Damo

@RootsGenoa Given how many beat 'em ups have been released in the past few decades, no list was ever going to please everyone.

@LikeWhoa So the list is 'trash' because we didn't include an unofficial hack and Power Stone 2, which isn't even a beat 'em up (it's a multiplayer arena-based fighting game)?

@Gryzor You appear to be willfully missing the point of this piece, which is to point out that video games cost $70 thirty years ago - there's no attempt to excuse corporate greed here (hence the mention in the piece that games should be cheaper today, given the size of the industry).

Anyway, you've clearly made your mind up, so good day.

@Gryzor "There's also a higher profit margin in 2023 vs 1994, because publishers don't have to:

Manufacture a cartridge.
Design and write a 30 page colour manual.
Print and assemble the box, manual and cartridge label.
Ship via sea freight from Nintendo's manufacturing site in Japan.
Pay shipment insurance.
Pay for warehouse storage between shipment and distribution.
Pay the local distribution company in each country.
Pay the brick and mortar store for retail shelf-space.
Pay a marketing contribution to the distributor and retailer."

Unless I'm missing something, companies like Nintendo still do all of that (minus the manual, which is something I'm against - all games should come with a physical manual). Digital hasn't totally removed the production of physical games.

For your next task, compare the actual cost of video game development in 1994 to 2023.

@-wc- @Gryzor Irrespective of what viewpoint you have on this particular topic (and the feature itself, I feel, does a good job of explaining the whys and wherefores of pricing, both in 1994 and 2023), the fact remains that decades ago, players were expected to pay $70 for a video game that offered arguably much less content than one in 2023. That price point isn't a new thing, not by a long chalk.

Regardless of the size of the market, production costs, etc, the consumer was paying what would be in modern money closer to $140 for a game - which is why gamers of a certain vintage might be a little less bothered by price increases. That was the crux of the piece. No one is defending Nintendo here (indeed, Sony hiked prices long before Nintendo did).

I'm sorry people have taken such offence at me merely pointing out that $70 video games aren't a new thing, and it would be a shame for that to be misconstrued as somehow being 'pro-publisher' - price rises of any kind aren't a welcome thing, but, as I try to articulate in the piece (perhaps not as well as I could have done), video games still represent amazing value for money when compared to other mediums, and have been relatively stable for years now (Xbox 360 games were selling for as much as $60 15 years ago, for example).

Whether or not you think a video game should cost $50, $60 or even $70 bucks, the fact is that the industry has grown up around that being the premium price point, with development / staffing costs being based on that RRP.

@-wc- We've covered Retro Fighters pads on the site, they're great:

https://www.timeextension.com/news/2022/09/review-retro-fighters-defender-a-wireless-wonder-for-ps1-ps2-and-ps3

https://www.timeextension.com/news/2020/07/review_retro_fighters_strikerdc_-_the_only_dreamcast_pad_you_need

@Moroboshi876 Glad you liked the review. We had to wait a bit for the copy to arrive from Japan, otherwise it would have been up sooner!

@SonOfDracula The Master System is the one before the Mega Drive, which was called the Genesis in North America 😀

@Serpenterror The console in the lead photo for this guide has a modded backlit screen

@845H His wealth obviously helps, but he clearly knows what's worth collecting - I doubt you'd pick all of that stuff up randomly.

@BulkSlash It does have an app, but it's not as slick as the Steam interface - although it does do a good job of pulling together all of the games you have installed from the various sources (Steam, Epic Game Store, etc).

You can just run Steam in big picture mode if you prefer, however.

@Bunkerneath I have no idea what you mean

@JJtheTexan Thanks for the feedback! Glad you liked it

@Maxz Yep, it was a fun ride and really interesting regardless

@KingMike Konami was buying stock in Hudson prior to that but it didn't become a wholly owned subsidiary of Konami until April 2011: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2011/01/konami_to_take_over_hudson_in_april

@RetroGames I think with the original game, they were probably up against a tight deadline to hit the Game Boy launch. And, with it being one of the first games, they probably didn't have much experience with the system. If you look at how much of an improvement Belmont's Revenge is, then Adventure clearly wasn't Konami's best work!

@boatie Were there any games that actually forced you to use the DualShock? Ape Escape is the only one I can think of.

Even titles like Gran Turismo allowed you to use the digital pad as well. In fact, I don't remember getting a DA controller until very late in the console's life, so it's less of an issue than you might think.

@saintpumpkin As much as I love Revenge of Death Adder, it's VERY repetitive (like a lot of arcade games were back then). Golden Axe Returns feels to me like it takes the best elements of Revenge and adds in more content, as well as giving the player a combat engine which has more depth. Each to their own, of course, but I feel that Returns is an excellent unofficial successor to the series - a series which Sega isn't doing anything with at the moment.

@Coalescence @SpeedRunRocks @TheWingedAvenger The list may well evolve over time, but like any list, it's our opinion - so it's not going to sync up with everyone's favourite list.

It's more a selection of games that, if you were new to the console, would be a solid group to begin with.

@DashKappei You're quite right, that has been amended.

@Wanderer64 We're working on a feature about the device, so who knows?

@N64-ROX Bitmap paid a licence for the SMS book, and Sega's stance on books has changed recently.

From a legal perspective, Sega's case against Bitmap Books is very flimsy - the book doesn't include artwork / box art, and is comprised of bespoke screenshots / photos / commissioned art.

However, like I said, a company like Bitmap can't go to court to argue this, as it would cost a fortune.

@MarioBrickLayer I don't think it would be worth it, as ultimately if Sega has an issue (valid or otherwise) then a company the size of Bitmap Books isn't going to have the funds required to fight it in court.

It is, at the end of the day, Sega's IP, so it can challenge any project which uses it.

@Wanderer64 You're not the first person to spot that - the piece was originally published on one of our sister sites in 2011, so I will update it now to avoid any confusion.

@farrgazer We might revisit this at a later date but I wanted to review the 'out of the box' experience as that is what the vast majority of people will be seeing.

@AstraeaV Yep! Just drop them on the SD card.

@Poodlestargenerica The original PS1 had two shoulder triggers and no analogue stick (until the optional controller arrived, at least) so I assume these have been included for that.

@KingMike The intention wasn't to 'credit' them with the 3DO, it was more to illustrate that they were one of many 'big' tech firms getting involved with home gaming hardware.

However, it's perhaps easy to ignore the fact that Panasonic's support got 3DO over the line in those early days - the company was one of 3DO's most high-profile partners (and Panasonic's parent company, Matsushita, bought the rights to M2 from 3DO, lest we forget) and produced the first 3DO system.

@DashKappei Thanks for the kind words, it means a lot, honestly!

@Zentradi And your username!

@BulkSlash Star Fleet / X-Bomber has never been bettered! What a show!

@sdelfin Could not agree more. Like Macek says, without Robotech, none of this stuff would have made it over at all.

@mrbogus No, this is the western release.

@LillianC14 http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9909/09/dreamcast/

@HotGoomba You win the internet today 😂

@PSXDave That site is the source, so it's only fair

@jollyjoe0 I kind of agree, GTA is very much its own thing and a fusion of games, movies, music, etc... so why would a film version make any sense? Even so, I think it's bound to happen at some point, because whenever anything gets popular, money tends to chase it...

@RetroGames What I wouldn't give for that to happen!

@Tasuki The Mega Drive and SNES were considered retro by the time 2000 rolled around and they were 12 years / 10 years old respectively at that point.

The Wii is 16 years old. It's retro.

@Axelay71 Thanks again! It means a lot

@dre8472 I know, right?!

@raftos @Axelay71 Thanks for the kind words! This really was fun to put together, I have to say. I live near Rare current (and former) HQs, so this feels like a little bit of local history to me. It blows my mind that such massive games were made in such unassuming surroundings. Seriously, you can drive through Twycross today and not even be aware that such a huge developer is based there.

@Scooby-Doo Glad you like them! We've got more planned, needless to say

@Razieluigi Yeah, I cannot wait for CD support to be added!

If anyone is wondering, no, you're not suffering from deja vu. This piece was previously published on Nintendo Life and we've migrated it over to Time Extension, along with updated text and more images. 😄

@Mikmoomamimocki Time Extension is (pardon the pun) an extension of all of the sites in the network, so we're embedding articles on Push Square and Pure Xbox (and vice versa, we've embedded NL news pieces on TE as well).

There's little point in NL and TE covering the same topic twice, especially when it's something as niche as reprints of NES and Game Boy games, so we feel it makes most sense to highlight certain pieces on NL (or the other sites) when relevant. That way, NL readers still get the content and we don't double-up reporting on the same stuff. It also means that NL/PS/PX readers will get access to fringe stuff that those sites wouldn't cover normally.

@Ryu_Niiyama I guess what I meant is that you quickly realise how limited and repetitive the gameplay is in AC1, despite the fact that it's still incredible to explore the world. In AC2, they added a lot more variety which made it feel less repetitive... but as I said, I agree with you, I can remember LOADS of AC1 but AC2 isn't anywhere near as memorable to me now.

@Ryu_Niiyama I think I'd probably agree. Although AC2 was more 'fun', AC1 had a better setting and the whole past / future thing was done better. This one is ripe for a remaster, to be honest, with the core concept kept in place but improved mechanics from the other games, maybe?

@Teksetter My Japanese version is also on the way, can't wait to try it out!

@Gerald Yep, the bumps are present and correct