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One of the initial releases for the
Sony PlayStation,
King's Field, published by
ASCII Entertainment and developed by
From Software, was a truly next-gen game for its time. This game was the first
FP RPG, set in a massive environment where you alone dictate the game's action and events. The primary antagonist (Alexander/you) is left completely free to choose their own path to discover the vast island you are shipwrecked upon. This may seem somewhat daunting to gamers who prefer a more linear approach to their gaming experience.
This lengthy adventure pits our hero in search of the Moonlight Sword, which is required to save his home kingdom of Verdite. You are left on your own to recover this great artifact, given no direction at all. Your adventure thus begins.
Armed with your trusty sword, you venture into this unknown world in your quest. Many upgraded swords, weapons, armor, and magic are at your disposal - but first you must find them. Some are rather obvious, but most are hidden behind secret walls and openings you must first uncover. This is a great part of the
King's Field experience - you never know what you will find and must be very explorative as you progress through the various parts of this island.
The FP game play rate hovers around 15-30 FPS, depending upon the amount of activity at any given time. The World is seamless and huge - there are no loading times between various sections of the island, which is detailed in full polygonal graphics with dark, almost gritty texture mapping. The feel of this island is almost surreal and is completely grim, which adds significantly to the overall appeal of this adventure.
[img width=200 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-061/ss/U-061-S-05780-A.jpg[/img]The background music is appropriate for the varied environments that you traverse. However, the sound samplings for the creatures and actions are perfect. Though rather unspectacular on their own, the sound of a monster cackling around the corner or your sword striking a deserving foe are top-notch and performed at just the right time, and volume, to further enhance your experience.
King's Field is a difficult game. Your progress through the various sections is impeded by the level of the fiends that you encounter, right from the beginning of this saga. Enemy AI is not that great, but at times this is compensated for by the sheer numbers that you will encounter.
The control is excellent, using the D-Pad to navigate/move/look at this richly detailed world. Executing attacks and other actions are intuitive and easy to perform. The minimal numbers of NPCs that you will encounter interact with you slightly, and are pretty much useless, though their ghostly, undefined faces are somewhat appropriate for this journey.
Overall,
King's Field is not for everyone. The graphics and sound are average, though collectively are entirely effective. The game play is rather slow and requires time to navigate the island. For those that are more akin to pure action-adventure type games, this will probably put you to sleep. On the other hand, if exploration and having the freedom to discover and create your own experience is your cup of tea, don't miss this hidden gem.
After a horrible weekend of hunting last week, I got some amazing deals this week. Before we left the house I wanted to go to sale that had video games listed in the ad but they didn't open for another hour so we went to some other ones first instead and I was just hoping the games would still be there.
The very first sale we stopped at had this:
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9742.jpg[/img]
It was marked $10, so I offered $5. He asked his wife who was thinking about it, and they agreed on $7 and I reluctantly agreed but they apparently didn't hear me and then said $5 was fine. The SNES and games are for sale, some of the manuals too.
We went to a few more sales and I didn't find anything at them, but by around 10:00 we stopped at the sale that advertised games, I saw some overpriced PS2, Xbox, and GameCube games and figured that was what was advertised, until I notice another box with the lid half closed "PC games $0.50 each, PS games $1 each" was written on it. I looked through them and there was nothing I really wanted so I offered $5 for everything, they too $10.
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9743.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9744.jpg[/img]
And since I don't collect PC games, they're all for sale if someone wants them.
Zoboomafoo (CIB)
NASCAR 2001 (CIB)
Disney's Dinosaur (CIB)
Formula 1 '98 (CIB)
dora the explorer: barnyard buddies (CIB)
jumpstart: wildlife safari field trip (game only)
rocket power: team rocket rescue (box only)
rayman brain games (CIB)
land before time: return to the great valley (CIB)
my disney kitchen (game, box)
Gex 3: dep cover gecko (CIB)
army men 3D Collector's edition (game, box)
land before time: great valley racing adventure (CIB)
disney's hercules (CIB)
mort the chicken (game, box)
destruction derby 2 (game only)
NASCAR 99 (CIB, plus an extra box)
007 Tomorrow never dies GH (manual, game)
Tigger's Honey Hunt (CIB)
Crash bandicoot (game only)
Some other small scores:
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9739.jpg[/img]
NFL Quarterback Club 99 is CIB and even smells new, the game is still in the plastic bag and there was a Controller Pak in the box as well (paid $1). Carrier is the first DC games I've bought in a LONG time, I almost didn't even recognize it as a game when I saw it (paid $0.50). The Mario figure was $0.25.
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9741.jpg[/img]
Paid $2 for everything. Anyone know if the PS2 remote is worth anything?
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9740.jpg[/img]
$2 each, would have been nice if it was FF7 instead of 8, but I'm sure I can sell it for a profit. Both those games are for sale.
And the best find of the day and probably the best find of the year, maybe even my best find ever. This sale had some electronics I was casually looking at but couldn't find anything I wanted, but as I was about to leave I notice a brown paper grocery bag on the ground with a piece of paper on it. The paper was folded over and all I could read was "Turbo" and "Gaming System". I couldn't think of what it could be so I looked inside the bag expecting an old Pong system, boy was I wrong. Inside was a thing of beauty: A TG16 with a bunch of games. I didn't even check to make sure it was all there or how many games there were. I took the bag to the woman selling it and offered her $10 for (it was marked $15). She accepted my offer.
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9745.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=524]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j22/Mike_2_0_0_6/Game%20Collection/2008%20Scores/DSCN9746.jpg[/img]
alien crush (game, manual, jewel case)
blazing lazers (game, manual, jewel case)
blody wolf (game, manual, jewel case)
boxy boy (game, manual, jewel case)
bonk's revenge (game, manual, jewel case)
cadash (game, manual, jewel case)
devil's crush (game, manual, jewel case)
fantasy zone (game, manual, jewel case)
galaga 90 (game, manual, jewel case)
impossamole (game, manual, jewel case)
jack Nicklaus turbo golf (game, manual, jewel case)
JJ and Jeff (game, manual, jewel case)
keith courage in alpha zones (game, manual, jewel case)
legendary axe, the (game, manual, jewel case)
ninja spirit (game, manual, jewel case)
pac-land (game, manual, jewel case)
r-type (game, manual, jewel case)
sidearms (game, manual, jewel case)
silent debuggers (game, manual, jewel case)
sinistron (game, manual, jewel case)
splatterhouse (game, manual, jewel case)
super volleyball (game, manual, jewel case)
takin it to the hoop (game, manual, jewel case)
tricky kick (game, manual, jewel case)
tv sports football (game, jewel case)
veiguues tactical gladiators (game, manual, jewel case)
vigilante (game, manual, jewel case)
world class baseball (game, manual, jewel case)
final lap twin (game only)
parasol stars (game only)
cyber-core (game only)
dungeon explorer (game only)
In non-gaming finds, I got a really nice, big Jim Morrison/Doors poster for $1, I don't have any wall space big enough for it however.
Also got one of those backpacks that you put water in and it has the tube to drink from for $2, needs a good cleaning but a very good price regardless.
One sale had a REALLY nice Remington 870 Wingmaster for $300 that I would have bought in a heartbeat but it was only a 20 gauge instead of 12.
[img width=300 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/hardware/U-026/bf/U-026-H-00010-A.jpg[/img]In 1982,
Emerson Radio Corporation decided to enter the video game hardware arena with their release of the
Arcadia 2001. Better known for their development of affordable electronic products, this move was not entirely a big surprise.
Emerson was always looking for market niches to penetrate to utilize their existing electronics manufacturing team. As with their previous releases of low-end, price friendly electrical component ventures, the
Arcadia 2001 would eventually suffer the same fate.
The
Arcadia 2001 is not necessarily a bad looking machine. The sturdy, brown plastic housing has a nice accent of wood grain trimming (which was very popular at that time). The console sports a very clean user interface, located in the front and center of the unit. Soft, rounded, gold colored buttons provide easy access to the main systems functions (Reset, Select, Option, Start). The square shaped Power button that flanks these buttons to the right does not really quite fit into the scheme - almost as if this was an afterthought of the chassis design team. The two, non-detachable keypads (
Intellivision-type clone) rest in cradles to the left and right, though do not truly fit visually into the design of the console (maybe another afterthought). The
Arcadia 2001 does sport one of the longest video RF cables I have seen - 12' long. The plug for the 12 Volt external power supply and a channel 3/4 switch adorn the back side of this system. There are two (2) screw 'holes' on the back as well. I have no idea what these are used for.
Underneath the hood, the
Arcadia 2001 was powered by
Signetics 2650 CPU running at 3.58 MHz which produced games in 8 colors and at a screen resolution of 208 x 108. The best way to describe games for the
Arcadia 2001 is to think of an
Atari 2600 release and inject it with a heavy does of steroids. The
Arcadia 2001 was a more powerful machine that the console it was intended to dethrone, but
Emerson lacked a critical component for success in the console wars - third party support.
[img width=300 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/hardware/U-026/bb/U-026-H-00010-A.jpg[/img]Cartridges came in two different sizes and are black in color (USA) with well rendered artwork adorning the front of the cart (almost like a mini water color painting) and game instructions on the back. The title is displayed along the 'spine' of the cartridge in easy to read 'rainbow' lettering. The silver colored boxes are similar in size to the
Atari 2600, but much more sturdy and are handsomely numbered. Many games come packaged with a controller overlay identical to the same concept used by
Intellivision. A number of popular games were developed for the
Arcadia 2001, including
Pacman,
Galaxian and
Defender.
Atari successfully sued
Emerson, and other companies, claiming they had exclusive rights to these game franchises. These games never saw the light of day and resulted in a waste of a great deal of capital. This left
Emerson scrambling for suitor(s) to develop game software. With the Atari 5200 and the Coleco Colecovision about to be released, both being superior systems, development for the
Arcadia 2001 was non existent. A total of 35 games (most arcade clones) were released for this system. Surprising, this console was manufactured and released in many different countries outside of the USA. All are basically the same, but differ in one significant way - cartridge size. Games are not necessarily compatible with all systems.
Development for the
Arcadia 2001 ceased about one year after it's debut. Unable to compete with technologically superior consoles that were released at virtually the same time (
Atari 5200 and
Coleco ColecoVision) coupled with the lack of third party software support sealed this system's fate.
Prices seem to fluctuate greatly on this system and appear to be dependant on the respective model. Though this console was a relative failure and a mere blip on the radar, it is not that rare and can be easily obtained.
The link to the full review of this system (including ratings, pictures and video):
http://www.videogameconso...rary.com/pg80-arcadia.htmThanks all.
Terry (a.k.a. Marriott_Guy)
The Video Game Console Library
http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com
Good God, this development took a really, really long time to materialize. You know, Konami has been pretty active in the rhythm genre, and ruled Japan with its Bemani series. Dance Dance Revolution. Guitar Freaks. Drummania. Beatmania. Certainly, Bemani is popular in the Land of the Rising Sun, but stateside, only DDR really has taken off. Sure, there is in fact a stateside version of Beatmania, but it wouldn't say anything other than DDR has taken off here. Have you seen Drummania or Guitar Freaks in the states? Guitar Freaks may have seen a PS1 release, but I certainly have not it. It is almost as though Konami dropped the ball on that one.
Where Konami dropped the ball, Harmonix picked it and scored big time. Guitar Hero, Rock Band, they certainly have had their share of winners. See, Harmonix was, and still is, very successful in the rhythm business. Four or so years later, Konami has finally figured out that Harmonix's devices are a bit close to those of Guitar Freaks and Drummania. Hmm, you don't say? Great job noticing, Konami. You know, the likeness between the peripherals is uncanny. Why didn't Konami do this earlier? I guess they can get more damages now, if they win, and given how similar the peripherals are I certainly expect them to.
Konami Sues Harmonix Because Rock Band is Fun [Dtoid] [
IMAGE]
[img align=right width=150]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/63014CG7.jpg[/img]
As you may or may not know, I tend to be skewed towards the world of Nintendo. I grew up on Nintendo, I supported Nintendo up to the Wii, and once the Wii was released Nintendo decided to defecate on every member of the Nintendo old guard and try to appeal to that elusive casual gamer. They’re doing a great job, they really are. Meanwhile, I really, really want LittleBigPlanet, and well, we all know what system that is on. But yes! The Nintendo Connection! You see, the Wii has the dubious distinction of being home to more crap than one can shake a finger at. Strike that, one hundred billion fingers. The more depressing thing is that people are buying this stuff. It’s really, really disappointing, and I’ll tell you why.
Continue reading The Cynical Gamer #7: Crap
Bungie sure does have a fascination with the number "7". Their forum is named the "Seventh Column", and various exponents of 7 hold high, even religious significance in many of their games. Would it surprise you then that on this date last year, 07/07/07 would have some special meaning. Well, they held their first "Bungie Day", but also officially competed the #6 task in their 7-Step Plan for World Domination (stage bloody coup of new parent company). Yet, the world wouldn't know of this deed until October of 2007. Now having been enlightened by the knowledge of their independence, we can truly celebrate a future not bound exclusively to Microsoft and the billion dollar donut!
Are we, the fans, the only ones to cheer? Of course not! Bungie is returning the favor with a special download. A set of Bungie-styled Gamerpics and Theme will be available for download
one day only. An extra bonus for
Halo 3 players is the
free map "Cold Storage", a remake of the classic "Chill Out" from the original
Halo: Combat Evolved.
"Chill Out" plays more on the Forerunner theme, with a sprinkle of Flood contamination. Gameplay holds fairly true to the original with focus placed on controlling the sniper, rockets and invisibility power-up. Online matchmaking will also be updated to require the new maps for playlists currently requiring the Legendary Map Pack. Since the new map is free, this shouldn't be a problem. If that isn't enough incentive, the Legendary Map Pack is getting a new price of 600 MS points.
Video of the new map after the break...
Continue reading Happy Bungie Day!
Looks like 2K Games pulled a fast one on us this week!
| Playstation 3 | Xbox 360 | Nintendo Wii |
•Beijing Olympics 2008
•Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution | •Beijing Olympics 2008
•Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution
•Unreal Tournament 3 | •Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
•Purr Pals (if you buy this, you are part of the problem, not the solution)
•Wonder World Amusement Park |
| PSP | Nintendo DS | Playstation 2 |
| ... | •Carnival Games
•Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution | ... |
Apparently Civ Rev is coming out this week instead of last week. Again, it's my pick of the week because the demo I played on the PS3 is pretty fun if you're a strategy game fan. The PC versions of the game are better, yes, but there's really nothing else like it on a console right now. Give it a shot by downloading the demo on your 360 or PS3 and see what you think.
Also of note this week, Unreal Tournament 3, the latest installment in Epic's long-running shooter franchise, hits the Xbox 360. The game came out about 7 or 8 months ago on the PS3 and PC...and didn't sell verry many copies on either system. Now Epic is going to try their luck on the Xbox 360 where it might do better since shooters sell very well on that system and they already have a huge fanbase from Gears of War. Hopefully it does well enough for Epic to consider supporting the game even more on the other platforms. Even though the 360 edition is lacking custom mod support and mouse/keyboard control, I highly recommend picking it up if you're looking for a fun, fast-paced, old-school shooter.
Previously, I had made an article talking about how Europe tends to get screwed when it comes to receiving games. The truth is, they really do. They didn't get Chrono Trigger.
Chrono Trigger. Those poor, poor souls. Hopefully Chrono Trigger DS will make it there for them. And Earthbound? Wow, it's almost as though the RPG loving God has it out for our European friends. Well, it seems so terrible, right? Well, it turns out that Europe sometimes does not get the shaft. Sometimes, it's actually North America that gets screwed. Don't believe me? Well, let's take a look.
Continue reading This Article Proves that Sometimes, America also gets the Shaft
