Oblivion - this is one of those games that I really wanted to get into but failed miserably. I guess it goes to show that just because you love games - doesn't mean you love all games and all game types.
Oblivion is set in the olden days and is Western RPG. I say western RPG rather than Japanese RPG as I actually enjoy the occasional JRPG, mainly because they are quirky and remind me of some the RPGs I played on the master system / mega drive which I really enjoyed as a kid.. Anyway back to Oblivion.
Like I was saying it's a western RPG which means it takes its self seriously - there are no cutesy characters and there are no whacky gameplay mechanics . I'm not saying that this is a bad thing but it does make the game feel a bit staid and starchy like a having a conversation with young conservative in the late 70s.
Anyway, in this game you start of locked up in jail which is pretty cool - you managed to escape or you are let out - can't remember but the Emperor gets whacked pretty early on, from then on you are on a quest to find the new heir to the empire (a bloke called Martin - not the best name for a olden days bloke) and must travel the lands to complete this quest and close some gates. Before all this you get to create you character which is pretty cool - but in some ways I prefer to be given a character (like Link) and told - "this is who you are" and "this what you look like" but I can see how some people like this feature.
Anyway, there are loads of quests in the game - which you find out about by talking to the NPCs - you can talk to anyone in the game but the conversations tend to be very dull and everyone seems to talk like they have taken tampazipan i.e. very subdued and not that interesting. I prefer the punchy one liners from the JRPG like "we have lost our chickens" rather than going through 4 branches of a conversation tree to establish the same thing.
The problem with Oblivion is it gives you too much freedom, too early - it's great to have a choice but I ended up spending ages in the first city in case I was missing some (I wasn't) when I should have been given a few more exciting missions early on.
I also found the inventory system overly clunky - trying to manage the items in the inventory was difficult you also end up collecting so much tat (rats meat and old rusty swords etc) that it becomes difficult to see what's what after a short amount of time.
I think the main problem I have with this game is that it doesn't pull you in like it should do. There was one mission where you help some farmers protect a field from some raiders (goblins) which was cool - if there were more missions like this I might have stuck with it longer.. Alas it was not to be.
I even went back to this game and started again but still couldn't get into it.
Oh well - I hate having games on the shelf that I haven't completed - or given a good go - especially ones as highly rated as this but that's the way it is. I won't sell it - as it's worth nothing and I don't want to sell any more games. I also hope, like Shenmue 2, that I might go back one day and finish it - but somehow I doubt it!
We're aware of some things being out of whack. We're looking into it, and hope to have it resolved. Stay Tuned.
Edit: We're back... again. Somethings happened, and our host is getting to the bottom of why it happened so that it doesn't happen again. You might notice intermittent slowness, and somethings might be temporarily disabled, but for now, we're back... again.
[img align=right width=200]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-072/bf/U-072-S-01010-A.jpg[/img]After their wildly succesful Crash Bandicoot series on the original Playstation, Naughty Dog decided to venture into the unknown for the PS2 and in 2001 they came out with Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.
I'll cut right to the chase: Jak and Daxter was one of the first PS2 games I played and has since conquered a special place in my heart. Why? Because it rocks, plain and simple.
The game's story isn't anything spectacular but serves its purpose well, for a game in the Platform-genre. Jak and Daxter are two friends who adventure to Misty Island where they find a group of lurkers (bad guys of the blocked type) being addressed by two unknown individuals. When suddenly a lurker attacks the duo, Daxter falls into a pit of Dark Eco (A purple goo) and gets transformed into an ottsel. They search help from Sage Samos who sends them on their quest to find Gol, Sage of the Dark Eco and the only one who can return Daxter to his human form.
Much more important than the story is the gameplay of a platformer, which in this case feels solid and smooth. Jak is the only playable character of the game with Daxter riding along on Jak's shoulder, letting him do all the work. Jak's moves are simple: you can jump and double jump, punch and perform a spin-kick. Your moves list may be small but animations for them are smooth. (and in Daxter's case: funny) Enemies aren't exactly difficult to defeat, but this suits the game well considering the fact you die after three hits. To make the gameplay a bit more interesting, for a limited amount of time, Jak can attain some extra abilities after running into a beam of Eco. Green Eco charges your health, blue Eco makes Jak jump higher and run faster, yellow Eco gives him the ability to shoot blasts of energy and red Eco makes Jak stronger. Using these Eco powers is one of the cornerstones of the gameplay and is often required to complete an objective.
Objectives of the game are simple tasks which get rewarded with Power Cells, the main collectible in the game. To gain access to a next part of the world, you need a certain amount of these. Precursor Orbs are much more common and can be traded in with NPCs or special statues for more Power Cells. Also, when finding all Scout Flies in an area, you are rewarded with yet another Power Cell.
Although the gameplay might sound a bit simple and dull, it certainly isn't and this is largely due to the impressive 3D engine Naughty Dog has made for this game. Instead of seperate levels, players are thrown into a large world, devided by seperate (themed) areas. Travelling between these areas can be done through portals at each Sage's home. Loading times get avoided by streaming data from the disk while playing, enhancing to the effect of a single world. Graphics are detailed and colorful and the cartoon-look of characters and enemies help create a laid-back atmosphere throughout most of the game.
Background music for each of the areas does its job well and never gets irritating. Sound effects are great aswell as voice-acting. Especially Daxter's voice brings life to the character's slapstick humor.
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is a game that set the bar for future 3D Platformers and pushed the genre as a whole to a next level. Sadly enough, 3D Platform games seem to be over their peak with few games in the genre being made for the next-gen consoles, an evolution that saddens me.
This evolution makes Jak and Daxter all the more precious and a game no PS2 owner should miss. The game gets a well-earned 9.2/10 from me.
Recently, the hip-hop group N.E.R.D released a new music video. Why do I post it on RF Generation? Simple, the video is a tribute to retro games. The song in the video is a remixed version of thier song Everyone Nose. Artists featured on the song include (in order of appearance) Kanye West, N.E.R.D's own Pharrell Williams, Lupe Fiasco, and Pusha T.
The song itself samples Space Invaders, but there are a ton of games featured in the visuals of the video. So far, I've picked out Space Invaders, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Robotron 2084 and POSSIBLY Missile Command. Does anyone see other games I missed?
This week marks the "unofficial" start of the fall game season. I know it's not fall yet, but in the biz, Madden usually marks the start of the rush to the holiday season. So, get your wallets out and make it rain on this industry!
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
•Madden NFL 09 (Also released in a 20th anniversary edition, detailed after the list.)
•Madden NFL 09 (Also released in a 20th anniversary edition, detailed after the list.)
•Madden NFL 09
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
•Madden NFL 09 (Also available this week: the Madden NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack, which includes a limited edition metallic blue PSP system, the Madden NFL 09 game, NFL: In Just One Play on UMD Video, and a coupon to download the game Beats from the Playstation Store on your PC. Retail price is $199.99)
As you can tell, the big game this week is of course Madden NFL 09 for all systems (including the ORIGINAL Xbox!). The 20th anniversary installment in EA's long-running franchise promises to be something truly special, boasting upwards of 85 new features and enhancements. Among the new features include adaptive difficulty (which tests your and tailors the game to your abilities), online leagues, EA Sports Rewind (kind of a mulligan like feature if you screw up a play badly and want to learn from your mistakes), Backtrack (which acts in cooperation with Rewind and breaks down your last plays and tells you what you could have done better), new animations and models, new commentators (and no Madden!), more characters on the sidelines, user controlled celebrations and taunts, and so much more. Who says EA doesn't improve Madden each year? Because they're WRONG. Anyways, for you PS3 and 360 buyers, you also have the choice of buying the 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition for $89.99. This edition of the game includes Madden 09, NFL Head Coach 09 (also coming out separately from this edition next month), a fully playable version of Madden 93, Retro Playbooks, Retro Madden player models, and exclusive video content. Wii owners get a special version of the game dubbed "All-Play", an EA Sports initiative that aims to make their games easier to learn for players of all types. Features of the Wii version include an arcadey 5 on 5 mode, use of the Wii remote to deliver tackles, single button play calling, and more. Regardless of which version you get, Madden 09 looks to be an awesome update of the long-running series. Also, PS3 owners, the game actually runs as good as the 360 edition this year.
Perhaps football isn't your thing and you would rather play a more traditional game. Well, this week has plenty to offer you. First up on the list is Bangai-O Spirits, the latest from fan-favorite developer, Treasure. As you may have guessed, Bangai-O Spirits is a sequel to the cult classic N64/Dreamcast shooter Bangai-O. If you haven't played the original, the game is a free-roaming, multidirectional 2D shooter. The DS version promises to retain the spirit of the original, including the insane number of bullets on screen at once. What's neat about Spirits is that the levels have been designed around co-op, so you can jump in with up to 3 other people and play the game together. However, the coolest feature about the game is that it includes a level editor which allows you to build your own levels and share them with your friends. However, since Treasure is a quirky developer, they had to go about sharing them in the most bizarre way possible. The created level is encoded as a modem-like sound that is played over your DS speakers and transferred to your friend’s system using the microphone. The sound can also be output over the DS headphone jack and recorded on your computer to share with the world in MP3 format or over YouTube. This feature will not only work with levels, but you can also send high scores and replay videos. Pointless? Sure, but at least you don't have to deal with friend codes. Awesome? Totally.
But there's more! This week also sees the release of the long-awaited Bionic Commando Rearmed on Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and PC (via Steam, Direct2Drive, and other digital distribution platforms). Rearmed is a remake of the NES classic which features the same great gameplay as the original, but with new 2.5D HD graphics, new areas, online leaderboards, and other features. The game does not have any Nazi references as seen in the original Japanese game, but the voice acting and script of the game does make fun of the fact that it's censored. People buying it on the PS3 will also be able to play the game on their PSP using the remote play feature, and can also look forward to trophy support in a future patch for the game. The game will cost $10 on both XBLA and PSN, while it's going to be $15 on PC.
Finally this week, the latest episodic series from one of my favorite developers, Telltale Games, begins. The series is Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People, based on the popular web toon Homestar Runner. The first episode of the five episode series, Homestar Ruiner, releases on Monday and is about Strong Bad's scheme to win the tri-annual Race to the End of the Race and his attempt to get Homestar out of the house. The game has full creative input from the creators of Homestar Runner, the Brothers Chaps, with original stories written for the game. The game will be released on both WiiWare and on PC via the Telltale Games website. The Wii version will cost 1000 Wii Points ($10) per episode with no option to buy the whole series, bringing the total to $50) for the entire series. The PC edition sells for $8.95 an episode, or you can pre-order the entire season for only $34.95! If you go the PC route, you can download all the episodes as they come out, and you'll be able to get a DVD of all the episodes at the end of the season for the cost of shipping. Not a bad deal at all.
Sorry for the long post, but there's a lot coming out that I wanted to highlight!
Once again, another spectacular weekend of bargains. And what I like the best, is I actually got a lot of games instead of a lot of extra consoles like I've been getting lately. So, here are my treasures from this weekend.
Once again, there were a ton of sales on Saturday, more than we could ever possibly get to.
One of the first sales had a box of NES games marked $4 each, I flipped through them and there were a few I needed and most of the others were good titles as well. But I didn't want to spend $4 a game so I counted a total of 24 games. I thought about offering $20 for them all, but I knew she wouldn't take it, so I offered $40 for them all. She thought about it for a little bit and I was expecting here to reject my offer, but she eventually accepted. [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9848.jpg[/img] Uniracers Batman Returns SMB2 Bionic Commando Castlevania TMNT The Arcade Game Alien Syndrome Milon's Secret Castle Pac-Man (licensed) Castlevania III Shadowgate Donkey Kong Classics Krusty's Fun House Popeye StarTropics Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Castlevania II Dr. Mario Yoshi Superspike V'Ball/Nintendo World Cup Astyanax Spy Hunter Dragon Warrior Legacy of the Wizard With the exception of Dr. Mario, they're all in excellent condition, so I should be able to replace a few bad labels I already had.
We went by an unadvertised yard sale and it didn't look like they had much, but we stopped anyway. I see a box of toys and start casually looking through it, when I spot a N64 cartridge, so I dug deeper and found 2 more. I asked the price, she said $0.10 each. I gave her $0.25 for all three, not because I wanted to save $0.05, but because she didn't want to make change. [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9852.jpg[/img] South Park Destruction Derby 64 1080 Snowboarding They're in pretty bad shape, but I just couldn't leave them there.
Got these for $1 each: [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9851.jpg[/img]
I paid $0.25 for: [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9840.jpg[/img] It was actually marked $0.10, but I gave her $0.25 and told her she could just keep the change. I'm not really into collecting for handhelds, but it's still sealed so it has to have some value in 10-20 years.
At one sale, I found this Dreamcast and stuff for $10. [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9838.jpg[/img] She was asking $15, but once I got home, I realized the box was marked at $50. So I don't know if she said $50 and I heard $15 when I asked for the price or if it was just marked down a lot from the initial asking price. But, as I was paying for this stuff, I noticed a container on the floor with a Genesis game box sticking out. So I moved the stuff that piled on top of it and found a few more boxes. I opened a few and found games/manuals in them, so I asked a price. She said $5 for the box, which also contained a dozen+ VHS tapes. I paid the $5. [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9839.jpg[/img] Super Baseball 2020 Jerry Glanville's Pigskin Footbrawl Clue FIFA International Soccer Streets of Rage 3 Mario Andretti Racing WWF Royal Rumble All CIB, I didn't even look at the VHS tapes when I was there so I was happily surprised when I saw the Doors video in there. The Browns tape is from when they first came back to Cleveland and is new, I'm giving it to my brother-in-law for Christmas or something. There was also a copy of Used Cars but it was MIA for the picture. The other tapes were mostly various sports bloopers videos, I tried selling them at the flea market today, but no one wanted to buy them, but I'll go back next week and try again.
At another sale, there were two across the street from one another, so I went to one while my dad went to the other. As I'm leaving mine to go to the other one, I see him smirking while walking down the driveway. As I get closer I realize he's holding two boxed NES games. I asked him if there was more and he said there was. Unfortunately, there were no more NES games, but I did grab these for $1 each. [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9850.jpg[/img] The NES games he got were the box for for SMB2, a boxed Dr. Mario and a loose SMB. They're marked $1 on each of the boxes, so I'm thinking he paid $1 for both, but he won't tell me. [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9841.jpg[/img]
Another sale was one that I know I've been to before because everything looked familiar. Everything but these anyway, [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9854.jpg[/img] They were marked $1 each, I got them all for $10. Would have been nice if there wasn't so many GH though.
I also got a nice Composite selector box for $1. [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/DSCN9853.jpg[/img] I don't really need it, but it never hurts to have spare on hand.
In non-gaming finds, I picked these up: [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/DSCN9855.jpg[/img] The Jeff Foxworthy book was $0.25, the Southpark CD was $1.
The flea market wasn't all that great. There were a few dark clouds out so I think a lot of vendors stayed away for fear of rain, but it never did rain. All I bought was this for $1. [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9849.jpg[/img] It's complete, but the paper insert isn't in the greatest of shape. They had a few more boxed games, but no others CIB and a stack of loose discs, but I passed on the rest.
I also talked to a vendor who has been there with video games nearly all summer. I asked him if he was interested in buying my duplicates. He said he was interested, so I'm emailing him the list so he can decide.
On the way home from the market a small garage sale produced this: [img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9847.jpg[/img] I paid $20 for it. It's more than I would have liked, but I've wanted a Guitar Hero game for along time now. The game disc was in a paper sleeve and the strap is missing, unfortunately.
Each time a fantastic new film comes out I inevitably consider the appalling game title that is no doubt being rushed out by a random game company with no thought or care to the suffering the public will have to endure playing said release. Sadly things have barely improved from the days of E.T the game and Back to the Future, Computers power has grown beyond belief but the power to create a decent video game based on a film is still sadly lacking. I am tempted to let the developers of the game off the hook, no doubt they are under severe time constraints and have to churn these so called games out quickly to move onto things they actually care about creating. If this is the case it shows, rarely is there a good game coming from a new blockbuster many seem to rely on appealing to the kids to cover the lacklustre game play and mediocre graphics. These days its like they have a formula for a game and repeat it time after time and hope nobody has the intelligence to realise what is happening.
Enter the Matrix for instance starts well but you soon realise that you actually have little control over your character and that the game takes over control with fmv sequences, the movement is clunky and it fails to deliver in a world that should be smooth and free flowing.
On the opposite side of the conveyer belt of film game titles once in a while you are pleasantly surprised it only happens once in a blue moon The Lego star wars series, along with the new Indiana Jones games are intelligently written, fun to play for the whole family not just your kids and still challenging enough to keep you coming back for more. There are others such as classics like Aladdin on the Mega Drive proving it can be done.
Ill end by turning it on its head and plead with the film studios to think very carefully the next time they decide to convert a game to the big screen; from Street Fighter 2 the movie to Doom its a catalogue of some of the biggest film travesties Ive witnessed. The first person sequence alone in the Doom film is enough to make me shudder even thinking about it now, thats all from me and Ill be glad to hear your thoughts on the things Ive talked about here.
I'm 8 years old and im sat down in front of an amazing machine called the zx spectrum +2. As my family goes through the frustration of trying to actually get out of the goblin dungeon in The Hobbit i dont realise that in 21 years time ill feel an urge to recreate this moment and drive myself insane by playing it again and yet again want to tear my hair out at the infuriating command system.
Collecting all the consoles and computers from my childhood is turning out to be a rather expensive excersize but thank god for Ebay, while sometimes not the most reliable of sources the volume of items that can be gained here cannot be overlooked. Playing my way through Street Fighter 2 and Pilotwings on the Snes brought back so many good memorys likewise Streets of Rage 1 and 2 never seem to diminish the joy they give over the course of time. Of course recreating your childhood comes at a price ignoring the financial type the confused and resignated looks of my wife, as she trys to imagine why i want to buy all these relics of gaming past when i can just use my 1000 pound pc to play all i have bought and more on any number of emulators.
But there is something that i feel when i sit down in front of my Amiga or play Tetris on that big old brick of a Gameboy that is more than i get from recreating the games on my computer. "You are mad!" some of you are thinking, no madder than anyone who collects things to excess i suppose. Luckily my wife has accepted my need for these things now but only at the cost of beanbags in the room earmarked for my retro gaming heaven.
To end a rather sharp change of subject, after having many long discussions with a friend on this ill put it down here. Im totally against FPS/RTS on any console system, i've never found controllers to be friendly towards these genres and im sure many people will disagree with this point of view. They should be reserved for PC gaming, the whole affair of porting games to one platform or another rarely works, I recently played Lost Planet on my PC and it was such a badly done port from the Xbox360 version it destroyed the game and any chance i had of enjoyment i may get out of it. Playing C&C with a controller and slowly scrolling around the screen with no chance of shortcut keys or macros makes me cry. This being said im sure console owners without PC's would rather have an FPS with sluggish aiming and movement than no game at all, I on the other hand refuse to play such games on my consoles call me a purist or call for my head its up to you.
Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, well, that’s at least what they say. To me imitation could be a good thing, or, in a market where being unique can lead to being hugely popular and subsequent huge profit margins, a very bad thing. Look for example at Apple. No one is really like Apple in what they do and what they offer. Apple is the trendy tech company, and pending the outcome of a lawsuit, they either will be comfortably the trendy tech company for years to come, or they could see their profit margins erode as the Mac OS is opened up to other hardware manufacturers. Certainly could throw a wrench into things, that’s for sure.
So, what does this talk have to do with gaming? What? Are you serious? Imitation in the gaming realm is making me want to throw up, and I hope you’re as dazed about this imitation as I am.
Well it's been awhile, but I am back with the site after moving to a new state so I can get back to writing about games for you guys. I thought I would start off with telling you guys about an update to my collection:
So I have been wanting this game for a long time now and found the Collectors Edition at Gamestop for $10. I am about 25% into it right now, and while it is not as scary as I want it to be, it is still fun.
Dead Or Alive Ultimate - XB - $9.99 - Complete *First DoA Game*
So I was dying for a good fighting game and thought I would give DoA a try. DoA 1 sucks IMO. I have never been one to not play a game over the graphics, but it is so dated I can't stand it. DoA 2 is good, but with a very small roster and short story, I am left wanting more. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So I have been hearing about Jade Empire for a long time now and love Bioware, so I found the Collectors Edition at the GS B2g1F event on the XB games. I have only played for about 30 Mins, but it is an great game so far. Can't wait to get into it. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Developer MOSS has announced (again?) that the arcade hit, Raiden IV, will be arriving on the Xbox 360 this fall. It is slated for a September 11 release and should be supercharged with two extra levels. DLC offerings will take the Ace Combat 6 route where you can buy more ships with different weapon selections and capabilities. A much anticipated feature is the ability to save and share replays of successful runs. Additional bells and whistles include the ability to play in TATE mode (sideways), world rankings, and stunning 3D backgrounds made possible by this next-gen system. Also, a soundtrack CD will be bundled with the game for a limited time. The 360 soundtrack will include all the original arcade music plus extras and some remixes.
While there is no official announcement of a worldwide release, the developers have mentioned their intent to bring the title overseas.
[img align=right width=200]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61R54CEEVBL.jpg[/img]Lego Rock Raiders is a 1999 PC game based on the popular Rock Raiders franchise. The game is aimed at children who like the actual Rock Raiders Lego but can also entertain teenagers or adults looking for a way to spend a couple of hours.
Story of the game is simple: While cruisin' in their Lego Spaceship, the Rock Raiders get trapped in a space storm and have to make an emergency stop at the nearest planet. Only way to make it back home is by digging into the planet's caves for energy crystals to repair their ship.
Each of the 33 missions starts out with Chief briefing you in about what needs to be done. This can range from gathering X amounts of energy crystals to saving a group of stranded Raiders. Although the missions seem to embody enough variaty, the actual gameplay does not.
Rock Raiders is a Real Time Strategy (RTS) game where you spend most of your time looking for resources. What differentiates Rock Raiders from a typical RTS like Warcraft III is that gathering resources is all you do.
Like in any RTS game, building up your base is one of your primary concerns. Each building has its specific function like processing crystals, supplying your cave with air or for teleporting Rock Raiders and vehicles. Building one of these usually takes a number of ores and one or two (of the rarer) crystals. To find ores and crystals, your Raiders need to drill in the walls surrounding them. This will not only reveal the resources inside but also expand your playable area further and further, when you discover more caves, underground lakes or even lava streams. Occassionally, you'll run into a Rock monster that can destroy your base if you're not careful. However, placing some electrical fences or giving a couple of your Raiders lightguns will solve the problem easily.
Biggest problem of the game is that the Rock Raiders don't listen to your commands directly. You can, for example, click on a wall and request it to be drilled. Sure enough, some moments later a Raider will do so. This has probably been done to make the game easier for children (so they don't have to select a Raider individually and give him an action), but it can make the game very frustrating in the later levels. Especially when requesting a wall to be dynamited (this is required for stronger walls) it can take several minutes for it to actually happen. Also sad is that you can't save during a mission, so you need to finish missions in one go if you want to make progress.
Good thing is that graphics & sound for this game are good. Especially the graphics will appeal to the younger audience with sharp and colorful textures. Buildings and Raiders look exactly like you would expect and animations of buildings being build, raiders running around and monsters scaring your Raiders are generally good. Music is limited to some forgettable techno beats, but the sound effects and voices of the Rock Raiders are funny and informative. Graphical variation is being offered in the form of three different cave types: normal, ice and lava. Walls and monsters also come in these three variaties.
All in all Lego Rock Raiders is an average game which could've been much better if the gameplay wasn't so repetitive and frustrating. Although the Lego fan might enjoy this, I can't recommend it for regular RTS players, looking for a diversion. 6.5/10
Welcome to my newest blog series, happily called the "Collector's Dilemma". In this weekly series, I will give a short introduction and then turn to you, the readers, to get your opinions on a very important topic to the collecting community.
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.
As you can tell, the big game this week is of course Madden NFL 09 for all systems (
Perhaps football isn't your thing and you would rather play a more traditional game. Well, this week has plenty to offer you. First up on the list is Bangai-O Spirits, the latest from fan-favorite developer, Treasure. As you may have guessed, Bangai-O Spirits is a sequel to the cult classic N64/Dreamcast shooter Bangai-O. If you haven't played the original, the game is a free-roaming, multidirectional 2D shooter. The DS version promises to retain the spirit of the original, including the insane number of bullets on screen at once. What's neat about Spirits is that the levels have been designed around co-op, so you can jump in with up to 3 other people and play the game together. However, the coolest feature about the game is that it includes a level editor which allows you to build your own levels and share them with your friends. However, since Treasure is a quirky developer, they had to go about sharing them in the most bizarre way possible. The created level is encoded as a modem-like sound that is played over your DS speakers and transferred to your friend’s system using the microphone. The sound can also be output over the DS headphone jack and recorded on your computer to share with the world in MP3 format or over YouTube. This feature will not only work with levels, but you can also send high scores and replay videos. Pointless? Sure, but at least you don't have to deal with friend codes. Awesome? Totally.
But there's more! This week also sees the release of the long-awaited Bionic Commando Rearmed on Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and PC (via Steam, Direct2Drive, and other digital distribution platforms). Rearmed is a remake of the NES classic which features the same great gameplay as the original, but with new 2.5D HD graphics, new areas, online leaderboards, and other features. The game does not have any Nazi references as seen in the original Japanese game, but the voice acting and script of the game does make fun of the fact that it's censored. People buying it on the PS3 will also be able to play the game on their PSP using the remote play feature, and can also look forward to trophy support in a future patch for the game. The game will cost $10 on both XBLA and PSN, while it's going to be $15 on PC.
Finally this week, the latest episodic series from one of my favorite developers, Telltale Games, begins. The series is Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People, based on the popular web toon 
Imitation is said to be the sincerest form of flattery, well, that’s at least what they say. To me imitation could be a good thing, or, in a market where being unique can lead to being hugely popular and subsequent huge profit margins, a very bad thing. Look for example at Apple. No one is really like Apple in what they do and what they offer. Apple is the trendy tech company, and pending the outcome of a lawsuit, they either will be comfortably the trendy tech company for years to come, or they could see their profit margins erode as the Mac OS is opened up to other hardware manufacturers. Certainly could throw a wrench into things, that’s for sure.
Developer MOSS has announced (again?) that the arcade hit, Raiden IV, will be arriving on the Xbox 360 this fall. It is slated for a September 11 release and should be supercharged with two extra levels. DLC offerings will take the Ace Combat 6 route where you can buy more ships with different weapon selections and capabilities. A much anticipated feature is the ability to save and share replays of successful runs. Additional bells and whistles include the ability to play in TATE mode (sideways), world rankings, and stunning 3D backgrounds made possible by this next-gen system. Also, a soundtrack CD will be bundled with the game for a limited time. The 360 soundtrack will include all the original arcade music plus extras and some remixes.