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If you are familiar with the series and/or love platformers than this is probably not the game for you...
[img width=560 height=315]http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q677/izret102/WP_20150825_001_zpsmaufa1er.jpg[/img]
Image quality may reflect my over all opinion...
Giana Sisters: Dream Runners is essentially a racing platformer with power ups. You and up to three friends* (or bots) can race on nine different stages and have access to nine different power ups. Along the way, you have to dodge traps, a handful of enemies and the attacks from the other racers.
(*I specify friends because the online community appears to be completely dead already, on the XBox One at least, despite having released only a few weeks ago.)
Continue reading Giana Sisters: Dream Runners Review
Everyone has something to hide. Sometimes it is just more obvious than others...
Enter Octodad!
[img width=482 height=360]http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q677/izret102/Octodad%20title%20screen_zpsga6144k9.jpg[/img]
Octodad is pretty straight forward game. You are a husband/father who goes about his day completing tasks like any other husband/father would. Such activities include grilling, grocery shopping, taking care of yard work, and spending time with your kids. These simple tasks turn into a comedic struggle when you have no bones.... For example, imagine flailing about the house and sloshing milk everywhere while pouring your daughter a glass.
Continue reading Octodad: Dadliest Catch Xbox One Review
If you are familiar with the series and/or love platformers than this is probably not the game for you...
[img width=560 height=315]http://i1353.photobucket.com/albums/q677/izret102/WP_20150825_001_zpsmaufa1er.jpg[/img]
Image quality may reflect my over all opinion...
Giana Sisters: Dream Runners is essentially a racing platformer with power ups. You and up to 3 friends (or bots) can race on 9 different stages and have access to 9 different power ups. Along the way you have to dodge traps, a handful of enemies and the attacks from each other. I specify friends because the online community appears to be completely dead already, on the One at least, despite having released roughly a week ago.
Each stage is unique but all are just large loops typical of a racing game. The power ups are also reminiscent of those found in kart racers. Most of them stun or slow other racers in the same manner. So while 9 power ups sounds like a decent number there isn't much real variance.
Little gem charge pad areas are strewn about each track and running through them fills up a meter that allow you to use a speed boost. While not exactly the same my first thought was of F-Zero...
In order to win you must platform your way through the stage faster than anyone else. When someone falls off screen they are eliminated. Once eliminated you get to watch everyone else play until there is one person left. Then do it again and again and likely again..... until one person has one three times.
While there is not a timer on screen the game does apparently keep track of how long you have been making your loops. Eventually an instant elimination timer will appear on screen. After the 30 seconds are up whoever is in first place gets one win. On the plus side this helps eliminate the monotony since after playing each level a time or two you will likely have no issues keeping pace.
Unless you are an achievement or trophy hunter I'd suggest a pass. There is little replay value and all achievements/trophies can be unlocked with little effort in under an hour. Maybe a full hour if you are unlucky with the power ups.
Giana Sisters: Dream Runners is currently available for PC, PS4 and Xbox One with a $9.99 price tag.
So as many of you (I assume) may know I have done some major sell offs in the past. It seems like once or twice a year I end up putting myself into a bind financially because I am am irresponsible with my money. No I am not even going to sugarcoat it.
Over the last 8-10 years there have been multiple occasions where I have spent money for bills or other essentials on games instead. I have gotten much more responsible over the last 5 years since my son was born. But I feel there is still much more work that needs to be done.
So I have finally decided to take the plunge from being a gamer/collector to being a seller/gamer/collector.
I had mentioned in chat that earlier this week that I have only once before bought games with the express intent of reselling them(Final Fantasy VII). That finally changed yesterday with the purchase of this Gamecube lot.
When I bought it I knew I would be lucky to make 20$s on it. But I had decided I needed to start somewhere if I was going to do this. When I got to see the lot in person it included games that had not originally been listed or pictured so I definitely lucked out.
There have been a few of you lately (primarily in chat) who helped nudge me into this direction.
SirPsycho, Project, theGruuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeee, Bick, Shadow, NES_Rules, etc, etc
In one of the old podcasts Duke.Togo had said something along the lines of: people who collect as an investment are in the wrong kind of hobby. I immediately disagreed with him as i was listening. I can definitely understand where he is coming from.
I have always bought games because (in my mind) they will always have value should I need to sell them. And so far I have always been able to make enough selling my things when there was a crunch time. But inevitably I take losses or sell them cheap just to move them.
I still want to enjoy this hobby and it has taken me all these years to realize I cannot do it without some sacrifice. I can't keep holding onto every item I have ever purchased. I doubt it will ever be self sustaining but I need to have a collection and an inventory from now on...
EDIT
I FORGOT TO MENTION SOMETHING IMPORTANT!
I will be doing a trial run of GameGavel with the Gamecube stuff i picked up. I have had great experiences selling here and on the other sites i have been/am a member of but it gets to be a hassle and keeping several sites up to date and sometimes missing one. Nothing worse than having people on different sites asking to buy the same item.
/EDIT
If anyone read the whole thing thanks for reading.
More importantly feel free to PM me or leave advice in the comments.
Remember:
Headline says it all.
We are doing a major overhaul of the genres and subgenres. I had alluded to a top secret project a few days ago(a week? more?) in the Unrelated Thoughts thread.
Staff members and VIP have already gotten to say what they think about it. It is now open to the general populace to tell us what they think. Please keep in mind just because you think something should be a subgenre or genre does NOT mean it will happen. But if you do not make any suggestions obviously nothing will change 
JRPG/WRPG for example WILL NOT be subgenres.(You're welcome Sirgin and SirPsycho.)
Discussion is here.
Wait what i have a blog?!?!?!
Some things i have mentioned quite a bit recently:
1. I have not been very active for the last year essentially in any capacity.
2. a. This was due in part to work.
2. b. This was due even more so because of a year long competition run by some great guys over at Trueachievements.com. If people are interested let me know i will(to the best of my abilities) write up a blog detailing how it worked and blah blah blah none of you care about achievements.
3. My collection list on the site is extremely out of date.
4. I have started catching up on the Collectorcast.
Since i am again laid off and finally eliminated from my competition i get to flood the boards with my nonsense, get some site work done and hopefully learn some new things and maybe JUST maybe be able to impart some knowledge to others. There isn't much left in my head that is relevant though... so we will see.
Having been listening to the podcast (and being totally burned out on gaming... for the moment) i couldn't help but feel bad for neglecting all of my obligations as a collector. I am hoping to get back into the swing of collecting the things no one wants and then maybe really taking the plunge and buying stuff worth owning again.
Anyways... the point of this was for me to jot down my "current" collection stats. Which i lazily copy pasted (feel free to scroll for a bit TEXT FLOOD) :
Boxes/Manuals:
Microsoft Xbox 360 94 (43%)
Sony PlayStation 2 32 (15%)
Sony PlayStation 3 29 (13%)
Microsoft Xbox 24 (11%)
Sony PlayStation 8 (4%)
Nintendo Wii 7 (3%)
Macintosh 4 (2%)
Sega Genesis 4 (2%)
Nintendo GameCube 4 (2%)
Nintendo Game Boy Color 2 (1%)
IBM PC 2 (1%)
Nintendo DS 2 (1%)
Nintendo Game Boy Advance 2 (1%)
Nintendo 64 1 (0%)
Nintendo Game Boy 1 (0%)
Sony PSP 1 (0%)
Collection:
Microsoft Xbox 360 144 (18%)
Sony PlayStation 2 141 (17%)
Microsoft Xbox 137 (17%)
Nintendo Game Boy Advance 55 (7%)
Nintendo DS 41 (5%)
Nintendo GameCube 37 (5%)
Nintendo SNES 35 (4%)
IBM PC 35 (4%)
Sega Genesis 32 (4%)
Tiger Game.com 14 (2%)
Nintendo Game Boy Color 11 (1%)
Nintendo Game Boy 11 (1%)
VTech V.Smile 11 (1%)
Nintendo Wii 10 (1%)
Sega Pico 10 (1%)
Nintendo e-Reader 5 (1%)
Nintendo 64 5 (1%)
Stand-Alone Handhelds 5 (1%)
Sega Mega Drive 3 (0%)
Leapfrog Leapster 3 (0%)
Sega Master System 3 (0%)
VTech V.Smile Baby 3 (0%)
Sega Game Gear 3 (0%)
Mattel Hyperscan 3 (0%)
Sony PlayStation 3 (0%)
Nintendo GameCube 3 (0%)
Nintendo Super Famicom 3 (0%)
Tiger R-Zone 3 (0%)
Tiger Handhelds 2 (0%)
Sega Dreamcast 2 (0%)
Commodore Amiga 2 (0%)
DVD 2 (0%)
Sega CD 2 (0%)
Nintendo Game Boy 2 (0%)
Microsoft Xbox 360 2 (0%)
View-Master Interactive Vision 2 (0%)
Sega Saturn 2 (0%)
Plug & Play TV Games 2 (0%)
Leapfrog Fly 2 (0%)
Sony PlayStation 1 (0%)
Nintendo 64 1 (0%)
Sega Game Gear 1 (0%)
Sega Saturn 1 (0%)
Microsoft Xbox 360 1 (0%)
Sega Mega Drive 1 (0%)
Microsoft Xbox 1 (0%)
Nintendo Game Boy Advance 1 (0%)
Sega Mega CD 1 (0%)
Sony PlayStation 3 1 (0%)
IBM PC 1 (0%)
Sony PlayStation 2 1 (0%)
Buzztime Home Trivia System 1 (0%)
Nintendo Game Boy 1 (0%)
Nintendo DS 1 (0%)
Sega Genesis 32X 1 (0%)
Demos:
Microsoft Xbox 57 (36%)
Sony PlayStation 2 53 (34%)
Sony PlayStation 12 (8%)
Microsoft Xbox 360 11 (7%)
Sony PSP 8 (5%)
Nintendo GameCube 8 (5%)
IBM PC 7 (4%)
Nintendo DS 2 (1%)
DLC:
Microsoft Xbox Live Arcade 153 (91%)
IBM PC 12 (7%)
Nintendo Virtual Console / WiiWare 4 (2%)
Hardware:
Sony PlayStation 2 15 (12%)
Nintendo Wii 11 (9%)
Sega Genesis 10 (8%)
Sony PlayStation 9 (7%)
Nintendo SNES 7 (6%)
Microsoft Xbox 360 7 (6%)
Nintendo DS 7 (6%)
Nintendo Game Boy Advance 7 (6%)
Sega Dreamcast 6 (5%)
Nintendo Game Boy 6 (5%)
Microsoft Xbox 5 (4%)
Mattel Hyperscan 4 (3%)
Nintendo 64 4 (3%)
Nintendo GameCube 3 (2%)
Nintendo Game Boy Color 3 (2%)
Sony PSP 3 (2%)
Multiple Consoles 2 (2%)
VTech V.Smile 2 (2%)
Tiger Game.com 2 (2%)
Leapfrog Leapster 2 (2%)
Buzztime Home Trivia System 2 (2%)
Microsoft Xbox 360 1 (1%)
View-Master Interactive Vision 1 (1%)
Plug & Play TV Games 1 (1%)
Nintendo NES 1 (1%)
VTech V.Smile Baby 1 (1%)
Tiger R-Zone 1 (1%)
All of those stats are so i can cross reference when i get everything up to date to see what has really spiked and what has plummeted.
I am figuring the whole process will take me 1-2 weeks. Most of which will be related to me trying to figure out where to stack things while i dig back in the closet to pull out more things.
http://sdrv.ms/UBqBgM
(I promise to make an new phototbucket or remember the password to one of my old ones so people can stop clicking links to SkyDrive)
The closet is ~4 feet deep maybe a little over 8ft high and terribly nonuniform 2ft across and stuffed so full i can't actually close the door. In addition to:
http://sdrv.ms/U9qVad
http://sdrv.ms/U9qY5Y
http://sdrv.ms/U9qZ9V
Plus another closet full at my parents house which i am afraid will just be full of things i will have to throw away from moisture damage at this point 
Wish me luck. Thanks for scrolling and if you are not familiar with my presence on the boards you will be over the coming weeks 
Hopefully this is the start of a strong come back for the People of RFGeneration! As in the past things have changed and am sure will continue to do so in the future. After this Paully3433 will be taking the lead. I appreciate his assistance in bringing back the series!
This installment is all about Paully3433. I figured he might as well get the spotlight since he is going to be writing it from here on out. Interviewing yourself might be a bit awkward...
Also in keeping with an unintentional tradition this interview is longer than previous ones.
Let me/him know what you think of the new and improved PoRFG. Also please do not hesitate to help us come up with new ideas/questions for future installments.
Alright so without further delay...Holy hell I just* noticed how long it has been since the last one!...
THE INTERVIEW!
General
How did you find RFGeneration?
I actually found RFG while being active in a Union on Gamespot. Some of the collectors I was friends with used RFG to keep track of their collections.
What made you join?
RFG seemed like a good community with tons of potential, and it was exactly what I was looking for.
What made you stay?
I stayed because I liked the way the Database was set up. I used to use Gamespot and IGN to track my collection, but it wasn't fulling me needs.
How did you come up with your username?
My username is just a name that I used to use for almost everything computer related way back in High School. So I just left it and made things easier.
Have you met or personally know any of the other members of the website?
I have not met any, although Tondog and Oatbob live within an hour or so from me.
Are you an active collector? If so anything specific?
Yeah I am actively collecting when my income allows me too Mostly RPG's and strategy games. I am trying to find some of the stuff I played when I was younger, NES and Genesis games mostly.
Whats your favorite game or series? Why?
That is, as it would be for most collectors, incredibly difficult to answer. The Final Fantasy series is pretty high up there for me. Others worth mentioning would be: Dragon Warrior/Quest, Wild Arms, Suikoden, Gran Turismo, Grandia, Lunar, Crash, and Spyro, off the top of my head. Otherwise anything Atlus, NIS or Square.
What are your passions?
Passions in collecting or otherwise? In collecting the goal is to get the games I played when I was younger, as well as the RPGs for the systems I have. Otherwise my family is my passion, I love them dearly and if it came to it, would give up my games in a heartbeat for them.
What do you do outside of RFG?
Anyways, I work as a Mason, which means I can lay block, brick and stone, as well as pour concrete. For fun, I fish/hunt, play sports, take the kids to park and just be outside. It really is amazing I find time to do what I can at RFG.
Specific
Your collection(and wishlist) is VERY RPG heavy. Do you have a favorite kind?
Hrm tough one there..... I love Turn-Based RPGs, that is why the Final Fantasy Series got me hooked into RPGs. I also am big fan of Diablo or Baldur's Gate type of games.
What makes you gravitate towards that style?
I seem to like the chance to plan out an attack. Some of the newer RPGs run in active mode and that turns me off a little. I like to think and the chance to perform a devastating combo.
What is your most valuable collection item?
Man, you make this hard If I had to choose one, I guess it would be my sealed copy of SMT: Digital Devil Saga Deluxe Box Set. Value wise it isn't extremely high, but sentimental value came when it came in the mail the same day as my daughter was born. So I doubt I will ever get rid of it. I have an opened normal version so I can play through it as well
What is your most prized part of your collection?
I like my Sega CDX system personally. Sounds dumb but ah well. Not everyone has one of those right? Another cool thing I have is a trunk that has Mario on two sides and Zelda on the other two. Very cool storage box and has gotta be rare.
What do you feel is the most unique(strangest or weirdest) item in your collection?
Up until a few months ago, I had a Ghaleon Hand puppet from one of the Lunar games. But I ended up selling it since it was taking up space I didn't have. Now I would say the SMT: Devil Summoner 2 for PS2 Doll thing that came with it. Kinda creepy looking!
What item(s) do you not own that might surprise people?
The only "Next-Gen" systems I have are a DS Lite and a PSP Slim. I do not have a PS3, Wii, or 360 and may not get any of them for sometime. My true colors are old school RPGs and not this new crap Graphics are good but not something that I need.
What has been your proudest moment in collecting thus far?
Just the fact that I keep my games in great condition and for the most part, have original versions and not Greatest Hits. I am proud of that. When I get something Mint, I intend to keep it Mint.
Your most embarrassing?
I don't really have anything to embarrassing, once and awhile I will buy a game I have already. I feel crappy when I find a game on sale that I just bought, that's embarrassing.
GAMING FIRSTS
What was the first game/system you played and how old were you?
The first system I played was an Atari 2600 that my uncle had. As for the first game, probably Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back or Asteroids, I don't remember for sure.
First console owned?
The first system I owned was Christmas of 1988 when I got the NES bundle with Super Mario/Duck Hunt Combo, I was 5
First game you bought yourself?
Gosh I don't remember for sure. I do remember begging my mom to let me spend my money on "NES Play Action Football" at Shopko. $50 for that was a rip off wowzer!
What made you decide to buy that particular game?
If I remember right, I think I rented it for $.50 at a store in town. Thought it was cool and wanted it. Like I said that was like 20 years ago
First game you beat?
Super Mario Brothers for NES
First time you wanted to destroy something because of a game?
That has been many times, many many times.... specifically I remember played Warcraft III for PC and getting so mad I through my disc out my bedroom window. Another time I remember my friend beating me on the Power Pad in Track and Field for NES. You know the running and jumping off the pad quick trick during long jump? I was so bad I refused to play that with him for weeks lol.
First game to surprise you?(by being better than you expected)
Dark Cloud for PS2 was a huge surprise for me. May not have been the first but probably the one that stands out to me. That game combined great gameplay with some cool concepts. RPG to City Building, what a great idea?
First game to disappoint you?
Remember that NES Play Action Football" story? Can we stop there again for a visit? I should have just stuck with Tecmo Bowl..... Others to disappoint were Unlimited Saga for PS2 and Final Fantasy X-2 for PS2. Both huge Square let downs for me.
Hopefully this has shed some more light on Paully for you guys He has been here for 2 years and a couple months now. While he hasn't been super vocal on the boards or blogs he is definitely an integral part of our community doing quite a bit of work "behind the scenes".
Much thanks again Paully for taking the torch. Looking forward to the next installment of this series!!
* This was actually started in/around May...
It pains me to end my part in the series but obviously I have let it flounder into near oblivion :-/. Did I already mention I am really looking forward to future interviews?
So i managed to gain access to one of my 4 old HDDs. Luckily the one i got into was where i stored much of my RFGen/Hardcore Gaming(who sadly went offline. The URL is in use again but it is not the site i once loved) I managed to recover this review as well as a around 1k scans(all of which i believe i uploaded ~5 years ago :-/) and other RFGen related materials.
I started this review (+/-)5 years ago. It is mostly completed and i have edited it ever so slightly (capitalized the I's, fixed some typos, added Max Payne comparison, etc) from the condition i recently recovered it in. I was originally going to finish it up right away since i knew it was incomplete but i realized i remember very little about the game off hand and would have to either play it for a couple minutes or look at some game play footage to put myself back through the lackluster and mostly forgettable experience that was this game.
So onto the review. Feel free to be critical of this as i do intend to finish it and submit it to the DB.... also i hope all the HTML works.
Well what do we have here? Is this a GTA/Max Payne clone/hybrid?
Well at first glance it may seem so. But because it is a free roaming game it will automatically be compared to that series, which in my opinion is much better.
Oh yes and before I begin right from the start I have to be honest. The back of the box only told you a half truth. While you never repeat the same mission twice you will be doing one of these things every mission; fighting a handful of enemies, shooting dozens of enemies, stealth fighting enemies or "maintaining a safe distance".
True Crime: Streets of L.A. is a very mediocre game. It seemed like rather than picking one genre and making it good they tried to incorporate 3 of them into a decent title.
The fighting is OK, but glitchy. Sometimes you will hit an enemy and knock them through a wall or impassable object and have to try and attack them through said wall and hope they are knocked back onto the side you are on. There were also at least two instances where the person I was fighting dissapeared completely only to reappear a second or two later.
There isn't much to do with the attacking anyways. There isn't a very complex move set so it is pretty much you continuosly hitting A, X and Y and running to you opponant. You can use B to grapple in a fight but since it takes so long 98% of the time you will get attacked, 1.5% of the time of the time you end up getting it reversed or headbutted, etc and .5% of the time you will actually "successfully" grapple someone
The shooting was acceptable though. The aiming system is pretty weak but it does improve over time... or maybe you just get use to it over time...). There is a decent array of weaponry and it is always fun to dual wield AK-47's, sawed-off and double barrel shotguns. There are a few other guns, Magnums and I believe Mac10s, but those are really the only ones worth mentioning and they are the ones you will encounter for the most part.
The driving in the game can be glitchy with the vehicles you jack from citizens. Sometimes they will not accelerate properly or will decelerate slightly for no reason or worst of all will just move very very slowly. One of the worst parts is the camera will not adjust it's angle to accommodate for vehicle size. So if you want to steal a bus to wreak havoc or take it off some sweet jumps don't bother. You won't be seeing much of what your actually doing.
There is some stealth. Nothing much to comment on. Walk around really slow. Wait for a guy to turn around, knock him out or break his neck. You have a tranq gun with 3 rounds for those tricky situations. But it has no auto aim and no reticule, pretty much get them in the center of the screen and shoot and you should hit your mark though.
One of the more original parts of this game is the good cop bad cop mechanic. But even this has already been used more effectively in games(Fable). Kill a citizen you get 1 bad point. Kill a perp you get a bad point. Snap a dudes neck on a stealth mission you get a bad point. Beat the crap out of a perp and cuff him you get a good point. Knock out a dude in a stealth mission you get a good point. It is much easier(and more fun) to get bad points than it is to get good points. But unfortunately if you are not a good cop you will run into the problem of not being able to progress till you get yourself out of the negative.
A couple final jabs at this game:
Story line is pretty weak. The game probably would have been better if you just were assigned a mission and did it. They made the cutscenes unnecessarily long considering the story is so short.
SPOILER!The game COMPLETELY goes over the deep end. You go from being a normal LA cop to killing zombies and an ancient Chinese dragon. It just is thrown at you out from nowhere(!) and if memory serves it happened near the end of the game./SPOILER!
RF Generation Review Score
65%
(Also why do i have insufficient privileges to post spoilers in the blogs?)
I'm a few days late on this but I realized the other day that I have been a member of RFGen for six years now. I signed up 5th of July 2004. I was the 45th member to join the site and to my knowledge one of the first people who was not grandfathered in from VGB.
In the last 6 years I have:
Finished Sophmore, Junion, Senior year in Highschool
Worked at 8 different jobs all of them overlapping.
Gone to college.
Met a girl.
Left a girl.
Met another girl.
Dropped out of college.
Moved from MA 2k miles south to an island off the coast of southern Texas....
had a son...
and then 2k miles back.
When I joined here I had around 100 games.
I peaked somewhere in the 1200-1300 range. I have slowly dropped lower and lower ever since.
RFGen in this time has...
exploded from ~10,000 titles to nearly 55,000
Added the hardware database.
Gained a few thousand members.
Had almost 149k posts not made by me(just over 163k including mine.)
Had me jump back and forth from staff several times.
Had multiple staff members come and go. All for various reasons. All of them beneficial to the site either in obvious or more behind the scenes ways.
On a more sober note RFGen and many others lost Michael Collins
Many things have changed in these last six years. But RFGeneration has been my constant.
I would like to thank the great members of this community past and present as well as the staff and various administrators who have not only kept the website up and running through all their contributions. Be it financial, database submissions/approvals, posting, blogging, etc.
All of you have made this place my internet home for the last six years and hopefully many more to come.
I would like to note I flipped through some of my older posts. Anyone who has been on the site for a long time should do so. It really makes you realize how much you have changed.
I wanted to make this blog when the work had been completed but it is taking much longer than expected. As some of you have noticed the PlayStation database has changed somewhat significantly.
A very special thanks is owed to Jason Dvorak (aka dangerboy) over at Game-Rave.com for allowing RFGeneration the use of his information. To help in keeping our(aka your) collection tool the most comprehensive AND accurate on the internet.(If not the most we are quickly closing the gap anyways )
The bulk of the changes came in the form of variations. Though there have also been quite a few new titles added also.
When this project started we had roughly 1750 titles in the PS database. As of this blog we are just over 1900 entries and should easily eclipse 2000 and possibly even 2100.
In the same vein as the NES and 2600 updates everyone might want to check to make sure that their online collection matches their real world games. There are still some more changes to come. I will post further updates here so that everyone can easily check specific titles.
So I decided I would do my first "tie-in" interview. My last one was Tynstar and I had mentioned how Cap'n here was his partner in crime. Cap'n was also the leader of a couple of the many clans I was a member in back in my Halo 2 days. Remember the Drunken Pelicans? What about Guesswho, Mr. Winky, nickm and the rest of the old crew?
Maybe i should have thrown those into the interview instead of as an after thought
Let's get to it
GENERAL
How did you find RFGeneration?
I found RFG because of my best friend (tynstar / Scott)
What made you join?
I really like the community feel, and felt I could contribute.
What made you stay?
Over the years RFG has made huge advances, and the community here is THE BEST
Have you met or personally know any of the other members of the website?
Obviously I know Tynstar, but I also know Jagdiesel. I've met several others who are members here while I attended CGE2K7 (Classic Gaming Expo 2007) Most notably, I remember meeting National Gaming Depot.
Are you an active game collector? If so anything specific?
Well, the last few years have been a bit slow on the collecting side, but yes I am a collector. Specifically, I love NES games. I haven't updated that count in a while, but I am very close to 700 NES games. Of which, I probably have 600 of them CIB.
What's your favorite game or series? Why?
Hmm, my favorite game or series... The easy answer would probably be something like Zelda or Castlevania since I cherished those games when I was a kid. But to be honest, Phantasy Star Online, and Phantasy Star Universe have really captured my interest in the past several years.
As far as why I like this game and series... I like the fact that it's an action RPG, and while it doesn't qualify as an MMORPG it certainly has an MMO feel to it.
What are your passions?
As far as gaming goes, I'd have to say finally completing my CIB NES collection. Other then that, my Son, family and friends.
What do you do outside of RFG?
Well, I work as a facility manager, but my interest outside of RFG and gaming include playing hockey (goalie) and classic Ford Mustangs. I haven't worked on a Mustang in nearly 10 years, but I plan on buying another classic and restoring her.
SPECIFICS
I thought for sure you had finished off your NES collection. Are you still seeking them out or are you taking a hiatus for the time being?
I am always looking for missing pieces, but collecting has taken a back seat to a few things over the years. I will finish it off eventually.
In the same vein as the last question are/where you seeking out any major/minor NES game/hardware variations to your collection?
The 3 Panesian games are probably going to be the hardest pieces to add at this point. However, I'm not sure if I am going for non-licensed games at this time.
Do you still game with your son? If so what is your favorite game to play together? My son loves playing games! I know he loves playing Castle Crashers with me.
How many complete collections(if any) do you have now?(I thought you had NES and VB)
My NES collection and Virtual Boy collections are getting there, but I think realistically I am only going to complete the NES collection.
You mentioned you haven't worked on a classic mustang in 10+ years. I remember you used to own one(that i knew of) what happened to it? Also please brag about how totally bad ass it was I love classic cars.
Basically, I have owned 8 classic mustangs. I've also bought a few, made a few restorations and sold them for a profit. My 3 favorites of which I owed were 2 1965 Mustangs and 1 1966. The 66 Mustang was my pride and joy, I probably spent 10k on a full restoration of this beauty. Sadly, I was involved in a very bad accident with this car, and it was beyond repair.
The last Mustang I owned was a 1965, and it was a GT. When I got a divorce, I needed to buy an everyday driver in wich my son could safely drive in. And the cost of the divorce forced me to sell the 65 for the cash I needed for a everyday driver.
I'd really like to buy another classic Mustang in the next few years, and get it ready for a full restoration in which my son could help me with. That way I could pass on a love of classic cars and the knowledge of working on cars to him.
I'll try and dig up a few photos of my cars when I get a chance, as I'd like to "show them off" a bit But basically, the 66 was a very clean powerful looking pony. I once had her up to 140 MPH.(I realize now how stupid this was) I still remember feeling the front end of the car getting lighter as I reached 140... And even to this day, I feel like the car was about to lift off and take flight. 
GAMING FIRSTS
What was the first game you played and on what system and how old were you?
The first system I played was the Atari 2600. The first game was Combat if I recall correctly. The year was 1978 I believe, and I was 5 years old.
First console owned?
The first console my family owned was the Atari 2600
First game you bought yourself?
The first game I bought myself was Either Mario Bros. or Metroid for the NES.
What made you decide to buy that particular game?
Seeing as I can't remember which game it was in particular, I'll just give a general answer. I'd have to say that at the time, there were just so many great games out there to play... And I just ended up buying something that looked fun.
First game you beat?
I really had to think about this one... I actually believe the first game I beat was Raiders of the Lost Ark for the Atari 2600.
First time you wanted to destroy something because of a game?
Hmm, I can't recall any specific first times. But I do recall Kid Icarus for the NES making me want to destroy my controller.
Recently, I was a bit upset with a level on Army of Two.
2 things i want to note before I publish this.
1. I couldn't use his real username in the tags because he has an Underscore which is apparently a no-no in the blog tags.
2. The car question was an afterthought and isn't quite a polished nice looking question but it was a cool question with an awesome answer.
Huge thanks Rick. Dig out them pics for us!
My 21st b-day was nothing like how i hoped it would go.
It had decidedly less drinking than i had hoped for and involved much less fun in general.
Midnight(yes it literally started sucking the first minute of the day)
I wasn't very tired and kind of restless so i was kicked out of bed by Aubrey because i kept waking her up.
12:30-1am
Aubrey comes out and tells me to stop leaving the closet light on. Its a pretty much dead florescent so when i want it on it doesn't turn on. When i need it it either doesn't turn on or is so dim its useless.
2-3am
One of the dogs starts whining. I promptly smack its crate and yell at it to shut the fuck up.
6-7:30am
family is all getting ready to go to work/school i wake repeatedly
7:30-8am
Aubrey wakes me up because she was going to make me breakfast. She doesn't know the only breakfast items we have is oatmeal so i know i will not be woken back up since nothing will be cooked.
8:30 am
Rowan slept in late
9am-1:29pm
Rowan has breakfast. Me and Aubs smoke cigs, rowan plays outside, we watch TV and Heroes after Rowan goes down for a nap.
1:30pm
Electricity gets shut off. For a few hours because somehow the dumbass in the vehicle was unaware we had payed our bill.
2pm
I spent the last half hour smoking, lifting weights, punching our freezer/refrigerator, looking for the phone number to the electric company so i could bitch them out. Rowan is awake now so we get him ready to go to the park.
3ish pm
We make it to the Park after picking up a mutual friend so she could get out of the house.
Rowan stares at kids, doesn't like the swings this time, does like the slides this time and just runs around and discovers things.
4:30ish
we are back at our friends house. She makes hot dogs and mac and cheese for everyone. Yum breakfast/lunch. Butterscotch pudding for dessert.
6PM
We get back home. Rowan is pretty cranky from having lots of action and not so much naptime earlier. I get a card from my grandmother with 20 bucks
7:45-8pm
Rowan goes down for bed a little early. We watch wheel of fortune and Jeopardy.
8-9
I go to the packy and pick up small bottle Grey Goose and a bottle of Mudslide.
Get home and get ready to watch Lost. Mom gets home gives me a cake and 50 bucks.
The rest of the night we watched lost. I had a strong vodka and diet pepsi drink and a shot then i crashed on the couch again since Aubrey had to go to bed early to get up early for work.
Not how i had wished it would go. I did have alot of fun with Rowan but the day was pretty much tainted by the overwhelming sameness of it.
Tynstar is one of the RFGeners i have known for quite some time. Off the top of my head i think him and Captain Nintendo joined a couple months after me and Danvx6. The main difference being my online sidekick went AWOL quite sometime ago and they are both still wreaking havoc.
Well let me get on with this i guess...
GENERAL
How did you find RFGeneration?
A long time ago I was looking for a list of all the Genesis games that were released and I found RFGeneration. It was awesome since I am a list freak.
What made you join?
The collection tool and the way stuff got added. I tried for almost a year to get some Genesis games added to IGNs collection tool and they didnt get added. I havent touch IGN collection tool since I found RFG.
What made you stay?
The community and collection tool.
Have you met or personally know any of the other members of the website?
Jagdiesel and Captain Nintendo are friends of mine. I have met Den68, Phoenix1967, Suaza12 and S1lience.
Are you an active game collector? If so anything specific?
Yes I am an active collector. Right now I am collecting Xbox 360 games.
Whats your favorite game or series? Why?
Favorite series Command and Conquer. Favorite games Ms. Pac Man (Arcade), Crackdown (Xbox360), Warcraft 2 (PC), Landstalker (Genesis), Nightstalker (Intellivision), Warlords (Atari2600) and Pac Man CE (XBLA)
What do you do outside of RFG?
Hang out with friends, family and play with my dogs.
SPECIFICS
Why have you decided to stop collecting for multiple consoles and focus on the 360?
I had too much stuff and all it did was sit there. So I figured I would sell it and payoff my bills.
What made you decide to become the hugest Gamerpoints whore* in the world? (*self proclaimed)
I am no where near the biggest point whore around. Yes thats why I play 360 games but the highest score in the world right now is a little over 300k and I am only at 111k. The game that got me started on achievements was Crackdown. I liked it so much I wanted to play it more so I started going for the achievements I didnt have. Then I started talked to s1lence who was already and point whore and he ruined my life. He was a good mentor but know I just kick his ass.
What is/was your most sought after 360 game?
Dont really have one. I have both Amazon exclusive. I have Mass Effect SE which was online only. I picked up a Canadian exclusive Asterix at the Olympic Games. I would like to get the Canadian exclusive Forza 2 CE.
What is the "rarest" one you know of?
Maybe one of the Fallout 3 Special Editions but I am not sure.
How did you find out about being able to earn points multiple times on consoles from different regions? And have you been able to do this yet?
S1lence and different achievement websites. I have 1000 points in a Japanese game. I did that when I was staying at S1ence house.
How many consoles have you had complete collections for?
It used to be 7-8. I am down to 5 now. Those being Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, Sega 32X, Sega CD and Sega Pico. See a pattern there? I am about 30 games away form having the Sega Saturn done.
I know you were going to be keeping your Genesis collection. What other parts of your collection are you planning on keeping?
I am keeping all my Sega stuff and Xbox 360 stuff. Well I am selling my Sega Game Gear stuff because I hate handhelds. I am keeping a couple 2600s I had as a kid and Intellivision II plus some games. Oh and I am keeping my Ms Pac Man cabinet.
GAMING FIRSTS
What was the first game you played and on what system and how old were you?
First.maybe Pong I know we had one when I was a kid. If not that the Atari 2600. I have no idea what game or how old.
First console owned?
Well my family had the Atari 2600 and Intellivion. I had a NES and the first system I bought myself was the Sega Genesis model 1. Bought it the week it came out and I still have it. Cost me 217 bucks.
First game you bought yourself?
I am not sure but I remember buying Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun for the Genesis.
What made you decide to buy that particular game?
I liked RPG's at the time and D&D so I wanted it.
First game you beat?
No idea I am too old to remember that.
First time you wanted to destroy something because of a game?
Probably a Genesis games. Last thing I destroyed was the case and manual for NFL Tour for the Xbox 360. I also threw the game out the front door. Man did that last achievement piss me off. Also that game is 100% pure crap.
Also want to note any and all errors in replies are all on him. I haven't edited anyones responses and don't plan on starting now or in the future. Don't want to be accused of misrepresentation
So now we meet Den! I'm not going to give a huge preface on him just because the interview is so long compared to my previous two entries.
But something we did not get into in the interview was that Den has done many of the animations/gifs/banners/other artwork you see around RFGen. In fact i believe he has done nearly all of it! I could be wrong about him doing all of it(if i am wrong someone please feel free to let me know ) but i know he has done quite a bit for the site over the years.
And now onto number 3.
GENERAL
How did you find RFGeneration?
I knew Mike Collins (Lord Nepenthean) when we were both members at a site called Video Game Bible. When he started RFG I was right on board. I've been an RFG member since the site launched. That was June 8th, 2004.
What made you join?
Mike was a dedicated guy so I knew RFG was going to be a top notch outfit. I wanted to be there from the start and see where it went. I was honored when Mike asked me to be a part of the staff.
What made you stay?
I like the ideals that the site was founded on, no one is ever forgotten. It's great that every person who contributes anything is credited. It truly makes RFG a community effort. The members of the site are awesome, our board is a great place to hang out. It's very informative and rarely bitchy. And that Collection Tool we have here is a Marvelous BEAST!!!
Have you met or personally know any of the other members of the website?
Many! Phoenix1967 is great friend of mine. We met in High School so we've been friends nearly 30 years. Cawsccs is a friend of mine from work, he doesn't post but does have his collection logged here. I've met Tynstar, he's originally from Michigan and we did a trade in person when he was home visiting family. I know Sauza12. We did a trade and decided to meet at a bar for the swap. We've hung out and been to each others places a few times. A few years ago Sauza and I drove to Cincinnatti for the Cinci Classic. There I met TraderJake, St0rmTK421 and The Evil Leon. I think that's everybody.
Are you an active game collector? If so anything specific?
Yes, though I'd say obsessed game collector rather than active. I don't collect anything specific. If it's a video game or video game related I collect it.
Whats your favorite game or series? Why?
I guess Guitar Hero/Rock Band. Why? Because I'm 40 and I get to act out my adolescent Rock Star fantasies.
What are your passions?
My passions are my family and friends. Trying to be a good husband and dad. Helping my daughter grow up to be a good person. Music, Video Games, Books, Cartoon, Movies... all sorts of stuff.
What do you do outside of RFG?
I am the Creative Services Manager for a marketing company in Taylor, Michigan. I do a lot of graphic design, digital photography, web development and whatever else customers throw my way.
SPECIFICS
Right now your collection stands at just under 5k entries(only 3 of them being hardware). How much of your collection would you say is actually on the site right now?
With the exception of my hardware most of my collection has been uploaded. I still have a bunch of PC games and Plug N Plays that I haven't entered. I have a few hundred handhelds that I need to enter. I've been putting that off. I know a bunch of them need to have game entries created.
How have you managed to amass such a fantastically large collection?
I still have every game and console that I've gotten through the years. So when I started seriously collecting 7 or 8 years ago I already had an Atari 2600, Vic-20, C64, NES, Genesis, PS1, Gameboy Color and about 300 games between them. I've acquired the rest mostly from thrift shops, garage sales, flea markets and used game shops.
I'm very persistent with hunting. I'm fortunate to have several thrift shops near me and I hit them as often as I can. I'm also not shy about talking about my collection. I've had many people give me games or sell them to me cheaply. I also check the clearance aisle at Target often and make good use of those coupons Gamestop e-mails on Fridays.
How often do you pick up games/gaming related items?
I stop somewhere looking for games pretty much every day. It's getting hard to find stuff I don't already have but I still manage a few finds every week.
When did you make the change from just being a gamer to also being a collector? What was it that made you make the change, if anything, or did it just kind of metamorph into a dual hobby?
I was surfing one day and stumbled onto Digital Press. I was reading some stuff about the Atari 2600 and got nostalgic. I had my dad dig it out of the attic. I played it again after many years and had a blast. I picked up a few more games for it. Then did the same for my NES and Genesis. One day my wife says "Why don't you just try and find every there is." She was of course being sarcastic but several thousand games later I'm still taking that advice.
How long have you been collecting vinyl?
Much like my game stuff I still have all the vinyl from my youth. It was tucked away in a cabinet out of sight out of mind. One morning I was riding my bike. It was garbage day and I passed a house with a HUGE box of records on the curb. It was 6:00 and the morning and still dark so I took a peek. Black Sabbath, Hendrix, Zeppelin, The Doors, The Who, Pink Floyd... yeah, that box went home with me. I nabbed close to 100 records all in immaculate condition. Thus began another collection. That was about 3 years ago.
Do you go for all formats or try to stick more towards 33s or 45s or 78s?
My turntable doesn't have 78 speed so I only collect 33's and 45's.
GAMING FIRSTS
What was the first game you played and on what system and how old were you?
The first video game I ever played was Coleco's Electronic Quarterback. I got that in 1978 or 79 so I was 10 or 11. The first console I played was the Atari 2600. The game was maybe Combat or Asteroids, I was probably 13.
First console owned?
The Atari 2600. It was a gift from my parents when I made my Confirmation in 8th grade.
First game you bought yourself?
I think it was Starmaster for the 2600. I remember going to Service Merchandise to buy it.
What made you decide to buy that particular game?
That was 27 years ago. I have no idea.
First game you beat?
Strider for the NES. It was my first or second year of college and a joint effort between phoenix1967 and I. I remember we almost finished it in one night. We got stuck on a boss near the end. It took a few weeks to figure out the trick to take him out. We finished the rest of the game in short order after that.
First time you wanted to destroy something because of a game?
Well I've come close to smashing my Guitar Hero controller a few times but that's about it.
I am very behind in the times but i am sure there are still others out there who have not made the jump to either purchase a 360 or if you already own one to go wireless. This my friends is for you - I am stealing this from the review i did on the actual game page found here. More info at the bottom of the review.
Not much need for an overview on this bad boy.
Simple to hook up: clips on the back of the system then plugs into the USB port beneath it.
Just make sure if you have an ethernet cable plugged in your 360 remove it before plugging this in.
It has gotten pretty good reviews all over the web. Well this is not a good one this is a scathing one! And to be honest i don't see why ANYONE has had anything good to say about it!.
Congratulations MS you made a wireless adapter that works with your console! When 360 could have easily been wireless out of the box the Wii, PS3, DS, and PSP all were!
The hefty 100$ MSRP should have you thinking twice about picking this up when there are cheaper wireless alternatives on the market. Apparently MS originally had stated that only their Wireless adapter would work with the 360 but after i did some research on the web for 360 wireless alternatives I found there are many wireless options available for a much more affordable price.
Unless your an accessory collector and NEED to have something official this is not worth the price given there are so many worthwhile alternatives on the market.
RF Generation Review Score
FAIL*
*sorry for not putting a real score here I just felt that it didn't really deserve one. Outside of the fact that it does what it is supposed to do there are few to no redeeming factors of this piece of hardware.
Also i know this isn't really a review field. Get over it. I just enlightened you.
Ok so here is the more info part.
I have been unsuccessful thus far in getting my recently acquired Xbox360 connected to the internet.
Mostly due to the lack of access to a massive cat5 cable.
Which i thought would be solved by the even more recently picked up official wireless adapter.
Which refuses to find my network. Which is very frustrating(to say the least) since i had decided not to play anything on it till i could get it online first.
I will continue to try and figure out why i cannot pull in a wireless signal.
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