JamieO

@Kelvin You are right mate, the SMS sold well in its Pal format, the PC Engine was more an importers console of choice. My mate was more clued up than me back in the day and he had one, I played it a few times, a sweet little miniature white console with tiny cards. Superb Hudson/NEC hardware design.
Regretfully I saved up my money, with a list ready for an import Scart PC Engine and Vigilante (to buy from C&VGs many 1990 importers like 'PC Engine Supplies' and 'PC Engine Services', for £159 console and Vigilante £22.90), but by the time I had saved enough (I was only 15), the Mega Drive was released, so I skipped both the Master System and PC Engine for the MD. Doh! The MD is my favourite console, though.
It lists amongst my regrets, like not owning a Neo Geo AES or a Dreamcast.
That is why I buy as many PC Engine and Neo Geo compilations and Virtual Console games as I can (I love the Japanese 'PC Engine Best Collection' on PSP, particularly the 'Soldier' series version.
The PC Engine was nearly released in th UK, but it fell through I'm afraid. Ah, well!

@Ristar42 You have probably read lots of Damo's Retro Gamer features in a bunch of the last 68 issues, he has covered loads of top retro topics like, 'Castlevania: Symphony of the Night', 'Making of Starfox', 'Hudson Soft Profile', 'Sega Dreamcast' and one of my favourites 'The Spirit of the Mad Gamer' ( a C&VG 1996 -1999 special).
Look through your back issues & have a re-read or check this link:
http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/media/32/damiens-writing.php
@BassX0 I seem to be flicking through an issue of Super Play every day recently, I just wish that I had the last 10 issues, I stopped buying it at issue 36... doh!

@BassX0 The Super Play 'Super Metroid' cover you linked to is expertly drawn, just look at the size of Samus's eyes behind her helmet's visor.
I still like the 3D effect he uses, but as you mentioned most of my nostalgia harks back to his hand drawn Manga inspired, game related art from the '90s.

@Damo Thanks loads for this news, I'm going to head straight over to the DinkyBox link and purchase a copy of this, just reading a bit of the site's blurb, with it being "video game-related version of those old British adventure comics", sounds cool enough in its own right. I love the comic's title, too.
I am buying Smart Bomb! predominantly to see more of the great Wil Overton's work, as Damien says Super Play and recent Retro Gamer covers (like the 2006, issue 20 Ultimate/ Rare 'Sabre Wulf' cover) were incredible.
http://www.transformationsequence.com/?page_id=3

I am with @the_shpydar on this one, most iPhone gamers will hold a completely different view of Gameloft. They have been one of its most consistent developers, continually pushing the hardware. I've said this before, but any Gameloft games ported to WiiWare or DSiWare are a good thing, especially if the controls are adjusted to each specific hardware's strengths and weaknesses.
Who knows if this port is decent, I may even buy the iPhone and WiiWare version. One for the train and one for the TV, I'm hoping that they go to town with all those visual improvements and added Sega CD content.
Perhaps when more Nintendo gamers get to experience Gameloft games, attitudes may start to change in respect of the progress they have made as a quality publisher. Their forte is no longer disposable mobile phone games, they have more depth than that.

@Omega Fair point, I would pick to have the developers push the machine and display more sprites every time, even if the end result was flicker and I definitely appreciate that running R-Type on the Master System as an 8-bit machine is a completely different 'kettle of fish' than converting it to PS2, or even the more powerful PC Engine. That is actually the first time that someone has explained to me the reasoning behind sprite flicker. Thanks.

@Ristar42 Cheers mate, I'm always heading on an '80s trip down memory lane, so it was cool to share a few of those memories here. I am becoming increasingly interested in Psycho Fox, it sounds like a SMS one to watch for Virtual Console. I especially like that it was a kind of prequel to 'Magical Hat Flying Turbo Adventure', I loved that game on the Japanese Mega Drive.

@Ristar42 I was talking rubbish there, I've looked at issue 133 and I do remember Deaths Head, it was a similar time as the movie with Unicron and the Matrix and he was hunting down Rodimus Prime. The cover image sparked my aging memory. Cheers
However, we should get back to talking about SMS R-Type here: Complete Guide to Consoles Volume IV noticed similar faults to Darren "although it's got a great line in playability, the sprites sometimes tend to suffer from chronic flicker".

Whoa! Your knowledge of comics far surpasses mine, apologies that I do not recognise the names Simon Furman and Geoff Senior. Sorry that I do not remember 'Dragon's Claws' and 'Deaths Head' as well, I googled them, but they didn't spark my memory.
I do not know much about comics, I was just a kid who was mad on Transformers... and Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, Goonies... even He-Man....you get the idea!
However, we definitely share a memory there, I also reserved my copies of the comic at our local newsagents, to the point that the man in the shop wrote my name on every copy (issues 34 to 145 are sitting here, I would have to flick through them all again to find my letter). I don't know why the last copy I bought was a Christmas issue, I'm looking at it now, it has a cracking 'Starscream in the Snow' cover.

.... or sitting on the playground gravel with a mate and a blunt pencil, penning a really important question to Grimlock and anxiously checking every subsequent issue of Transformers comic to see if it would be answered. @Ristar42

@Ristar42, Ha, ha we must be a similar age, mate. I remember that the BBC B Micro's were so unique in our primary school that different groups of us would get to huddle around and scratch heads through the puzzles, dependent upon how hard we had worked in traditional subjects like maths etc. Not a bad reward, really.
We were so clueless about the concept of a video game adventure that the kids who were not in control of the keyboard would be calling out useless requests like "Type 'Find and kill the Wicked Witch'!". Our imaginations would run riot with the seemingly endless possibilities of typed answers, only to be shattered and brought back down to earth by the game forcing us into a more sensible line of thought. Great memories.

I am quite nostalgic about the Sega Master System, even though I never owned one (if that makes sense!). Its graphics were always so bright and colourful during the 8-bit days, it was popular in the UK and it seemed like a really fun console. I think I liked the way in which it was home to the bright visual coin-ops of the day including Dynamite Dux, Paperboy and Fantasy Zone, drawing me towards the triangular black box frame with red (Star Wars 'Death Star' control room) centre.

However, by the time I had saved my money, the enthusiasm towards it was superseded by a newfangled PC Engine interest. This was especially as the two consoles shared key conversions, particularly ports of Vigilante, Shinobi and R-Type. Fair play to the SMS version of R-Type, for stuffing all the levels into its cart, its a shame about the sprite flicker. I'll continue playing PSOne 'R-Types' on my PS3.

Your review took me back to the old days, reading up in magazines about SMS games. Cheers, Darren (the banter between @Dazza, @dimlylitmonkey and @Omega also took me back to my school days, with the educational adventure 'Granny's Garden' on the BBC, when I was 10!).

Absolutely great choice for a SNES review, completely colour packed and quirky. Full of '90s cartoon cool and character.
With licensed games like this any re-release depends upon who holds the rights, e.g. who has the 'Biker Mice From Mars' license, today?
Isometric racers are always good for a laugh and I really enjoyed reading through this review, cheers Corbie.
'Super Nintendo Review Fridays' are the best day of the week.

@longtimegamer (comment 18) I've routed through Super Play for you and found a 'Zombies Ate My Neighbour' player's guide in issue 16 (Feb. 1994). It has a small list of 11 short four letter passwords for the SNES version of the game (e.g. level 5 is GHRT ). I won't list any other passwords, though. I don't want to spoil this one for gamers, before it is even out. They do go up to level 45, so if anyone is stuck much further down the line I could share them.

Excellent, superb and brilliant news. The more that government and councils recognise video games as an entertainment medium on par with music and film, the happier I will be.
The collection "around 30,000 games and 1,500 different game systems" sounds absolutely marvellous. Hats off to the French..."Merveilleux !"
The more video game libraries, museums and archives the better.
Do UK gamers remember the news last year about the 'National Media Museum' in Bradford, with its links to Nottingham Trent University. I really should head down there for a visit.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nottinghamshire/7639508.stm
Has anyone visited the UK 'National Media Museum', yet ?

@BassX0 Your 'Ghoul Patrol' (Comment 4) has really sparked my interest to learn more about it. I've been flicking through my back issues of Super Play, but I can't find it. I have every issue up to Issue 36 (Oct. 1995) and 'Ghoul Patrol' was released late in 1994, so I don't know why I have not come across their review. It sounds like a disappointment from your comment, though.
@longtimegamer (comment 18) and @Popyman (comment 23), you are right a Halloween release for B-Movie style Dr Tongue creations would be perfect timing. I'll keep my eyes peeled for humongous babies and hockey masked, chainsaw maniacs soon. Braaains.

Whoa @Tony , two great minds within a minute of each other, That is spooky.

My last post was too serious, I need to inject myself with humour:
Capcom Vs Transformers
The concept:
Ryu Shoryukens Sagat, right in his eyepatch. Megatron rebuilds him as a Decepticon .... "More Than Meets The Eye".
Oh ,dear!!!

This is stating the obvious:
Capcom Vs Arc System Works (Street Fighter Vs BlazBlue)

Sweeeeet...good enough to eat

@SeanAaron Cheers Sean, some great advice on getting hold of some difficult to find Ignition UK, Wii SNK/Playmore titles there.
I have not imported from other European sites, even though I import from Canada and Hong Kong. I seem to remember UK gamers talking about importing Pal 'Fire Pro Wrestling Returns' (PS2) from other parts of Europe. I think that I've misssed the boat on that one, though. Cheers.

I'm viewing the new server Nintendo Life through my University's Citrix 'Off Campus' access at the moment, which is notoriously slow.
Yet, it is loading through, super slick. Great work Anthony.

@Metang Ha, ha... I love that tagline, it makes me chuckle when I read it now.
At first, I was even going to conclude the review with these three, final sentences:

• "As soon as a Virtual Console release is announced, this will be one to mark in your diary. Star Fox 2 should be penciled in as "never going to happen". However, there is nothing wrong with a retro gamer having a dream and wishing upon a star....a furry, upright, squadron leading, nimble flying, foxy star that is!" lol

@Ristar42 You're right, I was fortunate enough to find King of Fighters on pal PS2, but Samurai Shodown Anthology is a rarity.

Cheers Jonathan, this review has me as amped up as much as ever and I appreciate that you are clear regarding the backtracking, endings and slightly basic combat controls. Fair play.
That is all cool to me, an 8/10 is a quality score and I will play through this one just to experience its fun gameplay. I also know that I will enjoy travelling through "one of the best-looking games this gen", it looks completely dazzling.
Thanks, a great review.

Ah, my student days with loads of great mates, plenty of spare time and a regular house full of friends, all of whom became proficient at GoldenEye. The two girls I lived with were initially not gamers, but by the end of 2007 they were ruthless, blue body armour hoarding, head shooting, secret agent killers.
My fingers are crossed, Damo.

Cheers again to everyone at Nintendo Life, being given SNES Star Fox to review was a gift.
I have spent the last week re-playing Star Fox, with pure focus, no other cartridge has touched my SNES. I have not even pressed the 'Eject' button. This is actually better for me. Too often I flit between retro games, it is always so tempting with a box full of games or a compilation to be having fun with one title and go and switch it for a "grass is always greener" short play of another game.
Last week Star Fox was my single retro gaming fix. I completely commandeered our front room, my girlfriend watched my repeated play through (see Twit Pic link). Seriously ask her about “So far so g-g-good”, “Ribbit!! Thanks fer the save!” and “Croak!! Help me!!” Slippy quotes. She is now fluent in SNES Star Fox babble.

http://twitpic.com/iiab6

Lots of kind comments from a solid community, I appreciate it.
@Dazza I have read your Star Fox 64 review through and through. Thanks for trusting me with one of your favourites.
@StarBoy91 Kudos right back at you for being so sound.

@Shiryu (comment 36) and @beastman93
I heartily agree. F-Zero GX (GCN) was a stunner (tough, though!).
I would happily wait until 2010 for Amusement Vision to finish PS3 Ryū ga Gotoku 4, so that they could collaborate with Nintendo again.

Cheers Jamie, I love this news article for its optimism, it leaves us with hope.
Also, thanks for your comment earlier. "Jamie, meet Jamie",... shake hands... "I'm very pleased to meet you too, mate".
@Swerd_Murd (comment 25), @bro2dragons(comment 9) & @Odd69 (comment 5) I still boot up Star Fox: Assault on my Wii today. I have it completed on my GCN memory card, so I play though like a mini traditional aerial Star Fox game on a disc. Sweet and nicely progressive scanned, too!

@buffalobob My point about console wars was partially a metaphor (i.e. the battles above Corneria compared to the 16 bit struggles for supremacy, not that I am saying that any one console developer was comparable to Andross. I love Sega, NEC and Hudson Soft too much for that. lol.)
Nope my main point was that the 3D capabilities afforded by the Super FX chip differentiated SNES from the competition.
You are right, Genesis sales were massive and it was a war fought and won/lost to varying degrees in different territories (i.e. Japan, US, Europe, Brazil, Australia etc).
The 16-bit late ‘80s to early ‘90s years were definitely one of the most exciting periods in gaming history.

Cheers lots @SuperSonic1990 , I have been chatting away to you since I joined Nintendo Life and you have always been cool. Thanks for that, mate and "Thank you" to everyone else for their kind comments.
There are lots of names on here who have made me welcome from the start. Nice one.

Cheers @Corbie too, perhaps further down the line you could educate me lots more in the intricacies of bullet hell shooters. Nice one

Wow !!! I really can't emphasise enough how proud it makes me to see my words up on Nintendo Life.
I have been following the writing of Darren and Damien for a while now, not just here on Nintendo Life, but at Mean Machines Archive and in articles in Retro Gamer magazine, too.
If you could see my face now it is completely beaming. I would say like a Cheshire Cat, but in the case of this review a Merseyside Fox would be more appropriate.
Thank you lots and lots to Darren, Damien and Thomas for even considering me. You are a completely cool, sound, top-notch bunch of gamers.
Big Beam Faced Me

@StarBoy91 @Stuffgamer1 and @Corbie I really wasn't thinking, I have just realised that any UK eBay seller would send you the console/game direct to the US from their sale! A US gamer would not even need me as a middle man. Doh! (I have slightly red, embarrassed face right now).
The lesson is people; do not write a comment whilst nursing a Friday night hangover! lol

@Stuffgamer1 Ha, ha, the idea popped into my head as a nifty way of reducing extra importer's costs (i.e. by having a buddy in the other territory, whenever there was a desirable rare game).
However, as I was typing my comment I realised it sounded more and more ridiculous.
Oh well, I did mean well, even if I wasn't really thinking quite straight! lol

@StarBoy91 @Stuffgamer1 and @Corbie Regarding the Terranigma issue, any Nintendo Life gamer not confident enough to mod a pal switch on a US SNES (I know that I would not have a clue how to do it), I could offer another option.
I would not mind picking up a UK pal SNES (from ebay about £10 to £30 depends on what games comes with and condition) and sent it over to the States for you. I would not be doing it to make money, it would just be to help out a fellow gamer. Sadly it would not be a cheap option (pal Terranigma between £50 and £80) and then there is shipping.
I realise as I type this it sounds like an expensive option and there are further complications. When I import US consoles I have to buy a step down converter so my plug/power supply does not blow the console. I would guess that a US gamer would have to buy a step up converter, if one exists. Obviously this solution is increasingly unattractive!
Anyway the offer is there, I am not a rip off merchant, although I realise that anyone on the internet could say that.
Great review by the way @Corbie, I love Super Nintendo Fridays.

@SeanAaron Just like Damo says, double tap run, jump really high in to the air and come diving down with your axe or sword pointing downward. It is the most devastating move in the game (alongside holding jump + attack simultaneously to spin around backwards and clober enemies who are behind you).
I would advise that you position your character at the very bottom of the screen when you do the dive attack, it helps with both timing and positioning (there is a little bit more to 'Golden Axe' than hack and slash, lol).
Have fun ridding the world of Heningers, Longmoans and Bad Brothers etc, Sean. Cheers

You know that you are reading a quality 'Golden Axe' review, when it discusses observations like, run and...
"leap higher in the air than normal. Pushing down and attack executes a particularly potent vertical thrust which is hard to land successfully but causes a considerable amount of damage to any enemy".
You are dead right @Damo

Cheers @SeanAaron for helping with my Golden Axe douple tap run/charge Q.

This review is a great read, because it is fair to the roots of the game. 'Golden Axe' has been over exposed in many ways, particularly because most people have played the Mega Drive version on one of a multitude of compilations. This could lead people to become a bit bored of it, but @Damo has reviewed it completely fairly (ie not overly excited like the 1989 mag reviews, but not overly pessimistic from a 2009 'bit bored' of it angle either).
I have already stated that downloading this Arcade version is a priority for me, I'll keep an eye on Nintendo Life for a US release date. It is nice for gamers to have the choice (eg Arcade or Mega Drive).
Cheers for your review Damo.

Yay, today is Friday, (18th Sept, 7.45am to be specific). When I get back from a bit of volunteering work, I'm going to check straight in to Nintendo Life and read all about 'Soul Blazer'. Cheers @Corbie

@Gabbo Ha, ha share your hatred for shovelware Spencer, everyone should have a taste of their bitter gameplay every now and then!
Perhaps, it is actually a supremely wise gamer who goes out and intentionally submits themselves to dross, to give them true perspective and enlightenment when it comes to appreciating the quality releases.
Who knows in a few hundred years time, you could be three foot tall, green, pointy eared and teaching the young Padawan's this very practise. lol.

@StarBoy91 Cheers for your answer mate, I may have downloaded an unfinished ROM. I'm sure something like that would not be spoilt in the VCA game (then again the Turtles in Time emulation on GCN had much more cumbersome controls than the SNES version).

Sorry, this is off topic, but the Elvis lookalike reminds me of Clayfighter's Blue Suede Goo, "Uh huh....Thank you very much".
I am a fan of you Mark Twain reference Spencer, I have not read Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn in ages, but didn't Tom convince all his buddies to finish his painting chores for him?
Imagine convincing all your mates to join in online multiplayer 'Mart Racer'. What a great way to make friends and influence people. lol.

I will buy Golden Axe on VCA, even though I have it on MAME.
Just out of interest @StarBoy91 (and anyone else who knows), when you played the MAME arcade Golden Axe, was the double tap run input unresponsive?
I do not remember having any trouble with the arcade's sticks. I would miss using Gilius's charging headbutt.

@StarBoy91 Yep, the Golden Axe arcade ending is completely bonkers. I've seen interviews with the game's developers and it seems as though they had fun making it.

If misconstrued my above comment could be taken as saying that ‘Shadow Over Mystara’ was a 16 bit game. Apologies, it was not.
The popularity of Mega Drive and arcade Golden Axe did provide momentum for future fantasy brawlers to carry its torch.

@RadioShadow (comment 35) You are right, the Mega Drive 'Golden Axe' port opened lots of doors for future 16 bit scrolling brawlers, not just from Sega, but the likes of Capcom's 'King of the Dragons' and further down the line the marvelous 'Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara'.
I wasn't actually dissing the conversion, it stunned people in '89 and it was very, very close to the point that Complete Guide to Consoles's Jaz Rignall enthusistically awarded it 96% declaring that the graphics were "Indistinguishable from the coin-op...and so's the sound!".
In hindsight it was not arcade perfect, but it was a close port. However, I have the Mega Drive game on original Japanese cart, and PS2/PS3/PSP/GBA collections.
It is the arcade game that I look forward to now, I played it back in the day and in my eyes it is the better game.
I agree thoiugh, the video gaming world would be a duller place without the 'Streets of Rage' trilogy

@DDRPaladin356 (comment 21) That is the most spot on comment I have possibly ever read.
Not just Wii either, if any system gets 'Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder', I will download it as fast as you can "Sega 'System 32' Arcade games are massively neglected on home console systems!".
I would buy an XBox 360 to play that game !!!

I do not mind about the extra Mega Drive levels, Arcade 'Golden Axe' was the superior game. Its visuals were more detailed and better coloured.
Back in the day (1989!) gamers analysed arcade games to spot differences, based upon the 'holy grail' achievement of "arcade perfection".
Mega Drive 'Golden Axe' was not a bad conversion at all, but it actually mattered to me that Gilius's axe was golden and the eagle's eyes blinked in the arcade version. These minute details were left out of the Megadrive conversion. I would prefer to pay the extra 100 points.
This comment sounds completely daft now, almost obsessive, but it was how me and my mates looked at things 20 years ago.
Does anyone know if US VCA is getting Golden Axe, too?

@Damo and @Corbie - Once upon a time there were rumours about crafty inventors creating an ingenious iPhone attachment, to enable real d-pad and button resistant, tactile control.
Despite some basic interest from gamers, it never materialised.
Obviously, the DS will not have to worry about any such awkward control nonsense.