WOW , it's been awhile since I've done much with this blog. Much of that has to do with me being lazy, hey I may be the only honest blogger on the web. Another reason being that I've been a little torn about my retro gaming, and retro gaming in general. Not the nostalgia, or fun of playing and collecting classic games but more with WHAT to collect. With so many systems, and very little money to spare I had to sell part of my collection and downsize what I can realistically collect.
So I had lots of hard choices to make. And I made them. So out went the NES and SNES stuff, although I do still plan on picking up games in the wild for those systems when I find them, weather they are games I want or games I can use for trading fodder I just can't afford to collect for them anymore. The last two years have seen the market for games on those two systems SKYROCKET in value, maybe I shouldn't say value, more like price. Games like Chrono Trigger ARE NOT RARE but are priced like they are, and it seams like many games are like that overpriced to the point where they cost more NOW than when they where new, and don't get me started on the prices of games that are rarer like Earth Bound. When you go to a game store and see prices like $11.00 for Dragon Warrior 1 on NES you know things have gotten out of hand. If it weren't for emulation a lot of us wold never get to play a lot of these games. But that is a whole other post entirely.
NOW before all the Nintendo fanboys start running away calling me a traitor, I still collect games that I really want such as RPG's for any system, and I still collect for one Nintendo system that most people overlook, that being the Gamecube. Actually that leads me into my next topic of what I actually am currently collecting for. Those being the last generation of systems namely the PS2 and Gamecube. I hope to have a regular Xbox some day , but until I come across one in the wild for uber cheap........it can wait.
You may be asking yourself "Why?" And the answers are plentiful and easy to come by. Just like games for those systems. Also right now the games are relatively cheap ranging from a couple bucks to about 8 dollars at the most in the wild. There where a plethora of games for just the PS2 well over 3000 counting Japanese only games. The unit itself sold over 150 MILLION, making it the best selling unit of all time , which only just quit being produced in January of this year. That's right folk, they where still poppin these babies out till 2013. And the reason is obvious, it was a solid system, with (for its day) fairly powerful hardware capable of some amazing things in the hands of the right programer. Now do I ever even HOPE to have all the games for the PS2.........no. I would have to either mod or buy a Japanese PS2 to even play the imports and learning to read Japanese is not high on my list of things to do. Would I someday shoot for a complete US only set. Maybe. But for the time being I see it as a solid invest in both fun and future value. As long as the disc rot doesn't eat threw my collection it should last for quite awhile.
The Gamecube has always been kinda the underdog for me, and honestly the system I know the least about, beyond a few classics and hidden gems I would love to find. Tales of Symphonia looks fantastic and if I had a video card capable of running Dolphin I would have probably already emulated and played it. Its no secret I loves me some JRPG's which I don't think the system was heavy on, but I hear the few that are there are pretty good. Gamecube games are cheap as the PS2 and just as common. Even some of the more uncommon (as far as collectors are concerned) seam to be fairly easy to find around here. I picked up my copy of The Legend of Zelda : Wind Waker, for 8 bucks at a local pawn shop, which is also the highest place I have seen to buy games around here. What I like best about the Gamecube hands down, no pun intended, is the controller. I have never felt a controller that felt as RIGHT as the GC controller. The analog stick is so perfect it gives perfection a new meaning. Shoulder buttons always threw me off and on other controller have they ever felt really natural too me, till the GC controller.
OF COURSE, I can't completely give up on collecting for the 16 bit era, so I have switched gears to the more affordable, but still epic Genesis/Megadrive. I came across a Genesis model 3, which while not be the greatest when it comes to some things, ISN'T REGION LOCKED! So Mega Drive exclusives are at least within my ability to play. So far the BOOM which has skyrocketed even some not so rare games on the SNES and NES hasn't been as devastating to the Genesis. The prices are going up, but are not in any way climbing at the exponential rate of SNES games. One crappy thing I have found however, unlike many NES and SNES games that miraculously the back up battery still works in, I have yet to find a SINGLE WORKING BATTERY BACKED UP CART , that still saves for the Genesis. Nothing sucks worse than owning games that you have no hope of ever beating till you pay someone to replace he battery. (I would prefer paying just for the insurance that they won't fuck my game up and if they do they will replace or pay me for it) Looks like I will be making a trip to a local game shop to get my Phantasy Star 4 juiced back up.
Something i have been dong lately is playing a lot of PSONE games on my computer ...........I'll let you guess how, but it really made me take a second look at a system I thought I knew well. I owned a PSONE in the 90's, a Christmas gift in the year of its release, back then it was mind blowing. What really surprises me now, is how poorly the games I loved have aged (Final Fantasy's being the exception for story alone if nothing else) What I have been playing are a lot of the games I missed back then for one reason or another. I was never a shooter fan and was late to the rpg craze with my love for the genre being cemented with FF7 and FF9. I had no concept of strategy games until much much later, and besides Tetris, or I.Q. I was never a puzzle game fan. Now though with the help of a little *ahem* searching online, I have began to play tons games that I missed that have aged a thousand percent better than games like the original Tomb Raider, or ANY 3D fighter on the system.
A major time sink for me has been Ark The Lad. I love me some strategy rpg action, and thankfully they went for sprites instead of polygons and it ages much better for it. The game, at least the first one in the trilogy , isn't without its flaws. I am only about 1/3 of the way into the game, but so far the only major complaint I have is the lack of an item that works like an Escape Rope in Pokemon. You go 15 levels deep into a dungeon, and instead of going back and hitting the stairs up and coming out on top, or at the very least the levels still being cleared of monsters, you have to fight your way back threw all 15 levels to the safety of a save game screen. The dungeon in question......is 30 LEVELS DEEP! Yes its full of treasure, but without any potions that restore MP which are used for all magic and special abilities, AND no way to save and come back to the dungeon later, it makes tackling these dungeons a very time consuming and nerve wracking experience. Imagine making it 25 levels deep, you have used up almost all of your resources (at least the useful ones) you are hit with the sudden realization that you have 5 levels left to reach the bottom, which can only get harder. OR you can back out and start working your way back out and hope and pray you can avoid as many enemies as possible and make it back out now only to have to try and do it all over again and spend another 3 or 4 hours to have the same problem again.
I haven't even attempted part 2 or 3 yet, but I plan on taking them in order. Its a simple to grasp, but still surprisingly challenging game and a real surprise for me since I completely missed it back in the day. Another really great strategy/rpg that uses sprites and aged very well despite its VEEERY JAPANESE storyline is Saiyuki - Journey West. Its too much to try and explain but look it up, if you like the genre, and the 90's, you won't be let down.
But I missed A LOT back then. While I played my PSONE quite a bit, even taking it to the Comic/Gaming shop I worked at to kill time. (Not much call for the new Planescapes box set in rural Eastern Ky) I remember Square releasing Einhander back then , and even being by my favorite company I passed it up because I wasn't into shooters. Now I am having to play older shooters just to not be stuck playing bullet hell games. (Which while they may look pretty, I suck at, so therefore I don't enjoy) So Einhander has been on steady rotation along with Raycrisis, R-Type Delta and several others........the one thing that I still have a problem with when it comes too shooters is that they are soooooo hard to remember the name of as far as distinguishing themselves enough to not get confused with another similar shooter.
There are so many great games on the PSONE that it would be useless to try and name them all, we all remember and love Castlevania - Symphony of the Night (epic voice acting and all) Silent Hill, Resident Evil 1+2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Parasite Eve, the Oddworld Games, Mega Man Legends series, Harvest Moon - Back To Nature, Dragon Warrior 7, Beyond the Beyond, Metal Slug X, the Persona series..............it could just go on and on. Anyone wishing to play these, I suggest you either dig out your psone, and start trying to track them all down..........good luck, OR try one of my favorite sites of all time www.coolrom.com. Everything you need (except maybe the bios for the PS1, you'll have to track that down on another site its no problem to find on google) is on coolrom, and yes THEY HAVE WORKING DS ROMS AND EMULATORS AS WELL!
What do you want to hear about? What would you like reviewed or just to talk about. This blog is not just for me, its for anyone who wants to talk about old school games and wax nostalgia on all things cool and retro. Anyone who would like to write for Not Just Another is welcome to message me and I would be more than happy to not only have you as a commenter but as a writer for the blog as well. I hope you have enjoyed listening to me blather on check back in , hopefully updates will be more often and substantial.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Was Cleaning Some Games When
I was cleaning some games tonight, and like many games we all find there where stickers of the local video rental shop which serviced this area from the 80 - early 00's, when competition became to much and it went under. At which time it sold off all of its movies, and video games. So In this area there are tons of these games. But I just gotto thinking about the good old days again and the next thing I know pen to paper and a lil poem was written. Nothing much and I hope to start updating a lot more often i even have a camera now so i may be able to start posting some stuff. ANYWAY without further ado Video Solution........the poem.
Video Solution
Do you remember the smell, of cigarettes, coffee, and porn
of cardboard boxe, pictured with a million worlds
wonders, and monsters
who would haunt my dreams for years to come
or try vainly to remember those names
with friends and laugh
but best of all
(far to young for porn)
where the games
and how they'd tell my age
first came the grey toaster
oh how they blew my mind
Castlevania scared me half to death
MegaMan made me wanna cry
to pick a game before you can read
was almost going in blind
Next I didn't have a Super
But the 90's were so fine
I had blast processing bitches
no mode 7 for me oh no
To Jam and Earl on Funatronic oh how it changed my world
the years rolled by I tried Sega Cd , just once or twice no more
And how did they fix just so damn much
in this ittty bitty store
The 3DO, SNES, and even N64
I remember the big box Playstation games
Not for me on opening day
I had to wait a year or two
but always on christmas day
I'd wanna go to the video store
to check some of the new games
but it burned bad
i bet it smelled bad
wow those where the days
the good lookin ladies
who never charged me a late fee
free movie posters and all
we're missing something these days
online gamings not the same thing
the games
just aren't as fun
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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.
Friday, April 27, 2012
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 .
Sunday, April 15, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
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.
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
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
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