This week, we take a look back at the site's fourth year of operation. In 2007, RFGen underwent some major changes including a facelift to the website's look and database structure. It was also a big year for staff hirings as well as milestones which seemed to fly by faster than we could keep track of them!
Also here for your reading pleasure following the Wikipedia entries, are a selection of the most significant events / milestones for the remainder of 2007. Thanks to the bloggers whose hard work, continues the tradition of chronicling site history, which now takes place on the front page of our site. Enjoy!
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Continue reading RF Generation Timeline Part 4: 2007
RF Generation's third year in operation was one of milestones, growth and unfortunately loss. This was the year we lost Michael Collins, one of the founding members of this community. He helped set the cornerstones of this fantastic community that is heading into it's 5th year this April. Mike believed that no one should ever be forgotten. This series, presented as it originally appeared on our former Wikipedia page, is meant to remember each and every person who has helped pave the way for this website we are all so immensely proud of and every milestone earned through their hard work. Thanks to the hard work of the Wiki team, here are the people, milestones and memories of RF Generation from 2006:
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Continue reading RF Generation Timeline Part 3: 2006
[img align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/banners/RFGhalfbanner02.gif[/img] 2005 was a big year for RF Generation. Members were joining by the hundreds and we had anniversaries, contests and milestones aplenty! It was also the year that our staple, the Collection Profile tool, was unveiled for registered members to use for the first time.
So, replicated here for your reading pleasure, are the significant milestones of 2005 more or less as they once appeared on our Wikipedia page. Thanks once again to the hard work of the RFGen Wikipedia team, here are the highlights from our second year of operation:
Continue reading RF Generation Timeline Part 2: 2005
It's hard to believe that our blog is nearly a year and a half old already! One of the great things about a blog is that you can chronicle your history as well as step back in time on a more personal level as you read reviews, opinions and reactions to gaming news from years past. It's also where we celebrate milestones, promotions and contest winners. But what you ask, did RF Generation do before the blog was built? Glad you asked!
From the site's formation in 2004 until the unveiling of the blog system in 2007, we used a combination of front page posts, forum announcements and Wikipedia. At one time, we had the entire site history in an organized short form style split between site history and database history in our Wikipedia article. Then one day they decided to cut our article off at the knees, leaving what you see there today. Shorter and more to the point, but it doesn't detail how we got here month by month, milestone by milestone.
Giving thanks to the incredible team of volunteers who kept the ink flowing as we noted each milestone and event in RFGen's history, here in part 1 of this series, are the recorded entries for the database and site news from 2004.
Continue reading RF Generation Timeline Part 1: 2004
[img width=200 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/PHP/watermark.php?type=ex;ID=U-075-S-05130-B;number=01[/img] So this week I thought I'd indulge myself and do a feature on one of my all-time favorite games: Splinter Cell Chaos Theory.
Think of this series as Thief in the 21st century. An ex-Navy S.E.A.L. turned spy nearing the age of retirement, gallivanting all over the world stopping threats and assassinating potential ones. Decades of experience matched with sophisticated gadgetry and weapons, combined with sarcastic humor and deadly earnest.
Another comparison often made is to the Metal Gear Solid series. Best way to describe that is if MGS is an arcade stealth game, Splinter Cell is a stealth sim. Burnout versus Forza Motorsports if you would. Achieving perfect scores on level completions is difficult even on normal difficulty, Hard and Elite are almost impossible to anyone but the most patient and skilled players. With the game being so unforgiving and the circumstances ever-changing, you have to rely on your reflexes and abilities as a player, not memory of patterns and timing, to master this game.
The Limited Collector's Edition version of this game was a holy grail of mine to find. Unlike many similar LE's of it's time, this one was actually limited. Meaning there are fewer copies of this than the regular version and no reprinting. Needless to say it's a hard game to find in excellent condition as opposed the the regular version of Chaos Theory which is a dime a dozen in most used stores and can still be bought new.
Be sure to check out my review on the game page here at RF Generation and read the interesting trivia on this title, and discuss this game in our forums in the weekly featured game topic located here.
[img width=250 align=left]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/hardware/E-123/hw/E-123-H-00010-A_00.jpg[/img] Moving on, the featured hardware of the week is the Sinclair ZX Spectrum +3. Released in 1982, the ZX Spectrum or "Speccy" as it's affectionately known, was a huge success in Europe and in particular the United Kingdom. Rivaling the mighty Commodore 64, this machine had a huge following, large software library and several magazines dedicated to it. Even to this day there is still a large community based around this system. A shame it never made it overseas, it has an incredible library of games most of us outside of Europe will probably never have the opportunity to enjoy. Although we did get the Timex Sinclair in North America, it was largely incompatible with the ZX and that had a large part to play in it's failure as a platform here.
This particular model featured this week, the +3, differs from the standard model and the +2, by having a built in floppy disk drive instead of the cassette tape drive the previous models had. It is also capable of running the CP/M operating system on it's own.
Such benefits however come with a price. This model has some documented incompatibilities with certain older games and external devices. It's successor the +2A shares these same problems as well. Thanks go out to James for the great pic of the +3.
[img width=350 align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/collections/RedHerring/160807r.jpg[/img] Our featured collection this week is from RedHerring. A fellow Canadian one province over from me, Red has a great PS2 collection and some really great looking shelving that I'd love to get my hands on. It looks like a game store all organized and there for the picking like that. I wish my shelves looked half as good as those do. Between that and the novelty hamburger you can see by checking out Red's other pics, I'm drooling all over my keyboard here.
So after finishing an early lunch brought on by some spontaneous hankerings born from inspiration, I'm ready to finish the rest of this feature I left half written 
Another part of Red's collection that impresses me is his Game Boy Advance collection. It's hard finding those games CIB and even harder keeping them in good condition. All of his GBA titles are top notch hand-picked titles and make an impressive display.
Check out RedHerring's collection listed here and take a gander at his pictures. If you can pry your eyes from that huge novelty hamburger in one of them, take a moment and appreciate his Mega man bobble head set on his entertainment center.
[img width=200 align=left]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/J-043/bf/J-043-S-00890-A.jpg[/img] Our featured game image this week is the front scan for the Japanese game Pulstar on the Neo Geo AES system. Pulstar is a shmup released in 1995 that was both innovative and gorgeous at the time of it's release. Gameplay is in the vein of R-Type but with 3D graphics in a 2D game.
This game enjoys a high production value and great esteem from gamers, reviewers and collectors alike. Depending on where you get it, this can be a pricey acquisition but a worthy one that can reach well above $100. But if you own a Neo Geo system then you don't need me to tell you that now do you? I'm sure all the Neo Geo AES collectors out there are well aware of what they've invested in that system. Goes to show just how great a system it is when your willing to spend big bucks to have these awesome games. Thanks go out to Adri Hoogesteger who is a staff member known on the boards as "sharp" for the great scan featured this week.
In the meantime, check out the forums, read the blogs, partake in the weekly chat and use our collection tools to their fullest. And stay tuned to this channel next week for the newest set of features and items for forum discussion.
[img align=right]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/collections/Tan/Laptop-RFG.png&sizex=336[/img] 2007 was a big year for RFGen. Hundreds of new members, new staff, new features, new scripts, new tools, new designs and banners (thanks Dennis!), a new store to help fund the server costs and an increased level of community participation!
Along the way we broke records, raised the bar, improved the site in so many ways your brain would melt trying to remember it all. The Admins, Editors, Staff and most importantly the Members, have helped mold and shape RFGen into the site it is today. So first off, let me quote a few 2007 database statistics for you:
41358 game submissions of all types
5956 hardware submissions of all types
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47314 total submissions for 2007 alone! 
Meanwhile behind the scenes, our three Administrators: Eddie (St0rmTK421), David (TraderJake) and Scott (Tynstar) have worked tirelessly fixing errors and bugs, making new policies and scripts, adding new features to the site for all of us to use, guiding us with their leadership and all of this despite busy schedules, jobs, school and real life in general that can eat away at your time even in the most ideal of circumstances.
One of these new features that really hit it's stride in 2007 is the ability to log submissions and submission approvals. It's handy because we can thank each and every one of you for your contributions. So for 2007, we'd like to thank the following members:
Top Submitters
Funk_Buddy, Pop Culture Portal, Belgarath, Tynstar, OatBob, marriott_guy, Fuyukaze, y2richie, ApolloBoy, NES_Rules, James, Kevincal, TurboGrafxer AKA DCer, Mezmoron, sharp, Fighter17, AndyC, eaglebeak99, briskbc, Speedy_NES, Alabama-Shrimp, s1lence, Izret101, Magewout, Rajaat the Warbringer, tholly, freak_boy, Tondog, BadKarma, bum-man, esquire, captain_nintendo, epv39, Samada, zodiacprime, lackofselfcontrol, Donkey Kong Kid, PingvinBlueJeans, Malygris, cverz2, JWKobayashi, RAMBO, lovablechevy, Shrooin, DevIancE, lwelyk, Rorschach, TraderJake, Tretiy, Matt Rideout (dotDarkCloud), logical123, Barracuda, Cobra, djbeatmongrel, aicrob, hybrid, IamtheHBOMB, shaggy, mrdaggiman, Shimra, Wempster, Kollision, Retromangia, Cambot, meg@driver, itatton, den68, eternalblue81, JeFIzM, octbane, pvtmurre, Untamed, woutie, Corvus, gorez, DeathByNinja, blissfulnoise, Duckface, NekoOtaku, chrisbid, Vokyous, Icarus Moonsight, CatchFiveBats, anton10000, dom meatball, Lios, WarLordAG, DarthKur, Goodapollo666, KallowayAshton, hardart, ozzymandd, SchnattAttack, Xevious, ganonbanned, Innervision, MachiavellianNerd, R-21, Grim Fandango, Lenneth, RedHerring, samo, DefaultGen, le geek, Reps911, shadowforte, TheBoss, Bassgrabber, MF Dagger, phoenix1967, policenaut, TheQFactor, atari_wizard, jbiohazard3069, jcalder8, Alfador, marty_b11, Nintendonut1983, Platypus Stan, shoes23, twitami, Ackman, eldergod, Ghost Soldier, grimbasement, Matt-El, Retrogamer72, St0rmTK421, Valdiuss, Xizer, 0x15e, ChrisHavius, KamatsuKyoto, Ronin_Sixshooter, ShawnFox, udisi, VACRMH, Yggdrasil, Yurf, Antimind, brianon, dauber, diediemydarling, djknightime, dodgersfan7800, douglie007, GagaMan, GameRiley, Ghostzidane, hypercentric, Jade, jferio, Kitsune, Moriya Hanzo, Nonnolion, panda_racer, RetroYoungen, Sauza12, Schwalbe, silentscythe, vash_san, Vultar, Zabdi, Zed, ztaKxileF, Tan.
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Also a big thanks go out to the staff who besides their own submissions and contributions, review and approve member submissions on an almost daily basis. Here are the top staff approvers for 2007:
Top Approvers
Tynstar, OatBob, marriott_guy, Fuyukaze, AndyC, bum-man, Belgarath, Tondog, ApolloBoy, Magewout, Mezmoron, Izret101, s1lence, shadowforte, sharp, TraderJake, JWKobayashi, Funk_Buddy, Speedy_NES, captain_nintendo, tholly, freak_boy, Tan.
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As you can see it takes a tremendous amount of community support and staff to make RFGen the success it is. From the staff who have specific departments and areas of expertise, the members who spend hours scanning, submitting and discussing, to the weekly polls & chats (thanks Norville!) and forums that make this a second home for many of our over 1500 registered members. It's great to see that after three and a half years this site is still moving forward at such a fast pace. Here's to 2008 becoming another banner year for this site and it's members!
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 That's right. RFGen needs your help! Working on being the best video game resource on the planet is serious business around here. The games submissions, information, reviews, scans etc. all come from it's members and staff. We are all instrumental in helping this site grow. As we approach the 30,000 games mark in our database we must remember that there is more to building the database than simply adding games. We need to all work together and fill out the pages for each game and piece of hardware whenever and wherever we can. The feeling of satisfaction and pride in having your 2 cents printed on a game's merits or having your copy of a game showcased as the site's scans or showing off a game with screen-shots can not be underestimated. Nor can the importance of a part number, bar code or a year or any other information you may have.
You've all seen the thank you posts our Site Director makes every month when he tallies up the numbers. Thousands of submissions every month, each one giving a member or a staffer a little bit of pride and immortality in having their name associated with it. Every piece helping someone choose a game, or tell the difference betwen one they already have and one they may buy. Or even re-connect with childhood memories because the screen-shots, overviews or scans help them remember forgotten games of their youth.
So we, the Administrators and Editors of RF Generation urge you to participate in this cause and help this site grow. Whether it's submitting a part number on the spine of a game case after you've played it, writing a review be it short or long after you play/beat a game, or scanning your collection, there are many ways each of you can help.
Also know that you are not alone in this, you can direct any questions you may have to any member of staff and there are FAQ's you can read to help you use the scripts and the guidelines that go with them.
Imagine this: if only 50 members of our near 1300 member community submitted only 3 times a week, be it part number, scan or what have you, that's 600 a month. Three submissions only take what? 10 minutes a week? Can you all give RFGen 10 minutes a week? Imagine what a hundred could do, or a thousand!! I try to spend at least half an hour a week while watching TV or something submitting info with a small pile of games at my side or a handy website with information I can add. It usually ends up being more personally but we all do what we can when we can and that's what counts as long as we participate. 
No worries about overflow of submissions either, your RFGen staff team has over 20 members to make sure all of your submissions are being taken care of and checked for mistakes. We also engage in regular discussion about how to make things easier for you the members, who make this site what it is. We also appreciate any suggestions you may have, feel free to post them in our forums or PM them to any staff member.
Thank you
Keith
Ever take pride in having your initials displayed on a high score list? As a kid laugh at the crude humor you or someone else created with 3 letters on a screen? Well if you do this weeks feature is for you! This week RF Generation salutes high scores and those who make them.
When games like Space Invaders and Asteroids hit the arcades nearly three decades ago, it brought one major aspect of gaming never before seen: high score records. Concentration, skill, sore fingers and loose change were rewarded with bragging rights, top scores and initials which brought gamers admiration from their friends and envy from their rivals. Websites like Twin Galaxies and publications such as the upcoming Guiness Book of Video Game Records keep this spirit alive for gamers both young and old.
This weeks featured game is Space Invaders for the Atari 2600. A game fairly representative of it's arcade counterpart and also the first ever game licensed from one company to another (Taito to Atari). A practice which is common-place and frequent in todays games with much success. This home version offered 112 variations of play and launched the 2600 into mass appeal at Christmas during 1980.
In keeping with this theme, first off we should give a big salute to welchracing33 who currently has a whopping 25 titles from the RF Generation Arcade to his credit! As well the featured collection this week is from blissfulnoise who has a very nice selection of arcade cabinets that makes me green with envy!
Finally we come to our featured hardware of the week. The Street Fighter series has always been one of the most competitive and acclaimed arcade series since it's debut in 1987. In 2005 Capcom and Nubytech teamed up and introduced a collection of official 15th anniversary Street Fighter controllers for both the Xbox and Playstation. This weeks image is of the Xbox "Akuma" controller pad, one of three for that system.
So take a deep breath, crack your knuckles and work on those RFGen arcade scores and those posted in "The Arena" sub-forum found in the message boards. Also as always, keep it on Channel 3!!
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