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Final Fantasy is among the longest running Japanese RPG franchises in video game history. The Dragon Quest series, which spans 27 years, is the current holder of that record. Still, it is worth mentioning that Squaresoft is responsible for some of the most significant additions into the Role Playing game catalogue, with perhaps Final Fantasy VII at the top of that list. Despite being associated with rabid fanboyism this game's importance is undeniable.
The seventh installment in the main series marked a change in which Squaresoft's RPGs were presented and played. In 1997 gamers experienced the first polygonal 3D Final Fantasy not on a Nintendo console, but on Sony's PlayStation. Until then all Final Fantasy games were released solely for the NES and Super Nintendo respectively. The shift to 3D presentation, use of pre-rendered cutscenes, and the sheer scope of the narrative meant that the game would not fit onto a standard cartridge. Sony's disc based system allowed Squaresoft to accomplish this and create something totally new and innovative. They had the freedom to stretch their creative muscles and develop their grandest, most epic adventure yet. The result was a game that required three discs and over 40 hours to play to completion.
Squaresoft also established one of video games' most famous rivalry in the relationship between Cloud Strife and Sephiroth. The bond between the two characters formed the narrative arc that gripped so many players in the late 90s. Their relationship stemmed from young Cloud's aspirations to be as powerful as the mighty Sephiroth. However, in typical Role Playing game fashion, things are not as they seem once Cloud learns of Sephiroth's origins. No longer able to deny his past the super soldier sets out to destroy the world and the corporation he had sworn to protect. Thus the bitter rivalry formed between the two that captivated countless gamers.
The leap to 3D visuals and complex characters certainly contribute to Final Fantasy VII's prolific reputation, but that is not the most critical case for the game representing a milestone in RPG history. Final Fantasy VII was the best selling entry in the series at the time. Within 48 hours of its release the game hold sold approximately three million copies, and over eight million units worldwide by 1999. The game was a critical success garnering stellar reviews and becoming the first console RPG to earn widespread popularity outside Japan. RPGs were now something more than esoteric games that appealed only to geeky guys; it became a respected video game genre with more people than ever before exploring the nuances of Role Playing adventures.
Squaresoft's seventh game in the main Final Fantasy series is still being discussed to this day. It is the subject of vehement demands for an HD remake and the source for several spin-offs including an animated feature film. The legacy of Final Fantasy VII lives on and even if it may not be one's favourite installment, the game definitely maintains a special place in gamers' collections as well as the RPG catalogue.
Fun Final Fantasy VII Facts
The game was considered for a remake on the PlayStation 2 in 2001
Final Fantasy X's Spira is the 'ancestor' civilization which colonized the Planet of Final Fantasy VII. This is reinforced by Shinra's mention of potentially harnessing the Farplane as an energy source, which his descendants would go on to do with the Lifestream many centuries later, as the Shinra Electric Power Company.
It was the first Final Fantasy to include incredibly powerful optional bosses
--- 05/05/2013 - 05/11/2013 ---
This past week was pretty good. Found some CIB NES games, some more PSX games, 1 Saturn game and made some forum/ebay deals. Also found a SNES at a yard sale and missed a SEGA power strip by seconds at a thrift store... maybe next time...
Forums and Ebay
PSX lot for $12
- Road Rash
- Test Drive 4
- Test Drive 5
- Test Drive 6
- Test Drive off Road 3
Was really only interested in Road Rash but couldn't pass up the Test drive games
- Genesis - Clue $.99 Sealed
- GBC - Vigilante 8 Box $.99
- Lynx - Steel Talons $3.00 Sealed
Nintendo NES CIB
Picked these up at a thrift store for $2 each
- Double Dragon II
- Double Dragon III
- Fester's Quest
- Image Fight
- NARC
- Sky Shark
- Star Force
- Star Voyager
- Time Lord
- Twin Cobra
Other Thrift Store Games
All PSX games were half off 
- Rally Cross
- Test Drive off Road
- Twisted Metal 4
- Arcades Greatest: Atari collection
- CoolBoarders 3
- Tripple Play Baseball
- Grand Tour Racing
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
- Freestyle Motocross
- Crash Bandicoot
- Warhammer: Dark Omen
- Fade to Black
SEGA Saturn
Playstation 2
- Buzz! Junior: RoboJam $3.95 Sealed
Accessories/Hardware
- SNES console only (no cords) $5.00 - Yard Sale
- Sega Saturn Controller $5.00 - Thrift Store
Current Gen Stuff
- Deadly Premonition Directors Cut
You wont believe how hard it was around me to find this sealed. Every Gamestop near me only had 1 in stock and of course they open it for display (that really ticks me off about them). Gamestop's website was sold out as well. I had to use "site to store" at Walmart.com just so I could get it at a "real store"
Weekly Totals
Games = 31
Hardware/Accessories = 2
Other = 1
Current Gen = 1
What follows is one of the greatest video game related stories I've ever had relayed to me. I am not a primary source but this story still sticks out perfectly in my head. This happened at a large, international video game retail chain, which as I'm sure most of us can imagine or are experienced in seeing how quickly these stores can fill with parents or people that pay pretty much no attention to the industry outside of what the clerk says is coming soon and what has commercials on TV.
The store manager was on duty on this day, momentarily alone as his co-worker was on a break. Some country cowboy looking guy comes walking inside the store. Those that are familiar with the unpredictable, loose cannon redneck looking cowboy hat, cowboy boots, giant belt buckle, and white pocket t-shirt fanatic and what sort of random stuff can spew from their throats know that something completely awesome is heading our way.
This guy asks for a cockfighting game that was "Supposed to be out or coming out soon by EA." The manager on duty is completely stumped by what he's heard and asks for the request to be repeated, hoping his ears misheard. When his fears had manifested themselves as reality he turns to the computer he was already working. What followed was a few minutes of fake typing and fake google searching, this game would never exist outside of a random flash game that made the cockfighters caricatures of actual boxing stars.
So what proceeded this exchange involved the guy wondering why they did not make a cockfighting game and how well it would sell where he comes from. Trailer trash would buy many things that the rest of the public would consider completely outrageous, the country life is inherently different than being surrounded by buildings, annoying neighbors, sirens, and highway sounds. Its much more laid back and from experience, you see things that would make many urban dwellers vomit or break down weeping in a split second, so the idea of cockfighting is not as 'inhumane' or violent as it is in urban areas.
Still, keeping a straight face through this entire exchange takes some iron clad nerves that my experience with retail shows can pop up instantly from being put on the spot and yelled at. You tune out and turn into an apathetic policy spewer as it is your only tool to get rid of said angry or perturbed patrons. This exchange was much more friendly and it the mechanism for laughter was put down so the customer would not be offended by his completely ill informed request.
When said patron finally leaves the store the store manager drafts up an email relating this story to his fellow store managers throughout the district. The story ended up being eventually relayed to corporate headquarters where hopefully the 'Tale of EA Sports Cockfighting 2008' persists and gets yearly roster updates.
Okay, let's get one thing right off the bat: Duke Nukem Forever is NOT a bad game. It was just released at the wrong time. Gearbox did they're job and gave us an Old-School Shooter that called back to the days of Doom and Duke Nukem 3D. The problem for most people was that it was TOO Old-School. Those people will tell you that this game is terrible, but it's not! It's funny, it pokes fun at other games (I'm looking at you Halo, which I do enjoy, but the reference was just too damn funny), and it's just plain fun to play. It can be easily obtained new for 5 Dollars as of this writing.
Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad is a Hack n' Slash game inspired by 70's Exploitation Films. You play as two Samurai Sisters whose job is to kill Zombies and save a city. Pretty basic stuff, but with a slight twist: If either of the Sisters get covered in too much Zombie Blood, they go berserk and fight even harder than before. Like I said, it's pretty basic, but it's also pretty damn fun.
Wing Commander Arena is the most recent game in the Wing Commander series of games. However, this isn't one of our beloved FMV Games with Mark Hamill playing as Maverick. No, this is a 3rd-Person Space Shooter Deathmatch game. In all honesty, it's not as good as I thought it would be, being below average at best. It feels like it could have been so much better, but it's like somewhere in the development process, something went horribly wrong. I apologize to all the hardcore Wing Commander Fans who may be reading this, but this was NOT the sequel I was expecting.
I picked up Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen yesterday, and it's already managed to suck me in. Seriously, Capcom did everything right with this one, and it's on par with Resident Evil 6 (Which got a 9.7/10 from me). It feels like Skyrim in some ways, and features a great story, great customization, and an explosive start to the game. It was worth every penny I paid for it.
--- Is it just me or has Collecting gotten harder? ---
Some time around 2009, my collecting slowed down to an almost non-existent crawl. The only additions were mainly new releases and the random game/console given to me from a friend or co-worker. Family life had taken up most of my free time and tracking down yard sales and searching thrift shop after thrift shop on a daily basis was just not going to happen like it used to. Now the want to collect never went away and of course it only takes one good find to get things going again.
That one good find happened a few weeks ago. While on my way to my parents I decided to stop at a thrift store that was on the way. Immediately upon walking in I saw it, right there in front of me with a very friendly price of $19.99... A Pioneer LaserActive with the SEGA PAC-S10. A console I have had near the top of my want list since I first saw it as a kid and of course near the top of my want list as a collector as well. Now I know I could have just spent x amount of dollars and purchased one of these through E-bay or craigslist but I wanted to "find" one and made it a collecting goal of mine.
Now as you can imagine this has fueled the urge to collect and I have been doing just that. I realized that during my commute to work I pass through three counties (Yeah, I drive a lot) and found several thrift stores and pawn shops just off the freeway(s) I use to travel. So on my way home I've been dropping by a few and seeing what I could come up with. Boy o' Boy have things changed! It would appear that almost every thrift store has gone "Ebay mad" with their pricing. $100 for a yellow NES, $60 for a Genesis 2 and if they have the box forget about it. A lot has changed in 4 years.
Now my local Goodwill doesn't even put game related items on the shelf! According to the manager they all go to their auction site... What??? Needless to say, I was taken back a bit with the current pricing trends and lack of availability. As a result my newly re-fueled collecting has taken a different approach. No longer will I hold out for the big stuff or less common. As long as the price is fair, I don't already have it and it's not complete junk... well I'm going to buy it. I'm still going to buy the good stuff too, but now I'm going to Start picking up the small stuff along the way. I will be keeping track of my weekly findings from thrift stores, pawn shops and yard sales.
So lets get started, For the week of 04/28/2013 - 05/04/2013
All PSX games were $1.95
- Coolboarders
- Coolboarders2
- Coolboarders4
- Demolition Racer
- Wipeout
- Air Combat GH
- Motocross Mania
- Sesame Street Sports - Sealed (Remember, No Restraint! LOL )
- Final Fantasy GH (Only disc 2&3) - $6.00 Yard Sale
- Silent Hill disc only, no case - $FREE (Found inside the Final Fantasy case)
- $2.99 PS2: Persona3
- $1.99 PS2: WRC Evolved, New-Sealed(PAL)
- $2.99 PS2: Colin Mcrea Rally (PAL)
- $1.95 PSX: Sa'i (NTSC-J)
- $4.95 Mega Drive: Altered Beast (NTSC-J)
- $1.99 Dreamcast: MDK2
- $1.99 Dreamcast: Typing of the Dead, New-Sealed
And something I never thought I would see at a Thrift Store
- $14.99 PSX: Playstation Debugging Station (Heavily discolored)
- Not pictured is a 360 controller that I got at the flea market for $10
Weekly Totals
Games = 16
Hardware/Accessories = 2
Other = 0
Overall, not a bad week. Most of the games came from Thrift Stores, Final Fantasy VII / Silent Hill was at a Yard Sale. The biggest surprise was the DTL-H1000 Debugging Console. It's not nice and blue like it should be and the drive doesn't work (yet) But still something you don't expect to see at a Thrift Store.
So April turned out to be a crazy good month for adding to my collection. Let's take a look!
First up was a couple of guides that I got using Barnes & Noble gift cards. I love Capcom Vs. SNK, so this was exciting.
A trade on Racketboy.com landed me these 3 Saturn titles. Always nice to get a fancy Working Design game.
Fellow RFGen-er GrayGhost81 traded me this nice handful of Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine demo discs. By the end of April I was only now missing 2 of them.
This giant lot came from a good buddy of mine. It started out as me taking just those two Saturn sports games which he had doubles of. Eventually the deal grew into what you see above, but he also surprised me with that sealed copy of Floigan Brothers which was really awesome of him!
Evolution I found locally for $7, and although that's pretty much the going price I like being able to buy Dreamcast games in person when I see them in such great shape.
Another trade through Racketboy got me these. That's a Dreamcast TopMax stick... it's not that great - especially compared to the excellent Agetec stick, but it was a great bargain so I was glad to add it to my shelves.
Yet another Racketboy trade got me Panzer Dragoon - a classic I've yet to play!
My wife and I hit up a flea market while out furniture shopping and I came across these. Tetris Plus is in great condition and that Saturn Eclipse Pad is sealed. It was $15 for the both. But the real gem here is NBA 2K2, which is actually the hardest to find of the three 2K games on Dreamcast. I got mine for $2 which made me really happy.
Another local game shop resulted in this awesome Saturn pick-up. That's right, an official racing wheel which is great for Daytona. The wheel was $20, which isn't spectacular, but buying one online would be a lot more once shipping is accounted for. Each of the three games were $10, which I felt pretty good about.
Here's one lot of games I got from my good buddy Mike. We went in together on a bigger purchase and split up what we each needed for our collections. I'm definitely really pleased with the items I got.
And another lot I got from the same friend - Sakura Wars 3 & 4 box sets complete my collection of the boxes. The third box is the best as it comes with a really classy and fully functional music box! The Saturn stick is a Hori V7 which is insanely comfortable and a purchase I'm very happy with.
And also from same friend - this is an official Dreamcast-branded DDR dance pad. This is really cool as there were no DC dance mats released in the US, so it's more common to see DC fans using a PlayStation 2 pad with a DC adapter instead.
And finally via another Racketboy trade I got a second Dreamcast - this is one of the black ones (sadly, the Sega Sports logo has been removed). This lot was really cool, and I'm especially fond of the Alien Front Online box set as well as the Double Impact release of Street Fighter III.
So yeah... pretty awesome month!
Have you ever started a career that can be said to have started with a bang? Most of us have not, you show up at work, go through training, and the employer unleashes you amongst the wilds to fend for yourself in most cases. Music is a career path that one does not go down unless you already know what you're doing, its hard to get paid to learn how to make music. Thankfully, Noriyuki Iwadare is one of those that had a career that practically exploded as soon as it began, so let's dive on in!
1988 was the first year Noriyuki Iwadare made music for video games, and it was a bit of doozy, or rather, a cult classic video game with a powerful soundtrack. Alien Crush for the Turbo Grafx-16 is this game, if only the developers made it scroll vertically instead of having seperate screens.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/MxrDbbL8Sq4&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/MxrDbbL8Sq4&rel=0</a>]]>
A couple years later would mark the transition to a new decade and the next step of Mr. Iwadare's career. Here's the list of games that the man did music for, first off, the sequel to Alien Crush, Devil's Crush, After Burner 2 (Genesis), Space Invaders '91, and Granada (Genesis). Where did all this time come from? Logic would say, the 2 year hiatus. Nevertheless there is some awesome music in those 4 games, but I'll tease you with some Devil's Crush.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/nHCCoNyNFtY&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/nHCCoNyNFtY&rel=0</a>]]>
Did you really think a man like Noriyuki Iwadare would slow down though? Logic might be wrong in finding the time to make that much music in 2 years since the list of games he worked on from 1991-1996 is immense! 1991 was largely quiet. Now you know that Noriyuki Iwadare had a hand in the creation of one of the internet's oldest and undying memes. All your base. Yes, Noriyuki Iwadare worked on Zero Wing for the Sega Mega Drive (no Genesis release), but there are a few games he worked on where it is unclear what he specifically did, whether it was actual composition, arrangement, or a straight conversion (making the music for a game on one system friendly to another) for some games, this is one where he probably did the conversion for the Genesis release. It was fairly common for newer music workers to be assigned to conversions and arrangement instead of making their own compositions.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/aoBgdpJgqCs&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/aoBgdpJgqCs&rel=0</a>]]>
We've all probably heard that remixed version, what about the original song?
The other games he worked on in 1991 included another conversion to the Genesis, Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, compositions from Wings of Wor, Warsong, Blue Almanac, and Head Buster. Again, it seems like Mr. Iwadare does not sleep and constantly makes music. When you get paid to create passionate music then why stop?
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/pBMYnjWBpIM&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/pBMYnjWBpIM&rel=0</a>]]>
The next year, 1992, could be said to be the breakout year for Mr. Iwadare, mainly because of his involvement with Game Arts that would lead to some of the best, yet criminally underrated RPG soundtracks. He won an award, Best Game Music for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis for Lunar: The Silver Star. That really put him on the map and pretty much put an end to his conversion and arrangement days outside of prior commitments. Now, he was a full fledged composer. Lunar's soundtrack would go on to probably be the most re-released and remastered RPG ever made, with competition from Ys I & II, and Final Fantasy. The rest of the year was cool too, with games like Steel Empire and Gley Lancer receiving some more Iwadare music.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/WtOfhXli8XQ&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/WtOfhXli8XQ&rel=0</a>]]>
The success of Lunar's soundtrack lead to a few other RPG soundtracks outside of Game Arts, like Maten no Sometsu that never released outside of Japan, the last few non-composer related jobs fizzled out by 1995 so all Noriyuki Iwadare could do is make more music. He returned to the world we know as Warsong, but is really Langrisser everywhere else with who could be called his sidekick, Isao Mizoguchi, the two having worked together on most of the composition jobs since the first Langrisser (Warsong). The game was Langrisser II, which has still never been released outside of Japan.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/8rZ_5qTKvEk&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/8rZ_5qTKvEk&rel=0</a>]]>
Finally, after two long years of waiting, Japanese gamers were blessed with another Game Arts and Iwadare meeting. The long awaited Lunar sequel, this one titled Lunar: Eternal Blue, released very late in the Sega CD's lifecycle. Japanese gamers got to play this game in the holiday season of 1994, while us Americans did not get the game until the tail end of summer in 1995. Was anybody even paying much attention to new Sega CD games by that point in time? Somebody somewhere was.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/5w8zBhSFwlM&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/5w8zBhSFwlM&rel=0</a>]]>
1995 saw the release of a little known Lunar game, Lunar: Walking School released in Japan (where it would remain forever) on the Game Gear. Like all early Lunar games this one recieved the remake treatment, getting new graphics, anime cutscenes, remastered music and such for the Sega Saturn in 1997. The remake is known as Magic School Lunar in its anglicized name and is a prized import for hardcore Lunar fans. Basically, this game is a super prequel that outlines the shenanigans surrounding the founding of the Magic School. Now have some Der Langrisser music, this came out in 1995 as well.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/V_J7ufwtPbI&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/V_J7ufwtPbI&rel=0</a>]]>
Since I'm going into much more detail than I was before I have decided to split this entry into 2 chapters. Chapter 2 will cover 1996-2013. We made it 8 years in the first chapter, but did you see how many games there were?
Episode 14 discussion thread: http://www.rfgeneration.c...rum/index.php?topic=11791
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The Collectorcast is 1 year old! If you are anything like us, then you did not get enough NES homebrew talk way back in our Episode 8 interview with Assimilates creator, John White. Fear not though, as this time around we have got another homebrew developer, Derek Andrews, from the team at Gradual Games. They have recently released the NES homebrew game Nomolos: Storming the Catsle and are still hard at work on another new title on the system.
We pick Dereks brain on the development of Nomolos, get his thought processes behind many of the choices when developing the game, a little sneak peak at his upcoming project, and a plethora of insightful NES development knowledge.
And as usual the Small Scores are back and as big as ever!
Links mentioned in the show:
Buy Nomolos: Storming the Catsle: http://www.retrousb.com/p...?cPath=30&products_id=117
Derek's beginning guide: http://www.nintendoage.co...m?catid=22&threadid=93756
Music: Mass Effect 2
Intro and Small Scores: 0:35
Interview with Derek Andrews from Gradual Games: 3:45:18
Closing: 4:49:49
HiiIIIiii! It's Kirby in his first 3D adventure, Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards. The sixth entry in the Kirby series since he arrived on the Nintendo Gameboy eight years earlier. This is the second game in the series I've had the pleasure of playing, the first being Kirby's Dream Land on Gameboy. Each game has a new story, and can be easily picked up without prior experience with Kirby.
Ripple Star, a peaceful planet inhabited by Fairies is one day attacked by a mysterious cloud of Dark Matter! It was after the Fairies' secret Crystal, but a Fairy named Ribbon got to it first. Escaping before the planet was overrun, she rescued the Crystal only to be followed by three small clouds of Dark Matter that broke off from the main mass. They caught up to her and attacked, shattering the Crystal into shards that scattered across the entire solar system! Grabbing hold of a shard, Ribbon fell with it onto the planet Pop Star, where she bumped right into Kirby himself. When he heard what happened he knew he had to help, and set out to gather all the shards and take back Ripple Star from the evil Dark Matter.
"Where's the title music?" was the first impression of Kirby 64 I had after the introduction sequence. There is none for whatever reason, but that was the only complaint about music I had throughout the whole game. Each level and menu screen had some great tunes; from the happy and up-beat (http://youtu.be/uUJhAeCOCHQ), to the intense (http://youtu.be/hU2h5NyF68M). One of my favourites has to be from the Forest stage of level 2, it perfectly captures the atmosphere of a calm walk through the forest. There's a good selection of original tracks and remixes of the old themes. By the time you finish Kirby 64 you'll definitely have some songs stuck in your head, in a good way.
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We're all gamers here, what really matters most in a game is the gameplay. How are the controls? How fun is it? The answers are "Great", and "Heaps of fun!" This is one of the few N64 games that employed the D-pad over the Joystick that is favored by most games. It may not be commonplace but it gets the job done, with Kirby responding nicely to your every command. Alongside flying, running, sliding kicks, and shooting blasts of air at enemies, Kirby has his classic ability to inhale enemies and gain a new ability from them. Not only can he get one power up, but he can now inhale 2 enemies to combine their powers into one super power! With 7 different powers to combine, there are dozens of awesome abilities. From crushing enemies as a giant walking rock, to slicing them with a light saber, to exploding in a burst of fireworks. You can even turn into a refridgerator and kill enemies with the tasty foods expelled from inside you. I did have one complaint about the controls, as responsive as they are Kirby always feels a bit slow. Yes, you can run with a double tap of the D-pad, but the difference is so minor that sometimes I had trouble knowing if I was even running or just walking. Other than that they're great though.
Along the way you'll meet 4 friends that are there to lend a hand when you need it. First is Ribbon the Fairy, who doesn't actually help any, she's just along for the ride and holds onto the Crystal shards you've collected. Next up is Waddle Dee, who does something useful! Whenever you need some transportation he's the man...thing...to help. At certain points he'll jump in with a boat, minecart, sled, or other vehicle to help you get where you need to go. Then there's Adeleine, the artist who's paintings come alive. She'll be there to draw you some health items or a 1UP at certain locations. Lastly is your old enemy, King Dedede, who reluctantly decides to help you this time. He shows up when you're stuck between a rock and a hard place with a hammer to smash the way through. None of these characters are there very often, but when they are it's a nice way to change up the gameplay.
I said this game was Kirby's "first 3D adventure" above, but it's really 2.5D. Everything is rendered in 3D, but the entire game plays on a 2D plane. It feels a lot like Yoshi's Story in that sense, and even some of the visuals are similar, which is great in my books. There aren't many technically impressive visuals in this, except for a couple spiral staircase rooms. Where it lacks in the "wow" factor though, it makes up for with style. Almost every level has a unique style that just looks great, with places like the moody autumn forest, snow covered Shiver Star stages, or the weird awesomeness of the upside-down pyramid stage. There's a bit of everything, and it's a real treat for the eyes.
There's also a multiplayer component to Kirby 64, in the form of three mini-games. They're Mario Party style games like a foot race where you can only jump either one or two spaces to move. Then there's a simple catch-the-fruit game where you aim for the highest score while bumping around your opponents to make them miss their fruit. Lastly is a survival game that involves a floating checkerboard that gradually shrinks, and you can direct a row of blocks to fall in an attempt to drop the other players. Last one standing wins, and that has the most potential replayability. Speaking of replayability, this game has that covered. With six main worlds and one bonus, a ton of shards to collect for 100%, cards you collect from the post stage mini-game, and multiplayer, you aren't going to stop having fun with this for a long time. Experimenting with all the power-up combinations alone is a ton of fun.
In conclusion, this is a game clearly aimed at younger players, with its gradual learning curve and (mostly) easy bosses, but don't let that deter you from playing. With it's charming style, memorable music and solid gameplay, this is something everyone can enjoy.
Title: Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: June 26, 2000
Genre: Action/Adventure, Platforming
Players: 1-4
Controller Pak: No (Saves to Cartridge)
Rumble Pak: Yes
Its that time of year again! Time to PAIN YOURSELF WITH SUBMISSIONS! Yes, that's right, its contest time, where you can win awesome prizes, including an RFGeneration T-shirt and a game of your choice! Isn't that nice of us? We think so, but we do it for you guys, for all the hard work you put in through the year to make this site so awesome.
Our veteran members are probably very familiar with how the contest works, but for all the new members, the basic premise is very simple. Just be active on the site, get points, and if you accumulate enough points, you win! That's the gist of it, the details are a bit more complex.
Here's how the point breakdown will work:
Title Addition: 5 Points
Variation Addition: 6 Points
Page Edit*: 2 Points
Review*: 50 Points
Overview*: 20 Points
Image Upload: 10 Points
Submission Review**: 1 Point
Blog Post*: 30 Points
Blog Comment: 1 Point
Forum Post: 1 Point
Forum Karma: See Explanation
*Regarding the asterisk: For page edits, if it is noticed that you are consistently only adding one field per edit multiple times for a single title just to up your points, you will be disqualified. Any review or overview completed will count as a page edit as well the points for an overview or review. To get the points for an overview or review you MUST contact me via Personal Message so that I can keep a tally. In addition, the review or overview must be on the actual game / hardware page. A review or overview of poor quality could result in less points than stated being granted. The same statement holds true for blog posts.
Regarding Forum Karma: Because we want the forum to be a lively place of fun and interesting posts, we're enabling Karma during this contest. Karma rewards members that make good posts and smites those who do not. Your Karma will play a wildcard role in posts. Positive Karma at the end of the contest will increase your point total by a factor, while negative karma will decrease it.
As with any contest, there is fine print. Any submission that you make must adhere to the RF Generation Policies and Guidelines. We wrote these policies and guidelines for a reason, and well, we’d like everyone to adhere to them. Failure to adhere to the guidelines could result in a disqualification.
Any point reduction or disqualification can be contested. In the event that you wish to contest, you must explain why the reduction or disqualification is unfair. If you win the contest, we’ll restore your greatness, but if you lose, you shall be pelted with figurative rocks and garbage.
Everyone, except for the directors of this site, is in this contest. Because staff members get that extra point for each submission review, and those staff members will have thousands of submissions to review in addition to their own submissions, their total score will be halved to make things a bit more fair and lively.
So now that you know all the rules and have the scanner warming up, you probably want to know what you can win. Well, don't worry, its quite a substantial prize. The winner will receive their choice of gaming swag (not to exceed $60) plus an official RF Generation Ringer T-shirt!
The contest will begin on April 28th at midnight Eastern Time and will end on June 8th at midnight Eastern Time. There will even be an announcement post at that time so even if you're outside the Eastern time zone, you'll know exactly when to start submitting.
So get that scanner fired up and start stockpiling scans and submissions!
I'd like to join the ranks of RFGeneration members who regularly post blogs here with a series of N64 game reviews. I haven't been playing much N64 recently so I'll have to replay the classics and/or try out something new before I really get going on this. So expect to see some entries on the Fun Machine within the next couple of weeks!
Last year I wrote about going to the Cowlitz Gamers for Kids show in Kelso Washington. You can read more of the details of this show, put on for charity, in that blog:
http://www.rfgeneration.c...rs-for-Kids-Show-2147.php
Rather than retell much of what is written there, I will mostly cover new stuff for this post.
I'm going to rely on "pictures being worth a thousand words," which is keeps me from having to write much, always a plus  So, if your internet is slow, sorry. The rest of you get to enjoy this multimedia extravaganza of pictures! other peoples videos! and text!
It was a beautiful sunny day here in the Northwest on Saturday April 13th 2013. If you read my post in the small scores thread, you will know that Zagnorch, giver of gifts, gentleman extraordinaire, sent me a lifetime supply of sunscreen. What a wonderful, and useful gift! Here in the NW we get so much sunshine, sunscreen is a constant necessity. The Saturday of the show turned out to be one of the hottest, sunniest days of the year. The temperature reached the mid 50's (F) and the rain let up several times. I took a picture of the blue sky:
The sun was burning down on everything!
Continue reading Cowlitz Gamers for Kids Show 2013
With my recent pick up of Pandora's Tower for my much adored Wii I was struck with the thought that it will likely be the final Wii game I buy at MSRP. I'm a bit saddened by that as the Wii was by far my favorite console of the last generation's choices. We picked it up on launch day and never looked back. It easily got the most usage of the 3 consoles in our house and that is because we primarily use our game consoles for gaming (*gasp*), and rarely for the other features. And with my aversion to digital gaming the Wii had the software that I was most interested in spending my money on. There are far too many great games for me to mention them all so I'm just gonna spend some time outlining some of my favorites.
If you feel I missed out on one of your favorites I'd love to hear about them too!
Continue reading Wii Loved U
5. Id (Xenogears)
Those that are familiar with Freudian psychology already know what Id is, even if they've never played Xenogears. Well, he's a bit different than the textbook Freudian definition, replacing the libido with say, instinctual bloodlust would make the Id of Xenogears more accurate.
The ladies can't resist him either.
He pops up seemingly out of nowhere, for no reason. Its unclear when Id first starts showing up which side he is on, but the characters quickly learn that he's more just out for a nice stroll with a side of wanton destruction. I do not want to spoil the truth behind Id though, but knowing Freudian psychology, or playing Xenogears can let you figure that one out. This 'twist' is one of the reasons why Id scores so highly on my list.
""That was interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating. Take it back!" - Id
4. The Godwins (Suikoden V)
Motive. I cannot stress how important it is for a villain to have a good, believable motive. There needs to be purpose behind actions, words are empty, especially in the highly politicized Game of Thrones which happens in every installment of Suikoden.
Unlike most villains the Godwins have a very clear motive for the coup d'tat of the Queendom of Falena, personal power, wealth, glory, and the ability to declare war on their neighbors whenever they desire. That said, Marscal and Gizel Godwin are much deeper than their motives. Marscal is the grizzled veteran, no stranger to the game of nobles, I would compare him to Tywin Lannister as he's not afraid to deeply scold his son in private.
Dress for the job you want they told Lord Marscal.
Gizel however, just seems to shrug everything off of himself. In public he oozes charm and watches his tongue and body language carefully. In private Gizel schemes and hatches various little plots, usually just putting them in motion and watching as the story unfolds before him.
Gizel is just so sneaky and snakelike, an absolute joy to watch scheme. The Godwins, Gizel in particular, are just so interesting. You always want to know what they're up to and the game indulges your curiosity. This family is the pinnacle of the idea of loving to hate something. I hate them because of their actions, they killed the Prince's family and took his little sister and her throne and now want you dead. They're so well written, casual, and laid back that watching them brings a big smile to my face.
But enough talk, have at you!
"When you get involved in intrigue, do it decisively." - Marscal Godwin
"What if my master plan was murdering you... in front of your beloved brother?" - Gizel Godwin
3. The Transcendant One (Planescape: Torment)
The greatest enemy one can conquer is oneself. The Nameless One is the main character of this cult classic, but that immortal bag of bones is only half the equation. The real power lies with The Transcendant One, the mortality of The Nameless One personified and he fortifies himself in The Fortress of Regrets. This is one antagonist that makes their appearance known quickly and is just completely imposing.
Imposing might be putting it lightly...
The Transcendant One does not have much screentime. The Nameless One does not even know he exists until you are inside the Fortress, but his sheer force of will is maddening. What makes this villain score so highly for me is the fact that you can just talk him into committing suicide by recombining with The Nameless One and fighting in the eternal battle of the lower planes, finally blessed with the death that breaks The Nameless One's prison of eternal life.
2. President Dick Richardson (Fallout 2)
Eugenics. How often does this subject come up in gaming? If you ask me, on the whole, whether I prefer Eastern, or Western villains, I'll usually say Western. Most of the Western ones I've experienced have been great villains that were well written, had a clear motive, and were devious enough to really rustle your jimmies.
Its time for my Nintendo Power nap!
President Richardson is one of the few examples of a reluctant villain. He just happens to be the President of the Enclave while all these plans for purification and recolonization of mainland North America are coming to fruition. Their main weapon for 'purification' is a modified strain of FEV, Forced Evolution Virus (why Super Mutants exist), which will supposedly eliminate all life on the mainland.
In the end, President Richardson is just another frail politician hiding behind a wall of muscle. Literally.
His name is Frank.
"The only way for true humans, and democracy, to be safe is to cleanse the mutants from the globe. We humans will take back that which is rightfully ours." - President Richardson
1. Luca Blight (Suikoden II, Genso Suikogaiden Volume 1)
The White Wolf of Highland. The Mad Prince Luca Blight.
There have been deep, excellent villains on this list but none of them match the sheer raw ferocity of Luca Blight. Most antagonists usually have some sort of political power and use it to hide in their castle while they bark orders. Well, Luca Blight is a prince, he is known as the Mad Prince and is not afraid to be on the front lines, leading his soldiers during their killing. You see this happen right from the start.
The moment that really solidifies Luca Blight as a more sinister villain than the others on this list is that he is the only one that actually raises his sword and slashes it downwards towards a defenseless little girl. A small child! Pilika is like 5 years old! Even then, it takes four people to save little Pilika from her early death. Even before all this there's the systematic slaughter of the Unicorn Brigade, which is where Highland's young, up and coming recruits train during their teenage years until they're ready to wield a sword, all just so he will have the support of the Highland population to go to war.
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Viktor you magnificent bastard, never stop drinking!
Every time Luca is on screen the entire tone of the game shifts, even though he only speaks in text boxes the man is so charismatic that he commands the attention of the room he's in, even if he's not talking! The fear that others feel when they are around him is quite evident as even his own generals start plotting a way to kill him.
Also, since when does an incredibly powerful madman become challenged by a small handful of teenagers? No, Luca's better than that and you better have three full parties of six decked out characters when it comes down to the final rumble. He even takes a dozen or so arrows to the chest by the time the final duel happens between the deadly White Wolf Luca Blight and Little Riou.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/BhNCbGDE4GI&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/BhNCbGDE4GI&rel=0</a>]]>
Great villains are always shown being rather villainous.
Remember when I said that Kefka is the best uber super destruction wanton killinator? Yeah, totally taking it back now. Well, Luca Blight has some reasons for his mental state, but that would ruin the experience of playing this masterpiece would it not?
"It took hundreds to kill me but I killed humans by the thousands. I am sublime!!! I am the true face of evil!!!!" - Luca Blight's dying words
NOTE: This list contains MAJOR Spoilers for many RPG Games. Proceed at your own risk. You have been warned.
RPG Villains...The bad guys that try to make our lives a living hell while we play. They are all motivated by different things. Those things range from revenge, insanity, or something else. However, every once in a while, one comes along that just doesn't fit the bill of RPG Villain. Today, I'm here to list 5 of them. Take note, they can be lame for ANY reason at all, whether it be because they're cheap in battle, or just look stupid. Here they are:
Number 5
Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII
Everyone who knows me knows that I don't exactly like Final Fantasy VII, and it's main antagonist is one of the reasons why. The reason why is because he's just generally uninspired, in my opinion anyway. He's mad because his mother was killed, but rather than think things through like the sensible Hero that he's made out to be at the start, he goes insane and decides to kill everyone with a Meteor. Too generic for me. I'll stick to slaying Chrono Cross's Time Devourer, thanks.
Number 4
Ashnard from Fire Emblem 9
That's Ashnard from Fire Emblem 9. He's such a LOSER! Yes, he is strong, but there's a major flaw to his design: He's not a monster, in the physical sense. When one plays Fire Emblem, they are expecting a big, bad, monster of some sort as the Final Boss. This guy is not a Monster. How anticlimactic.
Number 3
Mankar Camaron from Oblivion
Yet another total loser, Mankar Camaron is "essentially" the main antagonist from Oblivion. He's not strong, he's weak. He's not scary, he's generic. He's not even that evil. He's just...simple. He never even gives a truly specific reason for doing what he does, other than to be a nuisance. He's in the same category as Ashnard, not being a monster and all that.
Number 2
Thon from Shadowrun
Okay, look. I like Shadowrun. In fact, I love Shadowrun. It's one of my favorite RPGs, but I really hate it's final boss. Thon is just plain stupid. He's overpowered, and you can't even damage him. In fact, to even hurt him, you need help from a Dragon you saved earlier in the game. That's all fine and dandy, but his story is dumb as hell. He's an elemental beast whose summoner was killed, so to gain a physical body, he collects artifacts from tombs. What the hell? How is this jackass even a real threat in a society full of guns and magic?
Number 1
Neo Dhaos from Tales of Phantasia
SON! OF! A! BITCH!!! I hate Neo Dhaos so much!! This freak is the Final Boss in the Super Famicom Version of Tales of Phantasia, and he is the strongest, cheapest, ugliest son of a bitch I have ever encountered in an RPG! He is absolutely relentless in attacking, and when he does stop, if he ever does that is, he turns invincible. The spell used to harm an earlier incarnation of him becomes useless here, and you have to rely only on luck to stop the asshole. For what it's worth, his difficulty was toned down greatly in later versions of the game, but that's not enough for me to forgive the developers for placing this jerk in the game. I am being completely honest here, I had to cheat to kill him, and THAT is why this jerk is the lamest RPG Villain ever.
That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this list. Also, as always, this list is an opinion. Your opinion is subject to difference.
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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.
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