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[img width=375 height=489]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-060/bf/U-060-S-01930-A.jpg[/img]
In the 80's and early 90's, ninjas were a big deal. They were everywhere in media, from cartoons like G.I. Joe to movies like the American Ninja series, those of the adolescent mutant amphibious variety, and of course, video games. For those who played on Nintendo consoles, we had a number of options, but the most obvious of those was the Ninja Gaiden series, at least through the 8-bit days. On the Sega side of the fence, there was Shinobi, which received a Master System reinterpretation of the arcade game. The series branched into 3 paths, 1 being the more straight-forward Shadow Dancer which followed the original arcade game (and had a different, but similar outing on the Genesis), and then the 2 Super Shinobi games for the Mega Drive, which we know in the West as The Revenge of Shinobi and Shinobi III, respectively. The 3rd path is the 2 GG Shinobi games on the Game Gear, but whether or not those are canon in the series I cannot say. The final 2D entry, prior to the series' soft reboot on PS2, is often ignored, or worse, frequently either forgotten or maligned. With the RF Generation Community Playthrough group focusing on the series' 16-bit entries this month, I thought it was timely to look at the final original 2D game from the venerable series.
Continue reading Shinobi Legions: The Forgotten Shinobi Game
[img width=700 height=525]https://imgur.com/QVl6J9G.jpg[/img]
I love racing games.
[Pause for readers to double-check the avatar and realize the obvious]
Being a collector, you always want those special titles. I tend to gravitate to the harder-to-find games that usually come with at least a good recommendation. Part of the thinking behind the Top 20 lists was to get others talking about games that would be highly rated, even if some of them were obvious.
The other side is that for many games, especially the harder-to-find titles, it's become a harder and harder decision as to whether to try and pick up a physical copy or just find another way to play the title. For example, as of this writing, authentic copies of Final Fantasy III are selling on eBay in the $85-$95 range. I bring this title in particular up because not only is it a very highly rated game, it's available on a multitude of platforms.
Continue reading Everyone has a price
Playas Guide is back with an all new episode covering quick play games for retro gamers
https://youtu.be/QpArrz5_NL8
March 2020 Retro Gaming News is out
https://youtu.be/Ssl4ZpQrXrs
The Retro Gaming News for December 2019 is out now for those who enjoy retro gaming
https://youtu.be/4sgSEvf0nJg
https://youtu.be/0_ZMQV1amsw
[img width=700 height=466]https://i.imgur.com/7XM5N9L.jpg[/img]
When it comes to gaming a good controller can make or break the experience. This is especially true for Retro Gaming where split-second timing is required. Sourcing parts for controllers can also be difficult such as the button membranes for the NES Advantage so keeping controllers clean and in good shape is paramount. I have a standard procedure I follow for cleaning my controllers and wanted to share in the hope that we can bring some controllers back to life.
Continue reading Retro Repairs: Cleaning controllers 101
[img width=700 height=466]https://images.pexels.com/photos/270456/pexels-photo-270456.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&h=650&w=940[/img]
This is in its own way a companion piece to the reflections in Zophar53's recent article, What is Nostalgia in 2018? I wanted to respond and take the conversation in a personal direction but I realized I needed the room to let my thoughts breath, so here we are.
Many of our collections, video games and otherwise, are initially based off some form of nostalgia. Mine is no exception. As I've referred to in past write-ups, it started with a simple childhood dream to own every video game so that anyone at our home could play any video game whenever they wanted (myself included!) Many years and a family of my own later, that has transformed into the desire to use the medium of video games integrated in our lives as ways to connect socially, unwind mentally, and develop conversations culturally. I am very pleased to say it has been generally successful. That said, of course there are games and systems I have a special fondness for due to my earlier time spent with them. Over time my greater connection has come from games I played with friends that I now keep in memory after their passing, and I imagine that to continue. I also have no doubt our children are building their own nostalgia from specific titles our family enjoys together.
Continue reading Why Do We Collect Video Games In 2018?
OK I rarely do blogs on here probably cause I'm the laziest person ever... lol, but anyway lets get on with the buy and not buy in the retro-gaming universe. OK first off I'll make a list of all the third-party systems I own then I will list the pros and cons of each system and which ones are worth picking up IF you don't have an original system or want an easy portable version of that system. OK here we go:
PocketFami (Aka Pocket Famicom) (I still have this but it broke years ago.)
[img width=700 height=685]http://www.obsolete-tears.com/photos/gametech_pocket-fami_boite.jpg[/img]
FC Mobile II
[img width=520 height=400]http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/fc_mobile_ii_black.jpg[/img]
FC16 GO
[img width=600 height=424]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/12/091210-snesportaboe-01.jpg[/img]
FC Twin (NES & SNES combo System)
Supaboy
Revision 1:
[img width=441 height=332]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/jviloria/aaa_new/supaboy.jpg[/img]
Revision 2:
[img width=651 height=485]http://www.stoneagegamer.com/images/detailed/9/supaboy05.jpg[/img]
RetroGen Adapter (not really a system its used on the SNES system or any third-party system)
[img width=500 height=500]http://www.gaminggenerations.com/store/images/retro_gen_adapter_123.jpg[/img]
OK now the rundown of each systems pros and cons:
PocketFami (Manufactured by GameTech):
Pros:
Very Lightweight
Very Portable/Small
Runs on 3 AA Batteries or a DC POWER ADAPTER ONLY! (Not included)
Has external controller ports (USES FAMICOM CONTROLLERS ONLY!)
Cons:
DC Adapter not included
Very cheaply made (pin connecter broke on me the first month i had it)
needed an adapter to play US games (Included, but it was an exposed adapter with no plastic shell and also very hard to put into the pin connection which is what caused mine to break)
Very expensive (mine was around 80 bucks and now they are OOP and go for like $120-150
Sound Quality is very poor and off pitch
Bad compatibility
Overall I'd say definitely pass on this monstrosity.
FC Mobile II (Manufactured by Hyperkin):
Pros:
Very lightweight/sleek design
Very nice bright LCD display screen/Good TV picture quality, but only get mono sound of course on both system and on the TV
Very good sound/speaker quality
Can use 4 AA batteries or use the provided AC adapter to play
Includes 3 Wireless Controllers (Two Turbo NES controllers run on 2 AAA batteries, and One Wireless Zapper which runs on 3 AAA batteries also has on on/off switch. One note you can't use the Zapper on HD TV's.)
Has a headphone jack
Cons:
Wireless controllers senor can cause the controller to be unresponsive if out of range (Sensor located on bottom of the system.)
Tengen carts don't work at all (As well as other games such as Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse and a few others.)
If you are running on battery power, some games will not play if the batteries are almost dead.
Overall with the FCII I'd say its worth it even if you have an original NES because its easily portable and can play most of your NES library without issue on the go or to take on vacation.
FC16 GO (Model 2) Model 1 is OOP (Manufactured by YOBO Gameware Inc):
Pros
Nice loud Speakers
Uses a Rechargeable Battery (Charger included)
Includes 2 wireless controllers (runs on 2 AAA batteries, very long battery life)
Includes Standard AV Cables
Cons:
The screen usually has a dead pixel or two when it arrives even if its new. (This problem may have been fixed I don't know for sure I highly doubt it.)
Takes a long time to recharge the battery even though the battery last maybe 3-6 hours takes 9-12 to charge...
Graphical, Sound, & Control issues with some games (examples are Contra III top-view levels look washed out in white and Star Trek TNG does not work at all controls are glitchy and unresponsive)
Overall for this one I'd say get it if you don't have an original SNES and what a decent substitute for the real thing
FC Twin (NES & SNES Combo system) (Manufactured by YOBO Gameware Inc.)
Pros:
Very lightweight and compact (about the size of a Genesis Model 2)
Stereo AV cables (I believe the NES side is simulated stereo)
Great compatibility on both systems (It could even play Tengen carts)
Easily Modifiable SNES slot to play Japanese Imports Tabs are made of cheap plastic they are easy to snap off)
Can use original or third-party SNES controllers
Cons:
You can't play games that use the NES Zapper
Controllers that come with it are very cheaply made (I recommend using original SNES controllers)
Still can't play Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse.
Overall I'd say this is probably the only third party system I'd recommend for at home use. I would also recommend the Retron3 or the FC3, but i don't have one although I've heard they're just as good as this, nut the controllers are very bad. On a good note it comes with a Zapper for NES games. It also has a Sega Genesis Slot.
Supaboy (Manufactured by Hyperkin)
Before I start I will be listing pros and cons of REVISION 1 not 2.
Pros:
Nice screen size
Has 2 controller ports
Has a rechargeable battery/and AV Cables
Comes with a carrying case/pouch
Comes pre-modded to play Japanese Games, and can also play PAL games (I don't know how well it can play PAL games though.
Cons:
Very bulky
Battery life is only 3-5 hours (Supposed to be better on the second revision)
Sound quality is horrible and has a high-pitched humming noise even with headphones plugged in (Confirmed to be better on the second revision, but I don't know for sure.)
Same kind of graphical/control issues as the FC16 GO (Contra III has the same issue listed above in the FC16 GO section. Although Star Trek TNG plays fine, but Batman Returns has control issues with system controls only.)
Over the Supaboy is a good SNES substitute, but I would pass on this if you have a SNES already or if you don't go with an alternative like the FC Twin or Retron3
RetroGen Adapter (Not really a system, but I'm going to talk about cause its surprisingly good with some minor flaws. To use it you need any SNES system (may work on third-parties i haven't tested it on one) unplug the AV cables to the SNES and plug in the RetroGen AV Cables into the side of the adapter and then the other side into the TV. OK now for the pros and cons:
Pros:
Easy to use
Region switch to play most if not all import MegaDrive titles (NA, PE, PAL, & NJ are all the switch settings)
Very good picture/Stereo sound.
Decent button layout (Y=Genesis button A, B= Genesis button B, A= Genesis button C, X= Genesis button Y, L= Genesis button X, and R= Genesis button Z)
Great compatibility
Region switch negates games that have a region lock (such as: Golden Axe III, Bare Knuckle III, Contra Hard Corps, and any others that are locked)
Cons:
There is no MODE button for games that require one to be held in while powering on in order to play games that only support 3-button Genesis controllers (Such as Golden Axe II)
Overall this adapter is a pretty cool novelty to have for your SNES to screw with your friends or if your to lazy to pull out your Sega Genesis and feel like being an oddball. Plus its only like 20 dollars on Ebay or Amazon. Here's a link to my video review of the RetroGen:
So in closing I would say the top third-party systems/accessories I would recommend getting ONLY IF you don't have the original systems or are intrigued by these systems like I am. Here's what I would recommend and why:
FC Mobile II - Great compatibility, Compact size, and nice bright LCD screen
FC Twin - Great compatibility, two systems in one, easy to modify the SNES slot to play Japanese Imports, and it can use original SNES controllers
RetroGen Adapter - Great compatibility, Great picture quality, and pretty awesome concept.
In closing I hope this article helps out some of you RFGeners in making a decision on purchasing a third-party system.
[img width=370 height=444]http://vectrex.playntradeonline.com/ppf.jpg[/img]
Specs:
Game: Pole Position
Year: 1983
Publisher: General Consumer Electric (a Milton Bradley company)
Developer: Namco, Ltd.
Designer(s)/Programmer(s):
Rarity (according to RarityGuide.com): rare - 80% out of 100%
Controls: Vectrex Control Panel
Number of Players: 1
Average Cost: around $100+ CIB
Also Available On: Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-Bit, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, DOS, Intellivision, TI 99/4A, VIC-20, ZX Spectrum, arcade cabinet, and various Namco gaming compilations.
Tagline: Do you possess the skill, dexterity and courage to pull out from the crowd for qualification in one of the exclusive starting positions or will you end up as an also-ran?
Continue reading Pole Position - Vectrex
VANGUARD
[img width=264 height=332]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4353036519_6418245b98.jpg[/img]
SPECS:
Game: Vanguard
Year: 1982
Publisher: Atari, Inc.
Developer: SNK Corporation
Designer(s)/Programmer: David W. Payne
Rarity (according to AtariAge): 2 = common+
Controls: Joystick
Number of Players: 1 - 2 (turn based)
Average Cost: $.50 - $2 loose, under $10 CIB
Also Available On: Atari 5200, originally an arcade coin-op (Vanguard II later released, arcade only).
Tagline/Description: "Join the Vanguard expedition on a thrilling space odyssey. Through perilous tunnels you will fight your way to the fabulous City of Mystery and the great Gond."
Vanguard is a vertical and side-scrolling cave shooter for the Atari 2600. Your goal is to pilot your spaceship to the City of Mystery, which is located at the end of a heavily guarded tunnel, to battle the creature Gond. Your spaceship is equipped with lasers that can fire in four different directions, however your speed is decreased when firing. You will also need to keep an eye on your fuel gauge, a solid bar, located at the bottom of your screen. Your fuel depletes at a rapid rate, and your ship will crash if it runs out; fuel is replenished by destroying enemies. The tunnel is broken up into several different zones, called the mountain zone, rainbow zone, stick zone, stripe zone, bleak zone, and City of Mystery. Each zone features a variety of enemy spaceships to dispatch and earn points. In the mountain and stripe zones, you will come across energy pods marked with an 'E'. When you pilot through these pods, your ship temporarily becomes invincible to the deadly cave walls and enemies which are trying to stop you. When you finally make it through all the various zones of the tunnel and defeat Gond, the game will repeat at a more difficult skill level.
Early 80's Atari commercial for Vanguard. Every good video gaming home needs a Luther.
What makes Vanguard such a great game for the 2600 is it's concept. As many of you already know, the majority of games produced for the Atari system (besides sports titles) have no real ending and were primarily points based. Vanguard not only allowed the player to accumulate points, but also had one of the earliest defined endings in a video game, which also incorporated a boss. Though Gond, the overlord of the City of Mystery, is a one-shot pushover, the ultimate goal and challenge of Vanguard is to successfully navigate the tunnel and make it to the boss. Modern day gamers might be disappointed at such a lackluster boss battle. However, and I speak as someone who grew up on the 2600, because I grew up with no preconceived expectations of what a "boss battle" was, this ending was quite epic.
The fierce and all-powerful GOND!!!! (insert sarcasm here)
[img width=350 height=275]http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/images/thumb/7/73/Vanguard_-_A26_-_6.png/256px-Vanguard_-_A26_-_6.png[/img]
Vanguard is not the easiest game to finish and since the game repeats at a much quicker and more difficult skill level, one could argue that there is no strictly defined ending. Before battling Gond, you must navigate through seven (7) zones (the rainbow zone is repeated a few times). There are always a plethora of enemies on the screen: ones that shoot back at you, as well as those that attempt to ram your spaceship. The developers of Vanguard made sure that players are never comfortable for long within the tunnel; in some zones, you travel from left to right, while at other times the game becomes a vertical shooter in which you must navigate from down to up, or up to down. Since the game is a 4-way, multi-directional shooter, players must make full use of the joystick and fire button, since enemies approach from all directions. Areas within the cavern can get very tight on occasion and my only complaint with the controls is that your ship may move slightly when trying to direct your fire with the joystick. Since Atari controls are typically very stiff anyway, attempting to fire in a specific direction can cause you to lose control of your ship and plow into an enemy.
Though the handling can be a little frustrating at times, Vanguard is an excellent port for the Atari 2600. The graphics are superb under such limitations and the exceedingly vibrant use of color creates an other worldly atmosphere. Though Vanguard lacks a soundtrack, it's omission is masked by the constant zinging of lasers and exploding enemy starcrafts. The lone piece of music in the game occurs upon collecting an energy pod. Fans of 1980's "Flash Gordon" and/or Queen may recognize a familiar tune entitled "Vultan's Theme: Attack of the Hawkman" (http://www.the-top-tens.c...s-theme-attack-197148.asp). Some dispute their similarities, but it's quite hard to brush it off as coincidence.
Vanguard is one of a handful of tight scrolling shooters for the 2600, similar to Fantastic Voyage and Super Cobra (a Scrabble clone). If you are a fan of early shmups, this title can easily be picked up at a great price either individually or in a large lot of 2600 commons.
**video courtesy of googoo11672
RATINGS (on a scale of 1-4: 4 being the highest):
Controls: 3
Graphics: 4
Sound Effects/Music: 3
Concept: 4
Replay Value: 3
Cart/Box Art: 2
Overall Score: 3.17
[img width=320 height=224]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-040/ss/ts/U-040-S-00220-A.jpg[/img]
Altered Beast
Platforms: Sega Genesis, Various Other Platforms
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Release Date: August 1989
Genre: Beat 'em Up
Number of Players: Up to 2 Players at same time
ERSB Rating: N/A
Review
"Rise from your Grave" The first words of the game Altered Beast for the Sega Mega Drive & Genesis, still rings into my head whenever I plug my Genesis in and hit the button. I was first exposed to this classic side scrolling beat 'em Up gem by my uncle who had the first generation Genesis. If you had one of them, you usually had this game that was one of the first releases for the Genesis. When I was young, I never could get passed the 4th or 5th stage even though I had watched my uncle beat it through many times. Leave me alone I was only six!!
Story
The story starts off kind of strange. Basically you're a dead Roman soldier that gets resurrected by the man, the myth, the legend, one and only, Zeus himself. Before you can even smell that fresh air, you are told to go rescue his daughter. He is Zeus and he can't even rescue his own daughter? You must seek out Neff, Lord of the Underworld, to claim your prize.
[img width=550 height=385]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-040/ss/ex/U-040-S-00220-A_01.jpg[/img] Game Play
As you start the game you look like any other normal old-school Roman stud. You can use two options to bust your way through the levels, kick and punch. You can also jump which can be useless. There is also a button combo, down and punch, which lets your lay on your can and punch up to get the flying creatures. As you stroll through the levels you will run into brown and blue two headed lions or wolves or something. When you kill the blue ones, a "Power-Up", yes it even says it, will come out and if you get it, you will change in appearance slightly. Your muscles will get pimped out and you continue on. When you get three of these blue Power-Ups, you will turn into an "Altered Beast" I guess you could say. The first stage is a wolverine type thing, second a green dragon and so on. Each can shoot or do something unique to that creature. Once you are in your beast character and you encounter Neff in the level, you will engage in a boss battle to win that level. Most are easy enough and are pretty sweet and fun to take on, specially the second level with the freaky eye thing that sends eyes out all over the screen. But overall the game lacked any depth and was very quite linear, gain three Power-Ups and go kill the boss. Very few other things to do and the lack luster on the side fighting really didn't jump out and make you want to play it all day. Another flaw was that it was fairly short in length. With a good sit down you could finish it with out much trouble in a hour or less.
[img width=550 height=385]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-040/ss/ex/U-040-S-00220-A_04.jpg[/img]
Sound and Graphics
The sound for Altered Beast was for the most part outstanding for its' time. It had voices which few games did at that time. In fact this was one reason why it was such a hit at Arcades. Talking on games back in the day was really a stand out feature to sell the game. The graphics were on the fair side with most 16-bit games looking similar.
Unknown Facts
Altered Beast: Guardian of the Realms was released on the GBA in Nov. of 2002
Project Altered Beast for the PS2 was canceled in the US even though it was released in Europe and Japan. What a shame!
Altered Beast can be found on the Virtual Console for the Wii and XBLA for XBOX 360.
Tiger Electronics released a hand held version in 1988.
[img width=550 height=385]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-040/ss/ex/U-040-S-00220-A_07.jpg [/img]
Overall
Overall I would in fact recommend the game Altered Beast to anyone who likes a good Beat-em up game or is a fan of classic Sega games. It can be found at good prices, usually $5-6 dollars and is worth the hour or so you will stick into it. I personally believe you will enjoy this game and love taking a chance to replay one of the older great games out there.
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We are a community of collectors, gamers and the likes, and some of us enjoy to let the world know what is on our mind. For those members, we have the community blogs, a place where they can publish their thoughts and feelings regarding life, universe, and everything. Some of those members might even choose to write about gaming and collecting! Whatever they write about, you can find it on their blog. You can either see the latest community blog entries in the feed you see to the left, or you can browse for your favorite blog using the menu above. Interested in having your own blog hosted on RF Generation? It's rather simple, first be a registered member, and then click the "My Blog" link that you see in the navigation above. Following those two steps will certainly get you on your way to blogging.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy our entries, rantings, and completely unrelated series of thoughts. We write for you to read, so we certainly hope that you enjoy our material.
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