Thread: Retro Gaming Thread

Bullet Club

I'll probably just lurk for a while
 
Platforms
  1. PC
  2. Xbox
  3. PlayStation
  4. Nintendo
A thread for news, information and discussion about retro gaming.

Similar to the GPU thread, it's for retro stuff that doesn't deserve it's own thread. Tweets, old magazine articles or maybe you just want to post a few videos from one of your favourite games from the past.













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Dumb question is there a clear definition of what's retro? Is PS2 considered as retro nowadays? Personally I would say that PS1/N64 games are retro today but I'm not sure about PS2.

I remember you created a thread on gaf about new games released on old platforms. Are you going to post those here? That was a fucking awesome thread.


Last retro game I completed was donkey Kong country 3 on switch.
 
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It's hard to gauge what is and isn't retro because it would be different for everyone. I'd say stuff that's 15 years old and older should be OK in this thread. We're not going to be too strict about it anyway.

I remember you created a thread on gaf about new games released on old platforms. Are you going to post those here? That was a fucking awesome thread.
Yeah I do plan on starting that thread here as well.
 
From a gut feeling , I usually go with the end of the PS1 era as far as retro goes. Games in general felt very different after that. Gut feelings vary from person to person and make for bad metrics though.

ten years after last official game is released for a system is a good benchmark.
I've read a similar suggestion somewhere but I can't remember where. It's easily measureable and seems like a decent metric regardless.
 
Anyway, I'd like to introduce you to Gungage, a late PS1 era third person shooter. It feels like a slowed down Contra or Gunstar Heroes in 3D, to compensate for the (especially from a current POV) clunky controls. This could have been a great game on Wii with IR aiming...
Rocking soundtrack by Souta Fujimori and Michiru Yamane
You get to chose from 4 characters with different weapons and abilities. Theyall play through the same stages, but the order and routes are different for each character.
The game has a well designed scoring system, with no exploits I'm aware of, giving out extra score for clearning stages fast while still discovering secret areas. A single playthrough takes around one hour, which is a good lenght for this type of game.

People that like extra content can go hunting for the 100 Titonia Flowers hidden througout the game

The game was exclusive to Japan and Europe.

Playthrough with my favourite character Steyr Harquebus:
 
Dumb question is there a clear definition of what's retro? Is PS2 considered as retro nowadays? Personally I would say that PS1/N64 games are retro today but I'm not sure about PS2.

I remember you created a thread on gaf about new games released on old platforms. Are you going to post those here? That was a fucking awesome thread.


Last retro game I completed was donkey Kong country 3 on switch.
I kind of go with Current Gen, Last Gen, Older Gen, Retro, so yeah, I'd say PS2 is now retro, as of the PS5's release.
 
Since RetroArch hit Steam I've been on a retro kick (I use the proper release with all cores, not Steam's limited version). Having a unified interface makes it much easier to dive in, even if it the UI isn't the best and it takes some setting up.

What has held my attention the most though, is the hacks and mods you can get.

Genesis Plus GX Wide and BSNES-HD
These versions of the popular RetroArch emulation cores can enable a customisable number of additional columns. Some games support it better than others, and Sonic 1/2 need to be patched. A favourite of mine in widescreen is Shinobi 3, especially when you enable the hidden 6 button mode. Throw on a nice shader that does transparency well, and you're sorted. If you own the Sega Classics collection on Steam, you already have the roms and can just scan the folder where they're kept. You can even go into the Steam Workshop for the game and download other "versions" of games. By versions I mean hundreds of different games uploaded as "mods" because they're just roms uploaded for anyone to download. That includes romhacks and full games.





Super Mario World Widescreen
This gets its own section because it's its own project, even though it uses BSNES-HD core to run. You can use different versions depending on your preferred ratio and if you want pixel stretching or not.

Super Mario Land 2 DX
A very good colouration hack, to make a GameBoy game a GameBoy Color game.

On the subject of romhacking.net, it also has a hack for Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow to disable the annoying stylus requirement. How the game should have been all along. There's also a Symphony of the Night patch to make it full screen (plus a couple other things).

Patcher64+
I said it in the Zelda thread, but this thing is so good. You can customise a patch for whichever supported game and have as many or as few changes as you like. Widescreen QoL changes, animation, gameplay, models, and so on.

Super Mario 64 Plus
The best way to play SM64 on PC. Tons of options including UI, QoL, beta moves, modern moves, difficulty/challenge/mirror modes. Trailer shows a lot:


Obviously for legal purposes I will state that you should be ripping your own roms from your own purchases
 
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I need to get a cheap PC + GOG machine + emulators. I'm sick of my retro hardware breaking (just had another 3DS fritz out) to play these old titles.
I've made that step a few years ago and didn't regret it. I've also stopped worrying about minuscule timing differences between real hardware and emulators at that point.
 
I've made that step a few years ago and didn't regret it. I've also stopped worrying about minuscule timing differences between real hardware and emulators at that point.

The timing issues only matter for about 1% of my gaming collection, mainly the shmups where pixel-perfect timing can be felt, and those I'll play on a CRT or PC monitor with adjustments made for input lag when needed. Otherwise, PC can emulate better than the Mini consoles and the terrible Nintendo online offerings.

Plus there are a lot of PC games I'd like to play that haven't come to consoles, like Jupiter Hell.
 
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Just ordered a PS2 from eBay for the wife. Planning to mod in a fat hard drive and put a fucktonne of games on it. Plug that into the Sony Trinitron and good times will be had.

I want to get a wii and do similar w that for GC and Wii games at some point to get some of Nintendo's earlier work - stuff less likely to appear on Switch.

For everything else there's MiSTer.
 
Anyone else fascinated by the way old 2D games were made?

Old systems had very little RAM, so backgrounds were made by repeating the same basic tiles over and over. Even in the most prestigious productions of the time this can be clearly seen. I believe this game here, Castlevania Rondo of Blood, is one of the best examples of achieving a very good look with limited resources.

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By the time the SNES became the dominant system, this look started to fade in favor of more organic stages. This was made possible by more RAM allocated to graphics, or clever solutions like constantly loading background graphics (e.g. Earthworm Jim on Genesis), based on the player's position in a stage.
 
I used that technique myself when making games on the Atari ST back in the day so I probably don't have the same fascination because it's just what you did, and indeed it's still common in modern 2D games made in the likes of GameMaker - in part because it speeds up production immensely if you have a good tileset. You can do a lot to make it look organic too even within those constraints.
 
Anyone else fascinated by the way old 2D games were made?

Old systems had very little RAM, so backgrounds were made by repeating the same basic tiles over and over. Even in the most prestigious productions of the time this can be clearly seen. I believe this game here, Castlevania Rondo of Blood, is one of the best examples of achieving a very good look with limited resources.

4Y3JOq0.png


By the time the SNES became the dominant system, this look started to fade in favor of more organic stages. This was made possible by more RAM allocated to graphics, or clever solutions like constantly loading background graphics (e.g. Earthworm Jim on Genesis), based on the player's position in a stage.

I love that old look. They did so much within the limitations of the hardware.
 
I need to get a cheap PC + GOG machine + emulators. I'm sick of my retro hardware breaking (just had another 3DS fritz out) to play these old titles.
I just picked up a refurbished new 3DS XL from Gamestop. They pop up on rare ocassion for $150. Really good price considering on Ebay they sell for $230+. I've read there is a bit of a lottery on them around what condition they arrive in, but mine was pretty much perfect. Looks almost new.

But going back to your original point - this is my first 3DS. I am a bit hesitant to build up a big collection for it. Especially with handhelds, as these things get older and start to break they are going to be harder to replace or repair. Things aren't built to last as long today.
 
Any good retro gaming consoles? The kind with a bunch of different games from different platforms? I've tried Retro Arch on PC but I'd prefer to play on TV with an old style controller. I own a Snes Mini and I believe you can mod them? I don't want to put in any effort, though, because I'm a lazy cunt.
 
Any good retro gaming consoles? The kind with a bunch of different games from different platforms? I've tried Retro Arch on PC but I'd prefer to play on TV with an old style controller. I own a Snes Mini and I believe you can mod them? I don't want to put in any effort, though, because I'm a lazy cunt.
I've never tried out custom firmware for the Mini consoles but they are out there somewhere.
As for good, unmodded retro consoles. I don't think there are any right now.

The Cybergadget Retrofreak was decent with a SNES style controler that actually worked.

copy & pasted supported systems:
  1. Nintendo Entertainment System (NTSC/PAL)
  2. Famicom (Japanese version NES)
  3. Super Famicom (Japanese version SNES)
  4. Super Nintendo Entertainment System (NTSC/PAL)
  5. Game Boy
  6. Game Boy Color
  7. Game Boy Advance
  8. Mega Drive (NTSC/PAL) *
  9. Genesis (US version Mega Drive) *
  10. PC Engine (Japanese version TurboGrafx-16)
  11. TurboGrafx-16
  12. PC Engine SuperGrafix
It was deisgned to run games of cartridges but can also play roms.

However, it has zero pre-installed games and goes for quite a price today.
Another downside is how the boot time increases with the number of installed roms. 100 roms ~ 1 extra minute boot time
 
I've been stupidly addicted to youtube videos of old console restorations for years. I always want to do some of this myself. I don't have a CRT and I don't want to start getting into actual game collecting and end up with shelves full of cartridges and discs so I always talk myself out of it. But it's so satisfying to watch an old junker become brand new again.



 
Any good retro gaming consoles? The kind with a bunch of different games from different platforms? I've tried Retro Arch on PC but I'd prefer to play on TV with an old style controller. I own a Snes Mini and I believe you can mod them? I don't want to put in any effort, though, because I'm a lazy cunt.
If it wasn't for the laziness angle I'd suggest the MiSTer (plays basically anything up to the 16 bit era though PS1 and Saturn are in the works). The effort is slotting the hardware together though I managed it and I'm shit, installing a single script which will keep it up to date easily, and getting the rom sets from archive.org. It's easier than the raspi and I'm here for tech support, and you can plug any controller you like into it and plug it into any TV or monitor you like (mine outputs to HDMI on my monitor and to scart for my Sony Trinitron simultaneously).

Edit for phone crapness.
 
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Any good retro gaming consoles? The kind with a bunch of different games from different platforms? I've tried Retro Arch on PC but I'd prefer to play on TV with an old style controller. I own a Snes Mini and I believe you can mod them? I don't want to put in any effort, though, because I'm a lazy cunt.
It's been out for a while but there's the Retron 5.







There's PolyMega, which is a bit pricey.







There's also some other ones.







 
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I've been stupidly addicted to youtube videos of old console restorations for years. I always want to do some of this myself. I don't have a CRT and I don't want to start getting into actual game collecting and end up with shelves full of cartridges and discs so I always talk myself out of it. But it's so satisfying to watch an old junker become brand new again.





I just watched the PSP one when it came up in my feed a few days ago - his work is great. He did a GBC restoration that was pretty great as well:

 
There's PolyMega, which is a bit pricey.





Has anyone here managed to purchase one? This makes it sound like they are having trouble restocking

**Note: New orders are anticipated to ship in the first half of 2022.**
 
I just watched the PSP one when it came up in my feed a few days ago - his work is great. He did a GBC restoration that was pretty great as well:


Yeah I really like his videos. I've been watching these restoration videos for like 5 years or so and every now and then find myself binging them for a week.

There's also this guy who does these crazy complete overhauls that look pretty damn cool.

 
Shameless plug time:



Covers Dinamic, a Spanish software house responsible for Army Moves, Navy Moves, AMC, Satan and Narco Police among others. All brutally hard. Footage of Atari ST, Amiga, C64 and Spectrum.
 
Army Moves was given away with one of the Amiga mags back in the day. The game was shit.

"Hitler has only got one ball" for the music was the only good bit. For 30 seconds.
 
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