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Sega CD is my Favorite System
Posted on April 12th, 2011 by JMT.
Categories: Articles.
The Sega CD is my favorite system of all time.
Many of my favorite games are on that system.
I’m not into RPGs at all, so our favorite game lists may not coincide, but the Sega CD is good for all genras.
And all of these are Sega CD exclusives as well:
My favorite driving game: Batman Returns CD (driving levels).
My favorite flying game (other than X-Wing series): AH-3 Thunderstrike
My favorite fighting game: Eternal Champions Challenge From The Dark Side
My favorite platform game (other than Sonic/Mario): Earthworm Jim Special Edition
Not to mention an awesome array of shooters, again Sega CD exclusives
Android Assualt - could litterly be one of the best shooters ever, alongside the likes of Einhander
Silpheed
Robo Aleste
Soul Star
Keio Flying Squadron
(And you probably already have the orignal version of Lords Of Thunder, but still worth mentioning here)
And some more awesome Sega CD exclusives:
Adventures of Batman & Robin (driving/shooting plus exclusive batman animation)
Sonic CD
Terminator (platform shooter)
Road Rash CD (a unique 16-bit port of the 32-bit road rash incarnation, surprisingly the only version to include the music during the races, neither the 3DO nor Playstation versions have it!)
And I may be in the minority in the world, but I love a good FMV shooter. Visually pleasing, simple blastathon action.
Microcosm
Cobra Command
Ground Zero Texas
Road Avenger
And there’s plenty more where that came from.
I also have collected most of the new release Sega CD games (Bug Blasters, Star Strike, Battle Frenzy, Burning Fist, Citizen X). I’d recommend Bug Blasters if you’re into FMV shooters.
And also check out the imports. I’m probably the last lucky soul alive to get one of the MultiBios chips. I have:
Devastator
Dynamic Country Club Golf
Night Striker
Ranma 1/2 Byakuran Aika
Sengoku Densho
Urusei Yatsura: Dear My Friends
Yumimi Mix
Of these, I think Devastator is probably the most interesting. It’s very unique and grows on you, very old-school platform shooter action, but with graphics touches that feel kind of TGCD. And Sengoku Densho is also really interesting and unque wild dimension hopping samurai beatemup shape changing action. In another league compared to the terrible SNES port. My Sengoku Densho is for sale though since I picked up the Neo Geo version.
32X Rant
Posted on November 16th, 2010 by JMT.
Categories: Articles.
DOOM, the months I stared at the amazing graphics in Game Informer and on the erotic 32x commercials on TV, having to wait until Christmas to finally get to play my first 1st person shooter ever, when my computer wasn’t powerful enough to play any of them (16mhz 386 SX).
The hours I’d spend roaming every hall in each level trying to make sure I’d found every secret possible before hitting the exit.
That was definitely the highest point.
Despite Knuckles Chaotix being the traditional “yeah it’s the sonic (sorta not really) game unique to the 32X” it’s not by any means great or a system defining moment.
Then there was Virtua Racing, which despite having already rented for the Genesis (never buy though, whopping 80$ list price), was crystal smooth on the 32X, great sound, and two new tracks and split screen with no slowdown.
Star Wars Arcade was technically the game that propelled the 32X through the holiday season to keep it on the tails of DKC. Good thing nobody had played it before they bought it though. Having been an ace at X-Wing and worked through all the missions and training and everything, I was expecting an X-Wing quality flight sim, and instead I got to pilot the Hindenburg; and after listening to the real music on the Sega CD Rebel Assault, I wonder what hamster died in my speakers with the 8-bit beeps emulating star wars music coming out of that thing.
But it was still Star Wars and therefore I played the heck out of it. I can beat that darn Super Star Destroyer level in one shot every time now. The last level in the 32X mode is totally awesome though if you have the patience to get there and the stupid thing doesn’t crash halfway through.
But we really got our treat a few months later when Virtual Fighter came out and that was my first 3D fighter ever and it was amazing, and on top of that it was actually BETTER than the Saturn version. Bullocks to the Saturn, after I use my grades to get me a 32X and 3 games for x-mas, then they go and released the bloody SATURN on me? Oh no you di-n’t. Sure that demo of Panzer Dragoon was freakin’ amazing but when the HECK was my virtua-hamster and Alien vs. Predator going to show up for my 32X? It’s been listed on the Funco price list since BEFORE THE SYSTEM WAS RELEASED but not in stock yet, oh well we unlocked that grey metal dude and worked for days trying every button combo so we could list out all his special moves. The blue ninja dude with the flying head butt is my favorite, followed by the chinese girl with the spin crescent kick.
Well Virtua-Hamster and Alien Vs. Predator still weren’t showing up at Funco so I rented the other games that didn’t seem worth 60$ to buy to me, like space harrier and afterburner. Fun though, but I just wanted more for 60$ for my new system. I’d been ooing over the graphics on that mech game from the Jaguar, like Iron Soldier or something and Metal Head sure looked a lot like that from the box art. Play wasn’t bad, though the animation got real choppy if you were running and tried turning. But that level where you go into a building was pretty cool. But there was only like 5 levels and I swear to god there is no actual way to complete the last level. The game felt kinda incomplete, more like a tech demo.
So where are we at so far. Doom & VF definitely proud owners of 32X. VR and Star Wars worthwhile additions, some fun renters.
Finally the rest star rolling out. Never quite figured out what to do with Star Fleet academy. Dogfights were fun until you realized you can put the ship into reverse and torpedo the heck out of anyone without getting hit. Primal Rage and T-Mek I got for my birthday. Primal Rage was darned fun. I don’t care if it’s a bad engine, at least they admit to cheese when you perform it, and the gore, fun dino special moves, and actually getting to eat your followers was pretty darn fun. T-Mek was initially rather disappointing due to the fact that it was all 2D sprites and I was hoping for actual 3D. But I made fun out of it and eventually beat it.
Virtua Hamster and Alien Vs. Predator STILL not in at Funco WTF the used price in the price list was actually going down. Rented Shadow Squadron, that was actually fun, though short. Eventually bought Motocross after renting it, as it was one of the funnest arcade-style dirtbike racing games I ever played. It still is. I got it for like 20$ at Planet Games (RIP), which was a good price for that arcade style. Afterburner and space harrier should have debuted in that range.
In the mean time, the Sega CD was still really the strong point. Adv. Batman & Robin, Eternal Champions CD, Road Rash CD, BC Racers, SoulStar, EWJ-CD, those late-release games were and still are some great games of the whole era.
I KNEW that a 32x-CD combo game should be able to give me something equivalent to that amazing Panzer Dragoon stuff on the evil Saturn, (which soon was replaced by arch nemesis Playstation which managed to oust Sega anything from all the stores in a matter of months). But all we kept getting were remakes of Sega CD games, and all FMV games at that. I got Corpse Killer and despite everyone saying it should work with the justifier, it DIDN’T but I used the control pad anyway. A while later after I’d already beat it, I finally did acquire a Menacer, and it was actually more fun with the control pad. The Menacer has this follow-cursor thing, but it has so much lag that it’s impossible to actually target and shoot with it, because the shots actually fall on the slow-lagging cursor. It was GREAT for T2: Arcade though. Those built in 6-in-1 games though were too easy for too many levels though, they really need to make an option to let you start at level 20 or something.
So, I’d say Doom, VF, Virtua Racing, Star Wars, Motocross, Space Harrier, that’s the worth owning a 32X for list. Once you got the 32X, you’ll get enjoyment out of Shadow Squadron, Afterburner, Zaxxon/Parasquad, Primal Rage, Knuckles Chaotix, and BC racers unless you have the Sega CD version. Though you get 2P and better graphics in 32x, but you get better music and animated cutscenes in CD version. I didn’t own Zaxxon or Night Trap or Knuckles until post reinterest period, so I didn’t mention those earlier.
Darxide seriously if it was only a 5$ game I still wouldn’t own it, it’s rather boring and flat, despite proving that yes the 32X/CD combo could have provided stuff as good as the Saturn given the chance.
I also enjoy the Cosmic Carnage a bit, the hitting off people’s armor and the auto-zoom in (when even the Sega ports of Samurai Shodown still didn’t support it). Kolibri I’m not sure on yet. 36 Great Holes is a pretty fun golf game, though the putting system needs some work. Though arcade style golf has just been surpassed since I picked up Waialai on the N64 for 1$ and that is really good. Zaxxon is hard as nails but has a really interesting twist never done again, where you can take over enemy craft by humping them, and then you can gain much better firepower. Some horizontal 2D shooters have had similar ideas (blazeon, SNES; Gairies, Genesis), but nothing quite so effective.
And then that side article in Game Informer came one day mentioning, where is that Virtua Hamster? And they said it wasn’t coming. DAMN. I bet alien vs. predator wasn’t coming either.
And then Game Informer stated that this issue would be the last issue to include 16-bit, Genesis, CD, 32X, anything. And that was the last issue I ever got. And console video gaming died. I got a new PC to prepare for college. This PC could play Tie Fighter and Dark Forces. The era of PC gaming began. If Sega had just supported the 32X/CD, instead of confusing the market with both the 32X and Saturn, they could have completed against the evil playstation. Instead now we’re stuck with that horrible piece of junk playstation controller design for the rest of our lives.
How To Fix Master System 3D Glasses
Posted on February 7th, 2010 by JMT.
Categories: Articles.
What a deal!
I was at half price and noticed they had some master system games, and thought to myself, hmm, I wonder if they got a console traded in. But didn’t think too much of it (I already have a powerbase converter).
When I was looking through the display case of systems, I noticed in fact there was a master system at the top. 25$, not bad, but not cheap enough to buy to resell. But I kept reading on. “Complete, with power, A/V, 1 Controller, and ***3D GLASSES***” [emphasis added]. I was like no way. I’ve had the 3D glasses on my want list for years and still haven’t managed to find one (well excluding e-bay).
Actually I’m rather disappointed, I just looked on e-bay and despite its incredible rarity in the physical world, it doesn’t seem to command that high of price on e-bay. But 25$ is still a good price just for the glasses, plus I got a master system too.
The power supply that came with it was a radio shack replacement that actually is the wrong polarity so it won’t work, but I’m just gonna cross the wires to reverse the polarity.
Ok On with the show. When I tried out the glasses, only the right shutter was working; the left shutter remained open.
First I thought it was the glasses that were broke, since there was a crack in the plastic. To test that out, I pulled out my ASUS 3-D glasses from my ASUS V3800 video card (GeForce (1) 32mb card with video capture, video out, and 3D glasses. I still use this video card because they don’t made cards with 3D glasses anymore, and it plays all the good stuff (Jedi Knight, X-Wing, etc) just fine).
Those glasses are the same stereo mini-plug, so it should work with the master system too. Well it has the same issue, so I figured it must be the adapter.
So I opened up the adapter, and sure enough the 3rd prong on the stereo connecter was popped up, so it wouldn’t make contact with the plug.
I took a toothpick and pushed it back in and bent it over tight. I tried it again, and it actually still didn’t work. But I fiddled with the plug some and got it to work!
Then I pushed the pin down a bit more to tighten it up better, so it would have more solid contact with the plug. And then it worked a lot better. If you fiddle with the plug you can get it to lose the left eye, but generally it holds both signals perfectly now.
So the moral is that if you have 3D glasses that don’t work, try just fiddling with the plug. If you press to the right or left you might get it to kick back in. Otherwise, open it up and check that connect. It’s an easy fix and doesn’t even require soldering.
I bet half those “parts lot” 3D Glasses auctions on e-bay could be fixed this way.
And for anyone out there who was wondering if this “gimmick” is worth bothering with, the answer is a definitive YES. The 3D effect is rather amazing. It’ll hurt your eyes after a while because it forces cross-eyed rather than look-through. But the effect is great. Way better than Virtual Boy which was released 10 years later. (Though I still love VB too).
Here’s a picture showing the stereo connector inside the adapter. You can see the 3 metal rings that supply (from bottom to top) ground, right shutter, left shutter.
Genesis and SNES Controller aside
Posted on January 27th, 2010 by JMT.
Categories: Articles.
(Note: I was an Atari fanboy first with the 2600, then an Nintendo fanboy second with the NES, and I always wanted a SNES but I got a good deal on a Genesis from someone at school and never got one until 7 years ago, and I even own an N64 now. But I fell in love with Sega actually due to the Sega CD, which I think housed some of the best games ever made).
The Genesis came out in 1988, the SNES in 1990, and the Sega CD in 1991, which added scaling and rotation. I technically don’t think its unreasonable to consider a Genesis+CD unit as in competition with the SNES for basically all but the first year of the SNES life. But I didn’t directly compare any SNES to CD stuff here, but there’s a couple multi-ports listed.
The Genesis 6-button controller (And its successor, the japanese Saturn controller), was and is the best controller ever for arcade style games. It can be flat-out painful to play hardcore shooters and fighters on any other style of controller. So I tend to give an edge to games on Sega systems just due to the superior controllers.
Painful for fighters because having to use shoulder buttons or triggers for quick-moves is terrible.
Painful for shooters because the still D-pads on other system’s controllers strain your thumb too much (specifically Playstation controllers, where the D-Pad is like moving a brick), and using the analog thumb stick instead on a PS2 controller still makes your thumb numb after bout 10 minutes.
Argh I digress onto the control pads again. One thing I am biased about is control pads. It just blargs me off to no end that because Sony won the console wars that we’re stuck with that terrible controller style forever now (or something even worse like the Wii-Mote).
Genesis and SNES variations of the same games
Posted on January 26th, 2010 by JMT.
Categories: Articles.
These lists are based on original lists by user SonicMegaDrive on neogaf.com. I did additional research to fill in some missing info and add some additional lists.
The main inspiration for creating/finding these lists was because I already knew that a lot of games were ported to multiple platforms, and there is always the question of which port should you get.
As a Sega fan, of course I give the edge to the Sega system, all other things being equal.
What threw a wrench in the gear was discovering that some ports of the same game are actually completely differnt games! In some cases one is better than the other, and you might have missed out on the superior SNES version, having though owning the Genesis version was sufficient (or vice versa). In other cases, both versions are good, but are such completely different games, that it is worth owning both, not just one or the other.
If you let the Sega and Nintendo fanboys duke it out, it all turns into “all X ports are shitty”. But from a slightly less biased point of view, I can make the following generalizations:
Genesis generally had better shooters and sports games.
SNES generally had better platformers and RPGs.
Genesis was faster, so gameplay and response was generally better
SNES had better graphics and sound, so it usually looked and sounded better
==================================================
Games with similar ports on both SNES and Genesis:
==================================================
3 Ninjas Kick Back
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
Addams Family, The
Adventures of Mighty Max, The
Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle and Friends, The
Aero the Acro-Bat
Aero the Acro-Bat 2
Aerobiz
Aerobiz: Supersonic
American Gladiators
Andre Agassi Tennis
Art of Fighting
B.O.B.
Ballz 3-D
Barkley: Shut Up and Jam!
Bass Masters Classic
Bass Masters Classic: Pro Edition
Batman Forever
Battletoads/Double Dragon
Best of the Best Championship Karate
Bill Walsh College Football
Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure
Boxing: Legends of the Ring
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Brett Hull Hockey ‘95
Brutal: Paws of Fury
Bubsy II
Bubsy: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind
Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs
Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball
Captain America and the Avengers
Champions World Class Soccer
Championship Pool
Chavez II
Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool
Chester Cheetah: Wild Wild Quest
Chuck Rock
Clay Fighter
Cliffhanger
Clue
College Football USA ‘97: The Road to New Orleans
College Slam
Cool Spot
Cutthroat Island
David Crane’s Amazing Tennis
Death and Return of Superman, The
Demolition Man
Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf
Doom Troopers: The Mutant Chronicles
Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim 2
ESPN Baseball Tonight
ESPN National Hockey Night
ESPN Speedworld
ESPN Sunday Night NFL
Family Feud
Fatal Fury
Fatal Fury 2
FIFA International Soccer
FIFA Soccer ‘96
Flashback: The Quest for Identity
Flintstones, The
Foreman For Real Boxing
Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball
Frogger
Fun ‘n Games
Gemfire
Genghis Khan 2: Clan of the Gray Wolf
George Foreman’s KO Boxing
Gods
Great Circus Mystery starring Mickey & Minnie, The
Great Waldo Search, The
Head-On Soccer
Hit The Ice
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Hook
Incredible Crash Dummies, The
Incredible Hulk, The
Izzy’s Quest for the Olympic Rings
Jammit
Jeopardy!
Jeopardy! Deluxe Edition
Jeopardy! Sports Edition
Joe & Mac
John Madden Football
John Madden Football ‘93
Judge Dredd
Jungle Strike: The Sequel to Desert Strike
Justice League Task Force
Kawasaki Superbike Challenge
King of the Monsters
King of the Monsters 2
Last Action Hero
Lawnmower Man, The
Lemmings
Lemmings 2: The Tribes
Lethal Enforcers
Liberty or Death
Lion King, The (Disney’s)
Lost Vikings, The
Madden NFL ‘94
Madden NFL ‘95
Madden NFL ‘96
Madden NFL ‘97
Madden NFL ‘98
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Math Blaster Episode 1
Mickey Mania: Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse
Mickey’s Ultimate Challenge
Micro Machines
Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament
Miracle Piano Teaching System, The
MLBPA Baseball
Monopoly
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat II
Ms. Pac-Man
NBA All-Star Challenge
NBA Hang Time
NBA Jam
NBA Jam Tournament Edition
NBA Live ‘95
NBA Live ‘96
NBA Live ‘97
NBA Live ‘98
NCAA Final Four Basketball
NCAA Football
Newman Haas IndyCar featuring Nigel Mansell
NFL Quarterback Club
NFL Quarterback Club ‘96
NHL ‘94
NHL ‘95
NHL ‘96
NHL ‘97
NHL ‘98
NHLPA Hockey ‘93
Nigel Mansell’s World Championship Racing
No Escape
Nobunaga’s Ambition
Operation Europe: Path to Victory 1939-45
Out of this World
Outlander
Pac-Attack
Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
Pagemaster, The
PGA Tour ‘96
PGA Tour Golf
Phantom 2040
Pink Goes to Hollywood
Pinocchio
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure
Pit-Fighter
Populous
Primal Rage
Prince of Persia
Pro Quarterback
PTO: Pacific Theater of Operations
Race Drivin’
Radical Rex
Raiden Trad
Rampart
Revolution X featuring Aerosmith
RoboCop 3
Rock ‘n Roll Racing
Roger Clemens’ MVP Baseball
Romance of the Three Kingdoms II
Romance of the Three Kingdoms III
Samurai Shodown
Saturday Night Slam Masters
SeaQuest DSV
Shanghai II: Dragon’s Eye
Shaq-Fu
Side Pocket
Simpsons, The: Bart’s Nightmare
Simpsons, The: Krusty’s Super Funhouse
Simpsons, The: Virtual Bart
Soldiers of Fortune
Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage
Spider-Man/Venom: Separation Anxiety
Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade’s Revenge
Star Trek Deep Space Nine: Crossroads of Time
Stargate
Steel Talons
Street Figher
Sunset Riders
Super Baseball 2020
Super Battleship
Super Battletank: War in the Gulf
Super High Impact
Super Off-Road
Super Smash TV
Super Street Fighter II
Syndicate
T2: The Arcade Game
Tecmo Super Baseball
Tecmo Super Bowl
Tecmo Super Bowl II: Special Edition
Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition
Tecmo Super NBA Basketball
Test Drive II: The Duel
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
Tick, The
TNN Bass Tournament of Champions
Top Gear 2
Toy Story (Disney’s)
Toys
Troy Aikman NFL Football
True Lies
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Uncharted Waters
Uncharted Waters: New Horizons
Urban Strike: The Sequel to Jungle Strike
Warlock
WarpSpeed
Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars
Wayne’s World
WeaponLord
We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Tale
Wheel of Fortune
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?
Williams Arcade’s Greatest Hits
Wolfchild
Wolverine: Adamantium Rage
World Cup USA ‘94
World Heroes
WWF Raw
WWF Royal Rumble
WWF Super Wrestlemania
WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game
Y’s III: Wanderers From Y’s
Zero: The Kamikaze Squirrel
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension
Zoop
==================================================
Games on SNES and Sega CD/32X:
==================================================
AD&D: Eye of the Beholder
Blackthorne
Doom
Fatal Fury Special
Final Fight
Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV
SimEarth: The Living Planet
Star Trek Starfleet Academy
Wing Commander
==================================================
Games that were on both the NES and Genesis:
==================================================
Bart vs the Space Mutants
Batman: Revenge of the Joker
Battletoads
Battletoads/Double Dragon
Championship Pro-Am
Double Dragon
Micro Machines
Ms. Pac-Man
Pac-Mania
Paperboy
Pirates!
==================================================
Games that are similar, but have some differences:
==================================================
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (SNES)
& Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Hyperstone Heist (Genesis)
Thunder Spirits (SNES)
& Thunder Force III (Genesis)
Street Fighter II Turbo (SNES)
& Street Fighter II’: Special Champion Edition (Genesis)
==================================================
Games that are completely different on each platform:
==================================================
Adventures of Batman & Robin, The (SNES, Genesis, SMS, Sega CD)
Aladdin
Alien 3
Animaniacs
Batman Returns
Beavis & Butthead, MTV’s
Bonkers
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Sega CD)
Hardball III
Home Alone
Jungle Book
Jurassic Park (SNES, Genesis, Sega CD)
Mighty Morphin Power Ranges
Mighty MOrphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Ninja Warriors (SNES, Sega CD)
Paperboy 2
Pirates of Darkwater
Popful Mail (SNES, Sega CD)
Robocop vs. Terminator
Scooby-Doo Mystery
Shadowrun
Sparkster
Street Racer
Spider-Man
Taz Mania
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (NES, SNES, Genesis)
Terminator, The (Snes, Genesis, Sega CD)
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
==================================================
Games below had a significant advantage on one system:
==================================================
Alladin (Genesis)
Earthworm Jim (Genesis)
Mortal Kombat (Genesis)
Primal Rage (Genesis)
Raiden Trad (Genesis)
Rock ‘n’ Roll Racing (SNES)
Samurai Showdown (Genesis)
Sunset Riders (SNES)
Super Smash TV (SNES)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (SNES)
Full List of 6-Button Incompatible Games
Posted on December 8th, 2009 by JMT.
Categories: Articles.
I recently bought a fully boxed High Frequency 6-button controller at a thrift store, and was browsing the instruction pamplet, and was surprised to find a complete list of incompatible games. Well, it may not be 100% complete, but it contains 300% of all the games I already knew about anyway.
Mode Button Required Games:
Mortal Kombat
Arch Rivals
Exile
Forgotton Worlds
Golden Axe II
Ms. Pac-Man
(Which is funny because I just played Golden Axe II last week and didn’t have any issues).
What is really strange is that it provides a list of “not recommend” games:
“The following games are not recommended for play with the HIGH FREQUENCY 6-Button Control Pad”:
Air Driver
Double Dragon 2
Slime World
Aliens
Stormlord
Clue
Jordan Vs. Bird
Trouble Shooter
Decapattack
Pit-Fighter
John Madden Football(1)
Which is interesting for several reasons.
1. I’ve played Slime World and Trouble Shooter without any issues.
2. There is no such game “Aliens” on the Genesis, I assume they mean Alien 3.
3. Forgotton Worlds cannot be played on this controller, even in 3-button mode, but it’s not on the “not recommended” list.
My guess is that this is some comprehensive list of games with some specific input usage that’s incompatible with 6-button controllers. But your mileage may vary, depending on whether that particular feature gets triggered or not during normal gameplay.
Competition Pro Hilarious Fail & Fix
Posted on February 24th, 2009 by JMT.
Categories: Articles.
I’m going through all my “fail” controllers and accessories right now to see which ones I can repair and resell at the gaming convention. Most failures are simple. A little eraser or lube is all they need.
However, I have this one controller, a Competition Pro Series III by Honey Bee, No. SG-18
A couple D-Pad directions weren’t working right, so I cracked ‘er open. And to my surprise, look what I found:
*FAIL*!!!
They designed the D-Pad wrong initially. They made the PCB pads into a square-pattern instead of the proper diamond slot formation.
They obviously discovered their mistake, and designed that thin PCB overlay that fixes the problem. The PCB overlay has 5 solder vias to connect the new buttons to the old buttons.
Unfortunately, the solder joints holding the PCB overlay to the main board weren’t very strong. Probably bending of the PCB caused two of them to pop off.
To fix it I just hotwired the vias over to the PCB traces using short pieces of wire.
Works now. But I just think it’s funny to see a really bad FAIL for the original PCB layout, and a hack-job to fix it up before shipping the product.
Gameplay Style Trends (2D vs. 3D part II)
Posted on December 8th, 2008 by JMT.
Categories: Articles.
I think this debate hits on the definition of a video game. Or more properly, what do you want to get out of a video game? And there has been a large shift in what people want to get out of their video games over the last few decades, though it’s unclear if it’s driven by the gamers or the industry (for example, is top-40 music the top-40 because the majority of people independently chose that music as their favorite out of the full spectrum of available music, or is it the top-40 because that’s the only thing they play on the radio?)
In the 70’s/80’s, people generaly wanted the arcade experience. Gameplay that would be intense or difficult for a short period of time, but was fun or addictive enough to keep bringing you back for more. This was the era of gaming when you could just plug in a game, play it for 5 minutes, and then go do something else, having obtained a complete, fullfilling gaming experience within those 5 minutes. Some of those games were by definition repetitive. Most had only one level that just got more difficult with each wave. But the simple gameplay created the addictive style that makes many of those games still fun today. Sure I’m not going to spend hours playing them. But every once in a while, I still get a craving for 5 minutes of Kaboom, Breakout, Millipede, Jr. Pac-Man, BurgerTime, Moon Patrol, Joust, Dig-Dug, Tetris, etc.
In the 80’s/90’s, people generally wanted levels. They wanted games with a goal, and you had to go through stages to reach the goal. Platformers, RPGs, Shooters, all met this definition. They evolved to have more stages, more types of enemies, more types of spells/attacks, etc.
In the 90’s/00’s, people started wanted a cinema experience. They didn’t want to pop in a game for 5 minutes and have fun. That’s “old-skool” gaming. Modern games are more like interactive movies. Generally a 3rd person view so you can see the whole scene like a movie. Lots of story and cutscenes and orchestral music. Gameplay is more like following a movie script than addictive action.
The funny thing is that this style of gameplay that is popular now is really inherited from early 90’s FMV gaming. Even though most people make fun of the simple gameplay of FMV gaming, where the gameplay was locked on rails. But in reality, most of the new 3rd person games are just as much locked on rails. Left, right, up, down, moves you around the screen. Hit a button at the right time and a pre-scripted action takes place (talk to someone, hijack a car, whatever). Only difference is that instead of FMV, it’s 3D graphics.
Where does that leave platforming? Basically the best platform games of past had steady action balanced with deliberate movements, and were paced by relatively short levels. Now, you either get all action (hack’n’slash style), or all deliberate with long levels (RPG style). They just don’t make games anymore that use the gameplay mechanic of short levels with steady action.
Personally, I’ve never been a fan of any RPGs. I want my video games to be something I can have a fullfilling, fun experience in 5 to 30 minutes. Not something I have to invest 100 hours into, and do tedious tasks like get jobs, talk to people, and kill the same regenerating baddie 500 times to up my experience once level. So you can see why the styles of games that I prefer just aren’t being made anymore.
Also, I think that the best 2D platformers, the ones I consider excellent, weren’t as repetitive. They offered up something different every few levels to keep it interesting. For instance SMB3 had a very good variety of stages. That game is probably the epitome of 2D platforming. Also, EWJ mixed up a lot of weird and different levels, keeping it from getting too reptitive. And some games conjured up bonus levels to mix up the game a bit, like the different bonus levels in Sonic, or the 7-up bottle levels in cool spot. Even contra had the into-the-screen style and the side-scrolling style every other level. But Battletoads probably takes the cake with it’s insane collection of level ideas. It’s hard to even define that in a strict platform sense.
I do agree that some older game styles could be static or repetitive. Alone a beat-em-up can quickly get repetitive. However, I think that the beauty in beat-em-ups is the fun 2-player experience. Which is also something that’s generally lacking. In atari and NES days, nearly every game had 2-player options (and even if it wasn’t simultaneous, since the game lives and levels were short, trading-off was still fun). But even starting in the 16-bit days, I noticed 2-player starting to disappear from games that would have definitely benefited. Especially in shooters, though it’s likely they just couldn’t render 1 more sprite on-screen anymore. The beat-em-ups usually don’t rank as “exellent” on my list above. I only included SOR because the music is legendary, and TMNT2 for the aforementioned kick-ass 2-player experience.
But even with fighters, 3D or 2D, the quest to keep “improving” them is driving them into insanity. I liked the old days when you could memorize a list of 6 special moves and 3 combos and a fatality in an hour and then kick butt with the character. But nowadays between the list of 50 normal moves, counter moves, blocks, reflections, partner attacks, etc just overwhelms. It’s like the new-style shooters that just saturate the screen with stuff and bullets so you can’t tell what’s going on anymore. Sometimes “more” isn’t always “better”.
In response to assumptions that enjoying 2D games is entirely “nostalgia”, I say it’s my view that 2D (platform, shooter, driving, etc) is a completely different gameplay mechanic, and that it can provide a valid gaming experience different from 3D game styles. I enjoy 3D games. I just wish that the 2D styles could continue to live on home consoles, so we don’t have these kids questioning your virility for being able to find enjoyment out of a simpler game of yesterday.
At one point in my life, I even sold all my 2D games and only bought new games that had 3D in them. I was obsessed with 3D, because it was new. The genesis couldn’t do it, but the new systems could. I’d say even now I probably own more 3D games and play more 3D games than 2D games. It’s just that usually, once I finish a 3D game, I’m done with it. The graphics are greata nd the gameplay fun enough to play through. But rarely does it have that addictivity that makes me want to keep picking it up months later to play a little. However, the 2D games I have tend to have more addictive properties and more replayability. That’s why I tend to collect 2D more. They last in my collection longer, even after I complete them. While I enjoy playing though the fancy 3D games on my projector, but keep rotating in the next one once completed.
Of course the majority of the 3D games that I find to be the best are either driving or flying styles. A solid 3D engine can make these games extremely fun.
But even when it comes to driving games, where I prefer a good 3D engine, the fanboys still can’t let me be. If the gameplay is good, the gameplay is good and I still enjoy playing it. That means I still enjoy the first need for speeds on the PS1, and thunderstrike on the sega CD, X-wing and Tie Fighter on the PC, and even virtua racing. But some people will make fun of you for bothering to play yesterdays 3D driving game when the PS3s 3D driving games have such superior graphics and realistic physics. But to me, fun gameplay is fun gameplay, whether the physics are as realistic or the graphics as high-def.
2D vs. 3D Gameplay Mechanics and Graphics Style
Posted on December 6th, 2008 by JMT.
Categories: Articles.
There’s two key factors at play here.
1. Game mechanics
2. Graphic style
1. Game mechanics.
This is basically whether the gameplay itself is 2D or 3D. For instance, a 1st person shooter is simply only playable in 3D. And there have been some great 3D FPSes. Also, simulation games like flying and driving from a 1st/3rd person perspective have seen much improvement as 3D engines better match the more “realistic” gameplay.
However, just because every game *can* be 3D nowadays doesn’t mean that *should*. What developers don’t understand is that a 2D platform is just as valid of a gameplay mechanic as a 3D platform. But because the consoles can pump a trillion shaded textured polygons a second means we have to use that for every game, which means they only bother to make games based on 3D game mechanics.
There have been good 3D platformers. But there have been many more excellent 2D platformers. Platforming in 2D gameplay mechanic is still a worthwhile concept for a game. Developers just don’t seem to care.
Even though FPSes tend to work better in 3D, it doesn’t mean the 2D FPS (like NES Punisher or Cabal or T2) isn’t also a valid gameplay. And just like 2D platform is an entirely different gameplay mechanic and gameplay experience from 3D platform, so is 2D FPS from 3D FPS. But the developers don’t seem to understand that they are *different* gameplay styles that can coexist. They seem to think that 3D is purely an upgrade from 2D, and 2D is purely a downgrade from 3D, and therefor 3D is the successor and 2D is no longer necessary. But it’s not true, because they are entirely different styles of gameplay, and both have value.
The game engine used in the original 2D (faux 3D) road rash series is a completely different game engine than the full 3D incarnations. And again it is clear that they are simply different, and the 3D is not the successor with no turning back. This is evident in the fact that the fun factor of the gameplay on the original 2D versions is far superior to the game play on the 3D offerings.
And don’t forget that the 2D (spy hunter, micro machines) and ISO (R.C. Pro-Am, Rock’n'Roll Racing) gameplay mechanics for driving games are also completely different gameplay mechanics from the 3D driving games, and like the previously mentioned styles, have been completely abandoned these days. But again, the gameplay mechanic is unique. 3D driving is not an upgrade from 2D driving. It’s a completely different mechanic altogether. The 2D gameplay can still provide unique and fun game experiences.
And like the Playstation’s ignomonious D-Pad and button-layout, some specific gameplay mechanics that simply suck and have done more to destroy gaming than E.T. continue to be reused ad-nauseum. Basically I’m referring to the 3rd person platformer/shooter. After 13 years and thousands of games, nobody has yet managed to design a camera that doesn’t suck a full 34 feet. I’m pretty convinced by now that it’s near impossible. It can only be developers complete ignorance of other options for platformers gameplay mechanics that allows them to continue to churn out every new game to use a 3rd person view.
2. Graphic Style.
Ignoring gameplay for a second, there are basically two ways to make graphics. Sprites and texture mapped shaded polygons. It just so happens that 3D gameplay most easily fits with a polygon graphic engine, and 2D gameplay tends to be associated with sprite-based graphic engines.
Polygon-based graphic engines have several limits. For one, they abide by real-world physics and optical properties. But games aren’t real, and it’s not always necessary for the optical physics of a proper 3D environment to be emulated in a game. They also suffer from morphing. This is where the 2D textures are wrapped around 3D surfaces. Sure there’s a gazillion tricks to make it look more realistic. But there’s still no 3D engine that you can’t look at and instantly tell it’s 3D graphics. They also suffer from zooming. The texture is a fixed size, but since the world is often free-roaming, you can end up zooming in optically to objects beyond the resolution of the textures, resulting in blurry effects or jaggad features.
Sprite based graphics have different limits. These are mainly resolution and color, but also memory which limits how big the on-screen sprites can be. But the artist can draw anything (within the resolution and color limits) and animate it in any way they want. There’s no concession for having to model the shape or motion with polygons and physical models. It’s easier to aminate 3D movements using polygon graphics, but you can simulate any motion with 2D graphics just by creating a series of frames of animation. You can even make sprites photorealistic. And you don’t have to model the physical limits of a sprite with a polygon shape first.
Polygons are limited by the triangle filling power of the processor, which is why early attemps on the 1st gen 3D systems (saturn, 3DO, PS1) were awful to look at. Though I’ve always had a sweet spot for the simple un-textured polygons of the SegaCD/32x era.
Sprites are limited by the color palette of the graphics processor. Sure on the atari and 8-bit systems, we didn’t get much to look at, so gameplay took precedence. And that is why nearly all of the 2D gameplay styles (block-puzzle-clone, breakout-clone, mario-clone, commando-clone, gradius-clone, xevious-clone, contra-clone) were perfected during this era. And almost all of the key franchises that are still being reitereated today originated during that era. But by the time we got 16-bit systems with 100s (wow) of colors., we got some very nice looking sprite-based graphics.
What would 64-color sprites possibly give us that photorealistic lighted textures can’t? Color, and contrast! Low-color sprites tended to use brighter, bolder colors, and also used colors further separated from each other in the color spectrum. It made things moke more interesting and catchy to the eye. It provided more contrast and texture to the pixture, to see the harsher edges between colors and features. Sure 16-million are nice, but if it just means using 1000 shades of brown and grey in your 3D FPS, I don’t call that pretty eye-candy.
Even the SNES sometimes used it’s high color palette to its disadvantage. Take the Super Mario All-Stars for instance. The original block-based sprites of SMB on the NES had bright color and contrast. On the SNES SMB, all the blocks use the larger spectrum of colors to blend the colors on the blocks together. The reduction in texture and contrast makes the game feel more washed out, smooth, and less colorful.
That’s not to say that a high color palette can’t be good for a 2D game. For instance, some of the 2D fighters on the dreamcast used high-color count and still looked great, like Fatal Fury MotW or SFA.
I personally think that much of the ‘prettyness” of 2D sprite graphics peaked on the Saturn. They still used lots of color and contrast in the graphics on that system.
But some of the mid-color games still make exellent eye-candy today, such as the Sonic games on the Genesis, and many of the Genesis shooters, like Eliminate Down, Hellfire, and Musha.
But it doesn’t end there. Remember the graphcs style and gameplay mechanic are independent factors. What happens when you put 3D graphcs on a 2D gameplay? Well, if you like 2D gameplay, you get the gameplay you like. However, you’re stuck with the problems of 3D graphics, which is that you have to form the shape out of polygons first, and then wrap textures around it. It simply never will be as pretty as 2D. For instance, all the recent 3D versions of 2D shooters (raiden, darius, castle shikagami, r-type etc) just don’t have the detailed, colorful look of the old sprite-based versions. Sure you can create a bunch of cool effects with the new graphics engines. Volumetric rendering, transparency, light effects, etc. But all it really tends to do is clutter the screen so you can’t tell what’s smoke or lighting effect, and what’s an enemy bullet coming your way. Sometimes 2D game mechanics are easier and less confusing to play with sparser, simpler sprite-based graphics.
Now some will point out the plethora of really crappy 2D platforming games, and it’s true. After the success of Mario and Sonic, developers went 2D platformer mad and cranked out shitty game after shitty game. But it’s just the sheer quantity of 2D platformers that came out between 86 and 96 that means that there will of course be a large quantity of crap. But some of the most excellent platform games were also created during that time.
SMB, DDP, SMB3, StH1,2,3,K,CD, contra, contra 3, SOR, metal slug, earthworm jim, cool spot, comix zone, aladdin, castlevania, battletoads, TMNT2, ninja gaiden, DKC. There’s a lot of other very good ones, but these ones definitely top the excellent list.
And as you can see, they all are series that they continue to (and fail to) make attempts to create 3D platform games based off of. The 3D contra, EWJ, castlevania, and sonics are pretty universally reproved. Sure some 3D marios and NG games have been successful. But they are completely different gameplay animals from the original. They are similar only in name, and do not in any way provoke the same style of entertainment as the originals (not to say they don’t invoke a new style of entertainment, it’s just an unrelated style).
The 3D platform games we get these days tend to be either:
RPGs masquerading as platform-action games
- These are those platform games that pretend to be action-platform style, but really all the action is scripted by cutscenes. You perform one action like pick up a coin or find a lamp or kill an enemy, and advance through the sripted game engine. The new Wii Mario Galaxy is like this. Sure the gamplay engine is amazing. But the “action” is so scripted and too quest-like, that beneath the surface it still lacks something. Sure it’s good in its own right, but it’s not the same as having to go beginning to end stomping shrooms and dodging hopping turtles. Mindless, but addictive!
Hach’n’slash masquerading as platform-beat’em’up games
- These are the games that are completely mindless. You just mindlessly jam the attack buttons and wiggle the analog stick while you wait for the 3D engine to slowely animate your sword back and forth and fight through endless waves of regenerating baddies. Sure there were hack’n’slashers in the 2D days as well (and games like Super Smash TV were quite fun too). But it seems that the real genra of beat’em’ups which required more deliberate action, evasion, ans special moves (like SOR and final fight) has been completely supplanted by the hach’n’slash genra.
Of course there are more traditional 3D platform games, like SA on dreamcast, rayman 2, klonoa, pandemonium. But 20 years from now, people will still play SMB and StH 2D on their cell phone ocular implants. How many 3D games haven’t been lost in the quest for improved graphics? Seems that once the PS3/XB3/WII are out, the fanboys are ready to forget all the old shitty graphics of the PS2/XB/GC.
It is also true that there were few good 1st person shooter 2D games. Really, the only game that I rate as “excellent” is the NES punisher. Never a game has been made that quite matched the perfect “balance” of that game (kind of like no 3D FPS has recreated the perfect “balance” of the original doom). But T2 is darned fun anyway. And there’s a PAL-only game for Genesis called Bodycount that’s pretty cool, and it supports both the menacer and mega-mouse for 2P fun. But yeah, most of the ‘fun” ones were light-gun based. Like lethal enforcers, that’s quite fun. Oh, there was a PC game for Predator 2 in the 90’s that was 1st 2D shooter, and that was really cool, and used the mouse to point and shoot.
In the end, gameplay is really all that matters. Too often these days, due to the requirement of having cutting-edge graphics - as the fanboys will refuse to pay any attention to something with yesterdays look - gameplay comes in second, or third too often. (and by “fanboys”, I’m just using that to refer to the small selection of people like a couple of posts I saw on blog where they’re like “how can you actually enjoy playing a 2D game when there are 3D games now? You must be a geek who needs to get laid”. I mean those kind of people…).
DIY 32x-Gen Mixer Cable a Success!
Posted on May 15th, 2008 by JMT.
Categories: Articles.
Since I found another 32x cheap, but it was missing the 32x-gen adapter/mixer/pass-through cable, and it’s cheaper to just buy a complete system than the stand-alone cable (bizzare), I decided to try to make my own.
The do-it-yourself 32x cable:
I started with the genesis 1 to 32x adapter (just for convenience) since it has the same connections as the 32x and genesis 2 for plugging the adapter into.
I placed tape over the connector, and then poked holes with wire. Then I stripped the tips on 8 wires and then plugged in all 8 wires (only 8 of the 9 pins are used) into the holes. This ensures that the wires are at the correct spacing.
Then I took silicon and engulfed the end in about 1 inch of silicon, making sure to get it inbetween all the wires to securely hold them in place. The silicon will then form the mold to hold the pins in place, and by having them plugged in to the right connector, they will have the correct spacing/locations. It’s kind of like molding your own cable.
About 24 hours later, the silicon is dry, and I pull it out and take the tape off. I fiddle with the wires a bit to make sure they’re aligned right, and crimp the ends, etc. I also shaved the silicon so that it fits into the 32x hole (since the plug is recessed).
Then repeat for the other side. The tricky part is making sure you match the correct pins on each side. I just used a voltmeter to measure resistance across the pins to double-check. This one took 2 days to dry for some reason.
Then I plugged ‘er in, and it worked!
Click for full-sized images:
