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It's nice to have an "All things video games" thread, but recently it seems to be about "video game news" than anything else, so I propose starting a discussion on the stuff we all grew up with and get nostalgic pangs for every so often now. I'll start by explaining that I had hardly played any video games for probably over a decade until I bought a PSP when Macross Ace Frontier came out. MAF was fun and everything, but it was the old school emulators that got me hooked again. Back in the day I had a Super NES and Gameboy, and I believed they were the greatest things on the planet. Going to school in the UK I bought CVG (Computer & Video Games) magazine every month (with awesome airbrushed artwork on the cover every issue), and later switched to the new NMS (Nintendo Magazine System -- yeah, what a name). The free gifts were incredible at the time. A "Time Boy" clock/keyring in the shape of a gameboy, the entire Street Fighter 2 arcade soundtrack on CD (with all the speech and everything)... Anyway, needless to say most of my favourite games were on Nintendo machines. Here are some which I enjoy even to this day. Axelay: There was a wholesale store called Makro which always had an excellent selection of hardcore shooters like this. I distinctly remember Cybernator and Super Aleste being on the same shelf, but I went and got this one. It was the European mainland edition because it came with two instruction booklets, one in English and one in Portuguese. Holy crap were these graphics gobsmackingly-insane. It moved like 3D, but it was all cool sprite-scaling and Mode 7 wizardry. And the music was amazing. It was around this time that I realized that the Konami logo was really just a seal of quality, and a guarantee of fun. Starfox/Starwing All the UK mags made a big deal about this one not least for the fact that it was the first real, full speed 3D shooter on a console (unless you count Faceball 2000?) but also for the involvement of British developer Argonaut Software. That meant lots of interviews with the staff. Ironically due to copyright reasons the name had to be changed since there already was some Starfox game on the Spectrum or C64 or some Amstrad thing, who knows. The game itself was incredibly fun, and I remember playing it with my friends on my 12th birthday party. "BOGEY ON MY SIX!" Yoshi's Island: As this one was released really late in the life of the console, I don't really have as "nostalgic" feelings for it as the others, yet have plenty of memories trying to solve all the puzzles and whatnot. The control system was like no other game before it and extremely daunting at first, as the whole structure of the game was based on the concept of getting Yoshi to aim and throw his eggs at enemies, obstacles, power-ups; and the whole thing gets even more complex when you incorporate the calculations you have to make to get the eggs to rebound at the perfect angle to hit the switch that activates the thing to transform Yoshi into a car (with comedy vertically-extending axles) or helicopter and whatnot. Yeah, weird but really fun. And I never managed to unlock all the levels, as there are still some flowers and coins and stuff that I never found. Street Fighter 2: The big one. My cousin and I played the hell out of this game. "SHORYUUKEN!!" Mario Paint: OK, so, not really a game. But it was certainly something I spent a lot of time on, since I loved drawing and making animations. The sound composer was great too, and the fly-squatting game was the most fun I've ever had with a mouse-click type of game. Simple but sweet. Super Game Boy: Again, not a game. BUT.... since I had LOADS of Gameboy games, I thought it was a godsend. To be able to play GB games on TV, in colour?? Also, being able to mess with the screen borders and stuff as player 2 when your mate is trying to concentrate on staying alive is really fun. You can even graffiti over the screen, blocking his view if you're feeling douchey-like. Donkey Kong GB: I bought this at the same time as the Super GB, I think on the day of release. I remember they both came out at the same time. This is not the Gameboy version of Donkey Kong Country, which came out later, this is the "extended" version of the classic DK game. 100 levels of puzzle-solving, barrel-jumping, switch-flicking, deep-sea diving, monkey-tail-climbing, key-finding, trash-can-throwing, back-flipping, power-line-swinging action! Looking back now it seems really easy, but back in the day I remember being stuck on figuring out some of the more complex levels. The perfect portable game. Zelda: Link's Awakening: A great adventure. I don't know what else to say. I also got the other GB Zelda games that Capcom developed, and they were good, too, but they seemed much more systematic than the organic, natural feel of the flow of the original's story. I don't know why I never got the SNES one. Those were some of the ones which I remember the most. I often play retro games now, too, in particular shooting games. It's just a simple form of grammar that I can pick up and enjoy for a few minutes when I have free time, and that's what gaming is to me -- I'm not into hardcore RPGs for that reason. I'll write about those games too at a later date: Gunhed, Soldier Blade, Aleste, Zanac, etc. Oh, and I forgot SCRAMBLED VALKYRIE, hehe.

It all started with an infrared toy gun game (similar to Lazer Tag) that Sega had created during the mid-80’s called Optical Trigger Zillion. The toy grew so popular that Sega worked with Tatsunoko Productions to make an animated series which centered on the Zillion guns. And so began the anime, Akai Koudan Zillion. Among the subcontractors who worked on Zillion were producer Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, and character designer Takayuki Goto. After making Zillion, Ishikawa and Goto would later form anime industry giant Production I.G. Incidentally, Mamoru Oshii also scripted three episodes of Zillion under a pen name, and would later work with Ishikawa for Patlabor: The Movie. Mecha designers included the studio responsible for Southern Cross designs, and rumor has it that Zillion mecha designs were originally made for the scrapped Robotech Sentinels project. Zillion ran for 31 episodes during 1987 and spawned an OAV, Zillion: Burning Night. Sega would further capitalize on Zillion by producing two video games for their Mark III/Master System. Sega even molded their new light gun accessory for their game system to look like the Zillion gun itself. It was during this time that Sega also released toys based on the show, including the original Zillion light gun toy, with new packaging based on the anime. The only way to buy the toys in the US was to rely on some specialty import shop, and even then one would be really lucky to see such a shop sell them. That’s exactly what happened when I was around 10 and saw toys of Champ and Apple, two protagonists from a Zillion video game I was really into at the time, inside an import hobby shop in LA. My uncle kindly bought me the Champ toy, and I remember the store owner saying that he used to sell the “bike and other vehicles from the show” too. “Bike?!” I thought to myself. “Show?! What show?” It wouldn’t be until a couple years later that I learned of the Zillion anime and its associated merchandise. The desire to get the other toys that store owner mentioned just grew into a small obsession through the years and even with the internet, it was still hard to obtain Zillion toys. Well, that obsession has finally come to an end as I have finally acquired a nice little set. So let me share my joy by showing off this little gallery I’ve prepared of some rarely seen toys. The first few pictures are of the transport vehicles used by the main characters of the show, the “White Nuts”. They are usually flown into their mission areas by a huge, white VTOL jet-the Big Porter. The Big Porter then drops off another vehicle that carries the White Nuts which could vary from an APC, a submersible, and even another jet. Just like in the anime, the smaller vehicles fit in the Big Porter quite snugly. The red APC features foldable winglets and pull-back motor for the center axle. The yellow submersible has a wind up motor for the main screw, and according to the instructions, can be placed in water. I haven’t tried this, and I don’t think I will in fear of rust damage, but the motor still seems very strong even after all these years. The blue jet features a small ramp and storage area for the tiny replica motorbikes the White Nuts use. The last picture of this set shows these motorbikes still on the sprue inside a plastic bag. I will probably lose them if I remove them from the sprue as they are just as long as my pinky nail. The next four pics are of two of the White Nuts themselves, Champ and Apple. Each comes with their own respective Zillion gun, eyepiece, and shoulder pads. Also included are instructions and a sticker sheet for the fine details. Of note is that Apple’s head, neck, hair and torso are all one piece, so no neck articulation for her. They are just a tad taller than the standard 3 ¾” GI Joe figure, and feature just as much articulation. I was real happy to get Champ back as I lost my original one during a move. Next up are pics of the White Nuts’ main combat motorbike, the RidingCeptor. The tires are made of solid rubber, which surprisingly had not degraded one bit. Included is a sidecar which houses a pull-back motor and a hidden machine gun. According to the instructions, the sidecar features a mechanism which allows it to separate from the bike once it’s in motion. I tried this out, but the sidecar would not separate. It did travel at a good clip across the kitchen table though. Also included are parts to attach a huge honking cannon to the sidecar. The cannon also comes in handy later, as you’ll see. The last piece of the set is a toy of the Tri Charger, the White Nuts’ transformable ATV. Also included is figure of the third member of the White Nuts, JJ. As an ATV, the Tri Charger is solid except for the front metal arm that is attached to the front wheel. The joint for the arm is simply not secure enough to support the front of the ATV, so it collapses when placed on the ground. It was quite an ordeal to actually make this make this thing look the way it should, without a tilted front wheel. Each rear wheel also has a strong pull back motor, but this feature is rendered useless because of the weak front wheel assembly. As a suit of armor though, the Tri Charger really shines. Transformation is easy, and the legs are strong enough to support the top half. The only problematic areas I found are the plastic links which hold the helmet to the chest piece. The links are segmented to allow some flex, but too much stress on it leaves a stress mark, as the ninth photo shows. Despite this, it’s still a pretty cool toy, especially when the cannon from the RidingCeptor is mounted on its shoulder. Just a few pics of JJ and his ride. It seems both the RidingCeptor and the TriCharger are portrayed much larger than their animated counterparts. This is especially true with the Tricharger; just watch the anime’s opening and compare its relative size to the rider. Overall, Sega did an excellent job with these toys, especially how they put in features even for the smallest ones, and the Tricharger is just on par with the likes of the Gakken Ride Armor. I’m real happy to finally have obtained my grail; my curiosity has been fulfilled, and now I feel if I had to stop toy collecting at this point, I wouldn’t have a problem...I think.

https://mobile.twitter.com/IGN/status/1072121573371510786

http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2018/07/02-1/life-size-border-break-mech-becomes-the-biggest-model-kit-ever-made http://www.taghobby.com/archives/292785

Looks pretty damn cool IMO. Didn't think the colony would still be there though....unless it was farther from the atmosphere processing plant than originally thought. Still gonna pick this up. Trailer looks fantastic. http://ingame.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/01/7544289-decades-later-aliens-gets-a-sequel-you-can-play Chris

It's been reported that Columbia Pictures will do a live-action/CG adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog, with a darker, edgier tone for older audiences. Sega will be producing it alongside Original Film (The Fast and the Furious series). I don't know about you guys, but if this version of Sonic does not have an addiction to chili dogs and is not voiced by Jaleel White, it's not gonna work. Report: Columbia Pictures to Adapt Sonic Film

http://page.freett.com/grape2004/index.htm Any fans of the old Sega Saturn games or good mecha games in general should totally check out this game! It looks a little dated (rather intentionally as it uses the 3d models from the Saturn games) but plays incredibly well and is a lot of fun! Forgot about those other games where the robots just fire ineffectual pew pews, your HIGH-MACS has a real tank gun, rockets, and missiles! I'm serious this game is freakin' amazing! While it is a Japanese game most of the menus are in English.

Here's a guy who seems to hate his childhood... The Angry Videogame Nerd He's gonna take you back to the past And play the sh*tty games that suck @$$ He'd rather have a buffalo take a diarrhea dump in his ear He'd rather eat a rotten @$$hole of a roadkill skunk and down it with beer He's the angriest gamer you've ever heard He's the Angry Nintendo Nerd He's the Angry Atari and Sega Nerd He's the Angry Video Game Nerd