Sini passed away

[PCEngineHell]

Killed by a piece of shit drunk driver. RIP James.

[Tatsujin]

oh houly, HOULY SHIT!! that can't be really happened right?? 

RIP Jim, you were one of the most biggest in here for many many entertaining years, and one of the most funniest person I have ever met on the internet.

Also my deepest condolences to his wife and other relatives.

Can't believe that really happened

R.I.P

[CGQuarterly]

Are you talking about Sinistron?

[Tatsujin]

Are you talking about Sinistron? 

sure he does

[CGQuarterly]

When did this happen?  He hasn't been online in a long time.  Fuck man, displaced by a flood twice, and then this?  That's some fucked up shit.  Did they catch they guy that killed him?

[PCEngineHell]

Yeah he was caught and being charged with manslaughter I do believe. I was just talking to James a couple of days ago, and popped in this evening to see whats new and just got floored by the news. You guys if you want can visit James FB page and leave a comment if you want. https://www.facebook.com/jim.sinisi.9

[turbokon]

Damn, sorry to hear about sini passing

[TheClash603]

That is so fucked up.  Drunk drivers are the scum of the Earth.

Another good person lost because someone is scum.  RIP brother.

Please to all on the forum, remember this before you get behind the wheel after a few drinks.

[Sparky]

Oh my f@cking god... A friend and I guy who would say it like it is.. I am floored as well..... Wtf! He left so much behind from his wife to his music... The guy was amazing and honest.....I am opening a bottle and drinking to him. Fucking drunk driver, Jesus Christ and the drunk lived ?  I will reply, just fucking unbeliveable. Unbeliveable....

[elnino]

Very sad to hear that 

[jperryss]

Awful news. RIP buddy.

[DragonmasterDan]

I'm very sad to hear this.

[MotherGunner]

Mike, I am so sorry, Brother.  I know you guys were close.  A sad day for PCEFX.  RIP.  =\

[nectarsis]

I saw Sue's post about this from the other day.....completely floored.....a cool cat, and great friend to all who knew him was lost. 

[CGQuarterly]

http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2013/49/musiciankilled_web_2013_12_01_q.html

[jeffhlewis]

Admittedly didn't know him terribly well, but shitty nonetheless. Condolences to his family and friends.

[RoyVegas]

I'll have some of your favorite German Chocolate cake in your memory. Horrible news to hear.  Wishing all the best to his family and friends.  You'll be missed.

[blueraven]

I'm completely shocked, this is absolutely fucking horrible. I saw the story in the times-ledger and did a double-take. My sincerest condolences.

...

I was up quite a few nights late talking to him about music in the chatbox. We swapped CD's, and spent time talking about the trials and tribulations about the business and how it's a truly insane labor of love. I admired his hustle in New York; It's a hard city to make it as a musician.

RIP Jim. Raising a shot for you tonight.

[esteban]

Damn.

I always thought I would have a chance to grab a Fanta and some grilled tofu with him, since he was in the neighborhood.

There's not much to say, except,

Damn.

For a small community, we are certainly losing a lot of folks.

[PCEngineHell]

Damn.

I always thought I would have a chance to grab a Fanta and some grilled tofu with him, since he was in the neighborhood.

There's not much to say, except,

Damn.

For a small community, we are certainly losing a lot of folks.

Yeah I had wanted to go visit him prior, but that fucking storm Sandy hit, and he had to relocate and rebuild from then on. Was hoping to maybe try to do so this summer if all went well and he had a little free time. Just wasn't in the cards though now it seems. His life was going well too, music back on track, him and Sue settled in a new home, all is well as can be expected, then fucking fate plays a cruel joke in the form of some worthless shit piece drunk (who had priors as is it seems).

Why this fucking worthless sack of shit did not die himself in the wreck god only knows, but I hope for every min of the rest of his fucking life after trial, in prison or otherwise, clean and sober, that no matter what he does with his life in the future, that he rots in fucking agony knowing a million of him will never be worth one of James. Somethings you take, you simply cant give back.

James and I would always jump on FB and catch up about whatever crap had gone on during the week, and I always looked forward to discussing the latest Boardwalk Empire or Eastbound & Down with him, or Game of Thrones, and other stuff. He would always catch the new eps on Sunday evening, and I would play catch up early monday usually and we would discuss each show in detail and dissect them and what was great and what wasn't.

We did this with films and books and games and whatever else too. Just so many great conversations with this guy, and oh my the lulz we pulled now and then too.    I really am going to miss him. Great talent, great mind, and one of the few that could put up with my grumpy ass sometimes when it showed lol. Last talk I had with him he was working on a script for his Facci thing he did a few years back with his bandmate Palmer. He was looking forward to trying to do a movie of some sort about the character. If anyone could have made this work, it was James.

[PCEngineHell]

FACCI IN FIVE - EPISODE ONE

There is quite a few of these, all worth watching. Facci is played by Palmer, his bandmate.  You can also view James channel to get a glimpse of Jamess talent on stage. Hardest working musician I've ever known. This guy lived and breathed his music and was such a damn awesome talent.

https://www.youtube.com/user/jimsinisi/videos

LAST CHANCE FOR WICKEDNESS

[rag-time4]

Really sorry to hear this news. He was someone I came to really like and respect. We definitely have to keep the 'race is on' thread going in his honor

He'll definitely be missed

[HercTNT]

Respect.  He will be missed 

[ParanoiaDragon]

Damn, I lost a cousin of mine to a drunk driver a couple years ago.  The bastard that hit her also survived.  He did get sentenced, but I forget for how many years.  Maybe it was 10, doesn't seem long enough for acting like a moron & getting into that car & killing her.  Her husband took it bad, he doesn't seem like someone I'd want to cross.....:/

Rest in Peace Sinistron, may your family hang in there thru the difficult years ahead & keep on keepin' on as they say.

[Arkhan Asylum]

This is horrible news.  I'm really sorry to hear about this and hope his family gets through it the best they can.

I hope the dude responsible doesn't get let off easy.  When you kill someone while doing something stupid like drunk driving, you should be tried as if you assaulted someone with a deadly weapon and committed murder.



It's odd, I was actually just wondering to myself on Thanksgiving morning about how he was doing.

The reason I thought about this is because I was fiddling around with my hair in the mirror and for some reason imagined him going "nice hair, you hipster fag".  He had said something similar on here once before.


RIP dude.   While we didn't always get along, I'm sure most of the stupidity was in good fun.

[JoshTurboTrollX]

I was fiddling around with my hair in the mirror and for some reason imagined him going "nice hair, you hipster fag".  He had said something similar on here once before.

^ If all PCFXers lived under one roof in some horrible reality/comedy show. 

Very sorry to hear about the loss and wishing only positive for his friends and family during this trying time.  Rest in Peace.

[OldRover]

WTF this sucks. James was such a good guy, and such a survivor. Mad respect. RIP old friend.

[NecroPhile]

Aww, fuck..... that sucks.  What a kick in the pills.  I hope the drunkard piece of shit dies in a fire, slowly and painfully. 

[Nando]

RIP  - Old man told me the news

His poor family....

[OldRover]

I don't know whether to cry or to scream. James was one of the first friends I made in this community, way the fuck back. Even though we hadn't really talked much over the past couple of years, and we didn't always see eye to eye, I still looked up to him and respected him a great deal. Shit like this is why I oppose alcohol. I lost my best friend from high school to a drunk driver too, who naturally staggered away from the scene unscathed. I hope this motherfucker gets knocked off in prison. It won't bring James back but at least it will remove one more fucking scumbag from society so they can't do this to anyone else when they get out.

[Xak]

RIP Sinistron

[Ceti Alpha]

I can't believe this.

Sini was such an amazing and creative dude. His love for music, food and Turbo will be missed.

I just can't believe it.

[CrackTiger]

He was already missed and I always hoped he would return to regular posting. I love how passionate he was about enjoying games for what they are instead of just picking them apart and how enthusiastic he was while encouraging others to play through games, particularly with the "Race is on bitches" thread.

[FiftyQuid]

WTF?!  Stop drinking and getting behind the wheel!!!

I didn't know him well, but I knew him.  Damn...  he will be missed.   

Firebomber last year, and Sinistron this year.  Let's discontinue this trend.

[SuperPlay]

This is such sad news :-(

[PCEngineHell]

I'm not sure how often I will be around over the next few days, but I sent Rover a reply to a pm with Sini's home address included. If any of you who knew him want to maybe mail Sue and his family and friends a card and send condolences please do not hesitate to do so.

[Ceti Alpha]

That's awesome, MH. I will be doing that.

Maybe a collective PCEFX card, as well? Not sure how that would work, but this site was a few years of his life and he had a lot of friends here. Just a thought.

[420GOAT]

RIP bro.

[Bernie]

OMG, that is terrible Mike.    Thanks for letting us know.  Drunk drivers,  I just dont think I will ever understand.

[PukeSter]

Did not know him well, but a great member. My condolences.

[turboswimbz]

Firebomber last year, and Sinistron this year.  Let's discontinue this trend.

Was Firebomber also a DUI victim?  Snowkitty was lost this year as well.  I'm in full agreement- trend of tragedies must stop.

Makes you stop and appreciate what you do have in life, being faced with how quickly and unexpectedly everything could change.

Didn't know him very well personally, but I'm saddened by the news nonetheless. Condolences to everyone whose life he had touched. ) :

Yes he was, about this time last year.

[Ceti Alpha]

I'm just going through "The Race is on Bitches!" thread and having a laugh. Sin was a force. I'm just laughing constantly. Lol.

It's time to man up and get some clears in.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[MrFlutterPie]

Wow I am so sorry to hear this sad news.  I didn't know him well but nobody deserves to have their life cut short by other peoples piss poor decisions.

[PCEngineHell]

You know back in the day Sini really toughed it out and wrote a few really great reviews for games that I have to admit I could barely force myself to play, along with a couple for some really great games too. I considered pulling down the old website awhile back, just did not see much purpose in it, since people tended to only go to it for the schematic for the Sony 1145 svid mod I had on there these days. Now I am glad I didn't. Going to copy paste them here for current and future members to enjoy.

Batman:
While Genesis received a popular action platformer- the Pc-engine Batman title (on
hucard) by Sunsoft was instead an action puzzle more akin to Cratermaze or Skweek.
At first glance- or on paper- this could seem pretty lame- but the execution is anything
but. A good amount of work went into this.

One of the cool things is how closely the plot follows that of the first Tim Burton movie
starring Michael Keaton- even though the overall gameplay is easy enough to figure out-
it's broken up into four different missions that mirror the movie's plotline. The first 12 stages
involve ridding Gotham City of the Joker's poisonous Smilex products. The second batch of
12 stages involve Batman cleaning up the paintings in the museum that was damaged by the
Joker and his goons. The third set of stages have Batman cutting loose the poisonous balloons
that the Joker plans to let loose at his parade on Gotham City. The fourth batch sees Batman
setting up explosives to do away with the Joker's hideout. There is a fifth and final area too set
at the top of the Cathedral where Batman must battle two of the Joker's goons and then Joker
himself.

You start with a limited amount of guys with the ability to gain more by racking up points- a
good way to get points is to stun goons with your batarang and then to collar them while
stunned- but they don't stay stunned for too long so be careful. Aside from how the goons
look- there are seven types of enemies in the entire game. There are A) the slow goons which
prove no challenge, B) the goons that suddenly quicken up when they see Batman, C) the
goons that are constantly quick, D) the goons that stand and shoot, E) the henchman in the last
stage that utilizes a spinning cannonball attack, F) The goon preceding the Joker and G) the Joker himself.

The only other obstacles to watch out for are the time limit and the occasional van on the street sections (don't mind the walk/don't walk signs- they'll get you killed). Powerups include speed shoes, a "bomb" that will clear all enemies (they respawn quickly however), additional time, momentary invincibility, batarang throwing length, and multiple batarangs. In some levels there are portals that bring you to other areas; all in all the maze aspect of the game really isn't that difficult-but there is a password feature should you find it challenging.

The music is excellent- the best I've heard for this type of game- there's several tunes and
they're appropriately moody (one tune in particular better than the others). The graphics also are the best I've seen- on the system at least- for this type of game. Colors are dark blues, blacks,
grays and purples- perfectly setting the mood of the world inhabited by Batman and Joker. The great surprise of this game however is the beautifully detailed cutscenes (rare for a pce chip game) between the sets of 12 stages that echo scenes from the movie.

They are certainly the best chip cutscenes I've seen from the time (watch the light ripples on the Batmobile's front windows as it rolls forward with guns blazing) - which show exactly how much work went into this game.

If you're a fan of the Bombermans, Cratermaze, Gomola Speed, Skweek, Splash Lake- basically
any of these overhead action puzzlers- or of Batman in general- then this one's a no-brainer. It's
easily one of the better action puzzlers on hucard (not as great as Bomberman 93 & 94 but better
than Cratermaze, Skweek) and a cool addition to your pc-engine collection. On the cons side it is
when it boils down to it just a trumped up version of Pac-man- but Pac-man at its core was always
one of the most addictive video-game experiences. If you do decide it's your bag- just don't spend
too much on it- on a good day you can find it for relatively cheap online.

Score: 7.5/10    review by Sinistron

[jperryss]

He also did a ton of reviews on pcecp.com as creamofthecolada (though you can't search by username, unfortunately).

[csgx1]

That's terrible news. Rest in peace Sinistron.

[PCEngineHell]

GEKISHA-BOY

  Quite possibly the greatest hucard I've ever played- Gekisha Boy offers 8 levels of dusted
  out side scrolling target shooting- plus a final 9th level in the style of whack-a-mole.  You're
  a kid hired to take photographs of the craziest stuff that you come across.  You need to
  reach a certain score which increases from round to round.  Points are given by taking
  specific pictures- and by having left over film.  Film is critical here- as only the craziest
  stuff you shoot will cough up extra.

 If you run out of film before the end of the stage then the stage will grind to a halt
  and your points will be tallied up early. Other power-ups aside from extra film include
  speed and bigger frame size.  Obstacles are flashing objects such as skateboards,
  beachballs, and snakes- avoid these by jumping, dodging, or snapping photos-
  however- you don't want to waste all of your film on these objects- it is best to dodge
  or to snap a photo in which several dangerous objects are caught in the same frame.


Levels include a town, a ghetto (which includes some downright racist images and
  even the F word sprayed on some walls), an amusement park, underwater, a
  museum, the beach, a haunted graveyard and the wild west.  Some of the things
  you'll need to capture on film drop references to E.T.,Back to the Future, The
  Terminator, Peter Pan, Spiderman, King Kong, Michael Jackson, The Scream,
  Salvidor Dali, Gradius, Frankenstein, Dracula, the list goes on and on.

  The graphics are spectacular- they have a look that I haven't seen before in a pc-engine
  game- cartoonish but with a definite drugged-out bent.  The chip music is among my
  all-time favorite- some levels are catchy as hell and fit perfectly.  Above all else- the
  gameplay and fun factor both shine brightly- it may not take you long to beat but you'll
  keep coming back.  Not only will you keep coming back because it's so much goddamn
  fun- but you'll also keep finding new stuff that you didn't snap the first few times around-
  or stuff that you didn't snap enough (e.g.- the puff fish in the underwater level- if you keep
  snapping them they'll eventually explode awarding you with extra film). The first time I beat
  it I was compelled to beat it again the very next instant.  In fact I've probably beaten this
  game more than any other pc-engine/turbografx game that I own- it's that good- and I
  deemed it an instant classic as soon I started in on it.

  It's a bit pricier than the average pc-engine title- but don't let that put you off.  You'll
  get tons of playtime out of this one- and it's one that you'll want to show all of your
  friends. It's definitely the most wildly inventive hucard I've played and I can't imagine
  my collection without it. A must.

SCORE 10/10              review by Sinistron

[PCEngineHell]

GENJI-TSUSHIN-AGEDAMA

  This was one of the biggest surprises for me when I first bought it- a forced
  scrolling platform shooter (think Veigues, Monster Lair) with addictive and
  responsive gameplay, a ridiculous amount of special attacks, decent music,
  colorful cartoonish graphics with multi-scrolling, and an earth shattering
  skull bomb.

  You control a kid who can do double jumps and rolls- with five different
  attacks (shot, wind, green shot, genie and lightning) each with three
  stages. A bar at the top shows what attack you're currently allowed
  to pull off by holding down the attack button. If you collect enough
  power-ups and your bar is full- then you'll be able unleash the earth
  shattering skull bomb- one of the most awesome attacks on a hucard
  platformer- up there with the likes of the shattering axe in Legendary Axe.
  The whole screen will quake and any non boss character who can be
  killed will instantly drop dead- even off screen characters who are about
  to leap down at you.

  There is a solid difficulty curve- however if you collect enough power-ups
  you'll be practically unstoppable (until the last few levels) using the skull
  bomb. There are many health power-ups along the way- and on each level
  there is a rabbit who will take you to some cute chick who will replenish all
  of your energy. If she fellates you to power you back up is anyone's guess.
  Use your imagination.

  There's six colorful levels- all guarded by bosses. The bosses aren't too
  difficult to wreck once you figure out their patterns- which shouldn't take
  you too long. On the last level the final boss- a giant purple face- is guarded
  by a wizard who conjurs up a boss rush. That final stage can be a little
  challenging- you more than likely won't roll up and blow through the game on
  your first couple attempts. The game is excellent though and you'll definitely
  find yourself coming back to it- wanting to push yourself further. While it may
  be debatable as to whether Genji is a must-have game- I definitely consider it
  good enough to add to a second wave of top tier buys for the system.
  You can't go wrong.

SCORE   8/10  rreview by Sinistron

[PCEngineHell]

GOMOLA-SPEED


 UPL's Gomola Speed (hucard) is one of the most original PC-Engine titles out there-
 a true action puzzle if there ever was one. You control a segmented mechanical worm
 in his quest for food and to defeat five bosses over 25 stages.

 You start each stage with only the head segment of your worm- the other bits are
 floating around somewhere in the surrounding areas- and you'll need all segments in
 order to exit and clear the stage. The exit door only opens after you complete certain
 tasks- in some stages it's to eat all of the food, in others it's to defeat the boss character.
 If you hold down one of the two buttons your worm moves at a hastier speed- and the other
 button plants a bomb- which either stuns enemies or explodes certain bricks, allowing you
 access to hidden or closed off rooms. Food is eaten by having your head and tail segments
 touch while encircling the item- a very unique play in my opinion. You can also "eat" stunned
 enemies in this fashion- but enemies don't stay stunned for too long- some are big so you'll
 need most of your segments to encircle them- and all of them respawn- later on in the game
 some even respawn as unstunnable.


 There are bonuses and power-ups to be found- some are in plain sight while others are hidden-
 sometimes even under the floor- as in some stages the floor itself can be eaten away to reveal
 items and enemies. Bonuses, additional item and powerups include "treasure", which give you
 additional points, 1-ups, magic lamps that offer clues, an item that makes you invincible for a
 short amount of time, keys to open gates, and a green food item that enables you to shoot (the
 more segments you have the faster your blast is): this item can be found in the boss stages
 (discarding the first one). Be careful when shooting or laying off bombs- the impact- if too close-
 can kill you- or loosen some of your segments.

 The boss fights come approximately every five stages- a tiny cutscene following each. Most of
 the bosses are defeated by continuous shooting- while the first boss- a frog-like creature- is
 defeated after you stun and encircle all of the miniature parts he emits. My favorite boss fight is
 versus a giant worm- who like you starts off as one piece and collects himself- shooting faster
 with each piece he picks up.

 The graphics and music are perfect- in most areas the look and feel of Dungeon Explorer are
 invoked- with a bit of Atomic Robo-kid (another UPL title) thrown in. While the game isn't too long-some areas may prove tricky or puzzling at first- so thankfully there is a password feature (one of the password characters is Atomic Robo-kid). The passwords, however, are only given out for the first 20 stages- you're on your own for the last five- but with three lives and three continues you should have more than enough lives to finish the job. Highly recommended title all around- one of my personal favorites.

Score: 9/10  review by Sinistron

[PCEngineHell]

Impossamole

  Impossamole is a side-scrolling platformer for the TG-16 (US only) that was ported over
  from the Amiga by Gremlin. Seems like most of the Amiga platformer ports for the
  PCE/TG play like absolute shit (Shadow of the Yeast, Turricrap, Slim Power, Baby Ruth
  the Super Shit)- and for the most part Impossamole is no exception.


  This game gets a really bad rap- but not without cause- I can imagine most people playing
  it for the first time getting incredibly frustrated for a few reasons- one being Monty Mole's
  piss-poor kick attack- sure, you can pick up defeated enemies (who all turn into the same
  block with eyes regardless if it's a abominable snow freak or a tiny snake) and throw them
  into others, and there's two different types of "guns"- but somehow it just doesn't feel all
  that fun. Another frustrating aspect are the falling icicles, bricks, blocks, etc. that get really
  redundant really quick- they seem to be everywhere- even in the tiniest of corridors, and
  having to pause for them almost grinds the game's rhythm to a dead halt. Also- the
  graphics are doable for this type of game (colorful and cartoonish)- but the backgrounds
  are practically non existent- a little more effort to make it look nice would've been welcome.
  Things spruce up a touch on the Bermuda Triangle and Alien Base worlds- but not all that
  much- I probably shouldn't have even mentioned it.

  There's really not much here you haven't seen anywhere else- you start off with four
  "worlds" to pick from- the Orient, the Amazon, the North Pole, the Bermuda Triangle- beat
  all of those and you unlock the alien base world. Each world has three levels- the first two
  are comprised of finding the "scrolls" (for whatever stupid reason) and the third level is the
  boss fight- and the bosses are all absolute jokes (the final boss no exception). Only the
  poorest of gamers will have trouble with the bosses- while most amateur gamers will find
  the scroll-finding levels quite challenging. Power-ups consist of the afore-mentioned "guns"
  (one is a bubble gun, the other a hammer gun- both look identical), strength cans which
  make your kick and guns stronger, free Montys and cans of worms (full power). The power
  meter is three Monty Mole faces that undergo damage- you get the drift. Enemies are
  exactly what you'd expect in this type of game- not even worth mentioning. The music is
  fairly decent- could've been much worse.

  So- aside from the constant annoyance of the falling objects, the shitty backgrounds,
  the poor hit detection- this game is pretty average. Here and there it's kind of fun to find
  the scrolls- but it's not like they're really hidden that well for the enjoyment to last. I will
  say however that it's MUCH more playable than the other Amiga ports I've played- namely
  Turdican and Guano of the Beast. Just expect some annoying bits and you'll be alright.
  For hardcore platformer fans only (not because of the difficulty- a seasoned player won't
  have trouble- but because you'll need patience). There is a password feature for the
  weaker players. Yay. This game defines lackluster- maybe you can even tell from reading
  the review how bored out of my skull I was writing it.

SCORE: 4.5 out of 10 for platform lovers- for all else 3 out of 10.  review by Sinistron