Gallery: PlayStation Library (US)

Posted on January 4, 2012 by geelw

Here’s the rest of the PS1 collection to go with the PS1 RPG/SRPG library I posted a few weeks back. What’s here is about 100-150 games less than it was about two years back, so anything you don’t see was most likely played to death and sold or traded. I absolutely never wanted a complete PS1 collection anyway, as I’d have a ton of games here that I’d never play. Still, I wish I’d kept more of the racers and all of the shmups I sold off, but oh well. That last photo is stuff I dug up after I took the others and put everything away. Oops. I was wondering where my import copy of D no Shokotaku ended up all this time. The items on the bottom row of the pic are a few of the small selection game soundtracks I have: Soukaigi, Silent Hill, Threads of Fate and Biohazard Remix. I don’t have anything resembling a decent game soundtrack collection at all – I just stuck those in because they’re PS-related…

Gallery: N64 Library (Plus)

Posted on January 3, 2012 by geelw

What’s left of my N64 and Famicom/Famicom Disk collections plus some loose Super Famicom games I didn’t add with the boxed stuff a while back. As with all of the library pics, the collections here are much smaller than they were a few years back, but I’d say the Famicom stuff has been condensed the most overall, as it was around 150+ games at one point. I do miss my N64 imports (Bangai-o, Wonder Project J2 and Neon Genesis Evangelion among others) and most of the bunch of other stuff I don’t have these days, but that’s the way that ball bounces, I suppose. Oh well – once I’m rolling in loot from my world domination plans, I’ll grab a plane to Game Central and clean out a few places again. That is, provided the world doesn’t blow up before then…

Gallery: Sega Saturn Import Library*

Posted on January 2, 2012 by geelw

This collection is now about 1/4 of the size of what it once was, but still has some nice titles in it along with a few commons and a bunch of duds. *Yes, I stuck in all the NIGHTS demos and versions from the US and UK, but those were in the same shelf space, so I figured I may as well run them here. I’ll get to my smallish US Saturn library at some point. It’s up in a closet with my US Sega CD stuff (also slimmed down dramatically) and I need to see what’s leftover after a few on and off years of whittling it down. Now, if Sega would FINALLY get wise and do a Sega Saturn collection of some of those games I no longer have, I’d be a much happier man…

2012: Day One Update

Status

Whee. I’ve figured out that if I can re-edit/tweak/fix about five pages of old posts per day (Eek!), I can have the entire blog updated before January is over. So far it’s going smoothly, save for some gallery and video linking issues here and there. I’m expecting not to have too much trouble other than keeping up with all the news that’s popping up. Then again, I only read game news from all over and post what I find I need to comment on. So yes, I ignore junk and gossip “news” I have no interest in.

OK, It’s 2012… Now What?

Posted on January 1, 2012 by geelw

No, I’m not talking about the upcoming elections here (eek), the horrific damage being done to the environment and people by this stupid fracking taking place in too many places across the country (double eek) or other more serious matters worldwide. I’m talking about the fact that last year’s “too many games!” issue is STILL just as revelant as it ever was… but with newer, shinier stuff on the horizon. Between the PlayStation Vita, Wii U, 2nd/3rd generation 3DS games, whatever Sony and Microsoft reveal at E3 (I’m expecting some hints of “next-gen” coming, but a more than solid lineup of games for current consoles for this year and next) and the insane amount of indie games hitting PC, iOS, Android and other platforms, it’s going to be a frighteningly busy year. Oh well, I’m just going to dive in and hang on for dear lif enjoying the ride, bumps and all…

Sonic 4: Episode 2 Set To Roll In 2012

Posted on December 31, 2011 by geelw

Sega is set to send Sonic soaring into the stratosphere after two great games in a row on consoles (the super Sonic Colors and the even superior Sonic Generations). Here’s a quick peek at the Hedgehog’s latest speed-fest, set to hit XBLA and PSN in the New Year – enjoy!

TCM Remembers 2011: Fallen Stars Bring Back Wishes Of Film Dreams

Posted on December 31, 2011 by geelw

It’s pretty safe to say that if I wasn’t writing so much about video games, I’d probably be writing about film. These days, there are so many great cinema scribes out there that do that a lot better than I do in terms of covering the medium, so I reserve my talents to the interactive as I believe that a great game can have the same impact as a great film, book or other slice of entertainment that touches a few emotions. Growing up in front of the TV or at the movies for a good chunk of time exposed me to quite a lot of great actors, directors, writers and other talents in the film industry and as the years pass, some of these people fade away into history leaving only their work on screen as a legacy. Each year, Turner Classic Movies runs a nice tribute video on stars of stage and screen who have passed away and 2011 was pretty sad for film fans across the globe. I actually didn’t know some of these people had died, but I’m glad to have seen them at their best in some truly memorable films…

Resolutions? We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Resolutions (Just A Lot More Time To Get Stuff Done)…

Status

Yeah, I hate resolutions because they’re more pressure than they’re worth in some cases and too much stress is NOT good for productivity (at least mine, that is). That said, I do indeed plan to complete the long and annoying process of fixing the older articles so they can actually be read past the first paragraphs as well as reworking the galleries (which will take longer in a few cases). It’s all a matter of finding the time to do this while also getting in daily posts. So far, progress has been slow, but I’m setting aside weekends in January to concentrate on getting as many old articles and reviews back to their original states.

Happy New Year (Almost)… I Need A Clue!

Posted on December 31, 2011 by geelw

OK, I have NO idea what sort of banner to make for January, but I’ve a few ideas, given what’s coming next month (er, year.)Let’s see now… (*flip!*)… a quick coin toss says Silent Hill HD Collection gets a January banner, so it’s off to grab some screens and play around a bit. Despite the “collection” not having Silent Hill 4 on it (it wasn’t THAT bad a game, really!), I’m looking forward to replaying SH2 and 3 for a few reasons. I have both games within arm’s reach in my PS2 library here, so I can compare notes and see how well the HD versions turned out. Well, that’s settled. Now I can get some sleep… maybe. I have the feeling I’ll pop up and post something else, but maybe not, as I need to roll out of bed and do a pile of laundry before the laundromat gets packed to the gills with 12/31 folks doing their last-minute loads for luck or whatever…

D2: WARP’s Last Gasp Makes For A Curious Cure For Holiday Melancholy

Posted on December 30, 2011 by geelw

While the holiday season is usually packed with happy jolly tidings and the usual mass consumer craziness (that’s turned some shopping malls into pepper spray scented war zones), it’s also a time for reflection and a bit of moodiness about current and future events. Winter also brings in a bit of depression, as we humans are also prone to go gloomy when the lack of sun and warmth hits hard, sending some into a depressed state. Kenji Eno and WARP’s final console game, D2 has been my go-to holiday gift for myself ever since it was released on the Sega Dreamcast in Japan back in 1999. I’m not going to do a full review of the game (there’s an older one I wrote posted here), but I will say that the game manages to capture the feeling of being inside a bad winter dream that you can’t wake up from, yet one that you don’t want to simply because you want to see how it plays out. It’s definitely not for all tastes and in fact, can be baffling even when you piece things together into a more sensible narrative than what’s presented. On the other hand, the game also soars into unsuspecting territory a few times and packs an emotional punch where it counts. Continue reading →