Bad Games (1): Super Off Road: The Baja (SNES)

Back in the early to mid 1990s the SNES has a slew of games for it. There were a lot of racing games; a few good ones, a lot of bad ones. This is one of those bad games that has an awful design.


Gameplay
Gameplay (in theory) is very simple (or not?)- take a truck through a baja race course and cross the finish line before your opponents. There is only one problem, well many- bystanders are on the road or just off it, people are riding ATVs and constantly get in your way; and taking damage, even with the best equipment in the game is all too easy. They recommend "going slower" to avoid damage, screw that! this is a RACING game and I want to go fast! If you take too much damage, you are out of the race. That's not the bad part- the bad part is its GAME OVER. That's right, you can't continue and you must start from the beginning. Instead of charging me money for running over people, deduct repair costs.


Racism
This game has also gotten negative publicity for being racist. If you hit a native american it will cost you $5,000. If you hit a deer it will cost you $5,000. If you hit white people they are $10,000 each. This has offended native americans, and since I am part Cherokee it offends me slightly. I don't get my panties in a bunch about it, though.


Controls
Controls are awful. Often if you go over a hill you lose control of the truck and accidentally run over a cactus or tree- something that will cost you dearly. They tried in this game, but they definitely half-assed it.


User Interface
Standard of typical sub-par SNES games. The password, for God's sake is about 20 characters long. Why??


Final Score
Bad game, they definitely didn't produce a good finish on the gameplay. I have seen much worse games on the market for every system, and this game is good for about an afternoon of play, then you will get tired of it. Can you believe people used to pay $50 for this stuff? 2.75/10. This game does not make an "F".

Am I Back in a Big Way

Model building.

My cousin recently graduated from the army (congratulations) and I wanted to build something for him. Immediately I thought of a Blackhawk helicopter, but alas, I don't have the money to buy the kit ($50 USD) paint it, then detail it. So a current project will have to do; and I have over a dozen to choose from. I have to choose the best for him, so the M113 ACAV from Tamiya it is.


I will have this thing complete in two to three weeks (liberal amount of time). I would like to get it attached to a base securely and have the base stained before hand and a name plate put onto it. In the picture I posted, I am going for the rusted/weathered approach that this modeler went for, except my model will be less superior; I don't have the money to buy detailed photo etched sets. Tamiya still has some great models out of the box though, and I am sure my cousin will appreciate the detail.


I've also been insulted that models are mere toys, and that my cousin isn't going to like it. I don't care what people post on the internet, but I feel very insulted when insulted face to face. I am going to build this model to the highest quality that I can in my state (it IS for a fellow countryman, after all) and it is getting shipped to his house so he can see it when he comes home from the base. I am building the model and I am going to enjoy it, no questions asked. I'm not done at this model either- I will build until the day I die.

The New Worst Game Ever

Angry Video Game Nerd- Gametrailers- Plumber's Don't Wear Ties

And I thought E.T. for the Atari was the worst game ever, this pile of crap TOPS E.T. and takes the idea of a "bad" video game to an entire new level. At least ET attempted to make some kind of game out of the worst control scheme in gaming history, but this game was INTENTIONALLY made to piss you off, and INTENTIONALLY made like a piece of crap. People paid $50USD to play this!!

Isn't the race card going a bit far?

(context- the entire fuss with the Cambridge professor)


I think the media is blowing this thing out or proportion. While I have my opinions of what happened, I trust that the law enforcement officer did his job and was even lenient to Mr. Gates, a Cambridge professor who lashed out at police and was arrested for it. If I had to trust a highly respected Cambridge professor or law enforcement, I would trust the law enforcement officer. In his WEEI interview, the officer spoke frankly and without any bias- I would tend to believe his word over someone who is bellicose and has radical support. I'm not racist- I think what people are calling a Civil Rights war is actually a war of culture.


I think the professor has made a big fuss over something that shouldn't be- a concerned neighbor called police about a possible break in. Law enforcement is concerned for the safety of themselves and for the security of an owner's homestead, not what color a trespasser may be. It is against the law to disrespect the requests of a law enforcement officer, and the officer had every right to arrest Gates. When you talk about racial equality, "equal rights" does not mean "special rights".

Satisfied With Congress Decision

The F22 is the most advanced fighter developed- but it costs a fortune.



Congress passed a vote to halt funding for the F22 program. The F22 is the most advanced fighter platform ever developed, costing $100mil+ per plane. Strapped for money, Congress (and the president) are looking at the F35 program as a replacement for an aging fleet of F16s, A-10s (The A10 is slated for service well into 2020) and F18 Hornets. For the 7 or so Raptors cancelled, about 20 F35s can be made.


The real question is simple: are we concerned with the leaness of our military or the fact that some jobs will be lost? It is like eliminating jobs on the assembly line: robots are taking human jobs as technology progresses. This parallel illustrates a common point: The F22 either has to get cheaper or alternatives need to be sought. Sorry Lockheed. People that are complaining they are going to be out of work need to be moved to other projects. As amazing as this fighter is, in the long run it will be cheaper to slim the program down than to "stimulate" a few hundred to thousands of jobs.


I agree with the president, not his rhetoric, and Congress. The F22 is an expensive weapons platform. We have adequate amounts at the moment to meet our needs (assumed). China and Russia have no intentions of attacking this nation. The Cold War produced amazing technology; but at a cost, and we are paying for it now. Adapt to the needs of the nation as they arise; the Cold War is over.


"He said 11,000 jobs will be lost by halting the F-22, while it is anticipated that 82,000 jobs will be created by the F-35.". This is the direction we need to move in then.

Building a Deck

Building a deck is an art, but one everyone can learn. Learning how to play the game- well that just takes experience. When a player learns the game through playtesting, it is then clear what should be put into a deck. For example- I can put all of these amazing Paladin cards into a Paladin deck, but if they do not have much of an effect on the board then playing them is a waste of resources, and that card could have been something I could have used, what I like to call a "dead card".


A lot of people look past deckbuilding and this is really a bad habit- to learn the game and get better you have to start building your own decks. Build what you think you would like, the best genre to go with is rush (lots of allies). Go from there- every deck shouldn't be a staple rush and this is why we have classes. If I like Druid, and I like rush, I should look into some restoration buffs and build a deck that way. Or if I am going to raid, a balance/DPS druid can help the raid out a lot.


Building a deck has gotten easier with each booster release because more powerful cards are becoming uncommons (greens) and whites (common). I have built plenty of "budget" decks that still wipe the floor with the good stuff out there. You don't have to be a tourney player to do well in this card game- the metagame (commonly picked strategies) vary from region to region. If you are asking yourself "do I really want to add this card?" remember that cards go well in groups of three or four, in some cases 2 (high cost) but never one. For example:

3x Mystic Denial
3x Nether Fracture
4x Fizzle

I don't want to play as many Mystic Denials because they are expensive, but I will need them. The less of a card that is in a deck, the less chance you have of drawing it, but the more options become available to you. Nether Fracture is borderline expensive, and Fizzle is just a great low cost card for a Mage.


+ Minimize dead cards (ie cards you draw that don't do you much good).
+ ALWAYS play test and refine.
+ Slim down to 60 cards and adjust numbers where necessary.


useful link: www.cardgameorganizer.com head over there, click on WOW Tcg, Spoiler Search, and you have a nice filter.

Weeks Top Artists

This week's top artists for me:

1) Mikuni Shimokawa

2) Alter Bridge

3) Aya Hirano

4) The B52s

5) Eiko Shimamiya

6) Switchfoot

7) SID

8) Cheiko Kawabe

9) Crossfade

10) Younha

Agree on F22 Defense Cut; But Watch the Rhetoric

I agree with Gates on the issue with F22 Raptors: as nice as they are, we don't need more of them then we already have now. Calling the raptor impractical is insulting a long ladder of people eventually leading to skunk works. Also, the rhetoric "we can spend the money wiser by feeding our people" reeks of liberal. The F22 is a more than capable fighting platform that proved to be a successful test bed for stealth and the upcoming F-35 Lightning.


The raptor is too good. The soviet threat is gone, China won't be nuking people in the future and all that cold war technology has made us uber. Spend money on the F35, F16s and F15s (navy, F18s) which have, to my knowledge cheaper costs and are just as capable as the F22 (but less superior than the F22) as a conventional weapons platform. Stealth is nice... but save it for the opening of the war.

Video Game Collecting

Something I have always wanted to do. Since I am a child of the video game era, I figured I would begin collecting my favorite games from my favorite systems and pick up ones I have not played. My collection consists of:


NES (5)
F15 Strike Eagle
Ninja Gaiden
Super Mario Bros 3
Duck Hunt
Dr. Mario


SNES (7)
NBA Jam
Sim City
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
F-Zero
NBA Jam: Tournament Edition
Mega Man X
Super Off Road: The Baja


Genesis (3)
Sonic 2
Sonic 3
F22 Interceptor


PS1 (1)
Treasures of the Deep (Rare)



I have loads of carts in storage somewhere... but that is a collection I have reassembled.

You Can't Talk About Gaming Without.... (Part 3)

The Xbox was Microsoft's first entry into the gaming industry, and in a big way. The Xbox provided the online play gamers desired. The Xbox has a slew of titles to play and featured an on board hard drive instead of memory cards, doing away with the memory card. The controller was a bit clumsy at first, but with practice players can get the hang of it. In my opinion, the Xbox almost beats the Playstation 2, but falls short.

You Can't Talk About Gaming Without.... (Part 2)

The Nintendo Gamecube continued the Nintendo tradition of party game support and classic Nintendo titles to enjoy on the system. The Gamecube had many enjoyable titles and welcomed Sega as a developer. Below the system were ports for an online connection; however the Gamecube featured no online play support. Controls were fine and the controller is very comfortable in the hands. I cherish my cube and the titles, but in comparison to the competitors in its generation, the Gamecube falls subpar.

You Can't Talk About Gaming Without.... (Part 1)

You can't talk about gaming without discussing the Playstation 2 and its impact on gaming as a whole. The playstation 2 has probably the largest selection of titles to play of any console system. Made by Sony, the Playstation 2 redefined the bar for game graphics, presentation and play style (controller). Noteable games include:


Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Armored Core 3
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Kingdom Hearts
Omega Boost


and many other great titles for the system. As much of a Nintendo fan as I am, I love my PS2 and I am fortunate to have the chance to pick up titles I missed (because of studying) for real cheap.