Hey everyone,
Back from the computer crash and back to making videos again ( slowly ). I picked up alot of nice items over the last few months and over the next few weeks I plan on going back and sharing some of those finds with everyone.
This week at the local flea market I found a bunch of Sega Master System, Atari 2600, Colecovision and Intellivision items. I hope everyone enjoys.
Hey everyone,
Back from the computer crash and back to making videos again ( slowly ). I picked up alot of nice items over the last few months and over the next few weeks I plan on going back and sharing some of those finds with everyone.
This week at the local flea market I found a bunch of Sega Master System, Atari 2600, Colecovision and Intellivision items. I hope everyone enjoys.
[img width=650 height=359]http://doubleplusgoodgames.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Shadowrun_returns_logo.jpg[/img]
When it comes to my collection list of wants I have two RPGs for the major 16 bit systems up very high on this list. Shadowrun for the SNES and the completely different game of the same name for the Sega Genesis. These games are examples of the very few Western developed RPGs released for these systems, at least ones that weren't ported from the PC that is. Both versions are considered good games, with the SNES game widely being considered ahead of its time with its noir style narrative and tactical gameplay. It was a critical darling when it released, but commercially flopped.
Fast forward two decades and we have Kickstarter. This is one of the best tools for a small team to completely fund and develop a game from the ground up. I'm sure most of us are aware of what it is and does for developers. They basically pitch their game to their final customers while development is either very early, or still in the planning stages. Customers then throw money at the project, if the developers make their goal then they can start development. If they surpass their goal then they implement 'stretch goals' which basically add ideas or staff to the process of development. The Kings of Kickstarter, at least in the video game world, are Tim Schafer and Brian Fargo, the latter of which has two massively successful projects.
[img width=400 height=300]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/esn1g/Reviews/shadowrun_snes01.jpg[/img]
Good ol' Jake Armitage even returns for the Ripper investigation!
Harebrained Schemes also had a very successful Kickstarter with their project, Shadowrun Returns. This project ended with over $1.8 million of funding. So now the game has been out for awhile and I picked it up while it was on sale. Shadowrun is one of my absolute favorite tabletop settings. It takes our real world and completely flips it upside down with an event called the 'Awakening'. Earth is now covered with humans, elves, dwarves, orks, and trolls in various quantities. At its heart it is cyberpunk with the ability to use technological enhancements as well as magic to build stronger characters, and the Deckers' ability to physically jack into the internet (or as the game calls it, The Matrix).
Anyway, as of this review there are two different official campaigns to choose from, the original one Dead Man's Switch, and the latest one released as DLC, Dragonfall. Dead Man's Switch takes place in the Free City of Seattle, while Dragonfall takes place in Berlin. The game is presented in an isometric perspective reminiscent of the SNES Shadowrun as well as Interplay and Bioware RPGs around the turn of the century.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/gpro83/2014-05-08_00001_zps97323459.jpg[/img]
The game is easy to control, click where you want to go and who you want to talk to. Combat is actually more in the style of XCOM than other RPGs. There are various items and decorations to use as cover, there's even Overwatch in the game. To keep with its RPG roots your stats influence your chance to hit as a percentage, get close to the enemy and the percentage increases, use buffs to get that even higher. I rolled as a shaman with Eagle Totem, so I could buff everybody's chance to hit in a small radius, as well as cast Haste on my various party members. By the end of the game this meant that at any one time half the party had double the Action Points, and could easily have over 85% chance to hit as long as they were close to my PC. Combine all this with a spirit that shamans can summon for an extra party member and its easy to see why this support class is completely awesome.
I have beaten Dead Man's Switch, and its set up as a murder mystery. You get a message from one of your fellow Shadowrunners Sam Watts, your main character is down on his/her luck at this moment but this message promises a huge payout for you to find your friend's killer. He's already dead by the time the message gets to you, hence the name Dead Man's Switch. You go on a long journey through the city of Seattle's underbelly in the 2050's. This story ends up tying in with the events that lead to the downfall of Chicago in the novel Burning Bright and sourcebook Bug City. You also get to have the completely awesome immortal elf Harlequin in your group during the end game, as well as meet a representative of the Dragon Lofwyr who hails from Berlin, tying Dead Man's Switch into Dragonfall.
While the game is simple to play and fun when it works I did run into crippling, near game breaking problems. There were times when my main character would just get frozen in combat. She couldn't move, but she could still cast spells, heal, and control her spirit. When I tried to move the game completely froze for a few minutes. I could still control the rest of my team though. I ran into this problem in 2nd half of this campaign, even the final battle. But, with Harlequin and Coyote I managed to win and brought justice to Sam's killer.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g436/gpro83/2014-05-14_00001_zps1df58801.jpg[/img]
Dead Man's Switch was not long, even with this problem I managed to beat it in about 16 hours. It was just incredibly annoying to have the game lock up, freeze, and then have to find workarounds to still win said game. If you decide to try this game and do not run into the problem I did (which a majority seem to not run into) then you might be able to shave an hour or two off of my completion time. I also missed a couple side quests when I went back to check walkthroughs for what I missed.
If you're interested in science fiction and want a different, near future take on the genre, mixed with heaping doses of fantasy and warped reality then Shadowrun might scratch that itch. Your chances of running into the problems I had are quite low after all the forum research I did to find a solution. If you're already familiar with some of the lore from Shadowrun this should fit in quite nicely, especially if you're familiar with the tie ins I already mentioned. If you're skeptical then you might want to wait until it goes on sale again.
As I go through these boxes and bags of games and gaming related stuff to document it and put it up for display, I have noticed something. People seem to sneak the receipts for their purchases inside the front cover of the games they bought and forget about them. In opening every game and looking through the books and extras within, I noticed several of these receipts.
Many of them are full price or high price purchase receipts that they obviously traded back to the same store where I bought them for MUCH cheaper, (I will never understand the logic behind full priced Madden game purchases most of all); and some others are from places elsewhere in the country, that have a story to tell for how they possibly ended up in Denver.
I also started to notice that some games were also tagged with stickers or security devices from places that used to rent out games across the country. And although I really, really used to despise finding these...I have begun to develop a soft spot for them because it also hides a story. How many people rented you? How did you come across these scars, dents, and markings over the years? How did you end up within my collection?
Have any of you had similar thoughts when seeing those old receipts or stickers? Do you eliminate them from the games, or keep them as is within your collections? Do you have any outlying memories when it comes to game renting, or finding receipts showing that your game has been on the other side of the country at some point?
SEVEN-DAY SCORE CARD:
HARDCORE HANDHELD HARDWARE HAVOC AND THE GREAT RETRO GAMBLE
Week of 4 May to 10 May 2014
No big blustery fanfare this week; let's just get right down to it.
Sunday 4 May & Monday 5 May: I started the week with a meal-break run to my workplace Goodwill, which yielded a crimson DS Lite with charger along with Mario Kart 8, Pokemon SoulSilver, New Super Mario Bros., Nintendogs Lab & Friends, Lego Star Wars, and Lego Batman, for $19.99 all told.
More handheld hardware fell into my... um, hands the following day as I hit the local Savers and grabbed a loose PSP with Lumines UMD for $19.99, along with a Mattel Hockey handheld for $2.99. Also found was a CIB Metroid Prime 3 for $2.99.
[img width=597 height=514]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-4amp5-5_zps7892fdf9.jpg[/img]
But if you think the first two days had impressive handheld hardware scores, just you wait...
Tuesday 6 May:: This was the day for $1.99 CIB PC game pickups, as I grabbed Giants: Citizen Kabuto, KKND X-Treme, and a sealed LucasArts Archives release of Star Wars Force Commander. The latter pickup was especially odd, seeing as how I just got the original version at the same Savers the week before...
I also discovered a sealed Wheel of Fortune TV Games plug-and-play dealie for $3.99. Then there were the four books for $10: strats for Mass Effect 3, Halo Wars, and a limited-edition Final Fantasy XII, along with The Making of DOOM 3.
[img width=683 height=486]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-6-2014_zpsc13f2557.jpg[/img]
Wednesday 7 May & Thursday 8 May: After taking a breather on Wednesday, I resumed the hunt and discovered a Special Edition copy of Perfect Dark Zero for $3.95, CIB Borderlands 2 for $1.99, CIB Thunder Strike: Operation Phoenix for $3.99, and a Sega Genesis Super Pad for $4.99.
[img width=556 height=471]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-8-2014_zpsab2d905c.jpg[/img]
Friday 9 May: A lunch break trip to my fave Goodwill yielded a black 3DS with charger for $69.99, and a Korean Onyx DS Lite for $13.49. Also included with each handheld was a flash drive card and Micro SD card.
[img width=612 height=468]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-9-2014a_zps77aae83b.jpg[/img]
[img width=414 height=287]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-9-2014b_zps4a4a04ba.jpg[/img]
Saturday 10 May: It was back to my fave Goodwill, where I took a big risk on this grab that I teased on Small Scores a few days ago:
[img width=548 height=484]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/mystery_zps84edc1ce.jpg[/img]
At a penny under $70 and non-returnable, it's the biggest thrifting gamble I've made this year.
[img width=606 height=387]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-10-2014c_zps4e092766.jpg[/img]
And now, the full reveal...
[img width=343 height=581]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-10-2014a_zpse074add8.jpg[/img]
...a compact junior-sized Atari 2600 with three joysticks, AV cord, and twelve game carts.
While I felt the asking price was fairly high, I'd just gotten my state tax refund check the day before, and I figured why not treat myself. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that all twelve games in the bundle were not in my collection previously, not even Centipede, Dig Dug, or Ms. Pac-Man. I coulda sworn I had Pole Position, but after checking my collection page before updating it... um, nope. So if nothing else, at least I significantly expanded my personal library of 2600 carts.
[img width=649 height=518]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score5-10-2014b_zpse717b166.jpg[/img]
Now you probably noticed that this bundle of retro madness was held together with packing tape... which kinda sucked. The tape was so sticky that my initial attempts to remove it from the paper labels on the console and cartridge end labels didn't go over too well:
[img width=484 height=371]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-10-2014g_zps89e4bd2f.jpg[/img]
[img width=419 height=306]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/score5-10-2014i_zps1add2428.jpg[/img]
So I decided to quit before I did more damage, grabbed an X-Acto blade, and carefully cut around the edges of the labels that got taped.
[img width=487 height=275]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-10-2014h_zps6b65d05d.jpg[/img]
BTW does anybody know if the plastic covering the rainbow part of the console is lamination, or just a protective plastic film to be removed by the user? 'Cuz I've got some major bubbling action goin' on, and it's not very attractive:
[img width=681 height=231]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-10-2014f_zps873523e1.jpg[/img]
And now the million-dollar question minus $999,930.01: does it actually work?
You'll find out soon enough... 
NON-VIDYA BONANZA: It's the usual suspects again; I just hope Mr. Nupoile can practice some self-control this week...
[img width=424 height=483]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Nonvidya5-8-2014_zps36853043.jpg[/img]
Hawt.
- TI-82, TI-83, and TI-83 Plus graphing calculators, $9.00 for all
- HDMI cable, $2.99
- Electronic talking pokedex thingy, $2.49
Well, that's about it for now. But before I go, please note that there will be no Seven-Day Score Card blog next week. Instead, a tribute to one of the greatest masterpieces in cinematic history-- and some of the video games it inspired-- will be presented. Be sure to check it out, and I'll see you again in two weeks with a double-sized episode of Seven Fourteen-Day Score Card, only on the RFG Network!
Byee
Zagnorch Productions
in association with
[img width=234 height=60]http://www.rfgeneration.com/left.gif[/img]
presents
SEVEN-DAY SCORE CARD:
NINTY MEGA-HAULS
Week of 28 April to 3 May 2014
This week's episode sponsored by
Leon's Firewater and Boomstick Emporium
Now with two locations in downtown Cincinnati to serve you
Monday 28 April: The first day of this thrifting week commenced with the acquisition of a grape Game Boy Color with nine kiddie-game carts and carry case for $19.99 (the case's back zipper pocket stored a Disneyland autograph book for some reason). Then it was off to the local Savers, which yielded a loose GBA SP with F-Zero: GP Legend cart for $6.99. Rounding out the day's finds was a sealed box of ten 5.25" floppies for my C64 for $1.99.
[img width=700 height=552]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score4-28-2014_zpsfa7886f6.jpg[/img]
Tuesday 29 April: This day belonged to PlayStation, as I picked up three back issues of PlayStation: The Official Magazine for $0.29 each, as well as the CIB PS2 games Barbarian, Defender, Jumper: Griffin's Story, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX for $2.99 a pop.
[img width=700 height=517]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score4-29-2014_zps1b1beb75.jpg[/img]
Wednesday 30 April: "Hump day" was a fitting term for this day, as it plateaued with a mighty stack of Ninty goodness. The timing was absolutely perfect as I caught the Goodwill clerk rolling out a large assortment of N64 and Genesis carts on its way to the electronics showcase. From that assortment I dug out Super Smash Bros., GoldenEye, Pokemon Stadium, Yoshi's Story, Diddy Kong Racing, and Banjo-Kazooie, along with Out of This World and Earthworm Jim 2 for Genesis, all for $2.99 each. I also snapped up Pokemon Gold and Silver for $1.99 each, and a CIB Dream Pinball for $2.99.
[img width=569 height=498]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score4-30-2014_zps17ea52b2.jpg[/img]
Then it was off to Savers, where I discovered a complete hardcover Piggyback CE Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag strategy guide for $4.99 $3.49. This was a rather surprising find, considering how recently the game was released. Then there was the GameCube unit with memory card and WaveBird receiver that I grabbed for $6.99 $4.89. I'll take any and every opportunity to make sure WaveBird components don't fall into the hands of a certain deranged individual whose name rhymes with Gus Beeman.
[img width=640 height=478]http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/07/23/a3y7unab.jpg[/img]
Force yourself to gaze upon the man's horrific handiwork, and be sickened.
[img width=110 height=96]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/BillSickGif_zps393cfd32.gif[/img]
Thursday 1 May: Starting this rather light day was a grab bag of video-game-related tchotchkes including several Skylanders dog tags and a couple Marioverse character dangly-charm thingies. Then there was the GameShark Game Codes for PS2 box that contained an odd assortment of code discs for both PS2 and PS1. Ending the day was a CIB Flashback and Techno Clash I spent some trade credit on... along with a pack of Chuckles. Which I didn't know they even made anymore.
[img width=648 height=480]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-1-2014_zpscf9db74e.jpg[/img]
Friday 2 May: Another light day as I managed to wrangle a CIB Medievil Resurrection and XBox Live Arcade Game Pack at one place for $4.99 each. Then it was off to Savers where I discovered a Skylanders Book of Elements: Magic and Tech for just $0.69.
[img width=573 height=428]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-2-2014_zpsb37afc0c.jpg[/img]
Then there's the showcase find of the day: a loose Tiger Mega Man 2 handheld for $2.99, a score that's likely bumming Crabby and RetroRage out something fierce right about now. Just wait 'til they see the next day's scores...
Saturday 3 May: The week concluded with the picking up of several NES carts at my workplace Goodwill for $4.99 each, including Donkey Kong Classics, Donkey Kong 3, Mario Bros., Xenophobe, Seicross, Kirby's Adventure,, a gold Legend of Zelda,...
[img width=469 height=501]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score5-3-2014_zpsd61a7b93.jpg[/img]
...aaand Mega Man 1,3,4,and 5. That's right, I got the first 5 Mega Mans (Mega Men?) in just two days!
[img width=645 height=478]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/MegaRun_zps0a90bf10.jpg[/img]
Whattaya have to say to that, Crabs and Rets? Hmmm?
Oh, I also grabbed a CIB Sega Superstars Tennis for DS... not that you care or anything.
NON-VIDYA BONANZA: Just the usual suspects, including a Yamaha YT-2200 Tuner device for $0.79, and a slipcased HP 15C calculator for $4.99.
[img width=586 height=368]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/NonVidya5-3-2014_zpsb745183b.jpg[/img]
The big number-crunching hit of the week however, was this HP 48G...
[img width=251 height=488]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/nupetease_zpsb2cc130b.jpg[/img]
...which came with all this other stuff...
[img width=401 height=573]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/NonV5-2-2014a_zps180ed446.jpg[/img]
...all for just $25.00.
Hey Nupes, whattaya think of that, huh? Pretty impressive, isn't-- whoah, what the hell are you-- oh, that is just disgusting! Stop that right now! What the hell is wrong with you?! G0dd@mn, get a room next time!
Until next week, this is your Thriftmaster Admiral signing off.
'Late
Episode 22 discussion thread: http://www.rfgeneration.c...rum/index.php?topic=13851
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In this episode the collector talk gets serious, as Crabmaster returns to help us dig deep into collecting and completing sets and subsets. Why do people go for complete sets? Who decides what makes a set complete? Once a set is completed, what next? We go deep into the rabbit hole to explore what makes collecting sets appealing. Did we get it right? Be sure to chime in and let us know.
With the time constraints of a newborn for two of us and two jobs for the other, the small scores didn't make it in this show. We hope that we'll be able to get back to this piece that some of you enjoy so much as soon as we can. You've all be coming up with amazing items, and we wish we could highlight them all.
Show Notes
Music: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)
Topic: 17:21
Outro: 2:09:06
Just over 5 years ago, I wrote a small blog post thanking the community. It may not have been seen by many that are here currently, but I was just thinking about it tonight. Here's the contents of that blog post.
"Over the years, gaming has gone from a sort of niche hobby to a full-blown, mainstream activity. I seen gaming go from an activity that only a few of my friends growing up did to dorm room gaming to my 1080p, 5.1 audio setup at home. The first community I was a fairly active member of was the GameFAQs forum. Did the collection on IGN, tried out Digital Press forums before finding my way here. I lurked for a while, primarily using only the Collection tools. I finally started posting more and more, and the people here are extremely nice and really my kind of people. Then came the chat.
I jumped in, and as the new guy, I sort of found it difficult to jump in. After 2-3 times (that I could tell), I felt like I was starting to feel as a part of the group. I am now on a first name basis with pretty much everyone in chat. This type of small community is what I need. I grew up in a small town, and that's the sort of vibe I get here. These people are RFGeneration, down to the roots.
I'm very thankful for this place. It's kind of hard for someone like me to put myself out there and jump into conversation, but when I did, I wish I would have sooner. I plan on sticking around for a long time and I really hope that the community grows while keeping the roots of the small site. I consider all of you my friends and hope to meet many more of you along the way.
Thank you."
I re-read that when I was thinking of it and I still feel it is relevant, even 5 years later.
It's been quite a ride since then. Personally, I have gone through ups and downs. Trouble at work. A minor bout with depression. A new job. And now my family is going to be getting bigger in a few months. I'm now selling and trading more of my collection off rather than hoarding every single thing. The site has gone through some issues and come through very strong after each of them.
This site has been a huge part of me. Despite the fact that I haven't been posting as much as of late, I still stop in to threads as I can. I've gained more and more friends. I started and gradually wound down a podcast only for another team to jump in and step in with their take in a huge way! We have an app!
I went from a user and the occasional (non-staff) contributor on the blogs and database to a director.
We had 3 years of forum posts that were gone... Thought the whole thing was going to be lost. But it's always come back. We had months of nagging server issues from speed to just plain failures. But we're back on a blazing server.
I know, it's not the standard "Thanks" blog post, but I really felt that I needed to let every single member know that as long as I'm here, I'll try everything I can to ensure that this site stays up and running. It's not for me (well, not all for me). It's for everyone that uses this site. It's for the community of RF Generation and for video games in general.
But I can't nor don't do it by myself. There is an excellent group of people on staff that take what they do seriously. There are plenty of users who submit data on new games and old, pictures and screenshots, to try to document everything that we can on a game or hardware.
So, this is to everyone. Thank you all for continuing to make RF Generation the best site on the web.
[img width=480 height=360]http://cdn.scratch.mit.edu/static/site/projects/thumbnails/1124/8163.png[/img]
On the 1st of May, me and my family celebrated my Birthday, despite it actually being on the 16th. We celebrated on the 1st because my family is going out of town, and I'm staying at home to watch the House and take care of our pets. I got over 600 Dollars in Birthday Cash, so I went to eBay and went nuts with it, just as I was instructed to do. What did I buy? Well, that's a secret as of this writing, as the majority of it is coming in the Mail today (May 5th), and when it arrives, I'm going to post it on the Small Scores Thread. However, as you can tell by the picture above, it has something to do with Sega, which reminds me of when I got Sonic 3D Blast for one of my Birthdays as a kid.
Perhaps I didn't get the best deals on all of this stuff, but they weren't exactly bad deals either.
As of this writing, it is 5:17 AM here in my Hometown, so it's going to be a bit before the Mail shows up, and unfortunately, my patience is very limited. 
Anyway, keep your eyes on the Small Scores Thread, and you'll see what I got. I can't guarantee that you'll all be impressed, but you may like it at the very least. I know I will. 
(For those who are wondering, I will be 26 on the 16th.)
EDIT: What I got is now on the Small Scores Thread! Go check it out!
[img width=600 height=296]https://thereviewsarein.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/you-are-awesome.jpg[/img]
April database submissions bring May congratulations!
Last month you guys made a total of 3279 updates to RF Generation's database which comprised of 3154 game submissions and 125 hardware submissions.
It's also clear how much RF Gen members love pictures because 769 images were added to our database.
In April six members surpassed 100 submissions. ae.tc made 284 database entries and Raidou contributed 111 additions. The other four to add over 100 submissions were staff members: ApolloBoy (966), Shadow Kisuragi (540), Flee (440), and CoinCollector (176). Honorable mentions last month go to Sauza12 with 93 entries and Zagnorch with 92 entries. Way to go!
The top 5 image submitters for April were: ae.tc (171), Raidou (98), Flee (93), Sauza12 (77), and Zagnorch (77).
Great work everyone!
Thanks again for continuing the improve the rapidly growing database and getting involved in this supportive community! Everyone deserve a round of applause!
There has always been a lot of discussion about playing our games as collectors. Whether it is because of a lack of time that we cannot play so much of our collections, or that we are simply collecting faster than we can play, (or both), there are games that are left un-played.
That being stated, I have come to a realization that my situation has gone past not just being able to play the games I own...but even keep track of the collection. This month, I celebrate my six year wedding anniversary, and this summer marks the seventh complete year I have devoted to my wife. Over those seven years, I have obviously put more time and effort into my future and relationships with my wife and two children, but I have never stopped buying games and gaming related paraphernalia.
Up until about a month or so ago, my only computer was the same laptop I used in college. It is...dated...to say the least. With 256 MB of RAM and a single core processor, it became difficult to use as technology around me sped by, (Hard to believe it used to run games like Warcraft and Diablo without issue); and as such, updating my collection, writing blogs, and submitting information came to a crawl.
I never stopped buying and dare I say, "hoarding". My collection minus a few titles had always been neatly kept and displayed on a few DVD shelves for myself, my friends, and my family to enjoy. However, upon moving into our new place, I never took the time to set it back up...and certainly never organized or documented anything I bought and tossed into the "man-cave".
Over the past few years, my wife and I have frequented many weekend thrift store sales, the one "flea market" in the Denver Metro area, and even a few yard sales here and there. Each weekend usually yielded only 5-6 games on average and over the many, many weeks that have flew by; combined with more than a few trips to local game stores like Gamestop, Buy-Back Games, and Game Force...I am honestly finding games I forgot I bought, and aside from the thousand or so games I owned and documented before I tied the knot, I honestly think there may be a couple thousand more hidden in all these boxes and bags in my closet.
I am hoping to not only get these documented and updated, but am also hoping to get them organized and displayed in a way where I can easily find and play any title at any time to get caught up on some of these really great titles. My question to all who read this blog is simply if you have any similar difficulties in your collecting experience? or if you pass on stuff you would normally grab because you know you may never actually play, or even display, the item?
(Side Note): If anyone is ever in the Denver area, I STRONGLY recommend any of the local Buy-Back Games stores around the metro area. They sell EVERYTHING. I have found some cool stuff in these shops, games that are old, new, rare, and common alike. I cannot think of a system or generation that isn't represented in the stores. You will find a little of everything from Game Boy to Neo Geo Pocket, the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 to Jaguar...and they are not outrageously priced like you might find in some places. They understand the stuff they sell is hard to find, and are priced as such...but are not pricing these rare games and consoles in the hundreds of dollars as I have seen elsewhere.
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It was great experience for the lady and I. Here are some pictures from the two days we spent at the event.
We saw a fully-functional R2-D2.
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A huge Lego city. You can tell my favorite part.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/Legos_zpsad39cd53.jpg[/img]
The Karl Urban Q&A.
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As expected, some Halo fanboys.
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The World's Largest Balloon Sculpture. Zag will appreciate.
[img width=640 height=800]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/Balloons_zps3f8f383a.jpg[/img]
A '66 Batmobile.
[img width=700 height=294]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/66Batmobile_zpsa5a1b1e9.jpg[/img]
A Slimer cake.
[img width=565 height=800]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/Slimer_zpsa60e9563.jpg[/img]
The SLC Ghostbusters.
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I also had the privilege of meeting some celebs and adding to my autograph collection.
Two of the Boondock Saints. Rocco was awesome! It probably didn't hurt that I was wearing my hat.
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I already had my comic book signed by Troy Duffy, the Artist, and Editor. Now I need Norman's. He had planned on making it, but was stuck in Vancouver filming.
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Rocco wanted to sign my hat also, and left a nice note in the book, "Jason, Great meeting you in Salt Lake City."
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I had Elvira sign my Lynx game, which she had never seen before and tweeted a pic of it while I was standing there.
[img width=700 height=744]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/Elvira_zps71989a5e.jpg[/img]
Tom Cook, the lead animator of He-Man, Thundarr, and Godzilla cartoons.
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Michael Stackpole, writer of classic Star Trek games and more current Star Wars comics signed my Star Trek 25th PC cover.
[img width=668 height=684]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/MikeStackpole_zps7b8fd4c3.jpg[/img]
The creator of The Crow, James O'Barr:
[img width=700 height=773]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/JamesOBarr_zpsbeb5298e.jpg[/img]
Charles Fleischer, voice of Roger Rabbit.
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I had my Marvel Zombies signed by two amazing artists, Ed McGuinness and Arthur Suydam. As a side note, Ed McGuinness and Michael Stackpole were the ONLY people that didn't charge for an autograph. Ed acted surprised that others were, and Mike was happy to see that I remembered his earlier Star Trek work.
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Since I had to buy something to get Arthur to sign, I chose a Jay and Silent Bob zombies print.
[img width=600 height=800]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/Arthur_zpsecfcf15f.jpg[/img]
On Saturday, I chose to go cosplay. Why? I had to get my picture in this wonderful memory from my childhood.
[img width=700 height=466]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/1932720_626096634126192_1604219434664099289_o_zpsfda72ee0.jpg[/img]
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What is this strange time machine? I think mine was much better looking.
[img width=427 height=800]http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a241/EldredgeJ/Tardis_zps191020ed.jpg[/img]
It was a blast and I look forward to the next one in September.
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Tales of Xillia is a role playing game developed and published by Bandai Namco. It did not take me long to start enjoying Tales of Xillia. The characters are quite memorable, which in today's world of RPGs seems to be less common. Or they focus so heavy on characters that they make a bland, boring, and repetitive world (looking at you Bioware). Xillia manages to avoid both of these shortcomings to create a memorable cast of characters, and a wondrous, magical filled world to explore. Artes, Rieze Maxia's form of spirit channeled magic, help fuel everything from a healthy ecosystem to the architecture of cities, even an area's local climate, and passing of the seasons.
The game starts with the ability to choose which side of the story you want to view. You're able to pick between Jude Mathis or Milla Maxwell. They're pretty much the same for over 90% of the game, but there are a few moments when the party splits up and bad things happen. Number 1 rule of RPGs, be they video game or tabletop, never split up. That's how people get hurt, or die.
Anyway, I started with Jude's story. He lives in the city of Fennmont, blessed under a cover of eternal night, and the capital of a country called Rashugal. Jude is studying at the Talim Medical School to be a doctor, following in his father's footsteps. He wanders out to find the teacher he's doing slave labor, I mean graduate study work for. He makes his way to the Laforte Research Center, where outside he sees a strange woman who can walk on water with ease. He grows curious and follows her, and she claims to be the Lord of Spirits Maxwell in a human form. Milla has control of the Four Great Spirits, and begrudgingly decides to let Jude travel through the Research Center with her since he insists on finding his professor.
For those of you familiar with the Tales series you'll know that the combat system is where the real meat of the game is, having a nice story and interesting world are wonderful add ons. The combat system for Tales of Xillia is a real time system. Enemies appear on the screen, and the player has the option of how they approach the enemy. Do you run and strike them behind for some damage? Do you give them the run around until they stop chasing and hit them from behind for even more damage and a stun? Or do you gather up enemies to fight a big group all at once for added EXP and money? I usually chose the latter option as it coupled well with EXP and money boosting food buffs.
You can customize your combo system, using the left stick + circle button, just the right stick, or pressing down L1 for a second set of combos. Each character also controls completely differently. Jude is a very fast fisticuffs brawler, smacking enemies around the screen with his gauntlets. Milla uses a shortsword to dispatch enemies, and is great to use as an aerial combatant. Alvin is the heavy physical damage dealer, swinging a greatsword around like its nothing, as well as using a gun for added distance. Elize is primarily an artes user, being a great healer as well as an area of effect threat. Rowen is a great arte user for single target spells, the Fireball spam is strong with him. Leia shares many combos with Jude, but uses a staff for extended reach and different attacks.
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And you can create pretty princesses with various fashion items!
Whoever you're playing as can link up with another character, and as you build a battle gauge on the side of the screen you can unleash combos by pressing R2 and certain combos while linked with a specific character. The skills you must use are predetermined, and some links are more fruitful than others. When you've climbed this ladder enough you have the ability to unleash as many of these Link Attacks as possible in a given timeframe, even if you switch who you're linked with in the middle of the timeframe. This game's combat is incredibly satisfying, and I found myself turning the difficulty up to hard so I could enjoy longer fights.
This combat system is deep and incredibly satisfying. You feel like you're in complete control as the player, and you can even customize your ally's AI to help support you by healing, or go all out with their strongest attacks, or anything in between.
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One of my favorite parts about this game are the villains. In a game of war, politics, intrigue, and quickly advancing military technology each antagonist has his own goals and a defined personality. Each one is much more complex than a stereotypical mustache twirling, world conquering, or slaughtering menace. Nachtigal, King of Rashugal rules through a military junta and is investing heavily in powerful technology that could be Rieze Maxia's Weapon of Mass Destruction. Gaius, another king who has united the country of Auj Oule, united warring clans by force and has consolidated his rule by winning the hearts and minds of his most common subjects. These two powerful kings and some other unforeseen players are all ready to strike in the name of glory, power, and survival.
In the end the goal is not conquest, or destruction, but merely an ideal for how the world should be. The game's story and narrative are centered more around philosophical quandaries amongst Rieze Maxia's most ambitious people, be they king or a medical student on the lam. As such I feel this story is a true sign of the evolution of video gaming as a whole, growing from nonexistent stories to one of an ultimate, nonsensical evil being hell bent on world destruction or domination, with no real follow up plan. If you're a fan of RPGs you owe it to yourself to play this game and discover some well rounded characters and a world of mixed fantasy and science fiction. I am anxiously waiting for the sequel to be localized!
[img width=700 height=393]http://img.gamefaqs.net/screens/a/3/c/gfs_265574_2_24.jpg[/img]
NO! THAT'S NOT WHY I'M SO EXCITED! MY EYES ARE BURNING!
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The week began with a promising Easter Sunday, and ended with a meek whimper. Them's the breaks, you know? Fortunately, there were more than a few neat non-vidya scores to pick up the slack. If you want to know the details, then read on as
Zagnorch Productions
in association with
[img width=234 height=60]http://www.rfgeneration.com/left.gif[/img]
presents
SEVEN-DAY SCORE CARD:
SCOPING OUT THE EASTER SUNDAY
FINANCIAL MELEE GUESSING GAME
Week of 20 April to 26 April 2014
This week's episode sponsored by
The Bil-O-Meter Video Game Rating System
[img width=110 height=96]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/BillKawaiiGif_zpsa8660fe5.gif[/img][img width=110 height=96]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/MadBil_zps96feb814.jpg[/img][img width=110 height=96]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/BilDisptd_zps70c91f0a.jpg[/img][img width=110 height=96]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/BilWat_zpsa9b4b1a0.jpg[/img][img width=110 height=96]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/BilHappy_zpsebe88522.jpg[/img][img width=110 height=96]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/BilEcstatic_zpsbab8626a.jpg[/img][img width=110 height=96]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/BilCAME_zpsdcf8284e.jpg[/img][img width=110 height=96]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/WorryBilGif_zps68a15de2.gif[/img]
Patent Pending
Sunday 20 April: I usually take a breather on Sundays, as they are usually pretty dead thrifting-wise. But since all the Goodwills in the area were open until 5 PM for Easter, I figured why the hell not. It's exactly what Jesus would want me to do to celebrate His big comeback, right?
[img width=610 height=411]http://themaresnest.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/jesus-facepalm.jpg[/img]
Errrr...
So I hit a couple locations on my way to work. Lo and behold, I discovered a few pleasant surprises, like the complete GameCube titles Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Monkey Ball for just $1.99 each. Also found was an Excalibur Pitfall LCD handheld for $0.99, a white DS Lite for $12.99, and a CIB Tomb Raider Anniversary for the Wii for $5.99.
[img width=525 height=502]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score4-20-2014_zps84e933f8.jpg[/img]
Monday 21 April The thrifts yielded nothing, but I did get something in the mail as part of a trade with a certain crustacean-obsessed RF Gentleman from the Great White North:
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My loose SNES Super Scope light gun is now complete, as you can see here:
[img width=659 height=387]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score4-21-2014d_zpsb2f8b3cc.jpg[/img]
I can only hope he likes what I sent him as much as I liked what he sent me.
Tuesday 22 April and Wednesday 23 April: These two days marked the high point of the week, as I discovered three Computer Gaming World and three Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine back issues for $0.29 each, Prima Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary guide for $1.99 $1.39, and a couple PlayStaton Hot Shots Golf Fore! promo golf balls. Also found were CIB copies of Heavenly Sword and Rune Factory Frontier for $2.99 each.
[img width=486 height=601]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score4-22amp3-2014a_zpsce517bb6.jpg[/img]
[img width=328 height=328]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score4-22amp3-2014b_zps36a6ca86.jpg[/img][img width=292 height=298]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score4-22amp3-2014c_zps22badb2d.jpg[/img]
Oh, I'm ever upper-class high society...
I also grabbed a complete Red Baron for the PC. While it isn't the original Atari vector-graphics version that I so dearly loved as a wee 'Norch, for $0.69 I can't really complain.
[img width=616 height=568]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score4-23-2014_zps2b290dc2.jpg[/img]
The pre-Snoopy mod edition.
Thursday 24 April through Saturday 26 April: The only thing I discovered during this three-day stretch was a CIB Player's Choice Super Smash Bros. Melee for $12.99, and a Capcom lanyard.
[img width=700 height=354]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Score4-26-2014_zps04f7ffda.jpg[/img]
Now you're probably wondering why, when considering my rep as a total cheap*ss, I shelled out so much for a game. Well, it's because I discovered how much it was going for online, which is retardedly high as of this writing. I'm guessing the uptick in Melee's value is due to the fanboys wanting to catch up on the series before the latest Super Smash Bros. hits the retail shelves. If that's the case, I'm only too happy to help 'em out-- just like I'm too happy to give Pokemon players the hookup. Call me a philanthropist...
[img width=299 height=219]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l1ZW0dtKjdU/T_mhX1IRQLI/AAAAAAAAAPA/lvGVLbRSouw/s1600/dogma%2B-%2BBuddy%2BChrist.jpg[/img]
Just trying to get back into the Lord's good graces.
NON-VIDYA BONANZA: While the week was quite sparse video game-wise, it was a different story when it came to other things. For example, I acquired a plethora of electronic number-crunching devices.
I am using "plethora" correctly here, right?
[img width=700 height=401]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/NonVidya2xx_zpsc6a1aa73.jpg[/img]
For starters, I grabbed a packaged TI BAII-plus financial calculator for $9.99, an HP 10BII for $1.59, and another HP 10BII with slipcase and quick-ref guide for $2.49.
[img width=438 height=555]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/NonVidya4-22amp3-2014a_zpsf83d7a35.jpg[/img]
Also uncovered was a TI-55-II scientific calculator for $3.99 $2.99, a slipcased HP 32SII RPN scientific calculator for $6.99 $5.25, an HP 12c for $2.49, and a Value Line Stocalc 1/8 for $2.99. I also couldn't resist picking up a boxed Radio Shack Video Enhancer/Stereo Audio Mixer console for $6.99 $5.25. Rounding out the electronic grabs was a Sony Watchman for $3.99 $2.99, which I just can't wait to hook up to my Wii U. The graphics are gonna be mind-blowing!
[img width=567 height=584]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/NonVidya4-22amp23-2014b_zpsdab4ebfe.jpg[/img]
I've also been finding a few interesting board games lately, including The Omega Virus, Black Box, and Can't Stop, for $2.99 $2.24 each. Of course, the latter game describes my thrifting jones to a "T", because I have absolutely...
Melty-face guy understands my pain.
Speaking of games...
TAKE A GUESS for a prize! So, what do you think this is:
[img width=516 height=314]http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y409/Zagnorch/Guess4-23-2014a_zps253a583c.jpg[/img]
This is the only hint you're gonna get.
Just type and submit your guess in the Comments section. The first person to answer correctly wins a nice little assortment of mystery trinkets from yours truly.
And no, you don't have to put your answer in the form of a question.
Until next week,
'Late
I have long been a player of video games since as far back as I can remember. I have been a collector for about three years. In my place of employment, people are generally astonished when they hear the sheer volume of my collection since no one is even close. I mention this because a co-worker of mine innocently asked me one day if I've played every game I own. "Of course" I replied. But it quickly occurred to me that I indeed have not played them all. In fact, I had quite a few I hadn't even opened yet. I usually set some sort of collecting goal for the year and this person and myself said if I played two a day for one year, I'd need 730. Fair enough, that's a random enough goal to shoot for that is attainable without the threat of divorce!
So, I have set off on my goal of 730, starting 2014 at just over 600 individual physical games I call my own. I do not include games my children or the few my wife own as part of my collection since they are not mine despite their presence in my house. As of this writing, I am sitting nicely at 650 with two new releases this week. (Mario Golf & Kirby Triple Deluxe for 3DS if you cared)
I got to thinking. People do crazy stuff all the time. Most of it goes viral on YouTube and then disappears after a few weeks, if not sooner. And then what? It is forgotten. Playing two games a day for a year sounds a little out there but kids do it all the time really. They may not realize they are doing it, but they are. The difference is, these people are generally only experiencing a handful of games. They play Call of Duty for two hours a day all year. Or they plop down for some World of Warcraft daily. I'm talking about 730 pieces of art.
The gaming community, or gamers more specifically, are still generally looked down upon. People hear you're a gamer and the reaction is almost of disgust. I get why. "Back in the day" gamers were what people think they are. Young kids who come home from school, park their butts on the couch, and "rot their brains" for three hours at a clip and go to bed. Rinse, lather, repeat. But this perception hasn't really changed all that much despite those same kids getting older and having families of their own. I'd like to help change that. So I'm going to find a way to make my journey beneficial to the perception.
With that said, I'll be journaling my adventure to reach my goal of collecting and then playing. I'm shooting for the collection total to be reach by then end of 2014 and to begin playing two games a day for at least 30 minutes starting January 1, 2015. While I do this I will provide links to the two charities I plan on pointing people to. It is my hope that through the simple act of playing games, I can encourage people to support some excellent causes and help show the world that we, gamers, are not just a bunch of kids in a basement playing Battlefield, but loving parents, police officers, bus drivers and so much more. I will reveal which charities in the near future.
There you have it. That is my goal for the next year and say 8 months. Feel free to pass this one on. I mean, that is kinda the point. This is just a way for someone part of the gaming community to help make the world a better place. A way for gamers to remember that we play games for entertainment, not for supremacy within the ranks. And why not help out in the meantime?
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