The Coop

Trackmania Nations After a long hiatus, Freeware's back! Anyway, up for a little stunt driving? How about a touch of racing in the stunt driving? How about having some really nice graphics added on top of that, and having a rather option-filled track editor that allows you to build your own freakish tracks? Well, here ya go. This game was given out a freeware last year, and it really is like a strange cross between San Fransisco Rush 2049, and Race Drivin'. Lots of jumps, loops, zig-zaggy turns, and a ghost racer after each lap. You can even upload your scores, and race against others on-line. This is a really well done game, that only suffers from having no single player race outside of the 100 solo stunt tracks (and whatever you make yourself). Don't forget to grab the update for it.

Black Friday?

So who do I have to bribe to get my account reactivated? I changed my E-mail, and I never got the reactivation E-mail.

It's not free, but you get future updates for the rest of the emulator's existence for free. It's also the single best TG-16 emulator out there. The current version (1.0 PR10) runs every PC Engine CD game I have without issues, and it runs a lot of ROMs just as well. They even fixed the bugs that were around with Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo. You can either play it with the actual CDs in your CD-Rom drive (they overcame the problem they had with XP and it's whole CDDA issue so CD music plays again), or use a program like Daemon Tools to play a digital copy to run off of your hard drive (handy for those expensive, hard to find games that you want to put much wear and tear on). Sure, there are other TG-16 emus out there, but they're not nearly as good. And while it's questionable as to why they decided to charge for this when there are many other quality free emus for other systems, if you really want to play your TG-16 game ROMs and CD games, Magic Engine is the one to go with. Note: It has Magic System with it, that emulates the cards that upgraded the various CD-Rom systems that NEC put out. It runs a lot of stuff alright, but if you run into any problems (or you really want the highest compatibility rate right off the bat), you'll need to find a System Card ROM out there. It's easy enough to find.

Hmmmm... maybe this game will be a tie-in for the proposed movie. I'm interested in seeing how they both turn out, tie-ins or not.

It's been a while since the last time I got to post this...

That must make the Genesis 6-button pad, and the Saturn pad, whatever "beyond godly" is then

I got two words for ya... Master System.

Wish I could help, but I don't have a PS3, a DS, a PSP, a 360 or a Wii. And the newest PC game I have is Dark Messiah of Might & Magic.

Dear God were there a lot of low-count tie votes, and single votes this time around. Damn near the entire Saturn section got axed because of there being virtually nothing but Nintendo and Sony kids from that era. Even some GBA games only got one vote (MMZero 4 anyone?). I fear to see what's going to happen in the eventual 8bit and 16bit lists. Anyway, it was fun. See ya on the third (and final?) list.

-Judginos- Announcer- Each box is filled with nutty flakes and fruity loops. Kid- Do these get soggy in milk? Announcer- NO!

A much needed bump for this one.

A slight nudge, and an update. I decided to hold off on the sig stuff, as I really can't decide on whether to truly consider that stuff an OCR quirk. However, I do have a request... one that's coming way late... Does anyone have a link to the Overclocked thread that gave birth to the infamous "Your opinions of late have been ridiculous" quote? I believe it was archived somewhere, but I'm having a tough time finding it.

First going days without a new list, and now missing votes. You're ruining my faith in humanity, man. YOU'RE RUINING IT! **sobs**

There are two yes votes for Panzer Dragoon II Zwei. Mine, and Neo Samus'.

Opinions. They are a bitch But in all seriousness, GH1-3 are as subject to opinions as every other series out there. Some folks hate it, some love it, and others simply don't care about its existence. It's just part of the gaming landscape.

At long last, the final entry... Gradius Gaiden (import PS1)- The last Gradius game (as of right now) to play and look like classic Gradius, it's also one of the best entries in the series. Good graphics, good music, levels that are both familiar and new (with some cool twists), four different ships to choose from, and the gameplay that's been a staple of the series since its inception. It a well made shmup from beginning to end. YES. RayCrisis: Series Termination (PS1)- As the title suggests, this is the last game in the series that includes RayForce (Galactic Attack on the Saturn earlier in here), and a previous PS1 entry on this list, Raystorm. It plays much like Raystorm, and has the same visual perspective. As such, it plays a lot like that game, but it adds it's own little touches. The graphics are good, the music is decent, the levels are interesting, and the gameplay is solid. It's not quite as good as Raystorm, but it's still a good shmup that brings the series to close by taking it to its beginning. Borderline YES. Street Fighter Alpha 3 (PS1)- Alpha 3 is a great fighting game. So many characters, a good gameplay balance, lots of modes to play in... good stuff. This version of the game is about as good as one could hope for on the PS1. However, compared to the other ports out there, this one comes out on the bottom. The graphics are good, the music is good, and the game modes are all there, but the timing is a bit off. As such, it's hard to call it a must have. If you only have a PS1, then by all means get this game. You'll enjoy it. But if you have a Saturn that can play imports, a Dreamcast, or a PS2, get their versions instead. Borderline NO. Mega Man & Bass (GBA)- Back in the days of the SNES, a game called Rockman & Forte was released. Basically, it played very much like the regular MegaMan series, had rather nice graphics and music, featured a new character to play as, and proved to be an enjoyable game that could have easily been called MegaMan 9. Sadly, it never came to the US... until a few years later. The GBA port of the SNES game is quite faithful. The graphics and music are reproduced very well, the gameplay is intact, the challenge level is good, and the levels are fun. Add in a few game save slots, and you've got a very solid action/platform GBA game that's worth picking up. YES. Sonic Advance 3 (GBA)- The final GBA Sonic game (no, the horrid Sonic the Hedgehog port doesn't count). Like the first two, it's got nice and colorful graphics, good music, and loads of stages. However, this one combines the platforming style of the first game, with the speedier gameplay of the second one, while tacking on a kind of tag team aspect, that allows you to pick up a teammate that follows you around (like Sonic 2) for special abilities. Some folks don't like this game, but I enjoyed. YES.

You mean reruns

The community of OCR is about as wide a mix as you can imagine in terms of humanity. Young kids, young adults, people in their twenties (and even their thirties) make up the populous. Furries, goth kids, mathematicians, bullies, cry babies, temper tantrum throwers, drama queens, kind hearted folk, helpful advice givers... they've all been here (or are currently here). OCR really has been a melting pot of personality types intermingling to different degrees. Couple that with a moderation staff that generally tries not to drive people away because of likes or dislikes (both on the part of the moderators, and the posters), and the site is pretty open for folks to come in and see what's what. Granted in the past, the community of OCR used to do its own "weeding out" process on the new folks (especially in the now defunct UnMod forum), but that's a whole different story. As with any large site, OCR has its own groups as well. Just a few (both past and present) examples would be... - Various games that bring people together for discussion or playing on-line in clans. - Some folks like to discuss more serious or thought provoking events, and so they take part in the PPR forum a lot. - Other people just like to shoot the shit, and don't care much about remixes or remixing, bringing them to post mostly in the Community and Off-Topic forums. - Art threads where people drew/created original drawings and renders for people to see and critique. - Smaller groups of posters that have tended to post together based off of shared interests outside of OCR, real world locales, and/or join dates (yes, join dates). - Signature creators (and their customers) that both make the signatures, and critique them. - And of course, those who come here for the remixes, and the remixers themselves. Between contests, site projects, the WIP forum, review threads, the musical help threads, and past events like Liontamer's VG Frequency show and the various podcasts, there's a lot going on for people to take part in to some degree remix-wise. Obviously, OCR is primarily about remixing, and those who love to make, or listen to, remixes. The amount of time spent maintaining the site, its functionality, and judging its remixes gives the place a relatively professional appearance, and its primary subject matter gives the site a strong focal point that appeals to a lot of people. Not every site has such a focus or staff, and that makes it harder for them to keep people coming in and sticking around. But what also helps keep OCR around, is that it's not just a video game remix site. On top of the remixes, there's a variety of forums open for people to take part in. Games, movies, current news events, controversial subjects, politics, idle chit-chat about what you did that afternoon... all of it can be talked about on the various forums. This setup makes for a place that has a large base with which to continually bring people in, and a means of helping to keep people here when they look beyond that base. OCR's not simply a one trick pony, and that's helped its longevity.

Have you tried power cycling the modem? Turn it off, and unplug it from its power source. Wait about twenty minutes, and then reconnect the power. See what happens. Also, give the "repair" button a try. Go to "Start/Control Panel/Network Connections/Local Area Connection", and click the "Support" tab. It's helped me a couple times when my modem was being prickish.

Street Fighter- Try it, but only to see how bad the series was at its birth. This game looks bad (even by that era's standards), it sounds bad, it had horrid control, and seriously messed up jumping. Be thankful this game was not used as the blueprint for II. Street Fighter II- Much better, but it's the least playable of the "II" releases. Street Fighter II: Championship Edition- A good step up from the regular "II". Better balance, playable bosses, and same character vs same character. Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting- Yet another tweaking. New moves, changed AI patterns, faster gameplay, and tougher opponents. Considered by some to the best of the "II" series. Super Street Fighter II- Yet another upgrade. Four new characters, slower gameplay, and about the same difficulty as "Hyper Fighting". Super Street Fighter II Turbo- And the final upgrade. Stupidly hard, even on the first fight. Some consider it the peak of the "II" series, but I consider it too fucking hard for its own good to actually be fun. Street Fighter Alpha- New visual take on the franchise. It plays well, but its balance could use some work. It's also rather short, since its roster got shrunk down. Street Fighter Alpha II- More characters, better balance, and it plays better than the first "Alpha". Street Fighter Alpha III- The last game in the series, and generally considered the best in the "Alpha" line up. Loads of characters, more modes than just "VS", and better balance than the first two "Alpha" games. Street Fighter EX, Street Fighter EX 2, Street Fighter EX 3- The 3D branch of the series. They're not bad, but they play nowhere as well as the 2D entries. Street Fighter III- Another new take. Much better animation, an almost entirely new cast, but it has some balance issues. Street Fighter III: Second Impact- A slight upgrade over the first one. Not really worth checking out. Street Fighter III: Third Strike- Considered by a good number of people to be the best in the "III" series. Better balance, new characters, and tweaked gameplay. X-Men vs Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter, Marvel vs Capcom, Marvel vs Capcom 2, Capcom vs SNK, Capcom vs SNK 2- Off shoots. The first four I listed play very differently from any of the main Street Fighter lines, as they're more chaotic and feature tag team gameplay ala King of Fighters. The "vs SNK" ones play similarly to the main SF games, but they're still pretty different in gameplay thanks to the various so-called grooves (fighting styles). So if you want to see some Street Fighter stuff, I'd suggest Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, Street Fighter Alpha III, and Street Fighter III: Third Strike. That'll give you a nice taste of the various incarnations of the franchise.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1)- Okay. Anyone who votes no on this needs to be put out of our misery Beautiful pixel work, an amazing soundtrack, a big quest, multiple endings depending on how well you do, loads of weapons, hidden spells, memorable lines, great character designs, and decent voice work. This is a must have on all fronts. YES. Duke Nukem 3D (PC)- The original, nothing-cut-out version. All the levels, all the gore, all the swearing, all the one liners, and all the nudity. The graphics are good, the music is great, and gameplay is smooth, there are lots of weapons and special items that give the game a bit more depth, and the levels are varied. The controversy surrounding the game got it attention, but the fact that it's a good game kept people around once the controversy faded. YES. Mega Man Zero 4 (GBA)- The final entry for the series on the GBA. The graphics are nice, the music is good, the gameplay is well done, the challenge level is still there, and the story continues to be well handled. Some might say "It's just more of the same", but considering that the first three games were quality stuff, this game's continuing that trend isn't a bad thing. YES. In the Hunt (PS1)- There's a rumor going around that some of the people responsible for this game went on to SNK, and started the Metal Slug franchise. Looking at the graphics, I can see why some think this. Graphically, this game as a wonder to see. Detailed as hell visuals, and lots of little touches that give the sprites a unique style. The music is good, and this version even has a remixed version of the tunes on the disc. The gameplay is slow in terms of movement, but it's intense. Shit is blowing up almost constantly, with buildings going down, enemies coming and going, tight squeezes, bullets being sprayed about, and tough boss fights. It's an overlooked release for the PS1, but any shmup lover should play it. YES. WipeOut 3 (PS1)- The final entry for the PS1, and it went out on a high note. Very nice graphics, good tunes, a lot of twisting tracks and ships to choose from, a sold challenge, a great sense of speed once you get to the higher ship classes, and the ability to take some serious air off of the jumps. It's the fast, weapon-friendly racing style that made the previous games so much fun, and it's a game not to be missed. YES. Raiden DX (import PS1)- Some have called this game "Raiden II remix", but it's more than that. Yes, it has the same great graphics that made Raiden II so cool, but it adds more to the pot than just slightly altered stages. First, there's a whole new and deeper scoring system in place, adding in the extra replayability that comes with such a thing. The stages have the same bosses as RII, but the stages themselves are redone so that they're not simply a result of copy/pasting. There's a redone soundtrack, and several soundtracks to choose from in general. There's also two new modes to play though. One is single stage that takes about fifteen minutes complete, and the other consists of the first five stages from RII exactly as they were graphically (but with the new scoring system in them). So while it may be something of a remix title, it also provides all sorts of new challenges. If you like Raiden II, pick this up. You'll get at least the same level of enjoyment from it. YES. Quake III Arena (PC)- Sure, it's a good multiplayer game, but holy shit is it an utterly boring single player experience. It feels very much like an afterthought, as it provides you with AI that's not very good, no story whatsoever, and predictable bot patterns. Frankly, the most interesting part of the game was the scripting that enables the bots to respond to you taunts and sentences in single player mode. I had more fun playing around with that than I did playing the game. If you're in it for the multiplayer, you might like it after you've grabbed a mod or two. Otherwise, don't bother. Sorry Ganemi, but Borderline NO. Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA)- The forgotten middle child of the GBA trilogy. The music for this game turned people off to it in a hurry, as it does sound much like something done on the original GameBoy. If you can get past that, you'll find a good game to play. Well drawn graphics, a good sized quest, unlockable modes, a new magic system, a strange little "collect everything" ability, and you'll even find the composition of the music to be good (even if the sound of it isn't). It's a very good and fun game, that only suffers from a case of musical sample downgrading. YES. Dragon Warrior VII (PS1)- "Oldschool". That's the word that comes to mind playing this game. The graphics feel like they're straight out of the 16bit era, and the game plays very much like it's predecessors (random battles, turn-based battles, etc). This game also has an absolutely massive quest (100 hours isn't an exaggeration), and some nice tunes as you play through. It's a big game with well designed dungeons, an interesting way to gain new areas to explore, and a great class system. Dated looking? Sure. Worth playing? YES. Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PS1)- The final entry on PS1, and a much more action packed entry to boot. As usual, the graphics look nice for the PS1, the cinemas are pretty good, and there are loads of zombies waiting to be disposed of. However, RE3 does a few things different. First, the controls are more fluid than the first two games, making movement in Raccoon City much less of a chore. Second, it's not as stingy with the ammo are the first two games, making RE3 more action oriented than the previous two. And finally, Nemesis. This hulking beast chases you throughout the game, forcing you to battle and avoid it at various points in the game. As a result, there's a level of tension in the game that outdoes what was found in RE1 and RE2, as you always know Nemesis is out there, but you don't know when it'll show up. RE3 was a refreshing change to the formula that had been established by this time, and a YES to me. Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon (GBA)- Take the original great Genesis game Shining Force, give it a graphical face lift, tweak the story a bit, add in a new card battle system, simplify the controls a little so the game's menu system is a bit less combersome in spots, and here your end result. The original Genesis game was great, and this game mirrors it. It may seem a little dated given how far the strategy RPG genre has come, but it's still a great game that GBA owners shouldn't pass up. YES. Metroid: Zero Mission (GBA)- OutSpoken pretty much summed it up. Graphically, it's quite nice, and the sound is good too. The gameplay is a bit different than what might be considered typical for the Metroid series, as it adds things like stealth to be used in spots, and it plays a little quicker. It's not the pinnacle of the series, but it's by no means a bad game. Borderline YES.

Quake II perhaps?

I'm rather surprised that the show is still going, with no apparent signs of cancellation. It's been what... ten-plus years now?