Entertainment/Gaming Consoles

[vsp]

Oh, hell. If I started typing in my collection, I'd be here for a week.

The only major systems I missed between the Atari 2600 and the Dreamcast were the Atari Lynx, the (non-pocket) NeoGeo systems, and the N64. I skipped the N64 because there's nothing on it that I wanted to play, and the other two just never fell into my lap. (Note that 90% of those systems were bought used and at steep discounts via flea markets, clearance sales, etc. -- I'm not Mr. Moneybags, either.)

Current addiction: back to MAME for a bit, as I just finished filling the holes in my .59 collection. Between MAME, Visual Pinball/VPinMAME and the 400+ Game Boy Advance ROMs I picked up this weekend (insert some arrr! arrr! noises here, mateys! USENET -- when you've got DSL, it's not just a MUD for very slow typists), I have plenty to keep me occupied in the emulation world. Freedom Force (PC) is on deck when I have the time to get into it. Meanwhile, my AI in VF4 (Wolf) is up to 7th Dan, and I'm slowly but surely weaning him of some last remaining unproductive habits.

AI training in VF4 is hard work, and quite frustrating early, but it's very cool when a trainee starts getting the hang of it. The first time my Wolf got hammered early in a Ranking Match, came back with a combo I taught him, then finished the opponent with a picture-perfect Austin-style KICK WHAM STUNNER, I nearly wept.

I got an N64 solely for 1080º. It's one of the funnest games I've ever played. Actually, Jenni got it for me for my birthday last year. It came with Pod Racer, and I picked up Mario Kart for some good fun.

I have a lot of stuff for my old consoles, but I was only listing off stuff that I currently play Not that I have as much as you do (I saw your webpage, and even that was way out of date), but I certainly have enough to keep busy. Shit, I wish I had the time to play the games I do have. GTA3 is eating a lot of my time right now.

Oh yeah. And all of my consoles have been purchased brand new. Which is another reason I don't have as many

"Smack Down" is giving me fits. Every time (<B>EVERY TIME</B>) I manage to get 7 dudes. SEVEN! But not eight. I'm just having trouble finding the dudes in time to kill 'em. And that one that's always in the park is generally a pain in the ass. It's easier to clip 'em on the streets. Argh!

Tips?

[vsp]

Well, it's not really that complicated a mission. Fast and accurate driving (i.e. city knowledge) is the key. Try a few ambulance missions in Staunton for some practice -- they'll help you locate blips on the map quickly with a timer counting down.

Go for the dealers in their order of arrival whenever possible -- if a new arrival's close, nail him, but it sucks when you're ten feet away from an early-appearing dealer and he vanishes. If one's a real wart to reach, skip him and go for another one rather than wasting time getting in and out. Use a reasonably fast car, dodge traffic, and if your first car gets demolished, grab the first wheels you can find to keep going. Just keep practicing, as you only need to get eight once.

Trust me, karma catches up with Kenji later for being so aggravating...

I've heard. I read a little bit of a strategy guide that gave away spoilers in the beginning. Oh well.

I'm now best in the Yakuza Stinger (which <b>is</b> a better vehicle than the Banshee, though I'm pretty adept at handling the Banshee now too), but the Stinger takes like 2 hits and it's gone.

Admittedly, I don't know Staunton as well as I know Portland. Oh well. I'll probably get it tonight.

[vsp]

I found a PSX Dead or Alive locally for $20... but it's disc-only. I'll dig in some of my other sources this week for a more complete version.

Well, I trashed 'em with a Stinger earlier, and with boatloads of time to spare (I drove around for a full minute before all the damn Yardies were off the street). It was the Yakuza Stinger that proved to be their undoing. Currently I have a BF Injection, Infernus (that I carjacked off the street!) and a Cartel Cruiser saved. I don't know when, but I just know I'm going to need that Cruiser later and I have bad luck getting them so I'm keeping it saved. Anyway, I always grab a Yakuza Stinger or a Banshee from Asuka's condo and that generally works pretty well, so that's what I did this time. I ended up just hitting the guy that was closest to me and it worked every time - I didn't miss a single one 'cause they disappeared. I might have just gotten lucky - not sure. But it worked, and that's what's important. Then I killed (not really, as I found out) Ray's partner. And then I had had enough of actually playing so I went back to my hideout on Portland (where I have the Infernus - I stole it in Staunton but had 2 saved there already so took it back to Portland), saved, grabbed the Infernus and started doing jumps with it - man, that mofo is FAST. It handles like shit, but it's fast. Anyway, it gets some seriously good distance on the jump up between the bridges (you know what I'm talking about). And then I started just killing people and getting myself up to five stars, blowing up as many cops as possible and then loading my saved game and starting again.

I love that game.

BTW, thanks a lot for looking for that. I seriously do appreciate it.

[jeni]

I just know I'm going to need that Cruiser later and I have bad luck getting them so I'm keeping it saved.

no you won't. the cartel mansion is in shoreside vale, and the cruisers are ALL OVER staunton island. trust me.

Hahaha. Well, doesn't matter. I figured how how to get at least 3 cars into my garage in Staunton. I'm going for 4 when I get home, and I think I can get 6 in there. Yeah!

I'm tricky.

I'm about to open up Shoreside, I think. I think that was my last mission for Ray (where I killed the guy laying in the road), so I just have Donald Love to do. I couldn't be bothered with it last night - after running over that armored body cast, I saved and then tried - successfully - to get 3 cars in my 2 car garage. After that, I went and blew people up.

[vsp]

Don't get too tricky with your garage. If you cram too many cars in there (or sometimes even when you don't), they have a tendency to disappear without a trace. Most cars are eminently replaceable, but it's aggravating when you've gone to the trouble to obtain a bulletproof Cheetah, and it's gone when you need it most!

Besides, you're not too far away from having a third garage to play with...

(Cartel Cruisers are not only all over Shoreside Vale, but they're common as dirt in Fort Staunton near the construction site. Just go north from your Staunton hideout and drive towards the hospital -- you'll probably find a couple of them. Which is good, since you'll need one for a couple of Donald Love missions. They're not terrible vehicles, but I don't use them much; I prefer the Patriot for gruntwork, with its lower center of gravity.)

Again, if you haven't stolen an FBI car yet, try to do so before you open up Shoreside Vale. The parking garage in Staunton is the best place to steal high-end law enforcement vehicles; the methodology is left as an exercise for the reader.

I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me.

I figure if I can get into it and drive it, I can easily get the 5 stars off me - hey, Pay & Spray! Right out back. Awwww yeah.

Will I actually <b>need</b> an FBI Car though? I drove one in Aptos and I didn't think it was all that swell. Personal opinion though.

[vsp]

Here's why:

If you take all seven emergency vehicles to the crane in Portland, you get a nice cash bonus, AND seven icons on the ground. These icons let you "order" any of the emergency vehicles, free of charge -- the crane will lift one off the boat and drop it at your feet, and you can do this as many times as you like.

In other words, if you deliver one FBI Car to the crane, you can get AN INFINITE NUMBER OF RHINO TANKS slightly later in the game, with zero risk involved in obtaining them after the first one.

Reason enough?

(Without the Parking Garage method, the FBI Car's one of the hardest vehicles to obtain, because the FBI agents are nuts and heavily armed, and when you have five stars they come in bunches. The Rhino is actually easier, IMHO, because it's nigh-invulnerable -- you can use grenades or rockets to take out its guardians without worrying much about blowing it up. Only some of the bulletproof vehicles are harder to get; the bulletproof Cheetahs are a pain, and I've never managed the bulletproof Bobcat.)

Okay. So the seven are:

Police car
Ambulance
Fire Truck
FBI Car
Tank
that funky police truck
???

right?

[vsp]

The seven are:

* Police Car
* Ambulance
* Fire Truck (all three readily available all over Liberty City)

* Enforcer (SWAT van: appears at 3-4 stars, or freely available from the police station in Staunton Island)

* FBI Car (slightly jacked-up Kuruma: appears at 5 stars)

* Barracks XL (troop transport, resembles an overgrown Flatbed: appears at 6 stars, or freely available from Phil's Army Surplus)

* Rhino (the tank: appears at 6 stars)

There is a Rhino at Phil's, but it's locked. However, here's a tactic someone suggested recently that I haven't had the time to verify... Go to Phil's, get the Barracks XL, and smack into the side of the tank repeatedly _until the door falls off_. Once it's off, get in the tank and drive it back to your Staunton garage, scot free.

Let me know if it works!