RF Generation Collectorcast Episode 21

[Tynstar]

I am the old man in town and I don't do steam

[Crabmaster2000]

I am the old man in town and I don't do steam

x3

PC Games belong on floppies!!!!

[Duke.Togo]

I am the old man in town and I don't do steam

Let's start a support group.

[Crabmaster2000]

Great show guys. Really sad I missed out on this one. Here is what I would have put down:

Crabmaster's Top 5 Games of 2013:

5. Wind Jammers (Neo Geo MVS) - Got this one as a treat for myself at the store. Most people that see it don't seem interested in trying it, but I've got a few regular customers to try it out and so far everyone that has played it has really enjoyed it. Its basically a wicked version of Pong. We've had a lot of great grudge matches on this game and it usually draws a small crowd since it's quick and flashy. I've yet to get the phrase "Wanna Jam some Wind?" to catch on, but I'm not ready to give up yet. I love it because its so easy to get into that after one match the skill level of each opponent is close enough that either player can come out on top.

4. Super Smash Bros (Series) - I'm going to lump all 3 of them (and project M as well) in here as one game. This is another store related one. I didn't realize how big the Smash Bros community was in town until I held our first tournament. There were far more entrants that I anticipated and each event has outgrown the previous one. Its led to some fantastic rivalries and epic matches that get discussed in the store for weeks after they have happened. I'm been forunate enough to play in a couple of those. During our first few months of operations I had many late nights with new friends just smashing the crap out of each other and having a blast. I forgot how much fun it can be to have a few guys on the same couch and being competitive with each other.

3. Lords of Thunder (TGCD) - shmups have become much more enjoyable for me over the last few years as I've had more time to sit down and get better at them. Lords of Thunder takes what I love about shooters and blends in a couple of my favorite themes (fantasy and sci-fi) with a killer soundtrack. Occasionally a soundtrack can be so good for me that I can overlook a lot of other game flaws and keep enjoying the game regardless. Luckily this one has a wicked 80s Metal (is there anything better?) soundtrack and doesn't skimp at all in the gameplay department. Tight controls, Mega Man style level selection, 4 different suits of armor to choose from and power up, good level of challenge and one of my all time favorite sound tracks makes Lords of Thunder a must own for me. Can't believe it took us this long to find each other.

2. Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed (Wii U) - I'm not much of a racing fan unless its Kart racing. I like getting power ups, hitting speed boosts/jumps, and making the occasional crazy item induced comeback from last to first on the final lap. This game, which has a pretty stupid title, takes all that I love about Kart racing, perfects it and adds a huge heap of flare and nostalgia. We originally picked it up because at the time we just wanted another Wii U game and it was $20 cheaper than anything else. Its very rare that I feel like I underpayed for a game, but this  was definitely the case. The gimmick of the game is that, depending on which course you're racing, you can morph from a Car to a Boat to an Airplane mid race. Different levels have checkpoint areas that you pass through that change your vehicle (without slowing you down for a second) into the new vehicle type for the new area.

Having all the racers and levels based on a large variety of SEGA franchises was fantastic. Sonic Racing is packed to the hilt with fan service. Its just amazing speeding through levels based on After Burner, Golden Axe, Shinobi, Panzer Dragoon, Billy Hatcher, Sonic, Jet Set Radio, Samba De Amigo, NIGHTS Into Dreams, Burning Rangers, Crazy Taxi, etc. etc. etc. Since Sonic is the most recognizable SEGA franchise they have the most racers, but there is a lot of other characters to unlock such as NIGHTS, Alex Kidd, Ai Ai, BD Joe, Ulala, Vyse and many others.

The single player game is very challenging and rewarding. You have to get good at it and can't just luck your way through the game with good weapon gets. It takes a lot of practice to progress and unlock all the new levels and racers. The multiplayer was also fantastic and supports up to 5 people on one console with the Wii U version. We had several late nights, playing the awesome multiplayer modes both with younger players and same age friends.

Really can't recommend this game enough for any racing game fans and especially Kart racing or SEGA fans. Its hard to describe how incredible it feels to be racing through familiar landscapes that are dynamic and changing during each lap in order to both keep the level feeling fresh and also open up new ways to race past your opponents.

1. Mega Man X (SNES) - Over the last several months I've been playing though the Mega Man X series with a friend of mine and loving every second of it. Mega Man X is a game Ive beaten many times in the past, but this was the first time I've beaten it in probably around 3 years. It takes everything I love about one of my favorite series and adds just enough to make it feel new and the polishes the hell out of all the mechanics, level design and music. It doesn't do anything to revolutionize the series it just perfects an already fantastic formula. This is really just one of my pinnacles of gaming. I just can't find a flaw in Mega Man X. Its fun from start to finish, its challenging, its varied, its not too long or too short, each stage is its own world, one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard. This is one of my favorite media experiences of all time, not just gaming and not just 2013. Its been a bit sad that each consecutive game in the series fails to meet the level of quality set out by the first X game, but when you set the bar that high its to be expected. One of the best games I've ever played in my life and one I'll likely continue playing until they pry a controller out of my cold dead hands.

Honorable mentions:

Shadow of the Ninja (NES) - Very awesome co-op ninja action

Duck Tales Remastered (Wii U) - Great re-imagining of a timeless game. Far too heavy on the use of cutscenes, but otherwise a great new take on a childhood favorite.

Mega Man X4 (PS)- A nice surprise in the X series and my favorite after the original X game. Why couldn't they stick to this formula?

Lollipop Chainsaw (PS3) - Quirky fun meets ultra violence at its best!!

Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS) - Solid entry in the Fire Emblem series. Random map encounters and the ability to grind to improve your characters (not something I feel should be in a Fire Emblem game) kept it from making my top 5

Biggest Disappointments of 2013:

Bioshock Infinite (PS3) - I'm probably a bit more disappointed in me than the actual game. After playing the other 2 Bioshock games to completion and knowing in advance of playing that we would be discussing the story heavily I used all the focus I could muster to soak in the atmosphere of the game. Even so I came away missing lots of subtle points and more importantly key story elements. The fact that the murder of crows upgrade also over powered the character very early on (ala Metal Blade in Mega Man 2), was quite a let down as well as I had no reason to dig into my aresenal of other abilities. I tried so hard to understand, but I still can't get the appeal of the game and it baffles me as to why it gets the critical acclaim that it does.

Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom (NES) - Point and Click adventures are often known for their quirky sense of humor. Its very satifsying to solve incredibly silly puzzles and interact with hilarious and bizzare characters. So when popping in a point and click game based on vegetable people I was hoping to be in for a real treat. For some reason even though the game had the very unusual cast of garden vegetables the story was bland and the dialogue had a quite serious tone. It was a very generic save the princess from the evil guy trying to usurp the throne. I think they missed a great opportunity to play with the theme here.

Life Force (NES) - Moving and regenerating walls are the worst possible thing in a shmup as far as I'm concerned. Having them as the focus of the level in several different areas is incredibly frustrating. One of my least favorite Konami games on the NES.

The Walking Dead (PS3) - After hearing much praise for The Walking Dead and it receiving the luxury of a budget priced retail release I had no reason not to pick it up. My wife and I are both fans of the series we I invited her to join me in trying it out. Gaming together in anything other than a game of Mario Party is not something we often do together. After playing through the first episode we were both thuroughly underwhelmed though. I didn't feel as though I had played a game and neither of us felt like we had watched anything compelling. We just went through the motions until the predictable story had come to and end. After that one episode we decided we'd had enough and never pulled it out of its case again.

Killer Instinct (XO) - After building up a small, but competitive fighting community through my store we were all pretty pumped to try out the new Killer Instinct game coming out for the Xbox One. In fact it was the only game that looked at all appealling for either new system to us. After getting over the extremely frustrating fact that it was a downloadable only game I swallowed my pride and hit the Buy button. After spending a couple days trying to figure out why none of us enjoyed it we really couldn't put our finger on it. Not  single one of us. One member even pointed out that "they seemed to do everything right, but its just not fun". We ended up putting far more time into the original game which came as an extra download than we did with the new one. After collecting dust for a while we eventually sold the entire system until something more interested was released for it.

[Duke.Togo]

Nice picks, Crabbo. I hope that you'll join us for the 2014 retrospective. I'm especially down with Lords of Thunder. I need to buy a copy of my own at some point in time instead of playing it by less scrupulous means.

I've never been a huge fan of the X series after having grown up on regular Mega Man, but I can agree the game is really well done. Also, it seems like they went so far away from a great formula down the line. What a shame.

Obviously people can go back and listen to our BioShock show, but I can understand that all games aren't for all people. Are you at least going to give Burial at Sea a shot?

Lifeforce... what is wrong with you? So good.

As to the Walking Dead, I've said it before but I think you should give it more time. Episode one is just setting the stage and introducing characters. The choices that come farther down the line are tough, and some of the scenarios are very Walking Dead.

Killer Instinct - I played this a ton at launch, but have drifted away from it. It is a good fighter, but as you mentioned it just isn't a lot of fun. I can watch Twitch streams of Street Fighter tournaments and love every minute, but I think I would pass if this was on. It's a nice try, and maybe it will get better with the new developer.

[Fleach]

As to the Walking Dead, I've said it before but I think you should give it more time. Episode one is just setting the stage and introducing characters. The choices that come farther down the line are tough, and some of the scenarios are very Walking Dead.

I second those remarks about The Walking Dead. The game has a slow start, but after a few "episodes" you'll be interested in the characters and there are some great surprises. Of course, you'll be faced with some tough decisions too, Crabby. Stick with it. Season Two is great so far, and I hope you get to play it at point. Maybe when I visit I can push you to finish the game.

[blcklblskt]

As to the Walking Dead, I've said it before but I think you should give it more time. Episode one is just setting the stage and introducing characters. The choices that come farther down the line are tough, and some of the scenarios are very Walking Dead.

I second those remarks about The Walking Dead. The game has a slow start, but after a few "episodes" you'll be interested in the characters and there are some great surprises. Of course, you'll be faced with some tough decisions too, Crabby. Stick with it. Season Two is great so far, and I hope you get to play it at point. Maybe when I visit I can push you to finish the game.

I found the first episode of season 1 to be like the first episode of the TV series.  Very little happens in the beginning, as they are just setting up the story.  But once you get into the meat of the game (or TV series), it starts to get really good.  I want to pick up the DLC for the first season, and I'll probably play through the second season when (if?) it ever comes out on a disc.

[Tynstar]

I only played the first ep and it was ehhhh. i thought the controls sucked at times.

[techwizard]

finally caught up on the collectorcast again! loved this episode, you guys should do one every year

I'm always terrible at deciding which games i like more than others, especially when i'm considering widely different genres. if i have to pick though this would be my top 5:

5. Oddworld Abe's Oddysee
4. The Last Story
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
2. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
1. The Last of Us

[Duke.Togo]

Nice top 5, techwizard. I haven't played Link's Awakening, but to put it over Link to the past must mean it is incredible.

[techwizard]

Nice top 5, techwizard. I haven't played Link's Awakening, but to put it over Link to the past must mean it is incredible.

i had never played either until 2013, and i've been playing all the zelda games in release order so link's awakening came after which might have something to do with my final opinion of the two. my main comparison that puts awakening above aLttP though is the gameplay, i felt it was vastly improved, and i actually enjoyed the story more than i did in aLttP. the only thing aLttP has going for it imo is the graphics and music.

[Crabmaster2000]

Link's Awakening is also my favorite Zelda game. So much fun.

[Fleach]

It must be a western Canada thing to hold Link's Awakening as one's favourite Zelda game.

Just an aside, Crabby what's with your American English spelling? Are you embarrassed of the arbitrary placement of U's in British English?

[img width=681 height=463]http://cdn.masterstudies.com/element_db/65/655_AmericanBritish.JPG[/img]

[SirPsycho]

He's a supporter of the superior American English!

[Fleach]

Discussion of the podcast can be derailed so easily now. So, I'll hold back on any sarcastic spelling comments.

All I'll say is that red, white, and blue are the colors of Crabby's favorite neighbor.