Monday, December 28, 2009
Getting Back on this after a lapse...
So It's been a while. Major updates include:
I now own 2 360's and a Ps3 Slim. I have developed a taste for DS homebrew programming and have thought about expanding to Android and Iphone platforms.
If only I knew people that were willing to work on a profit sharing model...
I now own 2 360's and a Ps3 Slim. I have developed a taste for DS homebrew programming and have thought about expanding to Android and Iphone platforms.
If only I knew people that were willing to work on a profit sharing model...
Monday, July 16, 2007
Shoot-em Ups!
Today I want to write about one of my favorite genres in gaming, the shoot-em up, or as they are sometimes refered, the shmup. The schmup is one of the most noble of video game genres, and one that does not flourish today, especially in North America. However they are still around and in Asia are still somewhat popular.
My love for them started with Galaga back at the arcades. I used to go to a public laundry place, and all I would do is play Galaga over and over while I waited for the laundry to be finished. This was when I was 7 or so, so it has been a while. Later on the NES I would play Gradius and Twin Bee not knowing that 20 years later I would be playing the very same games. I just got three sweet games for my PSP. Twinbee portable, Salamander Portable, and Parodius Portable. These are collections of games in these series and are worth every dime. Parodius especially is not something I played a lot of growing up, so it was a real treat to be able to play the later releases. Salamander Portable is nice too, including Xexex and Gradius 2 in the package. These are imports but at 35 bucks each they are a cost effective way to play through a lot of classics with enhanced options. I also recommend the Gradius Collection which was actually released here in the States.
I think my interest in Shoot-em Ups resurfaced with Ikaruga, which I first experienced on the Game Cube. This game was famous for its difficulty and awesome design. It turns out it was not overrated at all. It is an amazing experience and I'm glad to own it for the Game Cube and the Dreamcast. If it ever comes out to the Xbox Live arcade I will get it there too...
Which brings me into what I believe is the panacea of shmups, the dreamcast. There are so many awesome games for the dreamcast it is stupid. Add to this the cost of the hardware and a dreamcast should be part of every video game fan, and is a requirement for any Shoot-em Up follower. There are not only a lot of games released stateside, but a very large number of imports. Not only that, people to this day still develop shooters for the dreamcast! I just played Karous a few days ago, only to learn that it might be coming out for the Wii soon. Radilgy is another cell-shaded shooter that was scheduled for release in the Gamecube and got axed. Well you can still play it on your Dreamcast! Finally, there is a compendium of shmups for the Dreamcast, released by Lan-Di. It is esentially a collection of emulators, with about. 180 games. You know the drill on emulation and roms, you need to own the game of the rom you play, etc etc.
Shoot-em Ups have some of the best gameplay, forcing you to concentrate as you dodge waves of bullets and have to predict enemy patterns. I love 2D shmups, but lately there has been a wave of 3D shooters in a 2D perspective, which I think works really nice and still looks modern enough to justify new releases on machines which specialize on 3D rendering. I hope the genre continues to exist for a long time!
My love for them started with Galaga back at the arcades. I used to go to a public laundry place, and all I would do is play Galaga over and over while I waited for the laundry to be finished. This was when I was 7 or so, so it has been a while. Later on the NES I would play Gradius and Twin Bee not knowing that 20 years later I would be playing the very same games. I just got three sweet games for my PSP. Twinbee portable, Salamander Portable, and Parodius Portable. These are collections of games in these series and are worth every dime. Parodius especially is not something I played a lot of growing up, so it was a real treat to be able to play the later releases. Salamander Portable is nice too, including Xexex and Gradius 2 in the package. These are imports but at 35 bucks each they are a cost effective way to play through a lot of classics with enhanced options. I also recommend the Gradius Collection which was actually released here in the States.
I think my interest in Shoot-em Ups resurfaced with Ikaruga, which I first experienced on the Game Cube. This game was famous for its difficulty and awesome design. It turns out it was not overrated at all. It is an amazing experience and I'm glad to own it for the Game Cube and the Dreamcast. If it ever comes out to the Xbox Live arcade I will get it there too...
Which brings me into what I believe is the panacea of shmups, the dreamcast. There are so many awesome games for the dreamcast it is stupid. Add to this the cost of the hardware and a dreamcast should be part of every video game fan, and is a requirement for any Shoot-em Up follower. There are not only a lot of games released stateside, but a very large number of imports. Not only that, people to this day still develop shooters for the dreamcast! I just played Karous a few days ago, only to learn that it might be coming out for the Wii soon. Radilgy is another cell-shaded shooter that was scheduled for release in the Gamecube and got axed. Well you can still play it on your Dreamcast! Finally, there is a compendium of shmups for the Dreamcast, released by Lan-Di. It is esentially a collection of emulators, with about. 180 games. You know the drill on emulation and roms, you need to own the game of the rom you play, etc etc.
Shoot-em Ups have some of the best gameplay, forcing you to concentrate as you dodge waves of bullets and have to predict enemy patterns. I love 2D shmups, but lately there has been a wave of 3D shooters in a 2D perspective, which I think works really nice and still looks modern enough to justify new releases on machines which specialize on 3D rendering. I hope the genre continues to exist for a long time!
Saturday, January 6, 2007
Xbox 360
So Micro Center ran this promotion where they mailed you a $100 rebate if you purchased an Xbox 360. Then, mastercard or whoever offered $100 rebate if you spent $400. So I bought a 360 at the (soon to be) price of $200 after rebates.
I was going to wait until the price dropped and there were more titles, but my wife convinced me to go for it after I told her about XNA and the ability to developer simultaneously for the 360 and the PC.
I still haven't gotten past installing XNA but I will try to make a small shoot-em up or something soon.
Anyway, the Xbox 360 is rock solid. The graphics look great even in a crappy TV like mine, and its online offering contrasts sharply with that of the Wii. Meaning it has a great online service in which you could literally lose your self for weeks. I love the ability to play demos and sample Arcade games.
Another thing which I thought was very cool was the ability to stream movies and music from my PC as well as view pictures. I don't care as much about the pictures, but being able to watch the latest episode of Bleach on the couch with my family is pretty nifty (downside is you most convert to a supported format such as wmv.)
Finally, I picked up the much hyped Gears of War and while I wasn't blown out of my sandals, it was good enough to make me want to receive the new year playing it. Now I just have to start building my library of Xbox 360 games (just got Dead or Alive 4 today) and make sure I don't ignore the Wii too much.
I was going to wait until the price dropped and there were more titles, but my wife convinced me to go for it after I told her about XNA and the ability to developer simultaneously for the 360 and the PC.
I still haven't gotten past installing XNA but I will try to make a small shoot-em up or something soon.
Anyway, the Xbox 360 is rock solid. The graphics look great even in a crappy TV like mine, and its online offering contrasts sharply with that of the Wii. Meaning it has a great online service in which you could literally lose your self for weeks. I love the ability to play demos and sample Arcade games.
Another thing which I thought was very cool was the ability to stream movies and music from my PC as well as view pictures. I don't care as much about the pictures, but being able to watch the latest episode of Bleach on the couch with my family is pretty nifty (downside is you most convert to a supported format such as wmv.)
Finally, I picked up the much hyped Gears of War and while I wasn't blown out of my sandals, it was good enough to make me want to receive the new year playing it. Now I just have to start building my library of Xbox 360 games (just got Dead or Alive 4 today) and make sure I don't ignore the Wii too much.
Monday, December 25, 2006
About Me
I'm a junior programmer at an independent software developer, working on an adult-oriented MMO game.
Working in a small company, I get to have an opinion in every aspect of development, and work well outside my category as a junior software engineer. This is the second PC MMO game development project I've worked on.
I've been playing games consistently since 1986 (although I technically started with an Intellivision when I was 4).
Consoles I Own: Genesis, Sega CD, 32x, Saturn, Dreamcast, N64, Gamecube, Playstation 2, Xbox, Wii.
Handhelds: GBA, GBA SP, Nintendo DS, PSP.
I sold off my NES when I was 13, because I was 13 and not very smart.
I also collect emulators and a few roms, in order to play as many games from as many regions as possible. I plan to pay back my "bad" karma by purchasing more retro-consoles and games, either in their original form, or in some modern incarnation (Today: Super Castlevania IV for the Wii Virtual Console).
Finally, I studied Game Design and Development at Full Sail in Orlando, FLA.
Working in a small company, I get to have an opinion in every aspect of development, and work well outside my category as a junior software engineer. This is the second PC MMO game development project I've worked on.
I've been playing games consistently since 1986 (although I technically started with an Intellivision when I was 4).
Consoles I Own: Genesis, Sega CD, 32x, Saturn, Dreamcast, N64, Gamecube, Playstation 2, Xbox, Wii.
Handhelds: GBA, GBA SP, Nintendo DS, PSP.
I sold off my NES when I was 13, because I was 13 and not very smart.
I also collect emulators and a few roms, in order to play as many games from as many regions as possible. I plan to pay back my "bad" karma by purchasing more retro-consoles and games, either in their original form, or in some modern incarnation (Today: Super Castlevania IV for the Wii Virtual Console).
Finally, I studied Game Design and Development at Full Sail in Orlando, FLA.
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