Messages

46

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!

« on: January 09, 2023, 07:29:09 pm »

#1 BloodRayne: Terminal Cut

I played the original Steam release way back when but never got around to beating it due to the constant crashes. As a re-release Terminal Cut was suppose to run smoother on modern PCs. It ran fine on my system minus crashes after every loading screen. Lowering the texture detail to the lowest setting fixed the issue. As for the game itself, the gameplay still holds up. It's still fun hackin' and slashin' your way through the Nazis and Daemites and witnessing the bloody carnage that spawns from it. Although I feel the game was a bit too long for its own good and the final boss is a total pushover once you figure out its weakness.

It's a good game. Just not one I see myself coming back to once I get all the achievements.

47

General / Re: January 2023 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: January 07, 2023, 07:21:48 pm »

Took the funds I made from my recent eBay sales and bought a Japanese Sega Saturn bundled with cables, a controller and three complete in box games:

Grandia
GunGriffon: The Eurasian Conflict
Riglordsaga 2

I paid just under $100 for everything and it shipped from Japan for free, in excellent condition. A great deal to start the new year off right. Other than the Saturn version of Symphony of the Night I'm not sure what other games I want to collect, need to dig around the Saturn's library and see what scratches the itch. Plan to get a Fenrir ODE as well, but that'll be further down the road.

48

General / Re: 52 Games Challenge 2023!!!

« on: January 02, 2023, 02:20:36 pm »

Want to improve my discipline this year. This is a good excuse as any.

Beaten Games (10):
BloodRayne (Steam)
Castlevania (NES)
Rule of Rose (PS2)
Super Metroid (SNES/SFC)
Blazing Chrome (Steam)
Graze Counter (Steam)
Drainus (Steam)
Resident Evil 4 Remake (Steam)
Graze Counter GM (Steam)
Amid Evil (Steam)
Warhammer 40,000:Boltgun (Steam)

49

General / Re: Video Game Resolutions and Goals in 2023

« on: December 29, 2022, 08:30:25 pm »

Limit the amount of games I buy. Safe to say I went overboard this year and need to be more selective on what I buy going into the next. I try to evaluate my collection constantly and decide if I should part ways with any of it. If it's a game I can't see myself playing in the foreseeable future and/or holds no sentimental value, I'll sell it. I've already sold a few of my games since late November.

Instead, I'll be saving that dough to get more hardware next year. I'll be looking for a Sega Saturn, Everdrives, ODEs, and a ROM dumper. The last consoles I bought this year were a PS1 and Fat PS2. The PS1 has the XStation ODE installed while the Fat PS2 came with a 1TB HDD and OPL. They've both convinced me to focus more on backups and tech that can play said backups on actual hardware.

Lastly, I want to complete more games next year. My backlog is massive to the point where I don't think I'll get through it in a realistic period of time. So I'm going to try to develop a strategy to tackle what I can at a comfortable pace. I've been trying to beat one game a week and it seems to be working well, but going forward I will likely have to tweak it often to fit my schedule outside of gaming.

50

General / Re: A Year in Review - 2022

« on: December 11, 2022, 10:26:44 am »

Favorite 2022 Release: Postal Brain Damaged. A smooth, solid game. It's Doom Eternal with a Postal skin. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Least Favorite 2022 Release: The Callisto Protocol. I was hyped for this spiritual Dead Space successor until I saw how lackluster the game was on release. At best it's a falsely advertised, poorly designed action game exacerbated by horrible performance and asinine paywalls.

Favorite Game Played in 2022: Too many to count. It's a toss up between the first three Silent Hills, Rondo of Blood and Metal Gear Solid 2.

Least Favorite Game Played in 2022: Nothing I played this year stood out as something to avoid.

Sleeper Hit of 2022: Couldn't say. I don't buy or play enough modern games to formulate a sound opinion on this.

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2022: Acquiring a PVM to view games in RGB for the first time. I've always wanted once ever since I first started studying up on CRTs and retro video, albeit I was young at the time and had no real income. Now this isn't the case. I was fortunate enough to find a Sony 14L5 and 20L5 in good working order. I don't even remember the first game I saw in RGB, but I remember the absolute feeling of clarity I felt watching it.

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2022: Completed the PS2 horror trifecta! Finally got Haunting Ground, Rule of Rose, and Kuon all complete in box.

51

General / Re: What are you playing?

« on: December 05, 2022, 07:04:55 pm »

Parasite Eve II and Metal Gear Solid 2. Haven't decided on a PC game to play but I'm leaning toward one of the hack and slash games I have installed. It's a toss up between Bayonetta, Bloodrayne Terminal Cut or Nier Automata.

Beat the first Parasite Eve a few weeks ago, got the non-canon ending. Eventually I'll sit back down and ascend the Chrysler Building. I enjoyed its unique battle system and similarities to Resident Evil. The second game is even more RE-like and I'm digging its manual targeting system.

52

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

« on: December 01, 2022, 06:08:47 pm »

Since my last post on these threads I got a few games:

Bayonetta 3 for Switch
Koudelka for PS1
Einhänder [JP] for PS1
Super Raiden [JP] for PC-Engine

Might have Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence Limited Edition soon, depending on how lucky I am with eBay.

I should receive A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games later this month too. I've been binging on Hardcore Gaming 101 articles and playing more RPGs lately, so I was compelled to buy it. I know it's not a game, but it could dictate what games I'll buy for my collection going forward.

53

General / Re: Good Video Game Documentaries

« on: October 08, 2022, 08:37:47 pm »

The Smash Brothers: It's a documentary that outlines the Super Smash Bros Melee competitive scene from the early 2000s up until the early 2010s. I am not a competitive smasher, I love the game, but I am no even a fraction as good as the people in this documentary. Even if you're not a Smash fan I'd definitely recommend it since it outlines some very interesting rivalries as well as some pretty interesting people. The full thing is like 4 hours long, but luckily its broken up into chapters. It's also worth noting that this documentary has a massive early/mid 2000s vibe to it which is incredible. It's up on youtube for free.

I'll echo that sentiment. That documentary ignited my interest in competitive Smash back when I had the time and passion to grind Smashladder. Anyone reading this with a fleeting interest in Smash or competitive gaming in its infancy should watch it. Those 4 hours will not be wasted.

I haven't watched any formal documentary like The Smash Brothers in a while, nowadays I dig around for retrospective channels. I figure they satiate the same desires you get watching documentaries. Here's a few I've come across for those interested:

Classic Gaming Quarterly's console launch videos are great.
GT Retrospectives seldom disappoint.
Noah Caldwell-Gervais when have nothing but time to kill.
GmanLives if you're into FPS.
ThorHighHeels for obscure games and chill vibes.

54

Classic Video Games / Re: How Many Of You Forum Attenders and Viewers Still Play Retro Video Games

« on: October 08, 2022, 07:53:00 pm »

If it isn't retro on actual hardware it's retro on my PC. On said PC I'm playing retro FPSs or emulating arcade fighters via Fightcade 2, occasionally deviating with a metroidvania or survival horror title to keep things fresh. If not I power up one of my PVMs and play something from my collection. Currently playing through Symphony of the Night. Once that's completed I'll jump to another Castlevania or a survival horror title to keep things spooky.

Over the years I've sold all of my "modern" consoles and games. The Switch is the only modern console I own. Expect all the 3rd party games I'd play on it are released on PC giving me little reason to play it other than for 1st party titles. Its saving grace is its age, being an older model it can launch homebrew to legally dump cartridges/eShop games for use in Yuzu. That fact alone has saved it from being sold. I do play modern games, mostly those that emulate or build upon what I like from past games. With the way the industry is now I typically stick with games made pre-7th gen.

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Classic Video Games / Re: The Original Retro Star Wars Battlefront Series Topic

« on: October 05, 2022, 07:28:34 pm »

Your welcome @conduit

I love your chosen avatar by the way it suits the season of your current post

I love both original Star Wars Battlefront games more than any Star Wars game I ever played before, I have both on the original Xbox in which especially the 2nd game for the OG Xbox is I guess kind of rare? i mean when I was shopping for the 2nd game earlier this year it was the last copy on Walmart's website at the time and amazon only had used PC ports, I know the last time I (thought) I bought an Xbox port off Amazon it shipped to me as the PC version instead with one of the install discs missing making it useless and unplayable to me.

Thanks, it's a screencap from Rondo of Blood. After the season's over I might swap it for something else, we'll see. 

Battlefront II on Xbox doesn't go for much nowadays. Most people playing it in 2022 are likely on PC anyway, so if you had a complete copy you would've lucked out. It's still sitting on Steam for a comfortable $10. Had I convinced my aforementioned friends to get into PC gaming we'd probably still be playing it now.

Years ago I was hoping this fan made Battlefront III would get released. EA swooped in and killed it with the C&D. Sadly it has turned into a generic, early access sci-fi shooter that will likely never get off the ground.

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Classic Video Games / Re: The Original Retro Star Wars Battlefront Series Topic

« on: October 02, 2022, 06:43:51 pm »

This series, more so the second game, was a cornerstone of my childhood. My brother and I attended a Saturday morning bowling league. We meet two other kids, who also happened to be brothers and Star Wars fans. They had a PS2 and played Battlefront II like crazy. They introduced us to the game and the system if I'm remembering correctly. We'd spend countless Saturdays after bowling just playing each other trying to grind out our accounts to get legendary weapons or for simple barging rights. When the 360 came out we migrated over when a mutual friend of ours gave us his Xbox copies of Battlefront I and II. Between the two consoles we played an ungodly amount of hours not just in Battlefront, but in any local multiplayer game we could get our hands on. Soulcalibur IV in particular was another game we'd play vigorously. We'd play SCIII and SCV too, but IV had the Star Wars guest characters.

It's safe to say Battlefront II was the catalyst to what would become cherished friendships of mine throughout my youth. I still remain in contact with both brothers, albeit infrequently. With the passage of time both have moved on to different interest and pursuits. The same can be said for me. The current state of Star Wars has withered my love for the franchise so I haven't had the urge to play the original Battlefronts in a long time. I have been thinking of doing another playthrough of Jedi Outcast though, maybe the original KOTOR when I have the itch.

The original Battlefront series has strong sentimental value to me. I apologize if I was veering off topic. As soon as I saw the title of the OP a wave of pure nostalgia washed over me. I was compelled to write it down. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

57

General / Re: Which games have you become "priced out" of ever owning at this point?

« on: October 02, 2022, 04:20:43 pm »

Castlevania Collection. I know it's not the cart, but at least it's an official way to play it.

Both the Anniversary and Advanced collection have been on the mind since I first heard about them. I prefer physical but I'm fine downloading digital depending on the context. Might snag a physical Limited Run release of the Anniversary Collection then download the Advance collection, assuming that doesn't get a physical release later. My Switch library is small at the moment, so it'll coincide nicely when I get Bayo 3 later this month.

58

General / Re: Which games have you become "priced out" of ever owning at this point?

« on: September 26, 2022, 10:00:52 am »

The one game on my radar I'll likely never be able to own is complete in box copy of Dracula X for the SNES. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough and find one not in crappy condition for <$1k. From what I've heard Dracula X is an inferior port of the PCE original anyway. I got Rondo for much less and in like new condition so Dracula X can wait.

Been fortunate enough to find respectable deals on Rule or Rose and Haunting Ground, naturally Kuon is on the horizon as well. I have better odds acquiring that versus Dracula X.

59

General / Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:

« on: August 21, 2022, 10:20:22 pm »

MGS is a great experience, but not one I'm keen on revisiting again due to the lengthy dialogue and cutscenes.

The backtracking in Zero was no different than in 1-3 and Code Veronica. It was just part of the old-school RE formula.

Right now I'm stuck on the Greyfox fight with a sliver of health. Been reading up on walkthroughs and watching videos to help formulate a strategy. Found one the works, just have to do better executing it.

I'm perfectly fine with backtracking as long as it's handled well, which RE0 doesn't do. You're forced to drop excess items on the ground and plot routes to transport them across entire sections of the game. It happens infrequently, thankfully, but the lack of a traditional item box bogs down the whole experience in my opinion.

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General / Re: VGC's Anonymous/"General" Topic:

« on: August 20, 2022, 02:58:27 pm »

Beat Metal Gear Solid for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed it, wish I played it sooner. Doing a play through on Extreme difficulty now and hope to have it 100%'d by next Sunday.

I want to play through the RE games in chronological order too, expect Resident Evil Zero is an absolute chore to play with the constant backtracking, haven't been in the mood to tackle it.