needs more dinosaurs

I have so many dumb projects I want to find the time to do, including this blog, but between going to school full time and still putting in a lot of hours at work, I don't seem to have the time for much of anything. Except maybe using photoshop to badly insert dinosaurs into various images.


Hmm.

Posted by Kevin on 3:27 PM
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The MUDening

Sometime in college, in a fit of nostalgia, a friend and I tried to get an old MUD we used to play up and running for our own amusement. I got the code, we spent a little money for the server, we had everything we needed. Then I tried to compile the thing and suddenly we were drowning in error messages. Feeble efforts to fix it just caused more problems, and my feeble knowledge regarding C and Linux servers meant we were simply outgunned. It was a failure.

I don't particularly like failing, and in a sea of lost projects, this one has always stood out. So I decided to revive it, at least in concept. In a day and age where MMORPGs have become such an immersive and detailed experience, very old-fashioned text adventure MUDs are not exactly en vogue. But it seemed like getting some sort of MUD, even a very simple one, would be a fun coding exercise.

I had no intention of starting from scratch, but I wasn't going to start with something overtly complicated like I did the last time. I found some code for tinymudserver, a simple MUD server coded in C++ with the basics (server workings, rooms and conversation) without any of the thrills (objects, npcs, fighting and challenge). I'd need a linux environment, so cygwin was installed, first just with the basics. Tried to compile tinymudserver... failure. Added all the missing components the internet said I needed... more failure. Installed all of cygwin components for all time ever... some success, but more failure.

Totally flashbacking at this point, I found an older version of tinymudserver that I was able to get to work. The only problem was rooms or directions weren't up and running. I wanted something simple to start with but movement seemed like something I'd like to have at the very least. So with renewed vigor, I found what was the newest version of tinymudserver. It still gave me errors, but instead of running away and mass deleting my "mud" folder, I sat down and tried to fix them. Surprisingly, the errors weren't so hard to fix. A few changes later, the MUD compiled, and I was pleasantly shocked when the log-in screen popped up and the thing worked with no issues.

Since then, I've added a few more commands that I wanted, some color, classes. I've broken it about a dozen times, but that's part of the fun. For a final victory lap, I even grabbed a copy of the code for that MUD I tried to compile back in college, and with an extra dose of confidence, got that running as well. All that was left was to have my old MUD buddy and wife serve as crash test dummies across the interwebs for a trek down memory lane.

Good times. Good times.

Posted by Kevin on 1:45 PM
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Project ROM Hacking (Part 2)

Even though I'd already decided that the level design aspect alone of this Super Mario ROM hack project made it too problematic to be worthwhile (even though it was very simplistic, compared to any other ROM you'd want to hack), I still wanted to finish the thing. That meant trying to do anything else I'd be required to do if I pursued a legit project. In other words, I needed to change some sprites, work out the colors, and get some new text.

My first thought was to change out the Bullet Bills I had flying around the level. All the goombas had been replaced with Bullet Bills because it meant Colure wouldn't encounter any enemies, making it (relatively) impossible for her to die. But flying bullets didn't really mesh with the cutsey theme, so they need to go!

There's a number of ways to get to the sprites at a center of a ROM-POP. I opted to rip em out and screw around with them in good old MS Paint. This is the part where I started to panic a bit.

Sprites don't come out in pretty pictures, which I remembered. Nor do they have the correct "colors", which I also remembered. What I didn't remember was how easily it was to get a headache staring at these things while you played "Where's Waldo?", or in my case, Bullet Bill. I momentarily gave up and decided to just change the flag logo at the end to a heart.

Cute, but serious weaksauce. With renewed vigor, I went back and found Mr. Bill. I had no idea what to do with him. A smiley face seemed likely. I passed this one over to my resident artist and had her think of something while I worried about solving other issues; namely, palette. I didn't want to be limited to Bullet Bill's white-black-red color scheme, but unfortunately, I quickly discovered that it'd be impossible to change. Well, maybe not impossible, but very ill-advised. Early games had limited palettes, and plenty of objects shared the same one. In Bullet Bill's case, he happened to share the same palette as all of the environment backgrounds. Changing him to pink, for example, gave the whole world a serious hue of princess.

Not to be deterred, I opted to simply give our leading man a different coat of paint. Saddened that the world would not be bathed in pink, Colure suggested we make Mario dazzle instead. I obliged.

She also gave me two concepts to go with. One was too complicated to draw crosswise into four pieces; the other I could do poorly. So we went with that.

Finally, the only sort of thing I could think of to change that I hadn't yet was some text. So I fired up the old hex editor, worked up a letter table to help me find words (like I did back in the day when I wanted to prove that Shadow in FF6 didn't have a super-secret 7th dream), and made some minor changes. Fun to see how little text is actually used, and how much it stands out when you reduce everything down to hexadecimal.

And that's it. I'm ultimately amused by the project, but there's far better uses of time. I can really only see ROM-Hacking as a hobbyist pursuit by foaming-at-the-mouth fans of particular game, and I mean that in the most obsessive, craziest way. I might be a huge classic gamer, but considering just how cumbersome the process is, I don't think there's a single game I'd ever want to bother with that much.

So onto new horizons! We'll see what I end up screwing with next.


Posted by Kevin on 7:26 PM
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Project ROM Hacking (Part 1)

Now that school prep is temporarily finished while I wait to hear back on applications, I've thrown myself back into learning Python, which has been a blast. And while it's something I do try to do every day, it doesn't hurt to take breaks every now and then and do something else.

I've decided to use that time to work on silly projects. I say silly because I don't think they're really going to accomplish anything - they're mostly just a chance for me to educate myself about some area of interest. They'll all be fairly game-related, but I fully expect a lot of them will be mostly useless.

For example: ROM Hacking.

I once dabbled with hacking a ROM at a time when we weren't so removed from that generation. I gave up because initial attempts didn't work right, and it seemed like a waste of time. I was still pretty sure it'd be a waste of time, but I wanted to at least see what was involved in such a project, and just how much of a waste of time it would be.

I quickly decided on Super Mario Brothers as my game of choice, namely because it'd be easiest. I already knew there were a number of level editors that would make the level design aspect of hacking this particular ROM pretty simple, and the game itself is fairly basic.

My intentions weren't really to design an elaborate level - I just wanted to figure out how cumbersome it would. A "hello world" was in order! But since the world has never bothered to say hi to me, I opted to do a little dedication to my wife instead.


A little corny I know, but fun. You'll notice the COLURE isn't quite to scale - it's basically spread throughout the entire level, which wasn't my desire. Levels are divided into rooms, which have a set number of objects and enemies. The first room you encounter, for example, has a row of five bricks, 3 question mark boxes (1 with a mushroom), and two enemies. Hacking a ROM image means you're limited to changing what you've got, less than creating per se. I couldn't just stick a ton of blocks in the first few rooms - I was limited to modifying what was there.

I'm not saying you couldn't get elaborately creative in working around that sort of structure - plenty of people have, believe me, and when you can change a pipe to a row of 5 or more bricks, that's no small change. But for me it seems like way more trouble than it's worth. That's basically the thesis statement of this project, by the way.

But we'll talk more about that tomorrow, when I delve into sprites, text, palettes and more!*

*Not actually that much more

Posted by Kevin on 4:11 PM
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Sunday Confessional: Virtual Boy Collection

So it's Sunday, and if Friday is all about partyingpartyingyeah, Sunday is all about confessing, which probably isn't catchy enough to be the next Rebecca Black hit. But maybe it's just enough for decent blog fodder!


So, Sunday Confessional: I would like to own every Virtual Boy game ever made. I'm a big collector at heart, and one of these days I'll have a solid collection of every legit system ever made, and I'll be content with that. I'm never going to try to get all 767 NES games because I don't really to. But all 22 Virtual Boy titles? Sign me up.

Sue me, I love the thing. It's not just a bad system! It's a colossally bad system! It's an incredible, beautifully awful idea. And I really get a kick out of using it. You'll never encounter another experience quite like it! I don't even know where to throw it on a console checklist - it doesn't fit any categories! Really, what's not to like? Except everything about it? Right? I thought so.

I'm at eight. Probably the eight cheapest as well. I'm not saying this is going to happen tomorrow. I'm not even saying it's a lifetime goal. I'm just saying... I think it'd be cool if I had all of them. That's all.

Whew. I feel better now. Truly this is what confessionals are all about! Maybe next week I'll be ready to delve into something more serious. Like enjoying Zelda II.

Posted by Kevin on 2:58 PM
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Relaunched

We have reignition.


Going to try to use this site again as a place to talk about the process of going back to school for round 2, discuss various projects I'm working on in an attempt to better myself (but mostly have fun), and whatever silly things come to mind at any given time. It's mostly for my benefit to keep me on track with things, but you're welcome to come along for the ride.

Eventually we'll get a total site design and the like. This is really more like a Day #2 Kitchen Nightmares relaunch than a than Day #3 one. But let's see how it goes.

As for the process: am working full-time again, which is good for funding purposes, not so much for using the time to work on learning things. But it's probably for the best in the long run. Also received notice this week that my readmission application to UCF was accepted. So even in the worse case scenario, I am going back to school somewhere. Which means a lot, trust me.

Posted by Kevin on 1:38 PM
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Pre-Reboot/Relaunch/Revival/Regettingmyacttogether Message

Two years ago I was unemployed and wanted to write about games to cheer me up from the depressing reality that being unemployed can be. That went pretty well for a few months, until I wrote the dreaded words that signals a blog's demise: Will update.


No two words have signaled a site's death more times that the good-intentioned, but ultimately false, promise to update. Which I knew at the time, but wrote anyways, because what else do you say? I wasn't honestly sure what I wanted to do with the site, and spent the next month writing an awful novel for NaNoWriMo (which was fun, despite being, you know, awful), and then got a job after that. And so a new period began.

Which has now ended.

I still don't know for sure what I want to do with this site, but I'd like to do something. I certainly don't intend to use it to talk about the events of the last year. But I don't just want to go back to waxing poetically on why Zelda II is such an under-appreciated gem. That's fun and all, but who cares? There's hundreds of forums overflowing with posts of varying-level of intelligence on such topics. I might think I have a unique perspective, but I also might be a maniacal egotist. So there's a lot of gray area, I guess.

In any event, consider this a teaser of sorts: changes are coming! Things are underway! Really! I just have no idea what they are. Possible topics include: talking about process of going back to school full-time for another bachelor's at the same time your sister 9 years your junior is also entering college, discussing my ongoing project to sell and/or give away something every day during the work week, or maybe, despite my best intentions, just more waxing poetically on such pressing, hard-hitting topics in line with the hottest issues in today's world like why game reviews are dumb.

So, in summary... for better or (more likely) worst: Will update.

Posted by Kevin on 2:28 PM
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Will Not Do It Myself - A Top 3

Someone once told me that in life, instead of just paying people to do work for you, you should always try to do something yourself at least once. "That way," he said, "you'll know how much you're willing to pay someone to do it for you."

That piece of advice has always rung true for me. I already have a natural tendency towards fixing things myself, as Colure can attest. Granted I've got a better success rate with plumbing than, say, electronics, but I do what I can.

I'm also fussy about having random people in the house. Call it paranoia, suspicion, or just plain rudeness, but I don't much care for it and like to avoid it at all costs. So, at no point in my life will you ever see me hire movers, cleaners, or probably even painters (even though sometimes the thought is incredibly tempting).

That being said... there are three things that I will never, ever attempt to do by myself, and will gladly pay anyone whatever exorbitant fee they require of me for the service. Some of them are based in lack of knowledge. Others because, well, they're kind of icky. All are based in utter fear.

1. Car Repairs - I once took the ASVAB, which is a test to help determine military placement should you enlist. I had the second highest score in my high school... but had the lowest score on the automobile section. Period. I trust myself to do nothing more then change a battery, and that's it.

2. Pest Control - This one is kind of obvious. I mean, no one's going to spray their own house with hazardous chemicals. But Home Depot sure sells plenty of mouse traps and other forms of rodent elimination, and you won't see me buying any of it. I'm not saying that I'd only ever pursue non-lethal means either... this is just one of things that I will unabashedly puss out of every time.

3. Ironing - I realize compared to the previous two this is serious weak sauce, but I have an undeniable fear of ironing. I have opted to go to events with a wearing a suits with a topographic wasteland of wrinkles over attempting to use an iron, and why? Because that's a much better option than showing up with a burned shirt, which is what I'm sure will happen if I attempt to use this deadly clothes torturer. Fortunately I have a wife. Unfortunately she hates ironing. We may have to pursue acquiring another weapon of massive wrinkle-destruction.

I'm sure everyone has at least one of these. In fact I'm also pretty sure that the first two are pretty popular choices for a lot of people.

Posted by Kevin on 11:19 AM
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Generic Randomness

Back in August I decided to sign up for NaNoWriMo on the basis that:

1) It seemed like one of those things I would regret not doing
2) It sounded cool
3) It was a very slow job hunt day

If you're not familiar with NaNoWriMo, well! You should be. The idea is simple: Write a novel in a month. That's it. No one's saying it's gonna be good. In fact, they warn you that it might very well be very bad.

But nothing's gained from not trying, right? Besides, my wife and a couple friends are doing it too, so, you know, peer pressure. You don't want to be the lone dude sitting outside of the circle.

I have no less than three ideas, although two of them might be the same. One is comedic and the other is not, unless, of course, it is. I'm not sure. I'm not really what you'd call a planner. I stopped doing outlines in college because early on it became clear to me that I was doing better on my exam essays than I was my actual papers, which is not usually how it's supposed to work. The trick was to try to write more like I did when sitting down for a test, so I dumped outlines and just figured it out as I went along. As a result, I started Acing papers, and found other ways to bring down my grades from there. I used to feel bad about this, but it turns out I'm far from the only one - in fact, there's a couple writers I really admire who are the same exact way.

None of this has anything to do with gaming really, except to say that, as a warm-up for NaNoWriMo, I'm going to start trying to use this blog more often - if only to get used to constructing words into sentences once more, if not quite doing actual preperation.

In other words: Still here. Will update.

Posted by Kevin on 1:28 PM
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PAXessing Sunday


Way too tired for short sunday write up. Also, uh, not much to write up. it was pretty much line-event-line-event-line-event-end-depression. but that doesn't mean it wasn't awesome because it was totally awesome. I'd go so far to say it was a bonafide ride on the U.S.S. Awesome!1. And you know who the captain of that ship is.


In short: Old Republic looks incredible, wil wheaton is awesome, and I've never yelled so hard about a match of skeeball in my entire life. These are the things only PAX can provide and now that it's gone I'm definitely feeling the loss.

PAX is over and I am sad. I will enjoy the next couple days of seattle immensely and then I will return to overtly-warm climate and eastern time zones and be a little depressed for a week. I'll talk to you then and maybe do a decent write up, sometime while I'm knee-deep in youtube videos of PAX events I missed and trying to find a way to time travel back a week.

Posted by Kevin on 12:02 AM
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PAX-o-matic Saturday


Friday was pretty much a slam dunk, so I definitely woke up with a spring in my step today, excited for what Saturday would bring. Since Expo Hall was a little low yesterday (although already higher then last year's total, frankly) I came determined to preview more games, starting with my personal favorite, Mass Effect 2. While I might be a bit biased towards all things Mass Effect, there's no doubt in my mind that right now Bioware is crafting their own Empire Strikes Back in the second part of this video game trilogy. And I cannot wait to get my hands on it.


Other games played today included horse-bucking Darksiders (surprisingly fun, really debated preordering it for free shirt), LEGO Rock Band (Rock Band with LEGOs, not much more to say), and then later in the day Beatles Rock Band (just for fun, since it comes out in like, 3 days) and Star Trek Online. Which, uh, was something special. I've waited a long time to play a game that actually really captured the Star Trek experience, and while this is certainly still early into the process (game won't be out until next year), I think they nailed it. Hell, extended quests are called "episodes" and designed to last around 45-60. There's a lot of love put into this, and I think it'll make a great product.

Panels were at a low today. We missed Old Republic demo because the Make a Strip went long and had quite a few complications. Not that I really minded, truth be told. It was still entertaining from start to finish, with only a minimum of bad/weird questions (the worst being an actual stalker detailing some of her missed attempts at stalking. Ugh.) I gotta say that the make-a-strip is the one thing I feel like I must do every year, and issues aside, I definitely walked away feeling the same way this year.

Had a couple other interesting events occur today, but not sure how much I want to blab about them. What I can say is that the show's been excellent, and that while I'm excited for tomorrow, I'm also incredibly depressed that this show is coming to an end. I really love PAX, and even though it's a huge cross-country trip for me, it's completely worth it.

At this point? I'm not sure that I can stop going.

Posted by Kevin on 11:49 PM
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PAXtacular Friday

Quick post before I konk out in bed: Friday at PAX was pretty awesome. Line to get in was absolutely insane, but it moved fast and we were in the expo hall quickly. Spent the better part of an hour and a half wandering and seeing the sights, while also giving the mechanical horse promotion for Darksiders a go. After that, we did some PA Q&A, met Kris Straub and Wil Wheaton, had some food, hit up the Scott Kurtz panel, and then ended the night with a Rock Band tourny entry (which won't go down as our best performance of "Carry on my Wayward Son", but might certainly have been the most fun), before finally settling into some console freeplay, giving the 1990 Nintendo World Championship cartridge a roll.

Ultimately I'd say the day was partially successful, if only because we missed the ODST panel (due to Q&A going long) and the DS World Record Attempt (because it was poorly planned), but despite both those setbacks still had an absolute blast. Honestly, the day worked out great and any complaints I have are far overshadowed by how much fun was had.

PAX is pretty much the best con I've ever been to, and this year so far has definitely surpassed my previous experience. There's just a lot more space for everything, and as a result the place feels less crowded, even though I know it's about 15,000 more people. I feel like I've already done so much, and yet it's only Friday. I have two more days and I still don't want this weekend to end.

Tommorrow's planned schedule is a lot more open, so we'll see where the day takes us. Also - this took longer then expected. Sleep needed now.

Posted by Kevin on 1:11 AM
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The PAXing - PrePAXination

At the airport now on my way to what is essentially the gamer prom. This'll be my second pilgrimage to Gaming Mecca and I'm pretty excited. Last year was pretty overwhelming at times, but now I'm a PAX veteran and I'm a lot more confident about the trip. The plan for con-conquest is solid, with a good amount of leeway room for Expo Hall and whatever else we feel like. I'll admit – I'm still a little torn about whether to do either the Keynote/PA Panel #1 or the HAWP Panel, but the wife seems to be leaning towards Keynote, so I guess that's how we'll roll.

Either way this vacation is going to be awesome, and I expect that PAX won't disappoint. Here's hoping we manage to fit everything in!

Posted by Kevin on 11:36 AM
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Buyer's Guide to Fallout 3 DLC

Last week made it official: Bethesda has finally finished releasing DLC for Fallout 3. And what a trail of destruction they have left in their wake - 5 DLC packages at 10 bucks a pop. At fifty bucks, that's practically the cost of whole other game. So, you might be wondering, is it equivalent to the content of a new game, and if so, is it awesome?


In short, it is awesome, but not really worth 50 dollars total. I don't know. It's hard. Each content feels like it's mostly worth it, but when you add it all up... on some level, doesn't feel quite right. But Fallout 3 is a great game, and getting more content for it is utterly delightful.

So let's do a quick rundown on each DLC if you haven't taken the plunge. That being said, if you don't yet own Fallout 3, wait. They're releasing a Game of the Year edition in October with all of this included, and your wallet will be much happier with that version.

Without further ado...

Operation Anchorage
In some ways, it's the most fun I had in Fallout 3; I loved being presented with a very different scenario that was a joy to play through from start to finish, even if it features a smaller scope then some of the later DLC.

Worth it? Probably not; buy it anyway.


The Pitt
Fascinating look into how other parts of the Wasteland are surviving, with a moral choice that displays greater complexity then the typical "kill extended family vs. send kitten to college" option - oh, and it's fun too, albeit a bit short.

Worth it? It's great but 10 dollars? Not sure, but I can say that the thought of paying 20 bucks for the Operation Anchorage/The Pitt combo found in stores seems a little high.

Broken Steel
Of all the DLC it's probably my least favorite quest line (with the exception of the very beginning), but it's a must have; fixing the game's ending and raising the level cap provides some welcome revisions to make this great game work even better.

Worth it? If you only buy one DLC, this is the one to have. Without a doubt, yes.

Point Lookout
Like the Pitt it adds a whole seperate area to explore, but there's much more to see and do here beyond the main quest line, and creates a unique environment reminiscint of the survival horror genre; of all the DLC, this one caters most to those who wish to explore.

Worth it? Oh yeah

Mothership Zeta
This will probably be a love-it-or-hate-it add-on, but I couldn't get enough of it; that being said, it is a very different piece of content, and doesn't particularly feel like Fallout so much as some sort of sci-fi extraveganza - personal tastes are the key factor here.

Worth it? Maybe, if you're down with something different and the thought of taking over an alien ship is your kind of thing.

Honestly, I really enjoyed all of the DLC - in a lot of ways, it's the best stuff the game has to offer. Through deals and discounts, I ended up paying 40 bucks for all of it, which still seems high, but you know what? Price isn't everything. Oblivion's Shiviring Isles expansion cost 30 bucks and while there was certainly enough content to justify the price, I thought it was awful.

You know what? Forget price - if you enjoy Fallout and want more, this DLC is some of the best I've ever played, period.

Posted by Kevin on 8:01 AM
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Mobbing 1 vs 100

Tonight's iteration of 1 vs 100, Microsoft's unique take of an online gameshow, is hosted by the crew of Penny Arcade. Which should be fun. But there's no topping last week's 1 vs 100 experience for me.

As an idea, I think 1 vs 100 is great. There's a basic fun to gameshows, and people have been yelling out the answers to Jeporady! for years. 1 vs 100 gives you a chance to participate in a way that's a bit more meaningful, even if you are just a glorified audience member. Nevertheless, it's a blast, and a fun one to pull out when having a few friends over.

I suppose another appeal is that YOU could be IN the SHOOOOOOOOOOW but to be honest I never put a whole lot of stock into that. Wasn't what made the game fun.

Imagine my surprise when I got thrown into the Mob (the 100 against the 1) last week after playing a few matches. Things got real, fast.

As much fun as playing the game casually is, it gets intense when suddenly you're up for prizes. Compared to typical game shows, the prizes really aren't much of anything, but the idea that you could win something is actually quite exciting.

Granted, I didn't actually win anything. Unfortunetly for me, the 1 that my 100 was up against wasn't all that great, and was using a lot of lifelines early on to get through some fairly easy questions. When he had a chance to take the money and run, he did... even though it was only 800 points (10 bucks :P)

So yeah, had a taste of the agony of gameshow defeat. Kind of felt like the guy who bid 1 dollar on the Price is Right only to get screwed by another contestant who bid 2 dollars instead. But it was still fun and made me enjoy 1 vs 100 all the more, which is probably the point. It's something very unique and fun, and these days those are the two things that I want to experience most when I pick up a game.

Posted by Kevin on 6:47 AM
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The Woes of Machines

Commanding an army of ancient machines can be a lot of fun. Maintaining them... not so much. For the most part, they don't really require a whole lot of attention. They're plugged in and ready to go whenever, but they don't recieve anywhere near as much use as they did in their hey-dey. So, in theory, you'd think they'd last indefinitely, but you'd be wrong.

Unfortunetely, the laws of nature dictates that all things must march on towards a state of entrhopy, a law that technology is not inherently immune to. Sometimes stuff just doesn't work. One month you're playing your Dreamcast without any issues, then next month you're got it upside down with a towel wrapped around it with a book inbetween. There's no real law to it and a million reasons why it might not work. Stuff happens.

When something does go wrong, I've found that the problem tends to fall into one of three stages of broken. The higher up it goes... the worst it gets.

STAGE 1: Game is Busted - The first go-to check on a old console that's not working is to try another game. More often than not it's the game, not the system, that's giving you problems. Sometimes you can fanagle something, but almost always this means your game is dead. Not fun, but sometimes preferable to a dead console

STAGE 2: Cords are Busted - If the games clearly aren't the problem, the next stage involves praying that it's just a console's power adapter or A/V cord that's the problem. This isn't as unusual as you think - I've lost a couple power adapters over the years, and have had some A/V fail on me. Usually it's not a big problem to replace, although some of the more unusual systems may give you trouble. However, often times you'll find that certain systems share components with each other - the Sega Master System and the Genesis share the same A/V and RF cords, and the Virtual Boy has the exact same power adapter as the Super Nintendo.

STAGE 3: System is Dead - This one hurts. Sometimes your system is just dead. You can attempt surgery, and you might have some luck with older systems, but often times there's no clear indicator of what the problem is. Some systems also change their hardware over time - I have three different Dreamcasts and none of them look the same on the inside. When system failure does occur, most often the only result is complete replacement.

My Atari 2600's been on the fritz the last couple months and finally bought it. It's the third system I've had to replace (2 Dreamcasts, 2 360s) , and while I'm not thrilled about it, it's a pretty good track record all things considered. A funeral may be held sometime soon, we'll see. I have to decide on a replacement first. I had a jr. model, so I might opt to get one of the more classic, boxier versions manufactured by pot smoking hippies. Or I might delay a 2600 replacement and finally get a 7800 (which is backwards compatabile).

Either way, hitting Stage 3? Always a bummer, but I think the fun of having a console army on hand more then makes up for it.

Posted by Kevin on 6:55 PM
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One Sentence Reviews: [PROTOTYPE]

Despite featuring a nonsensical plot and a protagonist that's closer to serial killer than "anti-hero", running off buildings, falling from skyscrapers, and kicking helicopters is a blast from start to finish.

Side Note: wtf is with those brackets in the title?

Posted by Kevin on 9:53 AM
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Dying Breed

A few weeks back Colure and I decided to embark on a small adventure for my birthday: visiting any and all legitimate, non-Gamestop used video game stores in the Greater Orlando region. I knew of one, and a few phone calls and google searches confirmed two others, one of which was part of a newer chain that had a few stores open in the region. The other had a name and logo that was practically begging Gamestop to sue them. That's not a whole lot of stores, but then again I didn't expect to find much more.

I've always had an affinity for independent used video game stores. As a rule, they were always more likely to have more unusual products, and the selection just seemed vast. I've been trying to frequent them all my life: when I was a kid in South Florida, it was the Video Game eXchange; in middle school, I always counted on Microplay. For college years, it was Cybertron. But all of those stores had the same ending; none of them lasted.

These sort of stores have always struggled, and there's plenty of reasons why. One Cybertron employee once summarized the problem by saying that their biggest issue was that people were trading them crap they couldn't sell. It's a fair point. My eyes might light up when I see a stack of TurboGrafx games, but how many people actually care? Other issues come into play when gauging how much new stock to take in, and how much you can expect to turn around. Gamestop has done well for itself in this regard, but it's a big name brand with deep pockets - chances are good that the casual customer is much more likely to dump their old games with them. A Cybertron customer would probably just ebay it. Maybe Gamestop customers are fine about just getting store credit, but at Microplay? No dice - it had to be cash.

But as much as these stores have struggled in the past, I really think that nowadays it's a sort of business that's impossible to do, for two big reasons.

1) Internet - It is impossible to compete with the internet in two critical categories - price and selection. Price is incredibly low, selection is virtually unlimited. How do you compete with that? There's a lovely little shop in Winter Springs called S+F Video Games that I visit once every few months or so. I'd go there more often except that their selection is fairly so-so; you're not likely to find the older game you had in mind, and the times they do have something worthwhile, it's marked up higher than it's worth. If anything, my visits there just inspire me to hit up ebay for something, and that's not good.


The solution for a lot of stores is to utilize the internet, whether it be selling on ebay or operating your own storefront. That's certainly a step in the right direction, but it still presents difficulties - instead of just competing with other stores, you have to compete with the guy cleaning out his attic, who doesn't really care what he gets for any of the things he's selling, just that he gets some money. That's stiff competition, and while it's something I think these stores have to do, it's still no guarentee of survival.

2) Virtual Console - Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network could be counted in this as well, but I want to focus on the Wii's Virtual Console, because the Wii has both the largest user base, and the biggest online store for old games.

The Virtual Console is, simply put, the worst thing that could ever happen to used video game stores. You can't compete with it. It reduces your potential customer base down to collectors and aficianados - losing perhaps the most profitable customer in the process, the nostalgic guy. Because why would he go to your shop if he can just get it from his home? Virtual Console games are cheap. Rarely do you see one that's being sold for more then the actual cartridge. Furthermore, they all run on one console, with no need to actually dust off old hardware and pray it still works. They're more reliable, cheaper, and in almost every tangible way, better. How do you compete with that?

Honestly? You don't. You can't. And I'm not sure how these sort of shops, which have always struggled to make a buck, can hope to stay in business.

It's a depressing thing, but that's the reality of the situation. Which is a little tragic. So much for my childhood dream of owning one. I really love visiting those stores, and I don't particularly like using ebay to buy things, but yet, more often than not, it's ebay that my money goes to. I'd rather have the actual catridge than a virtual Wii version, but if the latter has a copy of Secret of Mana for 8 dollars, then that's the one I'm going to buy.

And if I can't be a reliable customer to these stores... then who can?

Posted by Kevin on 12:25 PM
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Cultural Differences

Ever wonder how much American TV gets released internationally? Answer: A ton. But that shouldn't mean it's entierly intact. Sometimes changes are necessary for cultural reasons. Or something.

Example #1: German Teenage Mutant... Hero... Turtles



Apparently Ninjas are evil in Deutschland? Maybe? Either way, they're Hero turtles overseas. I'd probably find this more offensive if that German intro wasn't totally awesome.

Example #2: X-Men Gone Anime



I always liked the regular X-Men intro and theme, but I guess it was too American for a Japanese audience, so they just ripped off every anime convention possible and threw this together. Stereotypes aside, I kinda like it, I have to admit.

Example #3: This is Where Things Go Wrong



Yes this is real. No, it does not make sense. Yes, it is a crime against mankind.

Example #4: Some Things Need No Change


It's comforting to know that, no matter where it airs, The Super Mario Super Show is still absolutely insane.

Posted by Kevin on 11:01 AM
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Deja Vu: E3 2006

When I put up some thoughts on E3 last week, something about it seemed a bit... familiar. Turns out I did the same thing on my old 1up blog (which I will not link) back in 2006, albeit with a little more... passion. For fun, let's take a look back and see how well I predicted the future.

Just for clarification sake: Back in 2006, the 360 had launched, but the Wii and PS3 had not. In a lot of ways, it was the latter two's "coming out party", while the former was eager to prove itself.

I definitely felt the Wii really performed the best at the show, and it did a lot to get me very excited about the system... they completely deliever[ed] on content for the system... I have a hard time making notable comments about Wii games; there is literally too much I am excited for."

Jesus, too much content for the Wii? Alright, well, I was justified to be excited about the Wii - back then it was a very exciting product with limitless potential. And I'm not the only one who bought into that - it's the number 1 selling console this generation for a reason. But I think we can all agree my enthusiasm was a bit too... overzealous. Nintendo Kool-aid was in no short supply back in 2006. But how about the 360?

[T]he 360... did an awesome job in it's approach to E3 by plugging up Xbox Live users with tons of E3 content, some of it as it was happening. Really looking forward to Enchanted Arms and Nintey-Nine-Nights which look great, and the Fable 2 trailer was really nifty and got me excited.

That was the first time any console really put up trailers concurrently with E3 and it was exciting for the time mostly because it was new... whereas nowadays I generally watch things on my computer. But it's still a neat feature. That being said Enchanted Arms was okay and I never actually bought Ninety Nine Nights, or N3 as was eventually called. However...

[B]ut what impressed me the most, of any game, was most certainly Bioware's Mass Effect... it just sounds... incredibe... I am uber-psyched.

Mass Effect went on to become one of my favorite games ever, elevators be damned. So that's justified at least. As for Sony...

PS3, on the other hand, depressed the hell out of me. I mean, the 500-600 price thing was something we all saw coming, but that doesn't make it any less lame... Sony has completely failed to prove how superior the PS3 is to the 360 like they did with the PS2 against the Dreamcast... The whole new controller with no vibaration but motion sensitivity comes off... cheap... It's just pretty terrible.

Wow! Ouch! Calm down there bud, you're going to buy one of those overpriced paperweights one year later. Not to say I was really offbase - price has been the constant issue for the PS3, and that whole vibration business was a blunder they've corrected and tried to forget rather than excuse. Back then I basically called out the machine as being deadset for third placedom. To date, I haven't been proven wrong. So what else do we got?

On a similar note, Final Fantasy XIII has got to be the biggest disappointment I have ever seen in the series... We've all done some whining about FF12, but I still believe it will be an enjoyable game, and nothing FF12 has done compares to what FF13 is looking to do. When I first saw it, I declared the series dead to me... and in the coming days, that has not changed.

Man, chill out fanboy. I was actually pretty surprised by that. I remembered not thinking much of it, but man - I guess I was pissed. I think it's mostly because, at the time...

The "real" FF13 really does just look like a Devil-May-Cry-esque Final Fantasy...

Which it's totally not. Ironically it's probably more traditional than FF12 was. So, first impressions aren't always everything. But that's not the only thing I was upset about...

[T]he game is PS3 exclusive, which is really the nail on the coffin. I mean, despite all of the above, if this game was multi-console, I'd probably give it a shot. But, it's PS3-only, and I don't really want a PS3, and I don't really want this game, so I'm not gonna get either.

But of course you'll get both, dear boy, and you should never have fooled yourself into thinking otherwise. Plus, you got your wish - the game is multi-console now, thanks to the PS3 failing with Western markets. Any more predictions before we close?

Quite frankly, with Sakaguchi and Uematsu gone and now working on Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, I consider those two games much more Final Fantasy then FF13 ever will be.

Uh, definitely no on Blue Dragon. Sorry about that. But actually, Lost Odyssey was very reminiscent of a Final Fantasy game from the FF7-FF9 era. Had Sakaguchi had more control back then, it might very well have been Final Fantasy 10.

Okay so it turns out I'm a little 50/50, but cut me some slack - I was a little more passionate back then, still had a few things I had a tendency for fanboyism about. It's all part of the maturing process. For the most part, there's good lessons to learn here - avoid getting sucked into the hype, try to keep an open mind with new products, and rest comfortably knowing that a $600 price tag is always bullshit.

In another news, expect my E3 2009 retrospective sometime in 2015, where I'll comment on our naiveté in believing motion controls to be the future when in fact the Virtual Boy 2 would prove that VR brain simulators were the only games worth playing.... That is, until the discovery of Holodeck technology in 2020, which would ultimately lead to the destruction of the human race. Until then!

Posted by Kevin on 11:09 AM
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