tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37809687731526018052024-03-05T01:05:10.959-08:00RetroGradedSydney Swartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128608356915234149noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780968773152601805.post-1022215401378286262011-05-17T18:42:00.000-07:002011-05-17T18:42:36.575-07:00Need to Contact my NRA RepresentativeSo just recently I purchased a mint, in box, Sega Master System, yes you may all commence drooling now. Well the Master System comes pre-loaded with two games, Hang-On which is a motorcycle racing game and Safari Hunt, the Master System equivalent of Duck Hunt minus the snickering dog. The day I bought the system I hooked it up, rediscovered how terrible I am at racing games, even games from the 80's and then tried to play Safari Hunt.<br />
<br />
I discovered a problem.<br />
<br />
While I could select the game from the menu screen, the gun, or Phaser according to the paperwork, wasn't doing anything. At first I thought it was broken but looking down the scope with a camera proved that the little infrared light was blinking on and off. I wasn't too concerned since I'm not planning on playing the preloaded games all that much but it still kinda irked me. At the time I didn't have room for the system out on my main TV so I hooked it up in the bedroom, and... the phaser suddenly started working on that TV.<br />
<br />
Now my main TV is a flatscreen LCD and my bedroom TV is an old CRT from when I was in high school. The CRT TV still has a flat front but it's got the big bulky rear for the tube and wiring and whatnot and weighs about fifty pounds. But the phaser gun worked perfectly on this TV. So naturally I had to see if this was a fluke or not. Back out on the LCD TV I fired up Duck Hunt on my NES and .. no go. I wasn't even able to select the Duck Hunt option from the menu. Just to rule out that this wasn't an ancient technology issue I put Duck Hunt into the FC Mobile II and used the zapper gun that came with that and still nothing. Then I tried them both in the bedroom and they worked perfectly. <br />
<br />
So I went on a quest to find out what gives, and surprisingly not many people have had this problem, probably because when you fire up your NES the last thing you want to play is Duck Hunt. So instead I tried to figure out how those guns even work. So according to <a href="http://www.howstuffworks.com/question273.htm">How Stuff Works</a> the light guns work by blanking the screen, in the 'eye' of the computer anyway, and then turning the target object white (or the reverse depending on the system) and then waiting for the vertical retrace to refresh and depending on if the point where the gun hit is black or white you scored a hit. This also explains how that old trick of putting a white piece of paper in front of the gun to score only perfect hits works. You dirty cheaters you. Now granted I fail at electronics, I barely understand how light bulbs work, but I think I see the problem.<br />
<br />
So CRT TV's have a vertical and a horizontal retrace signal which align the picture for you. This would probably be why you get that freaky horizontal scrolling when your TV starts to go out. Now LCD TV's on the other hand work off of liquid crystals and shutters and polarizing plates and lots of other concepts I won't go into because I can barely comprehend the technology that turns the light in the refrigerator on. But basically the guns don't work because they function off a technology that newer TV's don't use. Which is as good a reason as any to keep that crappy CRT TV around. Not to mention that some older games just don't look as good on giant LCD screens.<br />
<br />
So there you have it. Your daily dose of video game nostalgia and science. I can now play Safari Hunt to my hearts content. Or until Sonic 2 gets here. Whichever comes first.Sydney Swartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128608356915234149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780968773152601805.post-68750722837068325662011-04-11T12:30:00.000-07:002011-04-11T19:35:36.394-07:00The Most Dangerous Time of YearApril is the most dangerous time of the year for me. This is the season where I've gotten my tax return and, like a responsible adult, have paid bills and put it into savings. But now, now I sit around in my remaining poverty adding to the stereotype that all gamers play video games in their underwear while eating Doritos right out of the bag. I don't go outside because I can't afford to put gas in my broken car, getting a lovely basement pallor that would make Sephiroth look swarthy. And I struggle through it because hey, that's what being an adult is all about.<br />
<br />
And then the Navi of credit cards makes its presence known. I'll open my wallet to look at my license and assure myself that I'm actually a living, breathing human being and a tiny bit of blue plastic poking out will suddenly become the most obnoxious thing on the planet. "Hey, Listen!" It'll scream. "You don't have any money but think of all the cool things you could buy with me! Hey! Hey! Wouldn't that be cool?"<br />
<br />
At this stage the thing is easy to ignore. I'm an adult. I'm perfectly content to cycle through Netflix instant on three different systems and convince myself I'm actually looking at a high tech series of multiple monitors at Skynet.<br />
<br />
Then the credit card amps up its game. It's guilt trip time. And it sounds suspiciously like the hoarder woman from Labyrinth. "Don't you like your friends? Go out to coffee with them! Go to the arcade, go eat that salame out of a cup you like so much. Hell, with the limit on this thing buy them all iPads and challenge them to Words with friends. Wouldn't you like to see them and do things? You like things!"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/flyers_video/namco/21225504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="600" src="http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/flyers_video/namco/21225504.jpg" width="450" /></a></div>But I can selfishly hold out. I can overcome. By this point I'm on my 96th straight hour of Katamari, eying things on the floor and wondering why I can't pick them up by stepping on them. My NES has overheated, the FC Mobile is surrounded by a pile of used up batteries which I've attempted to fashion into a crude cat condo and I've spent an entire day trying to swim to the island in Goldeneye.<br />
<br />
And then my resolve breaks.<br />
<br />
And it's always Wesker. "You don't need those pathetic fools. You've worked, you've been responsible. Incompetence surrounds you so reward yourself. Say, perhaps, with one of these suitable arcade machines like this specimen to the right."<br />
<br />
And I have worked hard! <strike>At beating the high score on Pac-Man.</strike> And I have been responsible! <strike>In that I remembered to pay rent at least twice.</strike> I do deserve something awesome! <br />
<br />
And that's how I end up with multiple Dreamcasts, three laptops, and action figures I don't have places for. But this year, as I've said every year, this is the year I won't give in. This is the year I level up into "Real Adulthood." I have a +8 to my willsave this year. I can do this.<br />
<br />
I can.<br />
<br />
<br />
Really.<br />
<br />
<br />
Honest.Sydney Swartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128608356915234149noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780968773152601805.post-31649765535954883282011-04-09T20:18:00.000-07:002011-04-09T21:58:20.335-07:00Majora's Mask Part 2On March 16th the northern hemisphere experienced the <span style="font-weight:bold;">SUPER MOON</span>, the biggest full moon in the past twenty years. Of course living in the foggy San Francisco Bay Area I got to experience instead the super fog and didn't get to see this moon monstrosity. However, after playing this game for over five hours now I'm glad I missed it. Even outside looking for it all I could think was:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5097/5489063829_b6fb884534.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 188px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5097/5489063829_b6fb884534.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I feel as though I've relived the past three days of Link's life over ... and over ... and over again. Mostly, because I have. And while I've spent a lot of time in the game I haven't really done much interesting that anyone would want to read about. I got some masks, did landscaping for money, and played more hide and go seek. And while the moon is the main fright fest of the game, I'm far more terrified by these:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DWbs2tkKIYbnUtVk1N9ioB7Twh5QfPRmq03AVR1EE4gz9euPClqhZHuWN_mYBBHCBXh6Hsu8TMVOoL1YRbN24AwxqSnNQNyNqRGmeF8PM3ggkUNekuYL4m5OmDM1bsbnpWdjEngJ7g0/s1600/2011-04-09+17.34.47.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DWbs2tkKIYbnUtVk1N9ioB7Twh5QfPRmq03AVR1EE4gz9euPClqhZHuWN_mYBBHCBXh6Hsu8TMVOoL1YRbN24AwxqSnNQNyNqRGmeF8PM3ggkUNekuYL4m5OmDM1bsbnpWdjEngJ7g0/s320/2011-04-09+17.34.47.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593805646649926370" /></a> This woman is not at all what I'd imagine the Great Fairy to look like. Not only is she an amalgam of Poison Ivy and a transvestite mermaid, but her sound effects are horrifying. She's supposed to be giggling, but it sounds like a shriek of agony. In fact it sounds like the scream of those misshapen guys in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, the ones who hug you to death.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf8yuXuy8X6ToDZ6umqdvT80OeBK6Yoslg6ZNCSqKQ0gdSuHwci6SxCKdNX8RysQtZTThXZKCnGcqZk570s9h5kIXcThWyg73nzyv8v2ZXrWLtlSFVXRbf_UuJLcSq6FarjMT-eS0IAM/s1600/2011-04-09+17.58.33.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf8yuXuy8X6ToDZ6umqdvT80OeBK6Yoslg6ZNCSqKQ0gdSuHwci6SxCKdNX8RysQtZTThXZKCnGcqZk570s9h5kIXcThWyg73nzyv8v2ZXrWLtlSFVXRbf_UuJLcSq6FarjMT-eS0IAM/s320/2011-04-09+17.58.33.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593805657924387650" /></a>I'm not quite sure what this animation was <span style="font-style:italic;">supposed</span> to be, but it certainly looked like he was doing unspeakable things to this organ grinder while reminiscing about a dog. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8fhK75sdOPCfH0Ko6z3PIpg9CSmBnT_LWWHPQTLuwtgtv0pVSdSKN12-k0wVkOdMQGN0JFZdUsuyJ0gmKa4GRjtft_eGo1h5d7byLHGD5ctUw7gvKi5WGq7KvbteI4Ub45CimMLcUFo/s1600/2011-04-09+17.48.42.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8fhK75sdOPCfH0Ko6z3PIpg9CSmBnT_LWWHPQTLuwtgtv0pVSdSKN12-k0wVkOdMQGN0JFZdUsuyJ0gmKa4GRjtft_eGo1h5d7byLHGD5ctUw7gvKi5WGq7KvbteI4Ub45CimMLcUFo/s320/2011-04-09+17.48.42.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593805652173087074" /></a>And then there's this guy. He doesn't look suspicious at all right? Just shirtless, at eleven o'clock at night, chilling in the corner next to a playground slide. Totally normal. Nothing to be concerned about. Imagine my shock when it turned out this fine upstanding gentleman was in fact a purse thief! Scandalous.<br /><br />So the breakdown is thus:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Total Time: </span>5:20<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Moon Based Deaths</span>: 1<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dogs Thrown</span>: 1<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Masks</span>: 5/31<br /><br />I'm gonna keep chugging along on this game. And now I'm super motivated. Because this past weekend I bought myself one of these. That's right, in the box. With the manuals. I fired it up to shoot some ducks and fish and I could barely contain my glee. For those not in the know, the Master System rip off of Duck Hunt has one incredibly amazing upgrade: There's no snickering dog.<br /><br />And for that alone this system <span style="font-style:italic;">should</span> have decimated the NES. After Majora's Mask is all complete I'll be moving on to Altered Beast on the Sega Master System.<br /><br />I can't wait.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpAAL2iZVxVmVXNBZ-capgDDNEpL8s6nlk_LaiSZvPUAy1AZ_6xK7DUDiBRT0WYz69vveIvIP2mtgVx9LO9Or9CowQe9R19nXnDUuUEpV5_uHYbtR2i3G10iz-iMZT5641jd9i0IE5ujw/s1600/2011-04-01+12.38.43.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpAAL2iZVxVmVXNBZ-capgDDNEpL8s6nlk_LaiSZvPUAy1AZ_6xK7DUDiBRT0WYz69vveIvIP2mtgVx9LO9Or9CowQe9R19nXnDUuUEpV5_uHYbtR2i3G10iz-iMZT5641jd9i0IE5ujw/s320/2011-04-01+12.38.43.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593811128772358514" /></a>Sydney Swartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128608356915234149noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780968773152601805.post-13384683740082823532011-02-23T01:20:00.000-08:002011-04-09T21:56:13.157-07:00Majora's Mask Part 1 of AUGH THE MOOOONNN!In case you didn't know, today, (well technically yesterday) was the 25th anniversary of the release of <a href="http://www.1up.com/news/legend-of-zelda-turns-25">The Legend of Zelda</a>. In honor of this I played about 15 minutes of the original NES game in all its golden cartridge glory.<br /><br />Then promptly got lost in the woods, gave up, and decided to play something else.<br /><br />So I decided on Majora's Mask which is a game I hadn't played before but I've heard lots of good things about. My local gamestore didn't have a copy of the N64 version so I decided to just buy it on the wii. Which, while I intensely dislike the gamepad controller for the wii, is convenient and I'm lazy so it all worked out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCU4p_zTjdnlL69PWyxbLuITMswcT9RHm7Ay4Nm61_A446uu5xzGZZ_MD9_Y_6gVcYFj8hIhG82UTarYglZB4S-VGeqdwZiHoS_YDcvYolvHD6bQNdqv-0IGroYLPgLFaZ5YGLm9mZB8/s1600/2011-02-22+22.09.39.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCU4p_zTjdnlL69PWyxbLuITMswcT9RHm7Ay4Nm61_A446uu5xzGZZ_MD9_Y_6gVcYFj8hIhG82UTarYglZB4S-VGeqdwZiHoS_YDcvYolvHD6bQNdqv-0IGroYLPgLFaZ5YGLm9mZB8/s320/2011-02-22+22.09.39.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576815068701373826"></a>So the game starts out lovely. The sun is shining, the music is upbeat and delightful, I'm cruising the forest on my pony, I mean my horse, and then suddenly, some jerk in a mask and his two hench-fairies, come out of nowhere and steal my horse! The jerks. Link gives chase only to find out that not only did he apparently kill my pony-horse but he stole my ocarina and then turned me into a depressed emo tiki guy. Sad Deku Link is sad.<br /><br />So I get my own personal fairy assistant who is 8 million times less annoying than Navi. So far not a single instance of: HEY LISTEN. So I have to get a creepy peddler his mask back in 3 days. From some guy named SKULL KID. Shouldn't be that hard right? Except that 3 days is only about 35 minutes in game. So uh.. Sorry about this people of Clock Town.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxTzjfsyrB0dUhnRe95RZ7Ko2YoZvWUcZ4nAS1pQfBirkdamSnEbubKe3PI7uZxaVmRSQD2PH58shOC2GgK' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZ47yNaaqkVgrMSW5hf8XNk3aiMEUJAT57GA6cpqYmWMg9kz8cREhD4a5WF3-ADgxacL8JNkMTKD_s232KvrIV1bYJjeIdI0hyphenhyphen1noK9CZ29tBwA0PiQhx0vi6kDlhSZtW9V6R9Y4gaRo/s1600/2011-02-22+23.19.37.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZ47yNaaqkVgrMSW5hf8XNk3aiMEUJAT57GA6cpqYmWMg9kz8cREhD4a5WF3-ADgxacL8JNkMTKD_s232KvrIV1bYJjeIdI0hyphenhyphen1noK9CZ29tBwA0PiQhx0vi6kDlhSZtW9V6R9Y4gaRo/s320/2011-02-22+23.19.37.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576822210562455698" /></a>So far I've played hide and seek with a bunch of kids who I half expected to hit me with yo-yo's while screaming PK FIRE, I kicked a chicken, got a nifty wallet and let a disembodied hand coming out of a toilet wipe itself with the deed to a giant flower. All in all today was time well spent. I've got to say I can't really take a villain named SKULL KID all that seriously, even with the mask of doom and the ability to make the moon try to eat me. But I was pretty impressed with the way the days passed. At the end of each day the clocktower bongs the time and the screen closes in on you. Slowly. In time with the clock. Cue the panic.<br /><br />So I'm two hours into the game. Which would be a lot less if I hadn't casually wandered around town talking to jugglers while being threatened with the most deadly lunar eclipse in history. So now the game really begins.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Total Time:</span> 2:20<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Moon Based Deaths:</span> 1<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chickens Kicked:</span> 1<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Masks: </span> 1/31<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2JfVUFg04ZcC8RLjAW-1x1esLbiiH60olH5CDS3sXupQ-kYimdR3mrChEiCVstxd6gFv81OSdVSNUPDAsFb2K09QITEENqHTAsfsYjdDDRvnLNQjJJc2vdk9Rwg2nNoq3L-6OlfbZvU/s1600/2011-02-22+23.01.04.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2JfVUFg04ZcC8RLjAW-1x1esLbiiH60olH5CDS3sXupQ-kYimdR3mrChEiCVstxd6gFv81OSdVSNUPDAsFb2K09QITEENqHTAsfsYjdDDRvnLNQjJJc2vdk9Rwg2nNoq3L-6OlfbZvU/s320/2011-02-22+23.01.04.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576826860958898274" /></a>Sydney Swartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128608356915234149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780968773152601805.post-45853733643197255562011-02-05T21:33:00.000-08:002011-02-05T21:35:45.068-08:00For your viewing pleasureNew and improved header drawn by the amazing <a href="http://elserart.blogspot.com">Matthew Elser</a>.<br /><br />And yes that's me.<br /><br />And that is exactly how I play every game ever.<br /><br />Don't touch R.O.B. He has an itchy trigger finger. And he cheats at duck hunt.Sydney Swartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128608356915234149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780968773152601805.post-86935927683095808622011-01-07T22:29:00.000-08:002011-01-07T22:56:48.456-08:00Brief Masocore InterludeI haven't updated lately for two incredibly understandable and relevant reasons. Reason number one is that I'm lazy. And reason number two is that my NES has determined that Metroid is no longer relevant to my interests. I'm not sure what the problem is, it starts up fine but 10 minutes into playing it just up and pixelates and fails. It even mocked me:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1393.snc4/164515_151231181595577_100001260891800_311114_5421421_n.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 203px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1393.snc4/164515_151231181595577_100001260891800_311114_5421421_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />So I've moved on until I can figure out what's wrong with it or buy another cartridge. Next up will be River City Ransom. But until then I've been distracted. I've been pulling my hair out and cursing vilely. I've had sleepless nights and have become a social recluse. You may be asking yourself what terrible tragedy has befallen me, what horrific occurrence might have led to these dark days of woe and angst. <br /><br />Well the answer is simple. A legion of 8-bit spikes and delicious fruits have invaded my life and my dreams and refuse to let me live a normal life. I have embarked on a quest more difficult than Ninja Gaiden, more difficult than Super Meat Boy and yes, dare I say it, more difficult than Battletoads. Because I have determined, in my infinite wisdom that <a href="http://kayin.pyoko.org/iwbtg/">I Wanna Be the Guy</a>.<br /><br />This game has taken challenging and timing based elements from every 8-bit NES game and crammed it into one incredibly amazing, albeit death inflicting, addictive platformer. It's got the terrible translations from Zelda, the appearing bricks from Mario and the spikes from.. well everything. And oh those spikes. Everywhere. <br /><br />If you haven't attempted this I'll say to you now: turn back while you still can. This is the most difficult, challenging, brain numbing game I've ever encountered. But now I must finish it. As a point of pride I will defeat Mike Tyson with a single pixel fired by the gun of The Kid. But until then my life is this single screen. Forever.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAnB3CRJRxpqpR3g5GmXrjb9KwddtlqmbOYRRPv2St2QUy49QOHzVeU2M5WWLdCPSFFJaOqtR-Ncb4sFRJNR1TZWi6-2gas1r-jtu2zGsxvF0euPElHEXXPjJKINCb9gzDj59kubodVw/s1600/firstlevelGameOver.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAnB3CRJRxpqpR3g5GmXrjb9KwddtlqmbOYRRPv2St2QUy49QOHzVeU2M5WWLdCPSFFJaOqtR-Ncb4sFRJNR1TZWi6-2gas1r-jtu2zGsxvF0euPElHEXXPjJKINCb9gzDj59kubodVw/s320/firstlevelGameOver.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559703236670343922" /></a>Sydney Swartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128608356915234149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780968773152601805.post-36704755593500679602010-12-15T22:56:00.000-08:002010-12-15T23:43:59.153-08:00Console Wars<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcobharKlH45VJtEeGCCdxgiiT3w2JKE4Uo1CeLxEv0KcOsslNPVW9F7aLtuBt4kaCXyEM2QrCCUKBawPV378K0RlJNIYkpaFSv0qRKLoDnwSp6MFA94cSasWKS3CA_qK7vdJLcCPAvw/s1600/2010-12-15+22.42.03.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcobharKlH45VJtEeGCCdxgiiT3w2JKE4Uo1CeLxEv0KcOsslNPVW9F7aLtuBt4kaCXyEM2QrCCUKBawPV378K0RlJNIYkpaFSv0qRKLoDnwSp6MFA94cSasWKS3CA_qK7vdJLcCPAvw/s320/2010-12-15+22.42.03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551182011299025698" /></a><br />So this post isn't about games, it's about the hardware I use to play said games. Because having a bunch of cartridges is meaningless if they're just stacked around like coasters.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Tried and True Original</span><br /><br />So yes, I do actually have a <span style="font-weight:bold;">Nintendo Entertainment System</span>. In fact it's the same NES my parents bought me for Christmas when I was 5. So it's over 20 years old and still going strong. Now granted I was an only child and really easy on my system but I'm still operating off the same controllers and same 72 pin connector. <br /><br />There is nothing that can quite replicate the feel of those original controllers. Even the crinkling sound the cords make when you wind them up brings back a wave of nostalgia. There's a sturdyness to them which is reassuring considering I've been stuck on the same level of Lolo 2 for about a month now. The wall has sustained some damage, the controllers are still going strong.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsV6tvyjQeVOfIJE2sL0kuxTxFosGePMn9MD-jxZMKM6gaZFa9Kz1DdUO2bUx3gz2X0gwrTLQpVdL-3oUCnpgMrrnnkTuvbw_CGsC8-0em4nkUDpQUuiqfVp8-sA_acbTqYJy3x-yYX0A/s1600/2010-12-15+22.40.46.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsV6tvyjQeVOfIJE2sL0kuxTxFosGePMn9MD-jxZMKM6gaZFa9Kz1DdUO2bUx3gz2X0gwrTLQpVdL-3oUCnpgMrrnnkTuvbw_CGsC8-0em4nkUDpQUuiqfVp8-sA_acbTqYJy3x-yYX0A/s320/2010-12-15+22.40.46.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551182014789050162" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Portable Assistant</span><br /><br />So sometimes I want to play Super Mario 3 while waiting in line at the grocery store. Or maybe the tv is in use but I have to, <span style="font-style:italic;">have to</span>, beat this level of Adventure Island right now. That's where the <span style="font-weight:bold;">FC Mobile II</span> comes in. So if you've never heard of this, it's basically a portable system that plays NES cartridges. It has a little screen with a D-pad, A/B buttons and rapid fire buttons. It also can plug into the tv and operate as a NES console. It has two wireless controllers and a wireless zapper gun so you can go to a friends house and play original Nintendo without lugging your system around.<br /><br />I don't usually use the TV adapter/wireless controller mostly because I found that the controls weren't very sensitive. To be fair, that might have to do with the distance between my couch and the TV, therefore the controllers might be out of range of the FC Mobile system. I really like this thing even though it chews through batteries. I mostly use it at home while lying in bed so I can just have it plugged into the wall. Also there's a couple of games that are actually easier on a screen this small. For some reason I find it easier to play Tetris and Dr. Mario style games on a small screen 3 inches from my face while yelling obscenities.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Stand-In</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhzhiC2ncX2Lksp-OsCdwpFwAyFaUUUVSSPfGoVtjkUGxAxZc5ahxHB_ceuh9Pa7UThQgqnFEDTj-5CqkritGauwvFa2VhFOaOQjf6LlH0ocVrM7qTenoUv2AG_PWa7AWTSNa8Ep0eLs/s1600/2010-12-15_22.43.28.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhzhiC2ncX2Lksp-OsCdwpFwAyFaUUUVSSPfGoVtjkUGxAxZc5ahxHB_ceuh9Pa7UThQgqnFEDTj-5CqkritGauwvFa2VhFOaOQjf6LlH0ocVrM7qTenoUv2AG_PWa7AWTSNa8Ep0eLs/s320/2010-12-15_22.43.28.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551182020213305586" /></a><br />What about the games that were only released for the Famicon? Or really rare hard to find things? Or things so awful I don't actually want to purchase them? Well then there's emulators. The one that I use is called <a href="http://nesoid.com/">NESoid</a> and it's for my phone. (A Samsung Captivate). I like this one because the ROM search feature is built in and I can get Japanese-release only games. It's also handy because it takes screenshots and offers save states.<br /><br />For those not in the know save states are the ability to save at any point in the game and load from that point. Which is really helpful if you want to play something like Rygar but don't want to burn your NES out by leaving it on for 90 hours straight. I like that it's right on my phone so it's always with me, but honestly there's nothing like holding a controller in your hands. There's tactile feedback of the buttons and D-pad but since it's a smooth touch screen you can't slide your thumbs around to find the buttons. <br /><br />If given a choice I'd play everything on the original NES. But it's good to have some options. Especially when the urge to play Darkman strikes suddenly while waiting for dinner or mid-cleaning the kitchen.Sydney Swartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128608356915234149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780968773152601805.post-58685860669430011282010-12-03T00:55:00.000-08:002010-12-03T19:04:51.349-08:00Tiles of Fate<span style="font-weight:bold;">Game:</span> Tiles of Fate<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Publisher:</span> American Video Entertainment Inc.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Release Date: </span>1990<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Platform: </span>NES<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxLgWkxEvl8sSoNwb5dWEigrFVtl0zEg_LNsTa3hffibB27xlX26WseGZ8hDSPfRAeSYnPBwYz_UdyGVykp3JlpMEhskCYIRKvD3n7GzEnhVP_t7hoN_00SPtbZgPv-CoTVEgel8BVkU/s1600/1291349464092.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxLgWkxEvl8sSoNwb5dWEigrFVtl0zEg_LNsTa3hffibB27xlX26WseGZ8hDSPfRAeSYnPBwYz_UdyGVykp3JlpMEhskCYIRKvD3n7GzEnhVP_t7hoN_00SPtbZgPv-CoTVEgel8BVkU/s320/1291349464092.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546377778233011474" /></a>So one day a company decided that they should make a game. And this game would be a game everyone knew and loved so this company would make millions of dollars and retire to Tahiti. What game is more well loved by people wanting to kill time? Soli – I mean Mahjong. Then this company went, you know what Mahjong REALLY needs? Canons. Also you know what people love nowadays? Ridiculous magic based move systems. Oh wait, and explosions.<br /><br />Clearly this is Mahjong as Michael Bay intended.<br /><br />So the basic premise is clear: it's Mahjong. But you are also conquering Chinese dynasties as you progress through the stages. Because I suppose throwing in a random history lesson means parents were okay letting their children play this for hours on end. So here's the plot: you control the forces of symmetry. That's right. Symmetry. But symmetry is a fickle magic power and can only move in 90 degree angles for reasons which us mere mortals can never understand. And how does symmetry make the tiles disappear? Well with a fireball naturally. One tile will shoot a fireball at the next tile and they will vanish in a small but exquisite 8-bit explosion. In addition to controlling symmetry you can collect magic upgrades which will allow you to stop the timer, destroy bricks in the way of your perfect 90 degree angle world and cast a spell which will make the next available move for you. I beat the entire game without ever using them because I don't have the manual and couldn't figure out how to access them, and as it turns out it's not necessary.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfrPBRAO1wxN0Q5eqeAkRpGtAx4nXNuxizN_wsBefTO0Zs9qLC9zZbYT-JtrIgECjfZzMo_3dpyWm8-kyIajUrizhsUl6ncRfV5Fz1ki5CGpr0lxVX-Lwm4ax1s3M6MGTwBmUh7qxuow/s1600/1291365807967.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfrPBRAO1wxN0Q5eqeAkRpGtAx4nXNuxizN_wsBefTO0Zs9qLC9zZbYT-JtrIgECjfZzMo_3dpyWm8-kyIajUrizhsUl6ncRfV5Fz1ki5CGpr0lxVX-Lwm4ax1s3M6MGTwBmUh7qxuow/s320/1291365807967.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546378034722504706" /></a>There's a level editor where you can create and play your own level that's pretty fun. Though it turns out I like making them utterly impossible to solve. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Final Score:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4 bits out of 8</span><br />As a game it's pretty meh. It's Mahjong, which is significantly easier to play with a mouse rather than with a d-pad. I have better time killing options than this particular game. But it's not awful and if you have a serious hankering for exploding chinese tiles with the power of symmetry, than this is your game.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Story So Far:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Tiles of Fate:</span> Completed 12/3/2010<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Binary Land:</span> Currently on Level 5<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Tetris: </span>Currently on Level 19<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dr. Mario:</span> Currently on Level 21Sydney Swartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128608356915234149noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780968773152601805.post-52345272847335666332010-11-21T20:26:00.000-08:002010-11-21T20:41:04.787-08:00Binary Land<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWsHEGLKZzsZjRib9Cdj7G4HuNM7flGvbI-lLzegmET4T0B2ZpHAPKdg9hXc7Y4H2A-ihqTdH3doV7LGm4U0LgNuBXF-0gM37KbVlF-UY4xd8quGRLE2aGK_JRCc8x6Xik7nKfoaE9_Q/s1600/1290398264527.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWsHEGLKZzsZjRib9Cdj7G4HuNM7flGvbI-lLzegmET4T0B2ZpHAPKdg9hXc7Y4H2A-ihqTdH3doV7LGm4U0LgNuBXF-0gM37KbVlF-UY4xd8quGRLE2aGK_JRCc8x6Xik7nKfoaE9_Q/s320/1290398264527.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542228727285827458" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Game:</span> Binary Land<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Publisher:</span> Hudson Soft<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Release Date: </span>1983<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Platform:</span> Famicom<br /><br />My first foray into my challenge is Binary Land. Don't let the name fool you, it doesn't involve computers, numbers, faceless slender entities, or math. It's actually the touching tale of two penguins in love who have to free caged hearts held hostage by evil spiders. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXIIKBqiUbtmyRg4SUZLYvcek-zA3pW3L8uZp9Ohc6_ioP4zFwCEpV-zSWpTorKRkGw9tAfH166v74oZw55xD61yT1zR4qYbWNiEIe1M5_kTeSI7Qub7biFoTtmZKq29_OGn9ynhX61Y/s1600/1290398412408.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXIIKBqiUbtmyRg4SUZLYvcek-zA3pW3L8uZp9Ohc6_ioP4zFwCEpV-zSWpTorKRkGw9tAfH166v74oZw55xD61yT1zR4qYbWNiEIe1M5_kTeSI7Qub7biFoTtmZKq29_OGn9ynhX61Y/s320/1290398412408.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542228723425068690" /></a><br /><br />The premise and design of this is actually pretty intriguing. You have two penguins, a pink one and a blue one, and have to guide them both through various mazes to free a heart and achieve true love. The twist is you control them both, at the same time. Each penguin begins on the opposite side of the screen with spiders, webs, rocks and walls between them. You control both penguins at once, you can be either pink or blue (depending on if you want your main character to be left or right, respectively) and the other penguin is mirrored. So if your blue penguin is speedily heading right to get to the heart, the pink penguin is speedily heading left, into a spider, or a web, or a wall.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMs0fV1KFsc3lw-rgIGEf0F1Vhp3mWehZASJPgz3S_4MA7DlOMljflxD6O2oOw0OMRc-LaKCdfshNQT_F7EVCXFsjUoj1VZ-4w-LcxUgzG_MQG6QKyCE_COfgWQesyxzmvb-KPGrC8Jo/s1600/1290398418910.png"><img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhMs0fV1KFsc3lw-rgIGEf0F1Vhp3mWehZASJPgz3S_4MA7DlOMljflxD6O2oOw0OMRc-LaKCdfshNQT_F7EVCXFsjUoj1VZ-4w-LcxUgzG_MQG6QKyCE_COfgWQesyxzmvb-KPGrC8Jo/s320/1290398418910.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542228711345011874" /></a><br />It's frustrating but fulfilling. It's great as far as puzzlers go, but it's a bit mind numbing to think in reverse when you're trying to get your opposite penguin to shoot down a spider. You're armed with a freeze gun (though I don't have the manual so it could be pepper, a yo-yo or a whip for all I can tell) and can shoot down the sticky webs and the spiders. The game actually wouldn't be all that difficult if there wasn't also a time limit. Another challenge is that the penguins need to get to the hearts at exactly the same time. And it takes a lot of maneuvering to get them to do this.<br /><br />All in all I'm on stage 5 and I'm pretty sure I'll keep on going with this one. My brain might be fried by the end of this, but at least I can say I helped two penguins achieve true love. Can any of you say the same?Sydney Swartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128608356915234149noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3780968773152601805.post-55188020657193752282010-11-21T17:38:00.001-08:002010-11-21T17:57:33.788-08:00Time to get RetroGradedSo recently I embarked on a quest to finally beat all those old NES games I never finished as a child. I didn't have a very long attention span and the only game out of the 50 or so I own that I actually remember beating is Adventure Island. <br /><br />I figured with age came experience. I've played enough Geometry Wars that my hand eye coordination should be amazing right? After spending a frustrating few days with Dr. Mario, Burger Time and Doki Doki Panic (my three favorites as a kid) I realized that this wasn't the case. I actually think I've somehow gotten worse. <br /><br />Since I made this pact with myself I've started about 10 games, but haven't finished any of them. Well the time has come to rectify this. Time to grab the Dr. Pepper, put on my Power Glove, and beat these suckers.<br /><br />It's time to achieve glory. 8-bit style.Sydney Swartzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07128608356915234149noreply@blogger.com0