Messages

1

General / Re: April 2024 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: Today at 12:39:17 am »

I bought a not for resale copy of Manhunt. It's a UK version that's titled, "Manhunt: The Final Cut" but appears to be a promo copy for store usage. I'm looking forward to documenting the differences.

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Video Game Database Discussion / Re: Category/Platform Requests 2.0

« on: February 14, 2024, 03:17:17 pm »

Thank you, Tripredacus!

I'll go ahead and get my copy of Virtua Striker 4 photographed (to specification) and entered soon!

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Video Game Database Discussion / Re: Category/Platform Requests 2.0

« on: February 13, 2024, 05:47:58 pm »

Would it be possible to create a category for Nintendo arcade equipment? Specifically the Triforce? I understand the category naming convention is manufacturer name product name. This is naturally a bit tricky when considering this arcade hardware is a joint-venture between Namco, Nintendo, and Sega.

Admittedly I'm lacking a good name to put forth for the category other than NNS Triforce. 

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Classic Video Games / Re: Old video game ads.

« on: January 28, 2024, 04:53:06 pm »

Earthbound 64, anyone?

5

Modern Video Games / Re: What are your plans when everything goes digital only?

« on: January 23, 2024, 05:33:15 pm »

I can't figure out how to delete this message so instead of wasting space with a quote I'll just put my edit to the statement above down below.

There's a saying going around that's something along the lines of "if buying isn't owning, than pirating isn't stealing". I can't say I outwardly agree with that, however it's certainly food for thought.

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Modern Video Games / Re: What are your plans when everything goes digital only?

« on: January 23, 2024, 05:30:49 pm »

Either pirate or quit engaging in the "everything".

I can't actively condone illegal activity on a public forum, but I can advocate for actually owning the things you buy.

E.g., Louis Rossman has a video on Sony's content (video) licenses expiring and them yanking content out of our library that you paid for and planned to keep. Given that alone, I'm not trying to sink any more money into the PlayStation ecosystem. Sure, I'll collect the previous gen console when the new one comes out and get the exclusives, but I will never invest myself into an ecosystem that I know is going to decline in quality further than it already has.

Or how about that other time when Louis Rossman did a video on Netflix not providing the image quality they said they were.

Not only that, everything is quickly becoming a service, or it's "as a service". Sure, it was whatever when Netflix exploded during the seventh generation. Streaming from my house beat going down to the local blockbuster or Redbox literally around the corner.

The problem is now HBO, Disney (Hulu), NBC (Peacock) also want $10 a month. I'm sorry Peacock, but I'm not giving you $10/month to watch House M.D.

I could pay $40 a month for lesser quality and not own it or I could pay less than $10 a month for a VPN. Hard choice.

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General / Re: How do you feel about Store Exclusive CE's?

« on: October 03, 2023, 06:32:05 pm »

Definitely a pain in the ass to collect for. They're expensive at first (obviously) but then naturally they only appreciate and then you need to worry about getting all of the accessories e.g. the Doom Slayer Helmet in DOOM Eternal's CE. Then you have to worry about the condition of the product...

I think they work great when a game first comes out. Those who just want the literal game can play it while those more invested can journey into the game's universe through related props.

Unfortunately, they are a pain to acquire sometimes and not exactly cheap. I think they're great ways to appreciate a game and look great on the shelf, but boy do they drain the wallet.

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Classic Video Games / Re: Everything You Know About Emulation

« on: October 03, 2023, 06:18:03 pm »

Gonna throw in my semi-related two cents here.

There's a few projects going on that are decompilations of the original code. This means they run with a native .exe file instead of a rom through an emulator.

Using them still requires an original legitimate rom, but there's now ports for:

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Zelda3)
Super Mario 64
Super Mario World
Super Metroid

Super Metroid and SMW are still being worked on, as are the others, but only those two are in a questionable state.

You can literally experience Super Mario 64 with ray tracing and SGI workstation graphics for free (assuming you have the hardware for it). It's completely legal as reverse engineering is a completely legal act. For those interested, snesRev on github handles SMW/SM. Render96 is the SM64 project and Ship of Harkinian is Ocarina of Time's. Go nuts! You're only shooting yourself in the foot if you don't do this.

9

General / Re: Your Largest Purchase Pause?

« on: April 23, 2023, 04:34:45 pm »

Biggest pause for me was 2019-now. Didn't really buy much except for Steam Winter Sales, and even then that was with gift cards given to me.

Still making an effort to actually buy stuff as opposed to collecting Epic Games licenses, but definitely hitting a slowdown...

Also, if it's not too much to ask, please let me know your thoughts on the mclassic, Telekill! I've been eyeing them for a minute now but am unsure of how much it's really worth it.

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General / Re: DK Oldies? A scandal, or just another smear campaign?

« on: April 09, 2023, 07:40:55 pm »

I watched Austin Evans' video on it and it boiled down to the diction DK Oldies was using, specifically the word "refurbished", which indicates a more cleaned out/up product. Dusting, redo-ing the thermal paste (I know my original XBOX could use a repaste!), stuff like this is essential to calling it a "refurbished product".

OP made a comment that "I don't think the DK Oldies customer base gives a damn about dust inside of a console they don't even know how to open up, they're not the hardcore techy type of customer base.". Not to be that guy, but I do.

For those not as involved with computer and console hardware, thermal paste is a necessary goop that fills in the imperfections between the surface of a heatsink and your console's CPU/GPU/onboard whatever. This is vital to cooling and certainly make a difference. Remember, unless it has been changed before your paste is as old as the console!

I understand this may come off as nit-picking, but if you're going to list a device as refurbished you need to actually put in the work that makes it "refurbished". The outside of DK Oldies consoles admittedly look pretty good, but the inside looks like my gaming keyboard.

Out of respect for the VGCollect community, I honestly can't recommend buying from DK Oldies given the price to quality ratio we are seeing. Check ebay, offerup, craigslist, local yard sales etc.

11

Classic Video Games / Re: The PS3 in 2023

« on: March 24, 2023, 05:02:17 pm »

I stuck an SSD in my PS3. The gains are marginal, especially given it's a 240gb Kingston and not a 1tb Samsung one, but there is a small boost. Tested on Castlevania: Harmony of Despair.

Honestly it seems like a pretty good deal to me. Having one means you either own a PS3 and Ps2 in one or a PS3 and ps1 in one.

Sure, the disc based media is slow but has it ever been fast?

Don't get me wrong the original retail price of $599 USD was ridiculous. Actually more expensive than a PS5 currently. That, along with disabling the 8th core and the wonderful CELL ARCHITECTURE, definitely paints a picture of the PS3's flaws.

With that being said you've got some pretty cool exclusives. The Ninja Gaiden Sigma remasters, Asura's Wrath, 3D Dot Game Heroes, that one japan exclusive .hack//versus fighting game, God of War, Metal Gear... Ratchet and clank!

The console has its issues but overall if you're looking to play some great games the PS3 has some great choices. The backwards compatibility helps the device keep up even with some other flaws. Given the fact the PS4 can't play Ps3 games WELL, (and assuming you're against emulation), I think it's a worthwhile purchase, but to each their own.

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General / Re: What video game has the smartest playerbase? Requiring most intelligence to play

« on: March 23, 2023, 09:39:58 pm »

Not gonna lie the question is kind of strange, but I'll bite.

Probably an RTS or hack n' slash of some sort. I haven't seen many fools beat Ninja Gaiden on the harder difficulties.

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Off Topic / Re: Controversial opinion on sports cars

« on: January 30, 2023, 06:45:14 pm »

Given that I was born and raised someone who had a nice sports car, I may be a little biased. With that being said I'd like to offer up my perspective.

Throughout my life I watched my father's Supra get worked on, DINO'd, jacked up, down, and just about every position that car could be in.

It was fast, but it was clean. It was not a riced out POS. It was a White '95 MKIV Turbo and it was a piece of art. The paint job was incredible. It reflected the sunlight in a brilliant manner that still shines in my mind's eye all these years later. I wouldn't be surprised clay bar on it. For those interested in some of the specs it was 612HP at the wheels, twin-turbo, methanol injection, whole nine yards. Not the most horsepower but sure as hell smoked a Viper.

Point is, this was more of a project and admittedly piece of art than anything else. Yes, he certainly knew how to use the machine and its capabilities to the fullest. However, it was still an artistic beauty. Combine the aforementioned paint with someone who couldn't stand a crumb in his car and you have something that is at least worth looking at, never mind the fun it could offer.

I do think the point of when you can actually use the horsepower is legitimate. Admittedly it is increasingly difficult to even hit the speed limit nowadays. With that being said, growing up near the urban growth boundary and him working on the other side it allowed for some fantastic pulls. While not everyone has the opportunity to, in my area it was certainly and still is possible to use that kind of power. This is also ignoring the fact that there's a very popular raceway not TOO far from the general area.

Don't get me wrong, I understand people in L.A. or New York aren't going to be making any pulls anytime soon, but from a owning/collecting/modding perspective it's a fun project. For us it's clearly the obvious at least to a certain point. For others it may be sports, reading or painting. Simultaneously, I'm not trying to defend the Honda Civics at 3AM that lack a muffler. Those people are admittedly obnoxious.

I think it's worth mentioning the flip side of this, in that it is admittedly ridiculous to spend $773+ (Pricecharting.com as of this posting) on LSD Dream Emulator. Cherry picked example, but we're all buying disc rot...

TLDR; It's a hobby, just an expensive and gas consuming one. Not everyone has the circumstances to not bother people and make fast pulls but for those who can, the adrenaline rush is crazy!

14

General / Re: Video Game Resolutions and Goals in 2023

« on: December 24, 2022, 02:55:28 am »

1 - Acquire more physical games

     If it wasn't obvious my affinity for Epic Games free weekly digital game(s) is apparent. Given that A) I want to own more physical older/retro games and B) That's what this site is oriented towards, it couldn't hurt.

 I)    Breath of the Wild 2 - When the first one came out, I wasn't that interested to be honest. I didn't get more interested in the Zelda franchise until a year or two after. I then proceeded to beat ALTTP , Hyrule Warriors (I know...) and Breath of the Wild. BotW was different. I usually grind through RPGs and max out the characters like all the materia, limits, UWs etc in FF7, but the reward really was something else completing all shrines. Seeing the "full" health bar hud with all blue on the map and a *spoiler* Master Cycle Zero *spoiler* truly felt rewarding. Now, this game wasn't my most played with only around 200 hours IIRC, but out of all the RPGs I've played it may have the most time spent. Naturally, when a sequel was announced I was stoked and now await the release.
 II)   More PSP Games - My FFIV copy is lonely and could use the company of the other FF Ports
 III)  More PS3 games - Specifically Splatterhouse. I know, the game isn't the finest piece of art but given that the VA of Winnie the pooh is one of the main characters, it makes for a pretty interesting ride. This is also including the fact that the game just doesn't run on RPCS3 yet. Other than that, it's just a matter of acquiring the obvious and simultaneously cheap choices like Killzone 2 that I lack.
 IV) More PS2 Games - The specific choice here is .Hack//Outbreak. Already half of the way there to completing the image on the shelf! Other PS2 goodies will follow suit.
 V)  More new games - While I know I just said I was going to focus on older stuff, there's a couple titles releasing soon I want to mention. The RE4 remake will release at some point, and given that I played through it a few times I'm excited. Dead Cells is having a Castlevania Crossover, and the other Koumajou Densetsu (TouhouVania) game will be on Steam soon! I'm also stoked to get the new Crisis Core game, the Terminator RTS because I'm a sucker for that dead franchise, and the Amid Evil Black Labyrinth DLC.

2 - Beat games

     I'm also admittedly guilty of possessing a large backlog consisting of Epic/GOG free games, a good amount of physical ones and some other digital goodies. While I don't think I'll have the time for the 52 challenge, I do want to beat some titles such as the Shadow of the Colossus remaster, .hack//Infection, and maybe even Trauma Center: New Blood. Lots of great games to play!

3 - Acquire more shelving

     I am quickly running out of space on my shelf at the moment. I've got a little leeway with most of my physical platforms but I'm definitely going to need to get more storage soon. While a minor topic, I feel like storage is a topic not discussed much. While the world has certainly gone digital, for most of us on the website we need a place and way to store what we buy!

4 - Making more content

     While the days are only so long, I'd like to make more Youtube content as well. I haven't uploaded a lot of videos or done a lot of streaming this year and want to change that. Given that I have the equipment and now some mediocre video editing skills, I could stream my content (although I plan to get a higher quality capture card) such as the aforementioned New Blood playthrough, on real hardware! Doing that with a hand cam could be lots of fun! There's also a variety of other miscellaneous videogame related content out there, such as a Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia rom hack called Contravania that replaces Albus mode with various Contra characters such as Probotector, Brad Fang, Bill Rizer, and so on. Cool project someone made a reality.

5 - Potentially acquire more Gamecube Controllers

     While not particularly high on the budget, given roommates proclivity to drop the damn things on the hardwood floor, looking into replacements will be a necessity (for me) at some point in the future. They aren't shattered into a million pieces or anything, but the Z button on one doesn't work and the other has some other issue I can't remember at the moment. While it may certainly seem like I'm grasping at straws, I like my equipment to remain in the condition I received it in and don't like being that guy that hands you a busted controller. On top of this, given that I'm involved enough in smash bros. for this to legitimately matter, I'll need to address it with plastic or some Andrew Jacksons sometime.

Overall, I'm looking forward to what 2023 brings regarding streaming, gaming, collecting etc. I should be able to acquire some nice picks for my collection in the following year, upload some hopefully interesting content and maybe even hit 800 unique titles!

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General / Re: December 2022 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: December 22, 2022, 01:36:28 am »

RPG in a Box (Free, Epic)
Fort Triumph (Epic)
Saints Row 4 Re-Elected (Epic)
Wildcat Gun Machine (Epic)
Shadow of the Colossus (PS4, half off)
Hard Corps: Uprising + DLC
Suikoden II
LEGO® Builder's Journey (Epic)

Unfortunately, I was unaware of the Epic advent calendar until today and regrettably missed the earlier titles. Still, there's more to come!