Retro Gaming Australia

More backlog smashing this week saw the last of my NES backlog put to rest. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a lot better than I expected, and can be really tricky – that trip to the final dungeon caused much in the way of cussing and hair loss. I’ve still got 17 more systems to clear out, and it doesn’t help that I keep finding Dreamcast games that were left off the core list. I’ll never beat everything that we own, but I’m gonna get my money’s worth out of each and every game.

Check Out: The PAL PS1 Collective

One problem of the online retro gaming scene is that the vast majority of content is written with the American market in mind – nobody really worries too much about PAL or NTSC-J collectors. Knowing this, Defcon and AtariBuff, two of the biggest PlayStation collectors in Europe, pooled their resources together to create a database cataloguing all they know about the PlayStation in PAL regions. There’s information about every game, variants, special editions, region exclusive releases and stuff that only collector types will really care about. It should definitely be your first point of call for any questions regarding PAL PlayStation.

Enemy Zero Special Edition Crate at GameSniped

Those of you who know me well (which is probably 90% of the current reader base) know that I’m a total sucker for special, collectors and limited editions. Often I’m disappointed by the cheap crap that many publishers include with their special editions, as usually it fails to justify the price. GameSniped featured this little doozy on their site this week. That’s what I call a special edition – sure, it cost a shitload of money and Enemy Zero is a terrible game, but it had a buttload of stuff, and came in a goddamn crate personally delivered to you by the game’s producer.

Nintendo World Championships – No Reserve Auction at GameSniped

I won’t link directly to the auction, cos I get frigging annoyed when I read old posts with dead eBay links, but there’s one of the grey NWC carts on eBay. So if you’ve got a spare $6K and a burning desire for a piece of US NES history, here’s your opportunity.

1993 US Senate Committee Hearings on Video Game Violence at C-SPAN (via 1UP Retro)

Ah, politicians and video games. Here we have the hearings that sought to villify the games industry and make out like all of us children at the time were being transformed into murderers by Night Trap and Mortal Kombat. Clearly nobody in the hearing had any idea what was involved in Night Trap.

Sonic Jam for Game.Com at Sega-16

For reasons unknown (but likely money related) Sega licensed Sonic the Hedgehog to Tiger Electronics for this utterly terrible “port” of Sonic Jam to the Game.Com. It didn’t end well.

Fallout Extreme (Xbox), Hitman: Blood Money Beta (PS2, Xbox), World Rally (Mega-CD), GoldenEye: Rogue Agent Beta (PS2, Xbox, GCN), Lobo (N64), I-Ninja (GBA) at Unseen64

Kind of a dull week at Unseen64, but the short article on Fallout Extreme merits reading. Interplay really had no clue what to do with that series.

This Week’s Virtual Console Release: Milon’s Secret Castle (NES) and Castlevania X: Rondo of Blood (PCE-CD)

At last, the masses can play the one of the greatest Castlevania games in Rondo of Blood. Nintendo appears to have stopped listing the points cost of these games, but I understand Rondo is 900 Nintendo Points. Well worth the cost – hopefully this has some sort of flow on effect and I can finally nab an original copy of the game for under $150.

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Oo-er, someone was bad and didn’t do their work on Saturday. This week, I’ve mostly been playing the Donkey Kong Land series as part of my backlog elimination mission. I think the first game had the best level design of the series, but the second and third games, which were essentially adaptations of their equivalent Donkey Kong Country games, had the better gameplay. I’m hoping to finally beat The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past this coming week – it’s been a long time coming.

Not a whole lot happening in terms of new retro articles, so I’ll start throwing in a few older articles I think are worth reading to beef things up. If you’re observant, you might have noticed that the site now has a favicon; I’m finally getting stuck into some of the design stuff, so hopefully things will start looking a little more unique in the coming weeks.

Neo Geo games coming to PlayStation Network at PS3 Attitude (thanks Brenna)

Not content to let the Virtual Console guys have all of the fun, SNK will be bringing Neo Geo games to PSN. Nothing spectacular just yet – the ESRB site names Alpha Mission II, Baseball Stars Professional, League Bowling and Super Sidekicks as the first batch of titles.

Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist, The Feeble Files, Sanitarium, The Superhero League of Hoboken, Realms of the Haunting, Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja, The Cliffhanger: Edward Randy, Sword of Vermillion at HardcoreGaming101

HG101 posted their monthly update earlier in the week, and it’s heavy on the PC adventure games once again. It was nice to see them do an entry on Joe & Mac – it’s a solid little action-platformer that not too many people know about. Heck, the only time I ran into the original machine was at the Tara Cafe in 1992.

Sukeban Deka II (Mark III) and Saint Seiya: Ougon Densetsu Kanketsu Hen (FC) English translations, Tecmo Super Coach (NES) 2009-10 Season Hack at Romhacking.net

It’s always a glorious day when a translation or major hacking project is finished – most usually end with the death of relatives and/or hard drive crashes. Sukeban Deka II was apparently the last remaining SMS/Mark III game that was not available in English either officially or via translation patch, a neat little fact to note.

Omikron: The Nomad Soul Retrospective at Eurogamer

Most of the big name Internet gaming sites have terrible retro coverage, so I tend not to post any of the updates they do, but I thought this little piece on Quantic Dream’s first game was worth a look, especially since Heavy Rain was just recently released (and turned out to be pretty good, too).

The Lost Levels: Super Mario’s Wacky Worlds at 1Up Retro

1Up’s Frank Cifaldi’s twice-monthly Lost Levels column is always a good read, but moreso this time since it features one of the lost Mario games, the ill-fated Super Mario’s Wacky Worlds for the CD-i. I’d say from looking at that article and Philips’ Zelda games, we’re better for having lost this one, especially since developer Novalogic’s intention appeared to be to develop the game as cheaply as possible and funnell the budget into other projects.

Diddy Kong Racing Beta (N64), Jet Force Gemini (GBC), Kirby’s Adventure Beta (NES), Mercenaries Beta (PS2/Xbox), Rush Club (PS2/Xbox/GCN), The World is Not Enough Beta (N64), Shadow Stalker (SNES) at Unseen64

Busy week for the boys at Unseen64, with some extra stuff in addition to their usual selection of information about betas and cancelled games. I thought the Jet Force Gemini game for the GBC looked alright – it’s a shame that Rare’s GBC titles didn’t experience the level of success they anticipated.

Interview: Nick Bruty at Unseen64

Nick Bruty is one of the original members of the Shiny Entertainment team (you know, when they were good), and a founder of Planet Moon Studios. This rather brief interview mostly discusses his work on Earthworm Jim 2.

What if we had Ura Zelda for the 64DD? at Unseen64

Someone unearthed footage of the boot-up sequence from Ura Zelda for the 64DD. The uploader is not saying how he got this working, though, so don’t get too excited.

Classic Article: The Lost Levels – Sonic and the Secret Games at 1Up Retro

Frank Cifaldi looks at a bunch of Sonic games that never made it – you’ll know of most of them, but there’s a few surprises in there.

This week’s Virtual Console release: Nothing, yet again!

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Very little new Retro Reading this week, unfortunately. I decided to spend a little time with Super Empire Strikes Back last night and this morning – don’t understand the love it got from the local press at the time though; it’s kind of crap.

Jet Sprint MX (Xbox), James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing Beta (PS2/Xbox/GCN), Wizard of Funk (PS2), Mumu Boukenki Amusing Dream (SFC), Final Fantasy XIII (PS2), Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes 2 (PS2), Little Dream (DC), Resident Evil 0 Beta (GCN) at Unseen64

The ever reliable Unseen64 crew had another packed week of updates. Nothing particularly noteworthy, as that FFXIII PS2 leak happened weeks ago, but still worth a read.

SoulStar X for 32X dumped at SegaSaturno (in Portugese)

Sega Saturno is one of those sites dedicated to tracking down and preserving prototypes, particularly of cancelled games. Their latest acquisition was SoulStar X, a planned sequel to the Mega CD game SoulStar. The sequel was planned for the 32X and the Jaguar CD add-on, so as you’d imagine, the failure of those two systems resulted in the game’s cancellation.

This week’s Virtual Console release: Nothing again!

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It’s so quiet on the retro front this week that you could hear a nun fart. If this keeps up, I might start throwing in a few older articles from places like Hardcore Gaming 101, though I should have probably done that in the first place. The other alternative is to just post a weekly entry on how awesome Toobin’ is. My brother suggested that I should also produce a piece on the worst of retro writing, seeing as there are some pretty awful pieces coming from the mainstream gaming press. However, I feel that such writing is so bad that it doesn’t warrant being linked to.

Sealed Stadium Events at eBay (via GameSniped)

Forget Nintendo World Championships Gold, this is the real holy grail of the NES Collector. Recalled in the US after little more than 2,000 units were released to a test market (so Nintendo of America could re-release the game itself as World Class Track Meet), the Bandai version of Stadium Events has become something of a rarity. Due to the state of the majority of NES games, complete copies are hard to come by – the last went for $US13,500. A sealed copy…well, what that will go for is anybody’s guess. The current price is $18,500 – more than the last known sale of NWC Gold. Not bad for the family who found it down in the basement, having never been able to play it due to not owning the Family Fitness Fun Mat.

There’s a PAL version of the game around too but due to bigger release numbers it’s not worth any more than $US1,000.00 – so don’t get overexcited or duped if you see one.

Jalepeno Harry (PSX), Mega Man Legends 2 Beta (PSX), Airborne Ranger (SNES), 12 Volt (PS2/Xbox/GCN), Slipshod (PS2/Xbox) at Unseen64

Another captivating week of entries at cancelled game blog Unseen64. Of particular interest/amusement is Slipshod for the PS2/Xbox, another project which highlights the incompetence and unnecessary meddling of EA’s excess of producers.

Interview: Allan Findlay at The Light Sword Cypher Mainframe (via Digital Press Forums)

Strider fansite interviews a programmer who was the sole programmer on the reviled Strider Returns at Tiertex. Few interesting nuggets in there about Tiertex’s other projects, including a cancelled Fate of Atlantis game for the Mega Drive and a CD-i port of Flashback.

This week’s Virtual Console release: Nothing!

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This is basically the first week in nearly a decade where I didn’t have the weight of games writing commitments hovering over me. Sure, there’s this column, but this is purely for fun and comes in the pursuit of my hobby, rather than being my livelihood. Nobody’s going to axe me if I don’t do the piece. Not a lot of new retro writing going on around the net – perhaps it’s time I started working on some RGA original content?

Dragster Magic at iTunes App Store (via AtariAge)

David Crane has released the second of his iPhone/iPod Touch app-based lectures, explaining the behind the scenes goings-on of Dragster Magic. Highly informative.

Double Take: Eternal Champions at Sega-16

I did not enjoy Eternal Champions at all back in the day – always felt it was utterly second rate, probably due in large to its stuttery animation. This is an article from someone who feels the exact opposite way to me, which makes for an interesting read.

The Lost Levels: Steven Seagal is The Final Option at 1Up Retro Blog

Back in the 90s, Steven Seagal starred in movies that were released in cinemas, and experienced some degree of box office success with Under Siege and Executive Decision. in 1993, someone at Tecmagik thought it’d be a good idea to make a video game about him. Fortunately for us, it never saw the light of day. Amusing note in there about who developed the game and what they’re famous for now.

Aftershock (32X), Cooly Skunk (SNES), Nuclear Rush (Genesis/Mega Drive VR), Immortal Hockey (Arcade), Street Fighter Prototype (Arcade), ResQ (Genesis/Mega Drive), Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness (PS2/Xbox/GCN) at Unseen64

The consistently good Unseen64 had another great week of updates, including some info on Sega’s ill-fated virtual reality headset add-on for the Mega Drive. Sega really knew how to burn money back in the day.

This week’s Virtual Console release: Sonic & Knuckles (Genesis/Mega Drive) for 800 Nintendo Points

The second half of arguably the most grandiose Sonic the Hedgehog adventure. Much prefer the locked on version, just to experience the game the way Sega intended it. Sonic & Knuckles has the kind of escalation in its final stages that most modern games lack; it’s always upping the ante while building to something big. The stretch from Hidden Temple right through to Death Egg is simply amazing.

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It’s been a busy week around these parts, as I swept the remnants of my gaming media career under the rug and picked up where I left off in public accounting. The work isn’t as fun, but oh, the money – money which will be used to buy more retro games (and pay the hosting bill here, of course). There’s been a bit happening around the retro world this week too, so let’s get to it!

Discontinuation of Xbox Live for Original Xbox Games at Gamerscoreblog

Microsoft is pulling the plug on the original Xbox Live service in April. It’s going to render quite a few games useless, and put an end to the only way to play Street Fighter III online outside of Japan. Hopefully it’ll fix the friend list cap issue that some experience on the Xbox 360, which was previously said to be a limitation imposed by the legacy Xbox Live system.

Clear Classic USB Joystick at Reflex Audio Systems (via AtariAge)

A lot of folks I know like to play their emulators using the original controller, or something similar. Here’s another solution for you dedicated 2600 players – an original style A2600 USB joystick with a fancy clear case. Perfect if you love the stiff-as-hell sticks of a bygone era.

The History of the Virtua Fighter Series at Sega-16

The folks at Sega-16 have put together an article looking back at the history of Sega’s most successful fighting franchise. It’s probably not going to tell you anything you don’t already know, but it’s a good read nonetheless.

Oh No! More Zombies Ate My Neighbours at Romhacking.net

An unofficial fan sequel to the beloved Zombies Ate My Neighbours. This project, almost ten years in the making, features new weapons, enemies and 55 new levels. I haven’t looked at it yet, but it can’t really be any worse than Ghoul Patrol, right?

Moon (GBC), Starsky & Hutch 2 (PS2/Xbox), The Road to Sunday (PS2), Ratchet & Clank Beta (PS2), Black Beta (PS2/Xbox), The Magical Ninja: Jiraiya Kenzan (PS2), Dealer: Chronic, Pills and Coke (PS2/Xbox/PC), Denjin Makai (SFC) at Unseen64

A variety of articles from Unseen64 this week highlight a few cancelled PS2 games, beta versions of some really good PS2 games, and an interesting story about the game Moon, which changed from a GBC based sidescroller to a technically impressive Nintendo DS first person shooter over the course of its development.

Death Gate (PC), Loom (Amiga/PC/Atari ST/Mac/FM Towns/TurboGrafix CD), Kid Niki Series (Various), Arslan Senki (Mega CD) at Hardcore Gamer 101

HG101 did their monthly update this week, bringing us in-depth articles on a number of cultish titles. I’m pretty sure Loom is one of maybe three golden-age LucasArts adventure games that I’ve yet to play.

Interview: Zyron at C64.com

C64.com catches up with former writer and scene guy Zyron. More interesting insight into the demo/copying scene of the late 80s and early 90s.

This week’s Virtual Console release: Final Fight 3 (SNES) for 800 Nintendo Points.

Depending on who you ask, the SNES based Final Fight sequels are either solid beat ’em ups or genuine tosh. Both parties can agree that they’re better than Final Fight Streetwise, though.

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It has been a pretty slow week in the Retro world – not a lot of updates coming from my menagerie of sites. I’m currently deciding whether I’ll start linking reviews in this post – I think the reviews that mainstream gaming sites do of Virtual Console releases are despicable, however. I’m also thinking of digging up some older articles I think are worth reading for a retro starter guide, or something similar.

Dragon Quest V (PS2) Translation Patch released at DQ Translations

While the Dragon Quest V remake has since made its way to the Nintendo DS in English, many folks were hanging out to play the PS2 version, which is somewhat superior techwise. For reasons unknown, Square Enix decided not to bring the game out here (didn’t they have an ad for it in the Dragon Warrior VII box? I can’t be arsed getting it out to look). Now, thanks to the hardworking folks at DQ Translations, you can play the game in English, provided you have the necessary kit.

Ambrosia Odyssey (PS2), Radio Flyer (SNES), Valerian (PSX), TransWorld Skateboarding (Xbox), Gundam Battle Assault 2 (PSX), Heavy Machinery (32X), Dimm & Witt (PSX) and Extreme Kayak (N64) at Unseen64

The guys at Unseen64 were quite busy this week, doing their usual business of unearthing information on cancelled games and beta changes. Of particular amusement this week is the confirmed existence of an honest-to-God kayaking game for the Nintendo 64.

David Crane’s Atari 2600 Magic at iPhone App Store (via 1Up Retro Blog)

Legendary designer/programmer David Crane has released an iPhone app which explains the inner workings of the Atari 2600. While it’s essentially $US2 for a lecture, I’m assuming its highly informative. Two more volumes explaining the “Internal Magic” behind Activision Dragster and Pitfall! are on the way.

How I Sold Nintendo World Championships Gold at Video Game Price Charts

The story of how JJ Hendricks found his copy of NWC Gold is pretty interesting and heart wrenching in itself, but this week, the proprietor of VGPC decided to sell his copy of the coveted cartridge and donate the proceeds to charity. What a nice fellow.

Star Wars: Ewok Adventures Prototype (Atari 2600) at Video Game Price Charts

John Bennett, the creator of said game, shared some details of the cancelled Star Wars: Ewok Adventures game with the guys at VGPC. The game was cancelled after the arse fell out of the American video games industry in 1983.

Interview: The Arrogance at C64.com

The folks at C64.com interviewed The Arrogance, a member of Success and many other groups back in the day. A few interesting tidbits in there.

This week’s Virtual Console release: Street Fighter Alpha 2 (SNES) for 800 Nintendo Points

As far as I’m concerned, Street Fighter Alpha 2 on the SNES is a goddamn technical marvel. Sure, it’s not the best version of the game, but the fact it even exists is amazing in itself.

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One of the things I enjoy about retro gaming is that the websites and such that cover the hobby are not needlessly competing against one another. In the modern “professional” games writing sphere, the vast majority of outlets are in competition with each other despite having access to exactly the same limited information released in a controlled manner by the gaming publishers.

In the interest of promoting quality retro gaming writing, I’ve decided that I’ll be making a (hopefully) weekly post linking you to the best articles posted around the net. If you have any suggestions of quality articles, feel free to drop a comment, e-mail or forum PM and I’ll include it in the next edition.

How digital downloads affect values of collectable games at racketboy

Solid retrogaming site racketboy investigates the affect of digital releases on secondary market prices. The methodology isn’t foolproof, but it’s an interesting read nonetheless. I’m hoping that the trend applies to the recently announced Mega Man Zero Collection so I can pick up the GBA games for a reasonable price.

2009 European Mega Drive Championship at Sega-16

Sega-16 reports on the 2009 European Mega Drive Championships that were held in Lisbon. Portugal, Germany and England battled it out for five hours in a quest for Mega Drive supremacy.

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