What a *****-show. I guess it all depends on how the items were disposed of originally, and how they ended up with the individual who sold them on to the anonymous individual who has been implicated.
Around 2010 I happened across a skip load of data, assets and documents relating to a videogame company who had relocated from a site in North London. I literally excavated that skip and took everything that was of interest to me. In my opinion, the company was not that 'exciting', but some of the documents run back to the late 80's and make for very interesting reading as the 8 and 16-Bit eras are those of most interest to me. In addition I got crates of media, lots of backups on tapes and CD-R's etc, Betacam video cassettes, most of which I have never had a chance to do anything with.
I made a decision at the time not to go around publicising this as the company was still trading from their new premises. They went bust a couple of years later, and I still have all this stuff in my loft, although I don't have the time to go through any of it.
My concern back then, while they were still trading, was that even though they had binned everything and it was left sitting in a skip for some time before I realised what it was, could be that publicising it's discovery could have led them to legal issues for me, so I fully empathise with this individual.
Assuming they weren't taken from the old Sega office, and were indeed recovered at the point of disposal, do they really have the right to be so heavy handed?
I have the X68000 version - imported a computer a few years back, then had a chap in Japan bidding on games on Yahoo Auctions in a bit of a haphazard way (I am amazed we ever won anything!)
It is a fantastic game, definitely worth a play. I have managed to get the X68000 emulation in RetroArch going, and found that to be a quick and easy way of running these games, rather than firing up the old beast!
I loved my Odin Pro, and now love my Odin 2 Max! I can't see the need at the minute to upgrade to another Odin, though - there's little need for that power.
Would be better (and less costly) to wait until Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 emulators have made their way across to Android in a more stable manner.
While not technically a home console, I am certain Rave Racer got a PC port to some random 3D video card format in the mid-90's. I am sure it was PowerVR, but could have imagined that. They probably sold all of ten copies! (I actually just Googled it and it was never released!)
Outside of Ridge Racer 2 and Rave Racer, the only other one that would be of real interest to me is Prop Cycle.
I loved that game in the arcades, and even managed to get the massive deluxe sit-down in my rented house back in the early-00's. I got some lads from work to help carry it in through the patio door, and had to leave the marquee box off the top, as it was too tall for the ceiling! I paid about Ā£100 for it, not working (or at least the rear-projection TV wasn't) and I somehow tracked down parts from an Arcade seller I found online and picked them up from Somerset or somewhere. A few evenings were spent trying the get the RGB lenses to converge properly and I got it good enough. My wife should have realised what she was letting herself in for at that point...
I've just ordered the standard Switch physical version from Amazon.jp - it costs as much to ship it to the UK as the game, but I would prefer the Japanese version over the Limited Run release.
The other thing -and this will be the kicker- is there are pirated carts of ZPF on eBay for significantly less than the real deal.
It is obvious that by the end of the week, there will be knock-off Earthion Mega Drive carts on eBay and AliExpress etc. I think that will be an even more painful situation for Koshiro and his team to stomach.
When I went looking the other evening, it did not take me long to find the ZIP file with Earthion and other related files. At the same time, I looked around for recent Mega Drive releases (mainly Homebrew) as it's a while since I put anything on my flashcart - the Ghostbusters hack, Final Fight MD etc.
I knew that ZPF had also been recently released, but the only ROM of that I could see is a demo.
This struck me as odd, given that on the one hand you have a homebrew release that's only on a Mega Drive cart currently (I believe) and no commercial game ROM has been leaked, and on the other you have Earthion, which has released via Steam and now seems to be easily available if you go looking.
So, what is causing the above? Is it that there is more respect for ZPF developer Mega Cat Studios, as it appears people have chosen not to release the ROM. Is it because it is only on a vintage cart currently, so maybe less people who would be inclined to leak it to the internet have the relevant hardware to get the ROM off the cart? Is it because Earthion is on Steam, and easier to extract the ROM file from?
I feel bad for Ancient, and it must be causing them stress knowing it's been pirated, but I still believe that people who were going to buy the game will still do so, even if they have got hold of the ROM beforehand.
I just wish the console releases had happened at the same time as Steam, then I could have bought it as well.
To be fair to Ancient, they held off releasing the Mega Drive cart first as they want to release it in its most āperfectā form when bugs etc. have been ironed out via the Steam and console releases.
I understand and support this. But it doesnāt change the fact that lots of people want a 16-Bit version now!
In fact, Iām surprised the release has gone Steam > Modern Consoles > Original Hardware.
Surely releasing it on Steam and the console digital stores on the same day would have been the right move? Then physical and original hardware a little later due to manufacturing.
I commented on this scenario on the review page last week. Unfortunately it was always going to happenā¦
Iām surprised they didnāt offer the ROM to purchase, surely would have been simple enough and satisfied the need for people who want to run under emulation on x device, or on original hardware.
Iāll be honest here - Iāve played it via the ROM. I donāt have a Steam account (yes, seriously) but I will buy the physical release on Switch when available (hopefully a JP retail release, but Limited Run if not) and plan to buy the physical cartridge for my Mega Drive as well, although that looks like itās going to be Limited Run only.
Iām pretty sure the ānasty pirateā comments donāt apply to too many 40/50 something gamers who are always likely to support and even double dip on a game like this - the majority will always want to support the developer.
@Relikk "They ROMs were decrypted yesterday. It works just fine on my MegaSD."
Bit of a shame, really - I find it nuts that they wouldn't have foreseen this outcome, but I am guessing they decided to not release the ROM for purchase as they know people who pirate the game and play it on original hardware will likely buy a physical release regardless.
Given they extracted Darius and Tetris from the Mega Drive Mini, and Star Fox 2 was extracted from the SNES Mini and runs on original hardware, I can't imagine this won't get ripped and be running on flash carts long before the official 16-Bit release.
All the reviews of these games back in the day had these kind of puns! Let's not waste the opportunity!
To be fair, the original James Pond on the 16-Bit computers and Robocod on Amiga and Mega Drive scored well - I'm sure Mean Machines said it was better than Sonic (I can see they gave it 95%!) which seems nuts in hindsight.
This new game looks rubbish, which is maybe to be expected. Appears to be little love for the character these days, outside of nostalgia.
@mjparker77 Just your typical retrogaming nobhead, hiding behind a keyboard and monitor. This kind of comment baiting is an example of why this hobby isn't always as much fun as it could be!
I am all for using eBay to determine the market price of an item, but in this case -given the rarity- it's just not appropriate. You just wouldn't bother listing it, but let it be know via social media and community channels that it is available - the seller has done exactly the right thing IMHO.
Doesn't sound like they have read the article at all, given the snarky comments towards @VGEsoterica...
Sold my unopened copy on eBay last year for Ā£600! I had no idea they had failed to fulfil as many orders as it appears they did, nor do I have any idea how I got lucky and received mine. Itāll be interesting to finally play it.
Have to say I am perplexed at the amount of posts in favour of a Lynx or Jaguar Plus. I have a soft spot for both consoles having bought them near launch back in the day, but why would anyone bother in 2025?
Outside of a small handful of genuinely decent games on either platform, once you add in licensing issues it's pretty much slim pickings. What would you want on a Jaguar+? Mutant Penguins, Chequered Flag, Club Drive and Fight for Life? I mean, let's be serious!
If they want to keep going with Plus releases, rehash the 400 Mini in an 800XL mini case (it was the best selling Atari 8-Bit, after all), and do an ST Mini - both would have a far bigger reach than Lynx or Jaguar. You could go all out on an ST Mini and give it Falcon functionality, although that has fewer games than the Jag!
I think the current Atari continuing to buy up vintage publishers and titles (they should seriously talk to Microsoft about getting the 2600 releases from Activision, as they don't seem to have any interest in using them) and then capitalising on them is the way to go. There's plenty of other 80's publishers they could have a crack at - Broderbund, Synapse, Datasoft, First Star etc.
Finally, been waiting for this for years - 32 of them, actually! Seriously, the only way this could have been better news is if it had been a compilation wirh Ridge Racer 2, Rage Racer and the PS1/2 ports and games.
Also another of the LikSang GameBoy Player gang. To be fair it was an ugly slab of grey plastic, and as it slotted over the feet made the base of the Q look rubbish! Should have also had the mirrored finish with another set of feet! As with the Q, more than made my money back even then, but makes me chuckle when I see what they go for now!
Had a Q back in the day, it was my first GameCube! It had been modded to play both Japanese and US games, but at some point I foolishly unplugged it while the tray was closing and for some reason it stopped the mod working? š¤·š»āāļø I ended up selling it as it still went for more than I paid for it and bought a bog standard Platinum US Cube.
Canāt go wrong with Amiga or ST version of Shufflepuck Cafe! The older stuff is all late 80ās/early 90ās Domark, who were generally OK in terms of quality. Doubt thereās much exciting in there, maybe if they have some SAM Coupe games, or Prince of Persia.
Always an odd tale with this one, looks like itās hugely taken its inspiration from Capcomās 3 Wonders sub-game Midnight Wanderers.
I remember coming across the SNES ROM years back and being surprised how much of a rip off (even down to the sound effects) it was. No wonder Nichibutsu never released it.
Probably not a popular opinion, but I fail to see the attraction of any of these retro releases, anyway.
Without the Nintendo or Sega branding, and weird stuff like funky coloured cartridges, they all look ***** to me.
PCEWorks put out a bootleg MD Darius release a few years back, complete with all the knockoff Sega branding these āofficialā releases can never use, and it looks incredible!
Maybe one day Nintendo and Sega will see the benefit of releasing some of their back catalogue on the original format (well done Atari in this respect), but until then, Iāll give them a pass.
I pre-ordered this (wasnāt a backer) and amazingly was one of the lucky ones who got the game. I left it on a shelf, sealed, as despite wanting to play it thought Iād see how much I wanted to, then after a few years decided Iād just sell it. I donāt regret it, just wish so many other people hadnāt been effectively scammed.
It came out on the X68000 as well as PC Engine - that version is a more faithful port of the Arcade. Think the original was only released in Japan, hence no European computer ports. Itās definitely one of Namcoās more obscure titles.
It's been mentioned a couple of times above, but for me (outside of the dodgy colours and weird bits where it looks like it's loading the next part of the stage in!) the Mega Drive port of Midnight Resistance is better then the arcade original. The controls and the music tip it towards the home version.
While they are really different games, Mega Drive Shadow Dancer and E-SWAT spring to mind.
I see Amiga Pac-Mania mentioned above. Hate to disagree but IMHO the only version that comes close is the X68000 version. The Amiga version doesn't replicate the look closely enough for me. It's a great Amiga game with the scrolling playfield, but it is beaten itself by the Archimedes port, which is basically the Amiga version with better sprites!
Why have they licensed to this crappy mini arcadeās manufacturer, and not New Wave Toys awesome Replicade range? Mind you, looks like Mega Drive titles, so yet more crappy SOC rubbish.
I'll always remember that early issue of SuperPlay (think it's Issue 1) where Jason and his team are explaining the difference between 50hz and 60hz televisions and speed the Super Nintendo runs at. Most people understood the difference between PAL and NTSC, but it was still the most informative article of it's type up to that point, and you can see how SuperPlay -in particular- influenced so many British webpages on our favourite hobby in the late 90's/early 00's.
On top of the memories above, I cannot believe it's been five years. RIP Jason Brookes.
Sorry, but I canāt find any enthusiasm for these vintage cartridge re-releases at all, as they never have Sega or Nintendo branding on them. I can see the arguments about not taking the easy route and getting a bootleg or putting a rom on an Everdrive, but outside of them being licensed, whatās the difference?
Look at what PCE Works does with the PC Engine titles they release. Iām fully aware these are just glorified bootlegs, but given they look practically identical to the originals, thatās what I would want from a vintage re-release.
They did a limited run of Darius for the Mega Drive a few years ago, with amazing box art and āofficialā Sega branding and details. Much more like it!
Easy to knock Alan Sugar and he certainly took his eye off the ball of his business while messing about with Tottenham Hotspur, but the guy is a marketing genius - I would recommend his autobiography to anyone interested in consumer electronics as it's a very interesting read (at least up to the football stuff, if that is of no interest to you).
In terms of the GX4000, you can't fault Amstrad for trying, but the simple fact is at that time anyone that wasn't Sega or Nintendo had a massive uphill battle to even make a dent in the console market. At least this one used some more interesting and modern hardware than the C64GS. Back in 1990, I would argue that if you lived in the UK and weren't getting a Mega Drive somehow, you would be getting (or already owned) a Master System.
Really it needs to be someone like Geoff Brown of US Gold, Gary Bracey of Ocean (given David Ward has passed), surely these big publishers would have had multiple issues of the publication, probably even had them in their lobby - but I can imagine they were binned once the next issue arrived. Think that people didn't even think to back up or archive their work in the majority of cases back then, not sure a trade newspaper really stood a chance! The other issue is I would imagine many of these went to commercial properties, and not to home addresses, where it would be more likely that they may have made their way to a loft or shed.
Comments 67
Re: Sega Accused Of Using Police To Recover Nintendo Dev Kits It Had "Negligently Disposed Of"
What a *****-show. I guess it all depends on how the items were disposed of originally, and how they ended up with the individual who sold them on to the anonymous individual who has been implicated.
Around 2010 I happened across a skip load of data, assets and documents relating to a videogame company who had relocated from a site in North London. I literally excavated that skip and took everything that was of interest to me. In my opinion, the company was not that 'exciting', but some of the documents run back to the late 80's and make for very interesting reading as the 8 and 16-Bit eras are those of most interest to me. In addition I got crates of media, lots of backups on tapes and CD-R's etc, Betacam video cassettes, most of which I have never had a chance to do anything with.
I made a decision at the time not to go around publicising this as the company was still trading from their new premises. They went bust a couple of years later, and I still have all this stuff in my loft, although I don't have the time to go through any of it.
My concern back then, while they were still trading, was that even though they had binned everything and it was left sitting in a skip for some time before I realised what it was, could be that publicising it's discovery could have led them to legal issues for me, so I fully empathise with this individual.
Assuming they weren't taken from the old Sega office, and were indeed recovered at the point of disposal, do they really have the right to be so heavy handed?
Re: "Lost" Gradius Sequel Nemesis '90 Kai Is Getting A Reissue For The X68000 Z
I have the X68000 version - imported a computer a few years back, then had a chap in Japan bidding on games on Yahoo Auctions in a bit of a haphazard way (I am amazed we ever won anything!)
It is a fantastic game, definitely worth a play. I have managed to get the X68000 emulation in RetroArch going, and found that to be a quick and easy way of running these games, rather than firing up the old beast!
Re: AYN's Successor To The Odin 2 Will Be The First Gaming Handheld Powered By The Snapdragon 8 Elite
I loved my Odin Pro, and now love my Odin 2 Max! I can't see the need at the minute to upgrade to another Odin, though - there's little need for that power.
Would be better (and less costly) to wait until Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 emulators have made their way across to Android in a more stable manner.
Re: OutRun Comes To The Game Boy Color Thanks To This Unofficial Port
The only thing wrong with the modern ports is the removal of the Testarossa.
Both 3DS and Switch versions are great, but the car graphic is off, thanks to licensing issues...
Re: Poll: Which Namco System 22 Game Do You Want To Come To Arcade Archives Next?
@Shaw_Brothers
GTI Club is a Konami game that ran on their Cobra hardware, not System 22ā¦
Agree Iād love to see a port if that arcade version, thoughā¦
Re: Poll: Which Namco System 22 Game Do You Want To Come To Arcade Archives Next?
While not technically a home console, I am certain Rave Racer got a PC port to some random 3D video card format in the mid-90's. I am sure it was PowerVR, but could have imagined that. They probably sold all of ten copies! (I actually just Googled it and it was never released!)
Outside of Ridge Racer 2 and Rave Racer, the only other one that would be of real interest to me is Prop Cycle.
I loved that game in the arcades, and even managed to get the massive deluxe sit-down in my rented house back in the early-00's. I got some lads from work to help carry it in through the patio door, and had to leave the marquee box off the top, as it was too tall for the ceiling! I paid about Ā£100 for it, not working (or at least the rear-projection TV wasn't) and I somehow tracked down parts from an Arcade seller I found online and picked them up from Somerset or somewhere. A few evenings were spent trying the get the RGB lenses to converge properly and I got it good enough. My wife should have realised what she was letting herself in for at that point...
Fantastic game!
Re: The Making Of: Earthion - "Working On It Again Reminded Me Just How Incredible The Mega Drive Really Is"
I'll go to my grave with Revenge of Shinobi's music playing in my ears! Can't wait to see what Ancient has planned next.
Re: "Please Support Us" Pleads Yuzo Koshiro As Pirated Earthion ROM Appears Online
I've just ordered the standard Switch physical version from Amazon.jp - it costs as much to ship it to the UK as the game, but I would prefer the Japanese version over the Limited Run release.
Re: "Please Support Us" Pleads Yuzo Koshiro As Pirated Earthion ROM Appears Online
@HammyHavoc
At the end of the day, I am certain that Ancient will make more back on Earthion than Mega Cat will on ZPF.
Re: "Please Support Us" Pleads Yuzo Koshiro As Pirated Earthion ROM Appears Online
The other thing -and this will be the kicker- is there are pirated carts of ZPF on eBay for significantly less than the real deal.
It is obvious that by the end of the week, there will be knock-off Earthion Mega Drive carts on eBay and AliExpress etc. I think that will be an even more painful situation for Koshiro and his team to stomach.
Re: "Please Support Us" Pleads Yuzo Koshiro As Pirated Earthion ROM Appears Online
When I went looking the other evening, it did not take me long to find the ZIP file with Earthion and other related files. At the same time, I looked around for recent Mega Drive releases (mainly Homebrew) as it's a while since I put anything on my flashcart - the Ghostbusters hack, Final Fight MD etc.
I knew that ZPF had also been recently released, but the only ROM of that I could see is a demo.
This struck me as odd, given that on the one hand you have a homebrew release that's only on a Mega Drive cart currently (I believe) and no commercial game ROM has been leaked, and on the other you have Earthion, which has released via Steam and now seems to be easily available if you go looking.
So, what is causing the above? Is it that there is more respect for ZPF developer Mega Cat Studios, as it appears people have chosen not to release the ROM. Is it because it is only on a vintage cart currently, so maybe less people who would be inclined to leak it to the internet have the relevant hardware to get the ROM off the cart? Is it because Earthion is on Steam, and easier to extract the ROM file from?
I feel bad for Ancient, and it must be causing them stress knowing it's been pirated, but I still believe that people who were going to buy the game will still do so, even if they have got hold of the ROM beforehand.
I just wish the console releases had happened at the same time as Steam, then I could have bought it as well.
Re: "Please Support Us" Pleads Yuzo Koshiro As Pirated Earthion ROM Appears Online
To be fair to Ancient, they held off releasing the Mega Drive cart first as they want to release it in its most āperfectā form when bugs etc. have been ironed out via the Steam and console releases.
I understand and support this. But it doesnāt change the fact that lots of people want a 16-Bit version now!
Re: "Please Support Us" Pleads Yuzo Koshiro As Pirated Earthion ROM Appears Online
In fact, Iām surprised the release has gone Steam > Modern Consoles > Original Hardware.
Surely releasing it on Steam and the console digital stores on the same day would have been the right move? Then physical and original hardware a little later due to manufacturing.
Why is it Steam exclusive for now?
Re: "Please Support Us" Pleads Yuzo Koshiro As Pirated Earthion ROM Appears Online
I commented on this scenario on the review page last week. Unfortunately it was always going to happenā¦
Iām surprised they didnāt offer the ROM to purchase, surely would have been simple enough and satisfied the need for people who want to run under emulation on x device, or on original hardware.
Iāll be honest here - Iāve played it via the ROM. I donāt have a Steam account (yes, seriously) but I will buy the physical release on Switch when available (hopefully a JP retail release, but Limited Run if not) and plan to buy the physical cartridge for my Mega Drive as well, although that looks like itās going to be Limited Run only.
Iām pretty sure the ānasty pirateā comments donāt apply to too many 40/50 something gamers who are always likely to support and even double dip on a game like this - the majority will always want to support the developer.
Re: Review: Earthion (Steam) - A Genuine Shmup Masterpiece From Yuzo Koshiro And Makoto Wada
@Relikk "They ROMs were decrypted yesterday. It works just fine on my MegaSD."
Bit of a shame, really - I find it nuts that they wouldn't have foreseen this outcome, but I am guessing they decided to not release the ROM for purchase as they know people who pirate the game and play it on original hardware will likely buy a physical release regardless.
Re: The Birthplace Of A British Games Industry Legend Has Been Formally Recognised
@JetmanUK
Agree totally, Ultimate should be named on the plaque somewhere.
Re: Review: Earthion (Steam) - A Genuine Shmup Masterpiece From Yuzo Koshiro And Makoto Wada
@jesse_dylan
They absolutely should have done this, especially if the ROM is easily ripped and spread like wildfire.
Re: Review: Earthion (Steam) - A Genuine Shmup Masterpiece From Yuzo Koshiro And Makoto Wada
Given they extracted Darius and Tetris from the Mega Drive Mini, and Star Fox 2 was extracted from the SNES Mini and runs on original hardware, I can't imagine this won't get ripped and be running on flash carts long before the official 16-Bit release.
Re: New James Pond Revival Announced With "Cod-Awful" AI Marketing Campaign
Hmm, something smells fishy to me!
All the reviews of these games back in the day had these kind of puns! Let's not waste the opportunity!
To be fair, the original James Pond on the 16-Bit computers and Robocod on Amiga and Mega Drive scored well - I'm sure Mean Machines said it was better than Sonic (I can see they gave it 95%!) which seems nuts in hindsight.
This new game looks rubbish, which is maybe to be expected. Appears to be little love for the character these days, outside of nostalgia.
Re: Here's Your Chance To Own One Of The Rarest Consoles Ever Made
@mjparker77
Just your typical retrogaming nobhead, hiding behind a keyboard and monitor. This kind of comment baiting is an example of why this hobby isn't always as much fun as it could be!
I am all for using eBay to determine the market price of an item, but in this case -given the rarity- it's just not appropriate. You just wouldn't bother listing it, but let it be know via social media and community channels that it is available - the seller has done exactly the right thing IMHO.
Doesn't sound like they have read the article at all, given the snarky comments towards @VGEsoterica...
Re: "Missing" Genesis Beat 'Em Up Paprium Is Finally Playable Under Emulation
Sold my unopened copy on eBay last year for Ā£600! I had no idea they had failed to fulfil as many orders as it appears they did, nor do I have any idea how I got lucky and received mine. Itāll be interesting to finally play it.
Re: Atari, Which Just Had Its Best Year In Over A Decade, Says New Consoles Are On The Way
Have to say I am perplexed at the amount of posts in favour of a Lynx or Jaguar Plus. I have a soft spot for both consoles having bought them near launch back in the day, but why would anyone bother in 2025?
Outside of a small handful of genuinely decent games on either platform, once you add in licensing issues it's pretty much slim pickings. What would you want on a Jaguar+? Mutant Penguins, Chequered Flag, Club Drive and Fight for Life? I mean, let's be serious!
If they want to keep going with Plus releases, rehash the 400 Mini in an 800XL mini case (it was the best selling Atari 8-Bit, after all), and do an ST Mini - both would have a far bigger reach than Lynx or Jaguar. You could go all out on an ST Mini and give it Falcon functionality, although that has fewer games than the Jag!
I think the current Atari continuing to buy up vintage publishers and titles (they should seriously talk to Microsoft about getting the 2600 releases from Activision, as they don't seem to have any interest in using them) and then capitalising on them is the way to go. There's plenty of other 80's publishers they could have a crack at - Broderbund, Synapse, Datasoft, First Star etc.
Re: Toaplan's Tiger-Heli Is Getting A New Port For The Atari 2600+ & Atari 7800+
While I agree, it's fantastic to see Atari doing this sort of thing, it's pretty niche!
That boxart is incredible - Loving it... Truxton 2 next, please!!!
Re: Namco's 'Ridge Racer' Is Coming To Nintendo Switch 2 At Launch
Finally, been waiting for this for years - 32 of them, actually! Seriously, the only way this could have been better news is if it had been a compilation wirh Ridge Racer 2, Rage Racer and the PS1/2 ports and games.
Re: You Can Now Add Seamless HDMI To One Of Nintendo's Most Sought-After Consoles
Also another of the LikSang GameBoy Player gang. To be fair it was an ugly slab of grey plastic, and as it slotted over the feet made the base of the Q look rubbish! Should have also had the mirrored finish with another set of feet! As with the Q, more than made my money back even then, but makes me chuckle when I see what they go for now!
Re: You Can Now Add Seamless HDMI To One Of Nintendo's Most Sought-After Consoles
Had a Q back in the day, it was my first GameCube! It had been modded to play both Japanese and US games, but at some point I foolishly unplugged it while the tray was closing and for some reason it stopped the mod working? š¤·š»āāļø I ended up selling it as it still went for more than I paid for it and bought a bog standard Platinum US Cube.
Re: Is This Really Japan's Worst Video Game?
Iād wager thereās plenty of games on the 8-Bit computers that are far worse than any Saturn game!
Cascadeās Cassette 50 or Firebirdās Donāt Buy This spring to mind.
Re: Square Enix Staff Discover Cache Of Pristine Retro Games, Some Of Which Date Back 30 Years
Canāt go wrong with Amiga or ST version of Shufflepuck Cafe! The older stuff is all late 80ās/early 90ās Domark, who were generally OK in terms of quality. Doubt thereās much exciting in there, maybe if they have some SAM Coupe games, or Prince of Persia.
Re: A Full Set Of Street Fighter II Toys From The '90s Has Just Been Preserved
Not as good as the G.I. Joe versions we got in the West!
(only kidding!)
Re: Four Years Later, The Revival Of The SNES Run 'N Gunner 'Nightmare Busters' Gets Its First Trailer
Always an odd tale with this one, looks like itās hugely taken its inspiration from Capcomās 3 Wonders sub-game Midnight Wanderers.
I remember coming across the SNES ROM years back and being surprised how much of a rip off (even down to the sound effects) it was. No wonder Nichibutsu never released it.
Re: "This Cartridge Is A Tiny Time Bomb" - Limited Run Accused Of Selling Carts Which Can Damage Your NES
Probably not a popular opinion, but I fail to see the attraction of any of these retro releases, anyway.
Without the Nintendo or Sega branding, and weird stuff like funky coloured cartridges, they all look ***** to me.
PCEWorks put out a bootleg MD Darius release a few years back, complete with all the knockoff Sega branding these āofficialā releases can never use, and it looks incredible!
Maybe one day Nintendo and Sega will see the benefit of releasing some of their back catalogue on the original format (well done Atari in this respect), but until then, Iāll give them a pass.
Re: WaterMelon Insists Its Terminally Delayed Brawler Paprium Isn't Dead
I pre-ordered this (wasnāt a backer) and amazingly was one of the lucky ones who got the game. I left it on a shelf, sealed, as despite wanting to play it thought Iād see how much I wanted to, then after a few years decided Iād just sell it. I donāt regret it, just wish so many other people hadnāt been effectively scammed.
Re: Hamster Reveals Incredible Early Footage Of Namco's 1988 Arcade Game 'MƤrchen Maze'
It came out on the X68000 as well as PC Engine - that version is a more faithful port of the Arcade. Think the original was only released in Japan, hence no European computer ports. Itās definitely one of Namcoās more obscure titles.
Re: You Can Now Run Your Entire PS2 Library From This $50 Memory Card
Does it all work fine if youāve got a mod chip in the PS2?
Re: Talking Point: Is There A Home Port You Prefer To The Arcade Original?
It's been mentioned a couple of times above, but for me (outside of the dodgy colours and weird bits where it looks like it's loading the next part of the stage in!) the Mega Drive port of Midnight Resistance is better then the arcade original. The controls and the music tip it towards the home version.
While they are really different games, Mega Drive Shadow Dancer and E-SWAT spring to mind.
I see Amiga Pac-Mania mentioned above. Hate to disagree but IMHO the only version that comes close is the X68000 version. The Amiga version doesn't replicate the look closely enough for me. It's a great Amiga game with the scrolling playfield, but it is beaten itself by the Archimedes port, which is basically the Amiga version with better sprites!
Re: We're Not Getting Saturn And Dreamcast Minis, But We Are Getting More Sega Mini-Arcades
Why have they licensed to this crappy mini arcadeās manufacturer, and not New Wave Toys awesome Replicade range? Mind you, looks like Mega Drive titles, so yet more crappy SOC rubbish.
Re: A Tribute To Jason Brookes
I'll always remember that early issue of SuperPlay (think it's Issue 1) where Jason and his team are explaining the difference between 50hz and 60hz televisions and speed the Super Nintendo runs at. Most people understood the difference between PAL and NTSC, but it was still the most informative article of it's type up to that point, and you can see how SuperPlay -in particular- influenced so many British webpages on our favourite hobby in the late 90's/early 00's.
On top of the memories above, I cannot believe it's been five years. RIP Jason Brookes.
Re: Accusations Of AI Art Deflate Archer Maclean's DropZone 40th Anniversary Announcement
Jesus Christ! I don't think I have ever seen such a long comments section on Time Extension.
Clearly an emotive subject. I'll probably just stick to the disk version on my 800XL, if it still boots!
Re: Retro-Bit Postpones Pre-Orders For Toaplan Shooters Collection 2
Sorry, but I canāt find any enthusiasm for these vintage cartridge re-releases at all, as they never have Sega or Nintendo branding on them. I can see the arguments about not taking the easy route and getting a bootleg or putting a rom on an Everdrive, but outside of them being licensed, whatās the difference?
Look at what PCE Works does with the PC Engine titles they release. Iām fully aware these are just glorified bootlegs, but given they look practically identical to the originals, thatās what I would want from a vintage re-release.
They did a limited run of Darius for the Mega Drive a few years ago, with amazing box art and āofficialā Sega branding and details. Much more like it!
Re: Mega Drive / Genesis Fan Port "Mega Splatterhouse" Just Got A Demo For Halloween
It astounds me that anyone would run a Mega Drive in 50hz PAL in 2024! Who in their right mind would do that?
Re: Atari Jaguar Emulation Is Coming To iPhone
Great news, but when will it come to Android? With all the retro handhelds that run on it, getting BigPEmu going on Android would be fantastic!
Re: C-Smash VRS New Dimension Is Even More Like The Dreamcast Original
Love this game on Dreamcast, itās the only official release I have that came in a DVD case!
Re: The Making Of: Do Me A Favour (Sega Master Mix '90) - Sega's Fan-Made Rap Masterpiece
Iād totally forgotten this tape ever existed, and Iām pretty good at remembering all kinds of random ***** usually!
Re: Random: Hacker Turns $5 Paw Patrol Toy Into A Cool Way To Play Sega's Super Hang-On
@KonixSlipstream - Don't! It still hurts it never came out...
Re: Anbernic Reveals Another Game Boy-Style Handheld, The RG406V
I've got an Odin 2 Max and an RG35XX SP - can't go wrong with that combo in my opinion!
Re: Last Ninja Collection Will Bring The Classic Beat 'Em Up Series To PC & Switch
No love for Atari ST? š
Re: The Atari 7800+ Resurrects Another Classic Atari Console
@-wc- That's exactly what I thought!
Re: New SNES Hardware Is Coming This Month From Columbus Circle
That looks bloody awful!
Re: CIBSunday: Amstrad GX4000
Easy to knock Alan Sugar and he certainly took his eye off the ball of his business while messing about with Tottenham Hotspur, but the guy is a marketing genius - I would recommend his autobiography to anyone interested in consumer electronics as it's a very interesting read (at least up to the football stuff, if that is of no interest to you).
In terms of the GX4000, you can't fault Amstrad for trying, but the simple fact is at that time anyone that wasn't Sega or Nintendo had a massive uphill battle to even make a dent in the console market. At least this one used some more interesting and modern hardware than the C64GS. Back in 1990, I would argue that if you lived in the UK and weren't getting a Mega Drive somehow, you would be getting (or already owned) a Master System.
Re: The Race Is On To Save A Valuable Resource Of Video Game History
Really it needs to be someone like Geoff Brown of US Gold, Gary Bracey of Ocean (given David Ward has passed), surely these big publishers would have had multiple issues of the publication, probably even had them in their lobby - but I can imagine they were binned once the next issue arrived. Think that people didn't even think to back up or archive their work in the majority of cases back then, not sure a trade newspaper really stood a chance! The other issue is I would imagine many of these went to commercial properties, and not to home addresses, where it would be more likely that they may have made their way to a loft or shed.