I did originally have the hidden unfinished campaign mode from Atomic Bomberman (the pre-Bomberman: Act Zero effort at making a "Westernised" Bomberman game that's separate from the rest of the series and its characters) lined up as my Bomberman pick for this weekend, but because that particular offering is very short I ended up playing through it when I had a spare hour during the week.



The last two Weekend Play List threads saw me recommending "new game, old engine" ROM-hacks for games from the Kirby and Donkey Kong Country series, and this week I'm going to make it a hat-trick by including a brand-new Star Fox hack by the name of Star Fox EX. Aside from having a full suite of tools that let you explore and mess with the content from the original game, this hack also includes its own all-new story-mode, based around the humourous idea of the much-neglected series facing destruction by way of an attack carried out by characters from other Nintendo franchises. I played through the first (new) path in this game during the week, and will be playing through at least one more this weekend.

There's also a fun little endless map to play around in after the credits, if you so wish;

Spoiler, click me

It's Australia!

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It has kangaroos...

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... magpies...

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... and a McDonalds. Or "Maccas", as I'm told the chain is referred to there.

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Also, I think I flew past StoneColdSpider's house!

I highly recommend this one.



My other weekend pick is Zool 2, for the Amiga 1200. I always liked Zool - the first game was a basic-but-fun platformer whose ninja-gremlin protagonist had a bunch of cool moves that chained together nicely, and the series was doing well for itself before abruptly stopping. My gaming merchandise collection plays host to the likes of the official Zool plush, pin, and both of the novels, and I could even tell you trivia* like the character's favourite food (contrary to the Chupa Chups sponsorship, it's actually burgers, baked beans, and chips/fries ), but to date I haven't gotten a chance to properly play the sequel! Reason being, I never owned a Commodore Amiga (and only knew a few people who had them) and the only console that it was ever released for was the Atari Jaguar, of all things - an odd choice for a British video game hero, and probably something that goes some way to explaining why the series met its end. (Though there is at least a remake of the first game, these days, so it hasn't totally gone away. That's on my list for the future. )

*More trivia: The notoriously bad PlayStation 2/Wii game, Ninjabread Man, actually started out as a rejected pitch for a 3D revival of Zool. They even made an animated intro for it before the pitch was ditched.

Quoting: itscalledrealityHowever I did order some blinds last week and now I can’t wait for them to get here. Not sure why I changed my mind. BLOCK OUT THE SUN OVER ME!

Us geeks and the day-star just don't mix.

Last edited by Pengling on 12 November 2022 at 3:21 pm UTC

G'Day everyone its a sunny Sunday here....... So far...... The weather has been interesting this week……. It went from Winter to Summer in one day and now back to Winter…….. So I have not done much since it has either been raining or blazing sun……...

Not much has happened this week…… Havnt walked the dog much cause of the weather…….. The critters had another party behind the shampoo bottle in the shower….. This time it was a spider and a centipede having the party……. And again I was not invited…… Besides that nothing exciting has happened…….

The Denver Broncos are coming off their bye week….. And will face the Tennessee Titans at Tennessee….. Lets hope they spent the week sorting their crap out and will put on a much better show on the field…… Watching them has been pure pain this season…… I hope that starts to change…….

And since the Broncos aquired the San Francisco 49ers 2023 1st round draft pick I will keeping a close eye on their game this week when they face the Los Angeles Chargers……. Every 49ers loss helps the Broncos by getting a better draft pick….. I feel dirty cheering for a divisional rival but……. Go Chargers…. Go!

I played a lot of sports game this week……. Back when sports games were great……. Its sad seeing how far official fully lincenced sports games have fallen since the sixth generation console era..……


Yes there is a Penguin team to unlock in this game and by law you must unlock this team first if you are playing on Linux…..
Screenshot from NFL Blitz Pro (2003 Midway) - Sony PlayStation 2


Here are the Linux Penguins in formation ready for a play………
Screenshot from NFL Blitz Pro (2003 Midway) - Sony PlayStation 2


Looking for an open receiver…….
Screenshot from NFL Blitz Pro (2003 Midway) - Sony PlayStation 2


Running (woddling) for a Touchdown!!!
Screenshot from NFL Blitz Pro (2003 Midway) - Sony PlayStation 2


For a PS2 game this does look really damn nice
(3x Native Internal Resolution)
Screenshot from ESPN NFL 2K5 (2004 Sega) - Sony PlayStation 2


Arcade

Punch-Out!! (1984 Nintendo) - Sports (Boxing)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time (1991 Konami) - Beat 'em up


Console

Dynamite Cop (1999 Sega) - Sega Dreamcast - Beat 'em up
ESPN NFL 2K5 (2004 Sega) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Football)
ESPN NHL 2k5 (2004 Sega) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Hockey)
Madden NFL 2003 (2002 EA Sports) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Football)
NBA Jam Tournament Edition (1995 Acclaim) - Sega Mega Drive - Sports (Basketball)
NFL Blitz (1998 Midway) - Nintendo 64 - Sports (Football)
NFL Blitz 2000 (1999 Midway) - Sega Dreamcast - Sports (Football)
NFL Blitz 2003 (2002 Midway) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Football)
NFL Blitz 2023 (2022 NFL Blitz Resurrection) - Nintnedo 64 - Sports (Football)
NFL Blitz Pro (2003 Midway) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Football)
NHL Hitz Pro (2003 Midway) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Hockey)
Tecmo Super Bowl 2023 (2022 TecmoBowl.org) - Nintendo Entertainment System - Sports (Football)

*** Warning Incoming Rant***
So why were sports games so good back then….. For me the main reason is competition……. EA, 2K, Midway and others competing against each other…… Now with all major sports having exclusive video game licences there is no real competition……. You want to play the latest offical NFL game???…... Well your choice is Madden NFL 23 and nothing else…… You want to play the latest offical NHL game……. Well your choice in NHL 23 and nothing else………. You want to play the latest offical MLB game??…….. Well your choice is MLB The Show 22 and nothing else……. You want to play the latest offical NBA game…… Well your choice in NBA 2K23 and nothing else…….

Put it this way…… Even if you think Call Of Duty and Battlefield are bad……. Imagin how bad they would be if there was only Call Of Duty OR Battlefield with zero competition……… There is no reason to innovate or really improve anything in any real substantual way…… Just make a new menu screen…… A handful of new maps and change the hud a bit and release it again next year…….

The removal of features/stagnation of modes is another big problem…… Over the years since getting the exclusive licences may games drop modes/feautres or they are just untouched for years with no updates while all the focus goes into other more proffitable areas (see below)……. Franchise modes havnt seen any meaningful updates or changes for years…… You use to be able to create a custom play in Madden NFL….. You cant anymore as they removed that feture years ago…….. Create a team was removed…... Create a stadium was removed…….. Even just simple things…… like the removal of referees……… How can you have a “Simulation” NFL game without any referees on the field????…….

And all the sports have suffered the same fate…… I just know Madden NFL much better than the others (I have every single Madden NFL game ever released for the PC up until they stopped making Madden PC games after Madden NFL 09) which is why I pick on it the most……. but even the NBA 2K Basketball series is having the same problems with missing features and game modes or some not getting any updates or changes for years…….

SOFTDRINKTV has a good video about the features removed from Madden NFL games.... It is staggering to see just how much has been removed since the sixth gen era......

It doesnt matter who the Publisher or Developer are…… The problems are the same across the board…… And the losers are the same across the board……. Us the consumer…….

And we cant talk about the downfall of sports video games without talking about the bullshit microtransactions……..

These “Ultimate Team” game modes where you buy virtual card packs in the hopes of getting great players for your Ultimate Team to play online……. Youtubers are constantly showing this off on their channels…… Spending thousands of dollars on card packs to get the latest and greatest 99 overall players…… Cause yes these cards trickle out over time so you have to keep buying new packs throughout the year to keep up with other Ultimate Team players or you will get left behind and get stomped online by people with near unlimited funds….. And this is where most of the focus of the game development goes into these days…… Its not about developing the best game play to make you want to buy the game again next year……. Its about developing the best way to suck money out of phat whales………

The issue is that this has outright killed historic teams and uniforms….. Instead of earning credits from playing the game and unlocking uniforms and historic teams and so on…… all of that is now locked behind Ultimate Team……. Buying virutal cards in hopes of getting the 1998 Denver Broncos 1 player at a time…… or getting the 1982 Denver Broncos uniform…… Gone are the days of just playing the game getting credits from playing the game and then when you have enough credits going to unlockable section and unlocking what you want…….. Everything is behind paywalls/loot boxes/card packs now......

And this “Microtransaction Bullshit” even extends to “My Career” modes…… Where you create a player and play online with them and earn XP to up the players stats and get better……. OR you can spend hundreds of dollars and flat out buy better stats and avoid the grind all together…….

And the NFL/NHL/MLB and the NBA are not going to do anything about it…… Why would they???……. They are given Dump Truck Loads Of Money FOR DOING NOTHING!……. As long as EA, 2K, Sony and co continue to pay up to 1.5 billion dollars (EA paid the NFL $1.5 billion to extend its exclusive NFL video game licence for 5 years from 2021 to 2026) for these exclusive licences nothing will ever change……..

This is prevelent in all genres of gaming and not just sports games…… Make the grind as boring and as tedious as possible to grind down the player enough that they will spend MORE real money on a game that they paid a lot of money for in the first place……..

AND IT PISSES ME OFF!!!
**** END RANT****

Im not going to talk much about the games this week…… As I already had that rant and I will do a more in depth look next week when I go through and play all the “2005” Football, Hockey, Baseball and Basketball games…..

ESPN NBA 2K5 (2004 Sega) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Basketball)
ESPN NFL 2K5 (2004 Sega) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Football)
ESPN NHL 2k5 (2004 Sega) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Hockey)
Madden NFL 2005 (2004 EA Sports) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Football)
Major League Baseball 2K5 (2005 2K Sports) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Baseball)
MLB 2005 (2004 Sony) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Baseball)
MVP Baseball 2005 (2005 EA Sports) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Baseball)
NBA Live 2005 (2004 EA Sports) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Basketball)
NHL 2005 (2004 EA Sports) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Hockey)

Why the “2005” games??…... Well its the last year before the start of the exclusive licences…… When EA signed an excluse video game licence with the NFL from Maddem NFL 06 onwards…...

This is also the last year of the MVP Baseball series with the MLB licence as 2K signed a semi exclusive rights deal with the MLB……. While Sony also had the rights to keep making their MLB games that turned into MLB 06: The Show that was only on their consoles……..

January 2005 was also when Sega sold Visual Concepts to Take Two Interactive and the birth of the 2K Sports publishing brand……. with Major League Baseball 2K5 being the first game published by 2K Sports......

I will just quickly say that Punch-Out!! (1984 Nintendo) on the arcade is actually a really good fun game……. Very short but great fun………

And that Dynamite Cop (1999 Sega) is a excellent game as well……. Well worth checking out if your even slightly interested in wacky arcade style beat ‘em ups……..

As for non gaming…… I dont think I will do much as its meant to be raining now till Thursday…… So their should be lots of time to play the games I want to play…..

If its raining this afternoon I will probably sit down and watch some College Football on YouTube….. Not that I follow the College Football much or even know who the Colleges are…….. BUT ITS FOOTBALL!!!……. If its raining their wont be much else to do and the TV here is abysmal even during prime time…… Sunday TV is the worst……. Hence why I dont watch it…….

Quoting: Pengling... and a McDonalds. Or "Maccas", as I'm told the chain is referred to there.

It really is referred to as Maccas here in Aus......


Speaking of Maccas....... This is also a real sign in Aus........

Quoting: PenglingAlso, I think I flew past StoneColdSpider's house!

You god damn hooligan!!!!

Quoting: Pengling*More trivia: The notoriously bad PlayStation 2/Wii game, Ninjabread Man, actually started out as a rejected pitch for a 3D revival of Zool. They even made an animated intro for it before the pitch was ditched.

Oh yeah ive heard thats really bad..... I need to play that around Christmas time......
*Adds it to an ever increasing list of games I need to play*

Also that female ninja-gremlin is strangely arousing.......

Quoting: itscalledrealityBLOCK OUT THE SUN OVER ME!

Good luck blocking out the sun here in Aus........ Its impossible.......

Quoting: itscalledrealityTuesday will be my birthday so I am looking forward to that for a nice dinner and drink, even if that means I have to setup the party because I’m in my 30s.

Happy Birthday for Tuesday mate..... Hope you have a good one......

Well thats it from me…… Have a good week everyone…...

Last edited by StoneColdSpider on 12 November 2022 at 9:19 pm UTC

Quoting: StoneColdSpider

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Yes there is a Penguin team to unlock in this game and by law you must unlock this team first if you are playing on Linux…..
Screenshot from NFL Blitz Pro (2003 Midway) - Sony PlayStation 2

Y'know, I've been taking screenshots of penguins that I've spotted in games ever since I got to GOL - maybe we need a thread for that?

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderThis is prevelent in all genres of gaming and not just sports games…… Make the grind as boring and as tedious as possible to grind down the player enough that they will spend MORE real money on a game that they paid a lot of money for in the first place……..

This is sad but true - it's now the exception to the rule for a game to be packed with modes to play and stuff to unlock, rather than a key selling-point!

Quoting: StoneColdSpider

Quoting: PenglingAlso, I think I flew past StoneColdSpider's house!

You god damn hooligan!!!!

Hehehehehe!

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderOh yeah ive heard thats really bad..... I need to play that around Christmas time......
*Adds it to an ever increasing list of games I need to play*

You WANT to play Ninjabread Man?! Spider, you're a madman!

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderHappy Birthday for Tuesday mate..... Hope you have a good one......

Yes! Seconded! Have a great birthday, itscalledreality!

Quoting: itscalledrealityRules: share what games you’re playing, what non-gaming activities you’re entertaining this upcoming week.

———

Feeling much better this week and didn’t manage to play too many games.

I decided to make a second push through Bioshock Infinite (playing through Bioshock 2, tempted me to return to compare the differently developed sequels). Infinite just has lovely foreshadowing strung through the whole game. Really well done story. The first time I played it, I shot through it like an FPS. Now I am taking my time to explore areas and figure out side quests which has opened up a bit of the lore.

This may even convince me to give the System Shocks a try.

Outside of that I have been taking advantage of the nice weather on my bike and have been trying to write some fiction.

I have not ordered blinds for my windows over the last month and have enjoyed waking up to the sun. It has been refreshing getting an earlier start. However I did order some blinds last week and now I can’t wait for them to get here. Not sure why I changed my mind. BLOCK OUT THE SUN OVER ME!

Tuesday will be my birthday so I am looking forward to that for a nice dinner and drink, even if that means I have to setup the party because I’m in my 30s.

Have a nice week!

Happy Birthday!

I've always been tempted to try BioShock infinite. I really enjoyed the first one, but never really had much interest in Bioshock 2.

I'd totally recommend the System Shock series. 2 is very notable, running on the same engine a Theif, as a very early example of practical stealth mechanics in an FPS and scared the crap out of me as well.

System shock 1 is also a great game. The biggest issue it has is that it has the older, pre-mouse look, control scheme, along with a few older "hardcore" tropes (like having to revisit areas excessively at the end). Otherwise it's a great game.

(Fun aside, I remember reading, many years ago, that Crusader, System Shock, and Wing Commander were all from the same "universe" just different points on the timeline. Not sure if it was true or not, but still kinda cool).

I finished Soma on Friday. It was really good. It drops a few hints as to the ending, but I think it isn't about the ending, but about the choices along the way.

Not sure what I'll play next... Prey or Dishonored seem cool. Riven caught my eye, although I really struggled with Myst. Not sure if I'll have the patience for it.

How your weekends were well all!

Quoting: denyasisHappy Birthday!

I've always been tempted to try BioShock infinite. I really enjoyed the first one, but never really had much interest in Bioshock 2.

I'd totally recommend the System Shock series. 2 is very notable, running on the same engine a Theif, as a very early example of practical stealth mechanics in an FPS and scared the crap out of me as well.

System shock 1 is also a great game. The biggest issue it has is that it has the older, pre-mouse look, control scheme, along with a few older "hardcore" tropes (like having to revisit areas excessively at the end). Otherwise it's a great game.

(Fun aside, I remember reading, many years ago, that Crusader, System Shock, and Wing Commander were all from the same "universe" just different points on the timeline. Not sure if it was true or not, but still kinda cool).

I finished Soma on Friday. It was really good. It drops a few hints as to the ending, but I think it isn't about the ending, but about the choices along the way.

Not sure what I'll play next... Prey or Dishonored seem cool. Riven caught my eye, although I really struggled with Myst. Not sure if I'll have the patience for it.

How your weekends were well all!

I think you’re right. The brilliance of Soma isn’t the ending but instead the choices it asks you to make a long the way.

Spoiler, click me

While they don’t create different endings, it forces you to weigh everything you learned up until the end and to make a choice that’s nearly ineffective for your character.

This is your job, this is what you are doing, this is the situation. And it gives you enough time to chew on it before it all goes down but keeps the tension tight by pushing you forward.

Quoting: itscalledreality

Quoting: denyasisHappy Birthday!

I've always been tempted to try BioShock infinite. I really enjoyed the first one, but never really had much interest in Bioshock 2.

I'd totally recommend the System Shock series. 2 is very notable, running on the same engine a Theif, as a very early example of practical stealth mechanics in an FPS and scared the crap out of me as well.

System shock 1 is also a great game. The biggest issue it has is that it has the older, pre-mouse look, control scheme, along with a few older "hardcore" tropes (like having to revisit areas excessively at the end). Otherwise it's a great game.

(Fun aside, I remember reading, many years ago, that Crusader, System Shock, and Wing Commander were all from the same "universe" just different points on the timeline. Not sure if it was true or not, but still kinda cool).

I finished Soma on Friday. It was really good. It drops a few hints as to the ending, but I think it isn't about the ending, but about the choices along the way.

Not sure what I'll play next... Prey or Dishonored seem cool. Riven caught my eye, although I really struggled with Myst. Not sure if I'll have the patience for it.

How your weekends were well all!

I think you’re right. The brilliance of Soma isn’t the ending but instead the choices it asks you to make a long the way.

Spoiler, click me

While they don’t create different endings, it forces you to weigh everything you learned up until the end and to make a choice that’s nearly ineffective for your character.

This is your job, this is what you are doing, this is the situation. And it gives you enough time to chew on it before it all goes down but keeps the tension tight by pushing you forward.

Agreed!

Spoiler, click me

I saw some people complaining about the lack of different endings, but to be honest, the more I thought about it, the more I'm ok with one ending. In a way, it kept me from "Meta-gaming" for the "good" ending or something similar. Although I guess on the other hand, I can see some people upon realizing the ending is set, simply not thinking about the game choices, what does it matter?

I think the intent is to play it close to the heart without worrying about choices, at least gameplay wise. I definitely tried to meta game and Google a choice or two.

It would be a great example for an ethics/technology class maybe?

Spoiler, click me

I know when I listen to Sarang's suicide note, I totally thought the dude was a crazy cultist. But then I ended up killing everyone, kinda proving him right.

Last edited by denyasis on 14 November 2022 at 5:41 pm UTC