Gamers' Legacy: retro console discussion thread

[KALEL114]

Here is a pic of one of the Genesis's that my mom won off Ebay. It was part of one of those mystery boxes for $20. It came with 2 Genesis's, 1 Super Nintendo, Sega CD (not working ), Virtua Racing Saturn, Madden 97 Saturn, and NHL Powerplay 96 Saturn. Needless to say she had no use of them and gave it to me.

 

[Timstuff]

With the upcoming release of HAWX, I can't help but think back towards one of the first franchises that got me into combat sims: Wing Commander.





This game really shaped a good chunk of my childhood. I first played it right around the same time I first saw Star Wars, and any time my PC wasn't turned on, I'd lay back on the couch and imagine that I was in the cockpit of a Rapier Starfighter, blasting at imaginary Kilrathi Dralthi-class fighters on the ceiling. And then, there was the wonderous day when me and my brothers got our first PC flight stick. It was a pretty ho-hum device with only two buttons and 8 directions, but what we loved about it was the fact that it looked just like the flight stick in the game!

Eventually, there'd be Wing Commander 2, followed by 3, 4, and Prophecy which featured live action segments starring Mark Hammil as the previously unnamed protagonist Christopher Blair, and there was also the excellent Wing Commander: Privateer Spinoff. However, I will always remember the first game as the one that showed me how two of my favorite things-- video games and science fiction-- could mix oh-so-wonderfully. Not only that, but it also showed me that games could actually be quite similar to movies, using cinematic visuals and likable characters to tell an interesting story that I got to control.

Even though the franchise has kind of disappeared in the last few years, Wing Commander was and is still a source of some of my fondest gaming memories. Will EA ever bring it back? Only time will tell, I suppose (and no, that awful insult of a game "Wing Commander Arena" does not count).

 

[thedeadite]

Not a "console", but I did pick up a Commodore-64 with disk drive this week at work.
I'm only posting it here because there really isn't anywhere else to, and I'm excited to have one again (it was actually the first "computer" i ever owned).
Now I have to search around my dad's basement to see if I can find the tape drive and any old games we had.

 

[Timstuff]

Discussion of old computer games is perfectly welcome in this thread. I myself have some fond memories of the Commodore-64. It was my family's first computer, back when I was just a little tyke.

 

[Bathead]

Anyone here ever have the Magnavox Odyssey 2? It was an interesting effort with some innovative ideas that never went aywhere. It had an integrated full touch keyboard, and was starting to come out with some interesting board/video game hybrids, but poor graphics, and a really poor game library, caused a premature death for the system. Add the fact that the keyboard was fully functional, yet no games released had any use for it.
It had a lot of unrealised potential.

 

[thedeadite]

Anyone here ever have the Magnavox Odyssey 2? It was an interesting effort with some innovative ideas that never went aywhere. It had an integrated full touch keyboard, and was starting to come out with some interesting board/video game hybrids, but poor graphics, and a really poor game library, caused a premature death for the system. Add the fact that the keyboard was fully functional, yet no games released had any use for it.
It had a lot of unrealised potential.

I just bought one in the summer.
Never did have one growing up though.
Though the game library isn't all that impressive there are still some really fun games for it. KC Munchkin is arguably more fun than Pac-Man.
It's really quite a fun and interesting system.
I'm looking for a good (not too over-priced) copy of "Quest for the Rings". It's a board/video game hybrid that is by far the most regarded game for the system.

also...cartridges with handles FTW!

 

[StrainedEyes]

I wish Turtles in Time would come out on Virtual Console. I miss that game.

 

[thedeadite]

Picked up 16 "new" atari games today at work.
Nothing very interesting except a copy of the Robin Hood/Sir Lancelot Double-Ender which is pretty rare.
There's still a whole other box that needs to be priced and put out.
Hopefully I won't miss it like I did the C-64 games that went out this week.

 

[Timstuff]

Last week I printed up new covers for most of my Super Nintendo collection from thecoverproject.net. In retrospect, it would have been cheaper to get them printed at Staples (and I would have gotten laser prints instead of inkjet), but they came out pretty good. I'd definitely reccomend picking up some Universal Game Cases and printing up some covers if you're a completist-- they are much more shelf friendly than the actual game boxes, and they are a heckuvalot cheaper to get ahold of.

 

[thedeadite]

Not really "retro" but I picked up a Gamecube at work the other day for $5.
No cables, no controllers. Luckily it uses the same av cables as snes/64, so I just had to buy a power supply from the local retro gaming store and still need to get controllers.

That brings the collection to:

Magnovox Odyssey 2
Atari 2600
Atari 2600jr
Coleco ADAM
Commodore 64
SEGA Genesis (x2)
NES
SNES
N64
Gamecube

 

[Majin Boo]

Anyone played Warsong for Genesis? easily one of the most underrated RPG's of all time, too bad they never ported the sequels to the US.

 

[thedeadite]

Picked up a Sega Cd today along with NHL 94 CD and Sonic CD.
Haven't hooked it up yet to see if it works...and yeah it's a pretty crappy add-on but hey.

 

[Matt Mortem]

I wish Turtles in Time would come out on Virtual Console. I miss that game.

If that ended up in XBLA I would pass out from excitment. That's one of my favorite games ever!

 

[terry78]

Turtles in Time...the first time I saw that **** in the arcades I was bouncing around like I was on crack. When they played Pizza Power from the Coming out of their Shells tour, that was it.

 

[Lucien]

Super Nintendo

Following up on the legacy of the NES, Nintendo unleashed one of the greatest systems in their company's history, the SNES. The controller design to this day remains the gold standard to which nearly all controllers since have been held, and if you had one back then it's easy to understand why. The graphics were superior to those found on the Sega Genesis, and the audio made games on Sega's systems sound like a joke by comparison (in all fairness though, the Genesis actually used the same audio processor as Sega's 8-bit Master System). The Super Nintendo had a noticeably "dorkier" design than the Genesis, and it did spend its first few years behind Sega's machine. However, in the end the SNES did finish ahead of Sega, even if by a nose.

That is an ugly SNES! The PAL console was much sleeker.

And it sounds wierd to me everyone saying SEGA Genesis. Was the PAL version the only one called the SEGA Megadrive?

 

[Spidey-Bat]

That SNES is great. I would buy one but it's kind of pointless.

 

[Kevin]

I am all about The SNES. I mean, Did anyone else Have Bubsy for it? Never beat that s***.

 

[Timstuff]

And it sounds wierd to me everyone saying SEGA Genesis. Was the PAL version the only one called the SEGA Megadrive?

No, in fact it's the Americas that are weird when it comes to the Genesis / Megadrive. Everywhere else in the world the system was called "Megadrive," but in in the Americas, the name "Megadrive" was already copywritten, so Sega had to change the name to "Genesis" when it came out here. Also, we're the only ones who got that ugly-ass boxy SNES, because Nintendo didn't want us playing Japanese games and visae-versa. :P

 

[Spidey-Bat]

Timstuff (or anyone else), any idea how this is?

http://store.yahoo.com/gamesusainc/retroduo-white-blue.html

I've seen a few of those NES/SNES hybrids on eBay. That one was the most appealing. I've never owned either system and might actually start a small collection. Regular SNES are about $40 on eBay and some don't include the cables, wires, controllers, etc.

 

[Lucien]

I am all about The SNES. I mean, Did anyone else Have Bubsy for it? Never beat that s***.

I had that game but I never had much patience with it. I was in awe when my friend got to the rollercoster level lol.

 

[Lucien]

No, in fact it's the Americas that are weird when it comes to the Genesis / Megadrive. Everywhere else in the world the system was called "Sega Genesis," but in in the Americas, the name "Megadrive" was already copywritten, so Sega had to change the name to "Genesis" when it came out here. Also, we're the only ones who got that ugly-ass boxy SNES, because Nintendo didn't want us playing Japanese games and visae-versa. :P

Seems strange they'd completely redesign the SNES shell just to destinguish its region lock-out.

Am I correct in thinking the Japanese SNES was called the Super Famicom? That's a glorious name for a console imot:

 

[Spidey-Bat]

Timstuff (or anyone else), any idea how this is?

http://store.yahoo.com/gamesusainc/retroduo-white-blue.html

I've seen a few of those NES/SNES hybrids on eBay. That one was the most appealing. I've never owned either system and might actually start a small collection. Regular SNES are about $40 on eBay and some don't include the cables, wires, controllers, etc.

Did some research on this. It plays games like Super Mario RPG, Star Fox, and Castlevania III which other clone systems have had issues with.

There seem to be some minor issues with it. General consensus is that it's the best clone system but you're better off getting a NES and SNES if money isn't an issue.

I'm going to look for a SNES in the $50 price range on eBay. May just get this if I don't find anything I like in a month.


In the mean time, I have to get RCA cables for my Genesis and pick up some good games I missed out on. I own 7 Gen games, 5 are Sonic (1, 2, 3, Knuckles, Pinball).

 

[Timstuff]

Seems strange they'd completely redesign the SNES shell just to destinguish its region lock-out.

Am I correct in thinking the Japanese SNES was called the Super Famicom? That's a glorious name for a console imot:

In the days of cartridges, Nintendo tended to rely more on physical lockouts for their games than digital ones, oddly enough. The US SNES catridges have a different physical shape than the European and Japanese carts, which physically prevents the importation of games. I'm guessing the system's American design was the result of some idiot focus group that thought the normal one looked dumb, but hey, it is what it is.

Did some research on this. It plays games like Super Mario RPG, Star Fox, and Castlevania III which other clone systems have had issues with.

There seem to be some minor issues with it. General consensus is that it's the best clone system but you're better off getting a NES and SNES if money isn't an issue.

I'm going to look for a SNES in the $50 price range on eBay. May just get this if I don't find anything I like in a month.


In the mean time, I have to get RCA cables for my Genesis and pick up some good games I missed out on. I own 7 Gen games, 5 are Sonic (1, 2, 3, Knuckles, Pinball).

The general the reaction to the Retro Duo has been good. I've heard reports of some minor audio glitches with some NES games, but overall it's a good entry-level console for people who want in on the retro scene. Overall I'll always prefer the actual systems, not just because of accuracy but also sentiment, but the Retro Duo is a very economical alternative that will give you a similar experience.

If you're picking up Genesis games, there are a couple I'd happily recommend for getting started:

Ecco the Dolphin 1 & 2
Revenge of Shinobi
Shinobi III
Gunstar Heroes
Aladdin

 

[Spidey-Bat]

I'll look for those. I was also going to look for Earthworm Jim, Mortal Kombat, Strider, and Rocket Knight Adventures.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

I finally got my Genesis working (moved the switch on the little box that connects to the antenna jack). All of my games except Sonic Spinball and Adventures of Batman & Robin work. Those 2 just show the "Licensed by Sega" thing and then go black.

I used my 6-button and 3-button Genesis controllers. They're such good controllers. D-Pad isn't to my liking but it works. The one on my 3-button one is a bit loose but still works.

The Genesis seems so small compared to the new consoles. It's weird how I'm used consoles getting hot while these old ones barely get warm. Obviously must be from using cartridges over discs.