PCEngine-FX.com

Posted at HG101 Feb 7 -

Alfa System is a developer that even more passionate gaming enthusiasts will rarely talk about, but anyone heavily interested in games has probably played at least a few of their titles. Alfa has worked on everything from excellent shoot-em-up series like Down Load and Shikigami no Shiro, the light gun shooter Elemental Gearbolt, and several installments in Namco's massive Tales Of... RPG series. In their early days, however, they worked exclusively on games for the PC Engine and its various CD accessories. While being released in 1991 caused Sinistron to quickly get lost in the crowd both in Japan and in the US due to the former country already having a several flashier CD-ROM games available and the latter's game playing populace being fixated on the SNES and Sega Genesis, Sinistron is still worth a look today for its solid level design and some original ideas.

(http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/sinistron/sinistro-004.png)   (http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/sinistron/sinistro-014.png)

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/sinistron/sinistron.htm (http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/sinistron/sinistron.htm)

This reminds my I should take this on for the 2016 challenge.

Sinistron may be best well known for being featured in the Ultimate Gaming Rig scam that ran for several years in game mags of the era.

(http://www.gamesetwatch.com/magweasel/ugr01.jpg)

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/11/column_game_mag_weaseling_15_y_1.php (http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/11/column_game_mag_weaseling_15_y_1.php)

Quote from: Gentlegamer on 02/15/2016, 12:17 PMSinistron may be best well known for being featured in the Ultimate Gaming Rig scam that ran for several years in game mags of the era.

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/11/column_game_mag_weaseling_15_y_1.php (http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/11/column_game_mag_weaseling_15_y_1.php)

I remember this!  It was a scam?  I didn't realize that.  I may have even put in the initial entry once.

Quote from: johnnykonami on 02/15/2016, 01:55 PM

Quote from: Gentlegamer on 02/15/2016, 12:17 PMSinistron may be best well known for being featured in the Ultimate Gaming Rig scam that ran for several years in game mags of the era.

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/11/column_game_mag_weaseling_15_y_1.php (http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/11/column_game_mag_weaseling_15_y_1.php)

I remember this!  It was a scam?  I didn't realize that.  I may have even put in the initial entry once.

You pay to enter several rounds. The linked article assumes there were winners, but if so, don't you think the ads would have a little blurb with past winners?

I entered that once when I was a kid, luckily I didn't have enough money to keep playing each round. It wasn't until years later when I read about it being a scam.

Quote from: Gentlegamer on 02/15/2016, 06:29 PMYou pay to enter several rounds. The linked article assumes there were winners, but if so, don't you think the ads would have a little blurb with past winners?

Yeah, I know I didn't pay for anything like that for sure, that would have stopped me dead in my tracks.  You'd think they could just make up names for past winners all day long if the whole thing was a scam.

One of my fave hu shooteys...

Challenged it this evening... first three stages are easy, then the asteroid stage destroys you.

Quote from: Gentlegamer on 02/15/2016, 12:17 PMSinistron may be best well known for being featured in the Ultimate Gaming Rig scam that ran for several years in game mags of the era.

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/magweasel/ugr01.jpg (http://www.gamesetwatch.com/magweasel/ugr01.jpg)

http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/11/column_game_mag_weaseling_15_y_1.php (http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2006/11/column_game_mag_weaseling_15_y_1.php)

Oh wow, I remember that! I believe I entered it a few times too. So it was a scam all along ??

I don't think I ended up playing that scam, though, it's possible I did a round or 2, memory be fuzzy!

That is pretty crazy to saw the least, but really cool to learn about this. Has there been any other big scams related to NEC?

16-bit*
TurboBooster just to get AV
TTI would work harder than NEC to promote the Turbo
SuperGrafx
PCE Shuttle
...

quite a long list, actually.



*graphics

I remember winning the Ultimate Gaming Rig.

???

EDIT: Oh right, there was a $5 entry fee. I can't imagine I entered it more than once or twice come to think of it...

So, how do they know it was a scam, the company that ran it got prosecuted ?

Were gaming mags so desperate for ad revenue that they were totally clueless about these guys and let their magazine customers get suckered in ?

EDITx2: Hm, does seem like a great scam idea when you think about it... It's in the comments section where you have 2 people claiming the contest operator would weasel out when you won... :/

M0therf--ker, I want my $5 back!!!!!

Quote from: NightWolve on 02/16/2016, 01:45 PM???

Oh right, there was a $5 entry fee. I can't imagine I entered it more than once or twice come to think of it...

So, how do they know it was a scam, the company that ran it got prosecuted ?

Were gaming mags so desperate for ad revenue that they were totally clueless about these guys and let their magazine customers get suckered in ?

If you notice the rules there's a tiebreaker question at the end. If the total value of everything in the ultimate gaming rig is 5,000.00 and they have 500 winners of the tiebreaker the rules state that "winners will split the value of the prices". So 500 people who put at minimum 11.00 each into the contest win 10.00 each at a loss of 1.00 per person.

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 02/16/2016, 01:54 PM

Quote from: NightWolve on 02/16/2016, 01:45 PM???

Oh right, there was a $5 entry fee. I can't imagine I entered it more than once or twice come to think of it...

So, how do they know it was a scam, the company that ran it got prosecuted ?

Were gaming mags so desperate for ad revenue that they were totally clueless about these guys and let their magazine customers get suckered in ?

If you notice the rules there's a tiebreaker question at the end. If the total value of everything in the ultimate gaming rig is 5,000.00 and they have 500 winners of the tiebreaker the rules state that "winners will split the value of the prices". So 500 people who put at minimum 11.00 each into the contest win 10.00 each at a loss of 1.00 per person.

That is so bad yet funny at the same time.  No shame stealing money from kids lol.  Seeing that pic brought back memories of seeing that in game mags.  I never did enter this contest I was always a skeptic even at a young age.

I remember seeing those ads, but never entered.  My parents would have never allowed me to entered if I asked them for the money. 

It's sad that the contest ended up being a scam to take money from kids.

You should see the bullshit that was in Japanese gaming mags of the time.  "Unleash your psychic powers!"  "Increase your height in mere weeks!"  I should do an article on it sometime.

Typical bubble-era flaky aspirationism.

It sure is annoying how inconsistent HG101 is on referring to games based on their original Japanese title or their localized title. Especially since Sinistron is the bastardized port with features removed for the American release. Why give it top billing?

Quote from: csgx1 on 02/16/2016, 03:58 PMIt's sad that the contest ended up being a scam to take money from kids.

Though fitting, when you consider the video-game industry at large.

Quote from: EmperorIng on 02/16/2016, 07:15 PMIt sure is annoying how inconsistent HG101 is on referring to games based on their original Japanese title or their localized title. Especially since Sinistron is the bastardized port with features removed for the American release. Why give it top billing?

Quote from: csgx1 on 02/16/2016, 03:58 PMIt's sad that the contest ended up being a scam to take money from kids.

Though fitting, when you consider the video-game industry at large.

Kids are always targeted. Even "respectable" magazines carried ads for garbage, BITD.

Lovely little game from the fellows behind another underrated shootie, Cyber-Core. The different ship, shield, charge and weapon types really add a lot of strategy. If Cyber-Core was a good Darius clone, this one goes more for R-Type with challenging portions that must be memorized if you ever want to stand a chance. The 4th level kills me too...one day I will beat it and become a man.

I made it to level 5.

Now I'm stuck again.

Quote from: Gentlegamer on 02/15/2016, 11:27 PMChallenged it this evening... first three stages are easy, then the asteroid stage destroys you.

Stop sucking.  Dingleberry.