I thought I better check this - it seems Trump/Hitler said something slightly similar. I don't follow politics at all, so genuinely had no idea this had even been a thing in 2023.
For the record, I stole the line from Vladimir Nabokov.
Technically he said poison in the "wound", but blood sounded better to me. I've used this line more than once.
In future I will use the original literary wording of wound, to avoid comparisons.
I find the concept of the phrase valuable: that an event or action or situation can, like poison in a wound, or sepsis in blood, start off undetected and over time become a worse problem. I regard censorship departments in companies as being comparable to Fifth Columns. (Worth reading up on if you've not heard the term.) These departments and similar content alterers act as fifth columns - "poison in the wound" which is slowly undermining creative visions and will get worse over time.
Some label them "ethics departments" - do not be deceived by such Orwellian double speak. To censor is to be unethical. To be ethical is to not censor. They have deliberately chosen a name opposite to their actions. In 1984, a great book, the Ministry of Truth produced only lies to keep the populace in check. By calling these "ethics departments" the implication is that resisting them is unethical. It is cognitive deception to manipulate the narrative and your thinking. Resist, my fellow players.
Just for the record: not a supporter of Trump or Hitler. Was unaware of their use of a similar phrase.
I officially stopped writing for websites and mags to focus on books (HG101's CMS redesign was also really awkward; we longer hand coded html, which I missed), but Damien here encouraged me to freelance for TE a year or so back (link to articles in my name), and I've enjoyed researching forgotten topics.
I'm still writing books (collaborating on two with co-authors).
I was thinking about being more public and writing more for sites and mags again, but then I see sites shutting down, AI rising up, and all the editors I once knew having moved on. Also soc media is just pure anger. I'd be cancelled in five minutes.
I'm not sure modern journalism has a place for an old man like me. I suspect my free-spirited anti-authoritarian uncensoring chilled hippy ideology would be at odds with the totalitarian hit pieces and snark of some outlets.
EDIT:
Sorry, my name here goes to my user profile. Here's my author profile:
I don't immerse myself in modern games like I used to, so I will limit examples to stuff I read up on, rather than fringe examples friends message me about (there was some mascot platformer where a sole member of staff made the team uncomfortable until they reduced a character's bust - game didn't interest me so I didn't follow it). There are other examples which paint a background to my feelings, but do not form the core since I've not read up on them. Outrage over DOAX3? Removal of jiggle physics in Xenoblade 2? Quite a bit of censorship today is puritanical in nature, as if sex is evil.
Anyway...
To contextualise my earlier statement:
Square-Enix has an internal department, they forced the eevs to change Tifa's outfit, resulting in... I want to say a 17 gigabyte patch to change it? The details don't matter, the point is a titanic giant like SE now has staff badgering the devs.
Bandai-Namco, as above. The censor department was interviewed, saying and I paraphrase: "we just tell them to change stuff and they have to do it lol"
Again, a titan like BN has employees who dictate changes to original creators.
The Tomb Raider disclaimer. Good point. I actually see this as the CORRECT way to silence those demanding censorship. However, in the build up, there were calls to remove the content. Replace it with lizard people?
I mention the 3rd item above, in conjuction with #1 and #2, because 20 years ago nobody would be supporting removal of content.
It would be resisted.
Now we have two giant triple-A studios being forced to bend the knee because someone in the office basement is clutching pearls. And we have a major franchise which avoided content deletion, but there was consideration of removing it. Tomb Raider could be seen as both a victory, and the thin end of the wedge.
I am outraged that content removal is even considered. 20 years ago everyone in this comments would be valiantly defending creator freedom.
When I say censorship is worse now, I also mean that the public and press seem to be more tolerant of the idea. As @JayJ said, now there are those who support censorship. Ergo, the topic of "censorship" is now worse, all that it encompasses, because less people are resisting it. Because there is even a hint of supporting. Because there are actual censor departments. Did Rockstar have a censor department when making GTA III? They did not!
@JayJ Exactly. When I started in journalism, circa 2005, at places like The Gamer's Quarter, there was unity amongst players and the press alike, to resist Jack and politicians. We printed stickers with his face, saying "You don't know Jack", and dedicated pages of editorial.
Today I am horrified, truly deeply horrified that the censors are inside development now, running amok, tearing things down, causing chaos, while certain members of the press are, as you say, supporting censorship, encouraging censorship, and demonising those of us who oppose censorship and support creative freedom.
It makes me sick to my stomach.
As a journalist, international author, and academic speaker, I will NEVER condone censorship or gagging of the press.
@Impossibilium ROFLMAO - not even close mate.
I do not support Trump.
I do not support Hitler (he invaded my paternal homeland so I find this especially egregious).
I also do not support censorship of any kind. Those who wish to censor are now employed in the industry and they are causing chaos.
Why does Bandai-Namco have employees whose sole job is to censor what the dev teams create? And then they brag about.
These people have no place working in the industry. If they want to censor get a job with the BBFC.
WELCOME TO THE ABSOLUTE DUMPSTER FIRE THAT IS 2024 EVERYONE:
Saying you oppose censorship literally makes you actual Hitler now!
By your insane logic this comments thread is now filled with Hitlers.
My stance for the last 30+ years has always been based on a single broad rule: between consenting adults there are no rules.
If a creative person writes a book, makes a film, develops a game, and a consenting adult wants to consume that media, then both parties are free to do this. As long as this media doesn't violate the freedom of or impose upon any other human being.
I've found this simple ideology to be a solid foundation for exploration of thought.
If you don't like a game someone else is playing, just don't engage with it. Simple. You'll feel better, and they'll be left alone.
I don't like the call of Call of Duty games. You know what I do about it? Not a damn thing. I ignore them and let them get on with their thing, and I engage with games that I do enjoy. I don't go around screaming that the content is problematic and we need to put a stop to it. That's just stupid and insane.
I really miss the days of Jack Thompson. He seems so quaint by today's standards. Back then people wanting to censor games were outsiders looking in, and we resisted them. We put age restrictions on games so adults could partake in whatever they wanted.
Today the games industry has been infiltrated by activists wanting to tear down and destroy creativity. There are literal Censorship Departments in companies like Square-Enix and Bandai-Namco.
Look it up. Google the above two company names and various censorship terms, you'll find plenty of results. These Censorship Departments, part of the parent company, now publicly boast about forcing the development teams to censor their games. Tone down content they don't like. Enacting changes the devs don't want to do, but have no choice.
Hell, there are now entire consultancy agencies which have infiltrated development and force censorship or divergent creative paths on our creative auteurs.
When old games are re-released we have to put "disclaimers" on, warning people about the content. Some argue we should just remove and replace it.
I look back on Jack and realise, was he really the enemy we thought he was? He was harmless. He did no damage to us.
Today the enemy is within. The poison is now in the blood and there's very little we can do to stop it or regress.
Freedom of expression has been compromised, and creative people are not allowed to make what they want.
Censorship today is worse than it has ever been.
I want to buy Jack a beer and reminisce about the good old days.
@Blofse lol, I'm not the gatekeeper to this genre descriptor - if one can argue its inclusion in a list, then in the list it stands unless argued otherwise.
For me personally I'd say no, because there's quite a few spy themed point and clicks. Secret Mission for example, that's also a point and click. There were others in HG101's adventure book.
Like, in my mind, I'm envisioning either an action or turn-based RPG. Side quests could be presented as sub-missions. Towns could be various HQ around the world. Gaining EXP could allow you to improve your lock pick skill, or your kung fu for stealth take downs. So as someone pointed out earlier - Deus Ex actually fits nicely. You're a government agent and it's an FPS/RPG.
Which all points back to the mysterious forum poster - I can't even remember where it was, but his excitement that Alpha Protocol might be the first "spy RPG" made me ponder the concept.
@gingerbeardman Ah! Sorry. Was in a hurry and misread. Yes, that it hugely problematic. My own work requires contacting him on an ad-hoc basis for info, or scans. Though with the latter, their publicly accessible database is good if you just want box shots.
But rest assured, the restrictive nature of Japan's draconian legal system is something I think about a lot, and discuss often. It's almost as if it's designed specifically so the past cannot be preserved - the GPS and other places had to plead for ages for special government permission to do a lot of stuff openly.
@Poodlestargenerica I was thinking in the way spies have a large assortment of gadgets and items, and also physical skills / knowledge they acquire. These could lend themselves to RPGs - in a way, the 2D Metal Gear games fit this. MG, SR, MG2, and MG:GB are all sort of like action-RPGs with a spy theme.
@Zenszulu Exactly. As a concept, it feels like a "spy RPG" is a no brainer. And yet... When you sit down and try to think of some...
There's a few point-and-click adventure games, but like the Bond GB game, they're not a proper fit. (Even ISOE on DC isn't an exact fit, since it's mechanically very strange.)
Posting for one reason only: when it came out, someone on a forum very excitedly asked, "could this be the first spy RPG?"
I hadn't heard of it at the time, so could not reply, but years later I discovered "Industrial Spy Operation Espionage" on Dreamcast, which predates it.
So for this random forumite from over a decade ago, there was one earlier example you may enjoy. Or not. I hated Industrial Spy. Alpha Protocol is definitely the better "spy RPG". Did anything predate IS though? (Possibly 007 on GB?)
But yes, 10 years ago I was asked to redact the name over concerns about how some of the larger companies may react.
Since then I spoke to John Ray of Atari / Time Warner, and Stefan Gancer has interviewed multiple Sunsoft staff on their side of the license, so it's sort of an open secret by now.
If you check out the quiz in Surprise Attack, the woman looks a lot like Kim Basinger. About 60% of the original planned game went into Surprise Attack.
If you check out the publishing credits of the games, around mid-1992 they stop being published by Sunsoft. Sega handles the Sega versions, and Konami handles the Nintendo versions.
@TransmitHim There was a slight miscommunication here - apologies, and I'll try to clarify.
The crowdfunding was for a document scanner to facilitate scanning entire magazines quickly after de-stapling and separating all pages. It's a new scanner for a new project.
The other scanner they had was an A3 flatbed scanner, which they'd been using for 10 years when it broke. Hence the charity auction.
Ultimately they hope to end up with two scanners:
a workhorse for high volume bulk magazine page scanning
a replacement A3 flatbed scanner for other bespoke jobs
I was also told the 25% extra on the magazine scanner crowdfunding will be used to purchase a paper cutting machine and other expenses related to the magazine archive work. Which is being treated as it's own large side project (literally several thousands of magazines are sitting in their archives).
Short version: Two different types of scanner for different jobs, funded via different means.
I had problems with carts coming loose with WarioWare Twisted (the GBA game you need to move around a lot), so I use a bit of blue-tack to keep it fixed down. Would that fix your problem here?
Also I'm still secretly holding out for a Barcode Battler scanner adapter (or possible camera to photograph the barcodes).
I agree with @LowDefAl on the shipping. The prices are absolutely insane and a mean way to gouge extra profit from customers. Raphnet ships similar adapter items from Japan for $5 airmail. Just think about that.
@OldManHermit I do like 80s horror. Poltergeist and Elm Street are favourites. I think part of it is I like the production veneer these Hollywood films have.
If you play Sweet Home post back here and quote me so I get notification - curious to hear your thoughts in the context of liking the film. Will you love the game because the two resonate so well? Or will you feel the gameification of the narrative detracts from it?
"Square was planning to invest 70% of the company's capital (roughly £2 million)"
Maybe I'm misunderstanding what capital is. But this sounds like Square only had roughly £3 million of capital to start with? Which seems quite small...
@smoreon I avoided the main bug fans complain about (you can leave stuff in the metal detector and then end up on disc 2 with no way of getting it back). Also a lot of people end up in the boss fight at the end of Disc 1 with not enough supplies to beat the boss (luckily as a veteran of RE1, 2, and 3 by this point, I always kept myself overstocked).
The weapons access problem is less a bug and more bad design, in how the game itself functions, swapping characters at key points, which leaves certain items in the non-playable character's inventory, or the item boxes. This could be avoided by reading a guide and being prepared. For my replay I decided to do the whole thing blind, and basically forgot this was the case - so towards the end of the second disc, for the end game, I didn't have the gas grenade launcher. (I forget the specifics, but there was a long stretch of acquiring grenades, and thinking: huh, it sure would be nice if I had proper access to my inventory again.) I may be misremembering exactly how this worked.
I guess my advice is: if you play Code Veronica, spoil it by reading a guide and making sure you are prepared for the disc change (if on Dreamcast), and certainly prepped for the characters changes (DC and PS2). Otherwise it's quite possible to end up in bad situations.
In terms of old school Resi, 2 is my favourite, closely followed by 1, with CV coming below 3 after a recent replay.
Gaiden is the king. Everyone should play Gaiden. Remember: it saves literally everywhere, not just as checkpoints - reviewers who complain about only saving at checkpoints didn't read the manual.
I replay it semi-regularly and love it to bits. My favourite GBC game alongside MGS.
I used to think Code Veronica was my favourite, but replayed it a coupke years back, and hated it. Was shocked at how dramatic my change of feeling was.
As someone said, it's a slog. Also buggy (you can perma lose key items accidentally). Also it pulls annoying tricks leaving you without access to vital weapons. In my recent replay I never got to use the gas grenades because it swapped characters and left the launcher innaccessible.
@RaeDawnChonglingBay Nah, I'd have placed the controller near several spider webs, in the shed for example, or a beehive, then put a boombox nearby pumping out wrestlmania music. Let the match of titans commence.
So I rewatched this. As a film I still think it's godawful. But!
After the first viewing I went and replayed the entire game (maybe 10 hours?). The last time was around 2001 after the fan-translation. I loved it at the time - Sweet Home on Famicom is an 8-bit masterpiece.
But I had enjoyed it devoid of context.
Watching the film and playing the game again, however, elevates the game to god-tier status. (Even though the film still sucks.) Because as supplementary material, the films adds context to in-game events, subverts certain expected events, and makes the game experience even better.
Thus making Sweet Home possibly the greatest film/game tie-in the history of either medium.
Great film adaptations like Platoon, Batman, Robocop, Die Hard... Whatever. Etc. They all worked without the film, and knowing the film only improved the experience moderately. Here, the film feels like it was meant to be part of the game experience (which was fantastic anyway).
There have been a few similar attempts over the years. Exile on the BBC Micro had a novella included. Antiriad had a comic. Galaxy Odyssey had an audio novel on cassette. The Matrix games years later pitched themselves as missing segments from the movie, meant to dovetail together. That was more than a decade later though.
Sweet Home came out in 1989 and does the above far more elegantly.
On my second playthrough I renamed the characters to match how I saw them in the film (the reporter was renamed April). Knowing the character relations also improved the experience. I kept the father and daughter together, and I paired the pervy cameraman and reporter off, since they had a thing going on in the film
And you know what? Following the groupings in the film made the game easier - it was meant to be played like this. The cameraman and reporter work so well as a pair for reading the frescos.
I was also able to visualise each character as in the film, and imagine their voices. And items, such as the dress which heals mental power, made so much more sense now. Before it was just an arbitrary game item, now I mentally align it with the film, where the dress was Emi's late mother's, and gives them the will to fight on.
The game also adds a little more backstory to the film - notably what happened to the mysterious painter, which wasn't explained in the film itself!
Plus it alters some things, such as the coffin location, and other bits, to keep you on your toes.
I hated my 2nd viewing even more since I knew what happened. But by virtue of improving the game, I have to recommend it - watch it, then play the game. Consider it like reading the manual.
This might actually be the perfect film/game symbiosis. Not because the film is good, but because of how well the two are integrated.
I would buy the adapters, but not when the postage is literally a zillion-gajillion-quintrillion dollars for what should be no more than $15 tops. Raphnet can ship from Japan for $5!
Is it accepted knowledge they're using postage to profit gouge buyers? Or is this just my imagination?
The whole thing reeks of American style medical costs, where life-saving cancer treatment is extortionate, but they know people will just shut up and pay because they have no other choice, even though the actual costs are negligible.
I've been wanting to watch this for around 20 years now. At last I have.
Personaly... I hated it. Dreadful film. Bad pacing, stilted dialogue, and a weird surreal atmosphere that feels more like theatre than film.
Also nonsensical scenes that make no sense. What was that throne of neon honey? The pointless sing song bit?
It's like randomised video salad.
Mostly it's just boring though.
Compared to something like Poltergeist it's just laughable, mediocre guff whose main claim to fame is its much better videogame adaptation. Poltergeist had great pacing, great dialogue, and it made coherent logical sense within the rules of the film. Poltergeist was exciting! Sweet Home was not.
Paywall? **** paywalls - that data on MobyGames is meant to be free.
I have personally donated huge volumes of privately taken photos of developers who had no photos before, and filled in gaps for games where no one knew the creators.
I did not do that for it to be paywalled!
Granted, that data is still freely accessible currently, and this paywall seems to be for useless extras. But I am going to burst a blood vessel if I find them paywalling stuff I donated for free public access.
I've not followed 3D scanning developments. Do we have an agreed consensus on proper measurements / quality levels of scans?
I recall that a huge volume of magazine scans from the early days of archiving were scrapped after the community decided they needed to reach a higher minimum DPI threshold.
Is there a similar set of criteria for 3D scans? Is the data future proof? In 10 years, if there is a new technology for 3D printing, are these old scans of sufficient resolution that they will still be usable?
(OK, that last hypothetical is hard to answer - but old celluloid / acetate film can be scanned at 10k resolution, so it's not like we need to reshoot old films using modern digital cameras, the acetate itself is future proof; likewise, current high DPI scans of magazines continue to work well in new and higher resolution digital reading devices, often better since you don't need to scroll. So future proofing is doable. I just don't fully understand the techniques here.)
@GhaleonUnlimited I wanted to like Granstream so badly. I loved the faceless art style and the sky island setting. Sadly the combat does suck SO BADLY. I restarted to get the secret sword, with the highest stats, which one shot kills any enemy. And... I still found myself button mashing for several minutes per battle because enemies constantly blocked. A battle just never ended! And killing them gives no reward. And they respawn. And dungeons are complex mazes with no map. So you get lost, and have to fight dozens of battles over and over, and they drag on forever, because you can slash an enemy a hundred times but oh hey they just block and receive zero damage. Even the Soulsborne games allow one to brute force enemies as long as you can break their stamina gauge.
No. I hate Granstream Saga with every fibre of my being. It's not a Quintet game. Quintet died at the end of its 16-bit run. It died young and beautiful and with an immaculate portfolio and will remain so forever in our hearts.
@GhaleonUnlimited I went back to play Lego FF7 using the fan retranslation, and it makes it less nonsensical. I always liked it more for its mechanics than story, but the retranslation makes it much easier to follow. For the first few hours I played it alongside the original, loading saves to reread key dialogue - I was kinda shocked at how the official localisation is borderline gibberish.
Ultimately that FF7 spoiler scene did nothing for me. While multiple scenes in S1 and especially S2 hit so hard - and still do today. There are mutiple endings, and I honestly cannot bring myself to see the sadder ones. Maybe with the Remaster...
Given that some readers genuinely didn't know about FF7, I should have kept the spoiler warning, but for both games, and not revealed the FF7 one at the top.
But like I said: I have grown accustomed to veteran players using it as short hand when discussing emotional games. And I find it frustrating how a majority of older gamers will say "that's the most emotional scene in games".
And I'm like: really? Have you not played Suikoden 2, or Panzer Dragoon Saga? There's a rich portfolio of deep games out there. FF7 by comparison is emotionally shallow and kind of nuts. I like it, but only for the complex battle system and way you can manipulate the materia system.
@Poodlestargenerica I'm sorry I spoiled a key moment in FF7 for you - please rest assured that while this event is a key plot point, the entire game contains numerous other surprises, a couple even on par with this. It's still worth experiencing.
@Poodlestargenerica Did I actually genuinely spoil FF7 for you? If so then I'm very surprised, shocked even. I am sorry.
That specific FF7 spoiler is so well documented, it's become the cornerstone of gaming pop culture. I've seen so many examples where people ask: can a videogame make you cry? And people start bawling over this scene. A magazine spoiled it for me in the day. I felt nothing - I was glad to have one less party member to grind!
The answer to your question is in the question itself. FF7 is so popular, I felt everyone knew this example. It has become gaming shorthand. You can't watch a Dorkly comedy video, or browse internet memes, without risking seeing THAT scene satirised. How were you able to not know it? In the last 25 years I must have seen it mentioned over 100 times.
Whereas Suikoden I&II are less known, less played, and I really want people to play them. A lot. I spoiled the "death of your father" because that happens like... 4 hours in? The pacing is so quick. In FF7 you're still rolling around in garbage in Midgar at that time - it's slow and padded. I like FF7, finished it twice; but I love Suikoden I&II.
I feel bad spoiling Suikoden 1 like that, but I did it with the promise that both games contain so many more emotional moments. I did it to entice players, like a taster. As for spoiling FF7, I'm sorry I was the one to break it for you. I honestly thought no one alive who plays games would be unaware.
If anyone has not played S1 or S2, please try them. The PS1 games were on PSN a while back (not sure now?), plus the remasters are coming. I'm going to put my hand up and say: in the year 2024 they are still fantastic, and some of you may actually find them to be better than their peers (such as FF7 et al).
I really want people to care about these games, because they deserve it.
If I'm recalling correctly, that tree chopping game was actually one of SNK's very earliest arcade titles, and they lost the game (everything - there is no known archive of the arcade version), meaning the conversion to this console is the last existing remnant of the original.
I think. These memories are half faded from something I read somewhere. I think it was in the SNK compilation which had VGHF info in it.
The port seen in the video was unauthorised, and it had an official port as a secret minigame on NGPC.
I love how dinky and primitive this is. I'd love to have the technical knowledge to poke under the hood and seeing what it was capable of with 40 years hindsight and coding knowledge. Fascinating.
Tempted, but only on the condition that at random and unpredicted times Tommy will run through my new house jubilantly screaming: "HEY I'M TOMMY TALLARICO! I INVENTED GAME MUSIC! HAVE YOUR HEARD IT?!"
I saw it in EGM and always wanted to own it. The story was crazy. Later played a demo and loved the level. Never bought it because I was young and lacked the funds. Someday I will put it on my PSIO.
I briefly skimmed those pages (way too much to read everything), and... Apparently someone, I'm unsure if it was a forum user or a dev, was suggesting replacing the islanders with lizard men.
Changing or censoring the content is a terrible idea. It's like digitally removing cigarettes from old films. You can't undo or change the past - it is what it is, and it forms part of the creative vision that reached the market.
Keep in mind that everything you see anyway had already gone through filters, and changes, and revisions, before being finalised for market.
I strongly dislike the idea of post-market changes (which is also why I cannot stomach George Lucas' meddling with the original trilogy - thank the gods someone took them away from his meddling little hands.)
Comments 534
Re: Jack Thompson, The Man Who Tried To Ban GTA, Thinks Video Games Can Be Good, Actually
@Impossibilium No worries, no harm done. Peace, oh fellow player.
Having Googled and discovered the similar phrase that caused a ruckus in December, I will word it more carefully in future.
Re: Jack Thompson, The Man Who Tried To Ban GTA, Thinks Video Games Can Be Good, Actually
@Poodlestargenerica
@Impossibilium
I thought I better check this - it seems Trump/Hitler said something slightly similar. I don't follow politics at all, so genuinely had no idea this had even been a thing in 2023.
For the record, I stole the line from Vladimir Nabokov.
Technically he said poison in the "wound", but blood sounded better to me. I've used this line more than once.
In future I will use the original literary wording of wound, to avoid comparisons.
I find the concept of the phrase valuable: that an event or action or situation can, like poison in a wound, or sepsis in blood, start off undetected and over time become a worse problem. I regard censorship departments in companies as being comparable to Fifth Columns. (Worth reading up on if you've not heard the term.) These departments and similar content alterers act as fifth columns - "poison in the wound" which is slowly undermining creative visions and will get worse over time.
Some label them "ethics departments" - do not be deceived by such Orwellian double speak. To censor is to be unethical. To be ethical is to not censor. They have deliberately chosen a name opposite to their actions. In 1984, a great book, the Ministry of Truth produced only lies to keep the populace in check. By calling these "ethics departments" the implication is that resisting them is unethical. It is cognitive deception to manipulate the narrative and your thinking. Resist, my fellow players.
Just for the record: not a supporter of Trump or Hitler. Was unaware of their use of a similar phrase.
Re: Jack Thompson, The Man Who Tried To Ban GTA, Thinks Video Games Can Be Good, Actually
@Weez Thank you!
I officially stopped writing for websites and mags to focus on books (HG101's CMS redesign was also really awkward; we longer hand coded html, which I missed), but Damien here encouraged me to freelance for TE a year or so back (link to articles in my name), and I've enjoyed researching forgotten topics.
I'm still writing books (collaborating on two with co-authors).
I was thinking about being more public and writing more for sites and mags again, but then I see sites shutting down, AI rising up, and all the editors I once knew having moved on. Also soc media is just pure anger. I'd be cancelled in five minutes.
I'm not sure modern journalism has a place for an old man like me. I suspect my free-spirited anti-authoritarian uncensoring chilled hippy ideology would be at odds with the totalitarian hit pieces and snark of some outlets.
EDIT:
Sorry, my name here goes to my user profile. Here's my author profile:
https://www.timeextension.com/authors/Sketcz
Re: Jack Thompson, The Man Who Tried To Ban GTA, Thinks Video Games Can Be Good, Actually
@InsaneWade
I don't immerse myself in modern games like I used to, so I will limit examples to stuff I read up on, rather than fringe examples friends message me about (there was some mascot platformer where a sole member of staff made the team uncomfortable until they reduced a character's bust - game didn't interest me so I didn't follow it). There are other examples which paint a background to my feelings, but do not form the core since I've not read up on them. Outrage over DOAX3? Removal of jiggle physics in Xenoblade 2? Quite a bit of censorship today is puritanical in nature, as if sex is evil.
Anyway...
To contextualise my earlier statement:
Again, a titan like BN has employees who dictate changes to original creators.
I mention the 3rd item above, in conjuction with #1 and #2, because 20 years ago nobody would be supporting removal of content.
It would be resisted.
Now we have two giant triple-A studios being forced to bend the knee because someone in the office basement is clutching pearls. And we have a major franchise which avoided content deletion, but there was consideration of removing it. Tomb Raider could be seen as both a victory, and the thin end of the wedge.
I am outraged that content removal is even considered. 20 years ago everyone in this comments would be valiantly defending creator freedom.
When I say censorship is worse now, I also mean that the public and press seem to be more tolerant of the idea. As @JayJ said, now there are those who support censorship. Ergo, the topic of "censorship" is now worse, all that it encompasses, because less people are resisting it. Because there is even a hint of supporting. Because there are actual censor departments. Did Rockstar have a censor department when making GTA III? They did not!
ALWAYS RESIST CENSORSHIP. Always.
Re: Jack Thompson, The Man Who Tried To Ban GTA, Thinks Video Games Can Be Good, Actually
@JayJ Exactly. When I started in journalism, circa 2005, at places like The Gamer's Quarter, there was unity amongst players and the press alike, to resist Jack and politicians. We printed stickers with his face, saying "You don't know Jack", and dedicated pages of editorial.
Today I am horrified, truly deeply horrified that the censors are inside development now, running amok, tearing things down, causing chaos, while certain members of the press are, as you say, supporting censorship, encouraging censorship, and demonising those of us who oppose censorship and support creative freedom.
It makes me sick to my stomach.
As a journalist, international author, and academic speaker, I will NEVER condone censorship or gagging of the press.
@Impossibilium
ROFLMAO - not even close mate.
I do not support Trump.
I do not support Hitler (he invaded my paternal homeland so I find this especially egregious).
I also do not support censorship of any kind. Those who wish to censor are now employed in the industry and they are causing chaos.
Why does Bandai-Namco have employees whose sole job is to censor what the dev teams create? And then they brag about.
These people have no place working in the industry. If they want to censor get a job with the BBFC.
WELCOME TO THE ABSOLUTE DUMPSTER FIRE THAT IS 2024 EVERYONE:
Saying you oppose censorship literally makes you actual Hitler now!
By your insane logic this comments thread is now filled with Hitlers.
Because we don't like censorship.
***** LOL!
Re: Jack Thompson, The Man Who Tried To Ban GTA, Thinks Video Games Can Be Good, Actually
@JayJ You've said it well, JayJ.
My stance for the last 30+ years has always been based on a single broad rule: between consenting adults there are no rules.
If a creative person writes a book, makes a film, develops a game, and a consenting adult wants to consume that media, then both parties are free to do this. As long as this media doesn't violate the freedom of or impose upon any other human being.
I've found this simple ideology to be a solid foundation for exploration of thought.
If you don't like a game someone else is playing, just don't engage with it. Simple. You'll feel better, and they'll be left alone.
I don't like the call of Call of Duty games. You know what I do about it? Not a damn thing. I ignore them and let them get on with their thing, and I engage with games that I do enjoy. I don't go around screaming that the content is problematic and we need to put a stop to it. That's just stupid and insane.
Re: Jack Thompson, The Man Who Tried To Ban GTA, Thinks Video Games Can Be Good, Actually
I really miss the days of Jack Thompson. He seems so quaint by today's standards. Back then people wanting to censor games were outsiders looking in, and we resisted them. We put age restrictions on games so adults could partake in whatever they wanted.
Today the games industry has been infiltrated by activists wanting to tear down and destroy creativity. There are literal Censorship Departments in companies like Square-Enix and Bandai-Namco.
Look it up. Google the above two company names and various censorship terms, you'll find plenty of results. These Censorship Departments, part of the parent company, now publicly boast about forcing the development teams to censor their games. Tone down content they don't like. Enacting changes the devs don't want to do, but have no choice.
Hell, there are now entire consultancy agencies which have infiltrated development and force censorship or divergent creative paths on our creative auteurs.
When old games are re-released we have to put "disclaimers" on, warning people about the content. Some argue we should just remove and replace it.
I look back on Jack and realise, was he really the enemy we thought he was? He was harmless. He did no damage to us.
Today the enemy is within. The poison is now in the blood and there's very little we can do to stop it or regress.
Freedom of expression has been compromised, and creative people are not allowed to make what they want.
Censorship today is worse than it has ever been.
I want to buy Jack a beer and reminisce about the good old days.
Re: Obsidian's Spy RPG Alpha Protocol Lands On GOG, 5 Years After Licensing Issues
@Blofse lol, I'm not the gatekeeper to this genre descriptor - if one can argue its inclusion in a list, then in the list it stands unless argued otherwise.
For me personally I'd say no, because there's quite a few spy themed point and clicks. Secret Mission for example, that's also a point and click. There were others in HG101's adventure book.
Like, in my mind, I'm envisioning either an action or turn-based RPG. Side quests could be presented as sub-missions. Towns could be various HQ around the world. Gaining EXP could allow you to improve your lock pick skill, or your kung fu for stealth take downs. So as someone pointed out earlier - Deus Ex actually fits nicely. You're a government agent and it's an FPS/RPG.
Which all points back to the mysterious forum poster - I can't even remember where it was, but his excitement that Alpha Protocol might be the first "spy RPG" made me ponder the concept.
I enjoyed playing through AP.
Re: The Japanese Game Preservation Society Is Selling Off Rare Items To Fund Its Vital Work
@gingerbeardman Ah! Sorry. Was in a hurry and misread. Yes, that it hugely problematic. My own work requires contacting him on an ad-hoc basis for info, or scans. Though with the latter, their publicly accessible database is good if you just want box shots.
But rest assured, the restrictive nature of Japan's draconian legal system is something I think about a lot, and discuss often. It's almost as if it's designed specifically so the past cannot be preserved - the GPS and other places had to plead for ages for special government permission to do a lot of stuff openly.
It is maddening.
Re: Obsidian's Spy RPG Alpha Protocol Lands On GOG, 5 Years After Licensing Issues
@Poodlestargenerica I was thinking in the way spies have a large assortment of gadgets and items, and also physical skills / knowledge they acquire. These could lend themselves to RPGs - in a way, the 2D Metal Gear games fit this. MG, SR, MG2, and MG:GB are all sort of like action-RPGs with a spy theme.
Re: Obsidian's Spy RPG Alpha Protocol Lands On GOG, 5 Years After Licensing Issues
@Zenszulu Exactly. As a concept, it feels like a "spy RPG" is a no brainer. And yet... When you sit down and try to think of some...
There's a few point-and-click adventure games, but like the Bond GB game, they're not a proper fit. (Even ISOE on DC isn't an exact fit, since it's mechanically very strange.)
Re: Obsidian's Spy RPG Alpha Protocol Lands On GOG, 5 Years After Licensing Issues
Not a bad game - the clunkiness was charming.
Posting for one reason only: when it came out, someone on a forum very excitedly asked, "could this be the first spy RPG?"
I hadn't heard of it at the time, so could not reply, but years later I discovered "Industrial Spy Operation Espionage" on Dreamcast, which predates it.
So for this random forumite from over a decade ago, there was one earlier example you may enjoy. Or not. I hated Industrial Spy. Alpha Protocol is definitely the better "spy RPG". Did anything predate IS though? (Possibly 007 on GB?)
Re: Konami's Sci-Fi Sidescroller Surprise Attack Heading To Switch & PS4
@RootsGenoa
@Poodlestargenerica
@PKDuckman
The film, Batman, was actually revealed here:
https://www.timeextension.com/features/interview-konami-legends-reveal-the-secrets-of-the-arcade-hit-factory
But yes, 10 years ago I was asked to redact the name over concerns about how some of the larger companies may react.
Since then I spoke to John Ray of Atari / Time Warner, and Stefan Gancer has interviewed multiple Sunsoft staff on their side of the license, so it's sort of an open secret by now.
If you check out the quiz in Surprise Attack, the woman looks a lot like Kim Basinger. About 60% of the original planned game went into Surprise Attack.
If you check out the publishing credits of the games, around mid-1992 they stop being published by Sunsoft. Sega handles the Sega versions, and Konami handles the Nintendo versions.
Re: Bitmap Books Celebrates 10th Anniversary, And We Were There
@BionicDodo Bitmap produced a very nice PCE box art book - I bought a copy and it's helped me fill out my collection of PCE games.
Re: The Japanese Game Preservation Society Is Selling Off Rare Items To Fund Its Vital Work
@gingerbeardman true, but thankfully there's like three+ different proxy companies for people interested.
Buyee was used in the above.
But there's FromJapan, which I signed up with, plus Google is showing me ZenMarket and Jauce.
Obviously readers need to see which services meet their needs best.
Re: The Japanese Game Preservation Society Is Selling Off Rare Items To Fund Its Vital Work
@TransmitHim There was a slight miscommunication here - apologies, and I'll try to clarify.
The crowdfunding was for a document scanner to facilitate scanning entire magazines quickly after de-stapling and separating all pages. It's a new scanner for a new project.
The other scanner they had was an A3 flatbed scanner, which they'd been using for 10 years when it broke. Hence the charity auction.
Ultimately they hope to end up with two scanners:
I was also told the 25% extra on the magazine scanner crowdfunding will be used to purchase a paper cutting machine and other expenses related to the magazine archive work. Which is being treated as it's own large side project (literally several thousands of magazines are sitting in their archives).
Short version:
Two different types of scanner for different jobs, funded via different means.
Re: Poll: What's The Best Shinobi Game?
I know it gets hate, but I personally love the Saturn game.
Re: The Japanese Game Preservation Society Is Selling Off Rare Items To Fund Its Vital Work
Neat - that was fast! I'm currently chatting with Joseph about translating their full list of rarities, and when they'll be going up.
Re: You Won't Believe How Little Ocean Paid For RoboCop's Global Video Game Rights
For anyone interested, there's some nice remasters of the Robocop games recently:
http://www.parkproductions.co.uk/robocop2dreloaded.htm
Re: Review: Analogue Pocket Adapters - Lynx, PC Engine And NGPC Support Is Finally Here
I had problems with carts coming loose with WarioWare Twisted (the GBA game you need to move around a lot), so I use a bit of blue-tack to keep it fixed down. Would that fix your problem here?
Also I'm still secretly holding out for a Barcode Battler scanner adapter (or possible camera to photograph the barcodes).
I agree with @LowDefAl on the shipping. The prices are absolutely insane and a mean way to gouge extra profit from customers. Raphnet ships similar adapter items from Japan for $5 airmail. Just think about that.
Re: Sweet Home, The Movie That Inspired Resident Evil, Just Got Remastered
@OldManHermit I do like 80s horror. Poltergeist and Elm Street are favourites. I think part of it is I like the production veneer these Hollywood films have.
If you play Sweet Home post back here and quote me so I get notification - curious to hear your thoughts in the context of liking the film. Will you love the game because the two resonate so well? Or will you feel the gameification of the narrative detracts from it?
Re: Square Had Huge Plans For The N64 Before It Fell Out With Nintendo
@sdelfin Ah! Yes, I see it now. That's what I get for skimming. Thanks.
Re: We Almost Got The "Definitive" Version Of Blaster Master In Arcades
Why would I want to play shorter linear levels?
That removes what I like about the game!
Re: Square Had Huge Plans For The N64 Before It Fell Out With Nintendo
"Square was planning to invest 70% of the company's capital (roughly £2 million)"
Maybe I'm misunderstanding what capital is. But this sounds like Square only had roughly £3 million of capital to start with? Which seems quite small...
Re: Best Resident Evil Games, Ranked By You
@Damo No Bio Hazard bootleg for the Famicom? I guess fan-games shouldn't really count... Though it's an amusing oddity.
https://bootleggames.fandom.com/wiki/Bio_Hazard_(Famicom)
Re: Best Resident Evil Games, Ranked By You
@smoreon I avoided the main bug fans complain about (you can leave stuff in the metal detector and then end up on disc 2 with no way of getting it back). Also a lot of people end up in the boss fight at the end of Disc 1 with not enough supplies to beat the boss (luckily as a veteran of RE1, 2, and 3 by this point, I always kept myself overstocked).
The weapons access problem is less a bug and more bad design, in how the game itself functions, swapping characters at key points, which leaves certain items in the non-playable character's inventory, or the item boxes. This could be avoided by reading a guide and being prepared. For my replay I decided to do the whole thing blind, and basically forgot this was the case - so towards the end of the second disc, for the end game, I didn't have the gas grenade launcher. (I forget the specifics, but there was a long stretch of acquiring grenades, and thinking: huh, it sure would be nice if I had proper access to my inventory again.) I may be misremembering exactly how this worked.
I guess my advice is: if you play Code Veronica, spoil it by reading a guide and making sure you are prepared for the disc change (if on Dreamcast), and certainly prepped for the characters changes (DC and PS2). Otherwise it's quite possible to end up in bad situations.
In terms of old school Resi, 2 is my favourite, closely followed by 1, with CV coming below 3 after a recent replay.
Gaiden is the king. Everyone should play Gaiden. Remember: it saves literally everywhere, not just as checkpoints - reviewers who complain about only saving at checkpoints didn't read the manual.
Re: Best Resident Evil Games, Ranked By You
Anyone else love RE: Gaiden on the GBC?
I replay it semi-regularly and love it to bits. My favourite GBC game alongside MGS.
I used to think Code Veronica was my favourite, but replayed it a coupke years back, and hated it. Was shocked at how dramatic my change of feeling was.
As someone said, it's a slog. Also buggy (you can perma lose key items accidentally). Also it pulls annoying tricks leaving you without access to vital weapons. In my recent replay I never got to use the gas grenades because it swapped characters and left the launcher innaccessible.
Re: 3DS Emulator Citra Is Dead, Along With Switch Emulator Yuzu
@MrModerate You could, but then you'd be... BREAKING THE LAW! BREAKING THE LAW! BREAKING THE LAW!
edit: lol, the backwards slash vanishes when posting, meaning I can't do the devil horns emoji. /m/ /m/
Re: 3DS Emulator Citra Is Dead, Along With Switch Emulator Yuzu
I ran Ocarina of Time on Citra, upscaled to 1080p, with 360 controller, mapping screen touches to hotkeys.
It was glorious!
Re: This Dreamcast Controller Full Of Ants Is Your Nightmare Fuel For Today
@RaeDawnChonglingBay Nah, I'd have placed the controller near several spider webs, in the shed for example, or a beehive, then put a boombox nearby pumping out wrestlmania music. Let the match of titans commence.
Re: Sweet Home, The Movie That Inspired Resident Evil, Just Got Remastered
So I rewatched this. As a film I still think it's godawful. But!
After the first viewing I went and replayed the entire game (maybe 10 hours?). The last time was around 2001 after the fan-translation. I loved it at the time - Sweet Home on Famicom is an 8-bit masterpiece.
But I had enjoyed it devoid of context.
Watching the film and playing the game again, however, elevates the game to god-tier status. (Even though the film still sucks.) Because as supplementary material, the films adds context to in-game events, subverts certain expected events, and makes the game experience even better.
Thus making Sweet Home possibly the greatest film/game tie-in the history of either medium.
Great film adaptations like Platoon, Batman, Robocop, Die Hard... Whatever. Etc. They all worked without the film, and knowing the film only improved the experience moderately. Here, the film feels like it was meant to be part of the game experience (which was fantastic anyway).
There have been a few similar attempts over the years. Exile on the BBC Micro had a novella included. Antiriad had a comic. Galaxy Odyssey had an audio novel on cassette. The Matrix games years later pitched themselves as missing segments from the movie, meant to dovetail together. That was more than a decade later though.
Sweet Home came out in 1989 and does the above far more elegantly.
On my second playthrough I renamed the characters to match how I saw them in the film (the reporter was renamed April). Knowing the character relations also improved the experience. I kept the father and daughter together, and I paired the pervy cameraman and reporter off, since they had a thing going on in the film
And you know what? Following the groupings in the film made the game easier - it was meant to be played like this. The cameraman and reporter work so well as a pair for reading the frescos.
I was also able to visualise each character as in the film, and imagine their voices. And items, such as the dress which heals mental power, made so much more sense now. Before it was just an arbitrary game item, now I mentally align it with the film, where the dress was Emi's late mother's, and gives them the will to fight on.
The game also adds a little more backstory to the film - notably what happened to the mysterious painter, which wasn't explained in the film itself!
Plus it alters some things, such as the coffin location, and other bits, to keep you on your toes.
I hated my 2nd viewing even more since I knew what happened. But by virtue of improving the game, I have to recommend it - watch it, then play the game. Consider it like reading the manual.
This might actually be the perfect film/game symbiosis. Not because the film is good, but because of how well the two are integrated.
Re: Analogue Pocket Firmware Update 2.2 Now Available
Hoping for Lynx and NGPC core soon.
I would buy the adapters, but not when the postage is literally a zillion-gajillion-quintrillion dollars for what should be no more than $15 tops. Raphnet can ship from Japan for $5!
Is it accepted knowledge they're using postage to profit gouge buyers? Or is this just my imagination?
The whole thing reeks of American style medical costs, where life-saving cancer treatment is extortionate, but they know people will just shut up and pay because they have no other choice, even though the actual costs are negligible.
Re: Sweet Home, The Movie That Inspired Resident Evil, Just Got Remastered
I've been wanting to watch this for around 20 years now. At last I have.
Personaly... I hated it. Dreadful film. Bad pacing, stilted dialogue, and a weird surreal atmosphere that feels more like theatre than film.
Also nonsensical scenes that make no sense. What was that throne of neon honey? The pointless sing song bit?
It's like randomised video salad.
Mostly it's just boring though.
Compared to something like Poltergeist it's just laughable, mediocre guff whose main claim to fame is its much better videogame adaptation. Poltergeist had great pacing, great dialogue, and it made coherent logical sense within the rules of the film. Poltergeist was exciting! Sweet Home was not.
Loved the game. Hated the film sadly.
Re: Anniversary: Video Game Database MobyGames Celebrates 25 Years
Paywall? **** paywalls - that data on MobyGames is meant to be free.
I have personally donated huge volumes of privately taken photos of developers who had no photos before, and filled in gaps for games where no one knew the creators.
I did not do that for it to be paywalled!
Granted, that data is still freely accessible currently, and this paywall seems to be for useless extras. But I am going to burst a blood vessel if I find them paywalling stuff I donated for free public access.
That was not part of the deal!
Re: Atari CEO Claims Bubsy Response Was "Greater Than Anticipated"
@N00BiSH This was it! Thank you!
Everyone, check out Bubsy and the James Turrel Retrospective. It's weird and cool.
Re: Atari CEO Claims Bubsy Response Was "Greater Than Anticipated"
Did that infinite scroller from a few years back actually sell well? It was awful.
I did once play a good 3D Bubsy game. It was fan made and cel shaded kinda surreal. I forget the name. You had to find an art gallery or something.
Re: Archivist Preserves Full Set Of Super Mario Bros. Toys From The '80s
I've not followed 3D scanning developments. Do we have an agreed consensus on proper measurements / quality levels of scans?
I recall that a huge volume of magazine scans from the early days of archiving were scrapped after the community decided they needed to reach a higher minimum DPI threshold.
Is there a similar set of criteria for 3D scans? Is the data future proof? In 10 years, if there is a new technology for 3D printing, are these old scans of sufficient resolution that they will still be usable?
(OK, that last hypothetical is hard to answer - but old celluloid / acetate film can be scanned at 10k resolution, so it's not like we need to reshoot old films using modern digital cameras, the acetate itself is future proof; likewise, current high DPI scans of magazines continue to work well in new and higher resolution digital reading devices, often better since you don't need to scroll. So future proofing is doable. I just don't fully understand the techniques here.)
Re: Is Quintet's Robotrek The Most Underrated SNES JRPG Ever?
@GhaleonUnlimited I wanted to like Granstream so badly. I loved the faceless art style and the sky island setting. Sadly the combat does suck SO BADLY. I restarted to get the secret sword, with the highest stats, which one shot kills any enemy. And... I still found myself button mashing for several minutes per battle because enemies constantly blocked. A battle just never ended! And killing them gives no reward. And they respawn. And dungeons are complex mazes with no map. So you get lost, and have to fight dozens of battles over and over, and they drag on forever, because you can slash an enemy a hundred times but oh hey they just block and receive zero damage. Even the Soulsborne games allow one to brute force enemies as long as you can break their stamina gauge.
No. I hate Granstream Saga with every fibre of my being. It's not a Quintet game. Quintet died at the end of its 16-bit run. It died young and beautiful and with an immaculate portfolio and will remain so forever in our hearts.
Re: The Making Of: Suikoden II, A JRPG To Match 'Game Of Thrones' In Intrigue And Impact
@GhaleonUnlimited I went back to play Lego FF7 using the fan retranslation, and it makes it less nonsensical. I always liked it more for its mechanics than story, but the retranslation makes it much easier to follow. For the first few hours I played it alongside the original, loading saves to reread key dialogue - I was kinda shocked at how the official localisation is borderline gibberish.
Ultimately that FF7 spoiler scene did nothing for me. While multiple scenes in S1 and especially S2 hit so hard - and still do today. There are mutiple endings, and I honestly cannot bring myself to see the sadder ones. Maybe with the Remaster...
Given that some readers genuinely didn't know about FF7, I should have kept the spoiler warning, but for both games, and not revealed the FF7 one at the top.
But like I said: I have grown accustomed to veteran players using it as short hand when discussing emotional games. And I find it frustrating how a majority of older gamers will say "that's the most emotional scene in games".
And I'm like: really? Have you not played Suikoden 2, or Panzer Dragoon Saga? There's a rich portfolio of deep games out there. FF7 by comparison is emotionally shallow and kind of nuts. I like it, but only for the complex battle system and way you can manipulate the materia system.
Re: The Making Of: Suikoden II, A JRPG To Match 'Game Of Thrones' In Intrigue And Impact
@Poodlestargenerica I'm sorry I spoiled a key moment in FF7 for you - please rest assured that while this event is a key plot point, the entire game contains numerous other surprises, a couple even on par with this. It's still worth experiencing.
Re: The Making Of: Suikoden II, A JRPG To Match 'Game Of Thrones' In Intrigue And Impact
The lesson I'm taking from this is there is no statute of limitations on story spoilers, no matter the age or popularity of a game.
I seem to recall either Edge, or GamesTM spoiling FF7 in a making of, so I'm not the first. I hope all other examples receive equal treatment.
In future I will apply the same blanket rule to all games - no spoilers. Not even a warning, simply no spoilers.
If I've offended anyone, that's on me. Please don't let such negative feelings reflect the games being discussed.
Re: Random: Why Are American Game Journalists In The Credits Of Road Avenger?
It would not be the first time a developer grabbed random text in a foreign language and inserted it in their games.
Re: The Making Of: Suikoden II, A JRPG To Match 'Game Of Thrones' In Intrigue And Impact
@Poodlestargenerica Did I actually genuinely spoil FF7 for you? If so then I'm very surprised, shocked even. I am sorry.
That specific FF7 spoiler is so well documented, it's become the cornerstone of gaming pop culture. I've seen so many examples where people ask: can a videogame make you cry? And people start bawling over this scene. A magazine spoiled it for me in the day. I felt nothing - I was glad to have one less party member to grind!
The answer to your question is in the question itself. FF7 is so popular, I felt everyone knew this example. It has become gaming shorthand. You can't watch a Dorkly comedy video, or browse internet memes, without risking seeing THAT scene satirised. How were you able to not know it? In the last 25 years I must have seen it mentioned over 100 times.
Whereas Suikoden I&II are less known, less played, and I really want people to play them. A lot. I spoiled the "death of your father" because that happens like... 4 hours in? The pacing is so quick. In FF7 you're still rolling around in garbage in Midgar at that time - it's slow and padded. I like FF7, finished it twice; but I love Suikoden I&II.
I feel bad spoiling Suikoden 1 like that, but I did it with the promise that both games contain so many more emotional moments. I did it to entice players, like a taster. As for spoiling FF7, I'm sorry I was the one to break it for you. I honestly thought no one alive who plays games would be unaware.
If anyone has not played S1 or S2, please try them. The PS1 games were on PSN a while back (not sure now?), plus the remasters are coming. I'm going to put my hand up and say: in the year 2024 they are still fantastic, and some of you may actually find them to be better than their peers (such as FF7 et al).
I really want people to care about these games, because they deserve it.
Re: The Incredibly Rare GBA Title 'Ninja Five-O' Is Getting A Rerelease For Switch, PS4, & PS5
This was one of the best GBA games ever released. I actually held the cartridge in my hands once.
It might even be my #1 favourite GBA game.
Re: 43 Years On, And Epoch's Cassette Vision Is Finally Playable Via Emulation
If I'm recalling correctly, that tree chopping game was actually one of SNK's very earliest arcade titles, and they lost the game (everything - there is no known archive of the arcade version), meaning the conversion to this console is the last existing remnant of the original.
I think. These memories are half faded from something I read somewhere. I think it was in the SNK compilation which had VGHF info in it.
EDIT:
Not quite accurate:
https://snk.fandom.com/wiki/Yosaku
The port seen in the video was unauthorised, and it had an official port as a secret minigame on NGPC.
I love how dinky and primitive this is. I'd love to have the technical knowledge to poke under the hood and seeing what it was capable of with 40 years hindsight and coding knowledge. Fascinating.
Re: Review: Under The Castle (Playdate) - An Essential Roguelike Adventure
@gingerbeardman Thank you! I had not checked out the original page - appreciated!
Re: Review: Under The Castle (Playdate) - An Essential Roguelike Adventure
This reminds very strongly of Cave Noire on Game Boy. I wonder if the devs were fans?
Re: You Can Own Tommy Tallarico's House If You Have $3 Million To Spare
Tempted, but only on the condition that at random and unpredicted times Tommy will run through my new house jubilantly screaming: "HEY I'M TOMMY TALLARICO! I INVENTED GAME MUSIC! HAVE YOUR HEARD IT?!"
Re: Obscure PS1 Platformer 'Spider' Gets Remastered Soundtrack Release
I saw it in EGM and always wanted to own it. The story was crazy. Later played a demo and loved the level. Never bought it because I was young and lacked the funds. Someday I will put it on my PSIO.
Re: Poll: Should Retro Game Remasters Carry Warnings About "Offensive" Content?
I briefly skimmed those pages (way too much to read everything), and... Apparently someone, I'm unsure if it was a forum user or a dev, was suggesting replacing the islanders with lizard men.
Changing or censoring the content is a terrible idea. It's like digitally removing cigarettes from old films. You can't undo or change the past - it is what it is, and it forms part of the creative vision that reached the market.
Keep in mind that everything you see anyway had already gone through filters, and changes, and revisions, before being finalised for market.
I strongly dislike the idea of post-market changes (which is also why I cannot stomach George Lucas' meddling with the original trilogy - thank the gods someone took them away from his meddling little hands.)