Classic Game Room moving to Patreon

[Classic Game Room moving to Patreon]

I unsubbed last year and made sure to click "not interested" when CGR videos showed up in my recommendations. For many months I haven't seen CGR videos show up, until today. I decided to see if matters had improved and check out a new video. And... it didn't suck. Mark seems to be back to producing something resembling the kind of content I enjoyed from him back in the day. It seems he doesn't do the junk videos like York Peppermint Patty reviews anymore (or at least hasn't for a few months). I've decided to re-subscribe and see how it turns out.

[What Games Did You Also Buy On Other Systems]

During the 80s?

 

The only ones I double dipped on were Star Raiders and Defender, both were replacing 2600 versions of the games with 5200 versions.

 

During the 90s?

 

I got multiple ports of Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II. But it also starts getting more complicated because of acquiring used copies of games for really cheap, as well as compilation discs.

 

Past that point?

 

It gets too many to count or even generate a reasonable guesstimate.

[Housemarque: ARCADE IS DEAD]

I was initially going to talk about the game, but it's really a red herring and completely irrelevant.

The letter is saying that they can't generate the sales numbers they want by creating well reviewed games for their current audience. It's time to leave that audience behind and move to a new one.

OK, whatever. I liked Super Stardust HD and Resogun, but the games were hardly life changing. The door is over there. Don't let it hit your ass on the way out.

[Most fragile CD based systems?]

Model 1 Sega CD is fine. It's not perfect. It's not up there with a Panasonic FZ-1 3DO in durability, but I'm on only my second and it has been in service for 17 years or so.

 

I have yet to encounter a Model 2 Sega CD that can get through Dark Wizard or Shining Force CD without disc failure. They also have a nasty habit of throwing themselves out of alignment and grinding discs.

 

Dreamcast is pretty bad. I had several drives fail on me. Then when I was trying to get a replacement (when that mattered to me), I went through about half a dozen with bad drives.

 

PS1 has the legendary issues requiring it be flipped upside down to work until it eventually fails completely.

[Keeping track of your high scores]

I have a hardcover journal where I list games and update my scores as well as the game variations (if applicable) and dates I achieved them.

I don't worry about screenshots. My scores are for me.

[How have early 3D games aged in your opinion?]

You did see the mod say stay on topic right? Hmm yes.

 

I feel like people who bring up SNES StarFox as an example of a early 3D game that has aged well never actually played Star Fox on an SNES but instead an emulator.

 

I'm not sure if I've ever played Starfox in an emulator. If I have, it was only to test if the emulator handled FX chip games well. The vast majority, if not all, of my opinion on Starfox comes not from emulation, but from play on an actual console.

I don't know how much I've babbled about it here over the years, but I'm pretty big on original hardware. I will use flash carts, but I don't view those as emulation. Besides, Starfox doesn't work on currently available flashcarts anyway. The way I play Starfox is actual cart I purchased in 1993 on an actual SNES, definitely not emulation. So no SNES Classic either.

[How have early 3D games aged in your opinion?]

I think some 3D games have aged well, but that opinion is tied strongly to my preferences and favorites.

A perfect example is Starfox. I still think the original SNES Starfox looks fine and has a beautiful charm to it. Meanwhile, I never liked the N64 Starfox 64, felt it already looked dated and ugly when it was new, and think it is absolutely wretched looking now. So, that's the way my view on what has aged best goes.

I think flat shaded games fare better than a lot of the early texture mapped games. Flat shaded games get away with a sort of cartoon feel while textured games when viewed nowadays seem like they're trying to reflect realism poorly.

I honestly think a lot of the better polygon racers have aged well. I still rank Virtua Racing Deluxe as highly as when it was new. I still enjoy the original Need for Speed and Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit even though they're pretty pixely nowadays.

Polygon fighting games have aged poorly. Anything before Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast is pretty difficult to stomach nowadays without a strong nostalgic attachment. I think that after they mature in the PS2 era that they age better, but those early ones are often better left in the past.

Polygons overall manage to mature in the PS2 era and hit a minimum acceptable level. For me, seeing polygon stuff from the PS2 era is kind of like watching a 70s anime. It looks primitive, but it's OK and still cool.

[Which Previous Leading Console Did You like Most Overall?]

(and some more in a separate post)

The Genesis was one that was my favorite back in the day and is still my favorite today. Now I'll go into a console I LOVED back in the day but am kind of lukewarm about today.

The PS1.

Of the systems of the 32 bit era (which I'm going to say are the PS1, Saturn, N64, Jaguar, and 3DO), the PS1 is still my favorite by a wide and easy margin. There are still games I enjoy for the system, but when I think of what I may want to play on a moment's notice the PS1 library doesn't come up frequently.

One thing about this era of gaming, you can REALLY tell a game is from this era. I can't even begin to articulate it, but it's something that leaps off the screen at you. It isn't even limited to the 3D games. It's just something that screams from all the 32 bit games.

What I liked about the PS1 was that it wasn't all about branding. There was a lot of newness in the PS1 both in gaming style and IPs. I was sick of Sonic, Mario, the Street Fighter gamg, and all that crap at this point. And since Sony didn't have a mascot or a strong first party catalog to force down customers' throat, the library was far more diverse. Since this was probably the most experimental age of gaming since the dawn of home video games, that ability to forge new ground was key.

The PS1 was the first console of the modern era where a customer didn't have to be a fan of a specific set of franchises. The PS1 definitely had standout, best-selling franchises, but the library was so large that no two PS1 owners needed to have overlapping libraries. For instance, my library never contained Gran Turismo, Resident Evil, or Metal Gear Solid, and I still had a large library which made me immensely happy. Nintendo and Microsoft owners who dislike Mario/Zelda and Halo will probably not rank their consoles highly because those systems are all about those franchises to the exclusion and detriment of others. The PS1 wasn't like that.

The problem with the PS1 era is that most of the games from that time were prototypes. Being experimental stabs at new ideas, nearly everything from the PS1 era has been improved upon, or is simply an idea which was good at the time but has been outgrown. It doesn't change how great and groundbreaking the PS1 era was, but when playing a Soul game, I'm probably going to reach for Soul Calibur IV or MAYBE Soul Calibur II HD. I'm not going to be reaching for Soul Blade.

Then there are games that I just don't have the patience for anymore. I LOVED Final Fantasy Tactics back in the day. Nowadays, I don't have any tolerance for it. It's just too much busywork, too much stat and inventory juggling. I've even started to feel that way towards Front Mission 3, a game I've long sung the praises of as one of the finest TRPGs of all time.

So, yeah, PS1 was great. There was a time I may even have said the PS1 was better than the Sega Genesis. I might have even ranked it higher in my heart than the Atari 2600 or my beloved Atari 5200. But nowadays, its just not anywhere near first stop gaming for me.

PS: Time Crisis is still awesome, though.

[Which Previous Leading Console Did You like Most Overall?]

Sega Genesis.

When I think of my favorite games of the 16 bit era, a large percentage of them are Genesis/Sega Cd games: Streets of Rage 2, Golden Axe, Shining Force, Shining Force CD, Dark Wizard, Lightening Force, Silpheed, Sonic, etc. While the SNES may hit higher heights with some individual titles like Final Fantasy III, the Genesis is a better go to for the quantity of quality.

Genesis games have a kind of feel to them. It's kind of an edgy, rock n roll feel (that distinctive twang of sound, you know what I mean). Genesis games often feel a bit rough. This is in comparison to the SNES games feeling more symphonic (but kind of muffled) and polished, which results in them feeling sanitized and sometimes stripped of identity.

Also, multi-platform games between the Genesis/SNES tend to play a bit better on the Genesis to my POV. For instance, I prefer to play Mortal Kombat II on the Genesis instead of the allegedly superior SNES version, because the play feels much sharper and more responsive.

Genesis and SNES games had their own looks. Removing multi-platform titles from the equation, games unique to each system often had their own distinctive style. Genesis games tended to have more harsh colors. "Sprites" tended to be smaller. Visual style had a very slightly more "realistic" edge. There was more of a pixel and tile feel. Meanwhile, SNES games were more often washed out in coloration. "Sprites" were larger and the visual style often had a very bulbous 90s comic style about it. There was less of a tile feel and SNES games often felt more about static picture page backgrounds. While each style has their merits, when I'm just in the mood for a Video Game, the Genesis is more comfortable with its aesthetics match my mood.

[Now that the "Wii Brand" Is finally retired, what's the final verdict?]

As for the Wii brand, I think it's pretty much a given that the brand is now associated with shovelware, non-functional motion controls, and lots of plastic accessory garbage. The failure of the Wii U shows the Wii brand was already a negative connotation by that point.

 

I think gaming historians 20 years from now may call the last decade the "novelty age" of gaming as everyone went crazy for guitar controllers, drum controllers, plastic doo-dads to stick on a controller, poorly made plastic figures to unlock game content, and novelty motion games. The Wii didn't start the Novelty Age, but it certainly represents something of an apex of it's market saturation.

[16 years later, has the Xbox v. GameCube debate changed for you?]

Can't say I've had the urge to play anything on either of these systems for the past couple of years. Off the top of my head, I couldn't recall a single X-Box game I had played back in the day. While I could recall some GameCube games, they weren't anything I'd play today. In fact the main merit I could think of for the GameCube was that the Game Boy Player could be used to play GBA games, while the main merit I could think of for the X-Box was that it could still be used to play DVDs.

 

Even after seeing others list games, I came away with a profound lack of interest in any of the games mentioned.

[Which system had the better Library 3DO or Sega Saturn? (No imports)]

I had a 3DO and Saturn back in the day. Nearly all the good 3DO games were on both the Saturn and the PS1. The only two good games I can think of which were "3DO Exclusives" were Slayer and Guardian War. That said, I think the 3DO versions of many of the multi-port games felt a little bit better playing on the 3DO. And it wasn't like I didn't enjoy my Saturn. I played A LOT of Panzer Dragoon Zwei. It's simply undeniable the Saturn has a much broader library.

 

My Saturn died. I gave my 3DO to a friend.

 

I've sometimes thought about getting a replacement Saturn. I've never carried through. Honestly, when I start really analyzing it, the Saturn doesn't have much which appeals to me outside of the moment of the 90s.

 

But I regret giving up my 3DO. I truly miss it. In fact, my original one from the 90s is still in service and is used regularly by my friend. He still regularly plays Slayer and Road Rash on it. Sometimes I'm reunited with it, and I race a Lamborghini Diablo down the city streets in Need for Speed just like the old days.

 

My answer is 3DO, not because of any objective measure, but because of subjective personal preference and nostalgic attachment.

[Old Computer Game Design Book]

Very interesting link with several books I have been looking for, just not the one I'm seeking in this instance.

[Old Computer Game Design Book]

I've been thinking about a book recently. I can't recall the title or author. So, I'm going to spam a few forums here and see if anyone else remembers it.

It was a book about game design. I'm thinking it was from 1982. It had some color pages, and those color pages tended to focus on first person dungeon exploration games of the Wizardry ilk.

I can't recall much from the book. I recall the introduction explaining the writer was a college professor who had seen quite a few students want to do games as class projects, so he was trying to provide some advice and structure to those endeavors. There seemed to be a fair focus on text adventure games and dungeon exploration games. I distinctly recall an example of using Base 16 in order to code Wizardry style maps and save memory. There were also examples of using perspective and formula for drawing dungeon walls.

The only other things I think I recall are the book had a kind of magenta color on its cover and was a non-standard size almost like a softcover coffee table book. I don't know if those last two qualities are accurate, though. It has been over 30 years, after all.

Back when I owned this book, I didn't really grasp the information it was trying to impart. And while it wouldn't be very applicable to modern game design, I'd kind of like to read it again with different eyes.

Does anyone have any idea what book I'm trying to describe?

[Thoughts on a new console to purchase]

I'd go for the Odyssey 2.

[Favorite Atari 2600 Sports Games]

I didn't like any of them back in the day. Back then I thought they were a waste of time. I didn't own any of the sports games and had no interest in them. The ones I played like Activision Tennis and Realsports Baseball just pissed me off.

 

It wasn't until the Activision Anthology disc on the PS2 that I really gave any of the sports games a chance. Then I developed some fondness for Activision Ice Hockey, Atari Basketball, and Atari Bowling.

 

Edit: Oh, I forgot. I did like Golf back in the day. I played it at someone's house and was something of a natural at it. But I didn't play it again for years. In fact, I only just recently played it again a few weeks ago. I had mostly forgotten the title, and only remembered it because some YouTuber was making fun of it.

[Polybius documentary]

I'm reluctant to do this. I hate threads which are just links to YouTube channels. But this video popped up on my recommendations, I watched it, and I thought it was pretty good.

 

 

I can't say I like the rest of this YouTuber's content. It's way shallower than this video. I don't know the veracity of the claims in this video, but it comes across as an entertaining sleuthing presentation.

[Atari 5200 - expansion port?]

It's an expansion port. No peripheral was ever produced or planned for it. Both models had it.

[cloud amiibo WTF?]

Damn I was expecting to see a "cloud" Amiibo figure. Like in the background of Super Mario Brothers.

 

 

Now that would have been a stupid ass Amiibo.

 

Isn't there one of those? And a block? I could've sworn I saw those as amibos on some visit to Walmart or Target.

[32X and Sega CD]

The one I remember is they were offering them for sale. I think there was a link in the article and when you went to it it said the whole thing was a prank.

 

Yeah, I recall some prank where some source or other said a warehouse of Neptunes had been discovered, and they were selling them for $250 each.

 

Edit: And DERP... that's basically what the linked article says. I'm just better off not posting.

[cloud amiibo WTF?]

I like the 2p variant better.

 

Reminds me that I was stupid for not ordering the Play Arts Kai Advent Children figure.

[Best "fun" racing game on the PS3]

My opinion is the 360/PS3 era is when racing games went to shit. I can't say I like any of the big racing titles on the PS3. The Need for Speed Hot Pursuit game on the PS3 was one of the least enjoyable demos I've ever played. The demo for Burnout Paradise literally made me barf, so I can't say I liked that one.

 

The only racing game I've kind of liked on the PS3 was Sonic All Stars Transformed Racing.

 

But generally speaking, when I want to play a racing game, I play Need for Speed Hot Pursuit II on the PS2 or something older.

[Retro Gaming on a PS3]

Williams Pinball Hall of Fame isn't videogames, but lots of retro goodness regardless.

[Strangest XBOX 360 games]

I'll toss Culdcept Saga out there, even though it isn't that strange.

 

Part Monopoly, part collectible card game.

[Harmony Gold: Battletech Lawsuit]

Tatsunoko v. Harmony Gold

Another related case which stated Tatsunoko can terminate the Macross/Robotech license agreement with Harmony Gold on May 14 2021 including copyrights and trademarks

 

For many years I haven't been one of the pitchfork wielding Macross fans wishing for the death of Harmony Gold and Robotech. As a fan of both Robotech and Macross, it has been awkward.

 

But now I happily carry either a pitchfork or a torch along with the rest of the mob. If the 2021 date is true, then it can't arrive soon enough. Harmony Gold are just trademark/copyright trolls, and need to be eliminated at this point.