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Lots of gameplay this time around (something like 6 minutes). Feedback is much appreciated, as always.

Well I went ahead and set up a "capture rig". It's really just my gaming machine with a new video card though.

I'll be using an X800 XT All in Wonder for the video capture. I did a couple test videos and it's alright, nothing exceptional, but hopefully it will do.

Went by Radio Shack and got all the necessary cables today. I had to split all the connections from the console to go to both my computer and my receiver. It's a pretty big mess now, but this way I can play the games on the tele without the lag caused by the video record on the comp.



I'll be throwing up some footage of Earth Defense Force on the next Nerd Alert and you'll all have to let me know what you think.

Well, somehow Nerd Alert made "featured" status. I really hadn't planned for that kind of exposure and I was definitely surprised when I saw the thing on the front page. I think this will be a good way to get some feedback though so I can improve the next one.

A couple users have suggested gameplay footage for the next episode. I think this is a pretty good idea and I'm bummed that I don't really have the means to make some quality videos in that department. I'll try and record some of the handheld stuff with the camera and see how it turns out, but if I do console stuff I want to use something a little nicer.

I've been playing Earth Defense Force 2 on the new PS2 and it's amazingly fun. The controls are a little loose, but the fact that you have the chance to mow down hundreds of giant ants more than makes up for it. Playing this game really wanted me to get into making some gameplay demos. So I think the next step might be getting some kind of capture device. It could potentially be a lot of fun showing some of the people here the crazy games I waste my money on. Hopefully I can get something going here pretty soon.

I'm open for more suggestions too. Like whether or not to do commentary while playing and stuff like that. Like I said before I haven't done anything like this before, so let me know what you folks think.

Also, with the new ceramic white addition to the console setup I am officially out of inputs. I'm going to need a system selector if I want to play everything that's set up without having to swap cables all the time. Not looking forward to rewiring the whole rig at all. I figure I might as well upgrade some cables as I go, so I'll probably just do a little bit at a time so I don't go broke.

There's the update. Thanks to everyone who's been leaving me feedback and tracking my contributions now, I appreciate it.

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I uploaded my first actual video tonight; a review of the controller I posted about a couple weeks ago. It's pretty basic, but any feedback is appreciated, as I've never done anything like this before.

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Nerd Alert is still in the pipeline, just haven't had time to do much this past weekend. I'll hopefully have it finished by the end of the week. Don't expect anything creative though...

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It's time for another confession.

I absolutely love 2D games. I think they are artistically brilliant and absolutely enjoyable. Fighters, Side-scrollers, Shmups - I have a love for them all.

The problem? -- I'm not very good at them.

Now here's the deal. I was decent at 'em at one time in my life - when I was under the age of 10. I had little problem with the original Mega Man, Tiger Heli was a blast, and I had a wicked Ken in Street Fighter. I'm not saying I'm a 2 dimensional god, but I could hold my own back in the day - and I didn't even have facial hair.

Why is it that now I struggle to be any good at these types of games now. I thought it was like riding a bike? Maybe for everyone else, but not yours truly.

So, I recently received my Hori Digital Controller for the Cube.


It's perfect for games like Alien Hominid, and the old Mega Mans. So I fire up AH for the first time to run it through it's paces. I'm not sure how far I got into the game before I got to witness the 'Game Over' screen, but let me assure you it wasn't far.

I'm not even going to mention the schooling I got from a friend in Street Fighter III on the Dreamcast. I even gave him the arcade stick that's been acting up. How embarassing!

I've got too many games I wanna play to be set back by something as trivial as lost gaming skills. It's not like I've totally neglected the 1st and 2nd dimensions - it's just been a while since I've played something that's not a pushover I guess. I'm really just hoping that it'll just take time before I fall back into my 2D groove. I mean that junk can't be lost forever can it?

Whatever, I blame puberty...

Well, it's been quite a while since I've written an update on my gaming habits. Tons of stuff has happened - new systems purchased, countless games bought, several big sales taken advantage of. I just never bothered to type it up, and now there's just too much that's happened to recap it all.

So I figured I'd just write about what's been goin on lately for my Summer Gamin Binge.

I got a late start trying to get settled in the summer session at work - waking up early and whatnot. Not to mention we were getting a lake trip in at least once a week. So needless to say, gaming was not a priority.

Now everything has changed though, and it's time to play some games.

It began with the Nintendo handhelds (GBA and DS.) Call it "laziness" but I was all about relaxin on the couch/bed/recliner while playin the suckers.
I then realized I had never played through an Iga Castlevania, yup, including SoTN. I made the decision to play Aria of Sorrow first. I found this to be a wise decision, because I enjoyed it so much I played through Dawn of Sorrow immediately after. In fact I'm on my second play-through of DoS on Hard so I can get a little completist action going on (souls, abilities, items, rpgs, teddy bears.) All the stuff you can unlock on that game, I've been workin on it. Which is interesting because I don't do that very often, I guess I just felt the need with this one.

Afterwards I decided to go for the Minish Cap. I hadn't played a Zelda game in a while, and I thought it fit the bill rather perfectly. I was really impressed with the way Capcom handled the game, particularly the musical "cameos" from a lot of the older games. I guess I wasn't expecting as much in that regard since it was first -Vaati and not Ganon, and second - Capcom and not Nintendo. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised.

Lastly, I just began SMT: Nocturne - my first Mega Ten game. A friend up north suggested we play it at the same time and talk about it as we go along - it had been a while since I'd done something that nerdy, so I gladly agreed.
I must say though, this game is a little overwhelming. I'm not the most experienced RPG gamer, especially when it comes to JRPGs - and this game is just kickin my butt. There are tons of demons and skills and combinations of stuff to worry about. I'm a little worried that I won't be able to handle it and I'll miss out on this cult classic title. It's still early on though, usually it just takes a little time, some trial and error, and hopefully I'll get the hang of it.

There it is, the "serious" games of Summer '06 that I've played so far. Perhaps later I'll go over all of those other games I've been messin with in between.

As this week draws to a close I am forced to make a decision. A very important one, mind you. You see, I have the upcoming week off and I am going to get lost in an RPG. That much is certain, what wasn't (until now), was what game I was going to play.

So, I make the shameful and most embarassing announcement that I have decided to begin my 1st playthrough of (none other than) Final Fantasy VII.

That's right, Yours Truly has never enjoyed this game. And although it's now considered by many to be one of the most cliche JRPGs, or even looked down upon as being an overly overrated game, the truth is I have always wanted to play it. And I aim to.

I'm very excited about this choice, and I will not go into the process or the other canidates, but I am pleased to make this announcement (as humiliating as it was).

Heh heh, well I believe I have reached a new and totally enjoyable level of nerdiness.

At my new job there resides a few fellow gamers. One of the things that I like to do a lot, especially when working on deck, is talk about video games. So we eventually discuss all of the systems we own and games we currently play. Turns out this one person has 2 other friends that are rather "hardcore" as well, and they all own gba's. We get on the subject of connectivity and multiplayer games that take advantage of that, but the lack of friends that own gba's. Well they all apparently love playing Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, a game that I played the single player of for about a week and had a blast with, but got rather bored. So we set up a time and give it a shot.

I'll tell ya the game is absolutely infinitely more enjoyable with 4 people playin at once. I mean I never thought I'd have this much fun with this game, as I just kind of dismissed it as a horrible FF offshoot with a 4 player gba gimmick. Although it still does have it's share of shortcomings, I couldn't be having more fun.

w00t.