Happy Halloween!

I really love Halloween. The people on that side of the pond really know how to celebrate it well but we in the UK with our stiff upper lips and British reserve never celebrated it properly. Even though like most things, we invented it.

I aim to eradicate that fact. My house will be decorated up to the max. I'll be scaring kids shitless in the up-coming Halloween festivities and obligatory FK scary story telling. I might even throw out a few sweets to the little beggars. But to all of you out there, enjoy Halloween, it's well worth celebrating in it's Pagan way.

I dread to think what will happen to any of the kids in Caleb's neighbourhood if he's bee playing D2 and has the chainsaw at the ready... But that's another story...

Until then enjoy HOTD as a fore runner to this special occasion, and we'll see what comes back! Happy Halloween!
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What model controller do YOU enjoy?

I was recently considering the different controllers I have for the Saturn the other day. I am trying to decide which one I would like to claim as my own for the Saturn Multiplayer Tourney I am setting up. (I will post the video here).


I have the three main types. I figure the 3d models I have look cool but the analog stick would be useless for most multiplayer and fighting games.



So that leave the two common controllers...

Version 1:

Big fat and *supposedly* has the most rugged and most sensitive cross controller of all 5th and lower generation controllers. Some even say that that the cross D-Pad on this controller even rivals new gen (leading some people to mod them for use on the X-box 360).

I know when I play a fighting game like Street Fighter Alpha 2 on the Saturn and PS1, there is no comparison. This controller KICKS THE DUAL SHOCK'S ASS.

But then take a gander at the Version 2 controller.

This is much slimmer and is the same style of controller that many gamers use with fighting games. It doesn't seem as durable as the Version 1 though.

There might be an advantage for those of you who like a slimmer controller.


If push comes to shove I would almost rather take the model 2 since it's similar to the thinner Genesis and Master System controllers I use a lot. However, one can't discount the version 1's directional pad. I would be happy with either one.

What's your opinion?




Also, take a look at this!



"Terminator
This must be one of the ugliest control pads ever made. It looks like a futuristic bicycle, or something like it at least. But it's rather common finding next to an old Saturn. It must have been very cheap when it was sold. It's not comfortable in any second but it works alright. A big amount of fire indicators lights up when you hit the different buttons."


www.syntaxerror.nu/joysticks.html





I have NEVER seen this monstrosity before. I would definitely buy it if I did though. I don't know how well it would work, but it's definitely a video gamers version of a conversation piece.

Mr. Bones

Guess what I just found:

"Fake Down" unreleased Saturn game.

Did anyone ever hear of this game before? Any chance of a playable version anywhere?



In any case I think it's funny because the monster the kid is fighting looks just like the rubber monster suit they used in the classic move "The Creature from the Black Lagoon".

Resident Rejoicing!

Oh prepare the street parties, deck the halls, trumpet the fanfairs, prepare the fireworks and break out the bubbly!!!! For today dear readers is the most fabulous of days!!! They Tyrant is dead, the Mansion destroyed, foxy Jill Valentine is safely in the chopper with Brad and Barry and for now (at least) the Evil Umbrella corporation is defeated! Yes for those of you unfamiliar with my love/hate relationship with Resident Evil Deadly Silence, read on...

This was the game that made me fall in love with the DS. It made me realise what a powerful and dynamic system it was... It also was a game which I found maddeningly difficult, ball achingly frustrated with it's impossibly stingy weapon and save systems, and a game which I eventually traded for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attourney. But something made me buy it again and I'm so glad I did...

Now I won't bore you with the story line, I'll asume you know all about it After all it's a 10 year old game ported (some would say cheaply) to the DS. The original video and engagingly awful dialogue from the Saturn/PS1 version included. But the system specific DS features in Rebirth Mode are incredible... For a start there's the knifing... Using the stylus to dispatch zombies is fun. But at various points in the games you can use it to throw darts (honestly!), to reconnect circuitry, turn dials and so on... The microphone is even more cleverly employed... Blow on the screen to repel zombie vomit, to blow out candles, to give mouth to mouth to your injured colleagues... At one point you use your finger to turn a record on an antique gramophone... Highly innovative stuff!


But how pray tell, did I now succeed at a game that had previously defeated me (and frustrated my sage like patron Gnome)... well here's the deal... I discovered an easy mode. Now this is how you do it... Go to the start menu, select Rebirth Mode, then hold the d-pad to the right till the writing turns green, Hey presto! Easy Mode. Now the game already gives you the option of playing a normal game (as Jill) or a hard game (as Chris) but unless I'm missing something obvious, Capcom's definition of 'normal' means rock fucking hard! But Easy Mode gives you more resillience against attack, twice the ammo and twice the save potential. In other words it allows you a fair chance of beating the game.



Now the downside... beating the game in easy mode does not allow you to access the unlockable 'Master Of Knifing' mini-game. Oh well! the main point of me taking this journey again was to give me the background on the Umbrella story for the upcoming Wii release "Umbrella Chronicles".



Plus now I don't need to play it on the Saturn, although I might play the Gamecube remake... This means I now have the honour of completing Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil Code Veronica and Resident Evil 4.

The next game I'm playing? Resident Evil 3 on the Dreamcast! Plus I've got Resident Evil Dead Aim, Resident Evil Outbreak File 2 and Resident Evil Code Veronica (Gun Survivor) for the PS2, so I should be fairly busy for a while... LOL!


Oh and I'm loving NFSC: Own the Streets and Fifa 07 for the DS, they're both great for short bursts of handheld game play. Plus I've got Prince Of Persia and Silent Hill on my phone at the moment so I might have another topic of conversation soon. Until then I'll leave you a couple of links if you want to know more about this classic series...

IGN Resident Evil DS

Resident Evil Wikipedia

Gamespot Resident Evil DS

Resident Evil DS Official Site

Capcom's Resident Evil Page

New Resident Evil Movie

THE SEGA SATURN CDR SWAP TRICK

Hi folks. Its been a while now since I posted anything decent, I'm well aware of that tragic fact. Trust bloody work to get in the way of blogging! Harumph! By way of a stop gap, I've decided to cheaply post a bit of video. Lame I know, but this particular video shows erstwhile Saturn users how they can play CDRs without modding or chipping their lovely consoles... And I don't need any excuse to show the lovely white Saturn that I crave so much... One day maybe, one day...

Sega Rally Revo - Xbox 360 Playstation 3

Uhm! I'm lost for words...

Game over, yeaaaahhhhhhh!!!

It's hard for me to understand why, in a blog created by an avid Sega Rally fan, no one seems to care about the new game in the franchise! I know there's nothing like the original on the Saturn (actually there is, the Sega Rally 95 port for the PS2 I talked about a long time ago), but this new game was actually starting to look pretty good! In fact, just today, during my daily visit to PTgamers, I found reviews of the PSP and PC version, both with a pretty good score (16/20 and 17/20, respectively). I know you can't understand shit of what they talk about in the reviews, but I think the score is universal: 16/17 in 20 is a pretty good score! (Halo 3 got 17, for example...)


I too have an opinion of the game, the Xbox 360 version (identical to the PC one), for I've downloaded the demo just a couple of days ago, and unfortunately my opinion is different...

From the moment I started my first race I felt that the handling of the cars was just wrong. They feel weight-less, like cardboard boxes or something, and they turn way to much. You just need to press the analog pad a little for the car to turn wildly, sliding uncontrollably. Throughout the whole race you feel like you have no control over the car, which is a real pain, and not fun at all! On the other hand this seems to be solely my problem, since nobody else seems to rant about this. In fact everyone praises the gameplay of the game.


So, why can't I seem to enjoy it? Too much Colin McRae? Probably not, since I still can make some pretty good runs in the good ol' Sega Rally 95. Well, whatever it is, it's really a shame, since the other aspects of the game are pretty ace. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous, with tracks filled with vibrant colors, like we hardly see this days. There's also a major innovation, the deformable terrain, that ensures no two races are the same. It's something Motorstorm for the PS3 introduced, but that Sega Rally does much better.

So, in conclusion, I think the point is, if you're interested in this game, make sure you try it first. Don't be alarmed by my ranting, as I said, the problem's probably mine, but in any case there's nothing like trying it out yourself.