If game systems were like movies, The Dreamcast is that little indie foreign flick that everyone raves about, but no one sees. They're too busy going to see blockbusters like Bad Boys 2 or Snakes on a Plane. Maraca simulators and typing-zombie crossover games just dont appeal to the gaming public at large. The little system that could, unfortunatly didn't. But those of us that love games love the Dreamcast.
Sega had eroded most fans with the 32X, Sega CD, Saturn, and Game Gear. The Dreamcast never really had a fair shot. Such a shame.
Here's to the Dreamcast, launched 7 years ago today.
My importing of Nintendo's bit generations titles continues! To those that don't know, take a moment and look at my earlier post about Nintendo's retro-esque titles. This time around I take a look at Orbital, which in a very basic sense is like Katamari Damacy in space. You start off as a tiny planet and bond and multiply with celestial bodies around the same size, growing with each new addition. (I'm not sure if you're a star joining with other stars or as a planet joining with planets... So I'm calling them planets.) It all sounds very basic, but the game gets interesting when you talk about the controls.
You don't control the star directly, you control it's gravitational pull. You can attract and repel it. Holding down the attract button will pull you towards the closest largest object. Slowly repelling as you move in close you can achieve orbit around the object. Circling around until you repel yourself out of orbit, shooting off into space towards another planet's pull. Using the two forces you can go into orbit around a body to change direction, or swing around the planet to move in a different direction. All in the name of joining with other planets and pulling small satellites into orbit around you, which give you bonus lives at the end of each level. Hitting larger objects results in losing a life. What's interesting is that when you lose a life, it's usually because you were holding down the attract button a little to much when you're close to a large planet. Moving to fast to get into orbit, accidentally putting yourself on a crash course. The game rewards a light touch and patience to get into position.
Whether packing for a Vacation or trying to get stuff into storage spaces that are two sizes too small, I tend to rely on skills I believe I learned from playing countless hours of Tetris. Since I'm a geek I tend to brag about this little skill, if for no other reason than it's my little proof that playing an insane amount of video games can improve real world abilities. My girlfriend tends to roll her eyes at me when I proclaim that there's no piece of luggage to small to fit all her junk into, or when I guarantee there's still room in the trunk for the drink cooler if I just rotate this and spin that piece around. All I need is a little time and some Russian theme music.
Now it would seem Honda is attempting to steal my thunder, using my hard-earned talents to advertise their new car ;)
I know I'm not the only Tetris-schooled packing expert. Chime in below.
But seriously, what the hell am I supposed to write when I see something like this...
See the PS2 buttons? He's sniffing the triangle button if you're still not seeing it...
We all know Sony has run some strange ads in the past. People have pretty much condemned Sony ads of just about every -ism under the sun. Usually I stick up for them and say that people are taking things to seriously, that everyone needs to just calm down and laugh along with the rest of us.
Now I'm not condemning this ad, you see I'd have to understand it to condemn it. And I don't understand how this is supposed to make me think of Playstation. And I really don't understand how this doesn't make us gamers look bad.
Alot of people claim to have the best something. And most of the time the something in question really isn't the best something at all. Just another something in a long line of similar somethings. But this something here is the best something of it's kind. PERIOD.
Somebody went through the painstaking trouble of transforming a monopoly board into such a kick ass video game edition game, that it makes the recently released professionally created "Nintendo" version look like an also-ran. (Except for maybe the playing pieces and houses).
Everything here had been redone... properties, houses, hotels, cards, money, and tokens.
I was going to give him a hard time about putting Secret of Monkey Island on such a crappy property, but he redeemed himself by putting Guybrush right there in the middle of the board.
If you're anything like me you've spent way to much time killing zombies in Dead Rising than to know which books are in which stores, and where to get some of the rarer food items. Well someone has gone to the trouble of making us zombie-slayers an interactive map of all the stores in Willamette mall. Complete with store names and all the items contained therin.
It's like using the map at an actual mall, only it's interactive!
I dig the Game Boy camera. It was not only a cool idea but came out of nowhere. It was released back in the day before every damn gadget had a camera built in. You could also attach a little printer to your Game Boy and print out your stuff!
Leave it to someone to shoot a video using nothing but the Game Boy camera.
It certainly shows the limitations of the device and in the end it's sorta lame... but the medium is cool.
This game's looking better and better... If only there was a way to get the older songs into this game. That's actually one place where downloadable content would be a great addition.
Nirvana; "Heart-Shaped Box"
Primus (original recording); "John the Fisherman"
Stone Temple Pilots; "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart
Anthrax; "Madhouse
Motley Crue; "Shout at the Devil"
The Police; "Message in a Bottle"
The Pretenders; Tattooed Love Boys
Spinal Tap; "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight
Heart; "Crazy on You"
Allman Brothers Band; "Jessica"
Lynyrd Skynrd; "Freebird"
Avenged Sevenfold; "Beast and the Harlot"
Dick Dale; "Misirlou"
Lamb of God; "Laid to Rest"
Alice in Chains; "Them Bones"
Reverend Horton Heat; "Psychobilly Freakout"
Black Sabbath; "War Pigs"
KISS; "Strutter"
Butthole Surfers; "Who Was in My Room Last Night?"
Before I get to this story, can I just address how inaccessible that title is to people that aren't technically inclined? Man alive, I don't think I could've crammed another acronym into that title if I tried!
Anyways, I found a pretty cool resource showing what games have which High-Definition features. It offers a ton of stats like 480p/720p, Dolby Prologic or Prologic II or offer a 16x9 aspect ratio. Some games are even THX Certified.... Sort by feature or system. Good stuff. http://hdgames.net/
Rockstar, the company that always seem to court controversy, may have bit off more than they want to chew. Could they be trying to pull a fast one and sidestep some problems and change up the name of the hotly-debated-even-though-no-one's-played-it-game Bully? Eurogamer.net is saying so. This morning they're running a story saying that Rockstar has decided to change the name to "Canis Canem Edit" which is Latin for dog eat dog.
Now I'll be honest, when I first read the story I was dubious. I did a google search looking for some corroboration but couldn't find anything. At first glance it seems unlikely, but then again people have been saying that the title is a bit misleading anyway. Since you're not really the bully in the game. Add in the crazy people screaming about destroying our youth and it starts to make a little more sense.
So I'll post this, but please take it with a large grain of salt. If it turns out to be true, I'll be pretty happy with myself for being ahead of the curve. If not, oh well.
Personally I really like the new title, the Latin title I think fits the vibe of the game really well.
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If game systems were like movies, The Dreamcast is that little indie foreign flick that everyone raves about, but no one sees. They're too busy going to see blockbusters like Bad Boys 2 or Snakes on a Plane. Maraca simulators and typing-zombie crossover games just dont appeal to the gaming public at large. The little system that could, unfortunatly didn't. But those of us that love games love the Dreamcast.
My importing of Nintendo's bit generations titles continues! 
See the PS2 buttons? He's sniffing the triangle button if you're still not seeing it...
This game's looking better and better... If only there was a way to get the older songs into this game. That's actually one place where downloadable content would be a great addition. 
Before I get to this story, can I just address how inaccessible that title is to people that aren't technically inclined? Man alive, I don't think I could've crammed another acronym into that title if I tried!
Rockstar, the company that always seem to court controversy, may have bit off more than they want to chew. Could they be trying to pull a fast one and sidestep some problems and change up the name of the hotly-debated-even-though-no-one's-played-it-game Bully? 
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 