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Another week means another week of features! This week, we will take a look at a small part of the handheld market. The featured game this month is Pinball. This is a very quirky game where you get to play Pinball anywhere you want! Well, in 1987, it was an awesome idea. There have been many times that this game had kept me busy. Okay, it still does sometimes!
The featured image of the week is from the Nintendo DS game Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I figured that since the new movie was released and the last book hit the shelves, it'd be a good time to feature one of the Harry Potter games. The game is based off of the fourth book. Although a tad easy in gameplay, it is a fun game to play through, especially if you like the Harry Potter series.
Our featured hardware is the poor Neo Geo Pocket Color. The Neo Geo Pocket Color was a much maligned system that either came out too early or too late. No one really seems to know. It had some great games, like Bust-a-Move and Baseball Stars. I think the biggest thing that hurt it was the price point of the parallel console system. Many people equated Neo Geo with expensive. That is why I have dubbed this system poor.
The featured collection this week goes to epv39. Epv39 has quite a handheld collection, not to mention one of the cleanest and most organized collections on the site. Take a look!
I think you all would agree that this is a very special week for the features. I think this is the first time a game was featured that wasn't plugged into a console. Make sure to check out the forums and keep it tuned in to channel 3!
Well, Boys and Girls, Harry Potter 7 is here. I know I'm pumped. Not. Of course you all know the big story in the nerd world this week was the leaking of the book onto teh intarnetz via BitTorrent. The hoopla surrounding this thing is absurd. There were actually people writing fake books, in some cases hundreds of pages long, and distributing them in place of the real thing. Almost equally disturbing, the proper bootleg copy was actually a set of JPEG photos taken via digital camera of each and every page of the book. Unholy Satan! Someone needs to get a job. You can have one of mine. I don't like them.
For those of you who don't already know, Harry dies. Hermione marries Malfoy. Ron is the last Horcrux and Snape is really Dumbledore in disguise.
Warning: there were spoilers in that last part. If you don't want to read them, skip it.
Next week the San Diego ComicCon is coming up. Interestingly, most of the comic related movies that were scheduled to be screened at the convention were pulled by Fox studios earlier this week. They apparently claimed the films weren't finished yet and refused to say anything further. It's fishy as hell and no one can even speculate about their real reasoning at the moment. One way or another, if you got tickets to ComiCon so you could see Aliens vs. Predator or Hitman early, you got screwed.
Also, for those of you who saw that bizarre, nameless movie preview before transformers (I mentioned it in this column a few weeks ago). Producer J.J. Abrams will be revealing the title of the film and possibly some more information at the ComiCon.
Until next week, I'll be crossing my fingers that great Cthulhu awakens from his death sleep to swallow the whole of civilization into his giant gaping maw.
A picture has surfaced online recently...
Look at the "mushroom cloud". It looks more like a Sweet Tooth cloud to me!
Twisted Metal coming to PS3 makes perfect sense. The last game came out more than 5 years ago, and David Jaffe recently mentioned on his blog that they are working on a Twisted Metal documentary for something he can't talk about.
If it's true, that will make Tony very happy as Twisted Metal Black is one of his favorite games on the PS2.
We've heard Hideo Kojima compare the PS3 to a movie theater while the 360 is like watching a movie on DVD and the Wii is like watching the movie on a TV channel. We've also heard him liken the PS3 to an expensive steak dinner at a formal restaurant, the Xbox 360 to a steak dinner at a casual restaurant, and the Wii to a steak dinner that you cook at home. Now, Jack Tretton has stolen Kojima's analogy bit and tried his hand at making one of his own*.
I think the PS3 is the Surf 'n Turf. You want the lobster and steak and you're going to give yourself the treat of getting the best thing on the menu. The PS2 is your favorite burger restaurant -- you go there for comfort food and it's just always good and is a good value.
[As for the other two consoles], one [Wii] is a lollipop, and I'm too old for lollipops. The other one [Xbox 360] I get sick from once in a while because the cook isn't always reliable.
Wow Jack! You make one Kojima-esque analogy, and you already shoot yourself up to being on his level! I applaud you. I especially love the bit about 360 being an unreliable cook. Not quite up to Kojima's previous analogies, but you're definitely getting there. Keep up the good work.
Man, all this talk of food makes me hungry for some steak smothered in PS3 Steak Sauce.
*WARNING: DO NOT SCROLL DOWN TO THE COMMENTS SECTION IN THIS ARTICLE! 360fanboy will give your brain MASSIVE DAMAGE with his constant "gaystation" remarks written in all caps.
Earlier in the day, a vicious rumor began to surface regarding Peter Moore, the head honcho over at X-Box station. It was rumored that Mr. Moore would be resigning his position in order to take over the helm at EA sports. Well, after about 4 hours speculation this nasty rumor has been confirmed -- Peter Moore is leaving Microsoft for the publishing giant known as EA.
Of course, you may be wondering who will be taking over Peter's previous job. That person would be Don Mattrick. Previously he was an outside adviser for Microsoft, and oddly enough before that he was President of EA. Strange isn't it?
We here at RF Generation wish the best for Mr. Moore, and we certainly hope he finds himself at home at EA Sports. Somehow, I think he'll be rather quick to adjust from one monster of a company to another, but certainly we can't wait to see what Peter Moore does in his new job, or if he has any insightful comments he'd like to say about Microsoft's X-Box business.
Source: Kotaku
 E3 2007 has come and gone, and this year was certainly different. One thing that got me was the lack of laser weapons being used to blast other-worldly beings into green bits. Aren't aliens, zombies, and ninjas the stock villains of video gaming? Either way, we can supplement your yearning for malicious contact.
The game of the week is Alien Syndrome. Ricky and Mary run and gun their way to rescue their comrades from aliens. Formerly a Tengen cart, Sega is about to release a sequel of sorts under the same title for Wii and PSP in these coming weeks.
The featured image of the week is the cover art for Alien Hominid. This game started out as a freebie flash game and has since been ported to most home consoles and is currently on the move to download services. Alien Hominid is colourful and fascinating as it is entirely hand drawn. Also, the flash version is available for free play in RF Generation's own online arcade! You can't beat free.
Now for a name that could only come from science fiction, the Amstrad GX4000. Its appearance and name look like they could fly you to Mars, or at least to the nearest filling station. This rarely seen 8-bit console took a swift beating as the Mega Drive launched less than a year later with a 16-bit colour pallet.
When missile defense fails to break the UFO shields, there's only enough time for one thing. Thats right, admire James' collection, this weeks feature. Neatly displayed rows of Mega Drive and SMS boxes with one rare and outstanding shooter proudly displayed in the center. If you're curious as to what the title is, you must see for yourself. Suspenseful.
I always hated the blue shells. Stupid #$^% blue shells.
Source: xkcd.com
This week we've heard cliché muggle pun after muggle pun from thousands of clueless TV news anchors around the globe. That can only mean one thing: I'll be sleeping through yet another Harry Potter installment. That's right. The pubescent wizard returned in the fifth franchise film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Sadly, Emma Watson does not show her muggles at any point during the film. That girl can wave my magic wand any time she likes.
The 5th Harry Potter movie will be followed in two weeks by the 7th Harry Potter book, which analysts speculate will place J.K. Rowlings on the Forbes list somewhere between Bill Gates and God. God declined to comment.
As I predicted last week, the PS3 is now $100 cheaper, despite Sony's previous delusional claims to the opposite. Now a few more people on the aforementioned Forbes list will be able to afford one.
Aside from those things, this has been a really slow week for geeks. There hasn't been any huge gaming news, and North America's largest video game convention certainly isn't going on or anything...
Which brings me to E3. Bring back the booth babes. Really. I mean it. Guys who are into this stuff don't get to see beautiful half naked girls anywhere else. You've all seen the charts showing how the number of hours spent playing World of Warcraft is inversely proportional to the amount of sex you have. Please, developers, have pity on your loyal neck-bearded followers. Give them something to remember. Especially since nothing else you're doing seems to be catching anyone's interest.
Seriously, what is up with these games? A new Nights? The main selling point is that you can fly? Is that really the best they could come up with? Really? You could fly in the first Nights and nobody cared. Let me give you perspective: It was the mid nineties. All we had were 2D games. Sega made a game that was in full 3D in which you could fly with 360 degrees of freedom and no one cared then. What marketing genius green-lighted this newest debacle? I hope it was the same people who came up with the 32X.
Speaking of 32X, Nintendo sure is showing off some neat-o stuff. How about this steering wheel? They've literally just made a plastic holder for the Wii-mote. This is almost as dumb as the horizontal stand for the PS2 (I could write a ten page article on that stupidity, but I'll spare you). Peripherals like that are for people who refer to their games as "tapes". As in, "I have nine tapes for my Nintendo Wii."
There are a few promising games showing at the convention. The idea of online Mario Kart has potential. Assassin's Creed could be fun.
We'll see as E3 continues. Keep checking back with RFgeneration.com for the latest news.
Who else is pumped about the new Contra for the NDS? I know I am. I watched the gameplay footage earlier this week and when it started I thought I was looking at a port of Super C for a second. When I realized I wasn't, I got really excited. Games like this and Dawn of Sorrow are really tempting me to go out and buy a DS, which would be way better than the hole in my left pants pocket that serves as my current "portable system", if you know what I mean. There need to be a lot more old school games like this out in the current market. I don't know why there aren't. They can't possibly cost much to produce, and hardcore gamers (and scrub posers) eat them up like candy.
Transformers came out this week and, as with any major nerd event, The Evil Leon was on it. For those of you who haven't seen it, it's even more fun than shooting at your neighbor's cat. If you live in Ohio like me, that's A LOT of fun. Also, there is a trailer running before the film for a movie that has no name yet and, according to internet speculation, might involve Cthulhu.....or the Master Chief....or Gears of War....Godzilla...or something. Anyway, the trailer is pretty neat and you can stay and watch Transformers afterward.
The debate blah blah blah Manhunt 2. Blah blah blah blah ESRB. Blah blah "@%&@$%^**!!$*&(*@%*&^&%&@%^," says a representative at Rockstar, adding "!%^&&!%^&**&($^&*^@." We all know this story. Somethingawful had an amazing article about it earlier this week. Personally, I'd like to see what all the fuss is about. I've yet to see any specific content cited as being more offensive than anything in the last Manhunt -from any of the parties involved. Until that news breaks, it's pretty obvious somebody is caving to pressure from watchdog groups. Of course, by "watchdog" I mean "communist" and by "groups" I mean "bastards."
Everyone is talking about the PS3 price drop. Will it happen? Will it not? Well, Sony is denying the Hell out of it. If that means anything, you can be sure the PS3 will be $100 cheaper next month. Now we will only have to pay $500 to play horribly uninspired sports and racing games. I can't wait to get one!
In case you missed the Nintendo montage-filled press conference, allow me to summarize it for you:
1. We're doing very well, as these bar graphs show.
2. The rest of the show won't be relevant to you hardcore gamers, so here's 30 seconds of Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Ghost Squad, Ninja Gaiden DS, Phantom Hourglass, Metroid and Mario Kart for Wii. Oh, and let's make this for casual gamers too by showing off a wheel attachment for Mario Kart and say we're "leveling the playing field" for beginners.
3. We are COMMITTED to online play! We have no more than 5 exciting online games coming! Now let's go on to what really matters!
4. You want minigames?! WE GOT EM RIGHT HERE!
5. Let's lose our minds and announce our new bathroom scale with motion sensors, er wait I mean Wii Fit!
What's sadder is that I am not exaggerating.
 It looks like the rumor is true, PS3 is getting a price cut! PS3 Fanboy has received some reports from around the nation that PS3s have been sold for $499 today. Here's a rundown of the findings from around the country:
1. A reader confirmed to PS3 Fanboy that he was able to buy a PS3 for $499 at a Target in an unspecified location. The site called up the store and they CONFIRMED that the console is listed as $499 in their computer.
2. Two units were sold in an undisclosed Circuit City location for $499.
3. A Rancho Cucamonga, California Target location has the PS3 listed for $499 in their system.
Also, the piece at PS3 Fanboy has been picked up by Digg and one commenter there has stated that he got one from a Target location for $499.
Another article at Kotaku has even more confirmation of a price cut, with Target stores in Bend, Oregon and Beavercreek, Ohio both confirming that the console is $499. However, they also mention that stores in Los Angeles and West Hollywood, CA, Dayton, OH, Orlando, FL, and Littleton, CO have the system for $599. In other words, this price cut is not Target-wide yet, it's just a few renegade stores breaking the rules and implementing the new price before the "official price cut day".
Kotaku commenter SPIKE1856 offers some insight on Target's price change policy:
"I can tell you why some Target stores have the price cut in place and others do not--Target's price change day for the Electronics department is Monday. If a store's price change team gets ahead of pace, they have the ability to start early on the next day's workload. Since Saturday and Sunday are not price change days, this means that Monday's price changes can be activated on Friday, effectively three days early. The price change team at my store, sadly, is definitely not ahead of pace at the moment and so our PS3's are still priced at $599.99."
Could the price effect be taking effect as you read this? Is it real? Am I dreaming? I don't know, but this whole situation is very intriguing. Tomorrow, I plan on doing some investigative journalism (and buying some DVD-R discs) and seeing if the local stores have the PS3 marked down in their systems.
However, when all is said and done, this is the second worst kept secret of the year, next to the Xbox 360 Elite. I bet Sony is wishing they could be more like Paramount Pictures and the trailer for that new J.J. Abrams movie. Seriously, go to that link, it's incredible.
UPDATE:
I went to the local Target in Mankato, Minnesota, and here's what I saw under the PS3s they had...
Sorry for the crappy camera phone photo, it's all I had at the time.
PS3 is now Four Hundred and Ninety Nine US dollars...
 That's right. RFGen needs your help! Working on being the best video game resource on the planet is serious business around here. The games submissions, information, reviews, scans etc. all come from it's members and staff. We are all instrumental in helping this site grow. As we approach the 30,000 games mark in our database we must remember that there is more to building the database than simply adding games. We need to all work together and fill out the pages for each game and piece of hardware whenever and wherever we can. The feeling of satisfaction and pride in having your 2 cents printed on a game's merits or having your copy of a game showcased as the site's scans or showing off a game with screen-shots can not be underestimated. Nor can the importance of a part number, bar code or a year or any other information you may have.
You've all seen the thank you posts our Site Director makes every month when he tallies up the numbers. Thousands of submissions every month, each one giving a member or a staffer a little bit of pride and immortality in having their name associated with it. Every piece helping someone choose a game, or tell the difference betwen one they already have and one they may buy. Or even re-connect with childhood memories because the screen-shots, overviews or scans help them remember forgotten games of their youth.
So we, the Administrators and Editors of RF Generation urge you to participate in this cause and help this site grow. Whether it's submitting a part number on the spine of a game case after you've played it, writing a review be it short or long after you play/beat a game, or scanning your collection, there are many ways each of you can help.
Also know that you are not alone in this, you can direct any questions you may have to any member of staff and there are FAQ's you can read to help you use the scripts and the guidelines that go with them.
Imagine this: if only 50 members of our near 1300 member community submitted only 3 times a week, be it part number, scan or what have you, that's 600 a month. Three submissions only take what? 10 minutes a week? Can you all give RFGen 10 minutes a week? Imagine what a hundred could do, or a thousand!! I try to spend at least half an hour a week while watching TV or something submitting info with a small pile of games at my side or a handy website with information I can add. It usually ends up being more personally but we all do what we can when we can and that's what counts as long as we participate. 
No worries about overflow of submissions either, your RFGen staff team has over 20 members to make sure all of your submissions are being taken care of and checked for mistakes. We also engage in regular discussion about how to make things easier for you the members, who make this site what it is. We also appreciate any suggestions you may have, feel free to post them in our forums or PM them to any staff member.
Thank you
Keith
Sony hasn't gotten much love in recent times. The PlayStation 3 seems to be the whipping boy of the media and consumers. The poor thing, and poor Sony. Times haven't looked good for them recently in the gaming sector. However, there is a nasty little rumor out there in the gaming world -- a price drop.
That's right people, Joystiq has posted a nasty rumor regarding a hundred dollar price drop happening for the PS3 on July 12. There's even an alleged flyer showing the price drop! So, the question arises -- is this drop real, or is it a fabrication? I am sure that lots of people are hoping that it is real. The PS3 may have been whipping boy up to now but it doesn't change the fact that there are some <![CDATA[<a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?umid=47550" target="_blank">http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?umid=47550</a>]]> coming out for the system.
So is the rumored price drop real, or is it wild speculation? If it is real, would it entice you to buy the PS3, or is more required to get you to spend your hard earned cash? You know you want LittleBigPlanet.
UPDATE: Kotaku is reporting that moles at Best Buy and Target also see a 100 dollar price drop in their inventory systems. This rumor just gets better and better.
 Here's an update of a story David recently posted. Sony's President and COO, Ryoji Chubachi, told Bloomberg that they have no immediate plans to cut the price of the console. Here's the relevant quote from the Bloomberg article...
"'We have no immediate plans as of now' for price cuts, President Ryoji Chubachi said today in an interview in Tokyo. Any change in the console's price 'is a matter' for Sony's game unit, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., he said."
What's also interesting is that Bill Cimino, a spokesman for Circuit City, declined to comment on this issue, and calls to Best Buy and Wal-Mart were not returned. Also, Diasuke Nakata, a Sony spokesman said that Sony does not comment on their price strategy.
Could this be shot down? Will it be a real price cut? What's your take?
After a long absense I am back, and with my return from Canada I provide you, the wonderful site patrons, outstanding features once again. What's the theme this week oh wonderful Shimra, you may be asking yourself. Well the theme of this week is non-existant. Look forward to my next features update though if you like themes. I'll give you a hint: vampire killer.
Anyway, the featured game this week is Shaq-Fu. Personally, I had a bit of fun playing this game, though I completely acknowledge it is a complete piece of crap. Even though it is terrible, I have to admit the ending of the game was one of the funniest things I have ever seen in any game and I highly recommend completing story mode just to see it.
Moving on the featured hardware is the Game Boy Color Atomic Purple, a model which I have always wanted due to being able to see the circuits. Going with the somewhat lackluster theme of the Game Boy Color the featured image is the Super Game Boy. This thing was fun as hell and it saddens me deeply the one for the Gamecube doesn't have any of the special features the original had. Finally our featured collection is that of enderxv2. He has a really awesome room consisting of multiple movie posters which definately caught my eye.
Well, there you have it. Sorry I did not provide a theme for the week, hell I don't even know if you guys enjoy themed weeks, but next time I assure you that there will be a theme. As always, keep it tuned to channel 3.
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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.
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