Son Of FrankenMac

I got the leftovers pieced together, and now my unexpected second Power Mac G4 is in business... Albeit with a noisy CPU fan and a damaged speaker. Anyway, it's running Mac OS X 10.4.11 on an 800MHz G4 (no L3 cache) with 320MB of RAM, a 16MB AGP ATi Rage 128 Pro, a 30GB Maxtor HDD, and a CD-RW drive. Not sure what to do with this one yet...

FrankenMac

Upon returning to my office with the QuickSilver 2002 in tow on Thusday, a coworker of mine noted that he had "one of those" too... And then asked me if I wanted it. I picked it up last night :) His is an older model QuickSilver, but was a little more full-featured than what I'd picked up. So far, I've taken the CPU, RAM, and video card from his Mac and added it all to mine (newer motherboard). I would've taken his Super Drive as well, but it doesn't seem to be working.

As it stands, my QuickSilver 2002 is now running Mac OS X 10.4.11 on an 867MHz G4 (2MB L3 cache) with 640MB of RAM, a 32MB AGP GeForce2 MX, a 40GB Seagate HDD, an NEC 3550A DVD+/-RW, and a USB 2.0 PCI card. I'll be adding more RAM (1.5GB max) as I find it, and possibly upgrading to OS X 10.5... Tracking down a dual-1GHz CPU card would be nice too :) 

The only thing that troubles me with this rig is how much trouble it has running Flash videos. It can do 480p MPEG videos fullscreen without a hitch, but YouTube often looks like a slide show :\

Hindsight

I was in a surplus store yesterday, looking for a specific kind of SCSI enclosure... Without any luck. I did, however, pick-up a pristine Lian Li case for $30, as well as a QuickSilver 2002 Power Mac G4 for $125. Not the greatest deal on the Mac, but I love the design. It was low-end (single 800MHz CPU, no L3 cache) and stripped of all but the bare necessities (256MB of RAM, 40GB HDD, and downgraded to a 16MB ATi Rage 128 Pro video card), but I figured I have RAM and hard drives at home, I could always keep an eye out for a better video card, and maybe I'll stumble across a dual-1GHz CPU upgrade some day. Mostly I just really like the case though ;) Unfortunately, upon returning home, I discovered that I'd given away all of my PC133 RAM! I used to have stacks of the stuff! Damnit! It's gonna cost me in the neighbourhood of $100 to max the thing out if I go new :( I did get Mac OS X 10.4 installed though, and it actually runs pretty well at 1280x1024, so I'm not that upset.

I also picked-up ActRaiser for SNES, and it promptly sucked me in. If not for the free episode of Tales Of Monkey Island that was released on International Talk Like A Pirate Day, ActRaiser would be all I've been playing at home these days. On the PSP front, Dissidia lost my interest with its lame stories and incessant grinding, and Marvel Trading Card Game had my head spinning before I was finished the tutorials.

WiiMelt

My Wii has overheated while in standby mode. There are now visual artifacts on the display whenever it is turned on. I always used to turn it off when I was done for the day, but the idea of having news and weather updates waiting for me before I played was kind of cool. I also liked how the system's light would pulse when new updates were available... I don't like it so much anymore, now that it apparently comes at a ridiculous cost.

Searching the web has revealed that this isn't exactly an uncommon occurrence, so I'll be in touch with Nintendo's service department... Though really, I'd just like to get a new one.

$30 Good?

Trine is good. People keep comparing it to The Lost Vikings, but there're some pretty big fundamental differences between the two games... Then again, I understand the need for some kind of touchstone in journalism, adding historical weight to something new. Anyway, yeah, Trine is good. $30 good? Maybe; depends on whether you really like that kind of game or not. $20 good? Definitely. There's nothing wrong with Trine, but the concept does get kind of old before long, and the game is definitely lacking polish. The menus and loading screens, the way the models animate and interact with the environments, and even the character development in terms of narrative... They all just seem decidedly low-budget. Not bad, mind you; they're perfectly passable. It's just that when I play games like World Of Goo, 'splosion Man, and even Penny Arcade Adventures and see just how slick they are, it gets a little bit harder to swallow the price premium for Trine. I still recommend grabbing the demo and deciding for yourself though.

Picked-up Guitar Hero Unplugged and Dissidia: Final Fantasy for PSP. The former is fun, but then I was never a big fan of Frequency or Amplitude... Dissisdia, like Crisis Core, had me thoroughly confused at first; Super Smash Bros. gameplay and these weird boardgame maps between battles... The tutorials didn't really help either. After settling into the actual game though, things started to make more sense. I like the strategy, but I foresee plenty of grinding in this one. I found the grind acceptable in Crisis Core on account of the storyline and other available activities, and while a lot of that is present here, it feels much less cohesive... Let's see if it drags me in.

Heh, why not...

PS3 Slim Size Comparison

Holy Crap!

3D Dot Game Heroes

Also, I picked-up a copy of ToeJam & Earl for Genesis, and I finished Sonic Adavce 2.

Seriously, it's a Sonic game!

I finished Mirror's Edge (without using any guns). It was really good. I'm not sure what everyone was complaining about when it came out though... Yeah, the cutscenes felt rough when juxtaposed with the super slick game engine, and the main campaign is kinda short, but there's a huge amount of replay value in there. Mirror's Edge really is like a Sonic The Hedgehog game; you can finish it in no time, but if you want to get the most out of it, you practice your routes, scour levels for secrets, and strive for achievements that actually mean something... And it becomes a whole new game. I definitely had to repeat a few sections ad nauseam, but it was usually because I was trying to neutralise every enemy without firing a shot when I should've been running like hell. My only real complaints are the out-of-place cutscenes, some trite dialogue, and the odd environment element that didn't turn red when it should've (that's how the game helps you find a route through the level); otherwise, it was well worth my time, and I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel.

Oh, and I finally tracked-down a copy of Ristar for Genesis!

Summer of...

Everything you've read about XBOX Live's Summer of Arcade titles is true. 'splosion Man is great fun, with its fast-paced mix of platform and puzzle action. Trials HD is gorgeous in its simplicity (and graphics), resulting in an delightfully addictive experience. Turtles In time Re-Shelled is alright, but ultimately disappointing, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is Marvel Vs. Capcom 2.

Moving on, the final battle in Sonic Advance 2 wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to fight the boss that can randomly kill you with one hit and spends two thirds of the battle off-screen... Again! He was annoying enough the first time at the end of Sky Canyon, and now they're making me fight him again? Fuck.

In other news, I picked-up an Epson R300 complete with ink on the cheap off craigslist in order to print on CDs. Ooh, and then I ran into an issue with a computer I was asked to repair in a rush. First diagnosis was bad RAM after failed tests. I got it running properly the same day, but with only one stick. The guy came back wanting to buy more RAM, and so I took it again and looked into things further before spending any money... It should've hit me as soon as I saw the purple PCB of the motherboard; yup, yet another failing ECS product. I swapped-in a BioStar U8668-D v7.1 (had an extra one lying around that I'd saved from the trash), but he had a 2.4GHz "Prescott" Pentium 4 in that ECS board... v7.1 of the BioStar board doesn't support "Prescott" CPUs. So I've donated my P4 2.8Bto the cause and put an old P4 2.4B in my workhorse. I now have two 2.4GHz "Prescott" CPUs (at least one of which overclocks to a stable 3.6GHz on stock cooling) just lying around.

Wax Nostlagic.

I have a soft spot for SEGA's 32X, probably because it was the first contemporary video game system (not counting PCs) that my parents ever bought for me. I'd rescued a ColecoVision from a garbage can, acquired an Atari 2600 in a trade with a friend, and my grandparents had given me a Game Boy when it was first released, but the 32X was when my parents finally broke down ;) They got me a model 2 Genesis with Sonic 2 and a Menacer, as well as a 32X with Virtua Racing Deluxe... I don't think you understand just what a momentous occasion that was in my family.

As I reflect on fiddling with the electromagnetic shields to fit them into the Genesis' cartridge slot, and then suffering my mother's comment of "Don't games on the computer look better than that?" upon seeing Virtua Racing Deluxe, I can't help but feel that it was somewhat of a bittersweet experience. Then again, I got to play an excellent port of Virtua Fighter at home without shelling-out for a Saturn, and at the time, that was more than enough for me. The fact that I also got to enjoy the entire Genesis library as well as sweet 32X games like After Burner Complete, Knuckles' Chaotix, Kolibri, Mortal Kombat II, Tempo, Shadow Squadron, Space Harrier, Star Wars Arcade, Virtua Racing Deluxe, and Zaxxon's Motherbase 2000 ain't so bad either... And I'm sure I learned a lesson in there somewhere, making-do with what I had.

What's with the sudden bout of nostalgia? Well, new developements regarding two particular unreleased 32X games have been brought to my attention:

1. A prototype of Virtua Hamster has been dumped! Yes, Virtua Hamster... Seriously, check it out. I always wondered exactly what this game was gonna be like, and now I have a much better idea. There're videos on YouTube if you don't feel like tracking down the dump and an emulator.
2. Videos have surfaced of the 32X-exclusive X-MEN game!!! I remember drooling over screenshots of this thing back in the day, and I recall the alpha/prototype/promo/whatever copy selling on eBay for like $1000 not too long ago... Videos here, and more info here! The ROM has been dumped, but does not currently run on any emulators.
   

In other news, don't pay me to fix your computer, only to remove all of the anti-virus and ant-spyware measures I installed, install your own shitty anti-virus software, get duped by fake anti-virus software that isn't what you installed, and then ask me to fix it again. Ugh.

Should've made the connection sooner...

Mirror's Edge is Sonic The Hedgehog in 3D. It's easy to muddle your way through each game, but the real experience lies in the challenge of mastering a fluid path through each level without losing momentum.

Speaking of Sonic The Hedgehog, I'm on the final battle of Sonic Advance 2.

Speaking of portables, I picked up a copy of Puzzle Link for Neo Geo Pocket Color today.

Speaking of what I picked up today, I also bought a copy of X-Perts for Genesis today. Yes, it's kind of awful (though the gameplay design is pretty interesting), but I don't think I'd ever actually seen a copy of it before and it was under $10.

Oh, and I've finished On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode 2. It was fantastic; a slick mix of adventure gaming and RPGs, less repetitive than its predecessor, and hilariously entertaining. Man, I hope Episode Three gets made. I've since installed Planescape: Torment... Looks like Majora's Mask is gonna hafta wait a little longer.

Might As Well

Used the trade-in value from what I didn't keep of that PC Engine lot toward GunHed for PC Engine, The House Of The Dead: Overkill and MadWorld for Wii, and Ninja Gaiden II for XBOX 360.

Finally got past Sky Canyon in Sonic Advance 2, and Techno Base is proving to be less frustrating. I appreciate the familiarisation required to really master the game, but it does make it far less accessible... I would've preferred fewer ramps that throw the player into bottomless pits during simple playthroughs of the levels ;)

Progress

I finished the single-player campaign of Gears Of War 2. It was great, though the ending did feel a little rushed; still one of the most viscerally entertaining games out there though. So now I've jumped into On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode Two, and it's just as delightfully hilarious and fun as the first one. I think Mirror's Edge will be next.

The Sky Canyon boss fight in Sonic Advance 2 is still frustrating me, as is the final battle in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.

Happy Birthday!

Yes it is my birthday today, and on a potentially cosmically-related note, I purchased something from craigslist last night. I though I was getting a PC Engine, two controllers, Be Ball (Chew-Man-Fu), Berabo Man (Bravo Man), Darius Plus, Obocchama-Kun, and Yokai Dochuki for $80 CDN. What I actually got was a PC Engine CoreGrafx, complete in its original packaging with two matching controllers, a Battle Tap, and all five of those games complete and in immaculate condition!

Realistic average eBay prices are as follows:

• CoreGrafx (boxed): ~$100
• Second controller: ~$40
• Battle Tap: ~$25
• Be Ball: ~$20
• Berabo Man: ~$35
• Darius Plus: ~$40
• Obocchama-Kun: ~$50
• Yokai Dochuki: ~$15

...So a ~$325 lot for $80? Not bad. I'll flip the system, the Battle Tap, and most of the games. I think I'll keep the second controller, Darius Plus, and Be Ball.

My Wishlist

I'd like to get the following Atari Jaguar games:

• I-War
• Iron Solider 2
• Missile Command 3D
• Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure
• Power Drive Rally
• Protector SE
• Ruiner Pinball
• Skyhammer
• Zero 5

...And I guess a copy of BattleSphere Gold would be nice ;) Unfortunately, even without BattleSphere, that's all gonna cost more that I've already put into my entire Jaguar collection. Boo to that.

In other news, I got $25 for the ten remaining PSX games from that lot I mentioned in my last post :)

12 for $20

Found an interesting listing on craigslist; a bunch of PSX games for $20. I got Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout (disc only) NBA Live 99 (no booklet), Rayman (Greatest Hits, no booklet), Spyro The Dragon (Greatest Hits), Tekken 2 (disc only), Toy Story 2, (no booklet) Twisted Metal III (Greatest Hits, no booklet), WWF Attitude (no booklet), WWF SmackDown! 2 (Greatest Hits), and WWF War Zone (Greatest Hits, with booklet, no case).

Oh, and Bushido Blade 2 and Jumping Flash 2!!! Not bad for $20 :) I'm gonna flip the rest, but I've been looking for those last two for a while now... Still need to find the original Jumping Flash though.

Slick Stick

I bought a Dempa Shinbunsha XE-1 PRO HE arcade stick for my Duo-R for $45 CDN. It's a pretty slick stick, feels great, is impressively customisable, sports a built-in five-port multitap, and seems to be going (new) for $55 US + shipping from Japan on eBay. You can read-up on it here.

I've still got a few more interesting acquisitions in the works, so don't go too far...

Follow-Up

Swapped Dracula X discs at the shop (the other case was a little faded and worn) and dropped off the Duo-R pad with them. They said they'd see if they could fix it, or try to find a replacement for me... In the mean time, they've given me an Avenue Pad 6; the PC Engine controller designed specifically for Street Fighter II': Champion Edition. My ire has been assuaged.

Not Fun.

Sonic Advance 2 is reminding me why I loathe bottomless pits. To be more specific, I've discovered parts of the Sky Canyon zone, in both acts, that consistently launch the player at bottomless pits. Both seem like sloppy level design, as one apparently offers no alternative path or means of retreat once you approach it, and the other could've been resolved if a platform had been moved just a few pixels to the right. Not fun, especially considering that you only get three lives to complete both acts and the boss encounter.

Also not fun is noticing that my copy of Dracula X for my PCE CD appears to have been resurfaced. The shop has another copy, and is allowing me to swap for it. Even worse is discovering that the controller for my PCE Duo-R is malfunctioning! Upon closer inspection, something had been spilled on it, it has been opened but not fully cleaned, and two of the screw wells were stripped in the process! Again, the shop has offered to swap it for anther, but they only have PCE, Core Grafx, Duo, and Avenue Pad 6 controllers in stock... No Duo-R controllers! That's whack!

Still Catching-Up

Finished Sonic Advance, and on to Sonic Advance 2. Anyone who's been missing Sonic's 2D glory days on the Genesis needs to play the Advance series if they haven't already. Almost done Gunstar Super Heroes (last boss). Haven't had a chance to sit down with Gears Of War 2 or Majora's Mask recently... Been building-up my PCE/TG16 CD experience though:

• Bomberman: Awesome version of the classic game.
• Bonk III CD: Still awesome, CD audio is a nice upgrade.
• Beyond Shadowgate: This was a surprise; a solid adventure game! Controls take some getting used to, but there's some good stuff here.
• Castlevania: Dracula X: Best game on the system. Possibly the best game on any system... Ever.
• Forgotten Worlds: Great version of a great shoot-'em-up.
• Gate Of Thunder: Another awesome shoot-'em-up.
• Last Alert: Sweet top-down action game with notably gory gameplay and unintentionally funny voice acting.
• Lords Of Thunder: Yet another great shoot-'em-up, but with a medieval/norse theme.
• Fighting Street: Awful game, barely playable, only significant historically.
• Shadow Of The Beast: Some weird kind of action/adventure game with sweet graphics and awful gameplay.
• Shape Shifter: Unique action/RPG, solid gameplay, high production values for its time.
• Super Air Zonk: Yet another great shoot-'em-up, but with particularly weird cartoon graphics.
• Super Raiden: Great port of the seminal shoot-'em-up, with sweet CD audio.
• Valis II: Bad control, boring gameplay.
• Valis III: Huge improvement over Valis II, I specifically like the playable/in-engine cutscenes.
• Ys Boook I & II: Haven't played it yet.
• Ys III: Haven't played this one yet either.