Wooh! Youtube channel up!

As the title suggests, I have launched my Youtube channel. From there I'll be posting vintage gaming related content, which I am rather excited to do. For the actual content, I was considering review type content, maybe the occasional play through, gaming challenges, et cetera and so forth. I'll probably play around with a couple formats and ideas as I embark on this odyssey of mine. The first two things I'll be tackling will most likely be Meteor Madness 3D, which I mentioned in a previous post, and also Black Mesa, which I can't help but gush over. It's just so great!
Anyhow, so far I've only posted a tentative intro I'll be using for future video content, which I may be tweaking. If you have input, comments, criticisms, feel free to email or comment. All input is welcome.
Thanks all!

Here is a link to my channel, by the way; https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRedHerringUltimo.

And a gander at the intro;

The Black Mesa Overhaul; Half Life in glorious modern graphics.

Title says it all.. I've been in a Half-Life mood after playing through Episode 2 again, recently. Horrible ending, by the way. Especially considering it's been 5 or 6 years since it came out and neither an Episode 3 or a third Half-Life game has yet to come out and is only hinted at or rumored on occasion. It's truly maddening...
But my post today isn't about that. Rather, it's about Black Mesa. Black Mesa while is the name of the facility in which the events of Half-Life take place, but is also the name of a total overhaul of the original game. Let me just say, it looks freaking fantastic! Holy gerbils it looks great! In case you're unfamiliar with it, the Black Mesa Modification Team took the original game and used the modern Source engine to update and overhaul everything; the texturing, the lighting, effects, soundtrack, et cetera and so forth.

Here's a comparison;

Old (Half-Life)

New (Black Mesa)

Ah, man... Back in the day, I played the crap out of this game and I'm so glad that this was made. It looks gorgeous, sounds gorgeous, and by golly, I love it. I highly recommend trying this out for yourselves. I've only discovered it recently myself, and have only delved into it just a wee bit, but I thought I'd rave about it a little bit. I plan on getting more in depth with it later on.

Here is the Black Mesa site to check out at your leisure; http://www.blackmesasource.com/#/home.


Seriously guys, well worth the very minimal effort it is to click the link and download. Beautiful update to a historic game.
Soon I'll also be revisiting Meteor Madness 3D, Full Throttle, and maybe the original Alone in the Dark (?). And I'll also be launching my vlog, once I get some vital material components.
Well, cheers!

Star Control 2!

Here we go! New post. It's been longer than I've meant for. Still setting up my new computer, waiting for some parts to get here so I can get into this odyssey of mine. As I've said, I wish to bring to you the re-imagined Maniac Mansion and also Full Throttle, among other potential things I've been considering. Again, if you have suggestions, please don't hesitate to comment or message me personally (so far, only one person has contacted me by either means. Yay audience engagement! :D).

Now to the meat of this post. While I've been waiting on parts, and other such prep work, in my free time I have been literally sucked into and old DOS game called Star Control 2. Up until recently, I had largely been unawares of this classic until I had seen a Yogscast video of it that was sent to me by a colleague. Rather a video of a rebooted Star Control 2 being called The Ur-Quan Masters.
Lemme tell ya; this game is so cool! So hype!!

http://sc2.sourceforge.net/downloads.php

I mean, how sweet is that pic right there?! It's hyper-sweet!! It's also a link to the site so you can download and try it for yourself.
I won't give away too much. (I hate spoilers too guys..) Essentially though, Earth and much of the galaxy is enslaved by the Ur-Quan, and it is your duty to emancipate your species and others from Ur-Quan tyranny. I love the lore and feel of the story. It's so rad in a retro B-movie sort of way, with its dynamic array of alien species you can come in contact with, the stylized look in all its cheesiness (the good sort of cheese), the many different interactions the aliens have with you and also amongst themselves, et cetera. It draws from many sources to create a great science fiction experience.
Lore and aliens and what-not aside, the game play mechanics are awesome! You captain your own ship, which you name and customize with its own upgrades and compliment of escort ships. You have to manage your fuel and crew numbers as well. To fund all this, you're required to go to various planets in the many, many galaxies within the game and harvest minerals and resources. You can also acquire other upgrades and items through trading with other species, and also through diplomacy.
It's great, just great. Don't believe me? Go download it and try it out! I don't know if you will, but I had to monkey with the settings for it to look good, and I messed with the control scheme a little bit too as it was a little awkward to fly with the arrow keys, and fire my weapon with Enter..

Anyways, I should have material coming next week when I should be all set up, but school just started back up so we'll see.
Cheers mates!
The Elusive Red Herring

Ps Happy Martin Luther King Day y'all!

Another Updated Maniac Mansion!

So in my previous post I had mentioned the Maniac Mansion project being done by Edison Interactive... I've also discovered another similar project which I am also excited for! Vampyre Games currently has in works a 3D re-imagining of the classic Lucas Arts game. They likewise are giving it their own name, Meteor Mess 3D, and so far it looks really killer. And they even have a demo up, which I plan on trying out and potentially vlogging about. I'll include a link below so you can check it out yourself, which I recommend you do. Maybe even try out their demo, and get amped!

The infamous dungeon; seen myself locked in there many times in the original game.

Working on content currently + Full Throttle

Hey gang!
As the title says, I've been working on content (whilst juggling work and life stuff, plus I'm getting a new comp as my current is starting to die on me). I've been looking at games to delve into, paying extra attention to titles that either I've never played, or it has been so long that I don't remember. For the most part, anyways. I've particularly had my eye on Phantasy Star, which I hear is a great cult classic, and a great looking remake of Maniac Mansion... I read about it on Kotaku and got real excited for it, but they're not done with it yet. Also, they're actually calling it Night of the Meteor for legal reasons. Definitely going to be future content. Click the pic to check it out and the guys at Edison Interactive and thank them for bestowing this on mankind.

Any other game suggestions?
Input welcome!









On another note; Full Throttle!
What's that you ask?
I scoff at you sir!

Check that out! Full Throttle isn't just a game about a biker though. It's more than that. So much more. Next post though.

Kisses!
The Elusive Red Herring

The work continues...

Now with the holidays out of the way, I can really begin work on this epic venture of mine. I've been brainstorming, idea-izing (which is now a word), eating skittles, and I even redid the layout a little bit and made a nifty background to boot, which is essentially just a bunch of screencaps from some of my favorite games from my youth. Anyways, real content coming soon!

Kisses!
The Elusive Red Herring

It begins...

Greetings gentlemen (and ladies),
I've started this blog-a-vlog for two reasons;
Recently, I have decided to begin collecting classic video games. I think it's a bit of nostalgia stemming from a realization that I'm advancing in years. (A whole 20-odd years! :O)
My goal is to revisit these games that shaped my childhood, while also discovering ones that I missed out on and such. My tertiary goal is to share my impressions and experiences with both friends and strangers as I delve into these games, and also maybe give you a chance to see some games that you might want to find for yourself to add to your own collections. This is something I've wanted to do for some time, and I hope that you the reader/viewer will enjoy this as much as I do.

As I begin this "EPIC GAME QUEST!" (simultaneous lightning strike), if you have suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me at redherringnirrehder@gmail.com.
And yes, that IS a palindrome.
Thank you! Good night!

Kisses!
The Elusive Red Herring