spacepup

On 12/21/2023 at 11:58 AM, Khromak said:

OK, last badge for me along with another short story. Here's my import collection, a respectable amount of Famicom & FDS games. I picked up most of these (80%?) from one guy off Reddit, including an RGB modded twin famicom unit, a few years back. This includes all of the Famicom games with those aftermarket boxes and ~75% of the loose carts as well. Since then I've picked up 20 or so games, mostly because of the NES Completions thread here.

A lot of them are duplicates of NES games I already own, though I've picked up some Japan-exclusive releases and also games with regional differences.

To help us out can you specify exactly which badge you are requesting and/or how many?  I don't know which ones are in your count above or exactly how many.  Thanks!

Ah nice! Looking forward to testing this out!

Here is a score to start: 1,159,520

I got mine in recently as well, thanks a ton @T-Pac !  I don't have a pic atm but can share later when I can.  I'm very pleased with them, as always.  

Thanks again!

1 hour ago, fcgamer said:

I guess the question becomes whether owners of physical cartridges be allowed to dictate how the data is spread, if they don't have the right to be owning that cartridge to begin with, as is the case for the vast majority of prototypes.

They may not have any actual legal right, but from a practical perspective, they "control" access to that data by being the only person with it. 

There are many different perspectives, of course, about what their 'responsibility' is and what is the best moral, ethical, and/or legal move.  Different people have very different (and very strong, sometimes) opinions about that, and not everyone agrees.

At the end of the day, if someone has an unreleased prototype in their possession, they [practically] control what happens, regardless of copyright, legal issues, because they can choose to what extent they will preserve and/or share data about that prototype.

I know individuals who have prototypes and will not share data because they think it will decrease their own personal value.  I know others who have prototypes who will not share data because they do not think they have the legal ability to do so.  Then I know others who share everything and don't care about any legal issues, etc.

Ultimately, you are right that just because someone has a prototype in their possession, it probably doesn't really give them any actual legal authority or otherwise to decide what to do with the data or how it should/can be shared, but as I mentioned above, they hold the keys in that scenario and ultimately have the power to decide, whether they should or not.

16 minutes ago, T-Pac said:

Unless I'm misunderstanding, the contractual obligation not to release data wouldn't be affected by the copyright status of that data.

Imagine if those services that digitize old VHS home movies just ignored a contract like that because "your home movies aren't protected by copyright" and decided to upload everything in their archive to YouTube...

It's not a perfect comparison since the ROM data doesn't "belong" to the prototype owner, but contracts are contracts are contracts.

[T-Pac]

I understand this point as well, which is why I mentioned contracts above.  

I have no idea what is in these contracts.  I have no idea if both parties are signing something saying data will never ever be released under any circumstances for the rest of time, or if it something entirely different.  People can speculate of course about the terms of those contracts, but without knowing for sure, I generally wouldn't assume that it is some ironclad agreement about hoarding of data for all of eternity.  But who knows.

Even if such a contract was very strict, for the organization never to release any data, ever.  I still imagine that the preserved item could be used for some level of research, analysis, sharing of some types of information.  And I'd prefer limited access over no access ever, if that is the choice of course.

My perspective is thus - who is better suited to officially determining whether something is a 'Mario' game:  Nintendo, or random person on the internet?

Nintendo officially released SMB2 USA as a 'Mario' game, and thus, in my opinion it is a 'Mario' game.

We all know about its unique development path and the whole Doki Doki Panic situation.  It's just a unique facet of this game.

People can go back and forth for years (and they have) about whether this is a 'real' sequel or not, but it's sort of a series of endless conversations and arguments based mostly on semantics and perspectives.  

I said above it is a real 'Mario' game - and I suppose people can go back and try to redefine what it means to be a real / authentic Mario game, and continue to go back further and further, challenging the definition of everything, but I don't know, that seems not very valuable.

I think people have taken a very simple situation and made it overly complicated.  SMB2 USA is a Mario 'sequel' that has a unique development path and background.

1 hour ago, Link said:

I don't think the owner of a game prototype they didn't create has copyright. 

Agree.  I'm referring to copyright of the actual data itself.

Having said that, I do not know what sort of legal contract is in place between the organization and the person lending such an item, or what terms are specified there.

At any rate, I think what some people maybe overlook regarding these matters, is that in some cases, it is either preserve an item properly with an organization like this, with eventual access at some point, or never access anything ever.  

Some people with protos will dump and share the info regardless.  But for those who don't or won't for whatever reasons, if this creates an opportunity for *anyone* else to have the data just in case, that is much better than nothing.

I haven’t seen it but I have heard REALLY good things about it.  I definitely wanna check it out soon!  One of my friends saw it yesterday and he loved it and said the story was really good.

7 minutes ago, BlackVega said:

This is the first time I have ever heard of that name but I guess there is always the 1st time for everything. Personally I would not do that because again, what's the point and I am the one who have the proper equipment and knowledge to do something like this so I would definitely take that matter into my own hands. My guess is that the humanity usually tends to find some sort of celebrity or some sort of a leader or authority figure for everything in life. Unfortunately I think not everyone is very smart and falls for this. At the same time I think your original post makes some sort of concern or doubt about the entire operation being not legitimate. Whoever that individual is should definitely address some of these concerns. Who wants to just send stuff for free for someone who is not trustworthy and just tells everyone "trust me bruh"??

It is a legitimate operation and while people refer to Frank as an individual, he works for and represents a legal non-profit organization, Video Game History Foundation, which is very much a legitimate organization, with a number of different projects, above and beyond just this particular one.

If you aren't familiar, you can find out more here: https://gamehistory.org/

6 minutes ago, RH said:

But that's not true in all cases and that's kind of my point.  If contractually, Frank agrees to not share a dumped prototype until he's given a permission by the owners then, well, unless there's a governmental collapse and American contracts are worthless, then by law he can't share that information in perpetuity.

Within that subset of people that don't want him to share it, I'd dare say a large percentage of those games will never receive permission to be released.  IMHO, a better approach would be only to dump games where the holder would agree to release it, but there can be a time limit--1 year, 5, 10, 50?  Whatever.  The reason why I'd make it as part of the original agreement is so that this data isn't lost due to legalese issues where someone wanted to "feel good" about dumping a game to only then let it get lost to time.

I guess, part of my issues is some times protos make news when they are discovered and the owners decide they want to keep it for themselves.  That fine, I suppose.  It's not illegal and I greatly respect the rights of people's personal property.  But why would anyone be motivated to have the data preserved if you never intend to distribute it as the sole-owner?  I guess, maybe, people do it to justify their hoarding? 

Eventually, due to copyright laws, the data will be accessible.  And yes, I know copyright is complicated and Disney yada yada, but yes, eventually the data will be available.

Additionally, in the meantime, the organization can internally review, process, analyze, share information about, certain items.  

Point being, there isn't a situation where the data is literally locked away FOREVER.

Think of this from a longer term perspective.  A non-profit organization is set up with no end-date, and can continue on for many years, not just the timespan of one individual, one director, etc.  

I don't believe these or other items are preserved literally NEVER to be shared.  At some point, it will be legal to share that information, and because an ongoing organization preserved them, that will be possible.  If they were never stored in the first place, that opportunity would be lost forever.

I understand that people want access to data now, and get frustrated when THEY can't access something now, but for longer term preservation, I encourage people to widen their views and think of the bigger picture, regarding data literally being lost for ALL time.

If an item is sent to an organization like VGHF and preserved now, there is at least a chance (a strong chance, I'll add) that the data WILL be accessible at some point in time.  If that never happens at all, there is an even greater chance the data will NEVER be accessible by anyone.

I have several opinions that are probably somewhat unpopular in this community.  Perhaps they aren't crazy unpopular in the wider gaming community, I don't know.

1. I have no issues with the terms "shmup" or "metroidvania" and even use them myself sometimes.  When someone says one or the other, I know exactly what they mean and have no problem with them.

2. I don't get upset if someone pronounces NES as "ness" or SNES as "sness."  Again, I know exactly what they mean, and it just doesn't matter to me what they call it.

3. I love modern gaming, and love exploring the ways games expand in different ways over time.  To the point that while I still love older gaming, I find most of my gameplay *time* goes into modern gaming, with research and discussion time frequently spent on older games or a mixture.

4. When done well, I think DLC can be awesome.  For example, this year I beat Horizon: Forbidden West, and I thought it was a fantastic, well-done and well-produced game, with TONS of content and plenty of gaming time.  Then they later released the 'Burning Shores' DLC, which I also thought was awesome and well worth the price of admission.  The original game definitely felt 'complete,' and the additional DLC was enough extra content that it extended the game more for me, which I enjoyed.  Sometimes DLC is done much worse or feels like a cash grab, but it *can* be done very well and sometimes I very much enjoy DLC.

5. I enjoy digital games.  Yes, I love physical gaming of course and have a large collection, but there are *some* benefits to digital gaming (and yes, I know there are disadvantages and concerns as well).  It can be very convenient.  I've played many games on Steam and really enjoy the convenience of the platform.  Yes, I'm aware that some day, somehow everything could be taken away in some form, and I'd be left with nothing.  Except I wouldn't be left with nothing, I'd be left with all the years and thousands of hours of enjoyment I obtained through the process.  I'm not advocating for all others to get digital games, but I also don't think it has to be "evil" either.  Digital gaming has also VASTLY lowered the burden for indie developers to release games.  And I love exploring indie games.

6. My preferred order for the first 3 mainline Zelda games is (1) Link to the Past, (2) Zelda 2, (3) Legend of Zelda.  I realize that's a strange combination, but I unironically enjoy Zelda 2 better than the first one, despite still loving the first and appreciating it.

7. I prefer Sony / Playstation to Nintendo.  I still love Nintendo gaming and am absolutely loving the switch, but over my entire gaming career, I'm definitely more a PlayStation fan.

I'm sure there are many other things I can't think of at the moment, where I feel like my interests differ from most of the community here, but these are a few of them.

It is not a rule that you *can't* open anything.  However, if you open it, do not reveal anything about your gift(s) or recipient until the reveal thread.

I collect for a variety of systems also, with the majority of my collection being PS2 Japan, and a secondary focus on demo discs of various types and consoles.

I don't actively collect for any cart-based consoles any more.  I'm probably in the minority on this site though.

I don't really actively 'collect' for current systems - my main focus there is just for playability, I don't plan on building large collections for any new system.   They naturally build a bit, as I get the games I'm interested in though.  I've also bought quite a few digital games on current systems - I'd say my Switch collection is about half physical, and half digital.  I'm guessing I'm also in the huge minority there as most people here do NOT like digital games at all, heh.

"Tyree, what are your thoughts?"

"Uh...Yes, let's circle back on that"

...

[browsing VGS]

Just double checking to make sure you aren't referencing this audio disc that is commonly misunderstood to be a data disc:

It obviously doesn't say Not For Sale - but I've seen many people think this was a variant or NFS disc of the game, when it is not but rather a bonus audio disc. 

I also assume you aren't referring to a Japan and/or Asia Not-For-Sale disc (with the NFS sticker on the back, and "SAMPLE" written on the inner mould) - these match the regular retail releases in terms of data.

Regarding US SOTN Not-For-Sale, I don't believe I've seen one, so I'm very curious and will keep an eye out.

I like Super Mario Brothers 2 USA better than Die Hard, and Super Mario Brothers 3 is definitely an authentic sequel.  

Alrighty! Here we go!

Carryover from 2023:

* Psychonauts 2
* Rakuen
* Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
* Paper Mario: Origami King (Switch)
* Nier: Automata (PS4)
* The Last Guardian (PS4)
* Moonlighter
* Transistor
* Pyre
* Jade Empire

New for 2024:

* Alwa's Legacy --- beat 01/01/2024!
* Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons [started long ago, never finished]
* Dead Space
* Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
* Dishonored

Games I beat that weren't on the original list, but were still in my 'backlog' to finish:
* Super Mario World --- beat 01/05/2024! [Yes, while I played a bunch before, never beat before now]
* Ori and the Blind Forest --- beat 01/13/2024! [Played long ago, finally beat recently!]

Heyyyy @Reed Rothchild Happy birthday!  Have a great day

I love retro gaming.

I love modern gaming.

I just love video games in general and am willing to experience them in a number of ways including new ways.

1 hour ago, Lago said:

I missed it this year.  Bummer.  I’m putting a reminder on my calendar for next year, today.  Have fun everyone!

Sorry ya missed it! But yes, just in case you didn't see my previous message - we will now do the signups at exactly the same time every year.  Going forward, we'll start the signups on November 1 and run it for about 10ish days.

Alrighty, got around to doing grilled cheese night hah.

I couldn't find the "feta" I wanted to try, but that's ok, I went with violife cheddar.

The grilled cheese is pretty simple, just added some spinach and peppers to it.  Then had some butternut squash soup on the side.

It has been a looooooooooooooooong time since I've had *any* kind of grilled cheese, vegan or otherwise, so it was fun to at least try.

Sorry to hear about your loss Tabonga.  It is difficult regardless of how old someone is or how full of a life they've had or not had.  I hope the coming days are without extra complication for you and the family!

3 minutes ago, Estil said:

Nothing like that, just good ol' fashioned common sense judgement/discretion.  Like these really annoying ones whose video title make it sound like a celeb is dead or dying when in fact they are totally alive and well.

I don't have any issue with Karl's, but I do have an issue with those that are very very intentionally deceptive - and the ones making you think someone is dead, are absolutely deceptive and inappropriate.