I have a basement, and like most people who live in Michigan who have one, it inevitably becomes a storage area for crap. Fixing this has problem has been on my honey-do list for many years now, but there is a problem: My videogames are in the basement. Still, I do manage to get a bit of organizing/storing/throwing away when I am down there, and when I went down there last night after the kids went to bed I intended nothing but that. Instead I found something quite awesome that I completely forgot was there.
[img width=700 height=393]http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/6395/segabad1.jpg[/img]
As you can see from the pictures (or maybe you can't as I cannot seem to get a good pic of this thing) it is a sign made for advertising the Sega Genesis. My old roommate pilfered it from a closing Children's Palace back in '90 or '91 and stuck it into his garage, where about fifteen years later he gave it to me. The sign actually was originally attached to the front of a "light box" (a square MDF box with fluorescent lights on the inside) and hung suspended above the videogame department. The box had long ago rotted away, but the "front" part of the sign had remained preserved.
[img width=700 height=393]http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/9061/segalayers.jpg[/img]
It's actually three pieces, the front being a layer of plexiglass, the second being the actual sign, and the back a heavy-than-it-looks piece of translucent white plastic meant to diffuse the light from the fluorescent. While I don't have anything to light this properly, the diffusing plastic works very well. Maybe I can get my son to hold it up in the window tomorrow for a better pic. Also, despite the use of fluorescent lights there is no noticeable fading.
It may be hard to tell from the crappy pic (for some reason my camera has disappeared), but there is a Sega logo (with "restricted" sign) and the art at 2 o'clock is from the cover of Phantasy Star II. There is a tiny bit of wear at the bottom and two small holes drilled through on either side, but other than that it's in pretty good condition.
I have no idea what to do with this thing. It is too large to fit on one of my walls (there would also be lighting issues) so my first thought was to sell or trade it. While I think the picture portion of it could be rolled up and shipped in a large poster tube, but one would loose out completely on the plexiglass cover and diffuser.
UPDATE: I found my camera.
[img width=700 height=525]http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/7446/segafull.jpg[/img]
Shortly after my last Summer Game Challenge I had a decision to make. Which game next? The most logical choice was to finally mop up X3: Terran Conflict. After all, I had well over two-hundred hours on it before I transferred it to Steam, spending most of my time accumulating money and ships with only minimal storyline progression. With the three M6 Corvette class ships I had at my disposal it really wasn't that difficult finishing the main storyline. Now now, I know this game isn't in my list, but after reading Pauly3433's forum post regarding the 10 year game of Civ II, I thought it might be time to bite the bullet and finished it.
The next game I chose was also fairly easy to pick, as Crabmaster2000 had expressed interest in it. I had also learned at some point that it was likely a PC-style dungeon crawl (someone let slip about a requirement for graphing paper), so it just seemed natural. With no reservations (and a pad of graphing paper) I started Swords and Serpents.
About twenty hours later I can safely say that this is a good game. Not a great game, mind you, but really and truly not bad at all. It is in fact a PC-style first-person view dungeon crawl but with a Japanese slant that simultaneously makes it feel unique and keeps it from becoming a great game.
The first thing you notice after starting the game (most people just use the pre-rolled party initially) is the automap that appears on the upper-right part of the screen, much like the NES version of Bard's Tale, though unlike that game the random encounters do not kick you to a separate screen for the battle, which I must say is very nice considering the amount of grinding in this game (more on that later). Also the pictures used for enemies are quite large and very detailed (especially the zombie variants). Battles run super quick: You just the B button until the end, though when you start the second level you will need to think more strategically. The menu system is a freaking mess, though, and the password system makes me want to cry (a password for the game and four more for each party member). Yikes.
The game plays as thus: You move around the level, fighting random battles and occasionally meeting NPCs (whom are tied to a specific spot on the map), buying and selling equipment, and that is about it. There is a story, which is progressed using NPCs spread throughout any given level, but it really doesn't seem important, partially due to the static nature of the NPCs (who will only appear after entering a spot then disappear after leaving), but also because it seems king of silly. If you are going to find any kind of enjoyment here it will be in the grind. And boy does it have a grind. Sixteen level, that is what you have to face, and despite the ease of the first level the enemy strength ramps up quite a bit around the middle of level two. Despite this the game isn't overly hard, not once you learn that age RPG tactic (level, level, level; don't forget to run) applies here as well.
I like this game. While there are much better choices available, it's still a great title. It hits a lot of enjoyable spots, and while there are a few annoying features (super grindy, annoying menu structure) I know that I will be revisiting this again in the future, just maybe not for the whole sixteen levels. That and I'll emulate it and take advantage of save states (five passwords be damned!).
Now, for those of you wanting to attempt the dark dungeons of SaS, I have a few pointers (this will be especially useful to those without instruction booklets):
1) Make your own party! While the structure of the pre-rolled party is fine, they start off weak and need better stats (basic attributes do not increase with level!). Rolling your own will keep you from starting over from the beginning (I had to do this).
2) Pressing the directional pad during combat will allow you to aim your attacks. Some enemies are more vulnerable to certain directions.
3) If you have a good head for directions I doubt you'll need a map, though one will doubtless help with remembering landmarks. The first thing you mark on your new maps? The location of the temple. There are only three in the entire game!
4) While I do not condone playing emulated games over physical ones (missing that tactile experience and all) you might want to do it for this game. Having to write down five passwords to save a game gets annoying quickly (and in an RPG, too), especially if you are a pick-up-and-set-down player like I am. If you are able to just leave the NES running that will work too, one of my kids managed to bump my idle NES twice during this playthrough.
5) Don't forget to run!
I think I'll try one of the more action oriented titles on my list now. While I am playing Ultimate Stuntman (and really liking it), I crave something more traditional (maybe Conquest or Ironsword).
For this entry
Conquest of the Crystal Palace
Ironsword
Dr. Chaos
Total Recall
Ultimate Stuntman
Tombs and Treasures
Swords and Serpents
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Driver: San Francisco
Today I decided that I would finish Swords and Serpents (SaS), but when I finally sat down I realized that the grind of SaS had exhausted me and I needed a palette cleanser. Plus I needed to kill some time until today's deals appear in the Steam Summer Sale. On a whim I decided to turn to a recent free game I found called Slender.
At this point many of you (at lease those that follow Internet memes) know about the Slenderman. For those that don't, the Slenderman is a tall man dressed in a black suit, with little to no face, who stalks children. The origin is a bit strange, as it has surfaced by the folks at Something Awful, who may have gotten it from the excellent PC Adventure Trilby's Notes created by Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, who may have been inspired by an old German legend. Whew. So at some point an Indie gaming company Hadley/Parsec Productions decided to create a small title around the urban legend, which finally brings us to the free Indie game, Slender.
Slender is a FPS game out to scare you. It starts at night in the woods, with a flashlight illuminating a small section of trees. The mission is simple: Find eight pieces of paper spread out throughout the game, each of which seems to be a disturbingly hand-drawn picture related to the Slenderman. The game is open and free-roaming, and there is no visual arrow or blinking light to direct you to the next page. Nonetheless, with only a few seconds of looking I found a path leading to the first page, which is attached to the back of a very ugly tree. Following the path you come across the second page, which introduces you to both the Slenderman himself as well as the tension created by the developers of the game. By simply looking at the Slenderman (whom you will only see motionless, arms outstretched towards you) the screen starts to go fuzzy, which gets worse the closer you are to the Slenderman (this will happen), where to counter you just point your character in a different direction, hold in the run button and haul it out of there. Seeing him the first time put me on edge a bit, but the real scare happened later.
To be honest, I abstained from posting a video or pictures because I'm hoping that a few of you will download and play it. The game is an Indie-style FPS concerned exclusively with atmosphere, not action. It features quite a few options for the performance-conscious of us (options from "Fastest" to "Fabulous") so it should run on most computers made after 2007 (maybe earlier). The game is only about twenty minutes in length, though the first few attempts likely won't last more than five minutes.
Slender is very brief, pretty, and small in download size (about 55MB). For those that enjoy short and sharp gaming experiences and enjoy a good scare, I urge you to try the game.
EDIT: The game's website is back up, so you can now download it from here.
Special thanks to Tomberry's original article on Knowyourmeme.com. Having just discovered the whole Slenderman thing myself this was an excellent resource.
This marks the end of week four of my Summer Game Challenge. Before I start, I first want to share a pic of Rollergames I promised a while back. It would have been a part of my challenge, but I started just a little too late. C'est la vie.
[img width=640 height=480]http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/7981/rollergames.jpg[/img]
After a recommendation from crabmaster2000 I decided on Tombs and Treasure. Judging from the name I really thought it would be a Wizardry-style game. I even dug up some graph paper in anticipation of the challenge. Instead I got.. well, a very unique game.
[img width=640 height=480]http://gamesdbase.com/Media/SYSTEM/Nintendo_NES/Title/big/Tombs_-_Treasure_-_1991_-_Infocom.jpg[/img]
At the very core Tombs and Treasures (T&T) is a Japanese take on the PC adventure game genre circa 1987. It has all the hallmarks of the adventure genre, from item management to strange, often cryptic clues about how to advance in the game. Where the Japanese twist comes in is a extremely strange leveling and combat system, overhead world movement (with the actual locations within various ruins), and anime-style characters. Doesn't sound bad, does it? Trust me when I say this, it is bad. Clunky controls, seemingly redundant interaction choices, and a overly large overworld that adds at least a few hours to the adventure.
I don't think I want to go on more about the game. Suffice to say that to those that insist on playing T&T without a guide (I turned to one four times), let me give a bit of advice:
1) There is a definite linear progression to the game, so if you have not completed certain actions (and leveled up) the game will not let you progress.
2) Get a notebook. With it make a map of the overworld, a glossary of all items that you find, as well as any conversation that you have.
3) The only place you can save the game is at the Nunnery. This should be the first place you mark on your map.
4) While I am not a huge advocate of overly using FAQs and guides, I think a simple enemy list with the required level to win would go far in making the game more palatable, as this would make it easier to see if you've forgotten an item, an action, or any other myriad of things that keeps you from leveling up (which is completely transparent and behind the scenes). I will be very happy to provide anyone with this information.
Overall the game took me over twenty hours to beat, not counting a few palate cleansing "breaks" (where I managed to beat both Limbo and Bastion).
[img width=640 height=480]http://img560.imageshack.us/img560/4397/tat1.jpg[/img][img width=640 height=480]http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/2756/tat2y.jpg[/img]
Whew, that was rough.
Conquest of the Crystal Palace
Ironsword
Dr. Chaos
Total Recall
Ultimate Stuntman
Tombs and Treasures
Swords and Serpents
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Driver: San Francisco
X3: Terran Conflict
X3: The Albion Prelude
After some deliberation I've decided to (finally) declare a Summer Game Challenge. I've been coming to this website for three years now, and have read and been inspired by many of the RFG members trips into their backlog (especially Crabmaster2000's NES-FEST 2012). I've tried doing this informally before, but each time I end up fizzling out after only a few weeks. I thought that maybe if I make a formal declaration I could do it.
My list mainly consists of previously unplayed NES games, along with a few others just for flavor:
Conquest of the Crystal Palace
Ironsword
Dr. Chaos
Total Recall
Ultimate Stuntman
Tombs and Treasures
Swords and Serpents
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Driver: San Francisco
X3: Terran Conflict
X3: The Albion Prelude
Last night I finished Rollergames, but only after discovering that I had left my NES running... for over two weeks! Shortly after finishing Super Mario I decided on Rollergames after a recommendation by Crabmaster2000. To my delight I found the game to be quite fun, and within about an hour (stretched over a few days) I found myself at 6-2... where I stayed for at least another hour (this time spread out over a week).
Which leads me to last night. After finally overcoming 6-2 I made a beeline to the last boss. He was difficult at first, but once I got over the fact that all of his moves cancel out your moves (even your special) he went down pretty quick. For some reason he put me in mind of the martial arts boss in the first Tenchu game (I can't remember what his name was).
Once my kid stops playing Angry Birds Space I'll upload and post my photos.
Now that I've finished another game, I think that my basement setup (with the projector) will now be the focus of my Retro Summer Game Challenge. To simplify things I'll just use the list from last time, but I'll leave it up to you guys. Which one should I play next?
Rollergames
Conquest of the Crystal Palace
Ironsword
Dr. Chaos (I know, not a pure action game)
Rollergames
Total Recall
Ultimate Stuntman
Tombs and Treasures
Swords and Serpents
Last night, while I was waiting for a load of laundry dry so I could finally go to bed, I finished Super Mario Brothers for the NES. Of course, I wasn't running my capture device on my recording laptop, but I did manage to snap a pic with my phone:.
[img width=700 height=393]http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/9350/smbending.jpg[/img]
Yes, I play NES (amd many other systems) on a projector. Sorry about the quality, but this seems to happen all the time with my Android phone. Oh well.
I'm not sure what to do now. SMB was one of the few games I played in my youth I never got around to beating (the other being Section Z, for obvious reasons). I don't think I'm ready to unplug my NES yet, so I think something on that system. An action or platform game, I think. After looking at my collection I think I can come up with a few titles:
Conquest of the Crystal Palace
Ironsword
Dr. Chaos (I know, not a pure action game)
Rollergames
Total Recall
Ultimate Stuntman
A couple others that I didn't realize I had:
Swords and Serpents
Tombs and Treasures
I'm not really familiar with any of these titles, so anything I pick will be a suprise.
I know it's not over yet, but this sure has been an interesting weekend. Not quite as diverse as I originally thought, being that I only played Super Mario Brothers. If I played it on multiple formats does that count? No?
My first goal this weekend was to try to find a way to capture the gameplay. This was inspired by our own Crabmaster2000 (of course), as well davidr64yt, who has over 400 videos of his gameplay to watch (with audio commentary).
At first I decided to try capturing the gameplay with my old capture device. The video was nice but the lag was so great that it was unusable. Basically it would be great for a traditional JRPG but it is useless for action. Next I tried using a VCR, but no usable VHS tape busted that (which is ironic considering that at my current work I find old VCRs all the time). My final was to record it while playing on an emulator. I'm not super hip to this, mainly because NES games just don't interest me unless I'm playing with an original controller (though I don't have this problem with any other platform). While I was able to get some usable video in this manner, I'm not going to post it, due to the fact that it is ugly (the colors are off).
While I did spend a large amount of my gaming time jerking around with production, I did manage to sneak in some SMB action. Despite my confession of not playing it in a long time, when I picked up my NES controller it felt like I never put it down to begin with. Within a few moments of adjustment (primarily to get the controller into a comfortable playing position) I was able to play quite competently. I did have some difficulty remembering where the second set of warp pipes were located (though I found the third quite easily). Once I remembered (watching a speedrun of the Vs. SMB game jogged this memory) I was able to skate to the end pretty quickly. I still haven't beat it though. For some reason I can get to World 8-2 very quickly, but once I get there die. Usually I can get to 8-4, but once that happens I die again, loosing my fireball, then I waste the rest of my lives (which are usually three) at Bowser.
I think that I end up using the VCR option to record, though I would love to find an encoding box under $60 that can record in real-time (probably hopeless). I think from now on I will start recording gameplay the first time I fire up the game, just for fun. Any tips that you, the fine folks of RF Generation, would like to share would be much appreciated.
Since my wife will be working the entire weekend, I've declared a Weekend of Gaming for all in my household. While my son observes this every weekend (and many days of the week), in between taking care of the items on my honey-do list and scraping my daughter off the ceiling I plan on sneaking in a few hours at the least, assuming that the power stays on in this windstorm. I guess we will see, huh?
I don't know exactly how long it has been since I played Super Mario Brothers, but I'm getting some serious 1986/87 flashback twinges. Even playing the Virtual Console version (which I don't remember buying) and playing on the Wii-mote is making me nostalgic. There is one odd thing though: is the game supposed to be that fast? I'm thinking it might be a combination of the television (a 40" LCD) and the Wii (which I swear must be using some sort of smoothing), but it seems just too fast. I'm not a big fan of smoothing and graphical enhancements on my old games (generally), so I might hook up my NES to an old CRT I have laying around and see if my theories pan out tomorrow.
I just may end up throwing in the towel on Stellar-Fire. I've hit a snag and can't seem to progress. Worse, I'm having serious problems getting past the second stage, even though I had already progressed to the fourth. Either the game is just too inconsistent or I really suck at it.
On a additional note, while looking through the janked-up Netflix menu on Wii (without much hope, I might add), I couldn't help but see Stephen King's Bag of Bones down near the end. Could it be possible that they made a movie (actually a two-part series) of one of my favorite King novels without me knowing? I guess so (obviously). I've decided to click on the damn movie and see what happens, though I won't be expecting much. I mean, I really loved It and Rose Red, but... I don't know. Why do we even want to watch movies made from our favorite novels? If some crazy bastard managed to secure the rights to Mark Z. Danielewsi's House of Leaves or Dan Simmons' A Winter Haunting or even [insert favorite novel here] would you go see it?
I'm going to stop being a cynical jerk now and just watch the movie.
UPDATE: The movie sucked. Oh, well.
I haven't been playing very much in the way of games this past week. Part of it is because I upgraded from a basic cell to an Android phone and the rest is lack of sleep due to my daughter's illness. I've spent a lot of time watching Netflix and Youtube (Gamecenter CX and Crab's videos) while sitting in a rocking chair. And thinking.
I want this to sound not like a confessional but a realization: I may have been neglecting my retro roots. I have been neglecting my retro roots. This came to me in the forums when Apollo.Boy kept telling me how much better older games look on a good CRT rather than an LCD. While I was trying to think of another way of reinforcing my point I began to wonder: when was the last time I really enjoyed playing a retro game on an old television. When was the last time I enjoyed playing a retro game at all? I had no idea. Sure, I've playing a lot of games (some of them old), but I was looking more at my backlog as a whole then as individual games. I was playing my games with the goal of completion, not enjoyment. This was the essence of my problem with Stellar-Fire, I think.
In the spirit of this I will be republishing two of my earlier articles, neither which appeared on RF Generation (that I can tell). I will also be once again be revamping the way I choose games to play. From now on I will choose both a game that closer fits with the overall spirit at RFG as well as a game that is more in character with, well, me.
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Post Mortem
GTA: Episodes from Liberty City: I haven't finished these games yet, but yet I have. Let me explain. Because of the content I cannot play these games around my children I am limited to after they are asleep, which basically means that I am playing about two missions a night. I am satisfied with this, so I feel that I can put these games on the Post Mortem list and walk away. Anyways, I think I have more pressing issues to confront.
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Games For This Week
Stellar-Fire
Platform: Sega CD
Purchase Date: 1998
Cost: $1.00
Despite what I wrote at the beginning of this article, I still firmly believe this is not a good game in any capacity. Regardless, I shall strive forth. I've found a somewhat decent recorder (Hypercam 2), but I am having some sound issues. Below you will find one of my earlier experiments with Hypercam (as well as Stellar-Fire). Sorry about the fumbling sound.
The goal for each level is to collect a certain number of crystals scattered about the landscape while fighting and avoiding enemies at every turn and finally facing a boss. The problem is that the crystals are scattered in a very non-linear pattern that only gets more spread out with every level, eventually bordering on the ridiculous. To add to the difficulty there is no compass, so you are forced to rely on the background landscape. Very interesting. If I can ever beat this game I plan on writing a FAQ.
Title: Super Mario Brothers
Platform: NES
Purchase Date:2002
Cost: $1.36
Like many of you, this was the first game I ever played on the NES. I first played back in 1987 after a friend, who spent many days mowing lawns and selling rebuilt bicycles, purchased one. Initially I sucked quite a bit at this game, despite my arcade experience. I kept dying at the elevators in World 1-2. Later when I received an NES for Christmas I was able to get better, but only a bit as I also received The Legend of Zelda as well.
I've never actually beaten this game. Did I say that already? I've seem most of the game, but for some reason I never saw it to the end. Very strange, though I have been assured by a friend that this is actually pretty common. I am reluctant to believe him, but I guess it could be true.
While I will be challenging this game on my NES, I might do a playthrough on an emulator so I can record it.
Title: Boku No Natsuyasumi 4 (My Summer Vacation 4)
Platform: PSP
Purchase Date: 4/2011
Cost: $45
The Boku No Natsuyasumi series revolves around a boy (Boku?) visiting relatives during summer vacation in Japan. The game is considered very nostalgic and features many games and activities Japanese men would have enjoyed during their childhood in the eighties (such as bug collecting, beetle-fighting, and toy collecting). There is a story, but since I don't understand Japanese I don't know it, though I've been told that the series is perfect for those wishing to learn to read Japanese.
I've never tried to beat the game, but instead just putter around the island, collecting things, sticking my nose into everything, and enjoying the atmosphere of nostalgia the game creates (even though I don't have a cultural reference for it).
Will there ever be a game about a nerdy kid in the eighties as he trolls around the woods and roadside looking for returnable bottles so he can play arcade games at the laundry-mat and 7-11? I sure hope so. Then again, there is always Shenmue.
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In The Bag For 2012
Alan Wake - 1/25
Dead Space 2 - 2/4
Portal 2 - 2/10
Enslaved - 2/17
I've decided to start using a numbered system instead of just associating my post titles with dates, partly because it will enable me to add a secondary post and title it in a more intuitive manner (Backlog Gamer 4.1, 4.2, etc), but also so I won't feel so guilty when I post the main article in the middle of the week.
Not a whole lot to say this week. Due to my Game 2 selection last week I am starting to regret not being more selective with my game collecting. If I would have just put the crap down my sense of self loathing would be at an acceptable level, instead of the gargantuan level it is at now. Is this how Emo-folk feel all the time? If I go stand in the corner with my crappy game(s) and cut myself with a game manual will I feel a accomplishment? Man, that was dark.
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Post Mortem
Enslaved: I really enjoyed playing this game, even though I have to recognize its often glaring flaws, but instead of focusing on camera angles, proportionate bodies, and the quirks of the Unreal Engine, I think I will instead view the game as a whole experience, because I feel that taking this game as a whole is the only way to truly enjoy it (much as I felt about Jak II).
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Games For This Week
Game 1 Title: GTA IV: Episodes From Liberty City
Platform: PC (Steam)
Purchase Date: 11/25/11
Cost: $2.49
I was pleasantly surprised to see this chosen as a random game, especially as I had started playing it anyway as a pallet cleanser to the piece of trash below. So far everything is fine, though in the beginning I had quite a bit of trouble with the controls. I just don't feel that I will ever be comfortable playing a GTA game with a keyboard and mouse. It just doesn't feel natural, almost like I am contorting across the keyboard like a damn Twister-nut just to powerslide into a turn. I suppose that I could just play Lost and Damned on the 360 and come back to the PC for Gay Tony (that sounded awkward), but the game looks so much better on my computer.
The only downside is that the main characters swear so much during gameplay that I can't play this during daylight hours. While this doesn't kill it, these games will take longer to complete.
Title: Stellar-Fire
Platform: Sega CD
Purchase Date:1998
Cost: $1.00
I spent around three days trying to beat this game and only managed a few levels. On the plus side I learned how to beat the game, and on the negative side I don't think I want to go through the effort. Dare I explain? In the game the goal is to collect gems, which can be easily located by following the white bar displayed on the radar. The problem is that the gems seemed to be scattered around the level, so that in some stages following the radar will almost ensure repeating the level (meaning that you will die). However, if you make a map you can find a better, more optimized route than the shitty GPS route the game gives you. This way of playing is just not an option in some of the latter stages. Should I give up? Should I pull an "Arino" and call in a AD to finished the job for me (which means using a cheat to see the ending)? Only time will tell. Likely I'll end up just giving in and making the damn maps.
Once I find an acceptable recorder I'll try to record a playthrough.
Title: Treasure Adventure Game
Platform: PC
Purchase Date: N/A
Cost: N/A
I found this little title while mindlessly clicking on links in my Bookmarks Toolbar. Even though I spend a lot of time on the Internet, I had all but forgotten that I have a Fileplanet link. Weird, huh? Although it is described as a platformer, I find it to be a pleasant combination of platforming, action, and RPG. I especially like that the game has fully customizable controls (a rarity amongst free Indies games), so I can finally assign my movement to the WASD keys and the action buttons to the arrow keys. I know you don't understand this but just believe me that it is important. I might even be able to use a gamepad. Oh, the possibilities.
Please play this. You will be surprised then you will have fun. You will exclaim the first time the character hook-grabs onto the edge of a platform, then you will want to play longer.
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In The Bag For 2012
Alan Wake - 1/25
Dead Space 2 - 2/4
Portal 2 - 2/10
Enslaved - 2/17
I kind of regret reposting my first Backlog Gamer article, so click here for the second one if you want to read it.
Well, my posts are getting closer to the beginning of the week. At this rate I'll be posting on day one by the middle of next month. All right me!
As I stated last week, when I first conceived this I thought it would be best to show some sport and only pick games randomly. I failed miserably when the first group of games turned out to be some of the most highly rated recently released games in my collection. However, this week I decided to play by the rules and pick randomly. Will I be rewarded for my honesty, or will I feel the flames of redemption?
Post Mortem
Portal 2: Wow. I mean, wow. The only way I think I can express myself properly is to directly beam the information to your brain in the pure emotional content (so as to not spoil the nice bits). Ready? Errrrrm. Got it? Yeah, what did I tell you! Awesome, right?
Games List For This Week
Game 1: Enslaved
Game 2: Stellar-Fire
Game 3: Kyle's Quest 2
Title: Enslaved
Platform: Xbox 360
Purchase Date: 9/29/11
Cost: $9.99
At last, Enslaved finally gets the attention it deserves. I know that in the past I seemed a little "blah" on it, stating that it seemed a little average and maybe generic. I would now like to formally take this back. Sure, in some cases the action can be a bit predictable (I'm speaking specifically of the general direction of the action, not the action itself), but Enslaved has sunk its claws into me, and not just the story this time: The characters, action , along with the story are equally as important to my experience. I especially enjoy how, for all his supposed strength, Monkey is often completely outmatched by the mechs in combat (even against the "weaker" ones) and is forced to rely almost exclusively on his unmatched agility.
If I reviewed games I would give this game a solid B as long as it holds out to the end.
Title: Stellar-Fire
Platform: Sega CD
Purchase Date: 1998
Cost: $1.00
The funny thing is that I thought for sure that most of the games I randomly picked would end up being PC or NES games, which makes sense as those platforms make up over 26% and 20% of my collection (respectively). In the end I think I had to hit the random button three times. The first two were either demos or games I'd already beaten, and on the third Stellar-Fire popped up. I have to admit I am rather nervous. I have never played this game, not even to test. I purchased all of my Sega CD games in a lot, and I was only really interested in the Working Designs games that came with it.
Playing this game might prove a little harder, as my Sega CD was acting "weird" the last time I booted it up. Therefore, I will use my laptop as an emulator, which should be interesting at the very least.
Title: Kyle's Quest 2
Platform: iOS
Purchase Date: N/A
Cost: N/A
Once upon a time there was a group of devices called PDAs. While they were mainly for organizational and productivity purposes, it turned out that people wanted to also play games. Many of these games were fun, but most sucked. A game that didn't suck on this platform was a little series called Kyle's Quest. At heart modeled after 8-bit role playing games, this two Kyle's Quest games featured Japanese-inspired big-head characters but with a nice Western twist: you could make your own adventures. While this sort of control didn't appeal to everyone, it wasn't long before there were a ton of great adventures to play. While the games weren't free (very little quality titles were free on PDAs) the adventures were, meaning that one could easily make the $14.99 price tags a non-issue.
Kyle's Quest 2 (and the innumerable downloads for it) provided me many hours of entertainment in a very dark part of my life. Because of this I didn't expect to care much when I found this game in the iOS App Store (just thinking about it brought back memories of hospital-sterility) for free, but I was surprised. Though the game has lost the ability to load player made levels from the Internet, there are still twenty different games loaded in, and since many of them are short, they fit the aesthetics of a mobile platform.
I don't see myself deleting this game on Monday as I have done with the previous weeks "Game 3" title.
In The Bag For 2012
Alan Wake - 1/25
Dead Space 2 - 2/4
Portal 2 - 2/10
NOTE: I'm reposting this to provide context (I plan on doing this every week), though I didn't include the photos. For those that care, the original post can be viewed, complete and intact, on my blog.
Up until a month ago, I hadn't played more than an hour of videogames in more than four years. Full-time School, that great and massive force, took all of my free time. Like a breastfeeding mother of triplets, I just didn't have any time for anything but the necessities (that being family, school, and work).
That has ended. From this moment on (or until I get too bored with it), I'm going to burn my gaming-candle at both ends. I will have to take occasional breaks for continuing education (the bane/boon of the IT industry), but for the most part every second of extra time that is not used to chip away at my large honey-do list will be spent working on my massive videogame backlog.
Enter the Backlog Gamer. I know, the name is lame. It's all I have at the moment, and will likely change in the near future.
I finished the first game on the list, Alan Wake, before I decided to write this series of articles. Because of that I will make a few comments on it then banish it to the "In The Bag" completion list and speak of it no more! Suffice to say that it is a great game that uses (but does not overuse) a light/darkness element as well as a spoken narrative by Alan Wake himself. I loved the combat, even though I heard endless bitching from reviews and other gamers about it. I plan on at some point purchasing the two DLC packs for it and maybe even making it a yearly or bi-yearly play.
Games List For This Week
Dead Space 2
Enslaved
Dig-N-Rig
Title: Dead Space 2
Platform: Steam (on PC)
Purchase Date: 1/1/12
Cost: $9.99
I am almost done with this game (I think). I could be wrong I guess, as I was sure I had reached the ending about three times now. I was surprised by the strategy required to play this game. Sure, you might be able to play the game by blasting everything in sight, but I wasn't able to. It took longer than I care to admit that this game is as much a strategy/survival-horror game as much as a third-person shooter, requiring that you spend as much time learning to use the right tool for the right necromorph encounter as possible. The story is also quite good. I especially like the way it is told, not just with cutscene footage and the audio/text logs scattered about, but also the settings and props in the rooms themselves. Some rooms will tell a story of a struggle, with mutilated corpses scattered about, while another shows whole families still on the floor next to ominous white cups.
Great game. Great buy. You should probably play it.
Title: Enslaved
Platform: Xbox 360
Purchase Date: 9/29/11
Cost: $9.99
I bought this game on a whim after hearing about someone talk about it on some gaming podcast. Overall the game is fun, but it does have some very generic gameplay progression (explore, fight, explore, learn new ability, fight, boss). I'm not a big fan of Monkey, the male protagonist, who seems as much a typical male macho-protagonist as possible. The real star of the show is the female protagonist, Trip. Her writing and acting are done in a way that conveys fear for herself, but also a great deal of empathy for Monkey, whom she enslaved. The environment, which consist of a Earth-like city overgrown by nature, is also very interesting to me.
It's not a great game so far, but the story has a hold on me, so I plan on slogging it out to the end.
Title: Dig-N-Rig
Platform: PC
Purchase Date: N/A
Cost: N/A
I downloaded this game after hearing a guest on the Giant Bombcast (it might have been Paul Barnett, though I can't remember) gush about it. The game is quite fun, if a bit on the simple side. You basically drill stuff, which creates resources, which you funnel to your home base by way of conveyor belts and lifts, then you buy new stuff, upgrade your old stuff, then dig deeper. There is an overall goal, that being to reach the core of the planet, but it may prove unattainable for some. Usually after about two hours of gameplay my drill disappears (?), so my digging activities are limited to using explosive devices.
Like I said, the game is fun, but I don't think I'll be playing this next week. On a positive note, finding this game also revealed the massive free-game vault over at Digipen (the folks who created Portal), so regardless of the outcome this game was totally worth the time.
In The Bag For 2012
Alan Wake - 1/25
After four and a half years of year round school I'm finally near completion! While I'm not totally done, I've only a week left of an online class and half a semester of a Monday only class. For the first time in years I can look forward to more than a few days in a row of gaming (without homework looking over my shoulder). To celebrate I'm going to... play games! I am a gamer after all.
After consulting "Game Wishlist" spreadsheet, I decided to concentrate on getting some 360 games. I grabbed a giftcard my Dad gave me for my birthday and went shopping. Over the course of a few days I was able to visit many different stores during my lunch break. My end of week winnings were:
Enslaved - 9.99
Gears of War - 4.99
Alan Wake - 14.99
Not flea market or thrift store prices, but still not bad. Friday night, after the kids and my wife were asleep (and I finished my nightly cleanup) I anxiously placed Alan Wake into my 360 and turned it on... five minutes later I got the Two Rings of Death! Nooooooo!
Damage control: The system is a launch system, and I had already fixed it once (RROD Red Ring, fixed for around $10). I can fix it myself (for a cost of around $0, as I already have the thermal paste) or I can take it to a local game shop (Destiny Games, for you Metro Detroiters) that will fix it for around $50, but I have to ask myself: Do I want to fix this machine? It's a launch machine after all, and will no doubt break again (remember this is the second fix). Also, only my games (read: graphic intensive games) overheat the machine. My son's Lego games will play for hours. I might just wait until refund time next spring and buy a new machine. I'm torn.
Meanwhile a good friend of mine had heard of my plight (we were starting to voice chat when my system died) and showed me mercy. He offered to sell me a load of games for a shockingly low price along with shipping (he lives in Texas). I'm too embarrassed to share the price, but let it be said that I am in this friends dept. Thanks, Brudda'. Currently on the way are:
DS
Retro Game Challenge
Dragon Quest VI
Dragon Quest IX
Dragon Quest Rocket Slime
Contact
Pokemon Black
Nostalgia
PSP
Legend of Heroes Trilogy
Assassin's Creed Bloodlines
Jeanne D'Arc
Final Fantasy Crisis Core
Final Fantasy Tactics
PoPoLoCrois
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow
Disgaea
Castlevania Dracula X Chronicles
Now I just need to figure out how to fit several coney dogs in a shipping box without tipping over...
UPDATE: Apparently I forgot that Lunar Silver Star Harmony for PSP is coming as well.
Bomba's List is just that: a list. It's not really dumber and certainly not smarter than other lists on the Internet, but it is the only one that is titled "Bomba's List." Also, there are more commas and parenthesis used in my lists. Welcome to Bomba's List.
Ever since I was a wee lad, I was interested in getting the best deal. This could be because my family didn't have much money in those days, but the actual reason has to do with my cheapness. From macaroni and cheese and frozen hamburgers to the types of batteries I used to power my toys. Videogames were certainly no different. Since I was a subscriber to Nintendo Power as well as a religious reader of those game cards they used to have a Toys R Us, I felt I was in a great decision to save some serious money and play some great titles (and more of them) at the same time. While in the past this cheapness served me very well, it has also backfired on me badly, leaving me battered and bloody, often questioning my own philosophy. This was harsh stuff, especially for a twelve year old. So join me, dear friends, as we probe the depths of my cheapness to unearth the choicest bits of embarrassment in this installment of Bomba's List.
Case #1: Hydlide - How many of you were Nintendo Power readers back in the day? I can certainly say that those bi-monthly issues gave me invaluable tips, decorated my room, and even kept me warm at night. However, they did not keep me informed. Enter me, 1989, in the videogame isle of Toys R Us. I was standing on the metal shelving, looking at the back of the game cards on the budget priced games. See, at this particular Toy's R Us games under the normal price were kept away from the budget ones, probably to keep down chances of contamination. I was oblivious to this, and was quite content to browse through them, imaging the fun to be had. After all, I had $20 in my back pocket, and the rated reviews and previews of the Nintendo Power staff to guide me in my decisions. What could go wrong, right? I wish I could slap the person who failed to review this game properly, not just for the misinformation, but for the months of pain I endured. See, I could have spent the money on rentals of good games, but since I didn't and no one else was foolish enough to trade, I was stuck. The endless pain, the humility. Dear God, I'm starting to tear up...
Case #2: King's Knight - Before I start this, I want you to look at the RFGen page for this game, specifically at the front box shot. See the "Action Adventure" part? The "Square" part? Now, if you happen to own the game (don't lie, there are 163 people who do!) pop it in and watch the attract mode. Notice how the game looks like a character shooter? Yep, me too. See, back in 1991 when I was feeling the aching for a good game, I was drawn in by three things. First, since there was no video of this game available in 1991, there was no way I could know that it was not an Action/Adventure game. Second, I was so high on Square after playing Final Fantasy I would have cleaned the toilets at their offices just for a snippet of info about any RPG games this company offered. And an Action/Adventure by them? Forget about it. Third, the game was $20, and was thus considered a "cheap" game. Now I know that there is a dedicated following for this game, so I want you to imagine this. Say you are an ignorant child who manages to get a game for a song. By all appearances the game seems to be a Zelda-style game and it happens to be from a company you hold in high esteem. Now imagine playing this game and finding it not to be a Zelda-style game, but a crappy character shooter. Now hit yourself with the game cart several times in the forehead. The explanation you give to your friends and family as to the reason you have a red mark on your head will be more adventure than this game will ever offer you.
Case #3: Random Piles of Atari Clearance Games - Many of you never had to experience this, but some of you did. To those that didn't, let me assure you that the piles of clearance games on the rear endcaps of your favorite store don't compare to what was happening in the middle to late eighties. For the most part many stores never participated in this. You never found the piles of crap in your (well, my) Toys R Us or Children's Palace. You had to visit a grocery store or a department store. My pile of crap was bought at Meijer, a mid western supermarket, that basically sells everything, including videogames. Due to a whole bunch of variables (mostly post gaming crash stuff and Atari mismanagement) there were piles of clearance Atari games found in my local Meijer for a good portion of the eighties. Most of them were either a dollar or less. While I won't be specific (mostly because I don't remember the details), I can say that one of them was Rubiks Cube for Atari 2600. The dumbest thing? I didn't even own an Atari 2600 until 1996. The only way I could play this game would be to take it to my grandparent's house. The looks Cool Aunt (my gaming aunt) gave me as I polluted her gaming system with that crap. The only saving grace was my own father, who tossed all that junk in the bin where it belongs. It now resides somewhere in the middle of the landfill in Canton, Michigan. Rot in hell.
Case #4: Derek Smart Games - After about 1995 I had access to enough resources to ensure that it would be near impossible to purchase another crap clearance game on accident. Between Funcoland and the Internet (in 1997), I would research every game that appealed to my wallet, regardless of price. There was only one more mistake, but in my defense I blinded by the love - who am I kidding. I am an idiot. In the summer of 2004 I became incredibly nostalgic for Starflight on the Sega Genesis. I bought the game and played it to death, but I wanted more. More specifically, I wanted a modern interpretation of the game. There were a few options, but not one actually felt similar enough to make me interested (save the UrQuan Masters, which I would play months after my Derek Smart debacle ended). I eventually came across YouTube videos for several games by a guy named Derek Smart called Battlecruiser Millennium Gold and Universal Combat for the PC, and both were listed at Gamestop for $20 each. From what I could read there was a good match between these games and Starflight. Open universe? Check. The ability to land on planets? Check. Mining? Check. Resource selling? Check. Threats of violence couldn't keep me away from Gamestop, and I arrived home with my new games and sense of child-like glee. Each game box contained massive, complicated booklets, foldout "Quick" references for commands, and small starmaps. As an experienced PC gamer, I went to the developer's website to locate and download any available patches. I guess the first clue of my fate was the requirement of the games' creator (the a fore mentioned Derek Smart) to first register to download the patches. Next I read some of the forum posts in the technical support portion and was horrified to see that the creator (again, Smart) was heaping abuse on anyone who dared ask a question. To be succinct the games sucked. Both were released as freeware about four years ago, but I couldn't even recommend those. Better to just slap yourself in the face now, which about as painful and ultimately less damaging (to you and your computer) in the long run.
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