Dingoo Help, Links & Resources

I never stopped loving my Dingoo since purchasing it a few months ago. Imagine, playing retro console games like the Nes, Genesis, Snes, and a shit ton of other console and arcade games right in the palm of your hands. The Dingoo is great for a handheld gaming machine at an affordable price of less than a hundred bucks.

A lot of people think that the Dingoo is some crap device just because it is Chinese made. However, this thing has been with me for a few months now and I use it mercilessly. Believe me, this thing can withstand rugged conditions.

The Dingoo design is an obvious rip-off of the Gameboy Micro but it is slightly bigger and heavier. The menu is a rip-off of the PSP UI as well. Aside from this, the device feels comfortable in the hands, and the buttons are actually sturdy and responsive. The screen is about two inches and it is good enough for playing games and watching a few movies. Yes, you heard me right, this little puppy can play mp3's and a whole lot of video codecs. This is not just a gaming console it is also a great portable media player.

If you want to learn more about the Dingoo (or if you already have one), here are some links that will help you get the most out of this little wonder.

1. Dingoo Digital - This is the unofficial English support site for Dingoo. You can find a lot of custom firmwares, themes, and emulators in the site. They also have a very helpful forum if you have queries about the device. Sadly, the site is not updating as much anymore.

2. Dingoonity - This is a community site with an extensive Wiki, Forum, and news updates about the Dingoo. If you want to know what the Dingoo native emulators can play (or not play), they have a Wiki of non-working games.

3. Dingoo Scene - If you want to learn a whole lot about Dingux or how to run Linux on your Dingoo, Dingoo Scene is the site for you. Why run Dingux at all, you ask? Well, you'll get the benefit of better emulation, better, menu, and better codec support.

Do you own a Dingoo? Do you know of any other Dingoo sites out there? Share it with us in the comments.

My Squidoo Lenses - My Fave Lenses

Squidoo has been around since the popularity of web 2.0 properties on the web. This post will serve as a link repository to some of my Squidoo lenses. Needless to say, I find Squidoo to be very simple and easy to use than other similar services.

The traffic I get on these lenses are minimal, hence the need for me to link here. This is not all self-promotion, though. I really took a little bit of time to compose these simple lenses to address specific problems. So without further ado, here are some of my lenses.

1. Install Puppy Linux Alongside XP or Vista Using Netboot

2. Essential Applications for Windows XP - eeePC 701

3. Jolicloud Review - eeePC 701

4. Speed Up Vista with a Few Clicks

I hope I helped someone with one or two of my lenses. I created these lenses to help first and foremost, so I hope that I can reach a lot of people using this blog as a springboard.

Treasure Hunter G - 100% English Translation

Treasure Hunter G is a highly overlooked RPG from Squaresoft. It was released at about the end of the Snes life cycle and was never released in North America. Thanks to Metalhawk the English speaking fans can now enjoy the game in 100% English.

I'm just on the third town, so I have not played much of the game. I find the gameplay awesome from the short time that I played it. Basically, the combat is like that of Final Fantasy Tactics. You have characters that you can move around with something similar to action points. You can then choose to use an item, defend, use physical attacks, or use magical attacks/support.

The graphics in this game is equal to that of Tales of Phantasia. It's gorgeous for a 16-bit title. Sadly, the characters and storyline is very generic. Can you believe that the main characters were named Red and Blue? The lack of an original story is one of the many reasons why this title was highly overlooked.

That said, there is nobody stopping you from trying out this game in emulation. If you can ignore the generic storyline, the gameplay of Treasure Hunter G is a solid 5 of 5 in my opinion.

Click here to get the game. P6XCMP4BZCMC

The Not Exhaustive List of Where You Can Play Old Consoles Online

This is the not very exhaustive list of where you can play old consoles online. If you have been living under a rock, then you may not know about websites using emulation to allow visitors to play old console games on their sites. Some of these sites are, of course, highly illegal and you will probably burn in hell for taking part in such travesty.

Now that that's out of the way, here is the list.

1. Vizzed - This is the most awesomest online emulation site on the web today. Go take advantage of them now, while Nintendo is not looking. Vizzed has almost all retro console--from the NES and the SMS to the Gameboy advance and the N64. Go visit them now!

2. Play Sega - This is a legal endeavor by Sega Corporation. They have a few titles you can play for free, but they do have a VIP-like system where you buy points to play premium games. It's still worth your time to check out if you are a Sega fan.

3. Game Oldies - This is another highly illegal site, I'm certain, that has some Sega, NEC Turbographics16, and SMS games.

4. Virtual NES, PlayNES, and Nintendo8 - Guess what these sites emulate? I'm sure Nintendo of Japan have no English speaking employees and Nintendo of America is not connected to the Internet at all.

Well, that's all for now. Leave a comment if you have any other site you want to contribute to the list.

Dragon Warrior 2 - I Give Up

Dragon Warrior 2 for the Gameboy Color is a game that is superior to the first one in almost every way. The game has a larger map, an epic storyline, and this time you control three characters.

You play as the three heroes with the lineage of Loto. There is the tank hero, the mage hero, and the mage heroine. The world is just staggeringly large and the graphics are somewhat improved from the original. So, why am I giving up on it?

I honestly, don't know. It is just as grindtastic as the original, yet I find this version tedious and repetitive. It can be just as engrossing as the original, but I find this one lacking the first one's style and panache.

Maybe I will revisit this game again in the future. Though, replaying this game is so far down the hopper since I have yet to finish Reviera and Swordcraft Story 2.      

Revisiting Final Fantasy Adventure

Since getting into Let's Play videos on Youtube, I have been inspired to revisit old games that I have not finished due to emulator problems or my own incompetence. This week, I got me a copy of Final Fantasy Adventure for the original Gameboy. This game is also called Seiken Densetsu or Secret of Mana or Mystic Quest--whatever! The game is awesome, that's all you need to know. It is a hundred times better than the GBA remake.

I currently played until the airship scenario where I encounter Julius for the fourth (?) time in the game. When you play this game, it is not a spoiler to say that you will hate Julius at this point of the game. I honestly don't know what will happen next since this is as far as I got during my previous playthrough.

It is really a cool action/RPG which is relatively easier compared to Crystalis or Battle of Olympus. It is much more forgiving and you level up quite often. In my experience, your character does not really run out of healing items and curative spells. In addition, your HP/MP will replenish every time you level up.

The only downside I see with this underrated, hidden gem is THAT puzzle. The puzzle I'm talking about will infuriate even the patient gamer. Unless you look at a FAQ you will never figure out that damn puzzle. A lot of people claim that they figured out the puzzle after hours of poking around, but I do not have that patience. I just looked at the FAQ and everything went smoothly from there.

If you own a Wiz, Dingoo, or a Gameboy, this game is a must play. Don't bother with the GBA remake unless you are that much of a graphics whore.  

I will update this post with a few more details after I finish the game. Or maybe I'll just make another blog post about how awesome this game is again.

Let's Play Zelda 2

The video above is a great Let's Play video of Zelda 2, the hardest Zelda I have ever played. Of course, I only played the original Zelda, Link's Awakening DX, and Oracle of the Ages. So I'm not a Zelda expert by any stretch of the imagination.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I finished Battle of Olympus and Crystalis - two of the most difficult action RPG for the NES. I beat both games thanks to the miracle of save states. I thought that beating Olympus and Crystalis will prepare me for Zelda 2. Nope! Zelda 2 is harder than both games combined. I hate fighting against armored and shield wielding opponents. I get killed or I get my health down so low that I never get a fighting chance against sub bosses. Yep, you heard me right, sub bosses. Not even the goddamn big boss of the dungeon.

Regardless of the difficulty, I can't seem to put down my console when playing Zelda 2. It is a testament to the awesome game play and immersiveness of the title. A lot of people claim that Zelda 2 is the black sheep of the Zelda franchise, but I really enjoyed this game even if I suck at it.

The controls of the game is responsive, I just really suck at it. I can't seem to get past the first dungeon at my current level. I read somewhere from someone that he allegedly leveled up before going into the first dungeon and yet he could not finish the first dungeon.

Kudos to the LPer in the video above. He makes playing Zelda 2 look easier than it really is. I have been enjoying a lot of LPs lately. I just like watching these great gamers beat a game.

I recommend that you play Zelda 2 if you have the skills. If you suck like me, then I suggest that you stick with  the original.

The Grindtastic Awesomeness of Dragon Warrior

Ah, the seminal console RPG, Dragon Warrior I. What can I say about it, it's the first RPG and it is rock hard, Nintendo hard. That is why I cheated and played the Gameboy color version instead of playing the NES one for my retrogame challenge.

You play the descendant of heavenly hero, Eldrick (or Loto), out to rid the world of the evil Dragon Lord and save princess Lora along the way. Unlike the modern console RPGs we are used to, you play as a lone warrior in a turn-based combat system that has become standard for JRPGs.

This game for the GBC has been toned down a lot. For example, the encounter rate is not that frequent and leveling up is a lot faster. Plus, you get to take advantage of the field log. The field log allows you to save anywhere in the game, which is nice since you can only save when you meet the king in the original Dragon Warrior.

The GBC version also has updated graphics. Nothing spectacular but it's cute and still very much influenced by the art of Akira Toriyama. The sprites really stand out and the monsters are very detailed, much like the NES version.

I can't recommend that you play this game. If you have nothing better to do, then go ahead. However, if you want a good storyline and great visuals, I suggest that you play Final Fantasy XIII, you 3D graphics whore!