AARoads Forum

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You know, you all are worried about online merchants, google, and your car gathering information on you.....I would be more worried about roadgeekteen's frequent and inquisitive surveys

The last console I ever bought was a PS3 which mainly was for playing PS1/PS2 stuff.  I have everything from an Atari 2600 up to that PS3 that was mainstream, I was both a Nintendo and Sega guy.  My favorite console was probably the SNES but I liked early PC gaming just as much.  My most unique console was the Sega CD, I'll still wager Sonic CD was the best Sonic game.

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 02, 2017, 10:03:24 AM
The last console I ever bought was a PS3 which mainly was for playing PS1/PS2 stuff.  I have everything from an Atari 2600 up to that PS3 that was mainstream, I was both a Nintendo and Sega guy.  My favorite console was probably the SNES but I liked early PC gaming just as much.  My most unique console was the Sega CD, I'll still wager Sonic CD was the best Sonic game.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles wants a word with you.  :-P

Quote from: TravelingBethelite on August 02, 2017, 10:25:59 AM

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 02, 2017, 10:03:24 AM
The last console I ever bought was a PS3 which mainly was for playing PS1/PS2 stuff.  I have everything from an Atari 2600 up to that PS3 that was mainstream, I was both a Nintendo and Sega guy.  My favorite console was probably the SNES but I liked early PC gaming just as much.  My most unique console was the Sega CD, I'll still wager Sonic CD was the best Sonic game.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles wants a word with you.  :-P

See the thing is that I actually really prefer both the American and Japanese soundtracks to Sonic CD over Sonic 3 & Knuckles.  I used to play the music directly off the CD when I was a kid and you had to enter the debug menu in Sonic 3 & Knuckles to do the same thing.  All the past themes (especially Wacky Workbench and Stardust Speedway) are awesome, almost all versions of the bad future themes are really good too....my personal favorite would have to the Japanese Tidal Tempest bad future.

This poll (and thread) demonstrates the basic problem with video games - they require a proprietary platform to use them, and games are not compatible across platforms.  Also, unlike records, cassettes, CDs, etc., to play the latest games you need to upgrade your platform, which also generally will not allow you to play the older games.

One of several reasons I personally never got into gaming.  I'll stick with model railroading, where a 1960s Varney F Unit can still run on the same track that a 2015 Athearn Genesis AC-6000 can.

I just have an original Xbox. Most of my favorite games were best enjoyed on that hardware.

Atari 7800

The question is incomplete. Which video game console...

do you prefer?
do you own?
would you want with you in a fight?
would you bubble with in a Jane Child?

A lot of unspoken options.

None of the new consoles appeal to me. My newest console is a Wii. My favorite is a tie between the SNES and Sega CD.

Quote from: spooky on August 02, 2017, 01:47:59 PM

do you own?

Atari       2600
              5200
              7800
              65 XE computer
              Ultimate Flashback Portable
Coleco     Adam
Nintendo Wii
              Wii U
              DSi
Sega       Master System
              Ultimate Genesis Portable

EDIT:

I forgot that I also have a Sega Saturn that I do not know if it works.  No games, controller, AV hookup, or power supply.

Atari 2600, second generation.  Had a first generation Atari 2600 when I was a kid that died.
Nintendo (Orig)
Super Nintendo
Xbox (Orig)

I think that's it, but feels like I'm missing something.  Still have a VCR. :D

Quote from: spooky on August 02, 2017, 01:47:59 PM
do you own?

Wii
Gamecube with Gameboy Player
Nintendo 64
SNES
NES
Genesis
PS2
XBox
XBox 360 (okay, that one's the fiancee's, but I use it sometimes)

Intellivision was the best. I have the new retro version my wife got me for Christmas a few years ago. This one has 60 games built into it (no cartridges), the original style controllers, and the old-school overlays that slide into the controllers to just a few of the games. So simple, yet so fun!

Quote from: cjk374 on August 02, 2017, 04:58:04 PM
Intellivision was the best. I have the new retro version my wife got me for Christmas a few years ago. This one has 60 games built into it (no cartridges), the original style controllers, and the old-school overlays that slide into the controllers to just a few of the games. So simple, yet so fun!

I want the flashback.

I have very limited experience with the Intellivision, but have always wanted one.  I know this is heresy, but I wasn't a fan of Burgertime on it.  That controller was just not well suited to it, and the levels in the game didn't represent the arcade levels.

I did enjoy the AD&D Cloudy Mountain game on it.

There was this one game for Intellivision that I loved -- Motocross.  Make your own dirt bike tracks!

Quote from: inkyatari on August 03, 2017, 09:59:31 AM

Quote from: cjk374 on August 02, 2017, 04:58:04 PM
Intellivision was the best. I have the new retro version my wife got me for Christmas a few years ago. This one has 60 games built into it (no cartridges), the original style controllers, and the old-school overlays that slide into the controllers to just a few of the games. So simple, yet so fun!

I want the flashback.

I have very limited experience with the Intellivision, but have always wanted one.  I know this is heresy, but I wasn't a fan of Burgertime on it.  That controller was just not well suited to it, and the levels in the game didn't represent the arcade levels.

I did enjoy the AD&D Cloudy Mountain game on it.

On the Flashback console, AD&D is under a new name: Crown of Kings. But the gameplay is all the same.

The Flashback console even comes with some of the classic glitches the original had. Playing Royal Dealer last night, my hand started having the card slots light up in weird colors, even though I had no cards. I discarded my last card, but I didn't win be a use of these lit slots.

The cure is also the same...hit the reset button. Actually last night I had played long enough so I hit the power button & went to bed.

Quote from: csw on August 01, 2017, 10:36:29 PM
You know, you all are worried about online merchants, google, and your car gathering information on you.....I would be more worried about roadgeekteen's frequent and inquisitive surveys

I'm waiting for the "How much air do you inhale?" thread from him

Quote from: ET21 on August 04, 2017, 11:29:19 AM

Quote from: csw on August 01, 2017, 10:36:29 PM
You know, you all are worried about online merchants, google, and your car gathering information on you.....I would be more worried about roadgeekteen's frequent and inquisitive surveys

I'm waiting for the "How much air do you inhale?" thread from him

Don't you dare give me ideas.

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on August 04, 2017, 08:51:39 PM

Quote from: ET21 on August 04, 2017, 11:29:19 AM

Quote from: csw on August 01, 2017, 10:36:29 PM
You know, you all are worried about online merchants, google, and your car gathering information on you.....I would be more worried about roadgeekteen's frequent and inquisitive surveys

I'm waiting for the "How much air do you inhale?" thread from him

Don't you dare give me ideas.

"What's your favorite emoji?"  :rolleyes:

Quote from: inkyatari on August 02, 2017, 02:03:51 PM


Atari      7800

And I tried installing a composite video mod on it over the weekend, and now it doesn't work.

Quote from: roadman on August 02, 2017, 11:26:23 AM
One of several reasons I personally never got into gaming.  I'll stick with model railroading, where a 1960s Varney F Unit can still run on the same track that a 2015 Athearn Genesis AC-6000 can.

Never got into model railroading. This makes me wonder, are different track gauges a thing?

Quote from: cjk374 on August 02, 2017, 04:58:04 PM
Intellivision was the best.

16-bit! ;)

Quote from: inkyatari on August 07, 2017, 08:53:09 AM

Quote from: inkyatari on August 02, 2017, 02:03:51 PM
Atari      7800

And I tried installing a composite video mod on it over the weekend, and now it doesn't work.

Ouch, that sucks! Did you ever get it working again?
Back in 2000-ish, I tried to mod my first Sega Saturn to play imported & burned games. It stopped working shortly thereafter. I shipped it off to some company to get repaired. The deal was, enclose a big check and a small check; if they could fix it they'd cash the big one, else they'd cash the small one for return shipping. They cashed the small one and I never got the system back. (Lost/misdirected mail, or shady dealings? Who knows!) Since it didn't work anyway, I didn't get worked up over it, not sure if I even followed up with them much. Over the years I always wanted to get another and have something to play my copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga on, but it wasn't a big priority. Finally found one at Electric Buddhas in Portland in 2016. Hooked up a TV, played it for a few minutes... and then put it in a drawer. Finally in the last couple months, I replaced its battery so I could finally save games, found a serviceable TV in the crawl space, cleared out some space in my server rack, threw a few shelves in & hooked my old systems up. And I've been having a hell of a time!

The NES is expectedly a bit rickety in its old age. Gotta get the cartridge seated juust riight, and be gentle with the power button. It's zapped a saved game or two. Otherwise, it was a pleasant surprise to see 25-year-old saved games on carts that probably haven't been powered on in 15 years. The latter also goes for the SNES, which is in fine working order, as is the PS1 Finally got around to finishing Wild Arms tonight, after 20+ years.

The Turbo Duo has issues -- audio output is at a rather low level, with a perceptible 60-cycle buzz, occasionally briefly cutting to a normal volume & back. It won't play CD games, because it thinks the CD door is always open. Gotta keep researching how to fix this...

20 years in a drawer have likewise not been kind to the TurboExpress. No audio output at all AFAICT, and the Run button doesn't work, so playing any games is a non-starter.
Also gotta JP Game Boy with many columns of dead pixels on either side of the screen.

2000-2001ish, I picked up a TurboGrafx-CD for dirt cheap in a pawn shop. Didn't come with a power supply; have still never tested it.

2001-2002ish, trashpicked a Model 2 Genesis left behind when everyone was moving out of college. No power supply (some questionable things have been done to the adaptor port), no controller, no A/V hookup, no games, never tested. Given the circumstances, I expect it doesn't work.

About 10 years ago, my roommate was having trouble making rent one month, and sold me his Dreamcast for IIRC $30, then turned around & gave me the money right back to give to the landlord. :( Hooked it up for the first time ever this week.

I grew up in the Atari/NES age, so those are my favorite consoles of all time. As for the current models, I have no preference, although if I had to choose between the PS4 and Xbox 1, I'd probably pick the former.

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 02, 2017, 10:03:24 AM
My most unique console was the Sega CD, I'll still wager Sonic CD was the best Sonic game.

I think we're in 100% agreement here!  I got a Sega CD mostly just because of "Sonic CD" (only to learn the game was released on a plethora of other platforms in the coming years), but "Sonic CD" is not only the best Sonic game; it's my favorite video game ever.

Also, as I've said elsewhere, I think the Sega CD could have actually been a good system if Sega built up its library and never bothered with the 32X.  I don't see anything wrong with an add-on console in itself (heck, if you have a Nintendo GameCube and get the Game Boy Advance add-on, it's actually really good), but having YET ANOTHER add-on--which also required its own power source, required a weird combination of cables just to get it to work properly, and had a whole assortment of compatibility and reliability issues--was, in my opinion, the first major self-injury to Sega's credibility as a console producer.  And then the Sega Saturn had memory problems.  The Dreamcast was good, but it was too late by then, and frankly, I think having memory cards that doubled as handheld game devices was kind of a lame gimmick.

Another issue with the Sega Genesis and its add-ons--  The design of the Sega Genesis Model 1 was PERFECT, because it worked with both models of the Sega CD (if you had the right parts), AND it worked with the Power Base Converter without having to saw the back of the Power Base Converter off (yes, that is a thing).  The Power Base Converter was REALLY GOOD because it took advantage of the Genesis's built-in backwards compatibility with Sega Master System hardware and allowed you to play all of the SMS games, even the card games, without needing an extra power supply.  But when the Genesis Model 2 came along, it was like, "Oops, this thing doesn't fit anymore."

(I used to be kind of a video game geek, but frankly, I think video games as a medium started to decline after 1994.  The Nintendo GameCube was the last console I ever had, and I sold it.  These days, I'd much rather play IRL physical games, but now I can't, because I'm trying to be socially responsible by social distancing.  So once in a while, I'll play a PC game until I get bored.)

Quote from: stridentweasel on May 13, 2020, 10:44:13 AM

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 02, 2017, 10:03:24 AM
My most unique console was the Sega CD, I'll still wager Sonic CD was the best Sonic game.

I think we're in 100% agreement here!  I got a Sega CD mostly just because of "Sonic CD" (only to learn the game was released on a plethora of other platforms in the coming years), but "Sonic CD" is not only the best Sonic game; it's my favorite video game ever.

Also, as I've said elsewhere, I think the Sega CD could have actually been a good system if Sega built up its library and never bothered with the 32X.  I don't see anything wrong with an add-on console in itself (heck, if you have a Nintendo GameCube and get the Game Boy Advance add-on, it's actually really good), but having YET ANOTHER add-on--which also required its own power source, required a weird combination of cables just to get it to work properly, and had a whole assortment of compatibility and reliability issues--was, in my opinion, the first major self-injury to Sega's credibility as a console producer.  And then the Sega Saturn had memory problems.  The Dreamcast was good, but it was too late by then, and frankly, I think having memory cards that doubled as handheld game devices was kind of a lame gimmick.

Another issue with the Sega Genesis and its add-ons--  The design of the Sega Genesis Model 1 was PERFECT, because it worked with both models of the Sega CD (if you had the right parts), AND it worked with the Power Base Converter without having to saw the back of the Power Base Converter off (yes, that is a thing).  The Power Base Converter was REALLY GOOD because it took advantage of the Genesis's built-in backwards compatibility with Sega Master System hardware and allowed you to play all of the SMS games, even the card games, without needing an extra power supply.  But when the Genesis Model 2 came along, it was like, "Oops, this thing doesn't fit anymore."

(I used to be kind of a video game geek, but frankly, I think video games as a medium started to decline after 1994.  The Nintendo GameCube was the last console I ever had, and I sold it.  These days, I'd much rather play IRL physical games, but now I can't, because I'm trying to be socially responsible by social distancing.  So once in a while, I'll play a PC game until I get bored.)

Video games declined after 1994? But most games were still 2d in 1994!

My first real video games were Mario games on the DS. The consoles I have owned are: GameBoy, DS, DSi, 3DS (XL), Wii, Wii U, and Switch, as well as a 1k dollar gaming PC. With a powerful PC, there isn't a need for me to buy a console like an XBOX or a PlayStation.

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 13, 2020, 11:33:33 AM
Video games declined after 1994? But most games were still 2d in 1994!

With a few exceptions, 2-D games are overall more enjoyable than 3-D games.  If you have a different opinion, I can't stop you.

Quote from: stridentweasel on May 13, 2020, 12:00:20 PM

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 13, 2020, 11:33:33 AM
Video games declined after 1994? But most games were still 2d in 1994!

With a few exceptions, 2-D games are overall more enjoyable than 3-D games.  If you have a different opinion, I can't stop you.

I prefer the 2D games too.  I grew up with the Atari 2600 and then essentially finished with consoles with the original NES.  But I spent a lot of time playing games on the Commodore VIC20 and eventually the Commodore 64 which was great.  After college I dabbled a little bit with PC gaming with the original Doom games and then that was about it.  Now my son has an Xbox One and spends a lot of time playing Minecraft and other things.  It's harder to find age appropriate games on the XBox for a preteen - I sometimes wish we waited for the new Nintendo instead which seems to have more kid games (and I always liked the Mario stuff on the original NES).  But all his friends are on XBox busily blowing stuff up and shooting monsters so it is what it is.  But for the rare time I will jump in and play something, I would prefer to navigate a frog across a road or guide an Italian plumber on his way to save a princess.

Can't really vote on this, I play on them all, plus older systems. Except I don't do much mobile gaming (occasionally I'll play Old School Runescape on my phone, but I usually just play that on my PC). And on my PC, I only use Linux, not Windows. But I have all the consoles.

Quote from: stridentweasel on May 13, 2020, 12:00:20 PM

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 13, 2020, 11:33:33 AM
Video games declined after 1994? But most games were still 2d in 1994!

With a few exceptions, 2-D games are overall more enjoyable than 3-D games.  If you have a different opinion, I can't stop you.

Not to mention, faster loading times. There's so much bloat and waiting on games now. The updates for the console OS as well as the patchy nature of many games makes me unenthusiastic to settle down to a game for a 30 minutes.

I had an Atari 2600, but I haven't fired it up in about 10 years. The PSX and PS2 still runs. The kids' Wii bit the dust recently but they have their Xbox 360 games for fun.

Never got much into PC gaming - never had a good PC that could run games well, so I really haven't tried in the past 25 years.

I don't enjoy video games anymore; luckily my real life is much more interesting (the cut scenes have less drama, though).

Speaking of PC games I recently got Doom working again using the Chocolate Doom source port.  I never had any interest in learning how to play with a mouse so the old school versions of Doom, Doom 2, and Final Doom were a fun distraction using keyboard settings.  I'm kind of intrigued with Brutal Doom since I could enjoy an old classic with a new twist, the learning curve with mouse play looks high though. 

I may buy the new DOOM game (DOOM Eternal) during the Steam Summer Sale this year. I have not played a DOOM game as of yet.

Quote from: ozarkman417 on May 13, 2020, 04:28:36 PM
I may buy the new DOOM game (DOOM Eternal) during the Steam Summer Sale this year. I have not played a DOOM game as of yet.

I played Doom 2016 at a friends house, I thought it compares well to original games.  Looks like Doom Eternal is pretty much more of the same but with less monster arenas/boxes. 

Quote from: roadman on August 02, 2017, 11:26:23 AM
This poll (and thread) demonstrates the basic problem with video games - they require a proprietary platform to use them, and games are not compatible across platforms.  Also, unlike records, cassettes, CDs, etc., to play the latest games you need to upgrade your platform, which also generally will not allow you to play the older games.

Once something stops being the cutting edge, you can usually get an emulator that mimics the system on a PC, so you can play whatever you want. The Super Nintendo has a few different emulators for it, so you can play Nintendo games from the early 1990s fairly easily, for example. And PC games that run on Windows/Linux have always been a thing.

Unless a video game is developed by a console manufacturer, they're mostly released across multiple platforms now. Console manufacturers can't offer sweetheart deals good enough anymore to make a third-party developer release on one console only–porting to all of the platforms is just too profitable.

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 13, 2020, 11:33:33 AM
Video games declined after 1994? But most games were still 2d in 1994!

A lot of the games of the early 90s were excellent. Lemmings and Super Mario World both came out in 1991 and are both classics still played today. Both still have an active fan community cranking out new custom levels for them, so if you take the time to get really good at them, you will have unending amounts of content.

'90s 16-bit graphics were enough to render some pretty nice-looking sprites, but there were still hardware limitations that required some kind of creativity out of the programmers. Programmers working under those sort of limitations would have to stop and evaluate whether the sort of interaction they wanted to do was worth the effort to make it happen.

Modern games can throw enough processing power at something that they often don't stop and think whether they should.

Quote from: stridentweasel on May 13, 2020, 12:00:20 PM
With a few exceptions, 2-D games are overall more enjoyable than 3-D games.  If you have a different opinion, I can't stop you.

3D games went through a period in the 90s and 2000s where the tech wasn't quite there yet, so everything tended to be noticeably bashed together out of an unholy mess of triangles. I can't play anything from that era because my mind has trouble parsing it so I get hopelessly lost and frustrated. I've heard Ocarina of Time is really good. But I can't get into it because my brain gets exhausted trying to interpret the damned triangles. (That, and they don't have a very good control scheme compared to modern 3D games.)

Things got better at some point in the 21st century, and I can play modern 3D games just fine. Some of them, at least. I don't have much interest in games that try to go for a super realistic style, since most of the time they're bathed in various shades of brown. I like Splatoon and Breath of the Wild, though, because they're shooting for a more cartoony aesthetic. I feel like both of them will probably hold up better over the years as a result. When you go for cutting edge, you look dated when the cutting edge moves on.

The game I'm currently playing the most, Stardew Valley, uses a pretend 16-bit art style (you can tell they really have 32-bit colors available since some of the animations are too smooth to be true 16-bit, not that it really matters much). But that's fine. It communicates what's going on in the game fairly clearly. And since it's pretending to use '90s tech and not 2010s, it'll look just the same to someone playing in 2020 as it does to those in 2040.

Quote from: Scott5114 on May 13, 2020, 07:22:01 PM

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 13, 2020, 11:33:33 AM
Video games declined after 1994? But most games were still 2d in 1994!

A lot of the games of the early 90s were excellent. Lemmings and Super Mario World both came out in 1991 and are both classics still played today. Both still have an active fan community cranking out new custom levels for them, so if you take the time to get really good at them, you will have unending amounts of content.

'90s 16-bit graphics were enough to render some pretty nice-looking sprites, but there were still hardware limitations that required some kind of creativity out of the programmers. Programmers working under those sort of limitations would have to stop and evaluate whether the sort of interaction they wanted to do was worth the effort to make it happen.

Modern games can throw enough processing power at something that they often don't stop and think whether they should.

Quote from: stridentweasel on May 13, 2020, 12:00:20 PM
With a few exceptions, 2-D games are overall more enjoyable than 3-D games.  If you have a different opinion, I can't stop you.

3D games went through a period in the 90s and 2000s where the tech wasn't quite there yet, so everything tended to be noticeably bashed together out of an unholy mess of triangles. I can't play anything from that era because my mind has trouble parsing it so I get hopelessly lost and frustrated. I've heard Ocarina of Time is really good. But I can't get into it because my brain gets exhausted trying to interpret the damned triangles. (That, and they don't have a very good control scheme compared to modern 3D games.)

Things got better at some point in the 21st century, and I can play modern 3D games just fine. Some of them, at least. I don't have much interest in games that try to go for a super realistic style, since most of the time they're bathed in various shades of brown. I like Splatoon and Breath of the Wild, though, because they're shooting for a more cartoony aesthetic. I feel like both of them will probably hold up better over the years as a result. When you go for cutting edge, you look dated when the cutting edge moves on.

The game I'm currently playing the most, Stardew Valley, uses a pretend 16-bit art style (you can tell they really have 32-bit colors available since some of the animations are too smooth to be true 16-bit, not that it really matters much). But that's fine. It communicates what's going on in the game fairly clearly. And since it's pretending to use '90s tech and not 2010s, it'll look just the same to someone playing in 2020 as it does to those in 2040.

Quake was released in 1996. Half-Life 1 in 1998. Both games are fully 3D.

I would still rank Doom way above Quake.  The base levels were more fun to play and far more frantic than what Quake offered, usually way more open ended.  The original Doom might have the largest Mod community of any game every made.  I even made my own custom WAD files for Doom up until the early 2000s.  The amount of creativity that Doom allowed and ease of access for anyone will probably never be replicated.  Then again before the 3D era it was pretty easy to trick out and customize PC games by experimenting with utility tools.  Post 3D it became really unapproachable, I would compare it to working on a carbureted engine versus something with EFI. 

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on May 13, 2020, 07:52:41 PM
I even made my own custom WAD files for Doom up until the early 2000s.

$deity that was fun. :D

I have a PS4 (bought), and a Switch (gift). Lately the PS4 has gotten a lot more mileage as a streaming platform while the Switch has been more of my gaming console.