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DISCLAIMER: I made this entry to direct people on my YouTube Channel who were curious about who I am and what I do. That's all.
[img width=533 height=521]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/DarkTheThief/Ace_zpsia7vepiw.png[/img]
That's me in front of the TARDIS at a Comic Book Convention.
Hi there. If you've made it to this Blog Entry, then you likely came from my YouTube Channel's "About" Section, here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ReddMcKnight/about
If you were looking for information about me, you've found it, so here it is.
Name & Basic Info
I am Stuart, but my YouTube Moniker is ReddMcKnight. As of this entry, I am 28 Years Old, and I'm an Advanced Level Gamer. (Yes, there is a difference between Advanced and Expert.)
What I Do
Officially, I'm a Freelancer. I don't keep a steady job, instead choosing to do odd jobs. Online, I'm just a Gamer.
The Point of my YouTube Channel
I am not here to collect views or make money. I play what I want, when I want, and when my friend developed an interest in watching me play something to find his own game to play, it just sort of went from there. That said, I guess I just want Gamers to discover other games they may like too.
Genres
I will play almost any genre of game. The main question is, is it fun? Good or Bad according to moronic Critics is irrelevant. However, my favorite genre will, without a doubt, always be RPG. Fighting is a distant second.
The Best Game Ever & The Worst Game Ever
My favorite game of all time, Chrono Cross, is the best game ever. Nothing is ever going to top it. Without a doubt, the worst game ever is Rise of the Robots. Never has a game made me rage as bad as that one did.
Rage
I generally keep calm when playing games on YouTube Videos, but it's a different story when I'm not recording. I have an extreme temper when I screw up at a game repeatedly. I have yet to break any controllers or anything else in my anger yet.
The Battle Begins
I was born in 1988, and began gaming in 1990, with Super Mario Bros. on the NES. My Grandmother taught me the Way of the Game, and there is no doubt in my mind that I will be playing games until the day I pass.
The First Success
The first game I ever beat was The Magical Quest for SNES, back in 1995. Amazingly, I have never forgotten the feeling that came with that victory.
The War I Fight
One thing I take kind of personally is long wait times between sequels. That said, you've likely noticed that I post quite a few videos of Killer Instinct, targeting the villains of the game. The reason for this is that I loved Killer Instinct 2, so when the new one was released in 2013, I went nuts. I bought it the moment I was able to, and haven't stopped since. Once it's Story Mode was released, it was quickly made public that a secret final boss was found. When I couldn't beat it, I was pretty upset. One year later, I came back to it, and finally overcame the boss. At that point, something woke up within that said "This game is YOUR forte. You will become the best Single-Player Fighter in the State.", and the rest is history.
Misc. Info
There's not much to me, really. As you can see, I'm just a Gamer. I love to play games, and that is never going to change. Ever.
[img width=600 height=440]http://logoblink.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/atari-logo.jpg[/img]
Let me ask you something...if you had been the Boss of Atari in the 70s and 80s, what would you have done different, and do you think that it would have saved Atari as a Hardware Developer? Well, here's how I would have handled it...
DISCLAIMER: This entry is meant for humor (maybe...) and friendly discussion of how things could have been. Try not to take it too seriously. Also, if you happened to notice the time that this was posted, give me a break! It's late at night and I'm bored as hell! 
Right then...The first thing I would do is give credit to anyone who made a game for my company. Atari was notorious for not giving credit to game designers. In fact, Secret Quest's box says it's by Nolan Bushnell (Founder of Atari), but this is incorrect. It was actually programmed by Steve DeFrisco.
The next thing I would have done is allowed more time for games to be developed. This move would have probably made Pac-Man for the 2600 and E.T. into good, or at least decent games. These were just two of several games that were rushed out to my knowledge.
Third, I would have toned down the marketing attitude somewhat. While it's true that a Console and it's games NEED to be advertised in one way or another, why waste money on marketing entirely? Today, it costs over 1 Million US Dollars for 30 Seconds of Airtime during the Super Bowl. That's 1 Million Dollars that could have gone to funding better technology and games. Perhaps this is a minor point, but I still feel that it's relevant.
Next, I wouldn't have been a dick to my employees. This may sound harsh, but it's true. At one point, an employee called The Czar (Ray Kassar) called every Atari Programmer "High-Strung Prima Donnas". What a jerk! Another guy, Jack Tramiel, fired over 1000 Employees, including the CEO. Why he did this, I don't know, but it still seems rather much to me.
FIVE! Kill the idea of "Adult Games" right away! This clearly caused much controversy, and many problems for Atari. Despite being unlicensed, they still happened. I would have used all manner of means at my disposal to prevent them from appearing on my console.
Number Six! I'd make sure games were actually finished. There were plenty of games that were never finished or released for the 2600. Each one for it's own reasons, but if I start something, I expect to finish it one way or another. More on this idea, I'd have also spent a ton less money on that Swordquest Contest. I've read that Atari used REAL Jewels to make the prizes...WHY?! Who thought that was necessary?!
Problem Seven! The Supercharger! Okay...I like the Supercharger. It's cool, but it's short supported life was stupid, in my honest opinion. I feel that if more time was taken to learn it, and it used something OTHER than Cassette Tapes, it might have done so much better. I know options for media were limited back then, but I feel that, given enough time, CDs could have been officially utilized with it.
NUMBER NINE--(Coughs loudly)--...5200 Controllers! These things are pretty junky unless rebuilt. Also, the Number Pad is too much. I'd lose it. I could think of at least a couple ways that the Number Pad could have been made obsolete, but that's a minor issue. The big issue is the build quality of these devices. They're Prototypes were built so much better, and received favorable reception. So why then did Atari change them? I would have actually listened to the customer, and kept it the way it was.
Last, but not least...The Epilogue! Perhaps all this is very much easier said than done, but that certainly doesn't mean it's impossible. I feel that if these steps and more were taken, Atari could still be the Giant that it was back in the 80s today. Still, I could be wrong. Perhaps they were doomed from the start, I don't know. As the Tootsie-Pop Commercials say..."The World may never know."
Well, that's all for now. What are some steps that you would have taken in this matter?
Have you ever played a game that you didn't think much of at first, but then it ended up surprising you in such a way that you really enjoyed it? While this doesn't happen too often, it's quite enjoyable when it does. Here are the games that surprised me:
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst
[img width=319 height=450]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/DarkTheThief/63015725283611227758_zpsa1330cfb.jpg[/img]
I've never been too big on the Naruto Franchise, as I always thought it was kind of stupid (Seriously, what kind of Ninja wears ORANGE???). That being said, when my best friend told me to pick up this game, I was skeptical, but there are times when I trust his judgement better than my own, so I figured, why not, and for the love of Chrono Cross, was I glad I did. This game is amazing. As a fighting game, it's unlike any other, preferring to use a full 3D battlefield instead of the usual 2D. You can move anywhere on the field at will, use deception to fight your opponents, and even break out of they're attacks with ease. I am so glad my buddy talked me into buying this, as I had already finished Killer Instinct, and I needed a new fighter to play.
Phantom Brave
[img width=640 height=908]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/DarkTheThief/phantom-brave_zpseb087978.jpg[/img]
There's an interesting story behind this one: I've always enjoyed Anime, and games that are drawn as such. That being said, when I saw an ad for this one in a Shonen Jump Magazine(?), I was shocked, as I could find no Game Console Logo on the ad, nor could I find any kind of description indicating if this was an Anime or not. Our Internet was practically nonexistent at the time, so I had to get creative to get information on this one. Eventually, I did figure out that it was a PS2 Game, so I bought it right away. At the time, I didn't really like SRPGs, so I was pretty mad when I found that this was one. Still, I played it, and I ended up loving it. It had to be the Story (at first), and later, the unique strategy gameplay.
Outrun
[img width=338 height=480]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/DarkTheThief/Out-Run-Sega-Master-System-__zps3fd09f63.jpg[/img]
I don't remember when I learned about Outrun, but as I recall, I read that it was a "Driving" Game, as opposed to a racing game. This intrigued me, so when I got a Sega Master System, it was one of the first games that I bought. When I started it up, I learned what it meant when I read that it was a driving game. You simply have to reach a goal within the time limit, passing by obstacles to do it. Unfortunately, it's a lot harder than it sounds, but it's definitely a fun game.
Dance Dance Revolution Extreme
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Before I actually played this game, I was well aware of it's existence, but being that I'm kind of big, I never played it, as I figured that I might get hurt or something. One day, I saw a friend playing it, and the catchy J-Pop Music caught my attention. The gameplay itself is tiring and repetitive, so it was definitely the music that drew me in. I got very tired from playing it, but wouldn't stop, as I wanted to hear every song in it. Ultimately, I'm glad I gave it a try, as the Music is indeed really good, but what do you expect from a game about Music? Heh.
Well, those are the games that have surprised me. Which ones have caught your attention when you thought they wouldn't?
Back in the day, Video Games were heavily advertised through TV. Today, not so much. Today, I'm here to show you my favorites. Here we go!
Pac-Man (Atari 2600)
Super Mario RPG (Super Famicom)
Genesis Does!
Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo)
Pokemon Red and Blue (Gameboy)
Well, that's all. I actually enjoy a lot more than this, but I didn't want to take up too much space.
So, you want to hear a Story, eh? One about Stealth, Deception, Guns, Elves, Orcs, and a Cyber Matrix? Then you've come to the right place. Where to begin...
Shadowrun was developed and published by FASA Corporation from 1989 until early 2001, when FASA closed its doors and the property was transferred to WizKids, which was founded by people from FASA. It started as a Tabletop RPG.
The Shadowrun world is cross-genre, incorporating elements of both cyberpunk and urban fantasy. Unlike in a purely cyberpunk game, in the Shadowrun world, magic returns in 2011. Among other things, this causes humankind to split into subtypes, also known as metatypes. Some of these metatypes take the form of common fantasy races. Likewise, some animals have turned into familiar monsters of past fantasy and lore and both monsters and human magicians have regained magical powers. By the second half of the 21st century, in the time the game is set, these events are accepted as commonplace. Man, machine, and magic exist in a world where the amazing is among the most common and technology has entered into every facet of human (and metahuman) life.
There's more to Shadowrun though. It also had 4 Video Game releases, each one being developed by a different company:
1993 Shadowrun (Beam Software, SNES)
1994 Shadowrun (BlueSky Software, Genesis/Mega Drive)
1996 Shadowrun (Group SNE, Sega/Mega CD)
2007 Shadowrun (FASA Interactive, PC and Xbox 360)
Each game, being developed by different companies, had very different Gameplay, with the Genesis Version being cited as being closest to the original Tabletop RPG. It's also my personal favorite. Anyway, here's a brief synopsis for each game.
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The first Shadowrun Game was released for the SNES, and it...it wasn't very good, at least not in my opinion. I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. It felt like I should be playing with a SNES Mouse, as opposed to a controller. I couldn't even get past the beginning. It does however, have the honor of being the first Shadowrun Video Game, so I guess that's something...maybe.
[img width=640 height=897]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a136/DarkTheThief/366854_57114_front.jpg[/img]
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Now we're talking! This is my favorite game in the series, and for good reason! As I mentioned before, this one is the most faithful to the Tabletop RPG, and it's just plain fun to play! I can't say enough good things about this game! I wish it hadn't ended! Plenty of sidequests, a cool main quest, some good gameplay variety, and then some! I would rant on, but it would take forever, so I won't.
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Shadowrun for the Se...Mega CD. Why the Mega CD? Because it was only released in Japan. I know absolutely NOTHING about this game, nor could I find any screenshots for it. Sorry about that.
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Several years after the release of the Mega CD Version of Shadowrun, it returned to the Video Game world for one more round, this time as an FPS. For whatever reason, many people absolutely hate this game, but I thought it was pretty cool myself, and it's not like it's unfun. Thanks to it's unfair judgement though, it was the last Video Game in the series. Stupid critics. They probably didn't play the game for 5 Minutes before casting judgement on it.
So, what happened to the Shadowrun Tabletop RPG? As far as I know, it's been struggling for sales lately. I doubt it's even being made anymore, which is pretty sad. There was also supposed to be another Shadowrun Video Game in the 90s, but it was cancelled.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading!
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