As mentioned, most of the heavy hitters on Apple Arcade eventually make their way to other platforms. I'll happily wait and play this in 2026 or whenever the exclusivity deal expires.
@Blast16 Retro-Bit is manufacturing the cartridges. I've bought several reproduction games from them, and none had any problems. They've had some sketchy "micro-console" releases in the past, but they've been mostly solid the last ten years or so.
Looking back at American video game TV ads, it seems like nobody really understood how to effectively advertise games... ever? Okay, that's not entirely true... SEGA did.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, early gaming ads were primarily aimed at families. When I was growing up (1980s-1990s), they were geared almost exclusively at boys ages 8 to 14, with an emphasis on action / power fantasy / doing EXTREME stuff.
Of course SEGA came along in 1989 or so with its memorable "Genesis Does" campaign, arguably the best and most-effective video game TV commercials ever, at least in the USA.
@JackGYarwood @Damo if you haven't done one already, I would love to see a future Time Extension feature on the history (histories) of video game TV ads in the USA, UK, and elsewhere!
I appreciate publishers like Ratalaika digging into the deep trove of Super Famicom games that never left Japan. This looks pretty decent. I would have preferred they kept the original title, but I guess they were going for that "what if this was localized in the 1990s?" vibe.
I lived alone most of my adult life, so I rarely had anyone around who would play with me. I live with my girlfriend now, but she is exclusively a 4X PC gamer and is not interested in local multiplayer. I can't win!
Fortunately, most of the games I enjoy and prefer are single-player experiences.
@slider1983 it isn't. That's just what this doofus priced theirs at. When you look at the prices of sealed copies of this game that actually sold on eBay, they average less than $100.
A game is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it!
For crying out loud; why the heck won't SEGA release the Daytona USA / "SEGA Racing Classic" games as stand-alone versions? We got exceptional versions of OutRun and Virtua Racing on Nintendo Switch, why not bring these as well?
I vaguely remember a blurb in Nintendo Power, in one of its 1989 issues, about Nintendo reaching its 100th anniversary. If my memory is correct, I guess they acknowledged it to their American fans, but without much fanfare.
I'm not their target audience (I am a collector) so I don't really give a hoot about the silly ad campaign, but I'm more concerned about the real harm some key resellers do to indie devs, particularly G2A. I know nothing about CDKeys and I assume they are above board, but key theft can do serious damage to smaller developers and publishers.
Anyway, I didn't vote in the poll because I don't agree with any of the choices... it's a pretty harmless and silly ad campaign. Support indie developers and game preservation: buy new, buy physical!
I hope the modern console version of Earthion will be the same as the arcade port, if only for the enhancements mentioned. REALLY looking forward to this regardless!
I'm sorry for the folks who lost their money, but there is a reason crowdfunding campaigns have a lot of fine print that you should actually read: "pre-orders" in such campaigns are not purchases! They are sort of like investments, but without any protections.
I've lost money on a handful of Kickstarters and such that never made it out, but that's just how it goes sometimes.
@snaphat this is pretty much my sentiment. I do not wish to disparage their fine work on what looks like a beautiful and interesting game, but to insist that it is a "real" NES game is not something I can take seriously.
I hope it succeeds on its own merits as a game, rather than for being what appears to be (practically) an NES cartridge with unlimited memory and a 16-bit coprocessor tacked onto it.
@iidxgold they have a staff of several people. This is their full-time job for the staff. They need to get paid so they can provide for themselves. YouTube ad revenue doesn't cover that anymore.
I wonder if this wasn't a development exercise or proof-of-concept to demonstrate the flexibility of the Gen V Pokemon engine, rather than a planned retail or digital release.
I have a ton of N64 nostalgia, and I love the idea of this product. I'll stick with my original hardware + upscalers for now, but I'm excited to see what kind of video the A3D can produce!
Thanks for the review! This is the first time I'm hearing about UFO 50, and I definitely want to check it out. It's very much a game made for Gen X gamers like me
@Zeebor15 I assumed what they meant to say was "the largest limited print game publisher in the world" but yeah, not even close to the largest publisher. I imagine that would have to be Nintendo, in terms of units sold.
Great story, and a fascinating look at a somewhat forgotten chapter of Japanese gaming history. I never would have guessed that GTA3 played much the same role in Japan that Mortal Kombat did in the U.S. with respect to the creation of industry game content ratings.
I have a Taito Egret II Mini, and I'm more or less happy with it... but I skipped both of the previous expansion cards, because the value proposition is lousy: around $60 U.S. for what amounts to ten arcade ROMs, none of which is what I would call a stone-cold classic.
I could perhaps justify paying $60 for an SD card with every single Taito arcade game that is not already built into the machine or included on the rotary controller card... but $60 for ten games that have not aged particularly well is not something I can stomach.
"Were you diagnosed with cancer after playing Game Boy? You may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Law Offices of Phoenix Wright today for a free consultation."
This game looks really good! Like a lot of American kids in the 1980s, I missed out on the C64 and other microcomputer games, since we were all about Nintendo. I love R-Type, so I am optimistic I will enjoy X-Out as well.
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Re: Taito Is Reviving The Critically Acclaimed 'Space Invaders Infinity Gene' For Apple Arcade
As mentioned, most of the heavy hitters on Apple Arcade eventually make their way to other platforms. I'll happily wait and play this in 2026 or whenever the exclusivity deal expires.
Re: Almost 25 Years Ago, Gran Turismo 3 Offered Ultra-Widescreen Support On PS2
I'm being petty here, but that AI-generated thumbnail for the video is hurting my brain
Re: Two Classic Rare Titles Are Getting Physical Re-Releases On NES And Game Boy
@Blast16 Retro-Bit is manufacturing the cartridges. I've bought several reproduction games from them, and none had any problems. They've had some sketchy "micro-console" releases in the past, but they've been mostly solid the last ten years or so.
Re: Company Behind The X68000 Z Range Wants To Know If Global Players Will Buy Them
Would I love to own one, especially with English menus? Yes, absolutely.
Would I pay roughly the same price as a PlayStation 5 Pro for one? Not in a million years
Re: Random: "This Is Not What We Were Expecting" - Ex-Nintendo Employee Shares The Story Behind Zelda's Early TV Ads
Looking back at American video game TV ads, it seems like nobody really understood how to effectively advertise games... ever? Okay, that's not entirely true... SEGA did.
In the 1970s and early 1980s, early gaming ads were primarily aimed at families. When I was growing up (1980s-1990s), they were geared almost exclusively at boys ages 8 to 14, with an emphasis on action / power fantasy / doing EXTREME stuff.
Of course SEGA came along in 1989 or so with its memorable "Genesis Does" campaign, arguably the best and most-effective video game TV commercials ever, at least in the USA.
@JackGYarwood @Damo if you haven't done one already, I would love to see a future Time Extension feature on the history (histories) of video game TV ads in the USA, UK, and elsewhere!
Re: 8BitDo Has Announced The Successor To Its Ultimate Wireless Controller
Apparently the previous model wasn't "ultimate" after all
Re: Xeno Crisis Developer Bitmap Bureau Is Working On A Terminator Game
Sold. Looks amazing!
Re: King Of Fighters '98 Is The First 'Arcade Archives 2 Neo Geo' Coming To PS5 & Xbox Series X|S
Kind of hard to swallow, though I guess if you really want to play KoF 98 online, I suppose this is the best way to do that.
Re: SNES Title 'Shounen Ninja Sasuke' Is Getting Its First Ever Western Release Later This Week
I appreciate publishers like Ratalaika digging into the deep trove of Super Famicom games that never left Japan. This looks pretty decent. I would have preferred they kept the original title, but I guess they were going for that "what if this was localized in the 1990s?" vibe.
Re: Please, Please, Please Treasure Your Offline Multiplayer Buddy
I lived alone most of my adult life, so I rarely had anyone around who would play with me. I live with my girlfriend now, but she is exclusively a 4X PC gamer and is not interested in local multiplayer. I can't win!
Fortunately, most of the games I enjoy and prefer are single-player experiences.
Re: Feature: The Tale Of Final Fantasy VII's Lost Prequel, And The Fans That Are Trying To Save It
The amount of effort that has gone into this endeavor is incredible. I sincerely hope they succeed!
Re: Got A Spare $13,000? You Could Own This "One-Off Dream" Copy Of Harry Potter On PS1
@slider1983 it isn't. That's just what this doofus priced theirs at. When you look at the prices of sealed copies of this game that actually sold on eBay, they average less than $100.
A game is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it!
Re: Four Years Later, The Revival Of The SNES Run 'N Gunner 'Nightmare Busters' Gets Its First Trailer
I hate to say this, but I think the original pixel art looks better than the hand-drawn remake.
Re: Interview: "My Job Is Largely Divorced From Reality" - Legendary Artist Katsuya Terada Talks Zelda, Virtua Fighter, & Prince of Persia
Great article! That Prince of Persia art is fantastic
Re: This $200 Gaming Handheld Pays Tribute To The Iconic Nokia N97
Going to go out on a limb here and assume the Dragon Ball imagery is not licensed.
Re: Daytona USA 2 Set To Make A Return In 'Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii'
For crying out loud; why the heck won't SEGA release the Daytona USA / "SEGA Racing Classic" games as stand-alone versions? We got exceptional versions of OutRun and Virtua Racing on Nintendo Switch, why not bring these as well?
Re: Italian Version Of Zzap!64 Celebrates 100 Issues By Using Icky AI Cover Art
AI-generated art is theft.
Re: Nintendo Didn't Celebrate Its 100th Birthday
I vaguely remember a blurb in Nintendo Power, in one of its 1989 issues, about Nintendo reaching its 100th anniversary. If my memory is correct, I guess they acknowledged it to their American fans, but without much fanfare.
Re: City Connection's Next 'Saturn Tribute' Title Will Be Announced This Week
Longest of longshots but I'd love to see Keio Flying Squadron 2
Re: Under Defeat HD Has Finally Got A Western Release Date
Looks great, and I'll be giving it a try. Strong Zero Gunner 2 vibes from this one
Re: The Making Of: Dragon’s Lair’s "Impossible" Game Boy Color Port
I love reading about impossible ports like this! Great work, Jack.
Re: "Only Zombies Buy Physical Games" Says Digital Code Retailer CDKeys
I'm not their target audience (I am a collector) so I don't really give a hoot about the silly ad campaign, but I'm more concerned about the real harm some key resellers do to indie devs, particularly G2A. I know nothing about CDKeys and I assume they are above board, but key theft can do serious damage to smaller developers and publishers.
Anyway, I didn't vote in the poll because I don't agree with any of the choices... it's a pretty harmless and silly ad campaign. Support indie developers and game preservation: buy new, buy physical!
Re: Japanese Gamers Just Picked The 30 Best PlayStation Games Of All Time
I hope someone high up at S-E sees the list and notices how nostalgic fans are for Xenogears.
Re: Yuzo Koshiro's Genesis Shmup Earthion Is Getting An Upgraded Arcade Release
@hste I didn't realize that! Good idea and I'll be happy to play the game regardless.
Re: Switch Remake Of Yuji Horii's 'Hokkaido Serial Murder Case' Delisted In The UK
The Easter egg would be my guess, if it flagged a review by PEGI
Re: Yuzo Koshiro's Genesis Shmup Earthion Is Getting An Upgraded Arcade Release
I hope the modern console version of Earthion will be the same as the arcade port, if only for the enhancements mentioned. REALLY looking forward to this regardless!
Re: Yuzo Koshiro's Stunning Genesis Shmup Earthion Delayed Until 2025
Easily one of my most-anticipated games for 2025. No worries at all about the delay. Looks like it's going to be fantastic!
Re: "Still Haven't Forgiven Atari For This" - Remembering The Ill-Fated Gameband Smartwatch
I'm sorry for the folks who lost their money, but there is a reason crowdfunding campaigns have a lot of fine print that you should actually read: "pre-orders" in such campaigns are not purchases! They are sort of like investments, but without any protections.
I've lost money on a handful of Kickstarters and such that never made it out, but that's just how it goes sometimes.
Re: Interview: How NES RPG Former Dawn Is Bringing CD-ROM Power To Nintendo's 8-Bit System
@domgetter indeed. I was speaking figuratively. I don't understand exactly how mapper chips work.
Re: Interview: How NES RPG Former Dawn Is Bringing CD-ROM Power To Nintendo's 8-Bit System
@snaphat this is pretty much my sentiment. I do not wish to disparage their fine work on what looks like a beautiful and interesting game, but to insist that it is a "real" NES game is not something I can take seriously.
I hope it succeeds on its own merits as a game, rather than for being what appears to be (practically) an NES cartridge with unlimited memory and a 16-bit coprocessor tacked onto it.
Re: Legendary YouTube Channel Mega64 Is Facing Closure
@iidxgold they have a staff of several people. This is their full-time job for the staff. They need to get paid so they can provide for themselves. YouTube ad revenue doesn't cover that anymore.
Re: After The Epic Failure Of The Intellivision Amico, Tommy Tallarico's New Goal Is Becoming A Backgammon Legend
@KitsuneNight truth!!!
Re: After The Epic Failure Of The Intellivision Amico, Tommy Tallarico's New Goal Is Becoming A Backgammon Legend
I know the guy is a serial liar and self-promoter, but I looked into this and it does appear to be true and legitimate.
The tournament bracket is here, and it seems he won... something? https://www.drawboss.com/Cup/Show/14205de5-126e-4ce7-bec6-a4d06711315e
Photo evidence: https://www.facebook.com/backgammongalaxy/posts/tommy-tallarico-wins-the-world-championship-intermediate-undefeated/1025247032941680/
So, yeah, credit where it's due and all that.
Re: Somebody Has Made The Computer From UFO 50 To Play UFO 50 On
I LOVE this concept!
Not much of a PC gamer myself, so I'm hopeful for console ports of UFO 50. It looks like a game I'd really enjoy.
Re: Unreleased Yoshi's Egg Remake For Nintendo DS Breaks Cover Online
I wonder if this wasn't a development exercise or proof-of-concept to demonstrate the flexibility of the Gen V Pokemon engine, rather than a planned retail or digital release.
Re: The GBA Version Of Xeno Crisis Will Start Shipping Early Next Month
I have to wonder if this is the most-ported indie retro game, ever. We're up to, what, 13 platforms now?
Re: Pre-Orders For FPGA N64 'Analogue 3D' Open Next Week, Will Cost $250
I have a ton of N64 nostalgia, and I love the idea of this product. I'll stick with my original hardware + upscalers for now, but I'm excited to see what kind of video the A3D can produce!
Re: Genesis Shmup Earthion Looks Incredible In This New TGS 2024 Footage
THIS LOOKS SO DANG GOOD Y'ALL
Re: Rogue Flight Is A Star Fox-Inspired Blaster Packed With Anime Vocal Talent
Looks PHENOMINAL. On my wishlist
Re: Team17 Gives 'Project X' Kickstarter Successor The Thumbs Up
Huzzah to Team17 for supporting this developer! I hope to see more publishers and IP holders do the same for fan remakes in the future.
Re: Review: UFO 50 (Steam) - An Indie Masterpiece Bursting With Fictional NES Nostalgia
Thanks for the review! This is the first time I'm hearing about UFO 50, and I definitely want to check it out. It's very much a game made for Gen X gamers like me
Re: "I Am Tired Of Receiving Death Threats Over A Video Game" - FPGA Dev Explains Why Mortal Kombat Is Skipping MiSTer
I kind of wish Warner Bros. would just step in and C&D this entire debate into the surface of the sun
Re: "Sometimes The Only Way To Preserve A Game Is To Own It" - Japanese Publisher Superdeluxe Gets Physical
@Zeebor15 I assumed what they meant to say was "the largest limited print game publisher in the world" but yeah, not even close to the largest publisher. I imagine that would have to be Nintendo, in terms of units sold.
Re: GameStop Announces Launch Of New "Retro GameStop" Stores
Some GameStop executive: "What if DKOldies was a chain of retail stores?"
Re: Feature: The Inside Story Behind Grand Theft Auto III's Japanese Release
Great story, and a fascinating look at a somewhat forgotten chapter of Japanese gaming history. I never would have guessed that GTA3 played much the same role in Japan that Mortal Kombat did in the U.S. with respect to the creation of industry game content ratings.
Re: Taito Egret II Mini Arcade Memories Vol. 3 Coming This December
I have a Taito Egret II Mini, and I'm more or less happy with it... but I skipped both of the previous expansion cards, because the value proposition is lousy: around $60 U.S. for what amounts to ten arcade ROMs, none of which is what I would call a stone-cold classic.
I could perhaps justify paying $60 for an SD card with every single Taito arcade game that is not already built into the machine or included on the rotary controller card... but $60 for ten games that have not aged particularly well is not something I can stomach.
Re: Old Enough To Remember The Original Game Boy? Then Think About Screening For Cancer, Says Charity
"Were you diagnosed with cancer after playing Game Boy? You may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Law Offices of Phoenix Wright today for a free consultation."
Re: ININ Games Announce 'X-Out: Resurfaced', A Remaster Of The Classic Underwater Shmup
This game looks really good! Like a lot of American kids in the 1980s, I missed out on the C64 and other microcomputer games, since we were all about Nintendo. I love R-Type, so I am optimistic I will enjoy X-Out as well.
Re: JALECOlle Famicom Edition Brings Jaleco NES Classics To Switch
This is great! I am especially looking forward to Pinball Quest. It's right up my alley, so to speak
Re: One Of Nintendo's Unsung Preservation Heroes Gets Credit In Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition
@LuigiBlood thanks for all you do in the emulation and preservation community!