tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1412882284913538282024-03-05T15:55:23.913-08:00That Nerd GuyMrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-3489597473045466192011-11-07T12:47:00.001-08:002012-04-05T22:25:02.984-07:00MW3 ReviewSo, this happened to fall into my lap recently, and I spent the entire weekend playing it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/304130_270802469629223_100000984153168_816968_2031516908_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/304130_270802469629223_100000984153168_816968_2031516908_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street dates, they have been broken</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anyways, I figured that since this game drops at midnight tonight, and major review outlets won't be posting their reviews until then, that I would write my own little review on this year's entry in the ever popular Call of Duty series.<br />
<br />
Now, before I start, I feel I should make a few things clear. Months ago, I was anything but excited for Modern Warfare 3. Nothing I saw interested me. E3 came and went, complete with a live demo of the game during Microsoft's press conference, and I could have cared less. Same went for the Call of Duty XP event, where they unveiled the game's much touted multiplayer mode. It seemed that absolutely nothing could get me on the hype train for this game. But then, I saw this...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/AdKgDVruHfo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Oh ya, these games have a single player component, and damn good ones at that (At least IW does)<br />
<br />
So in the span of 4 months I went from having absolutely no interest in this game, to getting it before the official release date (11-8-11, just in case you have managed to avoid the media assault).<br />
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Now, for the real question. Is this game actually any good, or will I be standing in line at a midnight release to go trade it in?<br />
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<b>Presentation</b><br />
While it may not be the prettiest game out there, Infinity Ward's latest iteration of the IW engine, IW 5.0, manages to produce great looking visuals and and spectacular effects, all while maintaining a buttery smooth 60 frames per second. The single-player mode is full of grand action set pieces (as is expected from these games), and even while you call in an airstrike while enemy armor is shelling you in a city that is literally falling apart all around you, the game is still keeping that fps count locked. In multiplayer mode, the HUD has been cleaned up a bit. No longer do accomplishments like leveling up take up center screen, now they are put off to the side of the screen so they aren't a distraction. Also, now there is a spot in the HUD that shows your current pointstreak (the new name for killstreaks) along with your rewards.<br />
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<b>Singleplayer</b><br />
I know what you're thinking, "Who plays the campaign for these games anymore?". Well, if you don't care about the single player, go sit in the corner quietly while I talk to those that do. After the clusterf**k that was the MW2 campaign, MW3 certainly redeems itself. It still has all the explosive action of a Michael Bay movie, while remaining (somewhat) competent. Weighing in at around 6 hours, it's a short ride that is fun while it lasts.<br />
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And for those wondering, no, this is not going to be Stay Frosty: Oscar Mike 3: Frost do Everything<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/16849_425546385018_425540355018_10874617_2922182_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/16849_425546385018_425540355018_10874617_2922182_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RAMIREZ! USE THIS BLUNT PENCIL TO TAKE OUT THAT BTR!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Spec-Ops</b><br />
Back for round 2 is the cooperative Spec-Ops mode, but this time around it's broken up into two parts. One part is the Spec-Ops you know and love from MW2, where you complete arcade style challenges to earn stars. Not much has changed here, so if you enjoyed it the last time around, you enjoy it again, if not.....well, there's always multiplayer. The other part of Spec-Ops is the new Survival mode, where you and a friend work together to combat endless waves of enemies on any of the games multiplayer maps, similar to the fan favorite Zombies mode from the Treyarch COD games. While the odds may be stacked against you, both you and your friend have access to machines that allow you to purchase weapons, weapon upgrades, airstrikes, perks, and the like. However, this all comes with a catch, you have to be a high enough level to get the stuff. See, a new twist with Spec-Ops is that it has a level system. Similar to multiplayer, you have to play more an level up in order to access bigger and better weapons, airstrikes, and perks. Survival mode is a blast to play, and my only problem with it is that you can only have 2 people playing as opposed to 4 like in the Zombie modes of WaW and BO, but it's understandable considering some of the multiplayer maps aren't as big as the fully opened up Zombie maps.<br />
<br />
<b>Multiplayer</b><br />
And now for the one mode that thousands upon thousands of people buy this game for. I have to say that there have been quite a few tweaks to the formula. The most noticeable of all is the addition of Strike Packages, which groups the pointstreaks into the areas of Assault or Support, or a third package, Specialist, that gives you perks instead of streak rewards. The Assault package,which most players will probably stick to, has mostly offensive streak bonuses like predators, chopper gunners, and the AC-130, and resets after each death. The Support package has streak bonuses that benefit the team, like ballistic vests, an advanced UAV (Blackbird), and an EMP. The main thing about the support package is that when you die, your counter does not reset, it keeps going until you reach you max pointstreak, and then resets. While I did not get a chance to play all the new maps, there were things I did notice on the ones I did play. There seem to be fewer places to camp from, which also means you need to pick your hiding spot carefully if you want to call in a streak reward that takes control away from you. Also, I have yet to see any wide open maps similar to Wasteland that can be dominated by snipers, which I'll consider to be a good thing. For the most part, there are a lot of things being done right here, and why fix what isn't (completely) broken?<br />
Now, one thing that bothered me was that whenever I got gunned down, I would respawn, turn the corner, and see either the guy that killed me, or someone else from the enemy team. It may have just been me, but if it is a problem, hopefully it gets sorted out in the next few weeks. Another thing that seemed a bit strange was that Assault Package pointstreaks would reset after reaching the top reward, similar to the Support Package. Now, this wouldn't be that big of a deal if it weren't for the fact that they have returned to allowing streak bonus kills to count towards the next streak bonus. I can easily an entire match being dominated by a single person that has pointstreak bonuses that rack up a lot of kills, allowing them to continue earning more and more bonuses.<br />
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All in all, this seems to be a solid entry. There are a few issues, but nothing that should really be gamebreaking. Hopefully this doesn't devolve into the glitchy madness that MW2 turned into weeks after its release.<br />
<br />
I give it a 9/10MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-79876487648412495912011-05-05T12:14:00.000-07:002011-05-05T12:14:48.952-07:00The Dog Days of SummerSummer, a time for relaxation.<br />
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No school, no homework, and tons of time (at least for those in school).<br />
<br />
For me, summer officially started yesterday (hooray for college!), but some of the younger people out there still have at least another month to go.<br />
<br />
Anyways, summer is a great time to go out and have fun with friends, but it is not a good time for gamers.<br />
<br />
Between the months of June and August, good new releases are few and far in between. This summer sees the release of LoZ: Ocarina of Time 3DS, Duke Nukem Forever, and InFamous 2. Now that's better than some years past, but those all happen in the same month, which means nothing until late August or September.<br />
<br />
What summer IS good for though, is catching up on backlog of games. For my summer, I plan to finish Red Dead Redemption, Fallout 3 and New Vegas, Final Fantasy XIII, and a whole bunch of my older games.<br />
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So how about you guys? What do you plan on finishing up this summer?MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-77485295785177633582011-05-02T14:07:00.000-07:002011-05-02T14:07:30.768-07:00Sequelitis: A Growing Epidemic"What? They've accidentally revealed the next Assassins Creed game?"<br />
<br />
"That's awesome! I can't wait to play AC3 and see how the series ends!"<br />
<br />
"Wait.....you mean......"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/assassins-creed-revelations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://attackofthefanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/assassins-creed-revelations.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"FFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yep, if Revelations turns out to be a full fledged game and not some side game like the DS and PSP entries, then Assassins Creed will have officially been stricken with a disease that befalls most popular original IPs (Intellectual Properties).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Sequelitis</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"></span></b></div><a name='more'></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Now, for those that don't know, Assassins Creed was originally planned to just be a trilogy, but now that Brotherhood has come and ANOTHER non-numbered game is in the works, Ubisoft is coming dangerously close to potentially ruining the series. What started as something fresh and new has now started to show its wear. There was a two year time frame between the releases of Assassins Creed 1 and 2, but Brotherhood was out a year after 2, and now it seems like Revelations will be out later this year, making it another yearly release. Now, I do like the Assassins Creed series, and maybe Revelations will change up the character and locale, but there is a term that people use for things like this.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">How can I miss you if you won't go away?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Yearly releases are a double-edged sword. On one hand, you get more of a game you like in a shorter amount of time, but on the other hand, the quality suffers, and eventually it seems like you're playing the same game you've been playing the last few iterations. Let's take a look at some of the more well-known offenders.</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Guitar Hero</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2d/Guitarhero-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2d/Guitarhero-cover.jpg" width="141" /></a><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a6/Gh_wor_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a6/Gh_wor_cover.jpg" width="161" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, I've been with Guitar Hero since the beginning. I spent a good part of my Freshman year of high school clacking along to the so-so covers of No One Knows and Sharp Dressed Man on my plastic Gibson SG, and I loved every minute of it. And as time went on, I picked up each new iteration and watched as the series became a rockstar in itself. I watched Guitar Hero become an overnight success, then watched as it began to fail, hard. You could honestly call Guitar Hero the Guns n' Roses of gaming. Guitar Hero stopped being good after 3 (which is a stretch), and every game that came afterward (with the exception of GH Metallica) just didn't have the same kind of "feel" as the earlier entries, mostly due to lack of innovation. It also didn't help the Activision called for numerous sequels to be released in one year. 2009 saw the release of 7 Hero games (including DJ and Band Hero). That is ridiculous. 6 years and 17 games later, Guitar was officially canned by Activision due to low profits.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Madden NFL</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3c/John_madden_football.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3c/John_madden_football.jpg" width="153" /></a><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/Madden_11_Drew_Brees_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4b/Madden_11_Drew_Brees_cover.jpg" width="162" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Madden series was started in 1988, and since 1990, there has been a Madden Football release EVERY SINGLE YEAR. Now, granted, that was excusable in the 90's. Back then, the only way to update a game was to put out a new entry. Now, with the advent of digital distribution and downloadable content, there is no reason why EA can't just put out a roster update and continue try to improve more on the next game in the series. The first Madden game released for a new console will be just like the last Madden game that console will have released for it. Perhaps EA needs a failure on the scale of NBA Elite 11 to get the hint that more time needs to be spent on the game?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2010/12/nba-elite-11-jesus-glitch-530w_229x128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2010/12/nba-elite-11-jesus-glitch-530w_229x128.jpg" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jesus Christ Pose!</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And I've saved the best for last</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Call of Duty</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/41/Codbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/41/Codbox.jpg" width="139" /></a><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/CoD_Black_Ops_cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/02/CoD_Black_Ops_cover.png" width="140" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What started as critically acclaimed PC game has become an unstoppable juggernaut in the gaming industry that has spawned countless imitators. But, the series didn't really take off with console gamers until the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It was a breath of fresh air in a genre dominated by numerous WWII shooters, and it became the best selling game in the series at the time. Activision took notice. Now, for the last 4 years, we have gotten what amounts to reskinned versions of COD 4.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/811/811393/call-of-duty-4-modern-warfare-20070807114548220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/811/811393/call-of-duty-4-modern-warfare-20070807114548220.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/107/1079800/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2-20100325073836696.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://xboxlivemedia.ign.com/xboxlive/image/article/107/1079800/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2-20100325073836696.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/927/927778/call-of-duty-world-at-war-20081106024821779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/927/927778/call-of-duty-world-at-war-20081106024821779.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/113/1133005/call-of-duty-black-ops-20101108055424304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/113/1133005/call-of-duty-black-ops-20101108055424304.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All of these kids are just like the others!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While the locations may change, we have been getting the exact same game engine since COD 4. The same BS kills, the same crappy hit detection, the same online lag, all because they don't have the time to make a new engine from scratch. Sure, Infinity Ward and Treyarch may trade off development duties with each title, but that still doesn't change the fact that the same game still gets put out every year. Now, it may be fun, but anyone will get sick of the same thing if they have it for too long. This series is crying out for some kind of innovation, but I'm afraid it is never going to get it at this rate. Maybe if Modern Warfare 3 ends up failing, due to the mass firings/leavings at Infinity Ward and having 3 developers working on the game, they'll try to rework the series, but I doubt it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This has been a PSA on Sequelitis. Hope you enjoyed it!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</a>MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-14255954676896059382011-04-29T13:29:00.001-07:002012-04-05T22:24:31.457-07:00Portal 2: GOTY or GTFO?It has been over a week since the much anticipated release of Portal 2, and now that the laser focus of the gaming community is on <a href="http://pressaforbacon.blogspot.com/2011/04/it-only-does-identity-theft.html">other matters right now</a>, we can take a look at how the biggest thing since sliced bread stacked up to the hype.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f9/Portal2cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f9/Portal2cover.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><br />
For those of you that have been living in caves for the past year or so, Portal 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to the surprise hit of 2007, Portal, a game that was originally bundled with the Orange Box due to fears that the game would not be well received and therefore not sell. For this I will only be talking about the single-player campaign, as the person I was planning on doing co-op with is currently suffering at the hands of the PSN outage, and lacks a decent computer to run his free PC copy. Hopefully once that mess gets sorted out we can get to that part and I can put up a review of that.<br />
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Alright, now to get to the meat of this.<br />
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Story<br />
Considering Valve's track record with the Half-Life series, it comes as no surprise that the story of Portal 2 is very well written. GLaDOS returns complete with her charm and pitch-black sense of humor, and even the new characters, such as Wheatly and Aperture founder Cave Johnson (voice only), seem right at home with the style of the game. The game will have you laughing from the start, and will keep you laughing all the way to the very end. There are even plenty of surprises and twists that will keep you hooked until the finale.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/116/1162215/portal-2-20110415070050069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/116/1162215/portal-2-20110415070050069.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Your trusty sidearm</div><br />
Gameplay<br />
If you've played the original Portal, you should know the basics. Plant portals in strategic locations to get yourself and objects from point A to point B. Now, the new elements, such as the light bridges and the gels, add a lot more depth to the puzzles. For example, need to cross a large gap, but can't use portals to get to the other side? No problem, just use your Portals to redirect some propulsion gel and cover the ramp. Then use the speed boost the gel gives you to launch off the ramp and across the room. The puzzles are much more complex than they were in the original game, but they are never so hard to figure out that you need to use a walkthrough. Just survey the situation, and eventually that "a-ha!" moment will hit, and you'll feel like an idiot for not seeing it in the first place.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/116/1162215/portal-2-20110415070032366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/116/1162215/portal-2-20110415070032366.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fun with light!</div><br />
Graphics<br />
Now, I have the PC version, so I can't speak for the consoles on this, but I'll say that this game looks very nice on max settings. Not Crysis nice (like anything can touch that), but a lot nicer than the original Portal. Valve is certainly making good use of the Source engine here. All of the environments are well detailed, and there is great use of lighting. Even the fluid effects on the gels look great.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/116/1162215/portal-2-20110415070042366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/116/1162215/portal-2-20110415070042366.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Wheatly!</div><br />
Now, contrary to what <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/portal-2/user-reviews?dist=negative">some may say</a>, the game does not take 4 hours to finish. Maybe if you play through it a few times and get the puzzles down you can speedrun it in 4 hours, but there is no way you will beat it that quickly on your first time through. Personally, it took me about 7 hours to complete, and I still have to do the co-op campaign. I got the game for about 50% off thanks to sales and gift cards, but do I think it's worth the $50 (or $60 for consoles)?<br />
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Hell ya I do.<br />
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I'm not going to assign a numbered score, as I don't think the quality of a game should be based on a number from 1 to 10. I will say though, that I highly recommend this game. Go buy it, NOW!!MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-69134648108168463342011-04-28T12:46:00.000-07:002011-04-28T12:46:02.859-07:00It only does identity theftApril 26, 2011<br />
<br />
A day that will live in infamy.<br />
<br />
The day the proverbial turd careened through the proverbial fan.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/Cwn4R_GexLM/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Cwn4R_GexLM&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Cwn4R_GexLM&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;">Well f*** indeed</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Since Sony announced on Tuesday that personal information had been compromised, the internet has been abuzz with activity. People are pissed. People are worried about identity theft. People are worried about credit card info getting out. Am I any of the above right now? Maybe, but I want to take this time to give my view on the situation.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, before I start, <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/04/26/update-on-playstation-network-and-qriocity/">here is the OFFICIAL statement from Sony on the incident.</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Alright, here we go.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Am I pissed about this?</div><div style="text-align: left;">Not really. Sure, PSN being down is a bit of an inconvenience, but my PS3 is back at home, and on top of that, I have a huge backlog of games to go through, spanning across several console generations. Probably the worst thing about this is that I had to cancel my card and now have to wait a week for a new one, but I didn't really plan on buying anything big in the next week anyways.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">What was that about credit card info?</div><div style="text-align: left;">As of right now, Sony said that everyone's credit card info wasn't touched, and <a href="http://ca.kotaku.com/5796651/credit-card-companies-see-no-sign-of-psn-hack-fraud">credit card companies are confirming no sign of fraud occurring.</a> I, along with many others, chose to do it as a precaution, but Sony said themselves that everyone's CC info was encrypted.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Do I think Sony is to blame for this?</div><div style="text-align: left;">Eh, partially. I'm sure they could have done better with their security, but hindsight is always 20/20. I say the blame lies mostly with the hacker(s) that did this. Right now they have the personal information of over 70 million people, and they can do whatever they damn well please with it. I just want them caught before anything bad happens.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Unfortunately, the are people (read: idiots) out there that don't see it the way I do, and want Sony strung up for it. Apparently they don't realize that there is no security system out there that is unhackable. The same thing can (and has) happen(ed) to any bank, credit card company, online store, etc. No security system is safe, just safer. There is even already a class-action lawsuit filed against Sony "on behalf of the users of PSN" in California. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Really now? Did I miss the memo or something? Where do I go to opt out of this stupidity?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Answer this for me. If someone breaks into your house and steals your stuff, are you going to go after the guy that broke into your house, or the people that provided the security system for your house?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">That's what I thought.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Let's not forget the people demanding compensation for this. Now, I can see the people that play DCU Online wanting compensation since they pay a subscription for an online only game, but everyone else needs to just shut up. PSN is a free service, you don't need to be compensated for anything. The same goes for Playstation Plus subscribers (which I am one). You're not paying for better online, you're paying for free stuff and discounts, all of which are available for at least a full month. The service has only been down a week, so you're not missing anything and have no need to be compensated. Now if the service is down for a month, then you would have a right to be compensated, but as of right now, you don't need anything.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">More than likely, Sony will offer something as compensation for this ordeal (perhaps a game, or some movies) as a way to get some good PR (lord knows they need some more than anything right now), but that's about it. And to top this whole situation off, there are Xbox trolls EVERYWHERE, but we all know <a href="http://pressaforbacon.blogspot.com/2011/03/console-wars-why.html">how I feel about fanboyism.</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyways, that was my take/rant on this. Now I want to know how YOU feel about this whole debacle. Feel free to sound off in the comments!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It's been a very busy few weeks, but I'm back!</div>MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-86586562018064243642011-04-18T18:31:00.000-07:002011-04-18T18:31:58.494-07:00The ultimate Alternate Reality Game?Today I want to take a break from retro games to talk about something that has been on the mind of the gaming community for the last few days.<br />
<br />
Portal 2 and Valve's Alternate Reality Game (ARG)/publicity stunt.<br />
<br />
What started as a grouping of awesome indie games for a low price (The Potato Sack) has culminated in the potential early release of one of the most anticipated games of the year.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8Ix5xhVlVJnRrNgI1X4tH0yculV2o4SC0H6jjQyYSZWcqaBvsbmmssFkV6FX_O__K2LNHChZmQpiDNR-Y39W4sdXigH-rPwmW-YXyVV7ie5r51b_5LzDyDwO5B57uVAF4-1NmhmzCS_5/s1600/GLaDOS%2540Home+distributed+computational+grid+status.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8Ix5xhVlVJnRrNgI1X4tH0yculV2o4SC0H6jjQyYSZWcqaBvsbmmssFkV6FX_O__K2LNHChZmQpiDNR-Y39W4sdXigH-rPwmW-YXyVV7ie5r51b_5LzDyDwO5B57uVAF4-1NmhmzCS_5/s320/GLaDOS%2540Home+distributed+computational+grid+status.png" width="286" /></a></div><br />
"Why is this such a big deal MrNelson?" I'll tell you why.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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Because Valve is notoriously known for delaying their games. No release date given is ever set in stone. Now, because of this, fans, and Valve head Gabe Newell, have declared that all Valve games are developed under Valve Time, meaning that it will be released when it is good and ready. This is the first time ever Valve has ever done something where the consumers can try and get the game out before its official release.<br />
<br />
In short, it is unprecedented.<br />
<br />
And on top of that, there are the rumors that this game may end up being the reveal for the much anticipated Half-Life 3 or Half-Life 2: Episode 3 (depending on whether or not Valve wants to put out a full on sequel rather than another episode).<br />
<br />
Now, even though I don't have it preordered on Steam (I've got it preordered at Best Buy for $35!!), I would like to see Portal 2 released early just to see Valve Time defied. There are people out there that think that Valve shouldn't have done this, because at the rate the time is being reduced, the release will only come about 7 hours ahead of schedule. And then there are people that don't think it's fair for people to have bought the digital version to get it early, while the console gamers have to wait.<br />
<br />
Regardless, everyone will get this game, and everyone will enjoy it.<br />
<br />
"I'm sure we can put our differences aside. For science. You monster."MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-18887359659028429852011-04-15T14:22:00.000-07:002011-04-15T14:22:33.907-07:00How to (properly) clean game cartridgesAgh, busy week was busy (curse you higher education!), but now I'm back!<br />
<br />
Alright, so replaced your NES pin connector, but the games still aren't playing, so now what?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ui10.gamespot.com/1705/blowmenestshirtlogo_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ui10.gamespot.com/1705/blowmenestshirtlogo_2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ah yes, blowing in the cartridge, the old standby. While this does work, it can have negative long term effects. The biggest one is corrosion, since you're blowing into the cartridge you're getting moisture on the contacts, which in not good. Digital Press did a test on whether or not blowing on the cartridge would cause corrosion, and you can either go <a href="http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=117240">here</a> to read the whole thing, or look at this image after the jump which sums it all up.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/Week04_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/FrankieViturello/Week04_02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Yikes! (Image courtesy of Digitpress.com)</div><br />
Anyways, to avoid this you need to clean cartridges with something other than your own hot air. The best thing you can use is rubbing alcohol, at least 70% should do it. And you're gonna need something to clean with (just pouring it on will annihilate your game), I suggest Q-tips. Take 2 Q-tips and use a sprayer to spray some alcohol on them, just enough to wet them, they don't need to be soaking wet. Now rub the contacts vigorously (don't worry, it won't hurt it, I promise) until it leaves no more crap on the Q-tips. After that, rub the dry side of the Q-tips over the contacts to get any excess off. Now repeat that with the other side and you should be good to go!<br />
<br />
Now, this can be done with any game cartridge, so go break out that SNES, Genesis, Atari 2600, Neo Geo (you freakin rich people), or whatever old system you have and get those game back into commission!MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-75269667968774232132011-04-08T14:06:00.000-07:002011-04-10T13:05:35.315-07:00Blue Screen BEGONE!!Ah, the NES, such a great system, it's always great to pull that one out and fire up some classics like Mario, Zelda, and Metroid. But before you can get to the good part.....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stupidfingers.com/projects/how-to/tvblink.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.stupidfingers.com/projects/how-to/tvblink.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.memegenerator.net/FUUUU/File/189795/FUUUU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://images.memegenerator.net/FUUUU/File/189795/FUUUU.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yes, whether you've dug your beloved NES out of your closet, or picked one up from a used game store or flea market because you had a sad, sad childhood, it's more than likely you've experienced this here screen in some form or another. Today, I'm gonna help you rid yourself of this terrible plague so you can get back to reliving the golden age of gaming.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's what you're going to need:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A Phillips head screwdriver.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/83-3785">A new 72-Pin connector</a> (they usually can be found in store that deals in old used games like Play N Trade for $10)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Alright, now let's get started with this thing. But first, for the love of God, MAKE SURE THE SYSTEM IS UNPLUGGED!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. Remove the 6 screws from the bottom of the NES, be sure not to lose them!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. Now flip the system over and carefully remove the top portion of the case.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. Remove the 7 screws pictured here and remove that giant hunk of metal (the RF shield)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stupidfingers.com/projects/how-to/basnes03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="http://www.stupidfingers.com/projects/how-to/basnes03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. MOAR SCREWS!! Take note of the yellow ones, as they are longer than the rest and need to be put back in the correct place when reassembling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stupidfingers.com/projects/how-to/basnes04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://www.stupidfingers.com/projects/how-to/basnes04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5. Now, lift up the board and remove the cartridge holder so you can get to the like so.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.stupidfingers.com/projects/how-to/basnes05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://www.stupidfingers.com/projects/how-to/basnes05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">6. Finally, pull the cartridge connector off the board. It's on there tight, so it's going to take some force. Once it's finally off, place your new 72-Pin connector on the board and reassemble the console by following these directions in reverse.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There, now get back to reliving you childhood!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll probably post a video in a few weeks on how to do this when I can get around to making a trip back home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Images courtesy of www.stupidfingers.com, go check out his website to see some cool stuff!!</div>MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-64415026044062599942011-04-07T12:49:00.000-07:002011-04-07T12:49:37.781-07:00A guide for the aspiring import gamer: Part 7Another day, another guide to help you get into the importing game!<br />
<br />
Now we're going even further back, to the 80's to be specific, to take a look at the game console that helped to bring back the game industry after the video game crash of 1983.<br />
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<b>The Nintendo Entertainment System</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/NES-console-with-controller-png.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/NES-console-with-controller-png.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="goog_1101274237"></span><span id="goog_1101274238"></span></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/FamicomConsole.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/FamicomConsole.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">NES (top) and Famicom (bottom)</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The main issue here is getting the Famicom cartridges, which have 60 pins, to attach to the NES pinset, which is made for 72 pins. There are a few easy ways to get around this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. Buy a Honeybee converter for Famicom to NES. This is the easiest way to play famiom games.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. Harvest an older NES game for its converter. When the NES was first released, in order to get more NES games out to the people Nintendo decided to use the Famicom chipsets with a converter and put them in an NES cartridge. Now, they only did this for a few months at the beginning of the life cycle, so only cartridges made in 1985 will have them. They are easily distinguished from later cartridges because they have 5 screws in the back, compared to 3 and clips at the top of the cart for games produced later. These cartridges are also noticeably heavier than other cartridges. Some games that have been known to include these are Gyromite, Stack Up, Kid Icarus, 10 Yard Fight, and many other launch titles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. Buy a Famicom.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Titles of interest:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Super Mario Bros. 2</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/824/824330/SMBLostLevels_2_1191346159_640w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/824/824330/SMBLostLevels_2_1191346159_640w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's right, you've been lied to. Super Mario Bros. 2 in the US is really a reskinned version of a Japanese game called Doki Doki Panic, while the official SMB2 is similar to the original game, just A LOT HARDER. Now to be fair, this did make it to the states in the form SMB The Lost Levels, which was in Super Mario All Stars for the SNES. What really makes this game unique is that it was the first ever disc based Mario game. I know what you're thinking, "WTF MrNelson, that ish is still in 8-bit, how can it be on a disk?!". This was released for the Famicom Disc System, which allowed for enhanced graphics and sound by using magnetic discs rather than cartridges (looks a lot better than the original SMB, doesn't it?). Now, this was released ONLY in disc form, so technically the only was to play this would be to have a Famicom so you can use the disc system add-on.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Devil World</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/Devil_World_screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/Devil_World_screenshot.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While it is a Pacman clone, Devil World has a gameplay feature that helps make it unique. As you move about the maze, the Devil orders his minions to move the maze around, and you have to avoid getting caught by the barriers. Your objective is to collect the dots and crosses, then collect bibles and place them in a seal to get the Devil to leave the maze and progress on to the next area.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>The Quest of Ki</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOPqOnWfOI3hpq9zaowpbYk3BiGhn1b8FsJ0UP9gh87b3afM0K2Lc8m4B4b2my5Ahwz9EFzpy306FuYFNqWLhZLuv8VXbIPRub2mz4FNdcUc3Xxu1VINbks8LY5p7RxhhLSx33DwaB68/s1600/Quest+of+Ki,+The+(Japan)_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHOPqOnWfOI3hpq9zaowpbYk3BiGhn1b8FsJ0UP9gh87b3afM0K2Lc8m4B4b2my5Ahwz9EFzpy306FuYFNqWLhZLuv8VXbIPRub2mz4FNdcUc3Xxu1VINbks8LY5p7RxhhLSx33DwaB68/s320/Quest+of+Ki,+The+(Japan)_001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Let's get this out of the way, Quest of Ki is HARD. You can't fight enemies, you're stunned if you run into a wall or hit the ceiling, and the game is fairly long. Despite being hard, the game is fun to play, and will keep you occupied for a few hours. Fun Fact: The Quest of Ki is the prequel to the arcade game Tower of Druaga.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Alright kids, that's it for today. Come back tomorrow to see what I've got in store for you!</div>MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-15965470725756669232011-04-05T12:20:00.000-07:002011-04-05T12:20:13.722-07:00A guide for the aspiring import gamer: Part 6Moar import tips? Moar import tips.<br />
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Today, were going to look at a console that wasn't much of a commercial success, but it was still good console in its own right.<br />
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<b>The Sega Saturn</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Round-Button_Sega_Saturn_Console_+_Type-2_Controller.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Round-Button_Sega_Saturn_Console_+_Type-2_Controller.png" width="320" /></a></div><a name='more'></a><br />
The Saturn's regional lockout is fairly easy to get around compared to most other disc-based game consoles, which is great because the Saturn has a lot of games that didn't make it stateside (most of them are shmups, just so you know, but they are good).<br />
<br />
1. Use an Action Replay 4-in-1 cartridge. These tend to go for around $40 and are fairly easy to find. These carts serve multiple purposes (obviously), such as being able to back-up save data, being used as a cheat device, expanding the amount of RAM available (similar to the N64 Expansion Pak), and most importantly, allowing you to play imported games.<br />
<br />
2. Install a modchip. This is hard to do if you have no experience soldering, and will give you the same result as using an Action Replay, just without the extra features.<br />
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<b>Titles of interest:</b><br />
<b>Radiant Silvergun</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ntsc-uk.com/features/ret/RadiantSilvergun/03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.ntsc-uk.com/features/ret/RadiantSilvergun/03.jpg" /></a></div>Radiant Silvergun is a vertical scrolling shooter made by the guys at Treasure (anyone noticing a pattern here?). Unlike most shooters, it has a unique power up system. While in other shooters, you collect power ups for your weapons, in Radiant Silvergun, you become more powerful the higher your score gets. On top of that, there are a bunch of different weapons to choose from, each best suited for a different situation, so there is quite a bit of strategy to it. The biggest downside to this game, is not the gameplay, it's the price. Radiant Silvergun is highly sought after by collectors, and because of that, the game is ludicrously expensive, You would be lucky to find a complete copy for less than $200, and this game is rarely sold as disc only, so you would be hard pressed to find it cheap.<br />
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<b>DonPachi and DoDonPachi</b><br />
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<b>Sexy Parodius</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0f/Sexy0003.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0f/Sexy0003.png" /></a></div>Remember Parodius from the other day? Well, this is one of the sequels. It's basically Parodius, but, ummmm, sexy. Literally. It's also hilariously over the top like the rest of the Parodius series. Any shmup fan would get a kick out of this one.<br />
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That's all for today kids. I'll be back on Thursday with a new entry!MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-4114524281738220612011-04-04T12:46:00.000-07:002011-04-04T12:47:23.024-07:00A guide for the aspiring import gamer: Part 5Alright, back from the weekend! Continuing with the 90's theme, we're gonna move on to another one of Nintendo's consoles.<br />
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<b>The Nintendo 64</b><br />
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Now, this is another case of physical lockout, like the Super Nintendo. But unlike the Super Nintendo, the Japanese and American N64 cartridges are basically identical in shape and size, but there is a key difference between the two. There are notches in both cartridges, but they are in different places depending on the region. In the cartridge slot, there are pegs molded in that will have to be dremmeled out (they are too thick to be pulled out like the SNES). This will require the system to be opened using a 4.5 mm gamebit. Carefully remove the Jumper or Expansion Pak using a butter knife, then open up the system, and then use a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the cartridge slot. Dremmel out the pegs, reassemble the console, and you're good to go.<br />
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<b>Titles of interest:</b><br />
<b>Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Earth</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://n64media.ign.com/media/previews/newimages/sinpunish/sinner3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://n64media.ign.com/media/previews/newimages/sinpunish/sinner3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Another masterpiece from the guys at Treasure. This game is just non-stop action from start to finish, despite it's short length. Smooth controls, addictive gameplay, and awesome visuals (for a 2000 N64 game) make for a great game. And even though the game clocks in at only a few hours, there is tons of replay value to it. Harder difficulty settings and a high score system will keep you busy long after you complete your first playthrough. And the best part is, all of the voice acting is in ENGLISH. So while you may not be able to read some of the things, you will actually be able to understand the story.<br />
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<b>Custom Robo</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://n64media.ign.com/media/previews/newimages/customrobo/customrobo12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://n64media.ign.com/media/previews/newimages/customrobo/customrobo12.JPG" /></a></div>Why Nintendo decided not to bring this over here I'll never know. If you played Custom Robo on the Gamecube, then you should know what's going on here. You've got robots running around blowing each other apart, what more could you want? While there is a bit of Japanese in there for the storyline and other things outside of battle, you don't need to know the language to play the game.<br />
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Ya ya, I know that was only two, but I don't know much about import only N64 games quite yet, so come back tomorrow for more import tips!MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-17447656855721319992011-04-01T13:04:00.000-07:002011-04-01T13:04:58.976-07:00A guide for the aspiring import gamer: Part 4Continuing with the 90's theme, I'm going to move onto a personal favorite of mine, the Super Nintendo!<br />
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A Super Nintendo (top) and Super Famicom (bottom)<br />
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Now, unlike the Genesis, Japanese cartridges will fit in an American system, but there is a slight problem.<br />
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There are tabs in the US SNES's cartridge slot that prevent the Japanese carts from getting to the connector. There are two very easy methods to getting around this.<br />
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1. Simply break off the tabs in the slot by using needlenose pliers. This is the quickest and easiest method available, and should only take a few minutes to break the tabs and file them down so they are smooth. The safest way to do this is to use a 4.5 mm gamebit to open up the case so you can get to the slot easier. But if you're too cheap for $5, or too lazy to get one, you can just do it very carefully and try not to damage the connector. This method will only work on the US SNES, since cartridge slot on the Super Famicom is too small to fit an American cart.<br />
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2. Use a Game Genie to extend the cartridge slot.<br />
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<b>Games of interest:</b><br />
<b>Ranma 1/2: Chougi Ranbu Hen (Ranma 1/2: Super Battle)</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.emuparadise.org/Super%20Nintendo/Snaps/Ranma%201-2%20-%20Chougi%20Ranbu%20Hen%20(J).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.emuparadise.org/Super%20Nintendo/Snaps/Ranma%201-2%20-%20Chougi%20Ranbu%20Hen%20(J).png" /></a></div>Ok, I'll admit I'm recommending this because I'm a fan of Ranma 1/2, but it's actually a pretty decent fighting game. While not as fast paced as Street Fighter, it has solid fighting mechanics, awesome super moves, and even a tag battle mode, which was pretty unique for the time. You can choose to play as several characters from the series like Ranma (male and female), Ryoga, Akane, Ukyo, and many others (no Happosai though). Come one, you know you would want to put the smack down on everyone using Kuno (10 points if you get it).<br />
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<b>The Ganbare Goemon series</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.snesclassics.com/snes-roms/images/boxart/ganbare%20goemon%203%20-%20shishi%20juurokubei%20no%20karakuri%20manjigatame-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.snesclassics.com/snes-roms/images/boxart/ganbare%20goemon%203%20-%20shishi%20juurokubei%20no%20karakuri%20manjigatame-1.jpg" /></a></div>Known as Mystical Ninja here in the US, there are several Goemon titles that didn't make it overseas. The game is an action platformer that combines some RPG elements such as items and leveled abilities. The games go between exploration stages and side scrolling platformers.<br />
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<b>The Parodius series</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ui28.gamefaqs.com/123/gfs_15230_2_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://ui28.gamefaqs.com/123/gfs_15230_2_9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>No, you are not seeing things, that is a flying Dracula-kun fighting a giant pirate cat/submarine thing with robot penguins and chickens flying around. Parodius is a side-scrolling shooter with the WTF factor turned all the way up, and that's what makes it awesome. Parodius is literally a parody of the Gradius series, hence the name, but it also uses elements from other shooters like the Twinbee series. You can choose to play as a variety of characters like Vic Viper, Goemon, Dracula-kun, Twinbee, Takosuke (a flying octopus!), and many other crazy characters. I highly recommend checking this out.<br />
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Alright, that's it for this week. Come back Monday for a new post!MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-30819479019803351542011-03-31T13:07:00.000-07:002011-03-31T16:07:51.314-07:00A guide for the aspiring import gamer: Part 3New post about import gaming? New post about import gaming.<br />
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Alright guys, it's time to take a trip back to a simpler time. A time when idiots weren't running amok on an online gaming service. A time when no one cared whether or not there was online multiplayer. A time before crippiling hardware errors that caused you to go without your games for weeks because you had to ship it back while millions of others were shipping their borked consoles at the same time because rather than have quality control do their job they chose to get a head start on everyone else for the sake of money (deep breath). That time my friends, is the 90's.<br />
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<b>The Sega Genesis (Sega Mega Drive)</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Japanese_Mega_Drive_+_Mega_.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Japanese_Mega_Drive_+_Mega_.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Japanese Mega Drive (left) and US Genesis model 2 (right)</div>Alright, now we're getting into the tougher, yet still manageable region locked consoles. The main issue here is that Japanese Mega Drive cartridges are wider than American Genesis games, so they can't fit into the cartridge slot. Now, there are a few ways to get around this.<br />
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1. The cheapest, yet most brutal way, is to modify the Genesis' cartridge slot<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/8165/whatz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/8165/whatz.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cutting the tabs at the rear of the slot will allow the rounder Mega Drive cartridges to fit. It works, but you have to cause visible damage to the console.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. Purchase a Game Genie or some other pass-through device for a couple bucks. This is the simplest method. No fuss, no muss.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/4889/segamegadrivecartridgea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/4889/segamegadrivecartridgea.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. Buy an imported system, Japanese game systems will run fine on American outlets since the voltage difference is so small (110V in US, 100V in JP). The same can not be said for European consoles, since they require a much higher voltage than what the standard output in the US is (Europe uses 220V if I'm not mistaken). If you want to use a European console, you'll have to buy a step-up transformer to get it to work properly.</div><br />
There are also a few important things to note. After a certain point (around 93 or 94), Sega started region locking cartridges, but this is simple to get around (although it requires some skill with a soldering iron). Just look up a guide on how to do a switchboard mod. Another thing to note is that unless you do a video mod, you can't play PAL (European) games on an American or Japanese system due to differences in video frequencies.<br />
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<b>Games of interest:</b><br />
<b>Pulseman</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://retromedia.ign.com/retro/image/article/902/902365/pulseman-20080823011722149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://retromedia.ign.com/retro/image/article/902/902365/pulseman-20080823011722149.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ever wonder what Game Freak was up to before they started making Pokemon? Ya, that's right, Game Freak made awesome games BEFORE Pokemon came out. Pulseman is an action-platformer where you guide the title character through 8 different stages, using his electrical abilities to stop the evil Doc Waruyama. Despite being a platformer, there are some cool puzzle elements to the game where you have to use Pulseman's Volteccer ability to navigate passageways.<br />
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<b>Zero Wing</b><br />
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<b>Alien Soldier</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/837/837648/alien-soldier-virtual-console-20071126023334644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/837/837648/alien-soldier-virtual-console-20071126023334644.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Hey, do you like to blow s*** up? Then have I got a game for you! Alien Soldier is an action game developed by Treasure, the same people who brought you all out balls-to-the-wall titles like Gunstar Heroes and Ikaruga. If you like games made by Treasure, or just love to blow things up, then this is for you. The only downside is that it is relatively expensive to get ahold of, so happy hunting!<br />
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That's it for today kids, see you tomorrow for the next entry!MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-79437624019749393412011-03-30T13:05:00.000-07:002011-03-30T13:05:38.794-07:00A guide for the aspiring import gamer: Part 2Back for more import tips? Alrighty then, you want it? You got it!<br />
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<b>Nintendo DS</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Nintendo-DS-Fat-Blue.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Nintendo-DS-Fat-Blue.png" width="320" /></a></div>The Nintendo DS, like the Game Boy, is capable of playing any game from any region. The DS phat, DS Lite, DSi, and DSi XL all can play any game. However, the DSi and DSi XL can not play DSi Ware games from outside of the system's region, so no Japanese DSi Ware titles will work on an American DSi, and vise versa. Another thing to note, is that as of now, the 3DS is region protected, and no ways have been found to get around it. But it is possible to play imported DS games on a 3DS without any problems.<br />
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<b>Titles of interest:</b><br />
<b>Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/article/640/640953/osu-tatakae-ouendan-20050810042921401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/article/640/640953/osu-tatakae-ouendan-20050810042921401.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Need help? Have nowhere else to turn? Call on the ouendan to assist you! Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan is a rhythm game where you tap spots and follow patterns on the touch screen to the beat of the song. While the songs are in Japanese, there are some that Americans will recognize (if you watch anime, that is). The gameplay is highly addictive and the songs are catchy, what more could you want? If you're curious about this game, I suggest checking out Elite Beat Agents, as that was the localized version of Ouendan, featuring a decent list of songs that are well known in the American culture. There was also a sequel released in Japan titled<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moero!</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jump Super Stars</span></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/article/640/640326/jump-superstars-20050809052051090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://dsmedia.ign.com/ds/image/article/640/640326/jump-superstars-20050809052051090.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like Super Smash Bros? Like manga from Shonen Jump? Then have I got a game for you. Jump Super Stars features characters from Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, Eyeshield 21, Deathnote, Yu Yu Hakusho, and many other manga duking it out in a no-holds barred brawl. Now this one is a bit trickier to navigate without knowing any Japanese, but there are plenty of helpful guides on the internet to help you navigate through menus. There is also a sequel for this out title Jump Ultimate Stars, featuring even more characters than this one.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Freshly Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland</span></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/Freshly-Picked_Tingle's_Rosy_Rupeeland_gameplay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/Freshly-Picked_Tingle's_Rosy_Rupeeland_gameplay.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Now for a title that's a bit more.....umm.....odd. For those unfamiliar with the Legend of Zelda series, Tingle is a grown man that is obsessed with faries and believes that</span><i style="line-height: 19px;"> he is a</i> <i style="line-height: 19px;">fairy</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">. He floats around using a giant balloon, and in the games, you shoot him down and get a map of the area from in (at least, in Majora's Mask). Anyways, in this game Tingle falls victim to a curse, and he needs to collect rupees in order to live. It's a very peculiar title that never saw an American release, unfortunately. However, it was released in Europe, which means that it was translated into English!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">That's it for today, come back tomorrow for my next import tip.</span></span>MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-57461116903657574632011-03-29T13:37:00.000-07:002011-03-29T13:37:36.557-07:00A guide for the aspiring import gamer: Part 1Gaming is an activity enjoyed by many Americans. Some of those that are more active in the gaming community are probably well aware that there are games that never make it out of Japan, which is a disappointment, as there are many great games that are never seen in American stores. However, thanks to places like Ebay and Play-Asia, import gaming has become much easier to get into. But just because it is easy to acquire the games, it doesn't mean it is easy to play them. Many game consoles have some form of regional lockout, keeping people from playing games that weren't released in their country. Some are easy to bypass, some aren't, and some have no region protection whatsoever. Over the next few days, I'll be showing how to get around these lockouts, and even highlighting some games that you should play.<br />
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"But MrNelson, I don't know any Japanese!"<br />
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Neither do I! But thankfully, there are plenty of games that require no knowledge of the language to play.<br />
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<b>The entire Game Boy line</b><br />
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<b>Titles of interest:</b><br />
<b>Rhythm Tengoku</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c7/Rhythm_Tengoku_-_Usagi_Tobi.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c7/Rhythm_Tengoku_-_Usagi_Tobi.PNG" /></a></div>Rhythm Tengoku was the prequel to Rhythm Heaven, a DS game that was released here in the US. Very simple game mechanics combined with an awesome soundtrack make this a must buy for any importer. If you can keep a beat, then you can play this game. If you're not sure about it, try out Rhythm Heaven first.<br />
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<b>The Densetsu no Stafy series</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/83/Densetsu-no-Stafy-3-screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/83/Densetsu-no-Stafy-3-screenshot.png" /></a></div>Densetsu no Stafy (Legend of Stafy) is a platforming game where you control a little star by the name of Stafy as he tries to defeat the evil that was unleashed upon the world when he trips while carrying a vase that contained the evil spirit (such a clumsy hero, isn't he?). The game plays in a style similar to the Kirby series, but instead of sucking up foes, you swim around and spin to attack.There are three Stafy titles available for the Game Boy Advance, and all of them are relatively cheap on Ebay (about $20).<br />
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<b>Kuru Kuru Kururin</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/Kurukurukururin_screenshot.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/89/Kurukurukururin_screenshot.PNG" /></a></div>Now first of all, this game is different from the other two in that it did receive an English release, but it was in Europe, not the US. In Kuru Kuru Kuruin, you attempt to navigate your stick shaped aircraft, the Helirin, through a series of mazes without touching the walls. Sounds simple, right? Nope. The whole time, the Helirin is slowly rotating, and you have to adjust its speed constantly to avoid colliding with hazards, and sometimes you have to use the environment to change the direction you're rotating. In all, it's a decent puzzle game, and worth checking out if you have a few bucks to spare. The European release has English in it, but the Japanese version is easy to navigate without knowing the language. The only part you will miss in the Japanese version s the story, and don't worry, you're not really missing an edge of your seat thriller here if you decide on that version.<br />
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There are plenty more games out there that would be great for importers to try out, but you just have to do a bit of digging to find the ones that will be easiest to play without any knowledge of Japanese. There are titles for the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color that would be great, but I can't think of any off hand (and I'm too lazy to go searching), so I just listed these few that I could remember.<br />
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Come back tomorrow for some more tips!MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-58132932607397861252011-03-28T13:24:00.000-07:002011-03-28T13:24:02.794-07:00Console wars: Why?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyV9KQCaK7L988BLw6URk6E7msZxzY8JBvW27Jj6BJTxYZlYE29qHCxkUsit7QxRnoF4UunGj4L4oRci-itCj3s7BrpBtJlRMh6ZU08CMrE1FEtet0HHb_oJWa-bnblKtTrbiLxcewQGul/s1600/console+wars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyV9KQCaK7L988BLw6URk6E7msZxzY8JBvW27Jj6BJTxYZlYE29qHCxkUsit7QxRnoF4UunGj4L4oRci-itCj3s7BrpBtJlRMh6ZU08CMrE1FEtet0HHb_oJWa-bnblKtTrbiLxcewQGul/s320/console+wars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>PS3 SUXORZ!!<div>NO, XBOX 360 SUXORZ!!</div><div><br />
</div><div>No matter where you go, be it with your friends, or on some random internet forum, you're going to find some gamer that has a passionate hatred for a game system, and will defend to the death their system of choice. </div><div><br />
</div><div>This, ladies and gentlemen, is a fanboy</div><div><a name='more'></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4Q4V1T3dy9qIqb6hdksSRO4duhBVYX0UcS7GWAEgtgSCGb4Rtto3Jf23ps0kno6f5oihmdArP6JEWYCfssIL66D80k-1Fluex1h6JhbxBzuBJ8Yge0VB-R1qkPgskhyphenhyphenDQJ5VKaearcVm/s1600/ngbbs44d912b55fa49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4Q4V1T3dy9qIqb6hdksSRO4duhBVYX0UcS7GWAEgtgSCGb4Rtto3Jf23ps0kno6f5oihmdArP6JEWYCfssIL66D80k-1Fluex1h6JhbxBzuBJ8Yge0VB-R1qkPgskhyphenhyphenDQJ5VKaearcVm/s320/ngbbs44d912b55fa49.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>While fanboys are the most extreme example, there are many people that put down other's choice in systems. There are many 360 owners that loathe the PS3, and there are many PS3 owners that loathe the 360. Most of these claims have absolutely no ground to them, since a lot have only just played one of the two (the one they chose to buy), and will blindly say anything to make it look like their choice was the right choice. But there are those that like what both consoles offer, and will agree that the pros of either console outweigh the cons, and will sometimes even buy both to get the best of both worlds.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Now, it's not like this was the first time there has been a "console war". Does anyone remember this?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibg_PpgXtQkeSSXSFFN5S-ig7GqT0SPfoghJ8JKLPgX_PBNbu1nxqZshUIHpplbeemy6ODtP2HIQRt6uOEpY3MQ1nUKYtn3OyRMoBUrhbR9GlgLKDfXwX4FF4Ki331_h-rHQKG7D7oPxBT/s1600/Genesis+does.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibg_PpgXtQkeSSXSFFN5S-ig7GqT0SPfoghJ8JKLPgX_PBNbu1nxqZshUIHpplbeemy6ODtP2HIQRt6uOEpY3MQ1nUKYtn3OyRMoBUrhbR9GlgLKDfXwX4FF4Ki331_h-rHQKG7D7oPxBT/s320/Genesis+does.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div>Console wars have been going on as long as there has been more than one product, and it will continue to be that way in the future. That's a good thing though, because when there is competition, the consumer always wins. But competition doesn't mean we have to have animosity towards the company we don't choose. Love games for the sake of gaming, not because of your choice in console.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix06MR1jgLa_OlBX2pQsvRDC7G78-S96R_LVwpTdtwRGNkYiKs_hxzeFZaFyo5UIwRVYy-xABX7aQt4Pp7Iq3O1Ty_TIFFmAoo7T_xl9ydVBdkUVwEZkkOWxOLXOgJKBnxCv5DLTH-aEO5/s1600/122071-love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix06MR1jgLa_OlBX2pQsvRDC7G78-S96R_LVwpTdtwRGNkYiKs_hxzeFZaFyo5UIwRVYy-xABX7aQt4Pp7Iq3O1Ty_TIFFmAoo7T_xl9ydVBdkUVwEZkkOWxOLXOgJKBnxCv5DLTH-aEO5/s320/122071-love.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-141288228491353828.post-72819538386793417652011-03-27T23:15:00.000-07:002011-03-27T23:15:01.444-07:00Wild Blog has appeared!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJ3Dq0lP2IyiTOvYfIzswSfUie44fq9NvNrnuIsWqjNm9ygUtRjAFEGlFROv357B9YyfoXHq2lUZISYz08jyNlUN3AUw75ErbFjfbF6JTPHkih4SW2mWqhUE76hftkI8oDTmOovbDYaKs/s1600/Missingno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJ3Dq0lP2IyiTOvYfIzswSfUie44fq9NvNrnuIsWqjNm9ygUtRjAFEGlFROv357B9YyfoXHq2lUZISYz08jyNlUN3AUw75ErbFjfbF6JTPHkih4SW2mWqhUE76hftkI8oDTmOovbDYaKs/s1600/Missingno.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It's 2 am kids! Know what that means? It's blogging time!<br />
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What better way to start off a blog than with a rant, a gaming rant to be more specific.<br />
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I've been gaming for about the last 16 years, and while that may not be as long as some people out there, it is definitely longer than a lot of people playing today. Over the last few years, I've noticed gaming has become more and more mainstream in our culture. I can remember back when people would make fun of me because I did a lot more gaming than other people did. I honestly thought I did a lot of gaming when I was younger, but compared to what some people are doing now, that was nothing. Go boot up a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops, and look at how much play time a majority of the people playing have. Go ahead, I'll wait.<br />
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......<br />
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See what I mean? There are many people on there with weeks worth of play time logged. WEEKS!! I've even seen some with at least a months worth of play time. And these aren't your stereotypical nerds, these are (basically) the same kind of people that would mock gamers back when gaming wasn't as mainstream. So what happened? What created this double standard where it was not ok to dump dozens of hours into, say, an RPG, but it is totally fine to dump weeks and weeks into Halo or Call of Duty?<br />
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I think it has to do two things: gaming companies trying to expand their audience, and that expanded audience liking to see s*** blow up.<br />
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Playing any of these games is like watching a Michael Bay film. Tons of over the top action and violence are the substance du jour, and judging from the sales of Black Ops, people love it more than air. I'll admit, it is fun, but it does get repetitive, especially since every Call of Duty for the last few years has just been a re-skinned Call of Duty 4. I wonder what will happen when everyone else tires of it. Will these people stop gaming? Will they move onto another genre? Will gaming go back to being more niche like it used to be? Who knows? Only time will tell.MrNelsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11740139877004749095noreply@blogger.com1