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[img width=612 height=433]http://qwak.co.uk/pages/gba/images/contents_612.jpg[/img]
Followers of my blog who happened to read my post about independent developer Jamie Woodhouse last month surely know that I'm a fan of his game Qwak. I was lucky enough to get one of the GBA cartridges when they were available for sale, but they recently went out of print. Those of you who were bummed out that you missed it -- and especially those of you who badgered Jamie (you know who you are) -- this is your lucky day: the GBA Qwak ROM is now officially available for any price you wish do donate. This was a bit of a surprise, and who knows how long it'll last, so scoop it up post haste at http://qwak.co.uk/pages/gba/buy.php before it's too late!
Went to visit the wife's sister a few hours away this weekend and went to a huge flea market by their house.
It was a little different than what I was used to, there were different building with many different people selling new and old things. Most of them looked like they were dealers of antiques. Saw a few electronic places but they all knew what they had and were overcharging for everything I picked up.
There were a total of 3 dealers selling games inside all overpriced, and I was getting very disappointed.
After we walked through all of the buildings I saw that there was a huge outdoor section in the back, and it all looked like local people selling things out of their garage. Exactly what I was looking for.
[img width=639 height=592]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6724.jpg[/img]
First place I stopped they had a huge assortment of video games from many different systems. When I asked how much, he said everything was $5 no more no less.
After picking through many overpriced sports titles, I managed to pick up
NES: Double Dragon II (CIB), and XEXYZ (CIB)
N64: War Gods (CIB), and Dark Rift (CIB)
PS1: Grand Theft Auto (CIB+Map), Command & Conquer (CB), and Illusion of Legaia (CIB).
[img width=639 height=457]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6725.jpg[/img]
Second stop also had an assortment of video games.
Managed to pick these up for $2 each.
Xbox: Roller Coaster Tycoon (CB), Pump it Up (CIB), and Spy vs Spy (CIB).
PS1: Cyber Tiger (CIB)
NES: Magic Johnsons Fast Break
[img width=639 height=497]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6726.jpg[/img]
Last place I also managed to pick up an assortment of games for $2 each also.
PS2: Legend of Alon'Dar (CIB), GTA San Andreas (CIB)
Xbox: Destroy all Humans (CIB), Star Wars Episode III (CIB), and Sims Bustin Out (CB)
PS1: Grid Runner (CIB), 40 Winks (CIB), Dracula The Last Sanctuary (CIB), and Star Wars Rebel Assault II (CIB)
I also picked up a few 80's horror movies on vhs that were never re-released on dvd for $.50 a piece. My other passion besides video games are collecting and enjoying 80s horror.
There's no surprise that the Game Boy Advance is generally loved by retro gamer enthusiasts. Indeed it was a platform that saw many great and classic games ported, remade, demade and re-imagined. It also offered many carts that contained multiple old school games that could please us so-called Cheap Ass Gamers. With this in mind -- and keeping up with the recent series of Game Boy Player Land blog posts focusing on arcade-stick friendly titles -- let us investigate the world of GBA Retro Compilations.
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[img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/reviews/918819_20031216_screen002.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/screen0/918819_20031202_screen002.jpg[/img]
Activision Anthology is by far one of the most impressive retro compilations released for the Game Boy Advance. The cart contains almost fifty Atari 2600 games including classics like Pitfall, Keystone Kapers, and Atlantis. Unsurprisingly, each game is emulated quite well considering the vastly superior GBA hardware.
The real real pleasant surprise is the amount of extra that went into the GBA cartridge, both in presentation as well as extras. The menu screens display a virtual room and allow you to browse through racks of virtual 2600 cartridges. You can even inspect zoomed-in versions of the game labels or read histories of the games. Activision even went as far as to include a nice handful of homebrew 2600 games -- something not present on the home console versions of the anthology! What's even better for Game Boy Player fans is the ability to use a GBA as a 2nd player controller, and play cooperatively using a single screen. This cart is highly recommended.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/8/561078_44946_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2002/gba/atarianniversary/atari_screen004.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2002/gba/atarianniversary/atari_screen001.jpg[/img]
Atari Anniversary Advance is a nice collection of six Atari arcade games: Asteroid, Battlezone, Centipede, Missile Command, Super Breakout, and Tempest. The games are faithful emulations of the original arcade titles, so fans of the early days of arcade should be pleased. The cartridge also contains a bonus Atari trivia game and offers up a single-cart, single-GBA 2Player option -- again, rather perfect for the Game Boy Player.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/4/933094_75668_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=300 height=200]http://ui28.gamefaqs.com/59/gfs_75668_1_4.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2006/267/reviews/933094_20060925_screen001.jpg[/img]
Capcom Classic Mini Mix is a great little compilation of three Capcom NES games: Bionic Commando, Mighty Final Fight, and Strider. Each game is emulated pretty perfectly from the NES. Bionic Commando is generally the draw-in here, as the NES version is pretty well remembered. On the other hand, the NES version of Strider is extremely different from the arcade or Genesis versions that most of us probably remember. Likewise, Mighty Final Fight is a demake of the arcade version of Final Fight that looks and plays far closer to River City Ransom. I personally recommend this collection for Mighty Final Fight alone. Though sadly Capcom really didn't add much to this cart in the way of extras -- not even a save feature.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/9/545599_51083_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2002/gba/konamiarcade/konami_screen001.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2002/gba/konamiarcade/konami_screen012.jpg[/img]
The rather cumbersomely titled Komani Collector's Series Arcade Advanced is a nice collection of six Konami Arcade classics: Frogger, Gyruss, Rush'n Attack, Scramble, Time Pilot, and Yie Ar Kung-Fu. Like most of these sorts of early arcade collections, the GBA has little problem emulating the games. There is a nice single-cart 2Player option available, as well as some optional modernized versions of the games. In keeping up with the nostalgia, Konami was also thoughtful enough to offer up some extras by way of the famous Konami Code.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/1/516671_50928_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=300 height=200]http://pocketmedia.ign.com/media/e32001/namcomuseum/museum_1.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://pocketmedia.ign.com/media/e32001/namcomuseum/museum_2.jpg[/img]
Namco Museum is pretty much a necessity for GBA retro enthusiasts. Admittedly, I'm a bit biased as Galaga is one of my personal all-time favorite games. That being said, the other three games included -- Dig Dug, Ms. Pac-Man and Pole Position are all certainly classics in their own right. The games all play great though my biggest complaint is the lack of a high-score save feature like the one found on the other home console releases of Namco Museum. There's apparently also a 50th Anniversary addition GBA cart that adds Rally-X and the original Pac-Man but sacrifices Pole Position.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/7/589357_47210_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/gba/segagallery/0604/sega_screen032.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/gba/segagallery/0604/sega_screen009.jpg[/img]
The Sega Arcade Gallery is a great collection of four Sega arcade ports: After Burner, Out Run, Space Harrier, and Super Hang On. The games all play quite well, with the possible exception of a so-so After Burner. On the other hand Space Harrier is rather impressive given its original complicated presentation. If I had to come up with any complaint at all, it would be that THQ decided to include two racing games which can come off a bit redundant. Though I certainly can't complain that Out Run is included. Unfortunately extras are non-existent and there is no high-score save feature.
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/9/551519_44784_front.jpg[/img]
[img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2002/gba/segasmashpack/smash_screen010.jpg[/img] [img width=300 height=200]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2002/gba/segasmashpack/smash_screen025.jpg[/img]
Sega Smashpack is another bare-bones compilation of three Sega games: Ecco The Dolphin, Golden Axe, and Sonic Spinball. The compilation is definitely a mixed bag. The port of Ecco The Dolphin is quite impressive. However the port of Golden Axe is rather poor in execution and lacks the co-op mode that it is most known for. Sonic Spinball is a fine port, though an actual Sonic The Hedgehog title would have been preferred in its place.
Having said all that, each of these collections is generally worth seeking out for one game or another. As I've said in other recent arcade-related posts, playing a game like Galaga or Ms. Pac-man using an arcade stick is especially awesome. Now what retro collections am I missing out on?
 Hey, remember this little game by the name of Portal? It came out just over two years ago to massive critical acclaim and gained tons of awards all the while spawning memes all over the internet? Have you played that game yet? If not, what's wrong with you? Like really, you're missing out big time, buddy.
However, now's your chance to correct this issue. In celebration of Steam coming to the Mac after all these years as a Windows only affair, Valve has decided to offer up the full uncut version of their game Portal on both Windows and Mac as a gift to the masses (until May 24).
If you haven't played Portal, now's the time. It's a fairly short game (about 3 hours or so), but it's one of the more satisfying games I've ever played. It never overstays its welcome and is excellently paced. And of course, once you're done playing Portal, there are oodles of fan-made mods that you can partake in, such as Portal: Prelude, maps from Portal: The Flash Version, and many others.
So my only question is, what are you waiting for? DOWNLOAD IT NOW!
I have a true gamer's "Holy Grail" in my beloved wife, and I'll tell you why.
This year's CCAG (Classic Console and Arcade Gaming) show was the best since I began attending a few years ago. I got to chat with dozens of fellow vendors and collectors, play ancient computer games running on systems I still don't own, support a few home-brewers, actually check for data rot before purchasing (I had to put back over fifty games, including half a dozen different copies of TG16 Addams Family), actually play the pinball table 'Sorcerer' and see if my Pinball Hall of Fame mastery carried over to the real world, (Protip-nudge/tilt button moved to a weird Wii-like waggle maneuver) and best of all, I bought a bunch of games.
Maybe too many games. Way too many games. Like this many games:
Continue reading CCAG and the Best. Fathers. Day. Gift. Ever.
[img width=615 height=640]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6716.jpg[/img]
Compared to the past few weekends, I didnt really pick up anything huge this time. My wallet thanks me for that.
This week also marks the first time I ever unknowingly purchased a game I already owned (Soviet Strike).
I guess it's time to start carrying around a sheet with games I already own.
I purchased all of these games from one person, 2 were marked $1, when asked about the others they said everything video game related was $1.
All games came complete, and all strategy guides are in excellent condition.
Next weekend I am going to see the wifes sister and they are taking me to supposedly a HUGE flea market and auction on Sunday, so hopefully I pick up some nice finds.
Well well well... I was watching Lady Gaga's music video for Telephone, which yeah, it has a good story and I like the song. What of it?
Anyways, there is at least one video game reference in the music video. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to find the reference!
[img width=300 height=300]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/0/585640_67846_front.jpg[/img]
Back when the 16-big Wars were in full rage, there was the Sega Army and the Nintendo Army. Meanwhile, a rather awesome and little-known troupe became a fatality. It was known as the TurboGrafx-16. The system was impressive, but could never seem to make a dent in the American market. Without much fanfare it was soon delegated to electronic stores' cut-out bins. Around this time I was able to convince my mom that we were fools to not own a TurboGrafx-16 at such a price. She surprisingly agreed and console came home with us.
Now in these days there was no eBay; no Amazon. Back then most of us got our games from one or two local chain stores that had limited shelf-space. So even if you read about some amazing and exotic game in a magazine, either your store had it or you were shit out of luck. Unfortunately for me, I was never able to find most of the TurboGrafx games that made me want the system in the first place. Sure my Genesis was stuffed to the gills with Sonic games, and my SNES had more than enough Mario. But finding a Bonk game seemed impossible -- never mind Air Zonk!
Luckily as the TurboGrafx petered out it seemed a lot more lucrative for Hudson to start porting some of their more popular franchises to more successful consoles. Which is why we happy Game Boy owners were blessed with a magnificent port of Bonk's Adventure in 1992.
[img width=200 height=200]http://ui14.gamefaqs.com/429/gfs_67846_2_5.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://ui07.gamefaqs.com/1958/gfs_67846_2_4.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://ui04.gamefaqs.com/739/gfs_67846_2_6.jpg[/img]
Bonk's Adventure for Game Boy is really an amazing version. The game is not a full-on port of the TurboGrafx title. Instead, it takes cues from the original and incorporates them into a brand new game. The levels are all pretty much based on the original's levels, but offer enough variety to keep fans interested.
Playing through Bonk's Adventure it's almost amazing that the franchise didn't catch on in the US. Even if the TurboGrafx failed, a game like this could have really made its home on the Game Boy and sparked a whole series -- as made evident by this release. One can only assume that the game just managed to slide under everyone's radars at the time of its release. Which is too damn bad. The graphics are quite impressive on the little screen. Though they keep the cutesy and simplistic art style of the original, there's also just as much subtle detail thrown in. The enemy characters and Bonk himself are varied and have expressive animations. Everything is visually rather amazing.
[img width=200 height=200]http://ui08.gamefaqs.com/551/gfs_2712_2_2.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://ui20.gamefaqs.com/83/gfs_67846_2_1.jpg[/img] [img width=200 height=200]http://ui24.gamefaqs.com/1271/gfs_2712_2_1.jpg[/img]
A great little gimmick to the gameplay is the power-ups. Bonk will eat pieces of meat that will turn into different Bonk-variants. Be it an angry punk or a Frankenstein's monster, or even a tortoise. The whole presentation is extremely impressive and shows an amount of effort put into a portable port that was generally not seen at that time. The game is not terribly long, but it is challenging enough to keep you from beating it too quickly.
Two years later Hudson released a similar port of the sequel, Bonk's Revenge, which I've yet to play. But based on how great this game is, I certainly plan to. Bonk's Adventure is highly recommended. Do check it out if you get the chance.
I would like to know if anyone can assist me in my current collecting plight. I have an "Auto RF Switch" that I cannot document due to a lack of information on the face of the item itself. I acquired it with a Sega Genesis 2 system, and it fits the RF out plug on the back of the system, but it does not have a part number on it. I have never seen the brand before either; NAKI is what it appears to say, but I cannot find anything with the same logo on any video game accessory anywhere on the internet and I have been looking for over 45 minutes. What I believe to be an "A" in the NAKI logo is represented by a solid triangle with a lightning bolt through it. The lightning bolt also turns the portion of the triangle it passes through transparent, giving the look of the empty space in the capital "A". If anyone has any information on this or anything similar, let me know so I can work towards finding the information I need to register this item on the site. Thank you all for your time.
Well I am about fully unpacked and moved into the new house.
There is so much work to do to the house before I start really working on the mancave, but for now this is the layout.
I eventually want to paint the walls and put down either wooden flooring or a penny pattern floor.
Its really hard to take a full picture of the room, so I took a few different pics.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6703.jpg[/img]
This is about 1/2 way into the room on the right side.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6702.jpg[/img]
[img width=640 height=480]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6701.jpg[/img]
This is about 1/2 way into the room on the left side.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6706.jpg[/img]
TV & System setup, as you can see most wires still arent hooked up.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6707.jpg[/img]
This is about 1/2 way into the room looking back to the left side.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6708.jpg[/img]
This is about 1/2 way into the room looking back to the right side.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6712.jpg[/img]
In this picture the stairs are on the left and on the right is the graphic design desk.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6711.jpg[/img]
The Nintendo Collection, In the process of cutting wood paneling to put behind the shelf (So people dont knock the games off the shelf and they go flying down the stairs behind them)
[img width=640 height=480]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6710.jpg[/img]
Dreamcast Collection, Jaguar Collection, some SNES, and some 64 games.
[img width=480 height=640]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6709.jpg[/img]
PS2, Gamecube, and XBox Collection.
[img width=480 height=640]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6704.jpg[/img]
PS1 Collection.
[img width=480 height=640]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6705.jpg[/img]
360 Collection.
Hopefully over the winter I will have the time to remodel this room the way it is meant to be, but until then, this is the setup.
Being a CDX owner I got accustom to the loadtimes of that little system..
My recent flea market find aloud me to acquire a Model 1 sega CD for only 20$
[img width=320 height=240]http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i203/kordarren/IMG00046-20100502-1355.jpg[/img]
Now for the problems... ugh
When I bought it it came with a model 2 genesis. As-is with no cords or controllers.
Me being like I got like 4 genesis as of writing.. I said what the hell.. At least I'm not blowing more then 20$ on a could be broken unit(like ebay)
Got it home Ripped off the model 2 and... with some masters degree in assembling Voltron. I Got it working sort of.
Well you know when you insert a dirty cart in, say the NES and you get that nice glitched effect? Well that was happening to the bios screen.
(This was a good sign for me because I kinda have bad luck with sega cd's. Usually they don't boot)
I disassembled this video game behemoth. Clean all contacts with alcohol wipes. Then when I was about to clean the contacts on the Genesis I noticed.
[img width=640 height=480]http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i203/kordarren/segacdproblems.jpg[/img]
T-T Diode is blown/ cracked in two my one genny.
This was followed by manly tears.
So I grab another genny. Assemble Voltron.. Then I'm like how do I insert CD/open disk tray? Then it dawns on me that the reset is open. Start is close the tray.
So I pop in Sonic CD. Then I wait and wait... Then Finally I'm at the title screen..
Start a new game then 10-30 secs later I'm in the first level.
Now When I get to the second level-> Goes to load then stops.
So I tried like 3 times after that.. Same thing.
My sonic CD Disk is PERFECT by the way.
What gives? My CDX plays this game fine. the model 1. not so much.
I used a laser clean disk on the unit. CDs play fine.
So I decide to try another game.
Lunar the silver star.
After about a 10 sec wait for the SEGA logo to change the working designs logo comes then guess what ANOTHER LOAD TIME!
This one kinda takes a half a minute to load the FMV. Then title.
Press start and it tries to load then just hangs.
Am I doing something wrong?
So I give up for tonight.. later this week might be a different story.
Any thoughts/comments would greatly be appreciated
It's been a while I know. I'm not sure why, but garage sales have been really slow so far this year. Luckily, I finally have enough stuff from the past few weeks to make a worthwhile post.
Continue reading Treasure Hunt Chronicles 2010 - #2
Was a great weekend at the Flea Market this weekend... but man my wallet is hurting.
First thing I purchased was a HUGE Dreamcast lot.
System with all hookups
3 Sega Controllers, 1 generic Controller,
4 VMU's
1 Generic 4x Memory Card
NFL 2k1, NBA 2k1 and World Series 2k1 3 pack bundle still sealed.
Tee Off CIB,
Snow Cross Championship Racing CIB,
Virtua Tennis CIB,
Coaster Works CIB,
18 Wheeler CIB,
3 Dreamcast Demo Disks,
World Series 2k1 CIB,
Tony Hawks Pro Skater CIB,
NFL Blitz 2001 CIB,
NBA 2k CIB,
NFL 2k CIB,
NFL 2k1 CIB,
Dead or Alive 2 CIB,
Bass Fishing CIB,
Unreal Tournament CIB,
WWF Royal Rumble CIB,
Speed Devils CIB,
Ecco the Dolphin CIB,
Suzuki Alstare CIB,
Shenmue 4 Disks Only,
Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 CIB,
Roadsters Disk Only,
Slave Zero CIB,
Blue Singer CIB,
King of Fighters Dream Match 99 CIB,
Sydney 2000 CIB,
Rainbow Six CB,
MTV Skateboarding CIB,
Sega GT CIB,
Web Browser 2.0 CIB,
Vigilante 8 2nd Offense CIB,
SF Alpha 3 CIB,
another Web Browser 2.0,
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing CB,
Rayman 2 CIB,
Atari Anniversary CIB,
Crazy Taxi Disk Only,
4 Wheel Thunder CIB,
South Park Chef's Luv Shack CIB,
Ms. Pac Man CIB,
Tennis 2k2 CIB,
NFL 2k2 CIB,
Xtreme Sports CIB,
Frogger 2 CIB,
Ultimate Fighting Championship CIB,
Sonic Adventure CIB,
Hoyle Casino CIB,
Plasma Sword CIB,
and Wonder Dog for the Sega CD Disk Only.
All of this ran me $70.
[img width=554 height=640]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6620.jpg[/img]
Next up I purchased a bunch of N64 Games Cartridge Only.
Vigilante 8
Star Wars Episode 1 Racer
Banjo Tooie
Pokemon Snap
Pokemon Stadium
Star Wars Shadow of the Empire
Golden Nugget
Banjo Kazooie
Mario Kart 64
Mischief Makers
Rainbow Six
11 Cartridges were $20.
[img width=639 height=556]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6624.jpg[/img]
Last few purchases this weekend were:
Madden 2002 for the N64 CIB, Looks new but box was a little busted, cartridge still sealed in plastic. $3.
720, and Sesame Street 123 for the NES, 2 for $5.
Harry Potter, Ten Pin Alley, and Family Feud for the PS1, 3 for $5.
And finally COD Modern Warfare 2 for $20.
I purchased MW2 off of an angry young girl selling off all of her boyfriends things, I was laughing so hard, but then felt bad for buying it... this guy is going to be pissed. But if I didnt, someone else definitely would have.
[img width=639 height=597]http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/focusricerocket/IMG_6625.jpg[/img]
Loose Games
The Salvation of Lost Souls
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Loose games are definitely the red-headed stepchildren of the video game collector. Regardless of how many hours of enjoyable game play they provide, I always find myself harboring a certain disdain for these orphans. I can organize till my heart's content and yet they don't even come close to presenting as well as their CIB counterparts in my Room of Doom. In all honesty, I find myself utilizing them as 'spacers' or 'props' for their CIB brethren rather than integrating them fully into my collection. I love the game Halo and (believe it or not) the actual disc (pictured to the left) still plays great, even though my brother's dog got at it like it was a piece of fresh steak. The only reason this would be displayed in my collection would be as a conversational piece. Now that is just wrong. As any CIB purist will tell you, the solution is to simply re-buy a game in its complete state. I wholeheartedly agree, but let's face reality - not many people (including me) have the unlimited discretionary funds at their disposal to do this. I just want to be able to proudly display these strays, while keeping my financial investment at a minimum. To accomplish this, there are basically two areas that we need to focus upon - the casing and the accompanying artworkcover. Let's provide some redemption for these lost souls - all for around $1 per game!!
| | Game Casing |
The first step in our 'orphan makeover' is to get them a new holder. Seeking out some of the oddball packaging (Sega CD, CD-i, 3DO, etc.) is not really an option since we need to keep the total cost per game at about $1. The table below shows what replacement case to use for a respective system, along with some popular web links on where to purchase (these will open in a new window).
Standard CD Jewel Case
Approximate Cost
$0.24
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You can use these for any of the CD based systems, including the TurboGrafx (Hue Card - with modification). I am not a big fan of these, but they do save on space. Systems that originally came in this packaging were the Sony Playstation (for the most part), Sega Dreamcast (various colors). TG-16CD, Philips CD-i (without the big box) and the Bandai Pippin (though deeper). The Casio Loopy and Bandai Playdia also came in modified versions of this CD case. Purchasing Quick Links: eBay Amazon BlankDVDMedia.com
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Standard DVD Case
Approximate Cost
$0.38
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This is my preferred method of storage for loose disc-based games. Tall, plenty of room for artwork, manuals, easy to display, etc. - I love DVD cases! This was the standard casing for the Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo GameCube and NUON titles. In addition, this is the casing of choice for Sega CD, Panasonic 3DO, Philips CD-i, NEC PC-FX, Memorex VIS and the original longbox Sony Playstation games. Purchasing Quick Links: eBay Amazon MediaShelving.com
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Wii DVD Case 
Approximate Cost
$0.42
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The standard casing for the Nintendo Wii is the white DVD case - nothing flashy but highly effective in it's presentation. I haven't had the need to replace any of my Wii titles as of yet, but these will run you a few more cents. Purchasing Quick Links: eBay Amazon MediaShelving.com | |
Xbox Xbox 360 DVD Case
Approximate Cost
$0.51
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These translucent green cases are designed for Microsoft Xbox and Xbox 360 games. These are a little bit trickier to find. You will pay through the nose for them on the various auction sites - I definitely recommend getting a lot of these and split them up with you buds. This will save you a boatload of cash. Purchasing Quick Links: eBay Amazon MediaShelving.com | |
PS3 BR Case
Approximate Cost
$0.62
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This frosty clear Sony PS3 case can be rather expensive. Sometimes you can score these pretty cheap on the mainstream sites, but don't expect them to have the signature Sony logo on them. If you want that be prepared to shell out another $3.50 or so per case.
Purchasing Quick Links: eBay Amazon OpenTip.com | |
Universal Game Case
Approximate Cost
$0.57
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The Universal Game Case - our orphan's true savior. This marvel can hold nearly any cart that you have lying around. It is the same height / width of a DVD case, but is twice as deep (1"). Definitely purchase them in bulk - you will end up three times as much if you don't. Purchasing Quick Links: eBay Amazon MediaShelving.com | |
| | Cover Art |
Now that we have some new digs for our loose games, it is time to get them a little 'paint'. There are a few websites out there that offer downloadable artwork, but the best by far is The Cover Project. At this website, you can download very professional renditions of the original game's jacket, as well as some customized versions. With all cover art organized by system, the site is very easy to navigate and downloading the artwork is a snap. For each submission the author lets you know what game case the design was intended for. Simply down, print and place in your previously purchased game case and you are ready to roll. Here are some of their sample offerings (size scaled down for this article): Samples for use with The Universal Game Case  
Sample for use with a CD Jewel Case (FrontBack)  
Samples for use with DVD Style Casing  
To print the full-sized inlays at home costs around $0.20 (depending on your printer) per copy. This is based on using regular paper - not the shiny high-gloss variety (which you really don't need for this project). To send it over to your local Kinkos will run you around $0.53. This is not a bad deal either to be honest, especially if you do not have the means at your home to produce quality color documents.
| | In Summary |
My bro is never going to get a free pass for letting his dogs destroy my copy of Halo, but for around a buck I can once again fully integrate it proudly into my main collection. Do not give up hope on those loose, misbegotten souls - new life is just $1 away.
| NOTE: None of this is necessarily 'new' info, but I thought it would be helpful for all collectors, regardless of experience, to have this info all in one place. And no, I am not getting any kickbacks from any of the sites listed/featured in this article. I am listing them only as a possible resource for you. | |
 Can you believe it? 6 years old. A lot has changed in six years. In just six years we've grown to a massive database with over 52,000 games and 84,000 images. Between our 1664 collectors, we own nearly half a million games. We couldn't have gotten here without you, our loyal members. Through the years, you guys have made hundreds of thousands of submissions and edits to make our database, THE classic and modern video game database!
To celebrate our 6th birthday and all your hard work, I'd like to announce PAIN YOURSELF WITH SUBMISSIONS CONTEST 2010! This isn't an easy contest, that wouldn't be any fun. To win, you'll literally have to pain yourself with submissions. Last year's winner had over 3000 submissions in May alone. But don't let that discourage you from attempting the contest. Everyone has a chance to win!
Of course, this contest has some rules. Basically, you win the contest by submitting and being active in the community. Just about everything you do on the site will garner you points, the member with the most points at the end of the contest wins!
This is how the points will be gained:
Title Addition: 4 Points
Variation Addition: 4 Points
Page Edit*: 2 Points
Review*: 30 Points
Overview*: 10 Points
Image Upload: 15 Points
Submission Review**: 1 Point
Blog Post*: 30 Points
Blog Comment: 1 Point
Forum Post: 1 Point
Forum Karma: See Explanation
*Regarding the asterisk: For page edits, if it is noticed that you are consistently only adding one field per edit multiple times for a single ID just to up your points, you will be disqualified. Any review or overview completed will count as a page edit as well the points for an overview or review. To get the points for an overview or review you MUST contact me via Personal Message so that I can keep a tally. In addition, the review or overview must be on the actual game / hardware page. A review or overview of poor quality could result in less points than stated being granted. The same statement holds true for blog posts.
Because we want the forum to be a lively place of fun and interesting posts, we're enabling Karma during this contest. Karma rewards members that make good posts and smites those who do not. Your Karma will play a wildcard role in posts. Positive Karma at the end of the contest will increase your point total by a factor, while negative karma will decrease it.
As with any contest, there is fine print. Any submission that you make must adhere to the RF Generation guidelines / policies. We wrote these policies and guidelines for a reason, and well, we’d like everyone to adhere to them. Failure to adhere to the guidelines could result in a disqualification.
Any point reduction or disqualification can be contested. In the event that you wish to contest, you must explain why the reduction or disqualification is unfair. If you win the contest, we’ll restore your greatness, but if you lose, you shall be pelted with figurative rocks and garbage.
**KICKER! Everyone, except for the directors of this site, is in this contest. There is a catch though for staff members… their final score will be halved. So, that should lead to a lively competition. I think halving their scores is fair, and I hope you do as well. Oh yeah, there is that 1 point for a submission review, that unfortunately only applies to staff members because they are the poor souls who must review your submissions.
What do you win? Well, we’re a poor bunch here at RF Generation, especially since we're on a dedicated box, but we've got a lovely prize for the top winner:
Gaming swag not to exceed $60 and an RF Generation Ringer T***
And new for this year, a special prize! The top 5% of points gainers (minus the top winner***) will be entered into a special drawing to win a piece of my personal collection! The drawing will be a completely random reverse drawing to determine the winner of at least one prize package.
***The top winner of the contest can choose to decline their prize listed above in exchange for not one, but two entries into the drawing.
If you want to win, you better get to it, the contest ends at MIDNIGHT, JUNE 8th, 2010. (Tuesday 12:00AM)
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We are a community of collectors, gamers and the likes, and some of us enjoy to let the world know what is on our mind. For those members, we have the community blogs, a place where they can publish their thoughts and feelings regarding life, universe, and everything. Some of those members might even choose to write about gaming and collecting! Whatever they write about, you can find it on their blog. You can either see the latest community blog entries in the feed you see to the left, or you can browse for your favorite blog using the menu above. Interested in having your own blog hosted on RF Generation? It's rather simple, first be a registered member, and then click the "My Blog" link that you see in the navigation above. Following those two steps will certainly get you on your way to blogging.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy our entries, rantings, and completely unrelated series of thoughts. We write for you to read, so we certainly hope that you enjoy our material.
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