Messages

1

General / Re: May 2026 - Recently added to collection/recently purchased

« on: May 28, 2026, 10:50:19 pm »

I bought the GOTY Forza Horizon 6 (steam)

How is it?  I always assumed Tokyo or Japan in general would be such an excellent setting for the game series. I gotta wait for it to come to PS5 like a good boy




I bought more rare PS3 games


1. 50 Cent Blood On The Sand JP copy for trophy support

2

General / Re: 4 New Games Added to the "World Video Game Hall of Fame"

« on: May 28, 2026, 02:35:30 pm »

Also since it seems we want to say Tamogotchi is a video game to be silly.

BOP-IT! Smash is a video game

By same metric

These two items really aren't comparable. The latter is an electronic toy that's programmed to behave in a predetermined and limited capacity whereas the former is a simulation game with variables featuring a LCD screen and isn't unlike any other LCD game—games that I suppose I'll clarify are types of items that VGC tracks. Tamagotchi's marketability by large may instill the perception that they're traditional toys based on their appearance, but they function no differently than more universally accepted contemporaries like Nintendogs and Seaman released on dedicated gaming hardware.

With this being said, I don't think that the terms toy and video game are mutually exclusive. Tamagotchi is one example as to this mindset, but more modern counterparts would be items like amiibo and Skylanders figures.

I mean I hear what you're getting at with the definitions but it's so hard to stick to it, and i'm sure your rules for a video game more defined and grounded than what has been defined by others.  Who is right? Who is wrong?  We dont really know.  Thats why I think we should go solely off intent of development.

From what has been defined to me by the people who include Tamogatchi in these gaming discussions is that the vague inclusion is because a video game requires

An LCD or Digital Display/Light Up Visual Ques (typically considered to require a computer sending code to a digital interface)
Pre Determined Rules/Limits
Player Input


Here are video games and the context as to why.

Texas Instruments Speak and Spell Is A Video Game....




"You are absolutely spot on. Because it relies on a processor to drive an interactive digital interface, a Speak & Spell is technically an electronic handheld game. In fact, the device was one of the first mass-produced consumer computers to feature a gameplay loop, state tracking, and user input.

Also a gaming historian sharing input on the matter https://youtu.be/RpeegJ0J5mE?si=2TV1C7oeqTO6vSrc



Which makes any Drone with a handheld operating screen a video game and also makes electronic battleship a video game.  Here is the response to that from google Gemini (not gospel but something)

Electronic Battleship Is A Video Game

"You are absolutely right. By definition, an electronic Battleship game featuring an LCD screen, programmed rules (loops), an end state, and specific player goals meets all the technical criteria of a video game."


I mean come now Ethyl.  Where do we draw the damn line? Lol. 

Also by your example of Nintendogs,  Bop It Smash recieved a touch screen version ported to IOS and behaves not much different than a physical manifestation of any rythym game.  Also the people who argue Nintendogs are like a tomagatchi leave out the fact that so are The Robot Dogs from Target that display emotion on a digital screen interface panel like a tamogatchi does that you feed plastic bones to make happy. It has a screen. A displayed visual prompt. You can stretch to say I-Dog is a game. Digital interface. Requires music to dance. Clear goal. Requirements. Peripherals. You care for a pet that doesnt actually exist but gives the illusion it does.  Rules. Guidelines. Limits and function.  Not a video game.  Nintendogs is a video game released on video game hardware with video game marketing by video game companies.   To say a toy has similar counterparts to a video game like Nintendogs seems to be the stretch but it falls apart under stress. It's like saying because Mario Kart is a game, a remote control Mario kart toy is a video game if the remote has a screen on it.  It's a very crude stretch to say screen = game.  In that sense all board games if you add a display to the board become video games. Which is why I feel the intent of development is what should matter.  Games should be well defined as games.   This is what happens when people get way too cute or vague with definitions.  Why cant we just call violet violet?   A video game is obvious. None of these things were marketed or intended to be a video game.




By this logic.  If we build an AI Robot with a screen that displays its emotions and play patty cake with it to make it happy it becomes a 6 foot tall humanoid video game. 


Then we can say "a video game needs to be virtual entirely. Not physical) contained within.   ok so still speak and spell? Lol.  Speak andnspell is also far more iconic and revolutionary than most games.


But the truth is.  If we dont draw the line with Tamogatchi.  Then the hobby loses all meaning.  Even if you can stretch it to say Tamogatchi is a "video game" why?  It's clearly marketed, consumed and remembered as a toy.  Do we not have enough actual games?  If someone has to go "is that a video game?" Does it belong in a hall of fame for video games?   Especially over well defined icons of this industry?  We are playing in the neighbors pool while ours develops algae. 


Seriously. If tamogatchi is a video game. We lost the plot as a hobby. 


And like I said.  Even if it is.  Does it really need to be in a hall of fame?  Like culturally?  Literally nobody thinks of it as anything but a toy without being convinced to.  Like what are we doing here? Over Metroid lol. 


But this boils down to Hall of Fames being worthless divisionist gate keeper culture coded failures broken from the ground up. Rooted in holding merit over an artists head like a chew toy to curate worth and not opinion.  Almost all have come.under fire for bribery. Bias. Cultural failures and even prejudice and institutional fraud.   Something rooted in exclusionary opinion pretending to be some sort of authority is dead news as far as I'm concerned. Weather Tamogatchi is a video game or not. 

3

Modern Video Games / Re: Valve Raises Price of Steam Deck OLED by $300

« on: May 27, 2026, 08:01:37 pm »

AI infused Capitalism is a flaming ball the world has decided to urinate on.  AI is death.  Greed has won.  Gaming is about to crash again. Thats clear and inevitable.  And the sad part  while the earth is essentially on fire you'll come to find most of these companies raising prices dont do it to maintain operations or profits or wages they do it to maintain MASSIVE PROFITS and insane 220 million dollar CEO bonuses and insane cap spikes so they can invest in AI, reintergrate logistics company wide. Most have stated they intend to integrate AI with human workforce. They have.stellar ROIs, immense GDP, great market caps, and decent sales figures and protective growth. Most have capital sunk in non gaming entities and invest in hedges as a shell against economy downturns.  Then they pretend they raise prices based on whatever nonsense is happening on the news to play the little old lady in the soup kitchen line but the raised price is almost never proportionate to the raised costs and overheads. Most are gonna seek tariff refunds on top of it. Yet blamed raised prices on tariffs for the past half decade. Do you think if tariffs absolve prices will drop?  Have you ever heard a landlord say "my taxes went down this year so im lowering your rent?" Its all fucking greed. Not necessity. Refusing to ride the economical mess they are creating they pass the bill onto the poor and middle class. That's capitalism and always was.  They just refuse to slim margins because God forbid they only make insane amounts of wealth instead of ungodly amounts of wealth.  Parasite oligarchs from the ground up.   You're witnessing a bubble about to pop.  Either poke it with a tack or stick your tongue out.  Theirs no other options. Its popping.



You could be right about Xbox but for the sake of your happiness I will like to say Most analysts have 2 estimates or models they assume will happen.  Both around your budget or hopes.


1. Xbox launches Helix at 900 to 1000.  Runs on intensely slim margins because they want to ensure as many homes as possible subscribe to their actual money maker (gamepass) which I find the most likely. 


2.  They release at 1,200 to 1 500 dollars.  Sell hardly any units, appeal to the affluent and operate on higher profit margins on lower sales scales.


2,000 dollars is company suicide.  It'd most likely mean the bubble popped and the hobby crashed entirely. Maybe. Not fully off the table.  But id say you should be fine if you intend to spend.$1,500.  But the bubble could pop you are right ahout that.



I also wouldn't rule out 2 models. A crazy expensive spec beast and a consumer model like they have been doing. 


The steam deck going up 300 dollars is silly.  Good luck with that Valve. 

4

General / Re: 4 New Games Added to the "World Video Game Hall of Fame"

« on: May 27, 2026, 02:53:05 pm »

Aight, here is my response to each new entry.

- Angry Birds = Yeah, I guess this one makes sense.

- Dragon Quest = Sigh.... Yeah, I guess this makes sense.

- Fifa International Soccer = Uh? Alrighty then....

- Silent Hill = How was this not there already?!!

Wait, no Spyro or Crash games are included in the 53? WHY?!!

Because it's subjective click bait being portrayed as a "professionals' objectivity. And deemed as having more worth than anyone else's which is the sole selling point of all hall of fames.  Gatekeeping and exclusivity.  A circus for all intents and purposes.  The credibility of the hall of fame lies solely on perception of their choices by others and clearly they failed.  I trust my mother who has never played video games to formulate a better hall of fame off blind memory. 


Anyone here attend a gaming convention and see Barbie?  She's synonymous with our hobby now? A Tamagotchi (a egg shaped tiger handheld quality virtual pet toy from 30 years ago)?


Anyone here attend a gaming convention and see Samus Aran, Big Daddy, Vault Boy or Spyro? 


That is all that needs to be said.  The list is not only bad it's a tad offensive and not at all indicative of the vast consensus of the legacy of our culture.   The exclusion of Metroid makes the entire team of people involved from the ground up instantly not credible.  It is not arguably but objectively fact that it is the first mainstream and franchise popular human female protagonist in video games. Certainly the first serious one.  The franchise also pioneered non linear backwards progression and paved the way for maybe 20 percent of all games.  It's effects are seen in countless indie projects till this day.   




But...


Barbie.


Let it sink in.


Barbie. 






Also since it seems we want to say Tamogotchi is a video game to be silly.


BOP-IT! Smash is a video game




By same metric

5

Off Topic / Re: Music thread

« on: May 26, 2026, 08:22:37 pm »

Why is the music thread a corpse?  Someone come grave dig with me.  Post a random cool song.


"My sticky paws were into making straws out of big fat slurpee treats.  An incredible 8 foot heap"


Len Steal my Sunshine is a fun introspective 90s Pop/Punk alt nu metal kinda thing that speaks of summery bliss on the surface but reeks of meloncholy regret underneath.  I wrote a whole thesis on it. 


Merry Memorial Day

https://youtu.be/E1fzJ_AYajA?si=jVi5x5PXaJrSkPbw

6

Modern Video Games / Re: Summer Gamefest hopes and predictions thread

« on: May 26, 2026, 05:06:08 pm »

HOPES


A portal from the sky to open and we all return to 1999 again.



Expectations


Derivative games

GTA 6 Price Announcement being 20 dollars too much

Nintendo beating a 40 year Old IP to death instead of innovating.


A Gimmicky Open World Game that takes 2 lifetimes to finish


And tik tokers giggling while saying slang I dont understand



But in all seriousness....


I guess one can hope for


Half Life 3

Klonoa 3

Bioshock 3 (not infinite)

Sonic Adventure 3

The Darkness 3


All the "3" games


Some sort of new Need for speed game.

A new ratchet and clank.

7

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: May 26, 2026, 04:46:24 pm »

29. Mixtape [PS5] - Finished May 26th, 2026





Mixtape

CONTROVERSY BEGINS HERE

So before playing this game I was lured in by of course the display of it on digital stores abroad. It tickles my rom com/90s alt pickle that I grew up in. So I bought it long before hearing about it's many controversies. And didn't both to learn of those until recently. And i'd say....

The world needs shock therapy.


On the one hand critics will argue that "ign" giving this game a 10 is simply poor journalism and subjective heavily biased critic work. They always undercut artistic standards and praise odd anomalies and it can feel like a slight against the culture of gaming. Which do I agree with?  1... hundred... fucking percent.   This game is not a 10.  IGNs scores have lost all meaning at this point.

However those same critics will say things like "its only 3 hours long, it doesnt have complex mechanics, it isn't some shitty 50 hour Dessert game that I love that requires you to bring democracy to Cuba to beat it's levels. It isn't some void of emotion pit of guts and guns. So it shouldn't be ranked as a game. Its not even a game" And is that equally as insane as the 10? No it's more so. Its worse. At least the 10 is IGNs very isolated subjective opinion. This? This is gatekeeping garbage and its tired.   Because it argues that a "walking simulator" or a game that almost entirely depends on interactive story telling and plot in bite sized immediate form factors shouldn't be allowed to be perfect score. Under what metric?  Puzzle games, linear on rails shooters and even collectathons with no challenge at all don't get held to this same standard.  Do we reward monotonous hardship more than simple enjoyment?  Do we prefer a 50 hour climb vs a 2 minute stroll?   Thats subjective but I certainly do not.   A game is a game if it requires user input to influence an action on screen.  The rest is history.  These are story telling masterpiece.  Same way short form content is still art in any other medium.  A sweet poem.  A little painting.  Brevity is sexy folks.  The game is 20 dollars. 

Then they claim its political posturing because God forbid 90s teens be rebellious, have varying sexualaties and anti establishment concepts and do things like party and say buzz words to trigger adults. Gee so shocking.  They should have represented 90s teens as do gooders who never touched a smashing pumpkins CD in their life. Yeahhh totally. 


This world is borderline cultist and it drives me up a damn wall that video game journalism and the people who consume it has been hijacked in such a way.


REVIEW BEGINS HERE




But anyway.  Annapurna has struck nostalgic oil again. The development team seems to chip at the rock of yearning often. Knowing what human elements evoke fond memories of either existential crisises of the past or the pain and burden of now.  I as a more wave than rock energy love this about them.  The game feels instantly relatable and it clearly is trying to be the "last blockbuster" of gaming.  Id say what it succeeds most in is the underlying dynamics rather than the overall motife.


[The music]

The game prides itself on the title, a mixtape window into 90s expression. But here is the funnest bit of it.  As the games story commences the main protagonist Stacey Rockford takes the emotional mood set by the current story and uses it to break the 4th wall and display to the player her Playlist that defined these moments for her.  Including licensed tracks from radiohead, roxy music, sonic youth and smashing pumpkins.  It is a absolute genius way to take a borderline untamable soundtrack and make it feel not only fresh, consistent, locked down, relevant but also bond forming. It helps you introspectively feel what the protagonist is feeling through music.  It's simple yet so unique. I've never seen this done.  It should have been done more.   For example. Stacey will pan to the camera and say "this is Love by smashing pumpkins a track off their 4th studio album. It covers feelings that cabt be explained or blah blah blah" I'm paraphrasing. Its semi educational for a music nerd and 90s buff like me who loves this stuff.  And it actually introduced me to a new band.  Roxy Music whom I find I enjoy.   These moods blend seamlessly with the plot.  That is absolute intense genius on profound levels. I love the idea. 


The game is essentially mini games that have no challenge outside of that.  For example you gotta move joysticks to have teens make out.  Pour slushies for a skater kid named Slater,  and raid your sisters drawer for booze by pressing X.  Id say the flaws of the game dont come from its simplicity. It comes more so from it's all over the place story telling and often times repetitive nature of the bedroom sequences.  Dialogue evolves but some of the items it calls on you to interact with dont add much depth to the story. 

The story ends abruptly, sadly and with not much reward or major plot twisting bang. Just bloop.  And I feel the ending... without spoiling it. Left me longing for more.


Then there is the fact


YOU CANT SKIP CUTSCENES WHEN TROPHY HUNTING


Oh my lord how?  This has been a standard feature since like 1992.  Speedrunners be agast. 


But overall its a delightful little treat, not a flawless game by the means of what I said alone but a sweet coming of age film on par with the movie stand by me by Stephen King with fun abd cute sequences of rebellion.  A 7.5 by all intents and purposes if not for the music element and how that is done. How blissfully the main protagonist tells her life through another art.  For that... its a 9 to me.


Rating - 90/100.

8

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: May 26, 2026, 04:42:13 pm »

28. Need for Speed: Underground [PS2] - finished May 22nd, 2026



Does too much

Need for Speed: Underground is a campy, fun and nostalgic trip that could have been even better if not for being a bloated, incessantly repetitive experience plagued by rubber banding. Which at this point even with its age. I consider rubber banding bad game design and always will. It voids the entire point of building a car/developing skills within the game if all the corner cutting, memorizing of shortcuts and pure passion for the game and it's culture doesn't translate directly into a larger gap between you and your opponents.  Rubber band aka the act of opponents pulling closer or becoming more skilled the further you pull away to keep things "fair" is so bad in this game that fans suggest literally staying in 2nd place until the final lap on the final few races to make it easier to win. That's just sad and it cant be overlooked.


Another glaring issue with NFS Underground is that because the first few cars you get can be upgraded to be the best cars in the game track spec wise and because the amount of money you earn is so massive compared to the amount you spend. The incentive to sit through a 111 race 20 hour game to get the cool cars at the end is essentially non existent for me.  There isn't that white whale Lamborghini Diablo to chase, there is only JDM tuners. None of which can be modded to out-corner the stock Neon you begin the game with after upgrading it.  It takes away the soul of why I enjoy racing games. The chase, the ooooo I want the 2 million dollar car but i'm a Crack distributor in San Jose so let me race people until I'm the leader of an illegal street race syndicate to buy a dodge viper.  Festivals?  Anything.  This is


Sprint

Circuit

Lap knockout

Which are essentially the same thing just formatted differently.  Lap knockouts are circuit races on closed tracks except someone gets eliminated after each Lap. And sprint is just a point A to Point B race.

Drift

Drag


Repeat.


111 times.


The game spends so much time looking at clouds that it overlooks the stars, it could have trimmed itself into something special because outside of all these flaws that become like eczema on a buffalo's balls. It does have the incandescent glow of 2000s Mod Culture. From Radio Shack adverts, magazine covers and Japanese models.  It brings you into the too fast too furious, DUB city kinda culture that was the early 2000s auto scene.


Also if it has a plot it hasn't been made transparent to me lol.  Hell if I know what i'm racing for.  "Dude you made it on German OFFENSWAGGIN magazine.  Rad. You're officially the man" idk.


The graphics are palletable for the day. Id say they've aged worse than Porsche Unleashed. But it gets the job done. There is a lot to love here but sadly for only hours at a time.  It's a cute friend from your past you used to hook up with until you found a better partner. Now you look back and go idk what we seen.  Most wanted, Carbon and Heat are those better partners. 

73/100

9

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: May 26, 2026, 04:40:19 pm »

27. Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed [PS1] - finished May 15th, 2026





DATE depth, DIVORCE Repetition,
MARRY Brevity. 


This is how it's absolutely done when it comes to an Arcade racer! So much so I dare call it the recipe. Those days of sitting in a big top arcade next to big bass spin wheel knocking quarters into a Cruisin Exotica rig, the sense of speed, racing the time, racing the mirage of competition fading into the sunsets of pre adolescent angst.  Need for speed Porsche Unleashed simply gets it.  And captures it instantly. An arcade racer doesnt need 2000 cars, 20 50 cent soundtracks, nitrous or even special upgrades to cars. All it needs is adrenaline and confidence.  And this game milks more from minimum than later entries do from the whole farm.


The game is beaten by competition of it's "factory driver" mode which tbh is actually a fun idea. And believable. You play as an Unamed racer for Porsche motor company. A pick yourself up by the boot straps type of gainfully employed race car test driver. And you are tasked with the job of delivering rich snobs their Porsches in a timely fashion and with minimum damage. Jerry Sienfield on a 3am acid trip orders a 911 Carrera S. It's your job to zoom through cones, master dirt power sliding and just whip some of the most iconic 90s sports cars to ever exist into rapid rebellion to appease them.  Other missions mostly exist plot wise to "test the cars performance" and the main goal is to become so good at trusted you get promoted to "ace driver" in which you get the attention of some sassy and sexy James Bond spy of a woman who I guess is their elite Porsche racer.  Who degrades you as being inferior to her throughout. Her time sets are the master times to beat. "You have set a new track record" is a fun thing to hear. And trust me. She sets the bar high. The times sre demanding but not overly so.



The graphics are chefs kiss. Truly some polygonal dreams capes and I believe incredibly swell for the time of release. Light shading creates confident illusions. It's got a certain car and driver magazine, Laguna Seca sunset, top down, rubber peeled kinda badass vibe. The game reeks of tanned denim and sex.  Immersively fun to play because the concept of speed is made evident by the game's fade in fade out approach to background textures. It doesn't try too hard to be goofy or cool. It just is in a cool matrix on its own.


Porsche Unleashed has a fun and engaging plot that just feels more real life.  It has a certain charm in not trying so hard. It is a compact, quick, enjoyable and never dull rapid dash that takes itself with maturity and grace rather than silliness and neon glow. And for that? Id say it doesnt differ much from the Porsche brand itself  


[Side note] - when I was a kid my brother won me this game in a Pokémon card tournament from some kid.  So it holds a special place in my heart. I had no clue how actually interesting it would be. Makes me interested in the other OG PS1 NFS titles


93/100.

10

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2026!!!

« on: May 19, 2026, 05:24:49 pm »

ABANDONED


NEED FOR SPEED UNDERGROUND 2


Abandoned Need for Speed: Underground 2 [PS2]


Need for speed underground 2 is a case of 1 step forward 2 steps back. It gives an invigorating open world to race in which is a fresh and amazing change of scenery from how Linear Underground 1 was.  But the gain of extra world is almost entirely wasted on driving to and from races which bloats 5 hours or more into this games run time. It is tedious.  Nothing is actually done with the open world. It is a bare void. The gameplay is beyond repetitive and the car selection is fairly lacking variety.  Even the soundtrack is overhyped.  I think it must have played Riders on the storm remix ft snoopdog 27x since I started playing it 2 hours ago. I cant stomach it.  The game is ugly as well. It is community consensus that this game just hasnt aged well and I concur sadly. I loved this game as a kid but looking back it was extremely bland and tbh was a big step down from even it's namesake predecessor. It's tough on the eyes. The levels are mostly winding and ugly. And the cars take way too long to make cool if ever.  A miata? A civic?  Ok I love the starting bare bones vibe. Can we at least get nitrous and body kits early?  Idk. It doesn't jingle the dingle for me.

11

General / Re: May 2026 - Recently added to collection/recently purchased

« on: May 16, 2026, 11:40:10 pm »

I went to a local TV mom and pop that has been open since the 50s. They sold my grandfather a Zenith space saver floor model TV way back when my father was like 10.  So when he posted on marketplace that he had the exact size of CRT I needed. I fell in love.  I can't have a monstrosity anywhere over 30 inches because they weight as much as a small Buick lol.   But I also wanted an upgrade to my tiny Sanyo 13 inch TV which is nice but you gotta sit close.   This 25 inch Sears LXI with an RCA chassis was built in 1992 and hopefully it can get some love here.  I am happy for 50 dollars.  He even loaded it into my car.  It has a strong tube with great compression.  And has AV and even Composite inputs. 






MY QUEST FOR PS3 LIBRARY


I am not going for the full American NTSC set.  But I am going for all the games I want within that set which basically is everything except bummy sports titles and some corny rpgs.  I decided with birthday money to knock off some of the rarer North American Releases. Which are as follows



1. Afrika by Natsume (limited NA print run. Bad sales. Cool concept)

2. Spiderman Shattered Dimensions (niche and beloved causing a demand higher than supply scenario)


3. Class of clans 2g (becoming niche.  Small print run. Very small following that may grow.  Sealed copy)


4. The Last Guy (Korean International version with English translation very rare in this format)

5. Driver: San Fransisco (for some reason. Even in purgatory it has seen a rise in appreciation and thus price. 


Aside from NBA Elite 11 this gives me 3 of the 4 harder to get PS3 games. So as I chip my favorites I won't have to fuss over these later.

12

Modern Video Games / Re: Xbox is now XBOX

« on: May 16, 2026, 08:46:55 pm »

Just like their new CEO!  Bold and Refreshing. I think it looks way more natural this way. They are in a rebuilding phase and lately as much in the gutter Xbox is. They at least have shown bare minimum care to try. Tbh the amount of attiment hate this gets randomly slandering Xbox for a decision their own fans made on a branding namesake is shocking to me but shouldn't be. There has been great news out of the Xbox camp recently. Nothing a spelling or logo can override. 


Also XBOX is capitalized on the original console. If anything this is their roots.  I conmend them for at least listening. It's a start.   Will they survive? Be a major console player again? Probably not.  But at least they are not ENTIRELY tone deaf like the other two circus shows.

I do feel like they are heading in a better direction lately, I was worried when they were bringing on former AI leads into XBOX positions, but the one lead woman, Asha, made a big note that they weren't going to be utilizing AI for their games (I'm sure to some degree they still are, but anything at all to downplay is a good thing), so we'll just have to see.

This is spot on!  Asha has been a lightning bolt in this company so far and while Xbox most certainly is brutally in an identity crisis. They have at least pivoted in positive ways.  Xbox is the only company actually lowering subscription fees while also listening to consumer feedback, scrapping co- pilot AI intergration, and hiring new CEOs to intentionally try to not only rebrand but restructure their global image.  The Xbox Logo has been more sleek and nostalgic of its predecessors.  Good. Distance themselves from what joke they've become.  Bring competition back.


The fact their wasn't enough praise when she went counter consumerism and actually stood tall on artist first philosophies.  Weather it's a genuine rebrand or a marketing ploy. They have given me enough to at least glance their way.



Also  Playstation went from PSX, to Playstation to Ps One, to then Playstation 2, on cases only though. PS2 on the hardware branding. Then back to Playstation 3 in spiderman font, back to PS3, within the same console life cycles they were altering packaging, side labels, colors 3 times, started red and small, then black and large, then BLUE?? seriously? and even the material of the cases. Then PS4, then PS5.  Gone through like 3 logo changes,   couldn't even distinguish their flagship console branding from Spidermans branding lazily and they dominated throughout.  It matters almost minimal.  I rather have spontaneous spelling changes than literally my library of ps3 games looking like I collected for 3 different consoles. 

13

Modern Video Games / Re: Gamestop Offers 56 Billion Dollars To Buy Ebay. Good or Bad?

« on: May 14, 2026, 08:16:32 pm »

eBay has rejected the offer, calling it "not credible nor attractive."  And most outlets are referring to it as "unsolicited," so unless GameStop really steps it up this ain't happening.

What stands out to me about that circulating response is not so much the term "attractive" but the term "credible" which insinuates that Gamestop either doesn't have the money offered or isn't serious about the actual offer itself.  A far greater accusation than just "your offer sucks" lol.  That's just brutal. 

Idk the legality of making offers you can't adhere to or the legality of accusing a company's offer of being non credible are. In terms of fraud, libel.  All I know is this is a messy nothing burger.


Based on this in conjuction with what Dhaabi has said, I'm just under the impression gamestop is being run by a troll who is trying to garner attention with buzzing headlines.  That will not work for them imo.

14

General / Re: 4 New Games Added to the "World Video Game Hall of Fame"

« on: May 11, 2026, 11:19:33 am »

But I was always under the impression that Silent Hill 2 is the game that is largely credited with shaping the enduring, philosophical legacy of the franchise. It is way more searched, quoted, and beloved.

To an extent, you're not wrong because Silent Hill 2's legacy pertains to its moral dilemmas. However, this sequel entry is also a complete outlier among the entire franchise that, by contrast, isn't grounded in any sort of matter relating to morality.


Because a game like Dragon Quest was inducted simultaneously with Angry Birds, does that mean they're equal? Halo: Combat Evolved was inducted in 2017 before Final Fantasy VII in 2018, so does this mean the former is better than the latter and that all games later inducted are lower in quality than it? The answer to these questions is no, and that's because the quality of a game in the context to how this museum has curated its exhibit is not grounded in such subjectivity but instead by various objective and historical metrics related to the industry as a collective entity, meaning the order by which they're inducted holds no bearing to the importance these games have had on gaming altogether. In fact, they're even questions being asked as this exhibit is not attempting to form a ranking of any kind.

Perhaps I should have been more clear that i'm not so much critical of the inclusions this company has made but more critical of the exclusions and the order. Which i'll get into why below. So for example, to answer you. Yes.  Having a game like Barbie inducted first over Fallout 3, Half Life and Metroid is an issue. Because it means it took priority.  It does scream that one is more deserving that the other. Normal hall of fames for sports get similar backlash when a inductee is less deserving than someone on the cutting room floor.  But this is 90 percent due to the intervals in which they induct imo.  They just give themselves no room.  I'd rather they take all hall of fame worthy entries and dump them in.  No playing games with cat and mouse.


4 games per year is simply not enough for this medium spanning 23,000+ games.  It pidgeon holes them into not being as wide.ranging as it needs to be.  I don't think I'd even conclude that the entries that are in don't belong in but when you operate something on a timed entry system yearly. You either need to have a giant starting pool of no brainers to add to like a lot of Hall of Fames do. So add optional to a pool of "of course" games like pac man and Mario.  Or add way more than 4 games per year.   Otherwise you end up putting niche recensy bias picks over juggernauts.  Or just bald spots where a needed game missing.  That's my opinion.


 I just feel the term "hall of fame" is used to try to fein authority over a topic.  It is exclusionary by design and always leads to these kinds of debates we are having which is why I dislike hall of fames. 

You would for at least one person—me. Does that make me less of someone who plays games?

No I would not lol. I would not have to give you a link for you to know what Metroid is. I feel you are being a tad bit facetious on your lack of knowledge of the success or acclaim of Metroid. I never said someone has to be an expert on metroid. Know its lore. Plot. I certainly dont. I said its self explainitory that its a big deal. Its a majorly important title that has cult acclaim. It's a pop culture staple. Idk why you think i'm insinuating you have to play Metroid to know its hall of fame worthy. Please let it be known that I have never played a Metroid game.for more than five minutes myself lol. I intend to. I want to.  But by no means am I any differently experienced in the game than you.  You don't have to play metroid to know it is revered on cult status.  It has a genre named after it and its on countless subjective top 10s.  Not top 100s. Top 10s.  It's also spanned 40 years and almost never missed in being good. Quality consistency.  All of it.   


In fact it was You and Cartagia that actually sat and educated me about what the genre "metroidvania" even entails because it was so vague imo.  By no means am I saying anyone has to be a metroid fan.  I dislike Final Fantasy VII but if someone asked me "is it hall of fame worthy" instant yes. Just off it's impact alone. Let alone how deeply millions love it. What it did for the franchise as a whole. The PS1 as a console.  All of it.  My point was you could take a Minecraft nerd who works at gamestop part time.  And he will know the basics of metroid.  Because it's Metroid. Angry Birds has similar impact. Candy Crush. Even dragon quest to a lesser extent.  But Barbie? Not so much.   That doesn't mean its excluded. Just not equal.  And within a hall of fame with inducing guidelines. Why does it take precedent?

Most have never heard of Barbie Fashion Designer.  You have certainly Heard of Metroid.  That is a huge deal. 


But if you believe the order doesnt matter I suppose that's the crux of this. And I feel that's actually a more glass half full approach. Probably less cynical.  That's understandable. To me I feel it does.  I feel it's like me giving someone a ration of food and tell you that you have to wait till next month for food.  It shows I clearly favored that other person over you.  That's why the exclusionary design of hall of fame inductions causes issues and why they suck.  I really never took to them. 

So to answer you. Yes.  Saying "you're hall of fame" to Halo.  And "wait till next year" for final fantasy. Is them saying Halo is better.


I give this hall of fame more grace considering it seems to be gamers trying to curate a medium for others. They aren't actually harming the legacy of games to any extent worth mentioning. Some hall of fames exist solely to play cat and mouse with inductees like the rock n roll hall of fame which is a discriminatory joke riddled with favoritism and corruption.   

15

General / Re: 4 New Games Added to the "World Video Game Hall of Fame"

« on: May 10, 2026, 04:43:31 pm »

Personally, I'd consider these sorts of experts far more capable of making selections in this sort of process based on history and cultural influence than the kinds of industry figures you're suggesting. In the end, there is an exhaustive list of games that could be nominated or inducted. This is just one organization's selections.

Can I ask why? Just off curiosity.  I myself meet every criteria for what you just mentioned. Mostly all of that is self defined. You cant self define yourself as Shigeru Miyamoto or a legend in the medium. An artist. Anyone can say they are an expert. Self proclaimed experts do things like put Silent Hill 1 in a hall of fame before any Metroid title lol.

I also don't understand your backtrack on Silent Hill 1 because I feel your gut instinct was definitely right, as it meets none of the criteria you show their site posted for a submission to the hall of fame. It's sole existence is because of a lane Resident Evil carved 3 years prior, even its own devs admitted this, so it cant possibly be considered innovative as a first entry into a genre.  It didn't chart new ground.  It altered an existing formula's mood. Aside from being first. 2 did everything better.

I'm sorry. Off this alone this particular site loses credibility.  To me anyway.  I just wish these sites would say "our top q00" which screams "opinion and biased" not "hall of fame" which indicates consensus, authority and gospel. The entire hall of fame just off that observation alone doesnt have "historians" and game archeologists that should be taken with any ounce of sincerity over a typical guy.  There is no universe where Silent Hill 1 gets in before 2.

Considering that these individuals are well-connected to a highly reputable institution related to the preservation, documentation, and education of video games, I will assume that they are far more informed about the history of games than you and I, and I would also argue that have more knowledge pertaining to games as a collective medium than individual developers whom often are far more like you or I as hobbyists of games than as people who actually study them.
 

The credibility you claim they have is given by whom? What institution holds this kind of authority? What makes them more knowledgeable than say AVGN?  Or us?


As a database mod for this site. A site cateloging more games than most sites do.  For years. Why would you assume these random people have more knowledge on games than you?  I don't believe that. I kinda feel you are taking to bat for them with not much context as to why.  Even if they are gaming intellects. Possibly equal to other nerds. But not more. I could be wrong.  But I guess unless you know these people personally we cant know their credentials so to me it's just another online opinion.   I would even argue consuming media doesn't make you an expert.  Pat the Nes punk knows more than us about the NES library i'm sure. But he's still biased by design. Knowledge isn't weighted in opinionated topics. 

To say Silent Hill 1 having a more iconic legacy in the realm of gaming I feel is hot and counter cultural take. 


I mean you are far more familiar with the silent hill franchise than me. So i'll defer tbh.  But I was always under the impression that Silent Hill 2 is the game that is largely credited with shaping the enduring, philosophical legacy of the franchise. It is way more searched, quoted, and beloved. I cant imagine 2 being less impactful.  The PS2 was the king of horror games. Isn't it kinda sad not to display one?  It seems the museum favors foundation over innovation.  2 is a top metacritic critics choice game.



As for Barbie Fashion Deisgner. This is a random assumption with no context in a critique stating that we aren't using context when I feel my reply gave about 3 contextual elements within the museum's own guidelines that qualifies Metroid over both Silent Hill and Barbie Fashion designer.  I included sales, staying power, influence. So both of Sly's critiques of the admission remain. In what way is Barbie Fashion designer impactful? We arent pretending it made girls like actual home console video games are we? It sold a lot of units and was successful with girl demographics. Mostly because it wasn't a traditional video game at all, it was a fashion add on to be sold in conjuction with dolls.  Interactive software. Barely a video game under extremely vague defining practices. It sold units because of its attatched IP and Doll clothes. Not as a stand alone.  It's color a dinosaur for dolls. I don't have to pretend it's legendary because this museum says so.  Especially when its offending the medium and other games that are being left on the chopping room floor.    I was under the assumption that lasting power. And iconic legacy were heavily weighted. The fact that you need to pull a link from a website for 2 game collectors who own over 1000 games and exist in the gamer sphere to even care what the thing is shows that it is not impactful the way anyone is claiming it is.  Have you ever even heard of it before today? Be honest.   You read their synapsis of it for a reason. Because it's mostly irrelevant and barely a game anyway.   


I'l keep my argument clean with one simple statement.


Do you have to share a link with any gamer even a casual to educate someone on what Metroid was and why it is iconic?   


No. It speaks for itself within this industry.   Barbie Fashion designer is silly as an entry.  To say I was ignorant for saying that, is imo ignorant because even the sites reasoning alludes to the fact that it had very specific circumstances and a boost from outside hobbies and culture to assist it's Growth.  In that sense Skylanders would be just as worthy if not more.   They seem to be insinuating this toy add on opened the doors for girl gamers. I'd need more proof of that.  It happened to be girl centered IP and sold a lot.  That's all it got for reasons.  Is it even good? 



But my main point was ignored.  I want someone to argue for the sake of arguing that Barbie Fashion Designer is more worthy of a video game hall of fame than the Entire Metroid franchise or any singular entry. This is barely subjective anymore that's how silly this has become.   And I don't see much opening for blindly accepting the logic of a museum that does or says that.   So that is my motive for mistrust.  I stated my reasons fairly clear. It wasn't just blind hate. Its the comparison.



Hall of fames and museums shouldn't blend anyway because like you said. They have clashing intents.  One is made to display the best of the best.  One is made to display the innovative and Unique for people to discover new lanes.  In that sense. Yes. Barbie is fun to learn about.  Its neat. Its unique.  It's not Red Dead Redemption though lol.