Messages

31

General / Re: You know how I know we have a very narrow type of gamer here?

« on: December 19, 2012, 01:41:33 am »

Oh, and while it's not a game I played growing up, Tecmo Super Bowl is one of the most impressive NES games from a programming perspective. The intro to that game is completely AMAZING when you consider the technical graphic limitations of the NES. Honestly, I just like to watch it in nametable and PPU viewers.

32

Site Feedback / Re: genre and sub-genre

« on: December 19, 2012, 01:16:43 am »

Depositing my two cents--clink, clink!

The categories of games I have the most difficulty adding to the database are:

 - Digital storybooks (e.g., Chop Suey for PC, Wanwan Aijou Monogatari for Casio Loopy)
 - "Productivity"/"Utility" games (e.g., Sparkle Snapshots 3D for 3DS, perhaps art games like Mario Paint)

If it's possible to add a category or two to cover these OR to suggest an existing category that is a good fit, that would be great.

33

General / Re: You know how I know we have a very narrow type of gamer here?

« on: December 19, 2012, 01:07:06 am »

I don't have any modern sports games, PS3 NBA Jam and Wii Sports aside. However, I do have a soft spot for old NES sports titles... Blades of Steel and Tennis are two that come to mind. I was also a pretty big fan of dedicated LCD sports games as a kid. (And oh how I wanted that Konami TMNT Basketball game...!)

It's true about the million copies of Madden '9x or whatever collecting dust in resale shops. They're always priced so high! Just clear those guys out -- 99 cents a pop -- and be done with it, right?

34

Site Feedback / Re: these are not games

« on: September 22, 2012, 01:29:43 pm »

to me at least something like color a dinosaur is not software because coloring is education tool that is supposed to entertain basically what i'm saying is if it made to be entertaining it not software

So would something called "Stickers 'n Fun" be a game, then? Presumably the intent is to entertain.

It's tough, because entertainment and even play are not always strictly games. Movies and music aren't games, of course. Even Barbies and Legos are not games in the strict sense; they are toys. Along these same lines, Color a Dinosaur is an electronic toy that facilitates play. But that sounds crazy to NES collectors, so we just call it a game.

I have a collection of Barbie CD-ROMs that are fashioned as productivity software but are squarely meant to entertain (e.g., Barbie Nail Designer). When titles like this appear on game consoles, classifying them becomes even more challenging.

35

Site Feedback / Re: these are not games

« on: September 21, 2012, 09:04:10 pm »

I'm curious to know, based on this discussion, what then separates games from software for the purposes of this site. My guess is that any software for a game console is automatically a "game," regardless of its content (e.g., Color a Dinosaur), while PC/Mac software is only a game if it meets certain qualitative gameplay criteria? Not trying to be necessarily difficult; this is a topic that interests me.

36

Video Game Database Discussion / Re: More Missing Consoles

« on: August 06, 2012, 12:29:13 pm »

I'm also curious where we might add games from the Mac OS 7 to OS 9 era. Perhaps there is already a category suited for these and I missed it. Thanks again!

37

Video Game Database Discussion / Re: More Missing Consoles

« on: August 06, 2012, 12:21:36 pm »

I noticed in the Sega - Other section that you can add games for "SG-1000 II." I was thinking that this should just be SG-1000 and that there should be a separate "SG-1000 Hardware" link containing the SG-1000 and the SG-1000 II. I don't have either console (yet!), but I do have a game that would probably be better suited for a generic SG-1000 category that is independent of hardware revision.

All that said, I'm not sure whether the Sega Mark III falls under SG-1000 Hardware or Sega Master System hardware. Maybe someone else is more up on that piece of hardware than I?

Thanks to the mods for fielding my various, odd questions and requests over the past year!

38

General / Re: Displaying Your Collection

« on: August 05, 2012, 01:26:06 pm »

HEY!!!

I know you, don't I?!

(Recognized your sig)

We're friends on PSN already; right?!

-That would explain why you're messin' w/ me so early on a Sunday morning...

 

Haha, not that I know of. I don't think I ever tried adding people on PSN. I have a few PS3 games, but the console is mostly a Netflix box at the moment. I used to be an editor, so I definitely overthink the alphabetization thing. Just staring at that MLB label like... ML? Or MA? Terrifying.

I decided to paint the walls of my game room and put in a new ceiling fan, so I'll need to uninstall and reinstall all the shelving, move out the arcade cabinet, etc. Starting over should be scary but fun! I was thinking about doing some photographic documentation of the process. Nerdy, I know...

39

General / Re: Displaying Your Collection

« on: August 05, 2012, 05:32:39 am »

Don't get me wrong - my games are all sorted alphabetically and by platform (*Unless* it's something like Demon's Souls & Dark Souls for my PS3)...which...after giving it *WAY* more time & thought than such a trivial thing ever warrants or deserves...I decide that - since they both start with a "D"...and since they're in the same 'series', *and*, since Demon's Souls preceded Dark Souls...Dark Souls comes right AFTER Demon's Souls on my shelf

"Which comes first: 1943 or 3-D Worldrunner?"
"Is it L for The Little Mermaid or D for Disney's The Little Mermaid?"
"Does Zelda II really have to go under Z? What about Zoda's Revenge?"
O__O

40

General / Re: Displaying Your Collection

« on: August 05, 2012, 05:16:25 am »

I am in the process of redoing my displays, so I've been thinking on these issues a lot lately. Here are my long-winded thoughts!

I used to use cheapy freestanding cubes (the kind they sell for college dorm storage) because I had them hanging around. The problem with these and most other types of shelving is that they're around 12" deep, while most game boxes are less than 6" wide. You get that annoying thing where you try to keep all the games near the edge of the shelf but then it's impossible to actually remove a game without messing up the whole system. Plus, having a too-deep shelf is a waste of space in the room.

I finally decided to redo my displays with elfa shelves from The Container Store. I used to think CS just made wire racks for the kitchen or garage, but they have melamine shelves that look more like wood, too. They make an 8"-deep shelf that is much more compact and great for games. There is still a "dead space" problem, but it's much improved from the 12" shelves. You can adjust the heights on these shelves to match the height of your games, too. (Aside from being too deep, most shelving is also too tall for video games, resulting in more wasted space.) They have snap-on bookends, sliding baskets, etc. if you want to get fancy. BUT tl;dr: Short and adjustable shelves mean less wasted space, more games per square foot.

I have my games split up so that all the loose carts are in one set of shelves while all the in-box games are in another set of shelves. Within these categories, they're then organized by console date order. The result looks tidy because the NES, SMS, Genesis, and SNES boxes all pair together and are about the same height. I put the NES carts up on their sides, while SNES and Genesis carts get stacked up because those don't like to go on their sides. I don't have many N64 carts, so I don't have to worry too much about the end label issue.

Whenever there's a weird spot in the collection (transition from boxes to jewel cases, ugly bracket that needs to be covered, etc.), I reach for something from my game goodies pile such as a Nintendo plush or figurine to act as a bookend or decor item. Let those items serve a good purpose while being on display!

OK, I have more to say, but I think I'll stop there for now.  Hope this helps!

41

Site Feedback / Re: Can we get some more diversified "Genre" Categories/Selections?

« on: August 05, 2012, 04:24:15 am »

If I could piggyback on this thread, I'd like to make a request for a "Dress Up" genre. (We have Beat 'Em Up and Shoot 'Em Up, so why not Dress 'Em Up?) The Dress Up genre would include fashion, jewelry, hair, and makeup design games. I think these are fairly distinct from Simulation, which is their current best fit.

I also wonder about something like a "Storybook" genre for games like Chop Suey, Little Romance, Wanwan Aijou Monogatari, etc.

What do you think? These are the two types of games I have the most difficulty categorizing here.

42

Video Game Database Discussion / Re: More Missing Consoles

« on: March 29, 2012, 12:10:13 am »

Sounds good, Scott. Until then, I'll probably start throwing my MGA and Bandai stuff in the existing LCD games category. I don't know too much about LCD games either, but I've become drawn in by the beautiful case design of the early-'80s Japanese handhelds.

43

Video Game Database Discussion / Re: More Missing Consoles

« on: March 27, 2012, 06:58:41 pm »

Added! It's also under "Other". Which reminds me, Tiger LCD needs to be moved to "Other" as well...

I'm having a little trouble understanding how the dedicated handhelds are organized. There are at least four categories that house them: "Other," "Tiger LCD," "Nintendo" (for Game & Watch), and "LCD Games." Within "Other" are "Konami LCD" and "Mattel Handheld." Under "LCD Games" is an Epoch handheld. I wonder if it might make sense to create one category for all dedicated handhelds and have subcategories of "Konami," "Mattel," "Tiger," "Epoch," "Nintendo," and maybe a "Misc." for oddball handhelds. (It might be nice to cross-reference the G&Ws under Nintendo if such a thing is possible, since I imagine people might look for them there, too.)

Sorry if this has been discussed elsewhere; I didn't see anything on the forum pertaining to this.

If possible, I'd also like to request adding Bandai LCD handhelds and MGA LCD handhelds as subcategories. Thank you! 

44

Off Topic / Re: Children of the 90s. (And 80s!!!)

« on: March 20, 2012, 10:24:45 pm »

I have one for the 90’s clothing trend; big fat colorful shoe strings remember those?  No I don’t want to see them back again.

The kind on skate shoes? I had those, though I think they still sell new ones at Hot Topic. I do remember spring laces being pretty distinctly 90s...



They go great with mirror socks.

45

News / Re: NEWS: Forum Overhaul

« on: March 17, 2012, 06:12:58 pm »

Excellent work!