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Nov. 3, 2009
  • Either go with no hard drive if you really aren't going to download anything, or go with a 60 gig.  You really do want to install your games.  It's much quieter, some games run better, saves wear on a historically dodgy DVD drive, etc.  And even the free DLC can really add up, like the free Halo map packs, all the free Burnout content, etc.
    5 days, 9 hours ago
Oct. 22, 2009
Oct. 20, 2009
  • I realized I said it had the trappings of an MMO, but didn't say whether they were any good or not.  This is because I don't really like MMO trappings, so as long as it didn't get in my way I didn't pay attention to it.  But in case you care:  Dungeon Fighter is instanced.  The town area is communal where you can chat and trade and group up, and the ...
    2 weeks, 5 days ago
Oct. 19, 2009

  • A beat 'em up mmo: A beat 'em up mmo.  That really says it all.  If you don't like brawlers, then there's no point in going any further.  This is a straight up brawler, streets of rage style.  And it's a good one too.  Leaving everything else aside, it is fun to wander around and beat up stuff.  The mmo trappings are just gravy as far as I'm concerned.   The basic beat 'em up controls are ...
    2 weeks, 6 days ago
Oct. 18, 2009
Oct. 12, 2009
  •   It went like this for me:    First my time was split between gamespot and gamecenter (I think it was called) Then those merged and it was just gamespot. Then came 1up and I split time between it and gamespot, gradually moving more towards 1up due to their podcasts. Then the shit went down at gamespot and I swore them right off, which left me just 1up.  (Though I did learn about this little ...
    3 weeks, 6 days ago
  • jaycrockett uploaded 1 new image
    3 weeks, 6 days ago
Oct. 9, 2009

  • Great Karate Champ clone; also good for scaring friends: This game played almost identically to the arcade game Karate Champ.  It was impressive that it was able create a decent (at the time) one on one fighting game using a one button Atari 2600 style joystick.  It was also good for scaring the crap out of my friends.  When the title screen loaded there would be a really bad "WHAATAAWWW" Bruce Lee sound out of nowhere.  Now as you may ...
    1 month ago

  • A quick playthough isn't terrible...: I actually liked this more than I expected, which is to say I didn't completely hate it.  I actually bought this game for my Dad, from the bargain bin, because he pretty much exclusively plays shooters and does appear to have any discernment as to quality.  He let me borrow it, and I started the game up on easy because I didn't really want to spend that much time on ...
    1 month ago
  • jaycrockett reviewed Ikaruga

    It's not you, it's me: This is an amazing game.  As a shoot 'em up it plays perfectly, and it's binary color mode mechanic is unique.  But boy is it hard.  Not difficult.  Like abusive.  Like, my gamer self esteem can only take so much.  But as I said it's executed so well there is never a moment where you feel the game is cheating you.  You just aren't good enough.  It didn't take long ...
    1 month ago
  • Another little update:  I was checking out Dungeon Fighter Online, the new MMO brawler and I was thinking "Does this feel like a good brawler or not".  So threw in my Sega disc and played Streets of Rage I,II, and III in sucession for comparison.  Conclusion:  Not as good as Streets of Rage, though still much better than Golden Axe (which I didn't even need to play again, it's badness ...
    1 month ago
  • I loved me some Planetside back in the day, however it did have some problems that kept me from playing long term.  But really they were more problems that come from any online game with large numbers of players.  That is coordination among players.  Also, I wasn't so hot at shooting folks.  I wish there had been more built in support for the support roles.  It's a tough problem to ...
    1 month ago
Oct. 5, 2009

  • Time to atone for my youth: The release of California Games on the virtual console is the first opportunity I've had to make up for the massive piracy of my youth.  It's the first such release that I remember playing.  And pretty much, if  I remember playing it I was playing a pirated copy.  The first C64 game I recall buying was Pool of Radience, so anything before that is sure to have been pirated.  Anyway, California Games ...
    1 month ago
  • The fact that Netflix lets Gamefly advertise in their mailers probably shows they aren't interested in that business.
    1 month ago
Sept. 3, 2009
  • @Crono: In Oblivion I did the main quest, all four guild quest lines, and all the big DLC.  I used played two characters, and the second character was designed to never level, so I actually completed the fighters and thieves guild lines at 2nd and 3rd levels.  It actually made things easier for the most part.  Except that last thieves quest, it's not easy to break into the the imperial ...
    2 months ago
July 16, 2009
  • jaycrockett commented on the achievement Criterion Elite
    What do you get for this achievement?  I don't think I'll ever find all the discoverables.
    3 months, 3 weeks ago
April 14, 2009
  • The_Ish said: "BoG said: "MB said: "I'm sure they left one pirate alive on purpose so the Navy could "talk" to him for intelligence gathering purposes.  This sends a great message to would be pirates...don't fuck with Americans.  Hijack French ships instead, they'll just pay you."Well, if Obama is true to his word, there will be no more torture. Hopefully he sticks to the word, torture has been proven to ...
    6 months, 4 weeks ago
March 19, 2009
  • jaycrockett created a blog Fantasy Zone
    This game really makes up for the absence of shoot 'em ups on the Genesis.  This arcade game came out in 1986, but it is much better than many of the Genesis games on the collection.   The music and art style is very colorful and whimsical, but the shooting is serious business.  It's a side scroller than you can fly in either direction, similar to defender or chopper command.  You have a ...
    7 months, 3 weeks ago
March 18, 2009
  • jaycrockett created a blog Zaxxon!
    I finally unlocked Zaxxon by playing the miserable Decap attack.  Props to Jade from 1up clueing me into Chuck's "spastic hover" maneuver, which she mentioned on the "at1up" podcast.And Zaxxon is as difficult as I expected.  I can't even get as far as I could as a kid.  I keep running into everything.  And that stupid robot is shooting missle from two stages away!  Unfair.  Still, notalgia is strong with ...
    7 months, 3 weeks ago
Added by jaycrockett on March 19, 2009

This game really makes up for the absence of shoot 'em ups on the Genesis.  This arcade game came out in 1986, but it is much better than many of the Genesis games on the collection.   The music and art style is very colorful and whimsical, but the shooting is serious business.  It's a side scroller than you can fly in either direction, similar to defender or chopper command.  You have a primary gun and a bomb, similar to Scramble.  You clear a round by beating all of a certain type of creature, designated on your radar screen, while fighting waves of other enemy formations.  The enemies drop gold, which can be used at a floating shop for upgrades to weapons and ship components.  Each round ends with a bullet hell style boss. 

This is a great game.  I give it value of $2.  My tolerance for shoot 'em ups isn't that great, but this is a good one and I'm glad to have it on this collection.


Added by jaycrockett on March 18, 2009

I finally unlocked Zaxxon by playing the miserable Decap attack.  Props to Jade from 1up clueing me into Chuck's "spastic hover" maneuver, which she mentioned on the "at1up" podcast.

And Zaxxon is as difficult as I expected.  I can't even get as far as I could as a kid.  I keep running into everything.  And that stupid robot is shooting missle from two stages away!  Unfair.  Still, notalgia is strong with this one.  Valuation $1.

As expected, Fallout has pulled me away, but I just hit the level cap, so I'll probably come back to the Genesis collection.  Don't want to waste XP.  So more Shining force, and maybe some Streets of Rage co-op with my wife.


Added by jaycrockett on March 11, 2009

I finally unlocked this game by playing Alien Storm with my wife.  Everything's better with co-op.  Alien Syndrome an arcade game from 1987.  It's not unlike a sci-fi version of gauntlet.  It's a top down shooter where your goal is to rescue a number of hostages before the timer expires, then head for the level exit.   You then face a boss battle before moving on to the next level.  The game is quite unforgiving as you die instantly from one hit.  The graphics are very appealing for it's era, and the action is generally satisfying.  Co-op play as always makes the game better.  (Only two player co-op, however).  I value this game initially at 50 cents.  Like so many it's replayability is limited by it's difficulty.  You can continue, but there appeared to be a limit.   Perhaps it was just that both players couldn't die at the same time.

I also unlocked and played Fantasy Zone, but I didn't play enough say much on it yet.  It struck me as a psychedelic cross between Scramble and Chopper Command.

I've now unlocked everything except Zaxxon.  I'd really like to get that one, but doing so requires me to play more DeCap Attack, which just doesn't interest me right now.   Maybe I can just look up what I need to do on a FAQ, if such things exist for DeCap attack.


Added by jaycrockett on March 4, 2009

Wow!  What a nice surprise.  This game really reminds me of the 8-bit computer RPG's that so occupied my youth.  The turn based combat especially reminds me of the gold box D&D games.  The graphics are blocky but generally appealing, and I like the portrait windows that pop up when you talk to someone, so you get a better view of what they look like.  I also like that when you select a character's action in combat, it shows a little scene with your character performing it along with the text.  I can see that getting old after a while, but I know you can change the display speed to help with that.

I just found this game immediately appealing and can't wait to play some more of it.  Initial valuation 1 dollar, with the potential to go higher.

I did go back and play Kid Chameleon again when I realized I had missed some abilities that were only spelled out in the pdf of the manual, not in the game.  It's a real shame they didn't include the pdf in the game.  Turns out I still missed out on the 'diamond powers' (or couldn't get them to work) so I'll try one more time.  Kid Chameleon really isn't a bad game, despite it's lame lead character.  I'll probably upgrade it's value to 50 cents.


Added by jaycrockett on March 3, 2009

At first glance, Gain Ground appears to be a slow, ugly, top down shooter similar to Commando.  From these perspective it's not much fun at all.  But it's actually something different.  Instead of scrolling through the top of the screen to the end, you are faced with a series of single screen levels, with an exit to reach.  It plays more like a puzzle game, as you traverse a sort of slow-mo bullet hell to take out enemies one by one, allowing further process towards the exit.  Extra lives are gained by finding other warriors on the battlefield and leading them to the exit.  This in turn allows you to play them in subsequent rounds.  Each warrior has different weapons suitable for different situations.  I found this combination of abilites and obstacles interesting.  However like many of these games it was frustratingly hard, so I don' know how much more I'd play it.  I played this game twice, so I'll value it at 50 cents.

Kid Chameleon did not make a good first impression on me.  It appears to be a pretty straight Mario rip off.  I did not like the art design.  I did not like 'Kid', just looked like a cool kid with sunglasses.  This game boasts many many levels, and many different power ups to gain, but I don't know if I have the stomache for more generic platformers.  I value at 25 cents.


Jaycrockett's Reviews
A beat 'em up mmo (PC)
A beat 'em up mmo.  That really says it all.  If you don't like brawlers, then there's no point in going any further.  This is a straight up brawler, streets of rage style.  And it's a good one too.  Leaving everything else aside, it is fun to wander around and ...
Reviewed by jaycrockett on Oct. 19, 2009
Great Karate Champ clone; also good for scaring friends (C64)
This game played almost identically to the arcade game Karate Champ.  It was impressive that it was able create a decent (at the time) one on one fighting game using a one button Atari 2600 style joystick.  It was also good for scaring the crap out of my friends.  When the ...
Reviewed by jaycrockett on Oct. 9, 2009
A quick playthough isn't terrible... (X360)
I actually liked this more than I expected, which is to say I didn't completely hate it.  I actually bought this game for my Dad, from the bargain bin, because he pretty much exclusively plays shooters and does appear to have any discernment as to quality.  He let me borrow ...
Reviewed by jaycrockett on Oct. 9, 2009
It's not you, it's me (XBLM)
This is an amazing game.  As a shoot 'em up it plays perfectly, and it's binary color mode mechanic is unique.  But boy is it hard.  Not difficult.  Like abusive.  Like, my gamer self esteem can only take so much.  But as I said it's executed so well there is ...
Reviewed by jaycrockett on Oct. 9, 2009
Time to atone for my youth (C64)
The release of California Games on the virtual console is the first opportunity I've had to make up for the massive piracy of my youth.  It's the first such release that I remember playing.  And pretty much, if  I remember playing it I was playing a pirated copy.  The first C64 ...
Reviewed by jaycrockett on Oct. 5, 2009
Tops Oblivion in every way but one. (X360)
This game is a phenomenal achievement.  Oblivion is my all time favorite RPG, and Fallout is as good or better in almost every way.  The graphics are better.  The sound is fantastic.  I absolutely love the radio stations, both the songs and the DJ's.  The voice acting is generally excellent.  ...
Reviewed by jaycrockett on Feb. 23, 2009

2 out of 2 found this review helpful.
Take me down! (X360)
This game is amazing.  The graphics are amazing.  The crashing is the best crashing I've seen.  The races are fun.  Road Rage is super fun.  I'm no good at the stunt runs but I like screwing around.I don't judge this game for what it isn't.  It isn't a circuit racer.  ...
Reviewed by jaycrockett on Feb. 20, 2009
Games of the Year (X360)
I had the pleasure of coming to Orange Box as a huge fan of the original Halflife but never having played it's sequel.  Halflife 2 came out at a time when I was transitioning away from PC gaming.  While I felt some regret at the time I'm glad I got ...
Reviewed by jaycrockett on Feb. 20, 2009
Per game dollar valuation (X360)
There are so many games of such widely varying type and quality, I'm just going to assign a monetary value to each game I've played so far and see what I get.  I never had a Genesis nor have I purchased any of these games on VC or XBLA so ...
Reviewed by jaycrockett on Feb. 19, 2009


Date Joined: July 24, 2008
City: Nashville
Gender: Male
Alignment: Neutral
Points: 78 Points
Ranked: Ranked #3449 of 59,223
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Hillsfar
game - 26 points
Fallout 3
game - 25 points
Pitstop II
release - 8 points
International Karate
release - 8 points
The Way of the Exploding Fist
game - 3 points
Dungeon Fighter Online
game - 3 points
Free to Play
concept - 3 points
Bonus Stage
concept - 1 points

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Jeff 4 days, 11 hours ago
Game of the Day: Rambo: First Blood Part II (SMS)
coonce 5 days, 4 hours ago
coonce is successfully processed
screeley 6 days, 7 hours ago
Working on Giant Bomb's search.
gpbmike 1 week ago
gpbmike is sorry for running people off the road in forza tonight. I didn't mean it. Except for that chrisd guy. He deserved it.
snide 1 week, 4 days ago
snide should finish DAO tonight.
andy 2 weeks, 5 days ago
working on some new status changes
drewbert 3 weeks ago
But of all the level 20 support gunners, Roland was the best.
Ryan 3 weeks, 4 days ago
Ryan's status has changed!