no_donatello

I really hate announcements of future announcements.

Mine looked fine, but I recently swapped the battery in my Wii U with a much larger third party one. I hope third party options continue to be available into the future.

The fortunate thing is they're user replaceable.

I have a fondness for the Wii U, despite its many, many flaws. It's probably the last console that will try to do something really radically different. Obviously, a big, expensive controller that only one player could use and was never sold separately (and your console was mostly useless without) was not the best idea. But I appreciate it for trying! My gamepad is still doing okay, but it's nice to know there are options.

I already have too many ways to play these games, but it's great new people will get a chance. They are classic RPGs in both vintage and gameplay. In my opinion, they stand tall against the 16 bit Final Fantasy games, especially since they leveraged the CD medium so well on Sega CD. From watching the trailer, the new voice acting seems pretty consistent. And honestly, taking off the nostalgia goggles, it's not like the old VO was a masterpiece, though it is a shame that the OG intro or boat song won't be in this.

I don't think this is embarrassing. I think it's fairly normal, and video game companies were pretty aggressive in their marketing against each other back then, so it makes sense that it would carry over to marketing to retailers. But no question Sega was rattled by Sony. Imagine if Sony had not entered the game console market and it was only Saturn and N64. Being then the only significant CD-based console, the Saturn would have unquestionably won that fight. But Sony came out of the gate with a great product, cheaper and easier to developer for.

I'm not saying it helped, but I think the launch thing is a little overplayed. The PS3 had a terrible launch and then went on to be successful. The 3DS as well. Both of those consoles got very quick price cuts. The Saturn had a lot of problems. I think the price difference between PSX was probably its biggest. And then it was compounded by Sony getting some big releases while Sega made some poor localization choices. It's been said many times, but you get a very different experience playing Saturn's Japanese library versus only playing the Western releases. Saturn is still my second favorite console after Dreamcast.

Game Gear. If it plays Master System, it must play Game Gear as well. They should have shown Sonic the Hedgehog for Game Gear running on it. Still the right amount of buttons, too. But anyway, I will definitely not emulate games on this, but I do want it.

@drypaphmrbro Okay. Thanks. Chill out.

I've watched a little bit of their content, and I like it. They had a series where they explored demo discs from the 32 and 128 bit consoles, and that is pretty interesting. Some of the discs had demos for unreleased games. Pretty cool. I wish them luck!

+1 for Jaguar support. The library is limited, but it is fascinating. I don't have a ton of nostalgia for 2600, though I did play it a bit. The games just don't hold up for the most part.

Amazing how much support the Dreamcast received in Japan. Basically three versions of the same game on a console that, if we're being charitable, lasted four years (though releases did trickle out after 2002, I know). Unfortunately, I don't think the Japanese games industry is as vibrant nowadays.

I never thought it would happen, but I've actually put my Wavebird away and now use the Retro Fighters BattlerGC as my preferred controller for GameCube/Wii.

@XiaoShao This. I find it very annoying that cartridges are consistently over the retail price on Amazon. It has stopped me from purchasing in the past because I think the price might drop back down to retail price in a couple days (because that does happen sometimes on Amazon), but it often means I don't want the cartridge that badly, so I just forget it. Hopefully the new distributor will be a positive outcome from this.

Man, the press is just all bad for this company. And now Retro-Bit, too? Considering their statement didn't refute the claim of recycled chips, I can only assume that means they must be. Really wild.

Samba de Amigo is peak Dreamcast-era Sega. It's a massively creative game that requires an expensive and very specialized peripheral to be enjoyed, basically guaranteeing it will only ever achieve cult status, but they released it anyway. And I love them for it.

I didn't know it was still in active development. And like others have said, I doubt Nintendo cares at this point with both the Wii and Wii U and their respective online stores dead and buried.

Good news. It always seemed kind of silly, since the handhelds could output to TV as well, but I get that licensing can be dumb like that. I appreciate the support for a cart that I think has been discontinued for a while.

Very cool. Never realized that Eliot and Claris from NiGHTS made cameos in this game.

@RupeeClock At least in America, basically every video game magazine sold in the 90s would have ads for companies selling import consoles and games, so I don't think there was anything illegal about it. Can't speak to Europe though.

@WheresWaveRace I've never had any problem when plugging Japanese hardware into US outlets.

I have used their wireless PS2 controller, and it feels good. The official 360 controller was already available wireless, so this feels less necessary. However, it's always nice when new high quality hardware is created for old systems. After all, the Xbox 360 is... almost 20 years old (WHAT!).

@Lowdefal It will run it on a burnt CD-R.

This comes out of nowhere, and Paprium is still MIA.

Is this actually a full game with objectives, or is it just a little sandbox thing?

Very well done. Great Circle is a game I really want to like, but that combat is atrocious. Apparently I've gotten pretty far because I recognize most of the scenes in that video... (or maybe everyone quits when I did. haha.)

Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean, now that is a deep cut. Honestly a pretty average RPG, but the art was indeed great. I can see the connection to Lunar.

Unfortunately, GameArts seems to just live off of their legacy anymore, so I wouldn't count on a new Lunar game.

@KainXavier There is apparently a Gameboy emulator, and I have heard the transfer pak may be used to transfer games. But I don't believe it's fully implemented yet. Also that won't help with GBA.

I will add to this that I would like to see a Master System/Game Gear module. That's the main thing keeping my Retron5 relevant.

The Shenmue community is incredible. So much more dedicated to the series than Sega. The cliff temple stuff is fascinating. It's amazing how much stuff was planned out and even 3d rendered way back in the Dreamcast era that still hasn't shown up in a game.

It could also be talking about the announced Atari module. I will just be happy if I get my light gun, but if I'm going to be greedy, I would like to see some additional CD console support, like 3DO and maybe CD-I. They have mentioned Dreamcast in the past, but that seems difficult given the GD-ROM format that games used.

There was undeniable beauty to the old big box PC games. Some were truly inventive in their design. However, they were mostly made of cardboard, which is worse from a durability angle than the plastic cases of, for example, Genesis games on the way up through Switch. There's a reason most people threw them away instead of hold on to them like they do a Switch case, for example. Plus they were huge. I kick myself to this day for throwing away so many N64 and Gameboy game boxes. I was apparently too stupid to figure out I could have just collapsed them and they would not take up that much room. Didn't work that out until GBA came along. -_-

I don't see this affecting the collector's market. No casual gamer was ever going to pay those prices.

It seems like these are usually timed exclusives, so it will probably release elsewhere eventually. I absolutely loved the first game, but it kind of felt like the series ran out of ideas pretty fast. But it's been a while, so maybe more of the same is okay.

Lost in Blue was pretty brutal with a lot of systems to manage. From the looks of it, I suspect this will be more forgiving, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Not really a fan of the art style, but kudos for bringing back an old series.

Shenmue! It's of course a surprise given the relative popularity of some of the other games (my guess is there was a big voting campaign by Shenmue fan sites), but shenmue was influential in a number of ways. It was essentially the first game with a triple-A budget. Calling it the first open world game is probably incorrect, but it used its open world in ways no other game had to that point. Definitely the most detailed and fleshed out open world to that point. Plus QTEs, and everyone loves QTEs... right?

I saw this announcement yesterday (April 1st) and was not sure how to take the news. Glad it wasn't a joke. Absolutely astounding! Dreamcast's power wasn't even close to tapped out by the time it was discontinued.

@amishpyrate Indeed. Except for the disc that came with the Gameboy Player (at least in the US), which inexplicably came in the Japanese style case. The US case is better though, in my opinion, since the Japanese cases have cardboard sleeves around them that are more likely to be damaged/lost than the cover artwork being protected behind plastic like the DVD-style case.

The redesign is funny because it was purely based on perception and not need. I think the idea that a small console, particularly as small as the PC-Engine, could be considered lesser might actually have some merit. I don't understand the design they ended up with though, with that weird protrusion sticking out the back covered by a pointless plastic shroud. I guess this meant they didn't have to redesign the CD add-on?? If that back part were chopped off, it would have been an okay design. The name change was very on-brand for the late 80s and early 90s. The kids (myself included) were all about using an X in the place of other less eXtreme letter options.

It's a great console though with a surprisingly strong library of games. It's too bad so many of its great game stayed in Japan. Rondo of Blood probably being the biggest example, though there are many more. The mini was a great way to get into the console, though I don't know what those are running price-wise nowadays.

@Sketcz I absolutely love Tokyo Bus Guide! It is simultaneously the most chill and infuriating game. I bought a Dreamcast racing wheel for that game, and it's great. I find that generally racing wheels just make me suck at racing game, but Tokyo Bus Guide's pace is so leisurely that it actually works very well.

As for Roommania, I would love to play this game, but even with guides, the gameplay is pretty obscure. Hopefully a translation comes along because it really seems like a game that I'd love if it were accessible.

@RadioHedgeFund Yes, PSO has been playable for quite some time. I think they even host events.

It's an incredible achievement. Obviously there are a lot more titles released in NA and Japan still to come online. My wish is that some day Propeller Arena will be online (for the first time ever since that game got cancelled just before release).

I don't have enough knowledge about Japanese exclusive titles to know, but I highly doubt it's the worst. It is functional, and there have probably been titles that literally don't work. But it's definitely a pretty wild release. Saturn is just capable of a lot more. The Dreamcast sequels, on the other hand, are perfectly fine.

Yes! Been looking forward to seeing this one back online. And I especially love it when you can still use the original discs. Amazing work!

An all time classic game. Such incredible style, beautiful music and fluid gameplay. It's funny reading reviews talking about how short the game is. From a strict start to end credits perspective, sure, but I've been returning to this game for decades. It's just a fun thing to pick up and play on a weekend without having to make a 10+ hour commitment of your time. And, man, that Japanese box art. I want that art on my wall!

I don't know. There's a lot of multiplatform stuff on this list (Tony Hawk, Burnout, RE4, which in particular was definitely superior on GameCube). Sure, they're good — the sixth generation is pretty easily the best ever, in my opinion — but you could easily create just as compelling of a list of PS2-exclusive games (and I'm not counting later HD rereleases — just saying avoid games that were multiplatform at the time).

This is the first time I'm seeing this game, but OF COURSE it was made by Artdink! Amazing!

The delays are huge, but I HAVE eventually received everything I've ordered from LRG. I cannot say that for some other limited run companies. Also the quality of what I've received has been fine. I love my Shenmue III Collector's Edition. However, I'm still pulling back from these limited run companies.

I'll probably get it eventually. The price for the first one dropped like a rock fast. I just view House of the Dead 2 as basically perfect, so I don't really need this. Give me a port of Scarlet Dawn instead!

For all the years and years of hype that have built around this game (and I definitely have hype), if a translation does materialize, I hope I actually like the game! I am loving how many Dreamcast games have been getting localized recently. I still need to dive into Rent-A-Hero. I got a little ways into it with guides in the past. I would also love to see Roommania get a translation. Always curious about that one. It seems exceedingly "Dreamcast-era Sega."

I have tons of memories playing multiplayer back in my elementary through high school days, either with friends or siblings. Hours playing WWF wrestling games on Genesis and Dinosaurs for Hire and lots of others. It is funny to me that nowadays, split screen is kind of a retro feature when games include it, and people are like, hey, that's neat. It was just standard from the 16 bit era probably all the way up until PS3. Now I see my nephews playing the same game together, but they're on two different Switches, connected online. I'm sure that's fun enough, but it's not the same.

Of course, I haven't played couch multiplayer in quite a number of years. You grow up, get married, and then it becomes a solo thing. My wife plays games, but her tastes are very specific and single player (Pokemon, Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, Two Point Hospital, etc.). BUT I have a two-year-old son now, and my wife is due with another boy in June, so I suspect split screen gaming will return to my gaming life in the next few years. Looking forward to it!

I'm fortunate for the amount of space my wife allows my collection to take up in our house as it is. So as cool as these are, no thanks. But I will say if I ever had a chance to purchase either a House of the Dead or Ocean Hunter cabinet... I would find room.

Gotta say I'm souring on these limited run companies. Definitely pulling back from them in a BIG way going forward. I currently have two games just sitting in limbo. One I'll likely never get at this point, and the other... who knows. Maybe some day! Orders have taken so long in the past that I literally forgot about them. I had moved, and it got sent to a house I no longer even owned! Just not worth it anymore.

Ishin and Kenzan both have excellent detailed translation/walkthroughs on GameFAQs, and that's how I made it through both games. Even the side quests are well translated. It's nice to be able to play the OG version of Ishin in a less tedious way, but I'd honestly say I prefer Kenzan, which is still lacking any English version.

Edit: Just noticed the mention of a Kenzan patch coming. Hope so! More people need to play that game.