Messages

1

Modern Video Games / Re: New Games that replicate Retro style and nostalgia. Overdone or Underdone?

« on: October 11, 2017, 09:15:31 pm »

I would actually dispute the idea that Cuphead counts in this category. True, the visuals are very much from the past, but they're from early animation and not from early games. I'm fairly certain that there's never been a game that's so captured the look and feel of such early animation, and that doing so is in some ways a technical feat, one that I hope inspires more games to venture into new visual styles.

Of course, I also suspect one of the reason that we've seen a proliferation of retro styled games, especially among indie developers, is because it's not as difficult to do decent 8-bit visuals as compared to higher resolution art - or maybe a lower cost to do all the art. I admit to kind of talking out of my ass here, not being an artist, so I could be wrong.

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General / Re: Is Gamer Culture Too Toxic?

« on: October 11, 2017, 09:06:28 pm »

Ok, I can't let this slide. You can't seriously buy into this moral panic 'gamers are white supremacist sexist!' crap.

I'm probably going to regret even replying to this, but I will anyway.

I'm not making any blanket statement about all gamers being racist, sexist, white supremacist, or whatever. It's a large and diverse community. And any large community and subculture is going to have problematic elements to it. You can't define a community by the extremes.

But you CAN make conclusions based on the scale and severity of problematic issues, on what the community in general is willing to tolerate, and what it doesn't. And the event in question, while it still encompassed a minority of the gaming community, was still quite large in scale - and was triggered by things that represent bigger issues underneath.

For the record, no, I didn't learn about it from reading a Kotaku article, but by being present for the whole thing. That includes multiple times watching my Twitter replies get flooded for hours by and endless stream for simply including a single word in a tweet. And from watching friends of mine undergo much worse than that - such as lies being deliberately spread far and wide, having employers contacted, or ridiculous conspiracy theories about who was secretly paying them. (As far as the comment about drawing a line from the gaming community event in question through to the rise of white supremacy, I will simply mention that there's a key individual that was recently featured in an in-depth Buzzfeed article. And yes, in-depth Buzzfeed articles does seem to be an oxymoron, but there it is.)

Games, like any form of media, can not only tolerate criticism and critique, but deserve such things, as it makes them better. That critique can address the whole gamut, from technical issues, business practices, or quality concerns, to analysis of the stories being told and the characters represented in them. To try and claim such critiques are inappropriate - or even worse, to harass and threaten those who make them because of disagreement with the critiques - is a level of toxicity that undermines the entire community and form of media. Critique is not censorship. And it is up to game developers and publishers to determine how they wish to take such critiques.

I feel the gaming community is still a community very much divided - which is probably appropriate, given the political state of the US now, and many areas of the world. I hope someday things can change, and concerns can be listened to and respected. That maybe we can reach a point where all of us can enjoy games together.

3

Classic Video Games / Re: Have you ever sold/traded a game that you wish you didn't?

« on: October 10, 2017, 03:57:19 pm »

In 2010, I sold my Atari Jaguar stuff.

I bought the console new. Bought the CD drive new. Had two regular controllers plus one pro controller. About fifteen games, including most of the good stuff. (Tempest 2000, Defender 2000, Aliens vs Predator, Iron Soldier, Primal Rage) Everything was in great shape, all complete in box.

Wish I could go back and time and smack then-me upside the head. Because I know I didn't ask for nearly as much as it was worth then, and rebuilding that same collection now would definitely be pricey.

But if I go back further... there was the Vectrex with 10 games that I sold back around 1990. $50 for the whole set.

4

Video Game Database Discussion / Re: Duplicate List 2017

« on: October 10, 2017, 03:44:15 pm »

Xbox 360 Beatles Rock Band Rickenbacker Guitar

https://vgcollect.com/item/24011
https://vgcollect.com/item/131250

5

General / Re: Is Gamer Culture Too Toxic?

« on: October 10, 2017, 01:56:12 pm »

Given that you could draw a line from a a bad breakup of a female game dev - one whom people were already harassing because she was making a game about depression - through to a new rise of white supremacy, I think I have to give this an unqualified "most definitely.

Developers being harassed off of social media and out of the industry by "gamers". Swatting. The normalization of racist and sexist language. And so on.

It's not like it was ever really that great, looking back. But it's become so much worse. And so few people stand up to it in the gaming community.

6

General / Re: What are you playing?

« on: October 10, 2017, 12:32:59 pm »

Star Ocean: The Second Story is great. I found a copy of it (and the guide) over the weekend. It'll be a while before I replay it (played it once back in the day as Claude and played the PSP remake as Rena) but I'm really excited to start a new game with Rena. Who did you start with?

Playing as Rena... which I think was who I played as back when I first had the game. I am trying to avoid doing too much with the guide though, letting things just fall where they may this time through. I'll save using the guide for a future playthrough. I think I might actually want to play through once as Claude, and maybe even finally get Opera in the party.

7

General / Re: What are you playing?

« on: October 10, 2017, 11:59:31 am »

Replaying Star Ocean: The Second Story on PS1, after acquiring a copy of it - I remembered loving it way back when I had it the first time, so have to give it another run through. I've also started on Deadly Premonition on the 360, feeling it'll fit well into the month. After I finish that, it'll be either Alien Isolation or a replay of Eternal Darkness.

I'm also slowly working my way through Burnout Revenge on the Xbox 360 and Thumper on the Xbox One for purposes of setting new records on Twin Galaxies. Just a couple more Traffic Attack events to go to have the record for all of them.

8

General / Re: Intro thread

« on: October 10, 2017, 11:55:35 am »

Shameless plug, but if you decide you want some 2600 games I've got a ton I've been trying to get rid of, I'll make you a heck of a deal.

I have yet to pick up another console, but I may get in touch with you soon about that deal. 

9

General / Re: Intro thread

« on: October 09, 2017, 02:11:33 pm »

Hi everyone, I'm Angela. I got started on gaming at age 5, when my parents picked up an Atari 2600, and haven't stopped since. Whether on the Atari, TI-99/4A we had in the mid-80s, the 286 PC the family got when I was in high school, the SNES and Jaguar I had in College, or the variety of systems since. I even spent 5 years working at Microsoft as part of the Xbox console team, developing updates for the Xbox 360 software.

I had started to dabble in game collecting in around 2004-2005, but didn't really do much then other than pick up a few classic consoles and games. Ended up selling off a bunch of games in 2010, which I now very much regret - as not only did I sell of an Atari 2600, NES, SNES, Genesis, and PS1, but also a Sega Saturn with about 10 games, and my Atari Jaguar collection, including the JagCD, all in box.   That's right there with the Vectrex and 10 games I had bought from a friend and later sold around 1990 in regards to things I wish I still had.

This jump into game collecting is different though. Our housemate moved out, leaving an empty bonus room in our house, which has become my game room. And with the dedicated space, I'm going big - a new 4K tv, an Xbox, 360, PS2, Gamecube, and Wii, all currently connected and playable, with an Xbox One X Scorpio Edition coming in November. The Wii is a new purchase, picked up a few PS1 games, over doubled my PS2 collection, but really am focusing on the Xbox 360, since I already had over 100 games. I'm also going to find chances to start dabbling in the older stuff, including going back to my roots with the Atari 2600.

I also have a pinball machine, Demolition Man, an empty Golden Tee cabined to turn into a MAME machine, and an Atari Gauntlet cabinet that I've started restoring.

Looking forward to some chances to trade games with everyone here.

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General / Re: October 2017 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased

« on: October 09, 2017, 12:14:34 pm »

Just started to get into collecting, and as word spreads among friends, it's already paying off. A friend had a box of games he hadn't gotten rid of yet, sold it to me for a great price... first pickup of more than a few games at once. Some I already had, but not that many.