OAO Retrogaming Thread.

[AndrewTS 0]

Yesterday was the release of two new compilations: Sega Genesis Collection and Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2. Both are assembled by Digital Eclipse, who also brought us the original Capcom Classics. Neither are really worth a thread on their own, but with both of them out, the upcoming Virtual Console, Gametap, XBLA getting "classics" now and then--lots of companies currently are trying to make money off old games.

 

So, for this thread, any games originally released more than 2 console generations ago, or (if not applicable) older than 8 years old should qualify. So, pretty PS1/N64/Saturn I'd say no--anything older sure.

 

I've not found Capcom Classics 2--but here's the game list:

 

1941: Counter Attack

Avengers

Black Tiger

Block Block

Captain Commando

Eco Fighters

King of Dragons

Knights of the Round

Last Duel

Magic Sword

Mega Twins

Quiz and Dragons

Side Arms Hyper Dyne

The Speed Rumbler

Street Fighter

Strider

Super Street Fighter II Turbo

Three Wonders

Tiger Road

Varth: Operation Thunderstorm

 

The Sega Genesis Collection has the following (and I do have that):

 

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle

Altered Beast

Bonanza Bros. (Previously unreleased in the US)

Columns

Comix Zone

Decap Attack

Ecco the Dolphin

Ecco: The Tides of Time

Ecco Jr.

Flicky

Gain Ground

Golden Axe

Golden Axe II

Golden Axe III (previously unreleased in the US)

Kid Chameleon

Phantasy Star II

Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom

Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium

Ristar

Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi

Shinobi III

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Super Thunder Blade

Sword of Vermillion

Vectorman

Vectorman 2

Virtua Fighter 2 (Genesis version)

 

Bonus unlockables (PS2 only):

Zaxxon

Tac/Scan

Zektor

Altered Beast (arcade version)

 

The collection is rated T; there's no Shining Force or Streets of Rage because--remember, this is still Sega, so for some reason we get crap like Decap Attack. Plus, Sega seems to want to pretend SoR never happened.

 

Yeah, you could just emulate 'em too. So if you plan to make a smart-ass post stating that, kindly go to hell.

 

Thankfully, unlike the sonic compilations put out recently, there's no ridiculous requirements to unlock the bonus games. Unlocking is done by either just "playing" (i.e. starting and exiting back to the game menu) the existing games once, or meeting some easily-achievable in-game requirements. For example, beating level 2 on Altered Beast and finishing the first full level of Comix Zone. The game tells you what to do for the unlockables too. The interface is clean, the emulation is good (some of sound is cleaned up it appears, and progressive scan is supported), and it's cheap.

 

From what I understand, the bonus games are Master System except for Altered Beast Arcade. Oddly, while the have the crappy Decap Attack, they don't have the infinitely superior Master System Psycho Fox, which DA is based on.

 

Ecco Jr. must be in there as a joke, or just because they had the other Ecco games. There aren't any enemies that can hurt you, you can breathe underwater forever, and nothing ever really happens except for you collecting. In summary--Ecco Jr. is fine if you are about 3 years old and couldn't handle the *intense* action of the other two Genesis Ecco games.

[World's Worst Man 0]

Nice to see the Phantasy Star games in there, but I can't help but feel disappointed that the PS2 remakes got cancelled.

[AndrewTS 0]

Nice to see the Phantasy Star games in there, but I can't help but feel disappointed that the PS2 remakes got cancelled.

 

I think the first two Sega Ages releases came out in Japan, but that they nixed them for the US. That would explain the US release (which was supposed to cancel them all out) being cancelled.

 

It's a shame: Phantasy Star IV being remade by itself would be incredible. There was that GBA collection, but it was only the first 3 games. They threw in a nice inventory of the item shops' goodies and what their effects were, because the original games didn't include that (you had to buy something to find out what it would actually do in PS1 and PS2, and the names were really abbreviated).

[Guest Princess Leena]

Has there ever been a Master System Collection?

 

Granted, most games on that system blow and have aged badly, but I love Phantasy Star I.

[Red Baron 0]

King of Dragons.

 

That game ruled on so much level for the SNES.

[AndrewTS 0]

Has there ever been a Master System Collection?

 

Granted, most games on that system blow and have aged badly, but I love Phantasy Star I.

 

Officially? No. Sadly a Master System collection of only first party stuff would be scanty. I'm fairly sure there have been folks making Dreamcast discs of Master System stuff, though.

 

And Psycho Fox is still really fun. Did you ever get to play it?:

http://www.emucamp.com/frames.html?/reviews/sms/psycho.html

 

As mentioned previously, it's a shame we didn't get any of the Sega Ages Phantasy Stars (at least the first one was released in Japan).

 

Here's a review of the first of the remakes: http://www.siliconera.com/ps2/phantasystarg1/031003.htm

 

I played some of King of Dragons SNES a few weeks ago. Terrific fun. Naturally I was the elf-looking dude with the bow, and a friend was the cleric. Controls VERY VERY well even today.

 

I still don't get why Sega America seems to hate the Streets of Rage games so much. They really should have put them into the Genesis collection. The first game is kind of so-so, but it's better than SNES final fight, IMO. Streets of Rage 2 of course needs no introduction--one of the best beat 'em ups ever with a terrific soundtrack. There's quite a lot of moves too. Streets of Rage 3 had a few problems with it, but with Game Genie you can play as Ash:

 

http://www.spong.com/news/y/o/youreagaym205728l.jpg

 

I was at a Gamestop today when a guy came in asking about if the store had an "old Sega" or "any of the games." The clerks had to tell him no. He mentioned he was interested in playing Golden Ax again and I told him about the Genesis Collection. It didn't take much convincing other than showing the game list and he was sold on it.

[daileyxplanet 0]

They need to put these on DS or something.

[Black Lushus 0]

does anyone remember a Capcom beat em up game in the arcades, in the early 90s based on fuedal Japan? I can't think of the name for the life of me...there were 6 playable characters (I think only 3 people could play at once). It was in the same vein as Final Fight, Knights of the Round, etc.

[AndrewTS 0]

does anyone remember a Capcom beat em up game in the arcades, in the early 90s based on fuedal Japan? I can't think of the name for the life of me...there were 6 playable characters (I think only 3 people could play at once). It was in the same vein as Final Fight, Knights of the Round, etc.

 

Would this be it?:

 

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&a...arriors+of+fate

[Zorin Industries 0]

I still have my original Master System and original copy of Phantasy Star. I still play it every once in a while.

 

Can't remember much about 2, love the generational aspect to number 3, tho its really slow moving. 4 kicks all kinds of ass though

[Black Lushus 0]

does anyone remember a Capcom beat em up game in the arcades, in the early 90s based on fuedal Japan? I can't think of the name for the life of me...there were 6 playable characters (I think only 3 people could play at once). It was in the same vein as Final Fight, Knights of the Round, etc.

 

Would this be it?:

 

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&a...arriors+of+fate

 

yup, that's the one...thanks andrew.

[razazteca 0]

What exactly is the appeal to the Ecco the Dolphin games? And will SEGA ever release a comp of all of the classic arcade games such as Golden Axe, Space Harrier, After Burner, etc., instead of repackaging the Smash Pack and will this be the last of the "classic collections" now that downloads via consoles is the popular thing to do?

[AndrewTS 0]

The Ecco games have a...leisurely pace to be sure. The first two games are pretty much universally acclaimed by reviewers but I don't know of people too excited about them.

 

There isn't really a Sega collection like that. The closest is Sega Classics Collection, which features remakes of most of those titles with 3D graphics. The problem is that most of them are considered poor to terrible (Golden Ax being the worst).

 

The Space Harrier is supposed to be "okay," and there is no Afterburner to be found on it.

 

DS is getting a compilation from Konami...which is similar to the crummy GBA compilation they had out before, but with Contra in it:

 

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3155312

 

Konami Classic Series: Arcade Hits

Traditional 8-bit theatre, presented by Konami.

Platform: NintendoDS

 

Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami

 

ESRB Rating: N/A Genre: Miscellaneous

 

by Brooks Huber 11/16/2006

 

 

Following suit in a long line of arcade classic compilations (Midway, Namco, etc.), Konami continues to hold onto the bandwagon with Konami Classic Series: Arcade Hits. Although the game won't be appearing onto store shelves until the beginning of next year, we can't help but think "better late than never."

So, game list, right? Konami representatives, though tight-lipped about revealing everything, presented us a rather formidable list of goodies: Contra, Gradius, Time Pilot, Yie-Ar Kung Fu, Rush'n Attack, Track & Field, Circus Charlie and Rock' N Rope. All titles will be ported over from their U.S. arcade counterparts.

 

Of the titles listed above, we managed some hands-on time with both Contra and Rock ' N Rope. Contra is, and always will be, badass. Because of the aspect ratio, players have the option to switch the console around for maximum resolution; either play Contra while holding the DS in the traditional sense, or turn it on its side (after adjusting the settings) to view the screen as if playing Brain Age. As a direct port, all of the sights, sounds, enemies and boss battles remain faithfully intact and in one piece. The only drawback we experienced in Contra was the fact that individual bullets -- spurring from enemy fire -- can be hard to see on such a small and crowded screen.

 

Rock 'N Rope, which plays similarly to the Nintendo arcade classic Donkey Kong, gives players the opportunity to control an unwieldy explorer type protagonist over a multi-tiered backdrop. Though obviously outdated in terms of visuals and sounds, you just can't argue with the concept -- you have to blind cavemen with your camera's flash while you grapple onto ledges in order to reach the golden phoenix at the top of each level. Awesome!

 

One of the collection's bonus features is a Juke Box that allows players to listen to the music and sounds from each game, and we can't wait to see what else Konami has up its sleeves in terms of extras.

[Anya 0]

Warriors of Fate was cool. Used to play that at a pizza hut. You could ride a horse! There was one before it too, Dynasty Wars.

[luke-o 0]

I fuckin hated Ecco The Friggin Dolphin. Sure the game looked pretty, but Uri Gellar goddamn it was boring.

 

And even though Sega (for some reason) hate SoR, it would have been a nice edition and rounded this set of nicely.

 

But i have like most of these games on the mega drive anyway, so theres not much point in me buying it. That and i dont own a PS2.

 

Its the same with the "virtual console", i own all the best games on the SNES (most of which are boxed) and would only need it to play those games that we never got in the UK. But apperantly, the games will be region coded, which is gay and rubbish.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Cutting SoR from one of the Sonic comps because it would make the game T (for teen) instead of E KINDA made sense (you'd think the majority of people are buying the game out of nostalgia and thus would be in their teens or later). Keeping it off of a comp already rated T is baffling.

[Cavi 0]

Shadow Dancer and Shinobi III are two of my favorites, especially the latter. Would have been nice if Revenge of Shinobi was included as well, if that already hasn't been emulated on a recent platform outside of the Dreamcast (I haven't kept up on these retro compilations).

 

Bonanza Bros. was cool. Fun in two player. Liked the music, as well.

 

I have always wanted to play VF2 for the Genesis, just to see how it turned out...

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

You never know with roms if it's an original game problem or one exclusive to the rom, but when I played Genesis VF2 on a homemade Genesis disc for DC, it looked really great but played SOOOO SLOOOOW. It's as if transferring 3d graphics into good looking - especially for the Genesis - 2d fighters put a lot of strain on the gameplay.

 

I only played it for a few minutes before trying the Genesis version of Duke Nukem 3D (which was as bad as it sounds).

[Rendclaw 0]

I saw both games in Target a few days ago, both are 20 bucks... those, along with the Tecmo collection for the X-Box would keep me occupied in gaming nostalgia goodness.

[AndrewTS 0]

Shadow Dancer and Shinobi III are two of my favorites, especially the latter. Would have been nice if Revenge of Shinobi was included as well, if that already hasn't been emulated on a recent platform outside of the Dreamcast (I haven't kept up on these retro compilations).

 

Bonanza Bros. was cool. Fun in two player. Liked the music, as well.

 

I have always wanted to play VF2 for the Genesis, just to see how it turned out...

 

You never know with roms if it's an original game problem or one exclusive to the rom, but when I played Genesis VF2 on a homemade Genesis disc for DC, it looked really great but played SOOOO SLOOOOW. It's as if transferring 3d graphics into good looking - especially for the Genesis - 2d fighters put a lot of strain on the gameplay.

 

Shadow Dancer is awesome and underrated, and Shinobi 3 is bar none the best of the series. I've never really seen what the big deal was with the game, since the game seems to control kind of clunky, collision is spotty, and it's plain just way more frustrating than the vastly superior 3.

 

Shadow Dancer feels just like an arcade game (which it is based on), and as a result is a blast in short doses, although it can't touch 3.

 

Revenge of Shinobi is on the Smash Pack, the Genesis 6-Pak (great comp available on the Genesis that includes Revenge, Streets of Rage, Sonic, Columns, Golden Ax, and Super Hang On). Revenge of Shinobi, besides the Sega Smash Pack on DC, can be found also in the PC Smash Pack.

 

It isn't the emulation that's a problem on the Genesis VF2--that's the way the original game played. It's just not very good. Pretty much all the moves are in, it just animates really chunky and runs really slow.

[Star Ocean 3 0]

I used to hate Super Mario Bros. 2 wayyyy back in the day.

I mean, certain parts of the game were impossible.

Then I figured out that those plants in the ground weren't just for looks.

:[

[AndrewTS 0]

I used to hate Super Mario Bros. 2 wayyyy back in the day.

I mean, certain parts of the game were impossible.

Then I figured out that those plants in the ground weren't just for looks.

:[

 

Does that mean somebody out there was getting his/her BUTT kicked by the first Birdo encounter? Ouch.

 

Ristar is still pretty awesome, but I've encountered a few little bugs I never noticed before--like there was a section on Planet Sonata where I could *NOT* throw one of those weights onto a pressure plate (it would always miss), and had to kill myself to start "fresh."

 

It's a shame the game didn't more hype back in the day. I love it 10x more than the relatively-mundane Vectorman games.

[Star Ocean 3 0]

I want Rocket Knight Adventures darnit

[Jericholic82 0]

I still have a genesis (the second smaller version) but its hard to find games now. I need to pick up this and the sonic mega collection as well (though I do have sonic 2 and sonic and knuckles for my sega)

[AndrewTS 0]

I got the Capcom Classics Collection 2.

 

First game I played was Street Fighter 1. It's absolutely terrible but I played through it and beat Sagat, just because it was Street Fighter. It's pretty much impossible to do the special moves with any sort of regularity, but I did manage to do several fireballs and dragon punches, and some accidental Hurricane Kicks.

 

Super Turbo is still a brutally hard bitch of a game, but there's no noticable loading, which is cool. Also the "Super" versions of the characters are in.

 

Magic Sword and Knights of the Round are great fun. Tiger Road sucks hard. 3 Wonders was a nice surprise. I like Captain Commando. Most of the others are decent-to-crap, but I've yet to play them all. Tons of obscure titles are on there.

[Black Lushus 0]

when Street Fighter first came out it was....interesting....to say the least. The first arcade version featured two giant pressure sensitive buttons. Punch and kick. How hard you hit them determined the type of punch/kick (jab, fierce, short, roundhouse, etc.)

[AndrewTS 0]

yeah. there was also a 6 button version. My old Moss' (extinct grocery chain) had it in their little mini-arcade.

 

The voices...er, voice is so terrible. It sounds like one of those old kids toys with the synthesized robot voices.

 

And Sagat looks like he's related to Toxie.

[Black Lushus 0]

I played it recently on one those arcade booths with 25+ games jammed into it...I forgot how impossible it was to pull off special moves...of course the fireballs take out like 3/4 of their life gauge.

[Anya 0]

Yeah it's terrible. Everyone always takes for granted how improved the controls are in SF II.

 

The best thing about that game now is seeing how everyone used to look back then, like the thin white Birdie.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

That was retconned into him being sick, right?