Silverfleet

After watching this latest episode, I want to track down a copy of Test Drive II on the SNES and/or Genesis. The SNES one in particular looks great!

I wanted to post some more input on the RetroTink 2X Pro. I've been playing a lot of Genesis and NES on it lately, and I'm really happy with it. So far, I've been using regular Composite A/V into the RetroTink connected to my 2010 Panasonic Viera 1080p plasma TV. The NES looks fantastic and has zero lag whatsoever. Image with my OG A/V cables is great (Yes, I'm on a Mega Man kick right now, and all images are on Normal mode): Genesis, as I said before, has issues passing sound through to my TV. Both my Model 1 and Model 2 with the Sega CD attached have the same problem. I remedied this by bypassing the TV and hooking up a set of 2.1 PC speakers that I've had kicking around, and this works great! That signature FM soundchip sounds killer with a little bass behind it. Anyway, here's some shots of some games on my Model 1: This is Normal mode. It's the best looking IMHO, but it's a little muddy. This is with Smooth mode. It's significantly different, but still muddy. It does look like something "retro" on a modern console. One thing that doesn't translate is that there some flashing artifacts on static images (like when the screen is paused) in this mode. I like this one on some games. I'm not a scan lines guy, but this is Scan Line mode. I'd rather go plug in my CRT and get the real deal. Biggest issue is that the RetroTink dulls the image and cuts the brightness. Doesn't do it for me. Overall, I am very pleased. I've also tested SNES and N64, but don't have any pics. The SNES looks great as well. The N64 was tested with a S-Video cable, and it still looks muddy, but it's a N64, so that's expected. ?

Despite there being a pandemic and working from home since March, I haven't had much time for gaming. With winter coming and my home office outfitted with lots of gaming goodness, I've been playing more. Last night, I decided to tackle a game I've never finished. Mega Man 4 (NES): It's not my favorite of the original 6 NES Mega Man games, but it was solid nonetheless. Definitely provided a decent challenge. This one's been sitting on the shelf for a long time, so it was nice to finally play through it. And while I was at it... Mega Man 2 (NES): This one IS my favorite of the NES Mega Man games. It might even be my favorite NES game of all, and absolutely in my top 10 of all time. I finished it on Normal, mainly because I just wanted to blow through it. I usually run through this one once a year. Such an incredible game.

I haven't posted in here for a while, but I am having an annoying issue with my RetroTink 2X Pro. For some reason, my Sega Genesises (Genesii?) are not outputting sound through the 2X Pro via composite A/V cables. I have tried my Model 1, Model 2 by itself, and my Model 2 with the Sega CD attached. I have tried different cables as well, but to no avail. Other consoles, like my NES via component, work fine. I also updated the firmware, but that didn't help. Not sure what else to do here.

I don't think I can get past the 1st stage! ?

It's the sequel to Castle of Dragon! I have that game as well, and it's one of those games that looks great, sounds great, and unfortunately plays terribly. Sword Master is much better.

Not exactly a thrift find, but you gotta hear this one. A few months ago, a buddy of mine sent me a text. He was cleaning out a relative's house who had deceased and came across some "old games". After looking over what he found, I was going nuts. I told him what it all was and what it goes for in case he wanted to sell it. He said, "No, this isn't for me, this is for YOU. You want this stuff? Otherwise, I'm going to toss it". Well, yeah I wanted it! I tried offering him money and he refused. We settled on some bike parts and good beer. I also repaired a guitar for him last year, so he said it was payback for that as well. Tonight, I finally met up with him. This is what he gave me: Tons of NES games, most with instructions! There were even manuals that didn't go to these games that I needed for my existing collection, like Zelda and Castlevania III. Some quality Game Gear games, especially Space Harrier and Halley Wars. Rental case SMB2 and a sealed SNES Ascii Pad. Gotta love those old NES rental cases. CIB Diablo for the PS1, which is hard to find. Some GBA games, one of them being Doom! And to top it off, some quality cassettes in excellent shape! The NES game haul had some really great games. Here's some highlights: Mega Man with the instructions! I have never seen the instruction manual for this game. The cover art looks even worse, which I didn't think was possible. Batman Returns, which is tough to find. Good little beat-em-up that came out at the end of the NES's run. GI Joe: The Atlantis Factor, a game I've always wanted but never had. And the crown jewel: Sword Master with the instructions!!! This is a cool side scrolling Castlevania-esque game, and I have never seen a copy with my own two eyes until tonight. There was even more, but it was later-gen stuff and my friend kept it (and rightfully so). I still cannot believe he gave this stuff to me; I am floored. They were going to toss it out! I can't believe this stuff is still out there. This is my first gaming pickup since before the pandemic started, and I would say the wait was worth it.

When the original Xbox launched, I didn't think much of it. I didn't think it would be successful; what was Microsoft doing making a game console? I thought it would be either vaporware or a massive failure, like the Apple Pippin was in Japan that never came here. I had already purchased a PS2, and I proceeded to get a GameCube and a Dreamcast, and still didn't think much of the Xbox after it had been out for a while. There weren't games on there that I was interested in playing, except maybe Halo, which I thought was just ok at the time. Then, I won one. The auto parts store I worked at won some sales contest that had a choice of a bunch of power tools or a Xbox prize pack that included a console, Xbox Live w/Crimson Skies, and two more games: Rallisport Challenge 2 and Project Gotham Racing 2. Obviously, I chose the Xbox! This was around 2004. Once I actually sat down and spent time with it, I was shocked at how much I loved it. I came around big time, bought most of the big hit games I missed out on, and played it a ton. Looking back today, I love the Xbox. A lot of the games on it still hold up well today, and I play that one I won 16 years ago regularly. I still find random games I've never heard of to try for it.

Yeah, that's exactly what has been going on. I did all the "hoarding" years ago, and I've got games from those days that I still haven't played yet. Hell, I still have sealed PS2/GC/Xbox games I haven't played yet! I am very selective about what I buy now. The good news so far is that I've been lining up titles to play from the backlog and actually playing them! I've also set up my Xbox 360 with an external HDD and have set it up to download years of free Games with Gold stuff I've been digitally "hoarding". I also have a crap-ton of PS3 games that I'm really excited to play. I'm planning on AV-modding my 7800 as a winter project so I can get some proper Atari representation in the room. I haven't played my Atari today, or even this year. I need to change that.

Man, it's been a LONG time since I updated this thread. To be completely honest, I have all but stopped collecting games; I haven't bought a physical game since January. I found myself running out of room, and frankly, running out of enthusiasm for acquiring more. The current pandemic here in the US has also changed everything; for a while, nothing was open, and I haven't been back to my local haunts since it all started. Funny thing about the pandemic: I have been working from home since March and will be for a while. I've been working at the kitchen table this whole time. About a month ago, my wife brought up turning my game room into a proper office. At first, I fought it, but after we talked, it made sense. Besides, the crappy couch in there was uncomfortable and it was becoming a catch-all for all sorts of crap. So, I went from this: To this: To THIS: This is so much better. Here's some more detailed pics: Here's my modular workstation. I can swap in my gaming laptop whenever needed. The bookcase houses PS2, GameCube, Xbox, PS3, and 360 games. Under the desk lies my tower PC, which is hooked up to the big TV as a 2nd workstation and a home theater PC. I kept two of the smaller shelves the NES games used to be on, flipped them vertical, and now they hold my Switch games and some other stuff. To the left of the TV are some of my older games: SMS, Genesis, PS1, NES, SNES, N64, and all my boxed stuff. I also keep most of my guitars in here, so I have a couple small practice amps to play with. Due to space constraints, some consoles don't really fit in the 9"x9" cubbies, but here we have most of them: Famicom, N64, Genesis Model 1, Xbox 360, RetroPie, SNES, NES, Switch, Dreamcast, Wii, GC, Xbox, Nomad, Saturn, TG16, Model 2 Genesis w/Sega CD, and SMS are in here for now. All my older consoles and my 3DO and Jaguar are in another closet and can come out as needed. It's overcrowded in here as is. My loose Genesis and Famicom games are still here in these cassette cases. I hung up an over-the-door shoe organizer to hold some controllers and cords. Where the TV used to be resides my stereo and vinyl collection. It's nicely housed on this Ikea shelf I've had for a while. Works nicely for this. I'm planning on wall mounting a tablet to use as a "jukebox" to run streaming apps and to access my digital music collection over the network. Overall, I'm really happy with how it turned out. Not only do I have a better place to work, I have a better place to hang out! My wife is a smart lady. ?

I miss my Apple IIe. My mom gave it away when we got a Pentium PC in the mid-90's.

I picked up a RetroTink 2X Pro a couple weeks ago. I haven't had much time to mess around with it yet, but I like it so far. I've only tested it with my NES and Model 1 Genesis, both outputting Composite A/V. I have an older Panasonic Viera 42" 1080P Plasma TV as the display, which lets you display 4:3 for some video sources, which is perfect for retrogaming, but it never looked quite right hooking the consoles to the TV. The RT2X solves that. The NES looks great, even over Composite. I noticed zero lag when playing a few games; everything felt, looked, and sounded perfect! The Genesis has a few issues. The video is better than hooking it up to the TV for sure, but it still has some noticeable noise. The cable is an old, crappy one, so that's probably part of it. The biggest problem is that the audio doesn't output to the TV at all. This is something known to happen with the Genesis, so I have it connected to a stereo via the headphone jack on the console. That's somewhat annoying, but it's worth the trade-off. I'm going to upgrade to a better cable soon. I will be testing additional consoles soon and will report results.

I also got myself a RetroTink 2X Pro; showed up a few days back. Since I "upgraded" to a 42" plasma in the game room and put the 25" CRT in storage, I've been missing my retro consoles. I've been emulating in the interim via PC, RetroPie, and Wii, but it's nice to be able to use original hardware again. I've only tested with my NES and Genesis/Sega CD so far with Component A/V, but it's worlds better through the RetroTink than hooking it up to the TV directly. Going to have to invest in some better cables soon, and then some A/V mods for the older stuff.

My first post for 2020! And it's not great... SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy (Switch) No screenshot this time, mainly because I forgot. I picked up this game as part of a Gamestop buy 2 get 2 free deal last weekend, and it's not great. It's clearly geared toward adolescent boys, being as "bouncy" as it is, and Terry Bogard is a girl. I was hoping the fighting mechanics were going to be similar to the KOF games, but no, they have that dumbed-down fighting system a lot of new fighting games have which I can't stand: one punch, one kick, one grab, and one special button. There's also a button to tag in your partner. You have to button mash until you get the opponent to low health, and then you hit a "finishing move" button to end the one-round match. There are no redeeming qualities. This one's likely to sit on the shelf for the rest of time. Onto the next...

Although my family had a Colecovision that they bought my older sister when I was a baby in 1982, my first console that I could call mine was the NES. Got the Deluxe Set with R.O.B. on Christmas morning in 1987. As a 5 year old, playing Gyromite with a robot was the coolest thing ever! Later in the day, my aunt and uncle gave me Super Mario Bros. I'll never forget that! Still have both the NES and the Colecovision in my collection today.

Snagged these yesterday with Gamestop's buy 2 get 2 free sale. Had to go to three different stores to find anything worth a damn before finding these. So far, I've only played a bit of Dead Cells, which is really good.

For 2020, I need to come up with a solution for my older consoles in the game room. I'm running a 42" Panasonic 1080p plasma TV in there, so I've been wanting an upscaler/line doubler like the Retrotink 2X to solve that problem. If I had room, I'd run a CRT in there as well, but I don't. Other than that, I'm focusing on filling holes in the collection and playing the games I have. I wouldn't mind picking up a 32X, one of those new full size C64's, and maybe a Lynx if I come across those.

Some of my choices: -I know Metroid II was redone for the 3DS, but they should port it without the weird gameplay mechanics to the Switch. Keep it simple! I'm talking Zero Mission-style. Hell, just port that game over while you're at it! -Two of the three Castlevania games at least made it as part of the Castlevania Collection, but getting full-fledged remakes (maybe combine all three into a Rebirth-style game) would be cool. -The TMNT games one the Game Boy were great as well, and one of them even had mild Metroidvania-style gameplay that would be ripe for a modern remake. -The Mario Land games are begging for this, especially Six Golden Coins. That game is amazing. Make it an "All Stars" collection. -I also agree on Gargoyle's Quest. I mean, they tossed Demon's Crest on the SNES app on the Switch, so who knows! -It's a GBC game, but the first Shantae should get a port. It's a fun little game, and the sequels are popular enough these days, so go for it!

Gamestop had this gem for $25 all weekend, so I had to snag a copy. I always liked the Mana games, but the only one I own is the spinoff Secret of Evermore on the SNES. I've played Secret of Mana a little and dabbled in Sieken Densetsu 3 in the past, but I never played the first one. I'm starting there and planning on playing through all of them in order.

This is a tough one for me. Do I NEED another console? Nope. Do I WANT them all? Yup! But here's the thing: Not having free time as an adult with a long commute to work and other obligations has really cut down on my gaming time. This console generation, I bought a Xbox One two years into its existence and picked up a Switch in late 2017 after Xmas. I also recently picked up a gaming laptop. I still don't have a PS4, although I do want one. Out of those consoles, I have far more playing time with the Switch than the others, although I've been gaming on the laptop a lot lately (mainly playing Wreckfest, which is awesome BTW). Most of the games on the Switch I've been playing are smaller, old-school style indie titles that can be played in bite-sized amounts anywhere, making it perfect for someone who doesn't have a lot of time. I can count on one hand the amount of times in the past year I played stuff on the XB1. Plus, with the PC and Switch, I can game in the same room as the wife as she watches whatever she watches on TV. The Amico is cool, but the Switch will likely scratch that itch, and it's portable to boot. The Atari Vaporware Computer System is never coming out, and the other two heavy hitters from Sony and Microsoft aren't grabbing my attention just yet. If anything, I'll finally get a PS4 and not have time to play that either. ?

Local nerd store that I hit up sometimes sells vinyl, comics, and games. Snagged Tutankham and Darius Twin, which were both on my must-have list. Especially pumped to have Darius Twin to go with my copy of Super Nova on the SNES; I love the Darius games! And as a bonus, they had two 80's Metal classics on the $1.99 cassette rack! Really excited to have that copy of Dokken's Back for the Attack, which was the first cassette I ever bought back when I was 5 in 1987!

Finally had a few minutes to spend with this game last night. I LOVE IT. The gameplay is fun, it looks great, and the music is pretty damn good as well. It takes elements from a lot of early arcade shooters and mashes them all together in a fun package. Highly recommended!

Ha, neither have I! Someone mentioned them recently in a FB group and they were on my mind. And then these showed up, so for $2 I had to snag them. I still have my old ones somewhere in my basement, along with my much-coveted Beavis and Butthead prismatic slammer. ?

Hit up a Savers this morning and picked up a couple Wii games I didn't have (both complete and mint) and someones POG Slammer collection. Yup, it's 2019, and I bought POGS. The POG case is a lot like those old NES rental cases from back in the day. Same size externally, but with a hang tag and some special holder slots inside. Paid less than $10 for the lot.

This game looks cool, and for a buck, I'll give it a shot!