Ask 411 Games 02.01.10: Dreamcast's Death, Kirby's Birth, and Me Blaming YOU For Gaming Woes!
Posted by Mathew Sforcina on 02.01.2010
Where can Fallout go from here? Why did the Gamecube get those tiny little discs? Should The Lost Levels have been released in the US? And just what does blowing on your NES games actually DO? All this, plus I mark out for a bunch of stuff, inside this bumper sized edition! Clicky clicky!
Hello, and welcome to Ask 411 Games. I'm Mathew Sforcina, and frankly, I was Robbed!
But enough about bizarre self-referential wrestling pap, you came here for Ask 411 Games!
Or maybe for another funny video game video. One of the two.
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And remember you can send questions to ask411games@gmail.com or leave them in the comments.
Many people took umbrage with my disparagement of the SW: Episode 1 Racer game, and my comments about its quality. I believe I made a very professional comment about it, something along the lines of a very witty analogy to it's sexual orientation. But, apparently, my opinion differs strikingly with others.
Hence, as with all comments based upon my opinion, and/or quality of games, please remember, Your Mileage May Vary. I mean, I liked Rumble Roses, so what do I know?
We start with the questions with Cactus, who asks about disc size.
Dear MQ,
Did Nintendo ever release a statement on why they went with the smaller discs for Gamecube? I am probably in the incredibly small minority that still enjoys the GC, but that always bothered me. Also, do you think the GC WWE games are criminally overlooked when it comes to discussions about the best wrestling games? I know WMX8 and Crush Hour sucked big time, but WMXIX and the DOR duo were amazing and ahead of their time.
Ah, the Nintendo Optical Disc. A great idea from some viewpoints, a total disaster from others.
So the Gamecube was the first Nintendo game system to use discs, after a few false starts, the main one we covered last week. But see, in designing the Dolphin, Nintendo decided that, since the Cube was to be a game device, DVD playback and/or CD playback were not that important, if they had to be dropped for a reason, fine.
And the reason was twofold, emerging from the central idea that Nintendo owned the rights to the NOD. They developed it, they designed it, they built it, they owned it, lock stock and barrel.
Well, all right, Panasonic technically created it, but Nintendo was the driving force.
Regardless, with Nintendo owning the rights to this format, they
A) Controlled it's production, thus making it practically impossible to pirate games. The only way to make a pirate Nintendo Gamecube game was, in theory, to buy a bunch of NODs. And Nintendo were the only ones who made them. Hence, you attempting to buy some blank ones would lead to them asking you some very pointed questions.
And,
B) were able to blow raspberries at the DVD Forum. The DVD forum is the international organisation made up of hardware, software, media and content companies who developed, designed, built, made and fill the DVD format, and were the ones pushing HD DVD before Sony won that one. For any company to produce DVDs, be they blank or filled with content, they must licence the rights to the format, and then they get the right to put the DVD symbol on their product.
Gamecube (and Wii discs) are not DVDs. Hence, Nintendo doesn't have to pay them diddly squat. And also, Nintendo can't have their consoles play DVDs or CDs.
Of course, this choice, while well thought out, did have problems. Chief among them being that you practically never got a Gamecube sampler disc in a magazine, as opposed to PS and Xbox ones. But hey, small price to pay, huh?
And yes, I think the Day Of Reckoning games were pretty damm good. Before the great merger, each series had their own good points, XIX and DOR had a decent control scheme and some nice ideas, the Smackdown series looked great, and Raw… Well… Raw had custom music in it. Sometimes.
Captain Patterson, who I don't have any evidence to prove really IS a captain, asks an opinion question.
With Fallout 3 and Oblivion being the last games they have made, do you believe that Bethesda is the best game company there is?
Well, they did make Wet, so...
But, Bethesda are owned by ZeniMax Media. And ZeniMax just bought id Software. And id Software…
*There will be a short delay as Mathew gets over some marking out upon being reminded of the Dangerous Dave series while studying up on this question*
Sorry about that.
Ahem, as I was saying, id Software owns Commander Keen. Commander Keen was the first game series I personally fell in love with. I want more Commander Keen, preferably on XBLA.
Thus, logically, I must state that, with all things considered, Bethesda currently hold the top place of ‘Best Game Company Right Now', with Nintendo having a permanent grip on the leg of the throne, EA being held back by a lot of dead weight, and Epic just lacking a back record. But again, your mileage may vary.
In a related question, The Thunderthief asks a rather open ended question.
What are some possible candidates for locations for future Fallout games?
Well, they have an entire Earth to play around with.
But, if you assume that they won't cover old ground, the west and east coasts of the US are out, with the Core Region, which covers most of the US's west coast and south west region being in the first couple of games, then the Capital Wasteland in Fallout 3 covering the East Coast. And New Vegas is set in the middle, around, shockingly, Las Vegas. Alaska has been brushed upon, albeit in simulation form, as has Pittsburgh. So pretty much all of the US has been done. Not to say they can't redo it (Tactics doesn't count, surely…), but brand new, they're not on the table.
Now, that does leave several options open.
Canada: Canada was annexed by the US in 2072 (although it had begun 10 years prior), with Canada fully annexed 2075, although the paperwork took another year. A year after that, the bombs dropped. Fallout 1 starts December 5, 07:21, 2161. Fallout 3 stars July 13th, 2258, although you leave the vault 2277. So 200 years has passed since Canada became, presumably, states 53-65. Plenty of time for the old Canada to rise back up, or for the American overlay to take hold, or for China to take over, or any number of things. Ronto, being the ruins of Toronto, was mentioned in the Pitt expansion, so that might be the basis for a new game. This is probably one of the stronger options available.
China: Given that they are the main bad guys in the Fallout Universe, a game set in the remnants of China could have legs, with Russians moving in, as well as the other Asian nations that, perhaps, were conquered by the Chinese. The Chinese Wasteland hasn't made any sort of contact with the US wasteland since the Great War, so there's a whole open field. But, would a game set in Post-Nuclear China fly with the general population? Maybe not for a full game, but as an expansion and/or mission pack…
England/Europe: Hell, put in enough time and effort, you could MAKE England, fully, in a game nowadays. Certainly a Resource Wars game has been discussed by some (The European Commonwealth long, protracted war with itself and with the Middle East over oil), the status of Europe now rests pretty much with one comment about the UK, from the lead designer of Fallout 3, Emil Pagliarulo.
Allistair Tenpenny came to the Capital Wasteland from Great Britain to seek his fortune, so that alone tells you that the U.K. was also hit in the war. And if he came to U.S. to succeed, that says a lot about how screwed up Europe must be. So we just allude, a little bit, to the state of the rest of the world. We like to leave a lot to the players' imaginations, and somebody like Tenpenny serves as a catalyst for those thoughts.
So the UK is probably in as bad, if not worse shape, than the US. And given the status of the US… A strong chance for perhaps a new series of games, based in Europe?
Australia: OK, Australia has never been mentioned in the Fallout Universe. At all. But there is a certain aspect of Australia that I tend to focus on whenever we discuss alternate time lines.
Australia has a hell of a lot of Uranium out there in the Desert, a little under 20% of the world's Uranium comes from here. In a world that runs on nuclear power, that would, in theory, mean Australia became pretty important.
Plus, given that it's never been brought up, it's totally wide open. Sidernee, Brissy, Bourne, maybe even Church City, Actville and Hobart, all open for whatever you want to do. Have China take over earlier before being fought back, have it be neutral with both major powers involved, have the European Commonwealth declared war, or hell, given how far away it is… Maybe life it more normal down here?
So, yeah, there's plenty of options. I'd expect Ronto to turn up first, though.
Katoot asks about a series of videos.
I'm currently watching on YouTube "Let's Play Suikoden." I actually started watching it via suikoden II (only the first few parts, though). I was just wondering...how did the "Let's Play" series start? I did a quick search, but didn't really come up with anything...
Ah, Let's Play. The pretty, flashy version of an After Action Report.
For those not aware of the Let's Play concept, it's fairly simple:
1. Take an older Video Game.
2. Play Game, normally. Not a speed run, not a bug report, just play the game as it was meant to be played.
3. Video Tape/Screenshot said game.
4. Post video/shots online, with commentary.
5. ???
6. Profit!
Most of the time, it's meant to be humorous, or at the very least entertaining. The general idea has been around for a long time in military games and the like, in After Action Reports, blow by blow accounts of battles/games so you can analyse your tactics and others as well.
But the Let's Play ‘mainstream' status came about with, like a lot of internet trends, Something Awful's forums. That was where the craze began, someone thought it was a good idea, and things just snowballed from there.
Exact dates I couldn't find, but if you want some good suggestions, and have bandwidth to burn, here's the TV Tropes Page. Go Nuts.
One Video Game Movie Uwe Boll won't get his hands on.
Justin asks about Lost Levels.
Hey I have a couple of questions for you regarding Super Mario Bros 2 (The Lost Levels).
Personally I think the game is kind of awful due to really excessive and unfair difficulty. I'd imaging if kids found this game under their Christmas tree they'd instantly stop believing in Santa. I've always wondered how Miyamoto and others felt about this game in retrospect but have never found any comments (except from the Western side of things). If you can use your magic internet skills to dig up any comments regarding this I'd be much obliged.
Also do you think it was a wise decision to release Super Mario Bros 2 (USA version) instead of the Lost Levels? Which do you think was the better game?
Sadly, I wasn't able to find direct, word for word comments about the Lost Levels from Miyamoto. But I do know the thinking behind the game.
The Lost Levels weren't designed to be a sequel in the traditional sense, more a continuation of the first game. It wasn't meant to be a stand alone, fully realised game that was able to stand on its own.
No, The Lost Levels were for those who had played and conquered the original Super Mario Bros. It wasn't designed for kids to open on Xmas morning, for little Timmy and Kimmy to sit down and play with Grandma. No, The Lost Levels were for big Timmy and Kimmy, the young teenagers who had spent several hours every day learning SMB in and out, who knew every trick, every secret, had gotten every level down pat. Only with that background, only once you mastered SMB1 were you supposed to begin 2.
So it was really more an expansion than anything. And while I don't know if Miyamoto regrets it's existence or not, he has changed his stance, with every game he's working on designed to be played by all people, hence the Super Guide feature.
As for the release of SMB2 USA… I agree that the game made a better release than The Lost Levels would have. But I think I would have probably released both, just call the real SMB2 "Super Mario Bros Extreme" or whatever the 80's equivalent term would have been. (SMB Radical? SMB Gnarly Edition?). I prefer the easier one, but as for being a better game… It's a push. Once you accept SMB2 as an expansion, it's not that bad a game, if frustrating as all get out. But hey, there are worse hacks out there, right?
Corey wants to discuss piracy.
1.Now this might be stupid but I was wondering was their any kind of offbrand system that allows you playboth Nintendo 64 and gamecube games because torn between purchasing a gamecube or nintendo 64.
Piracy is bad, m'kay?
But in terms of actually playing the physical items, and not roms or any such totally illegal methods of playing games, no, there's no off brand method. You can make the N64 portable, and make the Gamecube wireless, but thanks to the Cartridge system and the NOD, there is no legal way to play N64 games or GC games apart from owning one or the other.
Of course, there is the third option, the Wii. It'll play Gamecube games, and several N64 games can be yours, on the VC.
But you knew that already. So yeah, there's no fourth option, you're just going to have to choose, if you want to stay legal. The N64, The GC, save up for a Wii, or break the law.
Matt Sin questions an article of faith.
What did blowing on your old NES games actually do?
Blowing on the cart, along with such other methods as licking the edge connector, slapping the side of the system after inserting a cartridge, shifting the cartridge from side to side after insertion, pushing the internal game holder up and down repeatedly, holding the internal game holder down lower than it should have been and/or cleaning the connectors with alcohol were all used to fix a problem that had nothing to do with any of them.
See, the NES wasn't the best built console ever. Because Nintendo wanted to avoid looking like it was making a Video Game console, they took the general design of VCRs for it's design, made of some materials that actually corroded fairly easily.
But the main problem, the one that most people tried to fix by blowing on the cartridge, was actually caused by the lockout chip in the console. The 10NES system consisted of two chips, the main one in the console, and one in every official Nintendo game. Upon the console's request, the game would have to give it a code, to authenticate the game as being a legit Nintendo game. Thing is, the chip was very precise, wanting the code at the exact right time. But if your connectors were bent, corroded or in any way not perfect (which they often were), the connection would not by good enough for the lock out chip, and thus the console would just sit there, refusing to load. At which point, most people would pull the game out and blow on it, then put it back in, and, maybe, getting a better connection, so the game would load up.
The upright second gen NES had no such problems, so no blowing there. But yeah, all that time you blew on your carts? Didn't do squat, sad to say. Unless it was dusty.
Fuggly Bastard wants to talk Sega's stupidity.
What were the key events/decisions that led to the Dreamcast's demise? (aside from not enough people buying it)
Well, that's kinda hard to say. I mean, you can argue that the console was doomed to fail from the moment Sega was launched.
But, if you have to pick some key moments…
Pre Release Emotions: There is a certain amount of doom around Sega prior to the release of the console. Sega had caused itself problems with it's constant add ons to the Genesis/Mega Drive, the 32X, the CD add on, as well as the Saturn, and the Master System, all being produced at the same time. Not a problem, in of itself, but then Sega started to do things like discontinue the Genesis since it was doing poorly in Japan, which killed Sega in America since there it was doing gangbusters. The botched ‘Saturnday' launch practically killed the Saturn out of the gate in America, and the Dreamcast was born out of Sega of America's push for a brand new console, in some attempt to get a clean slate. But all that ill-will wasn't gone just because this was a new console.
The Playstation 2's launch: The Dreamcast started well. Some choice launch titles, it's advanced hardware and nifty features gave the Dreamcast a lead over the Nintendo 64 for a few months. But then the PS2 launched, and the Dreamcast suddenly seemed old news, because while it had great games, and a decent controller, it didn't look pretty! While the PS2 was PRETTY! LOOK AT THOSE GRAHPICS!!! WHO CARES ABOUT GAMEPLAY OR STORY, THE COLORS!!!!!!
Sorry, letting my personal emotions leak in.
Developers Getting Blinded: Related to the previous two, the Dreamcast was already fighting an uphill battle given that, out of annoyance at how they were treated prior, plus the shiny shiny colors of the PS2 on the horizon, a lot of major developers refused to make games for Sega. EA and Square Enix would be the biggest names that chose not to support the Dreamcast. So after the initial buzz and release, once the PS2 came along, the Dreamcast began to run out of games, since Sega was practically making the entire game library single-handedly, it seemed.
Throwing in the towel: By the time 2001 rolled around, the Dreamcast was getting it from all sides. The PS2 was killing it week in, week out, and the Gamecube and Xbox were both on the horizon, threatening to turn the Dreamcast from second at best to fourth at best. So, the towel was tossed in, and Sega began to focus on software exclusively.
Although, for the record, Japan's another matter. There, the Dreamcast was being made and sold and supported and generally surviving up until 2007. But Japan doesn't count, unless it's cancelling consoles world wide because it's not selling in Japan only.
DudeyDan has to put some money into the swear jar.
Why the fuck do Predator missiles always home in on me on COD!?
Because you suck at life.
Next up-
OK, OK.
Well, you may want to consider the Cold Blooded perk, since that removes the Red Square on the Missile Controller's screen. Beyond that, don't hang around team mates outdoors, with or without Cold Blooded. It's entirely possible that it's not your fault, if they just aim at your idiot team mates who move about near you.
Or, possibly, you're just so good that they target you out of fear. Maybe playing stupidly for a bit might throw them off.
Try that, and let me know how it works out for you.
Axelrikky asks a simple question.
What were the origins of Kirby?
Popopo, as he was originally called, began as a placeholder. Masahiro Sakurai and the fine people at HAL Laboratory were making a game, a 2D platformer, called Twinkle Popopo. While building the game, they needed a sprite to take the place of the main character, since they weren't designed yet. So, someone made a blob character, designed to just be a placeholder until they had the character laid out. But after a while, Sakurai began to like the blob, more so than the designs of the character. So it was decided to keep the design.
The color was an issue, as his first game, Kirby's Dream Land, was on the Gameboy, hence he was a 2D, colorless blob. Sakurai saw him as pink, whereas Miyamoto wanted him yellow. Japan went with pink, while America played it safe and made him all white. Hence his different colors in Smash Bros, there's a reason for those variations.
The name Kirby has no official logic, since Sakurai doesn't remember. The accepted logic is that they took the name from Kirby Vacuum Cleaners, since Kirby sucks up things so. But the Nintendo Lawyer during the infamous Donkey Kong lawsuit was one John Kirby, and the name may have been a tribute to him.
And finally, The Lawnmower asks about difficulty.
And also donates to the swear jar.
Why are old kids games so fucking hard? Toy Story - Hard. Aladdin - Hard. Goof Troop - Hard. Most Power Rangers games after the first few levels - Hard.
How the hell were people able to beat these games back in the day?
Well, there's three different reasons.
One, some kids games (not the ones you mention, but the non-licensed ones) were ports of arcade games, which were designed to eat your quarters. But when they were ported, no-one thought to change the game, so whereas before you'd run out of quarters, you could just keep trying, and thus you began to notice how really hard they were.
There's also the idea that old games couldn't have long, deep cut scenes. They were unable to tell great stories, so you couldn't get a sense of accomplishment by finishing some deep, engrossing story. You had to get a sense of accomplishment from finally finishing that bloody annoying level that took you weeks to finish.
But the main reason?
You, the video game player.
Well, probably not you, but those you know.
The casual gamer. The part timer. The person who owns a video game console to watch DVDs and play the occasional game of Madden or some mini-games. Video games are now part of mass media culture. And with that, comes the dumbing down. You have to make as much as possible accessible to everyone, to maximise sales.
Whereas back then, games were still this offshoot of media, something different and by itself. There was no push to make games easy to allow everyone to play them. Gamers were expected to have skill, to be able to sit down and learn and study and work at finishing a game. Just because a game was meant for a kid didn't mean squat, it's a video game, so it had to be challenging.
At least, that's my take on it. How about you guys? Because now, this Gold Edition Ask 411 hits the Game Over for another week. See you next week, assuming I have some questions. Do you have one to ask? Send it to ask411games@gmail.com or leave it in the comments!
1. What's the story on Bo "Jesus" Jackson on Tecmo Bowl? I know that Bo Jackson was a great player, but none of the other great players during that time where THAT good on the game. So why Bo?
2. Why has history given FF VIII the shaft? It got me back into the series and I always considered it an exceptional game. It seems to catch a lot of flack these days.
3. I'm sure this has come up before, but why did the Simpsons arcade game NEVER get ported? Every other arcade game made it's way to consoles. Even now the show's still popular and no one has offered a download.
Posted By: Denton56 (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 12:02 AM
Thank you for answering my questions!
This may need a "history lesson" answer, but what ever became of the Game Genie, Game Shark, and other such devices? The only thing I see in stores these days is a chip for the DS. I don't normally condone cheating, but playing GoldenEye 007 multiplayer was SOOOO much crazier with Walk Through Doors activated.
Posted By: Cactus (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 12:02 AM
Thanks for answering my question. Here's another for you.
1) Devil May Cry started its life as Resident Evil 4. Did any other games start out as sequels to other franchises before they became their own IPs?
2) What is the most time that has ever elapsed between the announcement of a game and the release of a game? I just wonder because rumors say Duke Nukem forever is still out there.
And for an opinion question...
3) Do you think that either Project Natal or Sony's motion device will have considerable success?
Posted By: Justin (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 12:03 AM
Yeah I have a question.
Why no Target Terror love this week?
Posted By: The Salms (Registered) on February 01, 2010 at 12:12 AM
'Best Game Company' is a pretty subjective question. i would based it solely on who makes the most critically acclaimed games in a variety of genres, and can generally do no wrong. I can only think of Rockstar games, Square-Enix, Level-5, and Clover Studio/Platinum Games.
Posted By: Shio (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 01:49 AM
Question: why do people laugh when someone talks about 411mania games?
Answer: because the target terror jokes and the person that writes them make everyone look 2nd tier.
Posted By: Jason Bennet (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 03:30 AM
sydney would be cool as a fallout game.
Posted By: Guest#4001 (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 03:51 AM
If you are looking for a cheat device, I think this one is still released but not positive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datel_Action_Replay
My top five game companies, in no particular order.
Blizzard: Love or hate them their track record is pretty spotless, and you can't say they rush their games.
Valve: Same as Blizzard only they REALLY don't rush their games.
Capcom: Ups and downs but considering how long they've been around, they're consistently good.
Bioware: Kings of the western RPG which I enjoy.
Harmonix: Personal preference.
Posted By: Deathpool (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 08:34 AM
How the hell is Aladdin hard?
Posted By: The Dutch (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 08:56 AM
@Denton. You forget Kevin "Messiah" Mack for Cleveland who was just as bad...
and don't forget Dan Marino, who you could not sack or intercept. Even on a blitz he's the only Qb who can get a pass in.
Posted By: Jay (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 08:58 AM
What's wrong with having Fallout set in NYC/LI and Boston, among other areas? The EC doesn't consist solely of DC and Pittsburgh, and in fact, when most people think of EC they think of NY. I would love to see a ruined NYC and a lot of notable landmarks would work very well in fallout. The Statue of Liberty, the Holland and Lincoln tunnels, ruined skyscrapers, there's a lot of room for things to happen.
Chicago, Indy and Denver would also be interesting places. Detroit would be interesting.
Fallout hasn't even begun to scrape the barrel for the locations it can be set in inside the US itself. I mean seriously, have you ever been anywhere in the US?
Posted By: Guest#6332 (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 09:16 AM
"3. I'm sure this has come up before, but why did the Simpsons arcade game NEVER get ported? Every other arcade game made it's way to consoles. Even now the show's still popular and no one has offered a download.
Posted By: Denton56 (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 12:02 AM"
I think it's on iPhone/iPhone Touch now, but not sure why it didn't come out on XBLA, PSN, or even WiiWare at the same time
Posted By: Guest#0621 (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 10:49 AM
"DudeyDan has to put some money into the swear jar.
Why the fuck do Predator missiles always home in on me on COD!?
Because you suck at life.
Next up-
OK, OK"
Try rocking Cold blooded as your second perk Dan. That way when the enemy launches a Predator Missile, you will not show up with a big red square around your body. That is why you get singled out.
Posted By: Todd Vote (Registered) on February 01, 2010 at 11:48 AM
"With Fallout 3 and Oblivion being the last games they have made, do you believe that Bethesda is the best game company there is?"
Nah. EA is with their awesome sports line up, and their control fo BIO who unlike Bethesda (who makes crap games including FO3, Oblivion, et al.) actually make awesome (action) rpgs.
So, yeah, EA wins.
Posted By: Volourn (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 01:03 PM
Well, let's not forget that there were two completely different Aladdin games, one for the SEGA and one for the SNES...I think the SEGA version was much harder. But you're not kidding about Toy Story...that game was rough, even back then.
Posted By: J. Boykin (Registered) on February 01, 2010 at 01:46 PM
Learning that all the tricks to get a Nintendo game to work did exactly jack and shit is worse than finding out Santa isn't real. Or that wrestling is predetermined. Goddammit, you've broken my soul. And no amount of blowing on it is going to fix it. Not from you at least.
Here's a question: were the special team abilities in the original Tecmo Bowl on the NES done on purpose? As a Bears fan I would always choose Chicago, which my dad and brother hated because there was a short pass play that was completely indefensible. To counter they would always choose the Giants who had this coke-addicted special teams player who could skirt the line and block EVERY PAT with zero exceptions. My score always went 6, 12, 18, etc. Looking online this is well known, but I'm curious if it was intentional. I would be remiss, and chastised by my father, if I didn't mention the time he won the Super, erm, TECMO Bowl with the 49ers on a 70+ yard field goal that just went on, and on, and on. Not the most accurate of football sims I must say.
And another: I assume AKI owns the engine used for the WCW and WWF games, as well as the Japanese versions. Why wouldn't they continually release more games based around the best wrestling engine, well, EVER? Is it a fear that, especially in today's wrestling climate, any non-WWE game would suffer? Cos you think they could strike a deal with TNA or even ROH/several indies to license wrestlers for inclusion. I would think the market for a great wrestling game made for video gamers could rival an okay wrestling game made for wrestling fans.
Posted By: neverAcquiesce (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 02:33 PM
The PS2 killed the Dreamcast. Not only did Sony have the better franchises, but it also played DVDs. Back then that was a huge deal.
Posted By: MBD (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 03:15 PM
Detriot already is Fallout 4, has been for years
Posted By: Guest (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 03:57 PM
Ok, a few questions.
1. What's the story on Bo "Jesus" Jackson on Tecmo Bowl? I know that Bo Jackson was a great player, but none of the other great players during that time where THAT good on the game. So why Bo?
2. Why has history given FF VIII the shaft? It got me back into the series and I always considered it an exceptional game. It seems to catch a lot of flack these days.
3. I'm sure this has come up before, but why did the Simpsons arcade game NEVER get ported? Every other arcade game made it's way to consoles. Even now the show's still popular and no one has offered a download.
Posted By: Denton56 (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 12:02 AM
Dude are you kidding,you must be either too young,or just not remember,but Bo jackson back was THE man with him being one of the first to do multiple sports as a pro and becoming a media darling,once upon a time he could do no wrong.
FF8 gets the shaft for it's totally fucked up gameplay system,that fucks you for using magic of any kind.
As for the simpsons port,better to ask why all of the great sidescrolling beatum up's of arcade yore are not translated,the AvP and Romance of the Three kingdoms were amazing and i would love to see them and the Arcade version of Ninja Giadan released.
Posted By: Showster (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 04:06 PM
Not only did blowing on the carts not help due to the lockout chip, it actually INCREASED corrosion of the contacts - saliva is not good for delicate electronics. Some carts are dirty enough to work better when the contacts are properly cleaned though - anybody who has bought a rare NES game from a pawn shop knows a five minute scrub on a "bad cart" can make it good and save you big bucks.
Posted By: Stevie J (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 05:03 PM
By "coke-addicted special teams player" I was referencing the speed with which the guy gets off the line. I then discovered that it was one Lawrence Taylor and officially award myself the Unintentionally Ironic Joke of the Day Award.
Posted By: neverAcquiesce (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 05:04 PM
Was was Jurassic Park - The Lost World (the arcade shooter) never ported to a console?? That game fucking ruled!!!!
Posted By: Guest#6225 (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 05:37 PM
On the AKI series of wrestling games, they did continue to make a few after the WCW and WWE games. The first couple of Def Jam fighting games (Vendetta and Fight For NY) are basically the same games except with varied locations and rappers instead of wrestlers. It also looks like they released a few japanese wrestling games during that time.
They changed their name to syn Sophia, Inc. and looks like they haven't released a wrestling game in quite awhile, doing a lot of DS games for the most part.
Posted By: Deathpool (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 07:39 PM
Hey, I read both this and Ask 411 Wrestling. Thanks for answering my first question. As for my second question;
Is TES:V in production? If Bethesda had brains in their heads, which they obviously do, they'd definately develop a fifth. Is there any information about this game? There are rumours I think that it will be in Skyrim, but those are unconfirmed.
Thanks so much!!!
Posted By: The Thunderthief (Guest) on February 01, 2010 at 10:38 PM
Old kids games tend to be on the difficult side mainly because of poor design. Since it's a game for kids that is guaranteed to sell based more on license than design, developers didn't really play test them all that extensively and merely put them out in the world to reap the profits.
Posted By: Starx (Guest) on February 02, 2010 at 10:34 AM
