onmode-ky

Actually, you can use your PS1 saves for the game on the PSP. However, you need a PS3 and a PS3 memory card adapter to do it. You plug the PS1 memory card into the adapter, connect the adapter to a PS3 USB slot, and copy the save to a virtual PS1 memory card on the PS3's hard drive. Then, making sure the PSP contains the Memory Stick with FFVII on it, connect the PSP via USB to the PS3. You will then be able to copy the FFVII save from the PS3's virtual PS1 memory card to the PSP's Memory Stick. The utility will ask if you want to format the save for use on the PSP; say "yes" to this, and you're done. The save will now be visible in the PSP Memory Stick's PS1 memory card for the game. onmode-ky

I'm no authority on the two hardware systems, so I'm not entirely sure, but I think the architectures are quite different to the point where the latter part of your question is completely impossible. I figure it would be like trying to copy the synapses from one animal into the brain of an animal of an entirely different species. Things just wouldn't fit. I get the feeling that today's Atari (Infogrames) rarely says no when offered money, given their financial state. Incidentally, is "Geniclone" the accepted spelling? I'm curious about the fourth letter being an 'i' when "Genesis" has an 'e' in that position. What is the proper way to pronounce "NOAC," anyway? I've always read it as "no ack," but I will admit that I've never actually heard anyone speak the word before. Have I been doing it wrong? Incidentally, about your signature, Ace_1, Radica's plug-n-play line was not called "TV Games"; that was/is Jakks Pacific's. Initially, Radica called their plug-n-play products the "Arcade Legends" line, but during the second wave of the line, it was renamed to "Play TV Legends." onmode-ky

Batsugun: 642,900 I wish I could have figured out a way to defeat the Stage 2 boss without using any bombs, but I just couldn't conjure any path through those bullet spreads. onmode-ky

Varth: Operation Thunderstorm: 363,800 The best I could do after that score was around 50,000 less, I think. By the way, the link for the game in the first post goes to Pooyan. And, ROMNation's ROM for this game is not up to date, I think. My MAME 0.144 reported multiple missing files (mostly parts of the CPS1 engine, I believe). EDIT: May as well put up my first run at Batsugun, too: 411,860 onmode-ky

You are correct if you are choosing to use the general English word "emulation" in this context. However, the computing term "emulation" is more restrictive. It refers to running program code of a given instruction set on hardware of a different instruction set. If you look at the Wikipedia link you provided, hardware emulation is described as most often being used to test and debug a new, in-progress hardware system on an existing hardware system (possibly custom-assembled to provide that functionality, but nonetheless not the actual new system). That existing hardware system does not natively run the test-target instructions; the key point of "emulation" as a technical computing term is that there is translation going on, either in software or hardware, to convert the target instructions to the host hardware's native language. In the case of NES clone hardware, there is no second hardware system involved, no translation. The clone hardware is meant to directly run the NES program code, albeit not necessarily with 100% accuracy due to the possibility of differences in implementation. Thus, the clone is not an example of hardware emulation. That said, it is still correct to say that both software emulation and clone hardware have the possibility of having errors in reproducing the behavior of the original NES. Just as an emulator program can mistranslate an instruction, so too can clone hardware incorrectly run an instruction. Whether an emulator is more accurate or a clone is more accurate relies entirely on the particular designs involved, rather than on the concepts of emulation versus clones. I'm sorry, I tried to contribute to this discussion, but I feel like all I did was do some hand-waving and say, "It could go either way." onmode-ky

This has been my first experience with the game, and yes, it's a little crazy how quickly you can die in it. It scrolls faster than I'd expected. I think the enemy hitboxes are a little too small, too, smaller than your own. Also, I dislike the tunnel's random enemy spawning, which kind of makes survival a crapshoot, especially given those enemy hitbox sizes. My best, after about an hour of frustrating tries (switching early on from the keyboard to my RumblePad got me past 10K, finally): 17,100. I made it past a few of the walls beyond the tunnel. onmode-ky

I'm not actually in the market for the multicart, but this title caught my eye--specifically, the wording. Based on a Google search, it looks like this is the accepted English title for the game (which, being a Japan-exclusive release, by Bandai, had no official English title). While "Mobile Soldier Gundam" is a literal translation of the Japanese title, "Kidou Senshi Gundam," it is not the official English title for the Gundam property, which is "Mobile Suit Gundam" and has been so for decades (the English phrase "mobile suit" actually occurs in the Japanese dialogue of the original anime). Is there a particular reason that the Arcadia game is known as "Mobile Soldier Gundam" to the English-speaking Arcadia community? Is it just that, well, in the 30 years since the game's release, no English-speaking Arcadia owner has known what Gundam is (or at least cared enough to suggest changing the commonly held translation)? onmode-ky

Are you talking about a new guy or the original 16-shot master, Takahashi Meijin, the former Hudson Soft employee/icon (he left the firm about a year before Konami closed it) who was famous for doing it 25+ years ago? onmode-ky

Rather than getting upset, just take a look at what FarSight wrote on June 6th. Here is an excerpt for the PlayStation portion; they describe the reasons for the Microsoft delay in more detail in the actual post: Maybe you do get both PS3 and PSV content in the same purchase, but they won't actually be available to download at the same time. Sometimes, it pays to look for information before complaining it doesn't exist. . . . onmode-ky

[. . .] Sometimes they only do it for a few days. In this case, it's part of the June update, so all the free games should be available to add to your inventory for the full month. PS+ content is mostly constant for a full month, though assorted discounts and freebies can be for only 1 or sometimes 2 weeks. If you want to be sure, just look at the "ending soon" category in the PS Store (within the Store's PS+ section) to see what's going to go away upon the next week's Store update. It comes in pretty handy. Instead of an external drive, have you considered simply getting a bigger internal drive (which would be cheaper than external, anyway)? All you would have to do would be buy a compatible drive (I forgot the specifics, but I think 2.5" wide and SATA?), back up the existing drive to an external USB drive, swap in your new internal drive, and restore your data from that backup you just took. Do that, and you have more free space--of course, you would have to have a large enough external drive on hand to do the backup/restore operation. Maybe borrow a friend's? You don't need to actually download the games for them to become part of your PSN inventory. Add them to your basket in the PS Store and check out, and they'll stay in your download list ready for you to install to your hard drive whenever your ISP cap resets (and as long as you're a PS+ subscriber, of course; they'll disappear from your download list if you don't renew, though restarting the subscription will add back any old PS+ content you had). You can add all 12 of the new free-for-PS+ titles today, not download a single one right now, and still have them available to download and play 6 months later, even when they're not part of that month's free PS+ content. And then after that, you could delete the games to make more room on the hard drive and still be able to redownload them again later. onmode-ky

Ditto those two sentences for me. Took the words right out of my mouth. But, darn it, I was hoping someone would have some useful insight for Frog Frenzy. Well, anyway, if most people are preferring to look at scores rather than the goals, here are my current highs: Black Hole: 1,163,760 Theatre of Magic: 4,451,774,130 Tales of the Arabian Nights: 90,232,940 Ripley's Believe It or Not: 127,279,170 I think most of these are pretty decent, at least in the top few hundred on the leaderboards (mobile users dominate all tables but Tales, though, so among console scores, I think I've actually done pretty well). My Tales score is 1200th, however, so I guess I should work on that. onmode-ky

Raiden: 115,400 My only previous experience with Raiden is Raiden III, so this is sort of a historical look for me. Too bad that's all I have time for in this tournament. . . . onmode-ky Edit: Played another round, which went well: 166,450

I've been playing Pinball Arcade on and off since I bought it for the PS3 a few weeks ago. At this point, the only Wizard goal I have left to get is activating Frog Frenzy in Ripley's Believe It or Not. However, that might be out of reach for me, because it involves making a ton of accurate shots during multiball (when balls are constantly getting in each others' ways as well as threatening to drain themselves when you're focusing on other balls), and I haven't come close. How many of you have actually gotten all the Wizard goals on all the tables in the console version of the game? And does anyone have any helpful tips for Frog Frenzy? onmode-ky

At 8 years and 7+ months, this is the new winner for oldest thread revival I've ever seen at AtariAge. Unfortunately, I don't have anything substantive to contribute. onmode-ky

I'm guessing you mean the two Intellivision 10 systems. Techno Source also released a 25-game system alongside the first 10-game model, and they also made a 2-player system. If you're a Spongebob collector, Jakks' Spongebob plug-n-play series includes 4 models (original, "Dilly Dabbler" (for early childhood ages), "Fry Cook Games," and "Jellyfish Dodge"), plus one motion gaming model, a racing game. Jakks' Atari joystick plug-n-play is often cited as running on a NES-on-a-chip, but it actually does not. It's most likely a Winbond microcontroller. I've seen it in person, though I haven't played it. Graphically, it's noticeably higher resolution (VGA). You can see some gameplay in , though it's via a "camera pointed at a CRT" setup and isn't all that clear. onmode-ky

Strange, what didn't you like about it? I believe the Atari Paddles system is the most highly regarded modern-era plug-n-play system at AtariAge. Heck, its development staff included some AAers, and it runs on a quasi-emulation system which plays very accurately, as far as I know. Yes, that plug-n-play indeed has terrible, frustrating controls. Heh, as the guy who liked Jakks' pinball plug-n-play enough to not only track my high scores on every table but also write a guide to every table, I clearly disagree here. I just really like pinball a lot; I'm the type who has spent hours chasing down the Wizard goals in Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection and Pinball Arcade. Which Golden Tee did you buy? There was one from Radica back in 2005 or 2006 (developed by FarSight, the developer of Pinball Hall of Fame and Pinball Arcade, incidentally), and there was one from Jakks last year. Jakks' rendition ran on much more advanced hardware (most evident in the high resolution picture) and had more content. I'm pretty sure all at least moderately popular toys eventually become collectible. Collectibility generally stems from nostalgia, so as long as there are enough members of the population who have good memories of something, there will be some desirability for it after some time has passed. These systems may have been disappointing to you and other serious retro gaming fans, but I think they were generally well liked among more casual consumers. onmode-ky

As far as the PS3 goes, shoot 'em-ups that I have for it include PixelJunk SideScroller, which I thought was quite good, Xevious Resurrection (the only new part of Namco Museum Essentials), which was not bad--doesn't stray too far from the original Xevious, really--and Space Invaders Infinity Gene, which does lots of interesting things with the Space Invaders concept. There's some bullet hell available on PSN, too, in the form of Gundemonium Collection, a trio of doujin games. PS1 shoot 'em-ups downloadable to the PS3 in North America include R-Types (mini-compilation of R-Type and R-Type II), R-Type Delta, GaiaSeed, Shienryu (previously mentioned as Gekioh), Kyuiin, Mobile Light Force (North American name for Gunbird), and, I believe, a Sonic Wings game and a Cho Aniki game. The PlayStation Store's TG16 selection includes at least one of the Star Soldier series. I think it's Super Star Soldier, or maybe Soldier Blade is also available. I didn't buy it/them because I already had Soldier Collection for the PSP (speaking of which, the PCE/TG16's Sapphire is on a UMD, too, Galaxy Fraulein Yuna Collection). The PS Store's NeoGeo selection only has one scrolling shooter, I believe, Alpha Mission II. NeoGeo games on the Store are kind of pricey, though, so maybe you'll prefer MAMEing it. . . . Its predecessor, Alpha Mission, is also on the PS Store as one of SNK's Minis, and several of their other pre-NeoGeo arcade games are emulated as Minis, too, including a few scrolling shooters like Prehistoric Isle in 1930 and Bermuda Triangle. In the way of scrolling shooter Minis that are not arcade games you could just emulate on MAME, I'll recommend Ace Armstrong vs. the Alien Scumbags! (has a poor user rating in the Store, but I think that's mostly because it's rather punishing in its difficulty--like how the second stage needs R-Type-style memorization to make it through), Flying Hamster (a cute 'em-up, but it can get tough at times; last year, the developer's April Fool's joke was that they were releasing a TG16 CD port of it), Who's That Flying?! and Flying Cloud God Saves the Pilgrims (two titles where you focus on wiping out enemies to preserve your firepower or health, rather than to avoid getting shot), and Velocity (vertical scroller with an interesting teleportation mechanic, currently the 2nd-highest rated PSP game of all time at Metacritic after 10 reviews). I'm afraid I'm of no use with retro consoles' libraries, but it looks like you have plenty of advice there already. onmode-ky

I don't know if I'll be able to participate in the tournament, but I'd like to say that if Konami is chosen as the company, I'd like to see their Xexex in the game selection. I'm familiar with it from the Salamander Portable PSP collection, and I recall enjoying the graphics and sound, along with the somewhat R-Type-esque gameplay. A fairly obscure title, I believe. onmode-ky

I've just discovered a few more upcoming systems in Jakks Pacific's TV Games line, from a March 30th blog post. The source is a press release, which I found on Google, but I can't find an actual press date for the document (the file itself has an early January date, but I don't think it was published until at least Toy Fair). The new systems, like the previously discovered, upcoming Cut the Rope port, use touchpad interfaces. Here's what the press release says about them: Basically, Jakks is launching the TV Games Touch line with their most popular TV Games licenses. Note that these three properties were also part of their TV Games Motion launch (not to be confused with their earlier Ultimotion line). You're talking about the really long discussion thread in the DP forum, that had a title like "Unofficial TV Plug-and-Play Games List," right? For some reason, I can't locate that thread anymore, but I do know about it. The last time I looked at it, though, its most recent activity was in early 2009, so it's likely quite out of date. Besides, even if there are over 150 systems covered in it, between my two lists, I cover over 300. Thanks, anyway. I don't cover bootlegs/pirates, though, and I think the Systema systems in your pictures are unlicensed collections of pirated/hacked Atari VCS and NES/Famicom games. The sudoku one looks like a repackaging of the sudoku game distributed in the US by Senario. onmode-ky Edit: that the 3 Jakks titles mentioned above are re-releases of earlier TV Games systems, adapted for touchpad controls. And, they apparently really were shown off at Toy Fair. Projected release in August.

You missed one. The ATGames PlayPal Plug and Play, otherwise known as the POGA and the FunPlay 20-in-1, the "Time "Plug and Play" ", or the "PowerShock" in spain. I'm pretty sure the system you're talking about is the same as the one in my list as "sega sms/gg 20-in-1 (js, na) sega **12/09/2006 *12/31/2006 12/08/2007" (which is an abbreviation for "Sega Master System/Game Gear 20-in-1 (joystick form factor, native hardware), known announced on 12/09/2006, known listed for sale on 12/31/2006, known in existence on 12/08/2007"). It's listed under PlayPal, because that was one of the first names under which it appeared, and I never could determine who the original manufacturer was. I'd have guessed known Sega licensor AtGames--and it's AtGames, not ATGames, incidentally--but I don't think AtGames was associated with the very first releases of the system. If they were, they hid it well. Oh, and I know it says "js" for "joystick," while your video clip shows something with a D-pad; the "js" bit is really to differentiate from the handheld version, with the built-in LCD screen. Early shots of the TV-connection-only version had an actual stick, which was topped by a white-gloved fist. The intention was for the whole system to look like Sonic running with his arm extended out sideways. I also have a separate entry under AtGames, "*sega sms/gg 20-in-1 pad (licensed by time co., na) 12/28/2008," which I'm fairly certain is the exact same thing. Any other names under which this system was released I decided not to include separately, because they're, well, the same thing, and in all those cases, I have little doubt that it's AtGames now producing them under an OEM arrangement. The recently announced NeoGeo X will eventually be in the list, since it's supposed to have the ability to connect to a TV, but it's currently yet another case of my not being sure who actually makes (is going to make) the thing. Blaze Europe is distributing (in Europe) and has so far done the only press announcement for it, but as Blaze's Atari Flashback 3 and Sega Mega Drive products all actually come from AtGames, I'd wager the NeoGeo X is not "really" their own product as well. By the way, did you quote my 2005 post by accident? I can't see any relation between the quoted text and what you wrote. onmode-ky

So far, what I know that's coming up in 2012 in the plug-n-play category: - Jakks Pacific - The Walking Dead - light-gun-style shooter based on the TV show - Jakks Pacific - Cut the Rope - touchpad interface; based on the phone game - Namco Bandai (Bandai America) - Pac-Man Connect-and-Play - allegedly emulated collection of 11 Namco games + direct link to Pac-Man board 255 - existing thread for this - Jazwares - Fruit Ninja - prop-based motion interface; based on the phone game So, at least two new firms coming into the category this year. Is this the beginning of a resurgence, or will they drop out shortly afterward due to low sales? Speaking of which, Jakks Pacific cited their Golden Tee Golf TV Game as an underperforming title from their 2011 lineup. And, that AtGames iMuga site I referred to in my previous post in this topic has disappeared. onmode-ky

Arcade Space Invaders did use a color overlay, but it was raster, not vector, graphics. onmode-ky

About the Area 2 boss, you mean the one who has rocks rotating around him, right? I just kept out of his way, going behind him as necessary, and fired whenever he was in front of me. Even with the base pea shooter, it wasn't that bad. I'm pretty sure Area 3's boss is impossible with the base pea shooter, though, because you wouldn't be able to clear out the falling rocks fast enough to not get hit by them. onmode-ky Really? I found it to be almost the opposite. Sure, you can do things like go behind the 2nd boss to a temporary safe zone and keep "dancing" with him but your character sprite is so damn big that I find it quite challenging to survive a toe-to-toe battle for very long. Also, I noticed when you hit the "rocks" that fly around the boss you get that "you just caused me damage" flash effect, but I still don't know if it's actually doing anything--I think you have to hit the guy in the middle directly. As for the 3rd boss, like I said, I did that one on my one and only attempt, and I'm pretty sure I had a flimsy weapon at the time. I'd just dodge those falling things, bomb, dodge, bomb, dodge, bomb, etc. With the base pea shooter, I think I finished off the Area 2 boss during the 4th or 5th cycle of shooting him and then going behind him. He never changed his pattern in that time, and I think his movements were also always in the same screen locations. I wasn't sure whether shooting the outer ring of his rocks did anything, either, so I always concentrated my fire on his main body. Was there a safe zone with the Area 3 boss, like maybe the center of the screen, or did you simply do a whole lot of weaving in between the rain of rocks? I thought for sure that the sprite was too big to fit between those gaps. onmode-ky

Sometimes, egg-released power-ups even float off the screen. You know, it didn't seem right, my being at the top of the scoreboard. Just to make sure I was on a level playing field here (by the way, my version of MAME is 0.144 and shows the individual DIP switches--I used the default, which was everything in the Off position), each game started with 2 lives in reserve, and each life took 2 hits to die (first hit would take down your power-ups). I used my RumblePad to play; the keyboard would sometimes not respond to fire-button key presses fast enough while cursor keys were held down. About the Area 2 boss, you mean the one who has rocks rotating around him, right? I just kept out of his way, going behind him as necessary, and fired whenever he was in front of me. Even with the base pea shooter, it wasn't that bad. I'm pretty sure Area 3's boss is impossible with the base pea shooter, though, because you wouldn't be able to clear out the falling rocks fast enough to not get hit by them. onmode-ky

I thought maybe I had too many lives (2 in reserve, 1 active at start) for this competition, so I tried changing the DIP switches but never got only 2 lives total. What exactly does "Life 2" mean in the first post? Anyway, setting all the switches back to the original "Off" position, I tried a few more runs at the game. I got farther this time, into Area 4, but my 95,190 score wasn't as good as my previous best. onmode-ky