Episode 37 discussion thread: http://www.rfgeneration.c...rum/index.php?topic=16131
Crabby is busy raising money for charity, so this episode Rich from the RFG PlayCast drops in to help us dig through your amazing questions. To prepare for the holidays, we discuss great couch co-op games to share with your loved ones!
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Show Notes
Music: Magical Chase (TurboGrafx-16)
Q & A - 9:55
Topic - 1:14:14
Outro - 2:36:50
[img width=320 height=318]http://adventureamigos.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/play_action_football_11_box_front.jpg[/img] Image shamelessly linked from Adventure Amigos.
"I choose" the realistic offensive strategies, but the defensive strategies
are tough - does that mean they're not realistic? Or are they both
tough AND realistic? Can the game possibly live up to this box art?
I must begin this review with a bit of history, nostalgia, and a confession. As I write this, I'm reeling from the news that the Kansas City Royals, long the proverbial butt of many a baseball joke, have won the World Series against the New York Mets. Though I don't consider myself a sports fan, I got a little bit of whiplash with that announcement, and had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn't 1985 again. I was a fan of baseball for many years, as a kid, until the player strike brought the ugly realization that athletes can often be petty, whining oafs that are just money hungry. Granted, they're not all like that, but the strike certainly gave me a new perspective on things. So while my love for baseball lasted a number of years, my interest in professional football was relatively short-lived. In 1985 and 1986, I fancied myself a pro football fan, if only to impress my classmates and the neighbor kids, who all thought I was a giant dork (spoiler alert: I was). I told people I was into the Dolphins and the Bengals, and that Dan Marino was pretty much the best quarterback on the planet. Of course, I never really watched any football games, because we had 1 TV in the house, my parents weren't into pro football, and none of my friends invited me over to watch with them. Subsequently, my neighborhood kids (and kids at school) saw through my petty charade. Yes, I was destined to be a nerd.
Continue reading Play Action Football, 1990
[img width=640 height=189]https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8808/18226401432_5aac114362_z.jpg[/img]
Once every few years, I've been able to attend local gaming events. Four years ago, I was able to compete in a small King of Fighters XIII tournament. Several years prior to that, I was able to compete in a few local Guitar Hero III events. Outside of that, it's been a wasteland for local gaming events up here. With our new location, we've been able to schedule video gaming events much more frequently and have been building our competitive communities. But none of this is on the scale to which I've been craving for years.
After our bylaw issues last year, it was very interesting to see that I could use my platform of Game Quest to reach a fair-sized audience of local gamers. So with some help from friends and the community in general, I've been working to bring about the largest scale competitive video game event that my city has ever seen. Beyond just having a cool gaming event, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to show our wider community that gamers can be great citizens and break some of the stigmas that surround gamers at the same time.
Continue reading Blog Quest: It's For The Children
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/GT0mpoF.jpg[/img]
As the time counter in my Fallout 4 game crosses from 23 hours 59 minutes to 1 day, I'm examining why huge games like this one might scare people off and what we can do in order to play them.
Continue reading The Case for Huge Games
Please disregard this blog entry, and check out Triple-M: The Blue Friday Bonanza instead.
My apologies ofr the inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding.
Zagnorch Productions
in (a very precarious) association with
[img width=234 height=60]http://www.rfgeneration.com/left.gif[/img]
Presents
TRIPLE-M:
A BLUE FRIDAY BONANZA
After almost eight years of serious collecting, I was nearing a pretty impressive milestone: over 3000 unique pieces in my collection! And what better way to achieve such a lofty goal then by taking advantage of Goodwill of Silicon Valley chain's "Blue Friday" sale the day after Thanksgiving? Little did I know that it would become my longest thrift-crawl ever, clocking in at 13 hours, travelling 175 miles, and visiting 17 different stores, some of them twice. But would all this effort be enough to put me over the top? Let's find out...
[img width=700 height=276]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15a_zpsru4kgmvg.jpg?t=1448681992[/img]
[img width=413 height=633]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15b_zpsndx18l9r.jpg?t=1448682064[/img]
- CIB Sam's Club-exclusive Intellivision Flashback plug-&-play console, $5.99 $4.79: includes a complete set of overlays exclusive to the Sam's Club release. Interestingly enough, the return slip was still taped to the box, with the reason why it was returned:
[img width=549 height=467]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15c_zpsofh8joju.jpg?t=1448682238[/img]
Whoever didn't like this most likely leads a sad and pathetic existence. And yet, I cannot bring myself to hate him, merely pity him.
ANYway, moving on...
[img width=512 height=607]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15d_zpsqnl4nbif.jpg?t=1448682240[/img]
- CIB Sam's Club-exclusive Sega Genesis Classic console, 12.99 $9.74: Includes an exclusive 12-Dino-Games-In-1 cartridge.
[img width=621 height=437]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15h_zps1xstuh8h.jpg?t=1448682241[/img]
- Limited edition Mountain Dew XBox console, $29.99 $22.50: Devastator really dug this pickup for some reason.
[img width=550 height=598]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15i_zpsselxmofu.jpg?t=1448682241[/img]
He told me it could use some purple highlights, though.
On to the reading material:
[img width=700 height=461]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15g_zpstuiuwhrd.jpg[/img]
- 6 game guides, $14.95 $10.45 for the lot
Now it's time for the games themselves, starting with my first-ever X-Bone pickup:
[img width=513 height=500]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15e_zpsznvsqlnz.jpg[/img]
[img width=659 height=550]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15f_zps7lfa7vph.jpg[/img]
- CIB Halo 5 Guardians Limited Edition, $29.99 23.99: Not only is this complete, it's also practically brand-new.
Howzabout a little international intrigue with these Japan-region finds:
[img width=700 height=501]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15j_zpsmcxorsyu.jpg?t=1448683014[/img]
- CIB Puzzle Bobble Pocket for PSP, $3.99 $2.99
- Sealed Tactics Ogre: Unmei no Wa for PSP, $5.99 $4.49
- Sealed Dragon's Crown for PS3, $5.99 $4.49
- Persona 2: Innocent Sin (no manual) for PS1, $5.99 $4.49
On to some of the more mundane game scores:
[img width=654 height=500]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15k_zpspt5xwld5.jpg[/img]
- CIB GUN for GameCube, $2.99 $2.09
- CIB TouchMaster for DS, $5.99 $3.89
- Pong-Asteroids-Yars' Revenge GBA cart, $3.59 $2.33
- CIB Lego Batman 2 for 3DS, $5.99 $3.89
- CIB Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (Greatest Hits) for PS1, $2.49 $1.99
By now you're probably wondering which game put my collection at 3000. Why, it's only one of the greatest pieces of electronic entertainment that's ever been pressed onto a digital disc! As you already know, obviously I'm talking about:
[img width=596 height=500]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15l_zpswpqb32m8.jpg?t=1448683014[/img]
I'm sensing homicidal levels of jealousy from you.
And there you have it: a legendary thrift crawl that culminated in a very enviable milestone. Pretty cool, huh? But don't leave just yet, 'cuz now I'm gonna show off my gaming thrift-scores of the NON-video kind:
[img width=700 height=319]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15m_zpsbsft3es8.jpg[/img]
- CIB Excalibur King Maker III electronic chess set, $10.49 $7.87: This one's for you, Shaggy.
- CIB 10 Days in Asia, $3.49 $2.27
[img width=700 height=466]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15o_zpspdjvnjes.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=541]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15p_zps9yxdxvgc.jpg?t=1448683014[/img]
- CIB Dungeon! Fantasy Board game, $5.99 $4.19
[img width=599 height=500]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20bf15n_zpsvcsle3hx.jpg[/img]
- Sealed Sharper Image Perfect Pitch Tabletop Baseball, $7.99 $5.99
And now, the most awesomely awesome board game ever:
[img width=599 height=420]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20q_zpswicqxr60.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=540]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20r_zpsybjubqkx.jpg[/img]
[img width=400 height=425]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score%20s_zpssy3izpwi.jpg?t=1448683014[/img]
Who wouldn't want to "interact" with that hot tomato? (God, I'm so lonely)
So, who wants to go a few rounds with me? I'll even let you go first-- wait, where are you going? Get back here, you prudes! Ahhh, who needs ya! I'm sure I can find someone who's willing to play this--
[img width=700 height=342]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/devboxgame_zpsqklpoujl.jpg[/img]
Errr... on second thought...
...'Late
remove this entry
[img width=500 height=322]http://i1029.photobucket.com/albums/y359/necrom99/RFGen%20Blog/waiting2_zpsdz3ntf7y.jpg[/img]
Like some of you, when I was a kid, I distinctly remember seeing all of the ads on television for the Nintendo Entertainment System and several of its games. Each time they came on, I was filled with excitement and longed for the day when I would own a square, gray box of my own. It wasn't until my grandparents' Christmas gift of a faulty telescope in 1987, that I was able to turn "misfortune" into gaming gold with the help of my older cousin and via the Customer Service Department at Brendle's. My parents were not pleased, but somehow my crafty maneuver paid off and I was able to keep it. And so began, not only my love for the NES, but a kind of gaming resourcefulness that would last a lifetime.
Enter 2015, a 38-year old gamer with a wife, two kids (another on the way), a new dog, a mortgage, and the same zest for gaming since he gave up the ability to look at the stars. Though unable to peer into space, several years ago, instead I began filling space with a collection that now consists of approximately 2,585 games across 35+ systems, and a great deal of accessories and controllers. Collecting has become a hobby and being able to now own systems and games I could only dream of during my very humble childhood and share them with my friends and family gives me great joy. As I've gotten older and earned greater responsibility, money has to be disbursed through various necessary channels and the appeal of buying new systems and games with my disposable income has greatly waned. Some might call this being "cheap," but that's really not the case at all. For me, there are various reasons why I choose to wait to purchase systems and typically stay a generation (and sometimes two generations behind).
Continue reading Why Wait?: A Collector's Guide to Patience
[img width=557 height=550]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/J-060/ms/J-060-S-01885-A.jpg[/img]
The first Virtua Cop is a true light gun classic, and you can read why in my review of it here: http://www.rfgeneration.c...views-Virtua-Cop-3041.php. It reset the standard for excellence, and brought the genre into the 3rd dimension all at the same time. It was inevitable for there to be a follow up. Virtua Cop 2 was released for the arcade in 1995 by AM2 at Sega. A port to the Sega Saturn was released the following year, with another port for PC in 1997, and even a Japan exclusive individual Dreamcast release in 2000. This version was packaged with 11 other games on the Sega Smash Pack for North American release.
Continue reading Psychotic Reviews: Virtua Cop 2
[img width=700 height=328]http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c394/bombatomba77/Ultima_box_zpsxgzi2um0.jpg[/img]
This months article was to feature my plodding (and hopefully, exhaustive) journey through the first three Ultima games, which are generally referred to as "The Age of Darkness." But you know what? Despite my undaunted love for sometimes crusty, old-school RPG games, I find the older Ultima games intimidating and unapproachable, so much so that I had this puppy on the back burner for nearly a year. Well, now is the time for action, I say. So with fully configured and patched downloads from GoG imported into DBGL on my MacBook, I pushed forth to see just what all the hubbub is about.
Continue reading A Brief Tour of Ultima: Part One - The Age of Darkness
[img width=610 height=378]http://www.technologytell.com/gaming/files/2012/11/thanksgiving.jpg[/img]
Pic Source: technologytell.com
It wasn't very long ago that the only hope to get some gaming in during the holidays involved a Game Boy and any time you could snag away from relatives. Then the Wii came along, followed by smart phone apps, and now 'non-gamers' are about as common as folks who 'don't watch movies/listen to music'. That being said, there's a huge gap between Angry Birds Go! and Fallout 4, and that divide may make it feel as if there's still no games that everyone can enjoy, now that Wii Sports has worn thin.
Au Contraire, mon ami! There are many many many great suggestions, depending what you have kicking at home of course. Given how many collectors hang around RFG, you may already have some of these, but many can be found at reasonable prices (with some exceptions!) and have the potential to become annual favorites. In fact, there's a good chance a few are old favorites already, and just need to be dusted off and popped in again. Keep in mind, the following suggestions are based off of two key criteria; playing in a group (generally multiplayer, sometimes score challenge) and ease-of-play (Helldivers is a house favorite, but rather 'hardcore' in challenge and not catered to 'pick-up-and-play.')
So without further ado, if you have these respective systems kicking around, why not fire 'em up and play:
Continue reading Gaming And Holidays; What To Play When Those NonGamers Are Over
[img width=320 height=319]http://www.portallos.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/box-tennis.jpg[/img] Image shamelessly linked from GameFAQs.
2 out of 5 Game Boy launch titles were sports games.
I'm not sure what that says about Nintendo, but it does
make me wonder why every platform got so many.
So this is Tennis, the final of 5 launch titles for the Nintendo Game Boy. The 2nd of 2 sports titles in the launch line-up, Nintendo of America must really have been banking on the popularity of sports games, because the launch line-up included 2 games, much like the Japanese launch included Yakuman, a mahjong game. In the same way that every video game console ever released in Japan has likely seen a mahjong game (or thirty), every game system ever released in North America is generally peppered with sports titles throughout the console's life span. The Game Boy was no exception, and it received both Baseball and Tennis.
Continue reading Tennis, 1989
Welcome, fellow RF Gentlemen, to...
THE 2015[/size]
NOT-SO-SECRET SANTA!
AAAAND that wraps it up for this year's edition of the Not-So-Secret-Santa giveaway. Hope to see y'all again this time next year!
-'Late
[img width=500 height=733]http://i.imgur.com/dpHg8RG.jpg[/img]
It has been a long and interesting process. I learned a lot and I am very happy with the final product. Let me show you how I put all of the pieces together
Continue reading Arcade Control Panel Design Part IV: The Final Countdown
[img width=700 height=393]http://assets2.ignimgs.com/2014/06/24/ready-player-one-book-art-1280jpg-b68ca1_1280w.jpg[/img]
This past Christmas, I was fortunate enough to get a copy of Ready Player One from the wife as one of my gifts. She’s always been good with gift-giving and I attribute this to her knowing me pretty well after being together for 19 years, and a little thing I like to call an Amazon Wishlist (if you don’t have a Wishlist and share it with your loved ones, I highly suggest it). Anyway, I’ve had the book for 10 months now, I’ve picked it up and put it down several times and it wasn’t until recently (during my travels to RWX and a subsequent beach vacation) that I settled in and gave it a go. You see, I’m kind of what you would call an opportunistic reader. I read when a good opportunity presents itself and those opportunities are typically when I’m not around my kids or when I’m on a nice warm beach…..so yeah, pretty few and far between. It’s not that I don’t love to read, I use to do it all of the time, but a busy adult life and being heavily force-fed a lot of “classics” I didn’t want to read in grad school kind of sucked a lot of the enjoyment out of it for me. Again, I still love to read, it’s just that I’m a lot pickier about what I choose to dive into these days.
Ready Player One sat near the top of my stack for those 10 months, and did so due to strong recommendations from site members and a New York Times reviewer’s blurb on the cover which reads, “Willie Wonka meets The Matrix.” (The Huffington Post’s “The grown-up’s Harry Potter,” not so much a draw for me.) Was the New York Times right? Well, in a way. Mr. Cline takes great liberty in borrowing pieces of 70’s and 80’s nostalgia to craft a story which tugs at the core of his reader and unlocks images from the deep recesses of our childhood memories. You see, Ready Player One is more than a book, it’s a love letter—one directed at the late 30 and 40+ year old dinosaurs who grew up during the infancy of video games and helped cultivate what we now so lovingly refer to as “geek culture.” However, to limit the book to a specific audience is not only unfair, but inaccurate. Any lover of science fiction, apocalyptic landscapes, high-tech gadgets, action, and even romance, will appreciate and enjoy this book. However, it doesn’t hurt to have a good working knowledge of, or at least a healthy interest in, early video games and 80’s culture.
Continue reading Banana's Rotten Reviews: Ready Player One
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