A couple of months ago, we held the annual donation drive to raise money to pay the server bills for the coming year. Throughout the two months, we raised a total of $218, which at a rate of $85/month is enough to get us halfway through March before we run out. So as a last ditch effort, we're making a final push to raise donations so that RFGen can make it through another year.
As we have said time and time before, this site is run completely by volunteers and operated on donations from the community. Any money donated is strictly used for paying off the operating costs of running the site (aka the server bill). It's because of the generous support of the RFGen community that we've been able to provide the tools and community forums that we have all come to love.
As an added incentive, I will personally match all donations given in the month of January until we raise enough to pay off the the bills for the remainder of the year. Let's keep this thing going for another year!
You can follow this link to make a donation.
Thanks in advance and remember to keep it on channel 3!
PS: If you've donated and aren't a member of the donor group in the forums, remember to send me a PM so I can get you added.
As of the New Year I've begun doing a bit of house-cleaning. Over the past six months I've been working on a really big and project so I've hoarded a rather ridiculous number of Game Boy carts that I'll never touch again, so it's time I figure out which ones those are and start making room for new ones. As I've been going through all these carts, I've also found some interesting occurrences in the little Gray Brick's library. Take the arcade classic Centipede for instance. Sure it's a solid little fixed-screen shooter. But for the life of me I can't understand why the game was ported to the original Game Boy three times!
[img width=300 height=300]http://i.imgur.com/i6YIf.jpg[/img]
The first version of Centipede was released in 1992 by Accolade who were also responsible for designing the Game Boy port. The music is great and the sprites are just big enough to work well on the GB's tiny screen. However this particular version has become a collector's item as it is extremely rare that it pops up on eBay even. Really the only people who are going to be after it are completionists though.
[img width=300 height=300]http://i.imgur.com/mh747.jpg[/img]
Three years later Majesco re-released Centipede as the second volume in their Arcade Classic series of Game Boy cartridges. This time it was coupled with a port of its sequel Millipede as well. But guess what? Although published by Majesco, a glance at the title screen reveals that this port of Centipede was in fact developed by Accolade! If you just want a port of the game to go, then this is your best bet since you get two games for one.
[img width=300 height=300]http://i.imgur.com/KdqvJ.jpg[/img]
Here's where the story really starts to get strange. In 1998 Majesco decided to re-release Centipede once again, but this time without Millipede. So really, this is basically just a re-release of the original 1992 version that Accolade had published. However, they also went through the trouble of designing brand new artwork for this version as well. This is the most common of the Game Boy versions.
[img width=300 height=300]http://i.imgur.com/hkdD6.jpg[/img]
As a bit of an addendum, and to make the history even more confusing, that very same year Majesco went ahead and colorized their "new" version of Centipede and managed to get it released as part of the Game Boy Color's launch in the US. This GBC cart was one of the early black cartridges that was fully backwards compatible with the original Game Boy, meaning that it just contained an optional color palette which was accessed when inserted into the GBC hardware, rather than taking advantage of the GBC's full potential. So in a sense, this would be the fourth time that the same version of Centipede made it to market in a single decade.
Stay tuned for more bizarre tales of Game Boy gluttony.
So I'm still waiting for my SNES to be shipped to me. It should have been sent today, but I still haven't received any update on my order's status, so I'm still waiting on that. Anyway to pass the time and to get myself hyped up over my new console I've been browsing the internet for everything SNES. I've found some stuff that might interest some of you so I decided to share it here on this blog.
First of all and most urgent is this auction over at GameGavel for an SNES SNS-101 (which Zagnorch over at the comments said is pretty rare) or as the auctioneer and videogame pricecharts.com are calling it an SNES mini, which I have to say is a much better name and the one I'm going to be using from now on.
http://www.gamegavel.com/....cgi?show_item=0000460782
[img width=700 height=525]http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp10/rlamere/Auction%20Pics/Jan%2010/DSCN4390.jpg[/img]
The console comes with a copy of Super Mario World and at 45$ + shipping, it's an ok bargain compared to ebay.
Over at Racketboy, the great Princess-Isabela made the entire forum go wild with her awesome sales thread http://www.racketboy.com/...2&t=27424&start=0. She has a bunch of SNES NTSC games and some Super Famicom games for sale which are worth checking out.
[img width=640 height=480]http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/7527/dsc06579o.jpg[/img]
Lastly I was browsing Deviant Art and found this lovely piece of fan art by Murasaki-Hoshi and I felt like sharing it with you guys here.
[img width=700 height=990]http://th03.deviantart.net/fs11/PRE/i/2006/218/7/c/SNES_girl_by_Murasaki_Hoshi.jpg[/img]
Well that's it for now. Hopefully my SNES will come soon so I can start posing about games.
Also I would like to say that I'm interest in buying a loose cartridge of Robotrek (the Enix RPG), preferably with the manual. If anyone is selling a copy at a reasonable market price, please contact me. Thank you for reading.
[img width=99 height=56]http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs18/f/2007/190/5/c/SNES_stamp_by_Rashoodz.png[/img]
Hello and welcome to Super Nintendo Land!
So while I wait for my Super Famicom to arrive (more info on that at a later date), I decided to start posting my experiences on SNES collecting.
As any retro gamer knows, when buying a retro console it a good idea to research which one you'll be buying. Should I get the Mega Drive 1 or 2? Should I get the GBA SP or the smaller GBA Micro? Oh wait the Micro doesn't support GB and GBC games let me think this through.
So when I decided to get a SNES, besides looking at each region's exclusive games (although removing the lockout chip cancels out that factor, which is exactly what I did) I looked around to see what options I have hardware wise.
First factor was money. As anyone who has made it through middle school can tell you, prices are a matter of supply vs demand. How does that apply to retro gaming? First of all demand will always fluctuate. It can depend on a plethora of factors, with the most important in my mind being coverage. A single mention of a game as a hidden gem on Racket Boy or Retro Gamer might hike the price of said game on ebay. Likewise a recent release of a game on the Virtual Console might push some people to look for the original cart online. So it really all depends on luck with these out of production consoles.
But supply is much easier to calculate. Simply put, the more a console has sold the easier it is to find one. Gameboys are as cheap as chips and I've bought magazines that cost more than what the PS1 is going for right now on ebay. Anyway let's look at the regional sales of the SNES.
According to this document ( http://www.webcitation.org/5nXieXX2B ) which I shamelessly took from wikipedia, the SNES sales break down like this:
| America | 23 Million | | Japan | 17 Million | | Other | 8.5 Million |
So understandably it's much cheaper to look for a Super Famicom or an American SNES than a PAL or Korean one. I got my Super Famicom for 25 British Pounds (38$/30 Euro). On the various European ebay sites (co.uk .fr .es .it .de) a PAL Super Nintendo usually goes for at least 40 Euro (33 British Pounds/52$) In both cases with a single controller and the cables included. But price wise the crown goes to the American SNES. Right now it is being sold on ebay, for way less than the JP and EU models. The original SNES seems to go for about 20$ (15 Euro/13 British Pounds). Unfortunately I could not find any SNES SNS-101 (the redesigned model, which wasn't released in Europe btw) for sale, but only a couple of clones (I'll cover this issue in a minute), and the Super Famicom Junior is selling right now for crazy amounts of money (at least on the Western ebay sites, I don't know how much it costs in Japan).
So with price out of the way, let's look at what we collector's really care about (besides the games library). The design (aka the "looks") of a console. There are 3 main contenders in this category.
The original Super Famicom/ Super Nintendo PAL design
These are nearly identical to each other, with the only difference being the logo on the console itself and the controller (the PAL one has the Nintendo logo inside the ring thingy and it says Super Nintendo with big letters instead of Super Famicom with smaller ones. Here's a picture for comparison's sake http://upload.wikimedia.o...00.jpg/700px-SNES_800.jpg. Pictures, as always, shamelessly taken from Wikipedia).
So what do I like about this design. Well basically it's playfulness. This and the PSone have been the only console designs that basically say Hi there, I'm a box of joy. Everything, from the curvy design to the colorful logo and buttons says that when you'll interact with this magical machine you'll be having a great time. I also like how each button on the console is a totally different shape, to emphasize its different use (god knows how many times I pressed the wrong button on the Gamecube... well 2 or 3 times, but I was trying to make a point)
Next we have the American SNES
God what an ugly beast. Yup this is stereotypically American. You guys like your stuff big and that's perfectly fine (you're the only ones with space to put it in anyway. Try driving your cars in European capitals or in Tokyo). But all jokes aside, it's not the size I have a problem with. It's the overall design. First of all, why purple? Ok you wanted to promote it as a more serious machine, so the colorful details had to go, but you chose to replace them with purple buttons? WTF Nintendo? Nintendo Red goes sooooo well with dark gray, so why didn't you go with that instead? It's not like purple means less kiddy than red. What's up with Nintendo and purple anyway? The Gamecube was mostly pushed as a purple console, likewise with the GBA (the clear purple color was what most Europeans got anyway).
But by far the worst offender is the design itself. Once more I understand they needed to promote it as a more serious machine (to combat Sega's Marketing campaign), so with that in mind it makes perfect sense that they changed the buttons to look alike. But why did they have to place the reset button down there? And why is the front so loaded and the back so empty? I do like the curvy cartridge slot, but that's an element taken from the original design and I don't like that it's so clumsily elevated.
Lastly there's the Super Famicom Jr/ Super Nintendo SNS-101
This time they barely changed anything for the North American release, other than the color of the buttons and the logo (http://www.spaghettioh.co...tent/snes/snes_model2.jpg). I don't know which design I like more though. Well the SNS-101 is actually a huge improvement on the NA Super Nintendo so it's a good choice for someone in the market for an American SNES, plus the small purple buttons look kind of cute. On the other hand the Super Famicom Jr looks bad imo. The colorful logo this time makes it look like a baby's Super Famicom. I don't like either version much, but if I had to choose between these 2 I'd probably get the American version (with a PAL/JP controller  ).
A word of warning for those in the market for an SNES SNS-101. A wide variety of clone machines have been based on its design, so be careful when buying a SNS-101 from ebay, that you don't end up with a clone instead.
Finally there are the technical differences between models. In this regard the PAL consoles are inferior to all other regions, because they run at 50Hz. You can mod the console to make it run the games at 60Hz, but unless you have the technical skills to do that (or know someone who is willing to do that for you (for free or with payment)) I'd stick away from the PAL machines if you are given the option of choosing among the 3 regions (as always game libraries are not taken into account since you can make your SNES region free more easily than the 50/60Hz mod), unless you really like the design and your machine MUST say Super Nintendo on it.
Both Super Famicom and NA SNES run at 60Hz and can output composite video, S-Video and RGB signals, as well as RF with an external RF modulator. (All together now, "Shamelessly taken from Wikipedia"). On the other hand the Super Famicom Jr and the SNES SNS-101 don't output S-Video and RGB signal and don't feature an expansion port (although with the Satellaview service discontinued in 2000 there's no real need for one anyway).
So after taking account of the price, design and hardware factors I personally decided I wanted a Super Famicom. I'd have preferred a PAL Super Nintendo (I'm getting a mod for 50/60Hz switch anyway) but they are a bit more expensive and I'd rather spend that money on some games.
Thanks for reading. I'll try to update this blog whenever I have the time and I'm in a good mood, with my experiences in SNES collecting and its games in general.
[img width=99 height=56]http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs18/f/2007/190/5/c/SNES_stamp_by_Rashoodz.png[/img]
[img width=200 height=285]http://image.allmusic.com/00/agg/cov200/drg100/g103/g10333608kr.jpg[/img]
Madden 2002 is now complete. Not a whole lot of noticeable changes happened between 2001 and 2002 besides coverage. Defensive backs actually do what they are supposed to now and cover the receiver, and swat the ball. I am not cheating, bumping up attributes or anything during this marathon EXCEPT during this season I had to turn holding off. EVERY penalty I got was holding, it was getting ridiculous. One interesting thing I noticed is during the season Donavon McNabb, Eagles Quarterback, had a CAREER ending achilles injury.I thought that was interesting because he went on to have a very successful career. Here's my results:
Week 1: Vs Bengals - W 31-3
Week 2: Vs Panthers - W 45-13
Week 3: Vs Jets - W 17-14 OT
Week 4: Vs Colts - W 45-0
Week 5: Vs Dolphins - W 37-3
Week 6: Vs Chargers - W 31-0
Week 7: Vs Colts - W 26-0
Week 8: Vs Broncos - W 26-7
Week 9: Vs Falcons - W 38-0
Week 10: Vs Bills - W 17-0
Week 11: Vs Rams - W 20-3
Week 12: Vs Saints - W 41-10
Week 13: Vs Jets - W 17-0
Week 14: Vs Browns - W 49-0
Week 15: Vs Bills - W 48-0
Week 16: Vs Dolphins - W 45-0
Week 17: Bye
Regular Season Record: 16-0
Patriots Real Record in 2000: 11-5
Playoffs:
Divisional Round: Vs Ravens - W 23-6
Conference Round: Vs Colts - W 38-0
Super Bowl: Vs Rams - W 70-3
Play Off Results: Super Bowl Win
Patriots Real Play Off Result in 2000: Super Bowl Win Against Rams
Outscored Opponents(W/ Playoffs): 533-53(664-62)
[img width=209 height=298]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1359.snc4/163180_179103645440856_100000236649378_548900_7957985_n.jpg[/img]
Overall Record (W/ Playoffs): 32-0(38-0)
Overall Outscored Opponents (W/ Playoffs): 1,186-227(1,425-255)
2001 Game Blog:
http://www.rfgeneration.c...arathon-12-27-10-1563.php
Much like the Wii's Virtual Console, the inclusion of the Game Boy Player add-on makes the GameCube a fantastic way to re-discover many retro games. There's a pile of Super Mario Bros., Sonic The Hedgehog, and just about every other 8 and 16-bit mascot out there to be played and yet the sad fact is that the GameCube's standard controller just doesn't seem all that great for retro gaming. Sure many of us just get used to it, and admittedly the added bulk and lack of wires makes the it easy to love the WaveBird, but there's certainly many other options out there, some of which you may not have thought of.
[img width=640 height=426]http://i.imgur.com/4mBGll.jpg[/img]
The obvious choice is the Hori Digital Pad, also know as the Game Boy Player Controller. Generally speaking, this is the controller that all GB Player enthusiasts find a must-own. It's quite obvious that it's modeled quite liberally after the SNES pad. The size, shape and bulk are all very similar. The D-Pad is about the same size as well, which is a vast improvement over the GameCube's tiny D-Pad. The only thing that really differentiates it from the SNES pad is that the A, B, X and Y buttons all keep their GameCube layout. There's really nothing but good things to say about this one, except that its price-tag isn't for the faint of heart. Sadly because it was an import-only controller, and because Hori has a certain reputation, it's not uncommon for eBay auctions on one of these to hit triple digits.
[img width=350 height=395]http://i.imgur.com/nPi5l.jpg[/img]
Luckily Pellican ripped off Hori's fantastic design and made a far more affordable alternative called the GC Retro Pad. It's almost the same exact size and shape as the Hori, and keeps the same GameCube-style A, B, X and Y layout. It moves the Z-Button to the center, which is actually slightly more convenient than on the Hori in fact. The major difference is that the D-Pad uses a Sega Genesis style instead of the traditional Nintendo cross-style. Although the plastic that makes up the controller is noticeably cheaper quality, the controller itself actually works quite well, and the fact that it can be found for the price of four Hori Pads makes it even more appealing.
[img width=640 height=341]http://i.imgur.com/Kxdjzl.jpg[/img]
With a simple adapter called the Retro Port made available from http://RetroUSB.com you can actually just use a standard SNES controller. This option will be a bit more expensive than the Pellican pad, but it could certainly save you a bit if you want to avoid going the Hori route. It's hard to compete with the build-quality and layout-perfection of the original SNES pad, and considering the magnitude of SNES games ported to the GameCube, it's almost an obvious choice (though surprisingly it's an oft-overlooked solution it seems). The same site also sells a similar adapter for using a NES pad on the Cube as well, although seeing as how a NES pad only has two buttons this means that many GBA games won't be supported.
[img width=500 height=278]http://i.imgur.com/SXoJ9.jpg[/img]
If you do decide to go the SNES-adapter route then you'll also have access to another pricey Hori import, this time in the form of the Super Game Boy Controller. This strange creature was also a Japan-only accessory and features a unique layout and buttons that actually feel directly ripped out of an original Game Boy. Although it's an impressive show-piece, it's also not quite as comfortable as a standard SNES pad, as it's actually quite a bit bulkier (maybe in tribute to the gray brick).
[img width=300 height=209]http://i.imgur.com/KpB62.jpg[/img]
Speaking of adapters, PS2-to-GameCube controller adapters are actually quite cheap these days. A friend of mine does all of his retro Cubing using a PS1 controller and swears by it. It's easy to understand why as the PS1 controller certainly seems to have matured from the embryonic state of the SNES pad.
[img width=296 height=400]http://i.imgur.com/xRkpL.jpg[/img]
Of course that same cheapo PS2 adapter means you could also track down the MadCatz Retrocon, which has a bit of a cult-following for PS2 retro-gamers. It's quite obviously modeled after the classic NES pad, but incorporates elements of the PS2 pad as well. It's made from a rubbery molding which although small, is also pretty comfortable and even offers up two analog controllers as well. Impressive.
So that about wraps it up, although there may be other options out there that I haven't myself tried. Does anybody else know of any hidden gems when it comes to retro controllers on the Cube?
Happy Holidays everyone!
It has certainly been a long time, but it feels nice to write again. The fifty-plus hours of work coupled with the full time school schedule and the constant madness of dual-child rearing has paused briefly, allowing me to leave more than a fifteen word comment once a week. How do I spend this winfall of time? Do I update my own stale website or post a blurb on the myriad of gaming blogs on the Internet? No, instead I go to one of the precious few sites that shares my love of gaming, collecting, and general good fun. I'm talking about you guys. Seriously, I swear.
Like many of you fellow parents, most of my Christmas money goes to the Santa fund, which provides more entertainment Christmas morning than I can properly explain. The wife and I rarely exchange gifts, and when we do it's more likely to be something simple, like a night on the town. This year was different. Due to my new job (and the massive amount of hours I work) we decided to give each other $40 to do with as we see fit. I didn't even need to think about what I would spend it on, it was only a question of where. I saw the answer Monday night before bed - Steam.
December 20th saw the start of a game sale that rivals clearance racks. Nearly all the games on Steam (over 1,400 at this point) are at least 10% off, with many well over 30% and some 50% to 75% off the original price, and to top it off there are daily deals which often give ludicrous discounts. Any doubts I had about digital distribution went out the door instantly, especially since most of the games will work without an Internet connection (a fact I was unaware of). This afternoon I finally snapped up some titles, all which I will add to my collection soon. All the games are followed by the sale prices with the original in parentheses. They are:
Red Alert 3 - $4.99 ($19.99)
Far Cry 2 - $4.99 ($19.99)
Half-Life 2: Episode One $3.99 ($7.99)
Half-Life 2: Episode Two $3.99 ($7.99)
Red Faction: Guerilla $9.99 ($19.99)
Stalker Bundle (both Call of Pripyat and Shadow of Chernobyl) $4.99 ($39.99)
Sid Meijer's Pirates! $2.49 ($9.99)
Supreme Commander 2 $3.74 ($14.99)
X2: The Threat $2.49 ($4.99)
Commander Keen $3.74 ($4.99)
Sure, I went over a bit, but I was always the one to push things. Fortunately the wife just rolled her eyes and walked away. Now the only problem is the finding time to play them. Too bad I couldn't get some of that for Christmas this year.
So, we made it. Our last episode of 2010 is here! We decided to do a little year in review episode complete with awards just as meaningful as the Spike VGAs! We have a little discussion and each of us has our viewpoint (as usual), but we also want your input on what you thought of this year in gaming! We didn't go the normal route of "Best game of the year", but once you check out our categories, we'd love to hear what you think about things. Did you agree? Disagree? Were we way off? Or do you have something else entirely that you think fits?
You can comment in the forums, comment in this blog post, e-mail us(!), and even call us(!!!). We hope to be able to take your quick questions over any subject via e-mail at podcast@rfgeneration.com. You can also call us and leave a message! We can play your question or comment in the episode and we'll even respond to it! That number is (318) RFG-TIP5 or (318) 734-8475.
Here is the forum thread to comment: http://www.rfgeneration.c...m/index.php?topic=10730.0
The podcast, as usual, can be found and subscribed at http://rfgeneration.podomatic.com as well as in iTunes!
The time has come after the busy holidays to get you guys some new content. I have posted a review about a DS game that I have just played beaten and shelved, look for that right here. Now with that in the bag it is time for another Interview with the People of RFGeneration. This time an Editor from across the pond in the UK steps up and takes his turn, none other than Ga5ket.
 Anton aka Ga5ket
Location: Nottinghamshire, UK
Where does your screen name come from?Back in my motorcycle days at university I had a bike that I blew 5 head gaskets in 3 weeks, hence the name
How did you find RFG?I hung around racketboy's forums for a while, but they didn't really understand the collecting obsession, and someone there mentioned RFG
What made you stay and become part of RFG? It's the first (and only site) that I've ever come across that caters properly for Euro releases. Every other site seems to list US releases with a small note about the Euro version. The community was an added bonus. Plus now I'm an editor it'd just be rude to leave at this point
Have you ever met or personally know anyone at RFG?Data and I work for different branches of the same company, and we've got together a few times
Basics
Number of Games Owned (at time of printing): 1694
Number of Games on Wishlist (at time of printing): 0, on RFG, but about 4000 on paper
Number of Systems: Including variations, 51
When did you start collecting? Not really sure about games, but I've collected something of one form or another most of my life
What was your first system you owned? Dragon 32. Dad bought it for me way back when, been programming and gaming ever since.
What was your first game? Probably Quest or Madness and the Minotaur
What was your first game you bought yourself (if different from above)? No idea, but it'd be for the Dragon
First game you ever beat? Franklin's Tomb on the Dragon. It's a text based adventure, and I remember my friend and I spending hours playing it.
Have you ever broken anything due to frustration from a game? Not that I remember
 [img width=246 height=184]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/collections/ga5ket/figures20080912.JPG&sizex=246[/img]
Interview
Are you collecting now, if so what anything specific? Bundled games & peripherals, but just about anything I find really
That is always a good thing because you can usually find a deal somewhere on something you like. When did you feel a tipping point from gamer to both gamer and game collector?I've always collected, it just took a while to admit it
Yeah it is kind of like a habit, sometimes it takes time to realize what has happened  What are your goals as a game collector, how have you developed them, and how do you feel about your progress toward them? I'm aiming for a full set of Dragon games, although I can't see it ever happening. I have a passion for bundled games, i.e. ones that come with a controller or similar, so I'm picking those up as and when I find them
That is a pretty impressive goal, how many games, systems, etc. are "enough"?
I didn't realize that I had to have a limit?
Well no there is no limit, hey sometimes people finally realize we collector types have way to many games!  What's your proudest moment as a game collector? My longest serving friend donating his Dragon 32 to me, along with a ton of games
That is a true friend right there, anyone who donates games to a collector's cause is a true friend. What's your least proud moment as a game collector? Selling my original Dragon, back in the 90s
Where/how do you store it all? The media boxes and billy bookcase system from Ikea. I'm rapidly running out of space though, so I need to have a bit of a rethink
[img width=246 height=184]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/collections/ga5ket/Nintendo.JPG&sizex=246[/img] 
Ikea is a great place to pick up storage things like that. I really like the way you have things set up. What's your favorite part of your collection? The Dragon stuff (see a pattern emerging here?)
Yes, the pattern is a good thing though, it shows you have a passion and really enjoy that system.What about a favorite series?
Difficult one that. Probably PS1 era Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid, Ratchet & Clank or Bioshock
Sorry that can be difficult. What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to gaming? Female characters in games. Nothing weird, or maybe it is! Given a choice between male and female I always pick female. No idea why.
No doubt, same here. And if there is a choice, I will always pick the dark sinister type that may not be on your side in the end. What would you like to improve in your collection? A proper stand up arcade cab, probably Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters. I loved that game back in the day
What game do you have the most nostalgia for?Sonic the Hedgehog 2
What is the most valuable part of your collection?I don't think there's anything especially valuable
What do you think was your best deal while game buying? ICO, original release with art cards. I found it in a charity shop for 3
Awesome, that is a great game BTW. What item in your collection do you feel you overpaid for? Bioshock 2 Collector's edition. Bought it once at full price to keep sealed, and then again when I found it in a sale so I could enjoy the contents. I don't regret buying it, but I could have just waited and bought 2 copies at sale time
I have done similar things so don't feel bad. What do you feel is the strangest or weirdest item in your collection? It's not a game, but it's related. It's a MGS4 Ga-Ko alarm clock. It quacks and shakes it's head.
That is sweet, although my wife would probably not like it What item(s) do you not have in your collection that people are surprised to hear you don't have? SNES games. I think I only own about 4, but it was just never part of my scene growing up, so it doesn't have the same draw for me as say the Mega Drive or Master System
Really? Quite different from the last interview with bickman who was crazy about his SNES. Diversity makes us who we are! Is there any way you'd ever stop collecting? Death or financial crisis maybe?
Do you have a funny story about your collection? Not that I can think of
Have you ever had to move your collection to another house? What was it like? Not really, been here 15 or so years now, I guess it's grown mostly during that time
That is probably a good thing, it is difficult to move and people really don't understand what it means to be gentle with totes full of games. If your significant other told you no more games, what would you do? Never happen. She buys them for me too. She bought me a 320Gb PS3 a couple of months ago because she knew that the limited space on the original 40Gb one (that she bought me) was winding me up. In fact thinking about it, she's bought all my PlayStation consoles.
Sounds like you have a keeper! What percentage of your games are still sealed? Less than 1%.
What percentage of your game have you actually played? Completed? Probably about 20% max, sadly
Do you own any complete collections (every game for a certain system)? No, and I don't think I ever will. I only (usually) buy games that I intend to play, so no Barney for me
Actually, that's not quite true, I'm attempting a sealed collection of Tiger Game.com just cuz
[img width=246 height=184]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/collections/ga5ket/Misc.JPG&sizex=246[/img]
Well, Barney can be fun according to bickman, he revealed later in undisclosed notes of the interview he plays it frequently.... Anyways, I am the evil interviewer with these questions....
What is your favorite game of all time (Top 5 if you need to)?Original Tomb Raider, Ratchet & Clank, Bioshock, Gran Turismo, MGS4 in no particular order
Least Favorite? Halo. Not generally a fan of FPS or online multiplayer. Can't see what all the fuss is about. Let the flaming commence.
The funny thing is, I have Halo, but I also don't like FPS as much. I have never played it online and barely made it past the first stages without regretting turning it on.
Others
Do you collect anything else besides games? SF Books, over 1200 and still counting. Records, mainly metal & 80s. Gaming memorabilia.
Sweet, metal rocks What do you outside of games? Time with the family, camping (UK style), hiking
Do I need to ask what UK style of camping is??? Finally, what other features would you like to see more of at RFG (Example: Reviews, Articles, Interviews, Previews, etc)? As we're a retro community I'd like to see more reviews. We've got some really good bloggers now, and the quality of stuff they're putting out is great. More I say! Oh, and image submissions.
Agree, Reviews and image submissions, non-stolen images ahem, would be great. Lastly, do you have a question for the next interview?If you had to give a part of your collection away for a worthy cause what part would it be, and why?
Sweet look for that question coming up in the new interview. Thanks for your time! Below you can find Antons RFG Collection.
Click the banner below to check out more of Antons, collection, RFG Profile and many more picture of his awesome collection.
[img width=468 height=60]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/banners/RFGFullbanner01.gif[/img]
And on a last note, the end of the year is approaching quickly, make sure you add a few more submissions to get your yearly total just that tad bit higher! And always I am open to suggestions/comments and everything else. Please let me know via PM or email if you are interested in being interviewed. Thanks again!
It's a funny thing, but although I play a lot of games it's not often that I see them through to the end. Blame it on distractions. I suppose it takes a lot for me to be focused enough on a single to devote the time to complete it. More often than not, I start thinking about another game halfway through the one I'm playing. I doubt that's a rarity these days though, especially amongst retro collectors. We have a hobby where a stack of new games can be had for pocket money. But all year I've been keeping track of the games that I've beaten, and this year I made it to seventeen. I've never kept track for a full year before, but I'm quite sure that this must be the most I've beaten in a single year. So I thought it would be fun to sort of fully document the whole thing.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/bJYEz.jpg[/img]
1. Phantasy Star (GBA)
My first game of the year was actually the only RPG that I completed all year. As much as I really enjoy the genre, it's a perfect example of what I was talking about with my horrible attention-span for a single game. But Phantasy Star was the January choice for the http://Racketboy.com Together Retro game club, which meant that I forced myself to stick with it for an entire month. And actually I was really glad that I did. In fact, the game turned out to be one of my all time favorite 8-bit RPG's ever. Really it was an amazing game that needs to be experienced by all fans of the genre, though admittedly the 3D dungeons were way too difficult, so I did need some maps to make my way through. I highly suggest the GBA collection which also features the second and third installments of the series, along with some horrible box art.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/afdMx.jpg[/img]
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall Of The Foot Clan (GB)
I actually remember being in bed with the flu when I beat this one. Fall Of The Foot Clan was one of my very first Game Boy games back in 1989, and I still think it's great to this day. I also remember I was playing through it with the intention of doing a blog entry about the original GB trilogy of TMNT games sometime soon (oops). Though it's definitely extremely short and very easy, it also features some wonderful sprite animations and details that show an early understanding of the Game Boy hardware on Konami's part. A lot of people seem to look back on this one with disdain after the two Game Boy sequels were released, but as different as they games are, I still love this one. It's definitely a bit of a comfort game for me.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/jYjvu.jpg[/img]
3. Super Mario Bros. 2 (GBA)
Speaking of comfort games, Super Mario Bros. 2 just might be the game I've beaten more times than any other game ever. In fact it's one of those games that I tend to beat about once a year now, but what's funny is that I never tire of it. SMB2 is often considered a black sheep of the series, but it will always be a great game in my opinion. Oh, please notice that I will never refer to this game as Super Mario Advance by the way, and although I enjoy the updated graphics and save-feature, I detest the added voices.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/4JZB3.jpg[/img]
4. OutRun (GBA)
OutRun was another Together Retro game club pick, but as far as arcade racing games go, I couldn't have been happier. This is one of the few arcade racing games that I actually equate with memories of the arcade of my youth (it was called Dream Machine). The GBA port is part of the Sega Arcade Gallery, which I can mostly recommend, at least for this game and the necessary Space Harrier. I know I didn't end up beating the game through every single possible ending, but that was mostly because I lost track. I did try to do it with a racing wheel though, which didn't work so well for me. Oh well.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/h6LkN.jpg[/img]
5. Super Street Fighter II: Turbo Revival (GBA)
Generally speaking if somebody asks me what my absolute favorite GBA game is, this is the one that pops into my mind. Though I admit it's hard to say for sure what my real favorite would be, there's no doubt that this one is way up there. Street Fighter II has long been a favorite arcade fighter to me, and it just seems that Turbo Revival gets everything perfect. There's a lot of purists out there who will try to say that a 6-button game can't be done with four, but this is proof that it certainly can. I'm pretty sure that I can be this game in under twenty minutes now, and it may even be quicker than I know since I've never timed it. But don't think I'm bragging either, since I'm still not very good at Alpha 3 or Capcom Vs SNK 2, and I just recently found out that I'm pretty bad at Street Fighter IV. Really I'm just pointing out just how often I come back to this game. Oh and I always use Chun-Li if you're wondering.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/7c2B4.jpg[/img]
6. Mortal Kombat II (GB)
After Street Fighter II it seemed obvious to try my hand at its arch-nemesis, Mortal Kombat II. Though I'm not much of a fan of the series, I have always enjoyed the second game quite a bit. In my opinion the SNES version is the definitive port, but surprisingly the Game Boy release is quite competent. I say "surprisingly" because the first and third games got Game Boy releases that were just total crap, but the second was actually quite fun. Disclaimer: the game is missing quite a bit of the roster, and yes that's a letdown. I myself would have liked to see Baraka in this one. But once you get past that the truth is that the GB port is a lot of fun. Its controls are good, the special moves and fatalities are (mostly) present and it looks good. It's not perfect, but it gets things just right enough to want to finish the game. Which I did as Sub-Zero of course.
[img width=300 height=400]http://imgur.com/ZvrHe.jpg[/img]
7. Viper Phase 1 (arcade)
As far as my memory serves, this is actually the first arcade game I've ever beaten. The story goes like this: my nephew was having a birthday party at one of those "Fun Zone" kind of places with basketball hoops, dodgeball courts, pizza parties and that sort of stuff. Against one of the walls I noticed a row of light gun games that I wanted to give a try, but every time I checked they were occupied by many children. Then I noticed a lonely arcade cabinet that nobody seemed interested in. I went over and to my great joy it was a vertical shmup that I had never heard of, and it was set to free-play. I didn't have the intention of beating the game, so I didn't keep track of how many quarters I would have gone through. But all I know is that about an hour later I was watching the ending and inputting my initials into the high-score screen (in which I had ranked #2). Good times.
[img width=300 height=200]http://imgur.com/ev0jG.jpg[/img]
8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time (SNES)
Here's the only other non-GB-related game that I beat this year, and I need to immediately point out that I didn't beat it alone. This was the first game that my wife and I beat together cooperatively. It was a lot of fun too. We played two nights in a row. The first night she was getting used to the controls, but by the second night she was a total ninja warrior. This is definitely a perfect co-op game.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/xZmCE.jpg[/img]
9. Godzilla: Domination (GBA)
I actually did a whole blog post raving about this game not that long ago. If you missed it, here's the scoop: Domination takes the format of King Of The Monsters and combines it with Kaiju monsters. How could you go wrong? Well maybe you could, but luckily they didn't. This game is brilliant. It utilizes some amazing sprite work and has a truly startling and memorable boss-fight at the end. Totally recommended. (Oh and I use King Ghidorah).
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/9WmhR.jpg[/img]
10. Iridion II (GBA)
If I had a dollar for every time I mentioned Iridion II on this blog... (note to self: see if you can work out a deal where you're paid a dollar every time you mention Iridion II on this blog). At any rate, I can't pretend the game is infallible. Certainly it begged for a battery for saving high scores. And it also was a bit on the easy side on the default setting. But none of that matters. The game is amazing. It looks amazing. It sounds amazing. It plays amazingly. It's quite possibly the best GBA shmup out there, and for the most art an homage to the heyday of 16-bit shmups without being overly derivative. I beat the game using an arcade stick, which is totally recommended if you've never given it a try. I also intend to beat the boss-rush mode sometime soon as well.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/XajTF.jpg[/img]
11. Scooby-Doo: Classic Creep Capers (GBC)
Here's one that I hyped up on the blog around Halloween this past year. As you might remember I compared it quite positively to Maniac Mansion. Not too long after that I played through the whole game so that I could work on a short article that I submitted to an upcoming book that http://Hardcoregaming101.com is compiling on the history of adventure gaming. And I loved every last moment of doing so. Classic Creep Capers a short but wonderful game that really needs to be played through by any fans of classic adventure games. Though it didn't take me that long, it still felt rewarding to see the end screen on this one.
[img width=300 height=300]http://i.imgur.com/QImAs.jpg[/img]
12. Trax (GB)
Speaking of short -- Trax is way too short. But it's still a blast. You need to check this one out if you're at all a Game Boy fan. It's made by Hal Labs which is already a good sign. It's kind of a shmup, although the screen doesn't auto-scroll. Also the gun can fire independent from the direction that the little oval tank is driving. But the gun an only aim by moving in a clockwise motion. It sounds weird, and it kind of is, but it's really fun.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/voLNP.jpg[/img]
13. Super Mario World (GBA)
Look I was in the theater watching The Wizard the first time I saw Super Mario Bros. 3. I remember what a big deal that was. However I still remember Super Mario World as the Mario's greatest platformer to date. You see I may have been a NES and Game Boy fanatic back in the day, but I even I fell for Sega's evil marketing campaigns. Even I fell for that hedgehog's speed and attitude. I thought Mario was relegated to my youth. Nintendo was for kids I assumed. I was a teenager now, and Sonic probably swore. But then I witnessed Super Mario World running on Ninty's new 16-bit SNES and everything wrong was right again. I've beaten SMW many times over the years, but I never bore of it. I am always amazed at the level design. I always nod my head when Yoshi adds some extra beats to the tunes. And I always remember that this is what I compare all platformers to. Oh and that last Bowser fight is still awesome.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/h3jBy.jpg[/img]
14. Super Puzzle Fighter II (GBA)
This is another game that I often consider one of the best GBA carts out there. It's another one I've raved about already on the blog, but consider this: any Game Boy fanatic probably has a fair share of puzzle games. I know I do. And there's a lot of amazing ones out there. In fact I do plan a nice long puzzle feature on the blog sometime soon (I swear). But no matter how many awesome puzzle games I come across, none seem so absolutely perfect as Super Puzzle Fighter II. I mean the game is so awesome that it's a sequel without a first game. It's so awesome that it has a super-deformed Morrigan. It's so awesome that I've beat it numerous times. And I've beat all the extra challenges and unlocked everything there is to unlock on the cart. And still I'm not sick of it. In fact I still don't even feel like I've completely mastered it. This game is so good that it becomes sort of a sickness. It's awesome. Everyone should have a copy.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/Klmvs.jpg[/img]
15. Alien Hominid (GBA)
People often talk about all the great Japanese exclusives on the GBA, but actually Europe got some pretty interesting ports as well. Case in point: Alien Hominid the ultra-bloody, cartoonish run-n-gun best known for appearing on the PS2 and GameCube. Of course once I knew a GBA version existed I had to try it out. And to be honest, I haven't played the GameCube disc since. Admittedly I do most of my gaming by myself, so co-op wasn't a big omission here. But yeah, I loved this game and was super-impressed by everything about the GBA port. If you can track one down, I suggest you do so.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/i3uf1.jpg[/img]
16. 1942 (GBC)
I had been looking for a copy of 1942 for a while, so I was thrilled to finally get one in a trade. So thrilled that I had to hook it up to the Game Boy Printer (did you know it did that?) and play through the entire game in a single sitting. In truth it didn't take that long. Though I should note I had never played any of the 19xx series prior, so it was actually a pretty awesome achievement for me. If you're wondering how the port holds up, I can't compare it to any other version. But the audio is horrible. I can say that much. But besides that I really enjoyed the full game, even if the ending was a total disappointment.
[img width=300 height=450]http://imgur.com/RF0rp.jpg[/img]
17. Donkey Kong (e-Reader)
I first watched The King Of Kong back in 2008 and loved it. So recently decided to watch it with my wife. And she loved it as well. True story: we had actually visited Fun Spot on our honeymoon in 2006. Anyway, after re-watching it I couldn't help but be drawn to Donkey Kong again. Of course my scores are nothing impressive. But I figured that since the NES/e-Reader version is only three levels that loop, that really beating the first three levels is beating the game. So I reluctantly added it to my list.
At any rate, looking back on all these titles was a lot of fun. It was a fun year!
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Well I finished up 2001 last night. I ended up winning the super bowl. The game got much easier as I got adjusted to the game play. To sum things up, I think I'm pretty damn good at Madden.
Week 1: Vs Tampa Bay - W 17-10
Week 2: Vs Jets - W 34-0
Week 3: Vs Vikings - W 28-3
Week 4: Vs Dolphins - W 49-10
Week 5: Vs Broncos - W 35-18
Week 6: Vs Colts - W 45-0
Week 7: Vs Jets - W 63-17
Week 8: Vs Colts - W 30-10
Week 9: Bye
Week 10: Vs Bills - W 52-7
Week 11: Vs Browns - W 22-21
Week 12: Vs Bengals - W 45-20
Week 13: Vs Lions - W 56-14
Week 14: Vs Chiefs - W 49-7
Week 15: Vs Bears - W 27-24
Week 16: Vs Bills - W 49-0
Week 17: Vs Dolphins - W 52-13
Regular Season Record: 16-0
Patriots Real Record in 2000: 5-11
Playoffs:
Divisional Round: Vs Broncos - W 38-10
Conference Round: Vs Raiders - W 42-3
Super Bowl; Vs Rams - W 28-16
Play Off Results: Super Bowl Win
Patriots Real Play Off Result in 2000: Did Not Make Play Offs
Not much else to say about this game. If you're playing a more recent game, like 06-11ish, it's rather difficult to make the change until you get adjusted. One interesting thing, though Tom Brady was a rookie this year he is not in this game, nor in the 2002 game. I assume he will be in the 2003 game.
[img width=209 height=298]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1359.snc4/163180_179103645440856_100000236649378_548900_7957985_n.jpg[/img]
Overall Record (W/ Playoffs): 16-0(19-0)
[img width=200 height=178]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-087/bf/U-087-S-10260-A.jpg&sizex=200[/img]
Fossil Fighters
Platforms:Nintendo DS, DSi
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Red Entertainment
Release Date: August 10th 2009
Genre: RPG
Number of Players: 1-2
ERSB Rating: E for Mild Fantasy Violence, Crude Humor
Overview
On the outside, Fossil Fighters sounds surprisingly similar to a Pokemon copycat, but after "digging" a little deeper I found it more enjoyable than Nintendo's other monster battler. I found hectic and addicting as you find new fossils and begin cleaning them with a drill and hammer. If you do it satisfactory then you are rewarded with a new fossil or parts to an existing making them stronger. Sounds like it would kind of on the childish side? True, but the elements of side quests and a love interest or two in the game is exactly what it needs to appeal to the older generation as well.
Story
The game starts by you going to an island, Vivosaur Island to be exact, to do some digging, cleaning and fighting! Kind of a weak story as you meet characters along the way in the likes of Dr. Diggins, BB Bandits, a crazy guy that shakes his hips as well as a few ladies, even some strange human-like race. The story was good, not great but really wasn't a huge deal to me as I was more inclined to go after new fossils and have some more battles than really progress through the story. I actually put more hours into the game after I beat the story and decided to work on my side quests and Fossil collection.
Game Play
Game play can be split up into two different areas. The first is collecting fossils. You use a sonar which beeps when you are near fossils on the top screen of the DS to give you a general location for the buried treasure. Then it is simply wonder over and throw your pick-axe into the ground and bingo. Sometimes you may have to battle a person to get your treasure. But we can touch on that later. You can also find jewels or other rare fossils which can be sold once cleaned.
After digging a few fossils up, take em back and clean them using the stylus as a pointer. Hammer at first then the drill to clean up gently. I almost feel like a dentist after completing this part of the game
[img width=480 height=358]http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/article/101/1015045/fossil-fighters-20090818005538702.jpg[/img] This was probably the most entertaining part of the game for me as you could always increase the strength of your "Vivosaur" by cleaning the fossil better.
The second part of the game play was the battles you take on. Some mandatory, others were not. Each player is sized up with the three vivosaurs you take into battle, and the weaker of the two players gets first turn. Status effects can come into play during battle and also attack/defense effects that each vivosaur has. Each team has different combos and can make for a pretty good time experimenting.
[img width=256 height=369]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/2009/152/960571_20090602_790screen010.jpg[/img]
Sound and Graphics
Overall the sound wasn't terrible. But I am used to playing more RPG's and getting good composing etc so I think that is why it didn't really stand out to me as much. Most of the time I had it turned off and had other music on. The graphics are not good. I wasn't impressed with them at all and if you do compare it to Pokemon, you will be saddened to find out Pokemon had a large advantage. I read a review about it before and it said, "The art on the box is way, way more impressive than what you're going to get in-game. " and I would have to agree.
Trivia
Released in April of 2008 in Japan under the name Bokura wa Kasekihorida which means "We are Fossil Diggers"
Sequel also released in Japan in 2010 under the name Super Kasekihorida
Idea was thought of in 2004, and started being developed in 2005.
IGN didn't like the game much and gave it 5.3 while Gamespot gave it 7.5.
Closing
Overall I really enjoyed this game a ton. Sure it may be a little like Pokemon and the graphics may struggle slightly but it still was a blast. I spent over 57 hours playing through and still didn't get everything accomplished that I wanted to. I may or may not pick it up again later but I am hoping the sequel heads on over seas for us to enjoy. Adults and kids alike can pick this up and really enjoy it.
(Trivia courtesy of Wikipedia, Screenshots from IGN, Gamespot, RFGeneration.)
In 1988, NEC released the $400 PCE-CD (or TurboGrafx-CD, in North America) without any included titles. Buyers needed to drop an additional hefty sum to actually play some games on the thing, and many probably opted for the premiere title in a series that would go on to be one of the most loved of all time.
[img width=236 height=235]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/RF/fs-jpn.jpg[/img]
If Fighting Street was any indication, CD-based systems and the Street Fighter series should have been dead in the water.
[img width=336 height=224]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/RF/fs6.png[/img]
Fighting Street is a particularly bad example of the one on one fighting genre prior to their golden age period in the arcades of the early 1990s. Though the game included some of the same features that would go on to help define its sequels, the basic core components - gameplay, graphics, and sound - are all extremely rough compared to what would be accomplished just a few years later. Even when considered in context, the game was a mess.
As a launch game for the first CD-based console, there are several things worth pointing out:
The game included "high quality" CD-audio. One of the most marketable features of CDs was their ability to include higher quality music than would be possible with sound chips. Superior audio fidelity was driving CD sales in the music industry, and held promise for the gaming industry as well. Fighting Street does feature sound that is marginally better than most of the PCE's Hu-Card based games, but as it is emulating the soundtrack from an arcade machine, there is not the huge jump that some might expect. Of course the CD format would also become known in gaming for introducing voice acting. Voice acting is also included here, in a way. There is one recorded voice. Win or lose, a poorly recorded Japanese voice SLOWLY speaks the English words you see on the screen. Every time. You will hear this voice about every two minutes, which means that after an hour you have listened to it 30 times. Give a listen here around 2 minutes and again around 3:55.
[img width=320 height=224]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/RF/fs3.png[/img]
The game actually had bearable loading times. One thing that plagued many later CD systems such as the Sega CD and 3DO were atrocious loading times. Even the fighters on SNK's Neo Geo CD suffered from long loads. Not so with Fighting Street. While the game does have some loading (usually to cue up the spoken voice), there's no waiting for more than 5 seconds or so between screens.
The game should have been packaged with a six button controller. The arcade version of the game used two buttons, and the intensity of a punch or kick was based on how long you held down the button. That set up was translated to the PCE-CD, but it just doesn't work as well as a 6-button set up might. In addition, the standard d-pad is poorly suited to this kind of game. I personally found myself fighting the controls more than my opponent, which is never something that bodes well for a game in this genre.
[img width=269 height=235]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/RF/fs7.jpg[/img][img width=256 height=224]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/RF/fs5.png[/img]
There was no ability to save. Feature-wise, this was one of the biggest surprises of the game. The PCE-CD had the ability to save game data on internal RAM, something that even later CD systems often neglected. The ability to save progress, high scores, settings, or other features could have highlighted this strength of the system. Opportunity lost.
[img width=320 height=224]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/RF/fs4.png[/img]
The game was not good. I've made it a point to try and not do much in the way of reviews in this blog, instead focusing on specific novel features of the games I've addressed. For this game though, I feel I can make an exception: avoid paying any money for this. The bad controls and irritating sound are features that - while bad separately - really ruin the game when experienced together. It is a small miracle that the PCE-CD went on to have some of the best games of the era, and that Street Fighter would go on to the success it found. There's little here to promote the CD medium over carts/cards, and even less to encourage people to play fighters on the PCE-CD.
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My guilty pleasure game is probably Madden, or any football game. My favorite sport is hockey, I play it and watch it, but playing football games call for such strategy to win. I decided I would go on a Madden marathon, playing a season from each game. Starting with Madden 2001 on the PS2, the first 6th generation Madden game. I plan to play as the patriots every season, they have been my favorite team ever since I started watching football back in 1999 or 2000. After 4 weeks of madden 2001 here are my current results:
Week 1: Vs Tampa Bay - W 17-10
Week 2: Vs Jets - W 34-0
Week 3: Vs Vikings - W 28-3
Week 4: Vs Dolphins - W 49-10
This game certainly feels harder to play then what I'm used to, 2006/2008. Game play feels very weird, it's near impossible to turn on a dime. It's hard to complete a big play because you always seem to get chased down by a defender. When a defender catches you from behind they normally just dive at your legs and you drop to your knees. It's also hard to gain anything during a tackle, normally if you have momentum you will still be able to gain a yard or so during the tackle, not in this game. I'm not really here to say much about the games or review them so this will be more me just logging how my marathon goes.
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So this is the part where I pop my head into the office for the first time in a long while, give a half-smile and nod to some surprised faces and a few scowls, and begin stumbling over my apologies for not being around and fulfilling my site duties (blog writing, podcast, etc.)
The last quarter of this year has taken so much out of me due to unplanned and unavoidable circumstances, and for the sake of venting a bit I'll mention a few. Not to give excuses, but because I hope it will deflate the internal pressure and I will manage to get on top of things again and return to the community here that I cherish and desire to support.
My family placed a great deal of resources toward a short-sale house purchase back in September. Never do this. (The short sale part.) In four months we have not heard from the bank holding the seller's property we were trying to buy, and despite extending the contractual obligations for a return reply, we've gotten to the point that it is costing us too much to continue this pursuit. The last deadline is fast approaching, and the severe weather around here has since begun to visibly damage the now vacant home. To say my beloved and I are disheartened is quite the understatement. We've gone through meetings and phone calls and emails and banks and countless pages of paperwork, taking up a great deal of time and energy. If we don't hear from the other party before the end of the year, we will not buy the home we've been preparing to move into for all this time. My wife and I know that if this is not the house for us, God will close the door, and if it is meant to happen, He will open it. It will be pretty obvious which within a few days. In the mean time, we've made sure to do everything we can on our end, and it has just exhausted us.
The weather here in Pennsylvania struck early and hard, dumping a near comical amount of snow in short order, and it has taken its own toll on time and energy.
The biggest difficulty, and the one that I'm the most limited to discuss for detail, has to do with family issues. Blessedly my own immediate family is doing very well, and for that I am truly thankful. But over the last few months a few situations have come up with other family members that simply defy expectation and shake one down thoroughly, making a person question long held assumptions and wonder how to move forward. Some decisions do not carry the weight of morality as much as simply a weight of consequence.
I've already received criticism for divulging more detail to others, so I shouldn't really explain further. But what reserves I had remaining from other scenarios have been completely drained from this last one. Wrestling my wonderful rug-rats at the end of the day has just left me spent.
I do not intend on further sabbatical or delay from what I ascribe to be my duties here, though I do not intend to be ambitious for a little while longer. Hopefully the wonderfully patient Bickman and I will get an end-of-the-year podcast out and I can finish up with a blog entry or two.
Any prayers and thoughts sent our way are greatly appreciated, and your local Slackur should be up to better running capacity in short order.
In the meantime, I'll be around, and once some of this is cleared up I plan to be pushing more content than ever. 
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