Evilhead

What's with Nintendo and releasing half-baked hardware all the time? They've done it with the Game Boy Advance line, the DS line, the Wii, and now the 3DS. I know they are just milking money out of everyone but doesn't that bother you guys at all? Can't they just release the hardware as they planned it in the first place rather than forcing you to constantly buy upgrades and new models to be able to play the latest games?

if a game starts becoming a chore rather than fun that's usually the point when I stop playing it completely. who gives a fuck about collecting all of the stars or getting a certain time in a race unless there's an actual reward or it's fun to do. collecting shit is so boring and I very rarely get 100% in most games. the closest I can think of is getting all of the medals for games in the wipeout series, but usually those goals are set to be just challenging enough to be intrinscally rewarding and help you to hone your skills. or maybe playing the fuck out of certain modes in DOA or Soul Caliber to unlock alternate costumes and characters, but it's still fun playing the game and at least you have some eye candy as a reward.

Try Faxanadu for NES. It's a similar game and quite good!

Yeah I hate all touch and motion controls. Give me fucking buttons. But then again, that's probably why I never play games released after 1994 or so these days and don't have an iPhone. Of the hundreds of DS games I've played, Wario Ware Touched and Point Blank DS are the only two that come to mind that I enjoyed using the touch controls for. Anything else I always used the classic controls whenever possible.

No I don't think that's a fair assumption considering how badly the 3DS is doing right now. Even with the price cut, I think it's anyone's game at this point.

Yeah the N64 vs PS1 debate, this is bringing me way back. But back on topic, an $80 price cut is pretty nice. I'm interested in the 3D hardware enough that I ALMOST bought one at the launch price, but was waiting until some more software comes out (or a flashcart, whichever came first). I didn't think a price drop would come so soon but it makes sense considering the poor sales and upcoming Vita and it makes me much more likely to buy one in the near future. Nintendo really did screw this one up though. If they would have launched the system with at least ONE killer first party app like a new Mario, F-Zero, or Zelda game and a $200 price tag, it might have been enough to get some players to pull themselves away from their DSs, but with that shitty launch what the hell were they thinking? It's like they didn't even care or think.

Why would you buy some ancient turn table that probably needs a cartridge replacement (which you will NEVER find) and plenty of mechanical wear when you can buy a brand new one for the same price? If he was saying $50 or less possibly but not for a hundred. Just buy one off of Amazon.

Been collecting a lot of older games these days. Over the past six months I've gotten a massive amount of CIB Japanese Sega Mark III games, CIB Sega SG-1000 games, and CIB Megadrive games. I check Japanese auction sites a lot and recently picked up this beauty for a mere $85 (with a bonus Genesis wireless controller and receiver): A SEGA-branded Wondermega. It was listed as untested junk on Yahoo Auctions Japan, but I took a chance and got it. Everything works perfectly, so that's quite a deal! No problem with the CD drive, mechanical door or anything. And other than a couple light scratches it's in great visual shape. Most systems I see go for MUCH more than than 80 bucks, even on Yahoo Auction. To put it in perspective, recently a complete boxed system went for $900 on eBay. $900. It's really a collector's item, and was my holy grail as far as Sega Megadrive hardware goes. Not only a collectors item, but the best possible way to enjoy Sega Megadrive and Mega CD games. The picture quality is amazing. The built in S-video blows away the composite output of the Megadrive model 1 and 2. There's no comparison. And the sound has to be heard to be believed, especially with the built-in audio enhancing effects (the "Game" setting is perfect). The extremely noisy model 2 is an embarrassment compared to this. I'm noticing graphical details and aspects of the audio that I've never experienced in the two decades I've played these games. It's like playing them for the first time. Plus it's got build-in MIDI I/O and karaoke controls I haven't even messed with yet. And the lights, oh the beautiful lights... It has to be one of the better looking game systems ever made, and the build quality is fantastic. Slightly bigger than I expected; it's a little bigger than a PS2 but not as tall. Recommended if you can find one!!

The BIOS files are only needed to play NeoGeo games. Otherwise each regular arcade ROM should be self-contained. Definitely go for a version of MAME with a UI, as it makes things a lot easier. There are some really slick looking front-ends as well, but they aren't really necessary. MAME can be a pain to set up at first (monitor settings, mapping controllers, etc) but once you get used to it, it's great. I never use console emulation any more because I always prefer playing on the original hardware, but unless you are some kind of fanatic collector who drops thousands on obscure arcade boards there's no practical way other than MAME that you'd get a chance to play some of these games. Eventually I'll get around to building a MAME cabinet for my house. This guy has some great designs. I'd love a WeeCade or NanoCade. http://www.koenigs.dk/mame/eng/index.htm

E3 is actually pretty easy to get into or used to be. I went a couple years because my friend used to work at some little game shop in Torrance. We scanned one of his old pay stubs, changed the dates/names, and faxed it in with a business card from the shop (it was the cheesiest looking thing ever, just a word document with PAY STUB, a few numbers and an address). BAM, E3 passes! Got in the following year easily as well. I usually went for a day or two, then we gave our passes to some friends so they could check it out as well. A gamers dream really, as you get to try out some stuff that eventually gets canned. Seeing the new products before they come out is nice, but seeing/playing stuff that NEVER comes out and later becomes a blip in video game history is really where it's at in my opinion!

I should probably do that more than I do. As soon as I want something I'll think about it until a buy it. But in some cases once I get it I barely use it at all. This time maybe I'll wait for a month and see if I still want the thing. I've go so many games as it is...

Never played it but everyone says it is great so I thought it would be a good chance. I never owned a N64 or any of the later Nintendo consoles and I figure they will port a lot of the good games from that era to the 3DS eventually.

Hmm... Sounds pretty good! I'll probably pick later this month. Once I want something I always end up buying it anyway.

I've been doing well, thank you! What I meant was if the 3D effects became less noticeable and impressive after owning the system for a while. I mean, playing it in the store I had that "wow, cool!" feeling I haven't had with a gaming system that I haven't had since I first played Wipeout in store displays during the PS1 launch. The 3D effect is pretty amazing to me. But I have a feeling that after having the system for a couple months the 3D effects would become less important aside from the few games that use them well (I'm expecting the first party games to nail it of course), so I wanted some opinions from those who have the system. I'm tempted just to impulse buy the thing since I know I'll get one eventually, but I've been buying tons of Megadrive and Master System games these days which are keeping me busy.

Long time no see people. I had totally been ignoring the 3DS due to my long streak of retro gaming these days until I picked up and played some demo units at a game store the other day. DOA seemed pretty nice and I want it. I really like the 3D effects, even though it's pretty much a big gimmick I think it was done pretty well and now I want one. For those of you that own the system, are the 3D effects something you just get used to and ignore after a few hours of playing a particular game, or is it always that involving? Should I just stick to my Master System and 3D glasses or take the plunge? I'm OK with the sparse launch titles. I was just going to pick up DOA and Street Fighter and wait until something better comes out. But for $50 more I could pick up a PS3 instead. Hmm...

The Holy Mountain. Guaranteed to be the weirdest yet most stunning movie you've ever seen.

Possibly but the NES and Famicom carts are quite different physically. Famicom carts are a lot like Megadrive/Genesis carts in size and thickness. Much cooler IMO, but not sure if they'd fit in an US/Euro NES 2. The Famicom 2 is fantastic though... Basically exactly the same as the NES 2 but made for Famicom carts. It's a bit pricy but worth it in my opinion... Some classic games like Castlevania can be rediculously expensive but I've gathered a very nice Famicom collection over the past few years. Japanese used game shops will make any true gamer weep with joy at their insane completeness. You can go in one and expect pretty much ANY obscure system or game to be sitting on a shelf or in a pile somewhere.

That is WAAAAAY overpriced. I bought an old version of the Famicom for $3 a while ago. BUT if you are going to be spending that much money DEFINITELY get the new Famicom version. The picture quality is a thousand times better and it uses the standard RCA jacks. Plus the controllers are better and you can plug any NES controller into the ports, unlike the old Famicom where the controllers are hardwired into the system. I'd recommend NOT getting this. It's a total ripoff and the included games are crap aside from Mario 1. Everything else can be bought for $.50~$2 each.

Sidebar noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I haven't had any personal experience with the DSi, so I can't say for sure, but it might be worth it for the upgraded controls. The DS is my favorite game system to come out since the PS2, but the DS lite has very cheap and crappy controls. Way worse then even the original DS and PSP. Awful d-pad and buttons, OK shoulder buttons, and the worst standard start/select buttons I've EVER used in over 20 years of gaming. The DSi seems to fix these problems, so if you are planning to use your DS a lot (I've used mine for many hundreds of hours personally), 40 bucks might be worth it for the control upgrades alone. Think of the bigger screen and other extras as just gravy.

Very cool! Would like to see these in person.

I wish they'd go back to the clicky buttons of the original DS. That's the one thing it had going for it. The DS lite's buttons and d-pad are okay but feel cheap and are too squishy.

Have you actually ever read the comics? Yeah, after about book 15 or so it's pretty much just huge battles and leading up to those battles, but the first 12 or so books are really good tale of adventure. Check out the first books sometime and you will probably be surprised by the content. As for the movie... meh...

Project Justice (2.5D fighter) Tech Romancer (3D Giant mecha battle) Bangai-O (unique 2D shooter) Puyo Puyo 4 (best version of a great puzzle game series) There are tons of others, especially if you like fighters or shooters. Dreamcast also emulates NES and other older systems quite well.

Sounds like he just moved on. Honestly this site has a lot of drama and bullshit (as most large sites do, especially those related to a creative field) and I could see as a judge/heavily involved person in this site it can wear you out, especially when you are as nice and thoughtful as he was. Plus the sheer amount of time required to be an active judge seems like it would cut into his work IRL and it sounds like he's pretty busy at the studio. We should be happy he's doing something related to music that keeps him occupied and supports his livelihood. The reason for his absolute dissapearance could be because of a few things. First I've noticed that people who make a big deal over their "farewell" always come back at some point. ALWAYS. They still have an attachment somewhere that they are forcing themselves to give up for some reason or another. Think of all the posters on this forum who actually are gone, who NEVER come back, and think about how many of those people made good-bye threads. Almost none in my recollection. They just stop posting, because they've already moved on. Another reason he didn't say good-bye to everyone might be because he knew that there would be a huge amount of people begging him to stay. I mean, look at this thread! He really is a nice and talented guy, so having to tell people, "No, I really need to move on" would probably be pretty hard for him. Obviously he's doing something else now, so give up the searches and let him be. If he wants to come by some time and say hi, he will do so on his own terms. Otherwise, just be happy that you got to know one of the cooler contributers to this site and hope he's doing well!