InAnotherCastle

Now I'm hungry.

Yes. The prices for Nintendo exclusive games were never an issue. They always provide me with enough value.

Top 5 is too short a list to come up with a quick answer for. This requires some meditation and may lead to existential considerations such as who am I, and how have I been spending the time I've been given in life so far? That said Super Mario Odyssey has to be in the vicinity of a top 5. Possibly quite high on it

Mega Man 2, Castlevania 3 and maybe some Fire Emblem Thracia tomorrow.

@JayJ Yup. There's also a certain satisfaction knowing how or why a component failed and then ordering up a replacement rated for better longevity. These days there's even full replacement PCBs available for making homebrew - or very real and physical backups. I've been using some that support programmable ROMs to put a ROM hack or translated version of a game inside its original cartridge and then keeping the original in the cardboard box

@JayJ indeed! After reacquiring Zelda for the Gameboy a couple of years ago and getting the predictable battery issue, that's what got me interested in modding and repair of all the old consoles and cartridges. For me it didn't take long after discovering that this sort of stuff was possible before it just became an endlessly motivational project. And yeah, I'll bet most of the "it was sitting on a shelf when it stopped working" issues can be resolved somehow 😃

I can confirm that Voultars tips for restoring cartridges are all good. Just recently I started reflowing SMD chips on Gameboy games that are flaky despite having new batteries and spotless contacts, after seeing one of his videos ln the topic. That's actually what I came here to comment on. My own recent experiences with restoring and modding NES and SNES cartridges also has me routinely replacing the electrolytic capacitors. Doing so can revive a seemingly dead cart, or in some cases reduce signal noise when playing on original hardware.

Interesting timing for this article. Just received my new GBA flashcart today and put the fan translation on as the first and only game. It's my first time playing it, and it quickly sucked me into the mood as if I had just finished playing Earthbound yesterday. Although it makes sense to play Beginnings first as a commenter above also suggested, I'm finding it hard to stick to that plan

Can we get an "I have faith that whatever happens will be good" option? I mean, it's not that I don't care either way, but between this story and the one about cardboard regrets, I'm starting to see that my fears about the correlation between obsessively collecting physical carts, a growing gaming backlog and not getting out enough may not be all that relevant. Actually, thanks for the perspective.

Nice poll and very relevant for my current retro game focus!

My opinion: It wouldn't be inappropriate to include Rockman & Forte for SNES when the GBA port is included. I prefer to skip past Japanese text and have better controls.

I felt immediately from the description in the review that I will like this book.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there's an error in the subtitle to this article. It looks like 'outrage' was misspelled 'scarcity'.

My 8/16 bit retro dive is still going strong. After getting somewhat stuck near the end of Earthbound I thought I'd try a game where I'll definitely get stuck and much earlier. So this Easter has been spent with Fire Emblem 3, also for the SNES. And Kirby's Adventure and Kirby's Dream Land 3 to actually relax with.

Very nice list. There's a bunch of titles there I want to try out now after being reminded. These past few days I've been playing Kirby's Adventure on my original NES and it really is a great looking and feeling game.

It's perfect for its purpose: Playing N64 games.

The original NTSC version was what allowed me to get enthusiastic about gaming on retro consoles. After a bunch of awful experiences with various cheap composite converters and scalers I bought the Super 64. It's a great solution and I can't blame them for the price. It's a niche product. And, as described, the softening filter is actually relevant for the N64. Since then I've RGB modded my N64 - which was well worth the trouble - and repurposed the Super 64 for my NTSC SNES via an s-video cable and a hacked together multi AV port replacement. It works fine for NTSC s-video sources, but the filter is less relevant for SNES games.

I have the Gameboy Player for the GameCube, but didn't get a disc with it, so using the Gameboy Interface homebrew. Wario Land 4 is my favorite to play on the big screen. I also have an import Super Gameboy 2, and an original Super Gameboy modded with its own clock generator to get the correct speed. Donkey Kong with the custom border - and Super Mario Land - are probably my favourites to play this way.

I will probably celebrate by going to a gentleman's club. But there's a chance I'll get rejected at the door with a reason I've not heard before, turn around disappointed muttering something like "what do you mean the place got shut down after the strippers took off their masks..?", go home and play Super Mario World on my original SNES until I reach that frustrating ghost house which caused controllers to get bitemarks. Hopefully the new wireless 2.4g controller won't be blamed for lag and get the same spooky decoration.

This all sounds good to be honest. I've never played this one, and am considering trying it out on Wii before this remastered version. One of the things I'm often finding to be the case with playing Wii games these days is that the controls can feel sort of dated.

Nice and interesting article. Thanks. I've just modded a Famicom for RGB and will be looking to do some creative format shifting with these titles

I'd say this is a general problem of the times. To me it appears that many people are looking forward to something which happened yet. Or for something going back to the way it was. And the longer the wait, the less agreement on what that actually is or should be. Hype, expectations, call it what you will, we're all living in different realities 🙂

One of my hobbies these days is to make my own repro cartridges. SNES and NES games at the moment. Mostly I like to purchase rare or cheap Japanese games and apply translations, or use donor cartridges for romhacks etc. This hobby started with receiving a couple of repros where the giveaways were some of the usual mentioned here - and they didn't work properly. And I wanted to learn why. For two GBA games the symptoms were slowdowns and flickering screen due to too slow ROM chips and poorly built PCB. For a SNES game the save functionality didn't work; the game would reset whenever the high score saving function was called. Anyway. The point is that the main giveaway is usually not just lack of attention to minor detail, but an overwhelming lack of quality in: label (colors, gloss, glue that looks brand new but still feels like the edges will start to come off tomorrow), shell (feel, weight, fit, tone of the plastic), screws, and, most important external sign are the edge pins of the cart. It's hard to explain. Repros look like they were painted on... on real carts it's like the pins might have been inserted 200 times into a console but are hard enough material to last for another 1000. Then there's PCBs that rattle in the cart. Or just feels light. Opening it up... Well that's where the fun starts. I find that the newer the bootleg, the less it appears to be something intended to work for any longer period of time. I'm sure that anyone who's spend time with real game cartridges will find some part of the physical properties instantly off with a bootleg. I mean, if something is supposed to be decades old, why would it look new but feel cheap? 🙂

3D World is fantastic. I don't own a Wii-U so only ever tried it on an emulator where I decided after 1 level to drop the emulator and just be patient for ports of all the games. Worth it. It's like eating candy, every level just makes me want to play one more 😁

Why do you keep going on about this?

Looks to be a very nice product for those looking for a digital solution. I'm already happy with my analogue to digital setup for retro consoles where I got the N64 connected via the open source Advanced RGB mod which does Ypbpr and up to 720p.

Looking good👌

I'd have to go with gold given that I just got one and fitted it with the advanced RGB mod kit by borti. The controller that came along is a bit worn, and I'm thinking of just letting it be on the shelf for looks. Console itself is a beauty, performs amazingly with the mod. I call it Golden Boy. Touch Golden Boy.

@JasmineDragon I'll wish you luck instead! Perhaps it's worth to mention that I'm really just trying to keep all the good routines going which were painstakingly built during last year. In a world of chaos it's not easy to hang on to a healthy lifestyle. In my experience, being at home day after day even puts at risk the enjoyment of all the little things that we normally look forward to as the break from the outside world. Now there's only a break, and the world seemingly only exists on the outside.

@arpaktiko look at the bright side. You have a mint condition collector's item which will be worth a lot of money in a few years, especially if you hang on to it until there's another pandemic and people want to get vintage fit during lockdowns.

Eating 6 times a day. And biking, walking, calisthenics, resistance bands. My limited weight set quickly becomes boring. The real problem is sitting still long enough to get any gaming done. I genuinely dislike sitting on the sofa. It's mostly used for throwing cables and controllers on when testing retro console mods.

I'll visit after somebody publishes the map with all the secret exits.

Cool. DKC3!! I just yesterday placed that game prominently on one of my shelves of physical collections as a visual cue to load it on the sd2snes more often. I'm not sure these purely digital collections are working for me, but hey, now that it's on the Switch, hassle-free savestates, yay!

Well then, this should round off the essential Wii-U ports, unless I'm missing something. My hope is that I'll get this and be able to completely bury any hidden wish to add a Wii-U to my consoles collection. Now, about Virtual Boy Wario Land...

No folders, free N64 Online or app to unlock the Switch Pro mode? That's a hard pass for me.

I know this article is a product of journalism and as such is a matter of opinions backed by facts deliberately chosen to support these.

But... With the NES and color presentation it really can be a matter of preference. If it's too dark, that's the preference by the perceiver talking, and the reason can by designers preference, by indecision, by accident, or, obviously for the nefarious purpose of demanding attention from the sharpest speculators on the planet.

So the headline likely has a realistic answer. The game appears dark because that's how the emulator used presents it.

My interest in this topic is probably the result of the kind of brain damage that's always a risk when doing hours of OSSC tuning and nerding out with reading FirebrandX and Retrorgb articles on NES composite palettes and NES palette comparisons.

Anyway, carry on with the "lazy" and "too expensive" comments

Fire Emblem and Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 😀

I used to prefer the All-stars SNES version, but have come around and admit that the graphical polish isn't actually improving the game.

Having played many of the versions listed in this feature, for me in 2020 it's original NES using an Everdrive with savestates, Switch Online, and Game & Watch.

The NES version is still the best. My system is RGB modded, and Super Mario Bros is the benchmark for tuning scalers and OSSC.

I'm quite enjoying this. Presentation is very good, and it's as inexplicably engaging for short periods of time... Which turns to longer sessions. My only other experience with this genre is the previous Hyrule Warriors. Playing this sort of game feels basically like eating sugar: immediately satisfying, later it's still great but why am I doing it?, and finally zero interest with no regret but a strange craving for a piece of meat.

@AndyC_MK84 Perhaps true. And I got such a copy. Anyhow. My imagination isn't that great, but in the unlikely event that I ended up owning that copy, I'm pretty sure the seal would come off.

Nice list 🤠 And no, I can't think of anything more to say.

I would pop off that seal in a heartbeat...

@TeslaTro_oper Yeah you're right, more information would be good. That's not an impulse buy price.

@TeslaTro_oper I'll following this closely for sure. A product like this is exciting because it offers a new type of experience without changing the content. I'd prefer to know the confirmed release date before making any order or commitment and only wonder what the final price will be.

That's pretty cool. I'd actually be interested in the 1080p one if it has similar qualities.

Got mine today. Very happy with the simplicity of the device and the ability to pause/restore game quickly. Perhaps I'll make some sort of stand for it and use it as a clock at work. As a side note... It's ridiculous how hard the lost levels are. Even the warp zone is like "just be happy you made it this far", lol

The Switch and my growing collection of retro consoles.

Wonderful game, I took a chance on it and found it a good way to get into the series, especially the handheld titles. In fact I've just started playing Radiant Dawn on the Wii. Revisiting Galaxy in All-stars had me hooking up the Wii to play Galaxy 2. It happens again and again that a Switch game (re)awakens some interest in a franchise or genre 🙂

Just picked it up along with the pre-order bonus. I'm mildly excited!

It will be interesting to see if an actual ROM is used to deliver the game. That way it may be possible to extract and play on an original NES - like the Pacman "Demastered" release.

Cadence and Galaxy 2