The Old Skool Cult of Kefka, bitches!

[Jin]

PS3s are $600 in Australia? Really? A standard PS3 is only $399 here and our dollars are worth about .80 of a US dollar.

They just don't want people to play video games over there do they?

To answer your question, PS3s are region free as far as games go (so long as you have an HDTV as PAL standard definition TVs are something like 576i instead of 480i), but from what I've read, there's no mods available to crack DVD or Blu-ray region codes on it. I'll keep looking though.

Even without it, you may want to pick at least one of the consoles up sometime. I'm not sure which you'd like better though, so that battle's up to you.

[Furore]

PS3s are $600 in Australia? Really? A standard PS3 is only $399 here and our dollars are worth about .80 of a US dollar.

They just don't want people to play video games over there do they?

To answer your question, PS3s are region free as far as games go (so long as you have an HDTV as PAL standard definition TVs are something like 576i instead of 480i), but from what I've read, there's no mods available to crack DVD or Blu-ray region codes on it. I'll keep looking though.

Even without it, you may want to pick at least one of the consoles up sometime. I'm not sure which you'd like better though, so that battle's up to you.

The price of a secondhand 40gb PS3 at ebgames in Australia is $499. The one I got, a new 80gb model is $699, so approx $700.

I know there are ways to play pirated 360 games at this point though Microsoft bans their users from xbox live and I believe it to only be a matter of time until blu-ray games are cracked somehow.

Also, we get the 'megadrive collection' and I'd prefer to wait for it as it's what I knew more often then not as I only ever imported games not released in AU for my genesis. Chances are there'll be no difference bar packaging and one or two minor details, but just in case I'd wait the extra week or two.

On that same note, I've been currently playing Phantasy Star II on the PSP's Megadrive collection.

[Dawezy]

What Silver said, lol.

Australia really isnt getting any MAJOR price cuts for these consoles anytime soon.. ;_; makes me a sad panda. On the lighter side of this whole issue, however, I lurked around the confines of my various storage areas and found my old PSX. Dusted it off and loaded up an old game I never managed to finish~ Alone in the Dark 4 : The New Nightmare. I was stuck somewhere on that save file so I started a new one entirely, good times - took about 2 days to play through the 2 CD's worth of content, worth any ample gamers time.

Been playing Bust a Groove again too.. ghetto ddr titles are awesome, lol.

All the games run so so much smoother on the PSX too, as opposed to the PS2 emulating it.

..makes me wonder wtf Sony is doing sometimes. Older stuff plays better then some of their new stuff. Hmm!

[LocoColt04]

Dawezy, the PSP has some really badass games right up the Bust-A-Groove wannabe DDR aisle. Look up the DJ Max Portable series next time you're bumming around the internet and you'll see what I mean.

Currently Playing:
Bits and pieces of Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection because it's that damn cool

• Vectorman 2
• Phantasy Star IV
• Golden Axe II
• Sonic & Knuckles

These are the games of choice at the moment. Surely they will rotate to other titles on the collection at some point. I'm also balancing this with Street Fighter IV on the PS3, so I've got a lot of gaming on my plate at the moment.

[Victoria]

Currently Playing: Valkyria Chronicles, Folklore, Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon, Rondo of Swords

I'm glad I got as much tax refund as I did. Finally got a PS3. XD

[Jin]

What made you get SF4 for the PS3, Cesar? Usually I see people with both the Box and PS3 get multiplatform titles for the former due to the better online service. Just curious.

Haha, Alone in the Dark, The New Nightmare. I loved that game. It didn't get the best reviews, but I had a lot of fun with it. That was the first game that I can honestly say scared me.

I want a Sega CD, Dammit. I know, I know, it's a piece of shit. But it's like a piece of shit with some diamonds embedded into it. Sonic CD, Snatcher and Shining Force CD are really tempting. If I had the money, I'd ebay a CDX as those things are sexy as hell. Damn I need a job again. In the mean time, do you guys know any good emulators for it? Ones that don't require you to have the CD I mean, assuming such a thing exists. I've tried a few, but I keep getting some error to do with "BIOs" everytime I try to load the rom (Shining Force CD). I'm not good with computers anymore, so I have no idea what that means, har har.

CP:
Shining Force 2
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (going through on Pro)
Some other random Genesis collection/VC games

Edit: forget the emulation stuff, it's been worked out.

[Cain Highwind]

Figured I'm LONG overdue.

CP: Ratchet and Clank Going Commando (PS2) I don't think it's QUITE the "3D Mega Man 2" title that people like to regard it as, but it's good solid fun and like MM2 it is quite an improvement over the original. I just dislike the long tedious boss battles. I'm running through the New Game + feature now and I've got Up Your Arsenal ready to go.

Chrono Trigger DS - Fun fun fun playing it mostly on my break time at work.

And my copy of SFIV should be arriving Monday

I have a ton of games to try and find time to go through including

Sly 2
Sly 3
Okami (Wii)
Lost Planet
Dragon Quest Swords
Zack and Wiki
Resident Evil 4 (Wii)

as well as a few games a coworker decided to give me for my birthday (he says he's really lost interest in his Wii):
The Godfather
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
Escape from Bug Island
Dragon Blade

I haven't even heard of those laste two, but eh, what can I say I got them for free.

[LocoColt04]

What made you get SF4 for the PS3, Cesar? Usually I see people with both the Box and PS3 get multiplatform titles for the former due to the better online service. Just curious.

My golden rule: Solo games and fighters are always on the PS3 when multiplatform is available; otherwise, anything else online goes to the 360.

That said, D-pad BLOOOOOOOWS on the 360 controller.

Also, the online for PS3 for SFIV is nigh flawless. Seriously, zero lag during play, and very minimal load times. It's the best non-first-party online the system has ever seen. Nothing even compares. Capcom and Sony put a LOT of money into the servers for this game so that it wouldn't suck when it came out.

[Jin]

Oh, I see, I see. Should I expect you online more than once in a fortnight then?

That's awesome to hear about the online though. Warms the cockles of my heart. If I were into fighting games, I'd probably pick it up. But I'm not.

The real reason I'm posting is because I need to throw away that last CP in lieu of getting the Sega CD emulator up and running. I'm not particularly proud about having to resort to an emulator, but I'm out of other options at the moment, so the CDX will have to wait. But mark my words, it will be mine.

CP:
Shining Force CD
Snatcher
Sonic CD
Resident Evil 4

[Furore]

I decided due to a current lack of funds I'll be trading in my PS3 at GAME.
I just figure the $400 it'll get me will be perfect for Street Fighter IV and possibly a preorder on a DSi or to catch up on any good titles it looks like I'm missing.

Then later on I'll hunt down one of the better PS3s that has support for PS2 titles, even if it's only emulation support. And yeah Jin, sorry about that not being online to add you thing. ><;; I don't really remember the last time I did something online via the PS3 too well, but I remember that HOME scared the hell out of me. Or the weird cleanly house look and the zombified other people haunting the few female avatars around... *shudders*

Currently playing: Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection
So far I've given every game at least one try bar some of the unlockables, viewed all the art (didn't realise how poorly the graphics on some carts was transferred from the box til now) and watched the interviews. I'm having a load more fun with Vectorman 2 than I ever remember having in the past and plan on starting a game of Phantasy Star fairly soon.

[Jin]

That's too bad, Silver. I was looking forward to having another TFFer to enter the Killzone with (yes, I know that sounds lame). Speaking of which, it's quite the game, I must say. I'm not sure I'd go as far to say that it lives up to the ridiculous amount of hype that some PS3 fanboys were allotting it, but it is a fantastic game. The controls take a bit of getting used to - I didn't realize how much I relied on aim assist in other shooters - but once you do it's really quite enjoyable. Finally, a good use of sixaxis controls.

In other news, my burgeoning Sega collection is coming along nicely. I ordered a CDX off of Ebay, which should arrive within a week or two - I found away to burn roms into workable games for this, so I'll be having fun with it, heh; I recently purchased a Dreamcast (brand new) with Shenmue and Skies of Arcadia and am currently looking for Jet Grind Radio on Ebay; and today, I think I'm going to buy Strider for Mega Drive. That game was awesome. Now all I need is a Master System, a Nomad, a Game Gear, an original Sega CD, a model one Genesis, a model 3 Genesis and the dreaded 32x. My nerd collection.

CP:
Killzone 2
Shenmue
The waiting game, after which it will be Shining Force CD.

[Furore]

Killzone 2 disappointed me in all honesty. The graphics and sound effects were amazing and drew me into the game, but the game itself seemed kind of generic. But then shooters aren't my preferred genre. I like playing multiplayer with my mates, but that's about it. And I like older shooters for the nostalgia factor.

The original Unreal Tournament is getting older these days though. I *loved* that game more than any other shooter for quite some time. Nowadys it's likely nothing, but I have the memories, and I still have the skills.

And yeah, I'll grab another PS3 later, preferably an older model. Definetely by FFXIII VS.'s release. Until then, Star Ocean 4 will be awesome I hope.

CP:
The Simpsons Game
Bubsy
Phantasy Star

[Jin]

I wouldn't call KZ2 generic. That implies it's mediocre. I'd call it eclectic. It's certainly not ground breaking by any stretch (few FPS are in such a saturated market anymore), but everything it does it does exceptionally, especially now that they've patched the controls. I'd be playing more if I wasn't so wrapped up in my old skool world atm.

That brings me to point 2: my CDX has arrived and I couldn't be happier. My burnt games work with a few exceptions (Lunar and Silpheed; I'll probably just buy real copies of them) and the console itself is sexy as hell. I'll post some pictures when I get around to taking some snap shots. I love how I've got an evolutionary line on my shelf right now. Sega CDX on the far right, then the Saturn, then the Dreamcast. I've got a Nomad on the way along with a RAM cart for the CDX (as those RPGs take up a shitload of room). I'll be taking a bit of a break for a while due to this last month's overzealous spending, but I eventually plan to get one of those twin whatcha-ma-call-ems that plays NES and SNES games and, funds permitting, a Turbo Duo. I'll need to pick up a Game Gear and a Master System at some point too.

Current burnt game list for Sega CD:
Sonic CD
Shining Force CD
Snatcher
Vay
Popful Mail
Lunar (doesn't work)
Silpheed (doesn't work well enough)
Final Fight

I'll be getting more when I get around to it. It's pointless right now without the RAM cart and Shining Force takes up nearly the entirety of the internal RAM. Reminds me of Shining Force 3 and the Saturn, haha.

CP:
Shining Force CD
Sonic CD
Killzone 2

[Furore]

Lunar I liked a fair deal.
It's worth tracking up a copy even if it does seem a bit cheesey at times by today's standards. Not neccesarily a bad thing neither.

As for Killzone 2, I don't see generic as mediocre, just similar to other things. Which is great if you're a big fan of a genre, but for me the generic RPG is what I hold above any other generic game. I *love* half those RPGs that got crap scores for 'lack of innovation'. Shooters? Because while I like to play one occasionally they don't stand out so much for me it feels like if I've played a couple I've played them all. Possibly like a shooter fan who can properly appreciate a good shooter descending into the realm of an ungodly amount of RPGs.

CP: My job.

[Jin]

If you're not a shooter fan, I'm confused why you were disappointed with KZ2. What did you expect it to be?

At any rate, I'll give you credit for having the patience to enjoy the throngs of RPGs that come out these days. Actually, not so much these days as last generation. The PS2 was bad for that. I've almost lost my taste for RPGs on account of it. JRPGs at any rate. Older RPGs, Bethesda, Valkyria Chronicles and the hope that FF13 won't suck as much as FF12 are all that keeps me from actually disliking RPGs, which is funny given that there was a time when that's all I'd play. Oh how things change.

I just noticed, I have a PAL version of Sonic 2. The choices of languages on the back are confusing. I didn't think Finnish would make it on there.

[Furore]

If you're not a shooter fan, I'm confused why you were disappointed with KZ2. What did you expect it to be?

I don't honestly know. With all the hype I was half expecting the second coming of Jesus as soon as I inserted the disc. And that's where my disappointment lies for the better part. Damn over-hyping spoiling my game experience... *assorted grumbling*

[LocoColt04]

Whoa whoa whoa, stop.

YOU BELIEVED IN HYPE?

You, sir, can go fuck yourself. Shouldn't you know better? Come on man, half the reason they hype up games is when they're worried that they might not be good enough to sell purely by word-of-mouth. I'm not saying Killzone 2 is a bad game, but I would hardly call it a noteworthy one. Still good, perhaps, but definitely worth passing over.

Shame I didn't get a chance to slap you on the nose with a rolled up newspaper and say "no" in a commanding overtone before you went out and bought it.




DISCLAIMER: The above post is written with a semi-sarcastic undertone and should not be taken seriously. Except for the part about making a poor choice. That is opinion, and therefore free to speak of. Also, your mother is fat.





In other news, Halo Wars is turning out to be pretty cool after all.


Currently Playing
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (NDS)
• Halo Wars (360)
• Final Fantasy XI (PC)
• Vectorman 2 (360 via Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection)
• Castle Crashers (360)
• Pokémon Blue (GB)

[Jin]

I suppose that depends what you mean by "noteworthy". I've taken note of it. It doesn't redefine the genre, but I would go so far as to say that it's one of the ultimate expressions of that genre. It's not as revolutionary as COD4 by any stretch, but I honestly like it better, now that the controls are fixed. At the very least, it's something the PS3 needed. Resistance couldn't do it all on it's own.

But yes, it was certainly over hyped. It doesn't help to have idiotic fanboys screaming "Halo killer!" either, especially considering it's a completely different game than Halo.

Jesus was a Helghast, didn't you know?

[Furore]

A Jewish Helghast? Blimey.

And yeah, I should know better than to believe in hype, but I get caught up in the excitement. I notice it hype seems to get stronger as more and more people buy the newer consoles and start going crazy.

CP:
Watchmen: The End is Nigh
Mario Bros. 3

[Jin]

Anybody else confused about that new OnLive thing that was shown at GDC yesterday (or early this morning, whichever)? It's complicated, so I don't want to go into details on it (check IGN or G4 or really any gaming site for details), but I don't even know what to think honestly. It will either flop massively or completely change the gaming industry. I'm scared.

Anywho, to return from the cutting edge of technology to stuff this club is more about, I finally decide to buy myself something to play NES games (that isn't a Wii). It's nothing official, just some cheap after market product (and I mean cheap, part of it broke within an hour, but it still functions), but It's nice to have something to play ye old classics. I wanted one of those NES/SNES players, but they have SNES controller ports only (and even then I haven't heard that the SNES controllers work well) and I wanted to have the feeling of that painfully squared controller in my hand. The only thing I'm sad about is that my copy of Castlevania 3 doesn't seem to work. It somewhat works actually, which makes me think it just needs a cleaning, but I've cleaned it so rigorously already that short of opening it up and cleaning it from there (which I don't have a proper screw driver for), there's nothing I can do. Too bad.

Also, anyone who owns a Sega CD or has an emulator for it owes it to themselves to play Snatcher. I just finished it and it is without a doubt one of the best games I've ever played. It's a Hideo Kojima production and runs similar to adventure games like Monkey Island or Blade Runner. It's pure awesome, honestly and I highly recommend trying it out if you're into those kind of games.

Oh and I bought a Game Gear for shits and giggles. Cheers.

CP:
Resident Evil 5 (PS3)
Killzone 2 (PS3)
The game of deciding which old school game to start up next.

[LocoColt04]

I found of copy of Battletoads on the Game Gear at a GameStop in New Jersey.

I am not even joking. Now I just need a Game Gear. And a trip to Jersey.



Currently Playing:
• Suikoden Tierkreis (NDS)

Everything else stopped for Suiki. ^^

[Jin]

I didn't even know they made Battletoads for Game Gear. I'll have to be on the lookout for that. You can get Game Gears pretty cheap off Ebay, Cesar.

On a barely related note and so as to possibly stimulate conversation, I was wondering peoples opinions: do you think it's worth it investing in old consoles? By that I mean, if you already own a re-done or simply re-released golden oldie, do you think it worthwhile to buy the original for the original console anyways (which often may mean buying said console)? Do you need to experience as it was meant to be played, or is the experience of the game itself enough for you? Not you specifically, Cesar, but any cult member.

[Furore]

I prefer to play on the original console where possible. NES games like older Marios feel absolutely wrong with the Wii Classic controller, and though it could have been fixed by different control schemes like in Super Mario All-Stars, even then it seems not as right as it does on the proper system.

Even where it's done right and perfectly comfortable on a newer console, it's still not the same and I doubt it ever will be. The one exception is playing SNES games via the Wii's VC and using the SUper Famicom controller addon. I greatly recommend finding one before the damn things all disappear.

[Dawezy]

I prefer to play on the original console where possible. NES games like older Marios feel absolutely wrong with the Wii Classic controller, and though it could have been fixed by different control schemes like in Super Mario All-Stars, even then it seems not as right as it does on the proper system.

Even where it's done right and perfectly comfortable on a newer console, it's still not the same and I doubt it ever will be. The one exception is playing SNES games via the Wii's VC and using the SUper Famicom controller addon. I greatly recommend finding one before the damn things all disappear.

This~

Well put, where-as loading up ROMs is a hell of alot easier then putting in the effort to walk over to my TV to power stuff up.. it really lacks that authenticity that you get when you get your hands around a control pad and button bash like a retard vs drums. A while back I purchased nearly all (maybe it was all of them?) of the retro compilations for the PS2 for Midway/Capcom/Taito but, it still feels like theres something missing.

The old Atari controller was like.. a stick, with a button next to it.

Trying to play H.E.R.O using a PS2 controller is awkward..

When I was like, 10, or less, I finished all the levels in that game within an hour - now I cant get past level 1 lol. >_< (note: I'm 25 now lol)

Still, I got me a original copy of Bubsy for my Mega Drive a couple years ago and it works like a charm still.. power it up every so often and try ace it. I'm still a bit sketchy around the edges but its fun all the same~

CP: A fair amount of Final Fantasy 8 actually, skilling up GF's for most part.. my first playthrough saw me a complete nub and dumbfack to the Junction system, so I've overwritten those old files with these new ones. Omnom.

Oh.. and FF11.

[Jin]

I agree completely. Emulators bother me. A lot. It's nice that it's free and all, but blah. It's just too bad that old consoles these days can be ridiculously expensive. Shipping costs should be banned.

Anywho, I have some interesting news.

On WiiWare, you can expect Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, an RPG that continues the story that began in 1991's Final Fantasy IV. In Japan, this game was released as a downloadable cellular phone application in February 2008. While it's not exactly breaking news, unless you're a Japanese cell phone fan, it'll probably is for you. The second WiiWare title is Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord. Darklord was released as a cell title in Japan, as well and according to Square, it has been downloaded over 3 million times!

Pay particular attention to the portion in bold. FTW.

[Dawezy]

As you mentioned Snatchers some posts ago I dug around and found me the ROM, as contradictory as it may be after my post. I do not have a Mega CD to play it on so I got no real choice but to ROM it lol, but dude, its a frickin awesome game. As per denoted by this screenie~

(note: its pretty gruesome lol)




Was up till about 2am playing it and I'm still not remotely near 1/4 the way through.. the awesome part about it tho, theres voice acting on a regular basis. Sorry if I spoiled anything, lol. ^^;

[Jin]

You did spoil it, way to go.

It's just too bad that it's so short. It clocks in at around 10 hours, which I guess is to be expected of a game that's completely narrative driven, but that's the affect the game has on you. You just don't want it to be over. As usual, Kojima's characters are amazing and you really get involved with them. Gillian and Metal Gear are hilarious together.

There's a particularly hilarious part that talks about censorship in the game. If you spend long enough in the square examining the people, you'll find the number. It's great fun. It's too bad that they had to censor some stuff when they ported it out of Japan though. Originally, there were brief scenes of nudity involving Katrina and the tit of a downed snatcher, but in the case of the former, maybe it was for the best as she was originally 14, not 18. Those Japs...

[Cain Highwind]

I prefer to play on the original console where possible. NES games like older Marios feel absolutely wrong with the Wii Classic controller, and though it could have been fixed by different control schemes like in Super Mario All-Stars, even then it seems not as right as it does on the proper system.

Even where it's done right and perfectly comfortable on a newer console, it's still not the same and I doubt it ever will be. The one exception is playing SNES games via the Wii's VC and using the SUper Famicom controller addon. I greatly recommend finding one before the damn things all disappear.

Have you tried using the Sideways Wii-mote, feels like a natural fit to me.

As for the topic, well I can respect someone pulling out an old system and playing it on their TV. However if a game is legitly available as some kind of collection or digital download and it looks and plays as it should, then I can live. I personally hate having to deal with too many connections to a TV.

As for emulation, I don't understand why people like the SAI filter, you know the option to blur the pixels together in a garbled mess. I prefer seeing my pixels in games.

Currently Playing

FFV Advance
Samurai Shodown Anthology on Wii (Complicated with a tough learning curve, but DAMN! does it have one stylish atmosphere)

Speaking of SNK, I pretty much gave up on SFIV after a while. It's still an all right game, but it reminds me of why I migrated over to SNK games (namely KoF) in the first place. Flat characters, strict combo timing, too easy to rely on Specials. Damn I can't wait for KoF XII. It's just mouth-watering gorgeous!

[Furore]

I did try that Cain, but it felt too long and not boxy enough.
It does beat using the Classic Controller at any rate though. Made Mario 3 a lot more playable.

What I find somewhat amusing is that the classic controller seemed best for SNES games and yet I prefer to use the Super Famicom controller plugin as it's exactly like the older SNES controllers I know and love.

CP:
Chrono Trigger DS
New Super Mario Bros.

[Cain Highwind]

So just thought I'd share this info in here

Get ready to re-enter the New Age of Heroes on Xbox 360 and PS3 this summer | Marvel.com News | Marvel.com

Anyone else excited? I know it's not the end-all, be-all of fighting games, but it sure is fun. Oh and for added measure:
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l2..._Shoryuken.jpg