It’s pretty incredible what the Speccy could do, but I’m not sure 12 years old me could have tolerated just how many tape changes this would have required… and of course it would crash right at the end!
I imagine the “smaller reasons” are likely to be getting out of dodge, before the inevitable suits turn up. But yeah, the rising cost of RAM due to AI is probably the real reason?!
@RootsGenoa “ For me, the biggest problem is the enormous use of energy.”
Plus one for me. Possibly my only issue with AI, aside from how most people use it.
The rest is history repeating itself. I have an illustrator friend who made a multi million fortune, (which he frittered away in the classic manner.) He said he didn’t embrace digital tools when they arrived and stated many of the reasons I hear people complain about AI now. The people who replaced him are now in the same position. Jobs and quality of product threatened by an emerging technology.
@Jellyscare “ The great thing about this article format is that it tells you which are worth playing and which aren’t.”
To an extent, but naturally, it's a subjective article. I can’t find anything to enjoy about Shining in the Darkness, but it’s fairly high on this list. If I played that first (and probably would have originally, if I had actually realised it was the first game), I might have missed out on the next 2, which are classics imho.
@N64-ROX ironically enough, this entire saga has an air of tabloid press sensationalism. I haven’t really followed the story and possibly wouldn’t know about it at all, if not for the exposure here. He could have used that exposure to engage and inform and then more people might be on his side.
From the outset, the story has been drip fed and full of holes and feels more like a conspiracy or attention seeking to my spidey senses at least. I’m not saying it’s a fraud; I simply need more useful information to make an informed decision.
If he’s right, then he deserves the weight of all the gaming communities behind him, but currently (and again, I’m only going from what people say here) he just seems to be throwing insults and stomping his feet.
As for Nintendolife, the clue is in the name. You’re not going to get too much common sense there if it doesn’t fit the Nintendo PR template!
@N64-ROX Had to delete my original reply, as I skimmed your comment and misunderstood. Tabloid basically means condensed news, but in the U.K. at least became synonymous with trashy type magazine style papers aimed at the (ahem) working classes. I guess this site features tabloid type news, but not at all in the sense that The Sun newspaper does!
I’m genuinely surprised how many people are disliking this. I love pixel too, but I think this looks great. Closer to Metroid Dread’s art style and nobody seemed to mind that.
This is the first time I’ve felt excitement for a Castlevania title since the NDS games.
A good VR remake/port of Perfect Dark sounds amazing, but then I think of all the running and turning some of those levels require and it makes me feel nauseous just imagining it.
So now it can play Doom? I do like the idea of being able to run PS2 isos natively, though it’s kind of ironic that I’d also unlock extra power in order to make it happen.
@Sketcz Thanks, I haven’t read that before. Interesting that he went into the project not having a great understanding of stereo imagery and to be honest, I’m not sure if he does now!
The guitar hero games (on Wii as that’s all I have enough experience to comment) just felt more like playing an instrument. I’m a musician and maybe you are and disagree? That’s fine.
I played this game with the guitar hero peripherals and at the time I was playing a digital drum kit in real life. The experience was so much more realistic in guitar hero as my memory serves. I recently bought a Wii and guitar controller, but have yet to find a well priced drum controller to test my memory…
@mariteaux I realise my comment is almost directly in contrast, but I do agree with the boobs and ads/official licensing being too much! I think it was a time when games seemed to be tunnel focussed on bouncy breasts and the whole internet was shouting “bewbs” as if that wasn’t misogynistic in any whatsoever.
I wish neversoft had got it because the guitar hero games were very natural feeling for a musician, especially the drumming. It felt all wrong in the eventual game, although it looked and sounded amazing on the Wii.
@Peteykins I do agree with you absolutely, but in this instance I don’t think there’s really any grey areas. They took someone else’s work and charged people to access it.
@GodlessPreservation I’ve been a sound engineer for close to 30 years and I hear stuff like this regularly. It’s not the notes you play, it’s the space between them that makes the track, etc. This is just a creative way of thinking and what sets them apart from the rest of us!
Reminded me of when Takemura said his final piece of music would be a single sound, 2 seconds long, or when Brian Wilson wrote Good Vibrations and called his friend into the room to listen and he just played the same note over and over again, haha.
@kirby2000 Thank you! I’ve just been googling for 20 minutes, trying to remember what brand of kempston joystick I used to have as a kid. Gave up and came back to read the comments and there it was!
I broke a lot of those playing Daley Thompson, Hyper Sports etc.
This is amazing. I don’t even own a C64 and still don’t think I can turn this down. The physical is practically the same price it would have been in 1990 and it comes with a free digital copy.
@metaphysician I hadn’t heard of this and you’re right, it’s hard to imagine how they will pull it off.
I can see why people working in the industry are getting nervous, but when you see ideas like this, it’s clear that AI has exciting potential in the right hands.
Personally I’m excited to see what people can achieve with AI. I don’t have to purchase the inevitable slop that’s going to be churned out. Companies like EA will find ways to exploit the industry in the name of profits with or without AI.
@flojomojo Good point and well made. I loved that period of FMV games, even if the games were mostly disappointing in terms of gameplay. I don’t think the comparison is perfect though. FMV games were still made by skilled artists with their own ideas. Dragon Slayer still does it for me and largely because it’s Don Bluth’s hand drawn animation that hasn’t aged like graphics do.
If AI is used considerately, rather than simply a cheap manufacturing process, I’m certain it can be a groundbreaking tool in the right hands. The artistry and skill of development needn’t be lost. My fear though is that the reality might be closer to an exec typing “make me a game about a frog” into ChatGPT or whatever AI thingy you can make games with.
@ChromaticDracula “ “Oriental” is a term traditionally used to describe objects”
I’ve not heard that before. Historically it was used to describe East Asian people and culture in my part of the world at least, but yes it’s definitely considered rude nowadays.
Interesting that they changed Joanna Dark’s features for the Japanese release though. I had no idea.
It’s a genuinely great feature for those wanting to use their physical cartridges. Going back to native N64 game is a blurry experience that didnt bother me in the slightest back then, but is jarring now. This clearly is a huge improvement in resolution.
@no_donatello “ Maybe in the same way that Tetris is anti-Mario”
I’d say more like in the way that Mario is great fun to play, with perfect controls and flawless level design, whereas Tail of the Sun is the polar opposite of those things.
I was never a huge fan of the original, despite my love for the point and click genre. If I end up enjoying origins, I’d be willing to give it another crack though.
I used to worry about the scarily swift growth of AI, but by all accounts it has pretty much reached a plateau and still draws a human hand with 9 fingers; each pointing in a direction that wasn’t intended by the gods.
In fact, the need to create something “unique” every single time it generates an image is no doubt its downfall. Things will only get weirder the more it is used.
I think it’s actually pretty cool that it recycles genuine components, even if it doesn’t match all the QOL improvements of later models.
Also, are those hinges unique to this model? I don’t recall any of my NDS’ having hinges like that. I wonder if it fixes the common issue of cracking the case?
Interesting how the box art for hardware has become so boring over time. If I had to choose on the strength of the boxart alone, I’d rather have a game boy power pack than a Switch 2.
@MysticWangForce “ coeliac disease, so I'm on a gluten free diet which is really.... REALLY FUN!”
I’m coeliac myself (about 12 years or so). Once you get used to the changes, the diet is actually pretty good. It’s certainly a lot more fun than a mouth full of ulcers and crippling belly pains!
Now this is a conversation I never expected to have on a gaming website.
"I was looking at Bomb Jack boards on eBay and pondering how they had enough fill-rate to draw 24 16x16 sprites and have the option for some to use 32x32 mode as well”
Yeah, we’ve all pondered that at some point in time.
I have strong memories of my parents Binatone TV Master, with tasteful orange trim, so Pong could well have been my first video game… makes me chuckle to think there was a moment when this thing was basically the PS5 of its time.
Comments 113
Re: 35 Years After Street Fighter II Changed Everything, The ZX Spectrum Finally Gets A Half-Decent Port
It’s pretty incredible what the Speccy could do, but I’m not sure 12 years old me could have tolerated just how many tape changes this would have required… and of course it would crash right at the end!
Re: "This Is What AI And Greed Does" - Video Game 'Preservation Service' Myrient Is Shutting Down
I imagine the “smaller reasons” are likely to be getting out of dodge, before the inevitable suits turn up. But yeah, the rising cost of RAM due to AI is probably the real reason?!
Re: "I'm Just Enjoying Building Software With Those New Tools" - Yaba Sanshiro Dev Credits AI With Saturn Emulator's Renewed Momentum
@RootsGenoa “ For me, the biggest problem is the enormous use of energy.”
Plus one for me. Possibly my only issue with AI, aside from how most people use it.
The rest is history repeating itself. I have an illustrator friend who made a multi million fortune, (which he frittered away in the classic manner.) He said he didn’t embrace digital tools when they arrived and stated many of the reasons I hear people complain about AI now. The people who replaced him are now in the same position. Jobs and quality of product threatened by an emerging technology.
Re: Every Shining Game, Ranked
@Jellyscare “ The great thing about this article format is that it tells you which are worth playing and which aren’t.”
To an extent, but naturally, it's a subjective article. I can’t find anything to enjoy about Shining in the Darkness, but it’s fairly high on this list. If I played that first (and probably would have originally, if I had actually realised it was the first game), I might have missed out on the next 2, which are classics imho.
Re: "Time To Expose Everything" - Fallout From Sega Dev Kit Raid Rumbles On
@N64-ROX ironically enough, this entire saga has an air of tabloid press sensationalism. I haven’t really followed the story and possibly wouldn’t know about it at all, if not for the exposure here. He could have used that exposure to engage and inform and then more people might be on his side.
From the outset, the story has been drip fed and full of holes and feels more like a conspiracy or attention seeking to my spidey senses at least. I’m not saying it’s a fraud; I simply need more useful information to make an informed decision.
If he’s right, then he deserves the weight of all the gaming communities behind him, but currently (and again, I’m only going from what people say here) he just seems to be throwing insults and stomping his feet.
As for Nintendolife, the clue is in the name. You’re not going to get too much common sense there if it doesn’t fit the Nintendo PR template!
Re: "Time To Expose Everything" - Fallout From Sega Dev Kit Raid Rumbles On
@N64-ROX Had to delete my original reply, as I skimmed your comment and misunderstood. Tabloid basically means condensed news, but in the U.K. at least became synonymous with trashy type magazine style papers aimed at the (ahem) working classes. I guess this site features tabloid type news, but not at all in the sense that The Sun newspaper does!
Re: Not Feeling Castlevania: Belmont's Curse's Art Style? Then Check Out Silent Planet
I’m genuinely surprised how many people are disliking this. I love pixel too, but I think this looks great. Closer to Metroid Dread’s art style and nobody seemed to mind that.
This is the first time I’ve felt excitement for a Castlevania title since the NDS games.
Re: 3DS Emulation Just Keeps On Getting Better
@Razieluigi The 3D was genuinely great at times. The old school Sega and Nes games especially stand out (pun intended).
It’s a shame that developers got lazy with the 3D so quickly. Even Nintendo’s own efforts were basically autoconversion’s eventually.
These days I rarely use the 3D effect, simply because I’m scared of breaking the slider!
Re: 3DS Emulation Just Keeps On Getting Better
Now we just need Anbernic et al to start releasing 20 consoles a month with 3D displays and my 3DS anxiety syndrome will be cured.
Re: A Fanmade VR Port Of The N64 Classic 'Perfect Dark' Is Currently In The Works
A good VR remake/port of Perfect Dark sounds amazing, but then I think of all the running and turning some of those levels require and it makes me feel nauseous just imagining it.
Re: "History In The Making" - New PS3 Mod Unlocks "Impossible" Levels Of Performance, And Sony Can't Do Anything About It
@slider1983 True, that!
Re: "History In The Making" - New PS3 Mod Unlocks "Impossible" Levels Of Performance, And Sony Can't Do Anything About It
So now it can play Doom? I do like the idea of being able to run PS2 isos natively, though it’s kind of ironic that I’d also unlock extra power in order to make it happen.
Re: New Video Reveals The Inner Workings Of Nintendo's Ill-Fated Virtual Boy
@Sketcz Thanks, I haven’t read that before. Interesting that he went into the project not having a great understanding of stereo imagery and to be honest, I’m not sure if he does now!
Re: New Video Reveals The Inner Workings Of Nintendo's Ill-Fated Virtual Boy
Imagine what a chore it was to develop for, just trying to ensure the image displayed correctly.
Re: The "Hot Coffee" That Never Was - Did Rockstar's Co-Founders Put A Lewd Secret In This PS1 Football Game?
Poor David Seaman (or is it supposed to be Banks) left out in the cold, despite having the most made-for-porno moustache on the pitch.
Re: "That Was The Big Crown Jewel" - Guitar Hero Dev Recalls Losing The Battle For The Beatles Rights To Harmonix
The guitar hero games (on Wii as that’s all I have enough experience to comment) just felt more like playing an instrument. I’m a musician and maybe you are and disagree? That’s fine.
I played this game with the guitar hero peripherals and at the time I was playing a digital drum kit in real life. The experience was so much more realistic in guitar hero as my memory serves. I recently bought a Wii and guitar controller, but have yet to find a well priced drum controller to test my memory…
Re: "That Was The Big Crown Jewel" - Guitar Hero Dev Recalls Losing The Battle For The Beatles Rights To Harmonix
@mariteaux I realise my comment is almost directly in contrast, but I do agree with the boobs and ads/official licensing being too much! I think it was a time when games seemed to be tunnel focussed on bouncy breasts and the whole internet was shouting “bewbs” as if that wasn’t misogynistic in any whatsoever.
Re: "That Was The Big Crown Jewel" - Guitar Hero Dev Recalls Losing The Battle For The Beatles Rights To Harmonix
I wish neversoft had got it because the guitar hero games were very natural feeling for a musician, especially the drumming. It felt all wrong in the eventual game, although it looked and sounded amazing on the Wii.
Re: Hallelujah! The Dubious Quest To Find Monkey Ball's Lost "Adult" Levels Is Complete
The use of her bosom’s as 3D obstacles is as classy as it is innovative.
Re: "This Was Not Something We Wanted" - Bully's Fanmade Online Mod Has Been Shut Down, After Just One Month
@Peteykins I do agree with you absolutely, but in this instance I don’t think there’s really any grey areas. They took someone else’s work and charged people to access it.
Re: This Week's Arcade Archives Release Is An American Football Game From The Creators Of Ikari Warriors
@Zeebor15 Calm down Ken Griffey, we’re your friends!
Re: Best Of 2025: "Music Is Pretty Much All I Think About" - PaRappa The Rapper's Creator On His Journey From Pop Star To Game Dev
@GodlessPreservation I’ve been a sound engineer for close to 30 years and I hear stuff like this regularly. It’s not the notes you play, it’s the space between them that makes the track, etc. This is just a creative way of thinking and what sets them apart from the rest of us!
Reminded me of when Takemura said his final piece of music would be a single sound, 2 seconds long, or when Brian Wilson wrote Good Vibrations and called his friend into the room to listen and he just played the same note over and over again, haha.
Re: One Of The Most Iconic Joysticks Of The '80s And '90s Is Being Revived
@kirby2000 Thank you! I’ve just been googling for 20 minutes, trying to remember what brand of kempston joystick I used to have as a kid. Gave up and came back to read the comments and there it was!
I broke a lot of those playing Daley Thompson, Hyper Sports etc.
Re: This New Robin Hood Game For The Commodore 64 Looks Seriously Impressive
This is amazing. I don’t even own a C64 and still don’t think I can turn this down. The physical is practically the same price it would have been in 1990 and it comes with a free digital copy.
Re: Monkey Island Creator Ron Gilbert Cancelled His Pixelated Zelda-Esque RPG Because Old-School Zelda "Isn't The Big, Hot Item"
@KingMike Nice try, Nintendo Ninja…
I hope some day Ron does get to make his Zelda RPG, because honestly, on paper that sounds amazing.
Re: "Sonic Was Terribly Controversial" - Mark Cerny On Why Yuji Naka Quit After Making Sega's Biggest Hit
4 and a half people? I heard the other half of that person had to clean the toilets. The Japanese are brutal when it comes to business.
Re: If The Oliver Twins' Ghost Hunters Is The Future Of GenAI Gaming, Then We Have Nothing To Worry About
@metaphysician I hadn’t heard of this and you’re right, it’s hard to imagine how they will pull it off.
I can see why people working in the industry are getting nervous, but when you see ideas like this, it’s clear that AI has exciting potential in the right hands.
Personally I’m excited to see what people can achieve with AI. I don’t have to purchase the inevitable slop that’s going to be churned out. Companies like EA will find ways to exploit the industry in the name of profits with or without AI.
Re: If The Oliver Twins' Ghost Hunters Is The Future Of GenAI Gaming, Then We Have Nothing To Worry About
@NatiaAdamo I’m pretty sure you know what I meant. In case you didn’t, then yes. I meant Dragons Lair.
Re: If The Oliver Twins' Ghost Hunters Is The Future Of GenAI Gaming, Then We Have Nothing To Worry About
@flojomojo Good point and well made. I loved that period of FMV games, even if the games were mostly disappointing in terms of gameplay. I don’t think the comparison is perfect though. FMV games were still made by skilled artists with their own ideas. Dragon Slayer still does it for me and largely because it’s Don Bluth’s hand drawn animation that hasn’t aged like graphics do.
If AI is used considerately, rather than simply a cheap manufacturing process, I’m certain it can be a groundbreaking tool in the right hands. The artistry and skill of development needn’t be lost. My fear though is that the reality might be closer to an exec typing “make me a game about a frog” into ChatGPT or whatever AI thingy you can make games with.
Re: Best Xbox 360 Games Of All Time
Mirror’s Edge for me. Was my first 360 game and still impresses me to this day.
Re: Feature: "It's Like Time Travel" - Nightdive's Studio Head On Resurrecting Outlaws, LucasArts Forgotten FPS Western
Whoever was playing in the trailer footage would make a pretty good stormtrooper.
Re: Did Somebody Say 'Nintendo 64 Pro'? Watch The Analogue 3D's Overclocked Mode In Action
@ChromaticDracula “ “Oriental” is a term traditionally used to describe objects”
I’ve not heard that before. Historically it was used to describe East Asian people and culture in my part of the world at least, but yes it’s definitely considered rude nowadays.
Interesting that they changed Joanna Dark’s features for the Japanese release though. I had no idea.
Re: Did Somebody Say 'Nintendo 64 Pro'? Watch The Analogue 3D's Overclocked Mode In Action
It’s a genuinely great feature for those wanting to use their physical cartridges. Going back to native N64 game is a blurry experience that didnt bother me in the slightest back then, but is jarring now. This clearly is a huge improvement in resolution.
Re: Artdink To Rerelease Doshin The Giant Creator's "Anti-Mario" PS1 Adventure 'Tail Of The Sun'
@no_donatello “ Maybe in the same way that Tetris is anti-Mario”
I’d say more like in the way that Mario is great fun to play, with perfect controls and flawless level design, whereas Tail of the Sun is the polar opposite of those things.
Re: The Studio Behind Simon the Sorcerer's Prequel Is Reportedly Remaking The Amiga Classic
I was never a huge fan of the original, despite my love for the point and click genre. If I end up enjoying origins, I’d be willing to give it another crack though.
Re: The Oliver Twins Are Reviving Ghost Hunters Using (Shudder) Generative AI
I used to worry about the scarily swift growth of AI, but by all accounts it has pretty much reached a plateau and still draws a human hand with 9 fingers; each pointing in a direction that wasn’t intended by the gods.
In fact, the need to create something “unique” every single time it generates an image is no doubt its downfall. Things will only get weirder the more it is used.
Re: Portuguese Sharpshooter Gildo Returns To The Game Boy In 'Alentejo: The Tinto And The Ugly'
“The lights from the sky took my cow!”
Ok, I’m getting it.
Re: Random: GameStop Drops A Clanger After Declaring The Console Wars "Over"
@Gerald “ As an Amstrad owner, we were not really part of the C64 Vs Speccy War. We were just better 😜”
Yeah, better at being SMELLY!
Just kidding. You smell great… probably.
Re: Pricing And Release Date Revealed For Full-Size Amiga Replica 'THE A1200'
@slider1983 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaion
Re: Random: Consider Yourself Lucky You Didn't Get This Nintendo DS For Christmas
I think it’s actually pretty cool that it recycles genuine components, even if it doesn’t match all the QOL improvements of later models.
Also, are those hinges unique to this model? I don’t recall any of my NDS’ having hinges like that. I wonder if it fixes the common issue of cracking the case?
Re: Feature: "This Is Where The Game Truly Begins" - The Secret Weapon Behind Nintendo's Most Iconic Box Art
Interesting how the box art for hardware has become so boring over time. If I had to choose on the strength of the boxart alone, I’d rather have a game boy power pack than a Switch 2.
Re: Pricing And Release Date Revealed For Full-Size Amiga Replica 'THE A1200'
@boatie The 1200 was true 32 bit and had 2 whole MBs of Ram (as opposed to approx 500k of the 500).
Re: McDonald's Is Teasing Something Street Fighter-Related, But Only In Japan
I’ll call it now. Chic-Ken nuggets… and possibly a Vega’n option?
Re: Gaming Legend Rebecca Heineman Could Really Do With Your Positive Vibes Right Now
@Exerion76 “ It's just insane, that people have to start a gofundme, to be able to afford an operation, in the US.”
Yeah and anywhere in the world. What’s the point in scientific progress if it only benefits the wealthy?
Re: "My Goal Is To Finish All Outstanding Orders And Hopefully Hang Around For A Little Longer" Modder Voultar Opens Up On Health Issues
@MysticWangForce “ coeliac disease, so I'm on a gluten free diet which is really.... REALLY FUN!”
I’m coeliac myself (about 12 years or so). Once you get used to the changes, the diet is actually pretty good. It’s certainly a lot more fun than a mouth full of ulcers and crippling belly pains!
Now this is a conversation I never expected to have on a gaming website.
Re: "My Goal Is To Finish All Outstanding Orders And Hopefully Hang Around For A Little Longer" Modder Voultar Opens Up On Health Issues
I feel I can probably speak for everyone when I say cancer can bu##er off! Here’s wishing him a full recovery and the strength to persevere.
Re: This Modder Has Revived Imagine's Infamous 'Megagame' Add-On Concept, And The Results Are Jaw-Dropping
"I was looking at Bomb Jack boards on eBay and pondering how they had enough fill-rate to draw 24 16x16 sprites and have the option for some to use 32x32 mode as well”
Yeah, we’ve all pondered that at some point in time.
Seriously though, this is an incredible feat!
Re: Game Changer: Donkey Kong II Game & Watch - My First Ever Taste Of Video Games
I have strong memories of my parents Binatone TV Master, with tasteful orange trim, so Pong could well have been my first video game… makes me chuckle to think there was a moment when this thing was basically the PS5 of its time.
Re: Who Is Chris Houlihan? One Of The Greatest Zelda Mysteries May Have Been Solved
CH is real 2401
Re: The Atari Gamestation Go Launches Next Month
@The_Nintendo_Pedant “ (is it super goofy and ugly or is it just me? 🤔)”
I wouldn’t say you were goofy…. but yeah it reminds me of the West Germany football kit and I’ll never be able to unsee that.