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We've all been there. You've got a friend or two checking out your collection and someone really likes a particular game. They like it so much, they don't want to quit playing. Finally, they just come out and ask if they can borrow it. But since they no longer have that old Atari, they'll need the system as well. Plus some controller, power adapter and those old timey hookups. Maybe an old TV too.
So, what are your thoughts on lending out games/systems to family and friends? Perhaps you'll only lend to those you know very well and trust with your life. Or maybe you don't even lend out the most common of games. Or maybe you're a really trusting person and will lend anything to anyone as long as they say they will return it eventually.
Also, feel free to share your experiences with lending games, whether they be positive or negative. Did you lend out that super rare game to a friend only to have them move away with it? Or did they return it in deplorable condition? Talk about good experiences as well, maybe you let a friend borrow a game and he was so grateful, he gave you a box of old games he doesn't play anymore.
Gaming has changed. It's no longer about top-notch AAA blockbusters and quality games, it's an endless series of shovelware developed by guys in business suits and programmed by machines that follow their every command. Gaming has changed. ID tagged consumers carry ID tagged weapons, use ID tagged gear. Nanomachines inside their bodies enhance and regulate their tastes. Hannah Montana. High School Musical. Imagine. The letter Z. Everything is monitored and kept under control. Gaming has changed. The age of innovation has become the age of shovelware. All in the name of making of quick buck from unsuspecting consumers. And he who controls the gaming battlefield...controls history. Gaming has changed. When the battlefield is under total control... shovelware becomes routine.
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii |
| NOTHING! | • NPPL Championship Paintball 2009 | • AMF Bowling World Lanes
• Calvin Tucker's Redneck Jamboree
• Cake Mania: In the Mix!
• Championship Foosball
• Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine
• King of Fighters Orochi Saga
• Safecracker
• Skate City Heroes
• Ski & Shoot
• Winter Sports 2: The Next Challenge |
| PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 |
NOTHING!
PC
• Band Manager
• Disney's Bolt
• Gothic 3 Collector's Edition
• Neopets
• Zoo Tycoon 2 Ultimate | • Age of Empire: Mythologies
• All Star Cheer Squad
• Chrono Trigger
• Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force
• Cradle of Rome
• Emma in the Mountains
• Neopets Puzzle Adventure
• Personal Trainer: Cooking
• Syberia
| NOTHING! |
Looking through the ashes of the holiday season, I observe three beacons of hope for this week, even if they are all rereleases of things have have been out for at least ten years.
First among them is King of Fighters: Orochi Saga for the Wii. It's a compilation including the following games:
King of Fighters '94,
'95,
'96,
'97,
'98, and
'99. I don't have much experience with any of those games, but I know they're well liked by many people, so I thought I'd highlight it.
The next "good" game to come out this week is a DS remake of one of the most appreciated (and
expensive to track down) games ever, Chrono Trigger. Originally released for the SNES in 1995, Chrono Trigger is yet another RPG from Square, and yet another game I've never had any desire to play. This new DS edition of the game has several all-new features including a couple of new dungeons, a new final boss with his own dungeon and ending that is unlocked after getting the original ending, two modes of play (DS and Classic), wireless play for 2-4 people, and arena mode, changes to the English script to more closely reelect the original Japanese game, no load times for the anime cutscenes (the same ones from the PS1 version included with Final Fantasy Chronicles), and improved sprites/music. But I honestly don't care. I've
NEVER played Chrono Trigger, nor do I have much desire to since it looks like yet another generic JRPG grindfest. OH NO! I have sinned and tarnished the name of one of the "greatest games ever". So, RPG fans, why should I care about this game? What makes it different from other JRPGs? How does it innovate? Tell me why the hell I should play this game, and maybe I will.
However, the absolute highlight of the week is the long-awaited Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (aka: Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Dub Edition Remix Gaiden: The Director's Cut: Deluxe Edition). In addition to being the newest member of the ridiculously long name club (along with Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars), it's a member of the awesome downloadable games from Capcom club. What makes this remake so great and worth getting? First off, the sprites have been upgraded, BIG TIME! Just check out this
comparison of Ryu,
this one of Ken, and
this one of Akuma. Quite the difference if I must say so myself. These awesome sprites will be rendered in 1080p HD goodness along with plenty of new features including an optional "rebalanced" mode that changes around the balance of the characters, training mode, both widescreen and standard 4:3 aspect ratios, a remixed soundtrack created by people at
OverClocked Remix (the original soundtrack is there too if you prefer to hear that, the ability to use either the new sprites or the old ones from the original, and, of course, online play with voice chat, matchmaking, stat tracking, and leaderboards. The best part is that this whole package is going to be selling for only $15 on both Xbox Live Arcade (out Wednesday) and Playstation Network (out Tuesday). In addition, PSN people will be getting a free Street Fighter Underground soundtrack with original songs by hip-hop artists like Redman, DJ Qbert, and Heiroglyphics. I don't know about you, but I am ultra pumped for this game because I haven't played Street Fighter II (or any fighter) in quite some time, and I really want to get back into the groove of things. In addition, the online modes sound awesome as well. So, anyone getting it for PS3? Wanna set up some matches? I bet I know the answer to that: no. Whatever. Hope you like not having fun.
That's all for this week. Hopefully you all enjoyed my pretentious as hell intro.
Guess what? This last week or so has just been a plethora of birthdays for gaming related things. Well, 4 years ago from today Blizzard released the behemoth known as World of Warcraft upon the masses, and since that time it's been sucking productive members of society into the realm of the recluses.
Sure, WoW has made lots of money for Blizzard. Wildly successful is a good way to describe it. You know, a lot of people want to be a Nightelf Mohawk, or at least Mr. T wants to be a Nightelf Mohawk. He can be whatever he wants and I pity the fool who says otherwise. The truth is that lots of people play the game, and chances are that you might know someone who has been affected by this game. Maybe you have been affected by this game? Inquiring minds want to know.
Of course it's been successful, but it's because of many people unlike me. See, I refuse to even create an account because I've
seen what it can do. Of course, right now I live in Maryland and know no one so it's not like I have a social life to lose, but when I did have a social life I sure as hell did not want it to succumb to WoW addiction. Perhaps you've thought differently.
Well, congrats Blizzard on four successful years of WoW, and for some reason I am sure you'll have at least four more years if not more of the same. Here's to you WoW, and to my friends currently dredging through Azeroth, it's been nice knowing you, but I understand your priorities lie with the Horde. It's cool. Someday the servers will go down, and when they do you'll either have moved on to an MMORPG or reintegrated into society. Here's to you.
Three years for the 360! On November 22, 2005 the Xbox 360 was released in North America to a gaming mass waiting for the next iteration of Microsoft’s gaming console. Unlike its predecessor, the 360 was a stylish system that when it wasn’t greeting players with a red ring was rather sexy when compared to the black paperweight known as the Xbox. Surely, Microsoft was off to a better start from a design point with its system, and there were plenty of other things for 360 fans to be excited about.
I’d be lying if I told you I owned a 360 or desired one. The truth is that I have no desire for a 360. That said, the 360 does have several things that go great for the masses. If you were to ask me which system appeals most to true gamers right now, it sure as hell would not be the Wii. It depends on the avenue, but if you’re looking for games for adults that will make you say wow then the 360 is the system to have. From Halo to Dead Rising to Bioshock to GTA IV, there have been some heavy hitters for the 360 that would make the most hardcore gamers squeal with delight.
Of course, that’s not the only thing that appeals to true gamers. Of the three console manufacturers, Microsoft really does know how to best do an online product. Sony’s working on creating a good online product and Nintendo is being Nintendo, and while the bar has been set rather low by the competitors Microsoft has delivered a product that quite frankly trounces the competition. It’s really quite amazing and I give Microsoft kudos for their online platform. Their competitors could learn a thing or two from Live... they really could… especially Nintendo.
Of course, Microsoft is not the market leader anymore this generation. While they were in the beginning, the behemoth known as the Wii has taken the title and ran with it. Is Microsoft going to sit there and just watch that happen? No! They decided they were going to revamp their dashboard and create a new experience that is enjoyable for all. It just launched, and as someone on the outside looking in I have to say that the avatars do look really cool. They offer customization that I only wish Nintendo had for their Miis. Did Rare rip off the Mii concept? Who the hell cares! Rare has created something with much more depth than the Miis of Nintendo, and I give them full credit for creating something much more interesting than the Mii Channel. Good job Microsoft and keep pushing along with the new experience.
Every console has its fair share of issues, and the same can definitely be said for the 360. Probably the most notable of these issues was the Curse of the Red Ring. Chances are you know someone who has suffered from the Red Ring of Death. In fact, you might know someone who has suffered from it multiple times. Truth be told, the initial batches of the 360 had some design issues. No one really knows what is it, but rather than screwing over consumers, Microsoft did a noble thing and extended everyone’s warranties. That’s pretty nice, and it suggests that perhaps Microsoft is not the cold hearted bastard that its Windows operation suggests that it is (and it is).
So sales have been down in recent history for the 360, and one has to wonder what the future holds for the console. I honestly don’t know if the console will see a rebound in sales, but I don’t know if that is necessarily a bad thing. 360 owners like to buy third party titles, so it’s an enticing console for those developers and publishers. So for developers, I don’t see as much as a risk for releasing games on the 360 that I do for releasing non casual games on the Wii. While casual gaming dominates the Wii, real games dominate the 360, and that’s a great selling point for the console. Why not capitalize on that, Microsoft? Push your strengths, and it might help you in the long run.
Three years for the 360. What do you think has been the good, the bad, and the ugly? What do you think the future holds for the 360? Does the four year lifespan still hold true for Microsoft? Well, in a year we might just know. What do you think?
[img align=right width=210]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-072/gs/U-072-S-00850-A.jpg align=right[/img]Oh, hi! A lot of birthdays happened lately, so I'll have to be short.
November 19, 1998 (10 years ago):
Half-Life is released (on PC; the updated PS2 version appeared three years later ).
I hope I don't have to explain as to why this is important: it is a very fun FPS game. It also has a very fun sequel, lots of spin-offs and expansions, and about a zillion mods. Back in '98, Valve managed to make a shooter which was cinematic, and yet didn't have a single cut-scene in it. If you missed it, or lost your disk or something, Steam has it right now for $0.98 (that is 98 CENTS). For best enjoyment, use the original version (not the Half-Life Source), but do install the High Definition Pack (paste this url into your browser with Steam running, no quotes: "steam://installaddon/halflifehd").
Also, some day we may have a very updated version of the original game thanks to the guys at
Black Mesa Source. With the help of supportive community, those awesome people spent the last three years or so converting the original Half-Life into Source engine (as in fully, and not just the water, like in Half Life Source). Before you say "what's taking them so long", go and check out their screenshots and such. Be amazed.
Continue reading VG History: Freeman and the others
[img align=right width=150]http://sales.starcitygames.com/cardscans/MAGBOX/10themedeckred.jpg[/img]
Maybe you've read how I went to the gaming event called Next two weeks ago. I was somewhat dissapointed with the (small) amount of goodies given out. However I did get two Magic: The Gathering Theme Decks (The Green & White one) for free, which was pretty cool.
A couple of days later I took the time of going through the many flyers and product booklets that I had put in my plastic bag without even looking at them. Many of them had nothing interesting on them, however three of them caught my eye.
Continue reading Gathering The Magic: A Luck Story
Part 1 can be found here:
LINKPart 2: What I actually bought...
First for the good, the playfield is in fair to good condition with minor wear and only a couple spots of touch up which is pretty good for a game almost 30 years old. Another piece of good news is that new glass was installed because someone sat on it, apart from that though there is not much to get excited about...
Continue reading My, mostly, lifelong dream PT 2 with pictures!
Again, more games.
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii |
•Alone In The Dark: Inferno
•Disney's Bolt
•Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore 2
•Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
•NCAA Basketball 2009
•Need for Speed Undercover
•NPPL Championship Paintball 2009
•Rock Band Track Pack Volume 2
•Shaun White Snowboarding
•Tomb Raider Underworld | •Disney's Bolt
•Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore 2
•The Last Remnant
•Left 4 Dead
•Lips (Oh, how far iNiS has fallen)
•Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
•Naruto: The Broken Bond
•NCAA Basketball 2009
•Need for Speed Undercover
•NPPL Championship Paintball 2009
•Rock Band Track Pack Volume 2
•Shaun White Snowboarding
•Tomb Raider Underworld
•You're In The Movies | •Agatha Christie: Evil Under the Sun
•AMF Bowling World Lanes
•Animal Crossing: City Folk (Nintendo's hardcore game for this Fall!)
•Castlevania: Judgment (It's the crappy looking fighter, move on)
•Championship Foosball
•Cooking Mama World Kitchen
•Disney's Bolt
•Gallop and Ride (HAWT! Rated AO!)
•Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore 2
•Merv Griffin's Crosswords
•Need for Speed Undercover
•NPPL Championship Paintball 2009
•Petz Crazy Monkeyz (THIS IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE WII! Someone kill me now.)
•Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party (For the love of God Ubisoft, make a REAL Rayman game again!)
•Rock Band Track Pack Volume 2
•Shaun White Snowboarding
•Skate City Heroes
•Skate It
•Sonic Unleashed
•Tomb Raider Underworld
•Ultimate Band |
| PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 |
•Need for Speed Undercover
•Shaun White Snowboarding
PC
•Chronicles of Mystery: Scorpio Ritual
•CSI: New York
•Disney's Bolt
•Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods Left 4 Dead
•Left 4 Dead
•Legendary
•Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria
•Need for Speed Undercover
•Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir
•The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff
•Tomb Raider Underworld
•Spore Comic Book Creator
•Spore Creepy and Cute Parts Pack | •Cradle of Rome
•Disney's Bolt
•Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams
•Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades
•Imagine: Ballet Star
•Imagine: Movie Star
•Iron Chef America: Supreme Cuisine
•Luminous Arc 2 (More FATlus RPG action. Go nuts fanboys.)
•Metal Slug 7
•Need for Speed Undercover
•Robocalypse
•Petz Catz Clan
•Petz Monkeyz House
•Petz Rescue Endangered Paradise
•Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party
•Rune Factory 2: Fantasy Harvest Moon
•Shaun White Snowboarding
•Skate It
•Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff
•Tomb Raider Underworld
•Tony Hawk's Motion
•Ultimate Band | •Burnout Anthology
•Disney's Bolt
•Dynasty Warriors 6
•NCAA Basketball 2009
•Need for Speed Undercover
•NPPL Championship Paintball 2009
•Pop Star Guitar
•Rock Band Track Pack Volume 2
•Shaun White Snowboarding
•Sonic Unleashed |
Things are starting to slow down as we approach the holidays, in fact, next week there will be next to nothing released, but it's not next week, so we have an insane amount of games to deal with.
First among them is Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, which is getting surprisingly great reviews, a 79 on MetaCritic at the moment. As you can figure out from the title, it's a new Mortal Kombat game, but featuring characters from DC Comics. For those of you not well-versed in your comic knowledge, DC includes Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern. Oh, and get this, the story is apparently pretty damn good, especially for a fighting game! But all is not rosy, because the American version is censored in order to maintain a Teen rating.
Don't want a fighting game? Then maybe Tomb Raider Underworld would be a good choice. Underworld is the latest installment in the long-running series with gaming's best-known female star. This time, it looks like they're trying to follow in the footsteps of Naughty Dog's incredible PS3 exclusive from last year, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Interesting that a franchise that inspired a game is getting inspiration from that same game, but such is life. However, one that that Underworld innovates on is truly adjustable difficulty, which allows you to change all sorts of settings including enemy damage, damage you take, ammo capacity, and more. To find out more about the innovative approach Crystal Dynamics took to the game's difficulty, check out
MTV Multiplayer. I've not played the game, but I hope others take a hint from Underworld and give us settings like Underworld has.
And because we need more installments in long-running franchises, Sonic Unleashed comes out this week (at least for PS2 and Wii, the 360 version has apparently been delayed to next week, and the ps3 edition isn't coming until next month). So far, only the Wii version has been reviewed, and it's been scoring decently. Everyone seems to say that the daytime speed levels are awesome ane a throwback to the glory days of Sonic, but the nighttime levels are slow and tedious. Why does it seem like for every good idea in a new Sonic game, there has to be something that totally screws up the rest of the experience? No clue. I honestly think Sega needs to take a good look at Bionic Commando Rearmed and Mega Man 9 and see what they are doing and apply those lessons to Sonic.
Yet another entry in a long-running series comes out this week. Metal Slug 7 for the DS. It's pretty much what you expect, Metal Slug, but on the DS. There's really nothing else to say about it. It's Metal Slug...in your pocket. Speaking of more of the same, Animal Crossing: City Folk comes out this week and according to reviews, it's pretty much the same thing as the GameCube edition, but now with online play.
Perhaps the most surprising game of the week has got to be Skate It for the Wii. I thought it had the potential to be as good as the PS360 version of the game, but figured it would suck. However, IGN gave it a
GLOWING reivew that really piqued my interest. In case you don't know, Skate It is a toned down version of one of this generation's best games, skate., but with added Wiimote and Balance Board controls. I don't know that I want this game right now considering skate 2 is coming out in January, but I'm so happy to know it doesn't suck.
But the biggest game of the week is undoubtedly Valve's co-op zombie shooter Left 4 Dead. Based on the demo, this game is DEFINITELY one to get! I'll be getting it very soon, probably for Christmas. Who's up for some online action (on the PC)?! I really don't have much to say that hasn't already been said about the game. So go look up one of the many other previews.
Also out this week is The Last Remnant, some Square RPG I don't care about, and a track pack for Rock Band for those of you who hate downloadable content (most of you here, unfortunately).
Check back next week for a rather subdued list...and the return of RF Generation's most-read blog article EVAR!
Two years, has it been that long? I guess it has been. Two years ago today the Wii was released worldwide, because Nintendo
loves you… or so we thought. What has the last two years brought Nintendo and it’s Wii? Let’s delve into the past, and see where the future lies for Nintendo.
Nintendo had a cool concept. Motion control in a game, would it be a gimmick or a novel innovation? Well, two years has passed, and honestly, the verdict is still out. There are the games that just tack it on, such as Super Monkey Ball did. Did they even play test their game? Super Monkey Ball should have been great on the Wii. Alas, it was not. Fortunately, there have been games that do make excellent use of the Wii Remote, and these games shine amongst the games that treat motion control like an afterthought. Games like No More Heroes, De Blob, Zack and Wiki, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption all make excellent use of the Wii Remote. Super Mario Galaxy was a refreshing reinvention of the platform genre. Truly there are the gems in what seems more and more like an endless pile of crap, and my, there is crap.
Why is there crap? Well, it might be because the Wii sells like hotcakes from McDonalds. It sold almost 850,000 units in North America alone last month, and quite frankly that’s impressive. It’s enough to make the Wii the clear market leader, and we’ll talk about that later. But now, let’s talk about the effects of being the market leader. See, being number one tends to bring a lot of crap to your console. Games like Target: Terror. What is that game like? Well, you know what Lethal Enforcers is, right? Well, it looks
just like that, except with Terrorists. How novel for the Wii, especially when it could probably run on an N64. Great job there, Konami, you really must have been bitter after the sales of Elebits and Dewy’s Adventure. I bought Elebits! Don’t hate me! And don’t think that it’s just the third parties giving us steaming piles of shit. I see that the fourth worst ranked Wii game on Gamerankings is Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast. Now, I am sure that game is full of win, but the score speaks for the masses. And don’t forget about Wii Music! Is that even a game? You decide.
If you would have told me with a straight face that the Wii would be far and beyond the market leader right now prior to its launch I would have laughed. I was a Nintendo fanboy at one point, but just because I was a fanboy does not mean that I am not a realist. C’mon, Nintendo had a good idea, but was there really something as a casual gamer? I sure as hell didn’t think so. I guess I was wrong, because as they say… it prints money. Unfortunately, it only prints money really for Nintendo. See, the Wii third party tie-in ratio is rather poor. It seems as though the real winner in all this is Nintendo and the companies that realize shovelware. It’s sort of sad because it limits creativity. Why be creative when you can make money with a low budget piece of crap? It’s sad, and it’s true.
Well, the future, what does it hold? Being on top means that Nintendo has the most to lose. It’s quite obvious that Nintendo cares most about the casual gamer these days, and it hurts. Nintendo really, really needs to either invest in games for gamers or encourage third parties to innovate rather than defecate. Maybe it could, you know, do both? Who knows, really? I certainly hope they do, because to a certain extent Nintendo has really tried to see what the breaking point of their fanboys is. Maybe to them that’s okay, but they have to realize that you can have your hardcore faithful in addition to being super trendy. Apple does it, somehow. Isn’t that who Nintendo is trying to emulate anyways? Does that mean that we’ll soon see a super thin Iwata in jeans and a black shirt with a goatee? God I hope so. The truth is though that Nintendo needs to know that some of Nintendo’s biggest fans are becoming some very bitter people, and bitter people can bring some very negative press. Best then to keep the fans happy, I suppose. Might you start with localizing Captain Rainbow and Mother 3? Please? PLEASE?
Nintendo’s console will probably have a bright future. I know I am personally as giddy as a schoolgirl for No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle and Mad World. I guess you could say I’ve become a person to enjoy violence more as I’ve gotten older. I also know that in the future I’ll probably own a PS3 to satisfy other needs. But don’t you worry Nintendo, because you’ve already made more than enough money off of me, and chances are you’ll make more than enough money off of others. Congrats on that.
Well, what do you think? Where has Nintendo been over the last two years for you? Where will they be in the future? I know where I think they’ll be, but it’s always more interesting to find out where you guys think the future lies, so tell us, won’t you?
Sorry about that, a process went zombie and since the Black Perl and I are either going to school full time or working full time, we were not aware of the issue. Needless to say, it is fixed and all is better. Sorry of you that could not get to your beloved RF Generation.
Happy Birthday PS3! That's right, two years ago today the PLAYSTATION 3 was released here in the states, being the second region to get the behemoth known as the PLAYSTATION 3. At the time it was the BIGGEST, BADDEST, MOST POWERFUL console to date, and well, two out of the three of those descriptors still fit. Depending on how you look at it, those descriptors can have either a positive or negative connotation associated with them.
Let's look back shall we? Well, in 2006 Sony had far and beyond the largest ego of the three developers. A cocky arrogance, so to speak. The PlayStation 2 sold like hotcakes, so obviously the PS3 would sell like hotcakes as well, right? Never mind the price differential. I know inflation occurs, but damn, you paid a premium if you bought a PS3 at launch. So, looking back, is it that surprising that the PS3 hasn't sold so well? I wouldn't think so, but I certainly didn't expect it to be as piss poor as it's been. Maybe it was branding the PLAYSTATION 3 as PLAYSTATION 3. ALL CAPS IS GREAT!!!!L0Lz0r. Seriously, why? Was it arrogance? I don't know for sure, but I am certainly inclined to believe it was.
Grand Theft Auto IV was supposed to get people to buy a PS3. To a certain extent it did, but then it dropped off like your grandmother's fine china falls off the table when your two year old son gets a hold of it. Truth be told, the massive releases haven't really had the intended effect that Sony was hoping for. It's sort of sad, don't these companies learn from history? I remember some other company being an arrogant ass and in the process watched it's market share drop from first to third over two console generations. I guess these companies just don't like to read up on history.
Of course, perhaps the future will be better for Sony. I know that I really want LittleBigPlanet, and half of Japan really wants Final Fantasy XIII. Perhaps the PS3 will be a late bloomer. Time shall tell, but in the the past things haven't been so rosy for the poor PLAYSTATION 3. After all, The PLAYSTATION 3 is now referred to as the PlayStation 3. Did the marketers get tired of holding down shift or did Sony realize their arrogance? Who knows, but it does make you wonder.
So, 2 years down, how many more to follow? Clearly the 4 year cycle should be blown to nothingness, I hope. I honestly think the PlayStation 3 will have a rosier future. It really is a powerful, powerful system, and in time production costs will hit a sweet spot where the mass public can afford it. There are good games for the PlayStation 3, and someday maybe a lot of people will be fortunate enough to play them. Sony really, really needs to knock the socks off of the gaming public. Clearly non casual gamers feel at time disenfranchised with the current market leader, why not capitalize on that? Find a sweet spot to sell the console at. Promote the third party tie-in ratio. Push the value of the console. Stop running esoteric and crazy commercials. Sell and advertise what people want. I think Sony will be able to pull it off, and in the future you might just see Sony be somewhere rosier than they currently are. Time shall tell.
Two years down, more to follow. What's your take on the PlayStation 3? What has the past and future held for the console in your opinion? What must they do in the present? Are they doomed to third place? Have the mighty fallen again? Time shall certainly tell.
As most know, today is the beloved Michael Collins birthday. I know this might make some people mad because I'm a new member. However as a part of this community I just feel like it's mandatory to step up and say something. As a guest of this website for many years I remember reading his posts, and I've looked at the on-site memorial as well. I'm sure some of you were very close to him. I never knew him but he sure seemed like a very good person. I just want to let you guys know that we shall never forget Michael Collins. As well as we should keep his baby alive. Prayers are always with Michael's family and his friends. Rest in peace Mike.
-Austin
[img align=right width=200]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-060/bf/U-060-S-02220-A.jpg[/img]
November 15, 1996 (12 years ago):
Tomb Raider is released.
Consoles: Originally
Sega Saturn, then
Sony PlayStation,
MS-DOS, and later others.
It was 12 years ago. Lara Croft, later hailed as the most recognizable female video game character, became known to public, and conquered hearts of millions (in part due to the game designers fooling around and enlarging Lara's breasts to 150% size, and then deciding to leave it that way). She could be seen on magazine covers, computer backgrounds, posters, and even TV. People fell in love with her... All in all, she was a female Indiana Jones (only with Harrison Ford replaced by a hot acrobatic babe).
The plot (just like the plot of almost any game in the series) was not anything particularly amazing - Lara finds an ancient artefact, realizes that there are more, but before she can find them all, someone evil uses the artefact's power and turns himself/herself into a mutant/dragon/spider/etc. for Lara to deal with. Also, at some point during any story, Lara absolutely must be stripped of all her weapons (not clothes) so that she can has fun recovering them while defenseless (a recurring story element).
What really attracted people (besides the protagonist herself) was the gameplay. A combination of traditional platform action (similar to
Prince of Persia), cutting edge 3D graphics, the revolutionary third-person camera, gun action, and simple but clever puzzles is what made
Tomb Raider famous (and, by extension, what raised PlayStation's popularity in its early years). The series continued with the hit
TR2, improved graphics for
TR3, and while
TR: The Last Revelation brought the Egypt locations back,
TR: Chronicles and
Angel of Darkness disappointed many fans, and some feared that the series may be dead. It was not until recently when Core Design handed over control to Crystal Dynamics, which resulted in the true revival of Lara in
TR: Legend, a remake of the original called
TR: Anniversary, and the new title,
TR: Underworld, about to be released (three days left).
Anyway, celebrate this day by playing the games from the series. I myself have many fun memories. Remember, in the second game, how Lara had to outswim a shark deep underwater? Or how in the third game she had to infiltrate Area 51? How about pig-tailed 16-year-old Lara running around a really creepy Irish village in Chronicles?
If you are going to play the Saturn or the PlayStation version, remember that you can only save using "save crystals". And if you are going to run the DOS version, you'll need to do a few tricks first (Windows XP and Vista will not cooperate). For any help running the game, as well as awesome walkthroughs, visit Stella's awesome site (I owe her a lot):
http://www.tombraiders.net/
Isn't that awesome? Almost everyone here should remember the Pokemon tv show. Now you get to here a mash-up of it in many different languages!
Collecting without the InternetImagine with me if you will, a world without the internet. I'm sure some of you remember this world quite vividly, others could never imagine such a thing. I was fortunate enough to remember what it was like not having the Internet, anyone else remember cutting up old magazine pictures for school reports? Or hand writing everything? Well I'm getting a little off topic now, but you get the idea.
I started writing this to allow you all to imagine game collecting without the use and help of the internet. Some of you rely completely on the Internet to get your games through the usual sites, while others (like myself) buy completely from the "wild" as it's now called. But just from the simple fact that you are reading this people proves that we all use to Internet somewhat in our collecting ways.
Maybe you just use this wonderful site to track your games and occasionally chat with others, or maybe you use the internet to its fullest extent and get every piece of information you can find on a game before you buy it.
This blog doesn't really have a point, I was just thinking of how different my collecting habits would be without the internet. Maybe you would like to explain how your collecting life would be different? Or maybe the thought of not having an Internet makes you want to curl up in a ball in the corner of the room, and you don't want to think about it anymore.
I don't rely on the Internet a whole lot in my collecting ways, I don't buy from the Internet and I still keep offline collection lists. I would probably still be buying a lot of the same stuff, but it just wouldn't be as much fun. Without my printed checklists, I wouldn't know which games I had left to buy, or which ones were considered rare. I would have no idea what a game was worth and without the huge audiences of Internet stores/auctions, a lot of stuff just wouldn't be worth nearly as much. Plus, I would have no idea there are thousands of other people who collect old games and I would never get to show off my awesome collection.
