Those prices on those Dreamcast games in the cabinet... ouch! That would be a very tough sell for me, especially considering some aren't even complete.
Didn't even know that some of the displayed titles were so rare. I kinda expected the known rare titles to be in there, such as Under Defeat, SegaGaGa, Cannon Spike, Bangai-O, Space Channel 5 Part 2 LE, Powerstone 2, Project Justice, Border Down, Mars Matrix and Ikaruga.
@samuelvictor Sounds interesting, but it probably won't do my Dreamcast any good, and I've got some special edition guns just gathering dust, which is an eternal shame.
Luckily, when the Wii came out, I kind of got my shooting games back, although obviously they weren't real light gun games, and it wasn't powerful enough to emulate the Dreamcast, so I guess that I still have to hunt down a good CRT for that, once I've got the time and the money...
@GravyThief I do believe they have a solution for the whole composite thing, so that doesn't really seem to be a deal breaker at all.
And there are also alternate cables for the NES/Famicom, or adapters, and even with the added cost of those, you'd still be cheaper off.
But like I said: send them an email or post a question on their site. Perhaps they can even tell you if your TV set will work or not.
Completely agreed on your conclusion concerning modern TV's, and having a couple of spare CRT's doesn't even seem like such a crazy idea, come to think of it. Although personally, I would really have to get some decent sized ones, since I'm now used to gaming on a relatively big screen, so going back to a 21" 19" CRT or smaller would definitely be a huge disadvantage for me.
@GravyThief Looking at the list of supported resolutions and upscaling, it does far more than only 480p. And even if it doesn't, the fact that it's open source means that it is very easy to add features in the future, something that the Framemeister could only do by releasing a new and improved model.
And this device being FPGA based is also a good thing.
Pound for pound, this device seems to be a FAR better option than any other device, both functionality-wise and price-wise, especially if you take into account how much you're getting for a considerably lower price. I was always looking for a solution like this, but was never willing to pay the ridiculous prices that the other devices go for, so this one is definitely on my "to buy" list.
But the simplest thing to do in case of any questions or musings is to simply email them and get the answer straight from the horse's mouth. That should alleviate any worries, if any.
I've personally found that most answers are already on the main page, in the reviews and questions section, at the bottom of the product page.
@Guspaz I already kinda figured it was something like that, but thanks for the insight. Still, for a finished product, I would like to see something like this in an enclosed casing, that actually also looks like a finished/commercial product and not like a dust magnet.
This seems to shape up nicely, and impressive that it already improves upon what way more expensive devices can do, but they could at the very least have made some kind of enclosure around it, instead of having such a bare bones design.
But it is definitely on my radar since it is exactly what I would want from such a device. Now all I need is for some whiz kid to come up with a device that re-enables light guns on modern TV's and my retro-gaming needs will be completely fulfilled...
People with questions concerning compatibility and/or connection types should take a look at the product page, and be sure to read the customer reviews underneath: there's a truckload of information to be gleaned from them.
@rjejr They probably did all that just to spite you specifically, especially the Zelda-related stuff: the Regginator is watching these forums like a hawk, you know...
Personally, I couldn't care less right now about anything gaming related. Too much stuff going on in my private and professional life, and none of it good, so I've got my hands (and head) full just trying to cope with all that.
But even so, that Atari box has sure piqued my interest...
The heat is coming back over here as well, so we'll find out soon enough how hot it's going to get, although normally, the worst of it should be over by now, maybe a short spike here or there, but nothing lasting for longer periods of time.
I'm just looking forward to summer being gone and the SNES Classic Mini arriving...
@Tempestryke No, not Steam, it's a front end for Google's Play Store. It's an Android console with an open OS, meaning that everyone can put games on there, and all game demos were free, and it had tons of emulators, so it was a tiny retro console mixed with smart phone games and apps for your TV.
@Tempestryke Just in case you're not kidding (sorry, just can't tell anymore sometimes) and have actually never heard of the Ouya: https://www.ouya.tv/about/
And here's a quick video overview/history of the device:
It was actually a neat little device, and on the one hand ahead of its time, but on the other hand it was released too late due to all kinds of delays, and because of that, the Android hardware in it was already last gen by the time it landed in customer's hands, and as such, it couldn't fulfill it's initial promise.
@NEStalgia Well, if it's not a closed system, which according to the article and their press release it isn't, then it wouldn't really be smart to market it as an "Atari Mini".
And all it would really take is a decent enough processor, say like the ones used in budget smart phones, and couple that with some extra memory to beef it up, and a better GPU, and you'd already have something that FAR surpasses anything that the Ouya could ever have hoped to achieve.
If this is actually going to be released, and the price is going to be around what I paid for the SNES Mini, then I'll most definitely consider buying this. I'd put all old Atari games up til the Jaguar on there, and maybe some Android games, provided they translate well to physical controls and more importantly: provided that this console is actually going to be Android-based.
For all we know, it could just as well be an FPGA-based system, which could quite comfortably run anything classic and also offer enough power for more recent stuff if they combine it with a more modern architecture.
For now, since they haven't exactly spilled the beans yet, it's all assumptions, and if you've kept tabs on my recent comments, you'll know how I feel about that...
@NEStalgia I don't think it's going to be any worse than the AtGames Atari systems, since this one is supposed to run current content as well, so that wonky emulator that AtGames uses, will probably not be utilized here.
Although this is obviously not the same Atari as back then, I'd still expect them to deliver a better product than these licensed systems.
@NEStalgia I'm pretty sure that if this console sells decent enough, that some third party, or maybe even Atari themselves, will come up with a converter cable so that you can connect the original controllers to the USB ports.
A good thing about that would be that practically all peripherals from the old Atari systems could be connected to that, since most of them, the Atari ST home computer included, used the same connectors.
Here's the official site for those of you that want to keep an eye on them: https://www.ataribox.com/ No real info for now, but that is the actual page where updates will be posted eventually, and you can subscribe to their newsletter.
This is a great looking design, even though it will be a definite dust magnet, so here's hoping it's easy to clean, but color me interested.
If it has a decent enough processor in it, you could probably also play the entire range of Atari Jaguar games on it, some of which were actually quite entertaining.
Oh, you're definitely only one apple short of a fruit basket, alright...
But the Game Boy edition was indeed a great version of the game, especially considering the hardware. I did miss the meaty sound effects of the "grown up" version, though. It all makes it sound so childish. Pew, pew, pop, pop...
Me, I just played the overall superior Commodore Amiga versions. They had the best sound and the smoothest gameplay of all the versions, at least: at that point in time.
@ECMIM I've never even seen that before, but if that is what they made from the series, then it would indeed seem that I haven't missed all that much...
@samuelvictor Have you never played an FPS on the Wii then? Almost everyone knows that they control best with the standard Wiimote/nunchuck combo, because it's the closest thing to a mouse: point and shoot. No normal controller can compete, but it does take some getting used to, although in my case it was a pretty short time and before I knew it, it felt really natural.
And munchies? That reminds me of eating. Something I would strongly advice people NOT to do in the case of nunchucks...
I could send you a package via WeTransfer so you wouldn't have to go out and search for all the separate files, because it can be a real pain to get the correct file. The Wii program needs a certain Quake file that is of an exact size and has an official header, and a lot of files offered online just don't have that.
Just let me know and I'll send it to you via normal mail.
And obviously, you'd need a modded Wii, but I suppose you've already taken care of that.
@samuelvictor And then, many years down the line (probably 12 or 15) I was suddenly surprised by a HQ (not to be confused with HD, obviously) port of Quake 1 AND 2 on the (modded) Wii. Even though it wasn't in HD, it still looks and plays wonderfully, and Wiimote & nunchuck controls seem like a match made in heaven.
@samuelvictor Certainly. The inspiration obviously coming from Doom, which by the way was just as much pseudo 3D as these games were.
The ACTUAL first real 3D shooter on PC was Quake, which by the way also arrived on the expanded A1200 and A4000 in the final years of their existence...
@Alex16J I wouldn't worry too much about availability, seeing as the Neo Geo didn't have any copy protection, so you can probably also play copied discs, unless PolyMega uses its own copy protection, which I highly doubt, since all of their modules allow for backing up discs to the system.
And it'll probably be region free as well, and over here in Europe, Neo Geo CD's are still relatively easy to come by. And they're cheap too, so if you rather buy originals, that could also be an option.
@samuelvictor By the way: looking at these videos again reminded me how great the music in Gloom was. Also loved the meaty sound effects, VERY satisfying...
@samuelvictor If by stock you mean an ECS A500 or A500+ then yes. Gloom could run on those systems, but you couldn't play full screen or resolution. On the A1200 with some extra fast RAM and on the CD32 it ran like a dream and also looked better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BELCO16pwNM There was also another one I forgot, an AGA exclusive called Fears. It wasn't as good as Gloom, though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWn-ujoutjI
And to close of the list of what I have previously forgotten in the Amiga 3D FPS/shooter genre, here's two videos from Breathless and Genetic Species, another two games that were actually pretty decent.
@samuelvictor Putting a custom computer in an A1200 case? Utter sacrilege, blasphemy! They're actually meant to be replacements. The quality of the plastic is better than the original and it doesn't turn yellow after a number of years. They even come in colors. Here's a nice video review about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSF0jmUEWFs
Ah, Escom... yes. And don't forget Gateway, which also made an attempt to reinvent the Amiga brand, to no avail, obviously...
But there's actually still a quite active Amiga community going on both in Britain and in Germany and online you can find all kinds of reboots of systems with the newer AmigaOS, some even made new molds of the A500 and A1200 to put the new hardware in, and they can run 3D games as well.
The original A1200 also had a couple of basic 3D titles, most notably the last couple of Alien Breed games, and even ports of Doom and Quake.
As for the CD32: much like with the Neo Geo CD, there were a couple of exclusives, and CD versions of A500 & A1200 games regularly offered superior audio, and extras such as long intro animations and such, so it wasn't all straight ports of the disk versions.
@samuelvictor Ha, the CD32. That sure brings back memories. I still got one of them stored in a bag somewhere. I got the SX32 module for it, which inserted into the FMV/VideoCD module slot, and gave the CD32 all kinds of extra connections, such as for a keyboard, mouse, printer, and you could also put a hard drive in there, basically turning it into an A1200 with a built-in CD drive.
@samuelvictor Yeah, I've read all about those versions. It appears that some "protos", as the unreleased betas of Neo Geo CD games were called, were ripped and reverse engineered into ROMs again, which would explain you being able to play one, but originally, it was a CD exclusive.
In the case of Ironclad, it was reverse engineered from a Wii VC file.
@samuelvictor If you do decide to go and check these games out on the Dreamcast, be sure to check that the ISO's are ACTUAL CD versions. Some uploaders have simply slapped a Neo Geo emulator and a ROM on a disc, but obviously that's not the same.
@samuelvictor The most obvious improvement of the CD's of course being the audio... Sometimes with additional scores as well, so well worth a look in my opinion.
And the pad is definitely a pretty decent one.
A few years ago, I came across a site that offered converted ISO's of Neo Geo CD's that enabled them to be run natively on the Sega Dreamcast, hence my enthusiasm and above average knowledge on them. Nowadays, these discs can be found on any emulation site, like the iso zone or emuparadise, and they can be used with nearly every model Dreamcast without modding, so perhaps worth a look for you as well.
I'd definitely recommend Ironclad to start with, since that is one of the few true exclusives to the format.
@samuelvictor True, and pretty much what I said, if you hadn't noticed yet.
They didn't make CD versions for ALL the games, but there were at least several CD versions from various series, and that would be enough to cater to most people.
You are more of a specialist/fan than the average gamer, I'd reckon, so no wonder you would want the specific games that they did NOT release on CD as well.
As for the Metal Slug example: personally, I liked the first two games the best, and in general, there isn't all that much variety to them, so missing out on 3 to X doesn't seem to be that much of a loss, but that is just my personal opinion.
I agree on Mark of the Wolves, since that was one of the best, if not THE best in the series.
But to make up for the losses, some really great CD versions of the cartridge based games were made, such as shown here in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CED3POOhhEQ
And then there were some great exclusives, such as Crossed Swords 2 and Ironclad (both also shown in the video), the latter is one of my favorites.
@samuelvictor As far as I can tell, most games that were popular back then, were also released on CD, and there were even a couple of exclusives. Most games that weren't released, were parts in a series, so for example: from the 12 or even more Fatal Fury/King of Fighters games, only half of them got a CD release, but those they did release, were the best games in the series, so not having the other six on CD isn't really a big loss.
But it is true that they were slow, though: single speed drives and because of the HUGE bump in sprite size, animations and such compared to other systems of the time, it did take way more time for games to load from those CD's.
But if you can back them up to the module, then that would actually be a moot point, so you'd have the best of both worlds: CD versions, which had better audio and frequently additional stuff, and because of the option to back them up, faster loading times as well.
Unless the system also emulates the loading times exactly as they were...
@samuelvictor only CD support for Neo Geo wouldn't be that strange at all: the CD versions are cheaper, more easy to come by and those cartridges are HUGE, so I don't know if they could even make them fit into a module. The units seem to be quite small.
But since the other formats also support both CD and ROM, it could still be both, provided that the to be announced format actually is Neo Geo.
@samuelvictor Yeah, mine too. But I do like the possibility of Neo Geo CD, though. Combine that with either SNES or Megadrive, and I'll be good for some time to come.
Now let's first wait and see if this system is going to be fully realized and what the actual retail price is going to be, and the price of modules. If they're going the FPGA way, it could become a pretty hefty price, especially with several modules...
Important question, though: can you stack modules? That hasn't become clear from the video. I'm potentially interested, depending on the quality of the emulation (or is it FPGA?) and the prices, but I would really hate to continuously have to switch out modules all the time if I'd decide to play some games from various systems...
@bstoppel My thoughts exactly. They're cheap, easy to come by, and emulation of them has already been perfected, so it would be a logical choice, especially to widen the appeal and give it some more variety.
@eltomo Actually, only Saturn is difficult. On PC, there have already been several Dreamcast emulators such as Chankast and NullDC which are quite good at emulating Dreamcast games and have a range of additional settings on top of the standard Dreamcast ones.
@Damo And he put a LOT of time in that one too. Just check the info underneath the video on his YouTube channel...
I think it's a nice tribute and also an interesting change to show the battle from the Dark Side perspective.
And both videos just breathe 90's anime cool, even with some of the minor faults, but for a one-man job both are truly admirable efforts.
@Simbabbad More like opinion, which of course you have a right to, but it is nothing more than a fan made animation. It is not like this is made by some professional studio or something, so expectations and/or judgments should be applied accordingly, and yours is way too harsh.
Comments 231
Re: Feature: Take A Tour Of The UK's Most Incredible Retro Game Store
Those prices on those Dreamcast games in the cabinet... ouch!
That would be a very tough sell for me, especially considering some aren't even complete.
Didn't even know that some of the displayed titles were so rare. I kinda expected the known rare titles to be in there, such as Under Defeat, SegaGaGa, Cannon Spike, Bangai-O, Space Channel 5 Part 2 LE, Powerstone 2, Project Justice, Border Down, Mars Matrix and Ikaruga.
Re: Feature: Getting Reacquainted With Tamagotchi, The Original Virtual Pet
@Heavyarms55 Seems to me like a perfectly valid reason to be bitter...
Re: Hardware Review: The Open Source Scan Converter Is Every Retro Gamer's Dream Come True
@samuelvictor Sounds interesting, but it probably won't do my Dreamcast any good, and I've got some special edition guns just gathering dust, which is an eternal shame.
Luckily, when the Wii came out, I kind of got my shooting games back, although obviously they weren't real light gun games, and it wasn't powerful enough to emulate the Dreamcast, so I guess that I still have to hunt down a good CRT for that, once I've got the time and the money...
Re: Hardware Review: The Open Source Scan Converter Is Every Retro Gamer's Dream Come True
@GravyThief I do believe they have a solution for the whole composite thing, so that doesn't really seem to be a deal breaker at all.
And there are also alternate cables for the NES/Famicom, or adapters, and even with the added cost of those, you'd still be cheaper off.
But like I said: send them an email or post a question on their site. Perhaps they can even tell you if your TV set will work or not.
Completely agreed on your conclusion concerning modern TV's, and having a couple of spare CRT's doesn't even seem like such a crazy idea, come to think of it. Although personally, I would really have to get some decent sized ones, since I'm now used to gaming on a relatively big screen, so going back to a
21"19" CRT or smaller would definitely be a huge disadvantage for me.Re: Hardware Review: The Open Source Scan Converter Is Every Retro Gamer's Dream Come True
@GravyThief Looking at the list of supported resolutions and upscaling, it does far more than only 480p. And even if it doesn't, the fact that it's open source means that it is very easy to add features in the future, something that the Framemeister could only do by releasing a new and improved model.
And this device being FPGA based is also a good thing.
Pound for pound, this device seems to be a FAR better option than any other device, both functionality-wise and price-wise, especially if you take into account how much you're getting for a considerably lower price. I was always looking for a solution like this, but was never willing to pay the ridiculous prices that the other devices go for, so this one is definitely on my "to buy" list.
But the simplest thing to do in case of any questions or musings is to simply email them and get the answer straight from the horse's mouth. That should alleviate any worries, if any.
I've personally found that most answers are already on the main page, in the reviews and questions section, at the bottom of the product page.
Re: Hardware Review: The Open Source Scan Converter Is Every Retro Gamer's Dream Come True
@Guspaz I already kinda figured it was something like that, but thanks for the insight. Still, for a finished product, I would like to see something like this in an enclosed casing, that actually also looks like a finished/commercial product and not like a dust magnet.
Re: Hardware Review: The Open Source Scan Converter Is Every Retro Gamer's Dream Come True
This seems to shape up nicely, and impressive that it already improves upon what way more expensive devices can do, but they could at the very least have made some kind of enclosure around it, instead of having such a bare bones design.
But it is definitely on my radar since it is exactly what I would want from such a device. Now all I need is for some whiz kid to come up with a device that re-enables light guns on modern TV's and my retro-gaming needs will be completely fulfilled...
Re: Hardware Review: The Open Source Scan Converter Is Every Retro Gamer's Dream Come True
People with questions concerning compatibility and/or connection types should take a look at the product page, and be sure to read the customer reviews underneath: there's a truckload of information to be gleaned from them.
https://www.videogameperfection.com/products/open-source-converter
And yes, it supports multiple regions of consoles, and even modded ones.
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
@rjejr Cheers.
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
@rjejr They probably did all that just to spite you specifically, especially the Zelda-related stuff: the Regginator is watching these forums like a hawk, you know...
Personally, I couldn't care less right now about anything gaming related. Too much stuff going on in my private and professional life, and none of it good, so I've got my hands (and head) full just trying to cope with all that.
But even so, that Atari box has sure piqued my interest...
The heat is coming back over here as well, so we'll find out soon enough how hot it's going to get, although normally, the worst of it should be over by now, maybe a short spike here or there, but nothing lasting for longer periods of time.
I'm just looking forward to summer being gone and the SNES Classic Mini arriving...
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
@Tempestryke here's a couple of in-depth reviews, the third one being from the upgraded version of the mini-console, that was brought out in 2014:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5gccrFPUsw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47TxboWG1_c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIn3ffulnCE
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
@Tempestryke No, not Steam, it's a front end for Google's Play Store. It's an Android console with an open OS, meaning that everyone can put games on there, and all game demos were free, and it had tons of emulators, so it was a tiny retro console mixed with smart phone games and apps for your TV.
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
@rjejr Yeah... true. You got me there. Winter is coming...
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
@Tempestryke Just in case you're not kidding (sorry, just can't tell anymore sometimes) and have actually never heard of the Ouya:
https://www.ouya.tv/about/
And here's a quick video overview/history of the device:
It was actually a neat little device, and on the one hand ahead of its time, but on the other hand it was released too late due to all kinds of delays, and because of that, the Android hardware in it was already last gen by the time it landed in customer's hands, and as such, it couldn't fulfill it's initial promise.
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
@NEStalgia Well, if it's not a closed system, which according to the article and their press release it isn't, then it wouldn't really be smart to market it as an "Atari Mini".
And all it would really take is a decent enough processor, say like the ones used in budget smart phones, and couple that with some extra memory to beef it up, and a better GPU, and you'd already have something that FAR surpasses anything that the Ouya could ever have hoped to achieve.
If this is actually going to be released, and the price is going to be around what I paid for the SNES Mini, then I'll most definitely consider buying this. I'd put all old Atari games up til the Jaguar on there, and maybe some Android games, provided they translate well to physical controls and more importantly: provided that this console is actually going to be Android-based.
For all we know, it could just as well be an FPGA-based system, which could quite comfortably run anything classic and also offer enough power for more recent stuff if they combine it with a more modern architecture.
For now, since they haven't exactly spilled the beans yet, it's all assumptions, and if you've kept tabs on my recent comments, you'll know how I feel about that...
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
@NEStalgia I don't think it's going to be any worse than the AtGames Atari systems, since this one is supposed to run current content as well, so that wonky emulator that AtGames uses, will probably not be utilized here.
Although this is obviously not the same Atari as back then, I'd still expect them to deliver a better product than these licensed systems.
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
@NEStalgia I'm pretty sure that if this console sells decent enough, that some third party, or maybe even Atari themselves, will come up with a converter cable so that you can connect the original controllers to the USB ports.
A good thing about that would be that practically all peripherals from the old Atari systems could be connected to that, since most of them, the Atari ST home computer included, used the same connectors.
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
Here's the official site for those of you that want to keep an eye on them:
https://www.ataribox.com/
No real info for now, but that is the actual page where updates will be posted eventually, and you can subscribe to their newsletter.
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
This is a great looking design, even though it will be a definite dust magnet, so here's hoping it's easy to clean, but color me interested.
If it has a decent enough processor in it, you could probably also play the entire range of Atari Jaguar games on it, some of which were actually quite entertaining.
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
@rjejr Dragon glass would only trigger the GoT nerds... (oops!)
Re: Atari's New Console Seems To Be Part NES Classic Mini, Part Ouya
@Davidiam007 You're not alone...
Re: Mega CD Super Strike Trilogy Prototype Reaches A Playable State
@Shiryu "You might think I'm crazy"...
Oh, you're definitely only one apple short of a fruit basket, alright...
But the Game Boy edition was indeed a great version of the game, especially considering the hardware. I did miss the meaty sound effects of the "grown up" version, though. It all makes it sound so childish. Pew, pew, pop, pop...
Me, I just played the overall superior Commodore Amiga versions. They had the best sound and the smoothest gameplay of all the versions, at least: at that point in time.
Re: Mega CD Super Strike Trilogy Prototype Reaches A Playable State
@ECMIM I've never even seen that before, but if that is what they made from the series, then it would indeed seem that I haven't missed all that much...
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor Have you never played an FPS on the Wii then? Almost everyone knows that they control best with the standard Wiimote/nunchuck combo, because it's the closest thing to a mouse: point and shoot. No normal controller can compete, but it does take some getting used to, although in my case it was a pretty short time and before I knew it, it felt really natural.
And munchies? That reminds me of eating. Something I would strongly advice people NOT to do in the case of nunchucks...
I could send you a package via WeTransfer so you wouldn't have to go out and search for all the separate files, because it can be a real pain to get the correct file. The Wii program needs a certain Quake file that is of an exact size and has an official header, and a lot of files offered online just don't have that.
Just let me know and I'll send it to you via normal mail.
And obviously, you'd need a modded Wii, but I suppose you've already taken care of that.
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor And then, many years down the line (probably 12 or 15) I was suddenly surprised by a HQ (not to be confused with HD, obviously) port of Quake 1 AND 2 on the (modded) Wii. Even though it wasn't in HD, it still looks and plays wonderfully, and Wiimote & nunchuck controls seem like a match made in heaven.
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor Certainly. The inspiration obviously coming from Doom, which by the way was just as much pseudo 3D as these games were.
The ACTUAL first real 3D shooter on PC was Quake, which by the way also arrived on the expanded A1200 and A4000 in the final years of their existence...
Re: Modular Retro Console Polymega's Mystery CD-ROM Format Is Revealed
@Alex16J I wouldn't worry too much about availability, seeing as the Neo Geo didn't have any copy protection, so you can probably also play copied discs, unless PolyMega uses its own copy protection, which I highly doubt, since all of their modules allow for backing up discs to the system.
And it'll probably be region free as well, and over here in Europe, Neo Geo CD's are still relatively easy to come by. And they're cheap too, so if you rather buy originals, that could also be an option.
Re: Modular Retro Console Polymega's Mystery CD-ROM Format Is Revealed
@samuelvictor Yay, I was right all along!
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor By the way: looking at these videos again reminded me how great the music in Gloom was. Also loved the meaty sound effects, VERY satisfying...
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor If by stock you mean an ECS A500 or A500+ then yes. Gloom could run on those systems, but you couldn't play full screen or resolution. On the A1200 with some extra fast RAM and on the CD32 it ran like a dream and also looked better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BELCO16pwNM
There was also another one I forgot, an AGA exclusive called Fears. It wasn't as good as Gloom, though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWn-ujoutjI
And to close of the list of what I have previously forgotten in the Amiga 3D FPS/shooter genre, here's two videos from Breathless and Genetic Species, another two games that were actually pretty decent.
Breathless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05j_BlsIbBM
Genetic Species: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl1hctZ8HnY
Those two required some pretty beefy A1200's, though. Or of course the almighty A4000...
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor Putting a custom computer in an A1200 case? Utter sacrilege, blasphemy!
They're actually meant to be replacements. The quality of the plastic is better than the original and it doesn't turn yellow after a number of years. They even come in colors. Here's a nice video review about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSF0jmUEWFs
By the way: in my quick resumé of 3D games on Amiga, I forgot the excellent shooter called Gloom. I have that both on the CD32 and A1200 and it was great, especially for the time. Great sound effects and music as well.
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor You're welcome.
Ah, Escom... yes. And don't forget Gateway, which also made an attempt to reinvent the Amiga brand, to no avail, obviously...
But there's actually still a quite active Amiga community going on both in Britain and in Germany and online you can find all kinds of reboots of systems with the newer AmigaOS, some even made new molds of the A500 and A1200 to put the new hardware in, and they can run 3D games as well.
The original A1200 also had a couple of basic 3D titles, most notably the last couple of Alien Breed games, and even ports of Doom and Quake.
As for the CD32: much like with the Neo Geo CD, there were a couple of exclusives, and CD versions of A500 & A1200 games regularly offered superior audio, and extras such as long intro animations and such, so it wasn't all straight ports of the disk versions.
To get your retro vibe going, here are some links:
http://amigastore.eu/en
https://arstechnica.com/the-multiverse/2017/01/people-still-use-the-amiga-today-and-new-viva-amiga-documentary-shows-why
http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/?currency=GBP¤cy=GBP
And here's some links to show you what has been happening the past 5 years and some ongoing stuff for the future:
https://www.generationamiga.com
http://www.armigaproject.com
http://www.amigaos.net
https://www.engadget.com/2012/03/21/commodore-amiga-mini-pc-revealed-core-i7-16gb-of-ram-and-an-op
http://www.amiga.org/index.php
http://www.a-eon.com
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/05/the-a-eon-amiga-x5000-reviewed-the-beloved-amiga-meets-2017
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/a1200housing/new-amiga-1200-cases-made-from-new-molds
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor Ha, the CD32. That sure brings back memories. I still got one of them stored in a bag somewhere. I got the SX32 module for it, which inserted into the FMV/VideoCD module slot, and gave the CD32 all kinds of extra connections, such as for a keyboard, mouse, printer, and you could also put a hard drive in there, basically turning it into an A1200 with a built-in CD drive.
P.S.
Have a gander here...
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor Yeah, I've read all about those versions. It appears that some "protos", as the unreleased betas of Neo Geo CD games were called, were ripped and reverse engineered into ROMs again, which would explain you being able to play one, but originally, it was a CD exclusive.
In the case of Ironclad, it was reverse engineered from a Wii VC file.
Here's some additional info:
http://www.neogeoprotos.com/games/ironclad.htm
You can also browse that site for more info on other special titles.
http://www.neogeoprotos.com
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor If you do decide to go and check these games out on the Dreamcast, be sure to check that the ISO's are ACTUAL CD versions. Some uploaders have simply slapped a Neo Geo emulator and a ROM on a disc, but obviously that's not the same.
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor The most obvious improvement of the CD's of course being the audio...
Sometimes with additional scores as well, so well worth a look in my opinion.
And the pad is definitely a pretty decent one.
A few years ago, I came across a site that offered converted ISO's of Neo Geo CD's that enabled them to be run natively on the Sega Dreamcast, hence my enthusiasm and above average knowledge on them. Nowadays, these discs can be found on any emulation site, like the iso zone or emuparadise, and they can be used with nearly every model Dreamcast without modding, so perhaps worth a look for you as well.
I'd definitely recommend Ironclad to start with, since that is one of the few true exclusives to the format.
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor True, and pretty much what I said, if you hadn't noticed yet.
They didn't make CD versions for ALL the games, but there were at least several CD versions from various series, and that would be enough to cater to most people.
You are more of a specialist/fan than the average gamer, I'd reckon, so no wonder you would want the specific games that they did NOT release on CD as well.
As for the Metal Slug example: personally, I liked the first two games the best, and in general, there isn't all that much variety to them, so missing out on 3 to X doesn't seem to be that much of a loss, but that is just my personal opinion.
I agree on Mark of the Wolves, since that was one of the best, if not THE best in the series.
But to make up for the losses, some really great CD versions of the cartridge based games were made, such as shown here in this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CED3POOhhEQ
And then there were some great exclusives, such as Crossed Swords 2 and Ironclad (both also shown in the video), the latter is one of my favorites.
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor As far as I can tell, most games that were popular back then, were also released on CD, and there were even a couple of exclusives. Most games that weren't released, were parts in a series, so for example: from the 12 or even more Fatal Fury/King of Fighters games, only half of them got a CD release, but those they did release, were the best games in the series, so not having the other six on CD isn't really a big loss.
But it is true that they were slow, though: single speed drives and because of the HUGE bump in sprite size, animations and such compared to other systems of the time, it did take way more time for games to load from those CD's.
But if you can back them up to the module, then that would actually be a moot point, so you'd have the best of both worlds: CD versions, which had better audio and frequently additional stuff, and because of the option to back them up, faster loading times as well.
Unless the system also emulates the loading times exactly as they were...
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor only CD support for Neo Geo wouldn't be that strange at all: the CD versions are cheaper, more easy to come by and those cartridges are HUGE, so I don't know if they could even make them fit into a module. The units seem to be quite small.
But since the other formats also support both CD and ROM, it could still be both, provided that the to be announced format actually is Neo Geo.
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor Yeah, mine too. But I do like the possibility of Neo Geo CD, though. Combine that with either SNES or Megadrive, and I'll be good for some time to come.
Now let's first wait and see if this system is going to be fully realized and what the actual retail price is going to be, and the price of modules. If they're going the FPGA way, it could become a pretty hefty price, especially with several modules...
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@samuelvictor Thanks for the support, but unfortunately, @speedracer216 popped that soap bubble for us, and he makes a valid point about it...
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@speedracer216 You got a point there, so perhaps you could stack one cartridge based module on top of one CD-based module. Would be a nice combo...
And yes, the name isn't really great, but RetroBlox also wasn't all that special, so what else should they name it?
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
Important question, though: can you stack modules? That hasn't become clear from the video. I'm potentially interested, depending on the quality of the emulation (or is it FPGA?) and the prices, but I would really hate to continuously have to switch out modules all the time if I'd decide to play some games from various systems...
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@retro_player_22 There's no Saturn module (yet)...
Re: RetroBlox Becomes Polymega, Joypad And User Interface Get Shown Off
@bstoppel My thoughts exactly. They're cheap, easy to come by, and emulation of them has already been perfected, so it would be a logical choice, especially to widen the appeal and give it some more variety.
Re: Exclusive: Getting Under The Hood Of RetroBlox, The Clone Console To Rule Them All
@eltomo Actually, only Saturn is difficult. On PC, there have already been several Dreamcast emulators such as Chankast and NullDC which are quite good at emulating Dreamcast games and have a range of additional settings on top of the standard Dreamcast ones.
All you need is isos or burnt discs...
Re: Video: This Animated Homage To R-Type Makes Us Sad The Series Is Dead
@DarthNocturnal It is, isn't it?
@Damo And he put a LOT of time in that one too. Just check the info underneath the video on his YouTube channel...
I think it's a nice tribute and also an interesting change to show the battle from the Dark Side perspective.
And both videos just breathe 90's anime cool, even with some of the minor faults, but for a one-man job both are truly admirable efforts.
Re: Video: This Animated Homage To R-Type Makes Us Sad The Series Is Dead
@Simbabbad More like opinion, which of course you have a right to, but it is nothing more than a fan made animation. It is not like this is made by some professional studio or something, so expectations and/or judgments should be applied accordingly, and yours is way too harsh.
Re: Video: This Animated Homage To R-Type Makes Us Sad The Series Is Dead
@Simbabbad Wow, sour grapes much? I'd like to see you come up with something better, then...
Re: Video: This Animated Homage To R-Type Makes Us Sad The Series Is Dead
By far one of the better animators @ MASHED. His Tie Fighter animation is also brilliant: