In honor of the new 2D Generation, I'm going to explain the non-believers why 2D gaming is far superior to this 3D gaming phase we've been in for the past couple decades. Now, I know what most of you are thinking, "of course 2D is better, everyone knows that", this article is not for you then, you already know the glorious perfectness of gaming in the only good dimensions. But read it anyway, you may learn a few things that will enable you to convert the non-believers.
First off, who needs Z? Gaming was going along just fine with X and Y, there was no need for Z. Games were just fine with the character only moving left/right and up/down, that's where all the real action is. There was no need to involve the ability to move forward and back. Just think about one of the greatest games ever made, Super Mario Bros. Imagine if when Mario came across those bottomless pits, he could just walk around them? Where is the fun in that? [img width=200 height=281]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-027/bf/U-027-S-06290-C.jpg&sizex=200[/img] Or perhaps you're more familiar with Pac-Man. "Oh no there's a ghost coming right at me, oh wait, I can just step to the side with this extra dimension" Yeah, that sure sounds like fun. Clearly, there was no need for this extra 3rd dimension. All it does it just make games easier as your hero can just walk around most obstacles instead of facing them head on like the old days.
This 3rd dimension also brings up another huge problem with 3D games, its too easy to get lost in them! Has anyone in the history of gaming ever started playing Super Mario Bros and not known where to go? Its simple, you go right 99% of the time. Some games mixed it up with having you to go to the left and others allowed you to travel up and down. But in 3D games, you're forced to figure out for yourself where you should go. Do you go to the right? To the left? Who the heck knows, maybe you're supposed to go back from the direction you came from.
Let's compare two games from the Donkey Kong series, Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong 64. Of course, DKC representing 2D games while DK64 represents the 3D games.
| [img width=256 height=224]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-044/ss/ex/U-044-S-01380-A_03.jpg[/img] | .png) |
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| Donkey Kong Country | Donkey Kong 64 |
Notice how its quite obvious that in the first screenshot, Donkey Kong only has two options, go right or to go left. There is no confusion or wasted time backtracking because you went the wrong way. But in the second screenshot, of DK64, DK has an almost infinite number of options, he can go to any of the smaller trees, or maybe that big tree, or perhaps he's supposed to go in the water? Who knows, there could be an underwater cave or something hidden in there?
And finally, what I feel is the biggest advantage 2D games have over 3D games. The graphics are better. For this, we'll compare some extremes. A modern game that is known for "realistic" graphics and a game that is nearly 30 years old. First off, we'll look at that modern 3D game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. [img width=500 height=280]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/23896call-of-duty-4-modern-warfare-2.jpg[/img]Now, many people would (incorrectly) say that those graphics look very good. But really look at it, the foreground is fuzzy and the background just fades into an impenetrable fog. The only part of the image that is clear is the middle of the screen. But did you notice anything else about this image? That's right, there are a whole two colors, brown and splash of green. I'm pretty sure the last time I was outside there were more than those two colors. Before you accuse me of just cherry picking images that were like this, go do a Google Image search for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. They're all like this, in fact here's another one, that does a little better with an astonishing three colors, this time adding in some orange. [img width=550 height=309]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/26733call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2.jpg[/img]
Now, lets look at a game from 1983, when all there was 2D games and the world was greater for it, Keystone Kapers.
[img width=500 height=328]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-005/ss/ex/U-005-S-02370-A_00.jpg[/img]
Look at those colors! Every color of the rainbow is present. Well, except for violet or indigo, I never could tell the difference between them, there is definitely some purple though. But not only are there lots of colors, the lines are all sharp and clean, nothing is fuzzy or blurred or covered in some fog. Clearly, these graphics are superior to those of these current 3D games. Even with 30 years to develop ways to make 3D games look better, they still can't compare to 2D games. I guess that extra D sucks up more processing power than developers can put up with. I won't even compare a modern 2D game with an old 3D game, that might just blow the mind of too many people and cause a sudden spike in the value of the 2D games I desire for myself.
I know I've made quite a convincing argument, but the constant advertisement/brainwashing of modern game developers and publishers has it so engrained into your brain that 3D gaming is superior, many of you will simply refuse this article as the ramblings of a gamer stuck in the past. But I assure you that I speak the truth, go dig out those NES and Atari games, dust off those aging machines and play a few awesome 2-dimensional games and bask in their gloriousness that can not be achieved when three dimensions are involved.
And don't even get me started on these new 3DS games or games that use 3D effects with the glasses. These are the obvious spawn of Satan.
I know what you're thinking, the last edition of RFG Thanks was for March, and this one is for February. But don't worry, we didn't travel back in time (I didn't anyway, I don't know about you), it really has been 11 months since the last one. And I do apologize for that, you guys are what make this site possible, the members that make the submissions and the staff members that review them and make their own. And the least I can do is thank you all for the work you do here at RF Generation.
Now, without further ado, the stars of RF Generation! The top five submitters in February were Y2richie, Fuyukaze, ApolloBoy, NES_Rules and Shadow Kisuragi. Together, these people made over 1,300 submissions, with y2richie and Fuyukaze making an astounding 466 and 408 of those respectively. Thanks guys, you've all done an excellent job!
But that's only one side of the story, without our team of highly skilled and trained staff reviewers, none of those submissions would have done anything other sit in queue. These staff members each approved over 100 submissions in February: Fuyukaze, ApolloBoy, NES_Rules, and Izret101. As always, you guys are awesome and the backbone of RF Generation!
Though these members were the top submitters and reviewers in February, they are not alone. This site is a group project and can only be complete with the help of every member, whether its a small page edit or submitting a thousand images. So thanks goes out to the other 54 members who made at least one submission in February.
With the help of all RFG members, in February there were a total of 1,813 submissions, with 1178 of those being images. 139 new titles were added to the DB, and 372 pages were edited. I'd say that's a good month, and it was the shortest month of the year!
And finally, I'd like to mention that I won't be the only one writing these anymore. Instead, a team of writers from the Blog staff will be taking turns to help ensure that they continue each and every month. If you want to know who else will be writing these, you'll just have to keep it tuned to Channel 3 to find out.
What's this? A new Treasure Hunt Chronicles? It feels like its been ages since I last posted one of these. Last year was a little mixed for me, I had the single largest haul of my life (and most likely will never get so many games at once ever again) but I only had eight Treasure Hunt Chronicle posts. I had to quit treasure hunting early last year due to a huge research project and school in general sucking up all my time. But that's all done, and I'll hopefully be able to get back into garage saling full time. I'll be graduating in the Spring, and working an internship until then, so I'll most likely be limited to Saturdays only for garage saling from now, instead of any day there is a garage sale, so I'll have to work extra hard on the days that I do get to go saling.
Continue reading Treasure Hunt Chronicles 2011 - #1
 I'm sure by now, most of you have heard of a growing auction site, Game Gavel, formerly known as Chase The Chuckwagon. If you have been living under a rock for the past two and a half years, and haven't heard of Game Gavel, its an auction site created by gamers and collectors for gamers and collectors, aimed at being an alternative to eBay by saving sellers money and giving buyers great deals at the same time. I won't bore you with the details, but they do have a nice Game Gavel vs eBay comparison page you may want to take a look at.
So now you're probably wondering what this has to do with RF Generation, and don't worry, I wasn't paid off to convince you to join Game Gavel. But RF Generation and Game Gavel have become partners of sorts. Have you noticed that little Game Gavel logo on the right over there under "Our Friends"? That's there because the people over at Game Gavel really are our friend, they have graciously added RF Generation to their "Friends" listing viewable on every page on their website, which I'm sure has brought in more than a few new members.
But wait, there's more!
As a special bonus to RF Generation members, Game Gavel has added us to a select group of affiliations. What this means is that as an RF Generation and Game Gavel member, you can now add your RFG username to your Game Gavel profile.This will display an RFG badge next to your auction listings and will allow buyers to search for items for sale by RF Generation members!
So, if you're not a member of Game Gavel, then what are you waiting for? It's free to join and cheap to sell. And it certainly doesn't hurt to take a look, you won't know if that game you've been looking for is there unless you take peek. If you do sign up for Game Gavel, be sure to add your RF Generation username to the Affiliations section.
If you're already experiencing the greatness of Game Gavel and have an account, its easy to add your RF Generation affiliation. When logged on, simply click "Members" in the blue bar and then under "Account Tools" click "Update Contact Info/Change Password" and the fifth section down is where you add your RF Generation username.
And if you want to see what your fellow RF Generation members are selling on Game Gavel, you can click "Advanced Search" up by the main search box, and simply check the box for RF Generation.
If you've used Game Gavel already, share your stories in the comments below.
It feels good to be back doing one of these after only a week, instead of a month like last time. Now, if I can just keep up the pace for the next couple weeks until school starts back up. Anyway, this week was a little slow for me, especially on Saturday with only one purchase the whole day. Luckily, the flea market on Sunday came through for me with a good purchase.
Continue reading Treasure Hunt Chronicles 2010 - #8
It's been a while, hasn't it? I didn't realize until just now that I didn't do a single one of these in July. But, there is a reason for my absence. You see, with that last big haul, I simply had to take a break from hunting. I didn't have room to sort any new treasure and really didn't have any money to buy new treasure anyway. While I still need to work on the money part of it, I have made enough room to start buying again, so I started going to garage sales again this weekend. I went for a full day Friday, but couldn't this Saturday because I had a family reunion to go to. Anyway, on to the treasures.
Continue reading Treasure Hunt Chronicles 2010 - #7
Now, you may remember a certain treasure haul I got a couple weeks back. You know, where I bought 567 games for $240. Well, the pictures didn't quite tell the whole story since there was just so much stuff. I've now had a couple weeks to sort it all out, and I took some new pictures to give you guys a better feel for my greatest find ever. Instead of taking a picture of everything, I just included the stuff that I'm keeping for myself, these do not include the games I'm selling. I'll most likely be posting the games I'm selling in the buying & selling board instead of on here.
The following pictures contain 320 games, of which I should be keeping almost all of them. There may be a few duplicates that I missed when I was sorting, but for the most part, these will all be staying in the collection.
Continue reading Treasure Hunt Chronicles 2010 - #6 Part 2
WARNING: The following blog post may contain a treasure hunting find that may blow your mind, if you have a weak heart or are the jealous type, do not continue reading.
So I didn't post last week, I was busy Saturday afternoon through Sunday night, and then Monday came around and I didn't feel like writing one up, and before I knew it it was Thursday, so I didn't bother. But don't worry, those finds will be here this week.
But that's not the exciting part, for the most part garage sales were pretty lackluster. The real treasure wasn't found until Sunday (yesterday if you're reading this today on Monday).
If you've been in the chat yesterday much at all, then you know what the super awesome mega haul of a lifetime was, but if you weren't then you'll have to wait until the end of this post. And don't just scroll past everything else, cause I'll know if you do.
Continue reading Treasure Hunt Chronicles 2010 - #6
This weekend didn't result in the finding of anything super rare or awesome, but what I did buy was at really low prices. So don't be surprised if your mind isn't blown away this time, but I think it will be worth your time to take a quick look this week.
Continue reading Treasure Hunt Chronicles 2010 - #5
The results are in, and a winner has been drawn in the second part of the PAIN YOURSELF WITH SUBMISSIONS 2010 contest! But first, you're probably wondering if aeroc went with the $60 of gaming swag and RF Generation T-shirt, or two chances into the drawing for the custom Sega Genesis prize pack. Well, he went with the first prize! Congrats again aeroc, your swag is on its way!
And now, for the second prize, that beautiful Sega Genesis and bunch of games! For this prize, each of the five finalists were given a number 1-5, and each of those numbers were written on equal sizes of paper. Those pieces of papers were folded twice, mixed up, and then placed into a box and shaken again. Finally, a blind draw pulled out one of those pieces of paper. And that piece of paper contained the number 4, which matched up with the name of the member that won, dom meatball!
Congratulations dom meatball, please PM your address and your prize pack will be on your doorstep in a couple days!
If you're disappointed you didn't win this year, well then its a good thing we hold this contest every year, because that means you can win next year!
And remember, your contributions are greatly appreciated year round, so don't be afraid to be the top submitter each month, even if you don't win a prize, you'll gain the respect and admiration of your fellow RF Generation members.
You might remember a few weeks back when we announced the 6th birthday of RF Generation, and today we celebrate the day that the site went live! We've come a very long way in these six years, but one thing has not changed, RF Generation has always been and always will be the independent site dedicated to its members, because we know that you guys are the ones that have made us THE Classic and Modern Gaming Database!
To thank those that have made us what we are today, we hold a little contest every year that ends June 8th each year. Which means that we have a winner to announce! During the contest, we added over 2,400 images to the DB, 1,300 pages were edited, and 700 titles were added. One member has stood out from the crowd with an astounding 21,368 points, nearly 7 times the points of anyone else, and that member is aeroc!
Congratulations, you deserve it for all the hard work you've done in past few weeks. Aeroc now has his choice of up to $60 worth of gaming swag and a RF Generation ringer T or 2 entries into the drawing to win this prize pack:
But Aeroc isn't the only one that has the chance to win this prize pack, the top 5% of the points gainers also have a chance to win! With nearly 100 members participating in the contest, the top five point gainers after aeroc are gecko007, Paully3433, Y2richie, dom meatball, and Den68
Keep it tuned to Channel 3 to see what prize aeroc chooses and who wins the special prize pack!
Hey, look at that, two weeks in a row! But there almost wasn't a Treasure Hunt this week, but at the last moment, I got a sweet deal that enabled me to have a worthwhile post. I got a few small deals on Friday and Saturday garage sales, but the weather wasn't cooperating on Sunday, so I wasn't going to the flea market. It looked like it was about to start storming all day, but actually didn't even rain until 10:00 PM that night. Anyway, I didn't go to the flea market, but my dad did, but it was late (around 10:00 AM) when he left, and with the pending rain, I figured he wouldn't be successful. Turns out, I was wrong, way wrong. The flea market is apparently a whole lot better when I don't go.
Continue reading Treasure Hunt Chronicles 2010 - #4
With just under 12 hours to go, the end of the contest is rapidly approaching. If you haven't been paining yourself with submissions, its not too late, but you better hurry up because soon, it will be too late.
Remember, the top points gainer will walk away with their choice of gaming swag not to exceed $60 and an RF Generation Ringer T or two chances to win the other prize. The other prize has been a closely guarded secret, until now that is. In a recent post, I mentioned a part of the prize pack, the custom painted red Sega Genesis, but there is a lot more to this prize pack than that.
Below is everything that you will receive if you are the winner of the prize pack. To be eligible, you must be in the top 5% of points gainers or be the top winner and decline the other prize.
As you can see, the winner of the prize pack will win:
- A red Sega Genesis with power cord and RF Switch and 1 controller, a Game Genie, Greendog the Surfer Dude, Zoop, and Risk (CIB) for the Genesis.
- An NES Cleaning Kit (CIB) and Game Genie
- Pokemon Stadium for N64
- Judge Dredd, Batman Returns, Pilotwings, and Raiden Trad for SNES
This is another shot of the Genesis, to show off the pain job a bit better:
Good luck with the rest of the contest!
A huge milestone has been reached here at RF Generation! We now have over 3000 registered members! Which is more than all the people in the nations of Falkland Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Vatican City, and Pitcaim Islands. Lucky member #3000 is casey4549.
So if you're one of the 3000 members that make up RF Generation, pat yourself on the back and know that you are a part of THE Classic and Modern Video Games Database! And if you're not one of those people, then you better get with the picture and put in on channel 3, it only takes a minute as always is completely free.
And don't forget to PAIN YOURSELF WITH SUBMISSIONS to win the contest, which ends in one week! You can win your choice of gaming swag under $60 and a sweet RFGen ringer T or a chance to win a special prize pack from my personal collection including a custom painted Sega Genesis.
As always, keep it on channel 3!
OK, OK, I know, I've been slacking with these this year. For crying out loud, its practically June, and I'm only on number 3? The year started out rather slow with the sales, but my excuse this time s that my laptop died on me a couple weeks ago. It looks like the hard drive in it is shot, so all my info on it is gone since the last time I backed everything up was in October. I've been using my old laptop, but its ridiculously slow, so I've been avoiding most activities that involve using the internet and a couple other programs, so this has been one of the things I've been avoiding. But my stack of purchases is piling up and its really bothering me not having done a new entry, so here it is.
Continue reading Treasure Hunt Chronicles 2010 - #3
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