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Before my wife and I moved, I had to make a very tough decision. You see we had just about a month to pack everything up. This meant I’d have to pack pretty much my entire video game collection. But of course I’d have to leave at least something out if I had a spare hour here or there to actually play games. I decided that the one console I’d leave out would be my Dreamcast (kind of a no-brainer I suppose). And I’d need to also leave a small handful of Dreamcast games unpacked. But how do you choose? Who knows what you’re going to want to play, right? By the time all was said and done I had narrowed it down to just two final games -- Phantasy Star Online Version 2 (more on that in another post) and Sega Smash Pack Volume 1.
It might seem kind of funny to leave out a console to play a bunch of emulated games. But ultimately I was really pleased with my decision. When I wasn’t getting sucked into PSO, I had “12 Great Games” to explore -- most familiar, but some new to me -- and from various genres depending upon my mood. So with that in mind I ask that you get pretty comfortable as this is probably going to be one of my longest blog posts ever. That’s right, I’m gonna tell you about every single game on here…
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Sonic The Hedgehog is obviously a game we all know pretty well. Indeed I was a convert to the blast-processing hype of the day, and my Genesis was bundled with this very game. Oh how jealous my NES-owning friends all seemed at the time. Though I swear I beat this game as a kid, I had no solid memories of the ending. So had I actually done it like I thought I had? Well… I think so. But I can’t be certain. In recent years this original entry has appeared to be one of the harder games in the original 2D series. I can blow right through Sonic CD usually only losing one life in haste. But going back to OG Sonic always seemed difficult.
When I found myself with a limited selection of games I realized something really important about this game -- it’s really not all about speed. In fact, the levels I hate the most (water ones) really require a lot of patience. When I’d try to rush through, I’d get nowhere. But if I took the time to just get an air bubble every time I had the chance, I’d survive no problem. And so that seemed to show me a certain genius in Sonic’s design. It’s a flashy, bright and fast game that’s maybe also meant to be savored. And I must add that doing so via VGA adapter is totally worth it. Like I said, I’ve owned Sonic since its release and not until seeing it in its VGA glory have I realized just how incredible those sprites really looked. And the compilations’ audio issues aside, this game really had some incredible music. I can’t go back and tell you if I did or didn’t beat the game as a child for sure, but I can tell you I felt totally triumphant sitting down and beating it in a single sitting this past month.
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Golden Axe was a game I always enjoyed back in the day. I obtained my copy as part of the Sega Classics Arcade Collection which was a pack-in with the launch Sega CD. And though I enjoy beat-em-ups quite a bit, this one seems to have not aged as well as I wish it did. It’s totally possible I’ll get a bit of hate for this as Golden Axe seems a pretty beloved franchise, but I just don’t really think the original is all that great if I’m to be honest. Honestly, I’d much rather play Streets of Rage any day of the week.
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I didn‘t actually play Shining Force this month, but I did get my first taste of it on this collection a year or two ago. And since then I’ve become a total convert to the franchise. The original Shining Force is a ridiculously awesome strategy RPG with excellent (albeit repetitive) music, cool (albeit repetitive) animations and a gigantic cast of characters considering the time of its release. I must admit I’ve long been a sucker for S-RPG’s though. There’s something about combining the grid-based movement and strategy of chess with the attack/magic/heal/etc combat of a traditional turn-based JRPG. Like I said this game made me a fan, and I’ve recently spent a good deal of hours plugging away at Shining Wisdom (an Action RPG) on the Saturn.
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Wrestle War is a game. I don’t have a whole lot to say about it outside of that. Well… I suppose as a curio it’s kind of neat addition by Sega since it’s not exactly one of their most popular releases. But to be frank I found it totally boring. It’s a lot of button-mashing as far as I can tell, and that doesn’t really help a game based around something I’m already not interested in (wrestling). So I really didn’t spend much time looking into this one.
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Streets of Rage 2 is really pretty awesome. I think we can all agree on that one. But would you think less of me if I said I still prefer the original game? Perhaps it’s nostalgia. Again, the original SOR was part of the Sega Classics pack-in on Sega CD and I spent countless hours on that one. The music of the original is still so iconic to me. Fast-forward some years and Streets of Rage was semi-responsible for not only making my wife a gamer herself, but even helping her realize that she had a new favorite genre (beat-em-ups).
But while I still prefer the original, there’s no denying that the second is fantastic. And truthfully I applaud Sega for putting the sequel on this collection rather than the original. It would have been so easy for them (I’m guessing) to have included the original four games from that Sega CD collection but instead they opted to deliver what is considered the fan-favorite of the SOR Trilogy. I’m reminded that I still need to beat this one, though most beat-em-ups get reserved for co-op with my wife nowadays.
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Columns was in fact one of the other games that was part of the Sega CD collection I’ve been mentioning. If you’re not familiar it’s a blocks-drop-from-the-sky puzzler that I guess was Sega’s attempt at a Tetris-alike. Though unlike Tetris you can only move the order of the jewels, which are arranged in vertical lines always three-pieces long. It’s a pretty good, if not remarkable arcade puzzler. Sure it’s simple as heck -- and I’d far prefer any number of puzzle games. But I was also able to find a lot of enjoyment in it for several nights in a row. I played through equivalent of Tetris’ B Type game on multiple difficulties -- though admittedly I could never seem to beat the hardest one.
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Another game I could get some hate for is Vectorman. I actually first played it as part of fellow RFGen-er Crabmaster2000’s short lived community game club back in 2009 or so. For whatever reason this game has just never clicked with me. And I am a fan of run-n-gun style platformers. But there’s something just off about it for me. Even worse on this particular port is the default button configuration, though you can change it to whatever you like in the options menu so don’t let the deter you. But like I was saying, I just can’t seem to make myself enjoy Vectorman. I’m not sure if it’s that I feel like there’s just a lot of blind jumps, or if I find the combat a little wonky… whatever it is it just seems like every time I give Vectorman another chance it still does nothing for me.
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Phantasy Star II is… a Phantasy Star game so I’m a fan. Having first discovered the original Phantasy Star several years back as part of Racketboy’s Together Retro game club, I have since become a total sucker for the franchise. In fact I recently came to the shocking conclusion that I actually prefer Phantasy Star as a series to Final Fantasy. The characters, universe, music, setting, story and pretty much anything else just seems to appeal to me so much more. And this is coming from a guy who defends Final Fantasy XIII.
Beating the original Phantasy Star felt like a huge achievement to me. And I’ve raved about that game ever since, insisting that it outshines its immediate 8-bit contemporaries Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior in many ways. But it had also occurred to me that I hadn’t taken the time to really delve into other games in the series until fairly recently. So I figured the Smash Pack was a good excuse to start making my way through the second game. Though I haven’t beaten it yet, I’ve sunk probably 6-8 hours into it and am quite impressed. Though the music isn’t as good as the original, it’s still totally memorable. And everything looks great in 16-bit. Though the confusing first-person dungeons are gone from this one, they’re replaced with equally confusing overhead dungeons which for some strange decision in design feature weird pipes above your characters that often block your view. I’m guessing these were featured to show off some processor that Sega was proud of on their Genesis hardware, but man… it’s rough. But having said that, if you let yourself use maps for the dungeons it’s a fantastic (but grind-heavy, be warned) RPG that any admirer of the series should look into.
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Altered Beast on the other hand is such a terrible game. Though the graphics were at the time well-detailed and the game does feature some voice samples that show the original Genesis hardware off, it’s just such a boring, sluggish and awkward game to actually play. And unlike Golden Axe or Vectorman, I feel like I probably won’t get a whole lot of disdain for proclaiming this.
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Revenge of Shinobi fares slightly better. And as a side-note, how confusing did the Shinobi series get during the Genesis days? There was Shinobi 3, Shadow Dancer and this one all around the same time, right? I know I often have trouble keeping track of which is which. When I saw Revenge listed on the back of Smash Pack I got really exciting thinking “oh man, I hope this is the really awesome one with Batman, Spiderman, Godzilla and that forced-scrolling horse level!” But no. It’s not. Instead it’s a pretty good Shinobi game. But I don’t know… maybe it’s just because I was hoping for a much better game in the series, and then comparing the two unconsciously. Or maybe it’s because I have no idea how to even beat the first boss… but I guess I just kind of feel like Revenge is a game that looks a bit better than the original but seems to actually play a bit worse. Just me again?
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Virtua Cop 2 is one of the other non-Genesis games on this collection and holy crap is it awesome! Now understand that I had to play this version with the control pad because I’ve yet to track down Dreamcast light guns, but even then the game was just incredible. Sega really knew what they were doing with light gun games, eh? I mean, I’m a really big fan of the House of the Dead series so I had a good idea of what I was getting myself into here. But damn, Virtua Cop 2 is just some amazing arcade fun. And like I mentioned earlier, here’s a game that really benefits from having a VGA box for your Dreamcast. Oh, and since experiencing the game here for the first time, I did manage to track down the Saturn port of the game along with a couple of Stunner light guns for my CRT TV in my new game room.
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And finally Sega Swirl is the one new game to this compilation. Though certainly a simple game -- and let’s be honest, not even a wholly original puzzler. But it did offer something that makes it a very notable game in the Dreamcast’s library… online play. Some of you may be aware that a small number of Dreamcast games are still actually online to this day, but Sega Swirl has the distinction of probably never going away. That’s because the game used POP3 email as its means of getting online. So anyone with a POP3 enabled email account can pretty much always get a move-by-email round of Sega Swirl going with a friend. And with that, we’re left with another one of those little reminders just how stupidly ahead of its time the Dreamcast really was.
First off, thanks to whoever is reading this blog, although I can't guarantee I'll be doing a lot of them. There's only a few other subjects I can think of that I'll possibly write about, and that could be it, but who knows  I'm mainly doing this entry for two reasons: one, I couldn't find much under a tags search for "plug and play", and wouldn't mind getting some discussions/comments going about the subject. And two, this is a warning for a certain plug and play brand to stay away from, as many of the games on this unit that I got are still included on many other units years later (which I'll get to).
Now, I REALLY love the...well, idea of plug and play units, due to them being small, compact, easy to use, inexpensive, and have many fun games on them all in one piece of plastic, wiring and buttons. Unfortunately the actual execution of these units can result in being mixed, if not being total garbage as far as results go, due to us old gamers that have been around since commercial video games were in its infancy in the mid 1970s, getting grouchy when manufacturers (who are out just to make a buck, rather than care/try to make us happy, let's face facts) port/reprogram old games and get them wrong (we just want stuff the way they were, dammit!).
I've only played a few modern day units, the best of which is Retro Arcade Featuring Pac-Man, which unfortunately they quit making a little over a year ago at the time of this writing, which is especially a shame due to there being 27 units before it before they came out with this near creme of the crop (ok, so I'm exaggerating, it was only 26!). I've seen YouTube videos of Jakks Pacific's past units (Retro Gold Featuring Pac-Man) where they got sounds, graphics, and/or various other things wrong on the included games. On this unit, though -- and which I give an 8 out of 10 (which you can see on this page, along with a YouTube presentation I also did, which a link will be at the end, although without a video camera, there isn't much video footage to it, which I hope to correct later) -- only Xevious was totally ruined (four way joystick control ONLY and several of the ground targets -- including the mother ship -- were taken out?!), with only minor changes with a few other games (Galaxian attack patterns, steerable shots on Bosconian) not screwing up the rest for the most part (although the joystick could've been better though).
Another one I played is the Star Wars Original Trilogy, with the games being pretty easy (which a review I wrote can be seen here), which I give it a 6 out of 10. I played it for a few weeks, then wrapped it up for a Christmas present for the nephew (had to make sure it worked first though, you know!). That one isn't bad, but it's nothing great either.
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And then, there's the 25 Games unit, which is what inspired this blog; baaaaaaarf. Very, very bad. This is a totally different story altogether.
There is very little to like about this one, as games are rip-offs (and not as well done) of the arcade classics of Rally-X, Columns, Clowns, and I believe Depth Charge (if that's not it, it's some old game where you command a battleship and you drop bombs down on ships below), done to death themes of the scrolling shooters and snake games (i. e. avoid walls, and each time you eat something your snake grows in length), games taken (possibly illegally) from the Famicon, and then several bizarre games that no one in their right minds would rip off from the unit, unless they came up with better gameplay elements of, among several other craptastic games.
Now, chances are pretty slim that anyone is going to find or play this piece of junk, as it's a pirated version of the DreamGEAR 25 in 1 unit that came out in 2003 or 2004. However, the reason I'm putting this up as a warning is that, right now, in 2013 that I'm writing this, the DreamGEAR company is up to a 140 games in 1 unit. And that's what you have to beware: I don't know if these units are sold outside of the States here, but upon doing research, many of the games on this 25 Games unit is on the current 140 in 1 unit, along with several of the DreamGEAR's previous ones. Because I first became aware of DreamGEAR about a year and a half ago when I spotted their 50 in 1 unit at a local Walgreens and wondered what it was like. However, it said it was for ages 5 and up, so that means these are for only:
1. Hardcore game collectors
2. 12 to 14 year olds, max
3. And/or people who are terrible at video games, since the games on this 25 Games unit are WAY too easy and boring for the most part
To summarize, I only gave 25 Games a 3 out of 10 rating. A link to my review of this can be seen here, although, with going over every single game (briefly, though), it is a bit lengthy, I'll admit. At least I only paid $2 U. S. for it, as the price tag read $4 at a local resale shop, but luckily everything was half off that day when I got that piece of junk.
I can definitely understand why someone got rid of that junk heap, and got pretty much nothing in return for it. I just feel sorry for whoever bought it and paid full price for it though; luckily when I saw the 50 in 1 unit at Walgreens a couple of times, I only had enough money for whatever it was I was buying on those nights, because I was bored and really needed some new games. So as we should all be thankful for things when we can, I'm glad I only spent $2 on this (plus tax), rather than $10 (again, plus tax) on the 50 in 1, which would've taken even MORE time to play twice as many games, which those might not have been any better than the games on this unit that I ended up with.
I will most definitely welcome comments on this subject, especially for those who have some plug and play units that I haven't really heard much about, such as the Intellivision and Commodore 64 ones and the like.
And who knows, maybe even pirate versions.
(Note: no, this unit's not in the database here, since RF Generation doesn't accept pirated games or consoles, so that's why it's at Stage Select. So don't bother trying to add it here, either.)
Links
(The first four links are the reviews mentioned throughout this blog, with the fifth being a bonus [not! You'll see why!] one)
*Stage Select page for Retro Arcade Pac-Man, with pictures and review
*My YouTube channel, which has a presentation of the above
*Stage Select page for Star Wars Original Trilogy, with pictures and review
*Stage Select page for 25 Games unit (puke), with pictures, a code and review
*YouTube channel (not mine), having many videos on the actual legit 25 in 1 unit, which most of the games on there are on this unit too
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When I was in Junior High I had a neighborhood friend who had the NES port of Bubble Bobble. And it had remained pretty much my sole exposure to the game until just recently. In February the Together Retro game club over at Racketboy.com had Bubble Bobble on their calendar. I was actually pretty excited to delve back into this one. The NES game was a really solid puzzle-platformer that offered an excellent co-op experience. Indeed I remember spending many hours as either Bub or Bob and capturing enemies and bursting their bubbles as my friend Jason and I traversed our way through those hundred levels. But this time out I’d be delving into the Saturn port which promised to be much closer to the original arcade experience.
Here’s what I found out: Bubble Bobble is really hard you guys. Compared to the NES version the computer AI was extremely aggressive. And though I didn’t spend a massive amount of time playing, I did put a fair share of effort. No matter how much I tried I could never seem to beat level 15 by myself. Although “by myself” probably illustrates the biggest issue I took with this game. Bubble Bobble is the sort of game that begs for co-op. Unfortunately my wife and I were gearing up for a big move, which meant we had pretty limited time for things like video games. And never once did we get to give this game a go together considering I wasn’t even sure which box my spare Saturn controller had ended up in. So more than anything I just found Bubble Bobble really frustrating. Though you can’t hate on the music which is still stuck in my head a month later.
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Luckily enough the Saturn release of Bubble Bobble also includes the sequel Rainbow Islands. I had actually never played this one before, and was actually pleasantly surprised by this one. Instead of dragons you play as little humans (who I think I’ve read are actually Bub and Bob in human form… or something?) who have the power to make little rainbows. The rainbows can be used to contain enemies much like the bubbles were used in Bubble Bobble, but they can also create little platforms for you to ascend each stage. The whole thing is really colorful and bright and just a whole lot of fun. Though I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to spend on it this month, I’d gladly re-visit Rainbow Islands again in the near future.
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This disc also contains a third game. But the third game is also my major complaint about this particular release. Bubble Bobble Also Featuring Rainbow Islands includes a sort of remake of Rainbow Islands. But why? Why bother with such a superfluous inclusion when the compilation could have been made totally amazing by adding in Parasol Stars? For those who aren’t familiar, Parasol Stars was the third game in the Bubble Bobble series, and to this day my favorite of the trilogy. Parasol Stars was one of the few TurboGrafx-16 games I owned back in the day and it sort of combined all the good stuff from both Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands into one incredibly awesome game. Sadly, it’s nowhere to be seen here though. Oh well
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February was an extremely busy month for my wife and I due to moving, so this collecting blog post will be a bit different than previous months. I really didn’t have time to take pictures of all my additions or even catalog them in my RFGen collection yet for that matter. Although this is going to look like a huge update, the funny thing is that almost everything you’ll see was purchased in January but didn’t actually arrive until February.
In fact the bulk of my pickups for the month all arrived in a single box. A couple of my friends and myself put some cash together and basically bought an ex-collector’s entire Saturn and Dreamcast collection. And to be honest, their collection was insane. So here’s what my third of the lot turned out to be:
SATURN:
AnEarth Fantasy Story
Angelique Special 2
Battle Athletes Daiundoukai
Black/Matrix
Blue Breaker
Blue Seed
Bootleg Sampler
Bootleg Sampler (loose)
Cotton Boomerang
Crusader No Remorse
D-Xhird
E'tude Prologue
Farland Story
Fushiginokunino Angelique
The Game of Life DX
Grandia
Hexen
Kakyusei
Nightruth
Nights Into Dreams Sampler
Ogre Battle
Refrain Love
Riglordsaga
Riglordsaga 2
Ronde
Sakura Wars Steam Radio Show
Sega Screams Volume 1 (loose)
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner (x2)
Shiroki Majo
Slayers Royal
Slayers Royal 2
Super Robot Wars F Final
Virtua Cop (NFR) (x2)
Virtua Cop 2 boxset w/ Stunner lightgun
Wachenroder
Wizardry VI & VII Complete
Wizards Harmony
Yukyu Gensokyoku 2nd Album
Yu-No
Action Replay Plus w/ manual
Mouse w/ mousepad
Netlink modem w/ SegaNet disc, manual
S-Video cables
DREAMCAST:
Sakura Taisen LE boxset
Sakura Taisen 2 LE boxset
Broadband Adapter
Keyboard (loose)
Performance rumble pack
Vibration Pack (boxed)
VGA Box (boxed)
VMU (boxed, grey)
You may notice that almost all the games are Japanese. As such, I’ve not yet fully decided which games I’m keeping and which I’ll be getting rid of. Certainly some of them are at least somewhat import-friendly. But there’s an abundance of RPG’s and Adventure games that without an understanding of English will honestly just sit on my shelves untouched. But even saying that I know I’ll hang on to Grandia and the Sakura Wars box sets no matter what. There are some games that are just too cool to get rid of regardless of a language barrier.
I definitely have to thank my buds for hooking this deal up though, as I got a whole lot of incredible stuff here for about the cost of just the Dreamcast Broadband Adapter and that copy of Cotton Boomerang alone.
My other acquisition was actually bought all the way back in December. I got another Neo Geo Pocket Color console -- this time a nice silver one. It’s actually a Japanese edition because I really had been wanting a minty boxed system. As it happens, this one came bundled with a Japanese Pachinko game which I’ve yet to delve into. But I have played a whole lot of Bust-A-Move Pocket in the last month. Anyway, sorry about the lack of great pics this month. I’ll make up for that next time…
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Square Enix and Level-5, two well known JRPG developers. The games of these studios are household names to almost any gamer and collector, but what about NIS or Atlus? Here at RF Generation those who focus their collecting habits on RPGs or are more open to different genres are likely to be familiar with the more obscure side of Role Playing games - the niche RPG.
Niche games are made with a specific target audience in mind. Whether its rogue-like dungeon crawlers, stories of cute alchemists, or the adventures of high school kids with supernatural abilities these RPGs are not destined to be million dollar blockbuster games. On one level this is likely because Role Playing games are much more popular in Japan than they are stateside. North American gamers should consider themselves lucky to reap the rewards of the successful Operation Rainfall campaign.
The primary demographic of niche RPGs are the otaku - anime enthusiasts. These people are more likely to pick up on the unique style of Japanese humour that would be lost on the typical North American gamer. While not a Role Playing game, the Katamari series is a perfect example. The Disgaea games published by NIS use the anime art style and feature many gameplay elements that naturally appeal to fans of Japanese animation. Fan service is another aspect of the niche RPG with the otaku in mind. Often sharing similarities to these games, though not always, are the rogue-like RPGs.
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In a word a rogue-like games can be described as unrelenting. All items and progress are lost should the player fail to clear the dungeon safely. This is hugely frustrating of course, but if successful the reward is sweet. To add to the complexity and difficulty these game occasionally feature randomly generated levels. Shiren the Wanderer (Wii) is a modern dungeon crawler.
Crafting, weapon customization, and alchemy are also common elements of niche RPGs. The Atelier game rely heavily on these game mechanics. Sorting through submenus to find the optimal combination of items may not be for everyone, certainly not for someone who just wants to embark upon a journey of grand proportions.
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Because these niche games seem so unusual according to North American expectations they are often never released in the west. These really are games that are not specifically made for North American audiences though some of the more accessible titles have been translated and redone for English-speaking gamers. Knowing that only a select number of people who make up the intended market demographic will purchase these games publishers typically have lower retail forecasts and thus these games will see smaller print runs. Though the other side of the RPG scene is weird, difficult, and complex it is still worthwhile to experiment with these games. And as a collector why not add some quirky titles to your shelves?
With all the gloom and doom I was spouting last time about not making my goal, I've actually done a decent job of finding games to keep beating. The list is running short, but I should be able to keep making some progress. And besides that there is a glimmer of hope now!! My wife and son are going out of town for about a week to visit the in-laws so if I buckle down and attack as many NES games as I can stomach in that time I might be able to get a significant boost towards my goal of 100 games beaten over 100 days!!
On to the games since last update though. Not expecting much I popped in Arch Rivals and found it wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated. It almost feels like an early version of NBA Jam, which is a game I really like. Besides having to watch a really stupid and occasionally nonsensical little cut scene whenever you score a basket it was fairly decent. You can punch your opponents down to the ground and take the ball by force! I havn't really found a stand out basketball game on the system, but this is one of the better ones I've played so far.
[img width=643 height=479]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/ArchRivals-Ending_zpsc9202b55.jpeg[/img]
Starting my point and click style adventures I went with Deja Vu. Same vein as Shadowgate, but with a 1950's private detective setting to it. You wake up with a little amnesia in a building with a dead body. After a little snooping around you'll discover that you are being setup for murder!! But by who??!?!! So your goal is to both solve the case and clear your own name. For the most part its a pretty cool game, but there are some things that are just crazy obscure and I'm not sure how you're supposed to figure them out on your own. Not a bad game, but I liked Shadowgate a bit better even if torches drive me nuts.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/DejaVu-Ending_zpsa720e254.jpeg[/img]
Nightshade is one of the most surprising games I've played in a while. Not only was it a point and click style game, but it broke up the monotony associated with that style of game with both action oriented fighting sequences and a great sense of humor. You start the game with your main character tied to a chair speaking with the games villain. Both characters are purposely over the top and stereotyped which set the mood for the rest of the game right off the bat. After a few puzzles in the sewer that act as sort of a linear tutorial you'll enter the main city. The city seems overwhelming at first, but after a bit of exploration I found it to be the ideal size for this type of game. It had just the right amount of space to explore. Most different areas of the city hold some sort of secret of information you'll need in order to defeat Sutekh, with the occasional dead end.
Another really cool thing about Nightshade was the game over screen. There are 5 game over screens in total, that play out in a specific order. When you die in the main game you'll find your character in an elaborate death trap concocted by Sutekh. The cool part is that you can actually figure out how to escape 4 of the 5 traps which will let you keep playing the game instead of dying. These range from the classic tied to a conveyor belt or room closing in on you to more interesting setups that take a few different steps to overcome. Very neat game overall and something I'd urge you to check out if you're looking for something unique to play on your NES.
[img width=643 height=479]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/Nightshade-Ending_zpsd4b6da6c.jpeg[/img]
I have always assumed that Mickey Mousecapade was a 2 player game. I was actually looking forward to trying it out with my son as a helper. After getting over that disappointment I set my sights on getting it crossed off my list asap. Minnie tags along for the entire game (granted she isn't captured by a ghost), which is mostly helpful. If you get her star weapon it adds a bit of extra firepower to your game and she is also invulnerable to enemies with the exception of the ghost I mentioned. The annoying part is in the platforming. She lags behind trying to mimic your moves. If she falls into a pit you both lose a life. But the part I found more frustrating than losing her to a pit was navigating her in the final stage when there were lots of platforms and walls for her to get stuck on. The game would be a bit better without Minnie, but even then its far from some of the other great Capcom/Disney titles on the system.
[img width=643 height=479]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/MickeyMousecapade-Ending_zps71d210ea.jpeg[/img]
There are only really 2 PC game series that have ever held a special place in my gaming history. King's Quest is one of those and I was a little nervous to give King's Quest V a try after playing another bad PC port on the system (Ultima Warriors of Destiny). Much to my surprise King's Quest V felt very much like it should. Yeah it was a bit uglier and you had text boxes instead of voices, but it still felt very much like the King's Quest V I remember playing as a kid on my friend's PC. It was like they stuck the 5th game into the same engine that the first or second game in the series played on. It had a lot of great humor and puzzles (and a few frustrating ones of course). I had beaten this game with a friend many years ago, but I missed out on a decent sized chunk in the middle because his brother had come home from college and helped him through a part we were stuck on at the time. It was extremely satisfying to finally be able to finish this game off completely. It made me wish that there were console ports of some of the other games in the series as it was a lot of fun overall. Definitely another one to check out if you like classic adventure games.
[img width=643 height=479]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/KingsQuestV-Ending_zps6a28bd61.jpeg[/img]
Vegas Dreams on the other hand isn't to exciting. After figuring out early on that you get a password to save your progress is became pretty easy to exploit the game. Simply choose your favorite gambling method (I used Black Jack), bet it all, and win!! What you didn't win? Just punch in your previous password and try again until you do then. After winning a little start up cash on the slots and experiencing a few of the random encounters that you'll get during the game I just started doubling my money on the Black Jack table until I hit the final goal of $10,000,000. The measle $700 I entered with was now a fortune. And apparently that means my character has to act like a total ass during the ending
[img width=643 height=479]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/VegasDream-Ending_zps7cc1c132.jpeg[/img]
With a little downtime at home I decided to try and knock out some simple sports titles this morning. Tried out Magic Johnson's Fast Break. Even put it on the hardest difficulty (Professional) and mopped the floor with the computer by about 30 points when it was over. No sort of league or tournament mode so it was just the one game. Arch Rivals was much more fun.
[img width=643 height=479]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/MagicJohnsonsFastBreak-Ending_zps03a472ef.jpeg[/img]
Lastly for this update was Touchdown Fever by SNK. The cover looks awful if you ask me. I was just expecting 10 Yard Fight part 2. Luckily SNK makes better games than they make covers  It was actually kind of fun. Very arcade style visuals/gameplay and great music made the tournament mode go by pretty quick. The computer opponents turned out to be pretty easy to figure out after the first couple games and I was able to shut out my final opponent after having a bit of trouble in the first rounds. Gonna have to try this one with a second player and see if its as good as it seems to be.
[img width=643 height=479]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/TouchdownFever-Ending_zps5cf0bd1b.jpeg[/img]
2013 NES List
83 Games Beaten Over 70 days
17 Games more to reach goal of 100 with 30 days left to do it
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
Future Plans - My slower games are going to consist of things like Casino Kid, Caesar's Palace and Maniac Mansion. When my family leaves I'm going to try and hammer out some action games like Life Force, Bucky O'Hare, P.O.W., Rush 'n Attack, Joe & Mac, etc. Wish me luck!!
What do you think of when I say "flash games"? A monkey spanking simulation, tower defense against balloons, or perhaps bloody stick figure kung fu might come to mind. Sure, those games may have their place (kids need something to do on the school computers, right?), but sometimes Adobe's vector-based dev tools end up in exceptionally talented hands. From the vast sea of poorly-animated, shallow gaming experiences available for free on the web, some rise far above the others. In this blog post I pull one such title from the cream of the Flash crop and thrust it into the limelight: Liferaft: Zero.
It's a grappling hook platformer that has you playing as young girls, all clones who are test subjects in a stark white science facility. The scientists watch from high up windows, sip on their coffee, and talk to you through purple computer screens. For some reason they want you to ring that bell over there and go through the door to the next room. Don't like the look of those spikes, but... doesn't seem like there's any other way out of here, so may as well get swinging!
So in standard platforming fashion you can run left & right, jump, but also wall jump and use your aforementioned grappling hook. Rather than swinging from ceilings like in some other grappling-centric games, the hook is used on designated points sticking out from the wall, in open space - you can swing a full 360 around them. By extending & retracting your rope and letting go at the right time, you can use your momentum to land where you need to be. It's the central mechanic and boy oh boy is it a good one.
It's difficult starting out. The spikes may be quite red before you reach the exit, especially if you want the delicious bonus candy. But man, once you get the hang of it, once it clicks... that grappling hook is incredible. It makes this game. It adds so much depth that isn't found in a typical platformer, and mastery of the swing physics really takes some skill. Getting some serious momentum going, swinging around that point, and hurling yourself straight up into the air really feels great - it's kept me coming back for dozens upon dozens of playthroughs. Add in the overall tight controls & fancy wall jumping and you've got some pretty great locomotion going on.
The graphics and sound help to further tie the whole experience together. Liferaft: Zero looks great - tiny, super detailed, colorful pixel art. The player character is 9 pixels tall and everything's zoomed out pretty far! Even so the animations are done well and convey a lot, with her hair blowing in the wind and dust kicking up as she slides down walls. Then there's the sound... there's actually no music, but plenty of crisp sound effects and ambiance. The quick little footsteps, the click of the grappling hook, the echo of the wall jump. It's all another integral part of what makes controlling the character so satisfying.
 Mikengreg are the two-man dev team behind this Flash masterpiece, and their slogan is "Handmade games crafted with love & high-fives." It really shows. Now, I tend to totally gush about the games I love, so I'll say a few quick things: It may not be for everyone, and it really does take a little while to get the swing physics down. But if you like what you see and you stick with it, Liferaft: Zero is a gem.
Originally posted over at my Broccoli Blog.
This blog entry sees me at a very significant milestone with my NES playing. It marks my 300th victory!! Since my NES collection is just a few games shy of 600 that also means I am finally at a point where I've beaten more than half of my NES collection! Even if I don't make my goal of 100 games beaten over 100 days this time I can at least take some solace in the number 300. The range of games played for this update is also pretty diverse. Its got everything from Non-games to Strategy to Racing.
The first game I played this time was possibly my shortest video so far. Spy vs Spy has the same ending on every difficulty level so I figured "why bust my ass playing on hard if its just the same?" and opted for the default level which is the lowest setting. The game is meant for quick multiplayer matches so it was pretty painless. Hard to judge the game based on playing against the computer, but it does seem like it would be kind of lame even against your buddies 
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/SpyvsSpy-Ending_zps05c90fc8.jpeg[/img]
I also played everyone's favorite non-game (no it wasn't Color A Dinosaur again, sorry), Taboo: The Sixth Sense. If you are not familiar with this cart it isn't a game at all, but a Tarot Card simulator. So you ask the game a question and it draws out the cards and reads from the Arcana provided in order to give you some insight into your question........ and then provides you with lucky lotto numbers at the end . I asked it the most profound question I could think of.......
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/Taboo-Ending_zps15598145.jpeg[/img]
Gemfire is a game I've been wanting to get to for quite some time now and with my new recording setback this seemed like a great time to finally tackle it. Gemfire is a KOEI strategy game set in a mythological world. Your goal is to conquer every province on an island in order to unite the land under one leader. Much of the game is spent in menus developing your territories and building your army. The battles take you to another screen and involve moving your units around in a turn based fashion in order to capture your opponents base or defeat their army. Your army always consists of 4 units (1 Cavalry unit, 2 Knight units, 1 Archer unit) divided evenly between the number of troops you have available and you have the option of recruiting a 5th separate unit by either hiring them, meeting certain conditions (such as having a high morality level) or obtaining one of the 6 Gems scattered across the island in the hands of rival leaders.
Unlike many of the other KOEI games I've tried Gemfire is pretty user friendly. If you are looking for a game to introduce you to strategy games on the NES this is probably the best one. All the menus are simplified and the battles are extremely easy to grasp right from the start. There is still quite a lot going on each month, but its much easier to manage than on some of the other KOEI games. The scope of the game isn't quite as intimidating either. While Romance of the Three Kingdoms took me a whopping 40+ hours to beat, Gemfire only stole a mere 6+ hours of my life. Unfortunately the price of Gemfire hasn't been immune to the recent sky-rocketing NES prices, but if you are interested in strategy games its a really fantastic game for people like myself who are largely inexperienced with the genre.
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/Gemfire-Ending_zps5f30834b.jpeg[/img]
Digging through my library for any more game show style games I stumbed across Monopoly which I've been neglecting. It might seem boring to most, but I have a pretty big soft spot for Monopoly. My cousin and I used to play the board game like crazy when we were kids and always argued about the rules. As a result I became pretty familiar with the rule book. I have a hard time playing with most people in real life because basically no one play the game properly. Wether its free parking paydays, not auctioning property or double the cash for landing on Go I get seriously irked when playing with most people. Luckily for people like me there are video game versions that allow me to play against computer opponents who must obey the rules!! I had a lot of fun with this as I haven't had a good game of Monopoly in quite a while now (no one wants to play with me and my rules ).
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/Monopoly-Ending_zps511df2fe.jpeg[/img]
Legend of the Ghost Lion is a game that I didn't know much about gameplay wise. I knew it was some kind of RPG and that was about it. It started off pretty decent. Very little for story and the directions where often pretty vague, but those are both things I expect from NES era RPGs. You play as a relatively weak young girl, who fortunately can summon various creatures to help out in battle. As you find enchanted items throughout the game you can summon things like Giants, Dwarfs or Centaurs to do most of your fighting for you. Grinding is almost non-existent because of how the level up system it set-up. Instead of gaining experience from battles you only gain currency. To make your character stronger you have to find Fragments of Hope which are found in treasure chests scattered in dungeons around the map. Another nice thing about the game is that pretty much all the dungeons are relatively short and straightforward.
Unfortunately once you enter the 3rd area of the game the difficulty really spikes. Because you only level up from obtaining Fragments of Hope there is a maximum level you'll be at for each area (assuming you found all the Fragments up to that point). So if you are struggling as I was at some points you can't grind your way out of it. Luckily dying only causes you to return to the last save area and lose half your cash. Money is pretty easy to obtain again so that isn't a big deal and the map is small enough that getting back to where you were isn't to bad as well. Its just kind of frustrating. The game is pretty short compared to many other RPGs too, so its not to big of a time sink either. What started off ok got a bit tiresome after a while.
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/LegendoftheGhostLion-Ending_zps1db78d3f.jpeg[/img]
When I'm at home I can still play some of the faster paced games and I've heard Jackal is decent and short so I popped it in. Most of the game isn't too bad, but I found one thing very annoying from start to end. That was that your jeep could only shoot its bullets directly upwards. This meant that to fire in any other direction you needed to rely on your secondary missile/grenades. These are your big explosive weapons so they fire understandably slow. Its pretty bothersome when you've got several enemies coming at you in an action game like this the last thing you want is to suffer through sluggish weapons and that problem persisted through the entire game. I feel like Jackal could have been amazing with that one little problem fixed.
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/Jackal-Ending_zps2b540dfb.jpeg[/img]
If you've browsed my list of finished game you may have noticed several "classic" or "essential" games missing from it. One of those has finally been rectified. After far too long I've finally played through Rad Racer! It was actually quite a bit of fun for something so simplistic. Really had a good time on almost all the tracks. Track 5 was a bit frustrating, but otherwise it was pretty solid straight through.
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/RadRacer-Ending_zpsbdc0bb6b.jpeg[/img]
Game number 300 was none other than Rad Racer II. Unfortunately Rad Racer II suffers from what a lot of NES sequels also suffer from. It somehow is very similar to the first game, but almost inexplicably loses some of its initial charm. I felt that way when playing other games like Chip n Dale 2, Duck Tales 2, Power Blade 2, Bubble Bobble 2, StarTropics 2, etc. Its a decent game, but for reasons I have trouble verbalizing I liked the first one a lot more.
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/RadRacerII-Ending_zps0dc99530.jpeg[/img]
Since 300 is a special number for me here is the full list of games done instead of the usual smaller list with just this years challenge games. Enjoy!
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
BONUS GAMES:
Assimilate
Future Plans - Gonna give a few point and click games some time this next week. Deja Vu and Univited and the like. Maybe King's Quest V if time permits.
One of my most favorite bored-at-work activities I enjoy doing is something I like to call "RFG Time Machine," which I named after the Wayback Machine Internet Archive (one of my favorite game-info research tools). For someone like me who has only been here a few years (though not active during large swaths of that time) this is a great opportunity to have a look back at the posts of past members as well as read into the trends of yesterday.
So how does one access the RFG Time Machine? I imagine there are many ways to do so, but I will simply go to the Edit Entries of the My Blog section of the website. Click on My Saved Drafts, and if you have a saved draft in that page, click on one of your headlines. You'll see your article draft pasted over a blog post of another RFG member, along with the replies (if any), that went along with it. It appears to be randomized as to whose blog and which post you appear over, but I do tend to see repeats. I think it helps that I have more than ten drafts saved.
How is this fun? If you look over to the right panel, you will see the Hot Entries for the blog post your draft is pasted over. The current one for one of my drafts is this one penned by Sirgin about Mega64 (which tragically no one commented on). Good stuff. Weird and sometimes embarassing (as only Mega64 can be), but still good stuff. Another quick one is this July 2009 look at Civ IV by logical123, who was a prolific blogger throughout 2009, but sadly has not written since (unless they were lost in the Great Database Crash). I also enjoyed most of his other articles, which I recommend.
Okay, so maybe I didn't show you something you would have though of as fun, but come on, at least it was interesting right? I know, I could have found stuff easier by looking through the Blogs themselves, but why? I primarily do it for the moment of discovery, which is also why I collect (and why I sometimes even play what I collect). So even if you have been here a while, take a look back. You might rediscover something you have forgotten, be it friend or moment.
Back in the day, Video Games were heavily advertised through TV. Today, not so much. Today, I'm here to show you my favorites. Here we go!
Pac-Man (Atari 2600)
Super Mario RPG (Super Famicom)
Genesis Does!
Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo)
Pokemon Red and Blue (Gameboy)
Well, that's all. I actually enjoy a lot more than this, but I didn't want to take up too much space.
Note: This is an old blog I forgot to publish after writing...
GamerNick and I went out to kill some time before he made his "small" score yesterday. Half Price Books, and a Gamers location were on the menu for the morning. I ended up finding some goodies at both stores, and some packages arrived in the mail as well.
First up are the contents of the packages. Mortal Kombat 3 for Genesis, Primal Rage for SNES, Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode, Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers, Kung Fu, and Pinball for NES. and my first Ebay purchase, Final Fantasy Origins to replace my incomplete copy.
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Next we have some finds from HPB and Gamers. Dragon Quest VIII to replace an incomplete copy I had, Fighting Vipers for Saturn, Wrecking Crew for NES. Midnight Magic, Indy 500, and Space Jockey for Atari 2600. Medal of Honor and Einhander for Playstation. Einhander was bought by Nick to repay me for some games I bought for him on another hunt.
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After that it was time for Nick to go pick up his "small" score, and while he was doing that I took some time to browse through lose carts at the same shop and cut a little deal for some fillers and stuff I wanted. Zone of Enders: The 2nd Runner for PS2. A bunch of black box NES titles... Clu Clu Land, Baseball, Volleyball, Urban Champion, Pro Wrestling. A couple Tengen carts, Afterburner and Vindicators. Dungeon Magic w/ manual, Lemmings, Strider, Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates, Ultima: Exodus, Dragon Power, Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu, Guardian Legend, and Baseball Stars.
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Nick was kind enough to hook me up with some of the boxes he didn't need for his collection...
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And some loose carts to fill out my collection! mmm, Dragon Warrior IV, Mega Man, and Mighty Final Fight... good stuff.
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What started out as me buying an Atari Jaguar from Singlebanana turned into buying a lot of Odyssey 2 stuff as well.
I ended up with a Magnavox Odyssey 2 (hardwired controllers), and 21 games in total...
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The games were all boxed, which is awesome, I started falling in love with the O^2 boxes I kept seeing on here and had to get some for myself.
Alien Invaders - Plus!
Alpine Skiing!
Armored Encounter!/Sub Chase!
Baseball!
Blockout!/Breakdown!
Bowling!/Basketball!
Computer Golf!
Conquest of the World! (all the pieces are there, oh baby!)
Cosmic Conflict!
Football!
Freedom Fighters!
K.C. Munchkin!
Las Vegas Blackjack!
Monkeyshines!
Out of this World!/Helicopter Rescue!
P.T. Barnum's Acrobats!
Pachinko!
Pick Axe Pete!
Showdown in 2100 A.D.
Speedway!/Spinout!/Crypto-logic!
U.F.O.!
Magnavox seemed to think they all needed exclamation points to emphasize the awesomeness of the games...
and here we have the Atari Shaguar, in all it's glory!
Picked up the console, two controllers, the hookups, and Cybermorph, Raiden, and Checkered Flag.
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For many systems you fire up the first experience you have with it involves the splash screen, intro screen, logos, sound effects, rocket ships, flying carpets, and belly dancers. Like many things the quality and effort put into these introductions can have a profound impact on the player, or potential player, of a video game console, so let's take a look at the good and the bad ones.
The Bad
Now, in order to be fair I will not include systems which completely lack a splash screen, this is only something that came to prominence in the late 80's for the most part (with exceptions of course). So, which ones just leave you screaming for mercy?
Amiga CD32
Well, that was pretty dull. If you're looking for uninspired intro screens nothing really beats this one, its a CD floating in space with a wordart logo above the disc with some flashy colors flying around. This looks like a $50 job that some video editing student did after discovering how awesome the Amiga is and how amazing a system based on Amiga software with CD support would be.
It would be a commercial failure of course.
FM Towns Marty
Well, my ears are bleeding now. For a CD based system the FM Towns Marty certainly has incredibly weak sound capabilities! It even released in 1993, the same year as the vastly superior 3DO Interactive Multiplayer and even the Amiga CD32 above, at least that one didn't have digital garbage flowing out of the speakers!
Atari Jaguar
The Jaguar just has this look, reputation, and history of being a low budget machine with shoddy engineering. It was Atari's last attempt at greatness (and killing off their fairly popular line of PCs to throw everything at the console probably did not help matters). Now to be fair this one isn't entirely bad, its just a bit boring. A spinning cube with a Jaguar on it is hardly menacing. But, if they had done something like the MGM lion intro it would probably have been the greatest thing ever made by Atari or any company ever! The legitimacy of the menacing roar of the Jaguar is lessened by the rather cartoony, and already by then retro, little jingle that accompanies the cat.
The Good
Sega CD
What happens when a system has not just one amazing startup screen, but two? We end up with the Sega CD! Or Mega CD if you're not a winning American. Oh, I'm not really counting the JVC X'eye, even though that intro is fairly enjoyable as well.
All I really have to say is one thing, I have never before been so entertained by dancing logos. This just shows how superior Sega's execution was in the early 90's, having some of the best hardware creators this side of Nintendo. Sega can just squeeze so much life out of hardware that could be considered inferior, giving their consoles so much passion and soul that no company has really ever been able to duplicate, not even Nintendo or Sony in my opinion.
Nintendo Gamecube
Nintendo, I love you to death. What cheeky bastards these guys were when designing the Gamecube and its startup screen. Everybody loves Easter Eggs, so let's hide not one, but two colorful eggs on the very first screen you see when playing a Gamecube, all of which are enjoyable in moderation. Absolutely brilliant!
Sony Playstation
There are few words to describe just how amazing the experience of firing up an original Playstation is. Once you turn it on its like you, the gamer, are being sent into a powerful wind tunnel during astronaut training. Then you finally get to launch up into space just as the PS logo comes up and leave the atmosphere into cool, serene calm. An absolute joy for the ears, this is the THX intro of the video game world, and it will never get old.
So what are your favorite system start up screens, least favorites?
It's been some time since I last wrote an update on my Odyssey^2 collecting. The last I left off there were two games to go in the regular US set. Those last two games go for much more than I'm willing to spend on such things. Still, there were some Ody 2 items that could fill out my collection. The Voice is an important add-on to the O2 system. Also, because I didn't bother with getting games CIB, many of my games are still missing boxes and manuals.
I've been spending the last few weeks casually checking ebay for auctions with manuals, boxes and The Voice. The Voice is almost always available and the prices must not be too bad because it regularly sells for $40 or more. I wanted to pay less, about $20 was were I would start to consider getting one.
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An auction comes up which has The Voice add-on, a bunch of manuals, 20 something games and a few other O^2 components. Two of the manuals really stood out, one for Computer Intro which is more like a small book than the simple manuals for the other games. The second manual I had my eye on was for Power Lords, one of the two games I didn't have. Opening bid on this lot was $20 plus $9 shipping, figuring I was going to be out bid, I put the first bid in.
Continue reading How to find the rarest Odyssey 2 game
A hero will always have something to say, but not every hero has a voice. Once utilized simply due to technical limitations in video game development the silent protagonist has come a long way. The strong, silent type used to prevail in early video games and has set the standard of how relationships between the player character and supporting cast members are presented. How the speechless explorer is handled has a significant effect on the game as a whole.
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There are two principle versions of the silent protagonist: the mute and the secretive. The first case presents a player character whose dialogue is neither displayed nor implied. The descendent of Erdrick in Dragon Warrior is an exemplary mute hero. These protagonists react to the world and those who inhabit it, and ultimately enable the player to become immersed in the character and story. The benefit of this is that the player can form his or her own thoughts and emotions concerning in-game events which makes the experience feel less scripted. However, if handled too lightly the mute adventurer can be perceived as nothing more than an errand boy. This usually comes about when the player must complete tasks assigned by supporting characters that repeated fail to achieve any seemingly significant plot development.
A secretive protagonist is in many ways a solution to the problems that arise from a completely mute hero. Here, the player character's lines are implied or referenced by the supporting roles. Link is one of these protagonists in that even though he does not technically have any lines of dialogue the character with which he is conversing will react as though he had just said something. Similarly when the secretive character is supposed to speak the game will prompt the player with a Yes or No question. Using this type of protagonist allows for strong bonds to form between the player and the hero which in turn allows him or her to become more real and relatable. This scene from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time displays the traits of a successfully executed secretive protagonist.
I know Zelda isn't an RPG, but this scene gets the point across.
Successfully utilizing a silent hero allows the character to be infused with courage, honour, steadfastness by the player. The character that keeps calm when thrown into the fray of battle, clear and conscious while traversing a dungeon is more often than not an adventure with no real lines of dialogue.
The silent protagonist works to varying degrees, but what this sort of character proves is that a person's actions speak volumes. Of course these voyagers are burdened with immense responsibility. This is why the silent protagonist fits so nicely in the Adventure genre, especially in the RPG. The player learns that when faced with opposition what he or she does is equally important as what can be said. We can also gather that the nature of responsibility itself is often something which we would rather avoid, but by approaching the situation head on with determination and a clear mind success is never out of reach. Despite not being able to talk the quiet hero has a lot to say.
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We are a community of collectors, gamers and the likes, and some of us enjoy to let the world know what is on our mind. For those members, we have the community blogs, a place where they can publish their thoughts and feelings regarding life, universe, and everything. Some of those members might even choose to write about gaming and collecting! Whatever they write about, you can find it on their blog. You can either see the latest community blog entries in the feed you see to the left, or you can browse for your favorite blog using the menu above. Interested in having your own blog hosted on RF Generation? It's rather simple, first be a registered member, and then click the "My Blog" link that you see in the navigation above. Following those two steps will certainly get you on your way to blogging.
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