Author Topic: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:  (Read 1889474 times)

redblaze57

PRO Supporter

Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16530 on: March 06, 2025, 11:46:09 pm »
No description just watch. Trust me.
https://youtu.be/jzpGCpv7McE?si=aUjZlqQTWvXpPYIz

Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16531 on: March 17, 2025, 11:23:15 am »
I just beat Shenmue II after beating the first Shenmue a few days before, and while I got to fall in love with both games all over again, the day after I'm filled with a deep sadness that I'm once again right back where I was in back when I first beat these games in the early 2000s. Even with Shenmue III being a reality now, the saga is still unfinished and while there were some pretty hopeless times before that game was finally announced and successfully funded, I don't think things were ever as bad as they are now when it comes to the Shenmue series.


Unfortunately due to poor sales, mediocre reception, and a period of online backlash (some of it justified, some of it not), this series is in a way more precarious situation than it ever was pre-Shenmue III. There was no ill-will towards the series, and if anything there was massive amounts of hype and anticipation for the future of the franchise. While Shenmue and Shenmue II were not financially successful games for Sega, enough time had gone by combined with a noticeable amount of internet hype that there was the question of whether it could work years after Shenmue II's release. With Shenmue III out and having been out for over 5-years, none of these factors prior to its release are in play anymore, and if anything the lack of mass market viability was proven by that game's release.


Even replaying Shenmue 1 and 2, it's easy to see why these games will never have a mass market appeal. It has nothing to do with the quality of the games, especially for the time they were released, but rather their relative slow pace and focus on story over action all but confirms their lack of appeal with modern gamers. Combine this with a fairly niche plot about martial arts training and its no wonder the Shenmue fanbase is smaller than ever. If Shenmue could be fully realized for a couple million dollars, I could see Shenmue IV or even a Shenmue V happening, but as is there is no way this game is ever getting funded by anyone expecting any sort of return on their investment. 5 to 10 million a game just isn't going to ever happen with a game like Shenmue again unless some very wealthy person decides to fund future games as a passion product, which we all know is never going to happen.


With Yu Suzuki reaching his mid 60s and by his own admission, two more games, at least, being required to complete the story, I have all but given hope we will ever see the conclusion of the franchise, at least in video game form. Suzuki has stubbornly rejected pleas to finish the story in a much more budget friendly medium such as a manga or visual novel. The anime method was tried, but due to a series of unfortunate events, that method of finishing the story is just as dead in the water as the idea of any future games.  My hope is with old age, Yu Suzuki will finally realize the futility of ever seeing his story finished in the ideal format he's so desperately wanted to use for over two decades now, and that the rest of us have desperately wanted as well. It pains me to never see another new Shenmue game released again, but it would pain me even more to never know how the saga ends.


I would be absolutely overjoyed if Sega or Suzuki announced a Shenmue manga or even a novel that would conclude the story. I so desperately want to know how the rest of the story plays out and it deeply saddens me that I possibly never will. Of course, in an ideal world, Shenmue IV, V, and VI (maybe even VII) would all have been released all throughout the 2000s and 2010s and Ryo's story would have been concluded in video game form years ago. Unfortunately, this could not be further from reality. We'll see what the future holds, but of course my favorite game series of all time had to be one that has been incomplete for a quarter century and likely will stay that way given its woefully unfortunate situation.

Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16532 on: March 21, 2025, 02:01:33 pm »
PS3 recieves update Mar 15th, 2025. Almost 19 whole years after its release. It is an update that renews the blu ray encryption key. PS4 and PS5 do this automatically from what I gather. However PS3 requires manually
putting in the update because it's a hard to get classy kinda console lol. 


When I seen "an update is required. I almost dropped mud tortoises in my dungaroos thinking it just is done for and id never be able to play it again. I figured their was abtimed update that sonys servers wouldnt account for
at least for months. But nope. Sony still somewhat cares about us PS3 daily drivers. And alas she still purrs :) 


Love to the ps3!  Thought this was a neat occurrence.  It was like that grandpa you love messing with a new iPhone. A retired tennis player at the gym. Felt like 2009 all over again.  I hope they keep the trophy sync function well into PS6 or forever.  PS3 still has love.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2025, 02:03:19 pm by marvelvscapcom2 »



dhaabi

Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16533 on: March 21, 2025, 05:34:06 pm »
PS3 recieves update Mar 15th, 2025.

Love to the ps3!  Thought this was a neat occurrence.

It's nice to see older hardware continuing to receive software updates (even if, in this instance, it's just to allow users to use modern Blu-ray discs), but such updates have been annual occurrences for a number of years. Here is a page detailing those updates and noting when they were released.

Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16534 on: March 23, 2025, 04:45:51 am »
Absolutely struggling to find a multiplayer shooter to keep me engaged that isn't me just falling back into playing a Battlefield game.  I was playing Fortnite casually for the past chapter or so, but that game just really started to drag for me.

Basically, if it's an active multiplayer shooter at this point, I've probably played it, but not stuck with it for a variety of reasons.

BR shooters like Fortnite, Apex, Warzone, PUBG...

I've played some of the Extraction games like Hunt: Showdown, Tarkov, or it's knockoff, Arena: Breakout...

Small scale shooters don't do anything for me anymore, so that's a no on The Finals, CS, Valorant, and Siege...

I've done the hardcore stuff like Hell Let Loose and Squad, but the amount of downtime in them just running to die and then sit on a respawn timer really drags those games down.  These are most unfortunate as I can get into the gameplay, but there's so much time just spent not playing the game.  I'm kinda assuming Arma Reforger would be much the same.

I've done Battlefield-like games, but Delta Force sucks and Battlebit Remastered needs a lot of work.

Halo, Destiny 2, Titanfall 2, COD, if it's a game with an active playerbase, then I've probably played it, but something either sucked about it or just didn't draw me in. I feel like until Battlefield 6 releases, which might not be till next year, and if it's actually good, there's just nothing for me.  Really hate not having a good go to game.  Sure, I could go play Battlefield 1, V, 4, or Battlefront 2, I most likely will eventually, but I've played all of that a bunch and I just don't think there's something that has the right appeal for me currently despite wanting to like some of the games I've listed.

dhaabi

Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16535 on: March 23, 2025, 04:24:30 pm »

dhaabi

Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16536 on: March 23, 2025, 04:45:52 pm »
I was out of town for most of last week and found myself returning home with a large number of music across various formats. 45 vinyl records, 24 cassette tapes, and 10 CDs. I also brought back two portable cassette recorders (one is nonfunctional, the other is untested) alongside a CD alarm clock. There was actually more too that I brought back including a cassette deck and turntable, but I gave them away to someone else.

So far today, I've been slowly going through adding all the music to my Discogs collection. Most of the vinyl is from the '60s and '70s, and there are a lot of details to go through in determining which specific item I own that I'm learning how to identify. With just under half of the vinyl inspected, the item with the most submitted variants on their database is Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture at 401. That number doesn't even consider all the matrix / runout differences that are known to exist while instead focusing on broader differences like printing plant IDs and, more obviously, general represses by the same or different label companies.

Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16537 on: March 23, 2025, 11:13:20 pm »
I was out of town for most of last week and found myself returning home with a large number of music across various formats. 45 vinyl records, 24 cassette tapes, and 10 CDs. I also brought back two portable cassette recorders (one is nonfunctional, the other is untested) alongside a CD alarm clock. There was actually more too that I brought back including a cassette deck and turntable, but I gave them away to someone else.

So far today, I've been slowly going through adding all the music to my Discogs collection. Most of the vinyl is from the '60s and '70s, and there are a lot of details to go through in determining which specific item I own that I'm learning how to identify. With just under half of the vinyl inspected, the item with the most submitted variants on their database is Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture at 401. That number doesn't even consider all the matrix / runout differences that are known to exist while instead focusing on broader differences like printing plant IDs and, more obviously, general represses by the same or different label companies.


Really rad!  I love clock radios. A CD alarm sounds fun.

I have found myself enjoying CDs and cassettes again. My landlord gave me a sony disc man from the 90s. And I began a 90s shelf dedicated to troll dolls, cds, hit clips. I predict CD media having a ressurgance soon. Like VHS did.

It baffled me when I read that more vinyls were sold in 2022 than CDs and MP3s. For the first time in over 30 years. It's pretty cool how it all comes full circle. But original pressings had better QC imo.





Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16538 on: March 23, 2025, 11:25:00 pm »
2025 BATTLE OF THE NICHE



On a side note... I didn't want to make a dedicated thread for this. But I have challenged myself in sync with the 52 games challenge to do what I call "battle of the niche".  Battling 3 games to see which is best. Mostly as a way to broaden my horizons. Each year I will try to pick 3 games that were lesser known but culturally iconic. Preferably in the same console gen. Games that are niche, and mostly known by a cult like following of underground fans of franchises. Games that I have never played but heard of only in whisperings locally or on here
 But more bluntly, games that I havent played before but are up my alley!  When all 3 are finished. I will give a score to each. And a winner will be declared. :)  Pretty excited for it. Something silly I came up with. Mostly because it's the idealogy of silly goose. (Goose are called silly because they fly in V patterns. V is a silly letter)

These 3 games are bizarre and also somewhat hard to find willy nilly.  But ive heard enough to crave a run with each.

BUFFY

Buffy being a console exclusive and one of few ways to play a buffy themed game outside of chaos bleeds.  It has a following online who claim it to be an inspired and fun game that defined the childhood buffy love of many franchise fanatics. Its off the wall. And I purchased an original Xbox to play this along with experience some games in better graphics. The vampire slaying Buffy Summers on the nostalgia screen.

The Warriors

Probably the least niche of the three. But still compared to rockstar other outings in the ps2 era like GTA and midnight club. It's a very cult classic with from what I gather lousy ports on modern hardware.  I have the most faith in this one being good. Because rockstar has never done me wrong. It looks radical.

Scooby Doo 100 Nights Of Frights

Consensus online claims it to be the best scooby game. I loved scooby as a kid. Had a whole room dedicated to him. Bed sheets. Scooby was my elmo or spongebob early on. So it's fitting I take a time wrap to the 2000s to experience what to me is a scooby mystery.


Which game will prevail. Will it be the juggernaut dev rockstar? Or will a odd EA tv show spin off game be the underdog?  3 games enter. Only 1 proverbial hidden gen will rise from out yonder to claim the crown. Of my first annual. BATTLE OF THE NICHE!! lol.
« Last Edit: March 23, 2025, 11:46:19 pm by marvelvscapcom2 »



Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16539 on: March 24, 2025, 05:01:10 pm »
Hello everyone! 


A couple of months ago when I got back heavy into collecting I found the holy grail of scratch removers for any gamer. And wanted to pass on my new tip to anyone who could use such info :)   Its not just for discs. Its for screens. PSP plastic.  Phone glass (gently) man even PS5 glossy plastic? Those micro scuffs? It'll make it like glass.



Rain- X Extreme Clean Windshield Buffer

https://www.walmart.com/ip/16889042?sid=9d8b3b22-d8fe-43a5-a36f-7544c104ecf1


I have been collecting and trying cheap methods of removing scratches since I was probably 8. Toothpaste? Chapstick? Deoderant? Disc condoms which essentially is a new plastic layer over the whole top?  Man even wd40 and magic eraser? Some break the game. Some help only marginally. Or temporarily.  Some are gross and bad for the system.


But this glorious product graced my life!   


I buffed my 3DS XL screen and instantly like new. Gameboy color screens gleam like new.   I just recieved a midnight club 3 dub edition that was beat to pulp (the game pictured) and viola.  5 sessions of circular motions with a microfiber cloth and it looks basically like new.


The stuff is abrasive enough to buff but gentle enough to leave no swirls, no scuffs, and not take away any of the top layers of a disc entirely. A hard balance to find. Its the perfect balance (of course know your limits and dont overdo it. If it isnt fixed by round 5. Games probbaly doomed)


If you have your own methods or dont care. Disregard this post. But I figured maybe someone somehwere has a niche game with scuff and is desperate to try something.


If Rain X extreme clean and 5 go arounds with a microfiber dont fix a game. It probably has a giant gouge and is unsavable. Ive had games buffed in professional machines for 5 bucks each disc and had way worst results than this.   It doesnt leave buff marks. Best wishes and game on!




Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16540 on: March 26, 2025, 08:57:21 pm »
Today. March 26th, 2025 is one of the best gaming collector days of my life!  Back to back happy. Today I got an original xbox. And it was like opening up the jar to my childhood. I hadn't held that controller since I played it till 3am with my dad in 2006. And it just felt right.


I also find out I had copies of semi uncommon niche PS2 games in my attic.  Scarface, Max Payne 2, ATV games. Matrix. Godfather the game. 50 cent bulletproof.


Then I start reading that model 1.6 Xboxes are the ones with updated clock capcitors. Less likely to leak with time.  And I wouldnt have to mess with that.

The mfg date for those is after march 2004.  Mine is November 2004. She's not even old enough to drink yet lol. 


I couldn't plan a better day honestly. I really feel god. It feels like i'm 10 again. Wish I could bottle it. I intend to :)   when you hit a certain level of collecting. You get comfy. This excitement reminds me of why I started it all. It can't be replaced with anything but a childhood relived.




Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16541 on: April 03, 2025, 10:51:17 am »
I loved playing through Super Mario Odyssey so much, I decided I was going to go for all 999 moons. Since last weekend I've been playing Odyssey during most of my free time and have been able to collect 626 moons at the time of writing this. Unfortunately, I'm running out of steam and kind of want to move onto another game. I'm still not giving up on reaching 999, but considering how many more I have to collect and also a few of the remaining moons being among the most infamously hard to get in the game, I'm probably just going to pick up Odyssey here and there until I eventually get to 999 moons. What an amazingly fun game though :)

tripredacus

Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16542 on: April 07, 2025, 12:21:43 pm »
My experiment of paying (via Patreon) to play on a twitch streamer's modded Minecraft server is over. Nothing wrong with the streamer or the server but the issue was with the pack. It is called Craftoria. As always I did my research on the pack before I bothered. There are some requirements to a pack that must be met before I would even consider it. They are, primarily, have a quest book and include tech mods. Craftoria does have a questbook and has AE2 so I figured it would be fine. Well it wasn't. The questbook has no actual progression in it, and the pack contains a lot of magic based things. It also contains a lot of mods I have no experience with and thus the issue is that I didn't know where to start and with what. There were also issues with the map system, you could set teleports but only for home. If you died then your stuff would be kept in a grave... BUT you had to go there manually to get it back. This was annoying at the start and basically made it so I would not travel far distances. There is a progression system to the enemies, basically the longer you play the stronger they get. Playing extra careful takes the fun out of it. Despite it being a server, no one seemed to be on, so no one to help you if you had a problem. You mitigate that by not having problems. The ore generation was also not exactly balanced. There is an overabundance of Copper but not a whole lot you could do with it. It was difficult to find iron and redstone. Enderman spawns were rare also. Supposedly other players had farms but they were never on to ask if you could use them. The part that I did like was the special weapons and monsters, but after awhile you hit a brick wall because you can't get enough experience to just do that portion. In the end I ended up gated on things to make because I couldn't find the resources, didn't know what to make next and didn't want to explore. So I decided to retire from that pack and that server.

The other thing I did was redo my PS2 setup. In my recent haul from Japan I had picked up a PS2 component cable. I spent Friday rewiring my big TV setup. Removed the BD player completely, and made it so both the US and JP PS2 connect via component and TOSLink to the AVR. The component cable may not be that great as there seemed to have been some interference at time. Also was surprised to learn that the US and JP PS2 actually use different power cables. The US version has the square end but the JP version does not. I played a bit of GTA SA, but in that game I feel like I'm hitting walls as I can't complete the quests that are available to me. I will try them again but if I'm progression locked, I might call it quits on that game finally.

Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:
« Reply #16543 on: April 07, 2025, 01:54:31 pm »
I loved playing through Super Mario Odyssey so much, I decided I was going to go for all 999 moons. Since last weekend I've been playing Odyssey during most of my free time and have been able to collect 626 moons at the time of writing this. Unfortunately, I'm running out of steam and kind of want to move onto another game. I'm still not giving up on reaching 999, but considering how many more I have to collect and also a few of the remaining moons being among the most infamously hard to get in the game, I'm probably just going to pick up Odyssey here and there until I eventually get to 999 moons. What an amazingly fun game though :)

My.experience with Odyssey was similar to yours. First playthrough I was underwhelmed.  Not that it was bad. I just think the hype at that time was way too high in my brain considering 2 of the other 3D marios are in my top 10 games of all time. I was going in expected heaven on earth. 2nd playthrough? With way lower expectations. Even doubts.  The game is absolutely beautiful front to back.  Its so playable and concise. It's hard only in rare ocassions and overall is easy to enjoy. I loved it.  And it's also really fun collecting.

Dark side of the moon was a blast because it whooped my ass. Then you learn the patterns like the old sega days. And boom. You keep grinding to a win. And the win feels rewarding.

Goodluck to 999. I wish I could have the patience to attempt that lol.  I hear the darker side is even more brutal.