Messages

1

General / Re: Video Game Inspired Baby Names, Would you consider it as a parent?

« on: March 13, 2023, 09:29:15 am »

I would consider naming my daughter either Zelda, Samus, Peach or Daisy.

This reminded me, Robin Williams named his daughter Zelda after the game series.
Pro wrestler Chris Sabin got his ring name from the Final Fantasy VI character, but that’s not his real name so it doesn’t really count 

I have a dog named Daisy but it wasn’t after the game character.
My kids do not have game-related names but we’re not planning to have any more so that ship has sailed.

2

General / Re: Which game or console (if any) made you fall in love with gaming again?

« on: March 13, 2023, 09:20:09 am »

Yeah, I never fell out of love with gaming either. Been into it consistently since the days of Space Invaders, the Atari 2600, and the Nintendo Game & Watch.

3

Classic Video Games / Re: What are your most wanted or top ten wanted Sega Genesis games

« on: March 05, 2023, 09:26:12 pm »

Yeah, I noticed last year how much Streets of Rage 3 has skyrocketed. I don’t really understand why, either. It always seemed to be pretty common, and not really in demand because of its weak reputation compared to the super-popular SoR2.

4

General / Re: Rarest Items in Game Collection?

« on: February 24, 2023, 09:59:11 am »

I mostly don’t collect for value, so anything I have that’s “rare” is just through sheer good luck and the fact that I rarely sell anything off.

Unquestionably my rarest item is Clay Fighter Sculptor’s Cut for N64. Bought it directly from Blockbuster back when the local store was selling off their N64 rental inventory.

I don’t really own anything else considered super rare, just a handful of harder-to-find games for various consoles:
PS1 - Castlevania Chronicles, Lunar 2 Eternal Blue Complete with almost untouched Omake Box, Strider 2, Arc the Lad Collection
SNES - Mega Man 7 & X 1-3, Castlevania Dracula X, Ninja Gaiden Trilogy
Game Boy - Mega Man IV & V

Also, I own 11 old-school Nintendo Game & Watches from my childhood, including Zelda.
Only valuable item I recall selling is Fire Emblem Path of Radiance for GameCube, for $50. Kinda regret it but not really, since we needed the money at the time and I didn’t really like the game anyway.

5

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!

« on: February 18, 2023, 11:13:31 pm »

1. Horizon Forbidden West

FINALLY beat my first game of the year. I just don’t have a lot of time to play and I’ve been playing some long games. More long ones coming up too…maybe I need to get some short ones under my belt before I start another.

6

General / Re: Your Top 10 Consoles of All-Time

« on: January 09, 2023, 10:47:48 am »

My top 10 consoles…
Wow, I really had to put some thought into this.

1) SNES
The amount of quality games for this console is truly amazing. 3 of my all-time favorites are SNES originals (Zelda: Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy VI).

2) PS2
This thing blew me away right off the bat with Tekken Tag Tournament and SSX Tricky. Then there was Final Fantasy X & XII, Dragon Quest VIII, Ico & Shadow of the Colossus, the God of War series, Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3, Katamari Damacy…

3) PS3
I had an XBOX 360 first so I played many of the era’s multiplatform classics on there, but technical issues and lack of wireless connectivity forced me to buy a PS3 instead. This is the first console I bought downloadable games for and I still play it from time to time.

4) PS1
Castlevania SotN, Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy 7-9, the Resident Evil series, plus it was the first console where I could play true emulated arcade classics.

5) PS4
May climb higher in the future, but ATM many games I have on this are remakes, remasters, or collections of older games. The fact that all that content is available just on PS4 is why it’s already so high. Plus great stuff like the Horizon series, Blasphemous, Bloodstained, Streets of Rage 4, and Dragon Quest XI (which to me became an instant classic).

6) NES
Can’t understate its significance in my gaming life, though some of the games just don’t hold up nowadays.

7) Genesis
4 series make this console for me: Streets of Rage, Sonic, Golden Axe, and Shinobi.

8 ) Saturn
Wouldn’t be on the list at all if it wasn’t for how it helped me discover the world of import games. Arcade-perfect conversions of X-Men vs SF, Marvel Super Heroes vs SF, Vampire Savior, and King of Fighters were mind-blowing.

9) XBOX
I didn’t have many games for it, but what I had was great. Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2, Outrun 2, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, and Morrowind. Plus I enjoyed Tron 2.0 though it is far from a great game.

10) Game Boy Advance
IMO best portable console ever. Large volume of software and many great games.

Interesting how no non-portable Nintendo consoles released after the SNES made the list.
I never really liked the N64 much (I understand what Nintendo was trying to do, but zero load times did not make up for ugly muddy graphics, inferior sound, a weird controller, and ridiculously expensive cartridges).
The GameCube was basically Metroid Prime and not much else noteworthy.
The Wii is the only console I’ve ever just flat-out sold along with all games.
The Switch is alright, but it’s my kids’ console so I don’t play it much.

7

Classic Video Games / Re: The PS3 in 2023

« on: January 05, 2023, 11:42:23 am »

I still play my PS3 regularly. One of my kids loves to play NBA Jam On Fire Edition with me, and I will play Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection or Pinball Arcade (it still has the Williams/Midway tables you can’t get anymore). I also use it for PS1 emulation; not the ideal choice if you’re going for a perfect non-compressed picture, but it works for me. Since my X360 CD drive went kaput I can’t play my ESIV: Oblivion disc so I’m planning to get the PS3 Game of the Year edition soon.

8

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!

« on: December 27, 2022, 11:06:10 pm »

Didn’t come close to finishing 52 games last year, but a big part of that was the last few months I started playing a number of long games like Skyrim Anniversary Edition and didn’t complete any of them, adding to my enormous backlog. Anyway, it’s fun just to keep track of what I’ve finished so I’m reserving this space and maybe I’ll actually get to 52 this year

Current backlog:
Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Horizon Forbidden West
Persona 5
Tales of Arise
TMNT Cowabunga Collection
Blasphemous (Wounds of Eventide DLC)
Timespinner
Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster
Momodora
Monster Hunter World
Panzer Dragoon Remake
Sonic Mania
Shining Force
Everything on the Genesis Mini 2
And more…

1. Horizon Forbidden West (PS4) 2/17/23
2. TMNT (Arcade, via PS4 Cowabunga Collection) 2/21/23
3. Stray (PS4) 2/27/23
4. TMNT Hyperstone Heist (Genesis, via PS4 Cowabunga Collection) 2/27/23
5. Final Fantasy X Remaster (PS4) 3/5/23
6. TMNT III: The Manhattan Project (NES, via PS4 Cowabunga Collection) 3/9/23
7. Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors (arcade, via PS4 Capcom Fighting Collection) 3/11/23
8. Hyper Street Fighter II (arcade, via PS4 Capcom Fighting Collection) 3/11/23
9. Vampire Savior 2 (arcade, via PS4 Capcom Fighting Collection) 3/16/23
10. Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge (arcade, via PS4 Capcom Fighting Collection) 3/26/23

9

General / Re: What are you playing?

« on: December 05, 2022, 07:16:25 pm »

Got Horizon Forbidden West for half price over Black Friday. I thought the first game was great and I really wanted to play the sequel.

It started off a little slow, not as strong as the prologue of Zero Dawn, but then again not many games can match ZD’s excellent prologue.

But I’m a few hours in now, and it’s REALLY getting good. Now that I’m actually in the Forbidden West, the varied gameplay has opened up. There’s puzzle missions, offensive missions, hunting missions, etc. The machine hunting continues to be a highlight, because it really takes some thought. Barreling into a group of machines is begging to get torn to pieces; it takes much more forethought and analysis…what’s the best way to approach this group, what weapons are they weak to, what outfit perks would give me the most benefit given the situation, etc.
The Horizon series is also a great example of how to write a strong female character without making her a Mary Sue or tearing down the male characters. Aloy is great at what she does, but it took her years of training to get to that point, she’s not perfect, and she’s been through a lot of shit.

10

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022

« on: November 14, 2022, 08:43:23 am »

I was doing ok with my list and had a shot at finishing 52 games this year, until I bought Skyrim Anniversary Edition…
Now my list is FUBAR.
Skyrim is all I’ve played over the last few weeks, and I’m not going to hurry up and finish the main quest just to add it (that takes the fun out of it). Oh well, I honestly didn’t think my list would get as long as it already is.

11

General / Re: What video game related job/profession would you most want?

« on: November 10, 2022, 09:10:09 am »

I majored in Computer Animation in college because I wanted to get into making video games. Didn’t quite work out that way, mainly since Atlanta didn’t really have any game companies at the time (2001, just before some companies moved there) and I was told I’d have to move to New York, Chicago, or LA to actually get a job in that field.
Considering the horror stories I’ve heard of overwork, burnout, and low pay, I’m honestly glad I didn’t get into that industry.

I’ve given passing consideration to starting a YouTube channel based around my varied and eclectic interests: gaming, toy collecting (namely Transformers) and pro wrestling (with an emphasis on entrance music and the “theming” hobby). I got the idea from the “Fireworks, Candy, and Puppy Dog Store” on the Simpsons; like, why focus on one thing (where there’s a ton of competition) when I could include all my interests?
Not sure I’ll bother though. I’ve heard it’s really hard to get any views on YouTube without dedicating most of your time and energy towards your videos, and between family and work I don’t have the time for that. I would only be doing it for fun anyway.

12

General / Re: Most Rare -- VGC Edition

« on: November 07, 2022, 02:59:42 pm »

A while back, I remember I could click on an item and the entry would show me how many collections it was in, along with how many are selling, how many want it, etc.
That information disappeared and now I don’t know how to see it. Whether I click on an item in my collection or browse, those numbers are missing. Am I just not doing it right?

13

General / Re: What's worse? A mediocre game or a bad game? - MKSR001

« on: November 07, 2022, 01:40:42 pm »

Hmmm, a very intriguing question. And I definitely get the distinction; it’s a choice between a game you KNOW is crap, and one that SHOULD be better but isn’t.

Honestly, I’d say mediocre games are worse.
With crap games, like the OP stated, there’s no expectation of quality. You can choose whether or not to subject yourself to the crap, and when it is, you can chalk it up to being a bad game and move on. I mean, I don’t think anyone boots up Pepsiman or Burger King Sneak King and expects a deep experience.

But when there’s obviously love and hard work put into a game, and it’s so close to being good but something’s holding it back, to me that’s really frustrating.
One example (for me, at least) is Spider Man & X-Men in Arcade’s Revenge for SNES. The graphics and animation are very good, the music is EXCELLENT, and for the most part it gets the characters’ powers right and makes them fun to use (except for sticking Storm underwater). I used to keep giving it chance after chance, certain that it would be better, but it’s just let down by a number of issues: abhorrent level design, humongous levels with no checkpoints, and no password or save feature for a game that takes a LONG time to finish. It would always end in frustration, much more than any straight-up kusoge.

Also makes me think of Mirror’s Edge. When it’s good it’s REALLY good and hella fun. But again there’s a few issues holding it back, mainly the gameplay often devolving into maddening trial-and-error and questionable level design decisions which force you to take things slow, eliminating the main thing that makes it fun in the first place.

Just my take. I’ve had many games I wanted to like but just couldn’t.

14

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2022

« on: November 07, 2022, 12:30:01 pm »

We had a pub crawl in Indianapolis, IN and the first bar was a "barcade". I was able to replay some classics despite the expected jank from the alcohol soaked buttons/joysticks.

58. Street Fighter II - Ken

I'm glad everything was on on free play. This game's difficulty was either cranked up to the max, I'm just that bad at fighting games, or a combination of the two.

59. Bad Dudes

Time has not been kind to this game. The highlight was the "I'm bad!" shout at the end of a level.

60. Shinobi

This game, however, has aged quite well. It was difficult but fun. It's actually the first time I ever played this, despite seeing it all over various restaurants or hotels when I was a kid.

Which gaming bar did you go to? I live near Indy and I pass by one called 16-Bit on my way home from work. I’ve been meaning to check it out (that Q*Bert arcade machine in the doorway beckons) but I haven’t had the time yet.

15

Classic Video Games / Re: Classic Games That Are Hard To Find Physical Copies Of Now

« on: November 07, 2022, 12:24:17 pm »

One popular game that I know was fairly common back then but expensive now is Conker’s Bad Fur Day. I don’t know if it’s expensive more because of demand or rarity, but from working in the game section at Toys R Us I know we had piles of them back then.

We also had a few copies of Misadventures of Tron Bonne on clearance, and still no one would buy them. I wanted to get one but never did, which naturally I’m kicking myself about now.

Other than its relation to the Mega Man franchise I will never understand why this game is worth so much. It's a very mediocre game that gets boring after just an hour of playing it. I found it for a really good price probably 10-years ago and thought it must be incredible since its so expensive. I've since learned that a huge portion of these types of trophy games are mediocre at best and pretty shitty at worst. Makes me wonder how they ended up getting the reputation they have as rare "hidden gems" in the first place.


Oh, and I sold my copy of Tron Bonne a few back for probably 4x what I paid for it.

I think you hit on why I never pulled the trigger on buying it back then. I recall the reviews were just average, calling it a collection of minigames. And I was never a huge fan of the Mega Man Legends games anyway (personally, I think they’re overrated). Sure, the first one was kinda fun, but not enough to motivate me to bother with its sequels.

But yeah, market value doesn’t necessarily equal play value. Just look at Clay Fighter Sculptor’s Cut…super-valuable due to rarity, but utter dogshit gameplay, just like the whole Clay Fighter series.