General Retro Discussion

[Happenstance]

They always feel like the forgotten Sonic games that were actually good. You always hear people moan about how bad Sonic was for years but they never talk about how good those GBA games were (and the DS game I forget the name of).

[S.C.G]

4 minutes ago, Happenstance said:

They always feel like the forgotten Sonic games that were actually good. You always hear people moan about how bad Sonic was for years but they never talk about how good those GBA games were (and the DS game I forget the name of).

Yeah, that's my standing as well.

Sonic Advance was a pretty good first attempt at a portable Sonic game on a Nintendo handheld.

Sonic Advance 2 pretty much blew away all expectations and changed things up significantly.

Sonic Advance 3 seemed to take a similar mechanic to Chaotix with the two character system and was pretty decent.

Sonic Rush when it first came out felt like a modern day version of Sonic & Knuckles... in a way, with the two different playable characters.

Sonic Rush Adventure expanded the formula, added in a lot of extra stuff but was generally pretty decent for its time.

That's from how I'm remembering them anyway... in fact, I think I reviewed some of those titles, so I'll just have a look...

Ha! yep... here's my enthusiastic and probably overzealous review of Sonic Rush plus the much more balanced review of Sonic Rush Adventure by @Cube

(plus a second opinion from myself which reads like a hyperbolic micro-review, this was from the early days though so you can't fault the enthusiasm at least)

[S.C.G]

The Geek Critique has just published the Sonic Advance 2 review on YouTube, I decided to wait the week in the end, though now I'm tempted to pay $1 to see Sonic Advance 3 early.

Anyway, I'll likely wait again but it is cool to see these games being covered, really looking forward to seeing SA3, Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure being covered.

[S.C.G]

Yet more Sega retro goodness in these two videos...

My Life In Gaming has covered the original Phantasy Star series, at first I thought it was just the different versions of the original game including the Switch release on the Sega Ages label, but then I looked at the length of the video as I was watching it last night and soon realised that they were in fact covering all four original titles and the best ways to play them.

Well worth watching for anyone with an interest in such a great and underrated series.

And what better way to follow up that video then with one from Sega Lord X which covers all of the Sega Ages titles released on the Switch so far plus the other planned releases.

Of course, there are some suggestions of which classic Sega games could be ported across as well, because of course there are!

If Sega aren't going to port across some of their more obscure or demanding Arcade, Saturn and Dreamcast games now with this latest venture by M2 then I don't know why not.

I have a feeling that we'll see some really solid Sega titles getting re-released on the Switch by the time this Sega Ages line is complete... if it ever is.

It's going to take time of course but I think it will be well worth the wait and in the meantime, I can't wait to play Virtua Racing.

[Ike]

9 hours ago, S.C.G said:

Yet more Sega retro goodness in these two videos...

My Life In Gaming has covered the original Phantasy Star series, at first I thought it was just the different versions of the original game including the Switch release on the Sega Ages label, but then I looked at the length of the video as I was watching it last night and soon realised that they were in fact covering all four original titles and the best ways to play them.

Well worth watching for anyone with an interest in such a great and underrated series.

 

Watched it last night, good video. Personally I think the Sega Ages version of PS1 on the Switch is the best version.

Will probably play PSIII & PSIV on the Mega Sg when I get round to it.

PSO music makes me so nostalgic like nothing else.

[S.C.G]

Time for a bit of Nintendo in here, just to balance things out...

SNESdrunk who regularly reviews SNES games and other titles, asking if they are worth playing today... has just brought out a video on Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

It definitely gives a deeper understanding of the game without going too in-depth and there were a couple of points in there I was unaware of.

[S.C.G]

This is almost eerie in its timing...

Happy Console Gamer goes through his Top 10 SNES Games.

[Hero-of-Time]

On 4/29/2019 at 10:42 AM, S.C.G said:

 

My Life In Gaming has covered the original Phantasy Star series, at first I thought it was just the different versions of the original game including the Switch release on the Sega Ages label, but then I looked at the length of the video as I was watching it last night and soon realised that they were in fact covering all four original titles and the best ways to play them.

I gave this a watch the other evening and quite enjoyed it. I didn't even know their was a collection on the Saturn. 

Phantasy Star is a series I have never been able to get into, even as a kid. I bought the Sega Ages version on the Switch when it was first released and once again I couldn't get into it, even with all of the nice benefits this new version offers. PSO is a completely different story though. Like Ike, I had a rush of emotions when I heard that music play. What a game. I've often been tempted to snap up a Gamecube BB adaptor and try to sign in to one of those private servers but i'm not sure it's worth the expense or hassle.

[S.C.G]

Annnd back to Sega again...

They really don't make games like The Revenge of Shinobi any more, Sega Lord X does a fantastic job of detailing why it's such a great Sega MegaDrive game.

[Ike]

Spoiler

Wait, Spiderman, Batman and Godzilla were bosses?! 

I've never beat the game, I got pretty far once but I found the game pretty hard back in the day and don't think I managed to get as far again.

[Gadwin]

I always got lost in the Labyrinth level in that game.  Never found the exit always ended up resetting my console after getting bored navigating that level.

Lost so many lives to that infamous jump in the sea level too before discovering I could change to that jumping ninjistu.

[Grazza]

Ah, that video really took me back.  Revenge of Shinobi is one of the classic Mega Drive games - I have to be honest though, I never liked it as much as you were "meant" to.  I did get the good ending though.

 

Although I remember "Batman" and "Spider-Man", I don't recall them looking so much like the real thing, and I have no recollection of Godzilla at all.  In fact, I'm pretty sure there was a trademark acknowledgement in the PAL version that Marvel owned Spider-Man and DC owned Batman.

Edited May 2, 2019 by Grazza

[Hero-of-Time]

Its also coming to their YouTube channel on 19th May. Brilliant stuff. I know @Dcubed and @S.C.G will be very interested in watching this.

[Dcubed]

Yes I will! Looking forward to it muchly!

[S.C.G]

The Geek Critique has published a video on Sonic Advance 3 and what a great review it is.

Well worth watching if you've ever played the Sonic Advance series or are just curious about it.

[Hero-of-Time]

Good to see the Allies understand just how amazing this game is.

 

[Hero-of-Time]

 

[S.C.G]

Another video from the Happy Console Gamer just released, for me it just arrived at the right time I suppose... not something I'll be talking about now but it did get me thinking.

Are there any particular games which have helped to get you through bad times at any point in your life?

I feel like games have helped me a lot at certain times and being part of the N-Europe community has helped a lot, especially at those times when you feel like you can't talk.

Sega games I go back to are games such as Streets of Rage II, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Phantasy Star Online even if it's just to run through the forest one more time in offline mode.

When it comes to Nintendo titles, of course there is always Metroid Prime, F-Zero X, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and Super Mario Land to name but a few.

Lately though, I'm thinking I might just play a good old classic SNES title at some point soon and it will likely be The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past to try it out on the Super NT.

Either that or I might play one of the many PS4 games I've been meaning to for a while, or just go back to Dangerous Driving but before or that I've got other things I need to do.

Mostly sorting out stuff which I've been trying to do for a while, still lots of boxes to go through and just get my life a bit more in order generally.

Still, there's plenty of time for games at some point, even though I'm not playing them anything like I used to years ago, I will change that in time.

Right now, I just feel as if I need to spread my time out a bit and address what I need in my life, what I don't plus just do what I can to improve things.

[Glen-i]

14 minutes ago, S.C.G said:

Are there any particular games which have helped to get you through bad times at any point in your life?

For me, it's any of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games. Sometimes I just want a story that gets a bit bleak before it gets better. Any good plot should have that, but I want one where one of the main characters can have this dopey face.

Totodile never fails to cheer me up. The hyper little bugger.

[Jonnas]

An interesting question. The only game I associate with a "down" moment of my life is Wind Waker, which I 100% while recovering from a surgery. It was during summer, and it was the first time I appreciated that big blue ocean and all of its treasure.

But on the other hand, the sort of thing that really cheers me up is Skies of Arcadia music. Can't get enough of the Little Jack theme.

And maybe Sonic Mania? There's a game to replay whenever I'm feeling down.

[Hero-of-Time]

11 hours ago, S.C.G said:

Are there any particular games which have helped to get you through bad times at any point in your life?

Gaming in general helps me with life. I've suffered with anxiety and depression for a fair few years now and gaming really helps me to deal with these issues. I've been seeing a counsellor for the past 6 months and the question was asked: What brings me joy in my life? Gaming was one of the answers. It's not just playing games but things like reading about the industry, listening to podcasts, following sales data and talking about them in various communities really makes me happy. I'm so passionate about it.

There are so many things in life that you can't control but that isn't the case with gaming. I get a real sense of control when I play video games and because I'm quite good at them, I also get a nice sense of accomplishment from them when I finish one. When I play a game I know exactly what I have to do to solve a problem and I will do my best to get through it. Again, this came up during one of my counselling sessions and she was saying that because of the type of person I am its understandable why gaming is a big thing for me. People tend to get the most out of something they are passionate about and it helps even more if they are good at it.

Football is another big hobby of mine and I took a close look at it over the past year. A lot of the time I found it was actually making me miserable due to results not going the way I wanted. Last year's World Cup was a big example of this and I was in a terrible state during a couple of the matches. Yeah, the game comes with highs but it can also come with very low lows. I learnt that I needed to back away from it a bit because of the way it was making me feel. It came back to the issue of control. My happiness was being dictated by the actions of people that I had no control over. There was no way I could influence what I was watching and I started to find this frustrating and depressing. I mention this because of the point I made earlier. Video games is a hobby I have complete control over. If I get stuck then I better myself and learn to get past the problem and progress. Everything on screen, at least in terms of single player gaming, is down to me and my own actions. If I fail then it's pretty much my own fault and I can deal with that because I caused the failure.

In terms of a particular games that help me through rough/dark periods of life, it's usually a game from when I was a younger, which means most of the time it's a Nintendo game. Super Mario World and A Link to the Past are 2 games that can easily lift my mood. Both games are masterpieces, easy to pick up & play and remind me of better times. Pokemon Yellow also has that effect but it's a harder game to just pick up and play due to the random battles and how slow the game feels by today's standards.

Sometimes I don't even have to play the game for my mood to be lifted. A few weeks back I had a rough day at work and was driving home feeling pretty down. I was listening to a Retronauts episode that was about The Wind Waker. Whilst driving home I was going up a bank and once I reached the top I had a fantastic view, the sun was shining brightly and the Wind Waker overworld theme kicked in. It was a perfect moment where everything just came together at the right time and I instantly felt better. I sat and humming the Great Sea theme for the rest of the drive home and pretty much stopped listening to what was being said on the podcast.  

Music is a powerful way of lifting your mood and video game music in particular helps raise my spirits because I can visualise at what point in my life that I was actually playing the game. Music from the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, Tropical Freeze, Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy will always help me snap out of a rut and once again remind me of better and simpler times.

Speaking of video game music, with the issues that I deal with I tend not to sleep well. I was encouraged to try and listen to music or relaxing tunes before going to bed. I tried a bunch of the usual stuff, things like running water, rain sounds, ocean sounds or just general relaxing music. None of those really helped. I thought about what video game music I could apply to this problem and I tried using Seashore War from Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze. It worked an absolute treat and when I have had trouble sleeping it has never failed to send me straight back to the land of Zs. In fact, I used it last night when I awoke at around midnight. I fired it up on my phone (there's a nice extended version of it on YouTube that lasts an hour) and I managed to go back to sleep pretty quickly. 

TL:DR For me, life sucks, video games make everything better and David Wise is a national treasure.  

@S.C.G feel free to PM me if you ever want to get anything off your chest. I'm always happy to lend an ear and be an outlet.

[Dcubed]

For me? It’s Kirby.  

 

The literal embodiment of happiness.

 

Kirby is the ultimate cheery game series (well... until you get to the super grimdark ending sections of course! But you always overcome them eventually  ).  Even just listening to Kirby music alone never fails to lift my mood, even if only a little!

 

@S.C.G.  You know my door is always open if ever you need to chat to someone.  Much love mate 

Edited May 13, 2019 by Dcubed

[Grazza]

I wouldn't say there is any one particular game that cheers me up.  Before 2013 my life was brilliant, then, during Animal Crossing: New Leaf it went terribly wrong, and unfortunately hasn't been the same since.  Despite the fact I loved that game, I'm actually a little bit superstitious about playing another Animal Crossing now. That is ridiculous, I know.

 

But generally, video games are great for taking your mind off things, especially if you have to focus on strategy.  @Glen-i mentioned Pokémon Mystery Dungeon... well, my rogue-like of choice is actually one I reviewed for this site - Alchemic Dungeons.  Despite not really knowing what to think of it at first, something about it hooked me and it became my go-to game if I was anxious or couldn't sleep etc.  Recently I bought the Switch version, Alchemic Dungeons DX, and it's comfortably better than the 3DS one.  It seems to be much more generous with materials, and there are more useful items to craft.  That said, it still takes calmness and composure to complete a dungeon.  Similar to what @Hero-of-Time was saying, if you make a mistake, it's (largely) your fault and you just have to work out a better strategy.

 

Spoiler

 

Video games are a double-edged sword.  They're great escapism, but can also be too addictive.  If they keep you up too late and limit your sleep, that causes problems of its own.  Partly for this reason I have never, ever become tired of classic beat-'em-ups, especially Streets of Rage 2 or Final Fight.  You know they're going to provide an hour of great entertainment and not going to do any harm - apart from to the enemies you're bashing!

[lostmario]

21 hours ago, S.C.G said:

Are there any particular games which have helped to get you through bad times at any point in your life?

No game in particular for me but if I ever feel a bit down, I'll go into my retro games room. I'll either play a game or do a simple thing like just picking up a game off the shelf and looking at the box art and reminisce.

Takes me back to my childhood when things were a lot simpler.

 

[Hero-of-Time]

I always wanted to play the Super Mario Land 2 DX version that the same guy made but not being a PC gamer i've never had the opportunity to do so. Saying that, i'm sure I seen it kicking around on ebay a few months back. I guess people flashed it to a cart and were selling it.

EDIT: Here it is.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Super-Mario-Land-2-DX-v1-8-Full-Colour-Game-Boy-Colour/223488971170?hash=item3408fb11a2:g:hfUAAOSwQWxbD8XN

 

Edited May 14, 2019 by Hero-of-Time