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Tracking my collection used to be something that I enjoyed doing. When I began tracking, I only had the GameCube due to my young self trading in games for newer ones. IGN was the place to be for collection tracking. I began viewing the GameFAQs forums in the NES section and it revitalized my love for the classic games played on their original system.
IGN worked well until they began running short on classic information. I began with Digital Press until they finally shut down their collection service. I tried Collectorz.com and it was fine until the trial finally ran out. I also tried out Cart Commander. I enjoyed it, but the manual process for all of my games got to be too much for so many games and a lack of hardware tracking. I had tried out RFGeneration before, but I didn't have much time with it and not even close to the personal organization to get it tracking the way I wanted it.
With more time with it, RFGeneration is just the place for me. I enjoy the forums, the small community, the vast amount of information, and the just plain odd things (I'm looking your way IRC Chat.) RFGeneration has rejuvenated my collection tracking enjoyment again. You don't have to note what is missing because there are already fields for game copies, manuals, and boxes. Plus with the option for our own blog or using the forums, we can post pictures of our stuff to share with those around us here.
My trouble now stems from reentering my stuff. Because I have stopped and started so many times, I just start over every time because I don't end up very far. I have things stored in 2 locations, so it is difficult to get everything together due to a simple lack of space in the house.
Most people have an inbox for their bills, I'm considering it for new games before they are shelved/boxed. I also have games in many various locations around the house that I don't find until later. Recently, I have discovered the hardware tracking at RFGeneration. I have not seen that anywhere and with the boxes of stuff everywhere, it just adds more to my list. Eventually, I'll get it all in if for nothing else but for insurance reasons.
While I would probably have been better off keeping to it from the beginning, the number of duplicates and shifting around my storage always made me lose track. I'll be able to take the initiative and enter everything soon enough, but with over 1000 games and a ton of consoles and accessories, it'll be a long trek to get there.
Our host has offered to upgrade our server for free. Better yet, the new server will be 10 dollars cheaper a month. Needless to say, we're moving servers. Image Submissions are disabled until we finish the move, which hopefully will be wrapped up by the end of Tuesday. Other things should remain online since the mySQL tables are pretty portable. We'll keep you posted to the changes, and if anything should go awry, our emergency blog will have the information you're probably going to be looking for. We don't anticipate any significant downtime, but it's always good to be prepared.
Thanks for supporting us, and we hope to see you on the flip side of the server move.
|  History of the Video Game Console
-- The 1970s -- |
The 1970s marked the beginning of home video gaming as we know it today. Ralph Baer, uniformly known as the father of the video game console, created and developed the infamous Brown Box, which would later become the revolutionary Magnavox Odyssey. Few could honestly admit that this humble beginning would result in the multi-billion dollar market of today. The advent of the microprocessor proved to be the key.
While some focused on mastering their dance moves to impress at the local Disco, others devoted their time in developing the first microprocessor and the C programming language. Their efforts resulted in the birth of modern computing. For once, the electronic components that once occupied more than 15,000 square feet of warehouse space was made available to the general public at a reasonably affordable rate in the form of the home computer. This technological jump enabled the creation of the home video game console. Many companies entered into this fledging market hoping to capitalize on this newly developed technology - some with greater success than others. The decade spawned myriads of PONG systems and also introduced us to a new world - programmable cartridge based systems (which this article focusing upon). Gone were the days of the dedicated console and ushered in were the true parents of today's hardware. Fairchild Semiconductors was the first to introduce us to this advancement in the form of their Video Entertainment Center (Channel F), but Atari ended up being the king of this era with the release of the Video Computer System (2600). The decade marked another significant feat - the beginnings of globalization within the gaming community. Not only were systems released in various countries, but the first BBS (bulletin board system) enabled gamers from around the world to share their video game experiences via text forums. The following takes a quick snapshot of each main console (or technology) that was released during this decade.
| | 1972 - Magnavox Odyssey |      | 
| The granddaddy of the home video game console. There were no processors in this system - just a series of transistors, resistors and capacitors. Pin-outs were contained on the individual game cards and graphical output was produced with white blocks against a black background. Plastic colored overlays were provided to put over your television screen to enhance the graphics a bit. |  | Fun Fact: Consumers were told that this system would only work with Magnavox brand televisions, which was completely inaccurate. | | | 1975 - PC-50X Family |    | 
| Improvements to the initial General Instruments AY-3-8500 (PONG) chip resulted in more game variations on this classic format. Manufacturers wised up made a breakthrough - include the new chip(s) on cartridges. This eliminated the need to develop a new system for every chip and significantly drove down cost. There were a total of eight chip variations that were produced and the pin-out cartridges contained up to 10 games. |  | Fun Fact: The initial models still only output the games in black and white. Later technological enhancements added color (4 colors) and sound. | | | 1976 - Fairchild Video Entertainment System (Channel F) |   | 
| The Fairchild Video Entertainment System (later changed to Channel F) was the first console to feature programmable cartridges. Featuring built-in games, 8' controller cords and being the first to utilize microprocessor technology, the Channel F was quite innovative at the time of its release. The following year the Atari Video Computer System (specifically named this way to directly compete against Fairchild's similarly entitled system) put the stake through this fledgling console's heart. |  | Fun Fact: Andrew Grove and Robert Noyce, two employees of Fairchild Semiconductors, would eventually start a new company that some of you may have heard of: Intel. | | | 1976 - RCA Studio II | | 
| RCA lost the race to Fairchild Semiconductors to produce the first programmable console available to the public. The Studio II lacked controllers and relied upon the built-in numeric keypad to control the action. Another glaring fault of this system is the black and white video output. Though it has been proven that a few games were designed for color, RCA's rush to get this product to market resulted in the absence of this basic feature. |  | Fun Fact: Ralph Baer, the designer of the Odyssey, originally approached RCA to be the initial manufacturer of his new system. RCA declined and the rest is a bad RCA memory. | | | 1976 - 1292 APVS Family | | 
| The 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System (APVS) family of consoles was basically Europe's answer to the Fairchild Channel F. The initial developer, a German company called Radofin, was one of the first companies to license programmable hardware technology to many other companies (much like The 3DO Company did with Panasonic and Goldstar). This strategy produces extremely positive results as nearly 25 different models were produced by various manufacturers. |  | Fun Fact: The Emerson Arcadia, released in 1982, was first believed to be a 1292 clone since it uses the same Signetics CPU. In fact, the Arcadia's coprocessor was an upgrade. | | | 1977 - Atari Video Computer System (2600) |  | 
| Atari's mother ship set the standard for programmable based video game systems in the 1970s. Code named 'Stella' (after one of the designer's bicycle), the 2600 was the first system to come close to delivering an arcade experience in the comforts of one's living room. This would not have been possible if it wasn't for Warner Communication. Atari Inc., experiencing significant cash flow problems, approached the media giant who eventually purchased the company and completed development of this classic system. |  | Fun Fact: In 1982, Atari changed the name of this console in Atari 2600 due to the fact that their newly released system as dubbed the Atari 5200. | | | 1977 - Bally Home Library Computer (Professional Arcade Astrocade) | | 
| The Home Library Computer was designed by Bally's video game division Midway (creators of the infamous Mortal Kombat series). The technology was quite impressive for the time and rivaled the popular Atari 2600 in terms of graphical output. The most innovative facet of this system is its multi-functional 'pistol' controller, featuring a trigger action button and a multi-directional joystick know that could also serve as a paddle controller. Bally suffered from lack of arcade license support (Atari ate these up) and eventually could not compete. |  | Fun Fact: Though the cartridges resemble audio cassettes, they are in fact just regular carts. They were designed this way to prevent cart damage (they do not protrude at all). | | | 1978 - Magnavox Odyssey 2 Philips VideoPac | | 
| The Odyssey 2 was the first console to incorporate a full alpha-numeric keyboard along with its initial hardwired joystick controllers. Though technically inferior to the rival Atari 2600, the Odyssey 2 did feature flicker-free graphics, a point its competitor could not make. This console was very successful and was manufactured throughout the world by notable companies including Philips, Radiola and Schneider. This was also the first console to actively market itself as an educational toll in addition to its programming ability. |  | Fun Fact: Almost all of the games for were written by one person - Ed Averett, a former Intel employee who worked closely in the development of the O2's Intel 4040 processor. | | | 1978 - Interton VC-4000 |   | 
| It is undetermined if the German based company Interton developed this system on its own, or if they licensed the 1292 APVS technology from Radofin. There are minor differences in the cart size and programming, but few would argue that it is anything but a sibling of the 1292 APVS. The VC-4000 was mildly successful, with models released in Europe, Australia and Argentina among others. |  | Fun Fact: The Interton VC-4000 is considered to be in the 1292 APVS Family of consoles though there are some minor compatibility differences in cart size and game releases. | | | 1978 - APF Imagination Machine | |  | APF Electronics jumped into the video game craze with their release of the APF-M1000 console in 1978. This 8-bit system was designed to compete against the heavyweight Atari 2600. It did not even come close. But what makes this system unique is the addition of the APF MP-10 computer add-on that was released in 1979. The base console could be docked into this module to create a hybrid computer, one of the first of its kind. |  | Fun Fact: Although the APF IM game library only contains 15 official releases, many more applications were available made available by its extremely active home-brew community. | | 1979 - Bandai Super Vision 8000 |  |  | The Bandai Super Vision 8000 debuted in 1979 and was the very first programmable game cartridge system released in Japan. This timeline (1979) and notoriety (initial entry and the developer, Bandai) may be a surprise to some simply due to the fact that Japan has been a leader in video game technology for some time, with big hitters Nintendo and Sega in the fold. Though technically superior to the competition, the high price tag ($1.3K in USD comparable in 1979) quickly doomed this console after just one year of production. |  | Fun Fact: Due to its controller design, some feel that this is a clone of the Intellivision, when in fact the Super Vision 8000 was released prior to Mattel's system. | | | 1979 - Mattel Intellivision | |  | The chief challenger to the Atari 2600, the Intellivision sported new disc controllers (either loved or hated by gamers) and superior graphical and auditorial capabilities. With few attractive arcade or movie licenses available to them due to Atari's aggressive nature in this field, Mattel had to rely upon lesser known titles but did produce an innovative add-on - the Atari 2600 Adaptor. The library of compatible games now more tripled for this system and the Intellivision would continue to sell into the 1990s. |  | Fun Fact: After possibly copying their controller design of the Super Vision 8000, Mattel approached Bandai to be the exclusive distributor of the Intellivision in Japan. | | |
The 1970s ended up being one of the most influential decades in the history of video gaming hardware. Technological breakthroughs abounded and successes (and at times failures) of companies that participated during this time helped inspire behemoths like Nintendo and Sega to develop into the gaming force they would become in the following decade. Dancing was definitely a driving force during this time period - thank goodness the programmers fingers and not the John Travolta wannabes ended up standing the test of time.
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I thought it was time I gave Burn:Cycle a try as I'd heard good things about it, and whilst I've had the CDi for quite a while it's never had much love. I'd picked it up as part of a deal with a boxed Sega Saturn and a handful of games.Burn:Cycle was released in 1994, and it shows it's age, coupling FMV sequences with VR imagery that could have come straight from Lawnmower Man, albeit with fewer chrome reflection effects. It's not terrible, but it's not exactly easy on the eyes either, favouring reds and blues, and not much else.
The look and feel is total cyberpunk, exactly right for the era; 80s 'what the hell are you wearing?' fashions; Hollywood style technobabble; a fairly predictable plot - data thief infected with a computer virus that's set to kill him must find out why before the 'cure' can be found.
The opening of the game sets you up for exactly how the rest of it will play out - make a few random clicks around the screen, interact with a couple of objects, turn around and get instantly killed.
GAME OVER
Get used to the sight of that, you'll be seeing it a lot. The 2 hour real time dead line for the game means that it's artificially lengthened by a punishing difficulty and frequent insta-death(tm) I'd forgotten just how annoying games can be when they get the basics wrong.
The save/restore mechanism is absolutely dire, using the point and click system like it does you can lose precious seconds just navigating around the menus, and the lack of 'snap to' on the default options is a serious omission.
The scenery makes navigating extremely difficult, amd the point and click interface means that you don't always head off where you think you're going, nor is it easy to see entrances to new areas. I've frequently had to resort to a walkthrough to find where I need to be going, but once there the puzzles are reasonably entertaining.
The game is frequently let down by 'Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins' accents, I just can't abide them, and find them incredibly jarring. What is it about games designers that think they can get away using a friend of a friend for a voice over? And why is it that the only English accents that exist outside the real world are either Queen's english, or Cockney?
The sad thing is I really wanted to like this game, I'm a huge fan of cyberpunk. I grew up reading William Gibson novels, I played Cyberpunk and Shadowrun RPGs on paper, my first email address alias was 'thecount@someuniversity.ac.uk' and no end of home electronics projects ended up in matt black boxes with an Ono Sendai brand label applied somewhere discrete
End Result
Total play time: 9 hours
Bad English accents: 3
Deaths by meteor: Millions
'Screw you!s' shouted at the screen in frustration: Too many to remember
Final Verdict
It's a passable game spoiled by a poor interface and an incredibly frustrating level of difficulty. In it's day it was probably incredible, but is now over shadowed by current gen cgi and an audience expecting much more in the way of interactivity.
In the spirit of my "The Best System Ever" series, we, as a community, will choose the BEST video game character... EVER!!! "But, there are so many," one might say... Well, this is where the blog comes in.
YOU! The reader! You will submit 2 Nominations via the Comment box for the "Best of the Best" Poll/Tournament. You will say the character's name, the game or games that they are in (or the series, ie Final Fantasy), and submit. Done! Hopefully, everyone's nomination can get in, provided that we have at least a few duplicates (hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge). Then, rounds will consist of 2 or 4 characters each, depending on the number originally submitted. The poll will progress to the next round after 5 days. Each character that is in a specific poll on a specific day will also be paired with a bio. This bio will have information on the character, as well as a picture, etc.
Now, the clincher; I'm giving you, the reader, the ability to submit a bio to be included in the polls. Granted, it will probably be cut down and reformatted, but you will receive credit, and lot's of it. I do this to cut down on time out of my studies.  Not all bios will need to be submitted, but if people are in a writing mood, then you can shoot me a PM with a bio in it on a specific character that is in any given poll. This will make the poll run a lot smoother, and it gets your name put out there! What a snazzy idea, right?! 
So, to push the snowball down the hill, my two picks are... (drumroll):
-Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog series)
and
-Mario (Mario series).
Let's see those Nominations people, and may the best man (or rather, character) win!
I'm well aware this is old news, but I wanted to post it anyways. So, last month, Gamestop had a promotion targeted at women titled "Sharpen the mind; shape the body", which was targeted at women. Basically, you get a free subscription to Oprah or some other magazine women would be interested in if you buy X amount of DS or Wii stuff. Obviously, GameStop's core market is not females, so GameStop's HQ sent out this pathetically sexist training video to all their stores, informing employees how to sell things to females.
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/9BqkPm0owi4&rel=0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/9BqkPm0owi4&rel=0</a>]]>
If the video wasn't good enough for you, then check after the break for an (NSFW) version with some hilarious commentary.
Continue reading Late to the Party: How GameStop Targets Women
<![CDATA[<a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?umid=310679" target="_blank">http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?umid=310679</a>]]>
You know, Mega Man 2 is fantastic. Absolutely and completely fantastic. Well, there is this video of Mega Man 2.5D. Doesn't it look amazing? Too bad Capcom isn't the one developing it. If only they'd let this development continue to completion. Have a blind eye, just like Nintendo did for Mother 3.
Well, today is St. Patrick's Day. It's a lovely day, really, and regardless of if you're Irish or not it is a fantastic excuse to get drunk, provided of course you're of the legal age. We at RF Generation want you to know that underage drinking is bad, and if you do it beware the consequences. Anyways, hit the jump if you want to delve further into my aside.
Continue reading It's St. Patrick's Day. Why not some Games with Your Drinks?
| Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A I glance up at the two ready-for-action commandos displayed on the title screen, hoping for some type of manly 'grunt' of acknowledgement for my efforts - I am awarded with nothing but silence. With apprehension I take a quick look down at the crumpled code page from Electronic Gamer straddling my lap. "Try pressing the 'Start' button after the code like we told you" the text lectured back to me. OK, point made. I proceed as directed and again wait patiently for what seemed to be an eternity (in reality it was about three seconds) for the magic to now happen. Yahtzee!! I see my freedom fighter start off on level 1 with 30 lives instead of the rather measly, standard allotment of 3! Time to go dole out some pain and punishment to the heathens!!! |  |
I can still vividly remember the extreme rush I felt when activating that legendary Konami cheat code while playing Contra on my Nintendo Entertainment System as described above. This article focuses on just that - extraordinary video gaming moments you will never forget. All gamers have experienced them, each being unique with different drivers.
As some of you may know, I am an old school gamer - literally. I had the pleasure of growing up during the advent of the video game console and have experienced first hand each new technological breakthrough in this arena. This doesn't make me an expert - far from it. It just means that I am old. The following are just a few of my more memorable gaming moments that I remember to this day as though it just happened yesterday evening. Some describe the pure excitement derived from solving an exceptionally difficult levelboss to simply being blown away by the technology. I chose 'adrenaline' moments for each era, listed chronologically. | 1975 - Atari PONG |  A standard December gathering at my Uncle Glenn's home? Not! A steady stream from 'Aqualung' by Jethro Tull was the replacement for the more traditional, tranquil holiday offerings (much to my Grandmother Alice's dismay). The showstopper occurred when he fired up his newly acquired Atari PONG system. Though I was quite young, I remember being amazed by what I eventually saw on his 19" black and white television screen - PONG. The adults pretty much monopolized the gaming that evening, but my cousin Rob and I finally got our chance just before we had to leave. We basically stunk and it was a miracle when we could manage a total of three consecutive volleys. Still, it was pure joy and heaven for us.
| 1977 - Atari 2600 : Air-Sea Battle |  My friend Steve (a.k.a. P-Man) was the first to have access to the new line of cartridge based systems - the Atari 2600. Drago (another neighborhood crony) and I were pumped about this and itching to play. Now Steve screwed up somehow on the home front very soon after this acquisition. He was not allowed to have any of us mates over at all for one entire month - plus the 2600 was off limits to him as well. Talk about cruel and unusual punishment! The day finally arrived when 'our' sentence was over and we could hunker down and experience this new technology. We were not disappointed. The graphics for us were astonishing and when the time counter started to blink in those last 16 seconds of the round - pure adrenaline!
| 1987 - Nintendo Entertainment System : Castlevania II Simon's Quest |  This classic is either loved or hated by Castlevania fans. More of an RPG (role playing game) than the standard actionadventure fair the series is known for, tackling this game is not an easy task. One particularly frustrating section for me was being stuck in front of a death-inviting lake with no where to go. I starting chucking holy water and just about everything else I had in my sack into that cesspool to no avail. Trial and error button combinations were then deployed at this despised location. By a stroke of pure luck I finally issued the 'Kneel Down' command at the left hand side of this pool - a magical walkway under the raging current miraculously appeared! Thank the heavens for this since I was really getting sick of beating through those werewolves and goblins every time 'Day' turned into 'Night' (which seemed to happen every 4 minutes or so).
| 1992 - Nintendo Super Entertainment System : Super Star Wars |  This game is extraordinarily difficult, to the point of being frustrating at times. One poorly timed jump and it was instant death for my Jedi hero. Thank goodness it contained one of the best Easter Eggs in the history of video games (in my humble opinion) - "The Cave of 99 Free Lukes". Following the directions as outlined in my Game Informer magazine, I bravely stepped off the specified cliff and furiously cranked on the Left directional button as my Padawan plummeted downward. At the last moment before it was 'goodbye Luke', I spotted the ledge to the secret cave entrance, barely making it to safe ground. I would not be disappointed. With proton blaster in hand, I unleashed the weapon's fury into the blank recesses of this grotto and 'Free Lukes' starting appearing everywhere!! To this very day that is one of the best rushes I have ever had.
| 1994 - Panasonic 3DO : Shock Wave |  I admit it - I was the first in line at my local Electronics Boutique to buy this system for $699 upon its launch back in 1993. Not a good move, I know. But when I first fired up Shock Wave, I was completely blown away! Yes, FMV (Full Motion Video) had already been introduced in earlier systems, but the Panasonic 3DO did take it to the next level back in the day. The intro alone was impressive, making me feel like I was the star protagonist in an actual movie. When my star fighter absorbed its first 'neon-green proton' hit, my squad Commander promptly appeared in my HUD (Heads Up Display) and barked at me "This is not a game Lieutenant!!". At that point I was hooked. (Side note: Does anyone else think that Commander was kind of hot?)
| 1994 - Panasonic 3DO : Out of this World |  Though I did not want to include two 3DO games in this listing, I would be remiss if I did not include this experience in this article. From the moment the artistic polygon animations were displayed in the intro, I was roped in. In gaming sessions with my buddies Drago and Cola, we collectively beat through this game until we hit the wall. Our Lester, in a prone position, was presented in a domed room and was subjected to an almost instantaneously electrocution. Almost two hours later, despite all the running, blaster fire, throwing up force fields, etc. we were still getting fried in this room of pain. Cola's turn was up and we were prepared for more of the same, except Drago uttered two words in an almost inquisitive voice - "crawl backwards". Yessss!! Our Lester finally avoided the lethal charge and was gratefully free to exit from this living hell.
| 1996 - Sony Playstation : King's Field |  I admit to being somewhat of a fanboy of this series, but this game truly rocks. The Playstation has been recently released in the US and King's Field was one of the first to exploit the true power of this fledgling console. Upon firing up this FP (First Person) RPG game I was greeted with dark, ominous music that appropriately set the tone for my upcoming adventure. After a so-so intro the screen fades from black to reveal the brooding island that I have been shipwrecked upon. I was amazed as I maneuvered my viewpoint to check out my local surroundings. This was one of my first experiences with FP technology (to this degree) and I have been a fan ever since. This was truly a treat for all of my senses, right up until the point where I took my first three steps and plunged to my death in the icy cold waters of Melanat.
| 2001 - Sony Playstation 2 : Grand Theft Auto III |  Everyone knows this game so I won't spend any time prefacing this classic. Sure, I had run over old ladies with walkers in Road Rash and had my share fair of fun decapitating foes in Mortal Kombat, but this was nothing compared to the mayhem that awaited me in Grand Theft Auto III. Sniping innocent civilians was a blast, but what I remember most was being astonished by the size of the gaming arena known as Liberty City - it was HUGE and mine to exploreexploit as I saw fit. Thank goodness I enjoy this explorative aspect of video gaming since I frequently found myself completely lost in this sprawling city navigating my 'Stallion' without any real type of plan. (I do admit that my favorite part of this game is still taking off the limbs of pedestrians with my Sniper rifle.)
| 2006 - Microsoft Xbox 360 : The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |  From the very moment I was able to control my paladin in the dark dungeon recesses at the very onset of this game, pure ecstasy is the only way I can describe it. Though I rather prefer the surreal atmosphere of its predecessor (Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind) to the 'Sound of Music' environment now presented to me, I can't help but to find myself almost being able to smell the dandelions as I make my way through the foothills of Cyrodiil. Now this is what 'Next Gen' is all about!
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The preceding blurbs depict just a few of my most prized gaming experiences and recollections. As stated earlier, the trigger to these can be almost anything - success with a cheat code, the thrill at dispelling a nasty Boss to even your combatant's demise during an online session of Halo. The drivers change from individual to individual. There is one commonalty though - let these gems keep on happening!
Let's hear about your standout moments in gaming!
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Love them or hate them, zombies have been in video games since the early eighties and don't look like they're going anywhere any time soon. In Valve's latest release, Left 4 Dead, you play as one of four survivors during the zombie apocalypse. Left 4 Dead features four scenarios where you must guide the survivors to a designated spot to be picked up before they are overwhelmed by the zombie horde. Left 4 Dead is a first person shooter, developed by Valve owned Turtle Rock Studios, using the Source engine. Left 4 Dead received a number of awards for it's multiplayer modes at the end of 2008, but is the game really worth your while? Let's take a look at the game and find out...
Continue reading Review: Left 4 Dead
 is Evil
Everyone wants things on the cheap. After all, we are going through some tough economic times right now. When you see an add that says "Playstation 3 sold for $32.50! Visit now!", you are immediately drawn in. A PS3, for less than list, and it looks legit?! Is this possible?! Well, my friend, I am here to tell you how...
You see, the site we are talking about is none other than Swoopo, which just so happens to be more vile and evil than e(vil)bay itself. Swoopo is a relatively new site, founded in 2005 for German bidders, with it coming to the States in September of 2008. It is not a normal bidding site, AT ALL. See, on a bidding site like ebay, each item is posted by another user. Then, you, the buyer, bids on said item. After that, you pay the buyer, who then pays fees to ebay and ships you the item. That's normal.
This is how Swoopo works:
You are you. Swoopo is swoopo. There is no seller other than swoopo. You buy from the company that is swoopo, not some other seller. Every bid you place raises the price of the item by $0.15, or $0.01, if it is a penny auction. It also, if there is less than 20 seconds left on the auction left, it brings the time back up to 20 seconds. Oh, and I almost forgot... Each bid costs you, the bidder $0.75!
So, we have all of these different factors, correct? What is wrong with this, then? Well, it's the basic fact that, if a penny auction makes it to $175.92, that's 17592 bids at $.75 each, on say, an Item that costs $899.99 for them to buy. That's $13,369.92 income on one item on swoopo's end, which figures to nearly 1400% profit! Meanwhile, 17591 or so people have been shafted because they all payed money to get nothing! Then, the winner has gotten truly lucky, because they managed to bid last and not have anyone else re-bid again, which resets the clock again to 20 seconds.
Well, the authorities in many places have caught on. In England, swoopo was investigated as an unregistered gambling site, and let off the hook. This is where you come in. What are your feelings on this evil, dastardly, bastardly site? Will you sign up, and see if you can nab a deal? If you think so, then you may be right. The chances are slim, but you might just get the deal of your lifetime, or at least, your day.
[IMAGE]
This is the second (technically third) installment of The People of RFGeneration. I went with one of our Canadian members Link41 aka Aaron . It should be noted that the number of members who live in Canadia is small (18 members on the World Map, which more people need to use so i would know how accurate i am being...) but growing. Before they grow any larger we must absorb them into the U.S.of A... and steal their health care!
I've talked with him both inside and outside of the chat and had a pretty strange and interesting convo, mostly related to his college classes. So I decided he could be the next at bat.
Alright lets get to it I guess.
Q:How did you find RFGeneration?
A: I was looking for a site to document my collection online back around Christmas '08, and a fellow member of this site, suggested RFGeneration.
Q:What made you join?
A: I took a look at the site, after receiving info from sunfireman. I was amazed at all the collectors that were here, not only that, but the Database was loaded with games I had and/or needed.
Q:What made you stay?
A: Honestly? The forum and the chat. I am in the chat almost everyday, also I enjoy having my collection right at my fingertips!
Q:Have you met or personally know any of the other members of the website?
A: I know sunfireman, he is also a parrysounder. I am starting to get to know lots of other members, that is why I'm on the chat so much.
Q:Are you an active game collector? If so anything specific?
A: I am an active game collector, I currently have 11 consoles, and 314 games. I collect alot of Nintendo games and consoles. I am however looking to start collecting the Sega consoles and possibly the Atari consoles. I am looking to catch up to den68, his collection is massive!
Q:Whats your favourite game or series? Why?
A: I have to pick The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time as my favourite game, as for my favourite series, I would go with either: Zelda, Resident Evil, Metroid, or Final Fantasy. Ocarina got me into gaming back in 1998, when it came out. I played everyday after school. After I beat the game I was like "I wonder if any other games are good?" and the rest is history. I love alot of game series, so I narrowed it down to four!
Q:Why is the chat your second home!?!
A: I like meeting new people, and discussing new games. I happen to have found a nice community here, I like chatting on the IRC, and posting on the forum. I have made a few friends on here so far, I'm very impressed with the site thus far.
Q:What are your passions?
A: I LOVE the outdoors, biking, snowmobiling, four-wheeling, swimming, reading, my morning jogs, my schooling, video games, my family, my friends, going to bar with my friends. I guess that pretty much sums it up. I am certainly a pretty common guy
Q:What do you do outside of RFG?
A: I am currently attending school for forensics, I also work part-time at a store 99% of you have never even heard of. Giant Tiger is where I work, it is fun. I like to go and spend time with the girlfriend and my family whenever I get the chance. I have four brothers, so I am used to having a shadow 
Q:What made you decide to go into forensics?
A:At first,I just wanted to become a cop, but I soon realized I wanted more. Over the past few years,I became a fan of CSI, I was amazed at the procedures that went into solving crimes. I enrolled for the course in 2007 and I haven't looked back. 
Q:What is the creepiest thing you have learned so far from this course?
A: lol, gross is a pretty loose term in forensics. I thought assisting in autopsy's would be the worst, but as it turns out there was something worse. I had forgot that after a DB has been dead for around an hour, his muscles begin to relax and urine and feces then come out. That happened during my first examination of a dead body, needless to say I was one of the many students who threw up in class. Not such a great day.
GAMING FIRSTS UPDATE
So i thought of some questions a few nights ago at work. One of my coworkers asked me what the first game i beat was and then the rest of these popped into my head in rapid succession. They will be standard from now on When Eddie sends me back the response i will update his interview as well
Q: What was the first game you played and on what system and how old were you?
A: The very first game I played was Super Mario Bros on NES. I was on my March break in 1995, and my family was visitng some relatives down south and I went to see what my cousins were doing up in their room, it turns out they were playing two player SMB. I just stood in awe over the game, it was like a cartoon only 100 times better!
Q:First console owned?
A: I received my first console at Christmas 1998. I got an Nintendo 64 and a copy of The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. I was hooked on games from that point on! I would rush home from school as fast as possible to play more! I was addicted.
Q:First game you bought yourself?
A: Well I bought my first game and bought my first conole at the same time. I purchased a PS2 in 2003 and I bought WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth to go with it. In the months that followed, I had started to build my collection into the one you can see today.
Q:What made you decide to buy that particular game?
A: I was a HUGE fan of WWE up until 2006, then I jumped to UFC and TNA. I thought the games was awesome, having had a few N64 wrestling games. I wanted to see what the next gen was going to bring to the table.
Q:First game you beat?
A:...hmm. I know! Pokemon Red. I had borrowed my friends Game Boy Color while he went to Florida with his family, so I promised I would get him some good pokemon. I beat the game in just 2 days, I did set him up with the legendarys, who I caught with master balls. I used that missingno cheat on Cinnabar Island, and made 99 master balls!
Q:First time you wanted to destroy something because of a game?
A: I wanted to break my NES Zapper before....I just hate that Duck Hunt dog soooooo much!
You know, I'm playing through Metroid Fusion for the first time in years and it just hit me-- this is a survival/horror game.
That's right I said it. I don't really know how I didn't realize this. Perhaps it was because that strays so far from people's perception of what Metroid games are 'supposed to be' that they are blinded from seeing what the individual games attempt to be. Take Metroid 2 for example. It is constantly panned for not being like Metroid or Super Metroid. It does it's own thing and people say it doesn't have the Metroid feel. It's kind of funny considering that belief has existed wayyyy before the release of Prime/Fusion etc. Was there ever a set pattern for what the Metroid games are supposed to be?
Not really. The main reason I can think of that people call Metroid 2 and Fusion radical is because they aren't like Super Metroid which is in many peoples' opinion one of the best game ever. Therefore people expect the newer releases to follow suit and attempt to emulate it's success.
And here is where Fusion comes in. It doesn't emulate Super Metroid, and like Metroid 2 it is it's own breed. Because people wanted it to be like Super Metroid or because they had this false perception of what the series 'should be' (me included), they missed what the game really was-- it was a freaking survival horror game.
Am I going mad? Not at all. The story starts out with Samus investigating an explosion on a space station after nearly dying due to a parasite attack which has rendered her extremely weak and without any weapons. From there she must stop the X parasites from inhabiting the other sectors of the research station and overrunning the place.
But then it becomes known that the X parasites are smart and out to kill her. One has mimicked her at full power (the SA-X) while the others begin destroying the download stations so she can't become more powerful to fight them. Pretty much the game turns into Samus fighting for her survival while avoiding the SA-X which is actively hunting her. ADAM (the computer) constantly informs her of her chance of survival (consistently low) and is doing as much in his power to help her survive as he can, all the while trying to have her save the station from destruction.
But really... the majority of the game is Samus running from the SA-X in an attempt to survive and become powerful enough to confront the thing. There are instances where Samus might encounter it and have to run otherwise she'd die instantly. There are instances when the X parasites infiltrate other sectors in an attempt to stop Samus from obtaining upgrades. Often times you have to disobey ADAM in order to avoid being killed by the SA-X.
The game is linear, but this is because Samus only has so many options as to where to go. The download stations available for her upgrades are the ones which the X haven't destroyed, the paths she takes throughout the station are intended to help her flee from her pursuers, and pretty much as ADAM says himself 'survival is your main goal'.
I can't really do justice to this aspect of the game as much as I'd like to. I'm sure if you played the game again and really stopped to think about what is occurring story wise and even gameplay wise (such as where you are exploring and why), you'd realize that the majority of the game focuses on Samus' survival. The other major aspects are slowly unfolded through her attempts at surviving, similar to the way the story in any other survival horror game unfolds.
Comments, criticisms, and flaming all welcome.
Originally popularized in arcades during the nineties, fighting games have remained a popular genre to this day. With the recent release of Street Fighter IV and last weeks news that Midway has put Mortal Kombat up for sale, I've decided to focus the next few articles on these two popular fighting franchises. Street Fighter has been around for more than twenty years and was popularized due to it's fluid control and expertly balanced game play that would become even more polished with each release. This first article will look at the first four games in the Street Fighter series, according to the series timeline, which will cover the original Street Fighter from 1987 and the three Alpha games which were released between 1995 and 1997.
Continue reading Gaming in Retrospect 2: Street Fighter
This week's treasure hunting wasn't particularly successful. I did the rounds of all the usual shops, but I only managed to pick up a couple of PS1 games.
PS1
Trash It
Resident Evil
I only paid GBP1 for each of them, so that was good.
Spurred on by the lack of success I had a look through the cheap end of the games that CeX had in stock, and I picked up this lot for GBP15
XBox
Unreal II: The Awakening
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
Black
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
I already had a copy of Broken Sword, but sans manual, so this was a good opportunity to replace it. I'm making good progress on the incompletes, 56 remaining out of a total of 969 games.
PS2
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Getaway
Red Faction II
007 Nightfire
Half-life
Headhunter
There's nothing especially amazing amongst the PS2 stuff, but it was time just to pick up some of the cheap stuff while it's still easily available. On another note I did fantastically well with records, but that's not the point of this post.
Spend for the week: GBP17.00
Month: GBP17.00
Year: GBP295.36
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