Blast16

Maybe AI modified art will become an accepted mega trend and artistic aesthetic, like auto tune 🤢 music has not been the same since the tool was so recklessly abused.

@gojiguy I’m in. Great list! And yes, Milestones 2 was quite good! Had never played Liquid Kids and it was excellent, so that was a really nice surprise.

@gojiguy I second a Taito Milestones 4 release, though I feel like I got my favorites on volume 3. For me it would be hard to top.

Removing struggle from the creative process removes the humanity, the impact and expression, and most of all, the purpose of what we do. We already have ample tools without AI to help us (engraving software and playback, DAWs and the endless bag of goodies and virtual performers, factory sequences, impulse responses, etc.) Practice and hone your craft. It’s a journey, and it’s worth it.

Doesn’t anyone desire the personal satisfaction of that anymore?

We’re already in a loneliness epidemic and many are in a crisis of purpose. By further removing any work from the many avenues of expression and documenting the human experience, we’re really setting ourselves up for failure.

Devil’s Third forever. I actually really enjoyed it, lol.

Rest in peace.

Now this is the stuff. Many fond memories of the old game stores and the anticipation of maybe finding a good deal on a new game or discovering something I hadn’t heard of. Very different experience when acquiring games in a dedicated store—it was a social activity, just like playing a sport, going for a bike ride, listening to an entire album in one sitting, etc. Online shopping for this stuff is convenient but calculated and frankly, boring. Spending a day out with friends and then returning with something special, or even crappy, to play with them was an awesome and unforgettable experience. Better times. The games brought us together back then.

Meh. Losing interest in this one. Product and company. Rapidly.

At this point, just give us an actual date, or cut it and let us know it’s not coming until 2026.

Ubisoft, you and I are old friends. You gave me Far Cry 3 and I’ll never forget it, but I will forget most of your other games.

Oh well, happy for those that wanna pick this one up!

@JackGYarwood No prob, dude! 😃

I’m pretty sure this was added as free DLC to the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection (a few years ago), though that was developed by Digital Eclipse, not Hamster Corporation.

@Exerion76 Thanks for the advice! I might have to pick one up with some games later this fall 👍

I wouldn’t even say I like the franchise, but the Gen/MD port by SEGA is addictive. So many fun memories with that one. Exciting to get a further update on the Super-Grafx version though!

I didn’t have an Atari growing up. It was just before my time. Never had much interest until all this recent activity, the 2600+. Is that THE way to play today for a newbie like me since I don’t think I want original hardware?

What do the Atari veterans here say? ✌️

Edit: oh, and this game looks cool!

@Martin_H exactly! Oh, and as for the PS2, in my experience reflecting on what you’ve said. It was simple—GTA III 😃 (and the others that followed).

We all were in our college basement living room setup days and after work we were down there at someone’s house most nights of the week—for months—causing mayhem, dying, scream-laughing like maniacs, and passing the controller to the next guy for the turn. It’s important to remember that GTA III and Vice City launched only ONE YEAR apart!!! So the fun literally didn’t stop for about 18-24 months. That alone won the gen for all of us. The other option was to go to our other buddies house and play 4-player Halo.

Absolutely revolutionary times for gaming, and with Dreamcast and GameCube on top of that, we were spoiled for choice. Nothing quite like it since.

Okay, this has to be the umpteenth article mentioning WipEout in the last year. I moved on from Genesis to the PlayStation. I was friends with several people who owned one. As far as I recall, none of them had it or even ever mentioned it. I read EGM and GamePro when I could afford to but would skim mags in the supermarket.

How do I know NOTHING about this game / series?! 😅

Guess I have some homework this weekend!

Aw, what a steal right now at 7% off! Now is the right time to buy this baby.

@SlangWon I’m fine with books, but where are the budgets? No one reads and few invest in hard copies of anything anymore for one reason or another, or they don’t value owning a curated anything when so much is widely available on the AInternet 😅

I was a contract proofreader and copy editor for the largest music education publisher in the world, and they have continually been forced to cut costs and reduce workforce. That was 2008-2016 when they were desperately trying to chase formats and reach new customers. I hear they are on skeleton crews these days compared to a decade ago.

@MontyCircus whoa, will check out - thank you very much!

@amongtheworms that was amazing lmao!!

That’s a true lol by the way, not this little closed-mouth nasal air compressor spritz stuff most people mean when they type that. Those people don’t even know what laughing’s about 😂

Lol, that note! It’s like a dive bar restroom stall in the digital age.

Handwriting 1:
for a good time call Mandy at XXX-XXXX

Handwriting 2 in Sharpie:
Yo Mandy’s a *****

Poor Mandy
😅

I’ve never heard of this one, so I might check it out. It looks fun and almost a little (visually) like SEGA’s Gain Ground, though without free movement away from your defense tower.

Anyone know why in the world Space Invaders was not on any of the three t-AI-to Milestones collections? Apparently there is the Space Invaders Invincible collection that got a physical copy but it’s a limited print run FOMO release and costs $$$ now. Separate from that is Space Invaders Forever, a revival that doesn’t even include the original game, widely available…

“WANUS.” Fitting name for the new AI era of dystopia we’re heading into. Things are looking bad enough without that crap.

Pssh, forget this, I’m going to play my new copy (literally got it this week) of WANUS II on Potato Milestones 2.

@Daggot in addition to the last thing you mentioned about box art being a thing of the past, digital distribution aside, I find a lot of box art for modern games to be very boring and uninspired these days, maybe even the last couple generations. You often get a character from an exciting action game standing, alone, still, looking at the camera (or away from it). That’s it, lol. At least in NA. It’s the Halo effect that took over lots of Western box art. Definitely popular with FPS, Third-Person, and other genres.

I often look back at my ‘80s and ‘90s games collection, which are all in original cases with box art or repro with full box art, and you’ve got detailed fantasy action, cartoons, photorealistic action poses from all angles with interesting backdrops, so many styles, etc. Wotk-of-hand artistry created by professionals of all backgrounds. They don’t make them like they used to.

Love the look of this thing. Anyone know if it wakes Switch?

I don’t have a Polymega, but I have these games’ console ports. Just realized I’ve never finished playing through Two Crude Dudes. I need to do that!

Looking forward to hearing more on this one. Looks fun to play!

@MontyCircus thank you! I see you reporting these stats on different sites and in forums, and I am always excited to see your posts. Keep it up, dude! 🙏👍

I haven’t played RB2, but have played RB1. I should look into it.

Very excited to see this! Game Sack and My Life in Gaming are my go-to retro gaming channels. Always something to enjoy and learn about, and, EGM was an important part of my teen years, especially the lead up to and launch of the US Dreamcast launch.

This is going to be like peanut butter and jelly.

@Scollurio Funny you mentioned these two scenarios: they’re the ones where it’s nice to have rumble and can, for me, enhance the gameplay. Love a good gun-shooter like any of the Wii House of the Dead conversions, etc, and racing with rumble is fun, even on something like MK8D.

You mentioned screen shakes — I usually turn that off too! Not always, but most times.

@sdelfin Exactly! It removes my focus from the game experience and some of the motors sound like little speedboats or kitchen appliances (Switch Pro Controller, looking at you—maybe mine is busted?).

I thought the rumble packs on N64 and Dreamcast were cool, but not since then. But it was novel, and I was a kid.

@Scollurio Great point, lol.

I’m probably in the minority, but I routinely turn off rumble in almost every game. It usually distracts me and drains batteries. Nothing is more irritating than having to plug in the controller mid-gameplay 😂

@Guru_Larry To Live This Down Takes Ages 😃

I might finally have to give this series a try. Thanks for the article!

@Exerion76 “Hope they keep their expectations in check, and don't make 500.000 units, where half of the batch, ends up gathering dust in a warehouse.”

I am humming the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme now, lol.

Whoa! Congrats, it already outsold the Wii U 😅

Hmm, nice for some folks, I’m sure. I’m going to keep playing my Mega SG and original hardware.

Glad to hear this VA stood up against this through legal action to send a message to the industry. Aspyr knows what they were doing and why. What a shame!

Ooh this looks like it could be really fun. Might have to pick it up!

I’m not in this target demographic, but that does sound like some expensive FOMO.

@Tom_Gamer Unfortunately, shame is almost extinct in today’s world. But I legit lol’ed when I read the last sentence of your comment 😂👍

I wonder if there will be a Taito Milestones 4.

@Deuteros This is a shining example of why I come here 10/10 👍

SEGA!!!!!

Not sure if I’ll blast To The Next Level with Crossworlds, but I appreciate the nod to the console war ads, lol. Well done!

SEGA!!!!

WELCO
METOT
HENEX
TLEVEL

@NoirConceit agree on all of that—well said! 👍

I’m glad these exist for those that want them, but I’m not the target for this feature.

I wouldn’t say that I eye-rolled when unlocking achievements on the PS5, but I have groaned when these constant interruptions blink and plink on my screen, so I turned the notifications off.

I don’t want my hobby time to feel like grinding a day job with the annoying chimes of email and other “worky” stuff, haha. Retro gaming is simplicity and it’s an experience I don’t particularly want changed if I can help it.

@KingMike yes, max two player only.

Edit: later games like Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, The King of Dragons and Knights of the Round allowed three players simultaneous.

Nintendo is scraping the barrel with this one, and tying this expensive accessory to the NSO sub just seems dirty.

A toggle for a 2D mode should be there day one.

Never played a Bubsy after the first one on my Genesis, with that unique cartridge that didn’t match the rest of my games. Enjoyed the first handful of levels but knew pretty quick even as a kid that it was a ripoff wannabe type game, same with Aero the Acrobat, Awesome Possum, etc. I like it now, for the one reason being it was one of the games in my small collection, but nothing more.

I’d never spend money on Bubsy now, lol.

@Exerion76 That'd be ideal, and I'd be happy to drop a tip to the dev on itch.io in exchange for the ROM. Looking forward to Final Fight MD!

I wonder when we'll hear anything new on Mega Splatterhouse. That demo from last October was amazing.

@PinballBuzzbro "Lives Again (in inferior form)" 😄