Mouser X

No, it says it somewhere in the video. Quite plainly, and is very hard to miss. Did you even watch the original video? And yes, this is why he finds it hard to believe that you didn't see it. Mouser X out.

Same here. It is one of the Wii games I've been looking forward since before the Wii was released... I like the idea of scuba diving (I've never actually done it...), I like exploration, and I like pretty pictures (as my screenshots directory can attest to. It's over 3 GB in size). Even if others don't like the game (I don't know why not, but whatever), I will almost certainly buy this game. Crud. I better start saving up now... That's a lot of money I'm going to need if I want to get all of those (which I do. I've already got MP3 reserved. On that note, I hope to find MP3s of MP3's music... Sorry, I've been wanting to say that for a long time). I'm certainly looking forward to these next few months. Hopefully I can get the time to play them all. Mouser X out.

And this is what? Nominations? Votes? Either way, they're not going to be counted. You're late for nominations, and you didn't even provide a "YES" or a "NO" vote. Not to mention the fact that you didn't provide any at all supporting one or the other. Did you read the first page's rules?Sorry, but I found this post extremely ambiguous. [EDIT] Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime (NDS) YES I played through this game, and I found it refreshingly fun. Even though your move set is a jump, and a stretch, there's still a lot to be done. I found it "cute," which in this sense is a good thing. Basically, it felt like the type of game that the developers had fun making (like The Misadventures of Tron Bonne). The general gameplay was great. However, the tank battles were amazing. As one review I read said, it's almost 2 games in one, gaged on the fun factor. The tanks could almost have been their own game, and it still would have been a blast (pun not intended). This was definitely worth the purchase. Give this on a try if you find it. Mouser X out.

Yes, I really liked the game. I played it almost straight for a few days. It's amazing how much it can completely suck you in. It's got a great story, and it really makes you wonder what's going to happen next. However, I feel that the save system is pretty much broken. The fact that I can't copy my save game? Come on! What if my memory card goes bad (there is someone I know who played it, and got *really* far, with great stats, and then their memory card got damaged. Too bad! I'm *not* liking that).The music is great. Probably my favorite for the BoF series. I wish PSFs played in Rockbox, as I prefer those to MP3s... As for recommending the game, it's a great game. I just feel that the save system is broken almost beyond use. The game is built such that it almost forces you to restart. I really like the feature of starting the game with all the stuff from your previous save. However, I don't want to have to restart completely if I die, or any other such thing. If I was to YES this, it would be borderline. However, I'm not sure I can give it that. It's an amazing game. I want people to experience it themselves. But, when/if I tell people to play the game, I feel like I'm sentencing them to torture (it's often how playing the game felt). However, I must also say that part of the torture feeling had to do with difficulty, and the "walking time-bomb" aspect. For me, knowing that I'm a hair's-breadth away from dieing 95% (or more) of the time is a terrible feeling. I'll YES BoF5: Dragon Quarter, but only because I feel that the story, the atmosphere, and the interest out-weigh (barely) the flaws. Also, the fact that if I NO this, then the game has no chance at all of being on the list. It's a great game. It's worth a try. Be warned though. It takes a lot of dedication. Blast. I've been gone for a week, and I don't think I have the time to give the current list a good look over... There's a few votes I'd like to place, but I'm not sure I'll get around to it... Maybe a one day extension? If not, no big deal. Great thread though! Glad I could be a (very small) part of it. Mouser X out.

I have 3 copies of Megaman Legends 1 (one is brand-new, and unopened...), 3 copies of The Misadventures of Tron Bonne (all used, but one I never bothered opening once I got it from the store), 3 different versions of OoT; N64 cart, Windwaker presale, and the Collector's disc. 3 versions of Zelda 1; The cart (actually, it's the family's, I suppose... We have 2 carts of that) for the NES, the GBA version (that one is mine. I got it for my b-day), and the Collector's disc. I've got 2-3 copies of Breath of Fire 4 (or is it 3?). There's most likely more, but I can't think of them off-hand... I really should resell some of these things. Especially the ones where it's an identical copy, for the same system... Mouser X out.

In other words, I didn't reply to your vote about Twilight Princess, because you are allowed to have your opinion, and I am allowed to have mine (in a manner of speaking, I'd consider my post more toward fanboyism, which is another reason I didn't post). If I was to vote on it, I'd give it a YES for sure. However, I'm not, because I played the Wii version. Sure, they're nearly identical, but I figured the same as Sephire. There should be plenty of others who can vote for it.What I'm trying to get at is, please don't let this get out of hand. So you disagree. You gave it a no. That's fine. Others gave it a yes. I would prefer that it be left at that. I *think* the people who gave it a yes, understand your position, but probably disagree with you (I disagree, but I love the general play-style). This is why we're voting for it. Anyway, sorry to intrude. I just figured that I *could* have replied, but decided not to (until now), since we're each entitled to our opinion. Mouser X out.

It's extremely unlikely that I'll join this round, but that's mainly due to my lack of drawing skills. However, I do have a question. Since the theme is Super Mario Brothers, can we do something from the movie as well, if we wanted to? I'm just wondering if this is limited to the games, or if it's anything related to Super Mario Brothers (thus, including the movie, and the TV shows, and whatever else there may be). It'd be interesting if someone did a piece off of something, other than the games themselves... Anyway, just wondering. Good luck everyone. So far, it's sounding pretty neat. Mouser X out.

On that note, I'd like to change my vote from a NO to a YES for Skies of Arcadia for the Dreamcast please. I'll even edit my original post (just finished doing that even). In my opinion, the *only* reason not the get the Dreamcast version, is because of the Gamecube version. If, however, we're ignoring such things, then by all means, SoA (DC) is *WELL* worth it. Even if you emulate it (it runs on Chankast, but crashes frequently. I've heard that NullDC and Demul both crash less than Chankast, but unless Demul has been fixed, its sound emulation is absolutely ear-shattering), I'd say go for it. Even though it crashes, SoA is beatable on Chankast (you might have to replay the last boss fight 10-20 times to get a crash-less game...). It just takes dedication.So, by all means, please YES that one for me. Mouser X out.

The only thing I can think of (I wouldn't say I'm the pro here...) is to download some Data Recovery software, and see what it can come up with. The drive is present on your system, and Windows does see it. As such, with the right recovery software, you should be able to scan the drive (or scan for the drive, since it's not currently assigned a letter), and get some data that way. However, it *could* be a hardware failure. Personally, I doubt this is the case. However, it certainly wouldn't be the first time for me that such a thing has happened. Unfortunatly, I can't recall off-hand which data recovery software I used. In-truth, I used 2-4 different ones, with varying success. It sounds to me like the drive is fully recoverable, but that Windows is being stupid. As such, with recovery software, it should find the FAT (or whatever file system it uses), and be able to use it to successfully recover all your data, with no loss. However, I'm also not familiar enough with a "Dynamic" drive to say what's going on there... Unfortunately, I don't remember which software I used. Try a Google search for Data Recovery? Adding "free" on there probably wouldn't hurt... Anyway, good luck with the drive. Mouser X out.

Still have that one (Number Munchers) somewhere. Interesting game. Same goes for Zoombinis. I'll have to look for that one. I never got a good chance to play it. They were just starting to put it on the computers, when I moved away to a terribly backwoods area where dial-up was common (even for some of the schools). With a high school graduating class of 19 (no joke), I'm not surprised about the facilities. Anyway, cool stuff. Mouser X out.

In regards to homebrew, here's somethng worth checking out. WordUp looks like a pretty interesting game. I don't have a flashcart, so I haven't tried it myself. However, the description definitely has me interested. I'm now (again) considering getting a flashcart... Mouser X out.

Skies of Arcadia: Legends (Gamecube) YES This is easily one of my favorite GC games. Flying in an airship is great, but the ship to ship battles are awesome. In fact, for me, that's one of my biggest problems with this game is that there weren't enough ship to ship battles (that were challenging) later in the game. I've never been a fan of turn-based battles (actually, I find them fairly annoying, this day and age), but in SoA:L, I like how they worked it out. You can use differnt members of your party to charge up attacks of the people who can do the real damage (or, in my case, you can charge up the magic, and cast "Lunar Light" every other round...). It's been said that the game is cliche in a few areas, since much of it has already been done before. If this is the case, I'd have to disagree. It's not cliche because of the elements it pulls from other games, but instead is strengthened by it. Rarely have I encountered a game that pulls it all together so cleanly, and enjoyably. My first play through, I spent 50-70 hours on the game (my first play through was awhile ago). I think what gets me the most though, is the exploration factor. Even after playing the game multiple times, I get a thrill out of searching the world, and finding what it has to offer. As I've been looking at games, it seems to me that those have a strong exploration bit are the ones I like the most. SoA has that, and more. It comes strongly recommended. Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast) YES I'd like to add that, if you don't have a Gamecube, then get the Dreamcast version (even if you don't have a Dreamcast, you can emulate it...). The 2 versions are roughly equal. However, the GC version (Legends, obviously) does have additional content which is well worth having. Even so, this game is well worth your time, on either system. If you can't do the Gamecube version, then definitely get the Dreamcast version. For that matter, it wouldn't hurt to have both (I do. I emulate the Dreamcast version though. Good screenshots). To reiterate: GC version is the one to get. However, the DC version is almost as good. Both are recommended, but only one of them is a "Must Have." As such, go for the GC version, if you can. Mouser X out.

Well that was entirely unexpected. And no, my closure originates from 1996-98. I've been doing that for years. Feel free to search Google for "Mouser X," "Mouser_X," or "MouserX," and you'll see it in almost anything that shows up (some of which dates back to 2000, perhaps earlier). Also, originally it was "Mouser X over and out," however I got more complaining from OCR than normal (as in, other places), so I shortened it. As for the original topic, get something that can run Rockbox, and you'll be fine (the iPod isn't recommended due to terrible battery life, but it does run). Personally, I'd say look for a Gigabeat, but that might just be me. Mouser X out.

I did mention that it nearly cuts the battery life in half, on iPods. This is because they're working on the iPod, without proper documentation. In other words, to some degree, it's a guess and check deal. "Let's see how this turns out. Hmmm. Nope, that's not it..." As they experiment more, and learn more about the hardware, the battery life, and stability will increase. As for the freezing, that shouldn't be happening, from what I've heard in #rockbox (on freenode). You should probably bring up these issues on their forums. HCS (the guy who made 64th Note [it plays N64 rips], if you didn't know) ported the SPC portion of Blargg's Game Music Emu to Rockbox, and tested it on his iPod to ensure that it was stable, and ran full speed. If you're experiencing freezes on SPCs, then I'd definitely suggest you mention the problem. You can contact HCS on his forums, or on #usf (which is also on freenode). I can understand your issue with battery life. It's why I went with the Gigabeat over the iPod (well, one of the big ones anyway). Excluding that one, Rockbox should be just fine on the iPod. Hopefully you can let them know, and the issue can be resolved. It might be as simple as updating your Rockbox bootloader. Anyway, sorry to hear the issues you've been having. If you're willing, I'm sure they can be fixed. Even so, Rockbox is amazing, at least for the Gigabeat. Back to the topic, I don't know how good other players are though. You can always check #rockbox, or the rockbox site, or their forums, to find out what player they suggest, and what might be right for you, Imagery. Mouser X out.

Personally, I would strongly suggest you check out http://www.rockbox.org, and buy a player that Rockbox will run on. Rockbox will run on the iPod 5.5G (but not the 80 GB model), but the run-time is nearly halved. Of the players that Rockbox will run on, I'd suggest the Gigabeat. As of yet, I've *never* used any software that the Gigabeat came with, and I've never even used the original operating system... Also, battery life on the Gigabeat, running Rockbox, is at least 15 hours, usually more (though, 20 hours is not common, but not unheard of either). Anyway, if you get something that Rockbox runs on, it would add video support, a directory tree file structure, and the ability to play more audio formats than you're likely to use (excluding WMV. Essentially, WMV support isn't implemented, because it requires someone with the know-how to do it. And, those with the know-how are smart enough to not use WMV...). MP3, OGG, FLAC, MPC, ADX (a video game format), SPC (SNES audio), SID (Commadore 64 audio), NSF (Nintendo audio), and more is natively supported in Rockbox. If that's not enough, you can play DOOM and Gameboy games as well. Please note that I only bring that up to show the functionality of Rockbox. I don't play DOOM (I don't like FPS games) and I rarely play Gameboy games, because I'm usually listening to my music. However, the option is there, if you want it. At the very least, you should check Rockbox out. I can't say for sure what player I'd recommend, but if it can run Rockbox, then I'd say you're good to go. Hopefully, you find this helpful in some way. Mouser X out.

To create 8-bit versions, I suggest trying out a few different trackers/tools. First off would be FamiTracker which can be used to create NSF files. NSFs can be played on the original Nintendo, if you want... There's also Nanoloop, and Little Sound DJ. However, the latter two are for the Gameboy. Of course, you can use other trackers and tools. However, the ones I linked to are "the real deal" when you want to make chiptunes. As in, those trackers are frequently used to make songs that run on the original hardware. I haven't used them myself, but I do know that FamiTracker is better than Nerd Tracker 2 (NT2 made NES compatible songs as well, but it was not user friendly, at all). There's also MML, but apparently it's a programming language, so I'm not sure it's what you're looking for. Hopefully those tools can be useful to you. Mouser X out.

This doesn't exactly answer your question, but I've been running my computer without the case on it for more than a year... In other words, Who needs covers? Actually though, the problem is that not all of my components fit into the case. There's just simply not enough room in there for everything. Even so, if the reason you're covering everything up is to keep out dust, I don't think you have much to worry about. If it's for asthetic purposes, then that's a different matter. Sorry to not have answered your question very well, but in your situation, I would have just left it as is... Sorry to be of no help. Mouser X out.

The original idea of this thread, I thought, was to list what games are well made, enjoyable, and "long lasting." Ideally, it was not to list your favorite game, but a game that should be played, due to its attention to detail and quality. Some people have followed this idea, and said something like "I don't like <game x>, but it oviously belongs on the list, due to <reason>." Even if a game got a 3 out of 10, it *could* make it on the list, theoreticlly. An example of what I mean would be ET. How could that game possibly be considered a *must play?* Well, the original developer is quite proud of the game. He did what no one else could (or would, in their right mind...) do. He built a commercial game, by himself, in about 6 weeks. No, it wasn't a good game. However, considering what the developer had to work with, he did a decent job. Again, I wouldn't recommend that game as a must play, but I was attempting show how a game no one likes could, theoretically, be included on the list. The biggest reason, in my opinion, that this is a "favorites thread," is because people are treating it as such. I agree that nominations should have some form of comment on them. Basically, just what Deathtank did. One or 2 sentances. He said "Dark Savior: it has bad controls but the parallel scenario pretty makes the game replay value very good." Due to the bad controls, I would say this game shouldn't be on the list. I say this, because the list is to show games that are "must play" games. Having bad controls makes it difficult to play such a game. Perhaps the game has other redeeming qualities (as Deathtank said it does), but I'm not sure those are good enough to make it a "must play." So yes, this thread can be highly opinionated. However, I don't think that's what sephire was after. I think he was more geared toward the technical aspects, and enjoyablity, rather than what games people actually liked. Obvioiusly, enjoyablilty and likes are often very close, but I don't think they have to be. Perhaps no one will listen to me, but hopefully I can at least make some difference in this (preferably a positive one). Mouser X out.

Ah, cool. I've been meaning to catch up on this. The last ep. I saw was #5. Thanks for the link (I lost it again...). What I've seen so far was pretty good. I've considered watching Captain N because of this show. However, I've heard (on numerous occasions) that Captain N isn't that great... Anyway, thanks for the shows. They're enjoyable. Hopefully, you guys consider doing some more, eventually. Mouser X out.

No, what you've said is simply renaming the file. No converting is taking place. In other words, it's still a WAV or M4A file, but the extension has changed. The actual format of the file remains unchanged, using the method you described. However, since Windows (and most OSes, I beleive) uses file extensions to recognize files, your OS will, incorrectly, report that it is the file it is named as. If you were to compare the internal data though (as in, view it in a HEX editor, or even a media application), then you'd be able to see that, even though the file has been renamed, it remains unchanged. I do this to ZIP files all the time (since sometimes Windows will screw up the recognition of ZIP files as a directory, when what I really wanted was to open it in WinRAR). Once opened, WinRAR correctly reports that it's a ZIP file, even though it has the RAR extension. Back to the original question, what methods does anyone here recommend I use to convert FLAC files to MP3? Should I simply use Winamp's "out_disk.dll" output plugin? Or, is there a better decoding method? I can fairly easily convert a WAV to MP3, so that's not an issue. I was just wondering if "out_disk" was suitable, as in, no audio loss, or anything... Anyway, hopefully someone finds this thread useful. So far, I haven't learned a whole lot from it, yet. I hope this changes soon. Mouser X out.

The drive is trying to work. I can tell that much by how the drive, and the computer, respond. I have no doubt that the platters, and therefore data, are unharmed. Something on the control board burned out. At least, that's my guess. If I knew where to get a replacement controller board, I'd do it. In other words, based on what I can currently see, and how the drive died, this should be on the "cheap" end of data recovery. Replace the board, all is well and fine. That is, if my observations are correct. I've never heard of the "freezer trick." Honestly, considering what's on the drive, a file listing would be the most useful thing I could get right now. 10 min. should be enough to get that. Anything past that is icing on the cake, pretty much. I did write out a response already, but I think phill did a decent job of summing it up much better than I did. Essentially, it's hardware failure. Software failure I can deal with (bad file system, corrupt segments, ect.). That's not hard, and I've done it a few different times for different reasons. Still though, I think data recovery places are overpriced. The thing is, as I've said, the drive basically doesn't exist, as far as my computer can tell. It's trying (thus the HDD reading light and such), but it's not getting anything. As for the data on the drive, it's not necessarily worth the $100. However, the time spent to find and redownload it all might be. I can't be sure on this, without a file listing of what's on the drive. If I knew with 100% certainty what was on the drive, I would probably not bother with data recovery, since most, if not all, of it was downloaded off the internet in the first place. On a positive side, I found out that my old 150 GB was never cleaned out. Thus, much the missing data in question (Captian N, Ducktales, Beyond Good and Evil...) is backed up on it. I am, however, missing Gargoyles, Freakazoid, Tiny Toons, and Animaniacs. Those are just examples. There's plenty more, but I don't remember everything that's on there. With my current job, $100 is within a "reasonable" limit, though it's definitely on the high-end of it. I'll need to check the warranty stuff first. If I'm *really* lucky, I can get them to simply replace the controller board, and send me my drive back, otherwise untouched. I doubt that will happen, but it certainly won't hurt to try. Once I've contacted them, depending on their decision etc., I may or may not try the freezer trick. It certainly can't be much worse than I am now. Anyway, thank you very much for your help. It's certainly given me an idea of where I'm going with this. Mouser X out.

Yes! Glad to hear the results! I greatly look forward to the end results. I must also say that, regardless of the outcome, I would have looked forward to the results. However, now I will be even more excited. Good luck and thanks (in advance) for the great OST arrangement. Mouser X out.

I called some local places, and the first place I called had a $100 charge just to bring in the drive, and have them look at it. The second place may be charging the same way, but they didn't say they were. Either way, minimum is $100. Hopefully, that'd at least get me a filetree of what's on the drive. Most, if not all, of the data is replaceable. In other words, if I'm patient enough, I could redownload most of it. The question is, is it worth the minimum payment of $100? I'm beggining to think it might be. At least that way, I know what it is I'm going to be looking for to replace it all. The suggestion to look at it under Linux is a good one. I'll see if I can do that, before I take the drive in. It certainly won't hurt, anyway. Thanks for the reply. I'm glad someone finally did. Mouser X out.

I'm already pretty sure the hard drive in question can't be fixed in its current condition. Here's the problem(s): If I hook the dead drive to my PC, the orange "reading HDD" goes on, and never goes off. Doing this causes my PC to lockup for a few minutes. When it unfreezes, the orange light is still on, and no drive appears. Note: The drive is already plugged in through an internal SATA port. However, it's powered externally. Thus, I can turn it on, or off, as needed. I have *never* turned it off without first turning off the PC. None of my SATA drives show up in the BIOS, but my 300 GB drive shows up in the RAID controller. My 280 GB (which is the one that's not working) doesn't show up in the RAID, or any other devices or programs. I'm fairly certain that if I could get a new hard drive controller board, that I'd be able to get the drive working again. However, I don't know where to get a working controller board. Also, the drive is still under warranty, but I'd really like to get the data off of it first, if possible. My overall questions are these: Does anyone have any ideas of what I can do to retrieve the data on the drive? Any suggestions on getting it working? Any suggestions on who to call, or what I can do, or who to contact, for data recovery? Any suggestions on who I can call/contact for more information/help? Any useful information anyone has to offer would be helpful, and greatly appreciated. I'm now wishing I had bought more DVDs, and put them to use. Anyway, thanks in advance for anything that might lead in a good direction. Mouser X out.

Lemon is my favorite Starburst flavor. I don't know what's wrong with you, if you don't like that one... Strawberry is pretty good as well though (or whatever the pink ones are). Mouser X out.