James-Bond

@BionicDodo

It was part the special photography set up at Mean Machines that showed the 16 bit games in all their glory, plus add the import scene so the unknown exotic factor.

Then having to wait each month for new games or screenshots plus amazing news then reviews or future snippets and tips!

Better, simpler times.

@h3s

I hold Amiga Format, Power, A.C.E., early Edge up to about a decade after 1993 launch under Brookes, Games X, Super Play and Mean Machines plus CVG and EGM then a few others as well like CU Amiga and PC Zone/Gamer, N64 magazine plus Zero, in high regard from that decade also...

Super Play is definitely the very best single format magazine though...

Still need Turtles, The Megaman and Final Fight, an NFL one plus original Sonic then Star Wars plus Sonic 2 final edition of magazine. Curses!

But have a mint copy of SF2 Legendary review and pull out poster now and issue zero!

Still devestated let a complete set of Games X from Europress fall through fingers last month as well, as bad timing!

That era of early 90s gaming is still unmatched.

Plus here is a good link.

https://www.forgottenworlds.net/mean-machines-history

This just reminded me no sign of delayed EGM compendium hardback yet, they keep adding stuff!

Oh man I read this article, and I am down 40 quid!

Looks very good, for a NES 8-bit era game, now I want to play Nosferatu on the SNES!

Did they use a variant of the "Blast Processing" strategy to open the doors of the said house that is all I want to know!

To be this good really does take ages!

Puts a new spin on "Do Me a Favour plug me into a Sega" and the "Sega Scream" though presumably created by said individual, or raiding squad on entry...

I assume the guilty party is sentenced to a Cyber Razorcut!

Genesis does what Nintendo don't most certainly!

I'll stop now.

Actually would have been perfect if raid was on 9th Sept as well. [Dreamcast 9.9.99]

Obviously Amiga and Atari ST fragrences will be twice as strong, pungent and aromatic as 16 bit over 8 bit...then the Falcon Archimedes and A1200 literally overpowering!

Oh this does look great, very Afterburner/Top Gun/Iron Eagle!

@Zenszulu Capcom would thus be throwing away guaranteed money if a reboot sequel is not created using Streetfighter 6 engine and digitised sprites! May as well release it on a new SEGA console as well to maximise sales!

I miss the tacit cold war marketing shenanigans of the 90s video game industry!

@Zenszulu Must of been direct result of the quality of the game and 1994 movie with Van Damme! 😂

Streetfighter the Movie at 11 in terms of units, did Capcom overproduce it or give it away?

All in all a remastered retro Mortalal Kombat-esque sprite version for next years Legendary film production is a must!

Pretty neat never tried this controller, looks like a cross between a NES Bone or SNES and Gamecube prototype combined!

@The_Nintendo_Pedant I loved the Dreamcast more as a second console to Gamecube for depth and variety of classics the Nintendo and SEGA combo was brilliant from 2001-2005

PS2 had MGS2/3, Gradius V, ICO, Last Guardian, Fantavision as stand outs or classics, and a few others eventually got sold in 2006/7, but held onto DC for 20-25 odd years...

@The_Nintendo_Pedant Excellent RGB and VGA signal and display for sure on Dreamcast, looked like an arcade!

@Sketcz Solid list here...

https://www.denofgeek.com/games/best-sega-dreamcast-games/

Plus Time Extension will have one hidden on website somewhere in Best of List series...

@Damo Gamecube for me for same reasons nearly entirely. Dreamcast, PS2 and Gamecube combo having missed out on Sega Console from 98-2001 was amazing range, library and variety.

Getting Gamecube in Los Angeles one month after launch Christmas 2001 with Pikmin, Smash, Bluestorm and Rogue Squadron 2 was a spectacular launch line up from Nintendo.

I strangely want to get into collecting for OG XBox in the present though, having missed that console totally...especially more obscure gems like Crimson Skies.

11 are Sports. 🤣

This looks really really good..

Release a new version of Final Fight 3 please on SNES/MD/PC Engine those prices are now crazy for any version of that game after a huge spike pre and post Covid.

Great article, appreciate the concept art designs...

ToyBiz is fascinating piece of pop culture history due to the Mavel Link and Avi Arad...

"Toy Biz partially acquired Marvel Entertainment Group. In the late 1990s, Marvel Entertainment Group filed for bankruptcy and became the subject of a battle for control in bankruptcy court."

"The company was salvaged in 1997 and merged with Toy Biz in 1998. The new company became Marvel Enterprises, and Toy Biz became a division of the new company."

"He became the CEO of Toy Biz in the 1990s, was the chief creative officer of Marvel Entertainment and is the founder, former chairman and former CEO of the latter's successor, Marvel Studios."

"Since then, he has produced and sometimes written a wide array of live-action, animated, and television comic book adaptations."

Great article... recall the original release on Amiga/PC, then Ocean and DIDs EPIC being all graphics and no playability.

Hunter by Activision was very good though, a game often forgotten as a precursor to Body Harvest/GTA.

Kudos to Pink Gorilla for taking this on chin.

Then making a marketing opportunity out of a pricing slip up as well in good spirits!

As others have said at least somebody will enjoy/play it now and be part of their collection!

@montrayjak

UN Squadron/Area 88 and Mystical Ninja plus Super Ghouls n Ghosts then Zelda III say hola!

@Espectro2410

If 2D great, if 3D not too fussed...

@nilcam Fangs for the gaming memories!

@Espectro2410 Genuine Question: What are Konami up to with Castlevania right now, in terms of releasing new games?

Looking at 16 bit SNES output specifically:

● Gradius III
● Castlevania IV
● TMNT IV
● Pop n Twin Bee
● Sparkster
● Axelay
● Cybernator
● Sunset Riders
● Dracula X
● Lethal Enforcers
● Batman Returns
● Contra III
● Mystical Ninja
● Prince of Persia
● Tiny Toons
● Zombies Ate My Neighbours

Many more I have probably forgot as well, back when Konami was a AAA brand; reassuring a quality gaming experience.

Just banger after banger on 16 bit, then you have Megadrve (once the American market of Genesis grew too large to ignore) as well as PC Engine.

The secret invisible staircase with every power up, before the final boss battle with Dracula is still one of the ultimate hidden game secrets of all time as well!

One of the best games of all time, coupled with amazing music, so scary I used it for Halloween one year, recorded onto a cassette tape from SNES.

The Metroidvanias do not compare for me, including SOTN and the GBA titles

Stone cold classic, like much of the early SNES run of games...

Perfect difficulty curve, and multi directional whip!

@Sketcz Sounds 100% plausible.

Cannot wait for the PC Engine CD 40th to just be a Sony Discman with NEC written in magic marker!

PS5 as a Neo Geo on side spray painted white this Christmas as well!

Great article 10/10.

Deserves to be in a Time Extension Compilation Hardback Book.

I tried this again last year, for nostalgia, and my skills have totally slipped from the 1990s.

@Forgotten_Worlds

Just a note aside I genuinelly love your site, and am always checking for new articles especially on foreign publications plus your premium physical books/editions of fanzine - got me back into old magazine collecting during Pandemic, plus your articles are 10/10.

Regards.

@MontyMole You have it on Vinyl?

https://thedeadpixels.squarespace.com/geek/2018/7/22/the-mysterious-cities-of-gold-soundtrack-on-vinyl

The music from early soundtracks by DIC and 90s ones are excellent like Ulysses 31 (French multi CD Anniversary Edition) MCOG and other such as Phantom 2040, Aeon Flux.

The Legend of Prince Valiant is also well worth tracking down with the CD and Theme song by Exchange, even the rock intro of Thundercats is Grade A perfect music to get motivated to for a run/workout...

Quality of this animation is 10/10 mixed with soundtrack makes it 11/10. Still blows my mind this was made 40 years ago and looks better than anything today including CGI IMO

Thundercats Intro HD

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HcGNqrAtsgg

LOPV Opening 480p

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v87iwPlNBcY&pp=0gcJCRsBo7VqN5tD

Haunting intro as well with the chess board as story starts...

@BrazilRules He is playing a modern/future day Odysseus from Homer's Odyssey but not first time I have heard that joke.

It is actually quite highbrow and really unique take on the saga mixing Greek, Myths and Science Fiction for a chilldren's animated show back when companies produced real quality content...

Star Wars is basically King Arthur x Sci Fi and this one does have laser swords and a cool self generating shield...obviously easier to commission early 80s when DIC and Chalopin just starting out company, but the stories in each episode have lasted test of time through decades...plus animation created in Japan meaning quality, but French written/produced...

One episode "The Seat of Forgetfulness" still haunts me to this day its so atmospheric fusing real dark fantasy with an amazing ending and set pieces...

I consider this 25 minutes to be a masterpiece of storytelling.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8snmqe

Full Episode.

@MontyMole That guy will always be a Grade A legend, it is amazing how much he contributed to 80s/90s pop culture.

I am sure there was a major beef over him and Haim Saban taking ownership of Power Rangers fully then selling it to Disney then buying it back though as he wrote theme song and royalties issue, then some other ownership credits disputes with theme songs that made big news...

Let me check.

Ah yeah X Men 92 more recent case getting wires crossed...

https://www.thepopverse.com/x-men-the-animated-series-theme-song-history-lawsuit-mcu-mutants

@retrogamer1

When Christopher Nolan was rumoured to be filming The Odyssey as his next film, when it broke late, I was hoping it was secretly this sci-fi project, and it was a swerve and the long rumoured big screen Ulysses 31 adaption at last given The Batman Trilogy treatment.

A trilogy of Ulysses 31 films on the scale of Peter Jackson's LOTR would have worked 100% with Nolan as visionary to bring the fusion of Greek Myths and Legends to life with a dark sci fi twist.

The world building created by Animated TV series is still 1st rate to this day with huge depth!

Plus Michael Caine could have played Zeus and Cillian Murphy would have obviously been cast as a villain!

https://www.pvv.ntnu.no/~torgerk/ulysses31/pages/film.html

@Sketcz Thanks so much for this!

I am a big 80s/90s traditional animation fan and never heard or seen of this at all. Now I need to find out if episodes were dubbed in English for any foreign markets...

"The English version aired on the American cable television network Nickelodeon from 1986 to 1987 and in reruns on early Sunday mornings through 1991. In the United Kingdom, Cartoon Network broadcast the series. It also aired on YTV in Canada from around 1988 to 1989."

I genuinelly do not know how I missed this, as it looks and sounds amazing! Hopefully a DVD release or rip or you tube complete series somewhere!

Just read second post with series link info. Thank you!!!

MCOG got 3 seasons of extra episodes over the last 15-20 or so years as Jean Chalopin wanted to finish the story from 80s and had it all mapped out since then finally concluding the saga, although season 1 is self contained.

Season 4 has remained untranslated from French for years now unbelievably...

I read this column I am down 32.49!

A Lucasarts point and click graphic adventure in the style of Loom back in the day would have been amazing!

@SpoonLagoon Gamecube games I would request for Switch 2 consideration...

● Custom Robo
● Waverace Bluestorm
● 1080 Avalanche
● Rogue Squadron
● F Zero GX
● Eternal Darkness
● Geist
● MGS Twin Snakes
● Mario Baseball, Tennis and Golf

Probably quite a few more as well..

I sold the Gamecube NTSC USA version I had to South America and Peru of all places for a tidy sum over Pandemic, happy to be able to play it another way now, and have the 3DS version still to try out!

@Tom_Gamer

Polygon was at its best first 5-7 years and the long form content later. When they integrated TV, Anime, Films, Board Games on parity with video games that is when it jumped the shark for me.

@Damo Crowdfunding like recent EGM Compendium, I am still waiting on for the hard copy, as delayed till end of summer for tweaks and additions.

Would make target 100% I think.

@Damo You guys should seriously consider a book/collection of different articles actually at TE.

For example this one on The Wizard was great and the recent Powermonger one by Jack, plus there are loads more long form ones on the site I am still discovering.

https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/05/the-making-of-the-wizard-an-oral-history-of-nintendos-hollywood-debut

https://www.timeextension.com/features/the-making-of-powermonger-bullfrogs-forgotten-rts-follow-up-to-populous

Seems ROM has some standard editions at 30 of SF2 History left, but unable to add them to my basket!

Heads up 19.99 from Amazon Thames and Hudson Edition only a few left though.

Just ordered.

@Damo I think that is why physical collections and media are so important from Bitmap or others in this day and age, even scans of Super Play and Mean Machines being available online.

Vox to Valnet was not a great fit, many people were also concerned when IGN/Ziff Davis took over Eurogamer Network despite long history with EGM in industry, but it seems to have worked out okay.

Even more so Popcat Reed on intitial EG NETWORK takeover a few years ago as just wanted physical shows like EGX it seemed.

I might actually search for the Streetfighter/Final Fantasy books on ebay now as result of this.

Do you know who published the hard copy versions?

Will search for SF2 book review on TE.

Found it Read Only Memory published it.

https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/01/review-like-a-hurricane-an-unofficial-oral-history-of-street-fighter-ii

@Damo Were they not sold as stand alone books as well?

@gingerbeardman Will check this DS version out, did not know it existed! Thank you.