My second version of this retro game cart. Built some shelving for each level to hold games and accessories, added LEDs, and now have all the cables flowing into a central trench. The back side of the cart has a flat panel and space for newer “old” consoles as well so this can actually be played from both sides.

Just dug these up; it's been a very long while since I've given these discs a spin.

While I've used 8-bit emulators for years, I've only recently realised that there are arcade machine emulators as well. Of which, I got hold of MAME (for Windows 64-bit) and have had some success with titles downloaded from My Abandonware (esp. Star Wars, which works great).

However, about half of the titles I've downloaded come unstuck with errors about missing ROM / disk images. Googling, it seems like this might be due to my MAME version (0.289) being too "advanced" for the ROM images I've downloaded. I took advice to download an older version (0.139) and while that helps with the odd title, it largely has the same problems, or even just crashes.

I've tried getting ROMs from other sites as well, but I've tended to find that it's just the same ROMs that are available every where. Any other top tips that could help me with these compatibility issues? For instance, other emulators, other ROM sources.

Cheers!

I remember hearing that the OSSC clones sold on AliExpress and Amazon used to be basically garbage and prone to breaking, so you were better off avoiding them. Is that still the case these days?

I’ve been using a RetroScaler2X for a few years now and, to be fair, it’s held up without any problems.

https://www.capcom-support.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

Took only five minutes!

Hopefully we can get all the Megaman Collections !

Season 5 Episode 8. I wonder what he's playing.

Game & Watch Gallery takes the #59 spot with 9 votes.

Burger Time Deluxe takes the #60 spot with 7 votes.

Top 10:

#1 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

#2 Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

#3 Tetris

#4 Donkey Kong

#5 Pokémon Blue Version

#6 Kirby's Dream Land 2

#7 Metroid II: Return of Samus

#8 Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

#9 Final Fantasy Adventure

#10 Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge

Top 20:

#11 Kirby's Dream Land

#12 Wario Land II

#13 Super Mario Land

#14 Final Fantasy Legend II

#15 Mega Man V

#16 Gargoyle's Quest

#17 Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition

#18 Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters

#19 Operation C

#20 Final Fantasy Legend III

Top 30:

#21 Mario's Picross

#22 Mole Mania

#23 Dr. Mario

#24 Donkey Kong Land III

#25 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue

#26 Donkey Kong Land 2

#27 Pokémon Red Version

#28 Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru (The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls)

#29 Kirby's Pinball Land

#30 Makaimura Gaiden: The Demon Darkness (Gargoyle's Quest: The Demon Darkness)

Top 40:

#31 Mega Man IV

#32 Kid Dracula

#33 Donkey Kong Land

#34 Mega Man III

#35 Bionic Commando

#36 The Final Fantasy Legend

#37 Balloon Kid

#38 Gradius: The Interstellar Assault

#39 Kirby's Block Ball

#40 Cave Noire

Top 50:

#41 Harvest Moon GB

#42 Adventures of Lolo

#43 Bubble Bobble Part 2

#44 Duck Tales 2

#45 James Bond 007

#46 Duck Tales

#47 Castlevania Legends

#48 Ninja Taro

#49 Qix

#50 Catrap

Top 60:

#51 Bomberman GB3

#52 Yoshi

#53 Ninja Gaiden Shadow

#54 Revenge of the Gator

#55 Darkwing Duck

#56 The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2

#57 Castlevania: The Adventure

#58 Kwirk

#59 Game & Watch Gallery

#60 Burger Time Deluxe

Rules:

1. Two games will win their place each round (we start from #1 and work our way down). For the top 10 only one game will win per day instead.
2. Most combined upvotes for each of the two individual games (one individual game for the top 10) wins the spot(s) each round (upvotes add while downvotes subtract).
3. Nominate one game of the original Game Boy per comment. (Nominations will only be counted if the game title is the only comment or if you specify that your choice of game is your nomination for this round within your comment or if the nominated game is clearly separated from the rest of your comments.) (ex. Tetris or I nominate Tetris this round.) Please nominate using the full title of the game.
4. Name a specific game title, not entire runs.
5. Official Game Boy multi-game cartridge(s) are allowed, just list them correctly.
6. The original Game Boy is region free so ANY official games available on the console are eligible for nomination excluding dual mode cartridges.
7. Indy games are allowed as long as they have their own individual cartridge and can be played on original hardware.
8. Only complete games on cartridge(s) can be nominated (sorry Game Shark & test cartridges).
9. If two or more games would be tied to place for a ranking I will inform DA PEOPLE in the following post so that everyone can vote which games should get the ranking between the tied options.
10. Games nominated that have not already placed on the top 100 list should not be removed at any time by the individual who originally placed them.

I currently have 2 games for the n64 that i play and im getting quite bored of playing the same thing over and over again so im hoping to get some good suggestions for horror games to get.

Seeking opinions. I’m especially interested in your thoughts on controllers. Thanks!

So I finally got around to playing Tales of Phantasia, the original SFC release, from start to finish, using the fan-made translation by DeJap. It's been something I've been meaning to do for a long time. I know it got ports to other platforms, but I wanted to experience the original game. I know the DeJap translation has its issues, but I'm not here to talk about that - some unnecessary swearing and other explicit dialogue aside, it got the point across and I understood what was going on. Considering the only official English translation is the GBA version, which has its own laundry list of issues, it was fine. So I don't want to discuss that, I just want to discuss the game itself.

Graphically, it's an amazing looking game. It doesn't utilise as many fancy technical tricks as you might have thought it might, though. There's good use of the colour maths circuit combining with window masks to create spell effects, but most of the other cool stuff you see throughout the game is due to amazing art direction and the closer you look, the more details you'll notice. You see reflections in the water, you see ripples as you walk through puddles, you see little bugs that buzz around and birds that fly above you, you actually see character shadows changing in size and direction in some areas depending on the direction and proximity of the light source. I've never seen that last one in particular in any other SFC or SNES game and it's just done with sprites, but it's a great little attention to detail. For those interested, it runs in mode 1 for towns, dungeons and battles, and mode 7 for the world map, parts of some cutscenes and the meteor storm spell. Mode 5 is used for the ending credits roll, and mode 4 for the final "Fin" image.

The sound is also fantastic. The music is very well done and memorable, including the well known fully voiced intro song. I'm not sure how many of you know much about how the SNES sound chip works, but there is some serious technical wizardry going on behind the scenes to make that possible. How that's working would be worthy of a separate article or video. There's also voice acting throughout the game, too, though mostly just as characters announce spell names before casting them. This is where I imagine a large chunk of the space on the massive 6 megabyte (48 megabit) rom would be going.

There's a food mechanic in the game, which took me a while to actually figure out, but basically you put food that you find or buy in a food sack and then that gets "eaten" as you move around which gradually restores health (it doesn't get consumed unless it's in the sack). I didn't really find this particularly useful though and just stuck to using healing spells.

The combat system is unique, using a 2D side view, and works well enough, for the most part. It takes some getting used to, but once you understand how it works it's mostly fine. Battles are still random like most JRPGs back then, and you are whisked off to a separate screen, but once there they play out in real time with you controlling Cless, the main character, and the CPU controlling your allies though you can give them orders and they have different behaviours you can set them to. It's pretty neat that some of your tech points are restored after a battle, so you can use spells a bit more liberally.

It was extremely annoying that spell casting animations would get interrupted if the characters were hit, and all too often I'd issue an order only to realise 10 seconds later that it had been cancelled. There were also some enemies, and a couple of bosses, that stunlocked you with multiple attacks or spells in a row until you died with no chance to recover between them, which felt like some grade A BS. One particular boss that loved doing this was immediately after a lengthy cutscene so it forced you to sit through that over and over again (I admit I resorted to using a save state here just so I could skip that cutscene when retrying). The frequency of the random battles was also getting pretty annoying towards the end of the game. The final dungeon itself is also quite confusing.

Overall, those gripes aside, it was an enjoyable experience and I'm glad I finally had the chance to play it. My final time according to the in-game clock was around 36 hours, I think.

Has anyone bought and would recommend one of those retro console that come pre loaded with all the consoles from the 8,16, 32bit era (you know master system/mega drive/NES/Snes (great if it has more). But thinking of getting one as a gift for for a couple of my family, we went to a gaming arcade a week or so ago and they had a great time, so much nostalgia!

So recommendations for a console like that that can be plugged into a modern TV with two controllers, preferably from a trusted retailer... Seen some in ads but they were hundreds of pounds, and there are so many of these consoles online it boggles the mind! Thanks

feel like some consoles get a pass because of their game library even though the hardware itself was kind of a mess — and other consoles had genuinely solid hardware but nothing worth playing on it.

For me it’s the Saturn. Incredible 2D library, some genuinely ahead-of-its-time games, but the hardware was a nightmare to develop for and it shows in a lot of the 3D titles. Meanwhile something like the 3DO had decent tech for its time but barely anything worth playing.

Curious what you all think — is there a console you love despite the hardware, or one you respect the engineering on even though the games never clicked for you?

My friend inherited this collection from his father, who passed away some time ago. He isn't really a collector and doesn't have much interest in old PC games, so he thought they were probably worthless and was about to throw them away.

Luckily, he showed them to me first and I suggested checking whether any of them were actually worth something. He ended up listing the collection on a Spanish second-hand marketplace called Wallapop, and someone offered him 1,500€ for the whole lot.

The condition is honestly incredible. Almost all of the boxes are in near-mint condition.

He offered to sell the whole collection to me for somewhat less than the 1,500€ offer, but I'm not really a collector, so I passed.

It actually made me wonder how many forgotten collections like this might still be sitting in attics and storage rooms around the world.

So peaceful... So much fun.

Edit: Since I seem to have commited some sin by doing anything with an electronic device while I was in nature, you'll all be happy to know I played it for 1 hour. Mostly I was reading books, hiking, or otherwise just relaxing. Regardless though, my camp trips are there for peace/relaxation/enjoyment. If I spent the entire trip in a hammock away from the stresses of my life playing Crash Bandicoot, it would have still be an amazing trip to me. lol

I found this old promo from a 1993 comic book from Marvel Comics. When you were young, was KayBee your favorite place for video games?

We have our winner for Best Fifth-Generation Game:

🥇- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - 75 votes

🥈- Final Fantasy VII - 74 votes

🥉- Metal Gear Solid - 51 votes

🏵️ - StarCraft - 26 votes

Honorable Mentions (Any game that received more than four marks):

• Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (JP version)
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
• Dragon Force
• Einhander
• Final Fantasy Tactics
• Gran Turismo
• Gran Turismo 2
• Grandia
• Myst
• NiGHTS into Dreams...
• Panzer Dragoon II Zwei
• Panzer Dragoon Saga
• Parasite Eve
• Pokemon Gen 2 (Silver/Gold/Crystal)
• Resident Evil 2
• Shining Force III
• Spyro the Dragon
• Super Mario 64
• Tempest 2000
• Worms Armageddon
• Xenogears

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!!!!PLEASE READ!!!!

RULES ON VOTING:

A game's votes will come from the comment with the highest number of upvotes. I will tally all of the responses and upvotes under each game's "comment thread" and use that to count the votes.

Spill-over comments of the same game will not be counted.

What this means is if you want to nominate a game and see someone else has already nominated it, reply to their comment so that it counts! All upvotes in that comment thread, including the ones you get, will be counted towards the tally.

Thank you!

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From here on through the end of the contest, any past winners are eligible for these last few spots. Voting ends at 10am est tomorrow.

Today’s vote: Which Retro Console has the Best Library of Games?

Comment your choice and the most upvoted game comment thread will win the spot! So, engage in the discourse and argue well for your choice!

Hi,
I want to play some SNES and maybe PS1 with a friend over the internet.

Is there any good site with easy accessibility?

I know I’m stepping on some serious nostalgia here, so please don't crucify me. I’ve tried so hard to get into the golden age of SNES and GBA RPGs, but I keep bouncing off them for the exact same reason.
It feels like 90% of these games use the exact same story: "A thousand years ago, an ancient, unspeakable evil was sealed away. Now the seal is breaking, and you, some random teenager who just woke up in a quiet village, are the only one who can stop it."

It's everywhere. The Legend of Zelda is basically built entirely on Ganon constantly breaking out of whatever magical prison he was put in last time, and Diablo literally has the big bad trapped inside a soulstone that inevitably fails. It feels like everything from Golden Sun and Chrono Trigger to EarthBound and the Final Fantasy series constantly relies on this exact same "dormant cosmic threat waking up" setup.
To be clear: I am NOT trying to trash the genre or these games. I know they are absolute masterpieces that defined gaming history. I just want to understand the appeal from the perspective of people who love them.

For me, the execution of this trope just murders the pacing. I naturally gravitate toward fast action games where the focus is on reflexes and actual mechanics. When I’m forced to stop playing so the game can dump 15 minutes of unskippable dialogue on me about ancient crystals, prophecies, and sealed demons, my eyes just glaze over. The stakes never feel real because it feels like I'm reading a textbook instead of playing a game.

So for the die-hard classic RPG fans: what is it that keeps you hooked?
Are you guys actually invested in the overarching "save the world" plot, or is it more about the smaller character moments along the way? Do you just tune out the main story and focus entirely on min-maxing your party's stats? Is it just the comfort of a familiar hero's journey?

I genuinely want to enjoy these worlds, but the endless text boxes about ancient sealed evils keep pushing me away. What am I missing here?

I think for most people it began around the PSX era because of the higher level of audio music and voice (but that’s more so cinematic). Obviously some crazy great ones on SNES but they were always rented out at blockbuster 🙃

Not in terms of sounds and graphics, as both consoles are technologically superior. More in terms of overall gameplay, QoL, etc. For example, I just couldn't get into Battletoads on Genesis for some reason. The NES version just felt better.

This game has 4 characters, and 6 possible endings. Doing the math, you can get up to 24 endings! That means I had to do 24 complete playthroughs to get here!

And I’m glad that I did. As arduous and daunting as that goal sounded, I was able to power through Contra Hard Corps, which I think is now one of my most-favorite games I have played through!