also applying for a position at my old workplace, so I could be working seven days a week.
In 1999 Capcom and SNK struck up a deal to license each other their intellectual properties to produce two fighting games each.
Capcom's first entry was Capcom vs. SNK for the Dreamcast. Drawing mainly from their own Street Fighter, and SNK's King of Fighters series, Capcom made a solid 2D fighter with balanced characters and challenging gameplay. Hypnotic menus draw you in from the start, and animated backgrounds keep you interested through while you fight. The "groove" system lets you pick how you get to activate power ups and special combos, and the flexible ratio system lets you add a few more characters to your team if they are all weak.
SNK's first attempt is widely overlooked as its release was only for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Unfortunately SNK's poor financial standing led to bakruptcy in 2001, followed by a buyout by Playmore that same year. The new SNK-Playmore followed up on their obligation with SVC Chaos. This title definitely puts a SNK twist in style, but still feels a bit forced with some unbalanced characters. The best part by far is how SNK draws characters from more series than Capcom, leading to higher variety of characters. Also, the artwork from the game is stunning. Game sprites and special attacks received a visual makeover, while the backgrounds are truly something to look at.
In 2005 Capcom celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Street Fighter series. The Street Fighter Anniversary Collection hosts a fair selection of SF games on the Xbox and PS2. Capcom also licenses a number of character-themed collectible control pads to Nubytech to mark the occasion. The Xbox recieved Akuma, Bison, and Guile while the PS2 recieved Akuma, Ryu, Ken, and Chun-Li in addition to wireless control pads featuring Cammy, Evil Ryu, and Sagat. The premier item released with these was an arcade stick for both Xbox and PS2 that brought the arcade experience home. Sometimes the standard controller doesn't quite cut it for these arcade style games.
Slayer1 gets the spotlight this week as the featured collection. The size might be considered average, but a detailed view will show how it truly shines. Ratings for most titles, and a large number of micro-reviews in the comment section give just enough personal input on games to determine his taste in gaming.
While browsing around on the internet, I found a crazy promo video for the failed Nintendo 64 add-on, the 64DD.
The video features previews of Talent Maker, Polygon Maker, and Picture Maker...All of them look like they could be part of the same "game". Talent Maker looks like an early version of the Mii creation tool found on the Wii.
I also found a neat video showing what the 64DD startup sequence is like...and what happens if you don't put a disk in there.
I was finally able to get a Zelda Display stand from Gamestop. Most of them told me they throw them out, but a few asked me to leave my name and number, and one called today. I now have a Phantom Hourglass cardboard stand!!! One more piece to the ever growing Zelda Colelction
Some things cross the line. Today, Kotaku is learning the hard way that posting photos of Tubgirl on the front page of their site is damaging to their reputation and character.
Looks as though Jason Chen, Editor of Gizmodo, Mark Wilson, Associate Editor for Kotaku and Gizmodo, thought it would be funny to post a photo of Tubgirl on Kotaku, allowing the world to see it in all it's hideous glory. Well, I don't think it was probably funny for those poor souls who opened Kotaku while at work to find that image plastered on the front page for their boss to see. Can you hear the conversation to that boss? I think I can...
"No Sir, I swear that I am not into those types of things!" "You sure you aren't into hardcore scat?" "No, I swear I am not!" "Too bad. My wife would totally have loved to get with you. She's kinky like that."
Of course, some creative liberties were taken in that conversation, but such a poor action can completely piss of a readership that does not take too kindly to these types of things.
Edit: Looks as though Jason Chen, not Mark Wilson is responsible for this action. Totally classless on Chen's part.
Hot on the heels of a price drop and a new model introduction, a rumor has surfaced of a 6TH Playstation 3 model! Nothing about the new model is known other than the information seen in this picture from the FCC's website, the main piece of information being the model number, CECHH01. Also from this picture, we can derive that the new model has WiFi and Bluetooth. However, this is the only information known about it.
If you ask me what this could be, I think it could be a different color of the 40 GB model which is hitting Japan. Now, I did not report on this one, but Japan is getting a white 40 GB PS3 bundled with the Dual Shock 3 for the price of ¥39,980 ($341 US), and the model number on that is CECHH00. So, my guess is that this CECHH01 model is a Silver or Black version of that model.
What I really hope is that this model is the recently announced chocolate PS3 model. Sony made up a batch of 150 chocolate PS3s and a giant chocolate SIXAXIS controller for Eurochocolate, a festival dedicated to chocolate held in Perugia, Italy.
Hit the jump for more pictures of the festivities.
In a completely unsurprising move, Sony has announced that they are bringing the 40 GB Playstation 3 model to America on November 2, selling for $399.99.
This new model will have a 40 GB hard drive built in instead of 20, 60, or 80, and will include a free copy of Spider-Man 3 on Blu-ray Disc (presumably the standard edition Blu-ray release). Unlike the earlier 20 GB model, this one will have built-in WiFi in addition to the standard ethernet port. However, this new model will be eliminating many things that are standard on both the 60 GB and 80 GB models.
First up on the chopping block: USB ports! On the new model, there will only be two ports as compared to four on every other model that has come out. This is not a huge problem for most people, but it could be if you use a USB keyboard and mouse on your PS3 or want to charge your Warhawk headset, a controller, and have your USB external hard drive plugged in.
Next items to be cut: Media Card slots! Just like the earlier 20 GB model, the new one will not have slots for SD/miniSD cards, Compact Flash cards, or Memory Sticks. Not a huge loss, but a loss nonetheless.
Final item to not make the roster, backwards compatibility?! Yes, you read right. On the 40 GB model, there will be ZERO BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY. Yup, you will not be able to play your Playstation 2 or Playstation 1 games on this system. Reason why? It would have to be done with software emulation just like how the Xbox 360 does its Xbox compatibility, and Sony decided that it would not be worth it to make software emulation for each and every game. As SCEA president Jack Tretton stated, "Backward compatibility is a nice secondary consideration, but it's far from the number-one priority." Well, when you have nogoodgamestoplay, it sure is a major consideration.
A new model is not the only thing announced by Mr. Tretton today. He also announced that the 80 GB model with Motorstorm will be receiving a $100 price drop, making it $499.99 instead of $599.99. However, the 60 GB model has not received a price drop, most likely because Sony is disillusioned into believing that they are all sold out. So, now the 80 GB model with limited backwards compatibility and Motorstorm is the same price as the 60 GB model will full backwards compatibility.
Now that you know the details, what's your take on it? Leave a comment here, or in the thread about it in our forums.
Nintendo Co., Ltd. is ending official repairs of the original "Family Computer" on October 31, 2007. Originally released in 1983, the Famicom was Nintendo's first venture into the home console gaming market. While many of us are surprised that they still support a system so long dead (the last game was Adventure Island 4, in 1994), all that can be said is that you can't expect them to support it forever. By comparison Sega of Japan quit servicing Dreamcast units last year, even though they continue to sell new Dreamcast games through Sega Direct. After ten years of discontinuation of a system, the semiconductors required for replacement parts become difficult to find and purchase in quantities that have a guaranteed availability.
The Famicom isn't alone. The Super Famicom, Nintendo64, Game Boy Pocket, and Game Boy Light are also slated to end repair service support in the near future.
It isn't all doom and gloom for gamers. The Wii Virtual Console service offers the same games on the Wii and should free up use on aging hardware for at least the more popular titles.
Capcom promised a "Megaton announcement" for October 17 and boy have they delivered with the announcement of Street Fighter IV. No Turbo HD Remix, no spinoff, just fresh fighting action. The release date is still undetermined and projected to be a year or two away. The only tease we have is a newwebsite, showing a tease of a trailer.
With the series sitting 10 years dormant, I'm hungry for something new. Keep it up Capcom! Also, Resident Evil 5 and RE: Umbrella Chronicles are looking good too.
Actually this is last Wednesday's news (2007.10.17), but outstanding news anyways.
I'll admit, I really dig the idea of LittleBigPlanet. If Sony wasn't so keen on dicking over consumers with each new iteration of the PS3, I'd almost be tempted to buy one. The game is so damn cute.
Asides from the innovative gameplay and graphical style, the thing I tend to have embedded in my mind is the really catchy theme that plays during the previews. It's mesmerizing. Well, I was listening to my favorite internet radio station when I heard the LittleBigPlanet theme playing, in all it's mesmerizing glory. I thought that was pretty damn cool.
Well, it turns out that the LittleBigPlanet theme is actually Get it Together by The Go! Team, based out of Briton England. I recommend that you check out the theme if you have not done so already. I've embedded it for you listening pleasure.
One year ago, on October 16, 2006 I posted in the Collection Milestones thread that I had finally reached a total of 500 games. And now on October 16, 2007 I have surpassed that number by 260%, thats right in one year, I have accumulated approximately 800 games. A few weeks ago, I noticed that I was getting close to 1,000 more and that has been my goal since then, but I didn't quite make it. Now, some of you may notice that my current collection number doesn't match what my profile on here says, but I'm counting the 347 duplicate games I own but not games that are box/manual only. If anyone went to the link, you may notice that I also passed 100 Atari VCS games on that day, well I sit here today with 280 total VCS games, which is an increase of 280%, almost the same as my total increase. I just thought that was kind of interesting to note. So, now the real question is if I can double the current number before this time next year. And since I plan to sell off a good part of those duplicate games, it should be very hard to do.
So i have been posting about moving into this awesome 2bedroom 2 batth apartment in a little "community" it looked aweseom and was very affordable(under 500 a month).
We went out under a week ago to talk to them and pick up the paper work and take care of all the other happy horse shit that is involved with renting an apartment. They said they would hold one of the 2 rentals for us so we could get back-paystubs for proof of income.
Today i picked up 2 money orders(1 for each of the forms we had to fill out) for 13 bucks. Drive the 45 mins- an hour out there to be told that YESTERDAY they took deposits on BOTH of them to be rented.
But its ok because they still have a couple 1 bedrroms that will be opening up or a 2 bed 2 bath for almost 800 a month. Because i want to spend 2 weeks pay on rent and car bills alone.
The girls we had dealt with then asked me again for my name and number which pissed me off even more since we had left it last time and they were so willing to help out and take care of this that and the other thing.
But not enough to call me before i drove all the way out their like an asshole to put money down on the rooms they rented to someone else. Or even bother to remember that either of us had even been there for that matter.
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.
With a year of 
Hot on the heels of a price drop and a new model introduction, a rumor has surfaced of a 6TH Playstation 3 model! Nothing about the new model is known other than the information seen in this picture from the FCC's website, the main piece of information being the model number, CECHH01. Also from this picture, we can derive that the new model has WiFi and Bluetooth. However, this is the only information known about it.
In a completely unsurprising move, Sony has announced that they are bringing the 
Nintendo Co., Ltd. is ending official repairs of the original "