It's kind of ironic: much of the infamously slow SNES's reputation is not because it was actually slow, but because it had to be underclocked to properly handle the cheap cartridges. Run it at stock speed, and things don't look so bad!
@blackknight77 The PC version is, as usual, basically an HD remaster already! Same goes for the Xbox 360 version, if you have an Xbox Series console to play it on.
Just replayed it recently, and it still looks great, aside from some rough shadowing on characters (which is noticeable maybe 1% of the time, if even that).
@-wc- Little Big Adventure is pretty clunky, to the point that someone used to modern standards would be just as well off playing the original Tomb Raider or something. So there is potential to make it more accessible.
But will this remake do so without losing the soul of the originals? So far, this is looking like quite a departure. Time will tell...
@-wc- I don't know- Twinsen himself looks like a pretty faithful interpretation of the original model, without looking too awkward (no small feat!), and that dune buggy shot looks like this style has potential.
On the other hand, it bothers me that HD = flatter and more cartoonish, in so many cases. Admittedly, I've barely played the original LBA/Twinsen games, but the fine-grained textures and oddly shiny lighting of LBA2 really appealed to me, and those are lost in the remake.
@-wc- I feel like a lot of mid/late PS2 games already started to look a fair bit more drab (albeit more detailed!), while some of the early PS360 games again leaned into that pre-rendered CG look for a time. (See Rare's work, especially in 2005.) And then Gears of War happened, and we know the rest. But anyway...
Looking it up now, it seems that SoulCalibur on Xbox systems does include the art gallery, even though it drops the Mission mode. It also unlocks everything from the start, reducing the incentive to play Arcade mode as every character. The main reason most people give is the file size, but that doesn't add up: mission mode has few unique assets, whereas the gallery is full of them. Considering the way unlockables were handled, this all seems like a misguided attempt to focus in on the core gameplay for a purer fighting experience. (Didn't Guilty Gear XX do the same thing? Re-releasing the game with less content to "accent" the "core"?) I really liked Mission mode as well, and played all the way through it more than once! SC2 had the same mode, but it didn't hold my interest quite as well- largely because of the dungeons being a bit of a slog. And then SC3 onwards went in different directions, of course.
@-wc- Was I just imagining it, or were console graphics heading in that direction for a short time, before abandoning it in favour of higher object density, more complex texturing... and bloom lighting? Some of the earlier 6th (and even 7th) gen games had a lot of emphasis on crisp textures, high poly counts, and hard shadows, but this gave way to a more muted, drab look.
If Retro ever does another Donkey Kong Country, they should make it look like DKC3- except in 3D, of course.
@Muriustar It's always good to have a legitimate way for people to purchase the game, though. Right now, SC1 is only on Xbox, and that version lacks some of the Dreamcast's content (the mission mode and art gallery, as I recall).
As more companies keep their games perpetually available on long-running platforms like PC (and Xbox now), then there should be less need for studios to spend their time on (re)remastering everything every decade.
Not expecting to actually see a full collection, as great as that would be, but even a remaster of the Dreamcast original that doesn't cut any content would also be cool.
All of the blurry scenery is just a pre-rendered background (also see the windmill screenshot), so the amount of actual geometry should be well within the N64's capabilities. But the resolution and colour depth are above those of even Conker's backgrounds- which were already technical wizardry in themselves.
I've really warmed up to the N64 over the years. There's something special about exploring those early 3D environments, even in games like Quest 64 (or Aidyn Chronicles, which I'll get if I can find it for cheap... like that'll happen). Though it's all the better when the gameplay is also engaging- and some of the better games of that era, like Mario 64 and Perfect Dark, have a level of depth that newer games often lack.
@bryce951 Hey, I'm no hipster: I liked the GameCube before it was cool! (Oh, wait a minute...)
But seriously, the GameCube was an amazing system with an equally amazing library, and millions of us recognized that at the time. Just not as many millions as there were on the PS2 side of things!
This looks more like early Dreamcast to me... unless there's some kind of insane palette or tiling wizardry going on, textures of that resolution/colour depth wouldn't work on the N64.
I'd love to see this become an actual game, though, whether fitting N64 spec or not!
Powerful hardware (Imagine Nintendo selling a console that performs on par with XSX today. Unthinkable!)
Comfortable controller (the ABXY layout was brilliant, and the analogue sticks are unmatched)
An entire fleet of flagship titles (2 Zeldas, 2 Metroids, a Mario, an F-Zero, a Mario Kart, and the best Smash Bros.)
New, imaginative games and franchises (Eternal Darkness, Pikmin, Viewtiful Joe, DK Jungle Beat)
Third party support like we've never seen (Resident Evil 0/REmake/4, Tales of Symphonia, Baten Kaitos, MGS: The Twin Snakes, Rogue Squadron 2 and 3, and multiplats that were often the best version available)
I could ramble on about the GCN's library of quality exclusives, or how it punched above its weight in performance- often edging out the Xbox- but for brevity's sake, I won't. For now.
It's like Feperd looks for great games that sorely need a sequel, but aren't getting one, and then he takes it on himself to right that wrong. A few years ago, it was Sonic Adventure. Now, F-Zero! What's next, Metroid Prime? (If it is, he'll probably have it finished before MP4 comes out.)
@Bunkerneath Those ships look really fast, either way. They must be doing at least 800 knots an hour! But if all this bothers you, maybe you should go buy an RPG game instead. If you need some cash, just enter your PIN number at the nearest ATM machine.
Interesting topic, and I've enjoyed reading the stories (both the article and the comments)!
There are so, so many different games which bring back memories of either where I played them, or where I bought them, but I'll just share what might be the weirdest one: I was sharing an apartment with two other guys, and one of them had the idea to put up a giant cardboard snowman on the wall for Christmas, and to arrange some lights so that the snowman appeared to be shooting lightning from its hands. Besides the humour in it, this also cast a strong pink/purple glow over the whole living room. It was in this setting that I played Paper Mario for the first time, and so that game always brings back the image of late-night gaming under the warm glow of a snowman that shoots lightning bolts out of its hands.
@Kiwi_Unlimited I just replayed Castlevania 64 a few months ago, and still enjoyed it. It obviously has its flaws, but I'd definitely like to see some more games that take after it, with the greater emphasis on 3D platforming and exploration.
There are already so many 2D Metroidvanias out there that I could easily spend a full year just catching up on the good ones, and 3D combat/action games in the vein of Devil May Cry or old-school God of War aren't exactly scarce either. But the more open 3D designs haven't gotten as much attention lately.
Very cool addition, and fitting for a game best known for its meme-spawning dialogue! It's a little disappointing that most of the English was cleaned up here, but on the other hand, introducing CATS's infamous line with "translation error" on the screens, and then following it up with "What are you saying?" was a brilliant touch.
I've heard some complaints about traditional JRPGs getting stale lately, or having too much "anime BS", but it still seems like a stretch to consider the term "JRPG" an insult.
I think the real question is whether something is an RPG at all: what do RPGs have to do with role playing, anyway? The connection is obvious in a lot of older and/or western RPGs, where you create and develop a character, make lots of decisions, etc. But a Final Fantasy game from the '90s? It's a linear, story-driven tactics game with RPG trappings. And when you swap out the battle system for DMC-style action, while dialling down the RPG elements further?
Not saying we need to reclassify Final Fantasy or other RPGs all of a sudden! Genre labels like "RPG" mean something, and most people understand what they mean. I just think it's interesting how definitions drift over time.
I had never heard of Mabel Addis until now, but it's fascinating to see some of her work now, and to think just how long ago it was that gaming pioneers like her came up with certain designs and concepts. In general, gaming in the '60s is a mysterious subject that I don't know or hear much about.
So this is technically the original box art! That changes things. It would be inexcusable if, like so many other games, the Japanese box art already existed, but was thrown out in favour of something supposedly more appealing to western audiences.
TIL that Eveline Novakovic composed some of the original DKC's best* tracks! I knew about DKC3 (and Griffey's Winning Run) already, but not that she'd worked on the first DKC as well. Nor about Kameo's sound design.
And I agree, definitely an underappreciated composer- which is all too common among Rare musicians not named Grant or Dave.
@Serpenterror Iguana actually stayed around for several years (under the name Acclaim Studios Austin) after Retro Studios was founded. While Retro was working on Metroid Prime, Iguana released Turok 3 (2000), Turok Evolution (2002), and Vexx (2003), as well as several sports titles. But yeah, Retro was largely made up of former Iguana staff, like you said, and more ex-Iguana guys moved over to Retro and worked on the Prime series when Acclaim went bankrupt.
It's interesting to follow a game's DNA, and see the expertise and influences that the various members of the team brought to the table!
@sdelfin Yeah, this stuff was too common, especially in the past. First examples I can think of are Mega Man Anniversary Collection on GameCube (button mapping is backwards) and Ufouria on the Wii(U) Virtual Console (music plays at the wrong speed, and sounds horribly out-of-tune).
You paid them for the game already, so what's it to them if you source a copy elsewhere to actually play it?
PS: Honourable mention to Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Collection, on Steam. Its emulation has some issues (despite some neat features, like mods and region-switching), but the ROMs are included in a folder for easy access. So you can buy the games there, but play them in another emulator. 100% legal by any standard!
@Thunderchi1d It's not unheard of for companies to download their own resources from third parties on the internet. As I recall, Rare couldn't use the original assets for Donkey Kong Country when porting to GBA, so they ripped the graphics from a ROM. Also, OSTs have used fanmade track titles (and possibly even downloaded audio rips, but that's harder to confirm). And countless classic re-releases have been advertised using clips and screenshots from gaming channels on YouTube. There are other cases, as well, but I can't think of them at the moment.
While it is within their rights to do all this, the way it's handled isn't always the most classy. Since Nintendo is so harsh towards anything they see as a threat to their bottom line, it seems especially distasteful and hypocritical for them to silently take advantage of the very service they hate.
@ParadoxFawkes It really does run on a real N64, as Kaze briefly demonstrates.
About textures, the N64 is notorious for its poor texture quality, so getting good results out of it isn't easy. Any one texture can only be 4 KB in size (as opposed to a typical photo from a phone or camera, which is at least 4 MB, or 1024 times as large)!
A few studios back in the day had some kind of workaround involving reading uncompressed textures straight off the cartridge, but putting high-res textures in that way would quickly balloon the ROM size beyond what a cartridge could hold, not to mention that it would slow the N64 to a crawl.
"But, if people resort to sourcing a game online without paying for it, what incentive is there for publishers to make that game available legitimately?"
Fortunately, we've seen time and time again that people are willing to pay to legitimately own their games, even if illegal downloads are readily available. Whether it's GOG, Virtual Console, mini consoles, compilation discs, etc., there have been (and still are) lots of ways to buy games that are also floating around on the internet for free- and most of these appear to be very financially successful.
It's encouraging to see (faith in humanity, and all that), and I hope game companies continue both re-releasing old games, as well as exploring pro-consumer approaches such as DRM-free stores.
@Gamecuber It's even worse than that. If I remember correctly, they bumped the difficulty levels up by two, and then doubled the enemies' health on top of that. Or something along those lines. Though the NA version has barely any penalty for spamming your special moves, so that makes up for it a little bit.
Rocket Knight Adventures by Konami was another one with a ridiculous difficulty upgrade, with NA Easy corresponding to JP Hard, as I recall. In that case, though, Easy still lets you play the whole game, and it feels like a well-balanced experience.
@lacquerware Yeah, her criticisms were not at all the first things I'd think of. Pacing is annoyingly sluggish in the NA version specifically, thanks to the enemies' health bars all being multiplied, but the gameplay itself is the fastest (and I'd even say best) in the series.
For me, it's largely the presentation. Graphics are still great, as is some of the music (most of the better tracks ironically coming from the new guy, Kawashima), but both of these aspects lack the style and flair that really made SoR2 stand out.
@-wc- I think Nintendo's Virtual Console/eShop was a great idea, and I'd love to see a Sega one- not just the usual collection of Genesis/MegaDrive titles, though, but also Dreamcast, Saturn, arcade systems like Model 3, etc.
Having to buy specific hardware would be a bit of a turn-off for me, though. Instead of paying for a pricey mini console that can handle Dreamcast games, I'd rather just buy them for PC/Xbox.
The idea sounds exciting at first, but when I think about it, a Dreamcast 2 wouldn't really bring anything interesting to the table. The whole appeal of it lies in the games, so Sega would need to step up and deliver a ton of Dreamcasty* titles on the new platform- but if they're able to do that, then why not just release them on PCs and existing consoles now?
*I'm mainly thinking sequels to dormant franchises like Jet Set Radio, but also some innovative new games, and of course, ports from Dreamcast, Atomiswave, and even more recent arcade games.
@carlos82 Fortunately, very few N64 games used battery-backed SRAM (apparently only a dozen or so), with the others all using non-volatile storage that will last a long time with light/reasonable usage. Unfortunately, the list of games with batteries includes some of the most popular ones, like Super Smash Bros. and Ocarina of Time.
No love for the OG Xbox Controller S? The black and white buttons are a poor substitute for shoulder bumpers, but the thing feels so good to hold- just the right amount of heft. (I guess the Xbone/Series do objectively edge it out in functionality.)
GameCube has probably the best analogue stick of any controller ever, and that button layout is brilliant, but it has too many flaws holding it back: not enough buttons, D-pad is too small, and the triggers feel a bit delicate and are sometimes prone to getting stuck.
@Poodlestargenerica Bit of a difference between those two games, haha! Nuts and Bolts is still worth playing, if you approach it as a sort of puzzle game that rewards experimentation and thinking outside the box. It does take a while to get good, admittedly, and it's not a real Banjo-Kazooie sequel, so it's important not to have false expectations.
A lot of Bad Fur Day fans hated Live and Reloaded... I can see why they dislike some of the changes, but I personally think some of the issues get blown out of proportion. It can't replace the original, but it's a visually gorgeous take on the original 1P game and its story.
@Serpenterror New throwback consoles like this are cool and nostalgic and all, but I agree that a focus on games makes more sense these days. There are so many major and mini consoles to choose from, and I'd rather just pick one or two platforms and buy games for it/them. The much-desired "Dreamcast 2" is a similar one, where the idea sounds exciting, but when I think about it, we don't really need one. (Nothing stopping Sega from making a new Jet Set Radio, Sonic Adventure, or Space Channel 5 as a third party now, is there?)
@sdelfin It's always more interesting when a retro-styled game is running on the original tech like this. If it's using a modern engine like Unity, then it's no longer technically impressive- it's just a modern game with outdated graphics. (Not saying those can't also be a lot of fun!)
@sdelfin But there was some 128-bit functionality somewhere in there, so that's naturally what marketing latched onto. Can't have the Dreamcast looking weaker than the 64-bit Nintendo 64!
Now that I think of it, wouldn't it be fun to see manufacturers still trying to use "bits" to advertise their modern consoles? I'd like to see what kind of math it'd take to come up with "1024-bit" branding.
@SpriteCell I thought of this when reading the article as well! As an example, I distinctly remember Castlevania (64) being criticized for looking like a "first-generation" N64 game.
About Wikipedia, it's both interesting and concerning how a simple edit (whether unsourced or backed by a weak or unrelated source) can propagate so widely and shape the way people think of and discuss things!
The generation system is flawed for sure, but it has its purpose. You could argue that more descriptive names would be better (e.g., "PS2 era"), but those are inevitably going to be flawed as well. (Is Perfect Dark from the PS2 era because of its release date, or is Sonic Adventure from the PS2 era because it's on Dreamcast? Or both, or neither?)
Like the article touches on, it's like human generations, where we try to group people into these different categories based on when they were born/raised, but it doesn't really hold up under scrutiny. What "generation" titles do, however, is offer a quick, simple way of referring to a general time in tech/culture/history.
Composite. Used a mix of RF and composite back in the day. RF is a little too muddy and noisy, but composite is crisp enough for me-especially when it comes to 240p content, in which case it preserves the detail while still looking smooth. From what I've seen of RGB at 240p, it tends to look too sharp, to the point of pixelation. (Not for me, thanks.) It'd be a better fit for newer 480p stuff.
Nice! This is not at all subtle about its inspiration, but hey, there aren't really that many games like this out there right now.
I, for one, am glad to see indie games starting to embrace 3D, after a decade of Gorgeous Pixel Art™, and even the N64 style has its charms, especially in the lighting department. (Though in that regard, Valkie 64 is a strange hybrid that looks more like those N64-era CG renders that mixed in-game assets with fancy rendering tech.)
Great article! Always fun to hear some stories and learn some new tidbits of info about N64-era Rare.
And I still consider DKR to be one of the best kart racers ever made. Though while it remains fun even on an old N64, a couple of Gameshark codes to get 60fps + widescreen + music in multiplayer can really make it shine today!
@AJB83 My mistake- I see it now. (Must've been too tired to see straight the first time.) I missed out on Rallisport, unfortunately, as I only recently heard how good it was. I've just started watching for it at the used game stores. And yeah, from what little I've seen (RS 1 or 2, I forget which), it was right up there with the best of the generation. It just goes to show that choosing 30fps doesn't really make the graphics better!
It's kind of ironic: the Xbox was the "cool" console back in the day, and the GameCube was dismissed by many. These days, everyone's realizing how great the GameCube and its games were, and it's the Xbox that doesn't get much attention. I feel like the Xbox is underappreciated by game enthusiasts now, with its games forgotten and its tech specs no longer relevant.
@AJB83 PGR2 and Forza ran at only 30fps (as did many of the games in this article, actually), but the original PGR was 60.
The Xbox still had quite a lot of good-looking 60fps games, including Ninja Gaiden, DoA3, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Gunvalkyrie, the entire Burnout series, etc. etc.
It's ridiculous how well some 20-year-old games hold up now, as long as you play them on a CRT or an emulator!
Comments 409
Re: Dedicated Romhacker Converts More Than 80 SNES Games Into FastRom
It's kind of ironic: much of the infamously slow SNES's reputation is not because it was actually slow, but because it had to be underclocked to properly handle the cheap cartridges. Run it at stock speed, and things don't look so bad!
Re: EA Isn't Wiping Mirror's Edge From Digital Existence After All
@blackknight77 The PC version is, as usual, basically an HD remaster already!
Same goes for the Xbox 360 version, if you have an Xbox Series console to play it on.
Just replayed it recently, and it still looks great, aside from some rough shadowing on characters (which is noticeable maybe 1% of the time, if even that).
Re: Random: Tim Stamper Has To Lick 25-Year-Old Chocolate BAFTA Because Banjo-Kazooie Won A Twitter Tournament
Er, I think you meant to post this reply from BAFTA:
"Not sure we can endorse this 🤣"
Stamper's questioning the exclusivity of this chocolate award doesn't really prove whether BAFTA supports the licking of said award!
Re: Both 'Little Big Adventure' Titles Are Getting The Remaster Treatment
@-wc- Little Big Adventure is pretty clunky, to the point that someone used to modern standards would be just as well off playing the original Tomb Raider or something. So there is potential to make it more accessible.
But will this remake do so without losing the soul of the originals? So far, this is looking like quite a departure. Time will tell...
Re: Both 'Little Big Adventure' Titles Are Getting The Remaster Treatment
@-wc- I don't know- Twinsen himself looks like a pretty faithful interpretation of the original model, without looking too awkward (no small feat!), and that dune buggy shot looks like this style has potential.
On the other hand, it bothers me that HD = flatter and more cartoonish, in so many cases. Admittedly, I've barely played the original LBA/Twinsen games, but the fine-grained textures and oddly shiny lighting of LBA2 really appealed to me, and those are lost in the remake.
Re: A Soulcalibur Collection Might Be On The Way
@-wc- I feel like a lot of mid/late PS2 games already started to look a fair bit more drab (albeit more detailed!), while some of the early PS360 games again leaned into that pre-rendered CG look for a time. (See Rare's work, especially in 2005.) And then Gears of War happened, and we know the rest.
But anyway...
Looking it up now, it seems that SoulCalibur on Xbox systems does include the art gallery, even though it drops the Mission mode. It also unlocks everything from the start, reducing the incentive to play Arcade mode as every character. The main reason most people give is the file size, but that doesn't add up: mission mode has few unique assets, whereas the gallery is full of them. Considering the way unlockables were handled, this all seems like a misguided attempt to focus in on the core gameplay for a purer fighting experience. (Didn't Guilty Gear XX do the same thing? Re-releasing the game with less content to "accent" the "core"?)
I really liked Mission mode as well, and played all the way through it more than once! SC2 had the same mode, but it didn't hold my interest quite as well- largely because of the dungeons being a bit of a slog. And then SC3 onwards went in different directions, of course.
Re: A Soulcalibur Collection Might Be On The Way
@-wc- Was I just imagining it, or were console graphics heading in that direction for a short time, before abandoning it in favour of higher object density, more complex texturing... and bloom lighting?
Some of the earlier 6th (and even 7th) gen games had a lot of emphasis on crisp textures, high poly counts, and hard shadows, but this gave way to a more muted, drab look.
If Retro ever does another Donkey Kong Country, they should make it look like DKC3- except in 3D, of course.
Re: A Soulcalibur Collection Might Be On The Way
@Muriustar It's always good to have a legitimate way for people to purchase the game, though. Right now, SC1 is only on Xbox, and that version lacks some of the Dreamcast's content (the mission mode and art gallery, as I recall).
As more companies keep their games perpetually available on long-running platforms like PC (and Xbox now), then there should be less need for studios to spend their time on (re)remastering everything every decade.
Re: A Soulcalibur Collection Might Be On The Way
Not expecting to actually see a full collection, as great as that would be, but even a remaster of the Dreamcast original that doesn't cut any content would also be cool.
Re: Random: Shovel Knight 64 Doesn't Exist, More's The Pity
All of the blurry scenery is just a pre-rendered background (also see the windmill screenshot), so the amount of actual geometry should be well within the N64's capabilities. But the resolution and colour depth are above those of even Conker's backgrounds- which were already technical wizardry in themselves.
I've really warmed up to the N64 over the years. There's something special about exploring those early 3D environments, even in games like Quest 64 (or Aidyn Chronicles, which I'll get if I can find it for cheap... like that'll happen).
Though it's all the better when the gameplay is also engaging- and some of the better games of that era, like Mario 64 and Perfect Dark, have a level of depth that newer games often lack.
Re: Best Nintendo Systems - Every Nintendo Console, Ranked By You
@bryce951 Hey, I'm no hipster: I liked the GameCube before it was cool!
(Oh, wait a minute...)
But seriously, the GameCube was an amazing system with an equally amazing library, and millions of us recognized that at the time. Just not as many millions as there were on the PS2 side of things!
Re: Random: Shovel Knight 64 Doesn't Exist, More's The Pity
This looks more like early Dreamcast to me... unless there's some kind of insane palette or tiling wizardry going on, textures of that resolution/colour depth wouldn't work on the N64.
I'd love to see this become an actual game, though, whether fitting N64 spec or not!
Re: Poll: What's The Best Nintendo System Of All Time?
GameCube, hands down:
I could ramble on about the GCN's library of quality exclusives, or how it punched above its weight in performance- often edging out the Xbox- but for brevity's sake, I won't. For now.
Re: F-Zero Gets Another Spiritual Successor In The Shape Of XF - eXtreme Formula
It's like Feperd looks for great games that sorely need a sequel, but aren't getting one, and then he takes it on himself to right that wrong. A few years ago, it was Sonic Adventure. Now, F-Zero!
What's next, Metroid Prime? (If it is, he'll probably have it finished before MP4 comes out.)
Re: F-Zero Gets Another Spiritual Successor In The Shape Of XF - eXtreme Formula
@Bunkerneath Those ships look really fast, either way. They must be doing at least 800 knots an hour!
But if all this bothers you, maybe you should go buy an RPG game instead.
If you need some cash, just enter your PIN number at the nearest ATM machine.
Re: Talking Point: Are Video Games Linked To Physical Places In Your Memory?
Interesting topic, and I've enjoyed reading the stories (both the article and the comments)!
There are so, so many different games which bring back memories of either where I played them, or where I bought them, but I'll just share what might be the weirdest one:
I was sharing an apartment with two other guys, and one of them had the idea to put up a giant cardboard snowman on the wall for Christmas, and to arrange some lights so that the snowman appeared to be shooting lightning from its hands. Besides the humour in it, this also cast a strong pink/purple glow over the whole living room.
It was in this setting that I played Paper Mario for the first time, and so that game always brings back the image of late-night gaming under the warm glow of a snowman that shoots lightning bolts out of its hands.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Want From A New Castlevania?
@Kiwi_Unlimited I just replayed Castlevania 64 a few months ago, and still enjoyed it. It obviously has its flaws, but I'd definitely like to see some more games that take after it, with the greater emphasis on 3D platforming and exploration.
There are already so many 2D Metroidvanias out there that I could easily spend a full year just catching up on the good ones, and 3D combat/action games in the vein of Devil May Cry or old-school God of War aren't exactly scarce either. But the more open 3D designs haven't gotten as much attention lately.
Re: Iconic 'All Your Base' Meme Gets Added To The Arcade Version Of Zero Wing
Very cool addition, and fitting for a game best known for its meme-spawning dialogue!
It's a little disappointing that most of the English was cleaned up here, but on the other hand, introducing CATS's infamous line with "translation error" on the screens, and then following it up with "What are you saying?" was a brilliant touch.
Re: Poll: Should Japanese-Made Role-Playing Games Still Be Called JRPGs?
I've heard some complaints about traditional JRPGs getting stale lately, or having too much "anime BS", but it still seems like a stretch to consider the term "JRPG" an insult.
I think the real question is whether something is an RPG at all: what do RPGs have to do with role playing, anyway? The connection is obvious in a lot of older and/or western RPGs, where you create and develop a character, make lots of decisions, etc. But a Final Fantasy game from the '90s? It's a linear, story-driven tactics game with RPG trappings. And when you swap out the battle system for DMC-style action, while dialling down the RPG elements further?
Not saying we need to reclassify Final Fantasy or other RPGs all of a sudden! Genre labels like "RPG" mean something, and most people understand what they mean. I just think it's interesting how definitions drift over time.
Re: The PlayStation 3 Just Got A New System Software Update
@gojiguy My PS3 hard crashes when I click the wrong options in the store.
I'm getting this update, as it can't possibly make things worse, right?
...er, right?
Re: Doom Designer John Romero and Mabel Addis To Be Recognized At GDCA 2023
I had never heard of Mabel Addis until now, but it's fascinating to see some of her work now, and to think just how long ago it was that gaming pioneers like her came up with certain designs and concepts.
In general, gaming in the '60s is a mysterious subject that I don't know or hear much about.
Re: Random: The Story Behind Ico's "Terrible" North American Box Art
So this is technically the original box art! That changes things.
It would be inexcusable if, like so many other games, the Japanese box art already existed, but was thrown out in favour of something supposedly more appealing to western audiences.
Re: The Tale of Rare’s Unsung Virtuoso And Voice Of Perfect Dark, Eveline Novakovic
TIL that Eveline Novakovic composed some of the original DKC's best* tracks! I knew about DKC3 (and Griffey's Winning Run) already, but not that she'd worked on the first DKC as well. Nor about Kameo's sound design.
And I agree, definitely an underappreciated composer- which is all too common among Rare musicians not named Grant or Dave.
*in my opinion, of course
Re: Random: Forget The Tetris Movie, These Japanese Tetris Illustrations Tell The Real Story
It's great to finally see the true story of Alexey Pajitnov coming to light!
Re: Poll: Is Metroid Prime The Best 2D To 3D Transition Of Any Game Series, Ever?
@Serpenterror Iguana actually stayed around for several years (under the name Acclaim Studios Austin) after Retro Studios was founded. While Retro was working on Metroid Prime, Iguana released Turok 3 (2000), Turok Evolution (2002), and Vexx (2003), as well as several sports titles.
But yeah, Retro was largely made up of former Iguana staff, like you said, and more ex-Iguana guys moved over to Retro and worked on the Prime series when Acclaim went bankrupt.
It's interesting to follow a game's DNA, and see the expertise and influences that the various members of the team brought to the table!
Re: Talking Point: Where Do You Stand On "Ethical Emulation"?
@sdelfin Yeah, this stuff was too common, especially in the past. First examples I can think of are Mega Man Anniversary Collection on GameCube (button mapping is backwards) and Ufouria on the Wii(U) Virtual Console (music plays at the wrong speed, and sounds horribly out-of-tune).
You paid them for the game already, so what's it to them if you source a copy elsewhere to actually play it?
PS: Honourable mention to Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Collection, on Steam. Its emulation has some issues (despite some neat features, like mods and region-switching), but the ROMs are included in a folder for easy access. So you can buy the games there, but play them in another emulator. 100% legal by any standard!
Re: Talking Point: Where Do You Stand On "Ethical Emulation"?
@Thunderchi1d It's not unheard of for companies to download their own resources from third parties on the internet. As I recall, Rare couldn't use the original assets for Donkey Kong Country when porting to GBA, so they ripped the graphics from a ROM. Also, OSTs have used fanmade track titles (and possibly even downloaded audio rips, but that's harder to confirm). And countless classic re-releases have been advertised using clips and screenshots from gaming channels on YouTube. There are other cases, as well, but I can't think of them at the moment.
While it is within their rights to do all this, the way it's handled isn't always the most classy. Since Nintendo is so harsh towards anything they see as a threat to their bottom line, it seems especially distasteful and hypocritical for them to silently take advantage of the very service they hate.
Re: New Mario 64 Project Pushes N64 Hardware With Stunning Results
@ParadoxFawkes It really does run on a real N64, as Kaze briefly demonstrates.
About textures, the N64 is notorious for its poor texture quality, so getting good results out of it isn't easy. Any one texture can only be 4 KB in size (as opposed to a typical photo from a phone or camera, which is at least 4 MB, or 1024 times as large)!
A few studios back in the day had some kind of workaround involving reading uncompressed textures straight off the cartridge, but putting high-res textures in that way would quickly balloon the ROM size beyond what a cartridge could hold, not to mention that it would slow the N64 to a crawl.
Re: Talking Point: Where Do You Stand On "Ethical Emulation"?
"But, if people resort to sourcing a game online without paying for it, what incentive is there for publishers to make that game available legitimately?"
Fortunately, we've seen time and time again that people are willing to pay to legitimately own their games, even if illegal downloads are readily available.
Whether it's GOG, Virtual Console, mini consoles, compilation discs, etc., there have been (and still are) lots of ways to buy games that are also floating around on the internet for free- and most of these appear to be very financially successful.
It's encouraging to see (faith in humanity, and all that), and I hope game companies continue both re-releasing old games, as well as exploring pro-consumer approaches such as DRM-free stores.
Re: "They Just Didn't Offer Us The Project" - Why Streets Of Rage 3 Is The Black Sheep Of The Family
@Gamecuber It's even worse than that. If I remember correctly, they bumped the difficulty levels up by two, and then doubled the enemies' health on top of that. Or something along those lines.
Though the NA version has barely any penalty for spamming your special moves, so that makes up for it a little bit.
Rocket Knight Adventures by Konami was another one with a ridiculous difficulty upgrade, with NA Easy corresponding to JP Hard, as I recall. In that case, though, Easy still lets you play the whole game, and it feels like a well-balanced experience.
Re: "They Just Didn't Offer Us The Project" - Why Streets Of Rage 3 Is The Black Sheep Of The Family
@lacquerware Yeah, her criticisms were not at all the first things I'd think of. Pacing is annoyingly sluggish in the NA version specifically, thanks to the enemies' health bars all being multiplied, but the gameplay itself is the fastest (and I'd even say best) in the series.
For me, it's largely the presentation. Graphics are still great, as is some of the music (most of the better tracks ironically coming from the new guy, Kawashima), but both of these aspects lack the style and flair that really made SoR2 stand out.
Re: Random: Hyperkin Wants To Make The Sega Dreamcast 2
@-wc- I think Nintendo's Virtual Console/eShop was a great idea, and I'd love to see a Sega one- not just the usual collection of Genesis/MegaDrive titles, though, but also Dreamcast, Saturn, arcade systems like Model 3, etc.
Having to buy specific hardware would be a bit of a turn-off for me, though. Instead of paying for a pricey mini console that can handle Dreamcast games, I'd rather just buy them for PC/Xbox.
Re: Random: Hyperkin Wants To Make The Sega Dreamcast 2
The idea sounds exciting at first, but when I think about it, a Dreamcast 2 wouldn't really bring anything interesting to the table.
The whole appeal of it lies in the games, so Sega would need to step up and deliver a ton of Dreamcasty* titles on the new platform- but if they're able to do that, then why not just release them on PCs and existing consoles now?
*I'm mainly thinking sequels to dormant franchises like Jet Set Radio, but also some innovative new games, and of course, ports from Dreamcast, Atomiswave, and even more recent arcade games.
Re: Review: Forever Pak 64 - Fixing Your N64's Ticking Time Bomb
@carlos82 Fortunately, very few N64 games used battery-backed SRAM (apparently only a dozen or so), with the others all using non-volatile storage that will last a long time with light/reasonable usage. Unfortunately, the list of games with batteries includes some of the most popular ones, like Super Smash Bros. and Ocarina of Time.
Re: Poll: So, What's Your Favourite Controller Of All Time?
No love for the OG Xbox Controller S?
The black and white buttons are a poor substitute for shoulder bumpers, but the thing feels so good to hold- just the right amount of heft. (I guess the Xbone/Series do objectively edge it out in functionality.)
GameCube has probably the best analogue stick of any controller ever, and that button layout is brilliant, but it has too many flaws holding it back: not enough buttons, D-pad is too small, and the triggers feel a bit delicate and are sometimes prone to getting stuck.
Re: The Tragic Tale Of The 'PlayStation Phone' That Should Have Changed Everything
@NatiaAdamo Nor is a patient the same as a patent.
Re: Flashback: The Origin Of Rare's Iconic "Golden Toilet Roll" Logo
@Poodlestargenerica Bit of a difference between those two games, haha!
Nuts and Bolts is still worth playing, if you approach it as a sort of puzzle game that rewards experimentation and thinking outside the box. It does take a while to get good, admittedly, and it's not a real Banjo-Kazooie sequel, so it's important not to have false expectations.
A lot of Bad Fur Day fans hated Live and Reloaded... I can see why they dislike some of the changes, but I personally think some of the issues get blown out of proportion. It can't replace the original, but it's a visually gorgeous take on the original 1P game and its story.
Re: Atari's Revived VCS Has Flopped, And Now It Needs More Cash
@Serpenterror New throwback consoles like this are cool and nostalgic and all, but I agree that a focus on games makes more sense these days. There are so many major and mini consoles to choose from, and I'd rather just pick one or two platforms and buy games for it/them.
The much-desired "Dreamcast 2" is a similar one, where the idea sounds exciting, but when I think about it, we don't really need one. (Nothing stopping Sega from making a new Jet Set Radio, Sonic Adventure, or Space Channel 5 as a third party now, is there?)
Re: Flashback: The Origin Of Rare's Iconic "Golden Toilet Roll" Logo
@Poodlestargenerica It already happened!
The Conker remake (Live and Reloaded for Xbox) starts with the Rare logo turning into a toilet paper roll.
Re: Firefighting Game Blazing Rangers Now Available As NES ROM
@sdelfin It's always more interesting when a retro-styled game is running on the original tech like this. If it's using a modern engine like Unity, then it's no longer technically impressive- it's just a modern game with outdated graphics. (Not saying those can't also be a lot of fun!)
Re: Light Gun Fans Rejoice! Hacker Gets Wii Remote Working With Sega Dreamcast
@sdelfin But there was some 128-bit functionality somewhere in there, so that's naturally what marketing latched onto. Can't have the Dreamcast looking weaker than the 64-bit Nintendo 64!
Now that I think of it, wouldn't it be fun to see manufacturers still trying to use "bits" to advertise their modern consoles? I'd like to see what kind of math it'd take to come up with "1024-bit" branding.
Re: Is Wikipedia Really To Blame For Video Game Console Generations?
@SpriteCell I thought of this when reading the article as well! As an example, I distinctly remember Castlevania (64) being criticized for looking like a "first-generation" N64 game.
About Wikipedia, it's both interesting and concerning how a simple edit (whether unsourced or backed by a weak or unrelated source) can propagate so widely and shape the way people think of and discuss things!
Re: Is Wikipedia Really To Blame For Video Game Console Generations?
The generation system is flawed for sure, but it has its purpose. You could argue that more descriptive names would be better (e.g., "PS2 era"), but those are inevitably going to be flawed as well. (Is Perfect Dark from the PS2 era because of its release date, or is Sonic Adventure from the PS2 era because it's on Dreamcast? Or both, or neither?)
Like the article touches on, it's like human generations, where we try to group people into these different categories based on when they were born/raised, but it doesn't really hold up under scrutiny. What "generation" titles do, however, is offer a quick, simple way of referring to a general time in tech/culture/history.
Re: Poll: Which Old-School AV Connection Is Your Favourite?
Composite.
Used a mix of RF and composite back in the day. RF is a little too muddy and noisy, but composite is crisp enough for me-especially when it comes to 240p content, in which case it preserves the detail while still looking smooth.
From what I've seen of RGB at 240p, it tends to look too sharp, to the point of pixelation. (Not for me, thanks.) It'd be a better fit for newer 480p stuff.
Re: Valkie 64 Is A Promising, New Zelda-Like Adventure, Available Now On Steam
Nice! This is not at all subtle about its inspiration, but hey, there aren't really that many games like this out there right now.
I, for one, am glad to see indie games starting to embrace 3D, after a decade of Gorgeous Pixel Art™, and even the N64 style has its charms, especially in the lighting department. (Though in that regard, Valkie 64 is a strange hybrid that looks more like those N64-era CG renders that mixed in-game assets with fancy rendering tech.)
Re: Making Diddy Kong Racing Changed My Life
Great article! Always fun to hear some stories and learn some new tidbits of info about N64-era Rare.
And I still consider DKR to be one of the best kart racers ever made. Though while it remains fun even on an old N64, a couple of Gameshark codes to get 60fps + widescreen + music in multiplayer can really make it shine today!
Re: Making Diddy Kong Racing Changed My Life
@MeloMan Imagine the fatalities Timber could pull off in Mortal Kombat 9!
Oh, Mario Kart? I guess that'd be cool, too.
Re: Best Original Xbox Games - Celebrate The Console's 21st Birthday With These Classics
@AJB83 My mistake- I see it now. (Must've been too tired to see straight the first time.)
I missed out on Rallisport, unfortunately, as I only recently heard how good it was. I've just started watching for it at the used game stores.
And yeah, from what little I've seen (RS 1 or 2, I forget which), it was right up there with the best of the generation. It just goes to show that choosing 30fps doesn't really make the graphics better!
Re: Best Original Xbox Games - Celebrate The Console's 21st Birthday With These Classics
It's kind of ironic: the Xbox was the "cool" console back in the day, and the GameCube was dismissed by many.
These days, everyone's realizing how great the GameCube and its games were, and it's the Xbox that doesn't get much attention.
I feel like the Xbox is underappreciated by game enthusiasts now, with its games forgotten and its tech specs no longer relevant.
Re: Best Original Xbox Games - Celebrate The Console's 21st Birthday With These Classics
@AJB83 PGR2 and Forza ran at only 30fps (as did many of the games in this article, actually), but the original PGR was 60.
The Xbox still had quite a lot of good-looking 60fps games, including Ninja Gaiden, DoA3, Panzer Dragoon Orta, Gunvalkyrie, the entire Burnout series, etc. etc.
It's ridiculous how well some 20-year-old games hold up now, as long as you play them on a CRT or an emulator!