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Weekend Players' Club 9/29/2023
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StoneColdSpider Sep 29, 2023
G'Day fellow tuxers……. Its Bruce your host here once again…….. Its a very sunny Saturday here right now…….…… Spring is starting to kick in…… And Daylight Savings starts here tomorrow….. So I need to wind the clocks forward 1 hour before I go to bed……… Hope I remember…….

Was another quiet week is good…. Means nothing broke…… And means I didnt spend much money…….

Not much to say besides I did work……. Walked the dog…… And played video games…….. And mowed the lawns…...


[+..••] As for gaming this week in Emulationville I played [+..••]

Arcade

Asterix (1992 Konami) - Beat 'em up


Console

Dakar 2: The World's Ultimate Rally (2003 Acclaim) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Racing)
ESPN NFL 2K5 (2004 Sega) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Football)
Madden NFL 2003 (2002 EA Sports) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Football)
NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona (2002 Infogrames) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Racing)
NFL Blitz 2024 (2023 NFL Blitz Resurrection) - Nintnedo 64 - Sports (Football)
Paris-Dakar Rally (2001 Acclaim) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Racing)
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (2006 Konami) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Soccer)
Rugby 08 (2007 EA Sports) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Football)
Tecmo Super Bowl 2024 (2023 TecmoBowl.org) - Nintendo Entertainment System - Sports (Football)


PC

Dakar 18 (2018 Bigmoon Entertainment) – Steam (Proton) – Sports (Racing)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002 Rockstar) – Steam (Proton) - Action


Dick Trickles Racing Career: Part 34
NASCAR Dirt to Daytona: Part 34


Intro music…... Hello and welcome to Left Turn Heaven….. Im Murray Eastlake and today im going to be bringing you all a special off season edition…… This week is the final week before the 2005 racing season starts……

And we have saved the best till last…… This week I sit down with the owner of Dick Trickle Racing…… Dick Trickle…… Dick just missed out winning the championship in his rookie season last year….. Lets find out what he has been up to during the off season…..

*Murray Eastlake walks into Dicks workshop and sits down in the chair opposite to Dick….. Dick is flanked by two cars…… One is the Infogrames Flaming Dick Machine……. The other one is covered by a sheet but it has the distinct outline of a Featherlite Modified Series car…….*

Murray Eastlake: Thank you for allowing us to have this interview with you Dick….. I have it on good authority that you have been very busy this off season……

Dick Trickle: No worries Murray……. And yes ive been flat out like a lizard drinking…… Klipsch pulled out of continuing their primary sponsorship of the car…… So I have had to find a new primary sponsor and thats lots of phone calls and emails and meetings…… You know all that boring stuff I hate doing…… And I managed to find a new primary sponsor that was willing to pay the money I was looking for with the requirement I thought was fair…….

I also made phone calls and emailed secondary sponsors and I have them all sorted but I cant say anything as the current secondary sponsorship contracts dont end until after the first race of the season…… Then and only then can I unveil the secondary sponsorship deals……


Klipsch letter of sponsorship termination


*Dick Trickle stands up and walks over the covered car and pulls back the cover to reveal the primary sponsor for the modified car*

Dick Trickle: Well there it is Murray…… Grinch Performance is the new primary sponsor of the Modified Flaming Dick Machine……. *Dick Trickle pats the roof of the car*


Grinch Performance


Murray Eastlake: Thats great news Dick……. You deserve a top notch sponsor after last season and it sure looks like you have found yourself one alright……..

Dick Trickle: It was a lot of hard work to score the deal but I was able to win them over with my charm and the performance on track last year did not hurt either……..

Murray Eastlake: You took five straight wins last year in the Feather Modified Series and you came so close to winning the championship in your rookie season……. Now that you have had time reflect on that how do you feel about it now???…..

Dick Trickle: Im still pissed Murray…… That should have been my championship….. I got screwed of it mostly by Luis Rivas…… And look what happened to him……….. Anyone who screws me again like that will end up the same way……. Im not a Dick to be played with……. And Luis Rivas found that out the hard way…….

Murray Eastlake: You became a fan favourite last year with not only your on track success but also for your no nonsense personality off the track and not being afraid to stand up to the seasoned veterans in the series…….

Dick Trickle: The fans have been wonderful this year and have been the rock I needed to get me through some of those “incidents” on track……. And im not one to back down and let people walk all over me……. If im getting pushed around I will push back…...

Murray Eastlake: One fan even edited this picture and posted it on the Featherlite Modified Series Myspace page and it has been very popular…… In fact is it the highest rated picture on the page and has the most comments……… With the vast majority of the comments supporting you bringing back the biff……. Standing up for yourself and putting drivers back in their place…….


The edited image a fan posted on Myspace


Dick Trickle: [Laughs] Thats a great photo isnt it……. He really captured my good side…….

Actually speaking of standing up for myself…… As I told you earlier I got a lot of sponsorship offers this off season……. But one really pissed me off…… And im gonna name them and shame them right here…… Right now…… For their total disrespect of ol Dick………

“Big Al’s Moving”…… Yeah they will be moving to another country after you listen to this *BEEP* Murray……. “Congratulations on your truly mediocre season in the Featherlite Modified Series.”……. I finished second in the championship….. 44 points behind the champion ……. And I was screwed out of the championship……. “Mediocre season”….. A big *BEEP* you Al…….

It goes on Murray…… “We here at Big Al’s have always dreamed of having a champion team, but since our boss is so cheap you’re the best we can hope to get.”…… What???….. You think im a cheap Dick????…….. No way……. *BEEP* you again Al……

It continues Murray…… “We can only offer $20,000 but all you need to do to earn it is finished the season in 15th place or better.”……


The disrespectful sponsorship offer…….


Let me give you some advice “Big Al”……. Number one…… Dont talk *BEEP* about a potential business partner in the pitch letter…….. Second dont let the edgelord high school intern type you “professional” letters……. And number three…… Dont ever…… Ever….. Low ball a Dick…….

Murray Eastlake: Well we have never had anyone call out a rejected sponsor on this show before……. You certainly like being the first to do things Dick……

Dick Trickle: What can I say Murray…….. A Dick always comes first………

Murray Eastlake: You have a way with words Dick……. So I take it with the Infogrames Flaming Dick Machine sitting there that you will continue in the Weekly Racing Dirt Series this year???……

Dick Trickle: Yes I will continue to do both series juts like last year…… Infogrames has stayed on as the primary sponsor………. There is no reason to stop yet…… The extra money from the Weekly Dirt Racing Series is really helpful in building up this team…… I hope to expand even further going forward so I need all the winnings I can get right now…….

Murray Eastlake: What does your wife Pussy Galore thing of all this???…… She doesnt get tired of all the travelling she had to do with you???……

Dick Trickle: No not at all….. Shes loves it…… As you saw several times last year she really gets into it……… And loves to be involved…… She also enjoys the perks of spending the night with a winning Dick….. Its the only time I enjoy not coming first…….

Murray Eastlake: Well we are almost out of time….. Do you have any final words for your competitors and fans for the upcoming seasons???…..

Dick Trickle: Yes……. I do……. Jason Sulivan….. You better enjoying every second you are the champion because it will be a VERY short reign……. Because this Dick is going to be a LOOOOONG champion….. And it will start at the end of this upcoming season…….

As for the fans….. Dont get too excited to see a repeat championship battle……. I am going to continue to win and I will dominate the Featherlite Modified Series just like I am doing in the Weekly Dirt Racing Series……… You have all been warned……..

Murray Eastlake: Well there you have it folks……. We are out of time….. Thank you for having us Dick….. And good luck next season…….

Dick Trickle: No worries Murray….. And thank you…… I look forward to hearing you call me the 2005 Featherlite Modified Series Champion……..

Thats all from this special off season edition of Left Turn Heaven….. The racing action will be back next week as Left Turn Heaven will be exclusively bringing you all the heart stopping action from the 2005 Featherlite Modified Series..…

Dick Trickle will be looking to go one better than last year……. Jason Sulivan will be looking to stay champion and William Anderson will be looking to reclaim the championship……..

Next week the Featherlite Modified Series will be at Dennison Speedrome……. Can Dick Trickle start the year off with a win???……. Or will Jason Sulivan kick off his title defence with a solid result???…… Can William Anderson reclaim top spot???…….. Or will another hungry driver climb the ranks and steal the win in the opening round of the season???…...

Tune in next week for the answers to all these questions and more….. You wont want to miss a single moment of what is sure to be a sensational season…...

This is Murray Eastlake reporting for Left Turn Heaven..... And until next time its goodbye from me.…

This series has still been awesome to do every week…… Last season was fantastic with the game giving me heaps of material to work with….. I dont think it will be as good next season….. But I will do my best as always to keep it as entertaining as possible…… And if not…. I will just pretend im a writer for Saints Row: The Third and just throw in another Dick joke……. That always works…….


End of season…..





2004 Featherlite Modified Final Season Standings…..





2004 Weekly Dirt Racing Final Season Standings…..



Grinch Performance primary sponsorship offer







All other primary sponsorship offers


2005 Grinch Performance Modified Flaming Dick Machine……



2005 Infogrames Flaming Dick Machine…...



The office area…….



The garage area…….



2005 season…..


***INTERMISSION……...***
Because whizse has a small bladder…….


Paris-Dakar Rally…...



The following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental…… DUN DUN.......

Before Dakar 2: The World's Ultimate Rally……. There was Paris-Dakar Rally………. Be afraid……. Be very afraid……..

The graphics…… They are the best part of the game….. They look really nice…… The terrain looks nice and the vehicle modelling is very well done as well…… The textures are a bit on the low res side but its a PS2…… You expect that……… The colours are bright and shiny like a bag of Doritos and louder than a Bomberman Fangirl…….. Overall the graphics get a big thumbs up……. And that will be the last thumbs up this game gets……… Its like the art department was the only department that gave a shit……...

The sounds……. Wow……. Where do I start???…… The engine sounds are woeful……. The music is dreadful….. The navigator is harder to understand than a bomberman fangirl with a mouth full of Doritos……. The sounds are all over the place…… And none of it is any good……. And that loading screen music is worse than Chariots Of Fire…...

The controls……. Are so bad you will wonder if your controller is broken…… Its really that bad……. The vehicles are more twitchy than a Bomberman Fangirl on a strict Mountain Dew diet……… They have no weight……. Bounce all over the place…… And roll like a soccer ball….. Its absolutely no fun to drive at all in this game……. A driving game where the driving is not fun……. You see a problem here right???……...

The storyline….. Well there is no storyline… So I get to make one up again……. April O’Neil is in the desert looking for the missing Master Splinter……… When she is kidnapped by a crazed Bomberman Fangirl…….. And taken to her secret hideout…… The Mountain Dew factory…….. Where April discovers Master Splinter trapped in a vat of Mountain Dew...... And its now up to to Ninja Turtles to rescue April O’Neil and Master Splinter before they dissolve…...

The gameplay is pretty simple……. Get from Point A to Point B in the shortest time possible……. But its not that easy…….. As the controls fight you every step of the way……. You would need weeks of practise to get use the controls in this game……. Much you like would take you weeks to get use to a Bomberman Fangirl munching on Doritos and slurping on Mountain Dew……

There are around 40 stages in this game and exactly zero of them are worth playing……. And the music on the loading screen is the most horrid music ive ever heard…… And you will hear it before the start of every stage……… Its enough to drive you crazy……. You will be wishing for Chariots Of Fire before the end of the game…….

There are also many spelling errors and terrible English throughout the game…… For example I finished the Paris-Dakar Rally in “113st Place”…….

Overall…….. This game is complete shite…….. Even a Bomberman Fangirl high on Doritos dust couldnt find anything positive to say about this game besides the nice graphics…….. sounds are woeful……. Controls are atrocious….. The gameplay is both frustrating and boring……. It is a terrible game thats not worth playing even for a second…….

And that is why my final score for a Paris-Dakar Rally is a Doritos Pope out of 10……… A fitting punishment…...

This game is so bad its gets the official GOL rating of CC……. No not the Australia corn chips……. CC stands for C.Rap Clowns…… For the worst of the worst video games……. And this game is absolutely a worst of the worst…….


Paris-Dakar Rally…..


The Road To PES Penguin 6


The road to unlock the PES Penguin in Pro Evolution Soccer 6 is at 300 PES points out of 5000……….


Rugby 08 World Cup……..


Australia vs Fiji

(Well the real Australian Wallabies have been knocked out of the Rugby World Cup and will not advance past the pool stage for the first time in Rugby World Cup history……. Can the virtual Wallabies do better???……..)

As the heavy rain fell to start the match…….. Australia had a point to prove after the sloppy play against Wales last week……. And Fiji was in trouble early on when Australia held the ball for a solid 10 straight minutes before scoring their first try……

The Wallabies excellent ball retention in the rucks was starving Fiji of possession…… As the Wallabies rumbled the ball down the field from the kickoff return to score their second try……. And put Fiji well and truly on the back foot…….

The only way Fiji could get the ball off Australia in the first half was by disrupting the ruck just enough to trap the ball and getting a scrum feed……. And even then Australia would force a turn over soon after……

This tactic was also causing Fiji to rack up the penalties and gifting Australia excellent field position……. If Fiji keep this up they could get a yellow card for to many penalties..…..

Australia was playing perfect wet weather rugby keeping the ball in close and using their forwards to slowly moving the ball cross the advantage line…… The rain was hindering the Fijians as they wernt able to play their flashy style of rugby with the wet field and wet ball……

Australia led 42-0 at half time…….. Totally dominating the game with 89% of possession in the first half…….

The second half didnt change for Fiji……. As Australia got a quick turnover and scored another try within the first three minutes of the second half…….

Fiji was well and truly out of the match when the penalty count finally caught up with them and Jone Qovu was shown the yellow card for hands in the ruck to many times in the 71st minute…… Meaning Fiji would be a man down for the rest of the game…..

Australia took full advantage of Fiji being a man down and ran in 4 quick tires in the last 9 minutes to secure a totally dominating performance winning 91-0….. Answering the call to play better rugby after last weeks performance……..

This now secures Australia the stop spot in Pool B with 1 pool game left to play…….. And they will be in the quarter finals no matter what the result is next week…...

Next match will be Australia vs Canada…..





Game Action



Final Score



Match Stats






Pool Standings Week Three


The Best Worst Ad I Saw During College Football…...

This week I saw this Jersey Mike’s ad…… Its quite disturbing…….. I also didnt know Danny had fallen on such hard times that he needed to resort to this for money……...


Next week…… Its going to warm up more and then cool down again and rain for a few days apparently…… So I dont think much will be happening here…….. A nice quiet week of doing as little and possible…….

As for gaming there will be more hardcore modified Dick Trickle racing action in NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona……. Getting lost in a desert in Dakar 18…….. More PES Penguin 6…….. Rugby World Cup in Rugby 08……… And im going on strike……..

Well thats it from me…… Hope all you tuxers have a good week……

Now for my bad joke of the week……
Q: whats the difference between a snow man and a snow woman????........
A: Snow balls.......
*ba dum.... tssssh…...*
Pengling Sep 30, 2023

I grew up watching UK localised (sometimes barely-localised) versions of comedic Japanese gameshows, like Endurance UK and Takeshi's Castle. After realising that Super Bomberman R 2's new addition, Castle mode, is literally Takeshi's Castle but with bombs, I was reminded of a weird little game that I owned back on the Nintendo Switch which was also inspired by the same show, and was delighted to see it end up on sale on Steam for just a few pounds a short time later. That game is Nippon Marathon (Proton).


The game can only be described as absolutely crackers. In the story-mode you pick one of four bizarre characters (lobster-farmer J. Darwin, narwhal-obsessive E. Nishibori, old-man-in-a-dress Zenbei/Xen Bae, or talking-anthropomorphic-dog Snuguru Maestro), and set off on a quest to win a strange foot-race across Japan, in an attempt to take the top spot from the long-time champion - the shady Handsome Hazuki (and his goons). There's also a local multiplayer offering (always welcome - it's good to have a variety of these available for gatherings), but I haven't gotten to try that out yet - it should be a good laugh, though!


I also be playing a bit of the remake of Klonoa -Door To Phantomile- (originally for the Sony PlayStation, though this version is based on the remake for the Nintendo Wii ), via Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series (Proton).

I grew up with the initial release of this game and absolutely despise the changes that they've made here - the retranslation is nowhere near as charming as the original, the removal of the professionally-animated CGI movies in favour of stiff, lifeless, soulless polygonal cutscenes seriously cheapens the experience and makes the game look tacky, and there are copious amounts of mandatory instructional text (that you cannot turn off) forced in your face which break up the flow of levels that were designed to teach you these things organically. The game also claims that the shot distance is the same as the original, but it's actually slightly shorter. However, if you've never experienced the game before, it's still a superb platformer underneath - I only say this as someone who holds the original in exceptionally high regard and who therefore can't accept it being made less stellar, even if it's only very slightly like this.

I have nothing to say yet about Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil. It was originally a PlayStation 2 game, and that was a console that I never owned because it had absolutely nothing to offer me - I was never going to buy one for literally just one or two games, and I found the change to Klonoa's design and voice, from a charming Ghibli-movie-style character, to a tryhard bad-Sonic-character wannabe, to be incredibly unappealing, to boot, though I've heard in the decades since that this attitude thankfully didn't affect the gameplay too much. That one will be a totally new experience to me, when I get to it.

Anyway, this collection is currently deeply-discounted at Fanatical for a few more days, and in spite of my negative statements above I do very highly recommend it, especially at this price (which was enough to make me overlook my issues with it and make the purchase).



And, of course, there's also more of Super Bomberman R 2 (Proton)! I know that I'll have to shuffle this one off to a regular spot in the weekly other-stuff list soon enough, since I'll be playing it regularly until the next installment years from now, but just look at how cute he is in that little suit, would you?!


I've been doing my bit to try to get this game onto the official Steam Deck Most Played list for September - almost every free moment is Bomberman!

That's what you get when you leave a fandom so hungry for years, though. Well, at least as far as mainline installments go; Including this one, we've actually had four games since 2017 - two main titles (Super Bomberman R and Super Bomberman R 2, bookending the quartet) and two side-games (Super Bomberman R Online and Amazing Bomberman, the latter sadly being an Apple Arcade exclusive currently) - and they've all done pretty well for themselves, which is pretty good going for a series that was on hiatus for so long and for which they're not doing a whole lot of promotional activity.

Last but not least, I got hold of one of my Bomberman-collection grails;


It's a plush of the Bomber Cleric character, from the Japan-only strategy-RPG Bomberman Wars. "Bless this, thy Holy Hand Grenade!" is basically what he does, which is just so great.

[+..••] Other stuff that I played this week;


1942 (Capcom Arcade Stadium) (Proton)


Ape Out (Proton)


Final Fight (Capcom Arcade Stadium) (Proton)


FUR Squadron (Proton)


Mappy (NES) (Namco Museum Archives Volume 1) (Proton)


Mega Man: The Power Battle (Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium) (Proton)


Mega Man ZX Advent (Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection) (Proton)


MineClone2 (Minetest ) (Native Linux)


Strider (Capcom Arcade Stadium) (Proton)

And now it's time for...

Pengling's Robot Army!


Hailing from the 1989 Capcom arcade-game, Strider, Mecha Pon is a gigantic robotic gorilla who guards the entrance to a hidden base carved into a mountainside in Siberia. Created to study hydraulics, he attacks by punching with his mighty fists, but he wasn't actually designed for combat. Still, look at it, it's a giant robot gorilla - how could I not want this guy in my robot army?!

Quoting: StoneColdSpider
The edited image a fan posted on Myspace
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! BEAUTIFUL!

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderThe following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental…… DUN DUN.......


Quoting: StoneColdSpiderThe colours are bright and shiny like a bag of Doritos and louder than a Bomberman Fangirl……..
Hey, I'm not loud...

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderThe navigator is harder to understand than a bomberman fangirl with a mouth full of Doritos…….
I don't even like Doritos!


Or Detos, for that matter.

3D Doritos were good, though, but they don't make those anymore!

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderThe vehicles are more twitchy than a Bomberman Fangirl on a strict Mountain Dew diet………
I miss the (less-caffeinated) UK version of Mountain Dew - I don't think that they make it anymore...

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderThe storyline….. Well there is no storyline… So I get to make one up again……. April O’Neil is in the desert looking for the missing Master Splinter……… When she is kidnapped by a crazed Bomberman Fangirl…….. And taken to her secret hideout…… The Mountain Dew factory…….. Where April discovers Master Splinter trapped in a vat of Mountain Dew...... And its now up to to Ninja Turtles to rescue April O’Neil and Master Splinter before they dissolve…...
WHAT?! No! I'm a Bomberman fan - just like my hero I stand for justice, and I would NEVER do such a thing!


Also, Splinter is my favourite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character, alongside Donatello. We're on his side!

Something's not right here - there must be a Nega-Pengling on the loose!

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderMuch you like would take you weeks to get use to a Bomberman Fangirl munching on Doritos and slurping on Mountain Dew……
EWW! That sounds awful!

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderThere are also many spelling errors and terrible English throughout the game…… For example I finished the Paris-Dakar Rally in “113st Place”…….
Oh come on, Spider - we all know one-hundred-and-thirteenst, it comes before five-basquillionth.

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderEven a Bomberman Fangirl high on Doritos dust couldnt find anything positive to say about this game besides the nice graphics……..
I couldn't find anything nice to say about Doritos and Mountain Dew, either!

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderAnd that is why my final score for a Paris-Dakar Rally is a Doritos Pope out of 10……… A fitting punishment…...
DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!! Could it really be?! Could the Dorito Pope be the Nega-Pengling?! The trail of Doritos-dust, empty Mountain Dew bottles, and cans filled with jellified dead rodents seems to lead straight to him!

After all, he seemingly never allows Konami's games into The Game Awards The Godawful Awards due to who he's pals with, and that by extension means that he's anti-Bomberman as well, since Konami took on the series after they absorbed Hudson Soft in 2012 (I strongly suspect that won't be seeing Super Bomberman R 2 being nominated for or winning any awards on his show this year). That's a sure sign of someone who isn't me! How could anybody be anti-Bomberman?! Clearly he's the Nega-Pengling! Well done for uncovering this well-and-truly dastardly scheme, Spider!

(DISCLAIMER: I've got nothing against Geoff Keighley as a person, and he used to be a good games-journalist, once upon a time - this is all just crazy banter with Spider. I'm just not a fan of The Game Awards, as I feel that it has very little to do with video games, that it's absolutely soul-crushing to watch, and that it doesn't represent the industry like it claims to. When your first award-giver is an aged Hollywood actor who openly admits to knowing nothing about video games and your first award-winner openly admits that they wouldn't have auditioned had they known that the role was for a video game, there is a big problem.)

Quoting: StoneColdSpiderNow for my bad joke of the week……
Q: whats the difference between a snow man and a snow woman????........
A: Snow balls.......
*ba dum.... tssssh…...*
This one prompted some immature laughter.

Last edited by Pengling on 30 September 2023 at 1:57 am UTC
Grogan Sep 30, 2023
Quoting: Pengling"Even when I'm arguing I can still eat watermelon"

Well, so can I, but it will be more difficult to articulate and it will be more difficult for the other party to concentrate, wearing projectile coughed chunks of melon. Seeds in the eyes as I toss out some nasty barbed comments might be advantageous though. I could probably eat a meatball sub in the other hand too, but just because you can, doesn't mean you should heheh

(LOL... I trust that's a literal translation from Japanese or something. It would likely be more elegant in its original language. I hope.)

Literal translations on menus can sometimes be less appetizing though. Would you like an order of "Sweet and Sour Balled Chicken"? Of course you would. Somebody probably thought they were smart by avoiding saying "Chicken Balls" there, in that case but instead of the traditional westernized name distinguishing the balls from the breaded chunks, it made it much, much worse for the chicken. Rofl!

(It was a little place called "Hong Kong Mandarin" (nothing to do with the chain "The Mandarin" or anything).They also had combos, "No. A" and "No. B". Not the best fare, but what they had was decent, cheap, hot, fresh and they were nice people. Back then Chinese places always had smorgasboards ("buffets") and if you wanted "smorg takeout" rather than ordering from the menu, they were very generous with it. We mocked their menus though.)

Last edited by Grogan on 30 September 2023 at 4:25 am UTC
Grogan Sep 30, 2023
Quoting: StoneColdSpiderParis Dakar Rally: Overall…….. This game is complete shite.... .... a doritos pope ouf of 10...

LOL "doritos pope". My life has just been enriched, now having seen that image

It's a good thing we have Dakar 18 then. I like that driving, moreover, I think I like that a lot better than those Dirt games, though it does have a bit less polish.

This is what I was looking for. I just did a race that was hundreds of kilometers, in the pouring rain, in grim lighting conditions. La Paz, the route between Peru and Bolivia. Much of it is on semi-OK but somewhat bumpy/twisty roads, slick and puddled from the rain. I took the SxS 1000 turbo thing, which tops out around 130 km/h (which is plenty for those roads, really, I wouldn't have been doing that in my car in those conditions, in real life lol)

Then it turns to swampy trails and it turns to night. Into Controls menu to find out how to turn on headlights... ahh that's better.

I persevered and finished the race, but I did horribly, because of speed limit penalties! JaFuckingWol Commandant. That added like 1:22:00 to my finish time. An hour and 22 minutes for going a few km/h over the speed limit briefly... in a racing game? lol

One time I got nailed because the Navigator told me the speed limit zone was over, so I started going and then he's shouting at me to watch my speed again. The route must have briefly passed out of the area and back again. That one might have been a worse penalty.

Another example of lack of polish, is that ridiculous crap with the quad ATV. Invisible obstacles, really?

Also ridiculous are some of the things that trash my vehicle (compared to some of the things that don't lol). I can roll and roll and land right side up and continue the race, but just run into a little marker barrel or something and "your vehicle is too damaged to continue".

Other than that, this is funner driving than any other racing game of its type for me.

I'm going to try replaying that race with a car, though there are some spots where you can get stuck in muck and water, particularly on that in a 30 km/h speed zone.
Pengling Sep 30, 2023
Quoting: Grogan(LOL... I trust that's a literal translation from Japanese or something. It would likely be more elegant in its original language. I hope.)
Nope - Nippon Marathon is actually a British-made game, haha! It's big on paying tribute to what inspired it - the whole thing is framed like a slightly-localised TV-show, down to little details like the somewhat-stunted dialogue, and just being plain ridiculous for the sake of it. Obligatory Takeshi's Castle UK link.

Quoting: GroganLiteral translations on menus can sometimes be less appetizing though. Would you like an order of "Sweet and Sour Balled Chicken"? Of course you would. Somebody probably thought they were smart by avoiding saying "Chicken Balls" there, in that case but instead of the traditional westernized name distinguishing the balls from the breaded chunks, it made it much, much worse for the chicken. Rofl!
I'm reminded of this amusingly-translated menu!

Last edited by Pengling on 30 September 2023 at 5:18 am UTC
StoneColdSpider Sep 30, 2023
Quoting: PenglingStrider (Capcom Arcade Stadium) (Proton)
When was Hulk Hogan in Strider????.......

Quoting: PenglingHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! BEAUTIFUL!
Thank you...... No one has ever said that about one of my Dick pics before......

Quoting: PenglingOr Detos, for that matter.
LOL that reminds me of this.....

Quoting: PenglingAlso, Splinter is my favourite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character, alongside Donatello. We're on his side!
You either have a small head or that plushie is huge for your glasses to fit on it so well.........

Quoting: PenglingOh come on, Spider - we all know one-hundred-and-thirteenst, it comes before five-basquillionth.
Its a pity I couldnt get 111st and then I could have done a Elevntry-First joke

Quoting: PenglingDUN DUN DUNNNNNN!! Could it really be?! Could the Dorito Pope be the Nega-Pengling?! The trail of Doritos-dust, empty Mountain Dew bottles, and cans filled with jellified dead rodents seems to lead straight to him!
And he would have got away with it if you wernt for you meddling kids......

Quoting: PenglingAfter all, he seemingly never allows Konami's games into The Game Awards The Godawful Awards due to who he's pals with, and that by extension means that he's anti-Bomberman as well, since Konami took on the series after they absorbed Hudson Soft in 2012 (I strongly suspect that won't be seeing Super Bomberman R 2 being nominated for or winning any awards on his show this year). That's a sure sign of someone who isn't me! How could anybody be anti-Bomberman?! Clearly he's the Nega-Pengling! Well done for uncovering this well-and-truly dastardly scheme, Spider!
As we know.... Only I am allowed to disgrace the good name of Pengling......... And thats the end of that chapter......

Quoting: PenglingThis one prompted some immature laughter.
Im sure the Dick Trickle Career has prompted more too

Quoting: GroganLOL "doritos pope". My life has just been enriched, now having seen that image
Hes a cultural icon!!!

Quoting: GroganIt's a good thing we have Dakar 18 then. I like that driving, moreover, I think I like that a lot better than those Dirt games, though it does have a bit less polish.
Yeah..... Its the best of the Dakar games...... Not perfect but at least playable and fun to play.......

Quoting: GroganThis is what I was looking for. I just did a race that was hundreds of kilometers, in the pouring rain, in grim lighting conditions. La Paz, the route between Peru and Bolivia. Much of it is on semi-OK but somewhat bumpy/twisty roads, slick and puddled from the rain. I took the SxS 1000 turbo thing, which tops out around 130 km/h (which is plenty for those roads, really, I wouldn't have been doing that in my car in those conditions, in real life lol)

Then it turns to swampy trails and it turns to night. Into Controls menu to find out how to turn on headlights... ahh that's better.
Dont forget your wipers as well.....
But yes I really enjoy the weather and the day-night cycle this game has........

Quoting: GroganI persevered and finished the race, but I did horribly, because of speed limit penalties! JaFuckingWol Commandant. That added like 1:22:00 to my finish time. An hour and 22 minutes for going a few km/h over the speed limit briefly... in a racing game? lol

One time I got nailed because the Navigator told me the speed limit zone was over, so I started going and then he's shouting at me to watch my speed again. The route must have briefly passed out of the area and back again. That one might have been a worse penalty.
Yeah the speed zones are super strict and not very well defined........ Im not sure if thats like the real Dakar or not....... But I would have thought they would have markers to define the speed zones better or have the onbaord GPS beep to warn you or SOMETHING........ But man some of those speed zones appear to jump out of nowhere......... And the crazy part is that you seem drive past more populated areas and more condensed buildings areas that are somehow NOT a speed zone....... It makes it even harder to pick them out.......

I ended up scrolling through the road book during the lading section and checking for speed zones....... And noting how many KM into the rally they were........ And so that means keeping track of ANOTHER thing while driving and navigating and reading the book and listening to the annoying bomberman fangirl navigator......

The 30km/h check points where you get your card stamped are easy as they have huge flags and stuff that warn you of the incoming speed zone..... But the others..........

I ended up going back to Rookie for awhile so just having a more relaxing drive.......

Quoting: GroganAlso ridiculous are some of the things that trash my vehicle (compared to some of the things that don't lol). I can roll and roll and land right side up and continue the race, but just run into a little marker barrel or something and "your vehicle is too damaged to continue".
Yeah I noticed that too...... Crashing into a huge rock or building is almost perfectly fine but sitting a little wooden road marker and your rally has ended........

Quoting: GroganI'm going to try replaying that race with a car, though there are some spots where you can get stuck in muck and water, particularly on that in a 30 km/h speed zone.
Let me know how the car goes and let me know which car you drive........ The Toyota Hilux, Mini Rally, Renault Duster and Mitsubishi Montero Proto are 4WD while the Peugeot 3008 DKR and Mini Buggy are 2WD so watch out for that.........

Dakar 18 has its problem but its still a really good game...... I have not bought Dakar Desert Rally yet and to be honest I have next to zero interest in it...... Everything...... And I mean EVERYTHING is locked behind progression and coins....... Every vehicle needs to be unlocked with either Dakar Coins or Completing every rally in every vehicle class in the top 3 positions.......

And you also need to be level 25 to unlock the actual Dakar Rally from what I understand....... That just totally turns me off the game....... And of course the Kamaz trucks are the most expensive vehicles in the game.......
Grogan Sep 30, 2023
Quoting: StoneColdSpiderLet me know how the car goes and let me know which car you drive...

I tried it with the Renault Duster, and it was much better. The weather was better too, it wasn't raining as hard (and mostly stopped at times) and it was earlier in the day, the lighting was a yellowish overcast.

It was better, but I didn't finish the race because I screwed it up so badly it was pointless and I was getting tired anyway. I blew through a 30 km/h zone at 160 km/h (wasn't paying attention). I tried to stop and went sideways even, but I was in the red badly. It didn't end the race or anything, but I'm sure it hurt. I also took a wrong turn and navigator numbnuts didn't tell me for a while ("we better get back to our last known note" or something).

That guy is annoying... why not STFU for a while. I don't need him telling me "keep paying attention..." or "you should be more careful". NO, you should be more QUIET lol

One time when the car was stuck, I got out and so did he and he said something snide like we're not going to win smelling the fresh air. It would have been a nice touch if the game would let me beat him up or something lol
Grogan Sep 30, 2023
Quoting: PenglingNope - Nippon Marathon is actually a British-made game, haha! It's big on paying tribute to what inspired it - the whole thing is framed like a slightly-localised TV-show

Oh, those kind of crazy shows. Japanese love those (I've never seen a British one lol)

Heheh... of course that menu is going to be garbage if they just plugged shit into Google translator. I would imagine Chinese would be hard to interpret. Those characters can mean different things spoken with different inflections and shit.
StoneColdSpider Sep 30, 2023
Quoting: GroganI tried it with the Renault Duster, and it was much better. The weather was better too, it wasn't raining as hard (and mostly stopped at times) and it was earlier in the day, the lighting was a yellowish overcast.
Nice..... I still have not driven the cars much..... Trucks all the way baby.......

Quoting: GroganIt was better, but I didn't finish the race because I screwed it up so badly it was pointless and I was getting tired anyway. I blew through a 30 km/h zone at 160 km/h (wasn't paying attention). I tried to stop and went sideways even, but I was in the red badly. It didn't end the race or anything, but I'm sure it hurt. I also took a wrong turn and navigator numbnuts didn't tell me for a while ("we better get back to our last known note" or something).
If you havnt already you should try stage 1 of the Ruta 40 Rally...... Its a nice stage...... It has three speed zones but all are linked to the check point to stamp your time card...... Besides that no other speed zones and you spent lots of time in RIOs....... Its actually really fun.......

The Ruta 40 Rally is one of the free DLC rallies........ Its worth installing if you havnt already.......

Quoting: GroganThat guy is annoying... why not STFU for a while. I don't need him telling me "keep paying attention..." or "you should be more careful". NO, you should be more QUIET lol
More annoying than a Bomberman Fangirl????......

Quoting: GroganOne time when the car was stuck, I got out and so did he and he said something snide like we're not going to win smelling the fresh air. It would have been a nice touch if the game would let me beat him up or something lol
I know a certain Dick Trickle that would beat him up............
Grogan Sep 30, 2023
Quoting: StoneColdSpiderThe Ruta 40 Rally is one of the free DLC rallies........ Its worth installing if you havnt already...

Yes, I tried the DLC rallies. It was a bit confusing to get them, they didn't get installed with the game and on the menu screen, clicking Download just popped up the Steam overlay and I had to figure it out myself where to go and click "Download". I bought the $2 DLC (which was just an addon vehicle) and under that it listed the races as "Free", so the DLC said "In Library". But on clicking around and expanding I saw the Download button, which appeared to do nothing. However, what it did was queue up a 20 Gb update in Steam for it, which downloaded both DLC rallies.

The first one, Ruta 40 was pretty good (I didn't do all the races, just the first one). However, the second DLC just looks to be more dune terrain, in all 3 races (but again I only tried the first). There's enough of that in the main game.
StoneColdSpider Sep 30, 2023
Quoting: GroganYes, I tried the DLC rallies. It was a bit confusing to get them, they didn't get installed with the game and on the menu screen, clicking Download just popped up the Steam overlay and I had to figure it out myself where to go and click "Download". I bought the $2 DLC (which was just an addon vehicle) and under that it listed the races as "Free", so the DLC said "In Library". But on clicking around and expanding I saw the Download button, which appeared to do nothing. However, what it did was queue up a 20 Gb update in Steam for it, which downloaded both DLC rallies.
I bought the game when it was on sale at Fanatical and I had the same problems getting the free DLC installed....... I havnt bought the DLC Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 yet....... Will get that next sale......

Quoting: GroganThe first one, Ruta 40 was pretty good (I didn't do all the races, just the first one). However, the second DLC just looks to be more dune terrain, in all 3 races (but again I only tried the first). There's enough of that in the main game.
I havnt tried the Inca Rally yet..... Im up to Stage 4 of the Ruta 40 and its been great fun....... Though it looks like Stage 4 has a lot of speed zones........ Similar to Stage 13 of the Dakar Rally that has a ton of speed zones.......
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