Our featured game this week is Super Mario Bros. 3! A favorite for many, many gamers. Maybe it is because we all grew up with this game, maybe it is because it is just stellar in every way, or maybe it is because of the silly plumber that we have all been trained to see as the poster boy of Nintendo.
Honestly, I think the answer is in all three. This is a game we grew up playing, it is a wonderful game from nearly every angle, and it does star the famous poster boy Mario. That aside, in Super Mario Bros. 3, you take on the role of Mario to defeat the evil Koopa King Bowser and his friends. With many more abilities than in the previous games, you have to be quicker, smarter, and more cunning than ever before! Check this game out if you haven't already. If you haven't, I feel sorry for you.
Our featured image comes from the Nintendo DS's Cars. This is a cute game full of races and mini-games. It is obviously based on the wildly popular Disney/Pixar movie. How could I not pick this image? Look at the car. He's so cuuuuuute! Well, my wife thinks so anyway.
Our featured hardware is in my opinion, terrible. The Turbo Touch 360 for the SNES is so hard to use, not sensitive, and not comfortable. Disagree with me? Let me know!
Lastly, our featured collection is from jtaylor. The collection may be small, but they definitely have some great games (including our featured game)! I bet our featured collection's owner has some great stories about where some of these games came from. Send him a message and find out!
Well, that's it for now folks. In the meantime, send checks payable to me and keep it tuned to channel 3!
Hello readers and members, I hope you've enjoyed the last weekend as much as I have. For those of you not in the states or Canada, it was Labor Day weekend. In Cincinnati, we have a big party. I, along with many of my friends were there. Hopefully your weekend was as awesome as ours.
Anyways, I digress. Last Friday was the last day of August, and so it is time for me to reflect on the last month and commend you all for the submissions that you have made. In case you were wondering, 3016 submissions were made last month. Of those, 1700 were games submissions, 1316 were hardware submissions, and 583 submissions were for new images. I'd like to thank you all for helping to grow our database with these submissions, it's you guys that allow our site and database to grow, and we are truly thankful. This month's top submitter was Mariott_guy! He bested the competition with 1231 submissions. The next highest submitters with more than 50 submissions last month are, in order, Funk_Buddy, Belgarath, NES_Rules, Oatbob, Tan, eaglebeak99, and Alabama-shrimp. I'd like to thank all members, including those who made less than 50 submissions for their submissions. We truly appreciate it. Some people also have to approve submissions, and I'd like to thank Tan and Tynstar for approving a bunch of submissions. Tynstar narrowly beat out Tan for top approver spot last month (148 vs 146). Congrats on that, and try not to rub it in too much.
I believe that I failed to do this post for July, and I am truly sorry. In case you were wondering, July saw 4351 new submissions. Of those, 4150 were for the games database and 351 were for the hardware database. July also saw 1675 new images, an impressive number indeed. In July, Funk_Buddy was the top submitter, with 662 new submissions. The next largest submitters over 50 submissions are in order: Tan, Belgarath, Oatbob, Speedy_NES, Tynstar, marriott_guy, Fighter17, Donkey Kong Kid, Magewout, NES_Rules, sharp, James, Mars, Apolloboy, Alabama-Shrimp, Malgyris, Rorschach, Fuyukaze, cverz2, and JWKobayashi. I'd like to thank everyone for their submissions. In July, Tan schooled Tynstar in the approvals category, with 722 aprrovals versus Tynstar's 258 approvals. I'd like to thank everyone who approved submissions in July and August, thanks for keeping the show going.
Thanks everyone, and as always stay tuned, you never know when new features will be showing up.
In 1995, Funtech Entertainment Corporation released the first original gaming system in Taiwan - the Super A'Can. Produced and sold exclusively in its native country, the console and controllers feel very fragile, constructed of thin plastics that belies its strong, dark grey outwardly appearance and extremely high price tag. This system is often mistaken as a SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) clone due to both the physical design and the processor powering this unit. A closer inspection of this rare oddity reveals a different picture.
Appearing just at the end of the hugely successful 16-bit era, the Super A'Can utilizes dual Motorola processors to deliver its gaming experience. The first of these central processing units (CPU) was the 16-bit Motorola 68000, which was also the driving core used in the Sega Genesis and Neo Geo AES systems. The 8-bit Motorola 6502, which originally debuted inside the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), comprised the second CPU. This dual engine rendered games using a 32,768 color palette and was quite powerful compared to the rest of the 16-bit systems. This processing power would have been a significant advantage for the Super A'Can if this console was released in 1989 instead of 1995. 32-bit technology was already being fully utilized within the gaming market at the time of its release and the Super A'Can was technologically obsolete before it hit the store shelves.
The twelve (12) confirmed games, with an additional nine (9) rumored to be in existence, were released in rather large, SNES-like cartridges. Games came presented in flamboyant, cardboard boxes which included a plastic game holder and instruction manual (also well presented). This matched the fun and playful design of the systems packaging. Overall game graphics and play are very similar to the Neo Geo and SNES. Bold, vibrant colors are pleasantly displayed in 2D environments. One of the best games for this system is C.U.G., a Super Mario type clone. The complete list of confirmed games for the Super A'Can :
BoomZoo
C.U.G.
Dragon Force
Formosa Duel
Gambling Lord
Magic-Stick Billiards
Monopoly: Adventure in Africa
Rebel Star
Sango Fighter
Sonic Flying Dragon
Super Taiwanese Baseball League
The Son of Evil
The Super A'Can failed miserably due to utilizing outdated technology and being initially offered for sale at an exorbitant price. Very few of these systems were sold, and it has been reported that Funtech Entertainment Corporation lost $6 million USD in this venture. Unsold units were disassembled and were parted out to various companies in the USA and abroad.
Collecting for this console is an expensive proposition, due to the limited number of units that were purchased and the exclusivity to the Taiwanese market. Expect to invest heavily if pursing this console - $100/$150 USD for a loose system, $250 USD plus for complete in box (CIB). Unfortunately, games are more rare that the system itself and usually run around $50 a piece for the common games more for the more elusive titles. Super A'Can systems and games are most commonly found from Taiwanese sellers. Shipping costs to the USA will run you a few dollars, but overall are quite reasonable compared to other countries.
Overall, the Super A'Can is a pretty rare console solely due to its failure in the gaming industry. There is nothing extraordinary about the system or the game library for it. Only serious console/game collectors should pursue purchasing the Super A'Can - the system itself does not warrant the high investment by the casual gamer.
Telltale Games has released the trailer for its upcoming second season of the Sam and Max episodic series. For those of you unaware, the episodic series is a continuation of the adventures of Steve Purcell's comic book characters Sam, a 6 foot tall dog, and Max, a "hyperkinetic rabbity thing". Sam and Max have been featured in comic books, an animated tv series, and a LucasArts game. The series got its start after LucasArts cancelled a planned sequel to Sam and Max Hit The Road in 2004 due to "market place realities and underlying economic considerations" (read: people don't like adventure games any more). After LucasArts cancelled the sequel, the employees working on that title left the company and went on to make Telltale Games, an independent game development company. In 2005, LucasArts let the license to Sam and Max expire, and Steve Purcell approached Telltale and asked them to work on a new game. This eventually led to the decision to make it episodic and the financial backing of Turner's GameTap service.
This trailer premiered at Penny Arcade Expo last weekend, and I must say that it's looking just as good and funny as the first season was.
Sam and Max Season Two hits both GameTap and TelltaleGames.com this fall.
What if business was run like commentary on internet news sites and blogs? Read the comments on any site like joystiq or Kotaku (especially Sony articles) and you'll notice that nothing worthwhile is said. See what familiar commenter types are represented.
WARNING: In addition to representing the boorish side of internet discussions, it also contains strong language. If such things are offensive to you, watch this <a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=18070" target="_blank">http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=18070</a> instead.
Good evening ladies and gents and welcome to the weekly birding feature, last weeks travels overseas brought a lot of a lot of sightings including the Japanese Grosbeak. This particular finch is quite common in the region and a casual sit near any feeder should score you an easy sighting. Also called the Ikaruga by the locals, its black and white feathering inspired a team of four video game designers to name one of their games after it. I believe they're called Treasure and have made some solid hits before, but this one stands out with a new element of gameplay, the ability to change from black to white.
Well, enough of that games rubbish... now where were we. Right, now for this portion of this week's show we get an outside opinion on waterfowl, courtesy of fellow sportsman, Earl. It looks like we're going on a Duck Hunt!
Well good evening there, Earl. What are we tracking tonight? Ducks. Ain't it obvious? Say, wanna Bud? No, thank you. So, would you be kind enough to tell us about your firearm. dun' mind if I do. Now this 'ere is the N-E-S-oh-oh-five, or I like to call it the Zapper. My buddy, TH14Arsenal has got one too.
So, please do tell our viewers what techniques you use to find and make the kill on these particular waterfowl. Well, its pretty easy. You see my dog here, Caesar. He does it all for me. Now, this Zapper came with a robot, and some "ness" toy all my kids be playin with, but that robot did nothin' but spin tops and stack rings, so I'm stickin' with who I trust the most to git-er-done. ...Right, so you just sit back while the dog seeks the fowl, flushes them, and you just sit back and do... nothing. It sounds quite simple, really. grrr...
Calm down, he only gets ornery with strangers. Lets shoot some duckies to cheer him up.
woof woof woof
KA-PANG! KA-PANG!
Wow, nice shot. You got two of them. Nah, its easy. You try. If you insist.
woof woof woof
KA-PANG! KA-PANG! KA-PANG!
Three misses. That sucks man, your aims worse than all five of my sisters' grrr... Caesar don't like it when you miss the ducks.
grrr...
You better run, squirrel
Well, glad to have you all again this week. *gasp* And remember always tune in to Channel thr-DAAAAH
The sequel to last year's Wii launch title is once more drawing an all-out media blitz. To be honest, I enjoyed the ads as much as I did the game last time around, and things are looking promising again this time around.
<a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x2t7vp" target="_blank">http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x2t7vp</a> Uploaded by ubi
More world-wide shenanigans at rabbids.com. Surely there's more to come before this November's release. I'm looking forward to it.
This time he's crafted a reasonably small combo portable that plays NES and Atari cartridges. He managed to do this using his preferred NES on a Chip and bits from an Atari Flashback II. Yes it does play both Asteroids and Super Mario Bros. 3, and changes over at the flick of a switch.
The folks at noobz.eu have made a smashing breakthrough for the PSP homebrew scene called they affectionately call Pandora's Battery. For those unfamiliar with past homebrew endeavors, it is only possible on the earlier versions (1.5), and later versions must be downgraded to make it possible. Sony's update service has in the past bricked a number of modded PSPs, but is required for most downloads.
This particular downgrader works on any version of PSP and ever resurrects dead ones. This is accomplished by accessing the unit in service mode through custom software loaded onto the memory stick, and converting a battery to mimic the cues of a service technician's battery. This combo should reset the PSP to firmware version 1.5, where homebrew can be easily developed, or the console can be upgraded regularly through Sony's update service for regular use.
What this means to the homebrew community is that any PSP firmware version currently out there can be downgraded to the homebrew-friendly 1.5 firmware, and any dead ones as a result of failed firmware changes or using Sony's update service on a modded firmware will be revived. This lack of deterrent against downgrading firmwares should also jump-start the PSP homebrew scene once more.
It seems that the Prometheus Project team that was working on this either had a member leak the program early or their security was compromised because a few items have shown up for sale in shady places at high prices. As a result Noobz has decided to release their work free of charge to the public a bit earlier than expected. (Their original original intent was to wait for the PSP redesign to hit store shelves.) Also, a final note since all code was written without the aid of an official SDK, all materials included in the program are free of copyrighted materials. They've mentioned that they'll try and keep up compatibility for future firmware releases.
Kudos to the members of the Prometheus Project, I look forward to future endeavors of the highly skilled and talented members of the team.
The GX4000, released in the UK in 1989 by Amstrad, is definitely one of the most unique looking video game consoles ever released. Amstrad, a popular computer manufacturer, looked to cash in on the lucrative video game console market like many of its peers had attempted to do, some more successful than others. Sporting a very sleek design that resembles the snow speeder in Star Wars, looking underneath the hood of this console reveals anything but space-age technology at the time of its release.
The GX4000 is basically a modified CPC6128+ computer. This enabled the console to be compatible with many existing CPC computer games and applications. The system came packaged with the two controllers (NES style), AV cables and a racing game entitled Burnin Rubber. Released for commercial sale for $99 (British Pound), this console was moderately priced at its time. With a substantial amount of readily available ports from the CPC, the GX4000 would not have to entirely rely upon new game development but could be subsidized by its sister system(s) for game content/programming. Even with all of these positive measures, the GX4000 was doomed from the beginning.
The GX4000 was powered by an 8 bit Zilog Z80A processor, which could display a color palette of 4096 (impressive at the time for an 8 bit system) and enhanced sound. The drawback - 16 bit processing technology was released by Sega (and shortly thereafter Nintendo) just after the GX4000 hit the store shelves - this sealed this consoles fate. Porting of the inferior CPC games to the GX4000 did not prove to be financially sound and was quickly abandoned. Around 32 games were released for this console and could be found in the bargain bins throughout the UK along with the GX4000 system within months of it's initial release.
The GX4000 is an interesting system, but only recommended as a purchase for collectors. Readily available in the UK and abroad through eBay and like services, a CIB (complete in box) system can run you around $50-$100 USD, much less in the UK, but keep in mind that shipping costs can be pricey (around $70 USD from the UK to the USA).
Another week, another great set of free games for you to download! This week, I've got an addictive mathematical action puzzle game, a fun destructive game, and a platformer that will drive you insane.
First up this week is one of the most addictive puzzle games I've played in my entire life. It's called Blocksum and it's by a small studio based out of Japan named Circle Infotech. The premise is extremely simple, clear all of the numbered blocks by linking together blocks of the same sum. For example, if you have a block with the number 5 in it, you need to use the blocks adjacent to it to make a sum equal to 5. You could do this by using a 3 just to the right of the 5 and a 2 above the 5. That would make an L shaped block that is equivalent to 5. Now, you must find 4 other ways to make 5 adjacent to either the 5 block you started with or the L shaped one you just made. It's hard to describe in words, but once you try it, it's simple. The game starts out simple enough, however, it gets a lot more difficult when the numbers in the blocks get larger and come faster.
Here's a hint for you. Try and go for large combos of large numbers. For example, try and clear all the blocks by making sums of 4 or 5, you get a multiplier for each additional sequence you make.
Sound confusing? As I said, just go download it. A word of warning for those of you with slower connections, the download is 32 megabytes.
Next game up this week is Death Worm. The game is simple, but oh so fun. You play a killer worm, and all you have to do is eat humans, animals, and cause general destruction while not getting shot by soldiers or hitting mines. Very simple concept, but very addictive! Download it at the Game Maker Community forums (3.5 mb).
When you get done punishing humans and animals, punish yourself with the aptly titled platformer, Punishment. This is an extremely hard game but not because the jumps are hard, but because the game plays tricks with your mind. Levels rotate as you move, touching an eye icon will screw around with your mind, touching the Democrat/Republican will do something that will just make you scream in anger, and of course the pixilated backgrounds that become clear as you get to the top of the level are distracting as well. You will hate this game with every last ounce of your being...however, you won't be able to stop playing. Also, notice the special guest appearance in the second screen (the one you start on). I think many of you will recognize who it is.
If you think that's all the punishment there is, you'd be wrong...dead wrong, because Messhof Games just released the sequel, Punishment: The Punishing, last week. The sequel does not play as many tricks on your mind, but it has its fair share of mind trickery (just wait until you get to the third screen in the game). Oh, and this game has one added twist that drive you up the wall more than ANYTHING in the first game. I can't say what it is because I want you to scream out obscenities when you discover it. Again, this game will drive you insane, but it's so addictive.
So, that's it for this week. Comment on the article with your thoughts on the games, high scores you wish to share, or total frustration with Punishment.
One more thing before I go. Mark August 30 on your calendar because I have an extremely special article planned for that day, and you will not want to miss it. It's so special that I'm going to start working on it this week.
Who else is ready to spooge all over GTA:IV? I know it's enticing me to take out a mortgage on a PS3. It's GTA with online multi-player. How could that be anything but mind-blowingly awesome? We'll wait and see though. Given Rockstar's track record, they'll probably find some way to screw it up. (Outside of cloning GTA over and over, what have they ever actually done right?)
So Wizard World Chicago was last week, and there was a trailer shown for The Dark Knight, the upcoming sequel to Batman Begins. I hope Christian Bale does the same ridiculous Batman voice in this one. I laughed good and hard when I first saw Batman Begins. He sounds like the Ultimate Warrior talking into Skid Row's concert amp with the fx board set to “extra spooky”. Also, Katie Holmes isn't in this one. They got someone else to play the same part. That's always cheesy. The only way it could get better is if they announce it soap opera style during the film. I can't wait. This movie is going to be a riot.
It looks like the Chinese will be too busy gold farming to start World War 3. According to Kotaku, (http://kotaku.com/gaming/...chinese-mmorpg-290935.php) there will be a MMORPG set in or around the Romance of the Three Kingdoms time line.
Dear John Woo and Beijing Perfect World Co., thank you for postponing nuclear winter. I really enjoy not having radiation sores. You guys are great.
Maybe we should employ the same strategy in the middle east. Someone call Verant Interactive. I'm pretty sure those guys are looking for work since EQ2 went in the crapper.
When you die in an Iranian MMORPG do you go to a graveyard with 72 virgins?
Do the NPCs stop to pray five times a day in realtime?
LF8M for WTC. Need tanks and pilots. No healers. PST
Speaking of MMORPGs, there is a buzz about the Warhammer Online(http://www.warhammeronlin...om/english/home/index.php) game coming out next year. The word wowkiller is getting thrown around. I've personally heard people saying there won't be any grinding, and that level 1 players will be able to kill the highest level players if they are skilled enough. The funny thing is that some of this talk is outright denied on the website and the rest is, at the very least, not corroborated by any official statements concerning the game. The fact remains that this will probably not stray far from the standard “kill the same rat 5000000000 times” formula of all the rest of these games. I like the Warhammer universe and this could be a sweet game (or crap), but the vaporous concoctions floating around about it are fascinating to say the least. You know something is ass-backwards when the biggest attraction to an upcoming game is that it may actually require skill to play.
Skill? Is that the new Tier 8 raiding gear? I heard it gives +800 stamina.
From the category of EXTREME RUMORS, Kotaku mentioned that The International House of Mojo, a LucasArts/Telltale Games/Double Fine fansite, ran a story talking about the new game from Double Fine that will supposedly be revealed at Leipzig during Tim Schafer's (head honcho of Double Fine and designer of Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandago at LucasArts) keynote speech on creativity in the games industry. The new game is reportedly called Brutal Legend and will star Jack Black as a roadie who dies, is banished to hell, and must get to rock heaven. Since that story was posted at IHOM, Double Fine requested that they take down the story, which we all know means that there must be some merit to it.
Personally, I think this rumor has a rather large amount of merit to it even though IHOM retracted the story. But of course, I'm a big fan of Tim Schafer and Jack Black, and it would be the most incredible thing ever if they were to team up. Maybe I think it's got merit because of how much of a fan I am of them.
Posted on Aug 16th 2007 at 08:25:47 AM by (Xizer) Posted under swords
King of Swords is a pretty nifty website. I recently discovered them and if you like swords, you should probably check them out.
Currently, they offer various kinds of swords, such as anime swords, and they even have stun guns! So if you're not in the mood for lugging around a massive hunk of steel, they've got you covered. I was impressed by their selection of Final Fantasy related swords. You want to know what really sold me on King of Swords? This. This is pure awesome. Link's Master Sword and Shield!
King of Swords is a great place to get swords and I would recommend it to anyone.
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.
This week, it's time to bring out the big gun!
Telltale Games has released the trailer for its upcoming second season of the Sam and Max episodic series. For those of you unaware, the episodic series is a continuation of the adventures of Steve Purcell's comic book characters Sam, a 6 foot tall dog, and Max, a "hyperkinetic rabbity thing". Sam and Max have been featured in comic books, an animated tv series, and a LucasArts game. The series got its start after LucasArts cancelled a planned sequel to Sam and Max Hit The Road in 2004 due to "market place realities and underlying economic considerations" (read: people don't like adventure games any more). After LucasArts cancelled the sequel, the employees working on that title left the company and went on to make Telltale Games, an independent game development company. In 2005, LucasArts let the license to Sam and Max expire, and Steve Purcell approached Telltale and asked them to work on a new game. This eventually led to the decision to make it episodic and the financial backing of Turner's GameTap service.
You've 
!
From the category of EXTREME RUMORS, Kotaku mentioned that 