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So my buddy Noiseredux goaded me into showing my Gamecube setup. Which is funny since I dont have any pictures of it myself and it is currently living in a plastic container. While it is rarely hooked up it is one of my favorite experiences from last generation. See I am a huge Zelda fan, so when Zelda Four Swords came out, I bought it, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, and another GBA to GC link cable (the only one the store had). Only then did I realize that at that time I did not have anyone else to play it with
A couple weeks later one of my little cousins came over and had his GBA with him. We fired it up and went to town. Playing through the first four stages in short time and had a ball. The game was a lot of what I wanted in a Zelda game. It took away my absolute favorite part (exploration) but was combat heavy and really fun. Throughout the years I beat it a dozen times and obtained a fourth GBA to GC cable and three GBAs but that wasnt enough. It wasnt until one day when I was driving home from work that I had an epiphany. If the Gameboy player is inherently a Gameboy Advance attached to a Gamecube, wouldnt it work with the GBA to GC cable. So I grabbed my second Gamecube and gave it a go with Pacman Vs and two tvs. When Pacman showed up on the side tv, well I was sold. Then I remembered Four Swords and FFCC. Two games that did not get enough love from the gaming population and they are both stellar. So I decided to fix that.
Over the next year I obtained two more Gamecubes, three more Gameboy Players, a Wii, and a bevy of controllers. I borrowed tvs from some friends and setup a brilliant Four Swords setup for conventions and whenever I get other tvs. I know I know a picture is worth a thousand words, well whats video worth:
I have set it up a dozen times and it has never been empty. If I ever can find four 10inch ish screens Ill be buying them and just leaving it setup in my gameroom. It took two games that was honestly middle of road solo, and made them top tier. I honestly spent about $100 on the other (now 3) Gamecubes, Gameboy players, and controllers.
Future goals with this one are:
1. 4 same size/model tvs
2. Arcade controls for each player
3. Ultimately turn it into an arcade cabinet but this will probably not happen.
I will probably going to do the arcade sticks as two sets of two, just to keep the arcade feel to the game. Unless I can get four decent arcade sticks for the Gamecube/PS2 for cheap. Anyone familiar with PS2 arcade sticks have any suggestions? Looking to spend no more than $60 per.
As Site Director Emeritus (and Current Acting Site Director), I wish to announce the appointment of Adam Bickley to Technical Director of RF Generation.
What does that mean? That means that Adam is now responsible for the back end of the site. More simply stated, he gets to assist Mike and make sure the site runs smoothly from a simply keeping going standpoint. He will have a lot to learn, so be nice to him.
This may seem abrupt to some, but Adam has had access to the back end for a while as a third set of eyes watching over the site in the event the server has a "hiccup". He has the technical background necessary to keep the site in tip top shape.
In case you are wondering, Eddie and I will still be around. We are not going anywhere. We will still be the programmers. We will do what we can to bring new stuff to the site. I am about to lose internet for two weeks so my only internet comfort will be my test site. Maybe I'll tinker with something that is needed for the site...
Congrats Adam! I hope you find your new abilities exciting and don't use your new found powers for evil!
So, the first episode has been released, I'm going to be working on getting it up on iTunes for easier subscribing, and now it's time for you guys to chime in for an upcoming episode. (We have the next episode blocked out and should be recording very soon!)
What we want from you is to ask us some questions. slackur and I both agreed that there should be some sort of an introductory episode that lets you know just where we are coming from when we are giving our opinions. The time between our ages is about the same as a console generation, so while we have probably played many of the same games, we are bound to have different viewpoints on different games and topics. So, we would like to get some input from you (yeah, you, the listener!) about what you want to know about us. We'll be answering your questions in an upcoming episode. You can comment here or in the thread here: http://www.rfgeneration.c...m/index.php?topic=10781.0
Look for more episodes soon (with your input!) and don't forget to keep it on channel 3!
[img width=480 height=640]http://imgur.com/vpVgfl.jpg[/img]
What you're looking at above is a (rather bad cellphone) of my new 2-Player Cube setup. This is something I've wanted to put together for quite some time. In fact, not that long ago I even acquired a set of elusive Gamecube component cables so that I could connect the Game Boy Players (one hooked up to my computer monitor, the other to my TV) on my two Cubes from one end of the room to the other. Alas, I cannot find a GBA Link Cable long enough to pull this off.
[img width=300 height=300]http://imgur.com/Fzkgg.jpg[/img]
I did however recently come across a 5.4" LCD screen that sits atop a Gamecube. I couldn't turn it down when the gears in my head started clanking together again about the old 2-P Cube setup that I had been wanting to try out. I know it's sort of silly considering the GBA's are portable in nature so trying it on a portable screen sort of defeats the purpose. But I suppose more than anything it was a proof of concept (for my own eyes). Eventually I'd like to just get a second LCD monitor and have each Cube hooked up to its own monitor side-by-side. Combined with the pictured arcade sticks, this would make for a great setup to play ports of the Street Fighter games and things of that nature.
Also, once I come across a second Gamecube broadband adapter, it means LAN-time baby. But until then I'll be experimenting with the various games that benefit from multi-player released on the GBA. Surprisingly, a fair amount of games incorporated a single-cartridge multi-boot mode, such as Chu Chu Rocket (pictured above). On the flip-side, this will probably give me an excuse to get a second copy of Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival.
It's a sickness, I know.
I just posted episode 1 of the RF Generation podcast minutes ago. Give it a listen and tell us what you thought! Your feature requests, show topic ideas, and just plain comments about our initial go are also welcome!
http://rfgeneration.podomatic.com
Enjoy!
So the Vanquish demo arrived on XBox Live. I thoroughly enjoy developer Platinum's titles (Bayonetta, Okami, Viewtiful Joe Series) but until this demo arrived, I had little interest in another third-person sci-fi shooter. Any other time of the year it might have blipped on the radar. But in the same time frame as Halo: Reach, a new take on Castlevania, and another Call of Duty (I'll be honest, I'm only getting it for the radio-controlled RC car equipped with an AV feed for spying on/playing with my kids) it had to stand out, and the screen shots didn't really sell it for me.
Then I tried the Demo.
Whee!! Fluid, stylized action that felt like a hyper Gears of War, set in a clone of a Robotech universe, with a character in Issac Clarke's armor and wielding a gun stolen from the new Transformer movies. It was fast, over the top, Sega-brand arcade-y while containing depth, and I could see how the game's presentation and control combined into a beautiful player guided ballet in the vein of the new Ninja Gaidens and Devil May Cry.
At least, I think that's how it would feel if I could play it.
You see, I'm a southpaw. No, not a feline from Mississippi, a left hander. In a 3D space, my left hand has to control the look, and my right hand the movement. This, of course, is reverse of the traditional play control. No, it's not as simple as 'just get used to it the normal way.' Try playing one of the few games that manually allow a southpaw setting on the opposite of your preference and you may get a glimpse of my pain. And to all the Lefties in the forums that say an alternate control setup is unnecessary because they can play on the default, I'm happy you don't have a problem. I literally get nauseous playing the 'normal' way for more than ten or fifteen minutes, and I refuse to take Dramamine or other dimenhydrinates or medications to play a game. I've tried off and on for years, and it still makes me motion sick. Its not a problem if I can simply have the thumb sticks swapped.
Except it is. Because developers aren't really paying attention to between 10% and 15% of their gaming population, they may offer a southpaw control option that swaps the analogue stick controls, but obviously don't play test it. Let me give you a perfect example:
Gears of War supports an internal southpaw control option. It makes the left stick the look controls, and the right stick movement. We good now? Not hardly. Because G.o.W is a 'stop and pop' shooter, the player uses the 'A' button as a context sensitive control for taking cover, rolling to cover, jumping over cover, etc. The 'A' button is probably the most important button after the shoot button. Its directly above the right stick.
And. You. Can't. Change. It.
For normal controls, not a problem. But for southpaw, I need to move that right 'movement' stick in a direction while pressing the 'A' button. The button directly to the right of the stick. Let me give you a visual example of what my hand has to do to press 'A' while moving my character to cover:
Yeah. Any game requiring me to move the right thumb stick while pressing a face button (pretty much every 3D game) requires some crazy move like that. If I just move all my fingers across the face buttons 'arcade stick' style, then I can't reach the top bumpers and triggers. For Gears, they could have just let me change the 'A' functions with one of the bumpers (the left bumber is only used to give an arrow locating AI team-mates for crying out loud! I need that more than the game-designed-around-it cover system?!?!) Obviously, someone at Epic never play tested the southpaw option much, or this GLARING oversight of the unmappable 'A' button would have been addressed.
In fact, any 3D game requiring the use of face buttons that can't be remapped to the four top-side buttons on the 360 or PS3 controller is just a slap in the face to any southpaw-required gamer like me. It gets worse; many games won't even let you swap the thumb sticks anyway. Even the 360's internal southpaw preference is unsupported in many AAA games, including Battlefield 2, Lost Planet and Lost Planet 2, Bioshock, and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, just to name a small few. I had to buy a hardwired modded controller that internally swapped the sticks just to play these games, and that still doesn't address the face button problem.
What, are we still in the '90s? Why on earth, in this day of unprecedented mainstream gaming popularity, can we not get universal control mapping options on every game? Especially the large-scale developed ones? Sure, developers have their preference on how a game should be controlled; make that the default. Why alienate even a small percentage of the gaming population over such an easily correctable issue?
Maybe it's just me. For a long time I assumed it was. Then I read this:
http://lawofthegame.blogs...8/southpaw-manifesto.html
I'm not alone!
Every time I submit a complain about this (I even called a few companies directly) all I would hear is a standard, 'thank you for bringing this to our attention, all of our customer's feedback is important to us, and we'll consider it for future releases' reply that would be the same line if I complained that their games didn't feature enough custard filled donuts.
Us southpaws have struggled in vain over this control issue ever since the Playstation era (though strangely, the Dreamcast featured several games with Southpaw defaults.) Please, help us bug developers enough so they will listen. Everyone wants to play games with the controls set up the way they are most comfortable, and even if you aren't a southpaw, there is almost certainly a game you would change a few buttons around on. Why are we still waiting?
Hey EVERYONE! My brother and I went down to Topeka, Kansas this weekend with our parents for a little road trip. When I was working for CD Tradepost we had a "Manager's Rally" back in March. We went to visit the competition and the store we went to was called Vintage Stock a Oklahoma based company. This store was monstrous, they have old school video games to recent ones, comics, new and used dvd/blu-rays, vhs, baseball cards, clearly a fantastic hobby store. We were in there for about an hour and a half. We went through every game only looking for good deals on great titles. SO WE DID I was in the N64 section and way in the back I found it, a some what "holy grail" for the N64. This game was only a rental title and was only released in limited quantities. I once saw this game sell complete in box on eBay for $800.00 and the next item was just a cartridge and it sold for over $200.00!!! We bought this mint condition cartridge for only $12.99!!! Couldn't believe it!!! They also had a few other games and they are pictured in the first picture, but the "game hunt" game is the next photo. Hope you all enjoyed this blog with many more to come, some tomorrow (quite possibly rare NES and NES Games, and possibly a second blog of Rare Strategy guides). SO ENJOY!!!
FIRST PICTURE: Stuff We Bought.
[img width=700 height=526]http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab172/niceguy1283/100_1903.jpg[/img]
1. Mario's Early Years Fun With Letters (SNES) ($9.99)
2. Mario's Early Years Preschool Fun (SNES) ($9.99)
3. Menacer: 6-in-1 Cartridge (Genesis) (Sells for over $30.00 on eBay and I bought it for $2.99)
4. WCW: World Championship Wrestling (NES) (Not Pictured) ($1.99)
5. Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday (Genesis) ($9.99)
6. Revenge of The Beefsteak Tomatoes (Atari 2600) ($4.99)
7. International Superstar Soccer 2000 (N64) ($12.99)
PICTURE 2: AND HERE IT IS!!! ISS 2000
[img width=700 height=526]http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab172/niceguy1283/100_1904.jpg[/img]
HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY SPREAD THE BLOG AROUND!!! Look out for more blogs from Nick and Steve's Game Room
Well, my main computer (laptop) hard disk is dead. I'm posting from an older laptop that I'm pretty sure has a virus and needs a complete software overhaul. Thus, while I hope to continue working on the podcast, my blogging has suffered until I get this resolved.
Not to mention, I just put in an offer on a house, and the last week has consisted of paperwork, phone calls, impromptu visits to real estate and buyer agents, etc.
I'm not unplugging or anything, just jumping some technical hurdles that are slowing me down. I'll return to my duties as soon as possible; RFGen has become a bit of an internet home for me lately and I hate to be gone long. 
I'd like to start off saying that this article was partially inspired by fastbilly1's article Netbooks the Gameboys of PC Gaming
[img width=640 height=480]http://a.imageshack.us/img295/5604/pafrontendsmall.jpg[/img]
The Puppy Arcade Frontend. Note the list of Emulators on the toolbar.
Due to a recent surgery I have been left with a large amount of free time. While I have been gaming, I've also been doing a good amount of research on emulation, with special focus on Linux. It was this that led me to this website, which finally led me to Puppy Arcade. Puppy Arcade is a modified version of Puppy Linux, a very small Linux distribution meant to run on old computer systems (minimum specs are Pentium 166Mhz and 128MB or RAM). Puppy Arcade ditches the "frills" or the regular Puppy release and fills the void with a variety emulators, from Saturn and Playstation to NES and Genesis. There are even DOS and SCUMM emulators, which is unbelievably awesome. And since Linux is already much more "lightweight" OS, the games will run faster than on Windows systems that have comparative specs. But there is another reason to consider Puppy Arcade: the delivery system. Like many Linux distributions, Puppy Arcade can be run as a Live CD (a way to test out the OS before installing for real) or on a USB thumbdrive as a persistent OS (on a drive as small as 128MB). By following the latter method, you can run Puppy Arcade without potentially messing up your computer, save any changes that you make, and add or delete games without burning a new CD. This is especially handy if you are in the habit of buying indie ROM games made for older systems, like the Atari 2600, Spectrum, or C64. It is clear that Puppy Arcade is meant to replace Windows as the cabinet arcade OS of choice.
So, there has to be a negative, right? Yes, but those problems are more indicative of Linux than of the quality of Puppy Arcade. For the uninitiated, Linux distributions come in a staggeringly large amount of variety, each with their own pluses, minuses, and general foibles. Puppy Arcade works well out of the box, but certain tasks (like copying games from USB to a hard drive) require a bit of patience. Of the two tested laptops (a Dell D600 and a Gateway ML6721), Puppy Arcade worked on each. On the Dell it worked perfectly (though we can expect certain emulated systems, such as the Saturn, to not function properly or at all). Puppy Arcade functioned doubly well on the Gateway (thanks to its dual core processor), though the wireless card went unrecognized and likely would continue without a deal of tweaking.
Regardless of these problems, I found Puppy Arcade to be a wonderful all-in-one emulation system with outstanding features and functionality, easily making it the OS of choice for portable gaming-style netbooks and laptops, cabinet gaming systems, or even just to play around a bit.
[img width=320 height=240]http://a.imageshack.us/img204/4746/scummvmcustom.jpg[/img]
ScummVM Console
[img width=320 height=238]http://a.imageshack.us/img291/5430/hungrycustom.jpg[/img]
Hungry are the Dead 3 running on the Gameboy emulator
I mentioned in the premiere post for this blog that I will be focusing on the games released at the beginning and end of a system's life. And while I have a lot of interest in the games on either end of that spectrum, part of my motivation for the "Transitions" title of the blog stems from an interest I have in major shifts in gaming history.
[img width=235 height=298]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/gamefan.jpg[/img]
Even though home consoles have only been around for 30+ years, there have already been several important and defining moments in gaming history where significant sea changes occurred, altering how consumers view games. For example, the video game crash in the early 1980s taught developers the importance of releasing a quality product and signaled that consumers were becoming more discerning when making their purchase decisions. A recent major transition for the industry would be the development of downloadable games on home consoles. That change has so far resulted in a renaissance in indie development, bigger rewards and less risk for the introduction of innovative gameplay, and a number of other ongoing shifts in how we choose games.
There is one transitory period in gaming history which, for me, has always been the most interesting: the period between (approximately) 1993-1996.
Several interesting things happened at this time:
1) Developers began to market games for adults instead of for children.
Research concludes that todays average gamer is in their early-mid 30s, which is where I personally fit on the demographic scale. 15 years ago, many of us were making the transition from childhood to adulthood, and as we were going through those awkward late teenage years, gaming was going through its own growing pains. Recognizing that 14-18 year olds might be outgrowing cute mascots and cartoony sprites, developers started shooting for more realism in games, introduced mature themes, emphasized cinematic presentation, and included more sex, violence, and other "adult" elements.
[img width=235 height=298]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/jagad1a.jpg[/img][img width=235 height=282]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/jagad1b.jpg[/img]
2) A revolution in graphics and gameplay took place.
In this period, many companies moved from making 2D games to making early 3D games and/or Full Motion Video titles. Cheaper and more powerful hardware meant that game designers could introduce players to gameworlds that were simply not possible in 2D. Many of these early 3D titles were clunky, had infuriating cameras, imprecise controls, and were easily surpassed by superior games in the late 90s. That didn't stop consumers from buying them anyway, and well done 3D titles such as Virtua Fighter and Wipeout spawned franchises that continue to this day. For all its faults, Full Motion Video served a purpose in making designers consider cinematography, storytelling, and basic things like lighting and sound in ways that they hadn't previously. The legacy of these innovations is clearly seen in contemporary gaming.
3) Between October 1992 and September 1996 at least twenty consoles or add-ons were released.
The Sega CD, The Atari Jaguar, The Sega 32X, the 3DO, the Playstation, the Saturn, the Virtual Boy, the PC-FX, The Amiga CD32, the FM Towns Marty, the Apple Bandai Pippin, the Atari Jaguar CD, the Casio Loopy, the R-Zone, the Pioneer Laser Active, the Playdia, the Neo Geo CD and CDZ, the Supervision, the Mega Duck, the Nintendo Stellaview and still others were all published in roughly four years. This is a staggering amount of new technology flooding the game market, and it is remarkable that only Sony really managed to steal a major piece of Nintendo and Sega's dominance from earlier in the decade. (Also of note: during this period the NES saw its final release in Wario's Woods.) While many of these systems have deservedly stayed obscure, the sheer number of consoles and handhelds put to market suggests there was a belief that the games industry was a place where companies could make a lot of money. While there had been previous periods in gaming history with a variety of competing consoles, this period's only close competitor for the sheer number of choices available would be the very early proliferation of standalone Pong machines.
[img width=300 height=220]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/gunstar-heroes-genesis.jpg[/img]
4.) 16-bit platforms saw some of their strongest releases.
The transition period wasn't just about the introduction of new consoles and technologies, but was also about many of the best games from the dedicated 2D consoles from the early 90s. About 2/3 of gamerankings.com's best Genesis/SNES titles were published in this period when 2D level design, gameplay, chip music, and sprite work really reached a state of the art. While many gamers were looking towards the possibilities offered by upcoming hardware, developers were perfecting their craft on older machines.
[img width=160 height=125]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/403px-ESRB_logosvg1_.png[/img]
There were, of course, other important developments during this period: the growth of used game sales/retail stores, the revival of and then retreat from the arcades, the development of a comprehensive rating system (the ESRB was established in 1994), the shift from cartridge to disc format, and other changes that help make this perhaps the most interesting period in gaming history.
Because of the rich history offered in this transitory period , I have made it a point to collect many of the games from this era. Towards that end, a few years ago I completed a Sega 32X library and recently finished off a PS1 longbox set. I have more Jaguar games than I need, and have played my share titles for systems like the 3DO and the Neo Geo CD.
[img width=564 height=640]http://i429.photobucket.com/albums/qq17/dsheinem/COLLECTION/lb1-1.jpg[/img]
I occasionally get asked about why I would collect games that are often rudimentary, painful to play, lacking in production value, and generally inferior to the great 2D games that came before or the better 3D games that came later. My answer is always that understanding something about those transitory periods, the awkward moments in gaming history, undeniably gives you a better appreciation for the best games and the history of the industry as a whole. Coupled with my own recollections about how I grew up as gaming was growing up, these titles are an interesting reminder of my own transitions in life.
What do you consider to be the most interesting period in gaming history?
Back from a pretty successful weekend of garage sale / flea market hunt.
First score was from a yard sale.
12 Atari 2600 games with Instructions for $5.
Games Were:
Missile Command
Asteroids
Vanguard
Demon Attack
Arcade Pinball
Pac Man
Football
Skiing
Yars Revenge
Volleyball
Baseball
Warlords.
The following is from a bunch of different people selling things at the flea market.
First guy was selling these PS2 games for $2 each.
The following 3 for $5 all CIB
Dark Cloud
Gungriffon Blaze
Arc the Lad
Gundam Journey to Jaburo
Shaman King
Fullmetal Alchemist
The original PSone games were $1 each, GTA Compilation $3 all CIB.
Grand Theft Auto Collectors Edition
South Park
Hot Shots Golf 2
SNES Games $1 Each
Super Tennis
NHL Stanley Cup
N64 Games $1 Each
Cruisin World
Turock 2
NES Games:
Bases Loaded CIB $1
Baseball Stars $1
Ice Hockey : Free
The rest of the NES were $2 each.
Gauntlet CIB
Xenophobe
Hunt for Red October
Ninja Kid
The Terminator
Sega Master System:
Pro Wrestling: .50cents
I previously purchased an Intellivision a few months back but it was still factory sealed and didnt want to open it.
I was happy to find this system in great shape and fully working order for $6.
The Games were $10
MLB
Nova Blast
Football
Donkey Kong
Venture
Carnival
Space Hawk
Lock N Chase
Triple Action
Vegas BJ n Poker
Tropical Trouble
I have finally started to collect a little more seriously the games and systems before the NES and any tips of some of the rarer games to look out for would be great.
I am very knowledgeable about all of the games and systems during the NES era and beyond, but not much at all about earlier systems... but am having a great time collecting and playing them though.
Hopefully next weekend will be just as good as this one.
[img width=285 height=201]http://imgur.com/FR2nN.jpg[/img]
Recently while doing a bit of research I came across what is possibly the strangest Game Boy Color accessories out there: the Singer IZEK bundle. To be frank, I've seen a lot of odd Game Boy accessories out there, but this one was so unusual and expensive that I felt I had to share it with you all.
For $399 you get the IZEK sewing machine, a special GBC link cable, and a GBC cart that "contains stitch pattern designs. The Game Boy's on-screen menu will guide you through all the functions you need to make sewing fun and easy."
[img width=100 height=165]http://imgur.com/OCYmC.jpg[/img] [img width=103 height=149]http://imgur.com/ksI3g.jpg[/img]
Here's the features as listed on the website found at http://sewandserge.com/se...s&brand=Singer&model=IZEK:
* LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEED!
* Select stitches have length, width and mirror image adjustment capabilities
* Five buttonhole styles
* Letters (block, script or outline format), numbers and symbols
* Combine up to three stitches for combination patterns
* Create your own custom stitches
* Favorite patterns, letters and custom designs can be saved in memory
* Menu displays information in English, French or Spanish
* 84 actual stitch patterns
* 25 Year Manufacturers Warranty
* FREE Shipping
As a collector, there's a tiny part of me that would love to have the cartridge just to say I have it. But you have to draw the line somewhere. I am however extremely interested to know if anybody out there has ever seen one of these in person, and can maybe explain how the Game Boy Color connectivity is even useful.
Despite the story from yesterday, some days it feels good to be old. I do a lot of promotions and events with Momocon (www.momocon.com), which is the largest free fanrun Anime/Gaming/Miscellanea convention in the USA (possibly the world). For the actual convention I just run boardgames and play backup medic, but I use to run a smashing retrogaming room. The last time we did it I brought out about a 1000 titles on 20 platforms. Well we ran out of space for my little side room (and my second in commands wife had a baby on that weekend) so we made do with what we could.
So the convention creator, a small staff, and myself, created a side event that we called a Gameday. Simply we rented several of the big rooms that we normally hold the convention in, setup some tvs and tables, and played boardgames and old videogames with whoever decided to come in (it helps when the convention is on a college campus Georgia Tech). Subsequent Gamedays have lost the retrogaming room due an illness I had and the fact that I dont have access to a van anymore, but we still host them (ie this Saturday [and yes we realize we are crazy to do it a week before Dragoncon]). And no we dont play games like Sorry and Monopoly. Its all about Dominion, Cosmic Encounter, and Pitchcar this weekend, atleast for me we will have around a hundred games there. But lets get back to the story.
So at one of these events I was running the retro room and these two kids walk up to me, no older than eight. They are obviously brother and sister and their eyes are wide. We had the fourswords setup going, a Genesis, two SNESs, an NES, a N64, a 7800, a Dreamcast, a Saturn, and Two PCs (one running doujin games the other dosgames). The sister, the older, came up to me and asked if they could play anything. I said that they could play whatever console they wanted, aslong as no one else was playing, and we could change the games out if they wanted. She and her brother look around, most of the room is filled. They tried playing a couple games, Bubble Symphony on the Saturn is the only one that I remember specifically, but then they saw the 7800. It had Defender loaded up and they tried to play it. After a few minutes they gave up and came back to me, what they said almost made me tearup. They asked if they could play a different game, so I pulled out the box of Atari games with me and before I could open it they said Like Galaxian or Millipede. I set them up with Millipede and they went back and played. It was just like when I was a child playing with my older brothers (actually they were playing on the same Atari I use to play on, probably the same cart now that I think about it).
A little while later their father comes in visibly upset. He walks up to them in a huff and saying how they were playing something bad for them, then he sees what they are playing. He comes over to me and asks if I had Joust as his other son walks up. The NES was currently vacant so I said tell you what, give me five minutes and all four of yall can play. I setup both the 7800 and the NES with Joust and sticks (ok so Advantages on the NES) and the entire family lit up. They started goading eachother on from one machine to the other and the entire room got in on it. It was just like being in an arcade again. Afterwards, when I was cleaning up, the father came up to me and thanked him for keeping the classics alive.
Somedays it feels good being old.
Some days you just feel old. I bought a flashcart for my DS mostly so I could only carry one device with me when traveling and finally put my Palm Pilot to rest - thank you DSorganize. But since I could, I threw on a PC Engine/TG16 emulator (Nitrogfx) and a SNES emulator (SNemulDS) and a couple games Ive been meaning to play Military Madness and Secret of Mana mainly. Well after Church one Sunday I was waiting for everyone to leave so I could lock up so I decided to play alittle Military Madness. One of the kids in our youth group came up to me (knowing me since I provide them with DDR every year for the lockin) and asked what I was playing. I showed him and explained to him what he was looking at. His response was thats lame, I thought you were playing something cool like Call of Duty and he left. And sure we all have stories like this but it made me realize how old I was.
Heck Im only in my late 20s but over the past two years I have had more than a few of these experiences. I met a kid at an anime convention in Alabama (Anime Alabama) last year who had never seen an original Gameboy in person, and asked me if Sailor Moon was a new show coming out. And anyone who has known me for awhile knows of my last experience in a Gamestop (where I was called a casual gamer for buying the NeoGeo collection on the Wii by people playing Guitar Hero), and some days I think it is time to rethink this hobby.
I never do, I still am trying to justify the $100 for Bubble Bobble 2 on the NES, but it gets to me sometimes. How can so many gamers not have respect for the titles that built up their hobby? I give retrogaming panels all over the USA for Retrogaming with Racketboy and Momocon on Tour (mostly in the Southeast), and often I asked why retrogame? I mean there are some obvious answers: Nostalgia and price being the most obvious. But the one I have started giving people is History. That knowing how something has evolved over the years helps me appreciate what it has become. The last time I gave a panel (June) the person who asked laughed at my answer. So I gave them an example. I said lets take first person shooters for example and asked who knew the first one ever made. The resounding response was Doom, the guy who asked said Wolf 3d. I said they were all way off. I broke down the first twenty five years of the genre as best as I could (from Maze War in 74 to Halflife in 98 ok so thats twenty four years) with certain hallmarks. Many of the people there had no idea that you could play an FPS without a mouse
Ok so sometimes being old is a good thing. The kid asking if Sailor Moon was an anime coming out still gets me though.
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And if you were thinking about Nitrogfx and you have a DSiXL, be forewarned the screen is not properly formatted and you can not read see the edges.
In a move that has surprised many, the GTA 3 demake, Grand Theftendo, which disappeared sometime in 2006, has recently resurfaced at Gamescom 2010 as Retro City Rampage, an 8-bit style homage to not only GTA but Metal Gear, Back to the Future, Contra, Bionic Commando, and many others!. It is scheduled to be released later this year on Nintendo WiiWare.
About six months after the game disappeared, I started making a habit of searching Google for it every month or so. The problem was that I was searching for "Grand Theft Tendo" (which will only turn up questions about the game), instead of "Grand Theftendo" (the right spelling). So how did fix my problem? I'm recovering from multiple hernia surgeries, so I have an abundance of time. During one of the more slow periods, I mistyped "Grand Theft Tendo", but the right way. I feel like an idiot, but I'm stoked that the game is still around, and looking better than before.
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