It's OK to buy reproductions (fine, bootlegs) of Double Dragon Advance in 2017, isn't it?

I bought two nice-looking copies of the game on eBay (which in retrospect should've been a tell right there), and I received them yesterday. Looking closely at the lettering on the back confirms they're not authentic.

But I ain't even mad because verified legit copies of this game are hard to find and expensive as all hell. I place the blame squarely on Atlus for only making like 17 copies and not even making the game available for the Wii U Virtual Console.

In fact I don't even trust those boxed copies you'd see from time to time on eBay. And in the age of EverDrives, this is as far as I'm willing to go.

Anyone know what the authentic cartridge label looks like? I've seen two on eBay:

The code on my copies is AGB-BDDE-USA.

The other one I've seen on Google seems to have a different code, and it has Jimmy (from the box art) on the right of the label.

HDfury blanking out

Seems I might have solved the mystery of the HDfury mysteriously blanking out... in my case, anyway. Apparently this is a known problem since searching "HDfury blanks out" returns results for all HDfury models.

My chain is source > DVDO Edge > Monoprice Item 5369 + 2029 > HDfury (VGA out) > monitor.

Apparently my short 1.5 ft Monoprice HDMI cable (from Monoprice Item 5369 to the HDfury) was what was causing the blackouts, in which I would lose at least five seconds. For now, switching to a longer HDMI cable (same Monoprice brand, 6 feet) seems to prevent the blanking out.

EDIT: Since then I've just bought a higher-speed HDMI cable... seems to work fine.

EDIT 2: No, it doesn't. But flicking the Monoprice HD #5369 seemed to do the trick... and actually, now that I've got the Monoprice item page open, I'm reading the reviews and maybe the loss of sync is related to voltage drops, according to "Mike" from December 24, 2009. Now I just need to figure out what he means by voltage regulator.

EDIT 3: Pretty sure the problem is not with the HDfury but with the Monoprice item. I think I can make sure it doesn't lose sync by making sure the power switch is flicked on when there are no more source changes. In other words, make sure I power on last, or in the case of PS3, turn off and turn on again when entering and exiting a game.

Capturing upscaled gameplay with an OSSC on an Intensity Pro

Quick footnote here folks: Sometimes I have to set the Intensity Pro to capture at 720p60 rather than 720p59.94 like I do with the PS3, TiVo, and anything else I capture  off the DVDO Edge.

• 240p line X3
• 480p line X2

Going in depth, assuming these are my DVDO Edge settings:

DVDO Edge:
Video Output: 720p 60 Hz
1:1 Frame Rate: Enable
Output Frame Lock: Auto Lock


Here's when I need the Intensity Pro at 720p59.94 Hz and when I need it at 720p60:

PS1 (SCPH-5501), RGB SCART, line X3: 720p60
PSPgo, component, 480i, line X3 (PS One Classic): 720p60
PSPgo, component, 480p, line X2 (PS One Classic): 720p60
PSPgo, component, 480p, line X2 (PSP game): 720p59.94

Words I hate (2016-11-22)

• tchotchke (also: tzotchke)

So damn hard to spell. Good god.

New blog

The Aboveground Underground
http://theabovegroundunderground.blogspot.com/

Written by... a friend... but I'm handling all the administrative duties. Check it out!

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Neutral Alignment for Dummies

First, huge thanks to KeyBlade999 for his FAQ, Zaruel for the original Neutral method, and Tigo73 for a more condensed version of it. But it still wasn't as easy as it could be. Here's what the FAQ says:

• When given the choice, use the first-listed response for all questions.
• Go with Jonathan when the team splits after Shene Duque ("An Important Rendezvous").
• In Tsukiji's question maze, always go left.
• Choose "Destroy the status quo" when speaking with the White after Infernal Tokyo, but don't opt to become the True Messiah.
• Only do the Challenge Quests required of you, or at least those that don't affect alignment. (See Challenge Quest Interactions for more.)

But I'm on my second playthrough and I want to get everything, so I'm doing everything considered optional. That also means keeping things in mind:

• Don't worry about killing the demonized Issachar too quickly in your OP NG+ form. In keeping with using the first-listed response for all questions, killing Issachar too quickly means you'll miss the chance to choose the first response, which means your alignment points will be 5 points higher. Following through the end with first-listed/choice/Jonathan/destroy the status quo, however, that means your alignment points will be exactly zero instead of -5 (which also counts as Neutral). This however assumes you do the following as well:
• With the two hunter tournaments (prelims and finals), you want to kill two and spare two, effectively canceling the alignment points out. The tournaments have four rounds each, and this way you'll have easier math.
• In Ikebukuro there's an apparently optional woman who forces you to answer a question, and that question moves your alignment 10 points in either direction. Keeping in mind the previous two points, if you want to experience "everything" and still get the Neutral ending, then talking to the woman is not optional. So don't worry about talking without saving.

Less capturing from the TiVo and more buying from Amazon

I've noticed I no longer have the time and energy to capture, edit, and encode absolutely every show I want to keep forever, so I've decided to buy from Amazon more. I'm not just talking Blu-rays (which I absolutely will for the CW superhero shows), but Amazon Video as well.

This decision was made a lot easier when I realized that even if I did have a 1080p capture card, various TiVo hiccups (loss of sound, Skip notifications) and huge lower screen ads mean I won't ever get a clean capture anyway. And I'm going with Amazon rather than iTunes because while you can view your Amazon content on many different devices, you can only watch your iTunes content on Apple devices. Also, SD content on iTunes is complete crap (think: low-res, mobile-friendly videos).

America's Secret Slang is still just as good as I remember, and the quality is excellent in full 1080p. But there are plenty of other one-off History specials that I'd like to see, and they're all on Amazon too. Just search "History Specials." It's all part of one season, and obviously they won't let you just purchase an entire season (they're all unrelated and who knows how big the list will get), but they're (mostly) reasonably priced; $1.99 for SD, $2.99 for HD, and $4.99 for the handful of ripoffs.

Shows I'd want to buy in the future:

• 101 Objects that Changed the World (and the other "101" shows)
• How Life Began
• Hacking the System
• Wizard Wars
• The various Anthony Bourdain shows
• Food: Fact or Fiction