90s Archives - Page 12 of 34 - Intensive Gaming Diary

Alone in the Dark Series

Posted on February 7, 2024February 7, 2024 by Viljami

I have played lots of games during my whole lifetime. I just thought that it might be interesting for readers of this blog if I would write about Alone In The Dark game series. They might not be the best of the best in survival horror at the moment but their influence to this genre is huge. There is also a new Alone in the Dark game getting released in 2024.

The first game in this series was published in 1992. If you were playing it back when it was released I think there is a chance that you played it on a PC. Some of the first three games of Alone in the Dark were also released for PlayStation during 1990s. There are a total of seven games in the series.

What makes the influence huge was how the camera angels were adjusted. It made the game a scary one. Also the game utilises 3D graphics in a way that was never ever seen back in 1992. The most popular game that took influences of Alone in the Dark was Resident Evil and it was released in 1996 at least for PC and PS1. I obtained a book about RE some time ago and I am hoping to get to read it soon. I just have to finish the book that I am currently reading so I can begin with the book. It is called “Itchy, Tasty” and it is written by Alex Aniel.

Games in the series that were released during the 90s were of good quality in the standards of the games of that era. I think it might be a waste of your time to get back to them seriously. Well, maybe if you want to experience something old. There might be a retro feel in them.

So, is there a game in this series that would be a nice game to play even today? If we take a look on two games that were released in 2001 and 2008 we can figure an opinion for this question. Let’s face it. These two games are poor games. They don’t live up to standards and they defnitely don’t match my expectations. Out of these two the one released for PS2, Alone in the Dark – The New Nightmare, is better but it isn’t in any way a great game. It has also received a score of 66 out of 100 in Metacritic.

While these two games weren’t so good there are of course excpectations gathered towards this new Alone in the Dark game that is set to be published this year (2024). The genre of survival horror might bem rising its head again since there are rumours about new Silent Hill and also Resident Evil games getting released soon. There was already a short Silent Hill game released recently. It was only for PS5 and its name was Silent Hill – The Short Message. The game was released for free and it takes maybe three hours to complete. So, it is a short game for the fans.

One of my favorite game shops is saying that the new Alone in the Dark will be released in 19th of April. It will be released for PS5, PC and Xbox Series S/X. You can buy the PC release for example from Steam. The game has received open and cheerful welcomes and many fans are expecting this game to be good. For now we must wait for some more information. There are some trailers and early previews of the game avaialble online. You can also order it in advance if you wish to play it as soon as is possible.

The Logo of PlayStation Is So Cool

Posted on January 5, 2024 by Viljami

Let’s start with the logo of PlayStation. It is time to start blogging again after a short break. Why we’re at it I might just say: “Happy New Year”! It’s the first post of the year 2024. We are going to talk about Sony PlayStation and especially the logo of it.

I started to admire how the logo looks. It forms the letters “P” and “S” that, of course, stand for “PlayStation”: This particular picture is of the smaller console named PSOne. It is my only PS1 that I currently have. I also have PS2 but it isn’t working currently. Of course, you can use emulatorsa and I have also Duck Station on my PC for these PS1 needs.

Where do we continue? We can admire the long list of games, I think there are several thousands of them, the cool looks of the controller and its superb controllability or the amazing graphics. It was back then the coolest gaming console that delivered us games like Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo.

Later some more powerful consoles have taken the place of PS1 as the number one console but it still gives me a nice and warm feeling when I boot up a game or another inside this system. The design is in every way amazing. I mean, do you recall the intro that the console gives when you start it? There is the logo, once again, and this unseparable sound or a piece of music and then you are told which area the console is from (is it Europe or America or some other region).

Playing with PS1 was like listening to rock music. It was for many the introduction to 3D capable graphics and also to sound. It could deliver CD quality audio. The controller was the most advenced thing in the field at the time. Some have done this better later but PS1 was the first. You might say that DreamCast is the best console ever but that’s just like comparing rock music to jazz – everyone has their own preference.

PlayStation had at first a standard controller. It was later updated to DualShock that had tumble effect and also two thums that made controlling the happenings and interacting with the game more comfortable. As I said many have built on after PS1 was dominant. Few have come close to what PS1 gave to us gamers.

I alreaday mentioned some games. Here’s a list of some of my favorites: Crash Bandicoot, Spyro The Dragon, Spider-Man, Colin McRae Rally, Legacy of Kain – Soul Reaver, Abe’s Oddysee, Fear Effect, Final Fantasy VII and many more. You can find a better listing from Google or Bing or Yahoo. You can even ask about it from some sort of a AI tool. We are living the year 2024 you know!

What I also like about PS1 is that the games weren’t, with some exceptions like FFVII, that long. I remember playing almost every game I had to completion. I have to mention also Tony Hawks Pro Skater here since I almost forgot it already. Am I too excited while I am writing this. It might be so.

I encourage you to do your research on this topic and take your facts even further. I think we had a very interesting and also inspiring topic here to discuss about. It was the first of the year but there are still many more posts coming to this blog this year and even after that. So, stay tuned and keep enjoying your games!

Some Notes About Game Boy Color

Posted on December 9, 2023December 9, 2023 by Viljami

In this blog post I write to you about Game Boy Color. Playing video games with a handheld device seems to be interesting. At least that’s what it is to me. Nowadays you can load an emulator to your smart phone and play games like this. You can even get a game controller that uses Bluetooth. Why would you bother to buy a real hand held console? Should you buy one or not? In this blog post I am trying to answer these questions.

I have right here, in that featured image, Game Boy Color. It was first released back in 1998. I think I bought it last years summer. So, the console has been with me for a while now. I bought it for 80 euros. You might be thinking of getting yourself a Game Boy Color. So, let me tell you some facts about this model of a handheld gaming system.

Let’s start with the bad facts. The screen is very poorly lit. You really have to focus your eye for it. The lighting has to be almost perfect for you to enjoy playing with this device. That must be the biggest bad fact about it. Actually I think we can move on to describe what is good in this device.

You can adjust the sound volume very nicely. It has this sort of a wheel that you can roll. You can also plug your headphones in. This makes playing in a bus or a train much more private and you don’t also annoy other passengers. The sound quality is adequate. I mean it’s way nicer than for example PC speaker. The device is powered with two AA batteries. There is also an option for an external power supply unit. The connection type is 3V and the plug is of size 2.5mm x 0.7mm. You can probably get this kind of a power supply unit for maybe 20 euros. I recommend buying one that you can adjust the output and the size of the connector. Let me make this clear – the power unit doesn’t have to be precisely designed for Game Boy Color so you can use this kind of an adjustable unit.

You can play Game Boy games on Game Boy Color. Of course there are some newer games that are only supported for Game boy Color. Game Boy Color reminds a lot of Game Boy that was released about ten years earlier. If you are thinking of playing Game Boy games I also recommend an adapter that enables you to play Game Boy games on a SNES. This adapter can cost something like 35 euros. This way you don’t have to suffer from the bad screen. Let’s tell you also that there are several other ways to play Game Boy games and this includes emulators also.

What are some good games? From Game Boy I definitely recommend Super Mario Land, Link’s Awakening and Pokemon games. As is with these old retro type games usually there are a lot of poor quality games available also. Some of these are trying to act as some sort of ports of these really famous and popular games. I can just mention games like Tomb Raider and Grand Theft Auto. So as you can probably imagine the power of this system is not so great. But there definitely are some good games made for you to play on a Game Boy Color.

My Game Boy Color is a bit broken. What I mean is that the power switch doesn’t seem to function at all. So I power up the device by inserting two batteries and that’s when the device turns on. Another way would be to use a power supply unit. The thing that the power switch was broken probably made the device’s price lower. I don’t know if some talented electrician could fix it. And when it comes to fixing I can tell you that there are many professionals that do repair and even mod old electronic video game consoles including Game Boy Color. It is a popular mod to replace the display. I don’t have information about how much would it cost. I know that there isn’t a service like this available in my home country (Finland).

Let’s summarize. Should you get yourself a Game Boy Color? I think you should consider this decision wisely and deeply. The price is a bit high. Playing with this bad type of screen makes it a bit awkward. Although the device provides a good entertainment for for example a long road trip. The design is very strong and I can figure that it can take some hits and not being broken easily. In today’s era of sensitive electronic devices these features are a welcome exception. Or, if you don’t have any money left in your pocket, you can just buy a Super Game Boy or use an emulator. Think wisely.