Random Gaming Thoughts

[Exhuminator]

I play PS2 imports with a fliptop lid and SwapMagic discs

Yeah, that's how I used to do it too. But then I got on the FreeMcBoot train. Aside from letting you play burned discs, it also lets you play legit imports without swapping.

[Sarge]

It does? I thought it could do burned stuff, but not legit import discs. Something has changed since I stopped keeping track if so.

[noiseredux]

It does? I thought it could do burned stuff, but not legit import discs. Something has changed since I stopped keeping track if so.

it did legit imports back when I used it in like 2011. That was all I used it for.

[Sarge]

All the information I find about Free McBoot has you ripping your original import disc to another medium, though. Either putting it to a USB drive or HDD, or ESR-patching the ISO and burning to disc. Someone got a link for the method to boot legit imports using Free McBoot?

[Exhuminator]

All the information I find about Free McBoot has you ripping your original import disc to another medium, though. Either putting it to a USB drive or HDD, or ESR-patching the ISO and burning to disc. Someone got a link for the method to boot legit imports using Free McBoot?

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 30&t=29221

I can swear I remember a way to make ESR an ELF and inject it into FreeMcBoot, so you can launch any legit disc without having to patch ESR to an ISO first. I can't find the tutorial now.

[Sarge]

Yeah, he's using Swap Magic in that video, which basically reads in the correct region code before swapping discs.

As far as I know, ESR Launcher (which I do have with my distro) only works if you've got burned discs that are already ESR-patched. But dang, do I want to be wrong on this one!

[Exhuminator]

He's using SwapMagic as in injected ELF though. Which is a little different because it lets you use any USA region disc to bypass the region check.

[noiseredux]

yeah I used to have to put a legit disc in, boot into ...some elf file, and then it would let me switch in the import. I'm a little fuzzy on this. That may have been for PS1 games, and I may have been using Swap Magic discs proper for PS2 discs?

[Sarge]

Yeah, it lets you use a legit USA disc instead of the Swap Magic disc, which means you can just craft your own slide tool without buying the Swap Magic stuff. Which is certainly nice. I just wish there were a way to just flat out launch a legit import with no swapping whatsoever, and I don't think that's doable.

Of course, I've never run into this issue, because I play Japanese-region games through HDLoader/Open PS2 Loader. The disc drive almost never gets used anymore, except for the occasional rip.

[Xeogred]

One of my friends has been talking up the Dolphin emulator a lot recently. I've been vocal about my dislike of the GC a lot here and finally even boxed up my games for it recently (I own the Prime Trilogy on Wii, so that's covered). That said there is still a few GC games I'd like to check out...

What I really want to ask though, is Super Mario Sunshine really any good? What do you guys think? I like the idea of knowing there is a big 3D Mario game I haven't played much of, but... the little bit I did play I didn't like much. The water hose gimmick wasn't that interesting and if I remember right, this has probably the most elaborate of the 3D Mario hubs... which is not my preference at all. I like Galaxy 2 and 3D World going back to basics, just throwing super linear maps and levels at you. I guess I'm figuring that Sunshine is a bit more like the Rare collectathon stuff with an overly complex world hub, but I have no idea.

Should I give Sunshine another shot?