GTA IV and Mario Kart Wii came out last week. Knowing that fact, do you expect a great release week? If you said no, then you're correct...unless you're a Wii owner, then you have a FANTASTIC week. In addition, it appears that many games are on this week's release date that were delayed from weeks past. If you tried to buy a game I listed in the past but had no lucking finding it, you might want to check out the release list for this week and see if your game is on it.
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | | •Call of Duty 4: Game of the Year Edition (We'll see if it actually comes out this time...) | ... |
•Blast Works: Build, Fuse, Destroy (I'm getting conflicting release dates on this one, but I'll include it anyways. I'll talk more about the game next week, because it's really important for the Wii.)
•Boom Blox
•The DOG Island
•Speed Racer | | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | •Chameleon
•R-Type Command
•SNK Arcade Classics V.1 | •Brain Voyage
•Crosswords DS (This one is actually published by Nintendo!)
•Speed Racer | ... |
 My game of the week goes to Boom Blox on the Nintendo Wii. Developed by EA and Steven Spielberg, Boom Blox offers a unique twist on the puzzle genre, along with some of the most creative use of the Wii remote ever seen in a game. The basis of Boom Blox is extremely simple, knock a structure of blocks down. You can knock down these stacks of blocks in many different ways, including throwing balls, blowing wind, and shoooting them. In addition, there are some blocks with special properties, such as exploding when hit with something. Perhaps the most exciting feature of the game is in the built-in level editor, which will allow you to build your own block structures for both single and multiplayer modes. Once you build a level, you can send it to friends over the internet and have them play it. However the game features no online multiplayer, only split screen. If this sounds lame, then I urge you to . It explains the concept far better than I ever could. While I do highly recommend checking out this game, I don't know if it's worth the $50 asking price. But if no one buys the game right away, then it could cause EA and other developers to think that no one wants this type of game that makes very creative use of the Wii, causing more shitty shovelware. I'm going to wait until EA lowers the price to around $30 or so, which shouldn't be too long knowing how EA operates, and buy it NEW (not used because they won't know about that sale, and it would be the same as not buying it in the first place).
Friday wasn't all that great in terms of finds, mostly because of a threat of rain kept people from having a lot of sale. But I did have a somewhat unusual find.
While at a garage sale looking through a stack of $1 NES games, the guy selling the games is talking to his buddy about Nintendo. And basically, the guy said he was looking to buy an NES but was having a hard time finding one for sale, so I stepped in and told him that I had one I'd sell. I told for $30 I'd bring it on Saturday because I knew I'd be in the neighborhood again. Unfortunately, when I went back on Saturday, he didn't have the money to pay for it. I gave him my email and told him to let me know when I could drop by with it next Saturday because I'll be in the area again, so we'll see what happens.
I did buy some games from the guy though, a little dirty, but for $1 each, I won't complain.
Rampart
Guerilla War
Base Wars
Star Wars
Championship Bowling
Exodus: Journey to the Promised Land
Days if Thunder (I forgot my lists and I didn't think I owned it, but I do.
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9364.jpg[/img]
3 PS2 games for $2. I talked them down from $2 each.
Corvette (missing manual)
American Chopper (CIB)
Ultimate Spiderman (CIB)
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9363.jpg[/img]
Today, it was little bit cold this morning and it kept a lot of people away from the flea market, but I managed to find a couple things.
NES games:
Orb 3D
Trog!
Yoshi
Donkey Kong Classics
Airwolf
I traded a loose DKC2 + $10. Maybe not the best deal, but I'm sure I only paid a buck or two for the DKC2.
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9365.jpg[/img]
The guy also had a Deluxe NES in the box with everything but the Gyromite cart for $100. I almost had it for $50 though. He was trying to call his son to get a price on it, but he wouldn't answer so he was going to give it to me for $50, but just then his son called back and he upped his price to $100. That kind of irritated me, because he didn't know what the DKC2 sold for and didn't call to get a price check on that. I didn't want to bitch about it though, because he's normally good to me and likes to trade.
[img align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-044/bf/U-044-S-01500-A.jpg&sizex=200[/img]
I am a huge Earthbound Fan, and each passing week where Mother 3 is not released makes me a sad panda. If you are interested as to how much I enjoyed Earthbound, why not check out its game page? Feel the love, and I hope that you've played the game.
What? You say that you have not? That's okay, many other people have not played this amazing game. Fortunately for you, Nintendo has apparently decided to release it for the Virtual Console, at least that's what the ESRB says. Personally, that makes me excited. Perhaps Nintendo will not be a whore and release Mother 3. I don't know, but I'll be content knowing that a new group of people will have the opportunity to try this amazing game.
ESRB Rates Earthbound For Wii VC [Kotaku]
You know what happens when your April Fools joke is horribly cut short by your old web host? The answer is, that we at RF Generation get rather irked. You see, we at RF Generation see April Fools as a high holy day. We really, really enjoy April Fools, and well, our old host suspending our site made us a bunch of sad pandas.
Thankfully, our April Fools joke was geriatric in nature. One of the aspects of old age lends itself nicely to our predicament. Old people, unfortunately for them, tend to lose track of things, including the date. So, surprise! Happy May Fools!
We’d like to thank everyone who was involved in our little joke, especially our resident graphic artist den68. He kicks ass. We thought about waiting until next year to show off Geriatric Generation, but doing this joke on May 1 probably led to a WTF moment for lots of people, which is exactly what we wanted to do, because we at RF Generation like to have our fun.
Of course, Geriatric Generation is the latest in a long line of April Fools Jokes, and I can almost guarantee that come next April First, there will be a whole new experience to be had. Between then and now, there might be other new things. We don’t know. Perhaps. Perhaps not. I hear that if you give us a shrubbery we might be more inclined to add stuff. Strike that. Two shrubberies.
From all of us at RF Generation, keep it glued to channel three!
After months of consideration and planning, RF Generation has decided to change its theme to something more contemporary. One can look out in the realm of gamers and collectors and see that these hobbies are drawing an older crowd than in years past. Just look at the recent success of the Wii. I don't know what my grandparents would do if they could not get their Wii Sports Bowling. It's just like the real thing, except with a greatly diminished chance of injury. Thank Nintendo and other developers for given the older generations something new and exciting to do. Certainly, they are visionaries.
In the spirit of the ever increasing number of older gamers, RF Generation will now be known as Geriatric Generation. We feel that this new direction will not only appeal to a new populous, but also increase our financial solvency in the long term, thanks to sponsorships by amazing products like Viagra, Medic Alert, and Depend, amongst many more. Certainly, we ask that you check out and use their amazing products. I know I certainly will when the need arises.
What does this change to Geriatric Generation mean to you, our readers and members? Well, in the short term, you'll still have access to our databases and your collection tools, and the forums will still exist. As time progresses though these tools will be tweaked to be better in tuned with our new core audience, as well as several new tools shall be added to offer our new core audience reason to stick around. Personally, I am really proud of the collaboration we are soon to roll out in conjunction with AARP. Soon you'll be able to pick out which games the AARP recommends that you, the older gamer, should play. That's just one of many new things to roll out in the coming week, and certainly, we're excited.
We certainly hope that you understand our decision to change format, and we hope this development will not cause us to lose you as a member or reader. Be sure to keep checking out Geriatric Generation, and by all means, don't forget to check the Weather Channel on your Wii.
Not a bad week for treasure, not great either though.
Monday, I went to Goodwill and found a cassette tape drawer set that I'll be using to hold about 150 loose Genesis games, I've only got half that number, so it's got room for expansion.
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9338.jpg[/img]
I payed $10 for it, and once I got home and started stocking it, realized there was a Todd Rundgren tape inside 
Also, I picked up Golf Power with dust sleeve for $2 that day.
[img width=599 height=800]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9339.jpg[/img]
Garage sales were pretty weak this weekend, the forecast was rain all weekend, so a lot of people didn't have sales they would have otherwise. I did go out Friday, and found some PS2 games.
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9340.jpg[/img]
Everything but Dark Cloud came from a garage sale for $1 each, the Star Trek disc was in the Smackdown vs Raw 2006 case.
The flea market was packed with buyers, but the vendors had very little to offer to me.
At the very last booth, I picked these up for $1 each.
[img width=599 height=800]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9342.jpg[/img]
Mario Golf (one I've been looking for for too long)
Re-Volt
Super Mario 64 (I've got a bunch of them, but I couldn't resist for $1)
I also got Dark Cloud here for $1, but it's missing the booklet.
And finally, probably my favorite find (although not video game related) was this stack of records.
[img width=598 height=800]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/DSCN9343.jpg[/img]
There's 25 of them, I payed $0.10 each. All but one record is Rock, the exception being a Radio Broadcast Tone Test, which is my first 78. It's basically a guy talking about a radio sending out a signal and them recording it to test how strong the signal is, and then an old song is performed. I don't know why, but it reminds of the Dharma Initiative tapes from Lost. The woman selling had maybe more and said I could have them for $10, but it was pretty much all stuff I didn't want to deal with.
There are only two games that matter this week.
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | •Grand Theft Auto IV
•Iron Man | •Grand Theft Auto IV
•Iron Man | •Iron Man
•Mario Kart Wii | | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | •Chameleon
•Iron Man
•SNK Arcade Classics V.1 | •Brain Voyage
•Corvette Evolution GT
•Iron Man
•Let's Pilates
•Let's Yoga
•River King: Mystic Valley
•Toy Shop
•Winx Club: Mission Enchantix | •Iron Man
•SNK Arcade Classics V.1 |
 Other than the two obvious picks of the week (which you should know about, so I won't explain them in any detail), SNK Arcade Classics V.1 looks pretty damn awesome as well. The game is a compilation of 16 Neo Geo classics which include Art of Fighting, Baseball Stars 2, Burning Fight, Fatal Fury, King of Fighters 94, King of the Monsters, Last Resort, Magician Lord, Metal Slug, Neo Turf Masters, Samurai Shodown, Sengoku, Shock Troopers, Super Sidekicks 3, Top Hunter, and World Heroes. The price is definitely great on it too, only $20 for your choice of the PS2 or the PSP version. I'd pick that up if you don't want the big releases this week or want to buy something a little more "retro".
[img width=300 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/hardware/U-033/bf/U-033-H-00010-A.jpg[/img]The year was 1987 and the video gaming world was ruled by the Nintendo Famicom, followed by a somewhat strong competitor in the Sega Master System. Atari was still a big player at the time, though their recent releases of their 5200 and 7800 systems could not effectively compete with these newer breeds. A company called Worlds of Wonder decided to enter into the fray with the release of the Action Max. Though they had already established considerable ties to the gaming community during the mid 1980s, this system was already dead on arrival when it hit the store shelves.
Worlds of Wonder was founded by a group of former Atari programmers. Being the original distributor of the Nintendo NES in the United States, they had strong ties to both technological and manufacturing resources. The actions and reasoning behind the development of the Action Max is unknown. Coming off the video game crash of 1984, many hardware manufacturers went bankrupt and new developers shied away from this video game console field (NEC being the main exception). Obviously, this did not deter their efforts in creating a new system built upon possibly the most media formats ever devised – the VHS video cassette tapes.
It is important to first describe how this system works, rather than to describe its physical and technical features as is the norm. The Action Max is one of the few video game consoles that are not able to display graphics on its own – a VCR is required for game play (not included). The system works by attaching directly to a VCR. The VCR in turn transmits the video signal to your television. Sound is delivered through the Action Max system itself – there is no option for external output. The included Light Sensor must be plugged into the console, then 'connected' to the television screen via a suction cup. As mentioned before, games are VCR tapes. Pop in the game into your VCR, power up the Action Max and plug in the controller (light gun) and be prepared to fire away. All games (a total of 5 were released) are the same, whether it is shooting a ghost or a submarine, these are simple point and shoot affairs. What's worse, there is no change/reaction to anything being displayed to you when you score a 'hit' – a small noise is emitted from the console and the score counter increases. There is no way to win or lose at these games – just high score bragging rights among your friends (better right them down since the Action Max doesn’t keep track of them at all for you). Also, remember that this is a dumb VCR tape – replay value is -0-. The tape itself cannot change, and playing a new game repeats the same positions and appearances of all foes. Memorize where they will appear, maximize your score.
[img width=300 align=left]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/hardware/U-033/bb/U-033-H-00010-A.jpg[/img]Now that the basic concept of the working of the Action Max has been described, let’s look at the console itself. The system itself is rather nondescript. The dark grey exterior casing is shaped and has the size of an aluminum container used for the family sized portion of a Stouffer’s pre-made meatloaf dinner. Come to think about it, the weight is about the same as well (about 2 lbs.). A white elongated "S" shaped plastic wedge breaks up the dull, solid colored top facing. Residing here is a combination of three toggle switches and two dials that control the difficulty level and the number of players (supported two player mode). The player's score was displayed here as well in classic, old-school red LED numbering.
The front of the unit has jacks for a headphone and the controller, along with a toggle switch to mute the volume. The back of the unit is more of the same – a jack for the power (external, not included but the unit can run off of C batteries), two mini-RCA jacks for the light sensors. The controller is a more of the same - a simple dark grey light gun that feels rather fragile and does not have any girth to it, though it does fit OK in one’s hand. 'Shooting' the 'gun' emits a rather satisfying mechanical clicking noise – nothing like cap guns of the era, but still, with this console, it is all about the small pleasures.
Worlds of Wonder entered into bankruptcy in 1988, less than a year after the release of the Action Max. The company is more noted for the development and production of various children’s product, including the Teddy Ruxpin interactive bear. Many of the associates of Worlds of Wonder went on to join Nintendo in various capacities.
[img width=150 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-033/bf/U-033-S-00040-A.jpg.jpg[/img]The Action Max was a short-lived system, and rightly so. Compared to it's contemporaries, the static game play and poorly acted video VCR games did not stand a chance. Think of the worst Sega CD FMV game released and multiple your disdain for it by 1000% - that would not accurately define an experience with the Action Max, but it would come close.
This system is only recommended for collectors – there is no value here at all for among gamers of any level. The unit is light, but the box is HUGE for this system – the packing alone is around 10" in depth. I am not sure why the packaging was so extensive for this system – perhaps the marketing gurus at Worlds of Wonder thought that 'bigger was better' when seen on a store shelve. It is certainly not needed for what it was designed to protect. Though not seen a great deal for sale, these systems are pretty cheap to acquire through eBay. Expect to pay no more than $50 USD for a complete system. Games are not too rare either – they will run you around $10 USD a piece.
The link to the full review of this system (including ratings, pictures and video):
http://www.videogameconso...ry.com/pg80-actionmax.htm
Thanks all.
Terry (a.k.a. Marriott_Guy)
The Video Game Console Library
http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com
 In a completely unprecedented (but unsurprising) move, notorious Florida "attorney" Jack Thompson has set his sights on the mother of Strauss Zelnick (chairman of Take-2 Interactive, the parent company of Grand Theft Auto developer Rockstar Games).
We all know Jack Thompson is an utter douchebag, but this takes it to levels I've never seen, even from him. It's actually the first Jack Thompson story in a long time that has completely shocked me.
The letter, posted in Kotaku's comment section by Jack himself, includes some wonderful statements about Mr. Zelnick and his mother. Some of the "highlights" of the letter include...
I would encourage you either to play this game or have an adroit video gamer play it for you. Some of the latter gamers are on death row, so try to find one out in the civilian population who hasn't killed someone yet.
The pornography and violence that your son trafficks in is the kind of stuff that most mothers would be ashamed to see their son putting into the hands of other mothers' children, but, hey, your son Strauss has recently assured the world that he is "a Boy Scout, everybody knows that." I'd love to see the merit badges that Scout Troop handed out. Is there a Ted Bundy merit badge? If so, your loving son deserves one now. It should be red and green, for obvious reasons
Mrs. Zelnick, did you train up your son, Strauss, to make millions of dollars by pushing Mature-rated video games to children?
Maybe you, Mrs. Zelnick, were so taken by your handsome son that you spared the rod and spoiled the child. That would explain why he has brought you, by the way he presently acts, "to shame."
And perhaps worst of all...
Your son, this very moment, is doing everything he possibly can to sell as many copies of GTA IV to teen boys in the United States, a country in which your son claims you raised him to be "a Boy Scout." More like the Hitler Youth, I would say.
He then closes out the letter with this wonderful little quip...
Happy Mother's day, Mrs. Zelnick, which this year is May 11, two weeks after your son unleashes porn and violence upon other mothers' boys. I'm sure you're very proud.
I really don't have much to say about this freedom oppressor and abuser of the Justice system of these United States of America. I'm sure we all have a common stance on this guy and his BS accusations and threats.
Reactions? Post them in the comments.
[Kotaku, via The Escapist]
Hello all.
Work has been a bit brutal as of late and has required me to travel quite a bit. Though I work in the hospitality industry (hotels), I hate all aspects of traveling myself – packing for a trip, wading through the lines at the airport, cab rides to the hotel, having to iron every item for a meeting the next morning (of course I use the bath room shower ‘steam’ method to reduce ironing times). Most everyone has experienced these types of annoyances at one some point and gets the picture.
On my most recent trip, I had to buy some coffee at the airport instead of the ‘Cup of Joe’ dealer I usually frequent (a Shell gas station). Upon receiving my 10 oz coffee from the bagel peddler just in front of Gate 32, the clerk mildly informed me that it would be $3.15. “For a cup of coffee??” I said to myself. In my field, I am fully aware of the both the simple and complex supply and demand scenarios. This simple coffee purchase of mine was the best example of this theory as any other lesson learned within an economics class. Yes – I was running late that morning and probably should not have hit the snooze button that third time. It would have saved me $2.50. Not allot of money, but viewed in a different way I paid over 500% more for the same product I would have received from Sally at my local Shell station.
The telling of this most recent frustration of mine provides an appropriate segue to this article - Buying Decision Do's & Don'ts. To make this a little easier to read, I decided to bullet point a few main thoughts I have on this subject.
- [img width=291 align=right]http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/images/articles/mg-blogs/40yo-3a-star.jpg[/img]Don’t Buy a New Video Game System the Same Day It Is Released
This is a cardinal rule (as seen with the Xbox 360 and it’s failure rate). I admit that I was the first one in line in 1993 at my local Electronics Boutique (there were very few dedicated video games at the time) to purchase the 3DO for $699. Learn from my mistake - it will save you allot of money, not too mention letting others test out the system for you and avoiding the ‘ring of death’ scenario for a respective system.
- Don’t Become a New Technology Addict
I grew up in a different time, when the operating system of a PC had to be booted from a 5.25” disk (DOS). As technology improved (PCs and video game systems), my need to have this new hardware mirrored this growth. I made many particularly bad decisions (especially in PCs) to try and keep up with the 'valley'. This is the same thing as buying a new car – the minute you drive out of the show room with it, it is instantly worth $7,000 less than what you paid for it.
- Don’t Purchase From an Unknown Source
You will have to do this at some point, but ensure to get as much reference information as you can, especially on those high-end purchases. A great resource in this area is the public selling forums (like we have here at RFG). Vice versa, you have to establish yourself as a trusted buyer. Always ensure to leave comments on all transactions.
- Don’t get into a bidding war on an eBay auction at 2 AM on a Friday Night
This does not warrant an explanation at all. I always joke with my brother and say that there should be one of those breathalyser car starter apparatuses attached to your computer whenever your fire up eBay or like web sites. A reading over .20 – access denied.
- Don’t Get Emotional
Leave all of your emotions at the door, especially when bidding on an online auction. Be prepared to walk away and not obtain an item. Getting all hyped up will only cloud matters for you and your decision making ability.
- Do Have Patience and Educate Yourself
This is a tough one to manage since the passion runs high on a number of items we are considering to procure. I have made some purchases to just complete a certain collection where I over paid for an item, sometimes grossly. There are times to pull the trigger, other moments when it is best to wait for the next possible transaction (which is most of the time). Do not get into bidding wars – determine a price that are willing to pay and be willing to walk. Do you research – this is key. Know what the value of an item is today as well as what was it's worth last year and the demand for it in the future.
- [img width=291 align=right]http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/images/articles/mg-blogs/40yo-3-shell.gif[/img]Do Keep All ItemsBoxes – Ensure CIB
As a pure collector, performing this action is of paramount importance. Having a CIB unit is worth as much as 1000% of one that is not when reselling (obviously depends on the item). Do keep everything in pristine condition – collectors know what came with the system and will pay you for it when the time comes. Also, if you do not have to rip open the plastic baggy that contains the manual, et al, then don’t. This will further increase your investment through time. Take the greatest care of your boxes and manuals – these are non-replaceable and the truly LN (Like New) games/systems command high dollars.
- Do Consider Shipping Charges Locations
Especially important for console/hardware collectors, this can add up to $150 in additional costs for some of the heavier units. Many times, the price of the shipping will not be able to be recovered when reselling a system in your country of origin. Again, do your research on both the seller and the country it is coming from.
- Do Keep Financial Priorities In Tact
Short and sweet here – you do need to pay the mortgage/rent. Don’t allow your passionate pursuit of an item to interfere with your everyday financial responsibilities. Give yourself a budget – save up for that special item – track your expenses and investment. Remember – no electricity, no video gaming.
- Do visit your local garage sales and flea markets
This is a dieing avenue for good purchases, but you can still land some pretty good deals from time to time. The local pawn shop is another semi-good avenue. Be prepared to sift through a great deal of crap to find that diamond in the rough. At the same time, establish strong relationships with these vendors (might have to make some bad, low money purchases at first to gain credibility) and then you can have them call you with their new finds (before they go on sale at their market/store).
These are just some of the things that I have learned from both great buying transactions as well as the ones I got buried upon. Today is a different day than it was 30 years ago, but a great many of the same lessons can be learned, and more importantly financially avoided. Exuding financial prowess with an aptitude in employing keen negotiation techniques will not only save you money, but will earn you respect.
I do hope this article assists and allows you to avoid some of the potholes that I have driven directly into in the past and still struggle to circumvent presently. I am sure that you have some other great tips to add - please share them and your comments!
My description of my current life at the moment that lead off this article will also be used to segue to my next piece – Balancing Life & Video Gaming. Just another something that I have yet to fully master. 
Until next time, happy gaming all!
Terry
PS. The "Noob" referral in the top pic was aimed at me, since I have made many bone head decisions in my time in this area (as well as in many others  )
This week is just preparation for next week which has two megaton releases. However, there is still some pretty neat stuff coming out this week. Take a look:
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | •Call of Duty 4: Game of the Year Edition
•NBA Ballers: Chosen One | •NBA Ballers: Chosen One | •Battle of the Bands
•Heavenly Guardian
•Target Terror
•Wild Earth: African Safari | | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | | •Chameleon | Dream Pinball 3D
•Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness
•Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time
•River King: Mystic Valley
•The World Ends With You | •Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES |
Looks like a good week if you're an RPG fan. You have a rerelease of one of the most critically acclaimed (and hard to find) games of last year, two new Pokemon games, and a game from RPG powerhouse Square Enix.
 What is my pick of the week? I'll say Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES. I'm not an RPG fan, but this looks like a great rerelease of Persona 3. It will include an additional chapter and additional storyline/gameplay elements for a total of 30 additional hours of gameplay. If you're at all interested in this game, I recommend you get it right away since it is an Atlus game and will probably be impossible to find in 3 months.
Next week will be a huge one because we have both Mario Kart Wii and Grand Theft Auto 4 coming out. So, start saving because next week is going to be a good one! Until then, happy gaming!
I found a ton of great stuff last garage sale/flea market season and I'm really hoping my luck continues this season. So, I'm going to keep a log on my weekly finds, I'll either update on Sunday afternoons or on Monday, depending on how much stuff I get.
I was going to start this a couple weeks ago, but it's still early in the season to be finding a bunch of stuff each week, so this will include the past 3 weekends of garage sales and flea markets. And if some of this stuff looks familiar, it's because I posted some in the Small Scores Thread.
Sega Nomad with 2 Sega rechargeable battery packs (neither holds a charge) $5
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9316.jpg[/img]
2 Mario's Cement Factory keychains, sealed, $0.25 each.
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9315.jpg[/img]
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 and Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec, both CIB, $0.25 each.
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9336.jpg[/img]
New stuff from this weekend, sadly it's raining so no flea market today. I was pretty mad yesterday, as I walk up to the first garage sale, I realize I forgot my wallet at home. Luckily I grabbed a wad of $1's before leaving and had my pocket of change, so I had enough to buy stuff I needed. But I had to pass on a nice variable power supply I could have used and other PS1 games I already had for $1 each. My dad was with me so I could have borrowed some cash if I really needed it, but he won't let me forget for a second that I borrowed money from him.
6 CIB PS1 games at a garage sale for $1 each:
Test Drive 4 (GH)
Moto Racer 2
Jet Moto 2
Cyber Tiger
Medal Of Honor
Intelligent Qube (That's one I never thought I'd find)
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9335.jpg[/img]
In non-gaming related finds, I found a variety of wires/cables/adapters. There's a few computer power cords, but what I was interested in the most was several different audio cable connectors and extension cords, definitely stuff I love to find, $1 for the whole box.
So, not much stuff for three weeks, but hopefully it'll get better as the season progresses.
 Attention all you PS3 owners with Metal Gear Solid 4 pre ordered (which should be all of you), Konami has posted the beta version of Metal Gear Online to the Playstation Store and is ready for you to download. The actual beta of the game does not start until Monday, but you can download it (and the update) now in preparation for Monday's big event.
How do you partake in this Snaky goodness? First of all, you have to pre-order Metal Gear Solid 4 from a participating retailer. Second, you need to obtain a copy of the Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2 DVD which should be free with your pre-order. This DVD contains a refresher course on the MGS franchise and a collection of trailers for MGS4, but most importantly it comes with your ticket to participate the beta. Now that you have your code to get into the beta, boot up your PS3. On the XMB, go to the Playstation Network menu and choose Account Management. Then on the next page that comes up, choose Transaction Management, and Redeem Playstation Network Card or Promotion Code. Next, enter in the code found on your ticket into the text boxes on the page. If all goes well, it should accept your code and give you access to download the Beta...
If it doesn't work, make sure you entered the code in all capital letters. Still no luck? Well, you're probably like me and effected by Konami's royal screwing up of this beta program. According to IGN, some of the codes given out in the Metal Gear Saga DVD are invalid. How do you tell if you have an invalid code? It all has to do with the length of your key. If you have less than 12 characters in your beta code, then you need to get a new one in order to download the beta. To get a new code, try emailing Konami at mgobetasupport@konami.com, or try going back to where you pre-ordered the game and see if they'll give you a new Metal Gear Saga DVD. Or you can try downloading the beta from the European Playstaion Store, because they are lucky and can download it without using this beta code nonsense.
However, the other area in which Konami totally screwed up this beta is that you have to sign up for a Konami ID AND a "Game ID" in order to play. But guess what? The website to do that is down. However, I was smart and registered as soon as I heard it required for the beta.
I just hope Konami fixes this beta soon. I can't wait to get into the game and face off against others online with the man cannon.
If you're participating in the beta, post a comment in the article here and let me know your PSN ID and Game ID so we can have some kind of an RFG MGO night.
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[img align=right width=225]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/5591257414803e11b6edd7cynical_atari.jpg[/img]There are many big developers out there. Such Behemoths as Activision, Nintendo, and the evil empire we know as EA. Love or hate, these behemoths tend shape the future of the gaming world, for better or worse. On the other end of the spectrum, we’ll have the fallen angels, where certain companies have just fallen out of favor. Such is the story for Atari. No, not the old Atari that was cool and caused the video game collapse in the 80s, but the current, sad, sorry Atari that was originally Infogrames / Hasbro Interactive. What went wrong, and what the hell are you doing?
Atari, you have some decent franchises. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the Rollercoaster Tycoon series. Chris Sawyer was a genius, and the fact that the first game was the number one seller the year it came out proved it. Too bad then that you took the series and combined it with shit in Rollercoaster Tycoon 2. A sequel, nah, that was a castration. You tried to make better with the third game in the series, but while it was fun it was a resource hog that slowed to a crawl when your park became too large. Good job destroying that franchise.
Recently, you almost lost your license for Dragonball Games. For you, that certainly would have sucked, as your Budokai games are actually pretty fun. They are perhaps the only gems that are not tarnished in your crown by pieces of shit like My Horse and Me. Is that even proper English? I believe that it should be “My Horse and I”. Great job promoting the further castration of the English Language, in a world where the internet is destroying the written language you’re doing your part by influencing little girls who are too small to use the internet. In time, they’ll join the rest of us on the internet, creating some hideous MySpace page with the welcome statement “Like O My Gawd I am liek so Happy that u r here!” What a sick sad world it is. Thankfully, the economy has collapsed, so these bubblegum girls aren’t going to be able to hide in McMansions anymore. Thank God, perhaps they’ll learn what their poor English will get them in terms of a job. Do you think “Would you like Fries with that?” is hard for them to learn? I don’t think so, but I digress.
Atari, you’re a lost cause. Try as you might, but you’ll never be a behemoth in the gaming world. It’s funny though, because you do try. You took Phil Harrison from Sony. What the hell? You’re supposed to go out in a blaze of glory, taking the Infogrames stock price with you! But you must not realize that, or perhaps you do, and you just want to ruin poor ol’ Phil. Phil seems to be such a nice guy though, it isn’t as though he’s the one known for “RIIIIIIIDGGEEEE RAAACCER!” No, that’d be Kaz Hirai. What? You say you wanted that guy? I am sure that with enough money you can get him. I am sure Sony wouldn’t mind to have Phil back, and we’d be happy to see you go down in flames without him.
It’s time for you to smell the roses, Atari. Your time is over, and it’s time for new companies to grow out of your decomposed remains.
It is noted that a lot of thought came about regarding the structure of the English language from just writing this article. We really wish our resident grammar Nazi, known to the RFG Community as Arrrhaloymnn was around to give his perspective. There’s nothing quite like a native Dutch Speaker giving a native English speaker his perspective on English grammar. Oh well.
Taxes are due Tuesday...did you get them done? If so, it's time to start thinking about how to spend that refund. Maybe this week's release list will help you.
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii | | •Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (Also available as a download from the Playstation Store) | ... | •Okami
•Summer Sports: Paradise Island | | PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 | | ... | •Cory in the House
•High School Musical 2: Work It Out
•MLB 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars
•Rondo of Swords | ... |
Yeah, it's a light week number wise but game wise, it's an extremely heavy hitter.
 My pick of the week depends on what category you fall in to. If you have a Wii, but don't own Okami on the Playstation 2, then I demand that you buy Okami for the Wii this week. Okami was a PS2 adventure game in the style of Zelda, but got severely underlooked by most people because of the release of Twilight Princess. Now that the hype of Twilight Princess has settled down, it's time for you to revisit the game that was far superior to the vastly overrated Wii launch game. There, I said it. Okami is better than Twilight Princess. I'm not the only one to feel this way either. Zelda fanboy flaming aside, Okami on the Wii looks to be a fantastic port of the PS2 classic. The port will feature the same great game you never played on the PS2, however the team at Ready At Dawn (the same team behind the excellent Daxter and God of War: Chains of Olympus for the PSP) have taken the liberty to do some enhancements to the Wii edition including 16:9 widescreen visuals running at 480p and some wagglan controls (sadly). However, you can paint with the Wii Remote, which is awesome and hopefully inspires Nintendo to make Mario Paint for the Wii.
 However, if you're like me, a snobby bastard that's a part of the hip alternative gaming scene, you'll have Okami already and most likely won't be interested in a Wii port of the same game. What do you do then? You buy Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, that's what. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue is a demo of Gran Turismo 5 fully featured racing game that will give you an early glimpse at what to expect from Gran Turismo 5 when it ships next year (or in 2010, knowing Polyphony Digital). This title follows in the footsteps of previous pre-release GT titles Gran Turismo Concept and Gran Turismo 4 Prologue, but what makes this one different is that it is the first one to receive a worldwide release. The game features 76 cars, 6 tracks, 12 track layouts, 16 player online racing, Full HD 1080p graphics, and uncompressed LPCM 7.1 surround sound. New to the Gran Turismo series with 5 is GT-TV, a video on demand service that will be regularly updated with both free and pay content related to the world of racing and automobiles. However, the game does not include in-game voice chat (dumb move, Sony) nor private racing with your PSN friends, but Taku Imasaki, the producer of the North American release of the game, confirmed that they are working on adding that in a future update. Sepaking of updates, the lead director of the Gran Turismo series at Polyphony Digital, Kazunori Yamauchi, has said that vehicle damage will be coming to Gran Turismo 5 Prologue as an update, and that GT5P will eventually reach the full functionality of Gran Turismo 5, but with fewer tracks and cars. So, maybe buyers of Prologue will get a discount on the full game when it comes out, but probably not knowing Sony. Anyways, demo or not, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue looks quite awesome, but it definitely isn't for everyone. Remember, this game will be released as both a retail Blu-ray and as a download from the all-new Playstation Store. Both versions cost $40 and offer the same content, but the PS Store version will be a 2 GB or so download and will make you download the GT TV videos from the internet to view them. The Blu-ray edition will include all of the GT TV videos available at launch on the disc for instant viewing.
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