Silverfleet

I haven't bought an Atari game in a while, but I needed this one. One of the last ones I needed on my want list!

One of my local arcades had a Steel Talons cabinet. You mentioned that when the player was hit, a speaker in the cab would bang loudly. I remember walking in there one time and someone playing got hit. The speaker on the back of the cab pinged so loud I jumped! I knew then I had to play it. I remember renting it on the Genesis after playing the arcade game and it being unplayable to the point that I questioned why they even bothered making it.

Whatever it is, I bought it to play it! 😁And it plays great. It has a much different feel than the Genesis version. It feels more like a Mario-style platformer in terms of how Sonic controls, but at the same time, it's still a Sonic game. Levels are even slightly different than the much more common Game Gear version. Overall, I'm just happy to have finally found a copy.

Is there a way to tell if it's a US version loose without the case? Will it run faster because NTSC? I haven't had the chance to pop it in the ol' SMS yet. I am also skeptical of the Pricecharting value, because there aren't many sold listings and those that have sold were CIB with the UPC sticker vs. actually loose. FWIW, I'm assuming this was a US/NTSC version judging by the other US titles I found it grouped with (Rescue Mission and Hang On/Safari Hunt). The seller's case was full of common stuff otherwise. EDIT: I'm playing it now on my Genesis via Power Base Converter. Seems to be running at a normal speed.

I haven't posted in here for a while, mainly because I haven't been collecting much. Hell, I haven't really been playing much either! Been busy with other hobbies and a new puppy for most of 2021. Speaking of other hobbies, I found myself out vinyl hunting over the weekend, and at a local antique mall, I spotted a case of reasonably priced video games. Looking over the case, I saw a few SMS titles, so I asked the guy at the counter if he could open it up. He did, and one game caught my eye: I've wanted this "demake" of Sonic the Hedgehog ever since seeing it in game magazines in the early 90's. It's always been a curiosity to me, and it's a pretty fun game. I don't think I've ever seen it in the wild, so I had to snag it. It was $15, which isn't bad, and the cart is clean. I wish it still had the case, but that's ok. Glad to finally have this one in the collection after all these years.

I gave Ironsword a run yesterday. I couldn't even get past the 1st level. It's probably due to a lack of familiarity with the game, and I felt like I was missing items needed to fight the boss. There's something good in there, but it's a tough game. I'll take another stab at it at some point.

For an action/adventure game that came out in 1987, it's really great. Graphics are well done, music is catchy (especially that main theme), and it plays well. The items/upgrades and optional stuff is cool, and there are even secret rooms here and there. It would be cool to see a modernized entry in this series released by Rare in a full Metroidvania style game. I plan on tackling Ironsword soon.

Another one down! Wizards & Warriors (NES): I have beaten this one before, but not for a long time. This was a childhood favorite, and still remains a favorite today. Great game, although the unlimited continues make it pretty easy. I'd give it a B overall.

Knocked off a few favorites I like to play through every once in a while and a new one I haven't beaten yet: Contra and Super C (NES via Contra Collection on the Switch): No pics for this one. Not hard to do by any means, but they are so much fun to run through every once in a while. Kung Fu (NES): Quick lunch break run-through of this one last week. I didn't have time to do multiple loops, but I will try again soon. Game is a total classic. Dragon Spirit: The New Legend (NES): Ran through this as the "Gold Dragon" to get used to it; it's been ages since I played this one. I plan on going back and playing it the normal way at some point. It was my first time beating this one. For a NES shmup, it's solid, but it's a tough one!

I've found that after disabling the 10NES chip that some of my games still didn't work. 9 times out of 10, it was because the cartridge connector was downright nasty. Disassemble them with a security bit and clean with a mild cleaner. I used to use Brasso before I knew better, which can strip the plating off the connectors. I switched to Barkeeper's Friend and that works great. It's more of a liquid than a paste/cream, and it gets the job done without screwing up the cart.

BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE! Upon second look in the bag of stuff he gave me, the dog bone WAS in there! Like the toploader, this is my first dogbone controller. Can't wait to test it out!

To be completely honest, I'm very happy with my "Toaster" NES and the RetroTink 2X Pro. It looks amazing. It also looks great on a CRT with straight Composite-out. I've already modded that one to disable the 10NES lockout chip and allow games to run without pushing down the tray, so it works as well as any toploader I've used. I still wanted a toploader in the collection for years to complete my US NES collection, so I'm very happy to finally have one. I still want a FDS to go with my AV-modded original Famicom and/or a FC Twin, and maybe an A/V Famicom as well.

I didn't have it for Christmas of '88, but I did get it roughly a month later with my birthday money at the end of January '89. I vividly remember plunking down $49.99 for it at the Child World at the Hanover Mall in Hanover, MA. While most of their games were on the "shelf tag" system, they kept the hot, new releases in a glass case by the registers. I went in there, saw that gold box, and bought it. That was my 1st Zelda game at age 7; this is the one that started it all for me. Still have that cartridge, and still love that game.

Ok, not exactly a thrift find, but my strange luck continues. My buddy messaged me over the weekend asking if I had a spare Game Boy his wife could borrow. She has one game (Kirby's Pinball Land) from when she was a kid and her Game Boy is long gone. I found my spare GBA and brought it over there tonight, because you can't deny someone's video game nostalgia! As a thank you for dropping it off, he handed me this: He got this a few years back as a gift, played it once, and put it in a box. No dog bone, but it did come with a nice regular NES control pad and the power supply/RF switch. And I didn't have the manual for R.C. Pro-Am, so that's cool too. Somehow, with all the NES-focused collecting I've done over the years, I've never had a toploader. Going to clean it up and put it on display until it gets modded for something other than RF output. Excited to have this!

I have a SN30 Pro, and I do like it. Haven't had any connectivity, battery or latency issues with it, and I've used it on PC, RetroPie, my smartphone, and my Switch. They nailed the overall look and feel of the thing, from the colors to the textures and buttons. My only gripe with it is that it feels sorta weird to hold compared to a real corded SNES controller. Using the extra L2/R2 buttons causes my big stupid hands to slip off the controller. Playing it as a regular SNES pad, it works fine. I sorta wish I got the Pro + with the Playstation-like grips instead.