@Ellie-Moo Yeah I remember that... it was an odd one! There have been a few other SEGA related books as well which released without issue. Maybe smth happened behind the scenes we're not aware of?
I think this book is an official collaboration - that's how they got all that juicy artwork and blueprints etc.
Ha yes, oh to have more shelf space and a big enough house! I've totally filled up my bookcases and now have to be incredibly picky about buying new books. One day one day...
Love love that cover! The Japanese MD logo was the best.
Sadly couldn't justify paying again for this, I'll just have to stick to my OG copy.
Would absolutely love to see ROM do the equivalent type of book like this for the Super Famicom/Super NES! Sadly Nintendo never seem to greenlight this type of thing though?
@Guru_Larry They are doing a new game in the series though, so it does make sense to build brand awareness and make people think about the original game.
Maybe they also drop some info on the new game at this event?
Nice to see them celebrate this I loved the original - when I played it (going from an N64 to Dreamcast) I couldn't believe how big the play area was and how it was all inter connected!
Gorgeous! I got the SFC version of this and the Japanese artwork and formatting was an easy choice over the other versions!
I've always preferred the more daring and arty Japanese artwork and formatting produced over the years, at least until box art became the same regardless of region. No doubt the influence of Mean Machines and Super Play back in the day... but it's often far more daring and artistic. More stylistic. IMO. The Box Art Brawls on NL seem to disagree with me and often pick the Western versions and I often (not always!) seem to be in the minority picking the Japanese artwork! ;P
I have too many amazing memories playing Bullfrog games in the 90s to not have a certain level of respect for this guy... but man oh man the Milo demo is him going full Wizard of Oz levels of deception.
Stark admission that they were basically lying through their teeth - which we all worked out years ago but to be so candid all these years later?! Lol. Pour fuel on the fire Peter why don't you! No wonder he has the reputation he now has. And yeah he's not alone in this space; E3 presentations can be notoriously dodgy and fake. Killzone 2 eh Sony and Guerrilla?! But he did seem to make a bad habit out of it.
I watched this live online back in the day and was blown away by the concept. It's still fun to look at today and wonder 'what if?!' He said they were demonstrating it behind closed doors - considering it was so stage managed did this happen and if so did people fall for it?! The guy even gave a friggin TED talk about it even though he knew it wasn't completely true?! That takes some nerve I'll give him that!
What a story of smoke and mirrors. I wonder if it could be achieved with today's tech as it genuinely looks fascinating.
This is brilliant - I love and despair at this. Bloody hilarious actually.
I liked both the Saturn and Playstation. Only owned the latter but my flatmate at Uni had a Saturn and we had a lot of fun with it, plus I've been buying a lot of Jap Saturn releases recently over their PSX versions as they are superior (mostly 2D games.)
But this reeks of desperation from SEGA and it seems they knew the writing was on the wall before they'd even started.
Saying that the PSX doesn't have Daytona, VF and others is so funny. Ofc technically that's true, but Ridge Racer and Tekken say 'Hello! Hold my beer!' And considering how bad the Daytona conversion looked compared to Ridge it's even more egg on their faces. Toe curlingly desperate and embarrassing!
Although it does remind me of an article in C+VG where they were previewing the upcoming 32-bit machines - and they were very dismissive of Sony as they had no track record in the industry which is what this piece alludes to, so there was that general sentiment - at least at the beginning. Everyone thought that SEGA would carry on from where the MegaDrive left off. At first no one knew what was coming, but boy did Sony soon prove a lot of people wrong.
@NeonPizza Mmm yeah well I live in hope for a PSX version release as well! It also had the extra cars to beat which I never managed to do when I was younger. That tech demo they released with with Type 4 of the original Ridge Racer track running at 60fps was so good - shame they haven't seen fit to re-release it as the full playable game!
I'm just going to be super happy to have arcade Ridge Racer on my machine and presumably moving forwards will be able to play it on future systems. It's no Forza in terms of content, but I absolutely love it and for me it's so iconic. I think it was Edge magazine #6 that had an image from it on the front cover and me and my mates all thought it was a real life photo it looked so good at the time. So many memories - and then yeah the PSX release was epic and completely pooh-poohed on Saturn Daytona from a great height!
Speaking of which - my copy of Daytona is annoyingly platform locked to my PS3 - come on SEGA, put all your arcade classics out there on current systems! Why wouldn't you?!?!?!
I absolutely adored Pyschonauts 2 - unbelievable game. Total delight. I really need to play the first one as well. Hoping for a third game at some point!
I doubt I'll back it on Kickstarter though - been burned far too many times on KS with developers missing deadlines, bad communication not keeping ppl up to date and then not releasing/giving out codes for the platform of my choice despite them saying they would. (In particular looking at you Victory Heat Rally...)
Not gonna risk that again.
I'll wait and see how it does and if it reviews well will definitely take the plunge, but not before.
Reminds me of the scaremongering in NMS magazine where they printed reports that cartridge converters that allowed you to play imported USA/JPN games on a PAL machine could damage your machine or wipe games with battery back ups. Always had the smell of Nintendo making them print that!
@Andee yeah that would be cool. I have a complete set of the 24 issues and most are in very good nick but they are quite fragile around the staples/binding!
@city952 I do know who Timmy Mallett is (hell I even met him - I was on Wacaday) and I couldn't disagree more with you.
I loved the video and found it informative, entertaining and very well put together.
Why make a cynical comment that just dumps on someone's hard work, and more than that make a personal attack on the guy? Too easy to snipe from the sides hiding behind your monitor - let's see something you've made and then compare eh?
OK fine whatever - but please just give me an arcade perfect port of Ridge Racer....! Failing that the PS1 game would be friggin ace! And how about making Rage Racer available on the Classics label as well!?!?!??!?!? Eh?! Eh?!
BUT the proof of the pudding is in the eating and as LRG seem to consistently make big amateurish mistakes, these cannot continue if they want more brand trust. If they're in the business of making old games which run on OG hardware, they should really know better and have more specialist knowledge and expertise in this field. It does reek of incompetence - especially as it's not a one off.
Personally I've ordered around 6 or so games from LRG and aside from the interminably long wait whilst they've been manufactured, they've all eventually arrived and I've been pleased with them.
Currently waiting for Castlevania Dominus Collection Classic Edition which I pre-ordered last September and it's due by end of April - 8 month wait. Not brilliant to be honest but as there are no alternatives have no choice.
Oh smhow I missed this.... Reading it now and loving it. I'm glad to see Jaz's signature writing style hasn't been diluted down! The words really do just flow off the page. And another book in the future?! Gimme gimme gimme! I await with baited breath!
Reading this, I honestly just checked the date to make sure it wasn't 1st April...
Seriously WTH!?
Speaking of 1st April (and nothing to do with this article lol) - would love to see a TE article on the classic April Fool's jokes/tom foolery magazines used to pull. The AmigaDrive and a 'miracle port' of MarioKart on the OG GameBoy are 2 which immediately spring to mind!
@CraigGrannell It's definitely been mentioned on podcasts that both Jaz and Steve have been on. If memory serves Steve was more candid but pretty sure Jaz has spoken more openly about it. I won't repeat what I've heard about it here (avoid spoilers!) but if you google podcasts for both of them you'll find out more if you want. I was a big fan of both Jaz and Steve (loved Total!) so naturally interested to see what Jaz has written about in the book.
Been pant wettingly excited about this book ever since it was announced - cannot wait to tuck in.
As Damo says, Jaz (including his co-conspirators on C+VG/Mean Machines) is a total legend in my eyes and if he's reading this, THANK YOU for all the really amazing mags over the years - truly a halcyon time for me playing games which you played a massive part in!
This guy always reminded me of Andross' polygon face in SNES Starfox's final battles, albeit with some extra polygons! The flat shaded polygons definitely have that same vibe. Makes sense that Kutaragi was so outraged by no textures - hardly makes the PSX look much better than a SFX chip!
Ahh Astro Go Go - one of the first SFC games I bought from CEX Rathbone Place when they had the most insane and brilliant import department. Good times - and a wonderfully weird fun game.
Always find it so weird on this British based website from a English writer the persistent use of the name Genesis. Sure that's it's name in the good ol USA but personally never liked it. Megadrive much cooler IMHO. Gotta get those American clicks I guess...
Who on earth releases a video where there's someone openly questioning if this thing sucks!? This child clearly has more common sense and intellect than the adults in the room.
@RetroGames Yeah I just edited my post actually cos to be fair - the title quotes what Pyron is saying, nothing more!
It's all subjective and this new version is v v nice - especially compared to the original MD version - but just listening to them side by side the quality is night and day.
It's interesting - I do notice there's a lot of rabid fanboy'ism with the MD/Genesis with articles on people trying to prove 30 years on that yes Blast Processing was "real" and not just a marketing gimmick, that yes it can do a version of Mode 7 actually actually and this version of the game is actually better on MD than on SNES etc. (And yes in the interest of fairness people have got Sonic running on a SNES (kinda) so it's horses for courses - but you see a helluva lot more of this type of story about the MegaDrive compared to the SNES.)
And now people making claims about the sound capabilities.
Is it desperation to rewrite the narrative? Still?! If you say something loud enough and often enough - and no one sticks up for the alternative point of view - people might actually start believing it.
The hype at the time was that the SNES was the more powerful machine - which makes sense as it was released later and on the whole this is true barring the speed of the processor and the maximum resolution it can display (I think these are the only 2 areas the MD comes out on top?), so it seems that people are keen to disprove this and still have a chip on their shoulder about it?
Or maybe it's less cynical than this and they just like a challenge to match superior hardware?
One might aesthetically prefer the MD's crunchy sound over the more orchestral SNES sounds, and it certainly produced some stunning and memorable soundtracks on the machine, but it's abundantly clear for an orchestral soundtrack like SCIV has, this new MD version - whilst very good - is not as impressive as the original.
As said many times I find it weird that people aren't as keen to push the SNES as much as they do the MD/Genesis with new homebrew games and ports etc. Seems like there's so much untapped potential and not as much love for the machine? Which is odd considering it comfortably outsold the MD in what was a fiercely competitive period.
But as someone who lived through the 90s, and was lucky enough to own and enjoy both machines, all I can say is both have killer libraries and are both fantastic and we don't need these outlandish and click bait proclamations about "breaking myths"!
Excellent job but not as good as the SNES version. You cannot hide that distinctive FM sound and those crunchy Megadrive beats! Still - v good!
Of note this whole Mega Castlevania IV port looks excellent and really poo poos - in both graphics and sound - on the official Konami MD release from a great height!
@Athropos Agreed. My thoughts exactly - SNES games used DSPs right from the get go with Pilotwings but this shouldn't be considered a proper game? Like NES games used MMCs taking the OG hardware beyond it's original capabilities but these shouldn't be considered as actual games on that system either? Nintendo were aware of the hardware limitations of the SNES/SFC right from the start and knew they could use DSPs as a way to counter this. They spoke to Jez San around or just before the machine was released about their problems doing 3D - hence the creation of the SFX. It was intentional and happening back in the 90s so no different to what is happening today. As @RetroGames says - so long as you're not trying to create or run a game which patently couldn't be done on the hardware, I don't have a problem with this. And as coders have become more savvy with the hardware and unlocked more of it's potential what on earth is wrong with pushing it harder and further?! If the SNES had had more lifeshelf, who's to say there wouldn't have been a SFX3 chip made anyway and done what they're trying to do with this new version of Doom?!
Cannot wait to see this and considering how the original was a miracle port in the first place this should be even more impressive.
Plus the idea of them improving old games and using it for new ones is a pant wettingly exciting prospect - hopefully we'll see people start pushing the SNES to new heights!
SNES FTW!!!
Bloody hell this is a unwanted twist and hardly helps improve trust with an already highly sceptical public.
What was an amusing soap opera story has suddenly got serious and real - I really hope these guys follow through on this product and people don't lose out.
Who knows what the finished product will end up being, if one is produced at all?
Aww dammit I just had a refund notice and see on their webpage the funding was unsuccessful. I hope they can attempt to resurrect this through other means it looked so good.
I thought the last video was meant to dispel any doubt and they tried to get away with badly "hidden" cuts raising more suspicion so why would we believe the upcoming one will be any more trustworthy?
The way they say 'oh dear boo hoo no one believes in our product' is entirely of their own making - everything about this has been so amateurish no wonder everyone's so suspicious!
I mean as a soap opera this is great fun - I'm loving it and seeing what comes from it as they blunder from one catastrophe to the next.
If it turns out to be real then fantastic, it would be an amazing system. Let's see. I think it's pie in the sky based on everything we've (not) seen, but happy to be proved wrong.
There's so many red flags and the fact they want money up front to preorder a unit screams scam.
They are doing a completely woeful job of selling this thing with so many amateurish mistakes and unclear messaging - I did laugh at that video with those 'hidden' cuts. Did they think people wouldn't notice and thus be even more suspicious? Never mind the use of the name Sega and their actual logo - as if that's ever going to happen?! And now more tech minded people are throwing extra doubt on this thing.
Until they get a reputable and trusted third party journalist to see this thing working first hand everything is questionable.
Grab me a big vat of popcorn and settle back to watch this thing unfold!
Heheh that's cool. It's nice we got two totally different games. I don't think the Megadrive game is better for having a sword - actually I found that element of it rather imprecise. The SNES one has that really great swinging mechanic pogo'ing off elements and enemies which I found great fun and far more original. And whilst I really love the animation and look of the Megadrive version, I - and I know this is not the general view of many so don't shoot me down! - always preferred the SNES version over the MD one. I love the opening level of the Megadrive one but after that the levels just didn't grab me as much - found the platforming imprecise. That bloody dungeon level!
Great article! Love these games - Magical Quest 3 on SFC has some of the best pixel art from that period. Would be great to get a compilation on modern platforms - and to include both versions of MQ2 as I believe the Megadrive version is different to the SNES release and one I've never played.
@RetroGames Man it really pisses me off to this day that there was an option to reduce slowdown in SNES games with FastROM and bloody developers didn't use it to save costs!! I didn't hear about this till a few years ago - we were all just unaware of it at the time. ARRRGGGGH!!!!
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Re: Gallery: Turning The Page On Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Ultimate Works
@DeciderVT You're right - I'd misremembered - the SMS book was released and is discontinued, it was the Megadrive one which got cancelled!
Re: Gallery: Turning The Page On Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Ultimate Works
@Ellie-Moo Yeah I remember that... it was an odd one! There have been a few other SEGA related books as well which released without issue. Maybe smth happened behind the scenes we're not aware of?
I think this book is an official collaboration - that's how they got all that juicy artwork and blueprints etc.
Ha yes, oh to have more shelf space and a big enough house! I've totally filled up my bookcases and now have to be incredibly picky about buying new books. One day one day...
Re: Gallery: Turning The Page On Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Ultimate Works
Love love that cover! The Japanese MD logo was the best.
Sadly couldn't justify paying again for this, I'll just have to stick to my OG copy.
Would absolutely love to see ROM do the equivalent type of book like this for the Super Famicom/Super NES! Sadly Nintendo never seem to greenlight this type of thing though?
Re: A Jet Set Radio 25th Anniversary Event Is Being Held In LA, Starting This Week
@Guru_Larry They are doing a new game in the series though, so it does make sense to build brand awareness and make people think about the original game.
Maybe they also drop some info on the new game at this event?
Nice to see them celebrate this I loved the original - when I played it (going from an N64 to Dreamcast) I couldn't believe how big the play area was and how it was all inter connected!
Re: Taito Joins The Evercade Range With Two Carts And An 'Alpha' Bartop Arcade
@mr_benn Exactly what I was going to say. No Rainbow: no deal!
Re: Bitmap Bureau, We Don't Deserve This Adorable Japanese GBA Version Of Xeno Crisis
Gorgeous! I got the SFC version of this and the Japanese artwork and formatting was an easy choice over the other versions!
I've always preferred the more daring and arty Japanese artwork and formatting produced over the years, at least until box art became the same regardless of region. No doubt the influence of Mean Machines and Super Play back in the day... but it's often far more daring and artistic. More stylistic. IMO. The Box Art Brawls on NL seem to disagree with me and often pick the Western versions and I often (not always!) seem to be in the minority picking the Japanese artwork! ;P
Re: "It's Just Not Working" - FreePlay Arcade Will Close Its Doors Later This Month
What a shame I'm not near there otherwise I would have loved to go. Bravo for trying...
Re: Peter Molyneux's Most Infamous Cancelled Game Would Have Allowed Players "To Hang Out With Someone That Loves You"
Ohhh Peter Molyneuex... at it again...
I have too many amazing memories playing Bullfrog games in the 90s to not have a certain level of respect for this guy... but man oh man the Milo demo is him going full Wizard of Oz levels of deception.
Stark admission that they were basically lying through their teeth - which we all worked out years ago but to be so candid all these years later?! Lol. Pour fuel on the fire Peter why don't you! No wonder he has the reputation he now has. And yeah he's not alone in this space; E3 presentations can be notoriously dodgy and fake. Killzone 2 eh Sony and Guerrilla?! But he did seem to make a bad habit out of it.
I watched this live online back in the day and was blown away by the concept. It's still fun to look at today and wonder 'what if?!' He said they were demonstrating it behind closed doors - considering it was so stage managed did this happen and if so did people fall for it?! The guy even gave a friggin TED talk about it even though he knew it wasn't completely true?! That takes some nerve I'll give him that!
What a story of smoke and mirrors. I wonder if it could be achieved with today's tech as it genuinely looks fascinating.
Amazing Kim Justice doc on the rise and fall of Molyneux - well worth anyone's time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFZ92jySWe0&ab_channel=KimJustice
Re: "Saturn Is A Lot More Fun" - 1995 Trade Ad Shows Just How Rattled Sega Was About PlayStation
This is brilliant - I love and despair at this. Bloody hilarious actually.
I liked both the Saturn and Playstation. Only owned the latter but my flatmate at Uni had a Saturn and we had a lot of fun with it, plus I've been buying a lot of Jap Saturn releases recently over their PSX versions as they are superior (mostly 2D games.)
But this reeks of desperation from SEGA and it seems they knew the writing was on the wall before they'd even started.
Saying that the PSX doesn't have Daytona, VF and others is so funny. Ofc technically that's true, but Ridge Racer and Tekken say 'Hello! Hold my beer!' And considering how bad the Daytona conversion looked compared to Ridge it's even more egg on their faces. Toe curlingly desperate and embarrassing!
Although it does remind me of an article in C+VG where they were previewing the upcoming 32-bit machines - and they were very dismissive of Sony as they had no track record in the industry which is what this piece alludes to, so there was that general sentiment - at least at the beginning. Everyone thought that SEGA would carry on from where the MegaDrive left off. At first no one knew what was coming, but boy did Sony soon prove a lot of people wrong.
Good times good times.
Re: Arcade Archives' 'Ridge Racer' Rerelease Won't Be A Switch 2 Exclusive After All
@NeonPizza Mmm yeah well I live in hope for a PSX version release as well! It also had the extra cars to beat which I never managed to do when I was younger. That tech demo they released with with Type 4 of the original Ridge Racer track running at 60fps was so good - shame they haven't seen fit to re-release it as the full playable game!
I'm just going to be super happy to have arcade Ridge Racer on my machine and presumably moving forwards will be able to play it on future systems. It's no Forza in terms of content, but I absolutely love it and for me it's so iconic. I think it was Edge magazine #6 that had an image from it on the front cover and me and my mates all thought it was a real life photo it looked so good at the time. So many memories - and then yeah the PSX release was epic and completely pooh-poohed on Saturn Daytona from a great height!
Speaking of which - my copy of Daytona is annoyingly platform locked to my PS3 - come on SEGA, put all your arcade classics out there on current systems! Why wouldn't you?!?!?!
Re: "Thank You Skies of Arcadia" - Tim Schafer Reveals His Psychonaut Influences In New Video
I absolutely adored Pyschonauts 2 - unbelievable game. Total delight.
I really need to play the first one as well.
Hoping for a third game at some point!
Re: This Explosive New Racer Hopes To Be The Next Great Successor To Micro Machines
This looks really cool!
I doubt I'll back it on Kickstarter though - been burned far too many times on KS with developers missing deadlines, bad communication not keeping ppl up to date and then not releasing/giving out codes for the platform of my choice despite them saying they would. (In particular looking at you Victory Heat Rally...)
Not gonna risk that again.
I'll wait and see how it does and if it reviews well will definitely take the plunge, but not before.
Re: 34 Years Ago, Nintendo Begged Fans Not To "Risk" Importing SNES Consoles From Japan
Reminds me of the scaremongering in NMS magazine where they printed reports that cartridge converters that allowed you to play imported USA/JPN games on a PAL machine could damage your machine or wipe games with battery back ups. Always had the smell of Nintendo making them print that!
Re: Namco's 'Ridge Racer' Is Coming To Nintendo Switch 2 At Launch
YES! Finally.
Hope this also comes to other platforms....
Re: Mean Machines Magazine Turns 35 This Year, And It Sounds Like Jaz Rignall Has Some Plans
@Andee yeah that would be cool. I have a complete set of the 24 issues and most are in very good nick but they are quite fragile around the staples/binding!
Re: Mean Machines Magazine Turns 35 This Year, And It Sounds Like Jaz Rignall Has Some Plans
@Andee https://www.outofprintarchive.com/catalogue/meanmachines.html
@MysticWangForce
Re: Mean Machines Magazine Turns 35 This Year, And It Sounds Like Jaz Rignall Has Some Plans
Gibber....
Hoping something happens - I'll be wearing my special anticipation trousers till then.
Re: "A Kid's Desperate Wish In 1992?" - Yes, This Is Street Fighter II On The Philips CD-i
Ha that's excellent - the tiny figures are kinda sweet - like a chibi version!
Re: Video: The SuperSega Scandal Is Even Crazier Than You Imagined, And Here's The Proof
@city952 I do know who Timmy Mallett is (hell I even met him - I was on Wacaday) and I couldn't disagree more with you.
I loved the video and found it informative, entertaining and very well put together.
Why make a cynical comment that just dumps on someone's hard work, and more than that make a personal attack on the guy? Too easy to snipe from the sides hiding behind your monitor - let's see something you've made and then compare eh?
Re: Video: The SuperSega Scandal Is Even Crazier Than You Imagined, And Here's The Proof
Fantastic - cannot wait to watch this!
edit - Absolutely loved it - fantastic video and OMG what a saga...
Re: Bandai Namco Is Launching A New Initiative To License Out IP Like Ridge Racer & Soul Calibur
OK fine whatever - but please just give me an arcade perfect port of Ridge Racer....! Failing that the PS1 game would be friggin ace! And how about making Rage Racer available on the Classics label as well!?!?!??!?!? Eh?! Eh?!
Re: Interview: "We’ve Certainly Made Mistakes" - Limited Run's Boss On Winning Back The Trust Of The Community
Great article and also fair enough replies.
BUT the proof of the pudding is in the eating and as LRG seem to consistently make big amateurish mistakes, these cannot continue if they want more brand trust. If they're in the business of making old games which run on OG hardware, they should really know better and have more specialist knowledge and expertise in this field. It does reek of incompetence - especially as it's not a one off.
Personally I've ordered around 6 or so games from LRG and aside from the interminably long wait whilst they've been manufactured, they've all eventually arrived and I've been pleased with them.
Currently waiting for Castlevania Dominus Collection Classic Edition which I pre-ordered last September and it's due by end of April - 8 month wait. Not brilliant to be honest but as there are no alternatives have no choice.
Re: "I Don't Think I’d Ever Have Been Able To Guess My Life Path" - Julian Rignall On Five Decades In Gaming
Oh smhow I missed this....
Reading it now and loving it. I'm glad to see Jaz's signature writing style hasn't been diluted down! The words really do just flow off the page.
And another book in the future?! Gimme gimme gimme! I await with baited breath!
Re: James Bond Producer Didn't Want Guns In 2010's GoldenEye Wii Reboot
Reading this, I honestly just checked the date to make sure it wasn't 1st April...
Seriously WTH!?
Speaking of 1st April (and nothing to do with this article lol) - would love to see a TE article on the classic April Fool's jokes/tom foolery magazines used to pull. The AmigaDrive and a 'miracle port' of MarioKart on the OG GameBoy are 2 which immediately spring to mind!
Re: Review: The Games Of A Lifetime - Jaz Rignall Charts The Evolution Of An Industry
@Deuteros +1 for a book on the grey import scene in the UK in the 80s and 90s!
Re: Review: The Games Of A Lifetime - Jaz Rignall Charts The Evolution Of An Industry
@CraigGrannell It's definitely been mentioned on podcasts that both Jaz and Steve have been on. If memory serves Steve was more candid but pretty sure Jaz has spoken more openly about it.
I won't repeat what I've heard about it here (avoid spoilers!) but if you google podcasts for both of them you'll find out more if you want.
I was a big fan of both Jaz and Steve (loved Total!) so naturally interested to see what Jaz has written about in the book.
Re: Review: The Games Of A Lifetime - Jaz Rignall Charts The Evolution Of An Industry
Gibber.
Been pant wettingly excited about this book ever since it was announced - cannot wait to tuck in.
As Damo says, Jaz (including his co-conspirators on C+VG/Mean Machines) is a total legend in my eyes and if he's reading this, THANK YOU for all the really amazing mags over the years - truly a halcyon time for me playing games which you played a massive part in!
Re: Shuhei Yoshida Reflects On 'Polygon Man', The PlayStation Mascot That Never Was
This guy always reminded me of Andross' polygon face in SNES Starfox's final battles, albeit with some extra polygons!
The flat shaded polygons definitely have that same vibe. Makes sense that Kutaragi was so outraged by no textures - hardly makes the PSX look much better than a SFX chip!
Re: The Video Game History Foundation Digital Library Is Now Available In Early Access
Well this just looks amazing - congrats to everyone involved. I'll enjoy digging into this.
Re: The Making Of: Uchuu Race: Astro Go! Go!, The F-Zero-Inspired SNES Racer From Sonic Jam And Samba De Amigo's Satoshi Okano
Ahh Astro Go Go - one of the first SFC games I bought from CEX Rathbone Place when they had the most insane and brilliant import department.
Good times - and a wonderfully weird fun game.
Re: SuperSega Refunds Are Still Missing As Creator "Cheats Death"
Colour me not surprised....
Didn't realise Iain Lee had a YouTube channel - love reading his column in RetroGamer each month.
Re: Talking Point: Is There A Home Port You Prefer To The Arcade Original?
UN Squadron/Area 88 on SNES/SFC.
TMNT Turtles in Time SNES version as well.
Re: This Christmas, You'll Be Able To Play SNES Batman Returns On Your Genesis, For Free
Always find it so weird on this British based website from a English writer the persistent use of the name Genesis. Sure that's it's name in the good ol USA but personally never liked it.
Megadrive much cooler IMHO.
Gotta get those American clicks I guess...
No matter, this looks impressive!
Re: Polymega System Update 1.1.32 Now Available, And Boy Does It Do A Lot Of Stuff
Really want one of these... one day one day!
Re: If Nothing Else, SuperSega's Latest "Review" Should Convince You To Keep Your Wallet Shut
@KitsuneNight Hahahaha - bravo.
I'd sooner invest in a "splat of Percy's purest GREEN" before this thing!!!
Re: If Nothing Else, SuperSega's Latest "Review" Should Convince You To Keep Your Wallet Shut
Baldrick levels of incompetence.
Who on earth releases a video where there's someone openly questioning if this thing sucks!? This child clearly has more common sense and intellect than the adults in the room.
What 'delights' await us next!?
Re: The Genesis Just "Broke Another Myth" With This Amazing Rendition Of A Classic Castlevania Tune
@RetroGames Yeah I just edited my post actually cos to be fair - the title quotes what Pyron is saying, nothing more!
It's all subjective and this new version is v v nice - especially compared to the original MD version - but just listening to them side by side the quality is night and day.
It's interesting - I do notice there's a lot of rabid fanboy'ism with the MD/Genesis with articles on people trying to prove 30 years on that yes Blast Processing was "real" and not just a marketing gimmick, that yes it can do a version of Mode 7 actually actually and this version of the game is actually better on MD than on SNES etc. (And yes in the interest of fairness people have got Sonic running on a SNES (kinda) so it's horses for courses - but you see a helluva lot more of this type of story about the MegaDrive compared to the SNES.)
And now people making claims about the sound capabilities.
Is it desperation to rewrite the narrative? Still?! If you say something loud enough and often enough - and no one sticks up for the alternative point of view - people might actually start believing it.
The hype at the time was that the SNES was the more powerful machine - which makes sense as it was released later and on the whole this is true barring the speed of the processor and the maximum resolution it can display (I think these are the only 2 areas the MD comes out on top?), so it seems that people are keen to disprove this and still have a chip on their shoulder about it?
Or maybe it's less cynical than this and they just like a challenge to match superior hardware?
One might aesthetically prefer the MD's crunchy sound over the more orchestral SNES sounds, and it certainly produced some stunning and memorable soundtracks on the machine, but it's abundantly clear for an orchestral soundtrack like SCIV has, this new MD version - whilst very good - is not as impressive as the original.
As said many times I find it weird that people aren't as keen to push the SNES as much as they do the MD/Genesis with new homebrew games and ports etc. Seems like there's so much untapped potential and not as much love for the machine? Which is odd considering it comfortably outsold the MD in what was a fiercely competitive period.
But as someone who lived through the 90s, and was lucky enough to own and enjoy both machines, all I can say is both have killer libraries and are both fantastic and we don't need these outlandish and click bait proclamations about "breaking myths"!
Re: The Genesis Just "Broke Another Myth" With This Amazing Rendition Of A Classic Castlevania Tune
@sdelfin Yes Simon's Theme is used in MD Castlevania - near the end:
https://youtu.be/6uf5lN435hw?feature=shared&t=5994
Night and day difference with the SNES original:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWMN91gMD_4&ab_channel=JimmyFern%C3%A1ndez
This new MD version much improved over the original MD release.
@retrogames Yes haha - along with the title of this article "Broke Another Myth" - patently not so.
But still very cool to hear and as you say; both consoles are great and have their own unique strengths and weaknesses.
Re: The Genesis Just "Broke Another Myth" With This Amazing Rendition Of A Classic Castlevania Tune
Excellent job but not as good as the SNES version. You cannot hide that distinctive FM sound and those crunchy Megadrive beats! Still - v good!
Of note this whole Mega Castlevania IV port looks excellent and really poo poos - in both graphics and sound - on the official Konami MD release from a great height!
Re: Interview: Meet The Man Who's Upgrading SNES Doom With The "Super FX 3" Chip
@Athropos Agreed.
My thoughts exactly - SNES games used DSPs right from the get go with Pilotwings but this shouldn't be considered a proper game?
Like NES games used MMCs taking the OG hardware beyond it's original capabilities but these shouldn't be considered as actual games on that system either?
Nintendo were aware of the hardware limitations of the SNES/SFC right from the start and knew they could use DSPs as a way to counter this. They spoke to Jez San around or just before the machine was released about their problems doing 3D - hence the creation of the SFX. It was intentional and happening back in the 90s so no different to what is happening today.
As @RetroGames says - so long as you're not trying to create or run a game which patently couldn't be done on the hardware, I don't have a problem with this. And as coders have become more savvy with the hardware and unlocked more of it's potential what on earth is wrong with pushing it harder and further?!
If the SNES had had more lifeshelf, who's to say there wouldn't have been a SFX3 chip made anyway and done what they're trying to do with this new version of Doom?!
Re: Interview: Meet The Man Who's Upgrading SNES Doom With The "Super FX 3" Chip
Cannot wait to see this and considering how the original was a miracle port in the first place this should be even more impressive.
Plus the idea of them improving old games and using it for new ones is a pant wettingly exciting prospect - hopefully we'll see people start pushing the SNES to new heights!
SNES FTW!!!
Re: Confusion Reigns As SuperSega Pre-Orders Get Charged For The Full Amount
Bloody hell this is a unwanted twist and hardly helps improve trust with an already highly sceptical public.
What was an amusing soap opera story has suddenly got serious and real - I really hope these guys follow through on this product and people don't lose out.
Who knows what the finished product will end up being, if one is produced at all?
Re: 'Any%: A History Of Speedrunning' Book Aims To Explore One Of Gaming's Greatest Communities
Aww dammit I just had a refund notice and see on their webpage the funding was unsuccessful. I hope they can attempt to resurrect this through other means it looked so good.
Re: SuperSega FPGA Console Gets A New Design, Is "Closing In" On 200 Pre-Orders
I thought the last video was meant to dispel any doubt and they tried to get away with badly "hidden" cuts raising more suspicion so why would we believe the upcoming one will be any more trustworthy?
The way they say 'oh dear boo hoo no one believes in our product' is entirely of their own making - everything about this has been so amateurish no wonder everyone's so suspicious!
More popcorn over here please!!!
Re: "The Project Is A Complete Scam" - The Internet Isn't Convinced By The SuperSega FPGA Console
I mean as a soap opera this is great fun - I'm loving it and seeing what comes from it as they blunder from one catastrophe to the next.
If it turns out to be real then fantastic, it would be an amazing system. Let's see. I think it's pie in the sky based on everything we've (not) seen, but happy to be proved wrong.
There's so many red flags and the fact they want money up front to preorder a unit screams scam.
They are doing a completely woeful job of selling this thing with so many amateurish mistakes and unclear messaging - I did laugh at that video with those 'hidden' cuts. Did they think people wouldn't notice and thus be even more suspicious? Never mind the use of the name Sega and their actual logo - as if that's ever going to happen?! And now more tech minded people are throwing extra doubt on this thing.
Until they get a reputable and trusted third party journalist to see this thing working first hand everything is questionable.
Grab me a big vat of popcorn and settle back to watch this thing unfold!
Re: Random: Here's The Story Of Why Capcom's SNES Aladdin Game Didn't Feature A Sword
Heheh that's cool.
It's nice we got two totally different games. I don't think the Megadrive game is better for having a sword - actually I found that element of it rather imprecise. The SNES one has that really great swinging mechanic pogo'ing off elements and enemies which I found great fun and far more original.
And whilst I really love the animation and look of the Megadrive version, I - and I know this is not the general view of many so don't shoot me down! - always preferred the SNES version over the MD one. I love the opening level of the Megadrive one but after that the levels just didn't grab me as much - found the platforming imprecise. That bloody dungeon level!
Re: The Making Of: The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse, Capcom's SNES Classic
Great article!
Love these games - Magical Quest 3 on SFC has some of the best pixel art from that period.
Would be great to get a compilation on modern platforms - and to include both versions of MQ2 as I believe the Megadrive version is different to the SNES release and one I've never played.
Re: Triple Impact Is A Promising New SNES Beat 'Em Up
@RetroGames Preach it man!!!
Re: Looks Like Polymega's Light Gun Is Shipping Soon
V cool!
Maybe it's time for me to take the plunge and buy a Polymega... I wonder how up to date they are with shipping systems and delays etc.
Re: Fan-Made 'Mega Castlevania IV' Project Is Alive And Well In This New Footage
@RetroGames Man it really pisses me off to this day that there was an option to reduce slowdown in SNES games with FastROM and bloody developers didn't use it to save costs!! I didn't hear about this till a few years ago - we were all just unaware of it at the time.
ARRRGGGGH!!!!