S.C.G

Seriously cool GBA Consolizer. I think I'll be sticking with my GBA Player using custom firmware (still need to try that out) via the memory card SD loader, outputting over Component/HDMI but still... This is definitely something to watch, it looks like it will go into general production early next year, though it's still something that might be worth picking up pre-installed. No idea how much it costs, but still... it looks pretty neat and it does use original hardware. I still wouldn't consolize my original launch day GBA though.

OK, time to vote and this time, once again all games are from the Super Nintendo Entertainment System No, I couldn't find a bigger picture of it, so this one will have to do! All titles are based around one of peoples favourite third parties of the Nineties and Noughties... "insert familiar sounding jingle here" I'll be voting for Game #2 because of course I am! You have until December 12th to cast your vote, because that's how this works I believe. (there are potentially "stakes" or sorts for me which are in the verdicts for each game just to make it more fun but I don't really mind which you pick because I'll play them all again at some point)

A fantastic in-depth review of the Playstation Classic here by DF Retro. I still think the mini console will serve a purpose, especially this holiday season, if it allows anyone who hasn't experienced any Playstation games to do so, then that's good... ...but the Playstation brand and fans of the original games definitely deserved better. So maybe there will be a revision in the future? Who knows... but for now, it looks like the best way to play original Playstation games is on the original machine itself. Or the PS2, PS3, PSP, PSV of course, depending on availability of titles. Personally, I'll be sticking with my PS2 for most of the games, PSone for some titles and PS3 for a small selection of games.

See I'm thinking along two different lines of thought with my potential choices... The first would be to choose three games, from the same series, across three different platforms, two of which have VC releases, one does not. Or, the other alternative would be three games, on the same format, which is obviously SNES because two of them are on the SNES Classic mini, the other has VC release(s). All of the games will be from the same publisher either way. I'm leaning towards the second option at the moment but I'll make a decision later.

in

Oh wow, thanks Glen, I'm honoured! Even though I haven't really had the time to take part in the previous N-E Video Game Club months, I'll be sure to choose three titles which I'll totally play. I'm tempted to make one choice a game which I'm currently replaying, so for that reason I'd probably go with SNES games again, unless anyone else has a system preference? I could totally recomend some N64 games but... I'm not sure how accessible they would be for everyone. Anyway, I'll see about posting my choices tomorrow, with any luck.

Really good video celebrating One Hundred episodes of Boundary Break, which is a great show, well worth watching. The guy behind the channel has gone from strength to strength over the past couple of years with some help from other creators and it really shows, despite this being a tough year. He also posted a seperate video thanking everyone, which as a long time follower of his videos, I thought was pretty cool. Anyway, check out some of his videos if you haven't already, here's a top 10 video showing some of the more notable discoveries... Plenty of other great videos on the channel, well worth it if you like seeing what goes on behind the scenes from different camera angles in videogames.

in

I am.

It's the definitive version, it runs better, looks better and has the dlc as well.

*looks at copy of Onrush which is still sealed* I only bought that exactly five months ago... I think it's time I stopped buying any games, aside from the main "must-have exclusives" on day one or close to. It's a shame though because I hear Onrush is a great game but at least now more people will get to play it... I might even get around to it as well. What's the deal with Plus games these days? Does the developer/publisher get a set amount from Sony to make it go free on Plus?

inFAMOUS Second Son & First Light, Uncharted 4, Persona 5 (you can get it on PS3 but it still counts!) and Horizon. Oh and Spider-Man of course. Also... ALL of the Yakuza games.

Thanks to @Goafer for posting the Sonic 1 video in the Playstation Classic thread, I ended up checking out some of the other videos on the channel... The last one obviously isn't meant to be taken seriously but anyway, I enjoyed it.

Well, it depends on the individual but, if it really has been twenty years since you last played a certain game, then... possibly not. But, if it's a game that you're really familiar with, I think there's a good chance that you'd notice. The average consumer possibly won't care but it's still good to make people aware of the differences if they do notice something isn't quite as it should be.

These days, there is no difference... in regard to what you can display, your TV should be able to handle both 50Hz and 60Hz games, no problem. Back in the Eighties/Nineties, especially during the 16-bit era, TV's were mostly all CRT based (as you'll already be aware) but not only that, there were different standards... PAL - Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a colour encoding system for analogue television used in broadcast television systems in most countries broadcasting at 625-line / 50 field (25 frame) per second (576i). SECAM - SECAM, also written SÉCAM (French pronunciation: [sekam], Séquentiel couleur à mémoire, French for "Sequential colour with memory"), is an analogue color television system first used in France. It was one of three major colour television standards, the others being the European PAL and North American NTSC. NTSC - NTSC, named after the National Television System Committee, is the analog television color system that was used in North America from 1954 and until digital conversion, was used in most of the Americas. NTSC was the first widely adopted broadcast color system and remained dominant until the 2000s, when it started to be replaced with different digital standards such as ATSC and others. That's just a bit of info nabbed from the default source but essentially, PAL & SECAM = 50Hz while NTSC = 60Hz So over here, we got for example... Sonic the Hedgehog at 50Hz while over in America and Japan they got Sonic running at 60Hz which makes a huge difference. These days when emulating old games, like with the Sega Ages range on the Switch, you'll at least be given the option to choose either region. But here in the case of the Playstation Classic, it seems that some games are 50Hz while the rest are 60Hz... in all regions as well. This means that no matter which version you buy, chances are that not all of the games will be the ones you remember as they'll be running at a different speed. I've no problem with anyone wanting to play the original 50Hz versions they grew up with, for some games I probably wouldn't have it any other way. With other games though, it makes a difference... I'd find it hard to go back to the original Wave Race 64 for example after playing the Virtual Console version at full speed.

I would say, that if you want to play a load of Mega Drive games here and there, then the Mega Drive Classics is a fantastic option for the price, heck I'm buying it as well! (I already own it on the PS4) But these individually released Sega Ages titles, although pricier, will likely offer superior emulation and even more features than the original games did. Take the release of Sonic the Hedgehog for example, even that has a whole host of extras and improvements, but the Sonic in the collection, will still play well. I'm mostly excited for Sega Ages when it comes to the titles which really deserve the extra effort which is being put into them, I mean... ideally all Sega games do... ...but for instance, Phantasy Star... it really sounds like they are going above and beyond with that release and Outrun will surely be amazing. I think it's the future potential for unreleased Sega Arcade games or even Saturn and Dreamcast games which is the most exciting prospect of all. For the Mega Drive games though, yes, I do think the collection is great but having more potential Sega games over the life of the Switch is definitely a good thing.

My Life in Gaming Video all about third-party controllers Nearly an hour long Sold! You just know it's going to be good, I'll check back in an hour once I've finished watching it. - - - - - Yep, as expected, a solid video. I've taken a few notes of possible controllers to look out for, although not essential, just if I happened to see them for a good price. It also reminded me that I need to check out the Game Boy Interface at some point so that I can get the most out of my Game Boy Player... ...I'll just have to see which will be kinder to that 240p video signal... my GC HDMI 3.0 or the official component cable. Back to controllers though... I've been using the Brawler 64 by Retro Fighters a lot lately, I even helped Kickstart it and I can vouch for it being a solid pad. And of course all of the Nintendo branded Hori pads, which are legitimately as good as or better than the original controllers.

Another excellent indie title gets a complete edition on the Switch. Expect a full N-E review soon.

An excellent cartridge cleaning tutorial here, now to get hold of some contact cleaner.

So after watching both of the above reviews, I think somewhere inbetween feels about right, therefore I reckon I'll enjoy the game. Now to play the other two titles first...

I could be... Sky Force Reloaded is another title I was hoping might get a physical release, it did for the PS4 version via Limited Run so I'm hopeful. As a series, it looks to be rather enjoyable, I'm just waiting for the right moment to purchase and play the games.

Ah well, I still bought it. By the time I get around to playing the other two games, it will probably be patched and playable. I'm sure it'll end up being another flawed but enjoyable "mini-masterpiece" like the other games... that's generally how they are viewed, isn't it? I'll be looking forward to hopefully playing the series either way and it feels good to support THQ Nordic right now. Ultimately this latest entry sounds like a fun hack 'n slash game with a good story and a decent focus on rewarding exploration and experimentation. At least that's what I gleaned just from skimming through the metacritic "pull quotes" so... I reckon I'll enjoy it.

I'm happy to play some hunts for an hour or two if anyone is about. I would have played on Friday and Saturday night as well but, now I'm back to work... I tend to be too tired as I get back late. But I can be around for a bit tonight, so give me a shout and I'll make a room, I'll be playing single player until then.