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Welcome to my newest series, The Hunt For Retro. This series will chronicle my hunts for various Retro Gaming Merchandise. First up, the hunt for 3DO. Here we go!
Sometime in 2008 or so, I saw the GT Countdown Video "Top Ten Worst Consoles" on Youtube.
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Needless to say, I thought it was crap. I think those systems are just fine. (Save for the Phantom and Gizmondo, as I've never played those, and since the Phantom was never released...well, yeah).
Anyway, while watching the Video, I found Number 7 on the list, the 3DO, particularly intriguing. After researching it, I desired one, and began my hunt.
Enter Collector's Cards and Games, a Website that sells Retro Game Stuff (Among other things). I noticed that the guy running it had a 3DO, so I inquired about it via E-Mail.
Some time later, I received a reply:
"I have a working Goldstar 3DO ready to ship for $60."
Unfortunately, I was completely oblivious to the various 3DO Models in existence, so I agreed, sent him the money via Paypal, and the deal was sealed.
Fast forward a week or so, and the UPS Man showed up at my house with a rather heavy box addressed to me. I opened it, and was greeted with quite the device: The Goldstar 3DO.
Having no games and remembering what the GT Countdown Video said about copy protection, I burned a game and tried to play it.
...It didn't work.
So, I went to Racketboy and asked for help. I then learned that the Goldstar couldn't play Backups.
Pissed off, I ordered a game called Slayer, which I enjoyed for about 15 Minutes before the damn controller broke.
Even angrier now, I decided to settle with a Panasonic Model. I went to Amazon, and found an FZ-10 3DO for $55. I bought it, and waited.
Another week later, I received it in the Mail. This one played backups, and worked very well. It was even in good cosmetic shape.
Unfortunately, I became low on money for other stuff some months later, so, of all the things to sell, I sold the 3DO. I was pretty upset.
Fast forward to present day, I went out to the local Retro Store, and to my shock, the man there had a 3DO for sale, an FZ-1 to be exact.
Unfortunately, It was a little too pricey for me, so we worked out a deal: I gave him my Neo-Geo CDZ (I have a Consolized MVS, so I really had little to lose here), and he gave me the 3DO with Wing Commander 3 and a cool Controller.
So, what did I learn here? Learn to manage your Money better, or you'll regret it later. All things considered though, this all worked out very well in the end. I now have a really cool 3DO, he has a shiny CDZ, and everyone is happy.
Anyway, that's all for this entry. Thanks for reading, and look out for my next Hunt For Retro entry.
Well, the Labor Day sale has come and gone (as well as my B Day) and I am spent. I picked up a lot of great games and am looking forward to many a long gaming session. However things certainly didn't turn out the way I thought it would. Hm, that was a bit ambiguous. Let me be more specific. While I did receive an iTunes card as a gift, it was a $25 card instead of a $15 card. Add that to the $8 credit that I already had and that adds up. Couple this with the awesome Labor Day sale (tons of .99 cent games) and I nearly had a brain hemmorage. Anyways, here are the games (in no particular order):
Paid Games
Across Ages - It's billed as a Zelda-clone, but is really just another KRPG. Fun, but not Zelda.
Silent Hill The Escape - a touch-centric title that I do not like. Out of the lot it is the only one I regret buying. Luckily, it was only .99 cents.
Zenonia Series (1, 2, and 3) - I had so much fun with part 3, I ended up buying the first two. All are fast-paced Secret of Mana-style games.
Illusia - another great Gamevil title, this one a Popful Mail-style game.
Dead Space - only .99 cents, and one of the best new gaming experiences I've had all year. It makes me want to grab the console titles.
Hyper Crush - A Mario-type platform based around an electronic band. I can barely describe it.
Zombie Infection - a Gameloft third-person shooter with zombies. I like killing zombies, and it was .99 cents.
Resident Evil 4: Platinum - I've read it's not the full game, more like a greatest-hits version. It controls well and was only .99 cents.
Vay - surprisingly, this was the only traditional JRPG that I picked up (and $5 at that).
Shadow Guardian - another Gameloft third-person game, this one clearly modeled after Uncharted. Fun, and .99 cents.
Gangstar: Miami Vindication - the second Gangstar game, this one quite good looking and fun. It was not on sale, but I had so much fun with the demo.
SNES Player - this isn't a game, but rather an app that allows you to listen to spc and rsn files (direct sound rips from SNES games). What can I say, I'm a dork.
Noise Entertainment System - plays nsf (NES) and gbn (Gameboy) sound files. Very cool.
Free Games
Aurum Blade Free - Yep, free. For the whole game. Cutesy-Diablo/Secret of Mana game.
Inotia 2: Eternity - Like Zenonia 3, there is a free and paid version of the game. Unlike Zenonia 3, there are a ton of ads in this game. If it turns out to be good, I'll buy the full version (like I did with Zenonia 3).
Guardian Saga - I must have picked this up the single day it was free, because it is now $1.99. It's basically a Dragon Warrior game, 8-bit graphics and all.
Fallen EP-1 - Third person survival horror with traditional controls and some touch-centric actions scenes (bashing open a glass window with a fire extinguisher). A bit annoying, but still fun.
Near Misses
GTA Chinatown Wars - Basically a port of the PSP version, but with touch. While I did buy both versions of this game (DS and PSP), I decided against this one. Not really for any problems with the game, but since I've already bought it twice...
Bug Panic - you wonder around a forest, blasting giant, cute bugs with bombs. Great controls, lock ons, and charging attacks make this game stand out. I would have bought it if was cheaper and had more content.
1112 - an episodic touch-adventure game. It was clearly made more for the iPad than the iPhone/iTouch, but it still looked nice. Far too short (from what I hear), a relatively large price tag, and the fact I kept getting stuck in the bathroom kept this one away.
Well, that's it (for now). I'm knocking around an idea for doing a semi-regular feature about iOS and Android games (I'll be getting an Android phone in October) to maybe give some more love to some of these great titles. I don't know. It'll depend on how bad my online class gets.
When I grow up I am going to work for Atari and make new video games it is called the Atari Orcaball 3D and the features are : Printer Detector,4 Built-in Vent,3D Graphics,29 Controller Ports,11 Controllers That will come with the console,2 650GB Hard Drives 1 Extra 1 Bonus,Built-in 560GB Hard Drive,8 x 14 Inches,Comes with an Free 3DS with 1 game + 1 Case & an Free DS with 4 Games + 2 Cases it will cost US$958.99 UK$982.99 JP$999.99.
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Posted on Sep 7th 2011 at 10:47:54 PM by ( raptor94k) Posted under Games |
If you look at my Backloggery, you will notice 27 games that I have played through recently. Recently in this case might mean within the last couple of years, but they are games that I have strong memories of playing through and that I do not wish to play through again for this little adventure. In the interest of giving me a head start, I'm going to count them as played for the purposes of this blog.
Army of Two
March 4, 2008 -- PS3, Xbox 360
 When we heard EA was going to shut down the servers for this game (which they did on Aug. 11, 2011), a few friends of mine decided to unlock all the online achievements before they did. That entailed three nights of 3-5 hours of shooting the same hovercraft on the same map over and over again because you could score a large amount of money towards the Retirement Savings Plan achievement for doing so. We had fun. Just not the entire time.
In preparation for the long haul of multiplayer hovercraft shooting, my friend Doug (who I'm sure will end up being mentioned more than once in this blog) and I played through the single player mode a couple of times. It was an average third person shooter; my biggest gripe being that there were a few sequences that were ridiculously frustrating, especially on the hardest mode, caused by the tacked on/forced partner events. Hoisting your partner up a wall, back-to-back shooting scenes, driving hovercrafts, these situations seem like they could be replaced, or taken out entirely and the game would be just as fun.
Assassin's Creed
November 13, 2007 -- PS3, Xbox 360
 I remember going to Gamestop several years ago to look for Dynasty Warriors 6, but I came home with Assassin's Creed. I was a late comer to the 360 scene and I had no idea what to expect. What I got, for the then current price of $19.99, was one of my favorite games of this generation. From the parkour-derived movement system to the stealthy kills with the hidden blade, Ubisoft Montreal did everything right, yes even the monotonous quests and tower climbing in each location.
Currently, I've yet to get all the flag fetching and templar killing achievements. One day I will go back and get them, but I have a lot more games to play first.
Assassin's Creed II
November 17, 2009 -- PS3, Xbox 360
 Assassin's Creed II is just as good as the first one, adding quite a few new features to the fold without touching the core gameplay enough to change all the good things about the original. Gone are the aforementioned monotonous quests and tower climbing, replaced with story-relevant quests and action sequences. Generic, gameplay time increasing flag collection remains, only the flags have been replaced by feathers. I suspect most people who haven't played the series at all would enjoy the polish of Assassin's Creed II more so than the first.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
August 25, 2009 -- PS3, Xbox 360
 I found the PS3 Collector's Edition of this game at a Walmart on clearance for $7.99 (a tip from Doug) about a year after it came out. It took me a while to get used to the slowed down "Freeflow" combat system, but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed the game. Getting all the single player trophies was fun too, since it had a semi-open world environment and you could backtrack for all the collectibles.
Brutal Legend
October 13, 2009 -- PS3, Xbox 360
 I will start by saying I love classic metal. When I saw the premise for this game, I was pretty excited. Luckily, I was not let down; Tim Schafer delivered what he promised.
I'm not saying it is an amazing game, but it is a good one. The stage battles could be a little annoying at times, and though I've never touched the multiplayer, I can't imagine that I would enjoy it. The story is pretty generic and the non-stage battle combat system is average. But, it's the things that are added on top of the proven action/adventure formula that make this game great. The voice acting (an exceptional cast including Jack Black, Lemmy Kilmister, Ozzy Osbourne, Lita Ford and Rob Halford), the subtle and not-so-subtle nods to metal cliches, and the incredible artwork help build an unforgettable and very explorable world. Not to mention the (mostly) awesome soundtrack. This is a definite play through for any self-professed metalhead.
I will also take a moment to say that if you are a fan of the Lucas Arts and Sierra point-and-click adventure games and have not played Tim Schafer's other works Full Throttle (1995) and Grim Fandango (1998), you are doing yourself a great disservice.
Burnout Paradise
January 22, 2008 -- PS3, Xbox 360
 My most recent gaming completion. I don't usually readily enjoy racing games, but this one being an arcade-style racer was a little easier for me to get into. One day I will try and get all of the online achievements, but I don't see much of a point currently since I don't own an Xbox Vision Camera Thing. This is a pretty good pick up and play game for those gamers who do not always have more than thirty minutes to devote to play time. And since there is 50+ hours or content, that could add up to quite a few play sessions.
Dragon Age: Origins
November 3, 2009 -- PS3, Xbox 360
 Dragon Age: Origins is one of my favorite RPGs ever. I really enjoy CRPGs, but being mainly a console gamer I hardly ever play them. And though I'm sure the controls would've been more enjoyable on a PC, nothing could detract from the excellence that is this title. Except for maybe the persistent gore. I hated that.
Fable II
October 21, 2008 -- Xbox 360
 I never got into the hype around the original Fable when it first came out, and I had only played it for a couple of hours when Fable II came out and wasn't very impressed. So I went into Fable II not expecting that much, which was good since it didn't really deliver. The game is good enough that it was worth one play through, but not much more than that.
And since we are on the subject of Fable II, I will rant about its unobtainable achievements for a second. There is an achievement for this game that requires the purchase of, or knowing someone who already owns, a copy of Fable II: Pub Games for XBLA. That is ridiculous. Then there is another achievement that I can no longer get because I picked a particular ending. So in order to obtain it, I must start another game. Remember that part where I said this game is good enough that it was only worth one play through? Me too. I guess it's my fault for being such an achievement whore.
Fallout 3
October 28, 2008 -- PS3, Xbox 360
 Another one of my favorite RPGs. I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic/dystopian worlds, so I'm probably already biased towards the entire Fallout series. Like most hardcore gamers, I also thoroughly enjoy Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series (though I've always had trouble with Arena and Daggerfall since I only have a laptop and it is a little hard to attack creatures by swiping on my trackpad). So its not surprising that I enjoy Fallout 3. A great game with tons of content in which it is easy to lose 3-4 days of your life.
As you can see, my recent gaming completions has mostly been current generation titles. That will change as this journey unfolds. I also apologize for the brief analyses, but I tried not to discuss too much about the games that everyone already has already played. Next time, I will post previously finished games 10-18.
To many gamers, 3DO is game-speak for "What the hell is this thing?!". Well, here's the story...
The 3DO, conceived by EA Founder Trip Hawkins, was a CD Based Game Console with impressive processing power and a host of cutting edge technologies. Mr. Hawkins had high hopes for this thing...
...So what went wrong, I hear you ask...Well, for starters, the thing was released with a price point of 700 US Dollars, which even the PS3 couldn't match. (599 US Dollars). It also, as quoted from a GT Countdown Video, squandered it's impressive processing power on playing horrible Full Motion Video. In my opinion, it wasn't really horrible. Just really cheesy. Me, I like FMV Games. Trip also refused to reduce it's price until near the end of it's life.
So, is there anything cool about this thing? Hell yes! It has no copy protection or regional lockout! It also features some great games that weren't available for any other console. One such game is Slayer, a First Person RPG, which takes place in the Dungeons and Dragons Universe.
There are also three different models of it. (At least in America. There are more in Asia.) First up is the FZ-1, which was the first model released. Second is the Goldstar, pictured above, which I own. I would NOT recommend it to anyone, as it's picky with some games, and is the least reliable of all the models. The last one released in America was the FZ-10, which, unlike the FZ-1 and the Goldstar, was a Top Loading Model.
Anyway, that's it for this short entry. If you'd like more 3DO Information, PM me. I'm always happy to talk about this stuff.
TODAY, TOMORROW, & YESTERDAY
A few weeks ago, I was informed by a friend that a new video game store/arcade would be opening in town. I became really exciting after learning that the guys opening it were former employees from a used book/music/game store that I regularly frequented and I knew they were really into gaming. This past Saturday was their grand opening and needless to say, I've already been 3 times....did I mention they were closed on Sunday? They have an array of arcade cabinets/sit downs, 10 pinball machines, and an incredible variety of games for modern and retro gamers alike, including a very nice selection of Famicom games.
Continue reading For the Love of Famicom!
What's up everyone? I'm back with another Harvest Moon review. This time I'm reviewing Harvest Moon for the Game Boy Color. There is also a version for the regular Game Boy but the only difference is that it has a monochrome color palette.
 
Story
Well the old farm outside of the village has been neglected for many years and the spirit of the former owner visits you in a dream. He asks that you restore the farm to its former glory and that he will check up on your progress at the end of the year.
And that's it. Not an extraordinary story or anything but it's an excuse to give you a farm to operate.
The Farm
The farm is almost exactly the same as the Super Nintendo farm. The house, barns, fields... everything is in the exact same spot. If you're familiar with the first game then you'll feel right at home.
There are some differences though. The most striking one being that the size of the field is incredibly reduced. However, you still have ample enough room to work with.
Your barn sizes have also been decreased. You now only have the capacity of having 4 cows and 4 chickens; 1/3 the capacity of what the first game offered.
The recovery spring and the river of the Harvest Goddess have been moved. Instead of on the mountaintop, they now reside in the mine underneath your tool shed.
The Outside World
The forest and mountaintop no longer exist as locations to explore (thus the location changes of the previously mentioned spring and river). I really don't know why these locations had to go. It might have been due to time constraints or just a lack of funding at the time. Whatever the reason, it is a disappointment. Exploring the forest was a great way to forage for extra building materials or collect and sell wild food items. Even going up to the mountaintop for its view was a great way to just get away from it all.
...But that's no longer here. The game definitely loses some of its charm.
Speaking of losing things, you also lose the ability to walk through town. The town only exists in a menu. You make your selection and enter the shop.
While I do miss walking around the town it is a more efficient way to get what you need and get back to work.
Gameplay
Wow, I feel as if I've done nothing but talk bad about this game. It isn't really all that fair of me to be making some of these comparisons due to the age of handheld gaming technology of the time. However, in some of the farming aspects, this game is actually more advanced than its predecessor.
 (This is the first HM title to have a Female option.)
Harvest Moon not only has the standard crops from the previous title (corn, potatoes, turnips, tomatoes, grass) but it also adds crops. And not only does it add more crops but you can now grow crops in Autumn and Winter.
The new crops are as follows:
Autumn: Eggplants & Peanuts
Winter: Carrots & Broccoli
This makes the game a lot more interesting. On the SNES title your Fall and Winter would be a dead time spent doing nothing but feeding livestock and chopping wood to pass the time.
Having more crops makes up for the fact that you can't get married in this game.
Marriage?
Gone. Can't get married. While there are social events these are really few and far between and will never lead to finding a wife.
This is one of the major weak points of this title. There's essentially no socializing in this game. The entire time I played it I felt as if I were the only person on the face of the Earth... Just me and my cat, Lau.
Oh yeah, I nearly forgot to mention you can actually choose your pet this time around. This is the first title to have a cat as a pet option. (And Lau is a Virtua Fighter reference in case you're wondering.) So keep your pet close because it will be the closest thing to a friend you'll have in Harvest Moon.
At the end of all things...
The last day of winter the spirit returns and evaluates your progress. While your ultimate goal is to become the "Ranch Master" you can really play however you wish. If the spirit is pleased with what you've done he'll expand the size of your fields and maybe even give you some special items.
While obtaining the title of Ranch Master may be the ultimate prize; the game never ends. The game will continue on as long as you play it. So the experience can be however long of short you want to make it.
Conclusion
Harvest Moon is a great game; don't get me wrong! However I hesitate to recommend it for those new to the series. This game is for people who like the farming mechanics and cannot stand the dating-sim aspects or for the die-hard Harvest Moon fan.
If you want to play it your only two options are the standard Game Boy cartridge or the Game Boy Color cartridge. I personally recommend the GBC version because it's in color and the battery should be slightly newer. Last time I checked, getting the game CIB will cost you probably over $35 . A loose cart in decent shape will be around $10.
The game works on all systems that accept a Game Boy cartridge and it even has its own special border for the Super Game Boy adapter for the Super Nintendo.
I hope you enjoyed the review. Keep on farming.
Upcoming review: Harvest Moon 64!
I have two passions in life.
The first is to take on huge, time-consuming projects with unattainable long term goals like my social networking website which I have been working on for four years. Or my dream of becoming a rock star.
The second: video games.
Now, my second passion has a surprising knack for not helping me work on any of the projects started due to my first passion. So I decided that I would put the two together and create a new huge, time-consuming project with the unattainable long term goal of playing every video game ever created. Mostly. Even the shitty ones.
I understand this goal is impossible to attain in a lifetime not dedicated solely to playing video games, which sadly I cannot do, but thanks to chronogamer, chrontendo, Stallion83, this article and social ineptness, I am willing to try.
Before I begin, there must be some guidelines:
1. No games before the NES. I have no problem with pong machines, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Odyssey, etc. but, I don't feel like tracking down and purchasing all the pre-NES games and systems. Also, they aren't as fun.
2. Video game consoles only. Adding PCs into the mix would add tens of thousands of games and require tracking down hardware to run all of them. No thank you. Although, I might have to take a break to play some of the CRPGs I will be missing.
3. US released, licensed games only.
4. Games that have multiple releases only have to be completed once. I will try and play the game on each system for which it has been released. If there is a significant amount of new content or it is a game I especially enjoy, I might play it over again completely. Obviously, unless there is new content, Greatest Hits and re-releases on the same system will be ignored.
5. Games should be played on original hardware. In extreme cases of rarity and expense, I might have to bend this rule and resort to emulation.
As a secondary goal, I am going to try and play each game until its ending game over screen, final cutscene, credits, etc. Obviously, this won't happen on games that don't have an ending (i.e. sports titles, retro-arcade titles). If a game is unbearably terrible or ridiculously hard (to the point of not being fun or requiring way too much practice) it will probably not be played until it's end.
I will use my Raptr account and my Backloggery account to track game play time, completion, and other statistics as I do this.
At this point, I feel the need to truthfully address the amount of time that this would take someone. There are probably 10,000+ (and counting) games with millions of hours of gameplay that meet the above criteria. This doesn't even begin to address the issue of paying for all of the systems and games that I don't own. And finally, there is the issue of my "real life" which, unfortunately, I care about enough to let get in the way of this monumental goal.
The likelihood of me finishing might be pretty slim, but its more about the chase anyway.
Shortly after I was admitted into my college's Spanish program, I changed my DS's language to Spanish. Cuz why not? Then something curious happened: when I loaded up the game I was playing, it loaded in Spanish.
I read the game's manual. I looked over the packaging. I combed through the game's menus. There wasn't a word about the game playing in any language other than English. So, I did what anyone would: I checked to see if it played in any other languages.
And then I checked all my other games...
And I checked the games of my local family and friends...
And I asked distant friends to check their games...
So here's the information that's resulted from that. Cuz learning language is awesome, and learning language while playing your favorite games is more awesome!
Key:
VA = voice-acting
{F} = French is an option
{G} = German is an option
{I} = Italian is an option
{J} = Japanese is an option
{S} = Spanish is an option
{P} = Portuguese is an option
(auto) = to change the language of the game, you must change the DS hardware settings
(menu) = a menu lets you change the language of the game
(code) = pressing buttons in a specific way lets you change the language of the game
- 100 All-Time Favorites {FS} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Advance Wars: Days of Ruin {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Arkanoid DS {FGIS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles {FS} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Barnyard Blast {FSP} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day {FS} (menu) - SOURCES: Kreegs, pdRydia
- Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia {FJ} (code), (menu) - To access the French option: while booting the game, simultaneously hold down L+R+SELECT. This should prompt you with a screen that asks you to select English or Francais. Choose one and then the game continues as normal. The French option ONLY affects text! To access the Japanese option: there is an option to change the VA between E and J under Shanoa's options menu. The Japanese option ONLY affects VA! SOURCES: gamefaqs.com, pdRydia
- Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin {J} (code) - VA only; text is unaffected. CODE: Press A while holding L at any of the main menu choices. You will hear a VA clip confirming the activation. SOURCES: gamefaqs.com, pdRydia
- Chrono Trigger DS {F} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Clubhouse Games {FGIS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: U.S. packaging, pdRydia
- Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Sky {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: U.S. packaging, pdRydia
- Dream Pinball 3D {FGIS} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Easy Piano {FS} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Final Fantasy IV DS {FS} (auto) - VA remains in English, but can be turned off. SOURCES: pdRydia
- Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift {FS} (menu) - SOURCES: kawaiipikachu, pdRydia
- Garfield's Nightmare {S} (menu) - SOURCES: Sharecrow
- Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective {FGIS} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Golden Sun: Dark Dawn {S} (auto) - SOURCES: U.S. packaging, pdRydia
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars {FGIS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Guitar Hero: On Tour {F} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure {FGIS} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Just In Time Translations {CFGISJ} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia, NOTE: C stands for Chinese; you can set the interface language to any of the given languages
- Kirby Mass Attack {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: U.S. packaging, pdRydia
- Legend of Kage 2 (The) {FGIS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (The) {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (The) {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Lock's Quest {F} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor {FGIS} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Lost Magic {FGS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Lunar Knights {S} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Mario Kart DS {FGIS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes {FS} (menu) - SOURCES: PoisonRamune, pdRydia
- Mind Quiz: Your Brain Coach {FGIS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- My Weight Loss Coach {FS} (auto, menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Naruto Ninja Destiny {F} (auto) - VA remains in English. SOURCES: pdRydia
- Ninja Reflex {FGIS} (auto) - VA changes to target language. SOURCES: pdRydia
- Orcs & Elves {FGIS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Personal Trainer: Math {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Picross 3D {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Picross DS {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Prince of Persia: The Fallen King {FGS} (menu) - SOURCES: PoisonRamune
- Puyo Pop Fever {J} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Puzzle Quest 2 {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Puzzle Quest Galactrix {FGIS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Rayman DS {FS} (menu) - VA changes to target language. SOURCES: pdRydia
- Rubik's World {FS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Scribblenauts {FSP} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Shaun White Snowboarding {FS} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Sonic Chronicles {FGIS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Sonic Rush {FGIJS} (auto) - VA remains in English and cannot be turned off. SOURCES: pdRydia
- Sonic Rush Adventure {FGIJS} (auto) - VA remains in English and cannot be turned off. SOURCES: pdRydia
- Soul Bubbles {FGIS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Star Wars: The Force Unleashed {FGIS} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Sudoku Ball Detective {FS} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Suikoden Tierkreis {FS} (code) - CODE: Hold L+R while booting the game. OTHER NOTES: Manual in EF only, no S. SOURCES: pdRydia
- Super Scribblenauts {FSP} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Time Hollow {F} (code) - CODE: Hold L+R while booting the game. SOURCES: enigmaopoeia
- Touch the Dead {FGIS} (auto + menu) - You are prompted to choose a language upon starting the game. The language pre-selected is based upon your DS settings. SOURCES: pdRydia
- TouchMaster 3 {F} (auto) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- True Swing Golf {FGIJS} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- USA Today Crossword Challenge {S} (menu) - SOURCES: pdRydia
- Zenses Ocean {FS} (code) - SOURCES: U.S. packaging, pdRydia, gamefaqs.com
- Zenses Rainforest {FS} (code) - CODE: Hold L+R while booting the game. SOURCES: U.S. packaging, pdRydia
And these are the games that have been checked but play only in English:
#:
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors|
A:
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth | Advance Wars: Dual Strike | Age of Empires: The Age of Kings|Animal Crossing: Wild World | Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney | Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island | Avalon Code |
B:
Bangai-O Spirits | Battleship/Connect Four/Sorry!/Trouble | Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled| Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! | Brain Boost: Gamma Wave | Bust-A-Move DS |
C:
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow | Challenge Me: Brain Puzzles | Contact | Cooking Mama | Cooking Mama 2 | CrossworDS|
D:
Dark Spire (The) | Death, Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom | Digimon World: Dawn| Digimon World: Dusk| Disgaea DS | Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu | Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2 | Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime | Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker |
E:
Eco-Creatures: Save the Forest |Elite Beat Agents | Eragon | Etrian Odyssey II | Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City |
F:
Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales | Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light | Final Fantasy III | Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings | Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon | From the Abyss | Fullmetal Alchemist: Trading Card Game|
G:
Geometry Wars: Galaxies | Glory of Heracles | Gunpey DS |
H:
Hannah Montana | Harvest Moon DS | Honeycomb Beat | Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth Remix | Hotel Dusk: Room 215 |
I:
Igor the Game | Impossible Mission | Infinite Space | Insecticide |
J:
Jake Hunter Detective Chronicles | Jake Hunter Detective Story: Memories of the Past | Jewel Quest Mysteries |
K:
Kirby Squeak Squad | Kirby: Canvas Curse | Knights in the Nightmare | Korg DS-10 Synthesizer | Kurupoto|
L:
Legacy of Ys: Books I & II | Legendary Starfy (The) | LOL | Luminous Arc 2 | LUX-PAIN | Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge |
M:
Magical Starsign | Mah Jong Quest: Expeditions | Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time | Mario Hoops 3 on 3 | Mario Party DS | Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 | Master of the Monster Lair | Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure | MechAssault: Phantom War | Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Ace | Mega Man ZX | Metal Slug 7 | Meteos | Meteos: Disney Magic | Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt (Demo) | Metroid Prime: Hunters | Metroid Prime: Pinball | Monster Tale | My Virtual Tutor: Reading First to Second Grade | My Word Coach | My World, My Way | Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer |
N:
Namco Museum | Nanostray 2 | Naruto: Ninja Council 3 | Naruto: Path of the Ninja | New Super Mario Bros. | Nintendogs: Dachshund and Friends |
O:
Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts |
P:
Personal Trainer: Cooking | Phantasy Star 0 | Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney | Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice for All | Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations | Pokemon (Black HeartGold Pearl SoulSilver) | Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time | Pokemon Ranger (Shadows of Almia | Guardian Signs) | Polarium | Populous DS | Princess Debut | Professor Layton and the (Curious Village Diabolical Box Unwound Future) | Puchi Puchi Virus | Puzzle Quest |
R:
Resident Evil: Deadly Silence| Retro Game Challenge | Rhythm Heaven | River King: Mystic Valley | Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon | Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon |
S:
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor | Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey | Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals | Spyro: Shadow Legacy | Star Fox Command | Steal Princess| Steel Horizon| Style Savvy | SudokuMania | Suikoden: Tierkreis | Summon Night: Twin Age | Super Mario 64 DS | Super Princess Peach | Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier |
T:
Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal | Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys | Tetris DS | Tokyo Beat Down | Tony Hawk's American Sk8land | Touch Detective | Touch Detective 2 1/2 | TouchMaster | Trace Memory | Trauma Center: Under the Knife | Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 |
U:
Ultimate Puzzle Games: Sudoku Edition |
V:
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume | Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble! |
W:
Wario: Master of Disguise | WarioWare D.I.Y. | Windy x Windam | A Witch's Tale | WordJong | World Ends With You (The)
Y:
Yoshi Touch & Go | Yoshi's Island DS | Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour | Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2007
(I had help in making these lists.
Thanks to VCF forumers: enigmaopoeia, kawaiipikachu, Kreegs, and PoisonRamune.
Also to the PAX EAST '11 handheld enforcers, for allowing me to slowly test every game available in the handheld lounge at PAX.)
22 Oct 11 - Added 4 titles to English only list -- Brain Boost: Gamma Wave; Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time; Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia; Rune Factory 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon. Clarified notes on games whose packaging advertises language options.
Added Suikoden Tierkreis to main list.
A lot of my gaming friends on the interwebs seem to totally adore the Sega Dreamcast. And to an extent, I've always understood why. I mean, it was short-lived, but it was certainly an exciting period in gaming. It was a console that embraced new things like online gameplay and strange accessories. It was also a dream machine for arcade gamers, with 2D fighters, shmups and racing games galore. But more interestingly it was home to some seriously strange experiments. Games like Seaman, Space Channel 5 and Shenmue. But something kept me away for a long time. It was nothing personal against the Dreamcast, I just didn't feel like I needed another console to collect for.
That being said, I've always kept an eye on Dreamcast news. I always found it an interesting and respectable console. And then something weird happened. I found myself with a considerable amount of retro-store game credit, and nothing in particular to spend it on. And then somebody offered to trade me a Dreamcast for an Xbox which I had saved from a yard sale, but let collect dust for several months. I knew this was it. This was time for me to finally bite the bullet and explore the Dreamcast world proper rather than just read about it.
Continue reading The Sega Swirl
I feel kind of funny writing this. See, I started writing this article about six months ago, when I purchased a 4th Gen iTouch. At the time I was just getting dipping into that iOS had to offer and was not impressed. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing I was interested in outside of a few touch-centric titles (Angry Birds). My iTouch was used to stream podcasts, listen to audiobooks, and a few other choice utilities (organize grocery lists, alarm clock). I found myself disliking long-winded discussions about iPhone/iTouch gaming, and would skip entire podcasts if I felt they focused too much on the platform. Oh how things have changed.
I'm still not sure when it first started, but I found myself downloading random games, sampling them and (more often than not) deleting them, trying to find a happy medium between the style of game played and the offered controls. I felt like a velociraptor in Jurassic Park, attacking parts of the electrified fence to find a weak spot. Okay, that was a bad analogy. How about: I was trying to find my niche. That is better. Now to business.
The word is that I'm getting an iTunes card for my approaching B-day, which I want to spend entirely on games. The plan is to sift through the Games section of the App Store, buying those that catch my eye. I'll test when possible, and give precedence to those that are on sale (saving the names of those I'll have to pass up due to price). What I hope to have is a nice bunch of games to play along with a goodly amount of games to purchase later. I already have about $8 in Apple bucks, so I'll be able to get a few games if I so wish.
Now in the past week I've already picked two games (although I only paid for one). The first is Zenonia 3by Gamevil, an excellent Secret of Mana-type game with a ton of content (four character classes, items to combine, multiple quests, a multi-floor dungeon called the Execution Room, skill trees, and more). There were two versions, paid and free, so naturally I got the free. So far the game is excellent, and the amount of stuff to do is staggering considering the price of the game (.99 cents and free). I cannot recommend this game enough to lovers of the genre.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/a0qaJtiWM-s&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/a0qaJtiWM-s&rel=0</a>]]>
The second game is Aralon - Sword and Shadow by Crescent Moon Games, an Oblivion-style third-person action/RPG. Naturally with these types of games (as with all touch-screen games, I reckon) there is a question about the usability of the controls, but in this case it is all for naught. The controls are fine (though they would be better on an iPad), and more than enough to get one through the game (or at least the hour that I played). I have to be honest, while there are other Oblivion-style games on the App Store, this one was on sale for .99 cents (down from $4.99).
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/p5mvEp_eZps&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/p5mvEp_eZps&rel=0</a>]]>
I've still got a couple bucks (and more coming) so I'll follow the breadcrumb-trail of App Store and Youtube links to find some great games.
[UPDATE] Apparently a bunch of companies in the App Store are having a Labor Day sale, so I'll check those out either tonight or tomorrow. Also, Aralon is back up to $4.99.
1) Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (360)
2) Red Dead Redemption (360)
3) Deus Ex: The Conspiracy (PS2)
4) Sonic Spinball (Gen)
5) Gears of War II (360)
6) Front Mission (DS)
7) Halo Wars (360)
8 ) Ico (PS2)
9) Kessen (PS2)
10) Brutal Legend (360)
11) Fallout: New Vegas (360)
12) The Lion King (Gen)
13) Sonic 3 (Gen)
14) OOT/Yoshi Story
15) Deus Ex: Human Revolution (360)
16) Marvel VS Capcom 3
17) Portal
18) Beautiful Katimari
19) Contra (NES)
20) Gears Of War (360)
Time is winding down, and i highly doubt i'm gonna be able to finish...especially with a long work week coming up. I had to cut perfect dark off the list...my cart keeps freezing up every 30 seconds. Brutal Legend is on the last mission and im stuck. Front mission, Yoshi Story/OoT, kessen, and ico are all games im not even gonna try and finish now. But lets focus on what did get beaten since last update
Fallout: New Vegas:
If you have ever played Bethsida's other franchise, the Elder Scrolls, picture that with guns and you have fallout. I played fallout 3 for a while...although all i did was kill everything and neglect the story because, well, it bored me...a lot. New Vegas' storyline was amazing by comparison. Hooked from minute one, the killing spree had to wait until i finished...speaking of which...im waiting for the DLC to go on sale so i can keep playing ^_^
Pros: Open world, Great Story, Graphics, Control.
Cons: Fighting still doesn't feel ...right
Gears 2:
Brilliant. Play It.
Pros: Everything
Cons: Needs more Cole Train.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution:
It begs to say that I started the Deus Ex Series with Invisible War for xbox. the case was shiny, and the guy in gamestop said it was good...the price was right and i played it...straight through without sleeping. Eventually i picked up the first game (see above list), played halfway though....then inexplicably stopped. haven't picked it up since.
Human Revolution was different. I preordered it the day it was announced (last game i preordered was Halo 2...i don't buy launch day games) Since it came out last tuesday, Ive been playing it off and on, picking up Dracula X for turbografx CD in between it and work ( and hurricane prep / tornado warnings).
This was by far, the most action packed game I've played in a while. even the downtime between missions doesn't seem like downtime. The storyline twisted more times than my intestines after taco bell. the gameplay was wonderful. The controls took a bit to get used to, but were fluid after an hour or so.
The enemies were a bit stupid at times though...and to hell with the boss fights. NOT FUN!. The philosophical endings left a bit to be desired...and looked like they came straight out of metal gear solid's flashback sequences. It diddnt click that this was a prequel until the after credits bonus however...which makes it even cooler...and drives me to put The Conspiracy in the PS2 after work tonight.
Pros: Stealth, Badass Costume, Storyline
Cons: AI, Boss Fights
With some diligent playing, i may be able to slug a few more out before the september 6th deadline (school starts >.>). lets see how it goes....
Till next time
~Neo
Official backlog count: 206
Bomba's List is just that: a list. It's not really dumber and certainly not smarter than other lists on the Internet, but it is the only one that is titled "Bomba's List." Also, there are more commas and parenthesis used in my lists. Welcome to Bomba's List.
Bonehead Moves has to do with stupid decisions. While all the following decisions were made out of ignorance, all were sufficiently dumb and embarrassing enough to be labeled "Bonehead Moves." I'd like to focus on games I played, rather than mistakes I made while collecting (which would be too numerous). Let's begin.
GTAIII - Remember the game you played for months on end, forsaking all others? GTAIII was mine. I played it (and it alone) for nearly eleven months, only stopping to pick up the next game in the series (Vice City). You'd think I knew the game in and out, right? I did. Well, everything in and out save the "X" button. Yep, that would be the run button (hold to run, tap to sprint). Guess what? This continued well into Vice City, until a good friend pointed it out, then pointed at me and laughed. Man, all those times I had to run for my life (slowly), jumping around like an idiota trying to dodge bullets. The moral: read the instruction booklet, for it contains many truths.
Dragon Warrior - This was the first RPG game I played (I've never counted Adventure), which I rented based on the great artwork featured in Nintendo Power. It came with no booklet, so I thought I could wing it, so to speak. How hard could it be? The good thing is I figured out the battle combos. You know, the combinations on the D-pad that allows you to do critical damage. I didn't the combo every time, mind you, but I did hit it enough to keep it going.
Final Fantasy - This remains one of my favorite RPGs. Not because it looks good, or did anything revolutionary, but because I played it a lot when I was a kid. I played it for months, all in one-hour increments (two one the weekends), all the way the end. However, in one section I was nearly reduced to tears, all over a simple misunderstanding. Take a close look at the picture below. See the prices, and how they smash together with the Level of the spell? Based on this picture (which comes from the Nintendo Power Final Fantasy Strategy Guide), I spend weeks working towards saving up to buy level 6 spells. I would still be doing it, had I not tried buying the spells without the required cash. Stupid, right? It should be my dumbest, but the next one takes the taco.
Simon's Quest - I received this game as an Easter present in 1990. It was a surprise, mainly because I normally didn't receive anything on holidays outside of Christmas. I never opened the game. See, I had another game in mind, one that was a port of an arcade title I had spent far too much change on. That game was Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road. Yep, I did that. This was the biggest Bonehead Move for two reasons, the first is I had Nintendo Power, so there can be no feigns of ignorance. Second, I stupidly talked the game up as my Mom drove me to Toy's R Us to exchange Simon's Quest for (ick) Victory Road. All I could think about was the tens of dollars of fun I had on the arcade version. For those who've experienced the travesty that is Victory Road, there need be no further explanation. I'd call it the E.T. of the NES, but that would be Urban Champion (duh), plus E.T. looked better than Victory Road. Hm. You'd think I would feel better after getting that load off, but I feel worse. I'm going to take a shower.
I always thought that it would be cool to write a book about my life, not that I have lived an especially exciting one but we all have stories that would translate into good reading. Of course that is never going to happen unless I write and publish the book myself but thanks to RF Gen and the internet I have an opportunity to at least share it with everyone on here.... Who knows maybe it will even lead to a book and movie deal..... maybe not.
I will be turning 30 this year and I thought that as a treat to myself that I would finally start to write down all the different memories that I have of growing up, or at least the ones that relate to my favorite past time, and now near obsession, video games.
I was born on a snowy December 29th day in Mission BC, it does not really have much to do with anything gaming related apart from the fact that I used to combine Christmas and Birthday money into bigger and better gifts, but more on that later. I have 1 older brother so it meant that I was able to get away with more than he was. I also had a minor health scare when I was young so I think that made my mom want to spoil me a bit more than my brother, or maybe it was just that I would ask for more than he would.
Continue reading Memories from 30 years of gaming Part 1
Well, the last weekend of August is here, and with that my Summer Gaming challenge whimpers out. I'm sad to say that although I went into this in June with guns blazing, I'm left with six of my ten games unfinished. Why did I fail to such a degree? For one thing I seemed to have chosen a lot of longer and more involved games. You'll notice that the ones I beat were a lot more arcade-style.
So let's take a look at what I'm left with...
Chrono Trigger is definitely the game I enjoyed most out of the unfinished pile. It's also the one I spent the most time on. Truth be told, it was one of the first Summer Games that I started playing in June. And I kept up with it on and off throughout the three months. In the end, I put fourteen good hours into it and made it up to the twin Golem boss fight. Unfortunately, I just didn't have the right equipment to finish the fight. And one thing that I hate doing is backtracking. So I ended up just sort of stalling right there. Admittedly, this is one game I do plan to eventually pick up and finish. Just not in the next few days.
After years of assuming it just wouldn't be my sort of game, I am now officially a fan of the Metal Gear Solid franchise. I found everything about the game utterly brilliant, and again I do plan to eventually finish this one as well. The hard truth is that I'm just not good at the game, no matter how much I like it. So even if it is considered a shorter game, it's taking me a lot longer than it probably should.
Duke Nukem 3D turns out to be a lot of fun. And I was playing it for the first time as all the hype about Duke Nukem Forever being a catastrophe was hitting hard. So that was interesting timing, too. I found the levels to be excellent, and basically it's the kind of FPS I really enjoy. However, like MGS, I'm just not great at FPS games. So each level would take me like an hour. It was slow progress and I stopped somewhere around one-fourth of the way through the PS1's extended version of the game. I don't know if I'll have finish the entire game, really. But I'm sure I'll revisit it and make more progress anyway.
I was warned not to include R-Type Delta on my list for the simple reason that I just would not be able to beat it. I laughed. Surely if I put some time into it and memorized levels and enemy patterns, I certainly could beat it! I had no problem making it through the first level without losing a ship. But level two. Woah. I lost them all. Fast. And as it turns out, Delta really is one big jerk of a game. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it's fun to take abuse. But there was no way I was going to beat this one.
Myst is a game I played for about fifteen minutes. And y'know what? I don't think I like it.
Unfortunately Silent Hill is the one game I didn't get a chance to start up. It's also the one game on my list that I had played some of prior to the challenge. At any rate, I obviously plan to play through this sometime in the future. I'm actually contemplating attempting a similar Winter Challenge later this year. So we'll see...
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