So glad they went with 2D instead of pre-rendered 3D. Especially since Guilty Gear X raised the bar with its clean anime sprites. Really blew my mind back in the day. It had the clean ink line integrity that went beyond anything Capcom or SNK had been able to achieve.
With the exception of the arcade Killer Instinct games and maybe a few shoot 'em ups, pre-rendered 3D sprites don't hold up at all in my opinion.
Words cannot describe my disdain for the Paul W. S. Anderson/Jovovich RE movies. Finding out Romero was going to write/direct an adaptation but they went with Anderson instead, that's just sad considering Romero basically started the zombie horror sub-genre.
@UK_Kev I had a launch version of the Genesis and I would have agreed with you back in the day that the SNES was superior and in terms of tech specs, it was. I really wanted a SNES and SF2 after playing SF2 in an arcade and I all but forgot about my Genesis.
However, it's not just nostalgia, I find myself going back to the Genesis way more than the SNES and I play on original hardware a lot of the time. I couldn't care less about high scores, unless I was in an arcade, it just didn't matter and I would say it still doesn't.
As someone said, the game quality is subjective. There's good and bad on both consoles. The Genesis model 1 is also one of the coolest console designs ever.
@-wc- lol I thought it was cool when I was a kid although I didn't get very far if I'm remembering correctly. I really liked the graphics at the time and I'm not sure why they say the DOS version was "clunky and ugly".
Can't download it at the moment but hopefully it will be back soon. Looks like an awesome book. No doubt took a lot of work.
I can only speculate but I'm guessing Sega and other companies want to protect their IP from things like Kickstarter, who make a profit from these kinds of campaigns. Sometimes things get funded into the hundreds of thousands of dollars beyond their original goal. Kickstarter then takes a percentage of a large sum of money, in this case from an unlicensed(?) IP.
Not defending Sega, I wish they were cool with things like this that honor their products, but did the author(s) attempt to get a licensing deal before making the book? If so, what was Sega's response?
@-wc- yeah it seems to be one of the only retro gaming sites that actually posts daily so it's pretty disappointing.
Good design, good pictures but I just can't stand the clickbait stuff. I fall for it as well but I'm getting sick of it. It's kind of manipulative when you know people feel strongly about prices and their favorite video game franchises... then you tell them their opinion is wrong.
@-wc- I don't think they care, in fact they want people to be triggered. Get more clicks, more comments, and sell more ads. I've only been coming to this site for a couple of months but I notice that there's a clickbait article about once a week. Say something inflammatory and get more clicks.
It's status quo for the internet unfortunately. The only thing to do is stop visiting this site.
Impressive rom hack. Definitely one of the best Sonic hacks I've tried. I played it for a few minutes and it was like a brand new game. It's a good time to be into retro games.
The colorful screenshot of the wolf transformation on the box looked so cool to me in 1989 and it was a huge leap forward to someone that had only played Atari 2600, NES, and some primitive PC games. I played Altered Beast a lot and still appreciate it today but it is like an old B movie that's trash by most people's standards. I'm not sure if Sonic would have sold me on the console tbh even though it's a million times better than Altered Beast.
Also considering the amount of just ugly/bad games that came out for the system, you could do much worse than Altered Beast. The music is good, the colors are nice and bright but it's the game people love to hate these days.
@Pillowpants Yeah I would have a hard time recommending Altered Beast to anyone who was born in the last 20 years or so. In 1989, as a kid that was into darker stuff like scifi, horror, fantasy, and heavy metal, Altered Beast really grabbed my attention.
Typical American hubris. The Japanese are unparalleled in visual arts. It's hard to imagine an American company lecturing them on character designs today, let alone in the 90's when the west was making horrible cartoons and replacing video game box art with uninspired trash.
The only thing Sega of America got right was the grey/black grid motif of the Sega Genesis but they abandoned that after a few years.
@RetroGames Yeah I agree. I think people have really praised Bloodlines disproportionately in recent years. I love the Genesis but Bloodlines looks downright ugly at times and it's basically "more of the same". I like it but Super Castlevania IV is the superior game with much deeper game play. If I'm remembering the making of video from strafefox correctly, Bloodlines was rushed to market so it was incomplete in a lot of ways and it shows.
An artist really needs honest feedback in order to grow and improve their skills. In time, ZVitor might be a great pixel artist but looking at the title screen, he's not there yet.
The gameplay on the other hand, looks great but the pixel art is a step backwards from the original Golden Axe games.
@sdelfin I agree that the newer video looks better. Don't get me wrong, it looks like they did an amazing job putting this together. However, in my opinion the sprites look a little cheap and more cartoon like, which could work with the right pixel artist but I think they missed the mark.
It might be higher resolution and have more animation but it's kind of a step backwards in terms of aesthetics. I guess I'm saying this looks more like a fan game and less like a beloved Sega arcade game.
Looks kinda cool but also reminds me of the Udon SSF2 HD from 2008ish. At first it was cool but after a short while I was thinking "I miss the real sprites." I'm kinda surprised no one has converted the Capcom AD&D beat 'em ups into a Golden Axe game.
They should remake the original with graphics on par with something like Diablo 4. I understand why they went 3d/3rd Person at the time but there are a thousand games now that do 3rd person very well. The original Legacy of Kain was unique and holds up well after all this time but the 3d cut scenes are hideous to look at.
@Serpenterror What resources are they wasting? How is it your problem when someone else decides to use their time/energy/skills to make a game for a console you obviously hate? It's not all about you.
@RetroGames I agree. It's the little flaws that give cel animation life that's not present in modern anime. I think it's largely because it's all vector lines, if it's even 2D at all. A lot of cheap looking 3D anime these days.
Does anyone remember the US cover for Marvel vs Capcom 3? It was awful. Especially compared to 1 and 2. Capcom has been giving the west horrible art/design choices for years.
Comments 179
Re: Guilty Gear Almost Used The Same 3D Graphics Technique As Donkey Kong Country
So glad they went with 2D instead of pre-rendered 3D. Especially since Guilty Gear X raised the bar with its clean anime sprites. Really blew my mind back in the day. It had the clean ink line integrity that went beyond anything Capcom or SNK had been able to achieve.
With the exception of the arcade Killer Instinct games and maybe a few shoot 'em ups, pre-rendered 3D sprites don't hold up at all in my opinion.
Re: Flashback: How An Australian Developer Helped Lucasfilm Make Its First Star Wars Game
"It was pre-Special Editions. Pre-prequels." Those were the days.
Re: Check Out This Smooth Streets Of Rage 2 Cover Medley
damn. that was good
Re: George A. Romero's Cancelled Resident Evil Film Is Getting A Documentary
Words cannot describe my disdain for the Paul W. S. Anderson/Jovovich RE movies. Finding out Romero was going to write/direct an adaptation but they went with Anderson instead, that's just sad considering Romero basically started the zombie horror sub-genre.
Re: "I Hated The Duke Controller" Admits Xbox Co-Creator
Reminds me of a really old post on "The Best Page in the Universe"
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=xbox_suckit
Re: Poll: What's The Best Sega System Of All Time?
@UK_Kev I had a launch version of the Genesis and I would have agreed with you back in the day that the SNES was superior and in terms of tech specs, it was. I really wanted a SNES and SF2 after playing SF2 in an arcade and I all but forgot about my Genesis.
However, it's not just nostalgia, I find myself going back to the Genesis way more than the SNES and I play on original hardware a lot of the time. I couldn't care less about high scores, unless I was in an arcade, it just didn't matter and I would say it still doesn't.
As someone said, the game quality is subjective. There's good and bad on both consoles. The Genesis model 1 is also one of the coolest console designs ever.
Re: The Making Of: Sorcerian, The Most Groundbreaking JRPG You've Never Played
@-wc- lol I thought it was cool when I was a kid although I didn't get very far if I'm remembering correctly. I really liked the graphics at the time and I'm not sure why they say the DOS version was "clunky and ugly".
Re: The Making Of: Sorcerian, The Most Groundbreaking JRPG You've Never Played
I had the MS-DOS version from Sierra. Wish I still had it. That and Thexder. Underrated classics.
Re: Greyfox Books Release Mega Drive Book For Free After Sega Issues "Cease And Desist"
Can't download it at the moment but hopefully it will be back soon. Looks like an awesome book. No doubt took a lot of work.
I can only speculate but I'm guessing Sega and other companies want to protect their IP from things like Kickstarter, who make a profit from these kinds of campaigns. Sometimes things get funded into the hundreds of thousands of dollars beyond their original goal. Kickstarter then takes a percentage of a large sum of money, in this case from an unlicensed(?) IP.
Not defending Sega, I wish they were cool with things like this that honor their products, but did the author(s) attempt to get a licensing deal before making the book? If so, what was Sega's response?
Re: Upset By Zelda Being $70? We've Arguably Never Had It So Good
@-wc- yeah it seems to be one of the only retro gaming sites that actually posts daily so it's pretty disappointing.
Good design, good pictures but I just can't stand the clickbait stuff. I fall for it as well but I'm getting sick of it. It's kind of manipulative when you know people feel strongly about prices and their favorite video game franchises... then you tell them their opinion is wrong.
It might as well have SEX in the title.
Re: Upset By Zelda Being $70? We've Arguably Never Had It So Good
@-wc- I don't think they care, in fact they want people to be triggered. Get more clicks, more comments, and sell more ads. I've only been coming to this site for a couple of months but I notice that there's a clickbait article about once a week.
Say something inflammatory and get more clicks.
It's status quo for the internet unfortunately. The only thing to do is stop visiting this site.
Re: Sonic Goes To Hell In This Devilish New Hack For Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Impressive rom hack. Definitely one of the best Sonic hacks I've tried. I played it for a few minutes and it was like a brand new game. It's a good time to be into retro games.
Re: Random: Michael Jackson Was A Fan Of Sega's Altered Beast
The colorful screenshot of the wolf transformation on the box looked so cool to me in 1989 and it was a huge leap forward to someone that had only played Atari 2600, NES, and some primitive PC games.
I played Altered Beast a lot and still appreciate it today but it is like an old B movie that's trash by most people's standards. I'm not sure if Sonic would have sold me on the console tbh even though it's a million times better than Altered Beast.
Also considering the amount of just ugly/bad games that came out for the system, you could do much worse than Altered Beast. The music is good, the colors are nice and bright but it's the game people love to hate these days.
Re: Random: Michael Jackson Was A Fan Of Sega's Altered Beast
@Pillowpants Yeah I would have a hard time recommending Altered Beast to anyone who was born in the last 20 years or so. In 1989, as a kid that was into darker stuff like scifi, horror, fantasy, and heavy metal, Altered Beast really grabbed my attention.
Re: Sega Of America Thought Sonic Was "Unsalvageable" As A Character
Typical American hubris. The Japanese are unparalleled in visual arts. It's hard to imagine an American company lecturing them on character designs today, let alone in the 90's when the west was making horrible cartoons and replacing video game box art with uninspired trash.
The only thing Sega of America got right was the grey/black grid motif of the Sega Genesis but they abandoned that after a few years.
Re: Best Castlevania Games - Every Castlevania Game Ranked
@RetroGames Yeah I agree. I think people have really praised Bloodlines disproportionately in recent years. I love the Genesis but Bloodlines looks downright ugly at times and it's basically "more of the same". I like it but Super Castlevania IV is the superior game with much deeper game play. If I'm remembering the making of video from strafefox correctly, Bloodlines was rushed to market so it was incomplete in a lot of ways and it shows.
Re: Poll: Do You Use A Flashcart?
@themightyant There's something to be said about taking a cartridge/disc out of its case and playing only that game. It's a different experience.
Re: Hands On: Golden Axe Returns Is So Good, Sega Itself Probably Couldn't Do Any Better
An artist really needs honest feedback in order to grow and improve their skills.
In time, ZVitor might be a great pixel artist but looking at the title screen, he's not there yet.
The gameplay on the other hand, looks great but the pixel art is a step backwards from the original Golden Axe games.
Re: Promising New Fangame Golden Axe Returns Releasing Later This Month
@Stocksy According to Reddit OpenBOR runs on Steamdeck. I have a RG351P with OpenBOR on it and that device is not as advanced as a Steamdeck.
Re: Promising New Fangame Golden Axe Returns Releasing Later This Month
@sdelfin I agree that the newer video looks better. Don't get me wrong, it looks like they did an amazing job putting this together. However, in my opinion the sprites look a little cheap and more cartoon like, which could work with the right pixel artist but I think they missed the mark.
It might be higher resolution and have more animation but it's kind of a step backwards in terms of aesthetics. I guess I'm saying this looks more like a fan game and less like a beloved Sega arcade game.
Re: Promising New Fangame Golden Axe Returns Releasing Later This Month
Looks kinda cool but also reminds me of the Udon SSF2 HD from 2008ish. At first it was cool but after a short while I was thinking "I miss the real sprites."
I'm kinda surprised no one has converted the Capcom AD&D beat 'em ups into a Golden Axe game.
Re: Random: Grandchild Discovers 26 Copies Of Wario Game In Late Grandmother's Collection
@Rambler She's never early, she's always late...
Re: "If HBO Made Zelda" - The Untold Story Of Legacy Of Kain: Dead Sun
They should remake the original with graphics on par with something like Diablo 4. I understand why they went 3d/3rd Person at the time but there are a thousand games now that do 3rd person very well. The original Legacy of Kain was unique and holds up well after all this time but the 3d cut scenes are hideous to look at.
Re: Random: Castlevania: SotN On Game Boy Color? We Can But Dream
@Poodlestargenerica lol excellent "How dare you?"
Re: Random: Castlevania: SotN On Game Boy Color? We Can But Dream
@Serpenterror What resources are they wasting? How is it your problem when someone else decides to use their time/energy/skills to make a game for a console you obviously hate? It's not all about you.
Re: Remembering Robotech's Carl Macek, The Man Who Brought Anime To The West
@RetroGames I agree. It's the little flaws that give cel animation life that's not present in modern anime. I think it's largely because it's all vector lines, if it's even 2D at all. A lot of cheap looking 3D anime these days.
Re: Soapbox: There's No Excuse For Street Fighter Having Bad Box Art, Capcom
Does anyone remember the US cover for Marvel vs Capcom 3? It was awful. Especially compared to 1 and 2. Capcom has been giving the west horrible art/design choices for years.
Re: Toaplan's Legendary Shmup 'Batsugun' Is Getting An Update 30 Years On
@alexybubble Wow yeah that's pretty ridiculous.
Re: Toaplan's Legendary Shmup 'Batsugun' Is Getting An Update 30 Years On
@alexybubble What's the problem with Arcadia? This is the first I've heard of it.