ctophil

I just beat Zelda II: The Adventure of Link for the NES. Phew, that's one tough game. I also beat Dead Rising 3 for Xbox One. I'm currently playing Shovel Knight (Wii U), Final Fantasy (Famicom, yes the Japanese version), Sacred Citadel (Xbox 360), and will be starting Blue Dragon (Xbox 360) today.

Yeah, I don't own a single used game in the last generation (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii) nor this generation for that matter. I support the publishers/developers by buying brand new, usually about a few months after the game came out (for the sub $20-30 prices) so it doesn't go out of print. It doesn't take a scratch to bother me with a used game. Just fingerprints or dust will make me frown. lol. When Gamestop offered me an opened "new" game, I declined because somebody at Gamestop has already put fingerprints and sweat on it. :-) This is the main reason why I don't shop at Gamestop at all. They will push used games on you like your life depends on it.

I'm the same as well. A friend gave me a bootleg copy of a movie once, and a few days later, I bought the retail release from Wal-mart. I didn't even like the movie. But I had two options, I either throw away the bootleg copy or buy the actual disc. One person doesn't make much of a difference in the overall scheme of things. But it is the principle as twiztor said. That's probably another reason why I like owning physical copies of things. Digital seems so cheap and "bootleg," for lack of a better term to describe it. I like beautiful things, such as sculptures and statues, paintings, architecture, and anything with a nice design. Therefore, marketers usually try to make a game or movie box attractive in some way (although not that great these days) so people would buy it. I have this same topic on another forum elsewhere, and I was describing how the original Lunar: The Silver Star on Sega CD had like 7 variants (different disc artwork and instruction manual styles) of the same game. Some folks out there actually own all of 7 variants for collectible purposes, just because they want to own all the nice versions that they can hold in their hands and admire. Sure that sounds expensive. But what is money for, right? lol. It's for survival and the pleasures of life.

DRM is really only one aspect of my debate on this topic if you read my post again. Therefore, I am not trying to mislead anybody. As DPsx7 discussed, there are certain PC and console games out there that do require you to log into their servers to play, thereby rendering a physical disc or a digital copy pretty much the same in that regard. I say that much is true. However, you still have a "tangible" copy with a worthy box, disc, and instruction manual to showcase on your shelf--a nice snapshot of gaming history. I have said this to a few of my friends, "How are you going to play a game that requires you to log on 5 years from now when the servers are completely gone?" I only bought a few of those online-only games to play with my buddies. But I still got the physical copies if they make them. There are also ways to play an online-only game years from now. There are hacks available that you can just play the game as a single player, or fans will put up third-party servers to continue hosting with or without the game publisher's permission, depending on how old the game happens to be. There is always a way if you're passionate enough. So I believe personally, the person with the physical copy still wins at the end of the day just because they have more value placed on it, sentimental attachments to its enjoyment, and respect for the game. As I always say, a physical painting is many times more valuable to everybody than a digital one.

Hey Guys, You all pretty much know I love physical copies of games. I am old school and grew up with completely physical games. But I would like to post a poll to see how the rest of the audience feel about Physical vs. Digital games. Let me put this out there very clearly: I dislike digital games with a passion. Sure, it's convenient, easy to download and play right away, and doesn't take up space in our physical environment. But I am willing to trade ALL those things for a physical copy any day. The physical game has many benefits IF you care anything about game preservation and owning a game. First of all, you REALLY do own a game when it comes to a physical copy. You have the game right there on your shelf, complete with a box, instructions, disc/cart, and various other things if it's the Collector's edition or old-school game. You can keep it there for 20 years +, and you can play it at any time (20 years from now or not), look through the instructions and goodies for nostalgia, let your friend/family borrow it, and even have bragging rights. It's also easy to find the game on your shelf if you organized your games properly. You don't have to go turn on a console or PC to figure out if it's in your library. You can even sell it on EBay, Amazon, Craigslist, Yard Sale, or whatever place that you desire. It has a much higher value. Let's take a look at digital titles on your PC, Xbox 360/One, and PS3/PS4. What if Steam/Origin, Microsoft, or Sony decided to take the title(s) off their servers? What if your hard drive crashed, and it is no longer available to download? What if you don't back up your system? What if you wanted to sell some of your games? Even if you could sell a game by putting it on a disc or just the hard drive itself, what kind of value is that? You could sell your Steam account to somebody. But how are you going to choose what games you want on their list? You would have to buy the whole thing. It's illegal anyways. It's a violation of the terms and agreements on Steam. On the Xbox One and PS4, it's even harder to manage something like that. People, you must understand that you don't own anything when it comes to digital goods. You pay the RIGHTS to play those games. They have the right to pull those games out of service at anytime they want. Finally, I love physical games for collectible reasons. I love reading, keeping, celebrating, admiring, bragging, playing, and even studying the history of video games by having a physical copy in my collection. Even the description on the back of the box is of great significance. It's like a time stamp of the culture and people of that time when the game came out. Have you ever read the description on the back of a Sega Genesis or Super NES game box? The way they describe a game is more fun and laid back than the more "professional" descriptions of today's games. The same can be said of the instruction manual, artwork, disc/cart label, posters, etc. Sure, I can look up this stuff on the Internet. But really, is it the same thing as having it on your shelf? Don't your kids and future generations deserve to appreciate video games of the past by not just playing them, but also realize that video games came from somewhere. Have you guys ever watched Pawn Stars? It's all about people bringing in items to them to sell or pawn. Have you ever seen the guys at Pawn Stars take in digital items? I haven't seen it, and I've seen almost all the episodes. In fact, they even reject items that are not in good condition, or it isn't the first edition, is fake, doesn't have a signature, etc. etc. Can you do that with a digital item? Do you think the Pawn Stars will accept somebody bringing in a bootleg disc or hard drive with games on it? Or will they rather accept a mint, complete-in-box copy of Final Fantasy IV or Chrono Trigger? It's where the money and value are at. Well, thanks for reading this Essay-size thread. I just wanted to let you guys know how I feel about this culture of switching over to the "digital world." I don't like all this streaming either (movies, TV shows, and games). It's just another form of digital goods. I also own all movies and TV shows I enjoy in physical format as well. Streaming can never be as reliable as a DVD or Blu-ray. As with digital things, it relies too much on the Internet. Let me know what you guys think.

Square Enix is basically trying to cater to a new and larger audience by making it more action oriented and taking away random battles. I guess the vast majority of people prefer the more "realistic" approach to RPGs. It's more of a western mentality. You've noticed that western RPGs are more action than traditional, D&D-style, turn-based battles. The western mind is all about high-octane action (hence, the most popular genres here are fps shooters and sports titles). While in the East, the RPG genre still remains supreme. The RPG genre requires us to enjoy the subtleties of a grand storyline, leveling up system, character development, and just take in the richness and complexity of the virtual world. The Western mind, on the other hand, would rather trade the above for headshots, how fast you can kill your online buddies, and who will win the next football game. Of course, I'm speaking of the majority of people in the west. Some of us still like to think and feel about our games. Do these "new" Final Fantasy titles take away the "pureness" of older titles? If you ask my opinion, yes it does. If you are going to continue to release new Final Fantasy games, you should stick to its traditions. These days, FF titles no longer feel like Final Fantasy other than the moogles, chocobos, music remixes, and other fan tributes. So the people want more action-style RPGs? Give them those games with an original IP. Don't use Final Fantasy anymore for your experiments. You are going to lose your core audience by smudging the Final Fantasy name. Of course with original IPs, people are not going to recognize the title. That's why Square Enix wants to keep releasing new types of Final Fantasies. It's pure business. Remember that without the "Final" Fantasy back in the day, Square Enix would have been no more. I don't like the modern Final Fantasy either. I love the traditional titles, especially FF IV, VI, and VII. But let's face it, you are going to have to stick with the older games or look for games that have traditional JRPG aspects, such as titles by Mistwalker run by the creator of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi (Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon, The Last Story), Bravely Default series (very traditional RPG), Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series, Atelier series (PS2 and PS3--Atelier Iris, Atelier Rorona, Atelier Totori, etc), Ar Tonelico series (pretty much any title done by Gust Team are good), and you can try the indie game, Pier Solar, which was inspired by Lunar and FF series.

Yes, Patreon is a monthly crowd funding service. This is why it is easier for Nintendo Force to create subscriptions--by going monthly. On Kickstarter, they could only get all the money at once for the 6 - 7 issues. But for people jumping on board later in the year, it was a hassle for them to include new folks, since they had to change the subscription amount and number of issues for each individual. With Patreon, they can just charge people a per issue basis via a bi-monthly pledge (since it's a bi-monthly magazine). Here is a direct quote from Patreon during the pledge checkout process: I used Paypal to make my pledge. And Paypal asked me if I agree to use the payment method specified for my monthly charges. So that does confirm that it is a per issue charge (in this case, each time NF Magazine makes an issue, they will charge you). I know it's kinda odd; but I don't really mind it if I get my NF Magazine issues on time. Just a reminder, similar to Kickstarter, Patreon is not going to charge you until the funding goal has been reached. Even then, it is only $4.99 (US) or $5.99 (Canada) on a bi-monthly basis for the print subscription. Finally, after doing the math, it is about the same as last year if you add up all the issues. Except this time, you will be paying for 7 issues instead of 6. So it may seem like it's more expensive. Update: Added some Q&A directly from Patreon's comments section to clear things some more about the pledges.

Hey Everyone, It's that time of year again when NF Magazine (Nintendo Force Magazine) gets its crowd funding for the year! This year, they are switching from Kickstarter to Patreon in order to make it easier for ongoing projects like NF Magazine. I love this magazine and here's for another awesome year of Nintendo goodness. Pick up your 2016 subscription today! This is your friendly Public Service Announcement! Make a donation here: https://www.patreon.com/NintendoForce?ty=h

"Sega Dreamcast 2" It just rolls off your tongue, doesn't it? LOL. Seriously though, I think it's a super cool idea. I do hope this will become successful. I was an active Sega Saturn gamer back in the day. I even bought the Saturn before the PS1, N64, or any of those "popular" consoles of the day. I own every Sega Console since the Sega Master System and proud of it. So, I will definitely jump on board if the petition will get Sega rolling. Keep us posted, Phillyman.

I wouldn't recommend that either. The post I made earlier in this thread is pretty much all you need to do. If the contacts are not very dirty, just a cotton swab and alcohol are all you need as Areala stated. But if the contacts have brownish spots that you can't get out, you must do what was stated in my post above: http://community.retromags.com/topic/9875-what-is-a-good-method-for-cleaning-nes-and-snes-cartridges/#entry41131 You can always check the contacts under a good light if you don't want to open the cart. The light reflection on the contacts will show you if they are clean or not. I have experience of cleaning literally thousands of carts in my lifetime, since I used to own a video game store. I can guarantee you that once you clean a cart properly and store in their respective sleeve, plastic bag, or box (don't leave the games in a moisture-filled environment like the bathroom, garage, or storage facility), it will never oxidate nor get dusty again. I have kept my game cartridges in their original packaging for 15 - 20 years without even touching them. When I take them out to play, the games play instantly when I put them in my system. The key is still store them in your house and in moderate room temperature.

Yes, I've been a subscriber since the first issue. It has a mix of retro and new video games with some great insights on classic gaming. It exudes quality articles with good personalities, similar to the olden days of EGM, Nintendo Power, GameFan, and Gamepro. The magazine is always printed on high quality paper that will last for many decades to come for collectible purposes. As an update, I contacted RETRO, and they will fix my subscription so that my issues will arrive on time.

That's just weird. Well, I guess I have to contact Mike again. I had a missing issue of NF Magazine as well. I don't think it's my local Post Office that is the issue. Game Informer has been coming to me non-stop for years without ANY issues. In fact, they come earlier than expected almost every month. It's something to do with each magazine's distribution system, similar to how EGM takes forever to get to our mailboxes these days.

Hey everyone, I've noticed something odd with RETRO Magazine in the past few issues. Firstly, Issue # 7 (Mortal Kombat cover) never came. I had to contact Mike directly to get me the issue. I never heard from customer service when contacting them. Issue # 8 came just fine though. But now, I've been waiting for Issue # 9 (Celebrating Stealth Cover) in the past couple of months. I believe it should of arrived last month (October). We are now toward the end of November, but have yet to see any signs of it. Have you guys gotten Issue # 9 yet? Seems that ever since RETRO Magazine founder, Mike Kennedy, started his RETRO VGS project, the magazine began to slow down on distribution. Let me know what you guys think.

They have been working on the prototype for the past couple of months. In doing so, they will also be reducing the price for their next Kickstarter launch--probably early next year. You can check out their Facebook page for the latest updates: http://www.facebook.com/retrovgs

I believe you have a point there, Mark. No matter what people think (decline of Japanese gaming or whatever), video games are so deeply embedded in Japan's culture, it's frightening. The Japanese are a very different breed of gamers than westerners. They love collectible things, reading about their collectible things, and watching tv shows about their collectible things. And one of these collectible things are video games; thereby they always want physical over digital items. Thus, you see that gaming magazines are still thriving over there, as well as another thing that failed in the U.S but remained a big thing in Japan--The Arcades. Western gamers are similar to its collective culture, which points to everything "disposable" and not find historic and collectible value in physical items. We want convenience, quick joy, and speedy service. We are passionate about something new, but lose interest in it extremely fast. We read a magazine one time and then throw it away. We don't see it as a footprint in gaming history, even deserving a place in someone's video game museum. The Internet, therefore, is better suited for gaming news, reviews, strategies, and various other information for the Western world. The audience just isn't large enough for physical magazines. Without the audience, advertisers are not going to pay money to promote their products in a state of minority. I'm not saying all Western gamers are this way--it's just a majority of us. I don't think an increase in the size of the game industry will bring physical gaming magazines back in a big way. Western culture is not going to allow it. The only way it will happen is if Western gamers shift their mindset to enjoying a physical item for the long term and not get tired or lose interest in it so quickly, seeing physical gaming magazines as collectible treasures that supplement our video game collection.

UPDATE: I figured out to get the EGM Lost Issue to show up on the web site! You have to be logged in as a Premium User. When you get into the www.egmmag.com site, first log in with your username and password as a registered user. Then, click on iPass. If you have the earlier issues of EGM (Issue 238, for example), you can grab an iPass code out of it. Now, here's the catcher. Once you put in the iPass code, it will boot you into a page on www.egmnow.com/premium that says, "nothing found." Just ignore and close the page. Go back to the original EGMi site. You will now be able to click on the "Premium EGMi" tab from one of the links on the top. That will open up a bunch of issues with the Lost Issue included (Part 1 & 2). Part 1 was just the trailer for the upcoming EGMi. If you are unable to get this to work, I can put together some screenshots and make a pdf file for you guys.

I just got in the new EGM 2016 Buyer's Guide with the Assassin's Creed Syndicate cover as seen below in the picture. They sent it in a paper manila envelope. So, it came all scuffed up and bent on the corners. What happened to the plastic bags that it usually comes in? Are they getting that cheap? Anyways here is the picture: As for the EGM Lost Issue (February 2009), it came out a while back as a demo for the new EGMi magazines that EGM was trying to do. I remember reading through it when EGMi first launched. There wasn't a way to archive the issue, since the whole thing was in flash media with pictures, sound, and even videos. I did notice that EGM took it down from their EGMi web site (www.egmmag.com). The only way we can get a copy of that if you contact EGM to see if they will put it back up. But really, they need to make an archival version (such as PDF) so we can download it properly. If you contact EGM, make sure you mention the archive thing. I will continue to look for it if anybody tried to download it in some form.

The current Indiegogo crowd funding for the RETRO VGS has been cancelled due to lack of funding (slow progress). They are not giving up but have regrouped to make a working prototype, as well as a nice demo to show off on their next crowd funding adventure on Kickstarter next time around. Below is their update to all investors and potential RETRO VGS fans. FYI, the Indigogo campaign only reached a little over $63,000 in the past week, which is only 3% of the $1.9 Million total. I'm not upset by this but rather relieved that they are not giving up. I only wish them the best on their next venture, and thus I will return to invest again.

Hm, I guess we will never get the Summer 2015 issue. EGM is down to only 2 issues per year now it seems. Maybe next year we will only see 1 issue. Then, we will call the magazine, Electronic Gaming Annually or EGA. I really want them to just shut down so that we can at least have good memories of the magazine instead of the slow death. If EGM comes back with a bang, that is cool too. I want it to succeed. However, all this waiting for 5-6 months for an issue is just odd. It's not consistent at all. If they need funding to get a better distributor or hire a bigger staff, why not try for crowd funding? I'm sure EGM fans will jump at that prospect. I know I would donate some money.

Hey guys, RETRO VGS has launched their crowd funding campaign. They have switched over to Indiegogo instead. Read all about it here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/retro-vgs#/story I have contributed with the Elite Backer Edition, which is the highest tier. I do a lot of investing on various projects over the years like indie movies (example: AVGN Movie ) and magazines (NF Magazine & RETRO Mag). Investing in a console that pretty much describes my personality is on top of my list of priorities. :-) If this funding goes through, I'll update you guys on its progress and my personal review of the system when it ships.

Update from the RETRO VGS Facebook: Source: https://www.facebook.com/RETROVGS/ So, the official price is $299 for the first 500 backers on Kickstarter and $349 for everybody else. Of course, the $299 is for the Black system, while the $349 folks will get to choose from many colors, including the purple one shown in the Facebook post. After the console launches, only the Black system will be available. A bit pricey, isn't it? It costs almost as much as a modern console. Xbox One and PS4 are at $350 ($400 for the 1 TB version) and $400, respectively. It's the same price as the Wii U at $299. The price is higher than first thought, but I'll still contribute to this console. I'll just hold off buying an Xbox One and PS4 for another year. :-) I already have a Wii U so I'm cool with that.

Update: From their Facebook page about the console's price: That doesn't sound too bad if it's at $150 or so. I'll definitely invest at the Kickstarter if they post that price range.

I think the RETRO VGS is a great idea. I've bought reproduction carts of classic games for the past 3 years, as well as homebrew games. I love buying old NES, SNES, or Sega Genesis games that never got an English translation and then finding new life in a repro cart complete with box, manual, and poster fully in English. I believe the RETRO VGS will be more than just a system for indie titles. It could be a home for old classics receiving HD Remasters, a breath of fresh air for budding game developers to achieve their dream of developing for a classic system like the SNES, Genesis, or even the Neo Geo, and you can even develop new games that take advantage of the full capabilities of the RETRO VGS. Just imagine Square Enix, Konami, and Capcom jumping on board to revive their classic Secret of Mana & Final Fantasy titles, Castlevania, or even Mega Man? If they find the HD Remasters working out, maybe they will even develop original content. Frankly, I'm tired of the "digital revolution," where everything is downloadable to your hard drive. Sure, it's convenient. But I WANT a physical instruction manual, collectible maps & posters, and decent artwork on my game box. Mike Kennedy knows his RETRO business because he is developing a console that is striving to stay away from the digital world (no internet connection for updates and such). 20 years from now, I want the RETRO VGS to still function without needing some patch from the Internet, unlike the Xbox One where it tries to connect to the Internet for every little thing. I can't even play Killer Instinct on Xbox One without it saying, "The Console needs to go online for a game update." You can't even save the game without the update?!? I haven't heard anything about the system's price yet until the Kickstarter next week. I wouldn't judge its price just yet until the official announcement. Please support the RETRO VGS if you can. I think it will make a statement to the mainstream console manufacturers.