Well with a lot of people jumping off of Gamespot I guess I'll keep a blog here instead.
So has your gaming collection ever grown a bit too quickly and you haven't got a chance to play some of them? Thats what I'm dealing with today. I've just beaten Tales of Phantasia and I'm almost done with Soul Calibur Legends. Im half way done with Tales of Destiny but I can only play that when my Fiance' is over. (she wants to keep up with the story and she controls Rutee) So now I have to choose between: Arc the Lad, Secret of Mana, Lunar, and Robotrek.
I'll sleep on it for now, it was a long night at work and I need a few Z's. My next blog will be better I promise! P.S: If anyone reads this and can suggest a game I'll be very grateful!
2007 was the year of hype in gaming. Between Halo 3, Mass Effect, Super Mario Galaxy, Crysis, and Assassin's Creed, this year has seen the release of some of the most talked up games of all-time. While some of them fell far short of the hype, there were plenty of other far superior games that came out, but received little to no attention from mainstream gamers. So, continuing now and on every Wednesday (or Thursday) until the end of the year, I will be giving you a look at two games released this year that deserve your hard-earned cash and attention. At the end of this five-part series (ending the day after Christmas), I will list them in order of the most overlooked/underrated.
First up this week is the Halo 3 BetaCrackdown by RealTime Worlds and published by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 (I know, Ctrl-Alt-Del sucks, B^U, etc etc, but this one isn't half bad.). Before I talk about it, I want to confess that I have never actually played the game, but I'm just going based off of what Tynstar has said about the game on our forums and what I have heard from elsewhere on the web. Crackdown is an example of when something with not much anticipation rides the coattails of another more popular thing (like The Decemberists riding Stephen Colbert's coattails). Some previous examples of this in gaming include Zone of the Enders (Came with the Metal Gear Solid 2 demo) and Dragon Quest 8 (came with the Final Fantasy 12 demo). In Crackdown's case, RealTime Worlds' corporate overlords (in the publishing sense) at Microsoft thought, "Hey, why don't we give people who buy Crackdown access to a time-limited beta version of Halo 3! It will increase sales for us because Halo fans will buy anything related to the game..." Okay, maybe they didn't say that exactly, but that seems to be the logic. Include a demo for the most anticipated game of all-time with a game that wouldn't sell very well on its own in order to boost sales. Makes sense. Well, the plan worked, as Crackdown went on to sell 1.35 million copies. Now why, would I include such a successful game on this list? Simple. It only sold that many for the Halo 3 beta. Just go to any used game store and you'll see a boatload of copies of Crackdown available for sale. It's a damned shame too because it's actually a great game and got very good reviews and response from those who actually played it. In the game, you play as a genetically enhanced cop with superhuman, comic book esque abilities. The game revolves around you taking down three gangs that control the city. The game has been described by many people (including our very own Tynstar) as very addictive, and definitely worth picking up. So, those of you with a 360, definitely look into getting this game.
Next game I'd like to feature is one of my favorite games of the year, Picross DS by Jupiter and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. Now, as many of you on this site have discovered, Picross DS is a very addictive DS puzzler which is controlled entirely by the stylus (or the dpad if you please) and is a followup of sorts to Mario's Picross released here in the US 10 years ago on the original Game Boy. Now, many Picross games came out in Japan after Mario's Picross, but they never were released here because Mario's Picross was a commercial failure here, but 12 years later, Nintendo has tried out Picross in the US and Europe again. However, the DS iteration did not do extraordinarily well over here as well. But, for $20 it's a damn good value that will have you hooked for months. Picross DS is kind of like Sudoku, but with pictures. The numbers across the top of the puzzle tell you how many squares to fill in going down (and how many in a row there are), and the numbers going down the side of the puzzle do the same thing, but for going across. It's kind of hard to explain, but if you try out a few puzzles online, you'll understand it. Check out Wikipedia article about Nonograms in order to learn how to play them. You can also try your hand at a few nonogram puzzles by going here. Back to Picross DS, the game includes over 135 puzzles, a Daily Picross feature with five different unlockable minigames to test your puzzle solving skills, a puzzle creator, and online play. The coolest feature about this game are the free downloadable puzzle packs Nintendo has been releasing biweekly. Right now, you can download over 120 additional puzzles to your Picross DS cart (which can hold up to 100 puzzles). The puzzles are mostly from Mario's Picross on the Game Boy, but Nintendo has been having contests to make puzzles and some of those will be posted in a pack. Another online feature the game has is that you can send puzzles you created to your friends and have them solve them. All that for only $20. You really can't go wrong with Picross DS.
Check back next week when we look at something I haven't decided yet. Oddly enough I have no clue what I want to feature the next two times, but I know what the final part of the series will be. Oh well, check back and we'll see what I do.
Posted on Dec 7th 2007 at 09:49:45 AM by (hXd) Posted under site news
So this morning a got a txt from my lady stating that we "needed to talk". As most guys know, nothing good ever comes out of those words. My stomach was in knots the entire day and my heart hurt.
So after a mere month and a half of dating, my (former) lady broke up with me tonight over the phone. It was a bullcrap reason, too- she said there wasn't a connection between us. Well then, why did you drag it out this long?
She also used the "It's not you, it's me" line, which really got me. Lamest line ever.
It isn't fair, because I put 100% of my heart into this and she basically lied to me for a month and a half. And the sad part is that I still have feelings for her, when she clearly doesn't reciprocate.
Black and White... what are they? Their contrasting nature tends to give them different associations. Beneficence and malevolence, Ying and Yang, ebony and ivory, light vs. dark, Good vs. Evil, Spy vs. Spy?! I suppose they're black and white too. Some would say Black and White aren't even colors, just the absence or presence of light. Religions associate light and darkness with virtues and sins, with some even being particular to the color of light. In video games, if you're seeing in black and white, you're well overdue for a color television.
Kicking off this week's features is a fantastic piece of hardware that comes in only one color. The Game Boy Player comes only in black, which likely means it won't match your purple lunch pail. Despite its poorly coordinated chromatic aesthetic, this device (accompanied by a disc) lets you play your backlog of Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges on a full-sized television screen. Spiffy.
The featured image fits the theme dead on, as it comes from a PC game titled Black & White. Packaging for this game finished the one-two punch of the monochrome cover by packaging it all in two different box designs. The game itself can be considered a "god simulation" strategy game. The premise of the game is to build a following of tribesmen on a remote island. As you gain strength, you can compete against other gods and even claim some of their followers.
Patrick is the proud owner of this week's featured collection. This chap enjoys collecting for the Mega Drive and Master System, and even owns this week's featured game.
Mickey Mania was originally intended to be a landmark project for Mickey Mouse's 65th birthday, but the original project timeline was canned to accomodate bigger ideas. The end result proves to be a greater tribute to the Mickey Mouse legacy. So the story goes... Mickey gets zapped back to the past, but instead of reliving history, he gets to reenact his own cartoons. The first level is first starring role in the black-and-white animated short, Steamboat Willy. As Mickey progresses through the game, he travels to subsequently later cartoons in his animated career. For being targeted at a younger audience, this game proved to be quite difficult. Now we are all a few years more experienced as gamers, maybe we can rise meet the challenge.
Nintendo strikes back at modders! Piracy with the R4-Revolution for DS system has been running rampant, with surprisingly weak legal barriers to stop it. While it isn't necessarily advertised, the R4 system has been a large contributor to DS piracy in certain countries. Outside Japan it has become a hot import item due to ease of use. The user simply plugs it in and turns on the DS, without the need for any hacks or mods.
Enter Nintendo's alternative, the DSvision. The hardware components seems nearly identical, consisting of a microSD card reader for the DS, a microSD card, and a microSD card to USB 2.0 adapter for PC. The difference is that the DSvision parts are all proprietary, with built in copyright protection.
The manufacturing of the DSvision system is being handled by AM3 and Dai Nippon Publishing, with an expected shipment date in March 2008. A web site to host content is also proposed; offering pictures, movies, and digital novels and comics both for purchase and for free. The site is expected to host 300 titles at launch, and expand to over 10,000 titles by 2010. Each title will sell for around 1000¥ (US$10). The kit itself will cost 3980¥ (US$37), and will include a 512MB microSD card. It appears that this too may shape up to be a hot import item. Combined with the TV tuner and web browser, the DS is shaping up to be a big portable media machine after all.
Remember Excite Truck, and all those zippy new Wii racing games where you have to tilt the Wii remote to steer the vehicle? If that made you feel uncomfortable, you do have the alternative of riding a fiberglass pony instead.
So, I imagine that a lot of people on this site has heard about Gamespot catastrophically losing its credibility (as if it had any to begin with) after they abruptly fired Jeff Gerstmann, known for inciting the wrath of Nintendo fanboys for his review of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Well, the rumor is that the bigwigs at C-net did not enjoy his review of Kane and Lynch, which at the time was heavily advertising on the site. As such, they canned him. If true, this is a sad revelation into the priorities of corporate sites and the credibility of reviews. It is especially bad for journalistic integrity, what little was left.
It'll be interesting to see the true story, if it ever comes out, but for the time being I'll let everyone else speculate on the matter, while I sit hear writing my report that is due on Tuesday. The lack of comments make this issue seem as though it dos have a grain of salt, but then, what do I know. What I do know is that RF Generation receives its funding from our donors, and are a horribly independent operation. We love you guys, and we try to do what you want, except of course when we are horribly under siege by school, like many of us are now. I digress, but yeah, keep your ears open to developments in this story, it's fun to watch Gamespot go down in flames.
[img width=300 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/hardware/J-065/bf/J-065-H-00010-A.jpg[/img]During the early 1990s, many developers flooded the video game console market with attempts at being home multimedia centers - all-in-one units capable of performing supplementary functions in addition to their primary gaming platform purpose. The consumer was treated, but at most times disappointed, with releases like the Philips CD-i, Memorex VIS, Pioneer LaserActive and the Panasonic 3DO. In 1995, Apple Computer Inc. joined the foray by finishing the development of a system based on a scaled down version of their System 7 OS. Named the Pippin, Apple followed the 3DO Company's lead by licensing this technology to an outside manufacturer - Bandai. The Bandai Pippin ATMARK was released in Japan in 1995 and was marketed as the first modern hybrid console merging the power of a computer with the ease of a gaming station - as well as integrated network capabilities (hence the connotation in the name). Too bad that by the time of it's release, the technological world had passed them by.
The Bandai Pippin was released to the public in three different models:
o 1995 - Bandai Pippin ATMARK - Japan (white model) o 1995 - Bandai Pippin ATMARK - Japan (black model) o 1996 - Bandai Pippin @WORLD - USA release (black model)
Technologically, there are basically no differences between the three systems that I am aware of (I don't have the Japanese Black model version). All come equipped with the same features and user interface (buttons/ports/etc.). Since all three are the same machine, the console(s) will be referred to as the Bandai Pippin in the following paragraphs.
[img width=300 align=left]http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/images/1990s/95_Bandai_Pippin/95_Bandai_Pippin_ATMARK_top_1.jpg[/img]An attractive piece of hardware, the Bandai Pippin weighs in at a hefty 8 lbs and is sturdily built. The user-friendly control panel is featured on the top of this slightly curved console. One keyboard and two ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) controller ports are easily accessible on the front of the system. Being a gaming system that was trying to encompass characteristics of a MAC computer, network connectivity was supported right out of the box with the included 14.4k external modem. Further supporting this all-in-one theme, two serial ports (modem/printer), a PCI compatible expansion slot and a keyboard/writing tablet were standard on all units. The surprising fast 4x CD-ROM drive performed far better than the its competitors (the Sony Playstation, released the same year, only had a 2x Max drive).
The hard plastic chassis encompasses a mini-MAC under its hood. The PowerPC 603 RISC microprocessor ran at 66MHz and was supported by 6 MB of RAM memory (shared between the system and video output) and 128 KB of internal NVRAM. Both 8 bit and 16 bit video is supported and graphics are displayed 16.7M colors. Audio is delivered in full 16-bit stereo (44 kHz sampled output). At the time, the Bandai Pippin was technically a very powerful machine compared to the main competition at the time - 3DO, Philips CD-i and the Sony Playstation. The important question - How was all of this muscle and power put to use in game development? The answer - not very well.
[img width=300 align=right]http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/images/1990s/95_Bandai_Pippin/95_Bandai_Pippin_ATMARK_back.jpg[/img]The Bandai Pippin ran games using an abbreviated MAC System 7 OS (operating system), which was actually included on every compatible CD. Small updates to the core system files (stored in the NVRAM) were delivered and included on respective new title releases. Like the Sony Playstation, there is a boot sequence that performs an authentication process to validate CDs. Small, but efficient banana-styled wired game controllers feature an analog D-pad, 4 color-coded action buttons and a centrally located mouse-like roller. The Bandai Pippin combined Japan/USA library consists of approximately 22 titles - mostly games with a sprinkling of edutainment offerings. A couple of forgettable games were packaged with the hardware, along with a web browser application to allow internet website viewing on your television. This was a first for a video game console - WebTV type access and the possibility of online gaming. Having very few titles available at the time of its release coupled with the failed delivery of supporting existing MAC software was just one of many nails in the coffin for this console.
The Bandai Pippin, though technologically superior at the time, failed miserably on many levels. The first error was the positioning of this console within the market - a multimedia, mini-MAC, internet ready, gaming machine. Though the ambitious nature of their goals should be commended, the Apple R&D team on a whole should not. The general population was not yet ready to embrace this type of all-in-one unit. The internet, at that time, was not considered a 'utility' as it is today. As detailed earlier, lack of firstthird party software support and compatibility was also an issue. Then there was the initial price tag - $599 USD (roughly $830 USD in 2007 dollars). This put the Bandai Pippin out of reach of the majority of the buying public. With the price of computers dropping due to rapid advances in technology, this all-in-one unit was quickly an out-dated piece of hardware when it was released. Going against the Sony Playstation (amongst others) did not help either. Only around 5,000 units were sold in the USA, though the system did fare just a bit better in Japan. In fact, more peripheral devices were manufactured (and since sold off for parts) than actual consoles produced.
[img width=300 align=left]http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/images/1990s/95_Bandai_Pippin/95_Bandai_Pippin_ATMARK_face.jpg[/img]Overall, the Bandai Pippin was a more powerful and technically capable machine in 1995 compared to the eventual juggernaut Sony Playstation - if it had competed as a pure gaming console. Poor market strategy and positioning, coupled with an attempt to drive an internetcomputer hybrid console to a still technologically adolescent market was the primary downfall. The foundation and inspiration of online gaming and the networkinternet realities we now see from the current generation of consoles (Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii) can be attributed in part to the Bandai Pippin.
This console is recommended for console collectors only. Though produced in limited quantities, the Bandai Pippin is available through auction sites and private sellers. The original Japanese version (white) is not hard to locate but will still cost you about $200 USD CIB (complete in box) plus around $85 USD shipping from Japan. The same rates, surprising, apply for the Japanese Black versions of the ATMARK (some say that these are the unsold units from the USA that have been modified with Japanese labels). The US version, the Bandai @WORLD, will run you quite a few dollars and is the rarest. Expect to spend $300+ USD for a CIB unit, anywhere from $200+ USD for a bare system.
Let's see, what's going on with my life? My little brother is sick right now, 101 degree fever. We got him some ginger ale and chicken soup. I have to go to the bank today and deposit money. Then I'll promptly go spend it at GameStop or Best Buy. Play some games. Wait for my lady to call me about the movies tonight. Possibly go to the movies tonight.
I need to make more friends down here in Georgia. All my friends are back in New York, and I'm going to see them and the rest of my family on Dec. 21st- 28th, can't wait! Of course the friend issue will change once I go back to school. Oh yeah, none of you guys know that story, let me fill you in.
The reason why i came down to Georgia was to go to this really good art school, all banking on the fact that the state's HOPE program would pay for the tuition. Since no one in my family does research (me included) we failed to realize that HOPE would not cover all of the expenses, and the school wanted 3/4 of my life to go there, so I declined. Then I tried Georgia State University. I was 2 months late for fall semester application. So now I work at a supermarket while getting my paperwork together for the spring semester.
I guess it's not a bad thing. I never would have met my lady that way (she works at the pharmacy), and it gave me some rest after the grueling semester that was my final one back in NY.
2007 was the year of hype in gaming. Between Halo 3, Mass Effect, Super Mario Galaxy, Crysis, and Assassin's Creed, this year has seen the release of some of the most talked up games of all-time. While some of them fell far short of the hype, there were plenty of other far superior games that came out, but received little to no attention from mainstream gamers. So, starting today and on every Wednesday (or Thursday) until the end of the year, I will be giving you a look at two games released this year that deserve your hard-earned cash and attention. At the end of this five-part series (ending the day after Christmas), I will list them in order of the most overlooked/underrated.
First up Dewy's Adventure for the Nintendo Wii. Developed by the same team at Konami that created last year's sleeper hit Elebits, Dewy's Adventure is a platformer with a very distinct twist. In the game, you play as a cute little drop of water named Dewy, and what you do is tilt the level and change the temperature. Very simple yes, but it provides many challenges. By changing the temperature, you change the form Dewy takes on. If you raise it, he will become mist and a cloud, and will be able to hit enemies with lightning. If you lower the temperature, he will become ice and slide across large pools of water. The game is also like its cousin, Elebits, in that it grades you based on your performance in each stage, so that adds some replay value. Also featured in that game is a multiplayer mode, and the ability to create levels and send them to your friends using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. If you own a Wii and don't mind a cute, somewhat childish looking game with a pro-environment message and odd loading screen advertisement messages for Nestle bottled water, by all means, give this one a look. I have a feeling that you will be seeing this profiled in some magazine in three years for a "best games you've never played" feature. But don't take my word for it, here's a cool little video explaining one guy's opinion on why the game is so awesome.
Or if a cute platformer isn't mature enough for you, then check out The Darkness (for both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3), developed by Starbreeze, the same studio behind the underrated Xbox/PC game, Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (look for the remake on PS3 and Xbox 360 in the near future!). The Darkness is a game based on the comic book of the same name in which you play as Jackie Estacado, a mafia hitman blamed for double crossing Uncle Paulie, the New York mob boss. Oddly enough, on the same day this happens, Jackie is posessed by an alien creature named The Darkness, which gives him superpowers, but takes over his will. The main game plays as a standard modern day console FPS, complete with regenerating health and dual weilding, but when you summon The Darkness, the game changes completely. When summoned, The Darkness will appear as two tentacles which come out of Jackie's shoulder, giving him strength and four special powers. The first power will make The Darkness extend one of its tentacles, allowing you to look ahead, pick up guns, and kill enemies using it. The second power will give you two super powered guns. The third power will give you a sharp tentacle, which can pierce through enemies and obstacles. And the fourth power will create a black hole which sucks in EVERYTHING in its vicinity. Also, when you have The Darkness summoned, you are able to call Darklings, which are little critters that comes in different varities (Kamakazie, Gunner, Light Killer) to aid you in destroying your enemies and creating darkness for The Darkness to feed off off, since light is its only weakness. No overview of The Darkness would be complete without praising its superb voice acting. Mike Patton's (vocalist for the bands Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk, Fantomas, and some others) vocal performance, which was unedited and has no studio effects applied to it, is one of the best ever heard in a video game. However, the coolest part about the game is the sheer amount of content one can watch on the in-game television sets. Instead of having generic stock footage like in most games, The Darkness opted for public domain films, cartoons, and one full-length licensed movie, To Kill A Mockingbird. Yes, that's right. You can watch the entire, unedited version of the 1962 classic right in the game. Or if Popeye, The Three Stooges, or Flash Gordon is more you style, you can always watch some of those. However, it should be mentioned that the PS3 version has much much more in-game television content due to the increased disc size that Blu-ray offers (most notable: five additional Popeye cartoons), however, both versions have plenty to watch. A complete listing of the movies and animated shorts that can be found in the game is located here (I think this list covers the PS3 version).
Check back next week where we take a look at a game that's as addictive as crack (and a great stocking stuffer to boot), and a game that many cared about only for the bonus it had.
Posted on Nov 28th 2007 at 01:09:54 PM by (Shimra) Posted under Shimra, Shimra
Figured out I may as well start a blog, because frankly I'm on the internet form may time than I spend playing videogames. At least, now that I'm not in college anymore I have too much time on my hands.
Anyway, time for the emo moment of the blog. I'm sick, wahh me.
Ok onto something that is somewhat cool. I finished the Soul Society arc of Bleach a few days ago, feel free to flame me but IMO Bleach is pretty damn fantastic that is if you watch it subbed. Uhh so now I'm moving on to Cowboy Bebop. Yeah for me. Will I finish it anytime soon? No, because I have a massive headache and reading hurts my head (ironically I am playing Final Fantasy 3 right now and spending most of my time on board .
Oh yeah, I post on board 8 which is a, dun dun dun, gamefaqs board. If you bother to take the time though, gamefaqs has some kickass boards devoid of annoying users, etc. Board 8 is imo the best of those boards. Pretty much it's a social board where we talk about stuff ranging from games, to the gamefaqs contest, but mainly bullshiting around ala SomethingAwful or LueLinks. Uhh, pretty sure I'm going to be hated for going to gamefaqs way more than here, but if it makes you guys feel better I suicide my account for no reason about every other month.
Hmm, what else, oh yeah I got The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly a while ago but still haven't seen it. I feel like crap and just can't seem to get myself around to concentrating on something that is ungodly long.
Well that's it for my first blog entry, long and boring. Why am I doing this? Well besides taking Tylenol, sleeping, and reading message boards I have nothing better to do. Some form of catharsis or something. Dun dun dun.
Also what the hell is with having the yellow boxes but having to fill in all the boxes? Dave if I wasn't feeling so ****y I'd go down stairs and forget what I had in mind and come back upstairs.
Now live on Japanese Wiis, the new "Everyone's Nintendo Channel" is a way of telling Wii owners about new software. A complete software listing, trailers, and demos will be available for games seeing an imminent release and those that are already on the market.
Searching for a title seems much like our own database as you can sort results by hardware, manufacturer, genre, or title. One of the caveats of the system is that you can provide feedback of games you have already tried out and it will recommend others based on your interests and the recommendations of others. Like the "Everyone Votes Channel" it might not take off right away because it has to collect information before it becomes fully active. The results are scheduled for release by the end of December.
The big winner of all the features is undoubtably the downloadable demos for the DS. Now you can try out all those demos from the comfort of home instead of embracing shame while you publicly display your infatuation with your DS Lite at the local mall.
At the moment there is no news as to when the rest of the world will be receiving this application, but it is nice to know it is out there.
UPDATE GameTrailers.com now has a video of the new channel in action. Expect to see some trailers (TVCM), Miyamoto-san trying to sell Wii Fit, and the DS demo downloads. View it after the break.
[img align=right width=200]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-072/gs/U-072-S-02340-A.jpg[/img]Well, there are plenty of games out there, and by golly, many of them happen to be First Person Shooters. So, yeah, why not go shootin'? Here in Ohio it's deer season, after all. Don't want to shoot deer? Why not try the featured game, Timesplitters? I hear that it is made by the team who is made up of mostly GoldenEye team members. I hear that GoldenEye is apparently a good game, does not make Timesplitters de facto awesome? Don't know, but I bet our reviewer Shimra has a good idea. You should read his thoughts.
So yeah, don't own Timesplitters? Why not drool over our featured image. Someone was cool enough to submit a PAL Timesplitters 2 box front image. If you can't get into the Timesplitters carnage, then perhaps you can drool over that box.
Lastly, BadKarma has our featured collection. He owns Timesplitters. He also has images associated with his collection. By association, he has the featured collection. Congrats!
Stay Tuned to RF Generation, great things will happen once the Site Director's autumn quarter ends on December 7.
Slowly but surely I have been setting up my new Room of Doom (or as a friend of mine calls it the "Geek-a-Torium") for the past several months (picts. coming soon!).
In the largest room of our house, my comics, games, and assorted other long forgotten relics of my childhood have been stored away, virtually forgotten for the past 5+ years. Now that we live in a house big enough for me to have my own abode, I have been slowly opening each dusty box, waiting to see what I find inside.
One particular box I came across a few days ago was my huge collection of arcade tokens, which I had truly forgotten about. I stayed up 'til 2am looking through what I could before I collapsed from exhaustion.
One of the little gems I found was this very early Chuck E. Cheese token from 1982. I was 14 at the time and I remember getting this token out of the changer at Showbiz Pizza. Back in the day, Showbiz was an excellent place to go play games (saw my first Dragon's Lair there)...nothing like what Chuck E. Cheese's is now. The Showbiz here was temporarily shut down and became Chuck E. Cheese a few months later sometime back in 1985. My friends and I used to call it Up-Chuck Cheese's...Showbiz pizza was so much better...there was a pizza buffet and you could order beer!
Anyway, I've held on to this particular token for 25 years and thought I'd share it. The pictures are of the same coin, but just showing the front and back. I'll see what other goodies I can find and post them later.
The word "CD-i" often invokes fear in the average classic gamer, and because people fear what they don't understand, they hate. Unfortunately the CD-i is probably the single most hated console there is, unbelievable since very few people have even played one. So the reason I'm writing this is to try to persuade people to judge this console without going with the majority of people and just hating it without giving it a fair chance. To better understand the CD-i it is useful to know its history.
The CD-i came about as a result of joint venture between Sony and Philips to develop a new CD format which would incorporate audio, graphics and text. In 1986 Philips announced the Compact Disc Interactive and the 'Green Book' standard a.k.a CD-i was issued. However it wasn't until 1991 that players were finally released on the consumer market and this is when its downfall started. It was meant to be released in the late 80s because new powerful 32 bit systems such as Amiga CD32, 3DO and Sega Saturn weren't that far away. Unfortunately this was not the only factor going against the CD-i. When released, Philips marketed it as a multimedia device rather than a gaming platform. As a result people didn't even know it was a console, but who could blame when there were titles like Lamb Chop's Sing Along and Bernstein Bears. It wasn't until 1994 when low sales started to affect Philips that they decided to finally market it as a games console. A newly designed model of the CD-i, the 450 which was recognizable as a games console, was sold with a pack-in game "Burn: Cycle" to try boost sales. And in 1996 the system was discontinued from the consumer market, and that is the history of the CD-i in a nutshell.
That doesn't mean that that is all there is to it though. During that time many, many models of the CD-i were released. In fact, I don't think people realize this but the CD-i is undoubtedly the gaming console with more different models and manufacturers then any other! To give you an idea here is a list of all of the consumer models.
Philips CDI 205 - The first model released in Europe in 1992, same as the 910 model. Philips CDI 210 - Cut down and Cheaper version of the 220 model. Philips CDI 220 - This is the Best model of the 200 series. Philips CDI 450 - Marketed as a games console, lacks the features of a regular CD-i. Philips CDI 470 - A mini hi-fi component type looking model was also a high end CD player. Philips CDI 490 - An improved version of the previous 470 model, both have integrated DVC. Philips CDI 740 - Cadillac of CD-i's. A high end CD player, integrated DVC and 2 joystick ports. Philips CDI 910 - The first model released in the USA in 1991, same as the 205 model. Philips CDI 310/350/360/370 - Philips' range of portable CD-i players. Philips FW380i - Mini hi-fi sound system with an integrated CD-i player. Philips 21TCDi30 - TV set with an integrated CD-i player, also has DVC integrated.
Bang & Olufsen Beocenter A/V - A high quality TV with an integrated CD-i player. Goldstar GDI 750/1000 - This model is Goldstar's version of Philips' CDI 450 model. Goldstar GPI 1100/1200 - Goldstar's portable models, the 1100 has no LCD screen. Grundig CDI 100V/110E - Grundig's own versions of the CDI 220 and 470 models respectively. Kyocera Pro 1000S - A portable CD-i player sold by a Japanese company. Memorex CDI 2200 - Tandy released its own version of Philips' CDI 205 model. NBS Lookman ID - This portable player was based on Goldstar's GPI 1100 model. Vobis Highscreen - This European model is Vobis' version of Philips' CDI 450.
Phew that is some list! There are 25 different CD-i player models in that list and that is not counting the solely profesional marketed models. The effect the CD interactive had on the games industry is very often underestimated. Remember that Sony jointly developed the Green Book standard with Philips and this was important for Sony as they got invaluable experience. They also got more experience with CD based gaming consoles with developing and marketing its own portable CD-i players. Thanks to Philips, Sony was able to 'get it's feet wet' in the games industry, in fact if it weren't for Philips' CD-i the Playstation might have never even existed. But Sony wasn't the only major player in the video games industry that the CD-i would have an effect on.
Nintendo had signed a deal with Philips to develop a CD-ROM addon for the Super NES, but for one reason or another Nintendo backed out and to compensate Philips allowed it to use characters from their popular franchises - Legend of Zelda and Mario Bros. No one can deny that the video games industry would be very different if the Sony Playstation never existed or if a SNES CD-ROM add on was released.
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First up this week is the 
Next game I'd like to feature is one of my favorite games of the year, Picross DS by Jupiter and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. Now, as many of you on this site have discovered, Picross DS is a very addictive DS puzzler which is controlled entirely by the stylus (or the dpad if you please) and is a followup of sorts to Mario's Picross released here in the US 10 years ago on the original Game Boy. Now, many Picross games came out in Japan after Mario's Picross, but they never were released here because Mario's Picross was a commercial failure here, but 12 years later, Nintendo has tried out Picross in the US and Europe again. However, the DS iteration did not do extraordinarily well over here as well. But, for $20 it's a damn good value that will have you hooked for months. Picross DS is kind of like Sudoku, but with pictures. The numbers across the top of the puzzle tell you how many squares to fill in going down (and how many in a row there are), and the numbers going down the side of the puzzle do the same thing, but for going across. It's kind of hard to explain, but if you try out a few puzzles online, you'll understand it. Check out 
Black and White... what are they? Their contrasting nature tends to give them different associations. Beneficence and malevolence, Ying and Yang, ebony and ivory, light vs. dark, Good vs. Evil, Spy vs. Spy?! I suppose they're black and white too. Some would say Black and White aren't even colors, just the absence or presence of light. Religions associate light and darkness with virtues and sins, with some even being particular to the color of light. In video games, if you're seeing in black and white, you're well overdue for a color television.
Nintendo strikes back at modders! Piracy with the 
First up 
Or if a cute platformer isn't mature enough for you, then check out 
. 
Now live on Japanese Wiis, the new "Everyone's Nintendo Channel" is a way of telling Wii owners about new software. A complete software listing, trailers, and demos will be available for games seeing an imminent release and those that are already on the market.
The CD-i came about as a result of joint venture between Sony and Philips to develop a new CD format which would incorporate audio, graphics and text. In 1986 Philips announced the Compact Disc Interactive and the 'Green Book' standard a.k.a CD-i was issued. However it wasn't until 1991 that players were finally released on the consumer market and this is when its downfall started. It was meant to be released in the late 80s because new powerful 32 bit systems such as Amiga CD32, 3DO and Sega Saturn weren't that far away. Unfortunately this was not the only factor going against the CD-i. When released, Philips marketed it as a multimedia device rather than a gaming platform. As a result people didn't even know it was a console, but who could blame when there were titles like Lamb Chop's Sing Along and Bernstein Bears. It wasn't until 1994 when low sales started to affect Philips that they decided to finally market it as a games console. A newly designed model of the CD-i, the 450 which was recognizable as a games console, was sold with a pack-in game "Burn: Cycle" to try boost sales. And in 1996 the system was discontinued from the consumer market, and that is the history of the CD-i in a nutshell.
Phew that is some list! There are 25 different CD-i player models in that list and that is not counting the solely profesional marketed models. The effect the CD interactive had on the games industry is very often underestimated. Remember that Sony jointly developed the Green Book standard with Philips and this was important for Sony as they got invaluable experience. They also got more experience with CD based gaming consoles with developing and marketing its own portable CD-i players. Thanks to Philips, Sony was able to 'get it's feet wet' in the games industry, in fact if it weren't for Philips' CD-i the Playstation might have never even existed. But Sony wasn't the only major player in the video games industry that the CD-i would have an effect on.