Recently got a Super Retro-Cade from the local Fry's. It's basically a Rasberry sized box (wouldn't surprise me if there was a Pi inside) that carries a selection of arcade and console games from the past. The games are supposedly officially licensed although seeing as there are Japanese versions of a few games in there, I'm not sure how true that runs. Runs very well and turns out you can easily play your own games from an SD card. It will run various games from portable through 16-bit and also some arcade stuff as well such as Marvel vs Capcom. It's got a surprisingly good selection of games on there which should satisfy the casuals out there and it's nice to be able to play other stuff if you feel like it. My main complaints are the power cord is surprisingly short (and not USB micro) and that other controllers don't work on it despite the connection being USB. Please refer to the 2nd thumbnail for the full list of games. Note that both arcade and console versions of certain games are included which are why you'll see some duplicate names in there. edit: Added Amazon link for reference. http://a.co/4XOXv4p
Super Retro-Cade I would have liked to see the Robocop arcade game as part of the Data East collection.
Retro-Bit put that thing on sale not even knowing which emulators their subcontractor used and knowing full well that they could be violating their licences, so they can go fuck themselves along with Hyperkin.
Here's a blast from the past from Limited Run Games. They have their "Clearance" sale going on. The PS4 releases is sold out but the PC version is still available. Night Trap 25th Anniversary (PC)
Not really needed, but they make things a lot easier thanks to the USB port. I set up FreeMCBOOT the hard way: with a USB thumb drive, an exploitable James Bond game, and a cut up old giftcard. I bought their Joe & Mac collection for SNES, but I'm sure not going to support a FOSS-violating emulator box.
I think I've mentioned on here before that one game I regret never finishing is the original NES Final Fantasy. I tried for literally YEARS to get anywhere, and restarted multiple times, but I could never get past the Earth Cave, even with the Nintendo Power Strategy Guide, whether it be due to difficulty or just boredom. I would turn it on every once in a while to grind some more, but it never seemed enough. Which is funny because since then, I've completed many RPGs and I love the genre; I even finished Dragon Warrior back around the time I was struggling with FF. I had completely forgotten it was available on PS1 in the FF Origins compilation; I still own FF Anthology and FF Chronicles, but I guess I never bothered with Origins. However, I did get FF I+II Dawn of Souls on GBA in hopes of completing it...and that fizzled out too. I don't remember why. Anyway, just on a whim I threw Dawn of Souls into my DS a couple weeks ago...and now I've easily gotten farther than I ever have. I'm on the verge of completing Gurgu Volcano, and I haven't come close to being defeated yet. I beat the Earth Cave Vampire in one turn LOL. Maybe the ease with which I'm blowing through the game could be attributed to experience in my old age I know it might sound silly or mundane, but it's really exciting to get this far after so long. And I realize the GBA version is likely easier than its NES counterpart, but I find it infinitely more tolerable. The NES FF magic system is frustratingly limited, and I never knew how much I despise those f***ing "ineffective hits" until now (seriously, why should I be penalized because an enemy died too soon??). Plus, back then I never knew that some of the spells are bugged and don't work properly. All of these things have been fixed/improved in the GBA version. Anyway, I'm actually ENJOYING the first FF for a change. Hopefully I can actually get to the part where your classes get upgraded
Yeah, same thing happened to me. Remembered seeing Nintendo Power's two-part review on the game which made it look amazing (and it is, just not the kind of game I expected being a platformer/adventure gamer). I remembered the grinding killed any momentum I was able to get out of the game not being prepared for it as I had rarely played an RPG at that point. I didn't get too far back in the eighties and only ended up actually passing the game on the GBA remake two decades later. Projared's made a good series/review (review and big Let's Play series) on it being a huge Final Fantasy fan and he defends the ineffective hits rather well.
Yeah, the remade versions are so much easier to play, particularly with the expanded inventory spots. The inventory system of the original is one of the absolute most sucktacular and frustrating things in all of gaming history. I would absolutely recommend to anyone interested in playing FF1 to go with the GBA or PS1 versions. The GBA version has bonus dungeons and you receive more money and XP from enemies and items and magic cost less so there's a LOT less grinding while the PS1 version has an easy mode (that might be too easy) for players that just want to see what it was all about without investing a lot of time in the venture. The only other major difference between the two versions is the magic system. The GBA version uses the magic point system familiar to later titles (each spell costs a set amount of magic points from the character's available pool of magic points) while the PS1 version keeps the original's format of having a limited number of castings per spell level. (For example, four castings for your Level 1 spells and two castings for Level 2 spells.) But if you do play the original, try to use every weapon or armor as an item in battle or use a guide that tells you what they do. Nothing beats free magic.
I haven't gone back and tried the FF1 remakes, but the discussion reminds me of how painful it is to go back to the original version of DQ/DW1, where you have to open a menu just to walk up or down stairs.
Yep, sounds like my experience. My first RPG was Dragon Warrior, which I received free from my Nintendo Power subscription To that point, I was used to the concept of just going straight through a game. It took me a while to get used to the "grinding" aspect. Believe me, I learned that lesson the hard way the first time I left the home castle in DW (Tantagel?) and tried to journey directly to my first objective, and had my ass handed to me by low-level enemies. I watched ProJared's video and it's really good. Interesting point about the ineffective hits forcing you to plan every battle and preventing you from mindlessly mashing A. I probably wouldn't mind the ineffective hits so much if it didn't take SOOOO LOOOONG to grind your levels up. And I didn't realize that, in addition to some spells, the weapons that had special effects were bugged and the effects didn't work. Or that the Thief's speed never increased, negating a big reason to pick him in the first place I hadn't looked into it yet, but you confirmed my assumption that you gain levels quicker in the remakes. That explains why I'm enjoying it more The grinding in the original was just excessive, and the main reason I kept quitting. My main memory of playing the original is wandering around the Elfheim area for HOURS trying to find ogres to slay and raise my levels enough to make it through the Earth Cave without being demolished. It took so long just to gain one level there was no sense of accomplishment. I wonder if they overdid the increased gold in the remake, though. I'm halfway through the Ice Cavern, with the best equipment you can buy and most of my spell slots full, and I still have around 200,000 Gil Or just to talk to people But, I enjoy the simplicity of the battle system. It's part of the reason I love DQ8 so much, it keeps the simplicity yet adds more aspects to it. Plus, it's a rush of nostalgia to see the NES enemies animated in 3D
The problem first of all with FF1 is the game's a little broken. Some spells don't even work but considering this was the last gasp of a dying company, it turned out pretty good. I have very fond memories of the game and I loved being able to finally go through and pass it (albeit on a modernized version). I watched Projared's entire playthrough of the game and enjoyed every "episode"; it made me insanely nostalgic. He cut out a bit of the grinding but usually he was actually overpowered just through random battles and dungeons. There were some enemies that had a death touch but overall the game's more balanced than people give it credit for. I wasn't able to get into RPGs until the SNES and I think it was Final Fantasy II that really sucked me in. I was a little older and ready to commit some time to leveling up. I admit I've never played more than an hour of Dragon Warrior/Quest but would love to track down the modern remakes as well. And the thief sucks. I always took the Black Belt. It's not until you level up with the rat tail that the thief becomes awesome.
Dude, your journey with FF sounds almost exactly like mine. My experience with the first FF soured me on RPGs for the next few years. I had zero interest in them. Then I went to a friend's house, and he had a FFII (IV) cart he never played. I tried it out, and I thought "hmmm, this isn't bad." After playing it a few more times at his place, he just said "take it, I don't play it anyway." FFII was way more enjoyable than the first FF, and although I did get stuck at one point (I just couldn't get through the Giant of Bab-Il), my experience was positive enough that I bought FFIII at release...and it captivated me like few games ever have. To this day, FFIII (well, now I know it's VI) is still my favorite of the whole series and one of my favorite games ever overall. If you're going to try a DQ game, I highly recommend DQ8. Just an amazing experience. And, it's one of the rare games that (IMO, of course) the western release is better than the Japanese one, with a phenomenal upgraded orchestral soundtrack and pretty well-done added voiceovers. Progress report: I obliterated Maralith/Kary the Fire Fiend (NulBlaze is my friend), obtained the airship, and I'm now in the Castle of Ordeals to get the Rat's Tail and receive my class upgrade. BTW, back when I was playing FF on NES, everything recommended having a Thief or BB in your party, but I was never able to see the appeal. Yeah, yeah, I know FF veterans say a Thief becomes a powerful Ninja and the BB can be better than a Fighter...but I guess they just never fit with my playing style. Even now, my party consists of 2 Fighters, plus white and black mages. Even in later games, the Thief class has never interested me; in FFIII, poor Locke was usually left neglected on the sidelines while I demolished everything with Terra, Celes, Edgar, and Sabin
I'm trying to remember which class it was, but one of the classes in Final Fantasy III (original, not SNES VI) could be incredibly overpowered if you assigned the class and never re-equipped your character.
This Portable Console Has Over 350 Built-In Games So You'll Never Be Bored Again Well, if it has good games, is at least decently made and the emulation doesnt suck, I Might be persuaded to buy it. But that's a pretty big IF.
I loathe to give Retro-Bit money, but damn i'm going want one each of those new USB Sega pads if they are any better then the junk that is currently on the market. Talking of junk controllers, looking forward to banishing my Dual Shock 4 now that Hori are releasing a wireless PS4 controller with modern ergonomics and no fucking light.
Retro-Bit, USB Sega pads or DS4s? Retro-Bit had a shady track record with using other people's emulation software against the licence terms, which pisses me off to the point that I don't really want to buy anything from them. All the USB Sega-style pads that are currently on sale are nowhere near original quality, the only good ones were the USB Saturn pads they made themselves from the original tooling in the 00s and those are super rare and expensive thesedays. DS4s are awful by modern first party standards. Much worse build quality then XB1 and Switch Pro, crap battery life and they are still persisting with their original stick layout against all common sense.
