Messages

31

Classic Video Games / Re: GBA turned 20 years old recently

« on: April 04, 2021, 05:22:15 pm »

I loved my GBA at the time and I cherish the handful of games I was able to get as a kid. Right around age 14 though, I discovered the Virtual Boy Advance and I spent quite a bit of time playing GBA games that way, it was stunning to be able to play full games free of charge that were only a few years old at that point. For a young boy with no means to make money on my own, you can imagine I was just *in heaven* having complete access to the GBA library.

One case I remember of playing a game that wasn't even out yet where I lived was Minish Cap a few weeks before it was released in the States, because it had an earlier release over in the UK/EU with an English translation. It was a naughty feeling, but now I have zero regrets about that and I did eventually get a legit American copy of Minish Cap for Christmas 2005.

So while my physical library of GBA games wasn't and still isn't much, I did play most of the notable titles that came out for the system. So many great games...

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General / Re: April 2021 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: April 02, 2021, 03:52:40 pm »

33

General / Re: Who Knows How To Play Madden American Football Games? Do You Enjoy Them?

« on: March 31, 2021, 12:40:01 am »

I don't think the basic rules of football that you so eloquently posted are what's stumping us, it's how the play-calling works and what appropriate strategies to take for a given situation. What the hell is a dime play, what's the difference between weak and strong I, what do you use the special teams playbook for, and how often should you run versus pass, etc. All those sorts of questions are what stumped me when playing Madden at first until I started watching how others played.

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General / Re: Who Knows How To Play Madden American Football Games? Do You Enjoy Them?

« on: March 30, 2021, 08:40:54 pm »

Not only is it dumb, it encourages dumbness with all the injuries and concussions you're expected to take. All the tackling and hits to the head have turned many pro players' brains into mush after several seasons, it's really sad how many of them end up becoming destitute after retiring. I hope the game eventually turns into replacing the players with robots, but I don't think your average NFL fan would fly with that... humans gotta be suffering and pushing through for the game to matter to them, I guess.

I haven't watched any games on TV since I was like 14, I've never been to an NFL game, and I don't follow any of it at all. BUT I do like to play a round of Madden or two when the occasion arises. It's a male-bonding ritual for many, so I've just picked up on how to play the game "correctly" from watching or asking them. I really have no desire to type out how to be good at Madden, but I'm sure there's gotta be several YouTube videos that break down how to play the game.

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General / Re: March 2021 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: March 30, 2021, 07:10:55 pm »

So giving defense contractors, big corporations, and banks, welfare while giving individuals a few grand after locking them in their houses for a year is not "throwing money" away.

Giving the people a measly few grand to spend that money to survive is not wasteful.

The defense contractors, big corporations, and banks who spent millions lobbying to line the pockets of politicians and influence voters to give the upper 1% their bail outs and tax cuts are indeed the ones throwing money.

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General / Re: Recently completed/finished

« on: March 30, 2021, 06:47:00 pm »

Recently finished Link's Crossbow Training, the first Zelda game I have finished lol

LOL this is like someone admitting they've heard the first Slash's Snakepit album in its entirety but hasn't given any Guns N' Roses album a full listen yet.

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General / Re: March 2021 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: March 30, 2021, 06:25:56 pm »

I'll have a double stack and a six piece nuggets with one sweet and sour and one ranch, please, no drink.

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General / Re: Ever Bought a Game with No Plans on Opening it?

« on: March 30, 2021, 06:13:49 pm »

If only I were making more money at the moment, I think it'd be a pretty wise investment to once in a while buy a new copy of a AAA title for any given system (though I'm thinking specifically Nintendo stuff for the sake of this post) and stockpiling those titles slowly over time.

Like right now, Dragon Quest XI for the Switch is still in print and widely available through most retailers. So even if you already own the game, how could it possibly hurt you (besides setting you back 50 smackers right now) to buy another copy (or two or three) and stuff it away in a box for several years?

And with Nintendo, it seems like I prove myself wrong every time when I think nobody else is still gonna care later down the road about these currently very popular AAA games.

Sure, Breath of the Wild sold like a bajillion copies and is likely not going to be worth much for the next ten years, much like how Wind Waker for the GC could be found for like 9 bucks used at game stores for the longest time until very recently. But then in maybe 15-20 years, I can imagine a sealed copy of Breath of the Wild being just as sought after as a sealed Ocarina of Time for N64 is now.

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General / Re: March 2021 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: March 30, 2021, 04:47:59 pm »

They literally need quadruple the employees they had pre-2020 to handle the amount of money they're throwing at people these days.

Sometimes I wish I was still living in an insular bubble and agreeing with/making comments like this. Life was so much easier when things like a global fucking pandemic causing the most widespread economic devastation in our lifetimes personally affecting whether or not millions get to keep their jobs and homes didn't make me feel as bitter as the government giving everybody a (very small) handout in order to help them survive said catastrophe.

Whoa! I'm sorry if I offended you. My comment wasn't a criticism of the government giving people stimulus checks, it was just addressing the need to hire more people to handle this, getting people their tax refunds, as well as the millions of other things the IRS, Treasury, and federal government have to handle. People can use all the help they can get right now. I didn't mean anything else by it.

My apologies for coming off *a bit* hostile, I was grumpy from not having my lunch yet when I posted that.

The phrasing of "throwing money" implies irresponsible and wasteful spending. And saying something like that seems like an invitation of discussion, even though now it's apparent that probably wasn't your intention. My guess is you were just small talking with another forum member and you typed that without giving it a second thought.

I feel like the very common American anti-government sentiments are kept alive from little quips like that on message boards or Twitter comments or your uncle ranting at the dinner table or whatever. Not from people actually reading the Economist and really looking into the issue. People just saying things like "the goddamn DMV sucks, the government can't do anything right!!!" while living off of social security checks and happily driving on public roads.

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General / Re: March 2021 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: March 30, 2021, 04:21:09 pm »

They literally need quadruple the employees they had pre-2020 to handle the amount of money they're throwing at people these days.

Sometimes I wish I was still living in an insular bubble and agreeing with/making comments like this. Life was so much easier when things like a global fucking pandemic causing the most widespread economic devastation in our lifetimes personally affecting whether or not millions get to keep their jobs and homes didn't make me feel as bitter as the government giving everybody a (very small) handout in order to help them survive said catastrophe.

Blame the government officials who make specious decisions, and their mouthpieces in the media for stoking the flames of fear, for all the pandemic-related lockdowns and resulting economic collapse.

Don’t blame a poster who simply commented that things are terrible at the IRS for a problem (economic shutdown, then stimulus checks) of their own government’s making.

lol what would you have done differently in March 2020 if you were in charge? Keep carrying on business as usual and ignore scientists and medical professionals while the bodies keep piling up? Everyone who contracts the virus and dies from it deserves it for not being healthy and young enough, right?

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General / Re: What Is Your Favorite Video Game Series/Franchises And Why?

« on: March 28, 2021, 05:13:38 pm »

Pokemon because in 1996 having an adventure across a region with multiple towns and routes and caves and bodies of water filled with NPCs and 151 different types of creatures, all in a game played on a handheld with a 2.6 inch screen, all experienced as a child - at the time - was mindmeltingly good and to this day the nostalgia is strong.

Unless you were living in Japan as a child at the time, you did not experience Pokemon in 1996. It came to the states two years later, but it wasn't even until around summer/fall 1999 that it became a mainstream phenomenon in the US.

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General / Re: What Is Your Favorite Video Game Series/Franchises And Why?

« on: March 27, 2021, 08:21:50 pm »

I’ll second the Metal Gear franchise. The mainline games are all worth playing.

The Legend of Zelda too. I can do without Zelda II though.

I always feel basic when I say this, but all the 3D mainline Grand Theft Auto games are stone cold classics and some of my favorite games I’ve ever played.

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General / Re: Ever Bought a Game with No Plans on Opening it?

« on: March 27, 2021, 04:28:05 pm »

There have been a few exceptions, but like most have already said: if I buy a game, the intent is to play the damn thing. Even if it takes several years getting around to it.

I have acquired "doubles" of games when I stumble upon a deal too good to pass up on. I recently bought two new copies of Dragon Quest VII for the 3DS because they were both just sitting there in the display case at a Wal-Mart with a 30 dollar price tag on them like it was still 2016. One copy for myself to play and enjoy, and the other I'm holding onto to sell for way more than I paid for or to trade with another collector.

Speaking of which... does anyone want to trade a opened CIB copy of Dragon Quest VIII 3DS for my sealed DQVII? haha

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General / Re: March 2021 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: March 27, 2021, 04:05:58 pm »

They literally need quadruple the employees they had pre-2020 to handle the amount of money they're throwing at people these days.

Sometimes I wish I was still living in an insular bubble and agreeing with/making comments like this. Life was so much easier when things like a global fucking pandemic causing the most widespread economic devastation in our lifetimes personally affecting whether or not millions get to keep their jobs and homes didn't make me feel as bitter as the government giving everybody a (very small) handout in order to help them survive said catastrophe.

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Classic Video Games / Re: Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

« on: March 16, 2021, 03:23:17 pm »

So far it’s been very light on puzzles (can’t compare to the PS1 original as I never got very far into it). Much more fetch questing than anything, eg: “go talk to x at the other end of the island” and then they’ll tell you about a colored shard they saw inside the island dungeon and then you have to go retrieve it.