Sketcz

Paywall? **** paywalls - that data on MobyGames is meant to be free.

I have personally donated huge volumes of privately taken photos of developers who had no photos before, and filled in gaps for games where no one knew the creators.

I did not do that for it to be paywalled!

Granted, that data is still freely accessible currently, and this paywall seems to be for useless extras. But I am going to burst a blood vessel if I find them paywalling stuff I donated for free public access.

That was not part of the deal!

@N00BiSH This was it! Thank you!

Everyone, check out Bubsy and the James Turrel Retrospective. It's weird and cool.

Did that infinite scroller from a few years back actually sell well? It was awful.

I did once play a good 3D Bubsy game. It was fan made and cel shaded kinda surreal. I forget the name. You had to find an art gallery or something.

I've not followed 3D scanning developments. Do we have an agreed consensus on proper measurements / quality levels of scans?

I recall that a huge volume of magazine scans from the early days of archiving were scrapped after the community decided they needed to reach a higher minimum DPI threshold.

Is there a similar set of criteria for 3D scans? Is the data future proof? In 10 years, if there is a new technology for 3D printing, are these old scans of sufficient resolution that they will still be usable?

(OK, that last hypothetical is hard to answer - but old celluloid / acetate film can be scanned at 10k resolution, so it's not like we need to reshoot old films using modern digital cameras, the acetate itself is future proof; likewise, current high DPI scans of magazines continue to work well in new and higher resolution digital reading devices, often better since you don't need to scroll. So future proofing is doable. I just don't fully understand the techniques here.)

@GhaleonUnlimited I wanted to like Granstream so badly. I loved the faceless art style and the sky island setting. Sadly the combat does suck SO BADLY. I restarted to get the secret sword, with the highest stats, which one shot kills any enemy. And... I still found myself button mashing for several minutes per battle because enemies constantly blocked. A battle just never ended! And killing them gives no reward. And they respawn. And dungeons are complex mazes with no map. So you get lost, and have to fight dozens of battles over and over, and they drag on forever, because you can slash an enemy a hundred times but oh hey they just block and receive zero damage. Even the Soulsborne games allow one to brute force enemies as long as you can break their stamina gauge.

No. I hate Granstream Saga with every fibre of my being. It's not a Quintet game. Quintet died at the end of its 16-bit run. It died young and beautiful and with an immaculate portfolio and will remain so forever in our hearts.

@GhaleonUnlimited I went back to play Lego FF7 using the fan retranslation, and it makes it less nonsensical. I always liked it more for its mechanics than story, but the retranslation makes it much easier to follow. For the first few hours I played it alongside the original, loading saves to reread key dialogue - I was kinda shocked at how the official localisation is borderline gibberish.

Ultimately that FF7 spoiler scene did nothing for me. While multiple scenes in S1 and especially S2 hit so hard - and still do today. There are mutiple endings, and I honestly cannot bring myself to see the sadder ones. Maybe with the Remaster...

Given that some readers genuinely didn't know about FF7, I should have kept the spoiler warning, but for both games, and not revealed the FF7 one at the top.

But like I said: I have grown accustomed to veteran players using it as short hand when discussing emotional games. And I find it frustrating how a majority of older gamers will say "that's the most emotional scene in games".

And I'm like: really? Have you not played Suikoden 2, or Panzer Dragoon Saga? There's a rich portfolio of deep games out there. FF7 by comparison is emotionally shallow and kind of nuts. I like it, but only for the complex battle system and way you can manipulate the materia system.

@Poodlestargenerica I'm sorry I spoiled a key moment in FF7 for you - please rest assured that while this event is a key plot point, the entire game contains numerous other surprises, a couple even on par with this. It's still worth experiencing.

The lesson I'm taking from this is there is no statute of limitations on story spoilers, no matter the age or popularity of a game.

I seem to recall either Edge, or GamesTM spoiling FF7 in a making of, so I'm not the first. I hope all other examples receive equal treatment.

In future I will apply the same blanket rule to all games - no spoilers. Not even a warning, simply no spoilers.

If I've offended anyone, that's on me. Please don't let such negative feelings reflect the games being discussed.

It would not be the first time a developer grabbed random text in a foreign language and inserted it in their games.

@Poodlestargenerica Did I actually genuinely spoil FF7 for you? If so then I'm very surprised, shocked even. I am sorry.

That specific FF7 spoiler is so well documented, it's become the cornerstone of gaming pop culture. I've seen so many examples where people ask: can a videogame make you cry? And people start bawling over this scene. A magazine spoiled it for me in the day. I felt nothing - I was glad to have one less party member to grind!

The answer to your question is in the question itself. FF7 is so popular, I felt everyone knew this example. It has become gaming shorthand. You can't watch a Dorkly comedy video, or browse internet memes, without risking seeing THAT scene satirised. How were you able to not know it? In the last 25 years I must have seen it mentioned over 100 times.

Whereas Suikoden I&II are less known, less played, and I really want people to play them. A lot. I spoiled the "death of your father" because that happens like... 4 hours in? The pacing is so quick. In FF7 you're still rolling around in garbage in Midgar at that time - it's slow and padded. I like FF7, finished it twice; but I love Suikoden I&II.

I feel bad spoiling Suikoden 1 like that, but I did it with the promise that both games contain so many more emotional moments. I did it to entice players, like a taster. As for spoiling FF7, I'm sorry I was the one to break it for you. I honestly thought no one alive who plays games would be unaware.

If anyone has not played S1 or S2, please try them. The PS1 games were on PSN a while back (not sure now?), plus the remasters are coming. I'm going to put my hand up and say: in the year 2024 they are still fantastic, and some of you may actually find them to be better than their peers (such as FF7 et al).

I really want people to care about these games, because they deserve it.

This was one of the best GBA games ever released. I actually held the cartridge in my hands once.

It might even be my #1 favourite GBA game.

If I'm recalling correctly, that tree chopping game was actually one of SNK's very earliest arcade titles, and they lost the game (everything - there is no known archive of the arcade version), meaning the conversion to this console is the last existing remnant of the original.

I think. These memories are half faded from something I read somewhere. I think it was in the SNK compilation which had VGHF info in it.

EDIT:
Not quite accurate:
https://snk.fandom.com/wiki/Yosaku

The port seen in the video was unauthorised, and it had an official port as a secret minigame on NGPC.

I love how dinky and primitive this is. I'd love to have the technical knowledge to poke under the hood and seeing what it was capable of with 40 years hindsight and coding knowledge. Fascinating.

@gingerbeardman Thank you! I had not checked out the original page - appreciated!

This reminds very strongly of Cave Noire on Game Boy. I wonder if the devs were fans?

Tempted, but only on the condition that at random and unpredicted times Tommy will run through my new house jubilantly screaming: "HEY I'M TOMMY TALLARICO! I INVENTED GAME MUSIC! HAVE YOUR HEARD IT?!"

I saw it in EGM and always wanted to own it. The story was crazy. Later played a demo and loved the level. Never bought it because I was young and lacked the funds. Someday I will put it on my PSIO.

I briefly skimmed those pages (way too much to read everything), and... Apparently someone, I'm unsure if it was a forum user or a dev, was suggesting replacing the islanders with lizard men.

Changing or censoring the content is a terrible idea. It's like digitally removing cigarettes from old films. You can't undo or change the past - it is what it is, and it forms part of the creative vision that reached the market.

Keep in mind that everything you see anyway had already gone through filters, and changes, and revisions, before being finalised for market.

I strongly dislike the idea of post-market changes (which is also why I cannot stomach George Lucas' meddling with the original trilogy - thank the gods someone took them away from his meddling little hands.)

Speeds seem OK with the new method. Grabbed the translations of Linda3 and Boku Natsu 2.

It had the fastest downloads I had ever seen.

A game which would take an hour on the Internet Archive took 3 to 4 seconds on CDR.

It allowed me to fill my ODE for multiple systems.

As said, the site owner was super cool. When a rare DC game wasn't loading for others, I sent one I had from years ago, and that same day he replaced it.

This off site hosting. Is it as fast? How long will it last?

I'm tired of the "but it's piracy" excuse used by companies. As a creative I've issued take downs for my books being hosted. But they are still sold. There are CD games from 30+ years ago no one even remembers, the rights holders are gone, and the only way to experience them is spending a fortune to buy a copy off speculative scalpers.

The law needs to delineate between something still available, and something forgotten to limbo.

I'm going to miss CDR, like Emu Paradise before it.

I voted for Gizmondo.

I actually think it's terrible, but I wanted to wield the power of democracy to mess with people's minds.

I have not been bribed or coerced by the Swedish mafia.

KENZAN!

I don't know if it's actually the best. But as a Japsn exclusive title most have probably not played it.

I finished and loved it despite the language barrier.

It's not their best game, but A Nightmare on Elm Street (NES) is definitely a really, really fun NES game. It's great in single player, but it becomes absolutely MAJESTIC in simultaneous four player mode.

I bought a multitap just for Elm Street and MULE on the NES.

I feel like not many people played it like this though.

Imagine you and three friends, all sharing the same screen, a pad each, co-operating and jumping around getting bones and beating bad guys. It's complete mayhem and it's wonderful.

Sadly I only ever had enough people to do it once. If you can, try it.

In a funny way... I can't help but look at Elm Street in 4P, and look at Goldeneye, and think... Yeah, those guys knew all along that four friends around a TV is the magic ingredient to fun.

I doubt many (anyone?) will vote for A Nightmare on Elm Street, but I gave it 10. I'd certainly put it in any top 10 list for Rare, at least the 4P mode.

I highly recommend DICING KNIGHT. Technically it was a hobbyist game that sent commercial. But if you like Zelda style action it's great. I've been playing it on my Analogue recently. Lovely forgotten gem.

I have never trusted public voting. The 2004 voting in Japan for the Famicom's top 100 resulted in absolute trash results. Not reflective of the nation's creative output at all.

I'll reserve judgement of this for when the full translated list of all 100 is done (I'm too lazy to read it in Japanese - but I saw Culdcept made the list).

The top 10 at least shows some inventive or considered voting.

@Banks The loudness just means his little heart is beating strong!

I missed out on an auction for the colour block matching game. As someone who owns both and find them fun, is it worth it? Based on videos I feel like Gyromite gives you the majority of the ROB experience.

@Mario500 Did you ever watch Ducktales? You know how Scrooge McDuck had that big money bin he'd swim around in? The gigaleak is that giant bin. Except instead of money, it's filled with rich and delicious Nintendo goodness. Especially unreleased or pre-release goodness.

The demo of Keio on Mega CD is the same. The level select cheat allows you to access the whole game in the demo.

Interesting they did a fresh localisation. Vic retained the rights to all of his - has there been any official statement as to why they weren't licensed? I'm thinking of this and the Mega CD games on MD Mini 2.

Ahh, Super Mario 128. Forgot about that tech demo. Had a quick look and... Apparently it's not in the gigaleak?

I have a horror story about memory cards:

Early into owning a PS1, a friend lent me a game.

So I'm playing, and the options say "Format Memory Card".

And I had never owned a PC before, so hadn't heard the term.

So I checked the manual, and it said: use this to format memory card. That's all it said.

And I'm like: I suppose I should select which format it is, so the game can save correctly.

I think I was like 12 maybe? I checked the card to be sure, and it was an official Sony 15 block PS1 format card.

I'm gonna need to know that after I click format card and I need to select from the list of available formats! 🤓

So click format.

And it says formatting.

And then nothing happens.

That's weird.

This game is boring, let's play another.

Huh... I can't find my save.

The whole card had been ERASED.

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut.

Up until then every cartridge game I'd owned had used the word ERASE or DELETE.

I had no idea what the word FORMAT meant.

I learned a painful lesson that day.

@Akibiyori Scepticism is good! It's healthy.

We're each given a finite quantity of time on this planet, so I don't want to suggest anyone spends this finite time on a game they ultimately end up hating. I can only describe what I experienced and hope it resonates with others.

I approached Robotrek with less than zero expectations. I also share the same feelings on EarthBound - the battle system is just reheated Dragon Quest, and what makes the game good is the stuff other than the battles. Towards the end it was a massive grind.

The others you mention I've not played (Xeno, BoF, etc.).

Robotrek's battle system is versatile. One of the reasons I love the game is just how different it is. People draw parallels to Pokemon, and sure I guess. But for me it was all about tinkering and customising. It felt very Western in that regard - you can do some wacky things.

The map system is also excellent. It gets complaints for being linear, but actually... Each spot on the map offers exploration. The "linear" overworld however prevents you getting lost. I actually took a two month break in the middle due to real life. When I came back: instantly knew what to do and where to go, because it meant going to next red dot on the line.

Within those areas though there's plenty to uncover.

I understand your scepticism. I feel it too. So many RPGs are just reskins of Dragon Quest, or a game which copied Dragon Quest. And really isn't DQ just Ultima and Wizardry at its core?

I can't promise you'll have the same experience I did. But my motivation for writing this was born of the same scepticism you describe.

If anyone emulates it, I recommend finding scans of the poster that came with the game. Print it off. One side lists the run commands, the other side the items to combine.

Also make it a priority to unlock all 3 robots. Once you do, the whole strategic field is open.

The localisation starts off pretty good, quite sweet and nostalgic, though the last 10% of the game is sadly gibberish. I actually have no clue what the last few screens of dialogue before the very end were meant to be saying.

If you play it, report back! If you hate it, fair enough, at least you gave it a shot.

I saw someone on Twitter commenting on how the writing in this connects it to Quintet's Souls trilogy. I never overtly stated it, there was so much to cover in the piece, but I agree with that assessment.

When playing Robotrek, it doesn't feel like some odd duck out, it very much feels a part of the spirit of Quintet's other games, which Yokota alluded to when describing Miyazaki's motivation. No one has been able to find Miyazaki, so we can't ask. But having played all of them you get that impression.

As also stated, it has the same experimental nature as other Quintet games. For example, Illusion of Gaia has no currency system, and the entire game world has only a finite number of healing items to find. Which surprised me when I first realised it. Apart from Actraiser 2, all the 16-bit games were inventive and fresh.

For me it's never been about nostalgia.

It's always been about discovering games I'd never played before.

Each era of games will have particular and distinct styles of design, controls, visuals, and audio. I play old games to experience these. Modern retro styled games tend to feel inauthentic; I much prefer discovering something from the time.

I rarely play games I rinsed in my youth. Why would I? There's more excellent games in existence than I can experience before I die. I don't have time to retread what I already know.

Almost tempted to reinvest in a printer. I recall my brother taking our GB Camera to school and photographing friends and teachers; we took a bunch of our family.

We printed them all off before selling the printer and camera, but sadly that heat paper has faded over time. Miss the little thing.

We never did get much other use out of the printer.

I quite like ROB and the Gyromite set for NES.

You control the game using a remote control robot and pair of weighted spinning tops.

It's like nothing else I've ever experieced and a lot of fun.

@BulkSlash thanks! (Great name btw - big fan of the Saturn game I take it?)

@BulkSlash where did you get the steel bowls? I need some myself...

Multiple kids at my school at the time eschewed the DC in favour of the PS2, soley because MGS2 was coming out on PS2.

Me and one other guy bought a DC and loved it. And we praises it to those who hadn't yet made the generational jump.

All of them were waiting to get a PS2 for one reason only: Metal Gear Solid 2.

I can't vouch for if this was the whole UK, but Kojima's game definitely helped Sony attract buyers.

I try to imagine a world where MGS2 was a DC exclusive...

I never liked how the JP and US logo was red.

Anyone else think that the blue logo in Europe just feels right, given how the Sega logo was always blue?

Plot twist: The cards were rigged!

I'm loving seeing how these cards are being resurrected.

Someone in that background is seriously enjoying eating a shank of some variety.

I love old sprite backgrounds.

Caps. I've had to have systems recapped, and snipped a few redundant dead caps (og Xbox has one cap that likes to leak and destroy boards).

Caps are easy though.

Hopefully my stuff lasts longer than my meatshell body. I don't care what happens after I die.

Am I the only one who prefers the original PS1 voices, with the "What is a Man?" line?

I've been enjoying my modded SNES a lot in recent days. Thanks for making my new year utterly terrifying now.

Jeez, it's only 30 years old. Why is this happening?

My Vectrex is older than that and still going strong (after a £150 refurb).

@PasokonDeacon Good call on Star Cruiser! I played the X68k and Mega Drive remix, and it was massively ahead of its time.

And they say Japan can't do FPS.

Which reminds me, if we can vote for X68k games: GEOGRAPH SEAL.

It's basically heavy metal Jumping Flash! Released around the same time as Doom on Western computers, this to me is Japan's Doom. In some ways, in terms of height, it might even be a little more accomplished than Doom.

Tempted by this, but have a question:
Many years ago I tried HIGAN on a PC hooked up to a 720p HDTV. It's the "flawless" SNES emulator.

Despite the many CRT filters it offered, every single option still resulted in the most awful horizontal motion blurring possible.

In that instance I was playing the Deep Space 9 platformer. On my actual SNES, on a CRT TV, the screen scrolled left and right with no motion blur at all. The backgrounds were constantly crisp.

On HIGAN it looked good when static, but moving left or right caused terrible blur. Yuck.

I decided then and there to abandon ever trying to upscale retro consoles. If a flawless emulator with filters couldn't do it, nothing could.

Does this 5X fix this?

If you play a SNES platformer, will the bsckground scroll with crystal clear sharpness of an RGB SNES on CRT?

Ashe for PC-8801, by Quasar Soft. Remade as Energy for PC Engine, but that wasn't very good.

The original fpr Japanese computers is like a proto Metroidvania.

Given just how expensive it was, I wonder how different Sega's fortunes would have been if they'd just said "no" to Suzuki's idea. Hypothetically.

@Asaki I finally had a moment to give this a go and it's a thing of beauty.

Is it possible, using this format, to insert "game logic" into it? By which I mean, have it recognise when someone has 3 lose symbols, and classifies that as a lose?

On the flip side, if we're being up authentic, there was nothing stopping kids in the back scratching everything off, even if they lost.

No further news on my end, but whoever suggested the forum, that's a good idea, since can keep track of developments a little easier, rather than checking if an old article has a new post.

Did you want to start it or shall I?

lol. Everyone getting worked up about Hideo Kojima games has clearly not played Onechanbara Z2 with the fruity feeldoe DLC.

His stuff is mild.

Never change Japan, never change.