So after patiently waiting the extra day for the UPS man to deliver my Wii U console to my front door, I have finally had some time alone with my shiny new system. After an approximately 15 minutes setup I was ready to game.
The controller, or Game Pad as it is known, is surprisingly easy to handle. Despite it's appearance, it is light and no strain on the hands. The layout of the buttons is done well, although I have yet to play a game that utilizes the dual analog sticks (time has not yet permitted this.)
I did take issue with the lengthy time it took to register my Network ID. After timing out of the connection for an hour, I gave up until Tuesday. I spent random intervals during the day trying to get signed up to no avail. After about 30 hours, I finally got signed up. This was likely due to over crowding of their servers. Clearly a learning experience for Nintendo since they had to know they had over one million pre-orders.
That said, the system does offer the convenience of playing without the TV, which is a HUGE bonus when I have to share it with my wife and both kids. It also has decent range, for me at about 35 ft until I ran out of room. Testing into other rooms is pending. Hopefully I will get to experience more features as Nintendo rolls them out.
I am curious to know the first impressions of you, the RF Generation community.
Coming in at #8 on my Top 10 pinball countdown is a highly sought after machine from 1995, Bally's "Attack from Mars." Attack from Mars (AFM) is a fun, flashy, and brilliantly themed pinball machine, and is in no way related to "Mars Attacks," the film which came out a year later. Being a fan of the monster films of the 1950's and 60's, AFM is a not only a well-constructed machine, but also one that is comical and keeps you involved in the game. It's no surprise from the title, but the game centers around Martians attacking the Earth. As the player, you take on the role of a military agency moving from city to city (France, Germany, Italy, England, and the U.S.) in an attempt to destroy all of the Martians and their saucers and thwart the alien invasion (aka achieve "Total Annihilation").
[img width=600 height=450]http://www.pinballnyc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Attack-From-Mars-Backglass.jpg[/img]
One of the best features of AFM is that it is a good game for all levels of players. The main shot in the game is the center drop bank/saucer area. Continually bashing the drop bank causes it to eventually lower and allows you to shoot at the saucer stand-up targets. After multiple hits to the saucer targets, the center drop hole is opened and putting a ball through it, captures the ball, and destroys the saucer (a great display animation and a super light and toy feature - *see video below*). Scoring is also very high in this game and even the poorest score looks very grand to the more novice player.
AFM also has several modes that can be activated by multiple shots to left and right ramps, the left and right loops, and a shot to the scoop when lit. Another fun feature of AFM is the "achievements" that light up at the bottom of the playfield (near the flippers), as you activate them. These include: super multi-ball, super jets, 5-way combo, total annihilation, Martian attack multiball, and conquer Mars. Completing all of these achievements gives you a huge bonus called "Rule the Universe."
[img width=700 height=525]http://robertwinter.com/pinball/restorations/afm/playfield_upper.jpg[/img]
One of the most fun modes in the game is the Martian Attack mode. This is activated by completing the M-A-R-T-I-A-N stand-up targets located all around the playfield. Once all are lit, a shot to the right scoop actives this mode. During "Martian Attack," the small, rubber martians located around the playfield begin to bounce up and down. To make them stop, you must hit the stand-up target in front of them. Destroying all four of them actives the Martian Attack 2-Ball Multi-ball.
AFM is loads of fun and a machine that will keep you pumping in quarters. It is a highly prized machine for collectors, and as a result, is not only difficult to find on location, but is very expensive to purchase (I've seen them sell for anywhere between $5,000 - $10,000+, depending on their condition). If you ever have the chance to play one, do not pass it up. A sequel to AFM, "Revenge From Mars" was created in 1999, and was one of the last made by Bally/Williams before closing their doors. It was released as part of the Pinball2000 series and included a monitor over the playfield onto which color animations were projected.
Attack From Mars Tutorial
I'm not a big fan of golf. I've watched Happy Gilmor with Adam Sandler and really liked it, but unfortunately golf just isn't the same as its portrayed in the movie. What's worse, you can't train at the mini putt with the laughing clown face. Obviously I have no experience with the sport and to only until recently used to confuse Jack Nicholson and Jack Nicklaus.
Well, today I decided to put all that behind me and have a go at NES Open Tournament Golf.
[img width=509 height=386]http://i1340.photobucket.com/albums/o736/Fleach/Titlescreen.jpg[/img]
A plumber who's off to hit the links? What could go wrong? If Fleach is on the sticks, the possibilities are endless.
Continue reading FreshNES Part 3: I'm a Gamer, not a Golfer
Welcome to part 2 of my countdown of the most important games that shaped young Psycho!
5 Spyro The Dragon
[img width=629 height=550]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-061/bf/U-061-S-11220-A.jpg[/img]
A dragon voiced by the Taco Bell dog.
A purple dragon with a mean charge, fiery breath, and could glide through the air. This was my first 3D platformer, and my oldest sister and I would play it whenever she was over on weekends. It was because of our team effort with this game, and its two sequels, that helped us beat everything 100% or more. This game blew my mind when I first played it and the original trilogy is still enjoyed every summer for a quick playthrough on those scorching hot days.
4 Super Mario All-Stars
[img width=700 height=418]http://i.imgur.com/XFcL3.jpg[/img]
Ah, another good wholesome SNES classic. Sadly during my childhood my experience with SNES games didnt reach much further than the Mario series. I wouldnt really begin of learning of non-Mario adventures on the Super more during the years of the supreme Playstation overlord phase of my childhood. I also would not get the chance to explore many of them until my high school years and current collecting days. But, all that said, when compiling a list of very important SNES games I decided that I would not want to read one, think about my own life, and not have All-Stars be of the utmost significance. Everything, Super Mario Bros. 1, 2, AND 3? And go ahead and toss in the real Japanese SMB2 for good measure? And to think if I would have recieved my SNES much later then Super Mario All-Stars+World could have been the pack-in. Oh gracious me.
3 Gothic II
[img width=640 height=915]http://pics.mobygames.com/images/covers/large/1140391848-00.jpg[/img]
I bought this game randomly a few months before I bought the video card upgrade to my old PC. This RPG introduced me to the idea of open worlds in a deeper way than GTA2 and GTA3 did. Gothic II also got me interested in the larger world of PC RPGs in general, leading directly to Morrowind and KOTOR leading forward, and back in time to Fallout and even further backwards. Unfortunately, like Final Fantasy I cant stand the newer releases of this series, but in my mind the first two games are prime examples of how to do open world exploration right and despite being 10 years old, still has more NPC behaviors than Skyrim.
2 Suikoden III
[img width=550 height=774]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-072/bf/U-072-S-06310-A.jpg[/img]
All 3 colored characters are the main protagonists, letting the player see the events of 2/3s of the game from multiple angles.
This game is one of the most important discoveries of my life, and it barely squeaks onto this list. I discovered my favorite console RPG series on a random rental, much like the same day that I randomly rented FF8 and for some reason discovered a lifelong love of the RPG genre period. I rented this game when I was 12, just a few months before becoming a teenager and marking my endpoint of thought for this list. The anime styled intro cinematic had my jaw on the floor and the Trinity Sight System had me hooked as soon as I understood it. Since then Ive discovered an obsession, and have strong feelings as a fan of this series. This will not be the last time I mention this game or series.
1 Super Mario World & Super Mario Kart
[img width=700 height=411]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/hardware/U-044/bf/U-044-H-00010-G.jpg[/img]
What else should really go here? These two games were the first games that were mine. For a few months they were the only games outside of rentals that I could play. As the first two games for the first system that is mine (and I still own and use nearly daily). That SNES has been through many years, and I only hope that it lives alongside me for many more. This well built, rugged Super Nintendo has outlived my first dog, these two carts always nearby for a quick play. Some random days Ill just pop in Super Mario World and do a quick Star Road speedrun to kill some time. For a bit more of a touching story Super Mario Kart is still the only game Ive really gotten my dad to play with me, it was never for very long, a race or two on that Christmas day and a couple other times. But, those memories and that bonding will stick with me forever, giving me a good idea of how to be a father to my own children when that chapter of my life unfolds.
[img width=700 height=489]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-044/bf/U-044-S-05740-A.jpg[/img]
I'm a couple days late in posting this blog, work has been hectic with Thanksgiving approaching and I've found myself too tired to do much of anything after work. But here we go! Made some trades with Nick for some stuff I wanted and a few random items, and we hit up some of the usual spots we frequent.
While I was out running some errands I stopped at CD Tadepost and picked up Tekken 3 for Playstation, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (players choice) for Gamecube, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow fr the Xbox 360. I also made a quick stop at Gamestop and picked up Need For Speed: The Run on 360 so I could play it online with a friend who recently moved out of state.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/engel762/2012-11-19_10-19-41_684.jpg[/img]
A couple of days later Nick and I went out browsing some stores and I came across some fun stuff, fun in my opinion at least. Half Price Books yielded a copy of Syphon Filter and Tekken (greatest hits) for Playstation, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater for PS2, and a couple World of Warcraft books. One is a manga and the other is a novel. (Can't help it, I'm a WoW geek.)
[img width=700 height=393]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/engel762/2012-11-19_10-22-32_403.jpg[/img]
Next we stopped at Gamers, one of the employees there remembered that last time I was there I had been looking for a TV/Power Switch box for the Atari 5200 and he pulls one out from behind the counter for me. That guy is totally awesome in my book. We spent some time digging through a bunch of Playstation and Dreamcast games and I snagged Tekken 2, and Crash Bandicoot (greatest hits) for Playstation, Crazy Taxi (sega all stars) and Typing of the Dead for Dreamcast.
We rummaged through a box of Sega related hardware for a while and I picked up a Dreamcast Keyboard in great condition, and a Sega Genesis Mouse *makes shifty eyes at Shadow Kisuragi*.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/engel762/2012-11-19_10-23-52_440.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=393]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/engel762/2012-11-19_10-26-03_356.jpg[/img]
Last stop bfore heading back to Nick's house to pick up the stuff I was trading him for I grabbed some SNES games. Super Bomberman, TMNT: Tournament Fighters, and F-Zero.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/engel762/2012-11-19_10-27-31_664.jpg[/img]
At Nick's place I got a few cool things and some random stuff to add to my collection. Dead Rising 2: Zombrex Edition for 360, Aero Dancing (AeroWings in the US) Japanese import for Dreamcast, and Parasite Eve Japanese import for Playstation. Frankenstein: the Monster Returns, Cool World, Fighting Golf (title amused me), MC Kids, and Willow for NES. Virtua Racing Deluxe for 32X, and last but not least, Pitfall II for C64, and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, and NFL Football for Intellivision. Not that I own a C64 of Intellivision yet, but might as well get some carts for when I finally bite the bullet and get them.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/engel762/2012-11-19_10-36-05_521.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=393]http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e254/engel762/2012-11-19_10-37-01_110.jpg[/img]
[img width=504 height=393]http://geektyrant.com/storage/0999-post-images/adam_west_batman.jpeg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1351960298813[/img]
When we last left our hero, he had just purchased a Fathom pinball machine from a local estate auction. She was really nasty and needed a bit of TLC. She was not playing 100% and our hero and his friend came to the conclusion that the game was stuck in tilt mode. The appropriate wires for the tilt were disconnected and she was brought back to life. Now it's time to make her pretty again.....Here comes Part 2 of Singlebanana's exciting pinball restoration blog!
After getting the old girl in working order, the next step was to do a thorough cleaning of the machine. I typically start out with a bucket of water and a few soft cloths to rub down the playfield, plastics, cabinet, etc. (never do this with the machine on). Once it's clean, I tackle tougher areas with a damp Magic Eraser and rub slowly to ensure that I don't work off any of the paint. As I go through the machine, I make sure to have a pen and paper to write down any parts that I feel the machine may need; if I don't I typically forget some parts when I order. Typically parts companies use USPS flat rate shipping, so it's best to get it most of your parts at one time. It sucks to have to pay $5 in shipping on a $2 part. If you have friends who have machines as I do, give them a call to see if they need any parts while you are ordering. This way, you can not only help them out and have them call you when they put in an order, but you can also split up the cost of shipping.
After the cleaning the machine, I was fortunate enough to have some white rubbers lying around, so I began disassembling small areas of the machine to replace them. If you ever have left over parts, or even used parts, it's good to keep them around if they are in decent condition. I can't tell you the number of times that I have needed some random part and have just happened to had it from a previous restore. While replacing rings, I also cleaned the colored posts with Novus #1 plastic cleaner. I was able to replace a majority of the rings, but decided to add a rubber ring kit for this machine to my ordering list. Rubber rings are typically sold in packs in which sellers have already sorted them by machine title; they have all of the sizes you need for your machine and some sellers will even insert a guide to help you place them in the correct spot. Rubber rings and balls should be replaced for every machine you buy, unless the seller has just replaced them and they look new/almost new to you. Rings get stretched out and loose their "bounce" over time and balls can pit and cause damage to your playfield.
While putting on new rubbers, I also took off the playfield plastics and used a standard plastic cleaner on them (Novus #1). They ended up looking really good, but one of them was cracked around a screw (from an apparent over-tightening...NEVER overtighten anything, especially around plastics, they need a little give) and they were yellowed in the clear areas from age. I made the decision to buy a new set, but considering I bought the machine for a lower price than I expected, I had planned for new plastics, just in case, and since the new set came with a sweet topper, I decided to order them. I'm also a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the machines I am going to keep. 
Initial Parts Order:
New plastics
Rubber ring kit
Leg leveler - 3" long nylon base - these are the feet which attach to the legs of the machine. Typically, these look bad and rust out very easily. These are cheap and essential in keeping your machine level. They make special slider feet if you are putting a machine on hardwoods.
Nuts 3/8-16 hex 5/8" flat to flat - usually not included with the feet and must be ordered separately, this nut keeps the feet in place.
Bally Coin Door sticker - just a cool sticker on the coin door, mine had faded severely
FATHOM (Bally) Drop target set (15) - drop targets discolored from fading, some of the center targets had been replaced at one time and were not correct for this machine
Springs - for each drop target, like rubbers, they get stretched out over time and need replacing
Flipper & shaft - current white flippers discolored and dingy looking, cheap to replace.
Coil sleeves - these go inside the solenoid which fires the flippers. The end of them mushroom over time and can affect the power of your flippers, very cheap and should be replaced for older machines
Bushings (flipper) - the plastic that goes through the playfield and houses the flipper shaft, another cheap replacement, since they wear and gunk up, improves flipper performance
Spring (barrel ball shooter) - mine has rusted out, but was working fine, another cheap cosmetic fix
Cabinet protectors 4 piece set (YELLOW) - these plastics protect your cabinet where the legs and cab meet and keep the metal from digging into the wood, plus they look cool.
The rubber rings and plastics came in on Friday (had to order parts from two places), so I was able to replace all of these on the machine this weekend. Also waxed the playfield (with pinball specific wax, Mill Wax) after a through cleaning and used chrome polish on pertinent parts. I also had some blue LED lights that were incorrectly sent to me from another order (again, glad I kept them) and I installed these in the pop bumpers. Not the clearest pics, but hopefully you can tell the improvement from before and after.
[img width=450 height=600]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Fathom/DSCN2322-1.jpg[/img] [img width=450 height=600]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Fathom/9.jpg[/img]
My other weekend project consisted of sanding and adding some fresh paint to the legs. I picked up a coarse sanding bar and some black Rust-o-leum textured spray paint at Lowes. Luckily, this machines original legs were black, since chrome is a tough repaint and rarely comes out well, new legs are pretty expensive. They turned out well and I ended up putting some new leg bolts with black heads on order, since the current ones are a little rusted out. It's tough to repaint bolts, because the paint tends to rub off when you tighten them.
[img width=576 height=1024]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Fathom/6.jpg[/img]
When purchasing the spray paint, I also picked up some new 6-1/2" screws and 6-32 hex nuts. These are very cheap items and do wonders in making your machine look great. Some of the old screws were rusty and this cheap fix really stands out. The hex nuts replaced the white rubbers which secured the plastics down; the chromes gives it a great look and a much more stable device to hold down the plastics. You can see some of the new hex nuts, screws, and rubbers in this photo:
[img width=700 height=393]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Fathom/8.jpg[/img]
So far everything is coming along nicely. I'm really not looking forward to replacing those drop targets, which will be tedious, time consuming, and put the machine out of play for a week or more, but I know that I will be very pleased with the results. However, until the new parts get here, it appears that someone else in my house is really enjoying banging away at our new toy....
[img width=576 height=1024]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Fathom/2.jpg[/img]
Wait what i have a blog?!?!?!
Some things i have mentioned quite a bit recently:
1. I have not been very active for the last year essentially in any capacity.
2. a. This was due in part to work.
2. b. This was due even more so because of a year long competition run by some great guys over at Trueachievements.com. If people are interested let me know i will(to the best of my abilities) write up a blog detailing how it worked and blah blah blah none of you care about achievements.
3. My collection list on the site is extremely out of date.
4. I have started catching up on the Collectorcast.
Since i am again laid off and finally eliminated from my competition i get to flood the boards with my nonsense, get some site work done and hopefully learn some new things and maybe JUST maybe be able to impart some knowledge to others. There isn't much left in my head that is relevant though... so we will see.
Having been listening to the podcast (and being totally burned out on gaming... for the moment) i couldn't help but feel bad for neglecting all of my obligations as a collector. I am hoping to get back into the swing of collecting the things no one wants and then maybe really taking the plunge and buying stuff worth owning again.
Anyways... the point of this was for me to jot down my "current" collection stats. Which i lazily copy pasted (feel free to scroll for a bit TEXT FLOOD) :
Boxes/Manuals:
Microsoft Xbox 360 94 (43%)
Sony PlayStation 2 32 (15%)
Sony PlayStation 3 29 (13%)
Microsoft Xbox 24 (11%)
Sony PlayStation 8 (4%)
Nintendo Wii 7 (3%)
Macintosh 4 (2%)
Sega Genesis 4 (2%)
Nintendo GameCube 4 (2%)
Nintendo Game Boy Color 2 (1%)
IBM PC 2 (1%)
Nintendo DS 2 (1%)
Nintendo Game Boy Advance 2 (1%)
Nintendo 64 1 (0%)
Nintendo Game Boy 1 (0%)
Sony PSP 1 (0%)
Collection:
Microsoft Xbox 360 144 (18%)
Sony PlayStation 2 141 (17%)
Microsoft Xbox 137 (17%)
Nintendo Game Boy Advance 55 (7%)
Nintendo DS 41 (5%)
Nintendo GameCube 37 (5%)
Nintendo SNES 35 (4%)
IBM PC 35 (4%)
Sega Genesis 32 (4%)
Tiger Game.com 14 (2%)
Nintendo Game Boy Color 11 (1%)
Nintendo Game Boy 11 (1%)
VTech V.Smile 11 (1%)
Nintendo Wii 10 (1%)
Sega Pico 10 (1%)
Nintendo e-Reader 5 (1%)
Nintendo 64 5 (1%)
Stand-Alone Handhelds 5 (1%)
Sega Mega Drive 3 (0%)
Leapfrog Leapster 3 (0%)
Sega Master System 3 (0%)
VTech V.Smile Baby 3 (0%)
Sega Game Gear 3 (0%)
Mattel Hyperscan 3 (0%)
Sony PlayStation 3 (0%)
Nintendo GameCube 3 (0%)
Nintendo Super Famicom 3 (0%)
Tiger R-Zone 3 (0%)
Tiger Handhelds 2 (0%)
Sega Dreamcast 2 (0%)
Commodore Amiga 2 (0%)
DVD 2 (0%)
Sega CD 2 (0%)
Nintendo Game Boy 2 (0%)
Microsoft Xbox 360 2 (0%)
View-Master Interactive Vision 2 (0%)
Sega Saturn 2 (0%)
Plug & Play TV Games 2 (0%)
Leapfrog Fly 2 (0%)
Sony PlayStation 1 (0%)
Nintendo 64 1 (0%)
Sega Game Gear 1 (0%)
Sega Saturn 1 (0%)
Microsoft Xbox 360 1 (0%)
Sega Mega Drive 1 (0%)
Microsoft Xbox 1 (0%)
Nintendo Game Boy Advance 1 (0%)
Sega Mega CD 1 (0%)
Sony PlayStation 3 1 (0%)
IBM PC 1 (0%)
Sony PlayStation 2 1 (0%)
Buzztime Home Trivia System 1 (0%)
Nintendo Game Boy 1 (0%)
Nintendo DS 1 (0%)
Sega Genesis 32X 1 (0%)
Demos:
Microsoft Xbox 57 (36%)
Sony PlayStation 2 53 (34%)
Sony PlayStation 12 (8%)
Microsoft Xbox 360 11 (7%)
Sony PSP 8 (5%)
Nintendo GameCube 8 (5%)
IBM PC 7 (4%)
Nintendo DS 2 (1%)
DLC:
Microsoft Xbox Live Arcade 153 (91%)
IBM PC 12 (7%)
Nintendo Virtual Console / WiiWare 4 (2%)
Hardware:
Sony PlayStation 2 15 (12%)
Nintendo Wii 11 (9%)
Sega Genesis 10 (8%)
Sony PlayStation 9 (7%)
Nintendo SNES 7 (6%)
Microsoft Xbox 360 7 (6%)
Nintendo DS 7 (6%)
Nintendo Game Boy Advance 7 (6%)
Sega Dreamcast 6 (5%)
Nintendo Game Boy 6 (5%)
Microsoft Xbox 5 (4%)
Mattel Hyperscan 4 (3%)
Nintendo 64 4 (3%)
Nintendo GameCube 3 (2%)
Nintendo Game Boy Color 3 (2%)
Sony PSP 3 (2%)
Multiple Consoles 2 (2%)
VTech V.Smile 2 (2%)
Tiger Game.com 2 (2%)
Leapfrog Leapster 2 (2%)
Buzztime Home Trivia System 2 (2%)
Microsoft Xbox 360 1 (1%)
View-Master Interactive Vision 1 (1%)
Plug & Play TV Games 1 (1%)
Nintendo NES 1 (1%)
VTech V.Smile Baby 1 (1%)
Tiger R-Zone 1 (1%)
All of those stats are so i can cross reference when i get everything up to date to see what has really spiked and what has plummeted.
I am figuring the whole process will take me 1-2 weeks. Most of which will be related to me trying to figure out where to stack things while i dig back in the closet to pull out more things.
http://sdrv.ms/UBqBgM
(I promise to make an new phototbucket or remember the password to one of my old ones so people can stop clicking links to SkyDrive)
The closet is ~4 feet deep maybe a little over 8ft high and terribly nonuniform 2ft across and stuffed so full i can't actually close the door. In addition to:
http://sdrv.ms/U9qVad
http://sdrv.ms/U9qY5Y
http://sdrv.ms/U9qZ9V
Plus another closet full at my parents house which i am afraid will just be full of things i will have to throw away from moisture damage at this point 
Wish me luck. Thanks for scrolling and if you are not familiar with my presence on the boards you will be over the coming weeks 
Sometimes you have to open things up to clean them. It doesn't really take much to convince me to do this. Even though my knowledge of circuit design is fairly low, I enjoy looking at the little cities laid out in solder, resistors and ic's on that green board.
This is a PSone, model no SCPH-101, made in December of 2000. It really wasn't that dirty but there was some dust and hair I couldn't get to without opening up the case.
Six screws hold it shut, one of them under a warranty seal. These were actually tough screws to loosen, they require a small phillips and a bit of effort.
[img width=700 height=525]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8200/8197831613_8f4c3f7495_c.jpg[/img]
Continue reading What's Inside a PSone
[img width=450 height=653]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/A-040/bf/A-040-S-00010-A.jpg[/img]
If you are participating in the RF Generation Secret Santa 2012 Extravaganza, PLEASE make sure that you have filled out your form that was sent to you from rfgensanta@gmail.com.
About half of the participating members have been matched up but Santa is still waiting on about a dozen letters before everyone can be matched.
If you haven't signed up and would like to participate, you can send an email to rfgensanta@gmail.com and request the sign up form. YOU WILL NEED TO RETURN THE COMPLETED FORM WITHIN 24 HOURS. That way, there will be enough time to match you up so that you can get shopping!
Details on the RF Generation Secret Santa can be found on this thread-
http://www.rfgeneration.c...10624.msg153376#msg153376![]()
Hey everyone on Friday Bill and I did a little game shopping only at a few places. Like our normal routine we went to HPB and he picked up a few things and for gas money he picked me up Pokemon Special Edition Strategy guide which covers Yellow, Blue & Red and get this it HAS ALL THE STICKERS! The guide is in mint condition I have seen this one maybe once and the stickers were gone probably stuck all over some kids Game Boy or something (refer to my previous blog of mom throwing boxes away for my feelings on something like this). Then we were off to Gamers which lately hasn't been the greatest but we always keep trying well Bill had a ton of luck he finally got his 5200 tv/power adapter!!! CHEAP! Plus a lot of nice PS1 games and a nice Dreamcast keyboard for I believe it was $1.95!! For a buck I picked up Gunslinger (Picture Version) Cart for Atari 2600 it's the Sears version of Outlaw. I have never seen this in the wild and I like the Sears carts because there is history with them in my family as that is where it all began for me well my parents anyways. Also forgot to mention earlier that also for gas money Bill picked me up something non video game related "Urban Chipmunk" on LP which is a Weird Al like version of Urban Cowboy but with the Chipmunks but who doesn't like those little critters especially the old school ones (me I prefer the 80's versions). Then we were off to my favorite Baseball Card store to pick up a lot of cards for our boss who loves the Yankees ---ick haha well I do like Jeter and Giarardi. But anyways back to video games we went to our favorite local shop and picked up for trade Frankestein The MOnster Returns MINTY CIB!!! and Cool World CB I NEED A MANUAL SOMEONE HELP! Bill picked up a few SNES games so keep an eye out for his finder's keepers and blogs show this guy some RF Support he is doing a fantastic job collecting and does a great job in his finds and gets some pretty sweet stuff from me for his collection for trade! So as we collector's should always do is help each other out! So here is the rundown and the picture please comment!!
HPB -
*Pokemon Special Edition - $7.00
*Urban Chipmunk - $3.00
Gamers -
*Gunslinger - $1.00
Local Shop -
*Frankenstein: The Monster Returns - So so so minty! CIB - $30.00
*Cool World - CB - NEED MANUAL HELP! - $25.00
PIC:
[img width=700 height=526]http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab172/niceguy1283/GameHuntNovember2012Part5.jpg[/img]
So, to assist Shadow in his current needs, there is now a site for all RFGeneration.com members to give a little (even the most minimal possible) to help him in his current situation and show how much we appreciate how well he has maintained the database, tossed some knowledge our way, or even tossed some games our way.
He is considering selling the Vectrex collection, so we need to show that we will save it.
Please follow the link to protect the Vectrex: http://www.gofundme.com/1j43ko
You will see the following on the site:
This page was created for the game collectors at RFGeneration.com, however any other donations would be much appreciated.
Our most active and devoted database editor and fellow collector is currently dealing with serious short-term financial issues. Although selling off his collection, which may be very difficult to reacquire, is an option for him, I know we can let him know how much we appreciate his work on the site by providing in his time of need. When you purchase a new game for $60, tossing a $5, $10, or $20 donation to assist affects your wallet so little but helps so much. This is a community, so let us show what we can do. Shadow can always purchase a copy of Earthbound for each of us in better times.
Due to delays episode 7 was unable to make it out before its originally scheduled Halloween release. But here it is, ready for everybody to take in and digest. Today I pull out an old classic, Sabrina the Teenage Witch: A Twitch in Time. So now we only have a couple questions to ask ourselves.
Was this worth my time?
Why did I play this?
I recently posted in the "small scores" thread about a recent addition to my pinball collection, Fathom. I decided that for those interested, I might blog about how I procured that machine, which is fairly interesting, and the steps I am currently taking to get it back to good, if not great condition. So here goes....
[img width=700 height=393]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Fathom/DSCN2318.jpg[/img]
HOW WE MET
Several weeks ago, my wife and I made plans to travel to the mountains this past weekend with another couple for a little R&R. We had planned to drop the kids off at my parent's house and have a much needed weekend of sleeping in (well...8:30 a.m., as we are not conditioned to sleep late anymore) and hangout with a couple that we use to hang out with a lot, but who in the past two years moved to Beirut.
While sitting in my office on Thursday and trolling Craiglist for pinball machines, I came upon an ad from an auction company that stated that there was an estate auction about and hour and half away from my house that Saturday and that they were auctioning off two pinball machines (however, the titles of the machines were unlisted). I quickly Googled the auction company, fumbled through their horribly designed website, and finally came upon some pictures of both machines (a Fathom and a Speakeasy). Needless to say, I was very excited to find a Fathom for sale in my area. Fathom is one of those machines I had added and crossed off my wishlist several times within the last year, not because I didn't want one, but because they are super hard to find and even harder to locate in good condition.
I stared at the solitary picture for several minutes and like a P.I. from an old film noir, I broke down the components of the image and calculated the cost to repair it if needed. The positives were that the auction company had plugged in the machine and turned it on. From the image, I could tell that the lights in the backglass and the general illumination on the playfield was good. The scoring displays also looked nice and bright, and eliminated the cost of new displays (probably a little over $200). I wasn't sure whether it play, but everything about the picture indicated that it would be work checking out (or begging someone to check it out for me, remember I had weekend plans....).
One of the first things I did was call one of my good friends who lives in town and who I have known for over 10 years. We sort of got into the hobby together and he is very handy with electronics and restoration projects; it's been a lot of fun for us in terms of helping each other out and learning "trial by fire" techniques in order to repair machines (he is currently repainting my Taxi playfield). I told him about the machine and about my "unfortunate" weekend plans and he immediately said, "Send me the info and I'll check it out to see if it's worth a trip." A mere few minutes later, he (and his pinball-loving girlfriend.....I know right!) offered to get up early and attend the auction if I was still interested.
I quickly checked out all of the local parts vendors online to determine what was out there in terms of the essentials for restoring a machine. Things like backglasses, playfield plastics, specially made pop bumper caps and targets, stencils, and decals can be impossible to find for older machines and if you can locate them, they can be very expensive to obtain depending on their rarity (sometimes almost the cost of the machine....). Many mechanical parts, screws, flippers, posts, etc. are common for many machines and are typically stocked by pinball part distributors. Checking out parts availability is something I definitely recommend before even going to see a machine I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to locate everything I might need for a possible restore for Fathom.
[img width=700 height=718]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Fathom/DSCN2321.jpg[/img]
After checking for parts, I called my buddy back and we discussed bid amounts and different scenarios depending on how the machine looked up close. He was basically bidding with my money while I wasn't there and wanted to ensure that I would be happy with the money spent and the quality of the machine. Everything was set and I couldn't wait to wake up Saturday morning and get a text telling me about the machine and whether I had won it.
I woke up Saturday morning and had breakfast and around 10:00 a.m. I got a call from my friend. He told me that the machine was in a pretty funky basement and that though the machine was lighting up, it wouldn't start a game. After watching several videos on the game, I knew it was a 3-ball machine and we concluded that maybe the issue was that it did not have enough balls in the machine to play. You see, older machines will not specifically display that they need an extra ball like newer ones will, they simply just will not start a game. Still feeling pretty good, we talked again about price based on what he saw and I hung up feeling pretty good..........until.........
In about fifteen minutes after ending our call, my friend sent me a text telling me that several "pinball people" had shown up at the auction. When you get into the hobby of pinball collecting and repair, you get to know the local collectors and operators, and this was a bad sign. I had been checking the local collectors' website all day Friday to see if the cat had been let out of the bag regarding this local Fathom, but all was quiet and I was feeling good about getting the machine cheap. This text was disheartening, and caused me to rethink my bid amount and our strategy, so I sent a text back to up the amount a little.
A hour or so passed and I was sitting at a restaurant with my wife and one of our friends and I got the text, "It's yours, $900 after commission." I literally flipped out at the table and delivered high fives to both my wife and our friend, who in all honesty, both could have probably cared less. I thought the price was great considering what I would have to spend restoring it and what the book value was in my Mr. Pinball 2012 Price Guide. Even though this is an older title, it is very desirable by collectors and is listed at $1800+ (+ means rising). I had even saw a fully restored one sell recently for over $4500 on a local site, so as you can imagine, I was pretty stoked about the price.
THE PICK UP
I arrived home on Sunday evening and called my buddy to work out picking up the machine. We decided Tuesday might be good, so we agreed on that night. After work on Tuesday, I arrived at this house, loaded it up in my SUV, and drove it over to my garage. From first glance the cabinet looked very much above average, espicailly for its age, but more importantly, the backglass on this machine had been removed for transport and when I saw it my jaw dropped; it was original and minty (no flaking) The top of the machine was still covered with a blanket and the head was unhinged, lying face down, and strapped; I still had not seen the playfield on this machine. We backed it into my garage, pulled it out, put the legs on, and sat the backbox upright. This is what I saw:
[img width=576 height=1024]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Fathom/DSCN2312.jpg[/img]
Now, many people seeing this (including my wife) might go into panic mode, "You spent how much on this???" But to the trained eye, you realized that it's been in a basement and the backglass is merely just covered in dirt. Before the auction, my friend was smart enough to slide the glass down and check it out before bidding. Once we took the glass off, this is what we saw. Not bad.... Notice the difference in the right slingshot plastic in comparison to the left, we merely wiped if off with our fingers, so you can imagine how much dirty is on the entire playfield.
[img width=576 height=1024]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Fathom/DSCN2322.jpg[/img]
Yes, it's very still very dirty under the glass, but it's nothing a wet rag and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser won't take care of. We spent most of the night cleaning it up and replacing some of the rubbers with extras I had. I don't have any more recent pics, as I wanted to save those for my next restoration post, but here is an email I sent to some local pinheads to give you an idea of how I accessed the condition and what we did to get her playing:
"Backglass is original and MINTY!!!! Cabinet looks above average, playfield has some fading and ball circles, but only has a few very unnoticeable spots of wear. Game was stuck on tilt and [my friend] and I tried to trace it, but could not locate the source to fix it and get it out, removed the tilt wiring on the boards, and BAM! she's rollin' and playing 100% (without tilt of course). Cleaned her up really well last night and put in new balls. Just ordered new CPR plastics, rubbers, drop targets, springs, spinner and coin door decals, coil sleeves, yellow cab protectors, flippers, and levelers. Bought some new chrome screws and acorn nuts from Lowes and am going to repaint the legs (which are already black - originals). Also bought some chrome polish, since the game was sitting in a damp basement and has a few places that need some serious cleaning."
I'm getting really stoked about having this machine up and running completely. I hope that some of you will enjoy the restore blog and below I've included some great pics of the fantastic artwork from this machine. If any of you are ever interested in purchasing a pin, please feel free to contact me with any questions. I will do my best to answer them and hopefully help you find a pin that is right for you.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Fathom/DSCN2325.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=393]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Fathom/DSCN2328.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=393]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/Fathom/DSCN2323.jpg[/img]
Another update and another Baseball season under my belt!
First game this time was Rocket Ranger, and it was an unusual one. Started off as a simulation game where you move spies across a world map. These spies are searching for rocket parts, fuel, your captured scientists and enemy bases. Occasionally your spies get killed, but when they succeed missions start becoming available. The missions are all over the place from one on one combat, to bombing enemy tanks to sniping from the bushes. The point of the game is to obtain each of the 5 rocket parts to build a rocket, stockpile enough fuel for a trip in your rocket to the moon, then defeat the would be alien overlord. The game has a lot of good ideas, but unfortunately the gameplay isnt great in most areas. Enjoy this sexy end screen!
[img width=643 height=482]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/RocketRanger-Ending.jpg[/img]
Since no one else seemed to want to tackle another long baseball game I took to conquering Roger Clemens MVP Baseball. It was similar to Bases Loaded in that once you figured out a few tricks its just a matter of time.......41 games worth to be precise.
[img width=639 height=479]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/RogerClemensMVPBaseball-Ending.jpg[/img]
Lastly was Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure. Contrary to the title it really wasn't that "excellent". Tons of aimless wandering as you look around for hidden items in which you have to return to randomly placed historical figures. At first you only have to return one item to one historical dude, but as you progress you have to match 2 and then 3. The worst part of the game is the men running after you constantly in each level who throw you in prison with just a touch. It takes a long time to travel to some areas of the map so its pretty annoying to get thrown in jail as you're nearing your destination. At least your are treated to a pretty rocking Wyld Stallions concert for your trouble 
[img width=642 height=480]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/BillTedsExcellentVideoGameAdventure-Ending.jpg[/img]
NES Games Finished In 2012
(click on a title to view the video)
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
Air Fortress
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
BONUS GAME -
Assimilate
Future Plans - Destination Earthstar and Days of Thunder are both on deck right now. Really running out of options.
[img width=450 height=648]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-060/bf/U-060-S-01830-A.jpg[/img]
I don't play a lot of racing games, but I often feel like I should. I'm a big fan of arcade style games -- ones you can pick up and play for short bursts and just have a blast without investing too much time into anything. But in general, racers are a genre I've just only dipped my toe into the pool of over the years. Oh sure I've got my staples. Super Mario Kart and Double Dash are two that I've always loved and played extensively. And just recently I've found that Sega All-Star Racing has even perhaps surpassed the Mario Kart series. OutRun is another game I'm a big fan of, though it's not quite a racing game as much as a driving game. Right? But the point is, my scope is pretty narrow on racers.
[img width=512 height=384]http://img.gamefaqs.net/screens/e/4/9/gfs_60367_2_6.jpg[/img] [img width=512 height=384]http://img.gamefaqs.net/screens/7/f/9/gfs_60367_2_7.jpg[/img]
Sega Rally Championship is actually a game I remember playing in an arcade a few years ago at an arcade for a birthday party. Of course that was sitting in a huge cabinet behind an actual wheel. And it was a lot of fun. I actually couldn't even remember the name of the game until I popped this Saturn disc in and realized I had played it before. I actually acquired this game as part of a bigger Saturn lot recently, and figured I wasn't even familiar with it. Certainly it doesn't seem to get the same nostalgic high praise as Daytona USA does to this day.
But Sega Rally is definitely quite a bit of fun. The physics took me a little while to get used to, and I spent a lot of time watching my car fishtail all over the place. Luckily the Saturn controller is well-suited for the game and feels quite comfortable. Although I have to wonder how well a proper racing wheel would perform on the console version.
[img width=512 height=384]http://img.gamefaqs.net/screens/1/b/d/gfs_60367_2_14.jpg[/img] [img width=512 height=384]http://img.gamefaqs.net/screens/8/0/d/gfs_60367_2_15.jpg[/img]
The sense of speed in Sega Rally is impressive. The rush of the arcade experience totally made it into the home version. In fact the announcer loudly warning you about approaching turns sounds completely like being in an arcade. And there are some nice additions to the console port as well. For instance the Time Attack Ghost Mode, or the ability to customize your car which helps make the limited car selection not as obvious. There are only three courses (Desert, Forest and Mountain) but that's to be expected of a racing game of its time. The split-screen 2-Player mode is also a great addition. And speaking of co-op, if you're lucky enough to track down an elusive NetLink re-release, you can actually still play this game online via the NetLink modem adapter.
All in all I think that Sega Rally Championship is a solid game. I'm not ready to make this one a new racing staple, but it has gotten me interested in checking out its sequel and just exploring other racers of the era in hopes of finding another to suck up way too much of my time.
|
