Fun fact: the theme song to this movie actually became fairly popular in the dance club scene in the 90s
For our second entry of RF Cinema, I wanted to go with one based on an actual video game, so why not go with one of the best? Released in August of 1995, less than a year after Mortal Kombat 3 was unleashed in arcades, the Mortal Kombat movie hit theaters at the height of the series' popularity. Millions of young gamers, myself included, couldn't get enough of the dark, bloody fighting that Ed Boon and John Tobias had cooked up. I distinctly remember making friends at my local Aladdin's Castle and pouring over cheat sheets we'd made to remember each character's moves, fatalities, and combos. We even started selling them to other arcade-goers, promising free updates as more and more of the move combinations were discovered.
The movie couldn't have come at a better time. My friends and I met up at the arcade and all carpooled to the theater to watch the cartoonish violence brought to life. It was dumb, it was ridiculous, and it was amazing.
In some forms of media, the word “remake” can be a scary thing. In the realm of Video Games though that word is often embraced and encouraged. In fact, the word "remake" often doesn’t do this “new” release justice, so many sub-catergories have been created to better describe a new version of an old favorite. You may have heard terms such as: Port, Enhanced Port, HD Remake, Re-Release, Localization, Director’s Cut, Compilation, Backwards Compatibility, Virtual Console, Emulation, Complete Edition, Game of the Year Edition, Legendary Edition, Demake, and so many others people use to better describe the type of experience you can expect from an impending release.
Despite trying to stay more up-to-date with new games this year, a little game known as Hellblade snuck out under my radar. I remember eventually seeing the game's store page on Steam, but after quickly glossing over it, I dismissed Hellblade as a generic hack & slash game. Once it went on sale, I gave the game another look, and noticed that it has more elements of psychological horror that definitely intrigued me. I purchased the game and didn't wait long to start playing it, and I'm glad to say that my initial impression of 'generic hack & slash game' couldn't have been more wrong.
Welcome to the seventh edition of our game room series where we take a look at some of our site members gaming spaces! This month we are featuring longtime site member and loyal playthrough participant, douglie007. I had asked Doug to participate a few months ago, but soon after he agreed, I received the news no collector wants to hear, "Hey man, my game room was flooded..." I know that Doug has taken on some loss to his collection of around 9,000 items (yes, 9,000!), but I'm happy to report that he is bouncing back.
Join us as we explore douglie007's gaming space, learn more about how and what he collects, and how he makes his space work for his gaming needs.
**If you are a member and have a game room or gaming area that you would like to share, please send a PM to singlebanana and I will add you to our list.**
Every once in a while, a title comes along and really surprises you...really makes you want to play it start to finish. Golf Story on the Nintendo Switch somehow became one of those games. Golf Story is a golf/RPG hybrid game done in a pixel art style, but that barely starts to describe the adventure you are about to go on.
As a longtime fan of the Yakuza series, I was as excited as I was perplexed by the announcement and release in 2011 and 2012 of Yakuza: Dead Souls. Much like Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, the game is a zombie laden, non-canonical side adventure using characters and locations from the main series of games. Dead Souls takes place after the events of Yakuza 4. It is interesting to note that the release of the game was delayed after the earthquake and tsunami of 2011 in Japan, as the game depicts real-life Japanese cities in a state of ruin.
Once upon a time, the strongest desire of most gamers was to duplicate what they played in the arcade on a home console. In this fashion, one could say that arcades ruled the jungles of electronic video game entertainment. While complete faithfulness to the arcade original was the holy grail, it was certainly not a requirement, though individual interpretation on the quality of the port was certainly debated, especially in the playgrounds and hallways of schools.
Today I submit three more titles for your enjoyment; two I truly love more than the arcade originals, and one that I would rather suffer (another) head injury than play on a home console.
[img width=700 height=532]http://assets.vg247.com/current//2014/06/ds_eds_games_trash.jpg[/img] pic from vg247. I'd dive in there like Scrooge McDuck.
I remember when eBay was a new thing. In the wake of a fresh and burgeoning public internet, with dial-up squeals and stilted page updates, the world suddenly felt connected in a new and unprecedented way. It didn't take long for me to use this powerful collection of advanced tools to finally achieve a feat that had eluded me for what felt like forever:
I tracked down the import Final Fantasy IV soundtrack CD.
Spent way too much, in hind sight. Didn't we all, the first time we realized we could bid on objects that had tantalized our imaginations? Or replace that lost childhood toy? Or prove that yes, Song of the South really exists but only on withered VHS tapes? Before it became a store, in its infancy eBay felt like an untapped treasure trove, that fabled yard sale where everybody found something they were looking for.
But this isn't about eBay. It is about what that described moment represents; connecting with a lost treasure, or finding a new one. Few gamers over thirty wouldn't stop and look at a pristine collection of rare games from a few decades ago, if just to reminisce or wonder about what was never played. Games back then represented a thing to buy and savor, from mining every secret and technique to staying up with a buddy to beat each other's high scores. Before they were services, video games were products to own.
Next to Tetris, Lemmings may have been one of the most ubiquitous puzzle games around in the 1990s. First released for the Amiga in 1991, it was ported almost everywhere - NES, DOS, Genesis, 3DO, Atari ST, and a dozen other systems. This review looks at the Super Nintendo version specifically.
Aside from a looking at the gameplay, I also go into a bit of the dark history about the myth of lemming mass suicide, on which the game mechanics are based, where it came from, and the major corporation that perpetuated it.
This October included some more back-to-back love for the PS4 as hosts, Rich (singlebanana) and Shawn (GrayGhost81), once again fired up their newly acquired systems and played through Supermassive Games interactive, survival horror title, Until Dawn. In this episode, the guys discuss the gameplay, the story, the characters, the game's graphics and environments, and whether this game truly offers the player as much freedom of "choice" as it seems to advertise. Which endings did the guys get and were they able to save the characters they liked most? What did they think about the game's ending(s)? Would they recommend this game to others? And what's with their love of snarky women? The answers to these questions and many more in this month's episode of the RF Generation Playcast. You won't want to miss it!
As always, we are happy to hear your thoughts on this game on our discussion page (linked below). We will respond to your comments and are always happy to discuss the game more. We hope you enjoy our show. Please be sure to rate and write a review of the show on iTunes to help us increase our listenership. Thanks for the listen!
Here's Episode 006 of my Dramatic Readings! series. This episode is all about the Game Boy launch title, Alleyway! Nintendo's simple paddle & ball game, based on one of their earliest video game attempts, brings the basic formula to the small screen. Is this game a breakout success, or does it drop the ball into the void? Watch and find out!
On October 26th 2000, Sony released the juggernaut known as the PlayStation 2. PlayStation 2 or PS2 collecting has started to pick up with many collector's actively trying for a full set. In this edition of Collector's Corner, we will take a look at some of the more collectable US Special Editions and Collector's Editions for the PS2 and come up with a general idea of what you should pay.
We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you this month's edition of RF Generation's Site News! In this issue, we announce our December community competition and of course, thank those members who sent in submissions to our site and registered approvals during the month of October. We are changing our submission "focus" again, so stay tuned to the end of our broadcast for more details. Thanks for keeping it on Channel 3!
REMEMBER: If you have any news about upcoming events or topics that you think the site needs to hear about, please PM singlebanana and put "RFG Site News" in the subject line. Who knows, maybe your news will make our front page!
As the first entry in the new RF Cinema video game movie discussion, Brainscan made for a great October watch and those who participated in the conversation really seemed to enjoy it. For those who missed it, join us as we recap the film itself and the comments it inspired, won't you?
And don't worry, I'll keep this article spoiler-free.
