Tanooki

@Matchbook Not bad, quite a bit of nice paper indeed, even some EGM to wipe with. Also very impressed there with @JVOSS with that Game Gear case, don't see that one often, usually the puffy zip nylon ones and some decent games. Working or not, time to buckle down and decide... LED for CFL replacement? Whole new screen which would sip the least juice with the best visuals...and obviously full cap replacement too as Sega used utterly shit parts in their game gears sadly. Those are some nice GB titles too, don't often see that. I think you're part of a facebook GB group looks familiar.

Wow nice reddit, went skimming it a bit. Saw a before and follow up after post that was worth enjoying. Russian chopper the regulars painted onto the beam towards the rear rotor 'onward to berlin' and a few hours later the remains of the same chopper in pieces on the ground. Seems to me there's either bravado, stupidity, both...maybe the larger intent of the desire of their forces to start coming at NATO.

I so want that thing but the horrible price keeps me off it, that and that alone. Some really notable games as the shooters wouldn't be my priority, they use the extra accessories really limiting it without going all in.

There's being cheap, and then just not bothering or prioritizing enough to care. Remember they do double runs, in mass, and send a large supply out for months/years to Best Buy to peddle at the stores and online too. BB seems to have their stuff seeded just fine, so you really have to wonder about their shipping department.

Eh I've got my originals, been playing at home since Christmas of 1985. Admittedly it was a little jarring at first with it being just so well...chatty. But I grew to have no issue with any of it, while silence is nice, it does add a slight bit of personality to it as well so I really don't mind either way. Letting that of all things ruin a game for you seems pretty petty and shallow.

Care to update that gas prices around the world for the local VAT added to them? No one ever likes to adjust for that before making a point how it's dramatically cheaper here or factoring in what gets handled domestically too which has some impact.

I don't see any value in the steam deck personally, but I can see why some would. I'd rather just have another laptop than some halfassed handheld that'll kind of do that too with my steam titles. Analogue Pocket is a more elegant design, straight forward, but with some really nice optional perks.

Got to agree with that sentiment. Objectively speaking there's really nothing wrong with the game. They took it in such another direction being so far into the past, it left things open to what you can and can't have in a non-existent pokedex YOU are making. They add a wild element of picking your battles, even picking to toss vs battle, sneaking on those battles, item use, combination of goods to use or make goods, etc. The story works remarkably well, and the sub-tasks which are utterly optional add a bit of extra to do for sport as well. So what did we get in bitching? It's not detailed enough, not enough pokemon(really?), and whining they don't have dozens of reactions vs the fewer there are. It was pearl clutching fuckery by grown men acting like entitled know it all babies. It probably threw them for a loop not being main line because then they lose the ability to bitch about not having the game have 1000+ pokemon in it with variants, some new hollow thin mechanic to seem different, while still being safe space stupid with the wash rinse repeat of gyms, trainers, and a thin plot to string it weakly together. Because you know if you don't give the game a full set of main line demands, it's time to lose your mind online and go for it. Arceus is refreshing, something the franchise desperately needed. I hope they keep it Legends setup as a sub-series, do the past of another area, maybe go back to Kanto, or forward to another. It opens some fun doors and freedoms too.

Not bad, more surprised I missed that last post. I like that if that's what I think it is, the SMB2j FDS to FC cart hack, they had all sorts of bootleggy labels and shells. The goof in the boxed game in the helmet sort of reminds me of konami man but I know it's not.

Well haven't been back there in a decade more or less and nothing changes, LA sucks, and if you were warned there's good cause. I know this was about game stores, retro, but...screw them the supply isn't great and the prices largely less so where you'd do better not bothering. Yet I'm questioning something, why has no one at all brought up BOOK OFF?? Book off is a Japanese store with domestic locations, CA has the most, and concentration wise the LA county area has the most. Hideous traffic aside, a few would be within miles of each other and seemingly not that big of a time suck. The stores are Japanese based and as such have a lot of Japanese anime, manga, toys, appliances, music, video, etc... but that means also games, consoles, accessories, handhelds, games. I would hit a couple of them up in town there when I'd be up in that place now and again, but largely I'd be notably closer to the one that is in this little Japanese corner in the San Diego area which had one. Hit and miss more as time came closer to present (after leaving but returning for visits.) I've had excellent luck getting domestic and japanese games, etc from the locations (manga too.) If you're still in the area, try it because you should have relatively easy access to 2-3 of the locations which typically are put within or attached to malls.

You deserve baby shark for your videos.

I'll agree on that, selection is way down overall too in the last few years, pandemic made it worse at a dramatic pace. But you know I actually consider that a good thing. Why? Reasons are easy on this. When you find it, whatever it is(or multiple things) you'll dramatically appreciate it more. And even then sticking to the other rule of not paying the online price and definitely not the greedy locals tax(10-20+% higher for greed sake) really helps with that too. When you find something good, the price is finally right, you'll appreciate that moment far more, but also what comes from the moment, something new to explore and the added time to really explore ti as well. Not having a constant flood allows for a lack of distraction. Just that find I put in the finds thread the other day was a perfect example. A fat stack of largely mystery manuals for hopefully all Gameboy(it was) for $10... could have been all service manuals and barbie. But then also the few games, one I even paid fairly even to ebay for ($55 on pokemon platinum) but I've had the case etc for many years put up so I'll make compromises too as being too rigid is dumb. That was a fun moment candidly speaking here yesterday laying out all the manuals, peeling through them one at a time discovering what was there, many happy moments. Then seeing what i could use, what I could upgrade, matching 5 of them to the games I grabbed too. And then reading them...what a throw back, reminds me why I *hate* the cheapness of it all now cutting out such helpful things.

I gave it an 8 which seems semi-less than popular. Don't get me wrong, it's a good game, quite good, but not great. They got a nice formula down with it, and if you grind enough you can get the speed up to survive the action. But that said, it's kind a floaty and thin, borderline cheap in places but Contra is known for the arcade cheap as that is its roots. I just have played better run and gun, not a lot, but some from that century. I've had the cart off and on since the mid 90s, got it after the NES was toast but these days I don't care to bother much, and given I have the premium my arcade cabinet with the limited quarter setup the actual arcade used I find it more fun to hammer away at. The NES game has a few but not crushing compromises, but largely it's pretty faithful which is good given the year.

Maybe we can get back to the TURTLES? Wretched life sucking nagging trophies and achievements for the apathetic and over achievers really isn't what this is about here is it?

@RpgCollector Some of those on your spread are on the current indie pack 1, and an upcoming pack in a few months (bat puncher) for the evercade. I hope they're as fun as they seem to be as I'm going to be grabbing those.

Maybe extra history blocks of related info maybe on the various shady companies who did said games, other cart variants of the knockoffs, etc. It wouldn't be hard to make it a resource and not a waste.

Ahh no that counts and you did it justice too. You merged the modern and vintage perfectly. The failed poor thin plastic lens and finished off screen gone with solid replacements while still basically housing all the original other components. That's a hell of a restoration, rustoration? I've done a few, and HHL has the best standards I found when sourcing parts, even if they may come from similar factories they seem to try and sort the good from the less nice from the various ones I've picked up to rehab before the lame pandemic. Costs though on handhelds went up, kits slightly, where it's just not profitable at all now so I stopped as I enjoyed fixing them for others but money would end up tied up for weeks, over a month. At this rate the only thing I could do now is my NGPC and I just am not motivated. Currently since I got FFL3 in my hands yesterday finally I've been using my similarly worked up GBC. I had an all stock GBC Atomic purple and popped in the IPS panel for that and it's stunning.

Yeah that's largely a bit of my issue which I keep pressing the comments on what to do, not to do, and who or what to avoid at this rate. I saw the start of the bone picking dickery on facebook. That's why I wrote him and directed him specifically to sign up here letting him know people here are not predatory assholes to get a fair opinion and valuation of options what to do with the game. The scum came out of the woodwork fast, a mix of lying, manipulation, arguing he didn't find it or for what price, you name it.

It's rare anymore I hit a good thing to happen in a week let alone twice in a week, magnify the rarity then when it's a big spread of stuff but it did happen. I felt both the need to get out a bit today to look around, but I went to the one game exchange in town near by the further half price and thankfully I stuck my trade box in the trunk too. I offloaded maybe 1/2 the stuff in my box, largely not the expensive stuff, and in the end I came out with $95 in credit which was into beyond expectation. What got me to grab the box was this paper brick, a brick like 6 inches thick tightly store shrink wrapped of Gameboy manuals and I could see a tall Zelda and Final Fantasy Legend III map sticking out the top! For $10 more than over that risk. But then I went to the case and boom, reality hit, they decided to dump all their manuals and maps and not keep them with the games (boo policy, yay me.) I've wanted to get FFL3 back for over 5 years but the price for it, the manual, and the map are crap. Ultimately what you see I grabbed all that, and it was $70 out of pocket, that's it. Now if you're wondering why on Pokemon Platinum? I forget where I got it, it was free, but I've had the case between 5-10 years with the manual and all inserts pristine, so I bought it loose ($55 of the $70) more than worth it! I added to existing games manuals for DK, DK Land1, Kirbys Block Ball and pinball land, and the cleaning kit. A few others have games in the image to match the manuals, a few others I condition upgraded as well. That bundle had some real gems in there such as that Bubble Bobble Part 2. I probably will part/trade with some manuals if anyone sees something they want. A few I will retain if I do come across the game (like BB2.) FFL3 and DKL2 had dead batteries, I already did the surgery so they're good to go.

I'm using a decade old civic, if it gets to fumes I put 11gallons in so I mean I was like doing 22-25 a tank, now I'm over 40 and that is infuriating. Thankfully the old pig edge melted down over a year ago that would be hell, the new outback on that is 50% larger tank than mine but it sips fuel compared thankfully. Problem is large parts of the US, some specific metro areas aside due to well done buses but usually rail, you don't need a car. But a lot of places, here too, you do, and it's a bitch an utter life sucking drain because of clown policies and that presintator putin pulling his bs for a 1-2 punch and it sucks.

Ugh, yeah I'd agree with that. It does sound vaguely familiar that they hand do this, which is fine when you're more of a smaller operation say like handheldlegend does for gameboy parts and even they in the last year got business enough to get a setup going now with a few people to handle all the logistics and times improved. This probably is the entire issue, inventory intake, outtake, and processing which LRG seems to be an epic failure at. I'm right on the edge with that. I've been NOT ordering stuff from them because of this for some months now. I only changed my tune with the Valis Collection because the copy of it out of the asia region didn't have an english language option which was uniquely different and strange as they almost always do so. In that case aggravatingly I bit my tongue and clicked buy assuming those twits won't have it shipped until probably between summer and christmas because they just don't care to fix their mess but make it worse. That's why I called out the NGPC one, that was ordered in May of 2021 and delayed twice. August is Quake which is delayed since that was Q4. October was Strife, that got delayed as well.

Hah it's still funny though, and while not exactly contributing, it's not wrong either. Read what he said people were doing already about his game, as if none of those ass clowns weren't wanting to find a sucker to get something cheap to grade then profit off of. About as easy as a toddlers box of crayons and a connect the dots book to figure out what was going on there with that mess.

@Toyhunter1 Stick around, enough people here play little anymore anyway to those who do daily I'm sure this place would be a nice fit outside of toxic trolling social media. You should go silent on anyone poking a vested interest stick at it. You likely won't get a fair answer, or at least one that won't make you suspicious given everything and the high pressure of everyone wanting to be the one. Maybe since you found that NES and game stack, start a journey like an 80s kid and see how it works, then write something about that.

You know time for a vent because I honestly don't understand what the hell their problem is in this specific case. Did anyone here get the NGPC collection from LRG? They've so far still not shipped it, and delayed it twice. The reason I'm asking I was thinking maybe it's related to the mid-grade sized one I did because I wanted Jeremy Parish's Neo Geo MVS/NGPC book that was only getting one run for this and that's it. Well back last year I wrote him about it, and he had already finished the book and they had it good to go. Now we're into March, and PIX N LOVE has got their game out and with a big heap of extras too, both that and the stand alone are in peoples hands from the mail. So what's the goddamn excuse?! Why are they so terrible at making dates when the materials are already together? Are they just consistently biting off more than they can handle with multiple games a week then all the layer of added mid-week etc merch they're peddling too in masse? Do they maybe need to check themselves and perhaps lay off the preorders and other bs ever other week or maybe for a month to catch up? I mean something has to give because their dates are widening more and more from when I started buying their stuff before the dumb virus. Anything I have in the queue from them now (Valis aside) has been delayed once...didn't have the delays before hand.