General Retro Discussion

[Ike]

Game Boy: The Box Art Collection book has been announced from Bitmap books. Veeery interested in that.

[Will]

15 hours ago, Ike said:

Game Boy: The Box Art Collection book has been announced from Bitmap books. Veeery interested in that.

Seriously tempted by that! Looks awesome.

[Jonnas]

Mark Brown just posted a mini-documentary of sorts regarding British indie developers in the early 80s:

Fascinating stuff. I didn't know how prolific the UK industry was back then.

[Dcubed]

13 hours ago, Jonnas said:

Mark Brown just posted a mini-documentary of sorts regarding British indie developers in the early 80s:

Fascinating stuff. I didn't know how prolific the UK industry was back then.

Fun fact.  Sumo Digital was founded by the same people who ran Gremlin Graphics!

Though the UK development scene isn’t nearly as prolific today as it was back then, you can still see echoes that have survived till this very day  

[S.C.G]

A chance to interact and ask questions about Spyro as industry veteran Craig Stitt is being interviewed tonight at 9pm over on RetroFaithKnuckles Twitch channel.

Faith will be playing Spyro, while Craig will be on hand to answer any questions anyone might have about the game, the stream is expected to last around two hours.

Even if you can't join the Twitch channel, if anyone has any Spyro questions, I'd be happy to pass them on, to potentially be answered.

Craig is probably more famous for designing the Hidden Palace Zone which was cut from Sonic 2  just days from its original release, there might be a chance to ask questions about his time when he was employed at Sega Technical Institute but as I understand it, the stream is mostly about Spyro.

He's worked on other games, namely Kid Chameleon, Sonic Spinball and the earlier Ratchet & Clank games, plus he worked alongside Mark Cerny for many years.

Retro Faith's Twitch channel is great fun, Faith and I, will often play Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II on a Wednesday and Sea of Thieves on a Friday, plus there's other retro games shown off at random times throughout the week, there is another interview with Craig Stitt over on Faith's Youtube Channel which focused more on Sonic 2, which I'll link below...

I also linked to Retro Faith.net not so long ago when I posted the article about Sega Reveals Sonic's 30th Anniversary logo because Faith has taken the independent game journalist route, with a specialism in all things Sega, while also covering a variety of modern games and retro.

And I'll just post the same text here which I posted on the Sonic article above at the time...

This isn't a paid affiliation, but it is promotion of another independent site, which is passionate about videogames, and being that Retro Faith has a focus on Sonic, this is promotion which is in context and this is something which N-Europe may look to persue in the future; promotion of independent sites or channels which are passionate about videogames. So if you know of any independent websites which have a specialisation in specific areas of videogames, which you think might be of interest, then please let us know and they may be featured in the future.

Indeed, I've noticed at lot of our own forum and staff members are doing their own thing when it comes to Youtube, websites, podcasts etc, which is great to see, and going forward, I would like to produce some more promotion features for the main site, so that N-Europe can feature anyone who is creating content which is related to gaming and is of an independent nature, as I think this could be a good way forward, as the cross-promotion could help a lot. (Faith has already put some links and shoutouts to N-Europe via her Twitch channel, which I'm grateful for)

So, if anyone has their own independent videogame-related venture, which they'd like to be promoted on the main N-Europe page in the future, let me know, either here or send me a PM with your thoughts, I do think it's a good thing if we can help each other out in any way that we reasonably can.

Anyway, it'd be great to see anyone from the forum on the Twitch stream later if it's something they are interested in, Craig Stitt seems like a pretty cool guy, who's been a part of the industry for many years before stepping away from it, but you can tell that he clearly still has the enthusiasm for it, and it's great to see him reaching out to fans after recently showing off footage from that SegaPede cancelled Mega Drive title and Treasure Tails  a long lost Sonic spin-off game which never saw the light of day.

 

[Will]

Spent a bit of time over the weekend trying to get Outrun 2 running on my MacBook.

I couldn’t perfect the settings for the controls but it ran pretty much flawlessly. I hadn’t realized how easy it is to run a lot of the PC based arcade boards, even on my Mac with integrated graphics it seems to have no problem. It’s pushing me even more into wanting to build a PC so that I can enjoy more of these arcade games I haven’t been able to play in years.

[Happenstance]

 

Edited October 12, 2020 by Happenstance

[Dcubed]

Oh please be a TG16 Duo NT!!

[Happenstance]

 

[Dcubed]

Fecking ace!  

It shall be mine!

[Ike]

Pretty cool since TurboGrafx are pretty expensive aren't they?

Not much interest for me though so I'll give it a pass.

[bob]

So i was at a friends house the other night, and a third guy brought round his SNES Mini. Now I've never played on a SNES before, so i  didn't know what to expect, but we all had a good evening playing on it. I thought i'd review the games we played from the perspective of someone who has no nostalgia at all for them.

Mario Kart

First game we played was Mario Kart, and this is one that i really don't think has aged very well. The karts seemed to handle really badly, the courses were really flat, and half the time you couldn't tell what was going to block you and what you could just drive over. Didn't have much fun with this at all.

A 2D Mario 

This one was pretty fun. We played the 2P version, but honestly you might as well have just played the 1P and passed the controller round. It was fun taking turns in beating each level and passing the controllers round when we each died. Mario and Luigi don't control that well compared to NSMB (the only other 2D mario game i've played), but it's still fun, and you don't feel like the game is unfair when you die. It took a while to work out some of the controls though - presumably that isn't the case when the game came with a manual? Anyway, we played this for quite a while, and then stopped when we got to a level we couldn't get past.

Kirby Pool/Golf

This was a surprise hit. A very bizarre game where you play golf/pool with kirby, trying to collect as many stars from around the course and putt kirby into a hole before the other player. The twist being that they can steal your stars, so you have to make sure you're winning before you putt Kirby and end the level. 

Contra (3?)

This one was a bit rubbish. It was one of the few games where we could actually play two of us at the same time, but it was too hard, and we quit after failing the first level a handful of times.

Kirby Punch the world in two

I can't remember the real title, but this was such a simple game that we played for a long time - it was so addictive! You have to try and time three quicktime button press events in a row, and the closer you get with each one, the harder you punch the ground, and eventually split the planet in two. So many times one of us would hit two of the three perfectly and fail on the third. So close!

Street fighter

Hilarious game that was pretty much button mashing. The other two guys had played this one before, so won most of the games, but I did win a few with the fat sumo guy by mashing punch and slowly waddling into one side of the screen.

Miscellaneous Kirby Game

We only played this once - you had to run through a level in a race against King dedede, eating fruit. But King dedede ran faster than you, and we couldn't work out how to beat him. 

 

That was all we got through, but overall I had a good time. I'd definitely play the Kirby golf game, street fighter and Mario again. Probably leave the others...

[S.C.G]

A chance to interact with and ask questions about the Strike series of videogames, namely Desert Stirke / Jungle Stirke / Urban Stirke as industry veteran Tony Barnes is being interviewed tonight at 9pm over on RetroFaithKnuckles Twitch channel.

Faith will be playing the Strike games on the Mega Drive, while Tony will be on hand to answer any questions anyone might have about the games, the stream is expected to last around an hour and a half, it might continue for longer, but that very much depends on how the stream goes.

Even if you can't join the Twitch channel, if anyone has any Desert/Jungle/Urban Stirke questions, I'd be happy to pass them on, to potentially be answered.

Tony is probably more famous for working on the Strike series as those were the first games he worked on for EA back in the Nineties.

He's worked on other games, namely Medal of Honor (2010), some licensed games including, Buffy the Vampie Slayer, Star Trek and The X-Files, plus the remake of Strider.

These days, he has his own studio Retro Ninja  which is well worth checking out, it turns out, I've played a few games which Tony worked on, without really knowing, the Strider 2014 remake was a highlight at the time, a game which I really remember enjoying, as I'd only played the Mega Drive version of the original game before it at the time, though I've since played the Arcade conversion of Strider and Strider 2 in more recent times; but from memory, Strider 2014 was a solid game.

Anyway, it'd be great to see anyone from the forum on the Twitch stream later, if it's something they are interested in, I thought that with the amount of us on here who probably remember playing Desert Strike etc back when it was released, it'd be worth mentioning. 

Edited October 23, 2020 by S.C.G

[Glen-i]

On 21/10/2020 at 3:30 PM, bob said:

Miscellaneous Kirby Game

We only played this once - you had to run through a level in a race against King dedede, eating fruit. But King dedede ran faster than you, and we couldn't work out how to beat him. 

Just got around to reading this. This sounds like Gourmet Race, one of the 6 main games in Kirby Super Star. It sounds like you didn't figure out how to actually run in Kirby Super Star. You need to quickly tap the D-pad twice, holding it on the second press to start running. That should make it possible.

Kirby Super Star is a great co-op game. Gourmet Race is single player only, but the rest of the game can be 2 player co-op. It's not crazy hard like Contra, so it's a lot more fun. One of the best co-op games on the SNES.

A lot of those games are available on the SNES app on Switch if you have an online account. Which means Kirby Dream Course (That Kirby Golf game) can be played online with someone on your friend list.

Edited October 23, 2020 by Glen-i

[bob]

Just got around to reading this. This sounds like Gourmet Race, one of the 6 main games in Kirby Super Star. It sounds like you didn't figure out how to actually run in Kirby Super Star. You need to quickly tap the D-pad twice, holding it on the second press to start running. That should make it possible.
Kirby Super Star is a great co-op game. Gourmet Race is single player only, but the rest of the game can be 2 player co-op. It's not crazy hard like Contra, so it's a lot more fun. One of the best co-op games on the SNES.
A lot of those games are available on the SNES app on Switch if you have an online account. Which means Kirby Dream Course (That Kirby Golf game) can be played online with someone on your friend list.

Ah of course!

That would have been the button combination we would have tried next!

Such a shame they ran out of other buttons that could have been run. All those other buttons that were being used for such a complicated control scheme.

[Glen-i]

1 hour ago, bob said:

Ah of course!

That would have been the button combination we would have tried next!

Such a shame they ran out of other buttons that could have been run. All those other buttons that were being used for such a complicated control scheme.

Yeah, every face button in Kirby Super Star actually has a purpose. B is jump, Y inhales and uses Copy Abilities, A creates a helper/throws away a copy ability hat for player 2 to use and X lets you check a special menu in one of the games and lets you change copy ability in the last game. The shoulder buttons performs a block.

It's a pretty easy going game, but has a surprisingly high skill ceiling. You should give it another crack and start with Spring Breeze. That even has an in game tutorial of the basic controls.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Glen-i

[Happenstance]

I feel like trying to play FF6 again. Am I right in remembering that the GBA version is supposed to be the best one?

[drahkon]

32 minutes ago, Happenstance said:

I feel like trying to play FF6 again. Am I right in remembering that the GBA version is supposed to be the best one?

Ted Woolsey Uncensored Edition (SNES)

This is what I'm playing right now.

Here's what the hack can do (depending on which update you choose).

Quote

-Patches included:
	-Final Fantasy VI (TWUE).ips - Base version with original Opera. Least amount of bug fixes.
	-Final Fantasy VI (TWUE) + Updated Opera.ips - Base version with modern Opera scene.
	-Final Fantasy VI (TWUE) + Bug Fixes.ips - A large number of bugfixes were added fix the worst
		bugs in the game while keeping in line with the what TWUE set out to do. 
	-Final Fantasy VI (TWUE) + Bug Fixes & Updated Opera.ips - Same as bug fixes with new Opera
	-Final Fantasy VI (TWUE) + Bug Fixes & Add-Ons.ips - In addition to bugfixes, slight tweaks that 
		were worthwhile were added that still do not take away from the original experience.
	-Final Fantasy VI (TWUE) + Bug Fixes, Updated Opera, & Add-Ons.ips - All bugfixes like before,
		the updated and newer Opera, and the worthwhile Add-Ons.
		

 * The Bug Fixes that were added to TWUE were added because they fix some of the worst bugs 
in the original game. The main reason for this is that some are game breaking (Sketch Bug), 
and others can remove things they aren't suppossed to (like Zombie/Tapir). Others include fixing
graphical errors (Banon Riding, Reflect barrier, etc) and some restore content that should
have been there in the first place (Rage restoration, Phantom Train chests, Elemental Display).
Fixes that were not added were either because they remove exploits (like Vanish/Doom),
they are too funny not to witness (Psycho Cyan) or they might have compatibility issues with other
patches already included (see Compatibility document made by Chronosplit). For all of the details
about each of the bug fixes, see the Bug Fixes Added Compendium document. 
It's recommended to use patches with bugfixes added, but the choice is yours.

** The Updated Opera has to do with the differences in translation for the actual Opera itself.
Some may prefer the original Woolsey version (SNES, PSX) of the Opera, and some prefer the newer 
Slattery version (present in GBA/Mobile/Steam). The newer translation is better timed with the
music ("you're the stars" vs. "you're the starlight") and is currently used in live performances 
by Square themselves. Once again, the choice is yours. 
Special Thanks to Spooniest and vivify93 for helping make sure it's synced properly. 

*** The Add-Ons patches already include the Bug Fixes, but also adds tweaks that bring an
overall complete experience. These include the Blitz screen (which adds the names of the 
Blitz commands to the menu in addition to the button inputs), the Rewards Display (will
tell you what you can win at the Colosseum before betting), Y Equip Relics (gives an added
function to switch from equiping weapons and armor to equip Relics by pressing Y), and 
the Mini Maps Upgrade (which upgrades the mini map to show the mountain ranges as well).
The choice to have this with or without the Updated Opera is once again yours.

I think I chose the one with all the fixes/add-ons. Of course, I can't say how much that takes away/adds to the original experience, but having done a bit of reading it seems that people are quite fond of the hack.

The GBA version is good, from what I've read. It does suffer from quite a bad soundtrack, though. That can be patched, however.

[Happenstance]

I actually ended up starting the patched gba version. I’ll have a look and see how they compare.

[Dcubed]

It's a shame that the GBA version was so shoddily made.  The fan patches help, but ultimately it's a lesser version than the original; even with the patches.

And really? I don't feel that the new translation is as good as the original (despite fixing some issues like "Fenix Down").  It's not the disaster that the Chrono Trigger DS re-translation was, but it does lose some of the original game's character and appeal.

FF4 GBA and FF5 GBA are straight upgrades over the original SNES games though (and FF5 GBA is straight up, the best version of the game available till this date - it's the only GBA FF port that has nothing really wrong with it; even the OST is basically a spot-on conversion!).

[S.C.G]

Nerrel has a video out, comparing all the games from Super Mario 3D All-Stars on the Switch, with what is technically possible on the PC.

It's an interesting video, because while it highlights the collection as being a decent way to play these three 3D Mario games, it also shows several areas where alternative versions, seem to be vastly superior, on a technical level, which makes me wonder, what could have been, with this collection.

[Dcubed]

SEGASammy Holdings have just sold SEGA's arcade/amusement buildings and associated business...

https://www.segasammy.co.jp/english/pdf/release/20201104_e_subsidiary_final.pdf

Quote

SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS Inc. (the Company) resolved to transfer a portion of the shares of SEGA ENTERTAINMENT CO., LTD. (SE) held by SEGA GROUP CORPORATION (SHQ), a consolidated subsidiary of the Company, to GENDA Inc. (GENDA) at Board of Directors meeting held on November 4, 2020. In addition, we hereby notice that we expect to record extraordinary losses (structural reform expenses) in connection with this transfer. As a result of the transfer of shares, SHQ’s voting rights in SE will be 14.9%, and SE will be excluded from the scope of consolidation.

Really sad... If any of you have ever been to Tokyo (or have played the Yakuza games), you'll understand how much of a loss it is to see the end of the Club SEGA arcade buildings  

Edited November 4, 2020 by Dcubed

[Hero-of-Time]

Sad news, indeed. It feels like a massive part of Sega has died off with this move. 

[Julius]

21 hours ago, Dcubed said:

SEGASammy Holdings have just sold SEGA's arcade/amusement buildings and associated business...

https://www.segasammy.co.jp/english/pdf/release/20201104_e_subsidiary_final.pdf

Really sad... If any of you have ever been to Tokyo (or have played the Yakuza games), you'll understand how much of a loss it is to see the end of the Club SEGA arcade buildings  

Famitsu reached out to SEGA for comment on this, and have clarified some details. 

Not all doom and gloom! 

[Will]

Not surprised at all that they’ve finally gotten rid of this business. It’s been losing money for years and was only kept around in the hope that they’d be able to convert them into casinos under law changes in Japan. They do have some decent locations but the buildings are all in a pretty crappy state, hopefully the new owners can figure out how to make money with them.

It makes sense that they would keep the branding, and with SEGA continuing to have a minority in the company I’m surprised people thought they would get rid of it.