Faceplams Faceplams:  0
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 30 of 117

Thread: Retro Games

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    9,214
    Mentioned
    551 Post(s)

    Retro Games

    Hey... so I realized we didn't have a thread dedicated to old school retro games... I guess it would apply to everything that could be hooked up to a CRT? Or arcades, general gaming nostalgia...

    As a conversation starter, I would suggest that The Battle of Olympus is the best video game you've never heard of.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Glendale, AZ
    Posts
    537
    Mentioned
    9 Post(s)
    I'm a HUGE retro gaming fan. I've still got my Atari 2600, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Game Gear, Virtual Boy, and all of my games from when I was a kid.

    I've also got 7 arcade games, 9 pinball machines, and an old EM rifle game (Haunted House).

    As far as consoles, NES and SNES are definitely the ones I have the most nostalgia for. Picking a favorite game is tough, but I'd probably go with Mega Man 2.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    1,549
    Mentioned
    12 Post(s)
    That's like, 95% of what I play is retro gaming hah. I'm currently playing through FF3j translation on my NES everdrive. My game room set up has NES & SNES (with full library everdrives), N64, GameCube, WiiU, Switch and original PlayStation all hooked up. Soon to be added will be the Analogue Pocket thing that'll be capable of playing virtually all the old handheld games (GBA and earlier) on the TV. Suuuuper excited for that. I do also have a complete in box Virtual Boy in the closet that literally hasn't been thought of for about 10 years until this very thread. Maybe I should get around to selling that lmao.

    Battle of Olympus scratches that Zelda II itch for sure - it's got some pretty obtuse puzzles/aimlessly running around though. I never made it all the way through

    I will never tire of playing old school Mega Man games - undoubtedly my favorite game/series (not sure if I could pick just one, but maybe Mega Man 3. I mean, sliding and Rush.. hell yeah). Castlevania, Metroid, Ninja Gaiden, Metal Gear are all way up there too though.
    Last edited by halo eighteen; 04-05-2021 at 07:43 AM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    9,214
    Mentioned
    551 Post(s)
    I wish I had a working Windows PC right now... this fan-made retro-2D remake of Metroid Prime looks amazing

    https://kotaku.com/prime-2d-is-the-c...O6dm3k215d2mJk

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Long Island
    Posts
    3,344
    Mentioned
    43 Post(s)
    Megathread! Edit: Sorry for the long post everyone.

    I'm currently playing Metroid Prime over again. It brings me back to some of the best times in my life, especially around the holidays. I hold the gold bar of accessories for the GameCube with the component cables I am soooo glad I held onto, for they had to make cheaper alternatives due to Nintendo scrapping the cable all together with prices almost as much as a new console at this point. I have the first edition Cube, with newer models not having the port at all; you can really see the difference.

    My set up is all over the place with still not being able to find an affordable apartment, so it is pretty much swapping consoles in and out at this point. I recently have been getting back into PS1 and PS2 games, and found a goldmine of games over the weekend at a yard sale. Let's just say the people had no idea what they were selling...

    Metal Gear Solid 1... MINT CONDITION.
    Silent Hill 2... Manual has a slight crease but can always find a replacement.
    Dirge of Cerberus... MINT..
    ...and fucking Godzilla for PS4 which is now out of print and worth over $300. I brought to their attention about a few and they didn't seem to care at all lol. All these games together are about $500 and I paid about 63 dollars for all of them. Fucking ecstatic about this!

    All the consoles and devices I currently own:
    Atari Super Pong
    Atari 2600
    ColecoVision
    NES (& Classic)
    SNES(& Classic)
    Nintendo 64
    Gamecube
    Wii
    Gameboy Pocket
    Gameboy Color
    Super Gameboy
    Nintendo 3DS XL
    Xbox 360
    Playstation 1 - 5
    Turbografx 16
    Ever Drive X5 for Genesis, N8 for NES
    Framemeister with a 4 way scart

    Quote Originally Posted by Halo eighteen
    I do also have a complete in box Virtual Boy in the closet that literally hasn't been thought of for about 10 years until this very thread. Maybe I should get around to selling that lmao.
    If you see my post, this is not on my list. I would be highly interested if you ever decide to part with it. Every VB I come across either has stuff missing or is ridiculously priced and not even complete in box. I'm currently on the hunt for a Sega Master System!

    Quote Originally Posted by Jinsai View Post
    I wish I had a working Windows PC right now... this fan-made retro-2D remake of Metroid Prime looks amazing

    https://kotaku.com/prime-2d-is-the-c...O6dm3k215d2mJk
    It is everything I thought it would be.
    Last edited by Self.Destructive.Pattern; 04-06-2021 at 12:14 AM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    1,574
    Mentioned
    10 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Jinsai View Post
    I wish I had a working Windows PC right now... this fan-made retro-2D remake of Metroid Prime looks amazing

    https://kotaku.com/prime-2d-is-the-c...O6dm3k215d2mJk
    I really hope this gets finished and released.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Calgary
    Posts
    3,455
    Mentioned
    31 Post(s)


    I've almost convinced myself this is what I was to pick up... see, playing Tekken 3 has a huge fondness in my heart and I just ordered the soundtracks (arcade and PS) on vinyl... if I still have a strong urge that I listen to them, I may just go ahead and do it.

    And to figure out what other games to pick up as well.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Long Island
    Posts
    3,344
    Mentioned
    43 Post(s)
    Was finally able to acquire a capture card for my framemeister! Man... after tweaking the settings, I cannot get over how well the Genesis looks on stream. I tested 3 Ninjas Kick Back just for fun, and FOR FUCKS SAKE is it hard. Controls pretty well, graphics are good as well, but it can turn into a "Where the fuck do I go?" type of game, but not that bad. Cannot wait to get the rest of my scart cables for the rest of my consoles.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    W/A
    Posts
    8,168
    Mentioned
    233 Post(s)

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    9,214
    Mentioned
    551 Post(s)
    yep, @allegate , and these CRT filters don't emulate it properly.

    I feel like calling out my retro game find of the day... Has anyone here played Treasure of the Rudras? (aka Rudra no Hidou)

    This is the last game that Square localized for the SNES, and it came out at the end of the system's life cycle, so nobody played it... at least not on this side of the pond.
    The graphics look like it has to be the same team that pulled together FFVI, it's impossible there's not some of the same artists working.
    The music is great.
    Nobody played this. It's awesome.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Ontario
    Posts
    2,583
    Mentioned
    94 Post(s)
    Can someone explain to me why the image on the right.... even though it was designed by the artists on hardware reflective of that era, is supposed to be preferable?

    I mean it looks objectively worse doesn't it? the colors are dull, it looks washed out. It looks like it was left out in the sun too long.

    About the only thing that i dig about the image on the right are the scanlines.

    I understand everything about experiencing something as it looked at the time for nostalgia sake, I get kicks out of watching VHS tapes in a VCR with a CRT but if it was technologically restrained and there was something better (DVD, Blu-ray), why not go with the better option?

    "absolutely clear that this game is meant to be played with a composite signal"

    Uhhh.... what? Meant to be played as shitty looking as possible? Ok.

    It reminds me of when texture filtering is used in certain games and it just makes everything look muddy instead of crisp.
    Last edited by thelastdisciple; 04-29-2021 at 12:28 AM.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Calgary
    Posts
    3,455
    Mentioned
    31 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by thelastdisciple View Post
    Can someone explain to me why the image on the right.... even though it was designed by the artists on hardware reflective of that era, is supposed to be preferable?
    I think, in this specific case, it means they looks more like the cartoon of the era...

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Long Island
    Posts
    3,344
    Mentioned
    43 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by thelastdisciple View Post
    Can someone explain to me why the image on the right.... even though it was designed by the artists on hardware reflective of that era, is supposed to be preferable?

    I mean it looks objectively worse doesn't it? the colors are dull, it looks washed out. It looks like it was left out in the sun too long.

    About the only thing that i dig about the image on the right are the scanlines.



    I understand everything about experiencing something as it looked at the time for nostalgia sake, I get kicks out of watching VHS tapes in a VCR with a CRT but if it was technologically restrained and there was something better (DVD, Blu-ray), why not go with the better option?

    "absolutely clear that this game is meant to be played with a composite signal"

    Uhhh.... what? Meant to be played as shitty looking as possible? Ok.

    It reminds me of when texture filtering is used in certain games and it just makes everything look muddy instead of crisp.
    You're also looking at shitty twitter compression, and the crt image is way too bright... look at that image with the brightness bumped down on a crt in real life and it will look miles better. Of course, many would just go with the bumped up, HD/UHD Ultra 4K image, but for me, especially growing up in that era, the right image looks better to me as well. Studying how these sprites were made back then when I was a youngin', and with the color palette they were limited to, it gives more room for the colors to blend better, especially the fading in the background with the buildings. You will never get that fading and blending in the left image which you can clearly see on the buildings; they're over-stippled compared to the smooth colors you get in the right image, even on Robin.

    Regardless of nostalgia sake, the left looks like the image is too sharp, while the CRT image (When adjusted properly) will look like someone did an amazing job with colored pencils which will always be lighter and nicer to look at than that dirty ass image on the left... but of course, to each their own . I find it fascinating how different color interpretation can be with anothers point of view.
    Last edited by Self.Destructive.Pattern; 04-29-2021 at 01:54 AM.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Ontario
    Posts
    2,583
    Mentioned
    94 Post(s)
    I've seen some videos on youtube by great channels like Digital Foundry or My Life in Gaming make the case for how much better the games look on original hardware with a CRT and I don't doubt that, these videos point out some great examples where it truly does look better but I guess I'm just saying for that specific image comparison shown above, I don't see what everyone else is seeing. I wish i could, yes there's sort of like a faux fog of war with how those buildings show in the background but stuff like that is what i hated about N64 games (i know the technical reasons for why that was typically done but it was just never something i was a fan of overall)

    Maybe it's the poor compression and brightness (like you mentioned) that just ruins the point of that twitter post for me.

    BTW i love Frank Cifaldi, in case it wasn't clear from my quoting/questioning of what was said. His GDC Emulation talks are great! I fully trust that he knows what he's talking about but i just WISH i could see it here.
    Last edited by thelastdisciple; 04-29-2021 at 09:09 AM.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    1,549
    Mentioned
    12 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Jinsai View Post
    I feel like calling out my retro game find of the day... Has anyone here played Treasure of the Rudras? (aka Rudra no Hidou)

    This is the last game that Square localized for the SNES, and it came out at the end of the system's life cycle, so nobody played it... at least not on this side of the pond.
    The graphics look like it has to be the same team that pulled together FFVI, it's impossible there's not some of the same artists working.
    The music is great.
    Nobody played this. It's awesome.
    I've literally never even heard of this, but I'm 10000% intrigued

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    9,214
    Mentioned
    551 Post(s)
    @thelastdisciple the problem is, you're still not looking at it on a CRT. The way details blurred disguised rough edges and, in that case, actually used the blurring to basically create a tone. This is really a big part of the reason why when people boot up games on emulators on their modern monitors they feel their memory is messed up, or that they were just looking at it through nostalgic lenses. But then you go to an actual arcade and play one of the original units, and it looks good, the way you remember it.

    Quote Originally Posted by halo eighteen View Post
    I've literally never even heard of this, but I'm 10000% intrigued
    It's really great. I guess I was mistaken... I thought Square actually did the translation and then didn't release it, but I guess not. Still, similar to Panzer Dragoon Saga, it was this great thing that came out right when the system was dying, and so most people never heard of it.

    Last edited by Jinsai; 04-29-2021 at 12:17 PM.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Ontario
    Posts
    2,583
    Mentioned
    94 Post(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Jinsai View Post
    This is really a big part of the reason why when people boot up games on emulators on their modern monitors they feel their memory is messed up, or that they were just looking at it through nostalgic lenses.
    Isn't some of that just having been acclimated to higher fidelity images over time though? We were all blown away with the visuals of games as they came out, when something was state of the art for the time we figured nothing could ever top it. Then you see the next thing and the thing after that, the frame of reference changes.

    We thought Doom from 1993 was the pinnacle, it was the limit and equivalent of Doom 2016 for it's time and then you experience the modern games and suddenly what blew you away back then doesn't look as impressive anymore. (Not that the old is no longer playable or fun or still visually nice to look it and well crafted, the experience just hits a bit different) You get this weird sensation of... wait but it looked SO MUCH BETTER back then, what happened? what really changed? The games themselves did not (save for remasters and ports etc.) but with the more recent experiences progressively filling up our minds over time, it's like the contrast of going from spending x amount of time without corrective lenses or laser eye surgery to being on the other side of that and then putting a pair of beer goggles on to try and reduce your visual memory.

    EDIT:

    So I was looking through that CRTPixels twitter account, ok this one to me is a definite and obvious no-brainer.

    The actual CRT shot on the right is clearly the better picture.

    Last edited by thelastdisciple; 04-29-2021 at 01:51 PM.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    9,214
    Mentioned
    551 Post(s)
    @thelastdisciple it's a thing that people really get into for authenticity, and it's true that the graphics were designed to be viewed on these monitors... so the characters were intended to blur in parts. It's a weird thing, I remember buying a DS game for Wii Virtual store, and playing on the big screen looked horrible, and this is just a resizing thing... but the game was designed to be played on this tiny screen, so the pixels would kinda smash together because that's how our eyes work at that resolution... and to a certain degree, I think the CRT fetish has some credibility there... and in the fact that apparently the response time is faster unless you have a Framemeister?

    Still, I don't keep a CRT hanging around. I'm not that hardcore.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    W/A
    Posts
    8,168
    Mentioned
    233 Post(s)
    That reminds me: I saw a widescreen HD (I mean, probably 720i) CRT on the side of the road and I had to have it. I mean, the best of both worlds! and connecting a PS2/PS3 up to it with Rock Band or Guitar Hero and playing in HD with no lag? fuck yeah buddy.

    Then I got that heavy fucker home and my wife is like "and where do you think you're going to put it." no question, it was a statement of fact.

    oh. right.

    shit.

    Still want to own one of those. Maybe after my son moves out.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    W/A
    Posts
    8,168
    Mentioned
    233 Post(s)


    wow, I can play black and red games on my television now. I kid, but I do wonder how it works considering.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Long Island
    Posts
    3,344
    Mentioned
    43 Post(s)
    Neat, but the Virtual Boy should stay dead.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    9,214
    Mentioned
    551 Post(s)
    there IS one decent Virtua Boy game, and it's kinda sad that it's trapped in this horrible console, but the Wario game is cool, and deserved better.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    1,549
    Mentioned
    12 Post(s)
    I did like Mario Clash, too. It gave off some major OG Mario bros vibes. Red Alarm wasn't horrible, either.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    W/A
    Posts
    8,168
    Mentioned
    233 Post(s)
    I do wonder if there's someone trying to emulate VB games for one of the VR headsets so you can get the 3d going. hell, they probably did and it's so niche no one knows about it.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    9,214
    Mentioned
    551 Post(s)
    the effect would be really easy to pull off with even a really rudimentary VR concept (like the attachment you can put on an android phone)... you wouldn't need anything approaching a modern headset... so I bet someone out there has done it?

  26. #26
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    W/A
    Posts
    8,168
    Mentioned
    233 Post(s)
    that's true.
    The hobbyist community at Planet Virtual Boy has developed Virtual Boy software.[6] Two previously unreleased games, Bound High and Niko-Chan Battle (the Japanese version of Faceball) were released.

  27. #27
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Posts
    9,214
    Mentioned
    551 Post(s)
    been playing through Crystalis on the SNK collection, and this is a bittersweet nostalgia trip. Some of it is great just the way I remember it being, and then some of it is just terrible... especially the "puzzles" and their obtuse solutions. How was anyone supposed to figure this stuff out before the internet?

    And I guess somehow I did, back when I was 10.

  28. #28
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    W/A
    Posts
    8,168
    Mentioned
    233 Post(s)
    @Jinsai : looks like someone went and done did it:


  29. #29
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    MI
    Posts
    1,549
    Mentioned
    12 Post(s)
    limitedrungames.com/collections/neo-frontpage/products/mega-man-the-wily-wars-genesis

    First and probably only time that the 1994 SEGA Genesis game Mega Man: The Wily Wars will be available in cartridge form in North America. $69.99 on sale until June 20.

    This is the first 3 Mega Man titles beefed up in 16-bit graphics with a bonus fortress to play through. I don't think my emulator back in the day would ever unlock the bonus levels, so I'm pretty sure I've never played them. Also, my Genesis isn't even hooked up anymore haha.

  30. #30
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    W/A
    Posts
    8,168
    Mentioned
    233 Post(s)


    I mean, I know a couple people who would definitely buy that.

Posting Permissions