Retro Game Club

Season 2 Episode 28

Episode 60

News:

• Hugues' Ultrabox review
• XStation Optical Discdrive Emulator (ODE) Mod Kit
• You can now play an ultra-rare Quake arcade cabinet at home
• There are 5 brand new Dreamcast games being released in 2020
• MEET "TREASURE TAILS", A GENESIS/MEGA DRIVE PITCHED BY SEGA TECHNICAL INSTITUTE
• Battletoads re-print
• Murder Manor – The first interactive adventure presented in double lo-res graphics for the Apple II
• Preserving The Source Code of Star Fire

• Custom PCB Lets You Stick a Raspberry Pi Inside a Sega Game Gear

• The 2020 Sonic Hacking Contest Website Is Now Open To Submit Entries

• LaunchBox 11.3 with Experimental Linux Support

• Atari Lynx Programming Contest 2020 - Play the Games

• Someone squeezed a Nintendo Wii into a Game Boy Color-like case

• 38 Years Later, The Atari 2600 Learns To Speak

Game Club Discussion:

• Wrecking Crew
• Snatcher

New Game Club Games:

• Atlantis on 2600
• NBA Live '98

Music By:

I Love Lightning Bugs

Game Club Master List

===========================================

#retro #retrogaming #retrogames #WreckingCrew #NES #Snatcher #SegaCD #Konami #Kojima

Season 2 Episode 27

Episode 59

News:

• Hugues' new article
• Tiny Sega Consoles Are For Action Figures, Not Action People
• SNK announces $500 Neo Geo arcade cabinet with 50 pre-loaded games
• MINIATURE STAR WARS ARCADE LETS YOU BLOW UP THE DEATH STAR ON THE GO
• Check out some wonderful Playdate game demos, including a low-fi Doom
• How did Resident Evil 2 manage to fit on a single Nintendo 64 Cart
• Mysterious Sonic the Hedgehog statue polished and restored
• A New Game Boy Color Game is Being Released
• RUMOR: ARCADE 1UP VIRTUA FIGHTER CABINET WITH SONIC THE FIGHTERS LEAKED
• Segapede/Astropede cancelled SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive gets over 12 minutes of prototype footage posted online
• Sonic The Hedgehog Ported to the Super Nintendo Because Nothing Is Sacred Anymore
• Self-Contained Tape Loader for the ZX Spectrum
• The Zero Terminal v3 is the ultimate DIY portable computer
• High Score. New retro game documentary on Netflix
• Libretro has been hacked.

Topic: Libretro has been hacked.

Game Club Discussion:

• Tapper
• Tombs and Treasure

New Game Club Games:

• Wrecking Crew
• Snatcher

Music By:

I Love Lightning Bugs

Game Club Master List

===========================================

#retro #retrogaming #retrogames #Tapper #Arcade #Atari #Libretro #TombsandTreasure #Sonic

Season 2 Episode 26

Episode 58

News:

• Bill English: Computer mouse co-creator dies at 91
• Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) start August 16th, here's what to look forward to!
• Now you can download and run the 1997 Macintosh OS 8.1 on your Windows, Mac, Linux as a standalone application
• Akihabara Will Look Different After This Arcade Closes
• Sega apologizes after exec says Puyo Puyo players eat beef bowls with cheese
• Developer Announces Snowboarding Game, Updates Forum Thread He Started 13 Years Ago
• After Eight Years, Space Quest's Spiritual Reboot Is Playable
• Banjo-Kazooie meets Legend of Zelda in epic Jiggies of Time N64 mod
• Super Mario Freedom • Greatest Super Mario Bros. ROM Hack yet?! (new Boss, Power Ups, and Options)
• Kansasfest 2021 Announced
• Now you can play Myst on an Apple II – The game "demake" is now available
• The 'Halo Infinite' Trailer Was Turned Into A Nintendo 64 Game
• THE GAME BOY AS A MIDI SYNTHESISER
• Boeing 747s Still Use Floppy Disks to Get Critical Software Updates
• The Exclusive Retro Game Bundle
• Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, Illinois Debuts Incredibly Rare SEGA R360 Arcade Machine – Only Publicly Playable Machine in America
• Gigaleak section:
• • The 10 Coolest SNES Revelations from the Nintendo Gigaleak
  • Super Mario 64 Took 622 Days To Develop, Suggests 'Gigaleak' Document

Game Club Discussion:

• Link to the past
• Pitfall!

New Game Club Games:

Tapper

Tombs and Treasure

Music By:

I Love Lightning Bugs

Game Club Master List

===========================================

#retro #retrogaming #retrogames #Pitfall #Atari2600 #Zelda #LegendofZelda #LoZ #LinktothePast

Season 2 Episode 25

Episode 57

News

• This Powerful Retro Handheld Almost Puts the N64 in Your Pocket
• Nagoshi on SEGA making games for GameCube, was surprised by Nintendo's unity
• Open Source Master System to Game Gear Converter
• FROM BEDROOMS TO BILLIONS: THE PLAYSTATION REVOLUTION | Official Trailer
• A TRS-80 Color Computer Commercial Quality Action/Fight Game in BASIC, part 1
• Accidental Doom Segment:
  • Source code for the SNES version of Doom has been released

• • It Can Take Nearly 12 Years To Spawn A Demon In Doom II Thanks To A Small Programming Quirk

• • You can now boot a Windows 95 PC inside Minecraft and play Doom on it

• Accidental Hacker Segment:

• • Hackers have discovered a 'native' PSOne emulator for PS4

• • Nintendo leaks continue with massive release of game protoypes, source code, and more

• • https://kotaku.com/smoking-toad-f-zero-beavis-and-other-weird-nintendo-g-1844574730

• • Classic Nintendo Source Code And Prototypes Allegedly Leaked
• Accidental Mario rom hack segment
  • Previously Unknown Super Mario 64 Enemy Found, Added To The Gam

• • Super Mario Bros. 5: The Missing Stages

• • Fans release Super Mario 64 3DS port following PC conversion

Topic: Bob From RetroRGB

https://www.retrorgb.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/RetroRGB

Game Club Discussion:

• Short Circuit (Apple II)
• Montezuma's Revenge

New Game Club Games:

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Pitfall!

Music By:

I Love Lightning Bugs

Game Club Master List

===========================================

#retro #retrogaming #retrogames #AppleII #MontezumasRevenge #Mario #ROMhack

Season 2 Episode 24

Episode 56

News

• The Designer Of The NES Dishes The Dirt On Nintendo's Early Days

• 7 Sonic The Hedgehog Prototypes

• 2020 LCL Raspberry Pi GBA Game Console

• Try This At Home: Build an Atari Star Wars Cockpit Arcade Machine

• Turbo Petscii Fighter

• Shantae's Very Rare, Very Expensive Game Boy Color Game Is Getting A Re-Release

• Nintendo News:

• The Lion King: A Look Back at the BRUTALLY Difficult '90s Platformer

• This Super Nintendo Console is Now an Awesome Nintendo Switch Dock

• The Mario 64 PC port looks like a full-blown remaster with new 4K texture pack

• This Mario 64 mod uses Xbox Kinect to control Mario with real-life triple jumps

• The Manual Matters: 'The Legend of Zelda' How It Was Meant to Be Played

Topic: Interview w/ Dagen Brock

GS+ Emulator

Flapple

Game Club Discussion:

• Skate Or Die
• Donkey Kong Country

New Game Club Games:

Short Circuit (Apple II)

Montezuma's Revenge

Music By:

I Love Lightning Bugs

Game Club Master List

===========================================

#retro #retrogaming #retrogames #SkateorDie #DonkeyKongCountry #AppleIIgs

Season 2 Episode 23

Episode 55

News

• We traced Namco's "new" Pac-Man demake to its source: A 2008 fan ROMhack

• Boom! It's Super Mario Bros. With John Madden's Commentary
• COMPARING BARE SILICON ON TWO GAME BOY AUDIO CHIPS
• LaunchBox 11 is Here! Record Gameplay Videos, Take Screenshots, and Save Disk Space (actually 11.2 is already out)

• Analogue Delays Nt Mini V2, Details New Features

• Star Light Mario

• Rare Copy Of Super Mario Bros. Sells At Auction For Record-Breaking $114,000

• Turns Out I Was Calling These Things In Mario Bros. The Wrong Name, So Please Tell Me The Right One

• SD2SNES Super Game Boy Open-Sourced, Author Revealed

• The Lost Street Fighter II: Champion Edition for Sega Mega Drive

• WinUAE 4.4 Released: The best Amiga emulator for Windows just got better

• REMOTE CODE EXECUTION ON THE N64

• SEGA'S NEXT MICRO-HARDWARE IS A 36-GAME ARCADE MACHINE

• FunKey S – All Your Retro Games On A Keychain

• Batty over Bits - The Complexity of the Intellivision's Memory Layout

• Build a No-Slot MIDI Interface on the Apple ][ Game I/O Socket

• GC Loader Ditches The GameCube's DVD Drive So You Can Run Games From An SD Card

• 'Super Mario 64 Maker' mod works exactly like you think it should

• Lego Nintendo Entertainment System coming Aug. 1

• Accidental Ocarina of Time Mod Section

• LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME MOD GIVES THE GAME A SUPER MARIO 64-STYLE MAKEOVER

• Dark Hyrule Fantasy delivers a gothic Zelda experience on N64

No Topic

Game Club Discussion:

• ToeJam & Earl
• Soul Blazer

New Game Club Games:

• Skate Or Die
• Donkey Kong Country

Music By:

I Love Lightning Bugs

Game Club Master List

===========================================

#retro #retrogaming #retrogames #ToejamandEarl #SoulBlazer #Genesis #SNES

Series background

• Series started in 1987.
• Action RPG - meaning an action game where you gain XP to earn levels and there's a story.
• Loosely set in the time period of Roman conquest (100-150 BC)
• Sometimes compared to Zelda but Falcom had already been working on other action RPGs by then.
• Falcom is primarily a PC developer, console ports are by many different companies
• • US localization is all over the place
  • Except for I&II the games are independent stories but there are fan service references to previous characters and events. However, the different localizations mean sometimes these are easy to miss because people and places have different names depending on who did the translation.

Common elements across the games

• Same lead character and sidekick (except for Ys Origin)
• High quality soundtracks
• • Every soundtrack ever is on Spotify or can be bought from all of the various music sites
• Rings that enhance your powers
• More levelling solves all boss fights

• They literally give you places to grind (basement in ys II)

• Typically not cutting edge in terms of technology, developer has never been interested in that
• • Hudson's PC Engine CD ports are the big exception
• Starting in the 2000s - trippy otherworldly final dungeons

Ys Book I & II

• Original bump mechanic
• Introduces the main character and sidekick
• First chapter revolves around final a set of lost books with the secrets of the world
• Half the game is one massive dungeon
• Second chapter is confronting the evil the books described.
• The second chapter is a typical JRPG format
• • Go to a new town, solve their problems, go to the next town
• Imagine if like every time Nintendo released a new console they did a remake of Legend of Zelda
• Likely incomplete list of remakes: Master System (Sega), Famicom, TG16CD (Hudson), Sega Saturn (Falcom Classics), PS2 (Konami, Japan only), DS, PSP (Xseed), PC (Eternal & Chronicles), Android, iOS (dotemu)

Ys III - Wanderers Of Ys

• Switched to side scrolling format
• One main city - some future games also use the central city hub idea
• Probably the hardest in the series
• For many US gamers this is only Ys game they knew of until Y 6 or 8 - meaning people who only have popular consoles
• Debatable which port is best
• Has parallax scrolling, which people say is "not possible" on TG16.

Ys IV - Dawn Of Ys

• Return to bump mechanic
• Falcom designed the story and soundtrack but didn't develop it (they were working on LoH 3 around this time which unintentionally would change the course of their company)
• Super Famicom - Tonkin House
• PC Engine CD - Hudson - which also has New Game+ for the first time in the series (and the last time for a while)
• No US release but high quality fan translations
• PS2 port by Taito
• If you liked I&II this is worth importing
• My favorite of the 8/16-bit games

Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand

• First attempt to change the attack style - it didn't work out
• Visually resembles a Square game on SNES
• No US release but there are fan translations
• PS2 port by Taito
• Regular and expert editions
• Only game in the series I didn't finish because the controls are pretty bad, will probably try again
• Really good symphonic soundtrack album

Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim

• Drastically improved combat compared to Ys V and subsequent games seem to be based off this engine
• PSP and PS2 releases in the US (ported by Konami)
• "VI" was dropped from the title in the US, probably because it had been over 10 years since Ys III was released in the US
• Shipwreck
• Major addition- weapon upgrade system

Ys: Oath in Felghana

• Beginning of the Toshiro Kondo era at Falcom - lowly script editor on this game then director then producer on the rest
• • Second/current CEO of Falcom, originally hired because they liked his LoH 3 fan site
• Remake of Ys III in the Ys VI engine with more story
• Limited New Game+ feature (what you carry over depends on the difficulty + number of time you completed it)
• Even retro gamers will probably enjoy this more than the original version
• Not a bad place to start if you want to play through the series but not go all the way back to the original games

Ys Seven

• PSP and PC
• Evolution of Ys VI engine and upgrade system
• Major addition - multiple playable characters with different attack types (slash vs stab vs crush)
• Special attacks and extra skills
• Main characters lose all their awesome gear when they are arrested at the beginning - I believe this is re-used in Ys IX
• Story wise - kind of a downer
• No New Game+
• In terms of the series timeline, this is the last game (until IX)

Ys Origin

• Least story of any game in the series
• In terms of engine, kind of a step back - closer to Ys VI
• Short term stat boosts encourages you to not pause combat
• 2 different main characters with slightly different stories, unlock 3rd
• Most accessible for people who just want an action game with some leveling without a lot of story
• Limited Run games physical releases on PS4 and Vita

Ys: Memories of Celceta

• Remake of Ys IV but by Falcom this time
• Vita, PC and remake on PS4
• Similar to Ys Seven with some elements that reappear in Ys 8
• New additions - map completion, more emphasis on optional side quests
• Most complex weapon upgrade system, Ys 8 returned to a simpler one
• Upgrade system is a little overpowered, playing it again I forgot how easy the game is if you upgrade weapons
• Ret-cons a connection to Ys VI
• First signs of design influence with Trails series - Final dungeon is stylistically the same as the Trails in the Sky 3rd and Cold Steel II
• Actual New Game+ mode

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

• "Trails of Ys"
• • Same character notebook & event system from Trails of Cold Steel
  • A couple minor characters copied from Trails in the Sky/Trails of Cold Steel
  • Mishy Mascot from Trails series makes an appearance
  • Fishing
• Return to Nintendo consoles (albeit by company doing the US port)
• shipwreck again
• Story revolves around finding survivors and building a town
• Dual lead characters in different times
• Probably the most accessible to new players
• Maybe my overall favorite in the series, although I could do without fishing
• If you like Ys VIII you will probably like Tokyo Xanadu - although it is heavier in the story and character event aspects - roughly the same fighting engine (note: it was ported by Aksys and has the worst translation since the 1980s)

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

• Coming to PS4 and Switch in 2021
• Trying to avoid looking at it too much - seems similar to Ys 8 but with new character abilities
• Switch port again

===========================================

#retro #retrogaming #retrogames #Ys

Season 2 Episode 21

Episode 53

News

• Nvidia Engineer's Vulkan Driver For Raspberry Pi Runs Quake III Over 100 FPS at 720p
• Boomshakalaka: How the original NBA Jam caught fire through chaos
• FAN-MADE RADIO DRAMA SONIC AND TAILS R LIGHT-SPEED DASHES ONTO YOUTUBE
• Why Retro Gaming Needs a Revolution
• How Arcade1Up Plans to Revive Arcade Culture
• Steam Launch lineup revealed
• Dreamcast 32MB RAM upgrade
• Those PS1-style Final Fantasy 7 figures are now available to order at Amazon
• Modern Controllers on the Saturn and Dreamcast: Early Impressions of the Brook Wingman SD
• PS2 Hack Runs Games On Burned DVD Discs, No Mod Chip Required
• Montezuma's Redux - 1980's Atari 8-bit Platforming classic, overhauled
• Super Mario Bros. 3: The Forgotten Worlds
• Herzog Zwei Is The Next Sega Ages Classic To Come To Switch
• THEVIC20: The Wonder ColourComputer of the 1980s Returns
• Pac-Man's Creator On The Legacy, Pizza, And The Future
• Accidental Beverage segment
• • Pac-Man sake series coming to salute the video game star's 40th birthday
  • SEGA and G FUEL team up to release Sonic The Hedgehog energy drink

Topic: Vita RetroArch

• https://vita.hacks.guide/installing-h-encore.html

• http://wololo.net/2019/10/20/tutorial-correctly-setting-up-retroarch-on-your-psvita-and-making-it-look-great/

Game Club Discussion:

• Pilot Wings 64
• Streets of Rage 2

New Game Club Games:

• ToeJam & Earl
• Soul Blazer

Music By:

I Love Lightning Bugs

Game Club Master List

===========================================

#retro #retrogaming #retrogames #StreetsofRage #PilotWings #RetroArch #Emulation #PSVita

Season 2 Episode 20

Episode 52

News

• Guinness reinstates Billy Mitchell's Donkey Kong, Pac-Man records
• The Arcade Way Back Machine
• Researchers still don't know why this Atari 2600 game works
• Legacy of the Beast - An Atari 2600 Shadow of the Beast inspiration released
• Coming soon – paraLLEl N64 RDP – Resolution upscaling!
• ZPG Pro Is A New Handheld To Potentially Rival The GPD XD
• Capturing a piece of SEGA's golden age. Virtua Fighter 3 and me.
• Emulate the NES, Sega Master System, and More on a Simple ESP32 Microcontroller
• C64 Component Mod & S-Video Available at VGP
• Mega Man Legends Composer Wants To Crowdfund The Third Entry
• THIS SONIC 3 & KNUCKLES MOD KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER
• Bandai Namco Is Bringing Its Retro Collection To The West As Namco Museum Archives
• Darius Cozmic Collection Arcade And Console Bring More Shmup Action To Switch eShop On 16th June
• Accidental Hampster segment
  • Two More Nintendo Games Are Coming To Hamster's Arcade Archives Range
  • Hamster Corporation Celebrates 100 Arcade Archives Titles On Nintendo Switch
• Our discussion about Taco Bell / KFC Phantom Menace Toys

Topic:

Dan Hess Pilot Wings 64 Music Interview

Game Club Discussion:

Stunt Race FX

Donkey Kong Jr.

New Game Club Games:

• Pilot Wings 64
• Streets of Rage 2

Music By:

I Love Lightning Bugs

Game Club Master List

========================================

#StuntRaceFX #DonkeyKongJr

#retro #retrogaming #retrogames #PilotWings #PilotWings64

Season 2 Episode 19

Episode 51

News

• https://huguesjohnson.com/features/newspapers/

• Gameboy Advanced SP with 2 screens?
• St1ka Interview with 3D NES Emulator Creator

• NINTENDO'S GBA DEV BOARD COULD PASS FOR MODERN DIY

• How Sega hopes to use Japanese arcades as streaming data centers

• New Saturn Castlevania SOTN Improvement Hack Utilizes The 4MB RAM Cart For Fast Loading, Smoother Animations, And More

• Sonic 3D Blast Is Better In 2D

• Fancy Coffee Table Turns Into Arcade Setup

• This is the best video game bundle ever

• Accidental game preservation section

• (follow-up to a previous item) SimRefinery recovered
• The long lost 'Joust' for the Commodore 64 has been found and preserved
• DS emulation guide from Erik

Topic: Ps5 vs retro PS consoles

Game Club Discussion:

Space Harrier

Galaga '88

New Game Club Games:

Stunt Race FX

Donkey Kong Jr.

Music By:

I Love Lightning Bugs

Game Club Master List