Retro gaming

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Joshihatsumitsu

Re: Retro gaming

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

If nothing else, that Game Vault app has finally motivated me to get a spreadsheet together, just to be super thorough and to fill in the gaps.
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Michiel K
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Re: Retro gaming

Post by Michiel K »

Suits wrote: July 12th, 2018, 10:54 pm
ratsoalbion wrote: July 12th, 2018, 10:38 pm I think he meant actual Galaga. 2005/6 XBLA
Oh, ok, because that’s on there too.
Ha, that's weird. I only saw an entry with a U.S. flag, last time.
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Suits
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Re: Retro gaming

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Michiel K wrote: July 13th, 2018, 1:35 am Ha, that's weird. I only saw an entry with a U.S. flag, last time.
Yeah man, it's only there now as I added it.

If you notice at the bottom of the screen on the app, it has a + button. That allows you to add regional variations to a title. You can adjust the title, the boxart, release date and region there. It takes a few seconds, I often don't bother updating boxart and release dates, I just add a PAL version.

When you add something whether it's added to the database overall, or just for the users account - I'm unsure.

I often have to add PAL variations of smaller less popular games, perhaps a side affect of the app being American.

It does take some getting used to but becomes a very versatile, helpful app once you're used to it.

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Michiel K
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Re: Retro gaming

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Thanks so much, I'll give it another shot!
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Suits
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Re: Retro gaming

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Not really been playing/buying much old stuff recently, its just not the weather to be playing games with the lure of going out and actually doing stuff.

That said, this is what I've amassed in the last month.

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The GameCube stuff is a combination of CEX/The Retro Hunter(local game shop)/eBay, getting hard to find ones I need now, without paying over what I want to. These titles are significant in that they take me over the 300 mark for the collection.

No real affection for anything there, other that Second Sight and Hunter The Reckoning are both pretty cool.

Mega Drive stuff is always welcome in my house, so I've been getting into this console again recently and had a region switch fitted to my my PAL console, so I've been picking up curios/classics again.

Couple of interesting things

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Theme Park came with a cool Alton Towers flyer sort of thing inside it, which was dated 1994 and before they had the Nemesis ride, it was partnered with Bullfrog, which was mad to look at.

Also tucked inside the case was a newspaper clipping of clearly a Gaming Section in a paper, which had cheat codes for the game :lol: . RAD


Rings of Power

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Awful game. I can see it may have seemed cool if its all you had but man this has aged bad. Nasty controls, looks horrid, sounds dreadful and is bloody rock solid RPG.

But it's got ripping box art and was fun to pick up and try.

Incidentally its made by Naughty Dog, of Uncharted fame. One of their early efforts published by EA - which I feel I must say were putting out rad looking games at this time, with especially clear high quality box art and proprietary cases/carts.


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Gave each game a clean inside and out and tried each one.

It was good fun to mess out on Mortal Kombat for a bit, I played until I managed to pull off Sub-Zero's fatality and saw The Pit. With the gore code enabled of course.

It's odd, it still feels special to see the violence in this game. There's something about pixel art violence, it sometimes comes across as more real I feel, as you put the detail in with your mind.

Ecco is cool, I just never liked the controls, they feel too smoochy for something that should have more inertia I think. Dunno, never really played past the first few areas as I start to dislike the motion of the game. Still looks sweet though great Parallax Scrolling that, simple but I like it.

Global Gladiators is funny, greta Big Ronald McDonald helping you off the levels and collecting McDonalds M's as you play a sort of 2D Splatoon version of Earthworm Jim. But it's cool to have such an odd corporate marketed game like this.

Interestingly this cart was region locked, so I had to switch the region lock back to PAL to run it.

Alex Kidd is OK at best.

Having not really seriously got into any of those, I'm currently playing through Quackshot and have just robbed Dracula for his map - sweet, it's on.

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Michiel K
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Re: Retro gaming

Post by Michiel K »

NBA Street Vol. 2 is a somewhat unlikely fave. Must be the vintage Hip Hop vibe and Bobbito Garcia's commentary. It's also just a real solid arcade sports game.

Ecco always used to make me jealous of Mega Drive owners, but I still don't have my own copy, now that I'm a Mega Drive owner myself. Maybe it's slipped down my priority list because I never hear many people say nice things about it.
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Re: Retro gaming

Post by ratsoalbion »

I found Ecco rather stunning at the time but always a bit of a pig to play properly.

The opening though was powerful stuff, incredible from a technical and atmospheric point of view, and I used to love just swimming about and leaping out of the water.

Also, the sharks don't have legs.
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dezm0nd
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Re: Retro gaming

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I've never really enjoyed Ecco beyond the opening level of making it go all loopy in the sky but then I've not played it since I was 12 so I'd probably have a better understanding of it on a pure game mechanics level.

The Dreamcast one looks terrifying. That blue wall of water is enough to make me feel ill! Quite how I surived 300+ hours of Sea of Thieves is beyond me
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ratsoalbion
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Re: Retro gaming

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dezm0nd wrote: July 23rd, 2018, 7:56 am Quite how I surived 300+ hours of Sea of Thieves is beyond me
You and everyone else!
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Suits
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Re: Retro gaming

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Sick burn :lol: .
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Michiel K
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Re: Retro gaming

Post by Michiel K »

ratsoalbion wrote: July 22nd, 2018, 10:54 pm Also, the sharks don't have legs.
Boo.

Though if I'm being as-objective-as-I-can-be, the legs wouldn't be very useful in a game that's completely situated under water.
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Simonsloth
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Re: Retro gaming

Post by Simonsloth »

Suits wrote: July 13th, 2018, 8:33 am
Michiel K wrote: July 13th, 2018, 1:35 am Ha, that's weird. I only saw an entry with a U.S. flag, last time.
Yeah man, it's only there now as I added it.

If you notice at the bottom of the screen on the app, it has a + button. That allows you to add regional variations to a title. You can adjust the title, the boxart, release date and region there. It takes a few seconds, I often don't bother updating boxart and release dates, I just add a PAL version.

When you add something whether it's added to the database overall, or just for the users account - I'm unsure.

I often have to add PAL variations of smaller less popular games, perhaps a side affect of the app being American.

It does take some getting used to but becomes a very versatile, helpful app once you're used to it.

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Really enjoying the app.

I’ve just spotted you can toggle each game as completed or playing. Nice for me to keep track of games I start and forget to go back to.
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Suits
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Re: Retro gaming

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Simonsloth wrote: August 2nd, 2018, 11:26 pm Really enjoying the app.

I’ve just spotted you can toggle each game as completed or playing. Nice for me to keep track of games I start and forget to go back to.
Ah, cool. I wasn't aware of the details but I knew there was other functionality in the app. Good stuff.

I simply just use it as a way of recording what I have/need.
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Suits
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Re: Retro gaming

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I’ve recently been on a bit of a Wario Deep Dive, culminating in my desire to go back and finish some of the games I’ve never finished and games I’ve never even played.

It’s also an excuse to hunt down and pick up a few glorious boxed GameBoy games, which is always gratifying fix.


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The true lineage of the Wario Land games goes back to the Super Mario Land games, with the third in that series being the first Wario Land game as such.

Being a big fan of the mainline mario games that were on the GameBoy I already had the first two and am very familiar with them from when they originally came out on my GameBoy, the third I honestly forget how I acquired but I’ve certainly had it for a while. I also managed to pick up a very decent Wario Land 4 a few years back at a car boot sale, which left me with only Wario Land 2 & 3 to finish the GameBoy set (I have a few of the other format titles in the series but not all)

I decided to start off where I’d left off, originally back some time in the 90’s when I first tried SML3.


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I loved the first Super Mario Land game and where I enjoyed the Six Golden Coins follow up, I felt that I preferred the more fluid movement of the first game and while the map, with its zones and hidden levels was fun and very welcome, I preferred the first game and it left me feeling muddled about the series.

Then came the third game, which I must have played somewhere and I instantly felt pushed further away with its heavy physics, large sprites and slow gameplay. So I never played it again.

Fast forward to 2018 and with a new appreciating perhaps for the style and an aged mind, I very much looked to get back in to it and see it through.

I played on the GameCube, GameBoy player.

Using a Hori GameCube Digital Gamepad, that was specifically designed for use with the GameBoy player, it has a superior D-Pad than the small thin, GameBoy Advance D-Pad that was taken and put in the GameCube controller. It also has a large moulded underside, that makes it feel like a chunky SNES controller

Expensive as Hell nowadays, but is the best way to play GameBoy games on the big screen.


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It’s a true successor to SML2 in most ways, in terms of design and overall aim. Performance is slightly improved I feel, with perhaps the choice to go for a closer camera helping with the frame rate by reducing the amount of moving sprites on the screen.

The gameplay still feels slow and clumsy I think, even being prepared for it, I was taken aback by how wallowing it is. However, after a while, you start to get used to it, then start to appreciate the slow melodic movement of Wario and begin to build it into your gameplay. Designed this way on purpose ? I’m not sure but I certainly came to enjoy and appreciate it.

The replayablity of levels was improved over the previous game (lets kind of ignore SML for a second) as you could certainly go back and re-play levels in the Six Golden Coins but for not much reason other than building for more lives or searching for hidden exits. With not much than that but an added incentive of Treasure, SML3 gives you the choice to collect treasure by finding and unlocking grand skull doors that you come across in the game. Often you’d see a locked door before you found a key and would be tempted to hunt it out. Some of the Zones, the first one in fact, Rice Beach, once you’ve beaten the boss level becomes flooded by the imcoming tide and changes things up, unlocking areas you couldn't get to before and uncovering treats - making it essential to go back to.

The fact that the game makes no suggestion that you should even think about this, is an example of its and a lot of it’s mystery. Such a wonderful time.

The level to level gameplay was more mixed upon than previous game also, with often tracking back and even going from right to left at times. There were also a few ‘Minecart’ levels where you have to jump from cart to cart.

One of the games entire Zones (Sherbet Land) is completely passable, only accessible if you locate the hidden exit in Zone 2, I don’t seem to see any reason to go there at all you can totally bypass it - odd.

The ending is akin to Luigi’s Mansion say, or rather Luigi’s Masion is akin to this perhaps but once you beat the final boss your coins through the game are collated, your treasure cashed in and the grand total of your spoils are exemplified via the level of abode you can build with it. Neat.

My original play though got me all of the Treasures, minus six, which got me this lovely wood cabin.


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It also does that old thing of having to power off the console to restart, simply sitting at the end screen not responding to any inputs until you switch it off.

Once you’ve beaten the game however, you’re locked into the ending, no going back and mopping up, so you have to re-load up your save and eek out the extra then if you wish too.

Which, of course I did….


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Which got Wario his idealistic castle :roll: :lol: .

The overall style felt more platform puzzle than straight up platforming but then introducing someone to it as a platform puzzler feels like you’d be doing them a disservice perhaps.

It’s not a stella Mario game, nor even a great Nintendo game but it’s certainly, fun, compelling, satisfying and enjoyable.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: Retro gaming

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Fantastic post, as always. :)

The cardboard Game Boy boxes have a very specific charm, don't they? I lost all of mine during a move (Is that the right phrasing? Doesn't sound right.) - thankfully, I still have all the cartridges. It's nice to see them being cared for like this.


PS: Game Boy Player is boss. 8-)
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Suits
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Re: Retro gaming

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KSubzero1000 wrote: August 11th, 2018, 9:48 pm The cardboard Game Boy boxes have a very specific charm, don't they? I lost all of mine during a move (Is that the right phrasing? Doesn't sound right.) - thankfully, I still have all the cartridges. It's nice to see them being cared for like this.
Cheers dude.

Man, I'm a big sucker for the 90's Nintendo cardboard stuff, especially the Japanese stuff but yeah, the PAL GameBoy stuff holds a super nostalgia effect on me. Not only do they look cool but I lusted after a lot of these as a child, either in the shops, or on the posters that came with the games. More often than not only having the box art to study to try and work out what on earth they were all about. So actually having them in my hands now is wonderful.

I only have 16 boxed GameBoy games (46 loose) and I'm always on the look out for nice, fairly priced examples but if it's a game I want to play specifically, I'll always try and get the CIB version.

Yeah, saying you lost something in a move is the correct phrasing, makes perfect sense 8-) .
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Michiel K
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Re: Retro gaming

Post by Michiel K »

Great post. I played through the first Wario Land last year on the 3DS, bit by bit. Found it enjoyable, but not as memorable as I wanted it to be, despite loving the oddball main character.

In terms of weight and physics, the Wario Land games have always reminded me more of the earlier pre-Sonic Mega Drive platformers like Decap Attack and Quack Attack.
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Craig
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Re: Retro gaming

Post by Craig »

Man, I'm a big sucker for the 90's Nintendo cardboard stuff, especially the Japanese stuff but yeah, the PAL GameBoy stuff holds a super nostalgia effect on me. Not only do they look cool but I lusted after a lot of these as a child, either in the shops, or on the posters that came with the games. More often than not only having the box art to study to try and work out what on earth they were all about. So actually having them in my hands now is wonderful.
.
The Warioland 4 boxart is amazing, but it's also the first time I found out the Japanese box art was different. There was a store which carried a few import games and for some reason they had Warioland 4. The smaller box was just just so colourful and full of life. Both instances of it are ace though.

Glad to see you finally got that Hori pad! It seemed like your white whale for a while.
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Suits
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Re: Retro gaming

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Michiel K wrote: August 12th, 2018, 12:56 pm In terms of weight and physics, the Wario Land games have always reminded me more of the earlier pre-Sonic Mega Drive platformers like Decap Attack and Quack Attack.
Yeah, I see what you're saying and agree regards the movement weight - although it's hard to totally place them in the same bracket I suppose due to the significant platform restraints. I often wonder what was choice and what was the result of performance regards these types of games and their physics.

Speaking of which, I never did get properly into Psycho Fox on the Master System, or at least give it another go after my last run in with it - I should get back to that....... I was drawn away by it's Mega Drive big brother and it's glorious sprite work.

Did you ever try Magical Hat for differences ??
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Re: Retro gaming

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Craig wrote: August 12th, 2018, 1:36 pm Glad to see you finally got that Hori pad! It seemed like your white whale for a while.
Man, I was literally about to pull the cord on a £150 boxed version from Japan when my pal that has a retro video game store (The Retro Hunter) messaged me and said he had something in via a walk in trade that I may be interested in and did me deal on it.

That pad has literally doubled in price in the last 12 months.

It's not boxed, but I needed form over function here, so it was a simple decision - plus he sorted me right out regards price.

I know you're back in the country - if you need a meal and a pint around London, let me know 8-) .
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