RF Generation.  The Classic and Modern Gaming Databases.RF Generation.  The Classic and Modern Gaming Databases.




Posted on Sep 18th 2008 at 03:59:47 AM by (TraderJake)
Posted under Modern Gaming, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Japan, Sales, Hell Hath Froze

In what surely is to be a one in a lifetime occurrence, the Microsoft 360 was the top selling console in Japan for the week of September 8 through 14. It's... terrifying. What have we done to cause such a cosmic quirk to occur? Was it our capitalist overlords screwing with the subprime market, causing a financial meltdown? Could it have been the Japanese obsession with Used Pantie Machines finally caught up with them? Was it that as a world we're too preoccupied with shrubberies? I DON'T HAVE A CLUE!

Truly, someone must have done something to cause this strangeness to occur. It's not as though the Japanese could actually be genuinely interested in the 360, could it? I know it was popular in the US a couple months back, but the US and the Land of the Rising Sun are very, very different. They have Pachinko. We have Casinos. There's no way that the Japanese could be convinced to buy a 360 because of a price drop, could it? COULD IT? All I know is that last week the 360 was the top selling console in Japan, and it's scary. Such a freak oddity can not happen again next week, can it? CAN IT? I really hope not, I fear what would happen to the cosmos if it did.

OH MERCIFUL GODS! Hear my plea! Spare us from the impending cosmic rift! We humbly beseech you! We wish not to invoke your wrath! Please, take these shrubberies as a token of our most sincere acquiescence. Please, PLEASE! Don't let the 360 top the chart for another week, I don't know if the cosmos could take another week of such stress!

Holy Snot! Xbox 360 Tops Home Console Sales In Japan [Kotaku]



Posted on Sep 18th 2008 at 01:49:04 AM by (TraderJake)
Posted under Modern Gaming, Nintendo, YAWWWN, Who Cares, Press Conference

Well look at that, Nintendo isn't going to the Tokyo Game Show, but it turns out they are going to have a press conference of their own. This conference is going to be on October 2, which is actually before the start of TGS. What are they going to announce and talk about? Who the hell knows! Nintendo certainly does not, as confirmed by Edge. Well, that's just peachy. Chances are that it's a malicious lie, and they know exactly what they are going to be talking about, but they just don't want you to know. It's okay, we know how you feel, and so does Jean Luc Picard.

Who the hell cares? Nintendo clearly doesn't care about you much, so why should you care about them? After the riveting hardcore gamer announcement of Animal Crossing: City Folk, I have little excitement in what Nintendo is to announce. But, if this was a Sega Announcement regarding upcoming titles from Platinum Games, then, hell yes I'd be interested. I think the only thing that would remotely interest me would be an announcement that Captain Rainbow was being released in the US. The impact on Nintendo's image would be as beneficial to them as the Lehman Brother's Bankruptcy was to the Dow Jones. Certainly, it would be amazing.

So, do you care that Nintendo has a press conference in 2 weeks? Should you care? I don't think so, and I wholly expect Nintendo to announce some "casual gamer" nongames that will not interest me. Perhaps they'll interest you.



Posted on Sep 17th 2008 at 04:03:55 AM by (logical123)
Posted under Site News, Chat, rfgen, sadness, noob

Join the Chat, won't you?



Posted on Sep 16th 2008 at 05:01:40 AM by (Sirgin)
Posted under Review, Classic Gaming, PC, RTS, Real Time Strategy, Blizzard, Warcraft

[img align=right width=200]http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a322/varnayo/juegos/Warcraft_2_Battle_Net_Edition.jpg[/img]Except for maybe Wolfenstein 3D, no other game can bring back memories of my childhood like Warcraft II. This 1995 game is sequel to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and has helped made Blizzard the company that it is today. Because I never played this game in multiplayer when I was young and it somehow feels wrong to do so now, I'll focus on the singleplayer aspect of the game.

The game's story is being told by a narrator with text running over a still image. You can imagine a 7 year old not patient enough to listen to this so I can recall little to none of it, however I'll try to give a brief impression of what is going on:

The game takes place six years after the events in Orcs & Humans, which ended with the fall of Azeroth. After this the Orcs conquer Lordaeron and attempt a second assault at the human race. The Humans form the Alliance with the Elves, Dwarves and Gnomes to whitstand the Orcs' attack, however, the Orcs form the Horde with the Ogres, Goblins and Trolls. Some more detailed events take place but as I see the story of little importance for this game, I'll leave it at that.

Important to Warcraft II's gameplay is that almost all units and all buildings are identical at both sides. For example, an Elven Archer has the same statistics as a Troll Axethrower; they only vary in name and appearance. This also goes for the different buildings on both sides. The only real difference lies within the spells some higher characters can use. This may sound a bit boring but makes both sides very balanced with no particular advantages over the other.

The main building in the game is the Town Hall, where peasants (or peons) can drop off timber and gold. Wood can also be brought to a Lumber Mill when built. A third resource, oil, can be drilled up once an Oil Platform has been built by an Oil Tanker on a designated location. The Shipyard or Refinary act as drop off points for oil. Besides these there are other typical RTS buildings such as Barracks, Blacksmiths, Farms and Towers. Gathering resources or building buildings takes quite a long time at the start of a game, giving you time to explore some of the map while your army gets ready for action.

Enemy AI is predictable yet challenging enough to keep the game from becoming too easy. The game's expanion, "Beyond the Dark Portal", features better AI and has some pretty difficult missions that'll please even the best RTS players.

Despite being fairly simple (in terms of gameplay mechanics) and not having a gigantic technology tree like some modern games in the genre, Warcraft II's gameplay is still fun to play today, although some features now taken for granted in RTS games aren't present. For example there's no production queues so you have to go back to your unit producing building for each individual unit. You can also select only 9 units at a time, which results in alot of clicking when trying to move a large army around. But when you compare Warcraft II to some RTS games of its time, it's easy to see why this was one of the most important (it not the most important) RTS game of its generation.

Warcraft II's graphics are colorful and cartoony giving the game a rather light undertone. The characters and buildings are all 2D sprites with their own specific look, making it easy to tell them apart. Animations are fluid yet primitive but get the job done. During the different campaigns you'll play on different terrains like grasslands, snowlands, swamps, etc... giving the game enough visual variaty.

More impressive than its visuals were the sound effects and soundtrack or Warcraft II. Sound effects are convincing with arrows being fired or axes being swayed. The soundtrack consists of lots of orchestral-type bombastic tunes that suit the game nicely. I often found myself humming some of these after playing the game for a couple of hours.
When clicking on units they happily confirm your orders but what's even more fun is that they start to throw out hilarious comments when repeatedly clicked on. For example, a Footman will say "Don't you have a kingdom to run?" after a couple of clicks.

On the multiplayer department I can say that it's possible to play with up to 8 players. Until the Battle.net edition was released, gamers used IPX Emulators such as Kali to play online. Another nice feature about Warcraft II is that you can use a single disc of the game to play with 8 players in a network. Compare that to the DRM in Spore and you can only frown upon the way gaming has become restricted.

I could go on about what I like about Warcraft II and what makes this such a memorable game for me, but I think I've covered the basics. If you're an RTS fan there's no excuse for not playing this game and if you're not but see the game for cheap, I'd still recommend getting it. 9.0/10



Posted on Sep 15th 2008 at 04:19:39 AM by (Tondog)
Posted under Modern Gaming, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Playsation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PSP, DS, PS2

I've been hyping it up for a long time now, but this is going to be the trend for the next few months. A fuckton of games. Enjoy!

Playstation 3Xbox 360Nintendo Wii
•Armored Core: For Answer
Pure
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
•Armored Core: For Answer
•Battle Fantasia
Pure
Rock Band 2 (360 Exclusive. GAME ONLY! The bundle comes out next month.)
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party 2 (Simply because it has LCD Soundsystem Sad )
•Igor
•Kidz Sports: Crazy Golf
•Littlest Pet Shop
•Rebel Raiders
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
•TNA Impact!
•Zoo Hospital
PSPNintendo DSPlaystation 2
•B-Boy
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
•Yggdra Union

PC

•Cooking Academy
Crysis: Warhead
•Discovery
•Everlight
•Hell's Kitchen 
Line Rider 2 Unbound
•The Price is Right
Pure
•The Settlers VI: Gold Edition
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky 
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
•Animal Paradise
•Di-Gata Defenders
Dragon Quest IV
•Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition
•Happy Cooking
•Igor
•Imagine: Fashion Designer New York
Line Rider 2 Unbound
•My Secret World by Imagine
•Red Bull BC One
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
•Unsolved Crimes
Dance Dance Revolution: X (Game only and Bundle. However, the game has a craptacular song list, par for the course with DDR these days. Hey Konami, just release a game with the arcade soundtrack for once. You'll make so many people happy.)
Namco Classic Fighter Collection (Includes Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 4, and Soul Calibur II)
•Naruto Ultimate Collection
•Pac-Man Power Pack
•Speed Racer
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed


So, yeah, this week has quite a few good games coming out. Where do we start?

How about the biggest game of the week, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed? I've played the demo on PS3 and it's pretty damned good. Not $60 good, but a good pickup at $30 or $20. However, if you're a Star Wars fan, you might want to get it right away because it seems like the first great Star Wars game since Battlefront II. In case you don't already know, Force Unleashed is kind of like a God of War or Devil May Cry game set in the Star Wars world. But what makes this game so awesome is that you can play around with the force. For example, grab a Stormtrooper and throw him into other enemies or grab a TIE Fighter and throw it at enemies. There's so much you can do in this game due to the fact that it is running THREE physics engines on the PS3/360 versions. But don't you Wii owners feel left out, you'll get the opportunity of using waggle to throw things. I haven't researched the other versions as much, but I bet they'll be good.

Rock Band 2 comes out this week ONLY FOR XBOX 360. Harmonix has load of cash from Microsoft a contract with Microsoft to have Rock Band 2 on the 360 one month before the other systems. The thing is that the only way you can get the game at the minute is without any of the instruments. The bundle will arrive next month along with the release of Rock Band 2 on the other systems. So, I'll save talking about it until then. However I will say that if you buy RB2 and you already have the first one, you can transfer over all the songs from the frist game for only $5...and any songs you purchased on the first game will work with the new game free of charge. Nice job Harmonix!

Square Enix whores will be happy to know that yet another handheld port of one of their old games is coming out this week. That game is Dragon Quest IV for the DS. Since I don't like Square Enix besides the fact that they published Space Invaders Extreme and Einhander, I won't comment on how good this game is because I obviously hate it. Smiley

Also out this week is Pure, Disney's surprisingly fun arcadey ATV racer; Crysis Warhead, the sequel to the biggest PC game no one bought because they're all cheapskates that would rather pirate games instead of putting food on the developer's tables; S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, a neat looking FPS; Warhammer Online, yet another MMO; and Line Rider 2, a new version of the popular web game.

In case you did not notice there, I started listing PC games. You're very welcome. Let me know what you think of the new format in the comments.



Posted on Sep 15th 2008 at 01:49:03 AM by (NES_Rules)
Posted under Collecting, Trophies, Treasures, Scores, Deals, Milestones

A fairly disappointing weekend, it rained all day Saturday. And it didn't just rain a little bit, it poured for the good part of the day, I was completely soaked by the time I got home. I tried using an umbrella but it wasn't worth all the trouble of opening and closing it constantly, and the rain was at least warm, so I gave up on the umbrella.

Saturday Garage Sales



The PS2 games were marked $2 each, the PS1 game was $1. I really only wanted the MGS game, so I offered $10 for the whole box. My offer was taken.






This was from a huge moving sale, where nothing is priced, which I hate because you spend a lot of time gathering up stuff only to find they want a fortune for it. Which wasn't true this time. She wanted $2 for it all. But I was really only interested in the SMS controllers and power supply, so I offered $1 for it all. She accepted. The NES is dirty and looks like someone spilled some pop in it (I opened it before bringing it inside to check for cockroaches) I don't have high hopes for it working, especially since it had the wrong power supply with it, which leads me to believe they were using it for the NES. 



I also got an old loudspeaker from one sale $0.50. It's not super loud, but I can plug my iPod into it and get a very respectable sound level out of it. It's great for outdoors or in the truck because I don't need a power source for it.

Sunday Flea Market



It hasn't rained yet today, but it has looked like it will all day and a lot of people were not at the flea market, including the guys I do trading with. This was the only thing I could find worth buying.
One thing I did see which gave me a good laugh was a guy selling dirty, loose NES controllers for $10 each. His N64 controllers were in the $30 range.



Just a heads up regarding future installments: The garage sale/flea market season is winding down, so don't be surprised if this turns into a biweekly feature.



Posted on Sep 14th 2008 at 04:28:14 AM by (TraderJake)
Posted under OH NOOOO!, Modern Gaming, Spore, EA, SecuROM, God Hates Righteous People

Oh dear, it appears as though EA doesn't realize that people really, really hate intrusive Digital Rights Management, which you might begrudgingly know as DRM. Some places do DRM right, like Valve. Sure only one user can have a game, but at least that user can install the game as many times as he wishes. Apparently, EA just wants to piss you off if you buy Spore. Never mind enjoying the game, let's find a way to punish you for being on of the righteous buyers of Spore. How does EA do that? By using SecuROM, of course. As stated on everyone's favorite encyclopedia, Wikipedia, "SecuROM is a CD/DVD copy protection product, most often used for computer games running under Microsoft Windows, developed by Sony DADC. SecuROM aims to resist home media duplication devices, professional duplicators, and reverse engineering attempts. The newest versions (v4 and up) prevent 1:1 CD-R copies from being made. Certain programs can circumvent its protection. The use of SecuROM is controversial because certain aspects of the protection are similar to functions of malware, and users are not always informed when SecuROM is included with a product."

So, what aspects of SecuROM make it hated? Well, SecuROM phones home. You want to install that game on your PC? Well, go ahead, you have three installs on three PCs. But here is the thing. Let's say you install on your desktop, and then it goes into an incessant Blue Screen of Death and you have to reformat? Well, you reformatted, so that PC is no longer authorized to play the game. So, there goes a second authorization. After three installs on "different" PCs, you're done with playing the game. Gone are the days where you could reinstall as many times as you want, and here are the days where you're stuck with what the publisher gives you.

Spore, happens to have SecuROM, the lovely piece of software that phones home whenever an update is done or whenever the game is installed. A lot of people don't like that, so much so that on Amazon the customer rating sits at 1 out of 5 stars with 2216 reviews and growing. Turns out people really, really, really hate the DRM known as SecuROM, and they've shown their ire through the Amazon rating system. As one such reviewer says, "First of all, the game incorporates a draconian DRM system that requires you to activate over the internet, and limits you to a grand total of 3 activations. If you reach that limit, then you'll have to call EA in order to add one extra activation. That's not as simple as it sounds, since when you reach that point EA will assume that you, the paying customer, are a filthy pirating thief." Doesn't that sound wonderful?

It gets interesting though. A few days ago, Amazon pulled the Spore reviews. A few hours later, they were back, and their absence was attributed to "a site glitch". You know, I can claim that monkey's fly out of my ass, but that does not make it true. I bet their statement on it being a site glitch is a dirty, malicious lie.

It's really a shame that EA had to sully Will Wright's game with DRM. It's even more sad that EA doesn't trust you as a paying customer, and thinks you are obviously a dirty, filthy pirate. Perhaps people would have not had this backlash if only EA trusted them to be righteous consumers. But no, look where we are today. Spore has a 1 out of 5 star rating on Amazon, and people are pissed. Here's to you, EA.

Ed Note: I just noticed that over the last month that "Oh Noooo Otter" was the number 3 referral for our site, just behind the keyword RF Generation. Isn't that fun?



Posted on Sep 11th 2008 at 02:55:10 AM by (TraderJake)
Posted under Humor, Classic Gaming, Mario

So, Seth MacFarlane does this show called Family Guy. It's quite popular, and you might have heard of it. Turns out that he also does another show called American Dad, which is also quite humorous. Well, Seth MacFarlane has also started a lovely new thing on Youtube called Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy, completely sponsored by Burger King. Hail the King.

Anyways, this week marks what appears to be the beginning or close to the beginning of the show, and well, this week, Seth tackles what really happened after Mario saved Peach. Enjoy the show!





Posted on Sep 10th 2008 at 06:04:30 AM by (TraderJake)
Posted under Modern Gaming, Microsoft, Ensemble, Age of Empires, Closing

[img align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-016/bf/U-016-S-05960-A.jpg&sizex=200[/img]
It seems like just a few years ago that the behemoth known as EA had decided to close a revered studio within its ranks. While EA closed many studios during its ill-fated centralization, the closure of Westwood Studios probably was the most saddening closure for many. After all, it was Westwood Studios that gave the world the series known as Command and Conquer. It's a popular franchise you know, and I hear that Red Alert 3 is coming out soon. The closure of Westwood Studios was sort of bitter for many a RTS fan, but if the RTS fan was to know that it would set a precedent, perhaps they'd be more bitter.

News comes today of the impending closure of Ensemble Studios, the wonderful people responsible for the Age of Empires series. They also are working on the game Halo Wars, and now that game is wrapping up production it seems as though Microsoft has found it as a wonderful opportunity to shutter the studio. It's a shame. It really is. Are RTS's sell poor selling that a studio as storied as Ensemble Studios has to be shuttered? It's truly a shame.

Well, on the plus side, apparently there is a new studio running from its ashes. Is that true? Who knows, but it's still sad that Ensemble is closing. Thanks for the great series and RTS's you given us! You'll certainly be missed.

Shane Kim Delivers Death Blow To Ensemble



Posted on Sep 9th 2008 at 03:51:56 AM by (Sirgin)
Posted under Review, Modern Gaming, PS2, Sony, Adventure, Story, Fahrenheit, Quantic Dream

[img align=right width=200]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-072/bf/U-072-S-08790-A.jpg[/img]Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy in the US) is a 2005 game released by Quantic Dream. With the studio's second release they wanted to create a truly cinematic game and let me tell you: they succeeded.

The game starts in a cold, snow-covered New York City where we find protagonist of the game, Lucas Kane, sitting on a toilet of a diner with a knife in his hands. Something's not right with Lucas because he used the knive to kill an innocent man and carved strange markings in his forearms. Seconds later, he regains control over himself and is stunned to find the man on the bathroom floor, realising he's a murderer.

From there on the player gets to control Lucas and has to make quick decisions in his place to get him away from the crimescene in one piece. I won't go into further detail about the story because that would spoil too much of the experience. All I'll add is that you also get to play as Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles, two detectives working the case of Lucas' murder. This makes for some interesting moments because you're playing as two sides who are literally working against each other.
I'd like to stress how important the story in this game is, which is of a far superior level and suspense normally found in games. While advancing through the game you'll really start to care about alot of characters, which aren't stereotypical good or bad guys but rather undergo an evolution as the game progresses.

What makes Fahrenheit different from most games is not only its deep story but also the way you can influence that story. Depending on what decisions you make, the story changes. When talking to another character, different dialog options are shown. (Like in Mass Effect) A timer runs out so you have to make quick decisions as to what you want your character to say. Although the story isn't completely changeable (some decisions simply end up with Lucas in prison, forcing you to do things differently) there are entire scenes that can be unlocked when making the right decisions. (including two sex scenes cut from the US version)

All actions in the game are performed via the analog sticks. The left one controls Lucas' movement while the right one is context-sensitive. Depending where you are or what object you're facing, a small icon on the screen shows what movement you should make with the stick. (Much like Skate's way of performing tricks)
During the more intense action sequences you'll have to perform a sort of rhythm mini game with the analog sticks. Two 4-button icons will show up in the middle of the screen (like the memory game Simon) and depending on which color lights up, you'll have to press the corresponding analog stick in that direction. Although this seems stupid on paper it works rather well in this game and I never got the feeling I'm simply pressing random buttons because the rhythm game is made so it matches the actions on screen.

Another fun feature of Fahrenheit is you'll also do some everyday life actions like drink some water, play some guitar or take a shower. This supports the bond you have with the characters and shows they're no superheroes but regular people like you and me. They also have a mental health bar that goes up or down depending on your actions in the game. At maximum this shows as "Neutral" but will say things like "Stressed" or "Depressed" when worse.

What's most irritating about Fahrenheit are character and camera movement. Character movement is slow and feels stiff. Maybe this has been done to add to the realistic feel of the game, I'm not really sure. Although the camera does a decent job, it tends to get stuck behind objects in small rooms making it hard to regain a good perspective. Graphics aren't fantastic either (comparable to those of GTA: Vice City and San Andreas) with some animations looking a bit unnatural, despite the use of motion capture. This never bothered me though, because it's easy to forgive a game for its lesser graphics when it has such an intense storyline.

Much better than the visuals is the audio and a place where Fahrenheit really shines. Luckily for its storyline, voice acting is performed excellent for all characters. The way you can hear them think in their heads is especially convincing, together with the voice of main character Lucas. Musically, Fahrenheit uses both licensed songs and an original score. Licensed songs are usually found when a radio is playing in-game while the original score accompanies alot of dialog and action scenes. I think both are used very well and give Fahrenheit that memorable feel that you'll remember even after finishing the game.

Although only an 8-hour game, Fahrenheit is the kind of of game you'll still think about weeks after completing it. It gets under your skin like few other games do and has a story even fewer can compare with. Definately worth your attention despite the flaws I've mentioned. 8.3/10



Posted on Sep 8th 2008 at 05:59:38 AM by (NES_Rules)
Posted under Collecting, Trophies, Treasures, Scores, Deals, Milestones

Wow, has it really been 20 of these things already?

This weekend's treasure hunting got started a little early as I came across a huge yard sale between classes on Thursday. I stopped and found a game, and on the way home I stopped at a Game Stop and new used CD/DVD/game store and got a couple more

Thursday Sales



Magic Darts was $0.50. Sega GT 2002 and Jet Set Radio Future/Sega GT 2002 were $1 each from Gamestop.




Garage sales on Saturday weren't very good, but it was a little rainy and cold, so it was to be expected.

Saturday Garage Sales



When I first saw this box of stuff, it was under a table so I picked up a controller and asked the woman at the sale how much it was, she said $1. I wasn't interested so I started putting it back, so then she said it was $1 for the whole box. I asked to throw in the Destruction Derby box and it was a deal. All the game cases are empty unfortunately. If anyone wants the papers from the cases for the PC games, you can have them for the cost of shipping.






This box of Atari stuff was marked $5, but there was nothing I really wanted, the M Network Tron joystick (anyone know anything about this?) looked interesting, but not $5 interesting, so I offered $2 for it all. My offer was reluctantly taken.







Nothing interesting for this one, he wanted $1 for both, I wanted to pay $1 for both.






Sunday Sales





This sale started on Friday and I can't believe it lasted this long at only $20. I offered $15 for it, but they were solid on the price.








And the best damn deal of the day. Probably my best deal since the TG-16. This is from a guy that I've purchased a couple games off before so he gave me a "special deal", all his Sega CD games were $3 each. He's apparently a former collector so I guess he forgot what this one is worth. Plus he said he would be interested in doing trades, which will be great because the other guy I was trading with has disappeared. I almost didn't buy it because I know nothing of Sega CD games, but this title stuck in my head for some reason, so I took a chance on it. 






Posted on Sep 8th 2008 at 03:20:06 AM by (Tondog)
Posted under Modern Gaming, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Playsation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PSP, DS, PS2

A little bit lighter week this time around, but it sees the release of one of the most anticipated games of the year!

Playstation 3Xbox 360Nintendo Wii
•NHL 2K9
•NHL 2009
•TNA Impact!
•NHL 2K9
•NHL 2009
•TNA Impact!
•Zoids Assault
•Cabela's Legendary Adventures
•Hell's Kitchen
•NHL 2K9
The Price is Right (One of my original ideas for the Wii. Read my comments later.)
PSPNintendo DSPlaystation 2
•Cabela's Legendary Adventures •Hell's Kitchen
•Lock's Quest
•Mazes of Fate
Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir (It's a game with no hype from Nintendo. It's gotta be good.)
•The Price is Right
•Spore Creatures
•Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise
•Cabela's Legendary Adventures
•Dragon Ball Z Trilogy
•NHL 2K9
•TNA Impact!
Yakuza 2


This week is one full of possibly great games that are flying under the radar...along with a game that is going to be freaking huge. First up is the new game from Will Wright, the mastermind behind The Sims and SimCity. That game is Spore for Windows and Mac. What is Spore? It's a life simulation game like The Sims, but with a much larger scope. In the game, you design a species and oversee their evolution from single cell organisms to intelligent creatures. During this time you will guide the species through many phases including Tribal, Civilization, and Space. Once you reach the Space Age, you will be able to travel to the planets of other players and interact with their civilzation by trying to make peace or attacking them. I am so very interested in this game due to the fact that it could be the deepest game ever conceived. I just hope my PC is able to run it. Hopefully PC gamers actually buy this game and support EA instead of pirating it and contributing to the downfall of PC gaming.

Anyways, next game I'd like to highlight this week is The Price Is Right for the Wii. Why the hell would I mention this? Back in 2005 or so when the Wii's "innovative" controller scheme was announced, one of the first games I thought would be pretty awesome on the Wii was The Price Is Right. Imagine spinning the big wheel in the Showcase Showdown, punching out holes in Punch a Bunch, or putting in Hole in One (OR TWO!),or dropping a virtual chip in Plinko. I didn't think  much about my idea after that, but it was in the back of my head. Imagine my surprise a few months ago when I found out that UbiSoft was making a game based on The Price is Right. My hopes aren't very high for the game, but I still hope it turns out decently (and has a Barker's Beauties sex minigame).

Other games coming out this week include Yakuza 2 for the PS2, the long-overdue sequel to the original game on the PS2. Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir for the Nintendo DS, a new point and click mystery game from Nitnendo that hasn't gotten a lot of hype, so it's gotta at least be decent considering all the other games they've done like this have been good. Finally is the American debut of Masaya's truly fucked up PC Engine shooter Cho Aniki on the Wii Virtual  Console. This game is unlike anything you've ever seen. It's the first in a series of shmups with weird homoerotic overtones and a strange sense of humor going throughout the whole thing. I can't even begin to describe the screwed up goodness that is Cho Aniki, so check out Hardcore Gaming 101's look at the series and prepare to be amazed.



Posted on Sep 6th 2008 at 10:47:12 AM by (OatBob)
Posted under Private collection, OatBob

It's official, my listing here RF Generation states I currently own exactly 1000 games!  The collection in itself had been moving slowly lately, lingering within the last fifty through spring and summer.  I should mention that Thursday September 4, not today (Saturday?), was the date that this milestone was reached.

Naturally when some big occurrence happens, one would like to make something meaningful of it.  I, however, was sitting two titles away from the mighty 1K-mark as I entered none other than my used game store of choice (the local pawn shop) and felt too impulsive to wait.  My first impulse was to go for the cheap and add to my already bloated PS1 listings, but when I realized Tekken 2 would have been game #1000, I knew I had to put it back.  After browsing I managed a fantastic score for the 'shmup fan, Castle Shikigami 2 leaving the final one.  Determined to nail the quad digits on the head and not be short by only one, I was determined to purchase anything of mild interest.

In haste I made the decision.  The final title was Crackdown, an above-mediocre title for the Xbox 360 with a knack for addictive gameplay.  While not the most stellar choice I am certain I will put lots of time into this one for the gameplay and challenging yet rewarding achievements.  And always, good or bad it is my number 1000.



Posted on Sep 6th 2008 at 06:57:35 AM by (NES_Rules)
Posted under Collectors Dillema, Collection, Polls, Opinions

Playability vs Collectibility

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Playability vs Collectibility

Let's say you bought a duplicate of a game, so now you've got two of the exact same game. One looks like garbage: the label is torn and dirty, but plays perfectly. On the other hand, the other one looks like it's in mint condition, but it just will not play. Which would you keep if you could only keep one?
For the sake of argument, let's say it's a game where you can not simply switch the boards from one game to another.
Would your opinion change if it was a game you know you would never play? Or a game that you'd play so much you'd certainly ruin the label anyway?





Posted on Sep 3rd 2008 at 06:59:42 PM by (Sirgin)
Posted under Modern Gaming, Games, Lenght, Content, Value, Warren Spector, Games Education Summit, PS3, Xbox 360

After reading a very interesting article in a Dutch games magazine I would like to know what you guys think that should be done in the future concerning the lenght of videogames.

[img align=right width=200]http://images.bit-tech.net/news_images/2008/06/warren-spector-100-hour-games-are-on-the-way-out/article_img.jpg[/img]At the Games Education Summit (Dallas) in July, Warren Spector (known for games like Wing Commander, Thief and Deux Ex; see picture) stated that 100-hours singleplayer games are a thing of the past. He also said that only 2% of the people who have played GTA4 actually finished it. If he means by "finished it" getting 100% complete, I'm sure it's even less.
RPGs are probably the "worst" kind of games when it comes to being overly lengthy. Recent games like The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion or Final Fantasy 12 come to mind. They often take up 60 hours to finish the main storyline alone and go well over 100 hours if you want to finish all sidequests, defeat all monsters and get that strongest weapon. (Don't get me wrong, I love RPGs)

As you all know, making videogames is no longer cheap. Especially with the next generation consoles and their fabulous physics and visuals, production times get longer and the costs are getting higher. Spending $40.000.000 to develop a videogame isn't anything spectacular anymore and companies are strugling to make a profit like they used to do 5-10 years ago. Especially when your game stands in the shadow of a Triple A title, sales can't always make up for the costs.

If most gamers stop playing GTA4 at 40%; that basically means 60% of the game's content is money down the drain.

Would you like to see shorter games, knowing that most (read: the not-so-hardcore) gamers don't finish these games? Wouldn't it be great if companies could make games for less money and therefor take some more risks? It would mean more diverse games for us for sure.

Do you really want the Full HD graphics and 7.1 surround? Maybe some gamers do, but the rest of us are forced to walk the same path. I wonder why nobody seems to have the guts to make an HD 16-bit style 2D RPG for Xbox360 or PS3. If the story was good and the gameplay rock-solid, wouldn't that make for an amazing game?

Note: I've reposted this on the forums because I wanted to make a poll about it. You can find the poll here.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
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