Diehard GameFAN

Author: Alex Lucard

  • Retrograding 12.17.03

    A year of Retrograding and a year of HBK. Hard to believe this time a year ago, I was engaged, living in England, working for a University, eating the worst food on the planet had hair down past my pecs, and was known for my work in the RPG industry and for my folklore, which…

  • Retrograding Mailbag 12.15.03

    Right. Tons of your letters to go through after a month of not doing any. Just wanted to say as always, even though your letter may not have made the mailbag, I do read and respond to everyone I get. It may take me a few DAYS to respond. But I always do. Let’s cut…

  • Retrograding 12.14.03

    Wow. Been an entire month since a Retrograding (Mailbags don’t count). Sure we did the Sega CD thing and I whipped out a few reviews, but in the past few weeks I’ve been through a cross country trip, dealt with pneumonia, cut off 15 inches of my hair which was then donated to Locks for…

  • Give The Sega CD Some Sweet Sweet Lovin’ (Part Four)

    Give The Sega CD Some Sweet Sweet Lovin’ 1.) SHINING FORCE CD And here it is people. #1 with a bullet. This probably shouldn’t surprise you knowing how much Bebito and I love this series. Our first ever-real feature at 411 was my history of Shining Force that spanned my living in two different continents.…

  • Review: Onimusha Tactics (Game Boy Advance)

    You know, Onimusha Tactics was released with little to no fanfare by Capcom. Not only is it the latest game in one of Capcom’s more under-rated series, they turned it into a full blown Strategy RPG. Onimusha Tactics goes back to the days of Shining Force CD in terms of the style of Tactics RPG…

  • Give The Sega CD Some Sweet Sweet Lovin’! (Part Three)

    Give The Sega CD Some Sweet Sweet Lovin’! 4.) ETERNAL CHAMPIONS: CHALLENGE FROM THE DARKSIDE Ahh, Eternal Champions. Now there’s a random name from some time back. Of all my favorite fighting game franchises, I can’t think of a worthier name for bringing back into the modern gaming fold. Sure, some may say “Atari should…

  • Review: Pokemon Channel (Nintendo Gamecube)

    It was the summer of 1996. Still a full year and some change before it came to the States, when it completely changed the face of video gaming, merchandising and with modest still in tact, the world. I’d finished my Freshman year of college and while my ex was visiting relatives, I ended up going…

  • Give The Sega CD Some Sweet Sweet Lovin’ (Part Two)

    Give The Sega CD Some Sweet Sweet Lovin’! 7.) DARK WIZARD This is my all time favorite Sega CD. And if it was up to me, this would be the #1 game right here. Alas I’m also the only person on the team to have played and/or owned it. That seems to be a running…

  • Review: Double Dragon Advance (Game Boy Advance)

    Double Dragon Advance Genre: Side Scrolling Beat ‘Em Up Platform: GBA ERSB Rating: T Developer: Million Publisher: Atlus Release Date: 11/11/03 Website: Double Dragon Advance Wow. Doing this review brings back a lot of memories. Can you believe this was once one of the biggest franchises in all video gaming. That people would crowd around…

  • Retrograding Mailbag 11.19.03

    Well, I do have a good excuse for this being late. More than one in fact. The first is I created a nifty new meme that some of the 411 guys have been having fun with. You can check it out at This location. Just be sure to email me with your results and if…

  • Retrograding 11.14.03

    Right. By the time you read this I will have become completely and utterly addicted to SVC Chaos for my Neo-Geo. As of right now, I’ve pried myself away to write this week’s column. I will say this: It is broken. Horribly broken. Some characters are too powerful. Some are pathetic. You can counter damn…

  • Review: Disney’s Haunted Mansion (Nintendo Gamecube)

    Disney’s Haunted Mansion may share the same name as the upcoming Eddie Murphy film (and also comes with a free ticket to the film) but they have nothing at all in common. Except for their being a Haunted Mansion and all. High Voltage and TDK Mediactive have created a very odd Disney game indeed. The…

  • Retrograding 10.31.03

    Right. Lots to cover this Hallowe’en. First up we’re going to look at the comments you sent in a few weeks ago about your scariest gaming moments. Then we’ll answer a few letters. And then we’ll give you a little VC action. After all, it is Hallowe’en. I’ve two scary game stories; First one, I…

  • Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nintendo Gamecube)

    It’s interesting to see that the pop culture market peaked in the late 1980’s and by the mid to early 1990’s the quality of cartoons, and shows oriented towards kids took such a huge downward spiral that toy companies responded in the only way corporations know how when things get desperate. Retro-stalgia. First came Transformers.…

  • Review: Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children: Darkness Of Day (Game Boy Advance)

    Alright people! It’s finally here! A Shin Megami Tensei game. IN ENGLISH! Something I’ve been waiting for Years. And truth be told, I never thought this day would come. The subject matter is almost taboo in the US thanks to how prevalent Christianity is here. That generally rules out most of the games. Many years…

  • Retrograding 08.22.03 THE VC Volume III, Issue #1

    Right. I’ve thought about this for two weeks now. Well, I’ve been asked to do this for months, but have violently said no. But over the past two weeks, I’ve really been thinking about it. You see, a lot has gone on behind the scenes here at 411. Nothing bad. But just shit that reminds…

  • Retrograding

    Right. We know the point of this column by now. Let’s dig through the sack… You are the greatest gamer ever. Ikaruga rocks I bought it the second I played it at gamestop. Its a pity Dragon Drive wont come to the US. James Well we all knew that, right? ;-) Seriously though, it doesn’t…

  • Retrograding 10.15.03

    Right, like Alex2 and Lee, your own personal Jesus here has been addicted to Shin Megami Devil Children. But unlike Williams and Baxley who are doing White of Night, I’m doing Darkness of Day. Unlike Pokemon or any of the other ‘Catch ‘Em All’ games, Demikids has two distinctly different stories in the games, as…

  • Retrograding 10.08.03

    Retrograding 10.08.03 Teaser: State of the Union Address Right people. You’ve probably noticed I’ve moved from Friday’s to Weds. That’s because Alex Williams has moved on to doing news and that leaves us with a blank column. Until we fill this spot, I’ll be doing Weds news. We’ve got three people we’re waiting to hear…

  • Review: Shining Soul (Game Boy Advance)

    Game: Shining Soul System: Game Boy Advance Genre: Action RPG Developer : Sega Publisher: Sega (Japan), Atari (Europe), Atlus (USA) Three publishers for one game. 4 if you count the fact Atari publisher a horrible English translation in Europe then delayed the copy in England for a month or two to get it fixed. As…