Random Gaming Thoughts

[opa]

Holy crap. I just pulled mine out of a drawer the other day and blew the dust off. lol

I got my PSTV in the value pack for like $80 back when it was still in stores. Are they finally popular now that you can mod them? I still have my system for whenever I want to finally beat Soul Sacrifice.

[Gucci]

Yeah I got the same value kit. Ordered it from KMart for $80 too. I think the popularity of the system itself has been the same across the board. The increase in cost is, I think, due to the rarity of it. It's basically a failed revision of a failed console. Of the 13 million or so Vitas that were sold, I'd have to guess that a small fraction of that were PSTVs. I'm just guessing. Might be total bullshit.

As far as modding goes, I looked into it recently and the modding of it is the same as the portible. Nothing particularly special to note. The store is still active though. Some people don't like to mog till the store is dead.

[opa]

Today I learned that the vita store is still up. Crazy.

That value pack was a great deal. The whole reason I got it was I needed a new PS3 controller and they were still full price in the stores. For another 15 or 20 bucks you got a whole system along with it.

[Note]

I’m too afraid to wonder the price on a CIB value pack one would cost. The value pack came with an 8GB memory card and a PS3 controller.

Lol. What did you originally go there to look for? I love dropping in there, even though some of the items can be pricey.

[Gucci]

I was looking for a second wireless adapter for the Gameboy Micro. I have one from way back in the day when I ordered it from Play-Asia, like 15 years ago. Figured I'd check while I was in the area getting some soup dumplings on St. Mark's Place.

Next spot to visit is J & L Game on 6th Ave. I've gotten stuff from there before when I used to work over at Penn Plaza in 2018. I'd imagine the prices there, while high back then, is astronomical now.

I have to also check out what stores there are in Brooklyn. I went to one and it was closed despite gong during the hours they said it would be open.

[Note]

That sounds like a fun time, a lot of good eats on St. Mark's Place! Used to live by there years ago.

I still drop into J&L once in a while, but you're totally right, some of their prices on older stuff is mind blowing. I've seen older items in there around double eBay prices. Rough! Their prices on newer releases seem reasonable though.

Regarding the stores in Brooklyn, I'm not as familiar, but I've checked out Brooklyn Game Shack. They had a great selection, helpful and friendly staff, and better prices than the other stores in NY. Only issue for me is, it's about an hour and a half from where I live, so I don't make it often.

[Gucci]

Funny enough, Brooklyn Game Shack was the place I went to at 3:00 in the afternoon on a Tuesday and they were closed despite their hours being open from 12:30 to whenever. I’ll give them another shot again as they are not too far from me.

[Note]

That's frustrating, but I think they have a pretty small staff. When I was there, it was only one guy working, and I'm not certain but I think he's also the owner. If you have Instagram, it'd be good to follow them on there. They're pretty active and usually post if they're closing early or for the day.

[opa]

I'd be interested in a fully write-up, but the thing I really am most curious about is the how happy you are with the d-pad and thumb sticks.

Like, is the d-pad full-size, or is it smaller like on the gba?
Do you have any problems with unintended inputs, like registering down-right when you really just pressed right?
How do the thumb sticks feel?

Sorry for the late reply. I can give some quick thoughts.

I like the d-pad a lot. It's a decent size and larger than a DS d-pad. Unless you have large, original Xbox controller hands, I don't think the average person would have issues with it. The d-pad is 7/8" wide if that helps. I have not had any issues with registering inputs.
The thumbsticks feel nice. I don't have a PS Vita anymore to compare but that's the closest comparison I can make. They have a rubber coating so your thumbs don't slip off when playing. They also have a middle-click so you have access to R3/L3 buttons.

[Raging Justice]

I was reading about this fan made, 16-bit de-make of Mega Man X8 and one thing caught my eye:

"No medals, shop, retry chips or intermissions - look forward to a vanilla item hunt experience similar to X1~X3."

https://sonicfangameshq.com/forums/show ... -bit.1504/

It warms my heart to see a game developer actually understand the concept of "less is more". One of the things that dragged down the latter Mega Man X games (basically everything after MM X 4) was Capcom overcomplicating the formula. It's also one of the things that made it hard for me to get interested in the Mega Man Zero series.

I used to be interested in another fan made game called Mega Man X Corrupted. Unfortunately, it's been in development for eons and I think the reason for that is that the developer is adding way too much unnecessary shit to the game. Mega Man X 1, 2, and 4 will always be the best ones because they kept things simple. I like MM X 3 a lot, but it was bordering on having too much unnecessary crap in it as well