LukeDodge748

You guys continue to bring stories out that just hit home for me. This Polygon Man was really cool in 1995 and then one day he was just gone, replaced by a marsupial with sneakers. 1995 was just awesome. Great story...

And it would still look ***** on Saturn...

15% as I was not CC'd for the survey in time. That said, my bread and butter in gaming is the mid-'90s: 3DO, PS1, Saturn and N64 make up my favorite systems by a wide margin. However, I have been getting heavy into PS2 lately, and I will always collect/play Genesis/Mega Drive and SNES too. But I still buy DVD/Bluray and VHS too so I'm just an old man stuck in the past...

The 1990s was heaven.

This completely makes sense to me, now, why I only played the PS1 era and never the later games. DR really was the visual heart and soul of the Wipeout world. Now I don't regret not getting into later games...

I'm really happy we're getting a retail edition, because I need this book on my shelf. This series was everything to me in the mid-90s. It started my love of British electronic music. I cannot wait to get this book. Shame I missed this wonderful edition here though... I'm so playing some PS1 WipEout tonight!

Aw man I really can't wait to pick up this book! I absolutely loved Wipeout on PS1. I still play all 3 quite often. The first one really pissed me off when you'd hit the wall and just kill your momentum. I'm glad they cleared that up a lil bit for XL (or 2097)... It was so infuriating! But the soundtrack got me into so much British electronic music, Chemical Brothers and Underworld are still ones I listen to all the time. What a legend!

I'm legit sad we didn't get to see the launch of the DD. It could have brought more, better, 3rd parties to the system and we would have gotten better games. But this is a great write-up about the what if...

What a great story and a fantastic time to be a gamer! This was such a great time for me. These systems were all awesome, and I had them all, save for the Jaguar. It was this golden age for video games, and I was in hog heaven! As much as I rooted for the Saturn to do well (I was a Master System and Genesis fan boy growing up), I could tell the PS was just this monster of a machine!

Thanks for the story, please bring us more like it. The 3rd gen was a highlight in my lifetime. And the console wars was such an intriguing thing to watch play out in the magazines...

I had NO idea that Next Generation magazine here in the US was a British import! I've long since known that England makes some of the best magazines, having been reading most of the UK's motorcycle magazines for over 20 years. But I thought we (the US) had our own iconic game mags (Diehard Gamefan comes to mind).

Next Gen quickly became my favorite, as I was at that age when it debuted (almost out of high school) and my tastes were changing to more mature stuff. I left Gamepro behind and subbed to Next Generation until the end of the 90s. I'm just genuinely shocked it was Edge renamed for stateside readers...

@marsbitrona You bring up a great point. I apologize for my complete lack of understanding of mods, but how is this mod able to work on an N64? I do not have a PC, only a laptop; does this exclude me from playing this mod?

I've loved Wipeout since preordering the first game. I'm in, bring it on. Just do better than Doom, please. Keep the style Wipeout is known for, and let the Chemical Brothers do the score!

I received their Mrs. Pac Man last Christmas and it's really great quality. I'm tempted to buy the first one, to be honest. The controller is a great addition. If this has HDMI out I will be IN.

Castle of Illusion is one of my favorite games, especially on the Genesis/Mega Drive. It is a wonderful platformer. Think I'll play it tonight...

I really enjoyed this game, and I bit jelly honestly, because I know I couldn't afford any of this amazing art. Very cool stuff!

What a joke. I'm glad I don't collet NP because now every copy is gonna jump in price. I do collect Diehard Gamefan (stateside mag) and I can't find good past issues for less than 30 - 50 bucks sometimes. That's stupid. Once in a while I find a good issue for less than 20 and I usually pounce.

But this example is borderline abhorrent. Grading games (and magazines?!) is really not my bag, baby. But that's because I'm a poor middle-class and middle-age collector. Perhaps I'd feel different if I had tons of disposable income??

Turok 64 and Goldeneye 64 were both so epic back in the late '90s, but the only FPS I still play regularly from that era is PSX Doom/Final Doom and Doom 64. They are so damn brilliant and I just love them to bits. Their atmosphere and music are stunning.

I'm in! I can't believe how much retro gaming has taken (re-taken) over my life. I'm just surprised that it came on so late in life (I'm 45).

@PSXDave "State your purpose."

I love Bushido Blade. I think it was either a masterpiece or a poser, but either way I enjoyed it and it is a beloved game. I have it so I'll revisit it soon.

But Tobal No.1 was always a game that piqued my interest but never once picked it up back in the day. I just rectified that mistake via ebay. I cannot wait to play this game.

This is why I continue to come back to TE. I did forget about this game, but that's not to say it wasn't wholly enjoyable back then. I do have fond memories of this game, alone and two-up. This is a perfect arcade game. It is what it is and that's good enough. It is a shame that this couldn't be emulated for home with lightgun and steering wheel peripherals.

Who wants to start a letter campaign to Arcade1Up??

@MetalKingShield I'm with you, I would be stoked for a Model 2 mini of some sort, with arcade-perfect Daytona USA, Sega Rally, Manx TT, and all the rest of these amazing games...

But if we get a Saturn mini I will shard myself. Promise.

With the Atari Jaguar pad in existence, how can the Duke be the worst gaming controller???

"hunger for nostalgia, which I think was a retreat into my 'safe space'"

THIS is pretty much my exact sentiments why I got into retro game collecting, as I'm sure it was for a lot of you. I mocked people for needing such a strange thing as a safe space, but I get it. And while my safe space is mental and existing purely in my brain, I did need it after I thought civilization was collapsing. While it might still collapse, I'll be playing and enjoying this stuff because it takes me back to that time when things were just so good.

I wasn't familiar with Mike Channel or his, um, channel, but I'll check him out on YouTube.

No Chrono Trigger on SNES mini made me depressed. I would rank the SNES mini as the best here if that game had been included. That said, Genesis/Mega Drive 2 games list is incredible...

I hope these companies keep them coming.

This is a fantastic story, Damien. Thank you for sharing. And yes, without doubt, games can definitely be linked to a place as well as a time. For me, games are not associated so closely with regal estates such as Coombe Abbey (esp. since I'm in the States...) as they are my parent's home or friend's parent's homes. But my biggest video game and place memory is probably MK3 for Sony PS1. I was working at Electronics Boutique when this came out. Down the other end of the mall was a Kay Bee Toys, and out front they put a Samsung GX tv with PS1 kiosk playing MK3. All day long I'd hear this intense bass and Shao Kahn shouting at someone or other, and for two weeks this game, system and mall store were inextricably linked to this very day.

I purchased a Samsung GX tv a few months ago, and I brought it home, hooked it straight up to the PS1, and put in my old long box copy of MK3. Immediately, from the first fight, my mind flooded with those memories. I was dizzy at first, if I'm honest. And I think my eyes welled with a tear. It took me back 25 years in an instant. It was like a direct connection to the past that was tangible. Now, when I'm feeling nostalgic, this is one game I'll put in, even though I have an Arcade1Up and various other versions of MK to play.

@sdelfin I'll be honest with you, I also felt that Namco was essentially a first-party developer with Sony. To me, even though I was quite and well aware that they were two different entities, at this time it felt as if they were making these games with Sony's explicit approval and knowledge. Sort of unfair to third-party publishers, but Namco was getting the best from the PS1 architecture. It did indeed feel like Namco was synonymous with Playstation in 1994/1995.

I feel genuinely blessed to have come of age in the '90s. What a magical time! And the 5th gen was just so mind-blowing to my teen headspace! My friends and I spent days, not hours, playing Tekken and other games, and even one link-cable party for Doom Day at my place while listening to Chemical Brothers all day/night. The next day, to get out of the house, we'd usually head to the arcade and drop all our paychecks into the coin-ops! It was just such a great, fun time to be alive and American (or British, of course, cheers!).

Come to think of it, my jobs in the '90s existed solely to pay for my video game habits. In the early 2000s, life got real, and I dropped games from my life. But now, as I'm in my 40s, I'm buying back all the PS1 games (among others) that I used to own or rent, and doing it all over again, just with one less friend who passed away, and my favorite game buddy and Point Blank Master.

RIP Dan (SuperWoody 64). My life with video games wouldn't have been the same without you...

I had just changed my ringtone to that amazing introduction piece the other day. RIP Tohru-san. What a lovely sound it is...

@Diogmites I appreciate the heads up! Sounds like a nice coffee table book. I agree, I would've thought it would only have historical or cultural information inside, not opinion pieces. I plan on getting the Neo Geo history and probably the Metal Slug book. It may prove difficult to turn down the KoF book, as well.

Symphony of the Night forever!

I really want to pick up a few of their books, especially the neo geo stuff, but man they're a lot of money over here. But I just need them on my desk or bookshelf. Glad to see the Turbographx 16 getting a book. Maybe Genesis/Mega Drive will get one again...if they can figure it out with Sega. These books are absolute quality.

Perfect for the desk. I'd get one if they were available, esp in black or gray... And with a cool Ultra 64 decal on the side.

Thank you for helping me wax nostalgic for Diehard GameFan magazine. I absolutely adored this magazine. I probably started reading GF around '93 or so but by the time of the 32-bit machines coming out it was my favorite mag. The layouts were a mess but in a great, look at it for hours kinda way. I'm so sad I tossed all of my old gaming mags, but 20 years ago I thought I was done with gaming forever. Then I got old and nostalgia became an addiction. This is such a great piece on a great piece of video game history and my personal past for this mag has grown fond again.

Oh and by looking at the comments this mag was huge with a lot of people. That makes me happy.

I cannot believe I'm about to purchase a 3DO game nearly 3 decades later...woah

But I will never pay these ebay prices for the Saturn version, as much as I'd like to own that version.

I worked at Electronics Boutique in 1997 and we were giving these art books out with preorders for the SotN, and I still have my book thankfully. It's gorgeous, so in a roundabout way we did get the book here in the states. I need to find a jewel case thick enough to put in with my copy of SotN.

How is this game still so beloved? I was playing the other day and it's still just an amazing game, with music that is pure bliss. I'm sore I missed out on the vinyl.

I picked up Sports Talk Football '93 starring Joe Montana yesterday for 5 bucks, CIB. The Sports Talk Sega football games were better than the Madden games, I thought. I enjoyed the gameplay so much more...

And whatever Katz was doing then for Sega worked, at least for me. I got a Sega Genesis immediately in 1989 and picked up a host of their celebrity games. Conversely I was never quite into Sonic. Cool article, nice insight.

I am a fan of the LoK series since day 1. I preordered Blood Omen and fell in love with it. I have always been a bit of a vampire nerd, so this was my perfect piece of Playstation heaven. The ambiance and atmosphere, the voice over, music and different gameplay than what I was normally used to made me play this one til the end, which I rarely did back then. Usually before I would beat a game I'd tire and move on to some other racing or fighting game. But I would play this game in its entirety. After all the original games I had and subsequently lost, I'm glad I managed to hang on to my original copies of all of the LoK games...

*Oh and I love how Sam Barlow shares the name with a legendary vampire of 'Salem's Lot.