Top Ten Games Of 2008

Apparently, this has been a point of criticism since Angelfire started a more aggressive pop-up advertising campaign. But aside from their ads, they have been (for the most part) reliable. Unlike most of the other providers (here one day and gone the next), Angelfire has been around for a while, and it doesn't look like that will change any time soon. BADCP, PurpGuy's Pothole, and BADSP (side-project) are all on Angelfire, and when we started BADCP 2009, we had experienced no issues with them. Some providers out there ask for too much private information, and it's really sketchy. Why would they need all that private info if no transactions are being made? What is it all being used for? These are some of the reasons other providers were questonable, and not who we want to be dealing with. Moreover, not who we want to be hosting all the work we put our time into. We want BADCP to live on and be accessible for generations to come; Angelfire's established, stable web presence makes this possible, and even seems to influence higher accessibility in web searches. Things can change at any given time, and change is always a possibility, but for now we're still on Angelfire. We have done what we can to represent die-hard video game fans until our last breath, and will continue to do so, be it through Angelfire or a different provider.

"What's with the design? Why no Flash? Why no blog? Why so simple?"

We've always used simpler designs for our sites; from BADCP to PurpGuy's Pothole, it's what fans and long-time visitors have gotten used to. Not to say no evolution is taking place at all, it's just that at this point and time, we felt there was really no urgent need to complicate simplicity. Our design makes our content available to anyone in the world, even if their computer isn't very fast (or powerful). We think this is important. Sites dependent on too many bells and whistles load slower and limit who can view them. We didn't want that because our site isn't a news feed or other temporary outlet; it's about dedication and documentation (two things that are not meant to be temporary). We want our content to be available for as long as possible, for years to come, for as many as possible. There are options for the future, but for now we felt there was no need to evolve purely out of haste with no direction. It's not that we're against evolution, it's just that we don't want to move too fast in any one direction that could constrict the delivery of our content.

"Some of the views of BADCP's members conflict. Is that ever a problem?"

No, not really. We all have different views and beliefs, but we're all also here for the same thing. That one thing that brings us all together is the drive to provide independent video game coverage with soul. Headquarters has been into music games for a long time, PurpGuy doesn't like the PlayStation much, SolSadguy is about 8 ft tall, Destructonaut is a militant Mario fan, and I'm actually a fan of Midway sports titles like NBA JAM. I'm the only one who really gets a kick out of NBA JAM, Destructonaut loves Mario more than all of us combined, PurpGuy could care less about music games, Headquaters shrugs a lot, and SolSadguy looks like Jonathan Davis (from Korn) with the body of Alex (from Street Fighter III). We all have really different views, so it's not like EGM (where the staff all had the same lame shit to say about every game). Like they say, "imitation is the sincerest form of battery."

"Got combos?"

Of course! Fans contributed a lot of content to BCP back in the day, and most of us are into fighting games, so combos have always been a part of the site. Combos were a focus in making BADCP (2009); we wanted not just to do what we did already for years, but polish it, and do it better.

"What makes your coverage of newer games any different than release reviews on the bigger sites?"

There are a lot of differences, but the main ones are that our content is done by fans of the series and genres; that is, we don't have people who don't like the series and/or genres covering its game(s). Another thing is the time frame we do them in. Since we let time elapse before we cover most titles, we are able to compare and contrast them with other titles that weren't out when the bigger sites did their release reviews. An example of this would be comparing and contrasting Dead Or Alive 4 with Street Fighter IV or Battle Fantasia; they're all on the same hardware, but when the former was reviewed by the big sites, the latter two hadn't even been announced yet.

"Does this affect how a game is covered?"

Yes, it does. In the case of DOA4, there was really no next-gen competition in the genre when they first reviewed it, but now there is. This fact alone changes how the game is seen.

"What is the member lineup this time around?"

Due to most of us having "regular jobs" and families, the line-up changes in unfortunate frequency. We might have guest writers from time to time, and their info is also listed on the Credits page.

"What happened to BADCP 2000 - 2002, 2003 - 2005, and 2005 - 2008? I can't find some of those articles from back in the day!"

Good question. We're wondering the same thing. The re-mastered versions are finished, but we've run into difficulties making them accessible. Problems that we have no control over, but soon hope to resolve. We are currently looking into options, and as soon as we find the means, they will be accessible. Either way, all of our past work will be up.

"Return of the message board (forum)?"

No. Not gonna happen. Forums require a lot of time; time that we don't have.

"Why not? Every other site on the 1nt0rneTz has 'em!"

Because the best (and last) message board was Gouki's Page Of Whatever. The chemistry was good, and most of the regulars and visitors were cool. We had a great time with our brothers on that message board (PurpGuy, Gouki, Ishmael, The Blue Bomber, DaSpider, and GouRyu, among others), but now, though, people talk a lot of shit in this scene, and we don't like baby sitting. Too much maintenance, and a waste of time that could be put to better use.

"But I like what you guys do here on this here site, and I want to leave a comment."

Great! We are glad that at least someone out there is reading what we write from the heart. If you like what we are doing, you can support us by visiting us regularly or by dropping us a mail, or a PM if you see us on another site.

"If a game is just a game, then why do you guys take games so seriously?"

Everyone on this site has their own reasons for playing, and for writing seriously about playing for fun. For me (BAD), I was raised in a family torn by alcohol and drugs, always moving from state to state, never in any one place long enough to make friends or formally join sports. I was always in a new place, in a new school, with new faces. There was only one thing that was constant, and that was video games. It was all I had. I had to choose the few things I wanted to bring wherever we went, and even though I needed a TV to even play it, I chose the Nintendo. I carried an 8-bit Nintendo console with me in a duffel bag everywhere we relocated to, and I played it anywhere I was lucky enough to find a TV to hook it up to. In the the NES days, I went through whole games on a black and white TV (when everyone else was playing in color). I was not so privelaged. I'm not saying my situation was the worst (because there's always someone worse off), I'm just saying that was my situation; a situation of which I had little control. During those times when I was young, with friends that lived far away and a single parent always working nights (to put food on the table for me), a few video games were the only thing I had to come home to. Companies like Capcom and SNK (with games like Code Name: Viper and Guerilla War) provided me with a sort of companionship (solace?) that was not always available. Moreover, their games kept me inside and out of more trouble than I was already in (defending myself as a "new kid" everywhere I went). For this, I pledge my loyalty. Games are just games, but at times they were the only thing I had amidst chaos I had absolutely no control over. Everyone has their own story, though, and mine is just one.

"I heard you guys are gonna hang it up after BADCP2009; is that true?"

God no. Where the hell'd you hear that?!