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Is The Legend of Zelda an RPG?

It’s a question almost as old as the original game itself. Is The Legend of Zelda a role playing game? Yes. No. Well...kinda... All three are actually correct if you look at it, as Obi-Wan Kenobi would say, from a certain point of view.

Of course The Legend of Zelda is an RPG. The setting of the game, Hyrule, instantly invokes a fantasy RPG setting. Maybe it’s due to games like Final Fantasy and Suikoden, but fantasy settings have usually had an RPG-like feel to them. There is also an epic quest for the hero that is fundamental to all Zelda games just like in any RPG that you find. At their core, RPGs’ quests for their protagonist drives the story along. And everyone agrees that Zelda’s storyline is one of, if not the most important element to the game. Players also "level up" Link’s weaponry in order to battle increasingly difficult bosses as the game goes on. Taking all of these thing into account it becomes increasingly obvious that The Legend of Zelda should be considered an RPG.

The Legend of Zelda is most definitely NOT an RPG. There is no actual leveling up of the CHARACTER. Besides an optional name change, there is also no customization of the character at all, either at the beginning of the game nor during the game. If one thing has taught me over the years, it’s that all RPGs allow players to customize the character through the process of "leveling up" as the character gains experience throughout the game. This fundamental element is totally missing from the Zelda games. Even Nintendo refers to The Legend of Zelda as an Adventure game. If they don’t consider The Legend of Zelda to be an RPG, why should we?

The Legend of Zelda is actually a hybrid of RPG and Adventure game. A genre unto itself, so to speak. By combining elements from. RPGs and a handful of other game genres and then wrapping it all up in a shell of awesome characters and story, The Legend of Zelda defies such labels as RPG or Adventure. To put it quite simply, it’s a Zelda game. Nothing else really needs to be said, because players know exactly what it entails and that’s good enough for me.

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Top Ten Tuesday: #8 Rad Racer

Released on August 7, 1987 by developer Square, Rad Racer was the second racing game I really got into. The first being the legendary, Pole Position. It is also worth noting that Rad Racer was featured prominently in the movie The Wizard starring Fred Savage. Even people who never watched the entire movie are still aware of the infamous scene in which the game appeared. The Power Glove scene. The Wizard was basically a 90 minute commercial for Nintendo, and the Power Glove scene was no exception. Every kid on the playground wanted their own power glove and a copy of Rad Racer to go along with it. Heck, it was The Wizard that brought Rad Racer to my attention. And yes, I admit to getting a Power Glove too, but more on that steaming pile of disappointment in another blog post. The game’s simplicity of design and very good controls combined to make a thoroughly addictive game for the 8-Bit era that managed to transcend the hype brought to it by the movie.

You had two cars to choose from, a Formula 1 car and a sports car. But let’s be honest, players ALWAYS chose the sports car. Basically you needed to get to a destination before the time expired or you wrecked. Not very ground breaking by today’s standards, but back in the day, that was more than enough to capture a player’s imagination. The simple to learn, but difficult to master controls also added to the replay value of the game. With each play through a player would gradually become better and better making the steep learning curve not so noticeable.

I personally never mastered the game. But that didnt deter me when it came to spending hours playing. Like all good video games of that era, Rad Racer was a test of a gamer’s abilities while also being super fun to pick up and play. A perfectly designed and challenging game that manages to still stand up today.

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Top Ten Tuesday: #9 Super Mario Bros. 2

Before I begin this entry, I just wanted to state that I will not be covering the fact that Super Mario Bros. 2 was originally released as Doki Dkoi Panic. This little item has been covered extensively in many other articles, videos and books. Instead I will just be covering the game itself and my thoughts on it.

9. Super Mario Bros. 2

Released on October 9th 1988, Super Mario Bros. 2 was directed by Kensuke Tanabe and produced by the great Shigero Miyamoto, creator of the original Super Mario Bros. It consisted of 20 levels across 7 different worlds and was a big departure from the original Super Mario Bros. I picked the game up when it first came out. my parents knew how much I LOVED the first Super Mario Bros. And were kind enough to buy it for me upon its release. Either that, or they just wanted me to shut up about how badly I wanted this game. I excitedly tore off the shrink wrap and gleefully booted up the game and... I HATED it. The departure from the original game was so extreme to my younger self that I couldn't really give it an honest go. The mechanics were different. The locations were different. The bad guys were all different. Even Mario looked different. This was not at all what I was expecting, nor wanted in a sequel to my favorite Nintendo game. For the first time in my young life as a devoted Nintendo junkie, I felt betrayed by the company I had come to love, and I immediately threw it aside and went back to playing Legend of Zelda.

Years later, once I had gotten a little older and had gained a little more perspective on the realities of making video games, I decided to give SMB2 another shot. Guess what happened when I gave the game an honest try with an open mind? Yep. I fell in love with it! The new mechanics felt like a breath of fresh air. The enemies were new, different and some were recognizable as instant classics. The locations were exotic and fascinated me with their elegance. And the sprites of Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach were gorgeously rendered and a marked step up from the first game. Basically, everything that I hated as a young kid I loved as a young adult.

It's amazing how the right perspective totally changes the way a video game is perceived. When viewed with an open mind, even a game that you think is garbage can take on really good qualities. That's not to say that I think that Super Mario Bros. 2 is garbage. Far from it. SMB2 is without a doubt the most underrated entry in the Mario franchise. And entry that I still hope to this day we will get to revisit.

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Everything Old is New Again: The Retron 77

Back in June of last year, Hyperkin announced the Retron 77. A gaming console that would be able to play Atari 2600 cartridges on a modern television. It would output to 1080p high definition and connect to televisions using an HDMI cable. It would also be compatible with Atari 2600 controllers as well, and retail in the neighborhood of $80. Hyperkind was expecting it to be released around Christmas of 2017. The retro gaming world lost their collective minds, and rightfully so. I was among those that became super hyped for the news, not becoming this excited for a Hyperkin release since the announcement for the mighty Retron 5.

Why the excitment? Well, that's quite simple really. The Retron 77 would finally allow players to play their 2600 cartridges without having to use a modified Atari 2600 VCS console. Original 2600 consoles are fairly easy and inexpensive to obtain. But a modded unit is not alway cost effective. And modding the console oneself can sometimes prove to be a relatively daunting task. The release of the Retron 77 would potentially expose more players to the joys of the 2600 and that is always a good thing.

But there is a serious stumbling block in the way. Hyperkin has made a habit of announcing products either way too early in their development cycle, or announcing products that just never see the light of day. The Retron 77 has not been any exception. Set to be released around Christmas, it still has not hit the market. As the delays continue month after month without any real word coming out of the Hyperkin camp explaining for these delays, my apprehension has begun to seriously mount. In my opinion, the odds of the 77 coming out anytime soon have fallen to about 50/50. While not totally horrible, these kinds of odds have driven me to put down some alternatives for gamers who wish play 2600 games while we all patiently wait for this console to finally come out.

There are three main ways to realistically play Atari 2600 games. As I stated earlier, there is the tried and true option of using an original Atari 2600 VCS console, either with an older CRT, or a modded console with a modern television. You can also pick up various Atari collections that have been released on basically all of the modern day consoles. They may not be perfect ports, but they come extremely close to the actual games and are very enjoyable, but these collections are far from comprehensive. The third and final option is emulation, and there are three options when it comes to emulation.

You can emulate using any computer you have at hand, using any of the various free emulators available on the internet. You can also pick up an Atari Flashback console which does a fairly decent job of recreating the Atari 2600 experience. It comes preloaded with all of the greatest hits of the 2600 library and is compatible with the original wired controllers. I recommend using the originals, as the wireless IR controllers that come packaged with their console are not the greatest in the world to use. Once again though, this collection of games is not comprehensive and leaves off the various liscensed games that saw release on the 2600. The final option is to get an AtGames Atari handheld console. Once again, it comes preloaded with a bunch of Atari games, but most importantly, it's has an SD card slot allowing to load up the entire library of 2600 roms. Being a handheld means that it is super portable as well, which is always a plus. The sound on the device is not the greatest and the screen is touch smaller than I would like, but it is extremely affordable and has been my go to emulator for 2600 since it debuted on the market.

As good as these alternatives are, The Retron 77 would easily blow all of them out of the water with its reported specs and elegant design. The only question I am still left with is wether it will be the actual hardware or a "rom ripper" like the Retron 5. Either way would work as far as I'm concerned. Recreating the original 2600 hardware wouldn't be all that difficult or expensive, considering the original console was made using "off the shelf" parts. But making the console more like the Retron 5 would allow for all sorts of neat bells and whistles like save states and on board cheat codes, not to mention cool-looking video filters. I just think I speak for the retro gaming community when I say this, "For the love of god Hyperkin! Just release the Retron 77 already!!!!!!"

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Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Final Fantasy

Welcome to the first installment of something new I am going to try on Tuesdays called "Top Ten Tuesday". Each week I will be counting down the top ten video game releases on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Please bear in mind that this list is in no way definitive and is my opinion, and mine alone. So with that said, let's take a look at number ten...

Final Fantasy

Released on December 1987 in Japan and May 1990 in North America, Final Fantasy was originally going to be creator, Hironbu Sakaguchi's swan song in the realm of video game design. After a string of non-hits for developer Square, he planned to leave the video game business if this game was a failure too. Instead, Final Fantasy became the first installment of what many people, myself included, consider to be one of, if not the greatest Roleplaying Game franchise in the history of video games.

The premise is a very familiar one to fans of Japanese RPGs. A player creates a party of four characters from six classes. Those classes include Fighter, Thief, Black Belt, Red Mage, White Mage, and Black Mage. This automatically made the game chock full of replay value, as the combinations of party members were mind-boggling, effectively giving the player a different play experience each time they started the game over. After selecting the party, the game takes on the standard format of JRPGs. The player walks around an over world map until happening upon a random encounter and then the screen switches to a turn-based combat view. The player then fights the bad guys until either the bad guys are the player's party is defeated. Experience is rewarded along with treasure, rinse repeat.

Now of course the storyline of the game is a little more complex than just randomly wondering around a map with no goal. But for the few players who have never experienced FF1 before, I don't want to spoil a single thing pertaining to the story. So suffice to say that the player is thrust right into the middle of an engaging story right from the very beginning.

Final Fantasy was my first foray into JRPGs when it came out, and to this day I believe it is responsible for my love of the genre more than any other game I have played. Sure, the gameplay may come off as a little primitive when compared to the later iterations of the franchise, but there is no denying the charm of this little game that no one, even the game's own creator thought would be a success, let alone launch a juggernaut in the world of video games that still sees new releases today.

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A Smash Hit Coming to Switch

Nintendo released a new Direct video Thursday afternoon and it took me the weekend to process everything. Sure, there were some big announcements of ports and original games, Luigi's Mansion for the 3DS and South Park: Fractured But Whole and Crash Bandicoot for the Switch, along with news on Mario Tennis Aces and Octopath Traveler for the Switch. All of these items would be cause for excitement amongst the collector community, but the biggest news item was the stinger at the end. Smash Brothers is coming to the Switch this year! Obviously, this announcement broke the internet for the better part of the weekend. Speculation ran rampant. Will it just be a port of the Wii U game? Will it be an original game? Will it be some sort of port with a bunch of new stuff? The video definitely raised more questions than provided answers, that's for sure. So let's take a look at the possibilities, shall we?

What if it is just a port of the previous game on Wii U? I personally wouldn't mind this so much. I never owned a Wii U, nor do I ever really plan to, so being able to play one of only a handful of games I actually want to play on the platform. Honestly, the sales figures prove that I am in the majority of Nintendo gamers that took a break during the Wii U years, but happily jumped back on board the Nintendo band wagon with the Switch. This is why we are seeing all of the good Wii U games being ported over to the Switch. Basically, if Smash Bros is in fact a port, that only leaves Super Mario Maker, which I wouldn't be surprised to see an announcement of either a port or new version of the game sometime this year. Granted there are a number of collectors that are not happy with the prospect of a port, having already purchased the game when it came out one the Wii U, and they are definitely justified in their opinion. But the fact remains that there is a very large number of Switch collectors that will pick this up day one even it is a port and Nintendo has to know this as well.

What if it's a brand new game? This would be the closest to a win/win situation for Nintendo there is. No one could complain about having to rebuy the previous installment on the new hardware and those collectors that never got the previous version would be too busy learning the ins and outs of the new characters and stages to really care about not getting the old game. But the only real stumbling block to this scenario is whether Masahiro Sakurai, Smash Bros. director, has had enough time to develop a new version from the ground up. The time frame between releases points to there being enough development time, but the previous iterations of the franchise were usually announced up to years before their actual release. This time around we are talking a few months between this announcement and the release of the game on the Switch.

Will it be a combination of the previous game with updated features and new characters? This seems to be the most probable at the time of this writing. We already know that this iteration will feature the Inklings from Spatoon, so new characters are a given. The short time between the announcement and the release makes me lean towards thinking that this will be more of an update of the previous game as oppposed to a full on new game. So it really makes the most sense from a pure speculation standpoint. But no matter what way Nintendo has decided to go, I think it is a certainty that Smash Bros. on the Switch is going to be a massive hit. It seems like everything Nintendo has touched in the past year has turned to gold, and I don't think this streak is going to end anytime soon.

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One Year Later: The Switch is the Future of Consoles

"Oh my God! That is an absolutely perfect idea!"

That was my reaction when I viewed the Nintendo Switch teaser video Nintendo released to announce the Switch to the world. A game console that moves seamlessly from TV mode to handheld? Sign me up and take my money now! Yet I couldn't help but wonder, in the back of my mind, that what Nintendo was selling would amount to a pipe dream. I'm old enough to remember the hype surrounding the Virtual Boy being the successor to the original Game Boy. But as the weeks and months gave way to the release of the Switch and all of those fears melted away almost instantly when I got my hands on the hardware. I was in shock to say the least! It was built wonderfully, the design of the system was gorgeous, and most importantly, it worked exactly the way it was advertised!

I was almost immediately struck with the thought that this console was the future of gaming consoles. That the days of the console staying in the home and a separate, portable system would meet a gamer's needs as separate entities was quickly coming to an end. The strange thing is when I really think about this set up being the future, I realize that the rumblings of this revolution actually started a few years ago with the release of the PS Vita and its "Remote Play" feature. Granted, the Vita was another stand alone handheld and Remote Play wasn't all it was cracked up to be. But I still think the seeds were planted wit its release. The Switch, however, has basically perfected this seamless integration of console and handheld right out of the starting blocks and I don't think there is any going back from this.

A perfect example is that contrary to official word from Nintendo, the 3DS is obviously on its way out. And rightfully so. The 3DS has been on the market for 7 years and the DS came out 7 years before that, so basically 14 years. That is a very long time for its life cycle. With its various hardware revisions and changes to its form factor, I'm sure the 3DS has been on the shelves a lot longer than even Nintendo envisioned. The Switch makes having another handheld on the market rather redundant, so why not let it go into retirement?

A more telling piece of evidence may be the fact that Nintendo has stated that a Pokémon game will be coming to Switch in the near future. If this release is a base Pokémon game and not Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Stadium, or the like, but an actual Pokémon RPG, this signifies that Nintendo has officially merged it's home console and portable device into one piece of hardware as the Pokémon RPG has ALWAYS been the domain of the handheld systems.

It is going to be very interesting to see Sony and Microsoft's response to the Switch. From day one, they have always pushed the technical superiority of their consoles, scoffing at the relative lack of power on Nintendo's part. But the Switch has proven during its break-out year that a console's power is not the end all, be all reason for gamers wanting to play on it. True innovation is the key. Will the next generation of consoles coming out of the Sony and Microsoft camps resemble what Nintendo has accomplished with The Switch, or will they continue to concentrate on power for a console that can only be played in one spot, ignoring the undeniable popularity of The Switch? Only time will tell, but if Sony and Microsoft are smart, they will listen to the gaming community who have spoken loud and clear, proven by the Switch's sales figures over the past year. Basically, if they refuse to learn from the mistakes Sega made of underestimating Nintendo when they decide to change the future of gaming, they will be simply left in the past.

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In Defense of the JRPG

With the abysmal release of the the Chrono Trigger mobile port to steam, I thought it was appropriate to all about the JRPG genre in general. After all, if a person's first experience with JRPGs is this port, they are not coming away with the very good first impression. Especially when it comes to what is arguably the greatest 16 bit RPG, if not one of the greatest RPGs of all time. And I just can't allow that to happen, because out of the various genres of video games, my preferred type has always been the role playing game. More specifically, the Japanese role playing game, or JRPG, that usually features turn-based combat and a very deep and involved storyline. It may have become somewhat cliche to proclaim this genre to be my favorite, as it seems to be the hip thing to declare, but that fact makes it no less true. I deeply love many different games, but when pressed to come up with a list of my all-time favorite games/franchises, the same titles tend to come up over and over again. Titles like, Final Fantasy, Suikoden, Dragon Quest and Persona. So why do I always gravitate towards this one genre so much? The reasons are as varied as the games themselves.

1. You get the most bang for your buck. With the majority of big name JRPGs clocking in at the +100 hour mark to complete, these games just simply offer a ton of play value when compared to the money spent. Sure, the older and more sought after titles see increases in their value over time causing them to become rather pricey to pick up. But when you look at a new release title selling for its suggested retail price, a JRPG offers an extreme amount of reward when compared to other genres selling at the same general price point. Your average platformer can be completed in a matter of a couple hours, while a JRPG can be tracked in DAYS. So, when a gamer is on a budget, they usually are looking for a game that can at least sustain them until they are able to buy another one.

2. The story. This kind of ties into the first reason I gave. With all of that time invested in playing the game, the player becomes extremely invested in the characters and story line. They have to be or otherwise the game becomes more of a chore and the likelihood of a player finishing the game becomes smaller and smaller. Because of this, JRPGs generally feature the most involved plot lines found in any game on a given system. The good games take on the feeling of an interactive movie or novel in which the player is the star. And like all good books/movies, the player looses themselves in them story and time kind of slips away. Much like a person who is reading an engrossing novel decides to read "just one more page" before retiring for the night, a JRPG player usually decides just "one more battle" before ending their game session.

3. The Art. I'm not just talking about the graphics in the game. I'm talking about the artwork involved in all facets of the game. From the cover, to the instruction book, to the optional guide and art of the game books players can pick up, the artwork serves to draw the player deeper in the game. Immersing them into the world the developer built. Not to mention, the pictures are just plain pretty to look at!

4. The replay value. JRPGs have a very high replay value. Once again, I go back to my novel and movie analogy. How many times have you rewatched your favorite movie? If you are anything like me with the original Star Wars, the answer would be more times than you care to admit. Well, JRPGs are the same way. I have replayed favorite title periodically over the years and it always feels like catching up with an old friend. Invariably you also catch little things that you never noticed before, whether they are hidden items or just background details you were too busy to notice during a previous play through.

5. The final reason I am a fan of this genre means I have to admit something to you, the reader. I'm not very good at video games. There I said it. Sure I have some skills, but I have never been a "Master" of any game and have been frustrated to the point of rage-quitting numerous times. But JRPGs are games that, no matter what you skill level is, you can have fun playing and more times than not be able to finish. I finished Final Fantasy 1 way before defeating the likes of Bowser and Gannon. JRPGs rely on a players' ability to be patient and methodical, not how fast their reflexes are, and that suited my play-style to a tee.

These are just a few reasons why if you haven't already, you really should give JRPGs a chance. I didn't touch on nearly all of them, just the ones that really pertain to how I became such a huge fan. Please leave a comment telling me what you favorite JRPG is and why.

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Retro Gaming is in the Pi of the Beholder

Being a game collector, I have wrestled with whether or not I should seriously emulate video games over the years. After all this time spent contemplating the various pros and cons, I have come to the conclusion that of course I should be emulating! It allows me to play retro games that I have not been able to get my hands on in physical form, try out said games so I know whether or not they are worth getting, and it gives me the opportunity to play games that I would never be able to play otherwise.

So after coming to that conclusion, I began to formulate a plan. The biggest decision I had to come to pertained to the hardware I was going to use. The Raspberry Pi became the obvious choice when looking at specs versus cost. The price of this micro computer is just too good to pass up. I decided to experiment with the cheapest in the line, the Raspberry Pi Zero, having already owned one that came packaged with a magazine. I had this board for around a year and hadn't done anything with it yet, so I figured, "Why not?" I quickly found out the answer to that question. It just wasn't powerful enough to handle playing some of the later generation games I was wanting to emulate. The Zero worked just fine for NES and older systems, but beyond that I experienced serious lag, if not outright freezing. So I switched to a Raspberry Pi B+ model. Once again, I had this on hand so it was the obvious choice. Overclocking the processor allowed me to emulate all the consoles I wanted to and met the frame rate needs I had decided I wanted met.

One last thing about the Raspberry Pi's. If you are starting from scratch, I would recommend going with the latest board. As of this writing, that would be the Raspberry Pi 3. It has a better processor, on-board wi-fi, and Bluetooth capabilities which allow for better setups. As a matter of fact I will be upgrading to a 3 in the coming months for these very reasons.

Next, I needed to decide on the software I was going to run. The RetroPie OS was a no-brainer. The shear amount of emulators makes this the go-to emulator for Pi-based consoles. I also really liked how the ROMs were loaded onto the system and the ease of use compared to the other options out there. To be fair, I did try out a few other OS's just in case I was missing something, but I would always quickly go back to RetroPie. Once fully setup, RetroPie was able to fully emulate anything I threw at it like a champ, and I really liked the clean interface.

The next piece of the puzzle was deciding on a controller. I wanted something SUPER affordable, so PlayStation and/or Xbox controllers were nixed immediately. I had both of them on hand, but I wanted a controller specifically for the emulator. What can I say, I'm weird like that. I found a couple PS3-type controllers that connected via USB for under ten dollars a piece. They were comfortable to hold, the buttons, control pad and thumb sticks all felt great, and it worked when plugged into the console and after doing the automatic button mapping that RetroPi pops up with as soon as you plug a controller in. Added bonus: The controllers also had an auto fire option which is awesome for old-school shoot-em-ups!

Finally, I needed to come up with a housing for the console. I started of with the shell of an Atari 2600 all-in-one retro console. After some mods to accommodate everything, it looked pretty good. The only problem was that it was bigger than I was really wanting. So I found a case on Amazon that resembled a miniature NES for just eight bucks. The lid in the front opened exposing the USB ports, and a working power light in red also came with it. The installation took literally seconds and I had the perfect emulation console in the palm of my hand that would fit anywhere in my entertainment setup. With the extreme popularity if the NES and SNES Classics, emulators as well, there was something satisfying making my build resemble something that cost a lot more and had a lot less to offer in the way of game selection.

So for around $40 total, after purchasing a new HDMI cable, I now have a fully functioning emulation console that takes up the slack in all of my retro-gaming needs. Even if you have to buy the Pi board, we are only talking around $70-80, and that is insanely cheap for a console that has the ability to play thousands of games across dozens of consoles! If you are just starting out in retro game collecting, emulation is a perfect way to dip your toes in the retro waters. And for established game collectors, the convenience cannot be beat.

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Is it Worth it to Collect Complete in Box?

When you collect video games, particularly retro games, a question usually arises almost immediately. Is it worth the money and the effort to get a game "Complete in Box". Or CIB? The correct answer is basically yes AND no. Let me explain.

Of course it's worth trying to get a game CIB. Most collectors, myself included, see themselves preserving history with every game acquired. Even if that history is just personal in nature. So it only makes sense to have all of the packaging and inserts that came with the game when it was new on the store shelf. Not to mention the fact that the posters, instruction books, and flyers that came with the game serve as a sort of mini time capsule, giving a person a fuller look at the gaming world at the time of the game's release.

There's an aesthetic reason for collecting CIB games as well. When a game is in its retail packaging, it is obviously in its best looking form. The job of the packaging is to entice customers into buying the product after all. Especially when it comes to the older games, the manufacturers' only real means to grab gamers' attentions was with packaging, as advertising wasn't as prevalent as it is today. There are ways to make a loose cartridge look good on the shelf, I'll get into that later, but nothing beats the look of the game's professionally designed box art.

On the other hand, maybe it's not worth it to collect EVERYTHING CIB. The cost is a big deterrent to doing that. CIB copies of games can be up to 4-6 times the cost of just simply buying a loose cartridge. No matter whether a game comes with all of it's original bells, whistles, and do-dads, or if it's just a lonely grey/black cartridge, the game is going to play in the system the same. Collecting loose cartridges allows a collector to amass a larger quantity of games far cheaper than CIB.

There is also the space issue. Loose games take up less space than their boxed counterparts. Game Boy and Game Gear games are perfect examples. 20 boxed Game Boy games can take up most of if not an entire shelf. While 20 loose GB cartridges and either be easily stored in a small drawer out of the way, or stacked on the shelf taking up a fraction of the space. Not having enough space is a serious concern for ALL collectors, and collecting loose cartridges helps to alleviate some of that concern.

It's also just plain easier to find a loose version of a game when compared to finding a CIB game in good condition. This is also the main reason why CIB games are more expensive. They are just rarer, obviously the vast majority of gamers back in the day just threw the packaging away when they got a new game. A simple glance through Amazon and eBay shows this to be true. There are FAR more loose cartridges listed than CIB games. Flea Markets, Garage Sales, and Game Stores all usually have an abundance of loose cartridges laying around, but finding a certain game that is Complete in Box and take months, and sometimes even years to locate in decent condition if at all. That is a lot of time spent searching and hunting that could be spent playing the game instead.

The last reason to collect loose games, is that it is still possible to display them in an attractive manner using a little bit of ingenuity. There are third party labels available for the top edge of loose N64 cartridges that make them look really cool lined up on a shelf. There's also tutorials all over YouTube explaining how to make your own reproduction boxes/sleeves for you loose cartridges that look awesome and still take up less space on the shelf than the actual retail boxes. You can basically let your imagination run wild and display your cartridges in any way that suits you.

I personally collect a combination of both loose cartridges and CIB games, just like the majority of collectors I know. Basically, if I run across an affordable CIB game I snag it, otherwise I mainly stick to just loose carts for the reasons I described above. Being on a budget, I find it to be far more gratifying being able to pick up a handful of games relatively cheaply than just one CIB game every once in a while. And that is really the way all game collectors should begin. I wouldn't recommend going CIB only when you start your game collection. The chances of you getting frustrated early on because you can't find the games you are looking for greatly increase when you do. And this hobby is supposed to be fun, not a job. You can always "upgrade" to CIB down the road if you choose, but in the mean time you are building a nice library to play play and show off. So I guess the real answer to the question is that yes, CIB is definitely "worth it" if it is something important to you and you alone. There is no right or wrong way to collect video games. Collect CIB or don't collect CIB just collect in a way that make you happy.

[professordex78-blog]

My Thoughts on the Nintendo Switch

I purchased a Nintendo Switch and four games a little over a month ago. Each year I usually purchase a new console with my Christmas bonus check from the company I work for. It’s a little late X-Mas present to myself I guess you could say. The four games I picked up where Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Explorer’s Edition, Super Mario Odyssey, Puyo Puyo Tetris, and Lego Worlds. I have since picked up a number of games for the Switch, but let’s just concentrate on the system and these four games for now.

The first two games were no-brainers. Zelda and Mario are the system sellers for the Switch. I’m sure you might be wondering why I chose the other two games in my initial foray into the world of the Switch, instead of games like Doom, Skyrim, or Splatoon 2. It’s simple really. They are well-made games (even though the Lego Worlds port didn't get a lot of love) that don't need a serious time investment and can be played in smaller chunks at a time. In other words, they allow for good breaks from the deepness of Zelda and Mario. Unfortunately I can't play hardcore, in-depth games all night long like I used to in my younger years. After a few hours of traveling the plains of Hyrule, I'm in need of a break but I still want to play something so these two games afford me a break mentally without having to put the controller down. That's not to say that Puyo Puyo Tetris isn't challenging. It is. Just in a different way. Okay, enough side-tracking this is supposed to be about the Switch itself, so here goes..

First off, I just have to say that I really love this game system!!!!! I haven't been this smitten with a new Nintendo console in many, many years. The Wii was great fun initially, but the gimmick wore thin fairly quickly and I went back to my Playstation, only occasionally dusting off the Wii for a quick round of Wii Sports with friends and family. The DS/3DS were great little machines, but were really nothing more than the natural progression in Nintendo's handheld line of consoles. There's nothing at all wrong with that, as my gigantic collection of DS/3DS can attest, but there also wasn't a lot of "Oh my god!" excitement when they were released. Sure, the dual screens were very cool, but having owned Game and Watches the surprise probably wasn't as great for me. And quite frankly I still haven't gotten around to buying a WiiU and I probably won't. Chief among the reasons being the fact that only Super Mario Maker is the only thing the system has going for it and I'm sure it's just a matter of time before it getos ported to the Switch as well. With that said, The Switch's ability to go seamlessly from console to handheld is something gamers like myself have only dreamed about.

This may be the afterglow still talking, but I am at a loss when it comes to thinking of any really serious drawbacks to the system. The Joy Cons could maybe stand a little tweak. When used in tandem using the holder, I have found the experience to be quite comfortable. It's when used individually that they lack in the comfortability department. Luckily there are some really good shells you can pick up from third party manufacturers that alleviates the problem for around $10 for a pair. So that is a quick, easy and very affordable fix to the problem.

The only other obvious problem I can see with the Switch is one that I am sure will be fixed very soon. The eShop. The pricing as a whole has been pretty spot on, but navigating the store has proven to be a serious chore on a few occasions. Finding a new release or AAA title is never an issue. It's when I just want to browse the various games that issues will arise. Sure, using the search you can basically browse by category in a way but by simply adding a "Browse" feature like other console stores have, Nintendo would have the eShop right on track. I am also hopeful that we will see the return of the Virtual Console to this incarnation of the Nintendo eShop. The portability of the console makes it a no-brainer to include the vast library of classic games at Nintendo disposal. The tsunami of Neo Geo arcade ports is my main indicator for thinking that it is only a matter of time before I can play classic Super Mario Bros and Legend of Zelda on my Switch.

Okay, enough of the bad, let's get to the good. Like all systems everything really boils down to the selection of games. And holy crap, in the Switch's first year, Nintendo has come out swinging! Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Arms, Splatoon 2, Xenoblade Chronicles, Doom, Skyrim, Golf Story, Stardew Valley, and this list goes on and on. Sure, not all of these games are exclusives or brand new, but feel brand new when played on the Switch. Nintendo seems to be firing on all cylinders when it comes to bringing a good mix of first party, indies, ports, and eShop offerings that are just plain fun to play on the Switch. Stardew Valley especially seems like a totally different game on the Switch. I couldn't be happier with the selection of games provided in just the first year of this console's release.

The hardware itself is just plain impressive to me as well. The rather sturdy design and clean lines is what I expect when it comes to a Nintendo console while also surprising me with kooky colors and other fun design choices. The specs may not blow away the competition, but Nintendo has proven time and again that winning the specs race is not always the smartest way to go. As long as the product will last and, most importantly, is fun to play, it will dominate. And dominating is what the Switch most definitely is doing!

[professordex78-blog]

Video Games, Violence, and Why the President is Wrong

In the wake of the tragedy in Florida, the President alluded to video games being responsible for making children violent. My knee jerk reaction was to call B.S. After all, this assertion has been made since the dawn of video games, and it has been repeatedly proven to be a false assumption over and over again with various studies by people far smarter than I. But for some reason I have been thinking about this constantly the past few days and this is what I have concluded for myself. Please bear in mind these are my opinions and mine alone. I don't profess to speak for all the video game nerds in the world, but I do think that with my almost four decades of experience I bring some, for lack of a better word, wisdom to the discussion.

Violence has been a part of video games in some shape and/or form since the very beginning. For right or wrong, it's basically inherent to the system. Much like all other forms of media humans have developed. Granted, the depth of immersion found in these video games has greatly increased recently, but we have still been blowing things up and shooting guys from day one. So if video games are the culprit why is this mass shooting epidemic a relatively recent phenomenon?

All the developed countries around the world also see these same games being played in their countries, and yet the mass shootings are so rare in those countries that they may as well not exist. If these games caused violence in players, shouldn't this be occurring around the globe instead of just our country? If these games are causing the youth playing them to become uncontrollable sociopaths shouldn't we be seeing the effects in countries like England and Japan experiencing almost daily instances of mass slaughter?

Any form of media being consumed without limits and proper parental supervision can prove to be harmful to a child. It doesn't matter wether it's video games, social media, TV, or movies. "Too much of a good thing" is very real and detrimental to a growing brain. But if these types of media, like video games for instance, are consumed in the manner in which they are intended to be consumed, pose no real danger to the individual or society as a whole. It's when that media is abused, much like drugs and alchohol, that dangers to the individual may present itself. A constant stream of anything can affect a person, it almost has a brainwashing effect. But these games, like books, movies and tv shows are NOT meant to be consumed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If a child does consume any media in an unhealthy dose, the blame ultimately falls on the parent not the media itself. On the same note though, video games have instituted the ESRB rating system to help parents decide whether or not a game is appropriate for their child, but once again, its up to a child's parent to become informed as to what "Little Johnny" has been spending his free time playing.

Also, to just blame video games makes no sense. After all, it was a book, The Catcher in the Rye, that propelled John Hinkley into trying to assassinate President Reagan. It was a Beatles record that drove Manson and his followers. And there are many other instances that can be listed in which an individual had an unhealthy attachment to a piece of media. Did J.D. Salinger and the Beatles intend for their audiences to commit heinous acts of violence? Of course not. Did wee hold them accountable for the heinous acts that were carried out in their name? No, we did not. Sure their were a minority of people shouting that they were to blame, but cooler, and leveler heads quickly prevailed, pointing out that even though the media may have been involved, it was the fact that it was misused that caused the problems. But it seems like video games are being held to a different standard and no one is bale to give a concrete reason as to why.

Art is a reflection of our world. And make no mistake, even something as silly as a video game is art. If our art is becoming increasingly more violent, maybe we should be thinking about how to improve the world around us and making it safer as opposed to blaming our problems on a digital boogeyman. Perhaps the real problem is a societal one in which a large number of people worship at the alter of the gun, fetishizing it without even considering the ramifications that may have on our collective consciousness. It is far easier for us to pick a person or thing like Marilyn Manson, or video games, or movies and say that they are the reason for this madness than for us to collectively look in the mirror and recognize that maybe, just maybe, its us as a whole in this country that needs to change and do better. That maybe, just maybe it's our society as a whole that is giving birth to these monsters. Ok, I'm off the soap box I now return to you to your regularly scheduled nerdy posts.

[professordex78-blog]

E3 Nintendo Highlights

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Huge Update for Super Mario Odyssey Goes Live!

Today saw the latest update for Super Mario Odyssey go live! So that means Luigi’s Balloon World is now playable as well as three new costumes! In this day and age of loot crates and hidden fees in video games, it is awesome that Nintendo is giving us more play value for the Mario at absolutely no cost. This game already had enormous play value, but now with the addition of the online multi-player experience that Balloon World affords, it has a very large dose of re-playability now. Having tried out this new mode all morning, I can tell you that it is quickly becoming one of my favorite parts of the game! You have the option to either hide balloons for other players around the world, or find ballons hidden by other players. Each play costs a few coins and a victory nets the player even more coins. So it is also a new way to farm coins for the three new outfits released today as well. Those three new outfits includes a knight, a gangster, and sunshine. Definitely welcome addtions to Mario’s already extensive wardrobe. I really hope that Nintendo continues to offer these free DLC expansions to Mario Odyssey, if they do, this will become an evergreen title for the Switch for a long to come!

[professordex78-blog]

The Switch Goes Back to Nintendo's Roots

Mega Man turns 30 this year and the festivities have just been kicked off because... Mega Man is coming to the Switch! Nintendo has just announced that Mega Man Legacy Collection Volumes 1 and 2 are coming to the Nintendo Switch on May 22nd and I couldn't be more excited! Volume 1 is going to include the first 6 Mega Man games that were released on the NES. While Volume 2 will come packed with Mega Man 7,8,9,and 10. We will also get all of the DLC released for MM 9 and 10. Both volumes will also include some interesting extras. The big one is Rewind Mode that essentially gives the player a do over in those super difficult spots found in a lot of the stages. There will also be Challenge Mode that remixes some stages and will have online leader boards. Both volumes will also support Amiibo figures which will unlock new challenges for the player when tapped.

As a fan of retro gaming in general and Mega Man in particular, I absolutely love that these games are coming out for the Switch in just a couple months! Having all ten games in one convenient package and also being able to take them on the go with the Switch is a wonderful way to start Big Blue's big birthday year. A lot of people in the Switch community have been speculating that we would see a Switch release of these classic games this year and I for one am very happy to see this speculation born out.

The Mega Man Legacy Collections will be released two ways. You can buy them separately from the Nintendo eShop with Vol. 1 selling for $14.99 and Vol. 2 selling for $19.99. There will also be a physical release of Volume 1 for $39.99. It will come with a digital download code for Vol. 2 and a 30th Anniversary screen cleaning cloth. Not a bad way to start Mega Man's 30th birthday that culminates with the highly anticipated release of Mega Man 11 on all major platforms later this year!