Damo

@Coalescence They're working on the Super Nt issue. Apparently it only impacts certain revisions of the system. I'd imagine this will be solved by the time the game is released.

@SlangWon Not sure what your point is regarding Metal Slug, this device uses the original ROMs so if there's no auto fire in the game, it won't be present here (forgive me if I'm misunderstanding your question).

And yes, the lack of Turf Masters is a shame. What a game!

@Martin_H That's always going to be the issue here though, isn't it? Those Chinese emulation handhelds are packed with copyright-breaking ROMs which cost the manufacturer nothing, but Blaze has to pay a license for the games it pre-loads onto the Super Pockets. I prefer to be supporting the IP holders with devices like this, even if SNK is now owned by people I'd rather not be giving my money to.

@jesse_dylan Of course it is. I should have remembered that Anbernic's numbering makes zero sense. Fixed (and thanks)!

@The_Nintend_Pedant Hogs of War is really, really good. I'm so glad it's getting a chance to find new fans!

@The_Nintend_Pedant I dunno, man. Even at the time, I remember the appeal of Loaded wearing off pretty quickly, despite it being the shiny new thing. I enjoyed playing it but it was traded in fast for something with more bite, if memory serves (the PWEI tracks are / were great, though).

@mariteaux Disc rot is sadly very much a 'thing' and is impacting products that aren't even that old:

https://www.techradar.com/televisions/home-theater/warner-bros-is-replacing-some-dvds-that-rot-and-become-unwatchable-but-theres-a-big-catch-that-undermines-the-value-of-physical-media

@axelhander You're correct, we have been over this. AI isn't a human brain and can't be "inspired" in the same way a human can. It can't create anything; everything an AI produces has been taken from a human's work.

There's plenty of evidence, too, that AI firms like OpenAI are actually retaining copies of items used in training on it's servers, which isn't the same as a human being inspired by the work of someone else.

Plus, we have plagiarism and copyright protection when a human copies something directly.

@axelhander Yeah, I didn't get that either. Em dashes aren't a sign of AI use.

@PHEAL AI is a direct threat to this site and many others. If we stop highlighting this, there may not even be a website in a few years.

What kind of world do you think you'll have when AI is the only thing producing written content?

@axelhander I think the fact that we can't meet in the middle is because we have very, very different opinions on what the current AI hype train is all about. GenAI is, in almost all cases, a tool which exploits the work of others and steals without permission. As a creative person who takes pride in their work, I'm naturally not keen on that at all, which I assume is easy to understand.

I can absolutely see the benefit of AI in other ways (medical research etc) but the way GenAI is being used at the moment breaks all kinds of ethical rules, and now that Disney is on the hunt I imagine we'll see legal guardrails put in place very quickly, because companies like OpenAI are already burning through cash; add in fines and lawsuits and the company is basically sunk.

@Robbo870 You realise people have been using long hyphens for decades, right? I can pull multiple articles from this site which use long ones, as well as books where it's the norm, all written before the AI theft machines turned up. In fact, most American sites have been using the long hyphen approach for years and years.

Seriously, you're accusing precisely the wrong person of using AI here

@axelhander If you've read the piece fully and still think it's just a tool, then I'm not sure we have much more to say to one another.

AI is certainly useful, but in this instance, it's promoting plagiarism, pure and simple.

@avcrypt Thanks for the kind words - your support is truly appreciated!

@WileyDragonfly I realise the classic meaning of the word is to reduce by one tenth, but it has gained a more considerable meaning in recent times.

@Deway Very true!

@Say_Yas The connection is that the instance mentioned here relates specifically to a piece about Space Harrier, and Retro Gamer was one of the outlets mentioned - but this impacts the whole of games journalism and all journalism, potentially, and I thought it was worth highlighting.

@Nischenliebhaber I'm well aware that AI has some really useful applications, especially in the world of medicine and science. And yes, there are applications like the ones you mention which definitely save time.

However, the way AI is being marketed and sold to consumers is dishonest, IMO, and is likely to cause more harm than good over the next few years.

When you have situations like here in the UK, where teachers have been told it's now ok to use AI to mark homework (which is presumably also done by AI), it's clear the technology comes with massive risks - so the more scepticism, the better!

@Nischenliebhaber "Do you really need that?"

Absolutely. AI is overhyped trash, much of which is built on content taken without permission.

@KingMike The SwanCrystal is a huge improvement over the WSC when it comes to the screen.

@-wc- It feels like less than that when you watch the film tbh; fighting isn't really the focus! An open-world RPG would have been a really cool idea, but they kinda tried that with Final Fight Streetwise and it didn't really work

@gingerbeardman We'll definitely be keeping tabs on developments 👍

@NinChocolate @ThomasHobbes Yeah, it used to get me every time!

@Frmknst What a bizarre comment to make on a site devoted to retro gaming.

@gingerbeardman Thanks, I've updated the piece!

@Sketcz I think it's probably my favourite console of that gen, too. While PS1 and N64 are home to some of my favourite games, the Saturn was, pound for pound, utterly tuned into what I wanted as a gamer back then.

@-wc- I love my DC stick, but it's big and bulky, and sometimes you just want a pad, you know?

@GuyIncognito2k25 You're perfectly entitled to your opinion, but I have to say you couldn't be more wrong. Lee and all of his staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and keen to please, and the stock they have is brilliant - certainly a cut above what many other similar stores sell in the UK.

@Arcticpandapopz I've literally never been in there and had a bad customer service experience (and I visit multiple times a year) so I can only guess you must have caught someone on an off day.

@MysticWangForce I understood that reference.gif

@gingerbeardman You'd hope the ROM will be dumped soon!

@gingerbeardman Hence the word "new" in front of "footage" at the start of the piece

The lead image is taken from that attract mode video. Such a cool intro! Hope we get to play this one day soon.

@mashk You're 100% right, PC games of that era even felt different from those of the 2000s, 2010s and today. Something really unique about them which is hard to revisit today, I find

@gingerbeardman https://github.com/LRG-CarbonEngine/PCSX-ReARMed

I've seen the video you mention and will be asking Josh / LRG about it.

@jesse_dylan Same! I love them all, but the first one was mind-blowingly good.

@Bod2019 This is what I get for rushing. Thanks for the save!

@Guru_Larry There are a few games which suffer from slowdown and sluggish frame rates (like Road Rash, Abrams Battle Tank, F22, etc). These are apparently smoother with the overclock.

@NewBond I wasn't aware of the L and R thing, have added that in! Thanks!

@Bod2019 Good question, not heard anything as yet.

@Sketcz I really didn't need to recall that ending! XD

@Ryu_Niiyama It's definitely robust enough. It's built like a tank, honestly.

@Lordplops According to the Indiegogo page they've got almost 300 backers and have raised almost £300,000. Their entire business model is based around small production runs, so I guess the high price is part of that. Now, 300 units obviously isn't going to trouble the Switch 2 or Steam Deck, but there is an audience for these devices, even if it's a small one.

@-wc- I thought the same thing and tbh, it takes seconds to adjust to it. Like you say, the six-button arrangement on pads like the Saturn and Genesis six-button controller isn't 'perfect' anyway.

@-wc- I've edited out what I think you're talking about... apologies!

@DanijoEX-the-Pierrot It can handle them, just not the entire library, and not all running at full speed.

@gingerbeardman Yeah, sorry, I didn't make that clear, you have to set your sound to 'mono' in the game's settings.

@RetroGames People can be angry about both of those things at the same time.

@KingMike It's pulling them from the web.

@gingerbeardman If you could link me to that, I will update the story.

@drypaphmrbro The original poster of that skeet has deleted it. I've located a screenshot of the email and added it to this piece.