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Wow it's been awhile since I have been on this site. It's looking very good and I'm going to try to become active on it again as I am getting back into the collecting game. For now I'm just going to focus on these Collection Update post to keep track of my new pick ups. I will add pictures some time later. Hope you enjoy!
SNES - $7
It's funny cause I woke up on the day I found this and was thinking, "Man I would love to play some SNES if only I had one." found this one at Goodwill. Only problem is no A/V cord or Power cord. If any one has any of these for sell let me know.
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Super Mario World (SNES) - $2
Get ready for some crazy news: I have never played past level one of this game. I have wanted to for so long but never have got around to buying it. Can't wait to play this one when I get cords for the SNES
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Super Mario All Stars (SNES) - $2
Very, very happy about this pick up cause I have wanted to play SMB2 for a long time now and can't beat the price.
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Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES) - $2
Not a big DK fan so I'm not sure if I will ever put this in but none the less good to have it in my collection
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Elevator Action (NES) - $2
Have no ideal about this one but can't pass up a $2 NES game
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Maniac Mansion (NES) - $2
Same as above
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Pokemon Silver (GB) - FREE
Nothing like finding a game you lost years ago in a box downstairs haha
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Super Mario (G&W) - FREE
Someone I knew was going to toss it and I saw it at the last second. I'm up to two G&W
now.
That's it for this post
My sister and I received a great gift on the Christmas Eve night in 1998. It was a new Nintendo 64 system with a atomic purple controller and a gray controller. Along with the system we got Monopoly(sealed), Mario Cart 64(cart), and F-Zero X(sealed). F-Zero X turned out to be our favorite game and still is my favorite to this day.
I decided, it being my favorite system, to make an attempt to collect all the games for the system. This is a great system, in my eyes, to collect for because it's an easy system to collect for. There are just under 400 games and all the US released games are rather easy to find. In fact the rarest game is probably the sculptors cut of Clay Fighter which goes for about $50, which isn't even that hard to find. Below are some stats and photos. I crossed out DK64 and Zelda MM on the gray/colored list because the gray carts of those games are near impossible to find. If you think my stats are incorrect let me know!(My totals at the very bottom) I'll update with photos as I get games, so if you care then check back for updates.
USA- 296 Games
- 11 Games had both a gray and colored cartridge:
007: The World Is Not Enough
Army Men: Air Combat
Bassmasters 2000
Donkey Kong 64
Hydrothunder
Ocarina of Time
Road Rash 64
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
Sarge's Heroes 2
Scooby Doo! Classic Creep Capers
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
Turok 2
Zelda Majora Mask
Japan Exclusives- 84 Games
PAL Exclusives- 4 Games
Japan/PAL Exclusives- 3 Games
Total- 387 +11 Colored/Gray Carts
[img width=700 height=307]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs763.snc4/66295_163257087025512_100000236649378_441056_5588532_n.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=163]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs905.snc4/71862_163257107025510_100000236649378_441057_4911970_n.jpg[/img]
[img width=540 height=720]http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs792.snc4/67289_163257123692175_100000236649378_441058_6518389_n.jpg[/img]
Nintendo 64 Collection:
USA Games- 79/307 25.7%
Japan Exclusives- 0/84 0%
PAL Exclusives- 0/4 0%
Japan/PAL Exclusives- 0/3 0%
It's not often I feel the need to post about non-gaming related material here, but I couldn't let this one slip.
You've seen the original:
But, have you seen THIS?
I'm honestly not sure which I like better.
Twenty Five years ago today, the Nintendo Entertainment System launched in the United States. Before its run was over with the release of Wario's Woods in 1994, the system became the bestselling video game console of all time (a mark that would not be passed for many years), the company's name literally became synonymous with gaming, and the NES' library had achieved a special place in the hearts and minds of gamers the world over. Even today, the system is usually recognized as the most popular of all retro consoles, and many gamers continue to collect games in cartridge format or play them via the Wii's Virtual Console or emulation.
[img width=264 height=191]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/nessystem.jpg[/img]
That success was far from guaranteed when the system launched in the U.S. on October 18, 1985. In fact, many onlookers felt dubious about the chances for Nintendo's console to succeed in the post-crash market of the mid-1980s. And even though the system had been moderately successful in the two years since it had launched in Japan (as the Family Computer), the kind of reception it would receive amongst American audiences was widely unknown. For this reason, the U.S. release was a limited one. The October 1985 date was for the New York City test market, and the full nationwide launch wouldn't be until February of 1986 after Nintendo saw some success in New York (and a few other markets).
Long before Metroid, Mega Man, Castlevania, Final Fantasy, or Contra became household names, Nintendo launched a product in the U.S. that had to convince a skeptical audience that it was worth investing in a new console. What was it like to purchase a brand new Nintendo Entertainment Center in October of '85 (or February of 1986)? What was the system launch like? Did those early decisions help the system achieve later greatness? Read on!
Part 1: The Games
The launch lineup consisted of eighteen games! This was almost twice the amount of games that launched in the U.S. with the Atari VCS, and half again as many games as had launched with the Colecovision. In some ways, this was a curious decision. While it afforded gamers a high degree of choice, it also served as a reminder that chief catalyst for the gaming crash a few years earlier had been a market flooded with low-quality games. Fortunately for Nintendo, their launch titles were not low quality. But, standing in a store 25 years ago, it might be hard for a gamer not to think that they were seeing more of the same practice that had killed enthusiasm and sales for Atari a short time ago.
[img width=498 height=553]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/nes-all.jpg[/img]
The launch lineup took cues from Atari. As we've covered previously, the Atari VCS launch featured games with very short, descriptive titles (Combat, Blackjack, Street Racer, etc.). This let consumers know what they were buying, whereas a game named after a character might not. For the most part, Nintendo followed suit. Roughly half of the launch games featured titles which made gameplay elements explicitly obvious (10 Yard Fight, Baseball, Duck Hunt, Golf, Kung Fu, Pinball, Soccer, and Tennis) and another set made it easy to guess what the game featured (Excitebike, Ice Climber, Stack-Up, and Wild Gunman). Unlike Atari, however, Nintendo did include a few of their well known IPs in the launch lineup: Mario (Super Mario Bros.) and Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong Jr. Math) both made the cut, only leaving gamers scratching their head over titles like Clu Clu Land, Hogans Alley, Gyromite, and Wrecking Crew. In any case, like Atari, Nintendo offered a wide variety of launch titles, the scope of which wouldn't be offered again until Sony's PS2 launch almost 15 years later.
[img width=259 height=194]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/smb.jpg[/img]
The launch lineup featured the system's iconic game (and character). The NES launch has several solid titles, but none were as important as Super Mario Bros. Mario was already a well known character based on the success of the Mario Bros. games and Mario's link to Donkey Kong, but Miyamoto's side-scrolling masterpiece was the game to define the console from day 1. Some of the launch bundles included the game, and it would go on to become the best-selling game of all time (a mark not passed until Wii Sports recently took the crown) . Few launch lineups in history have featured a game that made it into the all-time top 10, and all of them are games that launched with Nintendo systems.
Quality assured. In another nod to the video game crash, Nintendo included the Nintendo Seal of Quality on its titles to (hopefully) let consumers know that the games they were buying were bug-free, high quality titles. The seal may not have meant much in 1985, but by the time the NES was in homes across the country a few years later the seal came to represent an important departure from the flooded market that came to symbolize the latter days of the 2600's run.
[img width=180 height=180]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/nesseal.jpg[/img]
(Note: I plan to cover many of these games in the blog individually in the future, but in the meantime there is an excellent run-down of the basics of each launch game here: http://matwolf.com/blog/n...-original-18-nes-games-2/ I shamelessly stole their images of box art, too.)
Part 2: The System
The D-Pad. Nintendo was not technically the first console maker or video game company to include a standard D-Pad, but they certainly popularized it. Nintendo's games were designed with the D-pad in mind, and anyone who has tried playing a Super Mario Bros. or Zelda game with an arcade stick knows that the experience is lacking. The D-Pad also signaled that the console would be more than a platform for arcade ports (which used joysticks), but that plenty of new content produced specifically for the console and its controller would be coming.
[img width=256 height=171]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/nespad.jpg[/img]
The graphics and sound. It is easy to forget that the NES once was a powerhouse system, as today when most of us look back on the 8-bit days we think about the simplicity of the visuals and sounds. Put simply, even Nintendo's launch games blew away anything that had been seen on a console up to that point, and rivaled some of the best computer graphics and sound of the era. Seamless scrolling, character RAM, 20+ colors, dedicated audio, and region-specific refresh rates all meant that the NES was a system that had both innovated and capitalized on the best of what was available in mid-1980s hardware. And while the launch lineup was impressive, the games in the system's later years would demonstrate just how impressive the processors inside the NES were.
Part 3: The Launch
The bundles were a good deal, but the games were pricey. If you bought a new NES in late '85 or early '86, you most certainly wanted to buy a system bundle and probably didn't end up buying very many games off the bat. I haven't yet found reliable data, but some web searching suggests that in 1985/1986 NES games were priced between $40-$70 MSRP depending on where you lived. When their launch went nationwide, Nintendo sold two bundles for consumers interested in buying the system. The Control Deck bundle with 2 controllers, a zapper and Super Mario Bros. retailed for $130 and the Deluxe Set, which included R.O.B., a zapper, two controllers, Gyromite and Duck Hunt sold for $250. Adjusted for today's inflation, games cost around $100, the control deck cost about $250, and the Deluxe Set cost just shy of $500. This means that consumers in 1985 were getting the system and accessories for roughly $150 in today's money, and that R.O.B. could be valued at about $150 himself. That might seem high, until one realizes that robots were all the rage in 1985...
Robotic Operating Buddy. A Japanese newspaper in July of 1985 announced the upcoming U.S. release of the NES in an article entitled "Nintendo to sell video game player-robot combination in U.S." In the article, they discuss the strategy behind R.O.B.
Nintendo displayed the Family Computer this year at consumer electronics shows in Las Vegas and Chicago, and has carried out market research. The home video game boom in the U.S., dominated by Atari and Commodore International, peaked out three years ago, and since then the market has contracted with much underselling.
For this reason, the Family Computer, with its attached robot, is to be billed as a different concept from the conventional video game. The robot is run by a cartridge inserted into the computer, and both it and the video screen can be operated simultaneously. The robot measures 22.8 by 18 by 23.5 centimeters.
The robot contains three battery-powered motors which control such operations as picking objects up and putting them down, raising and lowering, and turning around and carrying objects. Commands are sent by a flashing signal from the monitor screen, which is picked up by a light sensor in the robot.
In Japan, the robot sells at a low Y9,800, with two types of cartridges prices at Y4,800 and Y5,800 respectively. In the U.S., the player, robot and cartridge will be sold as a unit for around $100.
From early on, the emphasis was on the robot, as evidenced again by a Guardian article from October of 1985 that mentions Nintendo's console as R.O.B.-centric:
Toy makers in Britain and North America have been predicting since January that 1985 would be the year of the robot. Or at least of the toy robot.
Nintendo - has its eyes on the toy robot market. Primarily a computer and video games company, it has invented an interactive robot to play some of their video games.
Using a light link to the television, the 10in tall robot adds a new dimension to the video game. Prompted by invisible sensory devices which read messages from the TV screen, the robot performs a variety of spontaneous interactive affect game play. Standing on its stationary 6in base, the robot can assume 60 different lifelike positions by rotating its arms and shoulders left or right, and up or down, and can lift and move objects. It can pick up screen messages from as far away as 15ft, adding tremendous challenge to play strategy.
Nintendo plans to offer four robot games packs with the initial introduction of the system, and up to four additional games will be developed by the end of the year. The robot costs pounds 100 and the games about pounds 15.
Again, today we often think of R.O.B. as an interesting afterthought or as a failed, largely gimmicky accessory for the NES. But in 1985, most of the press surrounding the launch of the NES focused not on its games, but on this accessory. This was by Nintendo's design, and suggested from the moment of their first U.S. console release that they were trying to attract interest from a broader population of consumers instead of just gamers. They would of course repeat this strategy with their most successful console, the Wii.
It was not marketed as a gaming system.Due in large part to the gaming crash of a few years prior, Nintendo marketed the console as a device that allowed for learning and other forms of entertainment beyond simply playing video games. Their ads focused not on the graphics, the game library, or the features often touted when a new console releases -- they focused instead on the interactive nature of accessories like R.O.B. and the Zapper. The first NES commercial in the U.S. is an example of this:
Another example is the 1986 Sears Wishlist catalog, which emphasizes that the NES was a
fully equipped video system with the most progressive components such as a robot and the light-sensing Zapper Light Gunplus...it's not just for kids.
[img width=458 height=600]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/searsnes.jpg[/img]
The art. As is the case with any new product, good art is important to help sell the attractiveness of the item to the consumer. Nintendo's emphasis in two areas - the game box design and the system box artwork - most certainly helped move units. The game box design (as seen above) emphasized the graphics of the games . A drastic departure from the Atari VCS or Colecovision game boxes before it, the NES game boxes showed blown up approximations o f the sprite art that players would find in the game. Even if the graphics weren't emphasized in marketing, they were certainly emphasized on store shelves. The art for the systems themselves featured a dark blue/black with stars background. The control deck set featured the system and hardware floating in space, while the Deluxe set emphasized R.O.B.'s head. At a time when there was still enthusiasm about the space program, sci-fi was seeing a renaissance in theaters, and robots were all the rage, the art reflected the broader interests of consumers.
[img width=200 height=119]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/robset.jpg[/img]
In retrospect, much about the NES launch seems strange today. Most launches haven't followed the same cues (e.g. test markets and a downplayed emphasis on games/graphics), the system itself is no longer known for many of the things that Nintendo chose to highlight at launch, several launch games are still regarded as among the best on the system, and one launch title continued to be the best selling game for the console throughout the system's life. Nintendo took a huge gamble with the release of the NES, and though their strategy seems a bit unorthodox today, it certainly paid off for them twenty five years ago.
Do you remember anything about the NES launch? Were you in a test market? What do you think of their strategy? I'd love to hear your stories and thoughts, so sound off below!
[img width=189 height=266]http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n481/hoiberg/deathrow1.jpg[/img]
(Actually the European cover which represents the game better)
Deathrow is a game that I stumbled upon this year as a game that was only mentioned on one website and one that I had to try out. Deathrow was released for the Xbox on October 22, 2002, about 1 year after the release of the Xbox console. It never sold very well most likely due to little to no marketing, but was highly praised from various game review sites.
[img width=321 height=215]http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n481/hoiberg/deathrowgameplay2.jpg[/img][img width=320 height=215]http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n481/hoiberg/deathrowgameplay1.jpg[/img]
Deathrow is geared toward a mature audience since throughout the game, many of the characters' taunts toward the other team use vulgar language and many of the fighting moves made characters bleed and bruise. The game is essentially a mix between basketball, ultimate frisbee, and MMA. Winning is accomplished by scoring the most goals in four timed rounds or knocking out all the players on the opposing team.
[img width=320 height=212]http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n481/hoiberg/deathrowinjured.jpg[/img]
While this game sounds kind of slow and a mess, but it is a blast to play. This is especially true if you have a couple of buddies and one of your friends beats up the competition for you while you score at will against the an AI which puts up a great fight even though sometimes you can still blow them out. The game never had Xbox Live support which would be a great addition to the game even today if the game was available for digital distribution over the Xbox Live Marketplace. All in all this is a fun game that is even better with other people.
[img width=157 height=224]http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n481/hoiberg/deathrow2-1.jpg[/img]
(The US release box art)
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[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/XKv8El.jpg[/img]
Resident Evil is both awesome and a letdown. Let me try to explain. In 1999 Capcom had announced a Game Boy Color demake of the original Resident Evil. The even released ads and screenshots (below) which show what appears to be a pretty faithful and awesome port.
[img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/mdR8r.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/PZmX1.jpg[/img]
Unfortunately the demake was canceled with no real explanation and in 2002 there was Resident Evil Gaiden to take its place. The game is a completely original game starring Leon Kennedy from the classic Resident Evil 4.
[img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/i1qU6l.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/LQ2c9l.jpg[/img]
Resident Evil Gaiden doesn't quite live up to those demake screens, but it does offer something completely original and fun in its own right. The gameplay is somewhat similar to the Game Boy Color Metal Gear Solid sequel, though the fights switch to a first person view that utilizes a Real Time Strategy execution. It's completely interesting and definitely worth checking out for fans of the series or fans of 8-bit demakes.
[img width=352 height=500]http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/kk189/Crabmaster2000/Lamentcover.jpg[/img]
Continue reading Unloved #19: Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
It seems lately that the buzz in the industry involves the indie game, Minecraft. Nearly every podcast I've listened to has dedicated a third of their time relating personal experiences or talking about some fabulous building or contraption they built. Me, I tend to get rather cynical when I hear these "endorsements", and though I don't immediately dismiss a game that garners such attention, it certainly does count as a black mark. Or a yellow card.
I still don't know why I bought the game, though it might have had something to do with the 50% off if you buy it now sale, though I couldn't discount the whole "sandbox" feel that I heard described over and over. I mean, I never even watched a video or read a forum post about it, I just plunged and played.
When I started playing, I don't even know what my expectations would be. I thought that I would maybe build some stuff (maybe a giant pyramid) and quit. After all, the podcasts I'd listened to described users designing massive replicas of the Starship Enterprise and actual working computers. I started out on a beach and immediately tried to get a feel. After about ten minutes I had some wood planks, sticks, sand, and a lot of dirt. I had started on a grand dirt house when night fell. Then I was killed.
For those who don't know, after the sun goes down, monsters spawn everywhere. While there aren't a great variety, there are zombies (fast), giant spiders (jumping attacks), skeletons (shoots deadly arrows), and creepers (will detonate like a bomb when they get too close). When the sun comes up, the undead creatures burst into flames, but the others persist, leaving behind the danger of a creeper blowing up as you walk around.
So the first fifteen minutes of the game are spent (once you know what you're doing) scrambling to build a shelter for the night. You can dig down and close yourself in, you can build a shelter above ground, or you can make a high block tower away from the reach of the monsters. This survival dynamic makes the game interesting to me, and the building and creating keeps me going.
There is so much more to it, from the building of a first suit of armor (diamond, leather, or whatever) and to your first minecart with rails made from smelted iron (sort of), to the first time you learn to create TNT or start using magma in your home.
But of course, you have to make it through the first night.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/NeGK6l.jpg[/img]
Castlevania: The Adventure gets a lot of flack from fans of the series. It was released in December of 1989, very soon after the launch of the Game Boy handheld. In fact, I can very vividly remember it being part of my first batch of games for the old gray brick. That being said, there is of course a certain level of nostalgia that I (and anyone else who got The Adventure that Christmas) can't help but shake for the game.
[img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/u7Iow.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/XZa6H.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/YDr8I.jpg[/img]
In fairness to the realists out there, there's certainly plenty to not like about Castlevania: The Adventure. For starts Christopher Belmont moves agonizingly slow. And his jumping skills are pretty terrible to boot. This wouldn't be such a problem if The Adventure didn't rely so heavily on platforming -- unfairly difficult platforming. Another thing that seems to bother fans of the series is the lack of stairs. Instead of stairs there are chains or ropes to clime to each new level. I personally aren't bothered by this devise, even if it is less than comfortable. Admittedly the one big omission that does baffle my mind is the lack of secondary weapons. Y'know all those daggers, crosses and holy water you're used to in other Castlevania games? Well, they're not here.
Having said all that, I can't help but enjoy The Adventure. Sure it's way too hard. I've still never beat it over twenty years later. But I can't help but get a certain satisfaction out of feebly trying. Like I said, for me this was one of the first Game Boy games I ever played. Which made it rather amazing in and of itself.
hello everyone. I know we can't add Pirate carts to our game libraries but I thought I would blog about one rare one in particular. Well my brother and I did some game hunting a while back and we came across this cartridge the USA NES version of the 76-in-1 cartridge. I went home looked it up online and you can't find the NES version anywhere. The only cart on eBay was the Famicom version all in Japanese of course. Pirate carts are pretty cool they have games that hacks or they are the original versions of games released on the system. There are rumors floating around that there is an SNES or Super Famicom Pirate Cart that has a lot of games on it as well. I am going to include a picture of Dragon Ball Z 3 in the form of an SNES Cartridge. Its actually in Spanish but the game has never been released in the USA, its kind of cool. But anyways here are the pictures, enjoy and if you have any information on either one of these carts that would be useful let me know.
Picture 1: Front of 76-in-1
[img width=700 height=526]http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab172/niceguy1283/100_1910.jpg[/img]
Picture 2: Back of 76-in-1
[img width=700 height=526]http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab172/niceguy1283/100_1911.jpg[/img]
Picture 3: Game list on back of Cart
[img width=700 height=526]http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab172/niceguy1283/100_1912.jpg[/img]
If you want the game list on the back message me on here and I will get you the list.
Picture 4: Front of Dragon Ball Z SNES Box
[img width=700 height=526]http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab172/niceguy1283/100_1913.jpg[/img]
Picture 5: Back of Dragon Ball Z Box
[img width=700 height=526]http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab172/niceguy1283/100_1914.jpg[/img]
Picture 6: Front of DBZ Cart
[img width=700 height=526]http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab172/niceguy1283/100_1915.jpg[/img]
Picture 7: Back of DBZ Cart
[img width=700 height=526]http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab172/niceguy1283/100_1916.jpg[/img]
A big thank you goes out to the following members who recently donated: James, Jesse, Hans, Holt, Brian, Maxime, David, Michael, and Richard
We currently have $162 in the account so we're still in need of additional donors to step up and help the cause. Again, 100% of donations go towards offsetting the server costs of running the site. It's the gracious help of our many donors and volunteers that keeps the RFGen community going strong. We really appreciate those who have supported the site and the staff and members of RFGen send you our heartfelt thanks.
To those who haven't donated, we are still trying to raise enough money to cover the site costs and every little bit helps. Any amount you can afford to donate would be greatly appreciated.
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.
You can follow this link to make a donation.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/bJ6Uo.jpg[/img]
If you love the Game Boy and you don't own Kid Dracula, then I feel like something might be wrong with you.
Kid Dracula is to Castlevania what Parodius is to Gradius (and Twinbee and Darius). It's an amazing platformer that's presented in fantastic Konami sound and vision, and incorporates not only Castlevania mythology, but also lots of fun horror-movie cliches. The game is an absolute blast and should certainly be far more recognized than it is.
[img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/BYhiF.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/fH3Iv.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/CbvmN.jpg[/img]
Much like in Castlevania. Kid Dracula will continually learn new secondary attacks to aid him no his quest. In fact, he even learns to turn into a bat! This is the sort of extra-mile Game Boy game that Konami is especially known for. And much like how half the fun of playing Parodius was spotting references to other shmups, I swear I shrieked in glee when I realized that one of the bosses that Kid Dracula all the sudden had to fight was a character that looked suspiciously like Jason Voorhees. This game is absolutely brilliant, and quite possibly the best Castlevnia game released on the Game Boy.
So I have had this PS3 sitting around collecting dust, and I am finally fed up with it. I ordered a new blu ray drive on ebay, and as soon as it comes I'll be posting future blog posts as to my progress. I know I am not the first or the last kid on the block to do this, but I think it will be fun.
The PS3 is in good working order minus the fact that the drive won't read any disks whatsoever, stay tuned for future posts related to this PS3 (if you care to, lol)
Extermination
It's October again! And that means horror gaming! While noiseredux is really going above and beyond the call of duty with his excellent blog, with an ongoing featurette for this month covering the console and handheld world of horror, I figured I'd offer him some backup with another entry on that most terrifying of genres.
Extermination has the honor of being the first survival horror title released for Sony's PlayStation 2, beating out Silent Hill 2 by several months and Resident Evil: Code Veronica's PS2 port by just two weeks with its March 8, 2001, NTSC-J release date. The title was published by Sony Computer Entertainment and created by a team of developers that included several creators of Resident Evil. Reminiscent of the genre's flagship title and games like Carrier, the game has also drawn comparisons to the films The Thing and The Abyss.
[img width=400 height=300]http://www.vandal.net/previews/images/psx2/extermination/imagen6.jpg[/img]
The story revolves around Dennis Riley, a Sergeant in the USMC Special Forces Recon. Riley is one of a team being sent to infiltrate Fort Stewart, a secret research base in the Antarctic which formerly housed some of the United States' nuclear stockpile. With the end of the Cold War, the installation was converted into a research & development facility. As Riley's team approaches Fort Stewart via airplane in an ice storm, they receive a distress call from the base requesting it be the target of an air strike. But before they can respond, the plane malfunctions and crash lands, spreading the marines across the base. Riley and his combat buddy Roger Grigman are then forced to sneak into the base and meet up with the team.
While the Marines in the game come off as ballsy bad asses, the dialogue ranges from decent to absolutely terrible, and the quality of voice acting fluctuates throughout. Riley's voice is particularly bad, and at times he sounds like a whiny high school kid. The subplot involving his dead friend Andrew and Andrew's girlfriend Cindy also feels tacked on and unnecessary.
Riley must navigate the facility, facing strange mutations and living water puddles with his modular SPR-4, or Special Purpose Rifle. That weapon represents one of the most interesting elements of the entire game: instead of finding new guns to use, the player instead switches out attachments on the fly, so your weapon can always suit your situation if you have the parts. And those parts range from a sniper scope to an underslung grenade launcher, a forward grip with flashlight, enemy detector, night vision scope, and much more. The player can also switch between single round and 3-round-burst firing modes.
The ammunition system is also innovative: an infinite amount of ammo is found in dispensers through the facility, but only a limited amount can be carried, based on the number of magazines Riley happens to be carrying. If you want more ammunition, find more magazines scattered throughout the base. But the dispensers will not give ammunition for the variety of modular weapons to attach to the SPR-4, so once you're out of grenade rounds, shotgun shells, napalm juice, or whatever else you're using, you're out.
[img width=582 height=449]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/screenshots/e3_2001/vg/extermination/extermination_790screen001.jpg[/img]
Adding to the action emphasis, the game features the use of a laser target, four years before Resident Evil 4 would implement its usage. And while The Ring: Terror's Realm predates Extermination with its laser sight by slightly over six months, Extermination offers far better control. Players can aim in third person perspective, moving the pointer around until it passes over a creature, generally auto-aiming at that target. But those that want to go for more precise shots can also enter a first person perspective which doesn't feature auto-aim. Unfortunately Riley can't move when his weapon is raised, and the sensitivity is too low to make it a truly effective tactic in close corners, but it's a great means for popping enemies from far off. The game also features two knife buttons, resulting in a slash or a stab, which don't require the weapon to be raised.
While this sounds like a good design on paper, it does suffer from some serious flaws. First, enemies are bullet sponges. Though that's not so bad considering there's ultimately infinite ammunition, dispensers are few and far between. To make up for this, enemies have glowing weak points that can be hit to drop them faster. Unfortunately they were designed to be hard to hit, and the third-person auto-aim feature does not automatically target them, making it difficult to kill some of the tougher varieties of mutants at close range. Aiming with the knife can also be difficult, so slashing minor enemies at one's heels can be a pain.
The camera also doesn't help as it can't be effectively manipulated, so the player can't swing it quickly to look around the corner or see an enemy right behind him. Instead, the player must turn and then either raise their weapon or press a button to center the camera behind them, wasting precious time.
[img width=582 height=449]http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/screenshots/e3_2001/vg/extermination/extermination_790screen004.jpg[/img]
The game's health system is also interesting, though cumbersome. The player has health, based on a 100-point numerical value, and an Infection rate. Every time an enemy hits the player, their infection goes up while their health goes down. And most healing items will not lower one's infection rate. Instead, the player must use vaccines to bring down infection, and the field-use variety aren't very common. If Riley's infection rate hits 100%, his max health decreases from 100 to 60, he takes damage over time, his character model changes, he starts taking damage from sources that previously didn't hurt him, and he can only be cured by using the MTS vaccine, which can only be administered at MTS beds...so if you wander too far from one and become infected, you won't make it back.
Extermination also features an unusual save system, revolving around battery power. Forget the ink ribbons of yesteryear, save stations now require batteries, which can be recharged at special power stations similar to the ammunition dispenser. And larger batteries will be found throughout the facility, so don't sweat saving. It's also a good idea to save often, as the game doesn't allow continues. Die, and you must reload.
[img width=640 height=480]http://ps2media.ign.com/media/previews/image/extermination/extermination05_640w.jpg[/img]
Extermination is a decent game with some solid ideas that never really rises to greatness. Horror fans who enjoy such titles as Resident Evil, Carrier, Dino Crisis, The Thing, or non-horror games like Syphon Filter and Metal Gear Solid will likely appreciate this game more than those looking for experiences similar to Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, or Haunting Ground. It's something I would recommend to players who have experience with the genre's big names and are looking for something more obscure. And while its ideas aren't always successful, they are interesting enough to warrant a look. Another nice perk is the game's low price tag: not including shipping, it can be found on eBay for as little as $2.
For those interested, here's the introduction to the game:
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/NMWbCl.jpg[/img]
To be forthcoming, I'm a huge Simpsons fan. I have been since the very first episode. I still watch it every week. But by far my absolute favorite episodes are the "Treehouse Of Horrors". As a horror movie fanatic, how could I not enjoy these EC-Comic-esque spins on both classics and cult-classics? So I have to tell you that I was big-time excited about the release of a Game Boy Color cartridge based entirely on the these annual Halloween specials. Which is probably why it bothers me so much that the game just really isn't that good.
[img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/rpytZ.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/Crn13.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://imgur.com/nn3P2.jpg[/img]
Obviously the one thing that I feel that THQ got right was coming up with a concept for a game based on the Treehouse Of Horror. It's also quite commendable that each level plays differently and is based on a different horror motif. But now let's look at everything they got wrong. First of all, on the platforming levels the B-button jumps and the A-button shoots. Do you all know how wrong that is? It's terrible. Likewise, the hit-detection and reaction time to button presses leave much to be desired. The worst offender in this game is its music though, which is just completely piercing.
I really can't recommend this game to anybody, no matter how hardcore a fan. Although I can never seem to get rid of it personally. It's almost as if I keep waiting for the cart to magically just get better than it actually is.
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