Check it out, it's Metroid. Looks nice, doesn't it? I sure think so, but then I am a die hard Metroid fan. What we have here is a remake of Metroid II, the game in the series where they kill all the Metroids on the Metroid Homeworld except one, allowing the events of Super Metroid to unfold. It came out for the Game Boy, back in the day. Game Boy... wow, how the mighty has fallen. Cannibalized by its own relative. But, I digress. This remake is pretty damn cool, and what makes it better is that it is fan made. Truly amazing, and better yet, there is a demo.
As Destructoid said, Nintendo would be wise to see this game on Wii Ware, in the form that this fine sir is doing. Even if it doesn't end up anywhere but just a fan service by a talented individual, it will still be one heck of a product.
This week is actually a damn good one for new games considering we're right in the middle of March. If you have a PS3, 360, DS, or PS2, there's a great game coming out. The other consoles, not so much unless Sega Superstars Tennis completely beats my expectations (which it won't). So without further ado, here's what you can buy this week:
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
•Condemned 2: Bloodshot •Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds •Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore •Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (Also available in a Limited Edition) •Sega Superstars Tennis
•Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (Also available in a Limited Edition) •Sega Superstars Tennis
•George of the Jungle •Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 •Sega Superstars Tennis •Worms: A Space Oddity •WWII Aces
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
•World Championship Cards
(No highlight game here this week. I'm not going to tell you to waste your money on World Championship Cards. Go buy God of War, Wipeout Pulse, or Patapon instead.)
•Diary Girl •Fantasy Aquarium •Go Pets: Vacation Island •Lost in Blue 3 •Sega Superstar Tennis
•Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection •Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends •Sega Superstar Tennis •Singstar 90s (Also available as a bundle with 2 microphones)
My overall pick of the week goes to Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection. This package is a collection of the first three Metal Gear Solid games in a specially priced $30 bundle in preparation for the release of the highly anticipated (50GB, dual layer Blu-ray) PS3 exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots which comes out in June. The Essential Collection is a fantastic deal if you are new to the MGS series, have only one or two games in the series, or are a completist. It's really hard to say no to $30 for three of the greatest games ever.
Check back here next week to find out what games are begging for your money!
Believe it or not, but we do listen to you guys. In fact, we even have ears that listen on other websites. You could say we're omnipotent... nah. That's not us. We're just a bunch of gamers, collectors, and average Joes running a website. But yeah, that's not the point. What is the point is that we've updated the collection checklist script after hearing some complaints about it. In the past, the script grouped variants and that was the only option. Now, the default option is that we show every game on a console, including variants. While this move will make a row for Greatest Hits, etc, it will also be extremely beneficial for those games that had multiple primary releases (read: Pokemon, etc.) We feel that it is better for you to filter out on the checklist which games you wish not to collect, rather than us. That said, if you wish to still group by variant, you can still do that as well, but such an action is not the default.
As with any new release on RF Generation, there may be bugs. As the PHP Programmer, as well as the Site Director, it is my job to quash these bugs. So yeah, let me know, somewhere, if you experience any bugs.
[img align=right width=200]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/202850710747ae286024acdBBFC-Big-Brother.jpg[/img] Britons! We Oceanians celebrate your recent triumph, for it was today that your country realized the intrinsic value of incredibly violent games. We have for so long known the value of these games, and now you'll get to experience a game that has been training our kids for your own perusal. We feel that this game will only make your people more prepared for the atrocities that will be part of the unending war, which we are sure that you'll soon enter. Where we're numb to the atrocities of the unending war, you people have no concept of the atrocities that you will soon experience and see. Thankfully, your government has officially decided to make Manhunt 2 available for purchase. Praise to your government.
Minipeace approves of this development, and we certainly hope that more games like Manhunt will be approved for purchase within your country. Perhaps your country will be the first to realize the masterpiece that is Thrill Kill. We personally so close to realizing that game; however, Big Brother felt that Oceania was not ready for this masterpiece. Hail Big Brother. His wisdom is unending, and with his leadership we're certain to prosper for years on end. May we remind you of his wisdom:
WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
The Author of this Post assumes no responsibility for any thoughtcrime that may have occurred while reading this article. Hail Big Brother. That is all.
[img width=300 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/hardware/U-053/bf/U-053-H-00031-A.jpg[/img]As stated in previous reviews, the drive for many hardware manufacturers was all about producing an all-inclusive multimedia device. In 1993, Pioneer entered the foray with the release of the LaserActive. Competing directly with Panasonic (3DO) and the Philips (CD-i), Pioneer upped the ante in this genre by basing their system on Laserdisc technology (the precursor to the DVD format). At the time, the LaserActive was the closest system to deliver a product that did meet most of the multimedia demands of the consumer - movies, games, karaoke, music, edutainment - all presented in the best audiovideo quality available. The system has another feather in it's cap - it was one of the very few truly multi-platform units released (ala Dina Two-In-One). There were really only three requirements to purchase one of the beauties in 1993 - a forklift, a large amount of disposable income and an IQ under 70. We'll take a look at each of these items in the same order.
Describing the physical characteristics of Pioneer LaserActive can be summed up in one word - a behemoth. This system is definitely one of the largest video game console ever released (second only to the RDI Halcyon). Weighing in at a hefty 25 lbs and measuring 6"¯ H x 17"¯ W x 15"¯ D, this beast truly stands out in any display. A durable hard plastic front casing elegantly displays the various system controls. The chassis itself is made of sturdy steel with multiple air vents to allow plenty of ventilation (definitely required when firing up this system). The somewhat conservative, though modern, facing features large soft-button controls, two (2) media trays (one for Laserdiscs, the other for standard CDs) and a large, cavernous rectangular hole to the bottom left - the modular housing.
The LaserActive could not play games as a stand alone system - it requires expansion modules called PAC units. The following is a list of the modules that were released (US release Japan release) and their respective description:
Sega PAC (PAC-S10 PAC-S1) - Allows play of any Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Mega LDs (specifically designed Sega games released on the Laserdisc format) games and CD+G discs. Formally known as the Mega-LD pack.
NEC PAC (PAC-N10 PAC-N1) - Allows play of and NEC Turbo Duo CD-ROM2Super CDHuCards, Mega LD-ROM2 discs (specifically designed NEC games released on the Laserdisc format) games, along with supporting CD+G discs.
Karaoke PAC (PAC-K10 PAC-K1) - Supports play of Laserkaraoke titles
Computer Interface PAC (PAC-PC1) - Allowed remote control of the LaserActive via a PC or Mac computer
[img width=450 align=left]http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/images/1990s/93_Pioneer_LaserActive/93_Pioneer_LaserActive_3.jpg[/img]Those were the main modules released. A pack for 3D Goggles and an adaptor were also sold for this system, but I do not have these and know very little about them.
The modules slide into the system on the left hand, bottom side of the main LaserActive system. The power must be turned off when switching out expansion PACs. There is a manual eject button that resides on the front of the unit that facilitates this function. Inserting modules into the system is rather delicate - or so it feels. They do snap into place firmly, but the weight alone of the PAC units tends to make one a bit cautious while doing so. The two game PACs came with the appropriate, Pioneer logo-stamped game controller (SegaNEC).
With the respective module (SegaNEC), games were presented identically to their parent system. The specifically designed Laserdisc games for each system were graphically and audibly superior but lack the control delivered on similar games on the original systems. Also, releases on the Laserdisc format (LD-ROMs) are high maintenance. The discs are huge (12"¯ in diameter) and about 7 times as thick as a standard CD - this equates to a higher drop/scratch rate when simply inserting a disc into the system for play. There were around 20 LD-ROM game releases for the Sega PAC module; 9 for the NEC PAC.
[img width=300 align=right]http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/images/1990s/93_Pioneer_LaserActive/93_Pioneer_PAC-S10.jpg[/img]Earlier I mentioned that one had to have a great deal of disposable income as a requirement to be able to purchase the LaserActive back in 1993. The going price at the time - $970 USD (roughly $2,000 in today's dollars)! Now, bear with me, this price would only net you a system that could play movies/music - forget about playing games. The Sega or NEC PAC expansion pack will cost another $600 - each! Feel like singing along to your favorite tune and controlling your LaserActive from your PC - tack on another $700 ($350 each). All told, to be able to enjoy your existing Sega and NEC library, along with playing American Idol by yourself and controlling your new purchase via PC (who wants to do this anyway) would have cost you roughly $2,900 in 1993 ($4,500 in today's dollars). If you wanted any of the slick LD-ROM games - you had to fork over another $120 per game! Obviously, this alienated 99% of the buying public. Why buy one of these when you could collectively buy the components you really wanted for a lot less? That question can only be answered by those with the IQ under 70 or had so much throwaway money that it didn't really matter. The Pioneer LaserActive is the second highest priced video game console of all time (once again, right behind the RDI Halcyon).
The Pioneer LaserActive is a cool system to own, but only for the true collector. The console initially failed on a number of levels - pricing, target audience and lack of promotion. Overall shipping prices are high due to the weight and dimensions of this system. The US version is more rare compared to the model released in Japan (both are identical in terms of technology). A CIB unit will cost you around $225 for the Japanese model (plus an additional $160 S/H if coming from Japan), and $300 or so for a US model.
They mailed Nathaniel a care package filled with all kinds of Halo/Bungie related goodies. Here's a list of what he got from the House of Halo...
Legendary Edition Helmet signed by most, if not all, of Bungie
Halo 3 Soundtrack (two disc) signed by Marty O'Donnel
Bungie Jacket
Bungie T-Shirt
Halo 3 Messenger Bag
Two Halo 3 Limited Edition Wireless Controllers (both versions)
Halo 3 Faceplate and Skins for Xbox 360
Four McFarlane Action Figures
Halo Actionclix Preview pack
Halo Actionclix Game Pack 4
Halo 3 Wall Graffix
Halo 3: Ghosts of Onyx Novel
Halo Graphic Novel
Halo 3 Wristband
Halo 3 Hackeysack
In addition Nathaniel has heard from John Porcaro at Microsoft who apologized about the situation and promised that they will get him something just as awesome as his signed 360. As of right now, he has not received anything from Microsoft.
In the last article I posted about this, there was some question from the commenters about whether or not this story was fake. Well, you're wrong, because it most definitely is real. Nathaniel's friends and the people that have signed this 360 have come forward confirmed it. So yup, they really did erase what was on his 360.
[img width=250 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/15473647647d219cde4f28CynicalEA.jpg[/img]Maxis was a great company. Who didn't love SimCity 2000? Certainly, it's no Stunt Driver, but boy was the game fun. Could you get the Launch Arcos to actually launch? I couldn't. I suck. But hey, at least I could start major floods like the best SimCity players. Floods are something that all the new SimCity games surely miss. Bring them back Maxis. I beg you. Maxis was certainly a great company. Today, however, it is part of the behemoth known as EA. Sure, they still have reign to make potentially amazing games such as Spore, but let's look at the other, unfortunate studios. Take for example Westwood Studios, the original developer of the hugely successful Command and Conquer Series. Red Alert"¦ quality game. Red Alert 2"¦ also a quality game. So you'd think a studio with a series as successful as Command and Conquer would have been allowed to survive, right? Well, you'd be wrong. Instead EA ate them. No more. Completely assimilated. That's apparently what you get for screwing up on an offshoot of your major franchise. Thanks C&C Renegade. So, there went Westwood, and other studios have seen similar fates, becoming less autonomous and on occasion just not existing anymore. Bullfrog? What's that? They've been gone for a while.
EA likes to buy companies. In the past, they would assimilate the companies, but recently their CEO mentioned that this model just was not a good idea. Of course, this statement was made right around the acquisition of a high profile developer. You may know them as Bioware. They make good games. Most recently they released Mass Effect, and before that they had hits such as Jade Empire and Neverwinter Nights. Hugely successful. Congrats to them. But you got to wonder, will their success keep them from becoming a footnote in EA's corporate history? Sure, EA says that assimilation is a bad thing, but was that just said to placate the masses of people who find Bioware to be the be all end all of developers? (I'm looking at you, Tan) History shows they have no problem making developers part of the bigger EA. So, is that fate subject to Bioware? What could it take? A bad game? A whim of the CEO? Nothing? Who knows? But what I do know is that I'd take Mr. Riccitiello's comments with a grain of salt. It might make a future assimilation even more stinging than it should be.
So, why am I writing this article? Is it because there is a Blizzard Warning out right now and I am cooped up in the house, or is it because EA is trying to become ultra-mega EA upon the purchase of either Take Two or perhaps Ubisoft. Maybe it's both. But yeah, doesn't EA's Grand Theft Auto sound delightfully evil? The Evil Publisher, with what is considered by some to be the devil's game. How delightfully maniacal. Damn you EA for owning Maxis. You'll get my money for that. But, will you or will you not keep your future and new acquisitions autonomous? I certainly hope that you do, but at the same time I certainly will not keep my hopes up.
February 2008. You guys managed to make 2208 submissions to our database. A little bit down from January, but still an excellent number of submissions. We'd be nowhere without your submissions, so keep it up! As a breakdown, 2027 submissions were for the games database, and the rest were for the hardware database. Poor hardware database. It's growing, slowly but surely, but it would certainly appreciate more love. Don't you hear it sobbing in the quarter, sad because it's being neglected compared to its more successful sibling? Make the database happy, you know you want to, and it will certainly allow for a better site.
So, who was the top non-staff submitter? This month, that honor goes to NES_Rules! He submitted 139 items! Congrats on being the top dog! It certainly is appreciated. Donkey Kong Kid was the second highest submitter with 109 submissions, and Yurf was third with 59 submissions. All you guys kick ass! Keep up the excellent work.
Of course, we have a dedicated group of staff also doing their job. Tan once again kicked ass in the staff category with 504 submissions. Apolloboy came in second with 235 submissions, and s1lence third with 224 submissions. Excellent work! In terms of the wonderful folks reviewing your submissions, Tan, Belgarath and s1lence are the top three people reviewing your submissions. Bum-man and Magewout also did their share approving submissions. Without their dedication, the site would be a stagnant site where nothing changes, so we certainly appreciate their work!
While many of you are not top three submitters or reviewers, we still want to recognize everyone who did their part in keeping our databases growing! A special thanks goes out to those members who made 50 or more submissions:
Thank you all for your submissions. Know that even if you were not mentioned specifically in this article your work is greatly appreciated. We'd be nothing without your work. With February behind us, let's look forward to an awesome March!
Bored? Interested in knowing useless knowledge? Want to know how many total titles everyone owns? Well, you're in luck. Today we launch our new statistics page. Fun and exciting things lay there. Be sure to check them all out. Did you know that our collectors own on average about 270 titles? It's true, right now at least. What else could you learn from the statistics page? How normal are out collection's owned distribution? I don't know, and I don't believe that I'll attempt to code that. But, for those of you interested in other stats, check out the page, and keep it tuned to channel 3.
[img width=300 align=right]http://www.abenteuerteam.com/images/brasilien/mythosamazonien/images/Amazon-old-man.jpg[/img]As most of you know, I tend to write very detailed and somewhat technical articles on various video game systems, focusing primarily on the obscure releases. When writing one of my last System Overviews, a fellow RFG staff member recommended that I add a bit more color to my reviews; to add a bit more of my personality to them. I considered his thoughts in detail, but ultimately decided against incorporating this suggestion into my reviews. I want my reviews to be extremely objective, technical and informative for both the collector and gamer alike.
That being said, I do believe that the suggestion made by said staff member was correct, though I disagree with the forum that it should be delivered upon. The creation of this new series, "Thoughts from a 40 Year Old Gamer" will be my attempt to meet this new objective of allowing more insight into the thoughts and rants behind the reviews. Yes - this might be a short lived series, not due to the amount of years I have left to live (have to beat down those hecklers quick), but based upon community interest in this venture. Your candid feedback and input is welcomed from the onset of this endeavor. This first part will focus on the question I am asked the most - Do you own these systems and play them allot?
Yes - I do own all of the systems that I review. My collection is around 130 systems, with 85 or so of those being unique (systems with both proprietary hardware and software code for game development). I cannot say that I play them a great deal - work and home life rather cut into the free time to be able to play all of them. My game library is not near some of the monster collections here at RFG (I have around 1,000 games), but I do have games for every platform. I honestly don't play many of the obscure systems that much apart from when they were acquired, though I always do fire them up and play the games when reviewing a system.
No, I wasn't around when Ralph Baer was developing the first video game, but I do admit that the term 'vinyl' is an instantly recognizable term in regards to a music media type. Along those lines, the first system that my father got for me was the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A - a computer hybrid that accepted preprogrammed game cartridges but was more of a home personal computer. I'll tell you what - talk about disappointment! While my buddies were blasting through waves of enemies or avoiding mud pits on their Atari 2600 or Colecovision, I got to climb a mountain and avoid some crazy bears on my TI-99/4A. I can't really complain though - I did learn the BASIC and Q-BASIC programming language at a very early age (you could program your own games on the TI-994/A).
Well, I think that is about it for now. As you know, us old folks tend to retire a bit early in the evening and pop on the History Channel or PBS on our set top boxes (televisions). My next rant in this series - Erosion of the Gaming Skills: Reality Bites! (ouch!). Till next week, father time signing out.
PS. No, that is not me in the picture. I am old, but not quite what is pictured (yet).
Greetings Capitalist Pigs and Eastern European brethren. Live starting today is our radio station just for you - Radio Vladivostok. Broadcasting from Hove Beach, Radio Vladivostok is what you need to remember those better times in Eastern Europe. Sure, you can't read English well, but you certainly can have excellent Eastern European Musik to listen to, da?
This wonderful advertisement is brought to you by our friends at the Liberty City Police Department. A wonderful group of comrades. Check out their pitch after the jump.
The "bigger is better" corporate mentality has struck the video game industry recently. Activision is in the process of merging with the games division of Vivendi Universal, and just last month, and Electronic Arts made a less-than-stellar offer to purchase Take 2 Interactive. Simon Jeffrey, CEO of Sega of America, reassures us "That's not an area we want to play in right now. We have no interest in being acquired, we are very happy with our position right now."
Currently Sega is the sixth largest games publisher in the US. "There is plenty of room for smaller companies to be successful and profitable in this business. You don't have to be number one or number two. You can be number six very happily," Jeffrey said. Sega recently scored a hit on Nintendo's Wii and DS systems with Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games selling over 5 million copies in the first three months. Not many non-Nintendo published games have seen much success on the Wii. Compared to other "hardcore" games like Halo 3 that gain a large burst early on, but soon fade in sales, Mario & Sonic have enjoyed a longer steadier sales period as perpetual word of mouth keeps consumers coming back for more.
Sega is offering a good mix of franchises this year including licenced games for "Iron Man" and "Hulk" movies, a Sonic RPG for the DS, and a remake of Sega classic "Golden Axe". "We really think this year we've hit our stride getting that portfolio mix just right," Jeffrey said.
While Americans get news that they have to wait until May 12, Nintendo of Japan is priming up their audience for upcoming Wii Ware releases later this month. Recently, Nintendo launched a page listing some of the titles announced along with some screenshots. A fair amount of second and third-party support is a welcome sight to continue Nintendo's diverse download offerings.
The current titles announced include:
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
There are a notable amount of previously announced titles missing from the current list, but it is expected that we'll see those as well as others on the Wii Ware service in the future. Judging by the screenshots we can expect to see a mix of single player and multiplayer games that appeal to a diverse audience.
[img width=300 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/hardware/U-058/bf/U-058-H-00011-A.jpg[/img]In the early 1990's, the rage in video game hardware development was all about being an all-in-one device. The following lists the prominent companies that took a swing at providing the buying public with the 'one' product that would satisfy allmost of their multimedia needs:
o 1991 - Philips CD-i (games/music/edutainment/movies) o 1991 - Commodore CDTV (games/music/edutainment/movies) o 1993 - Panasonic 3DO (games/music/edutainment) o 1993 - Pioneer LaserActive (games/music/edutainment/movies)
As you can see, the above lists some pretty big hitters in the electronics industry. In 1992, Memorex, owned at the time by Tandy Corporation (owner of RadioShack stores), released yet another 'wonder' machine into the fray with the release of the VIS (Visual Information System). This obscure system left a very small imprint on the sands of video console history due to a few reasons.
[img width=300 align=left]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/hardware/U-058/bb/U-058-H-00011-A.jpg[/img]The VIS was essentially a stripped down Windows PC in a VCR style casing. A 16-bit Intel 80286 processor running at 12.5 MHz powered the system that produced games in 16.7M colors at a resolution of 640 x 480. A customized version of Windows 3.1 is the backbone of the system and audiovideo performance. At the time, this was quite antiquated in terms of overall technical horsepower. The chassis itself does not even merit further dialog, as the picture of this system obviously displays. Wireless controllers were a nice touch and did differentiate it from its competitors, but the button alignment and offerings mirrors the chassis - nothing to write home about. The media choice was sound as all VIS titles were released on CD-ROM (Audio CD was also supported). So what about those titles?
Almost ALL VIS titles can be categorized into the edutainment genre - with about 50% of those targeted directly to children in the age range 8-15. Compton's Encyclopedia was included with the initial purchase of the VIS, but no true games were. There were a great deal of rumors out there of PC ports for this system that never went into production (King's Quest V, Space Quest IV, et al). The only true game that I can attest to being in existence, apart from the educational point-and-click safaris, is a release from Access Software called Links: The Challenge of Golf. Some of you may remember this popular 386 PC classic (which the Links franchise and company was later bought out by Microsoft). The graphics for the VIS are slightly less than their 386 counterpart, though navigation is a bit easier. All told around 70 titles or so were released for this system.
[img width=300 align=right]http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/images/1990s/92_Memorex_VIS/93_Memorex_VIS_Games.jpg[/img]Two versions of the VIS were released. The Tandy version retailed for $699 and was only sold in RadioShack retail outlets (actually hit store shelves in December 1992). The Memorex model was released in 1993 as an exclusive catalogue-direct sale from the parent company, but retailed for $399 (no changes at all to the hardware or included software). The re-branding of the VIS to the more popular Memorex label and lowering the price did nothing to save this console from its demise. To be honest, this system could have retailed for $39.95 and would still have been a bad value for the consumer - this console is truly that bad. Tandy's foray into the video game console market was extremely short-lived and ended up being an extremely costly venture for them. They do not even acknowledge the existence of the VIS in their company's historical timeline.
The Memorex VIS is only recommended for the true console collector - not at all for the gamer of any level. The system is rather hard to come by. Approximately 11,000 units were actually sold (total for both models). Expect to pay about $150 USD for a bare console, $225 USD or so for a CIB unit. This estimate is entirely dependant upon the source you are buying from. Since the VIS is sometimes mistaken for being a standard CD player, you might be able to grab it for $20 from someone who doesn't know what they truly have. If you are a collector - get one from a trusted peer.
Christmas is supposed to be a happy time when you are a kid. It doesn't become faceless until you're older, but as a kid, it's quite the magical time, normally. Unfortunately, there is the Grinch. You know the being. Green, evil, that guy. Well, apparently, the grinch struck this Christmas, and it wasn't very nice.
See, the video? The kid's name is Jonathan. He got a box for Christmas. Upon taking off the wrapping, he found that it was a 360 Arcade box. Most people, including Jonathan, would be elated that they were getting a new gaming system to play on, but there seemed to be something wrong with the picture. Upon opening the box Jonathan found that there was in fact no 360 in the box but rather CLOTHES! How evil. Dreadfully evil. Certainly, someone in this story has no heart.
Thankfully, lots of people do, and have contacted the family to get the kid a 360. Kudos to Microsoft for offering to help, but it looks as though Engadget has this debacle covered.
What a mean thing to do to a kid on Christmas. I hope the Grinch in this story grows a heart.
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.
My overall pick of the week goes to Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection. This package is a collection of the first three Metal Gear Solid games in a specially priced $30 bundle in preparation for the release of the highly anticipated (
As you remember, 
The "bigger is better" corporate mentality has struck the video game industry recently. Activision is in the process of merging with the games division of Vivendi Universal, and just last month, and Electronic Arts made a less-than-stellar offer to purchase Take 2 Interactive. Simon Jeffrey, CEO of Sega of America, reassures us "That's not an area we want to play in right now. We have no interest in being acquired, we are very happy with our position right now."
While Americans get news that they have to wait until