TVG Repair: NES Controller IC Replacement

Back when I was thrifting regularly I found NES controllers quite frequently, so I would pick them up for, at the very least, tradable assets. NES controllers were designed and built to last forever, or so it seemed until I found, ironically, an NES dog bone controller with actual dog chew marks on it. I originally figured something inside of the controller had been severed, or maybe the cable was snapped internally, so I went to work testing a few theories I had. Since the dog bone NES controllers have cables that detach from the internal board I swapped them ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago

Driv3r

Yep, I'm doing this, I'm reviewing Driv3r. I absolutely loved Driver 1 and 2 so I was chomping at the bit for a copy of Driv3r to come in at my local used media store. Ok, I'm a bit lazy and by the time I actually realized Driv3r was a thing the game was already massively panned online, and even had it's own scandal about how badly it had been panned. So in 2006, with my Xbox at the ready, I figured it was time I took a chance and ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago

Are Walkthroughs and Guides a Bad Thing?

Since the dawn of the internet people have used their space therein to document their success in video games with the intention of helping others who might be stuck on the same game. Websites like GameFAQs and RPGClassics are two that spring to mind when it comes to places to find documentation of videos and how to beat them. I will admit to using both websites quite a few times when I've become stuck on various video games. A quick search online and a complete walkthrough pops up, filled with information ranging from the very basic walkthrough to in-depth puzzle ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago

Illusion of Gaia

Illusion of Gaia is a game I've attempted to start playing a few times but never really could get myself to play very far into it. This game was developed by Quintet as the second part of the Soul Blazer series which includes Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma. I've heard a lot of great things about Quintet's games, including ActRaiser, but I've never given any of them a proper play through until now. So the question remains of why I couldn't get stuck into this game and give it ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago

I Miss the Sega GT Series. Part 2

When I finally got my hands on an Xbox one of the first games I bought was Sega GT 2002. Although Sega GT wasn't perfect, I still have fond memories of all the time I spent playing it on the Dreamcast. I figured Sega GT 2002 could only be better since it's on the Xbox, right? Well, I can't say it's a masterpiece but nor can I say it's trash, it's just different. I'm not sure where the development team was going with this one, but Sega GT 2002 feels hit ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago

Castlevania: The Adventure

Castlevania: The Adventure is a game I picked up almost 10 years ago and have played very little since. I saw this sitting in the little case at a Half Price Books store for $1 and figured I couldn't go wrong. The label is very reminiscent of the NES Konami games, so I figured that alone should tell me all I needed to know about this gem. I felt like I had really scored here. A Castlevania game for a $1? I had to have gotten one over on old Half ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago

Super Mario World: Return To Dinosaur Land

Super Mario World: Return To Dinosaur Land is a ROM hack I was aware of, but never got around to trying. That all changed when I found out it was included on the SNES multicart I bought earlier this year. I assume whoever was in charge of putting games on this cartridge mistook it for being the actual Super Mario World. Since I've been having a lot of fun playing, or more accurately replaying, through Super Mario World, and now that I can play this ROM hack on my SNES, I ... Read more
Posted 2 years ago