2002 Update Archive

11/22/02 - I've added some new info to the Altered Beast Oddities Special Features article, courtesy of PrimeOp.

11/21/02 - I've made a minor change to the Forgotten Videogame Heroes And Heroines Special Features article - say goodbye to Jo Musashi of Shinobi and hello to Adol Christian of Ys! I've also added links to the Rygar Info Site and Universo PC Engine.

11/18/02 - I've added a new Import Store link, and two new import covers to the Import Cover Archive: Ikaruga and Libble Rabble.

11/15/02 - I've added a new subsection to the Top 100 - My Ten Least Favorite Games. I've also rearranged the Top 100 somewhat.

Oh, and in case you haven't heard, Contra Shattered Soldier is fantastic! Konami didn't screw it up, thank god. If you like Contra and have a PS2, I highly recommend picking this up.

11/12/02 - For the first time in quite a while, there's a brand new story in the Video Game Fiction section! Written by Daimera, it's entitled Paved With Good Intentions and is set in the R-Type universe, shortly after the events chronicled in R-Type Delta. Daimera's even provided concept artwork for some of the story's characters! Check it out!

11/1/02 - Just changing the logo back to the normal one. This news may not be game or site related, but I got to meet Bruce Campbell (you know, star of the Evil Dead movies?) at a book signing last night, officially making this the best Halloween I've ever had!

10/31/02 - Happy Halloween! I hope you all liked the new logo that's on the front page. I thought it would be fitting for today. Also, there's two new Import Reviews up, both of which definitely fit the season. ^_~

10/29/02 - There's a new Special Features article up!

10/28/02 - Contra: Shattered Soldier for the PS2 is in stores now!

I have yet to play it myself, but from what I've heard, it at least comes close to the original Contra games. I will be checking it out for myself soon, and after I've actually had a chance to play it, I'll let you all know what I think of it. In the meantime, click here to check out an awesome Contra comic!

Sorry about the lack of real updates for the past couple of weeks, but there will be some new Special Features articles and Import Reviews coming soon... as soon as I find the motivation to do them, that is.

10/24/02 - I've added links for three new sites - Dreamland Of Valis, Axle Gear's Rocket Knight Adventures, and Retrobase.com. Check them out!

10/21/02 - I've added a reader opinion to the Import Stores section, plus I've cleaned that section up a little bit.

10/11/02 - I've added a series of pictures that show the highlights of the suicide sequence that was cut from the U.S. release of Assault Suits Valken (U.S. title: Cybernator) to the Special Features article Assault Suits Valken: Hey Man, Nice Shot.

10/9/02 - I've added a bunch of screenshots and some new info to the Special Features article Converter Fun!, including info and a comparison between the Japanese and U.S. versions of Last Battle and Alex Kidd In The Enchanted Castle.

10/8/02 - I've added another new Import Review, this time of Treasure's Mega Drive game Alien Soldier. I've also added some new info to the Special Features article Brazilian SMS Games!

10/7/02 - There's a new Import Review up, this time of the Mega Drive game Golden Axe III. I've also added the Golden Axe III cover scan to the Import Cover Archive.

10/3/02 - There's a new picture in the Anti-Xbox section, courtesy of Luke O'Sullivan!

10/1/02 - There's a new Special Features article up! Enjoy!

9/25/02 - There's another new Special Features article up! I've also added a Bonus Valis Art Gallery to the Special Features article Valis III (Turbo CD): Hidden Bonus Items!

9/24/02 - There's a new Special Features article up!

9/23/02 - As promised, a review of Ikaruga has been posted in the Import Reviews section. I've also added a link to the Anime Super Famicom Web Resource Center. Enjoy!

9/20/02 - New pictures and a preview of Rygar: The Legendary Adventure has surfaced at Gamespy.com! Go here for the full article.

In other news, I got my hands on a copy of Ikaruga for the Dreamcast yesterday afternoon! There'll be a review of it posted in Import Reviews sometime in the next couple of days, so keep watching for that. I'll say this much - I'm extremely impressed. It reminds me quite a bit of Radiant Silvergun, just a little more simplified, gameplay-wise. I strongly advise all of you with Dreamcasts to check it out.

9/16/02 - I've added a new Import Review.

9/13/02 - I've added a new Special Features article and a link to VGEncyclopedia!

9/9/02 - I've added a new Special Features article. Enjoy!

9/6/02 - Announcing my third (and final) game specific site...

Yep, I've decided to go ahead and create a Metal Slug site. There's not much there right now, but there will be. Check it out and let me know what you think! The address is http://www.mslugdb.com/en.php

9/4/02 - I've added three new links - WonderSwanWorld, Neo-Geo.com, and Neo Geo Pocket Color and SNK Zone. Check them out!

9/3/02 - I've added 10 new heroes to the Special Features article Forgotten Videogame Heroes And Heroines. Check it out!

8/30/02 - There's a new review up of Metal Slug for the PlayStation, as well as reedits of two older reviews I wrote - Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Grafitti and The Goonies. My review of The Goonies was on the Classic Review Archive before, but was never presented here until now.

8/29/02 - I've added a new Special Features article and a new link to thundercross: the arcade shoot-em-up site. Enjoy!

8/28/02 - I've added a review of the Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus to the Import Reviews section!

8/21/02 - There's not much of an update this time - all I did was change the logo on the front page around so that it includes more characters. Hopefully there'll be a real update soon... let me see what I can come up with for one.

8/13/02 - As of August 11th, I'm a married man! Check out my personal page zero signal for more details! Also, Cai has sent me some more musings for her Special Features article Cai's Musings. Check them out!

8/8/02 - I've added a scan of the PAL version of Pop'n Twinbee Rainbow Bell Adventures to the Import Cover Archive, courtesy of Dan. Dan also donated this nifty Twinbee pic that I've posted above (click on it to see it fullsize).

8/5/02 - I've added a new Special Features article, and I've added updates to both the Altered Beast Oddities and Cai's Musings articles.

7/30/02 - I've added two new Special Features articles, including the very first Special Feature written by a guest author, Micaila Taylor! Thanks Cai!

7/22/02 - I've added an animated GIF of Kirby and Nago to the Shocking Secrets of Nintendo's Biggest Stars - EXPOSED! Special Features article. Check it out!

7/16/02 - Got a new import review up, courtesy of Yashiro! Also, there's yet another new recipient of the OPCFG Award - Mr. P's Castlevania Realm! Congratulations - and thanks for making one top-notch Castlevania site!

7/12/02 - There's another new recipient of the OPCFG Award - Dracula's Curse THE PAGE!!! Congratulations to Eric Roman - you've got one hell of an entertaining site there! I've also added a new import review and several new links... including a link to play a flash version of the Atari 2600 game Adventure! Take a look!

7/8/02 - There's a new Import Review and a new Special Features article!

7/5/02 - A new Import Review is up, written by none other than Yashiro Nanakase! On top of that, check this out - I'm a father! My daughter Leona was born yesterday - check out my personal page zero signal for the details!

7/3/02 - We have another winner of the OPCFG Award - Game Grandpas, Ryan Genno's fantastic classic gaming site! Congratulations, Ryan!

7/2/02 - Presenting the two newest recipients of the OPCFG Award - The Light Sword Cypher Mainframe, which is Scion's incredible Strider site, and Flying Omelette's Kitchen, Flying Omelette's fantastic site! Believe it or not, I was in the process of evaluating the next few sites to get the award - FO's among them - when she emailed me the other day saying that I'd won her award. Talk about an eerie concidence...

Anyway, there's a few other sites that have received the award, and once I hear back from their webmasters, I'll be putting their sites in the award section on the main page. Check back soon to find out what sites those are!

On another note, I've added two brand new import covers to the Import Cover Archive, courtesy of Stéphane - Macross (Famicom) and Zero Gunner 2 (Dreamcast). Check them out!

7/1/02 - I've added a new Special Features article. Also, the OPCFG has received it's first award ever - Flying Omelette's Golden Ridley Award of Excellence! I'm honored to receive it - and for those of you that haven't checked out Flying Omelette's site, Flying Omelette's Kitchen, now's a great time to!

6/28/02 - I've added a new Special Features article.

6/24/02 - I've upgraded the Top 50 to the Top 100! Check out all of the new additions!

6/19/02 - There's now a new addition to the Special Features article Altered Beast Oddities, courtesy of Martin Brear.

6/17/02 - I've added yet more info to the Special Features article Tonight In Mystic Defender: LIVE NUDE GIRLS!, courtesy of Andrew Ballard. I've also added a link to NES Player, which is a site well worth checking out.

6/14/02 - Thanks to V-Alis, I finally have a picture of the very naked Alexandra from the Genesis game Mystic Defender. Check out the Special Features article Tonight In Mystic Defender: LIVE NUDE GIRLS! for proof that I was not imagining the whole thing all these years.

6/13/02 - I've added both an update log and a new character to the Forgotten Videogame Heroes And Heroines article, and a brand new Special Features article entitled A Tribute To Downland.

6/12/02 - I've added four new Import Reviews, courtesy of Kurt Kalata, and a ton of new links - including Digital Press and The Mystical Web Site of Goemon. Check them out!

6/11/02 - I've added a link to a new Import Store that's worth checking out.

5/30/02 - I've added a few new links - Treasure Gear, Street Fighter Legends and Game Screenshots.com. Check them out! I've also made a few changes to the Special Features article Forgotten Videogame Heroes And Heroines.

5/29/02 - Is it possible? Could it be? Has Konami finally decided to restore the good name of Contra, one of my all time favorite game series? It could be - Contra: Shattered Soldier is slated for release on the PS2 later this year! Check out some of the screenshots at Gamespy.com!

Did you see them? Looks pretty good so far, eh? Of course, pictures don't tell the full story - I was wowed way back when by the first screenshots I saw of Contra: Legacy Of War for the PSX, only to find out upon playing it that it was the WORST CONTRA EVER MADE... damn Appaloosa. After that fiasco and the C: The Contra Adventure fiasco, I've vowed to reserve judgement on any future Contra games until I've actually played them. Still, I have high hopes for Shattered Soldier... mostly as a result of reading this interview with the game's director, Nobuya Nakazato. Good or bad, I guess we'll see the end result when it hits. In the meantime, go here for more pics and the rest of the story on the game.

All I have to say is right now though, is please, Konami, please... don't blow it this time.

5/21/02 - On the first page of the Top 50, I've added a link for my top 25 favorite Atari 2600 games! Take a look!

5/14/02 - I've added a small section on the main page entitled Some Anti-XBox Hilarity. It's not much, just a few pics mocking Microsoft and the XBox I've found on the net (and for those that don't get it, is IS just a joke). Just click on the anti-XBox logo on the main page to check it out.

5/7/02 - Based on suggestions from people that I've polled, twenty new characters have been added to the Forgotten Videogame Heroes And Heroines article, bringing the grand total of heroes to fifty.

5/3/02 - I didn't realize it would be this soon, but I've added the ten new characters to the Forgotten Videogame Heroes And Heroines article. Check it out!

5/2/02 - I know it's been a while in coming, but there's finally a new Special Features article up. I may be adding ten more characters to the Forgotten Videogame Heroes And Heroines article before too long as well. Keep checking back here for more updates.

5/1/02 - There's not much of an update this time around. Check this out, though - new pictures of the new Shinobi for the PS2 have surfaced, and you can check them out at Gamers.com by clicking here.

I'll say they look pretty damned sweet so far. Once again, though, I just ask that Sega not screw this up!

4/24/02 - File this news under "I hope to god they do it right": Two classic games are making their return to our screens: Shinobi and Rygar! There's very little info on either one yet, but here's what is known - Rygar: The Legendary Adventure has been confirmed by Tecmo to be in development for the PS2, and screenshots of the new as-yet-untitled Shinobi game, also for PS2, have surfaced. Screenshots of Shinobi can be found here. The full story about Rygar can be found here. I certainly hope that the Shinobi shots are for real... the website is unfortunately all in Japanese, so I'm not sure. Anyway, if it is for real, please, PLEASE don't screw it up, Sega... the same goes for you too, Tecmo.

However, for the time being I'm taking them as genuine. Because of this, I've removed Jo Musashi from the Forgotten Video Game Heroes And Heroines Special Features article, and replaced him with another, just as deserving character (of course, if this new game doesn't happen, Jo will get his spot back). Who is it? I'm afraid you'll just have to go read the article to find out. ^_~

here's a hint: you can find this character right under Rick from Splatterhouse.

4/15/02 - Today is the OPCFG's fourth anniversary! On this day in 1998, the OPCFG first opened its doors. I just want to take the opportunity to thank Kurt Kalata of The Castlevania Dungeon for setting up the page originally, Mike Boyajian for creating the site logo and award, and all of you for continuing to support the site, even during its periods of inactivity. Thanks, everyone!

Keep checking back, as there will be a lot more in the years to come (hopefully, anyway)!

3/27/02 - I've added ten new forgotten heroes to the Forgotten Videogame Heroes And Heroines Special Features article, and I've added several new links. Enjoy!

3/25/02 - I've added a new Special Features article, as well as a link to Rastan.net. Check them out!

3/22/02 - Finally, the moment I've been waiting for has arrived. I'm proud to present The OPCFG Interview With Yuzo Koshiro! The composer of the music to such great games as The Revenge Of Shinobi, Streets Of Rage and Actraiser was kind enough to sit down and answer a few questions for me, the answers to which can be found in the Special Features section. Take a look!

3/13/02 - I've changed around my Darwin 4081 Import Review a bit and added some new info to it concerning the arcade version.

3/12/02 - I've made a few minor updates to the Wanted! section. Also, remember that very special Special Features article I mentioned back on the 27th of January? It's finally going to be posted. Check back in a few days, as most of you should find it very informative...

3/9/02 - A moment of silence, please, for Fear Factory.

The group officially split up as of 3/8/02. They and their music will be missed.

3/4/02 - There's a new recipient of The OPCFG Award - My Favourite Videogame! Congratulations to Rob Taylor for creating a fantastic classic gaming site! Keep up the good work, Rob!

I'm still giving out the award to worthy classic gaming sites, so if you feel your site deserves one, click here to find out how to submit it for consideration. Good luck!

I've also added a new Special Features article. Enjoy!

2/27/02 - Johnny Undaunted has done it again, this time with a complete list of Capcom's Famicom games! Check it out!

2/26/02 - Johnny Undaunted has come through again, this time with a complete list of Technos' Famicom Games! Go to the Special Features section to check it out! I've also added a link to Anime Games, and an excerpt from the incredible Strider fanfic by Lewis Smith and Scion, Strider: The Powers That Be to the Video Game Fiction section. Enjoy!

2/25/02 - I've added a new Special Features article, courtesy of Johnny Undaunted, and two new links - one for The Ghosts 'N Goblins Series Online and one for The Commando Series Online... AND a link to Scion's fantastic Strider site, The Light Sword Cypher Mainframe. Check them out!

2/21/02 - I've added some more pictures to the Special Features article The Twisted Saga of Kujaku-oh - the cover of the Kujaku-oh Sega Mark III game, as well the covers to Spellcaster and Mystic Defender. I've also added a new story that I wrote in the Video Game Fiction section, entitled Demon's Crest: Firebrand's Musings. Let me know what you think!

2/20/02 - I've added two new covers to the Import Cover Archive - Darwin 4081 and Curse, for the Mega Drive. Coincidentally, I've also reviewed both of these games. The reviews can be found in the Import Reviews section. Enjoy!

2/17/02 - I've added a new Special Features article and a link to Swan Song, the only all English Wonderswan website. Check them out!

2/6/02 - There's some new recepients of the OPCFG Award for Excellence in the Field of Classic Gaming - The Ela Fountain, Outrun.org, Streets Of Rage Online, and the Double Dragon Dojo! I'd like to congratulate all of the webmasters of these sites, and encourage them to keep on working with their sites. Keep up the good work, guys!

I've also added a link to The Un-Official Valis Homepage. Take a look!

1/29/02 - Announcing...

Your one-stop spot for Ghosts 'N Goblins info! I just wanted to go ahead and officially unveil the site today... if you get a chance, stop by and check it out! The address is http://gng.kontek.net

I've also added a new piece of fiction to the Video Game Fiction section that I wrote - Splatterhouse: Patient #6504. Check it out and let me know what you think of it!

1/27/02 - There's some new and exciting things brewing here. My new project is moving along nicely (which I should be officially unveiling in a few days, hopefully), I've put up a new link to The Goonies II Shrine, I've added a new bit on the actual Kujaku-oh anime to The Twisted Saga of Kujaku-oh thanks to Yashiro, and in a week or so there should be a very special Special Features article up. Keep checking back for more updates.

1/22/02 - I've added some new info about the resurrected OPCFG Award, as well as adding a list of sites that have received the award (the ones that are still up, at least). Just click on the link on the main page to read all about it. Also, I've moved the 2001 updates into their own archive. Until now, I haven't saved the updates, but I figured why not go ahead and start?

I've also taken the list of games that used to be at the bottom of this page, added a lot more games to it, and moved it into the Import Stores section, where hopefully it'll serve as a reference list of great import games that you might be interested in checking out. More additions to the list are welcome, of course. Also, I cleaned up the Import Cover Archive so that it's now easier to go through.

Also, if anyone is interested in taking a sneak peak at the next website I'm working on, click on this link, take a look and let me know what you think of it so far!

1/21/02 - I've added a new Link to The Shatterhand Web. Check it out!

1/16/02 - I've added some new cover shots and more info to the Brazilian SMS Games Special Features article. Take a look!

1/8/02 - I've added a new Import Review and a new Special Features article, plus a cool fellow by the name of Freddy Hajas has provided me with translations for most of the Brazilian-only titles in the Special Features article Brazilian SMS Games. Thanks Freddy! Also, if you're interested in the soccer series Sensible World Of Soccer (SWOS), then why not drop by his site, SWOS Brasil (available in both English and Portuguese)?

1/3/02 - My god... I never thought I'd see these again. I was just recently told about The Internet Archive, and wonder of wonders, they have some of the old OPCFG pages archived there from when the site was still a subdirectory of Kurt Kalata's Castlevania Dungeon - before I had steady net access or enough knowledge of HTML to even think about trying to maintain the site myself.

So if you're feeling brave, check these links out - I've picked what I consider to be the three best ones from what they have archived there. Not all of the sections on the archived pages are functioning, but these will give you an idea of exactly how the OPCFG has evolved over the years.

Also, after looking through these archived pages, I've decided to go ahead and bring back the OPCFG Award for Excellence in the field of Classic Gaming, which I used to give out to excellent classic gaming sites after the OPCFG first opened its doors back in 1998. To find out how to submit your site for the award, just take a look at the main page.

1/2/02 - Added two new Links - one for Lance Steele's Ninja Gaiden Tribute and one for The NES Endings Archive. Check them out!

1/1/02 - Happy New Year! I've decided to kick off the new year with a new Import Review and a new logo on the main page. Yeah, I know it's the same as the old one, just with more characters - but hey, I like it better this way. Enjoy!