5/31/03

Awright!  I've finally written something for the site!  Wow, next thing you know, I'll make a new Zoo Logic comic or something.  Hey, it could happen!

I don't know why I'm in such high spirits right now.  I guess it has something to do with the new X68000 emulator I downloaded... it's better than the other two I had combined.  I've sung the praises of Sharp's Japanese computer in the past, and the system's become even more appealing now that I've found an emulator that's easy to use and runs the vast majority of X68K games.

If you'd like to give XM6 a whirl, you can download it from either the author of the emulator or the Japanese Computer Emulation Center.  You really should, because there are some great games available for the X68000.  Where else can you find an expanded version of the old Star Wars coin-op, with lengthier Tie Fighter battles and a tough-as-nails trench scene?  Or a director's cut of River City Ransom with rounds that weren't in the NES game?   There are also tons of arcade games available for the system... you've seen these already, but you'll be amazed by the quality of the conversions.

5/29/03

On today's menu, you'll find a review straight from the pen of contributor John Roche, and nothin' at all from me except for this update.  It doesn't seem like I do anything for this site anymore, does it?

Oh well.  Hey, there's some pretty big news in the world of emulation... in the past week, emulators were released for both the 3DO and Saturn.  I haven't had much luck with either of them, but judging from the documentation, FreeDO is much more complete than Satourne.  I suspect that I COULD get FreeDO to work with the right files... in its current state it won't run official 3DO discs.  The only problem is that the files it needs, called ISOs, are enormous, containing as much memory as a compact disc.  You'd practically melt your Internet lines trying to download files that large.  I guess I'll just have to wait until the creator of FreeDO finishes his work.

5/27/03

Yeah, Zoo Logic is still on hiatus.  I just didn't feel like drawing a comic this week... chalk it up to your typical artist moodiness.  In its place is a drawing inspired by one of the James Bond films.  Call me nutty, but Roger Moore was one of my favorite 007s.  Roger adds a touch of wit you don't often see in the other Bond films, particularly the new ones with Pierce Brosnan and (shudder) Timothy Dalton.  A View to a Kill was pure poison... I don't know if it was the post-Cold War plotline or the decision to hire a handsome but emptyheaded actor to play James Bond, but the series was never the same after that rotten excuse for a movie.

I wish I had more to talk about so soon after the Electronic Entertainment Expo... you'd think I would, but the only thing that comes to mind is the avalanche of portable game systems that have either been released or will be sometime soon.  I have trouble understanding why everyone has suddenly decided that they can wrest control of the handheld market from Nintendo... every company that's tried to compete with the Game Boy in the past was quickly handed a defeat.  Sony's hoping to change this trend with a new Playstation portable, but even with their intimidating marketing muscle, I don't think they'll be able to pull it off.  From what I've heard about the PSP so far, it sounds like it'll be twice the price of the Game Boy Advance, and less convenient to use.  Those are two big strikes against it already.  It may be far more powerful than Nintendo's system, but anyone who witnessed the unstoppable eight year run of the monochrome Game Boy will agree that the strength of a handheld console's hardware is, at best, a minor factor in its success.  The PSP will sell a few million units, but this time, the Sony name won't be enough to give it an edge over its competition.

5/24/03

Man, I've really been neglecting this site.  I just haven't felt like writing anything lately... fortunately, some inspiration struck me late last night (as it always does, it seems) and I finished two of the reviews in my upcoming Space Invaders history page.  It's turning out pretty nicely, folks.  I think you'll be happy with it when I'm done, but as you might suspect, it could be a while before it's finished.  I'll probably publish it one page at a time rather than dumping the whole thing on the site at once.  That way, you'll have something to read early on rather than waiting months for its completion.

5/21/03

Don't expect anything new and exciting in this update... I just needed to do some routine maintainence.  The Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow review has been improved, and I've fixed the missing URL of the shooter site I'd mentioned in my Vsys Gaiden review.  By the way, I highly recommend a visit to Emudek if you haven't been there already.  There are a ton of Japanese shooters to download there, and a few of them, particularly Rally Raid, are exceptional.

So, has anyone noticed that a lot of Game Boy Advance games have drastically dropped in price?  The Pinball of the Dead is a meager ten dollars, and I've heard the freshly released Iridion II has been sold in stores for fifteen bucks... sometimes even less!  Can it get any better than this?  Actually, yes it could, but it would require Nintendo to adequately support its quickly forgotten e-card reader.  No third party games, no full conversion of Donkey Kong... frankly, I expected more from Nintendo than this.

5/19/03

Here it is, folks.  As you can see, I've packed a lot of stuff in this update, but I wanted to add even more.  Unfortunately, it's really late, and I've got a full day of job hunting ahead of me, so the revised link page and new counter graphic will have to wait.

I wonder how this year's E3 turned out?  If anyone was there and has some juicy information that the gaming press hasn't heavily publicized, I'd love to hear about it.  Just post it on the forum so everyone will get a chance to see it.  Thanks!

5/16/03

I can think of about a billion things I need to update on the site.  Let's hope I get to a couple of them over the weekend.

5/15/03

It's been a while, but there's a new review on the site courtesy of contributor Phil Estes.  We'll follow it up with a little something from John Roche in a couple of days.

I was reading an animation magazine last night and discovered two pretty surprising things.  The first is that Bandai is releasing a tag-team fighting game based on the Adult Swim cartoon Inu Yasha.  That in and of itself isn't such a shocker, but the real surprise is that it's for the original Playstation, as opposed to a system that could really do the concept justice.  Still, I'll be looking out for this game.  It's always nice to have something to review on Fighter's Misery.

I also found out that the Japanese are selling collectable cards based on older video games.  This was met with some derision by the editors of the magazine... they responded by sarcastically asking, "What, is Elevator Action not getting enough press?"  Actually, smartasses, it's not.  If they sold these cards for a reasonable price in the states, I know I'd buy 'em.

5/13/03

Once you see it, you'll understand why it took me so long to finish this comic... it's the longest installment of Zoo Logic yet, and you wouldn't believe how long it took me to add the stylized coloring.  There's no rational explanation for Byron joining the cast, but hey, this is Zoo Logic!  I don't need one!

Anyway, I finally fired up the Astrocade, and it's pretty nifty for its age... not as good as the Atari 2600 or Intellivision, but head and shoulders above most of the other game systems released in the late 1970's.  The feature that makes the Astrocade really stand out are those crazy joystick/dial controllers.  The dial isn't just there for show... it's important, if not totally required, for several of the Astrocade's games.  For instance, you twist the dial to aim your quarterback's arm in Football, adding a unique challenge to an otherwise typical sports game.  You can even use the dial to select your favorite game after the system has been powered on, something that really comes in handy when your Astrocade's keypad is on the fritz.  Oh well, what did I expect for four bucks?

I don't update the links page often, but I'm giving some thought to a little spring cleaning.  Now that I have all of my fonts back, it shouldn't be tough to add a miscellaneous section for my friends' web sites.  I'd also like to take a couple of pages out.  I'm torn between giving Sector: NGP the boot or leaving it in... the rest of the site is fine, but it's got what has to be the world's most aggressively rude message board.  It's the only part of Sector: NGP that's regularly updated, and I don't feel it's worth supporting.

5/9/03

The commencement's today, guys.  Wish me luck!

Atari Age has published dozens of early gaming magazines on their site, including three issues of the deservedly short-lived Atarian.  I can't help but marvel (pun intended) at the stupidity of this newsletter's comic, which features a superhero who would make even Johnny Turbo groan in disbelief.  Yes, I'm talking about the same Johnny Turbo with the pot belly and the nerdy gay sidekick.  Amazingly, the hero isn't even the worst part of the comic... just look at its portrayal of Nintendo as a sinister, buck-toothed  despot who dominates the video game industry by sabotaging Atari's products.  Well, that WOULD explain why the 7800 was such a piece of crap.

One more thing before I go.  I'd like to thank everyone who made suggestions about how to get my Astrocade up and running.  Now that my classes are over, I should have more than enough time to spend with the system... I'll post my thoughts about it in the near future.

5/5/03

Just to warn you, I'm gonna be busy with tests and a graduation ceremony this week.  I've started work on a comic and the new Space Invaders section of the site, but neither will be ready for a while.  In the meantime, I've got a drawing of the site's mascot and a request for you, the reader.  How the heck do you hook an older game system to a television set with a coaxial cable port but no RF screws?

5/3/03

I came across a fantastic find yesterday; probably the best one in a very long time.  Out of the blue, I decided to take an alternate route back home, and found a garage sale along the way.  It didn't seem special at first, but upon closer inspection I discovered a Bally Astrocade in its original box.  It was so complete it even included a warranty card!  The best part is that the entire package only cost me four bucks.  That's not bad, especially since I've been collecting for over ten years and this is the first Astrocade I've managed to find.

I'll have to cover the system when I've got the time for it.  I've played tons of Astrocade titles already, but only on an emulator... I'd like to try them with the system's unique controllers.  They're a little hard to describe... they've got a contoured grip like an analog PC joystick, but no base.  Instead, the point of view hat on the top controls the action, and can even be twisted like a paddle.  It's a pretty funky hybrid of several controller styles, and I'm eager to find out if the combination works.

5/2/03

The comic's in color now... as promised!  I hope you like it... and I hope American Greetings doesn't!  By the way, Mother's Day is coming up soon.  You know what NOT to buy this year, right?

I'm feeling pretty upbeat for a change.  I'm almost finished with my classes... I've got just one more test and assignment to do in Digital Fabrication, and I'm actually starting to enjoy soldering.  I sure as heck didn't feel that way when I started out, but once I got over my initial hesitation, I realized that you get a serious power trip from turning metal into liquid.

I also finally got one of my headlines published on Fark.  It took some perserverence (actually, a whole lot of it!), but it was ultimately worth the trouble.