GravyThief

Does anyone know, are most Amiga games available in this WHDLoad format? And are they easy to find on the internet?

I’m tempted to get one of these, but I’m not willing to pay the price for the included games alone.

The games I’d like to play off the top of my head are Hero Quest, Space Crusade, that Geoff Crammond F1 game. Probably loads more, but that’s what comes to mind right now.

Not really sure I get the point of going to all this effort if you’re just playing your carts via emulation on your PC. By that point you may as well just play the ROMs and cut out the faff. But what do I know?

Much closer to the original than I was expecting, going by this trailer, which is a good thing for me (i.e. someone who was alive in the 90s and watched the originals).

They should bring back Bad Influence too.

No idea if this will work and be any good if done now, but I’m certainly intrigued enough to watch it when it releases. I have no interest in watching celebrities (who I probably won’t recognise) playing FIFA, Fortnite or COD, but I’d certainly like to see how the retro sections play out.

Also I wonder if they’ll be aiming this towards man children like me who grew up with the original show, or kids/teenagers now who enjoy the above mentioned games? Or both?

I’m intrigued anyway. I’ll keep my eye on this!

@andykara2003 I’m with you there. I even love playing old consoles via RF on a CRT, it’s just so nostalgic for me! Obviously RGB is the best though.

I have looked into things like the Franemeister and OSSC in the past, as I know one day my CRTs will die. But I always end up down the rabbit hole of all the hassle that comes with it, like OSSC settings for different consoles, even different games on the same console, issues with resolution switching on PS1/N64 games, will my TV be compatible with all the modes the OSSC has, lag on the Framemeister etc. And I just can’t be bothered and stick to playing on my CRT. I do have a RAD2X cable for my Nintendo consoles, as whilst not the best picture it’s just easy plug and play. Will get a RAD2X for the PS1/PS2 too, then I should be done!

I wonder if the emulation will end up being as smooth as its development

My dream is an Analogue console for every retro console I have and play, along with one of their DACs so I can play on a CRT or HD TV as I see fit.

Considering an N64, PS1, PS2 and Gamecube are on that list, I’m not sure it will happen before I’m too old to play.

Here’s to wishful thinking.

I did know this at the time as it was one of the control options and even showed two controllers on the screen. This was 1997 though, and using two analogue sticks at the same time just didn’t feel right. I think I gave it a go but quickly stuck with the one controller option. I managed to compete the game on all difficulties with one controller so obviously it was fine. I’d like to give the dual control scheme a go now.

Can the dual control method be used in 2 player?

As someone from the UK, I’d never heard of these magazines before, but it was still a very interesting read. Thanks!

It certainly appears more positive than it did a year or two ago, and from what I’m reading and seeing on YouTube the emulation seems impressive. Especially for the Saturn.

I’d love to see PS1 games from this compared to the new PS1 digital mod recently released, to see how impressive it is.

I’m not normally a fan of software emulation, but I do see the appeal of an all in one system like this if the emulation is of good quality. I look forward to seeing MLiG’s and Digital Foundry’s analysis.

If they ever manage to get a module for N64 released with good quality emulation, I’d be very interested.

Who is bank rolling all this by the way? Given how long it’s been in development, it must have some serious money spent on it already. I’m surprised they didn’t go bankrupt ages ago.

@ThanosReXXX it would be nice to be able to run the gameS without having to load up SWISS, but of course it’s no hardship if not.

Another nitpick question I have is whether the Gamecube still has its normal start up sequence with this installed? It’s my favourite start up of any console so it would be a shame if it loses it with this installed.

But ultimately this device looks awesome, and the fact no soldering is required makes it so much more desirable. I’ll have to get one.

@Damo does this circumvent the region locking of the Gamecube, so I’d be able to make backups of my USA games, load them onto the SD card and play them on my PAL Gamecube without needing to use a Freeloader (or an ISO of the Freeloader)?

Will something like this ever be available for the PS1/PSone and PS2? I think something exists for the PS1, but it requires soldering if I recall correctly. Those consoles would definitely benefit from this, as from my experience their drives are much more prone to failure than a Gamecube’s

@samuelvictor thanks for all of that info. I never realised the Dizzy games and their names were so confusing! The only way it could be more confusing is if there was a Gryzor Probotector Dizzy.

I only recall the Commodore 64 Dizzy games (with their big boxes) from my childhood, so I’ll have to check out the NES versions.

I would love for the Nintendo and Sega mini consoles to take this approach. Have their games in a mini replica cartridge that plugs into the console. It means they could sell future collections easily (say 10 or 20 games per cart) rather than release a new console each time they want to release a fresh set of games (assuming they even do that at all, nobody has yet).

I really like the idea of this, but not with the current selection of games. If that ever improves, I’d consider getting one.

Oh goodness. I can’t believe he’s died, so young too.

I downloaded most, if not all, copies of Super Play in pdf format from various places on the internet a couple of years ago, and read them all. Despite completely missing this magazine back in the day, I got completely sucked into the ‘club’ like I was there at the time. You really felt their enthusiasm for the SNES and Super Famicom, especially the JRPGs that either only made it to the US, or never left Japan.

I’m gutted to hear about his death 😞

Excellent read, many thanks. Now, when will you be interviewing the Stamper Brothers?

Nice to read a Rare story that isn’t DKC or Goldeneye, so thanks for the read!

I remember getting KI for the SNES back in Xmas 1995 along with SNES Doom. Most of my time was spent with Doom (I was obsessed with original Doom back then) so KI didn’t get much of a look in. I’m not the biggest beat em fan, and I don’t think I ever managed to pull off an Ultra combo, so I didn’t get to enjoy it to its full potential. Still, I have great memories of its graphics and style and that awesome music CD!

Never heard or read these stories before, so this was a great read, thank you.

I was an avid video game fan back in 1993 but I don’t remember any of these SEGA Pirate TV adverts. I’ll check them all out on YouTube when I get chance.

I have their NES and SNES compendiums, and their SFC Box Art book which is probably my favourite. I’ll definitely get this, but I have a bit of a backlog of gaming books to get through at the moment. I do love a good gaming book.

These articles make me want to buy an original DMG-01 and loads of loose Game Boy carts so I can lay them all out on a table and take pictures.

I am being serious 😀

Hopefully Analogue keep on releasing new versions of these old consoles, so my original games will still have a use. Not sure if they’ll ever get into CD based systems, and I imagine the PS2 generation is out of their reach, for now at least.

I have the Super Nt, and whilst I’m a die hard original hardware and CRT retro gaming fan, it’s an amazing piece of kit, and provides me with more flexibility to play SNES games, whilst being able to go between both my retro and modern set ups with the same games, with no compromises.

I’m not as into Sega as Nintendo, so don’t collect any of their systems or games, but this Mega Sg would be ideal. I’ll pair it alongside the Mega Everdrive, and will basically have access to the entire Master System, Game Gear and Mega Drive library in just two pieces of kit. Sounds good to me!

@Raphi7 coax probably wasn’t a good word for me to use! Of course I won’t push her in any way, she will like what she likes and that’s fine by me. If it happens to be games, I’ll be very happy.

Given how she already tries to grab controllers from me when I’m playing in front of her, I think she may already be a gamer. The best was when I handed her an unplugged SNES controller when I was playing for real, she was bashing it alongside me. It was so adorable, I can’t wait to play games with her for real.

Man, I miss gaming from the 90’s, the lack of internet, the wonder. I’m such an old codge.

I can’t wait to relive those magical gaming moments with my daughter, I just have to make sure I carefully ‘coax’ her into liking video games 😀

@roadrunner343 thanks, I did think it would work but normally I see this mentioned so wasn’t sure.

I would love to get their NES/Famicom Analogue console, but I can’t justify its cost, especially as I don’t hold much nostalgia for the console (I was more Master System / Mega Drive until the SNES). I’m happy with my little AV Famicom at the moment, but I’m always keeping an eye out for the original Analogue ones, if they ever re-release them at a cheaper price.

@sdelfin yeah, I must say it’s much harder to argue the original/RGB/CRT route is the best when the Super NT looks and plays as good as it does. Especially if you didn’t grow up with the consoles back in the day.

I’ll always keep my consoles and CRTs for as long as they function, but I’m glad there’s an acceptable alternative for me now. The only downside is that I don’t see the FGPA route going past the PS1 and N64 era anytime soon, but that’s still plenty to be getting on with!

I have commented on here many times about how I prefer original hardware, RGB, and a CRT (I have a PVM but even my ‘portable’ 14” no brand CRT looks great). And I still think this is the best way to play these consoles.

However, my set up is relegated to our second lounge, and because I want to spend most of my time with my wife and daughter in our main lounge with the HD TV, I wasn’t getting to play my retro consoles as often as I’d like. So I went against all my preaching and bought the Analogue Super NT.

I’m so glad I did. It truly is an amazing clone console, and I never realised how good SNES games can look on a 40” HD TV. I still say original hardware and CRT is the best way to play. But being able to spend more time playing these games is just as important too.

I’ll definitely buy this at some point. Hopefully second hand after someone has already imported it. The postage + import duty to the UK is quite a hit.

I presume this will work with the Mega Everdrive X7?

I’d personally love a Saturn Classic Mini in the same vein as NES/SNES/PS1. This Polymega certainly looks intriguing, but isn’t something I’ll ever buy given its price. I would love a convenient way to enjoy some of the best Saturn games, as it’s a console I’ll never purchase or collect for (I missed that boat!), but I’d love to play some of the games.

Doesn’t look promising though, given what I hear about the difficulty in emulation. Can’t imagine SEGA or ATgames are up to the task going from their recent efforts.

I love articles and stories like this, from what I see as the heyday of gaming. More please!

@ThanosReXXX @frogopus Wow, thanks for all the info guys. It’s a rare treat to find a retro gaming subject I don’t know anything about, I’ll enjoy reading all the links you sent. Cheers!

What’s a microswitched joystick? Tried Googling it but I just seem to find shops selling micro switches!

I always struggled with joysticks in the arcades back in the day, I was so used to playing with a d-pad. I’d be able to reel off countless shoryukens and tiger knees on SFII Turbo back at home on the SNES, but then could hardly pull any off in the arcade.

@Damo I do enjoy the photos you do of your games and systems on these types of articles. Glad to see it’s not just Nintendo games and systems getting the love!

I only just bought a PSP end of last year, and I’m gutted I didn’t get one much sooner. Since then I’ve amassed over 50 games, most good or great, because they’re so cheap. And I must say I do love those little UMDs. Totally impractical of course, but for someone who plays only at home they’re a great little novelty. They remind of the mini discs from Sony in the late 90’s, just before MP3 players hit the big time. Sony do have a bit of a track record when it comes to failed media!

@Cobalt I’ve just checked their site and it’s HDMI output only, which is a shame but understandable.

Just done a quick google search. Unless I’m mistaken, it seems that copy of Yellow Box PAL Super Mario World sealed with red strip could be worth £8,000+ alone! A copy of it appeared to have sold on eBay back in 2013 at that price anyway. I might have misunderstood, but if not that’s insane!

I regret selling my SNES collection back in 2005. It wasn’t huge, but going from prices today it would probably be worth close to £10k. Think I sold it for around the £1k mark. If only I could go back in the DeLorean and tell myself this! I recall importing Earthbound from the US for about £80, which I thought was loads back then. Now it sells for about £500+, I should have stocked up!

I’m happy with my collection now though. I have a CRT, many everdrives and modded disc based systems, so I have access to pretty much any game I could want to play (just missing the Mega Drive and PC Engine). And I play and enjoy them, rather than look at them in a box or a shelf. Mind you, I still have quite a lot of games, you can never lose that collector’s urge completely.

Back when F1 was good in my opinion. 80’s and early 90’s F1 was great. More dangerous mind, so there is that, but man watching old races from the 80’s when it was more experimental was great. Cars going 200mph+ around corners with the ground effect is awesome. They should make an F1 game today based on the 80’s, it would be so much more fun!

@samuelvictor thanks for the heads up. How much of a pain is it to unplug the 32X to then pop the Mega Everdrive into the Mega Drive slot? I was expecting to have to do that to play even MD games anyway. Does it involve changing RGB/Video cables?

Great read, thanks. I plan to get a Mega Drive and Everdrive at some point for Master System and Mega Drive Games. Might get a 32X too if my curiosity is high enough when the time comes.

Luckily I already have a small collection of Mega Drive power supplies, thanks to them seemingly being able to power pretty much every Japanese retro console I have! Shame you can’t plug them in next to each other in the same power strip though as they’re so big!

@Damo thanks Damo. Gotta love the trusty Mega Drive Mk1 power brick. I think it powers all of my Japanese retro consoles!

Like the sound of this. I was contemplating the Everdrive for the PCE but that didn’t cover the CD games.

I’ll admit to not having a clue about all the different iterations of PCE consoles, so if I was looking to get one console that can play ALL games via this device, which one should it be? Is that even possible?

Also, in terms of PAL consoles is the hardware locked down to 50hz like a PAL SNES, or can it output 60hz if ntsc software is used via this device?

This article reminds me somewhat of the Japan articles from Super Play magazine back in the day. Which is a good thing. Thanks!

@tanookisuit I've got all the Nintendo ones (incl. the Game Boy ones, and SD2SNES rather than the Super ED), and they've been a revelation. I've got Jap consoles so I get full NTSC 60hz gameplay, and just play the US ROMs from them. Much better than spending £1,000's on inferior PAL carts.

I actually like the fact that the NES/SNES ones aren't 100% compatible either. It means I've still had to buy a few carts for those games that I want to play, like the FX chip games on the SNES or the NES games with audio chips like the Jap version of Castlevania 3. I scratch that collecting itch but in the most efficient way possible. And I get to enjoy the games, which ultimately is what it's all about. Playing Conker on the N64 a few months ago without having to pay £150+ was joy.

I'm a huge fan of flashcarts and have lots of the Everdrives, but I don't have any nostalgia for the Neo Geo and its games and this doesn't change that. My bank account is happy! This is great news for Neo Geo collectors out there though, or those with the consoles but not many games. I know how liberating these flash carts can be.

I went there a few months ago on a day trip to York as I live not too far away (Leeds). It really was a great shop. I bought some Super Famicom games from memory.

I hope they do sort out their online presence, it was a real shame knowing all that goodness was available but not easy to access. I also hope their second store is in Leeds if it's in Yorkshire still.

@ThanosReXXX without being able to test both the OSSC and FM together on various models of TVs and see the results in person, I will always go with the Framemeister, even at the higher cost.

I was looking to buy a new TV at the same time, and with no idea whether that TV would be able to handle the OSSC's higher resolution outputs, I didn't want to risk it. Plus the lack of composite input is a deal breaker.

Ultimately all my research led me to one conclusion: HDTVs are rubbish for retro games and even when spending hundreds of £'s on processing devices you still have to make compromises. In the end I'd rather play my retro games on a 14" CRT. My no brand Maxim CRT produces a better picture than my Sony and LG LCD TV.

But luckily I have a Sony PVM and have been allowed to keep it for the foreseeable future. In the meantime I'm going to buy a couple more 14" CRTs to store in the loft, so I should be set to retro game on a CRT well into my retirement 😀

I've recently been researching this and the Framemeister as it was looking like I was going to have to lose my CRT/PVM for retro gaming, although luckily I can keep it now.

I must say I struggle to see the benefits of this over the Framemeister. Many positives I hear about the OSSC is that it doesn't add input lag. Which is true, but it only outputs 480p in a normal mode that most displays will accept. This means you're relying on your HDTV to upscale, which as I understand it will do a much worse job than something like the Framemeister and add more lag. Hence I was always going to get the Framemeister if I had to lose my PVM. Also the OSSC can't receive composite or S video unlike the FM, which meant I would have had to spend £200+ to get an RGB modded Famicom.

I still miss the pictures from CRTs, especially progressive ones. LCDs are just fundamentally rubbish compared to them. Lag, motion blur, rubbish contrast, rubbish blacks. When you compare them side by side there is no contest.

I really hope OLED ends up being the true replacement for CRTs' picture quality. It's only taken about 15 years!

I own this on the cube, but I really don't see the appeal. I'm not into Star Wars at all (I still don't think I've seen a film all the way through), but I like Star Fox so I assumed I'd like this, but I just couldn't get into it. Maybe one to go back to I think, it worked for Castlevania which I never liked but recently I 'got it' and now I think it's ace

I'm looking forward to the 'My Life in Gaming' episode on this when it releases!

Thanks for the article, I'd not heard of this until now. I'm a very keen retro gamer (I went the RGB monitor route) so will do some reading up on this little Blox

I've still got this on my GC back from when it first came out. Don't think I ever finished playing it. I remember getting to a bit where there are Nintendo dollies on shelves! I love little touches like that.

I never liked the Silent Hill games but I loved this one. The torch was a great mechanic and it was really creepy. Playing it in the dark with the volume up was great.