Messages

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hello everyone, new user looking to dive in!]

I've heard a lot of iffy things about the neo geo x, but i've never heard of the modded SD card option. How much worse is this option versus the genuine article? I'd definitely like to be able to play the games if they are close to legit, but i'm not selling my house to afford it lol.

The emulation is pretty good, but not perfect. It's nothing to turn your nose up at though. If you want to play Neo super cheap get a Raspberry Pi and one of the emulator suites. You can even buy one of the Neo Geo X USB joysticks for it to get an authentic experience.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hello everyone, new user looking to dive in!]

NICE!!!!  I remember those days, I goth MOTW's for like $20 and most dusty, cigarette smelling games for $5 to $15.  How many do you have?

I am currently at 84 neo geo carts. I am trying to grab all the rest of the ones I want before they get out of reach.

Yeah had some pretty crazy scores. Puzzle Bobble 2 for $5, prehistoric isle and strikers for cheap. Miss the days when you couldnt give mvs carts away

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hello everyone, new user looking to dive in!]

That's awesome, sounds like a lot of months of fun to be had there. I've always wanted a Neogeo but the price for the various games is just way too prohibitive for me at this point, really a shame.

I got lucky with an arcade collecting friend and got a big pile of Neo Geo MVS carts before they got stupid expensive. It is a really fun, fun console. It's expensive but I have found it really holds its value and enjoyability. Especially if you like shmups or fighting games.

If you want a cheaper option get one of the much maligned Neo Geo X systems and buy the $12 modded SD card and throw all the games you want on it. It outputs in HDMI.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hello everyone, new user looking to dive in!]

I had a similar experience. My brother had a tg 16 and we had like 5 games for it back in the day, military madness and silent debuggers being my favorite.

About five years ago a friend got this crazy craigslist deal and I ended up with about 80 of the US hucard library and about 2/3 of the cd games in one fell swoop. I quickly realized that this console was criminally underappreciated.

The TG-16/PCE, Mega Drive, and Neo Geo have become my holy trinity of retrogaming. So much fun stuff!

Welcome to the forums.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Everdrive Questions]

Quick question on the everdrive: can you load a super cd hucard image and use it to play all the CDs? I only have the 2.0 card for my us cd system. Want one of these and was curious if that would work.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: New to Forums and "kind of" new to TurboGrafx]

Welcome.

If younlike the turbo there are LOTS more japanese games than US. Get a japanese Duo-RX which will let you play all the cheap awesome import cards and ALL the cd games from both regions.

Hell its worth it just for Neo Nectaris alone.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: What Turbo game are you currently playing?]

Having finally got the old TG16 hooked up again, I have been throwing cards at it all weekend. So far I have been enjoying R Type, Soldier Blade, Bonk, and Alien Crush the most

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Hi all, it's been awhile]

I will see about posting some pictures of my crotch and/or gameroom once i am not posting from my phone.   

I am currently playing Alien Crush, Legendary Axe on the TG16 and Metal Slug, King of Fighters 95 and Last Resort on the Neo Geo. Fun Times.

I can see a lot has changed. Mainly everything is pink and blue  Most of the old guard still around?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Hi all, it's been awhile]

Just wanted to poke my nose in and say hi. Due to life getting rather crazy for the past few years I kind of fell off the map.

But, after a move, new job, etc and finally getting the game room reconstructed, I am finally playing my consoles again, and the TG16 is still as great as I remember it being.

So I am back. How have you guys been? Whatcha playing?

[Fighting Street / Re: Are you a gamer? Collector? Both?]

I'm mainly a gamer, but due to being friends with several big collectors (and running a retrogaming convention lol), I've definately become a collector. I have a lot of stuff (2000+ games), but ALL of them have been bought with the express intent of playing them. If they end up sucking, they sit on the shelf, but I enjoy having a big library to pull from for whatever mood strikes me.

Games are meant to be played. I do understand the collector mentality (being friends with two), and the ones I know keep the sealed games the way a museum might keep an exhibit. They see themselves as preserving these games for posterity, and eventually donating/creating a museum for the dawn of the gaming age. Not my cup of tea, but then again, I'm more of a player than a collector.

I will happily buy your Atari card that has 'Bobby' written on it in sharpie marker, so long as it works. Don't care about the box generally. I just want it to PLAY 

[Off-Topic / Re: Movie Reviews thread =D]

You actually liked District 9? Everyone who went and saw it with me thought it was as dry and boring as sourdough toast without butter, myself included. It wasn't horrible, but it sure wasn't great. Definately a rental, in my book.

And yeah, GI-Joe was one long chase scene with explosions. I found it more entertaining than transformers, in a dumb-but-fun summer blockbuster kinda way. I think there may have been a bit of story in sandwiched between all the ninjas and explosions, but it flashed by to quick for me to catch

Still, it had Ninjas.

[Off-Topic / Re: Tron Legacy Officail Trailer Up]

Yeah, he's in it and so is boxleitner. Apparently Jeff Bridges plays both himself, and a program that looks like him in 1983.

Can't wait!

[General Gaming / Re: new model psp - psp go!]

The psp is hardly dead...US wise yes it's less than stellar, but go look at sales #'s for japan (and because of that the increase in games being made).  Besides NO ONE has come anywhere near as close in taking a bite out of Nintendo's portable market share as the psp has.

I don't know that I agree with that. 'Trickle' would be how I would describe the frequency of game releases. I can't remember the last time I actually used mine, or wanted to buy one of the games. R-Type command was the last one.
I think they've lost their touch. In Japan, it definately does better, but I don't care, that's half a world away. I
m just pissed i wasted money on mine.

Much as I hate to admit it, Nintendo really has the market down pat. I don't like Nintendo, but they know how to make a good handheld: cheap, stylish, and with a library of games that can be played in 15 minute chunks.

[General Gaming / Re: new model psp - psp go!]

Sony is starting to remind me of Atari when they started floundering around releasing all kinds of weird shit right before their fall. Come on, the PSP is DEAD already. Releasing a fugly one with a smaller scren and ... umm ... seriously, downloadable content only?

I'm guessing that the only way to download games for it, you'll need to use the PS3 store. Which means you'll need a PS3. Which just happens to be the worst selling console out now.

Way to bat 1000 Sony 

[General Gaming / Re: Raiden Fighter Aces - Western release]

Well, I have to brag a bit. As of last night, if any of you care to check the XBLA leaderboards for Raiden Fighters, you may notice that there is a 'Lord Thag' ranked at .... drum roll please .... #2.

Yeah. I'm second in the world currently. How about that huh? I about fell outta my chair. I'm positive I can get first with some practice.

I loooooove this game!

[General Gaming / Re: The best (and cheapest) portable emulation machine you've never heard of]

That was actually my next question, Lord Thag. Thanks for the tip, which is also the tipping point of how quickly I'm going to get one of these consoles!

Yep, they just posted a vid of prboom (Doom) running flawlessly on it. Mame and ScummVM are due out at the end of the month too. The Dingoo scene is about ready to explode. Updates coming daily. It got lucky and came out in the drought left by the pushed back release dates of the GPX Wiz and Pandora, and it's really starting to get a head of steam.

Once Linux is released, the sky is the limit!

[General Gaming / Re: The best (and cheapest) portable emulation machine you've never heard of]

Linux is now confirmed to boot and run on a stock dingoo. There are a couple of youtube videos of it running with games/music playing.

We're close to a major explosion of homebrew/emulation. I'm still loving mine.

[General Gaming / Re: Another Raiden game coming this year to US of A]

Awesome! I love Raiden. Can't wait for more. The Fighters Aces collection is just a blast too. Currently #7(!!) on the leaderboards for the first one!

[General Gaming / Re: The best (and cheapest) portable emulation machine you've never heard of]

Topic Summary
Posted on: Today at 05:57:18 PMPosted by: geise 
Insert Quote
I wouldn't bother with the Dingoo.  Yeah it's half the price of a Wiz or GP2X, but trust me the emulators on there are quick ports.  There's no optimization for them at all.  They could definitely get better over time, but I really don't see that system getting much development.  Also the support from the company it's self is also lack luster.  I have a GP2X.  It's very awesome and has a lot of polished emulators.  It's my portable pc-engine on the go with ACD CD and SCD support.  Just as good as using Magic Engine or Ootake.  If you want a Dingoo for NES or maybe GBA I would say go for a Dingoo.  You will have to use frameskip though.  Also for other development on opensource handhelds check out http://www.gp32x.com .  They also just started a Dingoo section.

I'll have to disagree with you there. So far, I like the Dingoo better than the GPX line. It's got TV out (which I forgot to mention - it works wonderfully well, and even has settings for widescreen tvs), and vastly better battery life.

The genesis and snes emulators are iffy, but the Neo, CPS1/2, NES, GBA ones work great. No frameskipping needed. Street Fighter 2, Dungeons and Dragons, KoF, Metal Slug X etc all work perfectly.

And there is quite a bit of development going on. In two months, there have been several new emulators started, and people are working on better ports of the poor geny and average snes emulators. There are also several homebrew games released. The Master System emulator works, as does the fan ported Gameboy Color one.

Plus the thing is damned sexy, and its starting to develop a head of steam as far as support goes. The battery life is what really sets it apart. the thing keeps a charge for days.

[General Gaming / The best (and cheapest) portable emulation machine you've never heard of]

I recently discovered a strange, REALLY under the radar chinese handheld called the Dingoo A320. Here's the Wiki article on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dingoo

Why should you care? Well, how does a handheld with a gloriously bright, clear screen that gets upwards of 12 hours battery charge, comes built in with emulators for the NES, GBA, Genesis (which is spotty), SNES, Neo Geo(!) and (drum roll please) both Capcom CPS1 and CPS2 arcade games out of the box. It's got a built in 4 gigs of flash memory, an SD card slot that supports 16 gigs, plays most movie formats, doubles as an mp3 player, and has the build quality of a Nintendo DS (in fact, many of the buttons and pads *are* DS). Pretty neat, no? It's about the size of a GBA micro too. It has several (free) games included, including a couple of 3d games that look better (for real) than most DS 3d games, including a kick ass silent hill type game (also free).

If all of that doesn't interest you, then this will:

It retails for $70.

That's right peeps, you get all that for the price of a 360 game. I've fallen in love with mine. It's a wonderful piece of hardware, and it's so cheap anyone should be able to get one. There are currently emulators being developed (by the fan community) for the Gameboy, Wonderswan, Tg-16/PCE (happy dance!), Mame, SMS, Game Gear, and a few others. It's an amazing system that's rapidly developing a support base. I cannot gush enough about this little gem of a system. Nothing beats running around town with a sexy little black handheld on which I have several hundren NES games, and most of the library of Neo Geo and Capcom games. Dungeon's and Dragons Tower of Doom makes for one AWESOME handheld experience. So does Metal Slug and KoF.

Now, the down side. Currently, the Genesis emulator is very poor, and the SNES is somewhat picky on certain games. Both of these are being fixed/replaced by the community. The Neo Geo emulation is quite good, but it requires the ROMs to be in .MVS format (not a zipped collection of BIN files). This works fine, and there is a free converter, but the converter needs the newer romsets, so it may take a couple different downloads (or you could just ask me  O:) ).

So, if you are even remotely interested in portable classic gaming, this Dingoo thing is the greatest thing since the Turbo express. Get it at Deal Extreme:

http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.609

[Fighting Street / Re: Miss Missa is Missin']

Yeah, she hasn't been on for awhile. I forgot to send her some old 32 pin RAM for her mac too.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Good story]

It just goes to show you that gameplay is where it is at. After all, people still rave about new games like Castlevania, Gradius V, Raiden Fighters Aces, Muramasa, Alien Hominid and the like. Most of them are damn near identical to what you play on the TG/PCE, just with better graphics.

If a game is truly good, and not just a fad, it will *always* be fun.

The PC Engine just seems to have a lot more of those than the other systems from the era, in my book. Most of the friends I've shown the system to agree. It's aged remarkably well, particularly the imports.

I still think it's the single greates system for shooters.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Good story]

I have a similar story. I mentor a 17 year old kid (troubled youth big brother kinda thing). He's big into the 360 and WoW, but I showed him my game room. I showed him lots of different systems, but the Neo and the TG-16 are his favorites.

He absolutely loves the TG16. In fact, he's become a huge shooter fan, and often would rather play Raiden, one of the Soldier games, or R-type at the expense of the latest 360 game. We've spent several hours playing shooters on several occasions.

That said, you guys actually sold people on the console with Keith Courage? I've always hated that game, even when I got it as a kid. I loved many of the other games, but Keith Courage was never one I liked much, even though I've played through it. The gun guys were kinda cool though.

I sell the TG with Lords of Thunder, Dungeon Explorer, Bomberman and Legendary Axe II. One of those ALWAYS works. 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: List some "fun/bad games"]

Hmm, here's a few I kind of like that suck:

Battle Royale: It's dumb, cheap, and repetative, but somehow fun with a group
Deep Blue: I like this shooter now. I didn't a couple of weeks ago. Thanks Nat.
Vigilante: Crappy kung fu knockoff, but EVERYONE cracks up when the 'skinheads kidnap Madonna'
Xevious: I *love* this shooter, and am continually mystified by all the hate.
Dragon Spirit: Not much love, but I find it an enjoyable shooter
Altered Beast: It's slow, controls bad, and is missing the legendary 'rwise fwom your gwave!', but it's still fun
Tiger Road: I haven't heard much positive about this game, but I find it a fun platformer/action game

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Do you "blind buy" games?]

Everytime i buy a PCE game its "blind buy" i try and find videos/screen shots if i can or a review but in the end i just look at the cover art or read the description of the game and "roll the dice".

Me too. I'm not much for emulation, save where it's portable. I prefer to anticipate what's coming in the mail, and savour is when it finally shows up.

Part of the fun is being surprised. If you do your research, it's usually a GOOD surprise 

[General Gaming / Re: Twin Bee!!!!!!!!!]

I also discovered this series via Konami's Stinger on the NES. I was initially put off by it, thinking the theme was dumb, but then discovered that the game was very good, and the powerup system fun, if rather odd.

I picked up a used famicom cart of twinbee at a lter time, but that's about the extent of my experience. I want to get the PCE one. They're fun, if strange, little shooters. I remember beating Stinger a few times back in the day. Good game.

[General Gaming / Re: Raiden Fighter Aces - Western release]

I just picked this up last night. Got the only copy in town, out of four stores. I must say, this is one hell of a deal for $20. Three Raiden Fighters games, TONS of tweaks and options to customise the experience, and supposedly, some unlockable 'perfect game' videos.

On top of that, the games play beautifully. Raiden is one of the last holdouts of the type of shooter we all know and love on the PC Engine: the kind where blowing stuff up is the main point, not pulling of tricks like in Ikaruga or whatever. I dislike the newer style trick/score shooters that are more about chaining combos and gimmicks. I want lazers, bombs, explosions, and giant bosses, and lots of them!

This fits the bill nicely, and underneath the hood is a very clever (and unobtrusive) scoring system that adds quite a bit of depth if you are going for a high score.

Great value, and I think this one might end up being rather uncommon. Pick it up if you can. This is the best stateside shooter release since Gradius V and R-Type Final.

[Fighting Street / Re: Animals you hate.]

Hey, cats are great. My favorite pet, actually. Smart, clean, and self-reliant. And they don't drool. Or bark.

Actually, I really dislike most dogs. Don't get me wrong, some of them are wonderful animals and pets, but many are yappy, stupid, drooling ankle biters that are good for nothing except being dress up dolls for fussy old ladies with blue hair. Plus, they smell.

Really though, it's the little ankle biter dogs I hate. Give me a lab, or a border collie, or a wolf any day. Never saw the facination with the little twitchy, hyperactive, terrified smaller-than-a-cat sized dogs. Irritating as hell.

[Fighting Street / Re: Xevious: More Awesome than You]

Best thing about Xevious? Nothing.

Sorry i can't stand this game! I have never cared for it no matter how hard i tried to.

Sad but true folks and why is it that Canadians seem to have much love for this game? 

It's ok jboy. Not everyone can have refined tastes. 

*runs for nearest piece of flying drywall to hide behind*

Seriously, though, from what I can tell, the people who like the game tend to have more patience for slower paced, more thoughtful shooters . Xevious has never been about white knuckle thrills. It's more about careful positioning interrupted by short bouts of evasive maneuvers, and managing the ground based artillery. It's kind of like the game equivalent of a Cohen Brothers movie. Either you get it and love it, or hate it and can't figure out what the fuss is about.

I like it because of the variety of enemies, the big assortment of ground stations that require a lot of strategy to deal with, and all of the secrets. Plus, it's one, huge, uninterrupted level which is unique.

And yeah, the Japanese go nuts for this game. It's like Pacman was over here. They have books, movies, half a dozen sequels. It never seemed to catch on over here like it did over there, alas.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: What would you rate each pce game?]

That is why you need to set all games on Hard.

I do believe it was on hard.

I kind of like the really punishing but fair shooters the best. Take Image Fight. Sure, it's not the prettiest game out there, but it plays like a dream. It rewards good strategy and positioning, and punishes laziness. It's a great, underappreciated shooter. Aero Blasters is like that. R-Type is too. I tend to like those kinds of shooters the best. Gate of Thunder is nowhere close to the difficulty of Image Fight.

Now, that said, it makes up for a LOT by presentation, music and the rest. It's a mite easy, but it's damn fun, and the overall result is an A-list game that is really, really entertaining and a great way to show off the PCE to someone whose never played it. Lords of Thunder is great too, and I find, a bit tougher. Usually that would make me like it better, but I like the visual presentation of GoT better.

But really, it's like comparing a luxury sports car to another luxury sports car. The differences are minor. They're both awesome.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: What would you rate each pce game?]

Heh, this is becoming the new Xevious debate 

Ikobo, I think everyone is wanting something like this from you:

I love GoT. Graphics and Sound are definately top of the scale, I'd give graphics a 10 due to huge detailed levels with lots of flair and moving bits that are all well animated and stunning. Music is excellent too, if a bit generic in parts, but it matches the mood of each level well, and the sound effects fit perfectly. Sound is a 9.

As to gameplay, I'd give it an 8.5. The controls are smooth and responsive, and the powerup system is solid and entertaining. Enemies and levels are varied and fun, and the bosses are big and impressive. The reason I don't give the gameplay higher than an 8.5 is because it's too easy. I played through several levels on the first try. The bosses are too easy as well. I don't think I've ever even been hit by the first one.

Overall, it's an A-list game. I'd give it a 9 or a 9.5 as a total rating. If it were a bit more challenging, it would be the perfect side scrolling shooter. As it stands, it is merely outstanding.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Introducing myself and Turbo Views......]

That sucks man. I wonder if there is anything you can do before gaming that would alleviate your motion sickness

This may sound obvious, but have you ever tried Dramamine? I hear that works for some people. Navy guys use it to alleviate seasickness.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Neo Nectaris]

Nectaris GB or whatever it's called is pretty crude and broken. Instead of hexagons, it uses staggered squares. Also, the graphics look simpler than Famicom Wars. Some of the music ported well. Still, the only good portable Nectaris is the original on a GT/TE

Yeah, but my TE doesn't have a power adaptor, and those babies eat batteries like a fat tweaker eats moon pies. Got to get a power adaptor for mine.

The gameboy one does look hokey, but I hear it plays well, even if it's uglier than a bag of boiled toad sphincters. I'm such a Nectaris fan, I'll probably play it anyway. Military Madness was the game that truly made me love strategy games as a kid. That and Desert Commander on the NES, though the AI on that one is really poor.

[Off-Topic / Re: A couple o' movie mini-reviews]

Yeah, from an acting standpoint, I was probably the most impressed with Karl Urban. To be honest, up to yesterday, I thought his acting ability stopped at scowling and looking conflicted.  My bad. He did a wonderful job. I'd damn near swear he was channeling the ghost of old DeForest kelly.

Good mention on Bruce Greenwood, he was very believeable and convincing. My only gripes were the totally unnecessary 'giant critter' & 'water pipe' scenes, and the fact that the romulan Nero needed a bit more fleshing out.

All in all though, JJ Abrams did a great job. This was a HELL of a lot better than Springfield 

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Neo Nectaris]

Awesome. That's what I wanted to hear. I can't wait to play it. On an even nicer note, my researching this led me to discover the japanese-only gameboy version, which I then found for for cheap on evilbay in new condition. Portable Nectaris! 

I tried the base Nectaris site, but all of the links of the main FAQ are broken, so I can't get the skinny on the 'Bio Hicky'  thingumies are. Giant and screen-filling sound very awesome though.

Hopefully the new Wii/XBLA one will be as good!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Deep Blue: A review]

Ah, ok. I was coming in too high. Thanks nat!

[Off-Topic / Re: A couple o' movie mini-reviews]

I agree, this movie was just great. They got rid of all the prentension, and all of that damned annoying techno-babble about quantum phase whatchits and tachyon streams, and the got the show back to it's roots. They remembered that it was the characters that made the original show good, not all the space flair and effects shots.

What really impressed me was how well they captured the chemistry between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. All three actors did a great job. Quinto was damned near indistinguishable from Nimoy (at that age), Karl Urban did a dead perfect McCoy ("....green blooded hobgoblin"  ), and Kirk ... I'll dare to come out and say that I like the new Kirk better than the original.

I also liked the fact that they let Scotty and Checkov stay a bit over-the-top, like the old show. Both were excellent, and Simon Pegg was just hilarious. Plus, in terms of music and special effects, I love the visula update, and the new music.

I used to watch the old show as a kid, but I am not in any way shape or form a trekkie, but after this movie, I think I might become a fan. They returned the show to it's roots and realized that it's a character-driven adventure story.

Best surprise hit of the year.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Neo Nectaris]

I've loved Military Madness since I was a kid, so I finally decided to take the plunge and pick up Neo Nectaris for the PCE. Got it complete for $20, so I was pretty happy. I'm hoping it'll get here by the weekend.

Can anyone tell me the difference between this title and the original? From what I've heard, there are several new units that have less than obvious purposes, and that the game is the only true evolution of the series, as opposed to re-hashed clones that mimic, but do not advance, the premise (like the PS1 version). That's about all I know. The big fansite for the game is half down.

Anyone here play it much? I don't read Japanese, alas, so I just wondered if there was anything I should be aware of, gameplay-wise, before I dive in?

Anyone else a fan of this game, I haven't heard much about it.

[Fighting Street / Re: Xevious: More Awesome than You]

I like the PS1 version, not for the awful 3D version, but for the included Japanese-only Xevious Arrangement, the one that looks like a slightly upgraded version of the original with all the new bosses. Great stuff.

But Xevious on the PCE is my favorite. It plays every bit as well as the PS1 version, but I love the music and different ships.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Deep Blue: A review]

Ok, quick question. I've made it to the end of stage 2 a couple of times, and the stinkin' jellyfish boss kills me in one hit everytime by bumping into me. I'm too slow to dodge. Am I missing something obvious, or is this guy just a cheap boss?

Any experts on pixilated turbografx undersea combat tactics? 

[Off-Topic / Re: A couple o' movie mini-reviews]

Agreed, just saw it last night. Outstanding flick. They did a great job with the casting, and they captured the feel and tone of the old show whil updating it and making it feel very modern.

I give it an A, and I don't really like Star Trek all that much. If they made an actual series with these actors, I'd be glued to the set.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: how much would you rate Super Star Soldier..]

All of the Star Soldier games on the PCE are good, and I gave SSS an 8. It's a darn good shooter, solid in all respects, but Soldier Blade and Final Soldier trump it in terms of power ups, sound, and music. My favorite is Final Soldier, which I find to be simply outstanding.

That said, the games are pretty closely ranked. Star Soldier is a solid series, for sure.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: What would you rate each pce game?]

I have to second Tatsujin on this. I've only just started on collecting PCE games, but most of what i have bought has been shooters. Of all the shooters I have, Gate of Thunder is probaly the best overall in terms of gameplay, sound, and graphics. Salamander is damned close, and depending on the day and the mood, might be ranked equally. Image Fight is equal or superior in the gameplay department, in my book, but much more lacking in the other areas.

And yeah, it's all about personal preference.

[Fighting Street / Re: Could you bring yourself to kill another person?]

I'm not much of a gun nut, but I am against banning/restricting them. Why?

Folks like us follow the rules. Criminals don't. It's a simple as that. No amount of gun laws are going to stop someone from getting firearms illegally.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Deep Blue: A review]

Yesterday, right before I got off work, I was talking on the shoutbox when a certain, hammer-wielding moderator (who shall remain nameless  ) threatened me with impending bodily harm if I continued to bag on his favorite shooter, Deep Blue.

Long story short, he convinced me to give it another whirl, and so I did. The first time I played it, I popped it in between several A-list titles, thought it sucked, and went my merry way. So, last night, I made myself sit down and play a game or two to see if my first impressions were wrong. Here's the result:

At first, my impressions were the same. The first level is bland, the powerups are awful, and your fish/sub thing moves slower than a fat lady with an oxygen tank at wally world. I died pretty quick. Now, the advice i was given was 'don't judge before you get to the second level', so I was determined to do just that before I gave up. So I played a few more games.

As I played it, I discovered that it plays kind of different from your regular shooter. First off, the powerups have this kind of rock/paper/scissors relationship with the different schools of fish you shoot. A power up will suck against one kind of foe, and obliterate another. unlike most shooters, the strategy seems to be to switch weapons frequently in response to whatevr enemy you happen to be facing. Once I figured that out, I began to like them. Also, I noticed that the game is less about flying around and dodging madly, and more about positioning and fine adjustments of your sub. Once you get that down, the difficulty (which was murderous) tones down to something more manageable.

Next thing I knew, I was flying through the first level like a pro. The boss was pretty simple, but neat looking. The second stage was much better. Lots of totally new enemies, prettier graphics, and a much better flow. In fact, about halfway through that, I noticed something: I was having fun. It's not the best shooter on the system, not by a long shot, but it's fun, and it's different, and it's FAR better than my first impression indicated. It really does put it's worst foot forward in the first level, and it suffers because you will get killed if you try and play it like, say, one of the Star Soldier games.

Much to my surprise, I got home today and the first thing that popped in my head was "I want to go play some Deep Blue". Who would have guessed? It's actually pretty fun, you just have to change your approach, and be willing to grind through the first level and learn how the game plays. Sure, it's no Lord of Thunder or Sapphire, but it is exactly what it tries to be: a unique, rather fun little shooter, with an odd take on powerups.

Like the man said, don't give up on it until you've seen a few levels.

[Fighting Street / Xevious: More Awesome than You]

Yes, now it is truly time to get some fightin' going on here in Fighting Street. There only be one topic that divides us, one subject that turns brother against brother. Only one game whose very name conjures up images of broken bodies, screams in the night, and throats slit with sharpened hucards.... Behold, the awesome might of:

XEVIOUS 

Xevious is the most awesome game in the universe. Spinning space quarters, sheet-metal pyramids, ground boobies, and flying drywall. What game has more? You are not good enough to play Xevious. Xevious is better than you. Xevious is your overlord. Xevious is both Father and Mother. It is the only game that ever beat Chuck Norris.

Respect teh Xevious!

Let the hate consume you. You are not strong enough. The battle for the greatest game in the history of the universe begins here.

Round One: FIGHT!!!

 

[General Gaming / Re: Finally a new Military Madness game]

Well, I'll be. Christmas came early this year.

I've been wanting a sequel to this for decades!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / What’s your current PC Engine Setup?]

I'm pretty happy with my setup. I've got a TG-16 w/ multitap sitting next to my Duo-R sporting an awesome (rare) joystick (I forget the name, the one with all the buttons and doohickies and built in multitap). It's all hooked up to a big standard TV and a nice, kickin' game sound system with a respectable bass thump.

The fact that I have this, along with an Atari 2600, 5200, 7800, Intellivision, Colecovision, Saturn, Atari XEGS, Odyssey 2, Arcadia 2001, Astrocade, Channel F, NES, SMS, Genesis, RCA Studio 2, Vextrex, and three Arcade games (along with a PC, a Laptop, and assorted routers) without causing a brownout is one of the Great Unsolved Mysteries of Northern California 

Let's just say I keep Home Depot ordering power strips on a regular basis...

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Why do GTs seem to go for so much less than Expresses?]

I really wish some wise company would make a new PCE/TG16 portable, like they are with the new NES and Genesis portables. I mean, Hucards are nice and small anyway, and since the TG-16 is such a basic design (3 chips I think), it wouldn't be that hard. Imagine a unit about the size a gba micro (roughly) that lasted for ten hours on three triple AAA batteries and played everything on a nice, shiny new full-res screen.

After all, they Geny one is launching next month, and there are several NES ones. Why not a Turbografx / PC Engine one? Even if it was japanese only (which you would think it would be given the popularity of PCE over there), we could import one....


Of course, I got my Turbo Express for $50 at an expo, so I can't complain.... 

[General Gaming / Re: ChaseTheChuckWagon.Com]

CTCW is excellent. I've used them, and I have several friends who use them constantly.

Remember back in the ninties, when ebay was actually cheap, easy to use, and didn't steal all the money you won?

That's CTCW now. Great site!