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Last year I wrote about going to the Cowlitz Gamers for Kids show in Kelso Washington. You can read more of the details of this show, put on for charity, in that blog:
http://www.rfgeneration.c...rs-for-Kids-Show-2147.php
Rather than retell much of what is written there, I will mostly cover new stuff for this post.
I'm going to rely on "pictures being worth a thousand words," which is keeps me from having to write much, always a plus  So, if your internet is slow, sorry. The rest of you get to enjoy this multimedia extravaganza of pictures! other peoples videos! and text!
It was a beautiful sunny day here in the Northwest on Saturday April 13th 2013. If you read my post in the small scores thread, you will know that Zagnorch, giver of gifts, gentleman extraordinaire, sent me a lifetime supply of sunscreen. What a wonderful, and useful gift! Here in the NW we get so much sunshine, sunscreen is a constant necessity. The Saturday of the show turned out to be one of the hottest, sunniest days of the year. The temperature reached the mid 50's (F) and the rain let up several times. I took a picture of the blue sky:
[img width=700 height=525]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8239/8649264481_9eeea404a2_c.jpg[/img]
The sun was burning down on everything!
Continue reading Cowlitz Gamers for Kids Show 2013
With my recent pick up of Pandora's Tower for my much adored Wii I was struck with the thought that it will likely be the final Wii game I buy at MSRP. I'm a bit saddened by that as the Wii was by far my favorite console of the last generation's choices. We picked it up on launch day and never looked back. It easily got the most usage of the 3 consoles in our house and that is because we primarily use our game consoles for gaming (*gasp*), and rarely for the other features. And with my aversion to digital gaming the Wii had the software that I was most interested in spending my money on. There are far too many great games for me to mention them all so I'm just gonna spend some time outlining some of my favorites.
If you feel I missed out on one of your favorites I'd love to hear about them too!
Continue reading Wii Loved U
5. Id (Xenogears)
Those that are familiar with Freudian psychology already know what Id is, even if they've never played Xenogears. Well, he's a bit different than the textbook Freudian definition, replacing the libido with say, instinctual bloodlust would make the Id of Xenogears more accurate.
[img width=500 height=441]http://projectcrystallis.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/id.jpg[/img]
The ladies can't resist him either.
He pops up seemingly out of nowhere, for no reason. Its unclear when Id first starts showing up which side he is on, but the characters quickly learn that he's more just out for a nice stroll with a side of wanton destruction. I do not want to spoil the truth behind Id though, but knowing Freudian psychology, or playing Xenogears can let you figure that one out. This 'twist' is one of the reasons why Id scores so highly on my list.
""That was interesting. But dropping a warship on me is cheating. Take it back!" - Id
4. The Godwins (Suikoden V)
Motive. I cannot stress how important it is for a villain to have a good, believable motive. There needs to be purpose behind actions, words are empty, especially in the highly politicized Game of Thrones which happens in every installment of Suikoden.
Unlike most villains the Godwins have a very clear motive for the coup d'tat of the Queendom of Falena, personal power, wealth, glory, and the ability to declare war on their neighbors whenever they desire. That said, Marscal and Gizel Godwin are much deeper than their motives. Marscal is the grizzled veteran, no stranger to the game of nobles, I would compare him to Tywin Lannister as he's not afraid to deeply scold his son in private.
Dress for the job you want they told Lord Marscal.
Gizel however, just seems to shrug everything off of himself. In public he oozes charm and watches his tongue and body language carefully. In private Gizel schemes and hatches various little plots, usually just putting them in motion and watching as the story unfolds before him.
Gizel is just so sneaky and snakelike, an absolute joy to watch scheme. The Godwins, Gizel in particular, are just so interesting. You always want to know what they're up to and the game indulges your curiosity. This family is the pinnacle of the idea of loving to hate something. I hate them because of their actions, they killed the Prince's family and took his little sister and her throne and now want you dead. They're so well written, casual, and laid back that watching them brings a big smile to my face.
[img width=192 height=256]http://thumbnail.myheritageimages.com/548/721/52548721/000/000035_1210969b3f8894inotef14_R_192x256.jpg[/img]
But enough talk, have at you!
"When you get involved in intrigue, do it decisively." - Marscal Godwin
"What if my master plan was murdering you... in front of your beloved brother?" - Gizel Godwin
3. The Transcendant One (Planescape: Torment)
The greatest enemy one can conquer is oneself. The Nameless One is the main character of this cult classic, but that immortal bag of bones is only half the equation. The real power lies with The Transcendant One, the mortality of The Nameless One personified and he fortifies himself in The Fortress of Regrets. This is one antagonist that makes their appearance known quickly and is just completely imposing.
[img width=480 height=360]http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120904025360/torment/images/2/24/T1.png[/img]
Imposing might be putting it lightly...
The Transcendant One does not have much screentime. The Nameless One does not even know he exists until you are inside the Fortress, but his sheer force of will is maddening. What makes this villain score so highly for me is the fact that you can just talk him into committing suicide by recombining with The Nameless One and fighting in the eternal battle of the lower planes, finally blessed with the death that breaks The Nameless One's prison of eternal life.
2. President Dick Richardson (Fallout 2)
Eugenics. How often does this subject come up in gaming? If you ask me, on the whole, whether I prefer Eastern, or Western villains, I'll usually say Western. Most of the Western ones I've experienced have been great villains that were well written, had a clear motive, and were devious enough to really rustle your jimmies.
[img width=700 height=360]http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101030213354/fallout/images/d/de/FO02_NPC_Richardson_N.png[/img]
Its time for my Nintendo Power nap!
President Richardson is one of the few examples of a reluctant villain. He just happens to be the President of the Enclave while all these plans for purification and recolonization of mainland North America are coming to fruition. Their main weapon for 'purification' is a modified strain of FEV, Forced Evolution Virus (why Super Mutants exist), which will supposedly eliminate all life on the mainland.
In the end, President Richardson is just another frail politician hiding behind a wall of muscle. Literally.
[img width=700 height=360]http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100811232533/fallout/images/1/1a/FO02_NPC_Frank_Horrigan.png[/img]
His name is Frank.
"The only way for true humans, and democracy, to be safe is to cleanse the mutants from the globe. We humans will take back that which is rightfully ours." - President Richardson
1. Luca Blight (Suikoden II, Genso Suikogaiden Volume 1)
[img width=212 height=407]http://www.creativeuncut.com/gallery-01/art/s2-luca-blight.gif[/img]
The White Wolf of Highland. The Mad Prince Luca Blight.
There have been deep, excellent villains on this list but none of them match the sheer raw ferocity of Luca Blight. Most antagonists usually have some sort of political power and use it to hide in their castle while they bark orders. Well, Luca Blight is a prince, he is known as the Mad Prince and is not afraid to be on the front lines, leading his soldiers during their killing. You see this happen right from the start.
The moment that really solidifies Luca Blight as a more sinister villain than the others on this list is that he is the only one that actually raises his sword and slashes it downwards towards a defenseless little girl. A small child! Pilika is like 5 years old! Even then, it takes four people to save little Pilika from her early death. Even before all this there's the systematic slaughter of the Unicorn Brigade, which is where Highland's young, up and coming recruits train during their teenage years until they're ready to wield a sword, all just so he will have the support of the Highland population to go to war.
[img width=640 height=480]http://lparchive.org/Suikoden-II-(by-The-White-Dragon)/Update%2009/74-PSOGL383.jpg[/img]
Viktor you magnificent bastard, never stop drinking!
Every time Luca is on screen the entire tone of the game shifts, even though he only speaks in text boxes the man is so charismatic that he commands the attention of the room he's in, even if he's not talking! The fear that others feel when they are around him is quite evident as even his own generals start plotting a way to kill him.
Also, since when does an incredibly powerful madman become challenged by a small handful of teenagers? No, Luca's better than that and you better have three full parties of six decked out characters when it comes down to the final rumble. He even takes a dozen or so arrows to the chest by the time the final duel happens between the deadly White Wolf Luca Blight and Little Riou.
Great villains are always shown being rather villainous.
Remember when I said that Kefka is the best uber super destruction wanton killinator? Yeah, totally taking it back now. Well, Luca Blight has some reasons for his mental state, but that would ruin the experience of playing this masterpiece would it not?
"It took hundreds to kill me but I killed humans by the thousands. I am sublime!!! I am the true face of evil!!!!" - Luca Blight's dying words
NOTE: This list contains MAJOR Spoilers for many RPG Games. Proceed at your own risk. You have been warned.
RPG Villains...The bad guys that try to make our lives a living hell while we play. They are all motivated by different things. Those things range from revenge, insanity, or something else. However, every once in a while, one comes along that just doesn't fit the bill of RPG Villain. Today, I'm here to list 5 of them. Take note, they can be lame for ANY reason at all, whether it be because they're cheap in battle, or just look stupid. Here they are:
Number 5
Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII
[img width=300 height=215]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c4/Sephiroth.png[/img]
Everyone who knows me knows that I don't exactly like Final Fantasy VII, and it's main antagonist is one of the reasons why. The reason why is because he's just generally uninspired, in my opinion anyway. He's mad because his mother was killed, but rather than think things through like the sensible Hero that he's made out to be at the start, he goes insane and decides to kill everyone with a Meteor. Too generic for me. I'll stick to slaying Chrono Cross's Time Devourer, thanks. 
Number 4
Ashnard from Fire Emblem 9
[img width=307 height=264]http://images.wikia.com/fireemblem/images/9/91/FE9_Ashnard_Portrait_1.png[/img]
That's Ashnard from Fire Emblem 9. He's such a LOSER! Yes, he is strong, but there's a major flaw to his design: He's not a monster, in the physical sense. When one plays Fire Emblem, they are expecting a big, bad, monster of some sort as the Final Boss. This guy is not a Monster. How anticlimactic.
Number 3
Mankar Camaron from Oblivion
[img width=370 height=278]http://guides.gamepressure.com/theelderscrolls4oblivion/gfx/word/-240530140.jpg[/img]
Yet another total loser, Mankar Camaron is "essentially" the main antagonist from Oblivion. He's not strong, he's weak. He's not scary, he's generic. He's not even that evil. He's just...simple. He never even gives a truly specific reason for doing what he does, other than to be a nuisance. He's in the same category as Ashnard, not being a monster and all that.
Number 2
Thon from Shadowrun
[img width=320 height=224]http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/genesis/shadowrun/images/walkthrough/walk014.gif[/img]
Okay, look. I like Shadowrun. In fact, I love Shadowrun. It's one of my favorite RPGs, but I really hate it's final boss. Thon is just plain stupid. He's overpowered, and you can't even damage him. In fact, to even hurt him, you need help from a Dragon you saved earlier in the game. That's all fine and dandy, but his story is dumb as hell. He's an elemental beast whose summoner was killed, so to gain a physical body, he collects artifacts from tombs. What the hell? How is this jackass even a real threat in a society full of guns and magic?
Number 1
Neo Dhaos from Tales of Phantasia
[img width=363 height=357]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/DarkTheThief/NeoDhaos_zps2f14b32e.png[/img]
SON! OF! A! BITCH!!! I hate Neo Dhaos so much!! This freak is the Final Boss in the Super Famicom Version of Tales of Phantasia, and he is the strongest, cheapest, ugliest son of a bitch I have ever encountered in an RPG! He is absolutely relentless in attacking, and when he does stop, if he ever does that is, he turns invincible. The spell used to harm an earlier incarnation of him becomes useless here, and you have to rely only on luck to stop the asshole. For what it's worth, his difficulty was toned down greatly in later versions of the game, but that's not enough for me to forgive the developers for placing this jerk in the game. I am being completely honest here, I had to cheat to kill him, and THAT is why this jerk is the lamest RPG Villain ever.
That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this list. Also, as always, this list is an opinion. Your opinion is subject to difference.
Hey all! It's that time again! Time for more of my Gaming Adventures! Here we go!
[img width=640 height=900]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/2/9/4/683294_279155_front.jpg[/img]
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is essentially an HD-Remake of Monster Hunter Tri for the Wii. However, it does feature SOME extra content from what I've seen so far. As the title implies, the whole idea revolves around hunting monsters, small and large, which is actually more fun than it sounds. With a plethora of different weapons and armor to craft, this one is sure to keep you busy. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten very far yet, so that's all I have to say about this one.
[img width=640 height=570]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/8/0/5/997805_171974_front.jpg[/img]
Now we're talking! Soul Hackers is a game I've been greatly anticipating! Coming from the Shin Megami Tensei series of RPGs, I cannot say enough good things about this game! I haven't made it very far yet, but here are some reasons why I can recommend this game. For one, it's challenging, which I think is something we don't see enough of in this day and age. It also manages to suck you in, preventing you from losing interest. Another neat feature is that you can recruit your enemies to fight for you, which essentially means that you can add new Party Members whenever you feel like it. (No, it's NOT like Pokemon. You have to talk or bribe them into joining you. Besides, Shin Megami Tensei came first!). You can also fuse your Party Members together, creating (or losing!) stronger ones in the process. So what the hell are you waiting for?! Go download this game! (I say download because it's becoming increasingly hard already to find it in stores).
[img width=640 height=598]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/box/7/9/3/997793_171962_front.jpg[/img]
That's Etrian Odyssey IV, another RPG from Atlus. What makes this Dungeon-Crawler unique is that you have to draw your own Map on the bottom screen while exploring the dungeons. It's actually more fun than it sounds though. New to the series is an Easy Mode, dubbed "Casual Mode" in-game. It's a welcome addition to the series for those looking to have fun instead of grinding they're way to the top at an extremely slow pace. Overall, I've found this game to be quite fun. Like Soul Hackers, it's hard to find though. I recommend downloading this one too.
Well, that's it for now. See you next entry.
[img width=600 height=450]http://avoision.com/portnoy/images/2010/october/pinballExpo2010_42.jpg[/img]
After much thought and back-and-forth deliberation, I finally decided to put Williams' Taxi at the top of the list as my favorite pinball machine ever made. Created in 1988 by Mark Ritchie (Diner, Fish Tales, Sorcerer, Indiana Jones), Taxi is a classic 80's pin that is best known for being tight and difficult. In Taxi, you take on the role of a cab driver whose purpose is to take passengers to the airport. The passengers include a strange and nutty cast of characters that most people during the 80's would recognize: Mikel Gorbachev, Dracula, Santa Claus, Pin*bot (a famous character from an earlier Williams title), and Marylin Monroe (later renamed "Lola" due to issues with Ms. Monroe's estate.....). These passengers are "picked up" by shooting specific area of the playfield, by completing a bank of three drop targets, or via the Spinout skill shot at 25k. Once picked up, a timed jackpot is lit and collected upon shooting the right loop and settling the ball in the upper left saucer. If a player does not make the jackpot shot before the timer runs out, the shot can be reset by picking up Marylin/Lola from the center bank of drop targets. However, the difficulty of obtaining the jackpot is further increased, since all pickups are voided at that end of each ball unless you are able to light and collect a difficult "Carry Passengers" bonus.
Continue reading Banana's Pinball Top 10 - #1 Taxi
I am not a panderer, I do not make lists to drum up views, I look to get fans by trying to write strong content and support my opinions with better reasons than 'Its popular.' I do not like generic 'evil-to-be-evil' villains, they are overdone, tired, and rarely executed competently, let alone excellently. So, expect my list to be quite different from others that you have run across over the years.
10. The Turks (Final Fantasy VII)
Calling this group "villains" is a bit of a stretch. Not all of them have truly villainous acts and blood on their hands, but they are also not the ones in power. The Turks are just a special forces type of group whose job is to take orders and execute them. This doesn't excuse any action but it does provide context, which is all important in narrative.
What I like about them is that they are the most human of the antagonists of FF7. You don't always fight them when you run into them, hell you can even run into them in a bar and pretend to drink with them if that's how you like it, and go on a side quest within a side quest. You even start off sharing the same goal, chase down the generic genocidal maniac and get in each other's way.
[img width=300 height=240]http://www.finalfantasykingdom.net/7/w10.png[/img]
That means a lot Reno.
9. Joker (Persona 2)
Persona 2 is an odd game, it is separated into two distinct parts. The first part, Persona 2: Innocent Sin was only released outside of Japan for the very first time on the PSP, its original release being on PS1. The second part of the game, Eternal Punishment, was released in North America (sorry Europe) back in the PS1 days.
[img width=480 height=272]http://thewiredfish.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/persona-2-joker.jpg[/img]
Innocent Sin Joker
Persona has always dealt with some supernatural phenomenon taking hold in some city in Japan, and in this tale rumors become true. Joker is also the only villain here who has two distinct personalities and methods. Innocent Sin has Joker being a clown of sorts who listens to people's inner most desires over the phone, if they tell him something they get it, no matter what it is. If they do not have a true desire, their energy is sucked out from them and they become invisible to all but the party members.
[img width=640 height=480]http://lparchive.org/Persona-2-Eternal-Punishment/Update%2005/79-Persona2-4-108.jpg[/img]
Eternal Punishment Joker
Eternal Punishment is a different beast though, it takes place in a parallel world where only Tatsuya, the main character from Innocent Sin, remembers the events of IS. Like I said, this game is strange and confusing. EP's version of JOKER has him as a more straightforward serial killer who does a sort of body jumping, consciousness stealing maneuvers with those afflicted by the JOKER Curse.
If only rumors really did come true we'd have all men with footlongs in their pants, incredibly super rich, huge collection of kick ass cars, and a mansion filled with a beautiful harem.
8. Kefka (Final Fantasy VI)
Speaking of clowns here's Kefka. Now, I'm not the biggest Kefka fan, unlike Joker above Kefka is probably video gaming's closest version of Batman's Joker (outside of Batman games of course) and is one of the few villains I can enjoy despite being 'evil-because-evil'. There is a lot of underlying insanity and even some dark comedy in some of his acts. The reason for his insanity though is never once brought up, ever. Kefka is the definition of the super evil nihilistic destroyer, but he's the best at it.
[img width=425 height=345]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/08/425_img_insanity_kefka.jpg[/img]
Batshit crazy is not analogous to literary potency.
Despite that, Kefka is not original, at least, some of the obviously evil actions that he is lauded for performing were in fact mostly based on a villain from an even older FF game...
7. Emperor of Palamecia (Final Fantasy II)
I dislike playing FFII quite a bit. I hate the leveling system, combat is pre-ATB turn based combat and not bad, the keywords system is fairly nice and gives deeper conversations and is obviously based on the keyword systems of contemporary Western PC RPGs. But, leveling is so atrocious that it completely ruins the experience for me and many potential fans. This is the definitive NES Final Fantasy story though, I put it up there with Dragon Quest IV for the best RPG story of the system.
[img width=340 height=293]http://chrysaliswiki.wdfiles.com/local--files/people:mateus-palamecia/mateuspalamecia_ff2.jpg[/img]
The Epic of Gilgamesh is painted on those huge nails.
Most of this is the result of the Emperor of Palamecia. This Emperor is one of the main reasons we see the overdone Evil Empire story in RPGs. Well, him and the Sith Empire. You remember when Kefka poisoned an entire town's water supply? Emperor did it first. Cyclones destroying towns, entire nations slaughtered, princesses kidnapped, and Leon, a close ally is converted to his evil cause *cough* Kain *cough*. The reason why this guy ranks higher than Kefka is because some reason is given behind his sudden insanity, he is basically an avatar of Diablo, Beelzebub, Angra Mainyu, Satan, Astaroth, Hades, whoever your Lord of the Underworld happens to be.
[img width=241 height=205]http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111014000427/finalfantasy/images/6/68/EmperorPalamecia.png[/img]
Know now the wrath of the fallen!
6. Mother Brain (Phantasy Star II)
How is it possible that a villain with no personality, no motive, no life, no emotion, happens to be better than most who try and do all of that? Well, the idea of a rogue AI as a great villain is hardly new. Rogue AI's have been prevalent in science fiction in general since the early 20th century. Just go search for 'System Shock' and try to find any mention of the games without somebody mentioning how amazing SHODAN is as a villain. The first System Shock came out 5 years after Phantasy Star II for a bit of context.
[img width=700 height=340]http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110226163743/phantasystar/images/8/83/Mother_Brain.jpg[/img]
The lifegiver, and lifestealer.
Mother Brain is on the flipside of the coin though, it is a system that exists to provide a comfortable ecology to the residents of the Algo star system with green, lush, thriving, easy to live on land, along with fresh, clean, sparkling water. However, the AI had been planning to destroy the people of the Algo system from the onset of her programming once the population is completely dependent on the ecological systems and infrastructure control of Mother Brain, she even halts all space traffic.
[img width=600 height=420]http://whydidiplaythis.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/522155-phantasy_star_ii_2_super.png[/img]
At last, the final stage of her plan comes to fruition!
What's strange about Mother Brain is that, in destroying her, the main party of Phantasy Star II kind of fulfilled Mother Brain's wish for destruction, as the Great Collapse that followed killed most of the population, rendered most of the once fertile land useless, and ended the high tech societies of the Algo system.
Role Playing games have a rich history with roots in pen-and-paper adventures extending all the way to the latest 50 plus hour hi-def epic. When looking at the history of RPGs 1986 is an appropriate starting point. This year saw the release of Dragon Quest on the Famicom and perhaps the birth of the console RPG genre.
[img width=700 height=458]http://i1340.photobucket.com/albums/o736/Fleach/dragonquest_zps20352673.jpg[/img]
Before making the leap to the home console Role Playing games were played using books which outlined rules, enemy strength, and scenarios for the players; most importantly these games required the use of a person's imagination to create the world and its inhabitants. Dungeons and Dragons, created by Gary Gygax, set the formula for RPGs as a genre. His pen-and-paper games introduced the concepts of character leveling, Hit Points as a representation of health, and random enemy encounters. The core concepts of Gygax's adventures were eventually brought onto the computer with notable games including Akalabeth and Ultima.
Ultima was a huge success in Japan - this game, along with Wizardry, heavily inspired Yuji Horii of Enix. Horii's intent was to create a game that incorporate the same depth and sense of adventure that his favourite computer games portrayed, but using a simpler control scheme.
[img width=500 height=333]http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgf2dkjvOE1qd6q29o1_500.jpg[/img]
What Horii and his team created was Dragon Quest, and it took the Japanese Role Playing community by storm. By exploiting the best elements of Ultima and Wizardry, and creating a story about saving a land from the clutches of an evil enemy the console RPG genre was set in motion.
[img width=640 height=509]http://satoshimatrix.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/19830715_family_computer.jpg[/img]
Though these shared similarities to early Role Playing games this new breed of RPGs eschewed the complex control systems of their computer counterparts which required players to type commands to interact with the games' worlds, opting instead to use the basic - and now iconic - directional pad of the Nintendo Famicom's handheld controller. Players could now search chests, battle monsters, and navigate dungeons with a single button press.
The basis of Horii's game became the foundation of future RPGs. Players would now travel across an overworld from town to town encountering monsters along the way. Success in battle was rewarded with Experience Points which enabled a character to gain higher levels, improved statistics, and more powerful skills. Everything that players had to perform prepared them for the final duel against the evil force which was threatening the kingdom. The game outlined the general premise of the plot, but demanded that players discover where they must go and what they must do in order to reach the conclusion of their journey to preserve justice and righteousness. The basis of Dragon Quest would be emulated and expanded upon to create newer and broader adventures.
This set the stage for other developers to experiment with the new style of Role Playing games and led to release of other historic epics such as Final Fantasy and Ys among others.
So as of Feb 22nd I posted a article talking about going for a complete N64 collection Boxed. I have been stalking ebay daily since then checking out what I can get my hands on. I actually feel as if it is a part time job with the amount of time I have spent on there looking. I have been really picky with box condition as well which has also cost me more money then what I would want to pay on alot of these games but I am enjoying every minute of watching as my collection grows.
So during the time of that blog I only owned 12 boxed N64 games and I had about 25 on order.
Well since then I have came a long ways in a sense.
I now have 77 boxed Games total on hand not including duplicates and I have 21 more on order.
My camera sucks so I included some additional photos that can hopefully help you guys see the titles better.
I went into this collection with the mindset that only a few titles are extremely expensive as in Clayfighter 63 1/3 sculptors cut but I have learned that there are handful of titles that are going to eat away at my funds. Two of the more pricy titles out there I do own now.
Super bowling cost me $237.50 and I already owned Clayfighter 63 1/3 sculptors cut but to get the box it ran me $500 dollars. I have seen some better condition boxes going for around $400 now so hopefully it stays lower for the people who still need to get it and if anyone has the manual for it I would love to buy it off you. It still hurts not having it complete.
But moving on as you can see in the photo the games are in protective sleeves. They are pretty pricy as well but are defiantly worth it if you can afford it. I picked up some from multiple users on ebay and realized some come in different sizes which pretty much made some of the ones I own a waste do to my OCD. I would highly recommend purchasing them thru the Ebay user dgodkin. His cases fit the boxes perfect and he is really easy to work with. He also carries sleeves for the Nes, and Gameboy which fit nicely as well.
Well to finish this blog off, I just order 2 additional shelf's on top of the two i own displayed below so once I have them I will be able to display all my games and by the time I get a complete N64 collection It will take a shelf in a half of space up. If anyone has any questions or has any boxed n64 games up for sale or trade, let me know.
[img width=512 height=450]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-071/bf/U-071-S-00250-A.jpg[/img]
I think it's maybe an understatement to say that I'm a fan of Capcom fighting games. Pretty much my entire adoration for the genre comes from my first time playing Street Fighter II back in the day. As such, I've always identified most with that style of gameplay, character design, move-sets and so on. Which is not to say that I don't like other fighting game franchises or developers. It's not even to say I was ignorant of them 'back in the day.' Interestingly enough, I remember playing Art of Fighting (or was it World Heroes?) on a Neo Geo cab in a convenience store not far from my house around the same time. And I also had the SNES port of Fatal Fury in my collection right alongside Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
So then it's probably appropriate that in recent years I've also explored -- and gotten a lot more into SNK fighting games as well. As I mentioned I had certainly been exposed to SNK in the past, but to really tackle these games is daunting considering the sheer number of characters featured in the various games, spin-off's, sequels and crossovers. And while I've found a good handful of SNK games that I can continually come back to (and at least one solid masterpiece in Garou: Mark of the Wolves), I would still say that the six-button Capcom setup is preferred for me over the four-button SNK style.
[img width=561 height=463]http://i.imgur.com/sSkN4or.jpg[/img]
But what if you're the opposite of me? What if you grew up playing King of Fighters annually with only a passing respect for the various Street Fighter games? What if you're parents really spoiled you and got you an AES instead of a SNES? Well for any of us that fall into either camp, we have this wonderful game to help us meet in the middle.
Capcom Vs. SNK is a perfect balance of both developers' franchises. If you were to look at screens of Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Garou: Mark of the Wolves side-by-side, you could be excused for thinking they were from the same game. Here, that's sort of the philosophy. Surely competition can be good -- and over the years both companies have benefited from competition by pushing each other to constantly attempt to get the one-up on the other. It's only fitting that the combining of both sides would be so great.
[img width=561 height=463]http://i.imgur.com/1wzjEqA.jpg[/img]
Now it's important to note that at its heart, this is still a Capcom game (with SNK's answer being their SNK Vs. Capcom, sadly never ported to the Dreamcast). However for those of you Neo Geo fans thinking this means you'll have to get used to the six-button layout that most Capcom games utilize, fear not! You are actually given the option to choose which play-style (or 'groove') suits you best. Likewise the game can also be played in both regular and Turbo speed settings.
Graphically the game is top-notch, genuinely finding itself rubbing elbows with many of the system's finest examples of 2D fighting visions (the aforementioned Third Strike and Garou come to mind once again). The animations are fast and smooth, the backgrounds are ridiculously detailed, and each match begins with an impressive animation that leads right into the stage setting.
[img width=560 height=468]http://i.imgur.com/c8uvgGh.jpg[/img]
Now I hate to sound like a broken record but running this game through VGA is just astounding. Prior to the Dreamcast port I had played Capcom Vs SNK on the PlayStation and can honestly say they look like completely different games when they're running. This version looks and feels like you're playing an arcade game where the PlayStation port looks quite obviously like a PlayStation port. Though I suppose it's not really fair to compare the handling of such a game on such different hardware.
The music is just as compliment-worthy here, although that should probably be expected considering Capcom's fighter output at that time. Certainly folks would be likely to mention Third Strike and Marvel Vs. Capcom as favorite soundtracks from the genre.
And speaking of Marvel Vs. Capcom, I'm going to go ahead and make a statement here that could ruffle a few feathers: I personally think that the Capcom Vs. SNK games are better than the Marvel Vs. Capcom games. Seriously. Though in fairness I suppose it's true that I'm really not as big a comic book fan as some of you may be. In that regard there's probably way more SNK characters that I'm interested in playing with than their are Marvel characters.
And speaking of Roster, that is of course how many fighting games are measured. Including all the hidden characters, Capcom Vs. SNK sports a total of 35 characters to choose from across three different ratios. The ratios are an interesting tier system included to promote balance. Basically this means that it's possible to see matches where one player might have four characters from Ratio 1 against a single character from Ratio 3. This system certainly makes for interesting match-ups and breath-taking victories.
As if the game itself weren't enough, you've got two different end-bosses to make it through in Arcade Mode, as well as an insane amount of unlockables that will keep you busy for quite some time. I know I've been having a lot of fun experimenting with different characters while unlocking various pallet-swaps. Though sadly, I've yet to figure out how to unlock Morrigan. If it isn't quite obvious from my long-winded post, this is a fighting game well worth your time. Highly, highly recommended!
[img width=700 height=484]http://www.ministryofpinball.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/b/a/backglass_cc.jpg[/img]
Well.....I'm down to choosing my final two machines for this countdown and I have to say, this was the hardest decision I had to make so far. After considering several factors, I ultimately decided to put Cactus Canyon in the #2 spot, though it could have easily been listed at #1. To be honest, it even holds the top spot on my Pinside rankings page, but the criteria Pinside uses doesn't take into consideration the three factors that kept this machine out from the top of the podium for this Top 10: affordability, availability, and nostalgia (these factors will be more clear when I post my #1 machine). Rather than knock Cactus Canyon, it is in the #2 spot, which is equally impressive, I'd prefer to spend my time praising it.
Continue reading Banana's Pinball Top 10 - #2 Cactus Canyon
Compendium Entry: Miki Higashino
When you ask an old school or enthusiast gamer what some excellent companies were in the 8 bit era for music and sound effects they will toss out a few names, Nintendo, Capcom, Tecmo, Square, Rare, Sega but I'm going to look at a composer from my personal favorite 8 bit soundtrack powerhouse, Konami.
Miki Higashino is another female composer with her background in piano compositions as was Yoko Shimomura. In her early video game career she got the chance to collaborate with the Konami Kukeiha Club, which is the awesome name of Konami's sound team. Basically she started straight at the top for classic arcade games.
The first game that Miki Higashino worked on is a wonderful and classic horizontal shooter known as Gradius from 1985.
The same year saw the release of Yie Ar Kung-Fu to the arcades and more Miki music. Higashino got the chance to continue her influence on the Gradius series a year later with the release of Salamander in the arcade.
She also got the chance to make her first non-arcade soundtrack, doing the music for Knightmare for the MSX home computer. She used this experience in the next year helping with the port of Salamander to the MSX.
Higashino and the Konami Kukeiha club just could not be stopped, but they did take two years separated after the MSX port of Salamander before they all met back up and decided to make some music for the original arcade release of Gradius III.
Miki Higashino and Mutsuhiko Izumi worked on both Gradius III (as well as others) and the arcade release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the year of 1989. The arcade release of TMNT remember, not the original NES game.
Izumi went on to do the soundtrack for Konami's arcade TMNT follow up, the amazing Turtles in Time, by himself.
Miki started the 1990s by being on the music team for the interesting arcade game Surprise Attack. In 1992 she came back to work on the team for Contra III: Alien Wars. This was her first foray outside of the arcade since the MSX ports.
1993 saw another busy year for Miki. She did the limited soundtrack for the arcade game Premier Soccer, lead the composing team for manga licensed RPG Moryo Senki MADARA 2 for the Super Famicom (same team as Contra III). Finally, she also lead the team for the Mega Drive/Genesis port of TMNT: Tournament Fighters.
The following year sees her branching out even more as she composes the music for another sports game, Double Dribble: The Playoff Edition for the MD/Genesis by herself and works on the team that creates the soundtrack for the PC Engine dating sim Tokimeki Memorial.
The very middle of the 1990s, 1995 that is, was filled with only one soundtrack with work by Miki. Konami wanted a team to make a soundtrack for their take on the classic console based RPG. So Miki, along with a team of others composed the music for Suikoden.
She also took on the mighty role of the soundtrack for Suikoden's sequel largely on her own, only 8 of the 105 songs on Suikoden II's massive sequel were not completely made by her alone or at all.
Between the Suikodens she was a member of the teams behind the music for Vandal Hearts and her first work outside Konami, Moon: Remix RPG Adventure.
The 21st century began with Miki and Keiko Fukami continuing their work after Suikoden II and releasing the soundtracks for the visual novels Genso Suikogaiden Vol. 1 and 2 in and 2000 and 2001 respectively.
She left Konami and the industry completely for maternity leave after being a major force in the first four released games in Konami's Suikoden world, building the musical love from Gradius, having a major hand in the TMNT arcade experiences, among many other influences. Many of Konami's biggest arcade successes and cult console classics have seen Miki Higashino working some musical magic up behind the scenes along with a team just as dedicated as her.
Since returning from her maternity leave Miki has only been able to collaborate with Yasunori Mitsuda on the soundtrack for 10,000 Bullets, and on Pop'n Music: Adventure in 2007.
[img width=606 height=550]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-071/bf/U-071-S-02460-A.jpg[/img]
I know I've talked on this blog more than once about how Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was my first introduction to the Dreamcast more than a decade ago. In fact I was so enamored with that game that when my college roommate moved out (and took his Dreamcast with him) I had to get my own copy along with its prequel. Though at the time I had a PlayStation 2 rather than a Dreamcast of my own, so although I was more than familiar with the original Pro Skater, it would be quite a few years before I got to play this particular version. And just recently I decided I was due for another race to the end-credits.
[img width=575 height=465]http://i.imgur.com/JHuaJLH.jpg[/img]
There's a lot to love about Pro Skater. It's got an excellent soundtrack (I really wish an official soundtrack had been released), it's got a pick-up-and-play quality to it, and plays great. That said, it's always slightly tough to go back to the original game because it's easy to forget that manuals weren't introduced until the second game. This means that chaining combos together was actually a far more difficult affair back then. But once you get over this small snag, it's easy to see that the first game was already pretty close to perfection.
[img width=575 height=465]http://i.imgur.com/SclmdA0.jpg[/img]
The original Pro Skater is also the hardest game of the series, at least as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps it's because there are actually less goals per level, and they can often be tough ones. Take for instance the Downhill Jam. This level is probably the one I'd consider the hardest of the entire series. But of course some of that could be my own personal play style. But what was fun about my recent playthrough of the game was that I purposely forced myself to patiently complete every single goal in the Downhill Jam. That definitely made it feel like a bigger accomplishment than just coasting to the final tournament by completing goals in other levels instead.
So today is day 91 of my 100 NES games in 100 day challenge. Fortunately for me though I finished my 100th game a few days back and successfully completed my second 100 NES game in 100 day challenge!!! What started off with many fairly simple games (children's titles, and game shows mostly) ended up being pretty satisfying overall. I played a lot of great titles that I have been neglecting like Gemfire, Nightshade, Bucky O'Hare and many others. Since my last update these are the game I have finished though:
One of my favorite publishers Taito, put out a cool little puzzler appropriately called Puzznic. In Puzznic you have a time limit in which to figure out how to match 2 or more colored gems together in order to clear the entire play area. What starts of as very simple matching eventually becomes pretty tough in the later few levels. Its a very simple premise and even though you have a time limit that only really matters if you're worried about score. If you just want to progress to the next puzzle its quite a relaxing game as you can take your time experimenting until you come up with the right solution.
In addition to the regular Puzznic game there is also a Gravnic mode. In Gravnic you have the same goal of matching gems, but instead of sliding the gems around the screen individually you change the gravity of the entire room causing all the gems to react at once. If you check out my video you'll see that I spent well over 7 hours playing Puzznic/Gravnic in order to solve all the puzzles. For an NES game I feel the packed a lot of value into this little puzzler. Would have been great to see a 2-player mode, but if you like solo puzzle games its definitely worth checking out.
[img width=640 height=479]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/Puzznic-Ending_zpsd36698e4.jpeg[/img]
Track & Field II is a game that I've actually been plugging away at for weeks now. I've mentioned in the past that I don't like using Turbo controllers and that made this game extremely challenging. In fact I'd rank it among the most challenging games I've been able to beat when playing it with a standard controller. The final day of the game was the most taxing for myself with both the Archery and Horizontal Bar giving me a TON of trouble and countless failed attempts. The game is fun when playing against human opponents, but its pretty frustrating when playing to win the single player at times. Not to mention that I had to take 1-2 week breaks in between my attempts to let my poor fingers recover from the massacre they endured by mashing the A button so much. In fact I literally tore a chunk of my fingernail during one attempt. Glad to be done this one.
[img width=640 height=479]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/TrackampFieldII-Ending_zps42625d0a.jpeg[/img]
After Track & Field II it was nice to slow things down again with something like Swords & Serpents. Its a fairly basic First Person Dungeon Crawler. Just the speed of game I was looking for at the time. There is a dragon at the bottom of a 16 floor dungeon and your goal is to slay it. Simple as that. Each floor has a different little theme or trick to it to spice things up a bit. There are check points on the 1st, 5th and 10th floors, but otherwise you must use warps or stairs to traverse down to the bottom. The password system as Bombatomba has pointed out is pretty brutal in this game though. Each of your 4 characters has a code as well as your overall game, and in addition to that you have to rename your characters each time you start the game up. Because of this it takes 3-5 minutes just to start playing again each time. Other than that little hiccup and the 9th floor which I wasn't a big fan of the game was a lot of fun. Very simple, easy to understand, and fun.
[img width=639 height=479]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/SwordsandSerpents-Ending_zpsf4964fb5.jpeg[/img]
To keep things on the same pace as I was still recovering from Track & Field II I popped in Tombs & Treasure. This game is a little hybrid of RPG, Point & Click Adventure, and Dungeon Crawling. Like Swords & Serpents Bombatomba has spoken a bit about it during his summer challenge last year. Like a lot of early adventure games I felt you lacked direction quite often and it was challenging to know where to go and what to do. Not the best example of any of the genres it takes on, but its kind of a neat offering overall. Worth checking out only if you're a big fan of any of the genres or just want to try something a bit unique.
[img width=639 height=479]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/TombsampTreasures-Ending_zps1fa9ef6b.jpeg[/img]
What better way to finish off my 100 day challenge than by slaying yet another Dragon? I was very pleasantly surprise by AD&D Dragon Strike so I thought I'd check out the only other Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game I owned, Heroes of the Lance. Again I was kind of surprised by the style as I had assumed it to be a first person RPG or dungeon crawler of some sort. I was a side scrolling action RPG instead. You have a group of 8 characters who are represented by whomever you have place at the front of your team. Your goal is to traverse a dungeon and slay a dragon with a specific staff that you start the game with.
The team they provide you with is pretty diverse and features warriors, clerics, wizards, dwarfs, elves, etc. Lots of different classes and races to play around with. The game itself was much shorter than I had anticipated though. Once you figure out how to approach different enemies (such as attacking them high, middle or low or what spells are most effective) its a pretty simple game too. The last boss is huge and terrifying, but if you managed to keep the staff with you and use it on him it isn't really a battle. He dies in one hit from it. Definitely didn't do as much for me as Dragon Strike, but still a very interesting game and has been looking forward to trying the other 2 AD&D games.
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/ADampDHeroesoftheLance-Ending_zps4222c708.jpeg[/img]
Here is the full list of 325 NES games beaten since October 2011 when I started my first challenge. This 100 in 100 challenge started with Sesame Street Countdown and ended with AD&D Heroes of the Lance.
Beaten Since Oct.8th 2011
(click on a title to see the video)
Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Bros 2
Super Mario Bros 3
Mega Man
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 3
Mega Man 4
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Castlevania
Adventures in the Magic Kingdom
Duck Tales
Duck Tales 2
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers 2
Felix the Cat
Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout
Ren and Stimpy Show: Buckaroo$
Double Dragon
Contra
Super C
Contra Force
Power Blade
Power Blade 2
Dynowarz: The Destruction of Spondylus
Metal Storm
Journey to Silius
Air Fortress
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Blaster Master
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turltes 2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3
Legendary Wings
BreakThru
Commando
Guerrilla War
World Games
Snoopy's Silly Sports Spectacular
Caveman Games
DK Classics
Jaws
Ninja Gaiden
Where's Waldo?
Bonk's Adventure
Panic Restaurant
Bubble Bobble 2
Dr. Mario
Bubble Bobble
MC Kids
Batman
Circus Caper
Roller Games
Widget
Tiny Toon Adventures
Tiny Toon Adventures 2
The Jetsons
The Little Mermaid
Monster in my Pocket
Gremlins 2
Kirby's Adventure
Kickle Cubicle
Kung Fu
Yo! Noid
Xexyz
Puss 'N Boots: Pero's Great Adventure
Wall Street Kid
The Karate Kid
Archon
Golf
Super Dodgeball
Super Spike V'Ball
Jakcie Chan's Action Kung Fu
The Three Stooges
Ice Hockey
Tecmo Bowl
Track & Field
Mario Bros
NARC
North and South
Barbie
Battle Chess
The Simpsons: Bart vs. The World
The Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak
Snow Brothers
Little Samson
Sky Shark
Ninja Gaiden II
Mike Tyson's Punch Out
The Simpsons: Bart Meets Radioactive Man
StarTropics
Little Nemo: The Dream Master
River City Ransom
StarTropics 2: Zoda's Revenge
The Jungle Book
Castlevania III Dracula's Curse
Mario is Missing
Blades of Steel
Hogan's Alley
Wild Gunman
Burger Time
Silver Surfer
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Double Dragon II: The Revenge
Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones
Ghosts n Goblins
Tetris
Pro Wrestling
Gradius
Zanac
Adventure Island
Karnov
Trojan
Excitebike
Baseball
Spy Hunter
Adventure Island II
Tennis
Battletoads
Shadowgate
Battletoads/Double Dragon
Pinball Quest
Section Z
Godzilla
Hydlide
Marble Madness
Back to the Future
Darkman
Terminator 2
Robocop
Total Recall
Predator
Robocop 2
Robocop 3
Hudson Hawk
Home Alone
Home Alone 2
Batman Returns
Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters
Die Hard
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The Krion Conquest
Adventures of Dino Riki
Ultima: Exodus
Legacy of the Wizard
Ultima: Quest of the Avatar
Darkwing Duck
Ultima: Warriors of Destiny
Legends of the Diamond
Pro Sports Hockey
Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball
Yoshi's Cookie
Kick Master
Zombie Nation
Stadium Events
Super Jeopardy!
Joust
Yoshi
Dance Aerobics
Adventures of Bayou Billy
Pipe Dreams
Ski or Die
Werewolf: The Last Warrior
Simpsons: Bart vs The Space Mutants
City Connection
American Gladiators
Roundball 2-on-2 Challenge
720
Athletic World
Super Team Games
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Gumshoe
Bases Loaded
The Addams Family Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt
Kings of the Beach
The Blues Brothers
Volley Ball
Lode Runner
3D World Runner
Twin Eagle
Dragon's Lair
The Adventures of Rad Gravity
Break Time: The National Pool Tour
Bases Loaded II
Rainbow Islands
Conquest of the Crystal Palace
Peter Pan And The Pirates
Kid Kool and the Quest for the Seven Wonder Herbs
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Dragon Strike
Slalom
Wrath of the Black Manta
Race America
Treasure Master
Krusty's Fun House
King's Knight
Mighty Bomb Jack
Bases Loaded 3
Castelian
Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll
Dirty Harry
Conan
Cobra Triangle
Spider Man Return of the Sinister Six
Tag Team Wrestling
Eliminator Boat Duel
Galaxy 5000
George Foreman's KO Boxing
Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge
Thunder & Lightning
Heavy Shreddin'
Flying Warriors
Rocket Ranger
Roger Clemens MVP Baseball
Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure
Destination Earthstar
Street Cop
Short Order/Eggsplode
Star Voyageur
Days of Thunder
Laser Invasion
Silent Service
Back to the Future 2 & 3
Overlord
High Speed
Sesame Street Countdown
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters
Shooting Range
Space Shuttle Project
Double Dare
Win, Lose or Draw
Othello
Whomp Em
Dragon Fighter
Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle
Family Feud
Tale Spin
Platoon
Gotcha!
Gun Smoke
Kiwi Kraze
10 Yard Fight
Tom & Jerry
Wrecking Crew
Hatris
Time Lord
Orb 3D
Wheel of Fortune Jr
Wheel of Fortune Family Edition
Captain America and the Avengers
Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune Featuring Vanna White
The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle
Bo Jackson Baseball
Jeopardy! Jr
Jeopardy!
Jeopardy! 25th Anniversary
Cowboy Kid
Crash n The Boys: Street Challenge
Galaga
Color A Dinosaur
Millipede
Popeye
Sesame Street 123
Sesame Street ABC
Sesame Street Hide & Speak
Soccer
Classic Concentration
Fisher Price I Can Remember
Fisher Price Perfect Fit
Mickey's Safari in Letterland
Mickey's Adventure in Numberland
NES Open Golf
Pictionary
Chessmaster
Anticipation
DK Jr Math
Donkey Kong 3
Urban Champion
Balloon Fight
Pinball
Qix
Hollywood Squares
Twin Cobra
Flintstones Rescue of Dino & Hoppy
Tiger-Heli
Winter Games
NES World Cup Soccer
Defender II
M.U.S.C.L.E.
MTV's Remote Control
Spot The Video Game
Spy vs Spy
Taboo The Sixth Sense
Gemfire
Monopoly
Legend of the Ghost Lion
Jackal
Rad Racer
Rad Racer II
Arch Rivals
Deja Vu
Nightshade
Mickey Mousecapade
King's Quest V
Vegas Dreams
Magic Johnson's Fast Break
Touchdown Fever
Caesar's Palace
Casino Kid
Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom
Videomation
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Bucky O'Hare
The Incredible Crash Dummies
Joe &
Totally Rad
Lifeforce
Wolverine
Maniac Mansion
Puzznic
Track & Field II
Swords & Serpents
Tombs & Treasures
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance
BONUS GAMES:
Assimilate
Nomolos: Storming the Catsle
Future Plans - Take a short break from NES and play Batman Arkham Asylum with the rfgen community. Maybe play another modern game or two and then return to the NES, but at a much more relaxed rate. Still craving some slow moving games so I plan to check out some stuff like Wizardy or some of the KOEI games I've been neglecting.
As you all know, we recently held our annual donation drive, which was a huge success, meeting our goal to have enough funds to pay for the server throughout the year. However, something has changed here at RFGen. The Collectorcast has been a runaway success, and while that’s awesome for Duke.Togo, Crabmaster2000, and WildBil52, its putting a strain on our servers. Due to the increased traffic and bandwidth use, our host is requiring us to upgrade to a bigger and faster setup. This as I’m sure you all can guess, means a heftier price tag. Which means the funds we raised earlier will no longer suffice. But we won’t be holding another donation drive this year; instead, we’ve decided to change our business model a bit. Don’t worry, we’re not going to going to be adding ads, we would never resort to that...
We’ll still be funded solely by donations, but instead of the few paying for the many, the many will now be paying for the many. In other words, RFGeneration.com will now be a pay-to-use site. I know, I know, it sounds bad, but here’s the good news, you only have to pay once and you’ll never have to pay again, and you get to choose how much you pay. So click the Donate button in the forums and set your payment amount. Once your payment is verified, you’ll be allowed to access the forum and all those wonderful collection tools you know and love.
We'll still be allowing current members to access the site today so they can make this transition and get their payment in as soon as possible.
And remember, even though we keep it on Channel 3, we’re more like HBO now.
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