Many people choose to collect anything they get their hands on, no matter what the condition. Others collect only complete examples of games; that is, with the Game, Box, and Manual (CIB). Then, of course, you get people who prefer CIB, but will occasionally buy cart-only. What could be better than a mint, complete copy? One may ask this question, and the answer is quite simple: a brand new game.

Those who covet the sealed game are a rare breed, although, not too rare. To only purchase sealed games means a much greater cost to the buyer, in a monetary sense, and of course, in the fact that many games are difficult to find sealed, with scarcity (usually) increasing exponentially with age. So, combining rarity, age, and price yields a more difficult method of collecting video games.

But is it really collecting games? If a game is sealed, can you really 'game' with it? It is along the lines of buying a case of Twinkies but never eating them, is it not? Well, that is the purpose of Ask-A-Blog, I want to hear from you, the reader, on whether or not it is true to video game collecting ethics or not, and so forth. As for my opinion...

Personally, I feel that the exclusive sealed collector operates in a niche market, and isn't really collecting the game for the game, but rather, the game as a trophy. Is that really what video game collecting should be about, showing off trophies in your collection? Granted, certain games are always a treat to own, even if they aren't really a great game to begin with. But, basing the majority of your collection on this principle seems, to me, to defeat the very principle of gaming. Why not collect coins then, if you aren't going to game with your games? Coins hold a better market and tend to increase in value, rather than decrease. What really is the point?

But, as I always say, each to their own. It is a wonderful thing, that people can have an opinion and operate on different levels. It is what makes us as humans such an interesting anomaly in the animal world. What do you think about sealed collecting? Is it blasphemy? Is it just another spin-off of what we do already? Is it the best thing since sliced bread? Or is it something you feel completely different about? Vote in the poll, and leave a comment below! We would love to hear your responses. This, is Ask-A-Blog.

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The Glitch Files: File #5 - Kamikaze Mr. Game & Watch Posted on Jul 30th 2009 at 06:52:24 AM by (logical123) Posted under glitches, glitches, Mr Game and Watch, GameCube, SSBM

Welcome to a world where a game's physics engine doesn't dictate what happens. Welcome to a world where damage means nothing, or everything. A world where random spawns are the norm, where accidents DO happen. Welcome to a world of Glitches. Welcome, to The Glitch Files, where you will encounter some of the strangest, most bizarre, and downright odd glitches of the gaming world. Not only will we show you footage of the glitch, but will give directions on how to exactly preform said glitch for yourself!

Today's special features the Kamikaze Mr. Game & Watch, from Super Smash Brothers Melee on the Nintendo GameCube. In this glitch, Mr. Game & Watch is turned into a lethal Kamikaze weapon, automatically KO'ing anyone who gets in his path.

Now, for a visual representation of the glitch by Percon2.



This glitch is pretty fun to do if you are playing 3 player mode and your friend leaves to do something for a moment, or just to do to goof off without tricking others!

Now, for the instructions. You will need a copy of Super Smash Bros. Melee, Mr. Game & Watch as one character, and Ness as another character. The other 2 players be any other players.

Steps:

• Start up the game and enter any multiplayer game mode as Ness and Mr. Game and Watch.
• Position Mr. G & W next to Ness, and have Ness fully charge a PK Flash, and have Mr. G & W use his bucket on the PK Flash. This should fill up one-third of the bucket.
• Repeat 2 more times until his bucket is completely full.
• You now have a kamikaze Mr. Game and Watch! Once you use the bucket move again, Mr. Game and Watch will be thrown from the screen. If he touches any other player during this point, that player will also be thrown from the screen!

This video also features a small 'aside' of sorts, which, by itself, is nifty, but pretty pointless other than seeing the electricity dancing around Ness. The Kamikaze, however, can be used to prank friends while playing, and so forth. Make sure not to cause trouble though! I know you won't!

However, it is that time again... Until next time... Happy Glitching!

Do you have an amazing glitch you with to share with the Rfgeneration community? Private Message logical123 on the forums and give him your idea; you may end up seeing a blog devoted to it!

Gaming Firsts - Strategy: Civilization IV Posted on Jul 24th 2009 at 01:00:01 AM by (logical123) Posted under Overview, Civilization, 4, PC, Gaming, Overview, First, Impression, Revolution

Some games are there for you to have fun. Some, to make you think. Others, like in Civilization IV, are both fun, and stretch the old noodle, in addition to being highly addictive. Warning: If you have an addictive personality, and have not already played a Civilization game, play this at your own risk. I feel it has to potential to eat up thousands of hours of my time, as well as yours.

I used to play Starcraft over 10Mbit LAN with my uncle when I was 7, him on his Sony Vaio, and I on an old 66Mhz Pentium MMX. Those were my first dabbles in the foray of the Strategy genre. I liked it, but I liked just spending time with my uncle more than playing the game. I didn't understand all the concepts either, which explains why I always lost. A while back, I found a download for a converted to run on OSX copy of Civilization II. Again, I liked it, but not a whole lot. It was primitive to me, and it didn't capture my attention.

However, recently, I was lent a copy of Civilization IV: Complete, and installed it on the XP side of dual boot. After getting through the tutorial, I was impressed. Very impressed, I might add. Instantly hooked, too. After only playing the tutorial, I was hooked. Now, if that isn't addictive, I don't know what is.

In Civilization IV, you can lead one of 18 different civilizations, and even more with expansion packs such as Beyond the Sword. You begin the game at the dawn of man, in the year 4000BC, to found your civilization. As the game progresses, you can learn new technologies, found new towns, built world wonders, form armies, and conquer the world. To win at a game of Civ, you either have to 1)have an immense amount of culture (Cultural Victory), 2)Take over all other Civilizations (Conquest/Domination Victory), 3)Build a space ship to Alpha Centauri (Space Race Victory), 4)Have the other players vote you into office in the United Nations (Diplomatic Victory), 5)Having the most points by 2050AD (Time Victory).

One of the reasons why I like it so much is because of the attention to details. Many people can recall that in the Sims franchise, the charaters don't actually talk. They speak in a babble, unintelligible dribble. The same goes for Civilization Revolution. However, in Civ IV, if you are the Russians, they speak Russian, Chinese speaks Chinese, and so forth. AND, if you zoom into one of the ethnic cities, you hear sounds of that type of city in real life. That kind of detail really made me feel as though the designers behind the game really wanted to give the gamer the full experience. Not many games make you feel in such a way, and it made me realize that a video game can still, to this day, be made in an artful and beautiful way. I highly encourage anyone who likes Strategry video games or board games, or even those who don't, to try this game.

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Re-Re-Remix: Mega Man 2 & 3 Posted on Jul 16th 2009 at 05:00:00 PM by (logical123) Posted under Remix, Mega, Man, Remix, Music, Youtube

Music is the language of all people, and many people, including myself, find that video game music in particular has given the world some of the best, and most memorable songs ever. Remix these, and sometimes you have something better, or worse, but no doubt, unique.

The Mega Man series has been noted by many to have some of the best music ever. After the jump, just pure, Mega Man 2 and 3 Remixed ear candy. That is what this series is all about.



Continue reading Re-Re-Remix: Mega Man 2 & 3

The Glitch Files: File #4 - The Swingset Glitch Posted on Jul 5th 2009 at 08:55:08 PM by (logical123) Posted under Glitch, GTA, IV, Sony, PS3, Microsoft, Xbox, 360, Glitching, Glitch

Welcome to a world where a game's physics engine doesn't dictate what happens. Welcome to a world where damage means nothing, or everything. A world where random spawns are the norm, where accidents DO happen. Welcome to a world of Glitches. Welcome, to The Glitch Files, where you will encounter some of the strangest, most bizarre, and downright odd glitches of the gaming world. Not only will we show you footage of the glitch, but will give directions on how to exactly preform said glitch for yourself!

Today's special features the Evil Swingset Glitch or Swingset of Doom, from the recent game released for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3, and PC, Grand Theft Auto 4. In this glitch, you touch the 'evil swingset', and are then flung inside your car into the air, causing much damage and hilarity to ensue.

Now, for a visual representation of the glitch by XxSoupaSebxX.



This glitch is one of my personal favorites as well, ranking up in my personal list along with the Black Hole Glitch. Your car gets crushed, or sometimes even skewered along itself to a point when it glitches and cracks in half, but stays together, rendering the car totaled. Sometimes, upon impact with the ground, you may get a magnificent explosion, which adds to the 'Ooohs' and 'Ahhs' of the glitch.

Now, for the nitty gritty instructions. You will need a copy of GTAIV on some platform of your choice for this to work (of course!).

Steps:

• Start the game as normal, get into a vehicle, and navigate to Firefly Projects, as shown in the video.
• Once you have reached the park area, drive your vehicle into the area with the swingset. It most likely will NOT work. Try reversing into it. It should work. No one knows why this is, but after all, it is a glitch.
• Reverse into the swingset, hold the e-brake to stop yourself, and let go of everything, and await the throw. Once thrown, you can jump out of the car in the air, or stay in the car, depending on your tastes. You can also exit the car before it is thrown and watch the car fly away from the ground.
• Remembering that you cannot just drive into the swingset, in Party Mode, you can drive into it either way, and not have to worry about losing money. This is the recommended way of carrying out the glitch. Experiment, and of course, have fun with it!

This glitch is certainly a strange one, isn't it? We would like to hear from you now! Tell your stories about the glitch after you test it out! Do you have an amazing glitch you with to share with the Rfgeneration community? Private Message logical123 on the forums and give him your idea; you may end up seeing a blog devoted to it!

Until next time, stay safe, and Happy Glitching!

Major WTF Moment: Two 360's?!?!? Posted on Jul 1st 2009 at 05:36:19 AM by (logical123) Posted under WTF, Company, Screwup, WTF, 360, Xbox, Microsoft

So, this is an epic tale, just kind of a little comedic Blog to get people to chuckle. Everything from this point on is 100% the truth, no joke, but yes, it is funny.

So, as many know, I sold my Nintendo Wii in order to purchase an Xbox (yes, with an an) 360. I purchased it for $209.90 on ebay with free shipping on June 25th, which is not that bad of a deal for a 60GB model with the HDMI ports. The link is here if you want to check it out. So, I await this package, and it comes on the 26th of June. I hook it up, get it working great, and couldn't be happier.

At around the same time, I purchased a copy of Burnout Paradise, for $15 shipped on GameTZ, a fairly good deal as well. It was shipped out on the 26th. Being myself, I am a habitual 'Mail Checker' in that I get anxious awaiting a parcel in the mail. I checked the mail, as well as outside and in between the screen door and front door every day, including Sunday.

Today comes, and when I get home from summer band, I immediately go to the front door to check if the game came. It did not. However, I spotted on the porch a box, covered in a plastic bag, to prevent water damage. I lift the bag up, and see that it is addressed to me, Robert. The return address is GeekDeal, the same people that sent me my 360. I rushed inside with it and open it up; another 360. That's right. They had some sort of communication error (or SOMETHING) and ended up sending me TWO! I freaked out, and immediately asked my good friend Adam B. (bickman2k) what the heck I should do. He told me to do the right thing, and contact them. But, if they wanted ME to pay return shipping, say no way and keep it.

So, I called their office and left a message, and I await their return phone call. I just thought I might share my story with you. I think that this can be summed up in "EPIC CORPORATE FAIL", would you not agree? Would you have done the same thing, in contacting them? Would you have kept it? Let's hear those thoughts, and I will keep you updated!


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Gaming Review: Burnout Revenge Posted on Jun 22nd 2009 at 01:19:38 AM by (logical123) Posted under Review, Burnout, Revenge, Sony, Playstation, 2, Racing, Coop, xbox, 360, microsoft

The Burnout series of games is one in which the normal rules of driving don't really apply. Driving 200mph into oncoming traffic? Go ahead! Hit a car at those speeds? Well, you destroy your car, but we, the game, put you right back where you were, in a 100% repaired car, ready to cause chaos and havoc. This hilarious, un-realistic type of driving genre is one that you can play to vent your anger, because in certain challenges, you are required to crash into others!

Burnout Revenge is no exception to this rule; it speaks of this type of gameplay in the title! Being released on September 13, 2005 for the PS2 and Xbox, and later on the Xbox 360, Burnout Revenge keeps with the spaztastic gameplay of the original games (Burnout 1, 2, and 3), while adding all new modes and abilities to increase playability.

The main new feature in the game is called 'traffic checking'. In previous games, if you tapped another car, you would have to deal with the crash cam, and then start off again where you hit (or were hit) at a standstill. In Burnout Revenge, you have the ability to ram cars out of your way (from the rear) without going into crash-mode. This 'traffic checking' also adds to your boost meter, making the game even more of a crash party. This ability, in turn, makes the game much more enjoyable because of the elimination of constant 'crash-mode' slowdowns, which can many times cost you the race, level, etc.

Along with 'traffic checking' comes the ability to 'take-down' opponents during races. This basically means either ramming them, or making the crash, also known as good old mindless fun. In addition to this, you can be taken down as well. If you then retake-down the opponent that took you down, you get bonus points towards your boost as well as your level ranking. This revenge aspect of the game is one of its best, along with traffic checking.

All of the old modes return, with the crash mode being a personal favorite. You are given a scenario, and must cause the most damage as possible in one try. It may sound easy, but some of the later challenges are just that, challenges. These require careful planning as to what approach you will take, which car you will hit first, and so forth. After you hit a car, then you go into 'aftertouch mode', where you can move around your flying car, and when your explosion meter fills up, blow up your car, causing even more damage.

All of these new abilities, coupled with an already great game series, has lead for Burnout Revenge to earn quite high ratings, in the 80 to 95 percentile. What, you may ask, is detracting from the game? Well, for me, there is only one major problem: glitches. The game tends to run smoothly, but at times, can be incredibly buggy. My best example is when I was in first place in a normal race, and misjudged a sharp left turn. I crashed, or was supposed to crash, into a wall, yet I didn't. I somehow glitched through the wall, and ended up outside the game area, in a black abyss. If I didn't glitch, I would have won the race anyway, but I did, and ended up having to restart. Much anger ensued.

This type of glitching happens every so often in the game, which, while not effecting gameplay dramatically, it does detract from the overall experience. Thus, Burnout Revenge garners a well earned 95%. If you find this game for the $10-$15 price range, definitely pick it up, you will most certainly enjoy it. Until next time, happy gaming!

Ask-a-Blog: Rereleases - Work of the Genius, or the Devil? Posted on Jun 13th 2009 at 11:30:22 PM by (logical123) Posted under Askablog, sony, sega, nintendo, microsoft, rerelease, players choice

How do you feel about rereleases?

I hate them, but have a few in my collection!

I'm indifferent.

I love them! They push prices down!

I find them okay, but the original is usually more collectable.

I refuse to have them in my collection.

Other

Getting poll results. Please wait...

From this image, everyone recognizes the 'Player's Choice' label variation. Now, I ask: Is this really a good thing? In this issue of ask a blog, we will explore the pros and cons of the run-of-the-mill rerelease, and then, you get to tell US what you think.

When a game is released, the company has two main things in mind: Will this sell well, and will the customer be satisfied? Every so often, a game meets both of these criteria extremely well, selling copies into the hundreds of thousands, or even millions. This is where the typical rerelease comes in.

For example, take the popular SNES game F-Zero. It was released in 1991 in North America. Once it passed the 1,000,000 sell mark, it was rereleased as Player's Choice. Now, what exactly did this do? It allowed them to stop producing the original version, and produce this second version, with slightly different packaging, and one other major difference: no dust cover. Now, this may not seem like a bad thing, but it sets the scale as for what rereleases do to the game. They usually package it poorly, leave special items out such as promotional coins and mini-mags, and may even use a lower quality product. This allows them to keep production costs down even more, while still making the same amount of money on the other end.

Granted, if a game makes it to player's choice, chances are that you will be able to find an original copy, with no problem. Other types of remakes also exist, such as with Ikaruga, the shoot-em-up originally released for the Japanese Dreamcast, later ported and rereleased on the Gamecube and Xbox 360. With the release of the 360 version, prices on the GC and DC versions plummeted, even though their rarity was still the same.

So, rereleases make access to either: hard-to-find games more accessible while driving their price down (yet keeping their rarity), or easily found games even easier. Rereleases, in my humble opinion, are a good thing in that they can give access to an unknown game that is very good. The major downfall is that those who own the original are left with a game that may have devalued by half or more. Does either of these outcomes outweigh the other? Only you can decide that.

And now... We want to hear from you! The reader!!! What are your thoughts and feelings on a rerelease? Are they great, evil, okay, so-so, not too bad, or completely your lifesaver? Post a comment below, and until next time: Keep having an opinion!

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Classic Game Review: Pokemon Gold Posted on Jun 1st 2009 at 03:40:42 AM by (logical123) Posted under Review, Gold, Pokemon, Game, Boy, Color, Nintendo

The Pokemon craze originally hit stateside on September 30th, 1998, with the simultaneous Pokemon Red & Blue Versions releases. It was an instant success worldwide, and the term 'Pokemon' can be heard uttered from the mouths of children and young adults alike, around the world. I had my first experience with Pokemon at the age of 5 during Christmas '98 with Red and Blue versions on a brand new Game Boy Color, my first system of any kind. At that age, my reading skills were good enough so that I understood a large part of the game, but it wasn't until Christmas 2000 that I really got into the Pokemon craze.

On that Christmas 2000, I received Pokemon Gold and Silver. Being 7, I got everything, and boy, was I hooked. For some reason, my attention was drawn to the golden color of Gold rather than Silver first. It was the game I put in first, and the game that I finished first, and the game that I logged the most time in. I may not have even beaten Red in Silver, I will never know. Sometime in mid 2004/5, I lost nearly all of my games, and it wasn't until Monday of last week that I got a copy of Gold again. It was like being back with an old friend.

The Gold/Silver world is interesting in that you are given 100 new Pokemon to catch, new moves, new gyms, and of course, a new storyline. What was also neat was the fact that after you beat the Elite Four, the game still continues for 8 more Gyms! That's right! 16 Gyms, 1 Elite Four, and then Red, the hardest Challenger in the game. While the current speed-run time is 4 hours, 15 minutes from start to end, I know that it took me upwards of 50 hours to finally get to Red and beat him.

Now, to the Nitty Gritty of it all; the review:

The Learning Curve:
Well, it is difficult to say that ther is a learning curve at all. Pokemon games follow a very structured path of 'Get the Badges, Beat the Elite Four, and Catch 'em All!', but how you do that can be affected by many variables. Some battles in this game can be considerably hard, while others, mediocre at best. A 5 out of 5 is merited because anyone can really pick up this game and play. 5/5

Gameplay and Story:
This game has a very lush storyline, which does redeem it from the fact that it is Pokemon: battles tend to get repetitive, especially random encounters. If you have a goal set, and it takes forever to reach it because of pesky Pidgeies, then you do have the urge to just shut the game off. This is a big aspect of all Pokemon games, but it can be remedied with a Repel or Super Repel. 4.5/5

Replay Value:
It is difficult to say why, but Pokemon games are such in that when you restart them (at least for me), you have just as much fun playing them as you did the first time. The story doesn't change, but how you go about achieving your goals can vary greatly, changing the game up, giving a new experience. 5/5

Music:
I love the music in this game. It has old, familiar tunes that have been revamped and made better to fit to the Game Boy Color's improved audio capabilities. I just can't get the 'Team Rocket' theme out of my head!!! 5/5

In conclusion, if you are a Pokemon fan, or are new to the franchise, or even want to try a Pokemon game, Gold Version is a great place to start. It earns a:

19.5/20 or 97.5%

It misses perfect by the fact that repetitive random encounters can tend to be annoying. Happy Gaming!

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Ask-A-Blog - What's the most trippy game you have ever played? Posted on May 18th 2009 at 04:57:32 AM by (logical123) Posted under Ask a Blog, trippy, ps2, gamecube, nintendo, sega, microsoft, sony, katamari, damacy

Welcome to ask-a-blog, where I ask you! The reader! To answer a question posed in the blog. Today's questions comes from a bout of playing Katamari Damacy: What is the most trippy game you have ever played? Make sure to tell us what console the game is on, as well as what makes it so trip inducing. Is it the gameplay, music, visuals, or something else? Tell us all about it!


For me, the award for the trippiest game goes easily to Katamari Damacy on the PS2, pictured on the right. If you have played this game, you know what I am talking about. if you haven't, here's a little summary. You are the son of the King of All Cosmos. The king, your father, has accidentally made all of the stars go away, so he commissions you to roll "Katamari", and help bring the stars back. The Katamari is formed by rolling a ball into things that are smaller than it. This makes the smaller things stick to it. You can pick up anything. ANYTHING. People, cars, buildings, islands, towns, boats. The possibilities are endless. The game is quite short, but it has a high replay value. It is also highly trip inducing, and the music is even weirder. Man is that game odd. I recomend it to anyone wishing to have lots of fun playing a quirky type of game.

So, what do you feel the trippiest game is? Be it a shoot em up, a puzzle game, or a platformer, we want to hear about it! Let's see those comments!

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The Glitch Files: File #2 - The Minus 1 World Glitch Posted on May 1st 2009 at 03:27:37 AM by (logical123) Posted under Glitches, Super, Mario, Bros, 1, Nintendo, Entertainment, System, Minus, World, Glitch

Welcome to a world where a game's physics engine doesn't dictate what happens. Welcome to a world where damage means nothing, or everything. A world where random spawns are the norm, where accidents DO happen. Welcome to a world of Glitches. Welcome, to The Glitch Files, where you will encounter some of the strangest, most bizarre, and downright odd glitches of the gaming world. Not only will we show you footage of the glitch, but will give directions on how to exactly preform said glitch for yourself!

Today's special features the Minus 1 World Glitch, from perhaps the most popular game on the planet, Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System or Famicom in Japan. This glitch, which occurs in World 1-2, takes you to an infinite loop underwater level, and has no real purpose, because the only way to get out is to die and get a game over or reset! Nevertheless, it is still a fun and interesting glitch to preform. More info after the break.



Continue reading The Glitch Files: File #2 - The Minus 1 World Glitch

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The Glitch Files: File #1 - The Black Hole Glitch Posted on Apr 23rd 2009 at 03:36:13 AM by (logical123) Posted under Glitches, Super, Smash, Bros, Melee, Glitch, GameCube, Nintendo, Mario

Welcome to a world where a game's physics engine doesn't dictate what happens. Welcome to a world where damage means nothing, or everything. A world where random spawns are the norm, where accidents DO happen. Welcome to a world of Glitches. Welcome, to The Glitch Files, where you will encounter some of the strangest, most bizarre, and downright odd glitches of the gaming world. Not only will we show you footage of the glitch, but will give directions on how to exactly preform said glitch for yourself!

Today's special features a glitch from the well known game on the Nintendo GameCube, Super Smash Brothers Melee, sometimes known as Super Smash Bros. Melee or SSBM. This glitch is known as the Black Hole Gitch, and is fairly famous for the amount of hilarity that can ensue if preformed correctly.



Continue reading The Glitch Files: File #1 - The Black Hole Glitch

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Best of the Best: The Pairing, and an EPIC QUESTION!!! Posted on Apr 11th 2009 at 02:12:26 AM by (logical123) Posted under Best of the Best, Video, Game, Characters, Nintendo, Sega, Sony

So, finally, we have an official pairing bracket for the Best of the Best contest. But! Those who are good with math may notice something: we have an EXTRA pair! So, it is up to YOU (again...) to decide which pair is automatically eliminated! So, without further ado, the pairings....


Continue reading Best of the Best: The Pairing, and an EPIC QUESTION!!!

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