Sunday, May 22, 2011

What's this all about?

This blog has been revived thanks to the inspiring work of The CRPG Addict. It's due to his example that I realize the bar is set much higher for this kind of blog, and so I hope to elevate this effort. I'm going to use many of his techniques for organizing, evaluating, and playing the games. I've made my list, made my rating system, and my rules all based on the examples of The CRPG Addict and The Adventure Gamer. I've deleted the previous posts, as they didn't offer much other than an example of a poor early attempt.

So a little back story. I love RPGs; All RPGs. I just can't get enough of them. Sure I like other genres such as strategy, puzzle, adventure, and platforming even, but nothing gets me quite as good as an RPG. The problem I have had is that there is not enough time to play through them all. The solution I've found: just start playing them. Eventually I'll get through them, maybe even all of them.

My first question: where do I begin? I've generated a list of console based RPGs (backloggery.com/rpgconquest). This list probably isn't complete, and contains many games that might not be RPGs, but that's the joy of discovery. My next step is to collect them all.

But, I can't wait to collect them all before I begin. That would take a few years on its own, and I plan to make use of the games I do have now. That means there won't be a lot of order to what game I play next, but I am determined to play sequels in order.

I'm going to be playing the games live at http://justin.tv/zenicreverie when I can. I'm hoping this allows people familiar with these games and those interested to follow along. Seems like the thing to do since many of these games are hard to find and emulation isn't for everyone. I'll push some videos to youtube, but it's become too much of a hassle to back them all up. Follow on twitter for announcements of my stream: @zenicreverie.

RULES! (See this post)

6 comments:

  1. Just read CRPG Addicts latest comments, and I'm all aboard. It will be interesting to see all the old console RPGs I was ignorant of during the time they were new and played not on an emulator to boot!

    Seriously, though. I can't remember video game commercials or seeing the games at VideoPix (I had a video rental place across from where I lived through the 1990s up to 1998) or even anyone at school mentioning RPGs (not even DnD). I guess I have to accept that despite developing an interest in old-school electronic RPGs since about Spring 2009, I have always been a mainstream Nintendo console gamer.

    Glad the internet and you guys (you plus CA and some forums) have allowed me to learn about them.

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    1. And look, you found your login info and aren't anonymous. :)

      I've decided on a couple of things. First, this blog will need more pictures. Second, I'm going to adopt CRPG Addict's definition of RPGs, although not as strict in cutting off a game that don't fit. I'll only cut the game if it's not an RPG and I'm not having fun with it.

      Lastly, psuedo-chronological order may be better than no order, so I'm going to do my best to go from oldest game to newest. Of course, this means I'll have to skip some as I don't have them yet, but I'll jump back to them once I pick them up. Hopefully that won't be too hard to follow.

      I'll also expand more on my experience with each game and explore more without worrying about getting straight to the end. I think I'll play through the games I've already done once I get to them in this new order of games. It'll probably be years until then though.

      Finally, I'm questioning my intention to stream and record the entire play time. I figured it'd be nice to see, but I wonder if anyone really cares. It doesn't hurt any to do so, so I'll keep it up for now.

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  2. Salutations Zenic. I'm moving over here from The Adventure Gamer, and originally from The CRPG Addict's blog. I've liked your blog comments in past, so I'm hoping for a better writing level then I've found at some of the other retrogaming sites.

    I'd be interested in hanging out and chatting while you game sometime--I suggested that to the Addict at one point, but he wasn't interested.

    All the way through every game? Well, you sure aren't going to finish your list! Good luck to you!

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  3. Welcome! I'm glad to have you around. I hope I don't disappoint you. Do let me know if you find anything awkward while you read. I'm definitely open to suggestions, and feedback on my writing is something I'd greatly appreciate.

    I have no realistic expectations (although some fanciful ones) of actually finishing. With a list at 750 (although some I'm already skipping), I'm guessing I'll be at this for 30 - 40 years if I stick to just this list.

    I stream on the nights I play, and there's a text chat, so feel free to stop by and chat. I tried using a mic for chatting, but it's not really my thing and it shows (just check my old videos). I think it'll help to have an audience if I ever want hints live. Better than being stuck for hours at a time when I have a backlog of another 700 games staring at me.

    Honestly, these rules were created in isolation based on CRPG Addict's experience. It's a great place to start, but I expect them to evolve throughout this journey.

    One thing that I could see change is allowing for some emulation, if for nothing else than the Nintendo DS and Game Gear not having video out. Game Gear, I just realized didn't make my list at all, so I need to figure that in soon, and the DS doesn't come in until late in the list, so I'm ignoring that problem for now. Then there's the issue of cost with a TurboDuo being $600, a SMS averaging $70, and some games going for just as much. There may come a time that I just can't get a game at a reasonable price, so we'll see what people think when I come across these issues.

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  4. Just to let you know that the DS does have a broadcasting solution - It requires hard modification, but if you have webcast equipment, you can probably manage the rest (It will display the screen from the DS to the PC, and you can use a screen capture and then feed the sound via line-in that way).

    It's not particularly expensive, although it is a modification.

    The game gear I believe had a way to make a display out as well, although it actually may be easier to outright modify the console yourself for this.

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    1. I am partially aware there are mods out there to get A/V out for these systems. I haven't done any serious research into them, so I can't say if they're beyond in terms of skill or money to do. I'm still weighing my options.

      If you have any active sites that assemble these or provide step-by-step instructions that would be very helpful.

      Thanks.

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