Now, I like game music, and Super Mario Galaxy had some damn good music. Of that music, I probably like the Buoy Base Galaxy theme the best. It's certainly one of the better pieces of music of this current game generation.
Now, music is great and all, but wouldn't it be greater if it could be manifested through Mario Paint? Well, thank god it can, thank god that it can.
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Random Review: Dead Rising
My last review was a Famicom game, this one is 20 years newer and a totally different experience, but still a blast. Dead Rising was released August 8th 2006 for the Xbox 360 and at the time, was an exclusive for that system. It has since been announced that it will be coming to the Wii as "Dead Rising: Chop 'til You Drop". This game is huge and as my reviewing skills are not top notch yet, I probably will be excluding portions, but I'm trying more for a overall experience review anyway.
The Plot:
The plot of the game is essentially: you (an independent photojournalist, Frank West) come to a small isolated town via helicopter and after the US military forces your pilot to drop you off on the roof of the mall, you soon realize the town is infested with zombies. All you know is that you want to cover the story and the helicopter will return in 3 days. Through the game, you will uncover the mystery of the zombie outbreak if you do everything correctly, but if you don't finish a mission in time, the facts will be lost to you (and the rest of the world) forever. But, you can still finish the game and get a sub-par ending that inevitably ends in the destruction of the world. In addition to the regular missions, you can embark on numerous "side quests" rescuing survivors and killing psychopaths.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is simple; finish the missions and kill as many of the seemingly infinite zombies as you can before your 72 hours is up. But, there are a few aspects of the game that make it unique. The first is the RPG elements the game uses. As you gain "Prestige Points" in the game (by killing zombies, taking photos, killing psychopaths, rescuing survivors, or the other numerous ways) you gain abilities like increased health capacity, increased storage capacity and new fighting moves. These gained abilities are kept once you finish the game and start again, so you can go through the 72 hour mode as many times as you need to get the abilities to finish with the best ending.
The second feature that sets Dead Rising apart, is the weapons. Of course, there is the standard handgun, rifle and shotgun of any good zombie game, but there are also items like Molotov cocktails, katanas, swords and battle axes. But, that's not all, basically anything you can pick up is a weapon, whether it's a trash can, potted plant, 2' x 4', lead pipe or one of the other 250 items in the mall. Using everyday items to kill zombies is a blast, there's nothing like slicing a zombie down the middle with one fell swoop of your Katana or using a hole digger to skewer and zombie and use his spinning body to kill more zombies. This is definitely the best part of the game for me, on my first playthrough I didn't bother with the missions, I was having too much fun slamming faucets into zombies and watching them bleed out through it and cutting up hoards of them with chainsaws and lawn mowers.
Sound and Graphics:
The sound effects of the game are top notch. Zombies groans and moans seem to be all around you and the screams of distant survivors make it seem more real. The weapons all have their own sounds and they all sound pretty realistic.
This was my first Xbox 360 game, so the graphics blew me away at first, but after playing more games on the system, the graphics are pretty standard. Nothing super awesome, but everything is smooth and I didn't notice any kind of glitches in the game. There are numerous zombies which is nice (especially if you compare it to a game like RE4 where it seems there are only 5 different "zombies") and at first you may think they are all unique, but after a few hours into the game you'll start recognizing zombies by their appearance.
In conclusion, this is a very, very fun game and is definitely worth a pick up. I got my copy for $20 and it was well worth it. For me, it got a little boring and redundant after my 2nd playthrough, but I can see myself coming back to the game after a while.
I'm giving this game a 95% as it really is worth the money and if you've got a 360, you really do need this game. It's not a game you'll devote your life to playing, but it's good for many hours of play time.
 I'm sure you've heard the news about EGM being shut down in the whole UGO buying 1UP thing. For those who don't know, EGM's closing marks the end of a 20 year legacy and the passing of one of the biggest influences on gaming journalism (and gaming as a whole).
In honor of EGM's closing, the Drunken Gamers Radio podcast has dedicated this week's episode to reminisce on the glory years of the magazine and their early memories of it. In addition, hosts John, Moe, and Hilden bring in special guests and former EGM employees, "Trickman" Terry Minnich, Ken "Sushi-X" Williams, and Dan Hsu to talk about their time working at the magazine.
Many podcasts have dedicated themselves to the EGM/1UP closing, but DGR has done the best job of any of them. This podcast is highly recommended listening for everyone here since we all have a soft spot in our hearts for classic gaming. Even if you're not familiar with EGM, this podcast should help you realize just how big of an influence EGM had on the gaming world and how huge this closing really is.
You can find the episode on the iTunes Store or on their website at RobotPanic.com.
What are your memories of EGM and/or 1UP? Let us know in the comments.
See, we have this chat room on quakenet. It's a lovely chat, and if you dare you should really consider joining it. I mean, generally there is a level of absurdity that exists in our forum, but our chat takes that absurdity and trumps it in Spades. Don't believe me? Why not check out this discusison:
21:03] TraderShake: FAIL
[21:03] TraderCake: TraderMonkey doesn't fit the formula
[21:03] Traderflake: OH YOU BASTARD
[21:03] TraderQuake: i'm original
[21:03] *** Malygris is now known as TraderBake.
[21:03] TraderSnake: lul
[21:03] Thunderstruck: woohoo!
[21:03] TraderBake: hey guys, wuzzup
[21:03] TraderCake: a lot of shit rhymes with Jake
[21:03] TraderSnake: I am updating the chat log
[21:03] TraderQuake: Hello
[21:04] TraderQuake: how?
[21:04] TraderSnake: Cause I'm special
[21:04] *** Sunfireman is now known as TraderFake.
[21:04] *** TraderBob is now known as TraderNake.
[21:04] TraderQuake: nothing ryhmes with Aaron
[21:04] TraderSnake: Caron
[21:04] Thunderstruck: Baron
[21:04] TraderSnake: pwnd
[21:04] TraderBake: Sharon
[21:04] TraderShake: I will change TraderMonkey
Does that make sense to you? Sure as hell doesn't make sense to me, but that's okay because it really isn't meant to make sense. We're having fun, and chances are you'd be having fun if you were in the chat. So, why the heck aren't you in the chat? I mean the all the cool kids are doing it! JOIN US, WON'T YOU?
Click Here for our Chat Page
As many of you know and experienced last year, RF Generation went from a shared hosting solution to a dedicated solution over the course of two months. It certainly was a tumultuous two month period which rather cruelly began on April 1, which for those of you that are new is a high holy day at RF Generation. Needless to say, we've been on a dedicated solution since June and with such a solution comes significant costs.
In case you're wondering, RF Generation costs 90 dollars per month to operate currently. The site, as you may have noticed, does not currently have any ads on it, and well, we'd like to keep it that way. So, you might be wondering how this site is funded.
To say that RF Generation is nonprofit is a huge understatement. While the fact that RF Generation is a nonprofit site (after all, it's your site) is true, it's also true that RF Generation relies solely on donations to keep the site running. Sure, we have the store, but to get that revenue you need to have a certain number of sales and frankly we don't have that many sales to sustain the site or even cash out a check.
Every month that we do not receive enough donations to cover the cost of the site the remaining cost is split between two people, St0rmTK421 and myself. While the first few months had been okay for server costs, towards the end of 2008 our donations were rather few, and we found that more often than not the two of us were footing most of the bill for the site.
So, why am I writing this? Well, I just want to let you guys know how revenue generation is going with the site. I also want to write this to make a personal plea to all of you to consider donating to keep the site running. Ninety dollars a month is not cheap, especially when one of the two people on the hook for the tab was smacked with a four day furlough, which while he appreciates the time off, hates the pay deduction. God bless America. So, please, please, consider donating. Every little bit helps. I mean, if the entire site donated a dollar we'd be good for about two years. That won't happen, but please, consider donating. RF Generation is great, we want to keep RF Generation ad free for as long as possible. Donations allow us to do that. While I can't guarantee any snazzy features for donating right now we would be forever grateful and you might get to see somethings in advance of their release, but then no guarantees there. Donating is a noble cause that keeps the community's site going. Please, consider donating.
This week, we take a look back at the site's fourth year of operation. In 2007, RFGen underwent some major changes including a facelift to the website's look and database structure. It was also a big year for staff hirings as well as milestones which seemed to fly by faster than we could keep track of them!
Also here for your reading pleasure following the Wikipedia entries, are a selection of the most significant events / milestones for the remainder of 2007. Thanks to the bloggers whose hard work, continues the tradition of chronicling site history, which now takes place on the front page of our site. Enjoy!
Continue reading RF Generation Timeline Part 4: 2007
At least one of you is running in this contest, and well, I wish them luck. Chances are more of you could be running in the contest, and well I wish you all the best of luck. Oh, and did I mention that we have some sort of tracking software for those collections on that website, and our tracking tools are free? FREE I SAY! Always will be, too. I mean, we're not whores or anything. It's just that when you have tracking tools as awesome as ours, you really want to get the word out.
Again, good luck to those of you running in that contest.
Back in the 1970s, in a time when video games began to increase in popularity after the success of games such as Pong, companies, such as Atari and Magnavox released home versions of the game. Then, Atari's engineers designed a way to play video games at home via cartridges, making it possible for home gamers to own one system, but play many different games. Finally, in October 1977, Atari released the Atari Video Computer System, or Atari 2600. The system didnt become an instant success until around 1978, when Atari gained the rights to the game Space Invaders, and ported it to the 2600, becoming the world's first ever ported arcade game.
Now, like many of you on the site, along with me, consider the Atari 2600 to be one of your favorite video game systems. Many of you may remember the hours you spent in front of your tv playing favorites such as Missile Command, Asteroids, Pitfall!, Berzerk, Combat, Centipede, and Ms. Pac-Man.
Looking at the system, you see that the system is very simple, despite the number of switches on it. Originally, the first run of Video Computer Systems came from the Sunnyvale, California plant with black plastic, a woodgrain front, and six switches. The weight of the system and the number of switches on the front, the early run of the systems became known as the "Heavy Sixer." As time went on, Atari continued to downsize the system. Some revisions were a 6 switch with less weight (Light Sixer), woodgrain front with 4 switches (4 switch woody), and an all-black 4 switch model (the Darth Vader model).
Another good point of the system was the controller. It remains today as one of the simplest controllers for a video game system. The controller is simply a joystick and one button. The other controllers made for the system are the paddle controllers and the driving controller. The paddle controller is a simple spinning knob made for pong and breakout style games. The driving controller was the same as the paddle controller, but the paddle is a continuous 360 degree spin. On top of this, literally hundreds of third party controllers were designed and released for the system.
As the 80s came around, more arcade games made more possibilities of ports for the 2600. Unfortunately, these were also the years when the 2 worst 2600 games were released. First off was the 2600 port of Pac-Man. The biggest problem with the game was the fact that it looked nothing like the original arcade game. This was because of the fact that when Todd Frye, programmer in charge of the game, presented the prototype, Atari released the prototype. Millions bought the game and were extremely disappointed. The other game is the infamous E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. The game was so bad that the 5 million unsold copies were buried in the New Mexico desert.
In the mid 1980s, fierce competition came from companies such as Nintendo, causing people to begin to abandon the 2600. At this time, Atari redesigned the 2600 as the new Atari 2600 (called the Atari 2600 Jr.), with a new "The Fun Is Back" campaign. This boosted sales of the 2600 for a few years. Finally, Atari discontinued the Atari 2600 in around 1992
As you can see from this review, the Atari 2600 has had a very long and exciting history. As of late, popularity of the 2600 has exploded, and fandom of the system is alive and well. Recently, homebrewers have began creating and releasing brand new Atari 2600 games, via Atariage. http://www.atariage.com/store/ (link to the atariage store)
Even though I wasn't even born when the system was out, it has become one of my highest rated video game systems. This one deserves a perfect 10/10.
2008 is over, and has been now for almost three days. Is it sad? Nah, sure the economy hit the dump and many developers went belly up but that does not mean that there were not some great moments in gaming over the year. Sadly, there were also bound to be some disappointments as well. Being now 2009, it seems like the perfect opportunity to reflect on the previous year as it pertains to games. Let's all do that, shall we? I'll start.
Continue reading 2008 games. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
RF Generation's third year in operation was one of milestones, growth and unfortunately loss. This was the year we lost Michael Collins, one of the founding members of this community. He helped set the cornerstones of this fantastic community that is heading into it's 5th year this April. Mike believed that no one should ever be forgotten. This series, presented as it originally appeared on our former Wikipedia page, is meant to remember each and every person who has helped pave the way for this website we are all so immensely proud of and every milestone earned through their hard work. Thanks to the hard work of the Wiki team, here are the people, milestones and memories of RF Generation from 2006:
Continue reading RF Generation Timeline Part 3: 2006
I know it has not been that long since my last entry but I have made a lot of progress recently so I figured that it was a good time for an update.
I was able to finish cleaning the last six rollover switches and overall I am happy with how they turned out. I think some of the dirt might have been holding them in place better though because since cleaning them numbers three and five now have a tendency to stick, which would not be so bad if they did not rack up the score and make a very annoying noise.
Continue reading My, mostly, lifelong dream PT 4 with more pictures
Another awesome year has passed, another 12 hours or so and it will be 2009. This year, I obtained a ton of games, somewhere between 600-800 games. Not bad, not bad at all. But as most of you know, buying that many games isn't cheap, so I thought I would share what I've spent this year.
Continue reading My End Of Year Collection Stats
 In Cincinnati, Cornhole has an entirely different meaning than the one you are probably thinking of. See, in Cincinnati Cornhole is the name of Bean Bag Toss, a game where you throw bean bags towards a slanted board with a hole in top center. This game is great with friends and alcohol, and on Cincinnati's West Side where they watch grass grow to pass time this game is certainly a fun diversion. Some people say the game was created in the West Side, while others claim it came to be elsewhere. Either way, the game is stupidly popular, almost as popular as the mom and pop sports bars that dot the White Oak neighborhood in Cincinnati.
Well, knowing how stupidly popular the game is in Cincinnati and surrounding areas, some shovelware developer created Target Toss Pro, a game that was certain to get a few sales in the metro area. The game can be found in sports bars around Cincinnati, and, if you so desire, you can buy it off of the Wii Shop Channel, and that's where things get precious.
See, my Aunt and Uncle have a Wii, and prior to Christmas Eve had an impressive tie-in ratio of two. The question though is since Wii Sports is bundled with the Wii does that go into the Tie-In ratio? Anyways, I digress. During December, it generally is too cold to really enjoy playing Cornhole outside, and lots of Cincinnatians enjoy that activity, so they'd love to have some comparable activity to keep them occupied during the warm months.
Well, luckily for them, some shovelware developer released Target Toss Pro: Bags for the Wii, which means that they can play a really shitty game during the cold months. Clearly Cincinnatians are an intelligent bunch and wouldn't waste their money on a shoddy game? Right? RIGHT? Well, Christmas Eve has shown me otherwise. My Aunt and Uncle are proud owners of the WiiWare Version of Target Toss Pro: Bags, courtesy of a relative.
Congratulations Incredible Technologies, you've hit a localized gold mine. Thank god the production value of the game is about nil, you might have lost money otherwise. What obscure game that only appeals to a single city will they release next? Chunkin': Pumpkins? Whatever it is, I am sure it will be wonderful.
Not everyone was able to see the trailer leaked earlier this year for Mad World. With Platinum Games as the developer, Sega is not pulling any stops in this cell-shaded, black-and-white, highly stylized gorefest. Better yet, it's for the Nintendo Wii. It is refreshing seeing a bit more variety added to the console's lineup. With that having been said, we present the new trailer on behalf of the mature Wii gamers out there, who had empty Wii libraries until edgy titles like No More Heroes satiated our bloodlust.
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Not enough violence?
View the uncensored European version of the video after the break.
Continue reading Mad World - Holiday 2008 trailer
Today is known around the world to many as Christmas Day, and many people of many creeds celebrate the day. From all of us at RF Generation, we wish you the very merriest of Christmases and hope that you all find happiness on this holiday.
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