We've been advised of a mass migration server move starting tomorrow night at midnight and lasting up to 48 hours. During this time, all of the websites that our host hosts will be moved to a new data center in Columbus. We recently moved our operation to a different server in the network, so we are somewhat confident that we're already in Columbus on a new server. In case we are not, though, this our advisory to you guys informing you that we may or may not have some downtime in the next two days.
If you find that we're slow / down keep tight, we'll be hopefully unaffected and if we are well, on the bright side it will be over by Sunday Night. Could be a good time to enjoy the weather in your area, or play video games, or go to a thrift store, or some other activity.
Some of you may be die hard haters of other game consoles besides the ones that you own. For others, you might be such a fanboy that you need be reminded of reasons why you should curb your enthusiasm. Fortunately for you, Gamesradar wishes to fan the flames of console bashing during its hate week, where they harp about why you should hate everything. Thank God for that too, because I certainly could not think of my own reasons to be spiteful about the console manufacturers.
Shall we check out these videos? Because I am a nice guy, I'll start out with the company I tend to support heavily (aside from my latest Cynical Gamer piece), Nintendo. You can find Sony and Microsoft after the Jump.
So, I checked the IndieGames Weblog yesterday, and their freeware game of the day was a game called Rom Check Fail.
Just what is Rom Check Fail? Turns out this game was made for a competition on another site I lurk, The Indpendent Gaming Source (aka: TIGSource). This competition was to make a game based on whatever title this video game name generator chooses. However, the creator of the game decided to break the rules of the competition and do what he calls a "video game generator".
Rom Check Fail is like a broken emulator that glitches by throwing in random music, characters, levels, and gameplay. The object of the game is to defeat all the enemies in a level, however that will not be easy because every five seconds or so, the gameplay, music, and characters will change on you. For example, you could start out as Pac-Man trying to eat the power dot and turn Asteroids into ghosts, then the next second you could be Link trying to stab some Goombas, and then finally Mario trying to jump on some Space Invaders. Sometimes, what the game does may not work out, but that's ok because it's randomly generated combinations.
If you love games, which I assume you do, then you've got to check this game out. It's free and is a small 2.6 MB download. You can get it at Farbs.org.
While I'm at it, I'd like to feature some of the other standout games entered in this competition.
I haven't played every game, but I enjoyed or got a laugh out of those games I just listed. If I find any other great ones, I'll post them in the comment.
You can view every entry in the competition, including the ones I just listed, at TIGSource. Monocles are optional.
We all knew it was coming. Sega Master System will be added as the next VC system over here. Here is what they have to say:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that Wonder Boy and Fantasy Zone will be the first wave of many SEGA Master™ System titles that will soon be available for download on the Wii™ Shop Channel. Prices start at 400 Wii™ Points for SEGA Master System titles. Wii Points can be purchased online or at select retailers at an MSRP of $20 for 2,000 points.
WonderBoy - As Tom-Tom the Wonder Boy, it's up to you to rescue your girlfriend Tanya from the vile clutches of a monster that has kidnapped her. To do so, you must navigate through a series of worlds in a race against time to reach your goal, as you battle off foes and collect fruit that will add to the amount of time you have to complete your mission. You can also collect helpful power-ups from various eggs, but make sure to avoid the "bad" eggs and poisonous mushrooms that sap your precious vitality. Find the magic doll in each level that opens up the hidden areas, and make it to the very end to rescue your one true love!
Fantasy Zone - Take command of the spaceship Opa-Opa and blast your way through various fantastical levels as you try to take out all the enemy bases in each stage. Once you've destroyed the bases, you'll have to beat the stage boss in order to move on to the next level. By using your guns and bombs wisely, you'll be able to take down your enemies and explore each of the crazy environments in this side-scroller. You can also buy upgraded weapons for your ship by accessing the shop. Various SEGA games through the years have referenced the Opa-Opa - now you can play the game that started it all!
The Wii Shop Channel serves as the Wii's online storefront, where visitors can redeem Wii Points to download games and other items. Users need a high-speed Internet connection to access the Wii Shop Channel. More Virtual Console games will come available every Monday following launch. Users buy Wii Points at retail or with a credit card online from the Wii Shop Channel and redeem their Wii Points to download the classic games." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I never had a chance to play SMS, so this might be fun. And only 400 points for a game is not bad.
Activision, while slow and quiet in their response, has stepped up and admitted they've made mistakes with the Wii version of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock by taking appropriate actions to remedy the situation. As a thank you gift to those who have had to wait through the disc replacement process, they are sending a free guitar faceplate. Those who registered should recieve a note stating the faceplate will arrive a few weeks after the fixed edition of the game.
It seems a lot of things are shipped out only to break immediately in consumers' hands. Overheating 360s, breaking Rock Band guitars, and snapping Wiimote straps are just some of the things gamers have had to put up with in recent years, and the best one can expect is to have the shoddy product replaced after waiting for months. It is nice for a change that a company goes the extra mile to make up for the inconvenience. Things are looking better for RedOctane and Activision.
So... Guitar Hero III owners, does the freebie balance out the disappointment and hassle? Is RedOctane still cool? Who will gaff up next? Only time will tell.
The new upcoming Wiiplay title Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My life as a King, will feature DLC.
The DLC so far will be new costumes that will be available for Leo and Chancellor Chime, such as a pirate set. You will also be able to download housing to gain more races such as the Yukes, Lilties or Selkies. Prices have not has a set price, but will be around 100-300 respectevely.
I am all for DLC on any game one the Wii after the Rockband news. And $3 is not bad for a whole new race in your game. Now all we need is an HD...
[img width=200 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/57026936647e82160480ffcg3.jpg[/img]Nintendo! What the hell is wrong with you? Words can describe how frustrated you make me. It's times like today where I wish that you went the way of Sega. You know how to print money for yourself, but in terms of catering to everyone, you've failed. I remember how you said that you wanted to cater to everyone, but now it's obvious that was a crock of shit. Kudos to you Nintendo, we love the shovelware that you promote.
Get this Nintendo - a large population of Wii owners are actually above the age of 18! We're sick of the "Protect the Kids Bullshit!" Microsoft does a great job protecting the kids while at the same time providing the best online experience of any console. You, on the other hand, are so preoccupied with "protecting the kids" that you neglect the potential sales and desires of your older owners. It pisses us off, and we hate it.
I don't want Carnival Games. I want more games like No More Heroes. I don't want Smash Bros with Friend Codes. I want Smash Bros with Live. I don't want the PS2 version of Rock Band; I want the full fledged version that the 360 and PS3 has. Perhaps you don't realize it Nintendo, but what you're doing now is pissing people like me off because your policies promote developers to port CRAP! I'm sick of this crap, and I am getting rather sick of you.
[img align=right width=200]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/180407488746fd6a4042c40Rock_band_cover.jpg[/img]Let's not kid ourselves. I really like music / rhythm games. As such, I really like games like Guitar Hero. So, when the next Harmonix game was announced and it was Rock Band, it was pretty damn exciting. Then, there was the revelation that the game was only coming out for the 360 and PS3, which made baby Jesus cry. I myself, was one sad panda. The pain was lessened a bit when I saw the associated price tag, but the game still was amazing, and deep down, I still wanted it.
Fortunately, Harmonix announced that eventually Rock Band would be coming to the Wii, and that was about it. No price, no release date... nothing other than that the game was coming to the Wii. Well, that's nice, but I want more concrete information. The Wii owners want more information. Would it be expensive like its brethren, or would it be slightly more affordable? Would it be a quick cash in like Guitar Hero / PS2 Rock Band, or would the content be more like the 360 / PS3 versions? Most importantly, when would it be coming out?
Well, there is a release data and price for the Wii version. June 22, 2008. $170. Price, not too surprising, but hey! We now have a date. Additionally, it will be a "Special Edition", with 63 songs, including 5 bonus songs. Oh boy, I can barely contain myself. Yay. Seriously.
So, the burning question of will this game be a gimped version like the PS2 version, or will the game be like the 360 / PS3 version has yet to be answered. Certainly, my excitement will either fall or rise with that announcement, and I can't wait to hear more about this version of the game.
PC World has stated that the new upcoming PS3 firmware, version 2.20, will include some great new features. PC World says:
"The updated firmware enables Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0, or BD-Live, to be supported on the PS3. BD-Live enables Blu-ray Disc makers to incorporate additional interactive features including downloadable video content, ringtones, games and more.
The firmware also exposes "Portable Copy," which enables PS3 users to copy a standard-definition version of the Blu-ray movie to a PlayStation Portable (PSP). You can transfer music and photo playlists from the PS3 to the PSP and use the PSP as a remote control for music playback using "Remote Play." DivX and WMV playback functionality has been improved, along with new Internet browser settings and additional AV settings."
I think that this is a great new ideal from Sony. They just keep pushing out more and more great ideals all the time now. I will admit I was one to be a PS3 Flamer, but now I am starting to like the new Playstation.
•Naruto Ultimate Ninja 3 •Obscure: The Aftermath •Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure
My pick this week goes to Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. Now, before all you Final Fantasy fangirls start crying becuase I didn't pick your OMFGKAWAIIBISHIE ^__^ game, let me just say that I would never award FF7 or FF anything, other than "Series Tony Most Hates". Now to the pick at hand, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword for the Nintendo DS. This game, while lacking the graphical prowess of Sigma, Black, and II, it definitely looks like a well thought out and well executed version of the game that you can put in your pocket and play anywhere. The game really seems to live up to the high bar set by the console iterations of the series. The critics so far seem to agree with my analysis, as it has been getting very positive scores across the board.
In addition to Dragon Sword, be on the look out for Dark Sector and Viking: Battle for Asgard. Dark Sector may end up being meh, but Viking looks like it could be a real surprise. The first review I've seen of that game gave it a 9.5/10. Be sure to check out the other reviews of it as the week progresses, because this might wind up being a game to buy. The fact that it's based on the Vikings only makes me more intrigued, because Vikings are freaking badass.
Also, I have a correction from last week's list. World Championship Cards for PSP has been delayed until April. Sorry for disappointing all less than two of you who are looking forward to this game.
Check back here next week to find out what games are begging for your money!
[img width=350 align=right]http://www.adpulp.com/gamesgrow_4_small.jpg[/img]Hello all.
Gaming has been a test of diligence this past week. I have been working through another go around of The Elder Scrolls III - Morrowind GOY edition on my XB 360. I had spent roughly 20 minutes traveling all around the great world of Vvarendall to finally retrieve the awesome Skull Crusher war hammer. Right when I begin to enter the archaic structured home of some half-breed I am to suppose to deliver this relic to, all of my efforts are wasted due to the game freezing. Talk about frustrating! I am tired of this crap happening and I find that my patience is lacking when trying to re-indulge in the adventure/mission that I had previously thought I had accomplished.
This situation mirrors my real life realization that I am not the gamer that I was back in my heyday. Hence, this is a solid preface to the next part in the series - Erosion of the Gaming Skills: Reality Bites!
I guess this hit me first when my younger brother (he is 8 years my junior) eventually started to beat on me like a farm animal in Halo. When we first started playing this game, I routinely sniped his sorry ass from the hidden glacial recesses. I relied upon guile and stealth to defeat my opponent. And then self-reality punched me square in the nose - I had turned into one of those hated 'campers' in the Call of Duty (and like) online series. As my brother improved (by playing), I stagnated and only had time to play every now and again. Now I was the one being abused like a rent-a-car at his will. Anyone who has a younger brother can attest to this - beating on them is pure satisfaction. Now that the tables had turned, one of my sincere joys in life had been extinguished.
As I grow wiser (older), I find myself gravitating to slower paced games where I can utilize my best asset - the brain. No, I have not crossed over to the dark side and become a fan of edutainment titles. However, RPGs are right up my alley (as they have always been) and golf games (thank goodness for the return of the three-button method employed in Tigers Woods 2008 - old school!). I was a HUGE Tekken fan at one point in my gaming career, but being beat on like a red-headed step child is just not appealing to me anymore. I will admit, to the probable disgust of most gamers (and deservedly so), that I do employ cheat codes liberally. I do not do this to beat on my chest to say I conquered X game, but simply to be able to enjoy the great games that are being released in today's age. At this point in life, my time, patience and thumb-motor ability are resources that I do not have in abundance.
[img width=350 align=left]http://www.gso-media.com/upload/old-gamer-2.jpg[/img]This realization is not something new to me. As I entered into the working world and my career began to escalate, priorities obviously had to change. No more could I devote the necessary hours to master the key button combination required to decapitate a foe in Mortal Kombat or the timing of a certain jump to avoid a villain in Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Sometimes I just don't have the time to master, or even become remotely proficient, in a game; other times I find that I simply lack the patience to perform the necessary trial-and-error functions to get better. Either way, this is a sad reality that gamers of all ages will eventually face - the gaming skills do erode.
One word of the advice to the young pups out there that enjoy looking to take down 'oldman111' in your latest online game of BioShock - be respectful. That will be you one day. Give 'creds' to us old-timers that are still out there on the playing field trying to enjoy the passion we both share - video games.
Next week's edition: Buying Decision Do's & Don'ts. Until then, be careful in your next CoD online game - you might just get your ass sniped
[img align=right width=250]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/89805237447e2a8683ef7cjack_thompson_attorney.jpg[/img]Poor old Jack. Man gets a law degree, starts making frivolous lawsuits bordering the absurdity realm of Hot Coffee Cup Warnings, and then eventually gets referred to the Florida Bar. While the Bar Trial is still in process, we do have an interesting development that did occur today.
Apparently the Florida Supreme Court doesn't enjoy constantly receiving lots of frivolous cases from certain people. Recently, they sent Jack an order demanding why they should not place sanctions against him. Well, apparently Jack's reasons either were not good enough or he just flat out did not provide them with any. Well, the Florida Supreme Court has just decided to set sanctions against good ol' Jack. These sanctions now make it so that Jack can not submit any cases directly to them. That means now that he needs to find an equally crazy person to submit his cases, and I honestly doubt that anyone would be stupid enough to join him in his quest for frivolous lawsuits.
We wish Jack the best of luck in his future endeavors, and hope that the Florida Bar makes an expedient solution soon enough.
Check it out, it's Metroid. Looks nice, doesn't it? I sure think so, but then I am a die hard Metroid fan. What we have here is a remake of Metroid II, the game in the series where they kill all the Metroids on the Metroid Homeworld except one, allowing the events of Super Metroid to unfold. It came out for the Game Boy, back in the day. Game Boy... wow, how the mighty has fallen. Cannibalized by its own relative. But, I digress. This remake is pretty damn cool, and what makes it better is that it is fan made. Truly amazing, and better yet, there is a demo.
As Destructoid said, Nintendo would be wise to see this game on Wii Ware, in the form that this fine sir is doing. Even if it doesn't end up anywhere but just a fan service by a talented individual, it will still be one heck of a product.
This week is actually a damn good one for new games considering we're right in the middle of March. If you have a PS3, 360, DS, or PS2, there's a great game coming out. The other consoles, not so much unless Sega Superstars Tennis completely beats my expectations (which it won't). So without further ado, here's what you can buy this week:
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
•Condemned 2: Bloodshot •Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds •Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore •Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (Also available in a Limited Edition) •Sega Superstars Tennis
•Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (Also available in a Limited Edition) •Sega Superstars Tennis
•George of the Jungle •Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 •Sega Superstars Tennis •Worms: A Space Oddity •WWII Aces
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
•World Championship Cards
(No highlight game here this week. I'm not going to tell you to waste your money on World Championship Cards. Go buy God of War, Wipeout Pulse, or Patapon instead.)
•Diary Girl •Fantasy Aquarium •Go Pets: Vacation Island •Lost in Blue 3 •Sega Superstar Tennis
•Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection •Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends •Sega Superstar Tennis •Singstar 90s (Also available as a bundle with 2 microphones)
My overall pick of the week goes to Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection. This package is a collection of the first three Metal Gear Solid games in a specially priced $30 bundle in preparation for the release of the highly anticipated (50GB, dual layer Blu-ray) PS3 exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots which comes out in June. The Essential Collection is a fantastic deal if you are new to the MGS series, have only one or two games in the series, or are a completist. It's really hard to say no to $30 for three of the greatest games ever.
Check back here next week to find out what games are begging for your money!
Believe it or not, but we do listen to you guys. In fact, we even have ears that listen on other websites. You could say we're omnipotent... nah. That's not us. We're just a bunch of gamers, collectors, and average Joes running a website. But yeah, that's not the point. What is the point is that we've updated the collection checklist script after hearing some complaints about it. In the past, the script grouped variants and that was the only option. Now, the default option is that we show every game on a console, including variants. While this move will make a row for Greatest Hits, etc, it will also be extremely beneficial for those games that had multiple primary releases (read: Pokemon, etc.) We feel that it is better for you to filter out on the checklist which games you wish not to collect, rather than us. That said, if you wish to still group by variant, you can still do that as well, but such an action is not the default.
As with any new release on RF Generation, there may be bugs. As the PHP Programmer, as well as the Site Director, it is my job to quash these bugs. So yeah, let me know, somewhere, if you experience any bugs.
So, I checked the IndieGames Weblog yesterday, and their freeware game of the day was a game called Rom Check Fail.
My pick this week goes to Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. Now, before all you Final Fantasy fangirls start crying becuase I didn't pick your OMFGKAWAIIBISHIE ^__^ game, let me just say that I would never award FF7 or FF anything, other than "Series Tony Most Hates". Now to the pick at hand, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword for the Nintendo DS. This game, while lacking the graphical prowess of Sigma, Black, and II, it definitely looks like a well thought out and well executed version of the game that you can put in your pocket and play anywhere. The game really seems to live up to the high bar set by the console iterations of the series. The critics so far seem to agree with my analysis, as it has been getting very positive scores across the board.
My overall pick of the week goes to Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection. This package is a collection of the first three Metal Gear Solid games in a specially priced $30 bundle in preparation for the release of the highly anticipated (
