Despite discussion regarding its relevance, E3 is still a magical place where the rumors meet the road. The big show is nearly upon us as the game industry gathers in Los Angeles to show off the big titles for the upcoming year. This year looks to be no exception with a slew of expected reveals and hopefully some out of left field. I've written down my E3 2017 expectations and predictions for what I'm most excited about and I would love to hear your predictions.
Thatgamecompany is responsible for some of the most beautiful and serene video games I've ever played. Starting with the simplistic, petri dish-esque flOw, and finishing with the desert exploration of Journey, their games have gotten a little more complex with each title, but still maintain a masterful balance of minimalistic controls, stunning visuals, and emotional impact that, in my humble opinion, has yet to be matched. However, while Journey may be the fan favorite, and is completely deserving of every accolade heaped upon it, for me personally, it's thatgamecompany's middle title, Flower, that stands above the others.
With large vistas of lush, green fields and what may be the best use of the PS3's ill-fated Sixxaxis motion controls ever, it remains my favorite game to play when I've had a stressful day and need to relax while letting all my cares melt away, even now, eight years after its initial release. A large part of this is due to its wonderful soundtrack, which I'd like to highlight in our second episode of RF Jamz.
Recently my city held it's third annual Fan Convention. Each year I've had the pleasure of setting up and running the gaming area. It's a lot of work, and honestly I'd rather just attend the event as a patron and fully enjoy it. However, this year, I have more staff and experience doing this kind of thing than ever before, so I got to spend a bit more time than I have in the past experiencing the convention. I still had to work my butt off leading up to the event and during the prime times, but was able to explore a lot more than in previous years.
[img width=700 height=393]http://i.imgur.com/iVy5wqM.jpg[/img] Where the NeoMagicWarrior magic happens...hey, I'm talking about video game magic you sicko!
Welcome to the first installment of my new series where we take a look at some of our site members gaming spaces! I was overjoyed by the excited messages that I got from several of our members regarding this project and I hope that it will not only entertain, but make us closer as a community. I had several great ideas for titles for this series (thanks to bickman2k for the main inspiration), and I had a good number of members asking to be featured in upcoming months. Rest assured, if you contacted me or posted in the comments section regarding featuring your game room, I have you on my list and will contact you when your name is up.
During this series, I hope that you gain some new perspectives on game room and console set ups, storage ideas, and an insight on what makes each space work for its owner. And who knows, you may even want to steal borrow some ideas to implement in your game room, or future gaming area. I hope that you will participate in the comments section and interact with each owner by asking them questions or discussing the features that you like.
**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.**
When the Nintendo Switch was first revealed, I actually gave it a fair amount of thought. It was strange for me to even consider, since I've been a primarily-PC gamer for such a long time. But the more thought I gave it, the more I realized that I wasn't actually all that interested in the games themselves. It was just the idea of having a new portable toy. And so I passed. The truth is that I don't actually do much gaming "on the go." So really, the bulk of my portable gaming is actually done in my house - usually on the couch with the TV on in the background. But having said that, I do like having the option.
I've dabbled with many Android based portable devices over the years; ranging from low end cheapies like Amazon's Kindle Fire to upper-end "powerhouses" like Nvidia's Shield (which the Switch's own hardware is based on). But ultimately, I'm always drawn to the idea of gaming on a Windows-based device. Perhaps the biggest reason is that I already have a rather gigantic collection of PC games. And thanks to cloud saves, it's easy to share a game between desktop and tablet. It's just a matter of figuring out what will play nice on a Windows tablet.
Back in 2006, a game known as Prey was released for the Xbox 360 and PC. While it was met with positive critical reception, it has been mostly forgotten about over the 10 years since its release. Truth be told, I rented Prey back when it first came out, but I was very hasty to decide that I didn't like it and returned the game without investing much time into it. I have always wanted to go back and give the game a proper try since it contains some unique gameplay mechanics, but I have never owned a copy and likely wouldn't have gotten around to it even if I did.
Fast forward to June 2016, a reboot of Prey was shown at E3, and I was immediately intrigued by the trailer. It instantly reminded me of the original Half-Life, one of my all-time favorite games. It also contained glimpses of some very interesting gameplay mechanics that I was excited to experience for myself. Since this new game is not a proper sequel to the original, I had no qualms about jumping right in without playing the original. Make no mistake about it, this new Prey has virtually nothing in common with the original Prey from 2006, save for the name and a general sci-fi theme.
RimWorld is an early access game developed by Ludeon Studios that has been available for purchase since 2013. Updates are steady, if a bit slow at times. It is the winner of multiple Indie Game of the Year awards for 2016, despite being in early access alpha, so there has to be something to this unfinished game, right? While I'm sure most by now have long been turned away from the idea of early access, there are still exceptions where games have plenty of content. Whether or not the content is polished or finished is another question. For Rimworld, each implementation of new features with every major update are actually functional, if a bit buggy for a few days post-release. RimWorld is in many ways easier to digest than Dwarf Fortress, and while Dwarf Fortress' simplistic graphics, archaic UI, high learning curve, and incredible depth are bound to turn off most would be players, RimWorld's simplistic art style at least adds flavor and something to look at.
Dark Souls is a game series that many people have very strong opinions about. Tons of people (including myself) love the game, and praise it's innovation in an otherwise stagnant triple-A gaming world. Others despise it, claiming it is "too hard" or not intuitive enough for the normal gamer to jump into. Whatever your stance on it may be, here is a list of mechanics that, for me, are entirely unenjoyable in an otherwise amazing game series.
Video game technology is taking us to a somewhat lamentable place, where physical demos of games are fewer and farther between than they were in the 1990's when I was growing up. Even though digital demos and game samples will probably always exist, many gamers miss the days of physical demo discs which were filled with playable demos, videos, or some other goodies related to upcoming releases. Even as I grow further away from an obsession with physical media, I can definitely look back fondly on the days of the physical demo discs of the fifth and sixth console generations. I still have many of these demo discs in my collection, and one in particular whips up so much nostalgia in me that it is one of the prized possessions I have.
Final Fantasy IV is one of the most important JRPGs to grace the console market, and would go on to shape the cinematic direction of developer Square's flagship Final Fantasy series for decades. It wasn't my first RPG, but it was the first for me where story primarily drove the game, and was the first to feature a knockout and memorable ending sequence. Despite this, I haven't played the game in nearly a decade (and not completed it in almost twelve years). So, won't you join me, my friends, as I re-experience Final Fantasy IV for the first time in years?
[img width=700 height=154]https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--JF1KmUjd--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/778735090321646113.png[/img] Pic from Kotaku and about a million bookmarks
Approximately a million years ago in Internet time, I wrote an article intended as a sort of clarion call about losing our gaming history. You can dust off the electrons and find it here.
This weekend, two events reminded me of that article. The first was reading about how Alan Wake, the Remedy developed atmospheric action game, was about to be delisted from digital sale from Steam and Xbox Live storefront due to music licensing issues. When smaller titles are released in only the digital format, they occasionally disappear and the lost content may be lamented on an equally small scale. (Not to claim irrelevance, just the level of awareness.) To have a decently successful IP such as Alan Wake become unavailable for purchase seven years after release may still seem pretty reasonable in our gaming economy. Every game goes out of print eventually, right?
Join RF Generation Playcast hosts, Rich (singlebanana), Shawn (GrayGhost81), and YouTuber, RF Generation and Cartridge Club member, and co-host of the Retro Fandango podcast, Kevin (BuriedOnMars) as they discuss a big league developer's title that has a very indie look and feel. This month's Playcast ventures into a magnificent, limbo-like world of fantasy where a young lady struggles to get back to the world of the living and save her dying father. In this month's podcast, we take an in-depth look at Ubisoft's Child of Light. This title has received overwhelming praise from reviewers, but is it a meal fit for our finicky co-hosts' palates? What mechanics make the gameplay of this super, compact RPG so distinct? And even though they all scream, does anyone actually get any ice cream? The answers to these questions and many more in this episode of the RF Generation Playcast!
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!
Today I'm hitting up the Compile shooters again! Compile has made a lot of great games, and released them for many consoles. This one is M.U.S.H.A. on Sega Genesis. I go over the mechanics, weapon choices, level design, boss fights and its kick-ass soundtrack! Will this game replace my beloved Gun-Nac as my favorite Compile shooter?
Welcome back members to the May 2017 edition of RF Generation's Site News! In this issue, we announce June's community playthrough game, provide you with the latest info for Retro World Expo 2017, and of course, thank those members who sent in submissions to our site and registered approvals during the month of April. Thanks for tuning in to this edition of the Site News!
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! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[img width=350 height=576]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-231/bf/U-231-S-00010-A.jpg[/img] The box art can't even begin to intimate how beautiful this game is.
Ah, The Legend of Zelda series. Legendary to most, and rightfully so, though not for everyone. I consider myself among the uneducated, when it comes to the adventures of Link (sorry, pun intended). I had very little exposure to the original game in the series, as my friends didn't all have it, and it wasn't a good coop or competitive game, so it fell to the wayside in favor of Double Dragon, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Dr. Mario, among many others. One of my acquaintances from school had The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventures of Link that we messed around with once or twice, but with the short sword range and tricky combat, we never got very far the 2-3 times we played it together. As mentioned in my review of Link's Awakening, I've never been a "Zelda guy" in any sense. I bought Link's Awakening DX as a new release for the Game Boy Color, played it some and shelved it because I didn't understand the nature of the puzzles. I played and enjoyed Ocarina of Time on my brother-in-law's N64, but didn't finish it due to not having access. My first real foray into the series was the 2016 RF Generation play-through of the original game. I fell in love with it, and that led me to finally playing through the only original Game Boy outing in the series, linked above (minor pun intended). After anticipating the release of the Nintendo Switch, it only seemed natural that my newfound love of the Zelda franchise would culminate in playing the newly released Breath of the Wild, right?
