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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: July 08, 2024, 12:51:51 pm »

49. Robotron 2084

While driving home from the in-laws, we stopped at a rest area just outside Atlanta. Across the street was a Pizza Hut that had an arcade cab of Robotron 2084. I had to play it. I haven't played it in years. So, while the hubs ordered and tended to our pup, I was playing the robo-hell outta this one. I worked up a sweat moving those joysticks, so I counted it as my workout for the day. It was a good way to end a rather blah July 4th weekend.

Some of the few remaining Pizza Hut sit down restaurants that still remain are typically time capsules. I went to one about 5 years ago that looked the same as it probably did in 1985. Unfortunately the one I went to didn't have any arcades, but it still had the little area where they likely once did. It was mostly a bunch of capsule toy and sticker machines in that spot. Still, it was a really cool experience knowing they never tried to modernize their restaurants; you can essentially pretend its the 80s or 90s if you visit one :p

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: July 07, 2024, 07:53:55 pm »

Well that's a 52 Games Challenge first for me; I forgot to include a game I beat and write a mini-review on it. Well here it is lol.


31. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (NES)

Not having an NES growing up, I was forced to play Nintendo's first console at friends' and relatives' houses as a kid, however two of my favorite games to play that seemingly every person I knew with an NES had was TMNT2 and TMNT3. For whatever reason, I remember playing TMNT3 way more than the second game, so it certainly had more of a sentimental feeling about it than the much more loved second game.


As a pretty old beat em up, TMNT3 is a pretty good time overall despite suffering from an issue that most other beat em ups have, especially from around that time period. The game is incredibly monotonous with its two button control scheme and essentially killing the same enemy types with slight variations over, and over, and over, and over, and over again. The bosses are definitely a step up over the second game in my opinion, and given when the game came out this almost feels like an NES port of Turtles in Time in some ways. Still, saying TMNT 3 and Turtles in Time are comparable outside of licensing is doing Turtles in Time a huge disservice. The music is pretty catchy in this game, and I thought the levels and cutscenes were also pretty cool. Still, the game just cannot escape the tedium of its genre no matter how much I enjoy beat em ups, and just feels like it drags on forever. There are also some incredibly annoying sections, bosses, and enemies at certain parts that also had me rolling my eyes more than once. Overall though, this game is still fun to play once in a while, if nothing else than to remind me how much I loved the Turtles back in the day and made me wish I had an NES growing up. (6/20/24) [30/50]

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: July 07, 2024, 07:38:28 pm »

32. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES)

With the news of Donkey Kong Country Returns headed to the Switch, I decided it was time I tackle the one classic DKC game I've never beat before playing its two more modern sequels. To be clear, I've played DKC3 several times, however I've never played it for more than a couple of hours. I remember seeing this game advertised all over the place, so it's a mystery why I didn't get ultra hyped for it back in 1996. I must have been so into the N64 that it completely overshadowed one of my favorite game franchises as a kid, I'm not sure what else prevented me from beating it for almost 30-years lol.


But anyhow, DKC3's gameplay, sound, and presentation are almost as good as its predecessors. Keyword, almost. The variety and theming of enemies, levels and bosses is great, but not at the same level of DKC, and especially not as good as DKC2. The audio was also lacking noticeably, no doubt because David Wise was not involved in it. However, for what it's worth, DKC3 still has a beter OST than easily 95% of all the games of this generation regardless, which is saying something. From a gameplay perspective, everything works as it did in the previous two games, however the design of certain stages and bosses, combined with some rather gimmicky mechanics like sucking up water in the elephant's trunk and spraying it seemed superfluous and really didn't make the game anymore fun. In fact, I kind of just found these tacked on mecahnics more of an annoyance than anything. Despite this, I still really enjoyed playing DKC3 which overall had tight, well balanced controls and gameplay. The final thing I wanted to say about this game, and perhaps by biggest issue is this games lack of an identity compared to the previous two entries. Both DKC and DKC2 felt memorable and distinct with their own style and feel, whereas DKC3 seems like a thrown together greatest hits at times, that lacks a lot of the same memorable bosses, stages, and other settings that really solidified the first two DKC games as timeless masterpieces. DKC3 just seems like a sequel that was pushed out to sell a few more SNES consoles at the very tail end of its life, except everyone had moved on at that point. Don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed DKC3, however it's without a doubt my least favorite of the classic trilogy. (7/7/24) [37/50]

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Modern Video Games / Re: Capcom Next - July 1st, 2024

« on: June 27, 2024, 08:32:06 pm »

As long as a new RE Remake gets announced, I'll be very happy. A CV remake is on the top of my wishlist, but I'd be almost just as excited for a remake of the first game. I'd still be very interested, but I'd be way less enthusiastic if they remade RE5. I guess if I had some probably not going to happen announcement, a new Mega Man X done in the same style as the first 6 X games would also get me very hyped.

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Classic Video Games / Re: PriceCharting.

« on: June 25, 2024, 10:55:32 am »

If I'm trying to determine the value of a game either to sell or because I'm personally interested in it, I've always used Ebay completed listings to determine the value. With that said, I do track my collection on PriceCharting for the purpose of insurance. The value is a rough approximation of its value in the event a fire took my collection, or someone stole it , and I had to make a claim. Unfortunately, I've found that PriceCharting isn't the most reliable place to look at game values; sometimes they are way undervalued compared to what they're actually selling for while other times they are way too high. I called out a local shop years ago for massively overpricing a brand new copy of some RPG on the Saturn (can't remember which one). I showed them ebay which was several hundred cheaper than their price, but then they countered by showing me PriceCharting which pretty much right on the money for what they were charging. It's just not reliable.

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General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2024!!!!!

« on: June 19, 2024, 01:16:05 am »

30. Streets of Rage 4 (PS4)

Being a Sega kid back in the early and mid 90s, I grew up with Streets of Rage 1 and 2, which in my book are still two of the best beat em' ups from that era. Years ago when I heard they were making a Streets of Rage 4 I was pretty excited, although for whatever reason it took me until last year to finally pick this game up on the PS4. I was feeling like playing a modern beat em up (originally was going to play TMNT Mutants in Manhattan, but of course it had to be the first PS4 game I've ever encountered that wouldn't work), and this game certainly fit the bill.


Streets of Rage 4 was surprisingly able to win me over to the point where I definitely like it more than the two aforementioned Streets of Rage games on the Genesis, which is definitely saying a lot. BTW, I've never played Street of Rage 3, although it's another game on the long backlog to play. But anyhow, the gameplay just felt a lot more balanced and fare compared to Streets of Rage 1 and 2, and also the boss fights were a lot more interesting and fun for the most part. A few very annoying sections, as well as the stage hazards in several stages being extremely annoying at times prevented this game from being awesome in the gameplay department, but for what it was, it was overall an improvement on the older games. A felt someone mixed on the visuals of Streets of Rage 4 at first, however there is so much enemy, boss, and variety in the stages that I definitely felt like it was a standout game visually. I also enjoyed the cool comic like scenes between levels in the story mode which really helped flesh things out even more. And then finally the OST was pretty great; it may have no been as iconic and catchy as the OST in the first two games, but it still had some excellent tracks and it deserves credit for that. I figured I'd like Streets of Rage 4, however I didn't expect it to be as good as it was. It's not going to set the world on fire and it doesn't compare to a few other modern beat em' ups I've played, but for what it is, it's a pretty damn good game. (6/18/24) [36/50]

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Modern Video Games / Re: Nintendo Direct 6.18.2024 thoughts?

« on: June 18, 2024, 12:29:43 pm »

Well color me shocked by how good that Direct was!


I definitely didn't expect Nintendo to announce so many big titles during this direct, although I have a bit of a theory as to why they did, at least the big announcement of Metroid Prime 4. But more on that in a sec. I genuinely loved the DKC Returns, new Zelda game, and yes, Metroid Prime 4 announcement. Even some of the RPGs they showed off look fun, even though I'm not the biggest RPG fan. However, the announcement that literally had me grinning ear to ear with how unexpected it was and also how much of a fan I am of this super underrated franchise was the Marvel vs Capcom Collection announcement. I never expected these games to get a new re-release given the licensing headache it likely would be to have all those characters return together in a new game. Fortunately, Capcom pulled it off and we're getting every Capcom Vs game in one release + an arcade perfect port of the Punisher. I ADORE these games and am beyond hyped to pick this up even though I own all these games already, some of which I own multiple copies and versions of them :p.


As for my Metroid Prime 4 theory, I don't actually think Prime 4 is getting released on the Switch. At best, I can see it getting a duel release where it gets both a Switch and Switch 2 release, much like how Twilight Princess was released both on the GC and Wii when that game came out as a Wii launch title. I think Prime is primarily being made for the Switch 2, and I think the demo they showed was being rendered from a Switch 2. The framerate, animations, and overall visual fidelity just looked too good for the Switch. But again, it might get a Switch version too. I guess we'll see.


Thank goodness for a solid Direct after what was overall a very disappointing showing of games from Summer Game Fest as well as Sony's last State of Play. If the rumors are true and the Switch 2 is still primarily using physical games, you can count me in as being a Nintendo fanboy next gen.

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Modern Video Games / Re: Nintendo Direct 6.18.2024 thoughts?

« on: June 17, 2024, 10:37:42 pm »

It's probably going to be fairly underwhelming, and no, I'm not saying that just to be a pessimistic asshole. Even though Nintendo confirmed there was going to be no mention of the Switch 2 or whatever they end up calling it, I do believe we are less than a year away from at least it getting announced if not just being released. Because of this, i'm sure Nintendo has some really good stuff in development to help sell and promote that new console. Based on timing, my guess is a new mainline Mario game as well as Mario Kart 9, and maybe, possibly, Metroid Prime 4.


With that said, I think tomorrow's direct will have a few last minute AAA titles to drum up one last holiday season of hype before the Switch disappears into the sunset. My guess is a new mainline Pokemon game will get announced as well as a new Wario or Yoshi game, maybe Captain Toad 2. Essentially something first party and semi interesting, but nothing on the scale of a new Zelda, Mario, or Splatoon. And finally, I think we'll get at least one new remaster style game of an old release. I have no idea what this might be, but I'd flip out if it were either Ocarina of Time 3D or Majora's Mask 3D ported to the Switch. Even better if they bundled them together, although I'm certain they wouldn't need to in order to sell a ton of copies. Other than that, I expect a lot of indie games shown off, as well as some smaller releases from bigger studios, but nothing crazy since I'm sure they're all saving their best for the Switch 2 also.

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Modern Video Games / Re: Xbox Showcase 2024

« on: June 09, 2024, 05:41:54 pm »

I'm really excited about the new Doom game they announced, but there was little else that interested me. Great to know EA likely killed Dragon Age by turning it into what appears to be some sort of Overwatch or Fortnite team based game, at least that's the vibes it gave off. My wife is pretty pissed about that right now seeing how Dragon Age is one of her favorite franchises.

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Modern Video Games / Re: Summer Game Fest 2024 - June 7th 5pm EST

« on: June 08, 2024, 10:40:56 pm »

After hearing that there would be very few new reveals, i've opted just to get the highlights afterwards. So far, the only two games that really caught my eye is the new Power Rangers Beat Em Up as well as the Starship Troopers FPS. Funny enough, I'm not even that big of a Power Rangers guy and while I enjoyed the 1997 Starship Troopers movie, I was never into it nearly as much as most of my friends growing up. Other than that, it's been nice to see new trailers for stuff that was already announced a long time ago like the new Fatal Fury game. Hopefully there will be some good stuff announced tomorrow.

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Modern Video Games / Re: May 30th Playstation State of Play

« on: May 30, 2024, 08:19:27 pm »

Well that was about as bad as I expected. The only two things that caught my attention were the additional Silent Hill 2 remake gameplay + release date, and also Astro Bot which looks mildly interesting. Unfortunately I still don't feel any better about owning a PS5 this gen. It's more or less my GT7 machine, with a game or two played here and there. I'm not too optimistic the PS5 has much longer to go before it's replaced since Sony has already said its in the tail end of its life despite it only becoming widely available maybe a year and a half ago. All well...

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Modern Video Games / Re: May 30th Playstation State of Play

« on: May 29, 2024, 08:34:29 pm »

I share your negative feelings about this generation so far. I was looking at my PS5 games, and barely any are exclusive, and there are very few games in retrospect I'd have purchased the console for that weren't also on the PS4 in a slightly downgraded way. But anyhow, back to the subject.


Sony has already announced there aren't any first party titles they're working on that will be released this year, so that only leaves some speculation that they may drop a teaser for something. My money is on Uncharted since it's been a while since one of those games came out. My guess is it takes place about 10 years after U4 and it's primarily about Nathan's daughter, and the game is a sort of handing off of the torch. I'm not a huge uncharted fan, but this is probably going to be the "big" surprise I'm guessing.


Other than that, I'm expecting a ton of underwhelming indie announcements no one will care about, maybe an FF7 Birth DLC sub game, and maybe, possibly. cool third party announcement. I know Capcom is busy making another RE re-remake and a teaser for that alone with make my day. I also expect maybe EA will finally reveal gameplay and something more substantial for Dragon Age, although I can see them saving that for Summer Gamefest,


Overall, my expectations are set pretty low, all things considered, but I guess we'll see.

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

« on: May 27, 2024, 11:32:14 am »

People say you can't find video games if you go out late, well I'm about to prove you wrong.

I was out for other reasons and it was about 1pm and I decided lets hunt for some random garage sales in the area.

Wii
First I find a Wii for $16. Here's what was in the tub.
- Nintendo Wii (black No GC player) with three Wii Remotes and a nunchuck. (all hookups)
- Wii Balance Board (not shown)
- Wii Sports was inside the console
- Wii Sports / Wii Resort combo pack.
- Just Dance 2
- Just Dance 4

I hit a sale and ask about games and the lady says her son had a bunch he doesn't use and goes to look.
She shows me a a Nintendo bag Sega Genesis with several games, a Xbox 360 with several games, a bunch of PS1 and PS2 games.
The 360 was an early model with HIGH chance of red ring of death, all the 360 and ps2 games were sports. There was about 15 PS1 games but all were
sports except a a few. I first ask what she wanted for all of it and she says $100. So I take the Genesis stuff and a few PS1 games and ask if she'd do $60
and she was fine with that. (always ask a price for everything then separate what you really want to get a better price.)
PS1
- Need for Speed Hot Pursuit III (missing back art)
- Star Wars The Phantom Menace
- Road Rash 3D
- A Gameshark for both PS1 & PS2 with card.
GENESIS
- Sega Genesis with two 3 button and 1 6 button controllers
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (not for resale sticker) (CIB)
- Zombies Ate My Neighbors (missing manual)
- Sonic & Knuckles (CIB)
- NBA Jam (CIB)
- NHL Hockey (CIB)
- College Football USA 96 (CIB)
- Pat Riley Basketball (CIB)
- World Cup USA 94 (CIB)
- RBI Baseball
- PGA Tour Golf
- ToeJam & Earl
- Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
- Boogerman
also a blue/red NES carrying case (I have three of these bags now) and a Playstation underground case,

And last I stop at a sale and talk to a man on his porch about video games, He says he has PS4 and Xbox, sure I'll look and see what you have.
His wife comes out while he looks and we get to talking about video games and about she was thinking of getting a Switch. Then she says I think we have an
old N64, would you be interested in that? Yes I said. Her husband comes out and shows much pretty much scrap PS4 and Xbox one games. Nothing worth
even making an offer for. She goes in and then returns with a N64 and several games. I ask what she wants for the N64 and games and she says $40 okay?
Here's what I got.
- Nintendo 64 (no expansion pack all hookups)
- 2 controllers (red and grey)
- 2 off brand Superpad controllers
- Rumble Pak
- Super Mario 64
- Mario Party
- Super Smash Bros.
- Star Fox 64
- Banjo-Kazooie
- Yoshi's Story

This proves you can still find good video game stuff on a Saturday late in the day.

Garage sales are maybe the only consistent way to find good deals like this anymore. Sure, there's still the very rare off chance a thift store puts something out or flea market seller doesn't know what the have, but like those places, my biggest issue is the amount of time you have to put into getting even a pickup half this good. I'm aware of the "always ask about games" policy when going to garage sales, but for every one sale that has their kids old N64 games and console still in their basement, you're striking out at 50 other sales with either nothing or a bunch of bargain bin XBOX 360 or Wii games. I'm not expecting someone to pull out a Panzer Dragoon Saga to make a garage sale worth it to me, but again, even something half as good as what you just posted. Just my 2-cents. I'm glad you scored some cool stuff in the wild. It's quite a rare sight these days.

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General / Re: IGN just acquired a ton of their competitors

« on: May 22, 2024, 01:31:34 pm »

Game journalism has been... not great... for a long time. There's a lot of crap out there. The best of the gaming sites IMO, GameTrailers.com, died out a long time ago. Unfortunately, both IGN and PushSquare groups are heavily left leaning, so if they post anything that has to do with politics, even moderately conservative opinions will be removed and users banned. I know this as I have been temp banned from both sites at some point for expressing a non-hostile conservative opinion.

Where am I going with this, you may be asking... If IGN has bought out their competitors, then there is no great loss. It's simply the consolidation of the same opinion under one banner and this will have zero impact on the readers and those that interact on their sites. That is... until with everything in the gaming industry at the moment... they start to downsize.

I miss gametrailers.com so much it hurts. It was the last breath of fresh air when it came to big gaming news sites, largely because of how much interesting, independent content they hosted. They were really ahead of their time. It's just too bad it didn't end up working out for them. I still rewatch their old reviews from the 2000s and 2010s, and all their great shows like pop-fiction, their retrospectives and countdowns, and some of the other shows they used to host. A lot of people forget that's where AVGN, Pat the Nes Punk, and Screwattack used to primarily host their content.

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General / Re: IGN just acquired a ton of their competitors

« on: May 22, 2024, 01:19:53 pm »

IGN hasn't been relevant since 2011. The same can be said for all the big gaming news/review sites that peaked in the early and mid 2000s. They are ran by a bunch of out of touch journalists, who are more concerned with how praising or bashing a game will advance their career and reputation more than how good (or bad) the game actually is. On top of that, there is a major pay to play dynamic with all these major sites, where they are incentived to give specific games higher scores in order to maintain access to events, review copies, and inside connections to benefit their sites. IGN and the rest of the gaming journosphere is corrupt and illegitimate to the core. Anyone who still takes anything IGN says seriously is either incredibly naive or misinformed.


Independent content creators have stolen IGN's lunch for years now, and it's only a matter of time until their irrelevancy catches up with them and they shut down too. Gamespot, Kotaku, and all the other large gaming sites will also suffer the same fate eventually.