WOW SORRY GUYS

Been neglecting the ole blog, things happen ya know how life is. Final Fantasy 7 has finally started to make more progress I am finally to Cosmo Canyon. I will update soon, I have a few different posts written i just need to type them up. I am a weird guy, I do most of my writing the old fashioned way with a pencil and paper, then type and edit it at the same time. So it takes a little longer. I also plan on making videos soon as I figure out my camera :) hope everything works out soon . Later guys.

Looking For Others to Write and Post for the Blog

Looking for a core group of 3 or four people to write articles, post video's , just whatever interests them about gaming and retro gaming. Please comment or hit me up . Lets make this grow .

Emulation : A Little Story and My Personal View

     I'll go ahead and say it. I love emulation. Its a guilty, well not SO guilty, pleasure. All of the games I loved and had as a kid, plus thousands that I never got the chance to play. Like most kids in teh 80's and 90's I only had one system at a time. I could only afford games for one and to play games on other systems was a fun distraction.
     My progression as a video gamer was the original NES in late 87. Then in the early 90's I got a Sega Genesis model 1. This was way back when it still had "High Definition Graphics", printed in bold white letters on the top of the bad ass looking black system. Of course now its common knowlede the Model 1 was NOT Hi Def, but at the time it sounded good. Finally around the start of my Junior year I think I received my PSone, and shortly after what would easily be in my top 5 games of all time, Final Fantasy 7. . This started a life long love with JRPG'S that still rages to this day. Between Final Fantasy 7 and 9 (fuck a bunch of 8) my future was set as most of the games that I purchased where JRPG'S. Of course as an American waiting on RPG's you got to hear how completely mind blowing it was from the Japanese audience months, sometimes years before the games would be localized and ported over to an English speaking fan base. That's if they where brought over at all, many a fine game has been denied us by Nintendo of America and their sometimes completely, MINDNUMBINGLY, idiotic decisions on what games to release here in the states. This alone could drive anyone to emulation but that's only a portion of it. Many games have had WONDERFUL fan translations done that take the place of Nintendo's localization team. Baphumet Lagoon for the SNES comes to mind right away. The only way any English speaking fan can play Mother 1 and 3 or threw translated roms available freely on the web. But there is more to why I love emulation, and why RPG'S FORCED me in a small way to love it.
       Fast forward to about a year ago. I have been picking up games and systems, here and there for awhile but had just decided to really try and expand my collection. WOW did i ever pick a shitty time to start formally collecting, and after about 6 months I had to completely change how and what I collected. But that is another story. It all ties in though to why I love emulation. Since the explosion in price of any game worth having its impossible to find a good deal on ebay. I refuse to pay retail markup for retro stuff personally. This is based on the 50/50. I am 50% poor, and 50% cheap. I have to be the second as a consequence of the first. I also enjoy the hunt. Finding even 1 game for a great deal makes my day. Sure if I were rich money would be no object, and i would own a $3500.00 sealed copy of Earthbound. But like most normal people I can not even afford the $180 buy it now prices for an Earthbound cart on ebay. I mention this game specifically, because it is a holy grail for me to find in the wild. YES i have played it on an emulator, I have not beaten it however. It is a great game and one that had I owned a SNES back in the day I would have surely at least heard of and rented. I just don't see paying these inflated prices , which are even more inflated for RPGS. SO that is yet another reason I use an emulator. Because there are games which more than likely will never own, and that I really want to play.
     If you are about to mention the wii or xbox virtual console, I do not, and will not own a current gen system. I have a paper in progress explaining my love for the old school and my feeling that the new systems have forgotten where they come from, who they where made for, and why they where fun to begin with. I have no real desire to play any current gen games. I do want to buy another PS2 and get some of the really great RPGS I missed out on the last few years of its life cycle. But new systems are just not my thing.
     I want to mention one other aspect of emulation that many people glass over that I think is really good for the person reviewing games and/or doing any real academic work involving classic video game architecture or programing, that is the massive number of tools that come with many modern emulators. Just the simple function of "save states" is such a time saving device for a video game reviewer, or competitor. Say I am recording footage for a video about MadeUPGame1. I want to show how the pattern of the boss on level two makes him really easy if you execute your jumps perfect from the first jump. I can save my game with the emulators save state function just as I come to the bosses lair. If I miss a jump, I can instantly reload the save instead of having to play the first level over to make it to the level two boss. Just that is such a time saver. Sure if you are using it to beat bosses, its technically cheating. I usually use save states to be able to actually stop playing the game, not to cheat on a battle. Its just hand to be able to stop at any time and not have to worry about finding a damn save point. It may just be me but sometimes its just too fuckin long between save points in many RPGS and you never know when you enter an area if you are going to be locked into 30 minutes of games play with no save point in between. I HATE THAT, sure saving around every corner can make an extremely challenging game much much more strategic and the odds can deffinatly be stacked in the players favor. ANY of the Baldur's Gate Series can be made much easier by slowing the pace down with constant pausing and saving after each and every battle or room progressed in a dungeon.
      My point is emulation is not some devil that a small minority of militant gamers would have you believe. With a few goodies from www.retrousb.com you could be playing emulated games WITH your real console controllers in no time. So that takes away the old "can't play on a keyboard" excuse.
     So thats it I like it if you don't feel free to comment. ANYBODY please comment. lol Give me some feedback. 

Review Reviews 1 (an in between posts post)

     With each post in this series I will attempt to review a different web show, or internet personality. Many of these guys and gals are very responsive to their fans and really appreciate, when people appreciate what they do and the work they put into making their videos. Please go check them out, leave comments, like, share, and let them know you enjoy their work.
     This week I am gonna talk about a series of videos I have watched since early in their career, and who i have mentioned a few times on this blog already that is The Game Chasers, Billy and Jay. I think I picked up on them about episode 3, when Pat the NES Punk posted a link to their youtube channel. They where not the first show based around retro game chasing that I had kept up with. The excellent show The Retro Hunters (next in line for a review maybe?? ) was already on my subscribed list on youtube and I still watch them.
     Anyway I followed the link on Pats site and since it was a series I started on episode 1.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDYhMBSCODI        I watched the next couple episodes one after the other. They were just normal guys, they had normal collections not the intimidating mega collections that most of us will never have. Most of all though, they were looking for a deal. Most of us can't afford to pay huge amounts for retro games and we have to truly survive by finding games in the wild. When your collection of games that you really want, (not just common games) increases by even a couple games its a big deal when you find them for a couple bucks at a yard sale or flea market. I hate paying retail, especially right now that the market is getting out of hand and prices way overblown. So its getting the deal, knowing that somebody is going to pay way to much but you, yourself waited and found it and saved it from the hands of a reseller. (not all resellers are bad a small percentage give many a bad name)
     Billy and Jay are just out there pounding the pavement and breathing in the dust and mold from boxes that have been locked away in attics for years. They openly admit their affinity for American Pickers and it shows. But its a good thing. These guys are what American Pickers would be if it had balls. They cuss, fart, play jokes on each other and friends. Their film crew Melvor, and Dodongo play a big part in all the mayhem and are around almost every episode. They are also known to have lots of special guests Gamester81 a retro legend , Pat, 8BitEric, Roo from Clan of the Greywolf, and many others.  They are just a couple of normal guys, who as the series progresses and their internet fame has risen, have started to enjoy the perks of their fame. They have done videos from different conventions the most recent being Magfest, where them and the www.retrowaretv.com crew where very visible and featured. I can not say enough about the entire retroware site check them out.
     Unlike most people, who would let any degree of fame go straight to their head, The Game Chasers have been very open with their fans, they are both very active on facebook and have even started holding live video chats every couple weeks. They are some really down to earth funny as hell dudes who have a real passion for the nostalgia of their childhood. That comes threw in their videos. They are one of the few shows that I have watched the entire series on multiple occasions and I find myself laughing out loud each time, and everytime I have shown the first episode to a fellow retro game fan I end up watching every episode in order till the other person leaves or we watch the entire series. It really is that good.
     And I have to mention one more thing THE PRODUCTION VALUE. Billy has a background in film making and it really REALLY shows. The quality is amazing for a youtube show, the editing even on the early episodes is spot on. There has been yellings for an actual TV show for quite awhile, and I could actually see it on a channel like SPIKE and it would actually work. A dream show, Give the Chasers 15 minutes and AVGN 15 minutes and make a 30 minute chunk of retro goodness. Although in a way I would love for them to stay web based because with tv it would hamper the language , which can be very very adult oriented (8bitEric you fuckin fuck).
     Bottom line, check them out, look them up on youtube or just follow the link on the right to the captain8bit youtube channel. You will be entertained and when your done learning how game chasing go, go to facebook and look up Jay and Billy and let them know you enjoy their videos.
     Final rating a solid 10 Phoenix Downs out of ten, right up there with shows like AVGN, and 16 Bit Gems. If you like your retro comedy with some education about collecting, this is your dream show. Just be glad they haven't made smell-o-vision yet! :P 

Next time, Retro Hunters?? Gamester81??? 16bit Gems??? if you have a request put it in the comments section.

Import Games, Localization, And Emulation..My Opinion

     This is a big topic that I could write a book on with just my personal opinions. And this is just that my own opinion and understanding of some laws . I do not want anyone taking what I say and using it as an excuse to use, or not use an emulator.

     I guess it all has to start with import games.  Starting in the late 70's early 80's games shifted from being for the most part made in the good ole US of A, to being produced in Japan. You always had companies like Nintendo (who has made everything from playing cards to pong clones) and a few others but when Taito hit with Space Invaders it blew up. Soon many of the best games came straight out of the land of the rising sun. This wasn't a very big deal in the early days, there was little text, and arcade machines where made to eat quarters not tell stories. The real problem comes later in the 80's as the monolith that is Nintendo really hit its stride with the NES in America and Famicom in Japan, they had to decide what games to release , where, and when. 
     All game companies have the same problem. What sells well in Japan, or the EU may not in America, and the same is true in reverse. This was especially true threw the 80's and 90's, now many companies have come back to America. Some games still have this issue especially my favorite genre RPGs, many of the companies and top titles are made and originate in Japan.
     Back to the 80's, many many games that where tons better than 80% of the official released games in America are never making it here. If they where text heavy RPGs then your only option was to learn Japanese. But if they where fun action based games you could buy a Famicom and find a really overpriced import seller, you could play them in America. Jewario has a great web series called You Can Play This highlighting many of the games that we missed out on because Nintendo didn't translate them over. Some cases of games not brought to North America have become famous/infamous, Mother 1 was fully translated and ready to go when Nintendo of America said nope, the chips would cost to much, and North America just doesn't buy rpgs. Which is true North Americas love affair with the JRPG had not came to fruition yet. Mr. Gimmick was released in English overseas but never brought here. Its is known as own of the most fun, dynamic, and hard games ever produced for use on the Famicom hardware. PattheNESPunk has a great review of it over at his site. Terranigma, a highly praised rpg was released in english in the PAL territories but never made it here.
      My point about all this is that we missed out on a lot of great games. When the SNES came out we had already had a few terrible Back to the Future based games in America. What do they release in the US another shitty BTTF game. What do they get in Japan, an AWESOME GAME. In Japan they had Fire Emblem, a series which while around since the 80's didn't make its North American debut until the early 00's on the GBA. Even games with good track records like Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest/Warrior, have had some of their sequels go unreleased for years in the US only to come out 10 or 15 years later on a handheld or virtual console. Some games never get their day in America, and that's when hackers, translators, and emulators come in, but more on that in a little bit.
     When the model 2 NES came out your options where slightly expanded if you knew a secret. The secret being the converter hidden in some 5 screw old school NES games.
     What am I talking about you ask. Well in the early days of the NES life cycle the games where made using 5 regular screwdriver, none of that "game bit" crap. Later they switched to three security screws and two plastic clips. Now inside some of these five screw games lies a little secret. Because of a chip shortage Nintendo took Famicom game chips, which are smaller than their NES brothers, and they slid them in a 72 pin converter piece . What does this have to do with playing import games you ask? Well by taking the 5 screw game apart (which is easy because it has normal screws) you can use the converter in a Model 2 NES or any of the popular retro systems that are top loaders to play imported Famicom games. Just plug them in the converter like you would a game genie slap it into your system and play some Japanese flavored goodness.
     Beyond these what options did you have back then. Well none. Computers where so big, expensive, and complicated that most modern computer users would just stare in amazement and terror.
     Things didn't change for a long time, the mid to late 90's to be exact. The SNES had run its course and cd based systems where all the rage. The companies all, except Nintendo, had switched to compact disks. Nintendo clung to their cartridges with all their might with the N64 but by the end even they had to accept the death of cartridge based gaming. The NES was long gone, as well as the Genesis, and TG16. Computers had finally progressed to the point that it was capable of writing a program which acted and read data exactly like an NES or SNES or any of the other earlier generation consoles. These programs where dubbed emulators. The first emulator I ever used was ZSNES, a DOS based emulator which was rather confusing and looking back on it cumbersome to use. But it had lots of different screen settings, you could set the controls to whatever you wanted, and most important of all in the world of emulation , IT WORKED!
     Being a Genesis kid, I was excited to play all of the SNES games that i had missed out on. Back then I had a 28.8kb modem, and later a 56k, upgrade. What today takes a matter of seconds took  minutes, and if the connection was bad hours to download. Luckily most SNES games where small, but to download a game such as Earthbound good easily take around an hour.
     The next emulator I used was a gameboy color emulator small enough that I could fit it and a copy of the pokemon roms on a floppy disk and install them secretly on computers around the high school I attended.
     I am not saying all these uses are right, or legal. They most certainly are not morally or legally. Especially at the time, since the companies where still making money off these games. Time changes the circumstances and morality of it now though. This is where it gets meaty and I will go into further detail on the next post.
     Next time, emulation and fan translations, and why its fine to use emulation of old school games.

Please feel free to discuss in the comments section I would love to see the comments blow up with people.

MikefromKy



    

Sorry Its Been Awhile

     I'm sorry its been awhile, life gets hectic sometimes. I will have a real post up this week sometime. Untill then go check out The Game Chasers new trio of episodes which kicks off their official season 2. Those guys are great I have chatted a little with Jay on fb and they are just completely down to earth great bunch of guys who just love video games and fart jokes............

New Post Coming Soon

I have been working on the new post, yes it will most likely be just text but it will be my longest post yet, and it tackles what is a touchy subject in the gaming world . Thats right the taboo topic of EMULATION. Love it , hate it , there are reasons for both, and depending who you are those reasons can vary drastically. I wil be looking at what makes it worthwhile in some cases, and not in others, the legality issue ( I am no legal expert so don't take what I say as law but this is just my view) I will be adding more links to Emulation related sites, including one to the fantastic Mother 3 Rom and English Translation Patch, which will allow you to play one of the greatest games Nintendo ever decided to not bring to America, yeah Chuck Fesumay or however you spell his name the President of NintenDOH! really had no clue that it would be that popular. But YOU will be able to get it and play it for free by following the links I provide in the next post. I look forward to finally hearing some comments and feedback maybe even a little debate and discussion on this next post . So please guys keep coming back, and game on gamers.

MikefromKy        

FFVII Grinding

     One thing I always seamed to hate, but at the same time relish is the grind. For those of you unfamiliar with RPG's, Grinding is mindless battling to either level up and gain new abilities, or to get currency to buy the next upgrade for equipment and magic.
     Some games take this to absolutely mind numbing extremes, Dragon Warrior I for NES pops to mind. Hours upon hours just to gain enough gold to buy a new sword or just to gain the couple of extra levels your character needs to defeat the next dungeon or boss. Other games make the opposite mistake, and make it terribly easy especially at the beginning of the game to just fly threw worlds, dungeons, and bosses. The problem with this is by the end of the game the challenge is usually boosted up so much that your character is left to weak, and you have to grind at the very end of the game just to complete the epic you have invested 20 or 30 + hours in.
     This is where I think Final Fantasy VII has really reached a balance. Yes you have to grind, but the grinding is kept at a pace where simply grinding for 10 or 15 minutes in between villages or dungeons and your set for the next portion of the game. Of course if your like me you want to grind to steal off certain enemies, or get your materia to level up, or just for the fun of exploring the over world map. But its not so rammed down your throat that you feel like your just going threw the motions, a problem I have heard Final Fantasy VIII has. Yes, I have never sat down and really played FF VIII, I have tried on several occasions and just can't get into the feel of the game. One of the reasons being the absolute grind happy magic system of FFVIII.
     So yes I am grinding right now having just crossed the ocean after defeating Jenova on Shinras boat. But its a good grind, its the type of grind where you know shortly you will be advancing the game and something else new and exciting will take place. I think thats the great thing in revisiting a game you have not played more than 20 minutes into in over 12 years. EVERYTHING is new again, sure major plot points are still remembered but the little bits and pieces the witty dialogue of some npc's or the bright fun layout of some towns and enviroments. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing.
     Next time we will talk about what I think is the biggest difference between old school games and new school games is, and why IMO many people are turning back to the games they loved as a child. So check back soon. And please comment below on what you think the biggest difference is. And the much loved art of emulation, which some great links are provided to the right to help anyone interested in getting started emulating some of the great games from your past. (of course i have to suggest buying the game as well)  ;P

Final Fantasy VII Love it or Hate It : Reliving The Teenage Years

     As many people born in the early 80's, the early to late 90's where our awakening and first real impressions of RPG's. I think this is the reason we all love the classic JRPG style which seams to haven fallen out of grace with modern younger gamers.
     Of course I had played the Zelda titles, even tried my hand at the Final Fantasy games for both NES and to a limited extent (I had a Sega) the SNES. However it took until high school for an RPG to really grab me by the throat, and heart, and not let go. That game was of course, Final Fantasy VII. Now I know the arguments, its a drawn out, mess of a story, and in a lot of ways it is. In later years, even after playing the game twice threw in high school, I was surprised to read plot points I had completely missed all those years ago.
     I had lost disk 2 of my set many many years ago, and had misplaced my original strategy guide even before that. I watched Advent Children and loved it, the characters seaming as fresh in my mind as the day i first saw Cloud jump off the train, or Sephiroth stepping threw the flames of the Shinra mansion. I decided to use the dread E word and play Final Fantasy 7 again, however it just doesn't hold the feel of the original on an emulator. (hell I own the game, suck it Square) So I waited, the game has grown quite expensive as of late and all i needed was disk 2 so i wasn't about to pay up the high prices it started to command on ebay.
     Then luck, I posted a Smash Bros for 64 on nintendoage a GREAT forum for old school gamers. And traded for a copy of FFVII the case was cracked and there was no instruction manual, but i had both of those....... I want to thank PlayableMoogle for the trade.
     Since I knew I was getting a fresh copy coming i started disk one of the game I do have, on my old school model 1 PSX. And I have to say........ITS STILL GREAT , nostalgia does play a large part I am sure, especially since it is still on disk one, which happens to be the section of the game everyone has played several times. But i even found my old strategy guide, something i use to check once I have made it threw a section just to make sure I didn't miss a key piece of mana or item.
     I plan to keep everyone up to date on my feelings as I progress threw the game, and my thoughts and nostalgic moments from the game. So come back and please comment below.

Classic RTS (a few memories) and THAT SMELL

      Being born in 1982 didn't lead to many options for RTS games. The ones you did see where so complicated that you cussed yourself for renting it on the weekend and not renting Street Fighter II, or going back even earlier something as simple as Super Mario 2. When you brought home a RTS game for your weekly rental as a 6 or 7 year old child you fumbled around pointed and pushed buttons with no idea of what to do or how to do it, and the early clunky nature of RTS games really did not help their appeal or understandability one bit.
     The first RTS I really remember sitting down and trying to play was Sim City on the pc. To this day I still am baffled by SIM City and never play it. As soon as I see the title screen I am whisked away to a time of utter frustration and hatred so much so that I just built willy nilly and waited for the city to burn. To me that was the funnest part as a 12 or 13 year old.
     The second game I remember really sitting down and trying at was Civilization. I can't clearly remember if it was part I or II but I had matured a few years and at 15 I knew I could build an empire. Like many people with civilization you fumble around for the first few hours THINKING you are doing great then you expand to the point of having enemies on all sides and soon after you die to raiding parties. Still it was a step up, the interface (while it doesn't hold up that well now) was simple and great for its time. I would play, die, and play again. To me thats the mark of a great game. I still have a copy of Civ II I purchased at the DG almost 10 years ago in a bargain bin, and I admit that every couple years I will put it in and get my ass kicked just for old times sake.
     The next game i really remember sinking a lot of time into was one of the Might and Magic games from teh late 90's. I honestly can't tell you which one it was, I just remember drinking large amounts of coffee and taking caffeine pills getting wired like a 220 breaker and playing this all day. I moved to Indiana and didn't have the internet and the only game I had brought with me for PC was Might and Magic so I set myself to beat it in every way possible. I did but only after months of late nights and terrible campaigns where I would employ horrible strategy. I never was great at these games. If i did beat one it was by sheer force of will and determination.
     What followed was a time where I fell out of the RTS scene. The games I bought and tried to play, such as Black and White, I never could get into. Now I know I am whitewashing over a few classics, Command and Conquer series, Starcraft, Warcraft, etc. I played these games although not to the extensive amount i played them in years to come. So I really can't give an opinion from my youth/teenage years when i really never played them much back then. I will say i have played these in recent years and received much enjoyment from them. Thats the thing about RTS games, the older you are the more they make since. So I can play a game NOW that I hated as a youth and really love it, and devote many many hours to it.
     Ok the early 2000's is when things get muddled. To me games such as Baldurs Gate and its predecessors should be considered RPG/RTS games. Since they are real time and you have complete control over each character there are many many elements that come from RTS games. I think my devotion to those games really helped with the strategy element in RTS games. Sure you could pause and issue commands in the BG series but the majority of the game was making sure everyone was in the right place at the right time when a battle did occur, and isn't that a major portion of any RTS game. These games are what lead me back to try Warcraft once again. Now while I have never played WOW it saddens me that Blizzard has devoted itself to MMO's when their roots (beyond Rock N Roll Racing) where in RTS games. In recent years I have played the Legends series, and the Total War series religiously and love them. While the graphics can't hold up to teh latest release on 360 pr PS3, its not about the graphics. Its about the game play, and the game play just keeps getting better as (slowly but surely the kinks get worked out however it seams much more slowly than they do in other genres) .
     I have not played any of the recent RTS games as my video card is just not strong enough for the newest games.   HOWEVER I look forward to upgrading just to play the recent Warhammer games and Starcraft releases.
     NOW onto something all the old foggies should remember. THAT SMELL! There are many memories associated with smells but one of the biggest for me is the smell of a video rental store. I don't know what exactly the smell was, fresh plastic, the sterile smell of fresh movie posters, the nicotine and coffee always billowing and forth from the behind the counter area. I don't even want to think how the smells from the adult only area mixed in with these. I also remember that early in the life of video stores they often doubled as teh only place to buy records/tapes/gaming stuff EVERYTHING COOL. As a really young kid i remember wanting to buy the Helloween ALBUM at the local rental store and my mother thinking that the cover was bad enough that she could not buy this for her 6 year old son. But back to the smell it was a smell that hit you as soon as you opened the door. Air conditioners running full blast, collage of movie posters spackled on the walls, it was a magical time where if you didn't know what game was coming out that week threw Nintendo Power you had to wade your way threw the old games to find the new gems. Then you rented a game maybe two if you were lucky. And you spent the next day or two playing these games hoping beyond hope that they where as good as they looked on the back of the box. Many times they weren't but when you did find a gem from the 8 bit early 16 bit era it was a great feeling. With websites, and mail in exchange game sites, and stores like Gamespot it kills that feeling of exploration and discovery. You know of every great game coming down the line, you know 2 years before the games come out. It takes away from the magic. I guess that SMELL is associated with the magic. Never knowing what your getting, having to struggle threw terrible controls and marginal graphics (even for the time) just to keep playing. I remember when the smell changed. To me it was the second big video game crash. It was the mid 90's when so many different systems came out that a video store need not have just two VG sections Nintendo or Sega you had the 3do, Sega CD, N64, Playstation, along with the Nintendo, Snes, Genesis. It became such a cluster fuck of who wanted your money who could make their large style boxes look the best and trick you into renting these horrible titles for even a night (at premium rates since the systems where so expensive it was 15 - 20 dollars to rent the system then another 3 to rent a game). At this time I started playing more games and really got into the PSX, I stopped renting games as much. If I wanted to play a game, I purchased it, since the games were typically so long renting them till you beat them was financially stupid. try renting FF7 till you beat it or let alone till you found all the secrets in it. Sure this can be said about some of the SNES RPG's, but it really started getting into 30+ hours of game play in the late 90's early 00's.
     I just wanted to know how many people really remember the smell of their old game rental places. And the magic they envoked when games where such a new thing that just playing a new game, you had something to talk about on Monday on the playground. maybe I am just too nostalgic but its one of the things that stands out in my mind. Sorry if this entry seams kinda rough and tumble it is 5 in the morning and I just got bored and decided to write a lil piece about these games and memories. Please leave feedback, I know i can do better but if anyone is reading this I would love to know what you think so far. Signing out its me MikefromKy. Please leave feedback even if its bad.

OK BEEN GONE AWHILE

     Not that anyone has checked this out but I have been gone quite awhile after making this blog. BUT I AM BACK! And what have you been doing? Absolutely nothing. Playing games many of them retro simply because I don't have any current gen. systems, nor do I want any. But what have I been playing you may ask? Well a couple great games to tell the truth. I found a copy full on with maps and all copy of Icewind Dale 2 for PC.
      I have all the Baldurs Gate engine games at one point or another Torment was stolen along with disk 3 of Baldurs Gate 1 (don't ask why just disk 3) but I have to give props to all the games made with that engine. They made D&D playable on pc, and until Neverwinter Nights came along they where the only really playable games based on D&D for the PC or console. Sure Eye of the Beholder was a bench mark for some (I have a CIB copy) but I hate those dungeon crawls. 1st person dungeon crawlers are terrible I will go ahead and say it. BUT THEN COMES BALDURS GATE! Full party control, pause at any time to give orders, and a GREAT story. I love the Baldurs Gate engine and any games based off it.
     Baldurs Gate 2 is one of the most epic games anyone could ever play. Sub-quest upon sub-quest, many many MANY hours of game play before you even try to tackle the main quest. Hell I have around 30 hours in and am only on chapter 3. But I am talking about Icewind Dale 2. Here is a game (the first based off 3rd edition rules for the Baldurs Gate Engine.) that really takes it up a notch for being a 3rd edition game. The rest of the BGE games were based on the tried and true AD&D format which in a way made it easier to play to the hardcore D&D crowd. Since many of us had grew up playing 2nd edition D&D. But IWD2 took some big chances looking back. It used a completely different rules system AND MADE IT WORK. See thats the key making it work. Many people look back at Torment and say it was a masterpiece a great landmark and an overlooked game. Well yes it was for its story. BUT the actual implementation of the game was shit. I hated the layout and entire feel of the control system. With BG2 and IWD 2 they got it right. If Torment had been made with the same format and layout as BG2 I would be hunting down my ex wife right now for stealing my copy. As it is I will probably just download a copy (hey I owned it which means I have the right to download a backup copy)
     Anyway if you like D&D I suggest Icewind Dale 2 or if you really have some free time Baldurs Gate 1 & 2 although 2 is much better you should play one just for the story.

     What else have i been playing hmm a lil Mike Tysons punch out, some of the Final Fantasy remakes for the DS and the FF Tactics 2 on DS which I love. Yeah this post is kinda off the cuff future ones will be more thought out. I just felt i needed to do SOMETHING with this blog. Is anyone even reading this if you are leave feedback what do you want to see/hear me rant and rave about???

This is the Wallbanger and I'm Out!