OT: The Video Game Thread

[The "Chase"]

Alight, time for a change of pace. As far as I know, all of us have either heard, watched, or maybe even played (or all of the above) video games. And, seeing as if they're not any specific threads about them around here, why not?

Now, since I didn't made the title specific, you can say anything about them. Talk about what you played, your opinion on them, playing your old NES, SNES, Mega Drive, PS1, Xbox, etc, games you're looking forward to, "3D sucks" "whatever happened to the good old days" opinions, and so on and so forth.

Me myself, I'm probably one of the few people here (correct me if I'm wrong) who still has a functional NES (the secret is alcohol and ear cleaners)! And man, after playing a few minutes to refresh my memory, I sure feel sorry for the kids who first played these back in the 80's and 90's! I know playing the original SMB 3 will take a while...

So yeah, anything particular on video games?

[Brandon Panther]

One of the worst Looney tunes games, reviewed by AVGN:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1tU61Nyv1w

[ThePeterNetwork]

I personally blame my mother for banning NES's in the house because they A) cost too much money at the time, B) I'd lose my temper every time I lost, and C) we already had a functioning Atari 2600 (cut rate model) that I hadn't played with in forever.

That is why Mario is the bane of my existence.

[looneytooney]

One of the worst Looney tunes games, reviewed by AVGN:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1tU61Nyv1w (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1tU61Nyv1w)

I used to have that horrible game. After I saw that episode, I immeadiately sold it on eBay. :D

I personally blame my mother for banning NES's in the house because they A) cost too much money at the time, B) I'd lose my temper every time I lost, and C) we already had a functioning Atari 2600 (cut rate model) that I hadn't played with in forever.

That is why Mario is the bane of my existence.

Wow. :eek: Well, who WOULDN'T get angry over NES? They have the most amount of difficult games ever (i.e. Battletoads).

[Brandon Panther]

Wow. :eek: Well, who WOULDN'T get angry over NES? They have the most amount of difficult games ever (i.e. Battletoads).
Hey trust me, Battletoads is easy as pie compared to "Ghosts N' Goblins"!

[nickramer]

I'm mainly intrested in arcade games, the old systems, and anything that involves Nintendo.

I like Nintendo because unlike it's currnet rivals (Sony and Microsoft), they have many series of games that they own and co-own. Though, the only Nintendo systems I have are N64, Gameboy, and Gameboy Color.

I also have a Sega Genesis, a PS2, and an X-box 360 here in the house.

[cartoonfan4ever]

When I was in Jr. High, I wanted a NES but my parents wouldn't buy me one because of the cost. I did extra chores and saved my allowance and bought my own. I still have it but haven't used it in many years (it should still work). Before that my brother and I played with Atari all the time.

For a while I played with Gameboy Advance. Now, I'm not using any consols. Just a few games on my ipod and an old game on my computer.

[Studio Toledo]

I personally blame my mother for banning NES's in the house because they A) cost too much money at the time, B) I'd lose my temper every time I lost, and C) we already had a functioning Atari 2600 (cut rate model) that I hadn't played with in forever.

That is why Mario is the bane of my existence.
I feel sorry for you. I had an NES, plus an Atari 2600, an Intellivision, Odyssey 2, ColecoVision and so on!

Today, I've bought a few consoles off eBay, including an SNES (never had one, by my brother did), ColecoVision in it's original box, and an import PC Engine. I have an Atari as well, but haven't checked to see if it works.

[Studio Toledo]

When I was in Jr. High, I wanted a NES but my parents wouldn't buy me one because of the cost. I did extra chores and saved my allowance and bought my own. I still have it but haven't used it in many years (it should still work). Before that my brother and I played with Atari all the time.

For a while I played with Gameboy Advance. Now, I'm not using any consols. Just a few games on my ipod and an old game on my computer.
Heh, a dog today chewed up a girl's GameBoy Advance in my house! It made her cry her eyes out. :(

Me on the other hand have a trusty PSP, but I hardly play any 'real' games as I opt to use it as a walkman/ipod-type device and play some emulated consoles on it like the NES!

[Jeffitarian]

Me myself, I'm probably one of the few people here (correct me if I'm wrong) who still has a functional NES (the secret is alcohol and ear cleaners)! And man, after playing a few minutes to refresh my memory, I sure feel sorry for the kids who first played these back in the 80's and 90's! I know playing the original SMB 3 will take a while...

I also have a functioning NES, the third and final one I bought while still in high school. And yes, I was raised on the good 'ole 8-bit system and have fond memories of playing some (but certainly not all!) of the more popular games. The original Legend of Zelda is still one of the best games ever made, IMO. And this was a game originally released 23 years ago. And yes, I have an XBOX as well and have played some of the newer systems, so I'm not just speaking through the haze of nostalgia here.

Just FYI, I've been told that rubbing alcohol has the possibility of causing damage to the game circuits over time...don't know if that's true but I was advised to switch to hydrogen peroxide.

[LooneyFan]

A few things in my video game life:

All I play is Nintendo games and TV/Movie character games. Im a animated guy (duh) so naturally I go for the Nintendo stuff. I don't like Halo and the rest of the shoot em up games simply because I have terrible aim with any controller.

I love Mario, Sonic, and especially the Zelda series. What can I say? Im also a very old school guy.

I own a GB, GBA, DS, and Wii (Wii is my favorite) Games I have for the Wii: Boom Blox, Wario Land: Shake It!, a few Strong Bad games, and Im borrowing Okami from a friend.

I own a few Looney Tunes games such as Bugs Bunny's Crazy Castle 3, LT Back In Action, Duck Amuck, Marvin Strikes Back!, Tweety and The Magic Gems, and Looney Tunes! (where you play as Daffy, Tweety, Porky, Taz, Speedy, Road Runner, and Bugs Bunny (in that order))

[Marty26]

For me, video games hit their peak in 1998-2000. Many games from that time period I'm playing right now. Final Fantasy Tactics, Chrono Cross, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (yeah, I'm an RPG buff), the Nintendo 64 Zelda games, the Banjo-Kazooie games, the Tekken games, etc.

However, I feel starting around mid-2001, game developers were trying too hard to turn video games into big-budget Hollywood blockbusters. That took a considerable amount of the "fun" out of them, since they were becoming less like games and more like movies. I also eventually grew tired of the way magazines and publications seemed to deliberately favor M rated games over E and T rated games (probably because, with the success of the IMO overrated Grand Theft Auto series, it seemed video games finally left the "nerdy teenager" realm and joined the American cultural mainstream). Basically, during the PS2/X-Box/GameCube generation, the landscape became totally different from what I was used to. And I just didn't like it as much.

Don't get me wrong. Final Fantasy X is one of my favorite Final Fantasy games. And I love games like Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid. But I'm really glad that, this generation (Wii/360/PS3), developers are starting to put the "game" back in game rather than fighting to "out-Hollywood" every other developer the way they were during the last generation.

[Larry T]

I hate to admit that I was in on the first big video game boom in about 1980... I was quite familiar with playing them in high school in the 1970s when vector games like StarCastle and Tempest were hitting the arcades. I got into PacMan shortly after and even won a high score contest for $150 back in the day :)

But when the animated Bluth games Dragon's Lair and Space Ace hit the scene, I was instantly hooked. I used to play them just to watch the glorious animation.

When the NES system showed up on the market, of course I shelled out the original $359 to get one. Super Mario Bros was exactly as it was at the arcades and the Legend of Zelda was one of the best games for the home market.

Naturally I succeeded to the next generation of games, but only because the games I wanted were on those systems: the SuperNES for Super Mario World, the TurboDuo for Parasol Stars, Dynastic Hero and Dracula X, and SONY Playstation for Resident Evil and Sonic The Hedgehog.... but I stopped there.

Games had begun to take too long to play and were too involving. I just simply didn't have time to complete them anymore... so I forsook these later systems.

I did go to work for a company that made videogames for awhile, and that seemed to fill the void nicely...:)

I play emulators on my PC now so I can enjoy the old NES, SuperNES, TurboDuo, and arcade games without having to worry about the machinery. :cool:

[Marty26]

Regarding the "arcade version of Super Mario Brothers", I'm guessing you mean "Vs. Super Mario Brothers." My local Pizza Hut had both that and "Vs. Top Gun" in 1991-ish.

Oh, and Oceansoul, here's a link you might find interesting:

'Duke Nukem' dev 3D Realms has shut down [update 4] (http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/06/rumor-duke-nukem-dev-3d-realms-shut-down/)

[Speedy Boris]

I just beat Super Mario Galaxy with 120 stars. It was a great game. In fact, I would consider placing it in my top ten of all time list.

[raginggoodfella]

Anybody here played the Road Runner aracade game by Atari? You played as the R.R. The goal was to eat birdseed, while avoiding Wile E. Coyote and other hazards, until you get to end of the level. I believe there was a button on the control panel that if pressed made the R.R. say, "Beep Beep." The only flaw was the game became really hard too quick.

[Brandon Panther]

Anybody here played the Road Runner aracade game by Atari? You played as the R.R. The goal was to eat birdseed, while avoiding Wile E. Coyote and other hazards, until you get to end of the level. I believe there was a button on the control panel that if pressed made the R.R. say, "Beep Beep." The only flaw was the game became really hard too quick.
I played the NES version. That game haunted me.

I would love it if AVGN reviewed the Road Runner games, the Atari, Arcade, NES, and Super NES (Death Valley Ralley) games.

[nickramer]

Did you know that Woody Woodpecker almost got his own game for the Intellevision? Originally it was going to have Spy vs. Spy inspired gameplay where Woody and Buzz Buzzard fight each other with cartoon weapons but it unfortuantly became a Kool-Aid Man clone with a less interesting plot when it was annouced that an actual Spy vs. Spy game was being developed. The Woody game would have used the Intellivoice speaking unit that gave digital speaking in a game and Gracie herself recorded new dialog for the game.

The game was eventualy cancelled partly due to the video game crash.

More information of this unfinished game can be found here: http://www.intellivisiongames.com/bluesky/games/credits/voice2.html#woody

Note that they refer to Gracie Stafford Lantz as the original voice when it was really Mel Blanc.

[looneytooney]

I feel sorry for you. I had an NES, plus an Atari 2600, an Intellivision, Odyssey 2, ColecoVision and so on!

You better make sure that ColecoVision works. It is known as the most unreliable classic console. My stepmother has one, albeit broken. I DID play Donkey Kong on it, though.

[oceansoul]

Everyone who like the gameplay of Sumer Mario Bros, Super Mario World or Yoshi's Island, I recommend Giana Sisters DS

homepage: http://www.giana-sisters.com/

It's very good, altough a bit easy for the most part. You can find gameplay videos on Youtube as well.

[oceansoul]

Regarding the "arcade version of Super Mario Brothers", I'm guessing you mean "Vs. Super Mario Brothers." My local Pizza Hut had both that and "Vs. Top Gun" in 1991-ish.

Oh, and Oceansoul, here's a link you might find interesting:

'Duke Nukem' dev 3D Realms has shut down [update 4] (http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/06/rumor-duke-nukem-dev-3d-realms-shut-down/)

I know it. It's very good news, since I hated 3dRealms very much for enough reason, and I never believed this game really existed. They should have closed their door in 2002.

[Studio Toledo]

Regarding the "arcade version of Super Mario Brothers", I'm guessing you mean "Vs. Super Mario Brothers." My local Pizza Hut had both that and "Vs. Top Gun" in 1991-ish.

Oh, and Oceansoul, here's a link you might find interesting:

'Duke Nukem' dev 3D Realms has shut down [update 4] (http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/06/rumor-duke-nukem-dev-3d-realms-shut-down/)
The earliest I remember games at Pizza Hut was a tabletop version of Pac-Man! Later on other restaurants in the 90's and early 00's often had anywhere from Mortal Kombat to some racing game like Final Lap. I don't see any games there nowadays though, kinda sad to see that legacy go. Food marts like 7-Eleven and Lawson's once had a machine or two in their midst.

[Studio Toledo]

Did you know that Woody Woodpecker almost got his own game for the Intellevision? Originally it was going to have Spy vs. Spy inspired gameplay where Woody and Buzz Buzzard fight each other with cartoon weapons but it unfortuantly became a Kool-Aid Man clone with a less interesting plot when it was annouced that an actual Spy vs. Spy game was being developed. The Woody game would have used the Intellivoice speaking unit that gave digital speaking in a game and Gracie herself recorded new dialog for the game.
Oh now why would that not have worked? I think I would've loved this game it if had came out! I would've wear it out like my Woody Woodpecker pull-string plushie! :p

The game was eventualy cancelled partly due to the video game crash.
*sigh* The things that happen when I didn't know what was going on!

More information of this unfinished game can be found here: http://www.intellivisiongames.com/bluesky/games/credits/voice2.html#woody

Note that they refer to Gracie Stafford Lantz as the original voice when it was really Mel Blanc.
Oh well, I'll check out that page when I have time!

[Studio Toledo]

You better make sure that ColecoVision works. It is known as the most unreliable classic console. My stepmother has one, albeit broken. I DID play Donkey Kong on it, though.
My childhood was a bit more colorful than I knew! I never thought of the ColecoVision as that unreliable at all. It was really the only fun I could ever known as a 6 year old! The only problem I have is wanting to get something to work it on a modern TV! Nothing like the days of the old switchboxes screwed in on the back!

[Studio Toledo]

Everyone who like the gameplay of Sumer Mario Bros, Super Mario World or Yoshi's Island, I recommend Giana Sisters DS

homepage: http://www.giana-sisters.com/

It's very good, altough a bit easy for the most part. You can find gameplay videos on Youtube as well.
Because someone would not leave their C64/Amiga dreams alone!

[Marty26]

The earliest I remember games at Pizza Hut was a tabletop version of Pac-Man! Later on other restaurants in the 90's and early 00's often had anywhere from Mortal Kombat to some racing game like Final Lap. I don't see any games there nowadays though, kinda sad to see that legacy go. Food marts like 7-Eleven and Lawson's once had a machine or two in their midst.

The last time I went into a Pizza Hut restaurant, Cruis'n World was available for play. Of course, that was more than two years ago, so I don't know whether or not it's still there.

[Marty26]

Everyone who like the gameplay of Sumer Mario Bros, Super Mario World or Yoshi's Island, I recommend Giana Sisters DS

homepage: http://www.giana-sisters.com/

It's very good, altough a bit easy for the most part. You can find gameplay videos on Youtube as well.

Unfortunately, it isn't yet out in the US. But I'll definitely keep my eyes pealed for it.

The Amiga 500 Rox0rs!

[Studio Toledo]

The Amiga 500 Rox0rs!
I still keep kicking myself over not getting one at all. I remember begging my mom for one I used to see at a Software Etc. many times in the late 80's but she never budged. The demo video I used to see there impressed the hell out of me, it's up on YouTube for all to see!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaRkacQ-YMg

[Marty26]

That actually reminds me of the old "Discover Atari" commercial from 1981, except (obviously) much more sophisticated.

[ThePeterNetwork]

I knew I had more to share...

Whereas I did not get an NES, my sister did get a Sega Genesis because she had a crush on Sonic the Hedgehog (the cartoon), and would buy all the Sonic games. Since we were living in the same house, I shared the Genesis with her and oftentimes win at the game (with some helpful cheat codes) where she either struggled or just couldn't get it. I don't know who played with the Genesis more, me or her.

That was settled when she absconded the Genesis to Florida, and I eventually got myself an original Playstation just so I could play the coveted Pac-Man World. It was rather lame. It also seemed like too much work. Eventually, the overall use of the Playstation went to dedicated classic gaming (and I'm not talking about the updated versions either, I mean the classic classic ones).

Eventually, I got tired of the "run-jump-collect-beat enemies-beat final boss" type games, and switched to the Internet. And I'm glad I did, because if I kept failing at Super Mario Bros., I'd wind up like this guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in6RZzdGki8) (Caution: NSFW).

[Steve Siegert]

I have fond memories of playing video games. After all, I needed something to keep busy whenever I wasn't watching cartoons, doing homework or playing sports.

I think I may have been 4 years old when my brother talked my parents into buying an NES. I would always play that thing nonstop (whenever my brother was busy doing something else). I have fond memories of all three Super Mario Bros. games, The Legend of Zelda, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mickey Mousecapades, Contra, Castlevania, etc.

Then, came the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo. Nonstop I would play Sonic, Mario, Power Rangers, etc. I never owned an N64. Instead I owned a Sony Playstation. Later on I owned a Playstation 2 and a Gamecube. The last game I played from start to finish was Resident Evil 4. Since then, I have not had as much time for gaming, and have only been able to set aside a few hours a week for retro video gaming through emulators on my PC.

[Bugsy-Kun]

Honnestly, i don't have lots of desires to playing videogames these days.

At my times with the Arcades, Nintendo and the later Super Nes and Genesis, the games series was revolutionnary from the graphics to the storylines. Ok, they haven't voice-actors or CGI backgrounds like we have today, but they make a gorgeous job to maker the games and the industry fun and entertaining.

Today, each industrials countries got their own video games studio. Some are able to make pretty good videogames (Like with Grand Turismo, True Crime or Grand Thief Auto) and others are lame, cheesy and tiresome (Like the Sonic series, Crazy Taxi or the latest Sports games) with the same plots used since the nights of times. But since 1 year, i mostly stopped to playing videogames for concentrate my energy for what i love mostly: Drawing and understanding the techniques.

[Studio Toledo]

I knew I had more to share...

Whereas I did not get an NES, my sister did get a Sega Genesis because she had a crush on Sonic the Hedgehog (the cartoon), and would buy all the Sonic games. Since we were living in the same house, I shared the Genesis with her and oftentimes win at the game (with some helpful cheat codes) where she either struggled or just couldn't get it. I don't know who played with the Genesis more, me or her.
Heh, my sis had a Genesis too. Hardly not much games were bought for me outside the usual game rentals I can recall, and both her and my brother played their consoles on B&W TV's which was a disadvantage (I had a tiny color TV at least)!

[looneytooney]

Heh, my sis had a Genesis too. Hardly not much games were bought for me outside the usual game rentals I can recall, and both her and my brother played their consoles on B&W TV's which was a disadvantage (I had a tiny color TV at least)!

Ah, the Sega Genesis. Even though I'm a HUGE Nintendo fan, the Genesis was my very first game system. Granted, I've got some Genesis games on the Wii Virtual Console (Altered Beast and Comix Zone - both great games).

[Marty26]

Comix Zone. There's a game I need to pick up for the VC sometime.

[A. Flea]

Fo' me it's gotta be the PS2 PS1 and Wii. I still play my PS2, and I have some favourite games, which are listed below...

Sly Cooper series: These are a favourite of mine (particularly 2 and 3) 1 is good, but 2 and 3 are more deep and creative, plus it's no longer a platfomer.

Ratchet and Clank series: Again, I like all of these games because of their respective plots,humor and weapons. If I had to list my favourites, it would be: 3,2,1,4. The reason is that 3 and 2 have deeper plots, more things to do, and the ability to upgrade weapons.

Smackdown vs Raw! series: These are good wrestling games, and a new edition is added each year. But latley (SvR 2008-9/ Legends of Wrestlemania), they seem to be going downhill (probably because of THQ). However, the first 3 (SvR,SvR 2006, and SvR 2007) are probably the best of the bunch. Worth it if you're a fan of wrestling.

GTA series: Hold up. I just want to say one thing: IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF THE VIOLENCE!. No, the real reason GTA is here, is because Rockstar does a really good job in storytelling (especially later in the game) and how diverse the town can be. Also, if we didn't have GTA 3, we wouldn't have had many of the snabox games we do today (Scarface, Godfather, etc.) Plus it is fun to beat up a few hookers.:p

Marvel Utimate Alliance: A great superhero RPG game, for comic fans and non fans alike. You can pick a boatload of superheros, and then make a specail team of 3 or 4 to fight the forces of evil.

Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction: If the words destruction, ultimate, and Hulk don't tell you what kind of game this is, you need to get your head examined. It's a free-roam superhero game where you play as the Hulk, destroy things, purchase new moves, and save the day (sort of)

As for the PS1, there are also quite a few games I enjoy...

Crash Team Racing (or CTR): A PS1 classic. This is the definitive Mario Kart rip-off for the Playstation system. I have become a pro at this this game, and to tell you the truth, it's really fun (probably the funnest of the whole Crash Bandicoot series). Way better than Crash Bash. Another company tried to re-relase it later and captured soem of the magic, but CTR is definitly the better buy.

Spyro the Dragon series: Back in 1999, Spyro 2 (Rypto's Rage) was my very first PS1 game. I played it so much, that I had to buy another copy because the origional didn't work. Later, I bought Spyro the Dragon to see what it was like, and also to tide myself over for Spyro: Year of the Dragon, in 2001. On Christmas, I got the game and it was worth the wait. These are the best Spyro's by far, and the only ones made by Insomniac games (the guys who made Ratchet and Clank).

NHL Rock the Rink: Here's a game you probably never heard of. It's basically 5-on-5 hockey, simplified, made cooler and containing more fighting. ALOT of figthing actually, but that's where the game shines. The sheer craziness of this game is what makes it a worthwile purchase (you can do a 360 degree spin, and then slap the puck in the net)

P.S. Do any of you guys know how to take pictures of your game with a normal digital camera?

[Marty26]

Here's a thread that should be brought to the GAC Water Cooler IMO. It'd be a good on-going thread.

[kaseykockroach]

I used to play video games just as much as I watched cartoons (I was once a huge fanatic of Kingdom Hearts, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper and Rayman). These days, I've kinda grown out of them, but a few still hold up (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Rayman 2, Ratchet & Clank 2 & 3 and Sly 3).
I used to visit a Kingdom Hearts forum quite often. I was usually left scratching my head in confusion as to why I was the only one there who couldn't care less about the story. :befuddled

[looneytooney]

I have fond memories of all three Super Mario Bros. games, The Legend of Zelda, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mickey Mousecapades, Contra, Castlevania, etc.

I have all of those, except for Contra, which I really wish I have right now.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

I'm a pretty big fan of the first few generations of video games. I have and love the Atari Video Computer System(it's a 2600, but I refuse to call it that since it's one of the early models and has "2600" nowhere on the unit), the Mattel Intellivision, and wish I had a ColecoVision. Of course I also have an NES, SNES(the best system Nintendo ever made, IMO), Nintendo 64, and my recently acquired Sega Genesis. As far as handhelds go, I have at least one of every model of the Game Boy line, a DS Lite, and am currently looking for a Sega Game Gear(They are pretty hard to find in good shape).

As you can tell, I'm not a huge fan of more modern games. I do have a PS2, but I hardly play it, and have been wanting to get a Wii, but I haven't wanted it bad enough to actually buy it.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

Woo-hoo, I found a Game Gear for $20! It's still not in the greatest shape, but it'll do. And man, is it bulky? I can clearly see why the Game Boy completely killed this thing.

I also got the following games for it:
Sonic The Hedgehog(I already own the Genesis version)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2(already own the Genesis version)
The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Space Mutants(already own the NES version)
The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man(already own the NES version)
The Lion King(already own the SNES, Genesis, and Game Boy versions)
Desert Speedtrap Starring Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote(new one I hadn't heard of)
Taz-Mania(heard of it, never owned any version of it).:)

[cartoonfan4ever]

and have been wanting to get a Wii, but I haven't wanted it bad enough to actually buy it.

It's the same with me. It looks fun but I'm not sure if I will use it enough to justify spending that much money.

[The "Chase"]

Hey, SNC, as a Sonic nut, let me warn you this. The Game Gear are completely different from the Genesis games. The first Game Gear is fine and nothing special, but the second one is HARD!!!

If you're playing them for the first time, good luck man. You'll need it.

[nickramer]

Woo-hoo, I found a Game Gear for $20! It's still not in the greatest shape, but it'll do. And man, is it bulky? I can clearly see why the Game Boy completely killed this thing.


That was also reason why the Atari Lynx was discontinued at the same time.

I will give the handheld system credit for releasing a whole bunch of ports of aracde games, including obscure ones like APB and Block Out.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

Hey, SNC, as a Sonic nut, let me warn you this. The Game Gear are completely different from the Genesis games. The first Game Gear is fine and nothing special, but the second one is HARD!!!

If you're playing them for the first time, good luck man. You'll need it.

Thanks, I'll take your advice. I already knew that Sonic The Hedgehog is based off the Master System version, so you can tell that it's different than the Genesis version. I didn't know about difficulty though.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

All right, so I've had a chance to play my newly acquired Game Gear and would like to point out some nitpicks and/or observations. As for the system itself, it is much more fun to play than an original Game Boy, but I have not dared to try and make 6 AA's last in it, I've just used the AC adapter.

As for the two Sonic games, Chase you were definitely right about the difficulty in Sonic 2, but at least when you get hit by an enemy you get a chance to get all your rings back. In Sonic 1 when you get hit, you lose all your rings and you don't get a chance to get any of them back, you have to start from scratch. What's up with that?

For some reason, Bartman Meets Radioactive Man didn't seem as frustrating as the NES version, I at least got pretty far with ease. Bart Vs. The Space Mutants was just as frustrating though. Oh well, they are still fun.

The last one, and I've saved the best for last, is Taz-Mania. I have yet to find the point of the game, or let alone what I'm supposed to do. You start the game at some sort of tunnel and a giant bomb is chasing you. You have either two options, walk at Taz's normal speed, which is extremely slow, or use Taz's whirlwind, which runs out after a while. Then all you can do is walk at Taz's slow pace and get hit by waterspouts or wait for the bomb to catch up to you. Any clue as to what I'm supposed to do in this game?

Besides a few issues, I am thoroughly happy with the purchase. After all, the system doesn't make the game bad, the game makes the game bad.

[The Coyote Never Wins]

Re: Sonic games on the Game Gear.... Sonic Chaos and Sonic Triple Trouble are both a lot of fun and not as frustrating as the first two.

As for modern day gaming, I use my DS Lite a lot (I'm particularly addicted to Puzzle Quest, New Super Mario Bros., the Castlevania games, and Civilization Revolution). My PSP is mostly a music player (and I use it for quick web browsing when I want to check something without hopping on the computer... although it's a pretty slow, terrible browser). I've got a few decent games for it, though.

My main problem with most of the games that are coming out these days is that they are mostly in genres I don't enjoy much, like shooters (Halo, Gears of War, Call Of Duty, etc.). I like platforming games the best, but they're pretty severely out of fashion this gen. I think I've enjoyed this generation of gaming less than the last one, and the last one wasn't that great to me either. Oh, well, I've still got plenty of good older games I enjoy playing (and there are still good games to be found on the DS).

[Marty26]

Woo-hoo, I found a Game Gear for $20! It's still not in the greatest shape, but it'll do. And man, is it bulky? I can clearly see why the Game Boy completely killed this thing.

I also got the following games for it:
Sonic The Hedgehog(I already own the Genesis version)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2(already own the Genesis version)
The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Space Mutants(already own the NES version)
The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man(already own the NES version)
The Lion King(already own the SNES, Genesis, and Game Boy versions)
Desert Speedtrap Starring Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote(new one I hadn't heard of)
Taz-Mania(heard of it, never owned any version of it).:)

But the Game Gear had COLOR GRAPHICS. So that automatically means it was better than the Game Boy. Sega said so in their TV commercials for it!!! :D

[LooneyFan]

Does anybody play Rayman's Ravin' Rabbids?

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

But the Game Gear had COLOR GRAPHICS. So that automatically means it was better than the Game Boy. Sega said so in their TV commercials for it!!! :D

I was recently watching some Sega commercials on YouTube(I wanted to watch the "Genesis does what Nintendon't" ones) and I saw the one where Ethan Suplee (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP04XzC-GkA), who later found fame in Kevin Smith's films and much later in My Name Is Earl, is playing what looked an awful lot like Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins on the Game Boy, and he picks up a dead squirrel off the ground and smacks himself on the head in order to see the color on his Game Boy. I also saw the one with the dog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt__zRfNSjM&feature=related) which implies that only a person who is colorblind and has the I.Q. of 12 would play a Game Boy. Man, Sega sure did have a brutal marketing strategy back then, didn't they?

[Marty26]

I was recently watching some Sega commercials on YouTube(I wanted to watch the "Genesis does what Nintendon't" ones) and I saw the one where Ethan Suplee (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP04XzC-GkA), who later found fame in Kevin Smith's films and much later in My Name Is Earl, is playing what looked an awful lot like Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins on the Game Boy, and he picks up a dead squirrel off the ground and smacks himself on the head in order to see the color on his Game Boy. I also saw the one with the dog (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt__zRfNSjM&feature=related) which implies that only a person who is colorblind and has the I.Q. of 12 would play a Game Boy. Man, Sega sure did have a brutal marketing strategy back then, didn't they?

Yes, they did. But hey, it (at least momentarily) worked! Their ads may seem silly and even offensive now. But, if you were ten or eleven back in 1992/1993, they were definitely quite hip and devestating particularly if you were a Nintendo fan like I was. IIRC, Sega stopped attacking the SNES in their ads around Spring, 1994. Probably because the SNES's library was becoming steady enough that they just couldn't do it anymore - and Super Mario World was basically a "thing of the past" by then. But they continued slamming the Game Boy well into 1996 (I actually remember the Dead Squirrel commercial, as it used to air quite frequently on Nickelodeon). I can imagine Tom Kalinske (then CEO of Sega) must've been PISSED when he saw how the Game Gear ended up doing sales-wise compared to the Game Boy. As it would appear he was seriously banking on it eventually dethroning the GB.

There was once, in I think early 1994, a Game Gear commercial that was so offensive it actually got pulled from television (I managed to see it once before it was banned). It showed a family of stereotypical southern rednecks snickering while playing a Game Boy (with I think Tetris) and alternated between them and a group of "cool kids" with heavy metal music accentuating them playing a Game Gear. I remember the narrator saying something to the effect of "But hey, some people like that (in reference to the monochrome Game Boy). But then, some people also like eating fried worms out of a jar (shows the father of the redneck family eating said jar of fried worms)."

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

There was once, in I think early 1994, a Game Gear commercial that was so offensive it actually got pulled from television (I managed to see it once before it was banned). It showed a family of stereotypical southern rednecks snickering while playing a Game Boy (with I think Tetris) and alternated between them and a group of "cool kids" with heavy metal music accentuating them playing a Game Gear. I remember the narrator saying something to the effect of "But hey, some people like that (in reference to the monochrome Game Boy). But then, some people also like eating fried worms out of a jar (shows the father of the redneck family eating said jar of fried worms)."

Well, there's this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo8xM6Zi5Zs) which is similar to the one you described.

[Marty26]

Well, there's this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo8xM6Zi5Zs) which is similar to the one you described.

That's it!

[Marty26]

Watching it now, I think that commercial was more stupid than offensive. At least the "dead squirrel" commercial was kind of funny. That one, on the other hand, was just retarded.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers]

You know how durable those Nintendo DS cards are? I accidentally washed my copy of Super Mario 64 DS, and aside from the label now being screwed up, it still works, and all three of my save files are still there! Geez, I didn't know they could handle that.

[cartoonfan4ever]

I got a PlayStation 2 this week using an early birthday gift card, which is only my third gaming device. The previous ones were the original Nintendo and the Game Boy Advance. So after all these years, I finally decided to try out another console :p.

Anyway, I have a beginners question about the PS2 8MB memory card. The way I understand it, the card is large enough to fit a lot of saved games onto that one card? So, if I were to play three games from start to finish, I only need that one card? Or do I need to buy another one? I'm a casual gamer and usually don't spend a lot of time playing.

[nickramer]

You know the Playstation 2 is also a good DVD player which is why I still used it.

[Marty26]

Hmmmm, looks like the AVGN is doing a Castlevania marathon this month. Hopefully he'll review Symphony Of The Night. That was one of my favorite PS1 games. It'd also be interesting to see him review the one-and-a-half N64 Castlevania games.