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I think 8 is interesting in how much it divides gamers, a lot of people hate it but a lot love it and think it's one of the best. I think the problem with 9 is that it came out so late in the Playstation's so it got ignored by a lot of people.

I'll admit that "amazing gameplay changes" is hyperbole but what the heck is wrong with someone still enjoying a game and being excited about it? If you enjoy making these kinds of comments, might I suggest visiting the message boards of GameFAQs? You certainly wouldn't be out of place there.

Whatever changes end up coming in the patch, Blizzard is indeed to be commended for their seemingly endless support of an old game for which they charge no extra money to play online.

Technically they have this. And ::Gasps:: Sammy made it. Here is a review of it, and here are some screen shots from it.

It is actually a halfway decent game and a Hentai game to boot!

Here's what I do when I'm looking for a good game. The first thing to do is to figure out what you think you'll like (you seem to have a grasp on this)... And then go to a site like GameFAQs and figure out what the top games and most active boards are...

The games in the top 10s are the games people are actually playing. They have played the game long enough and enjoy it enough to read a FAQ or post a message related to it.

Another idea to find good games is the PS2 "Greatest Hits" line. These games are a little older, but they sold alot of copies and they are highly rated titles. Sony isn't going to "taint" the line by releasing a POS under the "Greatest Hits" line.

Don't let anyone tell you what you'll like, just make an educated guess...if you're really hurting for titles to pick, you can try some games like...

For PS2:

- RPGs from SquareSoft (i.e. Final Fantasy X)
While these games aren't really from the D&D line, you will probably find the plot lines much more compelling...
- Grand Theft Auto games (but I'm sure you will hear too much of this)
- The Getaway for a little more story in a GTA-style game
- Gran Tourismo 3 or Midnight Club
- Metal Gear Solid 2 for a good spy game
- the new Spy Hunter...yes, same name from the 80's, but it's 3D now
- Devil May Cry (Kinda fun...run around killing the undead with magical swords and guns)...don't get Devil May Cry 2
- Crazy Taxi

XBox:

- Halo

From most of the suggestions here, ppl are only listing the most recent games...most of the games I listed should be available without too much difficulty... Some games like Metal Gear Solid and Crazy Taxi are available on the XBox as well, but for most ppl, the PS2 is the only way to go...there's just more games for it...

If you're interested in a game, go to GameFAQs and figure out how active the boards have been in the past (don't have to read posts and FAQs, just get an idea how many ppl are there)...if you see alot of posts, you can be pretty sure that the game is fairly popular and therefore probably a good game.

If there are no FAQS for a game or no posts in a board, noone's playing it right now and noone liked it enough to make a FAQ or it's too easy to need a FAQ...for instance, Gran Turismo 2, a good game from the PS-One has a ton of FAQs and still has a fairly active message board...

Here's what I do when I'm looking for a good game. The first thing to do is to figure out what you think you'll like (you seem to have a grasp on this)... And then go to a site like GameFAQs and figure out what the top games and most active boards are...

The games in the top 10s are the games people are actually playing. They have played the game long enough and enjoy it enough to read a FAQ or post a message related to it.

Another idea to find good games is the PS2 "Greatest Hits" line. These games are a little older, but they sold alot of copies and they are highly rated titles. Sony isn't going to "taint" the line by releasing a POS under the "Greatest Hits" line.

Don't let anyone tell you what you'll like, just make an educated guess...if you're really hurting for titles to pick, you can try some games like...

For PS2:

- RPGs from SquareSoft (i.e. Final Fantasy X)
While these games aren't really from the D&D line, you will probably find the plot lines much more compelling...
- Grand Theft Auto games (but I'm sure you will hear too much of this)
- The Getaway for a little more story in a GTA-style game
- Gran Tourismo 3 or Midnight Club
- Metal Gear Solid 2 for a good spy game
- the new Spy Hunter...yes, same name from the 80's, but it's 3D now
- Devil May Cry (Kinda fun...run around killing the undead with magical swords and guns)...don't get Devil May Cry 2
- Crazy Taxi

XBox:

- Halo

From most of the suggestions here, ppl are only listing the most recent games...most of the games I listed should be available without too much difficulty... Some games like Metal Gear Solid and Crazy Taxi are available on the XBox as well, but for most ppl, the PS2 is the only way to go...there's just more games for it...

If you're interested in a game, go to GameFAQs and figure out how active the boards have been in the past (don't have to read posts and FAQs, just get an idea how many ppl are there)...if you see alot of posts, you can be pretty sure that the game is fairly popular and therefore probably a good game.

If there are no FAQS for a game or no posts in a board, noone's playing it right now and noone liked it enough to make a FAQ or it's too easy to need a FAQ...for instance, Gran Turismo 2, a good game from the PS-One has a ton of FAQs and still has a fairly active message board...

Planescape: Torment is a superb RPG. The New York Times reviewer said "While computer games have not yet achieved Shakespearian quality, this one is perhaps as good as Marlowe." Although it is out of print (so you'll need to check the bargain bins or the web), it is not cobwebbed. This FAQ was updated in February 2003.

I felt uneasy for weeks after finishing Kagero: Deception 2. It is a very disturbing game because you have to kill innocents to "win" and unlike most games, these victims scream and cry with disturbing realism as you crush/poison/otherwise dispatch them and their friends/parents/etc. I felt I deserved the ending I got ("#1" in the linked FAQ). Haven't played it again since then. I'd run away if you meet anyone who likes this game.

I used to buy this argument, but I don't anymore.

(Note on the last one, I purchased that once for $2 just for Beamrider, which remains a truly awesome game.)

Of course it need not be a "threat to civilization", it need only harm a bottom line, and the argument can be made that it indeed may. (Note a lot of old stuff is coming out for the Gameboy Advance, for instance; I purchased the Phantasy Star Collection recently, and I am pleased. What I'd really like is the Bard's Tale on the GBA, though. If it weren't for the infernal need to make money that would be a cool development project to undertake.

Yes, and damn them for selling out. Damn them for firing the two guys from Andromeda and damn them for stopping actually making software.

Oh well, the whole industry has changed. It's not only the "intellectual elite" who own computers anymore, it's a lot of luddites who didn't know the internet existed prior to 1995/96, and who bought typing programs to learn how to type properly around the same time. They've completely changed the environment. Look at IRC now compared to 7 years ago. "Ripper is hardcore!" Perfect example of what I'm talking about. That incident signaled to me loud and clear that the common man really had entered the internet in full force.

Gamers who think that playing FF7(and being one of the first to 'discover' that series... at number 7...) on the PS1 makes them oldschool. People like that don't have the necessary tastes or sophistication to get a space shooter, or adventure game, or why someone would find the original Zelda still fun to this day. They don't want real plot, they want the relatively shallow plots of the modern Final Fantasy (admit it, if you can't figure out the twists before they happen in a square game, you haven't been paying attention). It's the same type of person who doesn't read, they watch TV. Sigh.

And yea, I was mocking that kids death.

I think you're thinking of LORD -- Legend of Red Dragon (replace 'the Green' with 'red') Written (in turbo pascal no less) by Seth Able Robinson. This was one of the most popular games of the era, with many-many add-ons produced by various people (the game was designed to be expandable by third parties, and even came w/ instructions to do so). All the bbs's in my area had this game --
I'm amazed that you don't remember it.

Here's a link to some guys sites:

LORD on gamefaqs

Some guys website

Some guy who met him (tradewars)

Search on google (try the terms "Seth Able Robinson" [where I got the above links] or "Legend of Red Dragon") for tons of info on one of the best games ever written.

_______________________________

Wow, linux is cool.

What people who actually want to know what's up with a game need to actually do some research. As with the rest of life, you reap what you sow. Unless your taste runs to whatever's "cool" at the moment (and obviously a lot of people have such taste) just picking up a copy of insert gaming magazine here] or browsing to [insert game review site here] isn't going to tell you squat.

You need to look at a range of review sites. It doesn't take long to figure out which magazines and web sites are schills for whatever game publisher gave them the most cash/best junket. You learn how to read them, and what filters you need to deal with. Check gaming fan sites and message boards. Yes, there are going to be fanboys and schills on the a publisher's payroll, but again, don't take one person's word for it, for goodness sake. Common freakin' sense people. Look at the gestalt.

Be patient. Even if the game sells out on the first day, they _will_ make more copies of them. Don't buy a game the first day unless you're willing to throw that $50 in the trash, because no matter what the previews may have said about it, there's an even chance at best that you are going to hate it. I've done my share of camping out in a game store waiting for FedEx to get in with the new shipment of whatever spiffy new "Popular Video Game Concept" is coming in that day. I've had some successes, and my fair share of disasters (in other words, most of them). The most recent and painful experience being Master of Orion 3: How The Hell Do I Do Anything Here?.

The game publishing industry certainly is able to shove crap out the door, but there will always be plenty of other gamers out there without the ethical handicaps that the commercial reviewers have, who are going to be more than willing to give you and anyone else who will listen the straight poop. Also, not all commercial reviewers are alike. Sometimes you'll find one whos taste aligns with yours, and if so go for it. But even then, you owe it to yourself to look at a lot of opinions before you buy.

Personally, I've found sites like MetaCritic and GameFAQs are great places where a lot of different opinions about a game are collected under one roof, and the people who run those sites don't write any of the reviews that appear there. You usually can get the gist of what a game is going to be like, what the bugs are, etc, but it requires waiting until a critical mass of reviews comes in.

1. 320x240 full screen at a 19" monitor, typical viewing distance == headache city.

Actual coin-operated arcade games use a 19" display running at resolutions close to 320x240 pixels. So just sit farther from the screen, at TV distances rather than computer distances. A PS1 joypad connected to your USB port through an EMS USB2 adapter should help you sit back while giving you authentic console-style feel.

2. 320x240 window on same monitor running a 1024x768/1152x864/1280x1024 desktop == squint city.

At those display resolutions, pixels on a 1x display are about as big as pixels on the GBA or GP32. If you use a relatively dark desktop theme, the small size of the emulator's window shouldn't bother you.

I'd suggest adding a third option, as found in several emulators I use for development such as FCE Ultra and VisualBoyAdvance:

3. 320x240 rescaled 2x using hardware scaling of DirectDraw overlays == enjoyable SimCity.

• How well does the emulation work? If there's any emulator for PC that emulates all the SNES games (or whichever kind) in existence, i've yet to hear about it.

• And does it have enough processing power to run the non-native code without any slowdown or such?

There was an SNES game that you may or may not consider a sequel to RCR. Only released in Japan, however. Similar looking graphics and gameplay, and it was made by the same people.

dalamcd

Gamefaqs has more info.
Yes, I'm talking about the RPG Wizardry series, not Nemesis. Never played that one so I can't speak to it.

If you go over to gamefaqs, you'll notice that there is still a lot of interest in the Final Fantasy PS1 games. The RPG crowd tends to be more nostalgic.

I loved that game!

Hmm...might even have to break out my apple //e emulator and see if I still have the binaries, so I can toss it in the collection with Autoduel, Captain Goodnight and Miner 2049er.

[yeah, yeah, I'm off topic...that's why I didn't use my karma bonus... hey, just be thankful I didn't mention Oregon Trail... hmm..that reminds me... I need Choplifter, too.]

Atari Jaguar - Why wasn't this on the list? I rented this thing too, and it sucked. First of all, if you think that the X-Box's origional controller was big (which it wasn't that bad) try this thing.

Well I have both sitting right in front of me and the Xbox's is bigger and significantly heavier. If anything that tells you how big the Xbox's original controller is - the fact that a controller with a keypad on it could actually be smaller than the XB controller is pretty amazing (though pretty much all the keypad controllers I can think of - Intellivision, Colecovision, 5200, Jaguar to name a few - are smaller than the XB controller). It also tells you how we don't always remember things as they really were. Hindsight is not always 20/20 (though it's usually closer to that than foresight is).

CDI - To tell you the truth, I remember hearing of this, and seeing games in magazines. But I never saw a single one for sale, that I can remember. That's a great recipe for success. I also remember hearing it was expensive.

The CD-i was not specifically intended as a game system. I don't actually recall if the CD-i came before or after the 3DO, but it's possible Philips was trying to learn the lessons of 3DO. CD-i was marketed as a full entertainment set-top box capable of playing CD's, movies and of course games. The gaming capability of the system was not very good, though - not up to the standards of the systems it was "competing" with (though again, they were trying to go for the more casual gaming/home entertainment market). The CD-i is probably the main reason why gamers these days cringe whenever anyone uses the word "set-top box" or starts talking about doing things like adding movie playing or other functionality to game consoles.

Saturn - Two games I wanted to play. I wanted to play Nights (still waiting for a rerelease of that) and Panzer Dragoon (that game looked so amazing at the time.) Plus, the Saturn had all those cool "Theater of the Eye" commercials. Very cool. But of course, it was expensive as hell, the analog controller (when it finally came out for Nights) was weird (and fixed (somewhat) in the Dreamcast). Part of it's problem what that it was supposed to be terrible to develop for because of it's dual CPU nature.

Yes, the Saturn has a complicated architecture, but then so does the PS2 and it doesn't seem to have mattered in its case. Developers will develop for a system no matter how hard it is if they believe it's viable. In fact, the Saturn was viable for a while, and was actually quite successful in Japan (like the TG-16) - which is why it doesn't belong on this list. Sega and other developers continued supporting the Saturn in Japan until after the Dreamcast's release.

There are so many misconceptions about the Saturn it's hard to even count. One of the biggest is that it was designed as a 2D system, with 3D added at the last minute in response to Sony's PSX announcement. This is refuted in section 15.2 of the Saturn hardware FAQ (which you can find at GameFAQs - sorry, they don't allow direct linking). The Saturn was always a 3D system, designed as a sort of home version of the Model 2 arcade board, but had its texture capabilities enhanced in response to Sony's PSX.

The Saturn does remain one of the best 2D systems ever, though (perhaps only the Neo Geo - with its processing power and unlimited, cartridge-based RAM beats it) and in fact had more VRAM and greater raw 3D polygon-pushing power than the PSX (>500,000 vs. ~360,000, by the published specs in the respective manuals). But as MS is trying to do this generation to Sony, Sony basically bought the market out from under Sega last generation. Only Sega ended up thinking it really worthwhile to learn how to program their own system, and games like Virtua Fighter 2 still look better than most anything ever released on the PSX. The Saturn really did have some great games - though most of them were first-party Sega titles.

Lynx - I never played one (it was supposed to be quite good) but I had a friend who thought it was amazing. I don't remember anything about it. I don't know why it failed.

Several reasons - though it was a great system for its time. Big, backlit screen, excellent sound, great graphics for the day. But it was too big, ate batteries like nobody's business (the original version would get you 2 hours on 4 AA's if you were lucky), and was poorly marketed by Atari - who couldn't really do anything right by that point. It also didn't have a killer app like the competing GameBoy did (Tetris). In fact, there aren't that many good games for the Lynx in general, though the few that there are really make you wish the system would have stuck around for a while. Plus, for adult hands, the Lynx II (the version most people have) is really comfortable - even if it is still pretty big.

Ya, the only fierce competitor would possibly be Gamefaqs. Sadly, that place is becoming overrun with 14 year old trolls who think GTA:Vice City is the greatest thing next to sliced bread.

You seem to be a little off in your recollection. (my information courtesy of GameFAQS, Nintendo, and my own memory).

For starters, the Genesis was released in the US in 1989, while the SNES launched in 1991. The ~2 year time gap gave the Genesis ample time to get a leg up on the SNES (since the SNES simply did not exist). Also, you appear to still be suffering from delusions caused by Sega's "Blast Processing", insinuating that the Genesis was better hardware for side-scrollers. The two were pretty much equal in that regard, given that the developers had enough experience with each platform (later in the SNES's life, there were plenty of "fast" side-scrollers on par with Sonic technically, if not with as much staying power).

As for the titles you mentioned, F-Zero, Castlevania 4, Super Contra, Act Raiser, and Pilotwings (at least, if not more) were all first-generation titles (Act Raiser, Pilotwings, and F-Zero were launch titles, IIRC). Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just pointing out that these were titles developed early on in the life of the SNES, before developers had learned to take full use of the power of the SNES (the later Street Fighter 2 games, StarFox like you mentioned, Killer Instinct, the DKC games, etc). More, few of those games were even first- or second-party games, so I don't see how that could be seen as "Nintendo flexing its muscleS".

The Genesis got the reputation for being a great platform for sports more because of the efforts on the part of EASN/EA Sports bringing their Madden franchise to the Genesis and Sega's efforts at competing titles (the Joe Montana series, which evolved into the Sports Talk series, and could be considered early precursors to the 2KN series Sega Sports has these days). The SNES fully held its own when EA got around to doing good ports (I worship the guys at Tiburon, mainly for the amount of time I spent with NHL 96. Simply awesome). The same goes for the SNES and RPGs. The SNES benefited majorly from having Square on board (btw, slight correction -- Final Fantasy 1 was a NES game, released something like 1988 or so). Sure, there were other titles, but many of them came from Square or similar big shots (Secret of Mana/Seiken Densetsu series, Breath of Fire from Capcom but with the help of Square, the Dragon Quest series in Japan from Enix who just recently merged with Square, etc). The Genesis had its share of good RPGs, mostly from the Phantasy Star series and the Shining Force series of turn-based tactical RPGs. Genesis RPGs v. SNES RPGs. The SNES list is much longer, mostly because of Square's efforts that made the SNES out to be a good RPG platform, but there are some gems on the Genesis list as well. I guess I should do Genesis Sports games v. SNES sports games to be complete (oddly, the SNES list is quite a bit bigger here, too).

You seem to be a little off in your recollection. (my information courtesy of GameFAQS, Nintendo, and my own memory).

For starters, the Genesis was released in the US in 1989, while the SNES launched in 1991. The ~2 year time gap gave the Genesis ample time to get a leg up on the SNES (since the SNES simply did not exist). Also, you appear to still be suffering from delusions caused by Sega's "Blast Processing", insinuating that the Genesis was better hardware for side-scrollers. The two were pretty much equal in that regard, given that the developers had enough experience with each platform (later in the SNES's life, there were plenty of "fast" side-scrollers on par with Sonic technically, if not with as much staying power).

As for the titles you mentioned, F-Zero, Castlevania 4, Super Contra, Act Raiser, and Pilotwings (at least, if not more) were all first-generation titles (Act Raiser, Pilotwings, and F-Zero were launch titles, IIRC). Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just pointing out that these were titles developed early on in the life of the SNES, before developers had learned to take full use of the power of the SNES (the later Street Fighter 2 games, StarFox like you mentioned, Killer Instinct, the DKC games, etc). More, few of those games were even first- or second-party games, so I don't see how that could be seen as "Nintendo flexing its muscleS".

The Genesis got the reputation for being a great platform for sports more because of the efforts on the part of EASN/EA Sports bringing their Madden franchise to the Genesis and Sega's efforts at competing titles (the Joe Montana series, which evolved into the Sports Talk series, and could be considered early precursors to the 2KN series Sega Sports has these days). The SNES fully held its own when EA got around to doing good ports (I worship the guys at Tiburon, mainly for the amount of time I spent with NHL 96. Simply awesome). The same goes for the SNES and RPGs. The SNES benefited majorly from having Square on board (btw, slight correction -- Final Fantasy 1 was a NES game, released something like 1988 or so). Sure, there were other titles, but many of them came from Square or similar big shots (Secret of Mana/Seiken Densetsu series, Breath of Fire from Capcom but with the help of Square, the Dragon Quest series in Japan from Enix who just recently merged with Square, etc). The Genesis had its share of good RPGs, mostly from the Phantasy Star series and the Shining Force series of turn-based tactical RPGs. Genesis RPGs v. SNES RPGs. The SNES list is much longer, mostly because of Square's efforts that made the SNES out to be a good RPG platform, but there are some gems on the Genesis list as well. I guess I should do Genesis Sports games v. SNES sports games to be complete (oddly, the SNES list is quite a bit bigger here, too).

You seem to be a little off in your recollection. (my information courtesy of GameFAQS, Nintendo, and my own memory).

For starters, the Genesis was released in the US in 1989, while the SNES launched in 1991. The ~2 year time gap gave the Genesis ample time to get a leg up on the SNES (since the SNES simply did not exist). Also, you appear to still be suffering from delusions caused by Sega's "Blast Processing", insinuating that the Genesis was better hardware for side-scrollers. The two were pretty much equal in that regard, given that the developers had enough experience with each platform (later in the SNES's life, there were plenty of "fast" side-scrollers on par with Sonic technically, if not with as much staying power).

As for the titles you mentioned, F-Zero, Castlevania 4, Super Contra, Act Raiser, and Pilotwings (at least, if not more) were all first-generation titles (Act Raiser, Pilotwings, and F-Zero were launch titles, IIRC). Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just pointing out that these were titles developed early on in the life of the SNES, before developers had learned to take full use of the power of the SNES (the later Street Fighter 2 games, StarFox like you mentioned, Killer Instinct, the DKC games, etc). More, few of those games were even first- or second-party games, so I don't see how that could be seen as "Nintendo flexing its muscleS".

The Genesis got the reputation for being a great platform for sports more because of the efforts on the part of EASN/EA Sports bringing their Madden franchise to the Genesis and Sega's efforts at competing titles (the Joe Montana series, which evolved into the Sports Talk series, and could be considered early precursors to the 2KN series Sega Sports has these days). The SNES fully held its own when EA got around to doing good ports (I worship the guys at Tiburon, mainly for the amount of time I spent with NHL 96. Simply awesome). The same goes for the SNES and RPGs. The SNES benefited majorly from having Square on board (btw, slight correction -- Final Fantasy 1 was a NES game, released something like 1988 or so). Sure, there were other titles, but many of them came from Square or similar big shots (Secret of Mana/Seiken Densetsu series, Breath of Fire from Capcom but with the help of Square, the Dragon Quest series in Japan from Enix who just recently merged with Square, etc). The Genesis had its share of good RPGs, mostly from the Phantasy Star series and the Shining Force series of turn-based tactical RPGs. Genesis RPGs v. SNES RPGs. The SNES list is much longer, mostly because of Square's efforts that made the SNES out to be a good RPG platform, but there are some gems on the Genesis list as well. I guess I should do Genesis Sports games v. SNES sports games to be complete (oddly, the SNES list is quite a bit bigger here, too).

You seem to be a little off in your recollection. (my information courtesy of GameFAQS, Nintendo, and my own memory).

For starters, the Genesis was released in the US in 1989, while the SNES launched in 1991. The ~2 year time gap gave the Genesis ample time to get a leg up on the SNES (since the SNES simply did not exist). Also, you appear to still be suffering from delusions caused by Sega's "Blast Processing", insinuating that the Genesis was better hardware for side-scrollers. The two were pretty much equal in that regard, given that the developers had enough experience with each platform (later in the SNES's life, there were plenty of "fast" side-scrollers on par with Sonic technically, if not with as much staying power).

As for the titles you mentioned, F-Zero, Castlevania 4, Super Contra, Act Raiser, and Pilotwings (at least, if not more) were all first-generation titles (Act Raiser, Pilotwings, and F-Zero were launch titles, IIRC). Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just pointing out that these were titles developed early on in the life of the SNES, before developers had learned to take full use of the power of the SNES (the later Street Fighter 2 games, StarFox like you mentioned, Killer Instinct, the DKC games, etc). More, few of those games were even first- or second-party games, so I don't see how that could be seen as "Nintendo flexing its muscleS".

The Genesis got the reputation for being a great platform for sports more because of the efforts on the part of EASN/EA Sports bringing their Madden franchise to the Genesis and Sega's efforts at competing titles (the Joe Montana series, which evolved into the Sports Talk series, and could be considered early precursors to the 2KN series Sega Sports has these days). The SNES fully held its own when EA got around to doing good ports (I worship the guys at Tiburon, mainly for the amount of time I spent with NHL 96. Simply awesome). The same goes for the SNES and RPGs. The SNES benefited majorly from having Square on board (btw, slight correction -- Final Fantasy 1 was a NES game, released something like 1988 or so). Sure, there were other titles, but many of them came from Square or similar big shots (Secret of Mana/Seiken Densetsu series, Breath of Fire from Capcom but with the help of Square, the Dragon Quest series in Japan from Enix who just recently merged with Square, etc). The Genesis had its share of good RPGs, mostly from the Phantasy Star series and the Shining Force series of turn-based tactical RPGs. Genesis RPGs v. SNES RPGs. The SNES list is much longer, mostly because of Square's efforts that made the SNES out to be a good RPG platform, but there are some gems on the Genesis list as well. I guess I should do Genesis Sports games v. SNES sports games to be complete (oddly, the SNES list is quite a bit bigger here, too).

You seem to be a little off in your recollection. (my information courtesy of GameFAQS, Nintendo, and my own memory).

For starters, the Genesis was released in the US in 1989, while the SNES launched in 1991. The ~2 year time gap gave the Genesis ample time to get a leg up on the SNES (since the SNES simply did not exist). Also, you appear to still be suffering from delusions caused by Sega's "Blast Processing", insinuating that the Genesis was better hardware for side-scrollers. The two were pretty much equal in that regard, given that the developers had enough experience with each platform (later in the SNES's life, there were plenty of "fast" side-scrollers on par with Sonic technically, if not with as much staying power).

As for the titles you mentioned, F-Zero, Castlevania 4, Super Contra, Act Raiser, and Pilotwings (at least, if not more) were all first-generation titles (Act Raiser, Pilotwings, and F-Zero were launch titles, IIRC). Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just pointing out that these were titles developed early on in the life of the SNES, before developers had learned to take full use of the power of the SNES (the later Street Fighter 2 games, StarFox like you mentioned, Killer Instinct, the DKC games, etc). More, few of those games were even first- or second-party games, so I don't see how that could be seen as "Nintendo flexing its muscleS".

The Genesis got the reputation for being a great platform for sports more because of the efforts on the part of EASN/EA Sports bringing their Madden franchise to the Genesis and Sega's efforts at competing titles (the Joe Montana series, which evolved into the Sports Talk series, and could be considered early precursors to the 2KN series Sega Sports has these days). The SNES fully held its own when EA got around to doing good ports (I worship the guys at Tiburon, mainly for the amount of time I spent with NHL 96. Simply awesome). The same goes for the SNES and RPGs. The SNES benefited majorly from having Square on board (btw, slight correction -- Final Fantasy 1 was a NES game, released something like 1988 or so). Sure, there were other titles, but many of them came from Square or similar big shots (Secret of Mana/Seiken Densetsu series, Breath of Fire from Capcom but with the help of Square, the Dragon Quest series in Japan from Enix who just recently merged with Square, etc). The Genesis had its share of good RPGs, mostly from the Phantasy Star series and the Shining Force series of turn-based tactical RPGs. Genesis RPGs v. SNES RPGs. The SNES list is much longer, mostly because of Square's efforts that made the SNES out to be a good RPG platform, but there are some gems on the Genesis list as well. I guess I should do Genesis Sports games v. SNES sports games to be complete (oddly, the SNES list is quite a bit bigger here, too).

You seem to be a little off in your recollection. (my information courtesy of GameFAQS, Nintendo, and my own memory).

For starters, the Genesis was released in the US in 1989, while the SNES launched in 1991. The ~2 year time gap gave the Genesis ample time to get a leg up on the SNES (since the SNES simply did not exist). Also, you appear to still be suffering from delusions caused by Sega's "Blast Processing", insinuating that the Genesis was better hardware for side-scrollers. The two were pretty much equal in that regard, given that the developers had enough experience with each platform (later in the SNES's life, there were plenty of "fast" side-scrollers on par with Sonic technically, if not with as much staying power).

As for the titles you mentioned, F-Zero, Castlevania 4, Super Contra, Act Raiser, and Pilotwings (at least, if not more) were all first-generation titles (Act Raiser, Pilotwings, and F-Zero were launch titles, IIRC). Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just pointing out that these were titles developed early on in the life of the SNES, before developers had learned to take full use of the power of the SNES (the later Street Fighter 2 games, StarFox like you mentioned, Killer Instinct, the DKC games, etc). More, few of those games were even first- or second-party games, so I don't see how that could be seen as "Nintendo flexing its muscleS".

The Genesis got the reputation for being a great platform for sports more because of the efforts on the part of EASN/EA Sports bringing their Madden franchise to the Genesis and Sega's efforts at competing titles (the Joe Montana series, which evolved into the Sports Talk series, and could be considered early precursors to the 2KN series Sega Sports has these days). The SNES fully held its own when EA got around to doing good ports (I worship the guys at Tiburon, mainly for the amount of time I spent with NHL 96. Simply awesome). The same goes for the SNES and RPGs. The SNES benefited majorly from having Square on board (btw, slight correction -- Final Fantasy 1 was a NES game, released something like 1988 or so). Sure, there were other titles, but many of them came from Square or similar big shots (Secret of Mana/Seiken Densetsu series, Breath of Fire from Capcom but with the help of Square, the Dragon Quest series in Japan from Enix who just recently merged with Square, etc). The Genesis had its share of good RPGs, mostly from the Phantasy Star series and the Shining Force series of turn-based tactical RPGs. Genesis RPGs v. SNES RPGs. The SNES list is much longer, mostly because of Square's efforts that made the SNES out to be a good RPG platform, but there are some gems on the Genesis list as well. I guess I should do Genesis Sports games v. SNES sports games to be complete (oddly, the SNES list is quite a bit bigger here, too).

The PlayStation - It had a Japanese release of Return to Zork, in which, I can most definitely assure you, you can be eaten by a grue. It's not the only one. Read here for more info.

gamefaqs has one

It was Donkey Kong for the Intellivision. Yeah, I'm sure it was worse than the other versions, but hey, I didn't know any better. I played the hell out of that thing. Play control was fine enough for me.

As for Action 52, as the story hints at, there is a pretty funny and interesting story that goes along with the game. Here's a link to the Something Awful Rompit Review of Action 52, and go here
for the Gamefaqs.com reviews page for Action 52. I've rarely laughed as hard as I did reading this stuff.

On a side-note, if you are at all into video games, browsing Gamefaqs for the reviews of really bad games can be a laugh riot sometimes. There are a few people who seem to make it their mission to completely eviscerate the worst offenders of the old cartridge console games. Some of the crappy PSX games get some hilarious reviews, too. For when you've got some surfing time, at least.

Alternately, you could pick up a Gamecube (I like Lik-Sang's modded Japanese Panasonic Q--import GC games and region-free DVD!) and GC game Animal Crossing, which includes Excitebike among other old NES titles (My favorite is Donkey Kong Jr. Math).

Because I'll be booking my next vacation to Walt Disney World and not EA world.

Why Walt Disney World and not Time Warner World?

And yes, EA does have a theme park and a theme park. Who knows? Perhaps EA is planning a real (not Sim) theme park.

Because I'll be booking my next vacation to Walt Disney World and not EA world.

Why Walt Disney World and not Time Warner World?

And yes, EA does have a theme park and a theme park. Who knows? Perhaps EA is planning a real (not Sim) theme park.

Bubble Bath Babes, the only NES game with nudity

There are two other games for the NES that contain nudity. There's Peek a Boo Poker which, as the title suggests, is a strip poker game and there's Hot Slots which is a stip slot machine game. Roms of all three of these games can easily be found.

Bubble Bath Babes, the only NES game with nudity

There are two other games for the NES that contain nudity. There's Peek a Boo Poker which, as the title suggests, is a strip poker game and there's Hot Slots which is a stip slot machine game. Roms of all three of these games can easily be found.

"You can tell this because there was never a Sonic the Hedgehog (as per the screenshot) for the Master System... "

You're talking nonsense I'm afraid, there were at least two Sonic the Hedgehog games for the Master System. Link

Check out the community for a list of what's hot...

I have found that one of the best resources is GameFAQs

They carry "Top 10 FAQ Pages" and "Top 10 Message Boards" for the site, including individual "Top 10" pages for each platform. Not to mention FAQs that can give you an idea as to the story line (more FAQs generally means a larger fan base)...

The problem with the "Top Selling Games of the Month/Week" is that if everyone has already bought a game (i.e. everything they are releasing is crap), then the top selling game might be mediocre at best.

If you want to know what games ppl are playing, this is the source. There are also reviews from real ppl that actually played the games (not some "reviewer")... If you're interested in a title, check here first.

N64 Turok 2 is a commercial game with a sketchy mode, and the current industry trend of cel-shading is sketchy to say the least (and that is a tech which makes nasty low-poly character models look all yummy, though admittedly after a big bunch of processing).

Finally, for in my opinion the nicest animated music video ever, check the one by the Beastie Boys with a name I can't remember :) And then the whole Daft Punk Discovery album video set.

On that poll, about 30% of respondents indicated that they felt the banning was "a bit too harsh" or "unfair and wrong." About 70% didn't care or agreed in some way with the banning.

Again, not scientific but I think it's interesting.

Many things could go wrong on your quest for fame. I still have nightmares about that one gig when I was still in that garage band. Some motorbike guys come the club where we are playing and demanded us to play Steppenwolf. Well, of course we hadn't practiced any Steppenwolf songs... :-)

Great game. The system requirements at the back of the box say "Windows 3.1 or higher". I wonder if it would work under WINE. :)

There is not very much infor about this game in the web. The best I could find was this. It seems that this was also released for Playstation. I think there was supposed to be more PC-games based on the VPick, but I've never heard about any.

You know there is a cooking competition game already out there for the playstation - called Ore no Ryouri (my cooking?). Its pretty hard.

here's some reviews - http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/psx/review/24584.h tml

Parappa the Rappa's success was overwhelming in Japan. In fact, Parappa the Rappa has sold over 800,000 copies in Japan. It's a big phenomenon. Now, the question is whether to release Parappa the Rappa in US? Sony did hesitate about bringing Parappa the Rappa over as they feared that US audiences might not like it as it did in Japan. Luckily, Parappa the Rappa managed to be released in the United States and had an impressive sales.

funny isnt it.

PaRappa the Rapper started off in Japan, and did very well.

In Chrono Trigger there was a sword called the Masamune as well as the two characters Masa and Mune. Interesting.

I think it'd be hard, as a teenager, not to at least rent it. If all yr. friends are playing, as no doubt they will be, given the amount of hype this game's getting.

sadly enough, nintendo made an 8-bit game many years later that would have confused you just as much. hydlide. and everyone hated it, that is its legacy. i tried out this adventure game and i honestly don't get it either :)

I want to see somebody trying to play Doom 3 on a console with their low resolution & crappy texture.

Wow, you just hit on the reason I have found myself playing more console games. I can honestly say I have spent more time in windows fuxxing with drivers to get some cool new game working than I did playing some of those games.

Consoles are plug and play. I have never had any problems with a console (except for the PSX - I had an early production run that got really hot).

When I was younger I used to enjoy tinkering with my computer. I still do (current project: rolling out a homemade router using free pc hardware from work and Linux) but if I want to play a game, I want to play a game.

Btw, Doom 3 is coming out for XBOX - just like Morrowind did.

Or maybe you're forgetting Rock'n'Roll Racing, done by our good friends at Blizzard a decade ago.

How about The Lost Vikings?

Blizzard was doing console gaming long before they were a big PC name.

"Rock N' Roll Racing may very well be my favorite racing game of all time.
Created in 1993 by Silicon and Synapse (the guys who also made Lost Vikings
1 & 2 for the SNES, and who turned out to be Blizzard Entertainment, makers
of Warcraft I, II, & III, Diablo I & II, and Starcraft for PC),"

Console gaming has always been the arena of true gaming, and will always be so because a dedicated machine engineered to game will always have greater market penetration than a general purpose machine which can play games.

Or maybe you're forgetting Rock'n'Roll Racing, done by our good friends at Blizzard a decade ago.

How about The Lost Vikings?

Blizzard was doing console gaming long before they were a big PC name.

"Rock N' Roll Racing may very well be my favorite racing game of all time.
Created in 1993 by Silicon and Synapse (the guys who also made Lost Vikings
1 & 2 for the SNES, and who turned out to be Blizzard Entertainment, makers
of Warcraft I, II, & III, Diablo I & II, and Starcraft for PC),"

Console gaming has always been the arena of true gaming, and will always be so because a dedicated machine engineered to game will always have greater market penetration than a general purpose machine which can play games.

this isn't the first Starcraft for a console - they put one out for Nintendo64 before

that was just a port though

Erm, don't click that link. Go here instead. Sorry.