Me and my Hyperkin Retron 5...

[Crazy Climber]

Hello

This will be an ongoing topic about me and my Retron 5 system. Due to me being extremely lazy and hating clutter, many of my systems remain in boxes, waiting for the day they finally see some use, poor little guys

 

Now with my Retron 5 I can dust off some of these games and take em for a test spin. First on the agenda is one I have wanted to play....a super famicom release that has been collecting dust on my shelf for quite a while!

 

RETURN OF DOUBLE DRAGON!!

 

I have a soft spot for the Double Dragon series. Due to the elbow smash trick in the arcade game, mixed with my extreme lack of money back in the day, multiplied by the fact that EVERY arcade had a Double Dragon machine I spent a LOT of time time 1CC'ing the arcade games and teaching various kids the way to do it. Was a great way to kill a summer afternoon with less than $1 in my pocket

 

Due to this I pretty much purchase anything Double Dragon related nowadays, the good the bad and the ugly all included. I just like the series and it reminds me of a great era of time. I have heard Return of Double Dragon is different then the American release SUPER Double Dragon. It's been so long since I played Super Double Dragon that I really couldn't tell (seriously, it's been 20 years, lol) I heard the music and stages are slightly different though, maybe I will fire up Super Double Dragon next and see what the dealio is

 

The Graphics look fantastic!! Could have a little to do with the retron 5 HDMI support but whatever it is, they look great! No complaints on the graphics end of things

 

The music is very good, the original Double Dragon theme always pumps me up and this game is no exception. I like how the sounds of dropped weapons is overly loud, reminds me of the arcade when certain sounds were made louder to get your attention/etc.. No complaints at all with the sound.

 

Gameplay is not up to par. It's not unplayable by any means but runs a little slow. Has a clunky feel at times that initially was very noticeable. I wondered if this was a retron 5 emulation issue but it's not actually "slow down" or "choppy" it's more just kind of a klutzy movement that could have moved a little quicker overall. As the game goes on you adapt and don't notice it as much but it doesn't run as smooth as Final Fight or other beat em ups that the snes has to offer. It has cheap hits but all beat em ups do, I also was playing solo as I have no friends and my Daughter was busy with "homework" no matter how hard I tried to convince her to take a video game break, lol. I don't think the cheap hits would be anywhere near as bad with 2 players so I will not discount points for that. The total and complete lack of story was a bit of a bummer, I mean even the original had a little something...unless there is something in the manual (which I do not own) this has NO story what so ever. I remember reading a rumor somewhere this had to do with rushed development or something, I dunno, makes sense I guess but still lame.The pay off for grinding through an hour or so of a beat em up is always the ending story, rescuing the girl, saving the city, the prez, etc.. This had NOTHING and to make matter worse this is literally the ending...(NO, I'm not exaggerating, this is the end payoff!!)

 

Although you do get to hear a unique music song will you read the sentence, lol

 

Overall it took about an hour to grind through it. The final stage was a bit long (I have heard the Japan final stage has 2 extra levels) but right about when I thought I was getting tired of it...the Double Dragon theme kicked in and I was ready to whoop some ass!

 

Strengths...

- Graphics

- Sound/music

- 2 player simultaneous play

- Nice variety of moves (supposedly Jimmy and Billy have different moves as well but I didn't test both players, it locks you in depending on which controller you have, I had P1 so I was Jimmy)

 

Weaknesses..

- No story line

- terrible ending

- somewhat slow/clunky gameplay, not terrible or unplayable but could have been a little smoother

 

Final rating 6.5 out of 10

I really wanted to give it a seven, but the ending was so bad I just can't, lol

As far as I can tell from beginning to end Return of Double Dragon played well on my Retron 5 with no emulation issues

[Cynicaster]

Double Dragon definitely has a retro cool about it, but for me, it's pure nostalgia.

 

Coincidentally, I played SNES Final Fight the other day for the first time since it was new, and didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Streets of Rage FTW.

[Crazy Climber]

Double Dragon definitely has a retro cool about it, but for me, it's pure nostalgia.

 

Coincidentally, I played SNES Final Fight the other day for the first time since it was new, and didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Streets of Rage FTW.

Yeah, its better with 2 people at the arcade for sure, those were the days

 

Out of curiousity, did you play final fight snes on emulation? I just played it for a few minutes on my retron 5 recently and I swear it had some button lag or just plain out non responsiveness at times. Not unplayable by any means but annoying and I dont remember doing that (although its been awhile since I last played it) I want to hook up my snes and confirm but wondering if its an emulator thing... I tried a second conroller and that wasnt it.

[bomberpunk]

I know I've said this in more than one threads in the past, but I'll say it again here: Double Dragon II on NES the best game in the entire series and one of my top 3 NES games. It's a masterpiece. The "original" arcade game is nothing but a quick and noticeable redo of the first game, while the NES "port" was rebuilt from the ground up.

 

Other than making the game much longer, they made a smart move by switching the song order around. the Mission 1 song on the arcade game was pushed back to Mission 4 of the NES game, and replacing the begining stage music with something that makes you want to punch people in the face (as far as chiptune music goes).

 

Double Dragon Advance on GBA is a close second.

 

My DD collection rivals most DD collections out there (minus anything related to the cartoon series, I want no part of that).

...

 

So yeah, the Retron 5. I don't have/need one.

[Crazy Climber]

I know I've said this in more than one threads in the past, but I'll say it again here: Double Dragon II on NES the best game in the entire series and one of my top 3 NES games. It's a masterpiece. The "original" arcade game is nothing but a quick and noticeable redo of the first game, while the NES "port" was rebuilt from the ground up.

 

Other than making the game much longer, they made a smart move by switching the song order around. the Mission 1 song on the arcade game was pushed back to Mission 4 of the NES game, and replacing the begining stage music with something that makes you want to punch people in the face (as far as chiptune music goes).

 

Double Dragon Advance on GBA is a close second.

 

My DD collection rivals most DD collections out there (minus anything related to the cartoon series, I want no part of that).

...

 

So yeah, the Retron 5. I don't have/need one.

Yeah, I really like the NES DD2 also. The Atlus GBA one is fantastic! It's probably my top pick for home versions.

I was shocked when I finally tracked down a Megadrive Double Dragon 2, not what I expected after having played the NES one so much. I never thought I would PREFER the NES version, lol.

I like the unlicensed Genesis arcade port also, sure it has terrible sound and unfair AI but it is still a monster nostalgic blast!

Double Dragon cartoon?? Don't remember that one, time to google...

[Crazy Climber]

Okay, kids went to bed a little early last night so I fired up another one I have been waiting to play for awhile...

 

GROWL!!!

 

Looks like I bought this one back in 2002, finally getting around to trying it out, lol

 

So when I popped this bad mofo in I was excited. Starts out with some silly story about poachers killing/capturing rare animals but you are there to free them and make them pay....sounds awesome. I don't really remember this arcade machine, I have heard of it but never saw or played one as far as I can remember. Instantly though it became apparent the game has a MAJOR flaw....it's only one player? Yes, even though it easily handles over 10 people on screen with zero slow down, you can NOT play with a friend and with all the madness going on at once, you really NEED a friend to play with you, lol.

 

I'm guessing the arcade machine was a 4 player affair? This port would have really been something had they implemented that feature...

 

So, the graphics and sounds were fine, felt a little early genesis but thats okay with me. The HDMI did make a big difference for the better (I fired it up on my regular genesis to compare) You seem to fight the same 4 or 5 people the entire game, and most of them seem out of place (a ninja, a business woman, etc.. lol) but again, that stuff doesn't bother me. The selection of weapons was great, guns knifes, whips, clubs, bombs, you name it...they had it. It was really satisfying taking the Lion poachers whip and giving him a taste of his own medicine.

 

The gameplay really falls short in this one though. It desperately needs at a bare minimum 2 player simultaneous play. About every 20 steps you take on a hoard of 10 or so bad guys and the cheap hits are plentiful. The saving grace is the super move (takes a little bit of life away when used) and the fact that every time you get knocked down you get a few seconds of invincibility (not just when you die, when you get knocked down) Weapons make a huge impact, they are pretty powerful. The characters all have different levels (strength/life/etc..) but I honestly did not notice a big difference.

 

One thing that annoyed the shit out of me was the cave stage. Since you are holding a torch they take away the super move, not to mention you can't use weapons and the ONLY move you can do is an insanely slow and cumbersome kick, lol. Basically it's about 10 minutes of getting your ass whooped from enemies rushing you from both sides that you can't see until it's too late and you eventually time a slow motion kick just right now and then...

 

Overall as the game progressed it got less and less fun and more of a chore. I got to the last stage twice but was unable to finish the game (you can only have 7 lives max) so I imagine there would be a decent pay off with the ending as the opening scene and in game dialogue was entertaining.

 

Strengths

- Great weapon variety, all of which are very fun to use

- Graphics and sound are nothing special but do the trick

- Campy story but it's still cool, who doesn't like a good "revenge" scenario

- Can handle a LOT of characters on screen at once with zero slowdown (why no 2 player???)

 

Weaknesses

- This game was NOT designed for one player

- Too many cheap hits (likely due to one player)

- Not enough continues (seriously, with all those cheap hits give me more credits)

 

Final rating is a 5 out of 10

The weapons were really fun to use, if this game had a 2 player option I would have giving it a 7, I majorly docked it for that because it ruins the game honestly, lol. Ooohhhh, had they made it 4 player then we would have had something!

 

*edit - almost forgot...

As far as I could tell this game had zero emulation issues played on the Retron 5

Edited January 28, 2015 by Crazy Climber

[Cynicaster]

Re: Final Fight, yes I was playing on an emulator.

 

Re: Double Dragon, I forgot about the GBA version. That game is probably the best DD I've ever played.

 

As for Growl, I remember that game being in the arcade at the bowling alley in the late 80s. Can't remember if it was 2- or 4-player, but I imagine it was probably sold as a conversion kit and therefore could have been either, depending on the donor cabinet. Never cared much for the game, myself.

[Austin]

I think many of the games in the Double Dragon series hold up well (the three NES games, the first two arcade games, and the GBA one), but man, Double Dragon on the SNES.. Yeah, not so much. It's so sluggish and just doesn't have the same kind of *oomph* you get with the other ones (I have no idea how else to describe it, haha). So disappointing.

[Crazy Climber]

Re: Final Fight, yes I was playing on an emulator.

 

Re: Double Dragon, I forgot about the GBA version. That game is probably the best DD I've ever played.

 

As for Growl, I remember that game being in the arcade at the bowling alley in the late 80s. Can't remember if it was 2- or 4-player, but I imagine it was probably sold as a conversion kit and therefore could have been either, depending on the donor cabinet. Never cared much for the game, myself.

I'm going to test Final Fight soon on original Hardware and then my retron 5 (EMULATION) I swear I noticed a bit of lag or rather hits not registering at all, but it's been so long since I played it maybe it has always been that way...

 

I did a small amount of digging on Growl (a google search, lol) all I saw was kits, but at least they supported 2 player...

The game just begs for 4 player action though

Man, the arcade graphics looks pretty damn good...

 

I think many of the games in the Double Dragon series hold up well (the three NES games, the first two arcade games, and the GBA one), but man, Double Dragon on the SNES.. Yeah, not so much. It's so sluggish and just doesn't have the same kind of *oomph* you get with the other ones (I have no idea how else to describe it, haha). So disappointing.

YES!! Exactly what I am talking about. You adapt to it over a few stages but it's missing the OOMPH!!

[Austin]

I'm going to test Final Fight soon on original Hardware and then my retron 5 (EMULATION) I swear I noticed a bit of lag or rather hits not registering at all, but it's been so long since I played it maybe it has always been that way...

 

@Crazy - There is definitely lag when you use the Retron5. I'm trying to learn how to speedrun Ninja Gaiden right now and going from my original hardware to the Retron5 is like night and day. For speedrunning purposes, it's basically unplayable on the R5. It's not a deal breaker for casual play, but the issue is definitely there.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Austin

[Crazy Climber]

Well, had another chance last night to retron my brains out (seriously, I am loving this machines accessibility) and on the agenda was an oldie but a goodie

 

GOLDEN AXE!!

 

So, like every other person that played the hell out of this arcade machine I of course bought Golden Axe the first day it came out and loved every minute of it. I feel kind of stupid because I played it again a few years ago and thought it was a ridiculous waste of money....only 3 stages??? What the hell???

 

Well, I am ashamed to admit the last time I played it I picked "beginner" mode (likely just wanting to grind through it fast) and completely forgot that beginner mode cuts half the stages, lol. Whoooooops!!

 

This time I played ARCADE mode like any normal old school gamer should be doing and I was pleasantly surprised to see a full game like I remember from some 25 years ago Everyone has played Golden Axe, nothing much to say that hasn't already been said.

 

I generally play as the Dwarf because I think he is the best. Although, if I am playing the game with an overweight short friend that somewhat resembles the Dwarf (this happened a lot back in the day) I wait to see if he picks that character because he relates to his stature. I never "recommend" he play as the Dwarf though just in case he is unaware he resembles him of course, it gets awkward then. If he picks the dwarf then I go for the warrior because I do not want to steal my short overweight friends thunder

 

The Graphics look pretty good, especially for how early of a game it was in the Genesis life. The music is where it's at though, the actual in game music and title screen drums just get me pumped to whoop some medieval ass~!!

 

Golden Axe gameplay is nothing too deep, you only have a few moves. One of which (the charge) is essential if you want to beat the game in my opinion. I am not ashamed to admit I cheap hit the bosses over and over with the Dwarfs head charge...

 

No real weapons to pick up but they make up for all of that and more with DRAGONS!!

Who the hell doesn't like riding a Dragon, it's very satisfying wasting the baddies with a breath of fire or swipe of the tail!

 

The combat for me personally is more of a timing thing then just mashing the buttons as fast as you can. I find using the right "rhythm" can make you unstoppable (with the head charge sprinkled in as well of course)

The in game story dialogue does the trick, and even has a few funny translations here and there...

"My Courage says your welcome and we are glad to rid you of Death Adder and this Hideous Plot fellow"

 

The end battle is balls hard, so much magic being hurled at you! I think it's cool when he calls on the dragon but I couldn't get a good pic of it due to focused gameplay so here is the boss

 

Overall a fantastic Genesis port. It also adds a little mini game called "the duel" which they pit you up against various characters from the game in one on one (or MANY on one as it progresses) DEATH MATCHES!

This mini game alone could have probably passed as a Genesis game back in the day...

 

It has a decent story line and throws a few extras in here and there to keep things interesting. The little magic gnomes are insanely fun to boot in the ass and when magic is scarce the competition can get interesting between 2 players, especially for that little green food midget that appears now and then

 

Strengths

- It's Golden Axe!!!

- 2 player simultaneous play

- awesome mini game

- cheap hits are few and far between

- has a story and an ending

- I could really go on and on here, it's a great game

 

Weaknesses

- none really, great game

- I guess sometimes the AI moves a little slow from one end of the screen to the other, but thats nitpicking

 

Final Rating 9 out of 10

You should be ashamed if this is not in your Genesis collection!!

 

*edit - again almost forgot. On this particular game I didn't notice any emulation issues playing on the Retron 5

Edited January 29, 2015 by Crazy Climber

[Crazy Climber]

 

 

@Crazy - There is definitely lag when you use the Retron5. I'm trying to learn how to speedrun Ninja Gaiden right now and going from my original hardware to the Retron5 is like night and day. For speedrunning purposes, it's basically unplayable on the R5. It's not a deal breaker for casual play, but the issue is definitely there.

 

I thought so, I will play test Final Fight on both systems and see how bad it is. So far all the above games I have played on it have seemed fine (although I havent't tried any speed runs/etc..) but I'm guessing some games will have issues and maybe Final Fight is one of them...

[Cynicaster]

Golden Axe! One of my all time favourites. Couldn't even tell you how many times I've played through it. You're right about the music--best of all time, IMO.

 

It is a pretty short game, especially in the arcade, but the Genesis version has the extra stage which is a welcome addition for a home version.

[Austin]

I thought so, I will play test Final Fight on both systems and see how bad it is. So far all the above games I have played on it have seemed fine (although I havent't tried any speed runs/etc..) but I'm guessing some games will have issues and maybe Final Fight is one of them...

 

I think pretty much everything will have the same issue, it's just a situation of whether you will notice it or not from game to game. For me it's games that require super fast reflexes. Slower games, I don't notice it as much if at all.

[Austin]

Damn.. I must say, now I kind of want to play some Golden Axe!

[+save2600]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and mini reviews Brian! Some fun reads here. And yes… Golden Axe never gets old. Even plays well on the Genesis FB. Plays well on the Amiga too come to think of it.

[Crazy Climber]

Golden Axe! One of my all time favourites. Couldn't even tell you how many times I've played through it. You're right about the music--best of all time, IMO.

 

It is a pretty short game, especially in the arcade, but the Genesis version has the extra stage which is a welcome addition for a home version.

Oh hell yes, something about that opening intro with the drums and high pitched synths just gets me ready for some beat em up action!

 

I remember in the late 90's I was playing in a Death Metal band and I thought I wrote this awesome new riff we could play, then it occurred to me it was the stage one music for Golden Axe just doomed out with double bass, lol. Looking back at things we should have done it anyways but I was in one of those "bands" that thought they were going somewhere, ha...

 

Damn.. I must say, now I kind of want to play some Golden Axe!

Try it on your Retron and see if you notice slowdown. I thought it played the same but I may not have the same attention to detail

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and mini reviews Brian! Some fun reads here. And yes… Golden Axe never gets old. Even plays well on the Genesis FB. Plays well on the Amiga too come to think of it.

Yeah baby! Thanks! I had the Amiga version back in the day (was the only one with an Amiga in a 50 mile radius as far as I know) I think it came in a pack with a bunch of Sega games if I remember correctly? (outrun, thunderblade, etc..) For the Amiga I usually played Sword of Sodan for my medieval fix. Not so great as I remember but amazing graphics

[Crazy Climber]

Well, being on a Genesis kick I popped in one of my all time favorites in the Retron 5...

RAMBO 3!!!!

 

I'm glad to have a CIB copy of this game

Looking at this box brings me right back to the Kaybee toy store I purchased it from, they even around anymore??

 

First off, it's Rambo man, one of the coolest dudes to walk the Earth. What would Rambo do? I have asked myself that many times when facing a tough situation and it always plays out to my advantage.

 

I remember having a job at Old Country Buffet back in 1991 and we had this dude working there we nick named Rambo. He had the look and he even wore a thin black headband to keep his hairnet on while he scrubbed away at the dishes and put up with "the man" telling him what to do. One day "the man" was telling him to do some shitty task and Rambo was having none of it, he just flat out ignored him. Growing frustrated with Rambo's attitude :the man" took a giant salad tongs from the dirty dishes and started clamping it together, very loudly, just mere inches away from Rambos face. Rambo turned around and looked "the man" right in the eye but then "the man" did one final burst of salad tong clamping accompanied by a forceful "RAMBO...TAKE THE F'N TRASH OUT NOW!!"

Rambo took a deep breath, clenched his fists and threw his hair net to the ground. He then tied his thin black headband tightly around his fist and punched "the man" (our boss) right in the face! Rambo grabbed his camouflage backpack and walked right out the door. The assistant manager started to phone the police and "the man" shouted out "No, let him go...he was right....he was right..."

(I'm guessing he feared harrasment charges filed against him, our boss was a DICK to that dude)

Was the coolest thing ever, except if I was him I would have just kept walking instead of sitting and waiting for the bus for ten minutes right in front of our store, kind of killed the grand exit...just seeing him sitting there pacing, kicking the bench, etc.. Now rumor has it he came back for his last paycheck in a full Star Wars stormtrooper suit claiming he was "sent from the Empire to pick up Rambo's check" I don't think you can be any more awesome then that

 

Ok, on to the game!!

So, the music while nothing groundbreaking, does fit the game very well. I like how the fortress missions have kind of a "stealthy" music to them, really makes me feel like I'm sneaking around and getting ready to bring the pain!

The sound effects are quite awesome at times, listing to that hummmm when you charge up your crazy expoldo-arrows is the best! I'm not sure if they actually get stronger or not the longer you charge, but it feels like it! Kind of like getting duel exhaust on some piece of shit car, it really feels like it goes faster, lol. The explosions are great! One cool thing is the destructible environment. You can blow a LOT of stuff up that up until this point in time, didn't really happen in a lot of games

 

Yes kids, there was a day and age where being able to blow up a stationary helicopter for no other reason than blowing it up was a BIG deal and not just standard in every game ever made

 

The graphics have there highs and lows I guess. The cut scenes faces are amazing in my opinion. And the little Rambo in between stages mini game, what what!! Not only insanely fun to blow that coptor sky high, it looks fantastic!

(Is it just me or has this dude looked the same for like 30 years, lol

 

Gameplay on this one shines bright like a supernova (wait, is that a dead star, ugh, can't remember) This game is fun, I can't put it any other way then it is just FUN FUN FUN!!

A minor gripe would be that you do not get to pick up weapons a long the way, which is a trademark of Rambo, but they make up for it with giving you 4 options right off the bat. The trademark explosive arrows are a blast, and they give you plenty of opportunities to use them for no other reason than blowing shit up.

 

 

It's really satisfying doing knife kills, I'm glad they worked the famous Rambo knife into the game somehow

 

Ooohhhh, thats SOOO Rambo!!

 

One cool thing about the machine gun is if you run and shoot it stays in a straight line, if you stop and shoot you do the classic Rambo "shoot everything in my way while swaying my gun side to side" spread shot, a nice plus and true to the character

 

The story line is good and interesting. No real "boss fights" but I guess the little mini game arrow stuff is their answer and it works, it's not much of a challenge but they make up for it by giving you a better bonus the faster you explode them The game is short, no question, you can finish it in about 30-45 minutes but it's just the right amount and you actually want to play it again, it's that fun!

 

Strengths

- It's Rambo!!! C'mon man...RAMBO!!!

- Great gameplay

- Very nice graphics in some parts

- nice weapon selection

 

Weaknesses

- Maze stages can get a little annoying (everything looks the same, not hard just a little annoying)

- One hit deaths (one hit deaths usually drive me insane but in this games defense you don't have to start the stage over so I didn't deduct very hard for this)

 

Overall if I met the guy or guys (or gals, sega did have a few) that programmed this I would give him a big hug for doing the Rambo name justice in a video game (have you played the NES one? Ick!) If you don't own this buy it, you will not be disappointed if you are a Rambo fan. It used to be a sleeper hit but I see on Ebay it's going for $15+ now so the secret must be out (this used to be a $2 game)

 

Final rating 8.5 out of 10

 

As far as I can tell this game played fine on my Retron 5. I only noticed one tiny bit of slowdown (on the fortress stage) when all the troops rush you at once, I can't remember but I believe the game does this on original hardware? Either way, it played just fine