Ted
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Post by Ted on Mar 22, 2018 15:41:19 GMT
I think it may of been quite a bit different for you guys in the US and England compared to here in Australia. Arcades here "TimeZone" and "Playtime" where absolutely huge in the early to mid 90's. Without question that was their peak here. Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, Virtual Striker, Daytona, Sega Rally, Virtual Cop, Tekken, Time Crisis etc etc "Lock in parties" were all the go to have when it was your birthday. These places were packed after school and all day Saturday and Sunday. Even today here in Australia arcades still exist. No word of a lie my nephew and I were playing Daytona at an arcade two hours ago. Maybe your experiences were different? Those were mine. Oh believe me, we got all those, but at a cost- many of the original stick and button games disappeared, replaced by gambling machines, and the games became increasingly expensive. The glory days were late 70's-80's-early to mid 90's for us. Now arcades are a shadow of their former selves, it's just ticket games and the odd racing game. This is Funland in London, 1989, probably one of the best times for arcades here.
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Ted
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Post by Ted on Mar 18, 2018 23:32:56 GMT
I think I've read somewhere that Sega had a pretty odd licence agreement with Lucasfilm thanks to them allowing many other companies making Star Wars games (Rebel Assault, Star Wars Chess) around the same time. It allowed for a 32X port to be made, obviously, but it led to a bunch of the arcade machines being destroyed before it was released, which would explain why it was so rare, and also potentially a reason why there was never a Saturn release- this is just a rumour though. The clue is in the name - it was an arcade game. Designed for a few minutes play - not for home consumption. Unless you are a hardcore arcade gamer it wouldn't be of interest.
Back in '81, the sit down arcade game with the yoke controller was a great experience. And playing such a thing on a console - even if it could recreate the crystal clear vector graphics - just isn't the same. Not sure that's the reason. Arcade games were at their absolute peak in the mid 1990s. The thing is though, the 32X version had a '32X Mode' along side the original, which added more missions and some primitive cutscenes. Would've been easy to do that on Saturn. And also, arcade games were NOT at their peak in the mid-90's. The peak was probably back when the consoles still weren't dominant, even before the NES, that original burst of simplistic but fun shooters and platformers. Mid 90's was the beginning of the end for them, Street Fighter was declining in popularity, plus more and more games were having to rely on oversized controllers and hydraulic seats to give an experience that you couldn't have at home. Even though you can tell the differences now, a lot of people back then thought the PS1 Ridge Racer was arcade-perfect. Death knell was the Dreamcast for sure, the hardware was the exact same as Sega's NAOMI arcade board, which they were now supporting instead of the Model 3. The arcade scene was miles better back in 1995 than it is now, but definitely wasn't it's peak. Star Wars Arcade's overall unpopularity and obscureness, even at that time, were probably the reason why it wasn't ported to the Saturn. Daytona and Virtua Fighter took priority, and they're better games than Star Wars anyway, so we didn't miss out on anything.
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Ted
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Post by Ted on Feb 13, 2018 23:25:14 GMT
Fighting Vipers! I find both Virtua Fighter games to be rather slow-paced and a lot more technical, which isn't my type of fighting game. Fighting Vipers is pretty much the opposite of that, on the surface it looks the same but it's a lot faster and I enjoy the breakable armour and arena barriers you can smash. If you don't like VF 1 or 2 go for this one.
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Post by Ted on Feb 3, 2018 0:18:18 GMT
2. I burnt CDs of what i thought was the European PAL version of street fighter collection for my PAL console. It was the only Europe ROM i could find on the web, but the image is cut off at the left and right sides and i suspect that it is just a region patched USA ROM. Is there any way of fixing this problem without having to find the correct version and burn it again (but if you know where i can find the real version as a ROM download on the web could you tell me?)? <iframe width="19.519999999999982" height="7.180000000000007" style="position: absolute; width: 19.52px; height: 7.18px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 0px; top: 0px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_98909206"></iframe> <iframe width="19.519999999999982" height="7.180000000000007" style="position: absolute; width: 19.52px; height: 7.18px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 916px; top: -151px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_90546055"></iframe> <iframe width="19.519999999999982" height="7.180000000000007" style="position: absolute; width: 19.52px; height: 7.18px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 10px; top: -18px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_88396134"></iframe> <iframe width="19.519999999999982" height="7.180000000000007" style="position: absolute; width: 19.52px; height: 7.18px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 916px; top: -18px;" id="MoatPxIOPT0_55230577"></iframe> It's been mentioned but it's down to the PAL optimisation. Capcom were generally lazy with optimising their games for our region so they have massive borders and other issues. In fact my copy of Street Fighter Alpha 2 (original, not burnt) has a similar problem. And yes, these will work if you have a region modded console as well as in 60hz, as noted by others.
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Ted
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Post by Ted on Feb 3, 2018 0:10:47 GMT
Fighting games! I came into the Saturn at a time when I didn't put much thought into them and just mashed buttons but now I've come to appreciate the true skill that comes with them. Personal favourites of mine are Street Fighter Alpha 2, King Of Fighters '95 and Fighters Megamix.
At a close second is racing games. A lot of the racers that came out for the Saturn are far from perfect (Touring Car and Daytona, looking at you) but all of them just have this amazing arcade playability. Sega Rally in particular I've grown fond of.
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Post by Ted on Jan 24, 2018 16:17:29 GMT
I have no idea what it is- but I do remember a Ebay listing for this game mentioning something similar. Discs one and two of that listing had been scratched by the Saturn itself and that was why they were selling it, but they did work, only now every so often a little square would appear in the bottom right corner. I think they then said something about not taking the disc out while it was on screen but I'm not sure. I definitely have heard of this before though.
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Ted
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Post by Ted on Jan 20, 2018 22:10:52 GMT
Nevermind, got it back, can one of the mods delete this please
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Post by Ted on Jan 14, 2018 13:29:39 GMT
Bridgwater has Timewarp Arcade, they don't have as much as Arcade Club but they have some nice little games you don't see often, including Namco's Prop Cycle.
Croydon's got the amazing Heart Of Gaming arcade with 6 VS City cabs originally from the Trocadero, House Of The Dead 1 2 3 & 4,deluxe Naomi sitdowns, 4 player Daytona, and a bunch of other games I've forgotten.
Other than them I can't think of any others
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Post by Ted on Dec 16, 2017 21:48:12 GMT
Not played it yet as its not high on my want list but it looks alright. Pretty similar to the original Resi from the sounds of things. No idea why this wasn't released in the USA, it probably would've done alright actually considering the times. I think Derek on here knows a lot more about the planned NTSC release and its prototypes.
Don't shell out for the PAL version though, get a JP copy as there is almost no Japanese dialogue or text from what I've seen. Or even get it on a back up disc with Pseudo Saturn if you really want to.
And yeah, Mick or a mod, can you move this please? Idk how you've managed to post this here but it should be in Light Gun Alley like Sych has noted.
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Ted
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Post by Ted on Oct 21, 2017 19:46:52 GMT
I usually go to skegness once or twice a year for a day trip I must say that they do have a couple of decent arcades will definitely have to go to fantasy island for Daytona these cabinets are usually battered with bits that don't work properly were they in good working order Don't use the first of the 4 cabs, the steering wheel is almost hanging off and there is a few graphics issues, but the rest are fine. I've been told that since last month the new Daytona is elsewhere in the arcade. Oh and just a pointer- the original isn't in the main arcade area, it's at the indoor plaza. The pyramid had a bit of a revamp this year as did the arcade which meant some machines had to be moved to other areas in the pyramid.
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Post by Ted on Oct 17, 2017 23:26:05 GMT
Just had an amazing experience at Play Expo Manchester 2017. For those over the pond and not in the know of what it is, Play Expo is a gaming convention which encompasses just about everything that's great about gaming. The biggest aspect, unlike most other gaming game conventions, is the consoles. There was a wide variety of them to play on from the original Pong console to the PS4 in a Sony sponsored area, with new indie games being showcased as well as recent releases. There was also areas for cosplayers, Tekken and Smash Bros tournaments, board games, LAN gaming, and so much more. There was also, conveniently enough, a section with retro game sellers and traders. Didn't spot much Saturn stuff (lots more mega drive, master system, ps1 and 2 games) but I did get these: I didn't really come to Play Expo planning to buy something but I did plan on getting Fighters Megamix and a 3D Pad if I saw them. Sadly I did not see Fighters Megamix, but I did get a 3D Pad. The others I picked up by chance. I was spurred on to buy Sega Ages after playing the deluxe hydraulic OutRun and After Burner in the retro arcade machines section earlier, which was probably one of the best moments of my life in the past few years, I'm not gonna lie. I also had Virtua Cop in my sights, and a copy was there, but it was bad condition and fairly overpriced. On that same stall though there was a great condition Quake for £10 which I thought was great, so I bought that instead. I got Virtua Fighter and the gun from a bargain bin- both were £5 altogether. I only really have a few more Saturn games I would really like to buy- I'm itching to buy a Dreamcast now after trying Daytona USA 2001 with a steering wheel there- despite what others say it felt like a perfect port. Never even played the Sonic Adventure games as well so I may buy the last Saturn games I want, then start on the Dreamcast in the new year.
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Post by Ted on Oct 1, 2017 11:57:05 GMT
Hi Ethan, welcome to the forum. Like you I'm also pretty young, in fact probably younger than you- I'm only about to turn 14 in December. I got my Saturn on the cheap around a year ago for £35, and it came with 2 games. You just have to be on the lookout all the time- within seconds all the best deals get snapped up. Set up search alerts or something lol.
If you like racing games well the Saturn has a good healthy selection of them. Of course there's Daytona, F1 and Sega Rally which you mentioned, but there's some more obscure stuff too, like Hang On GP 95, Manx TT, Virtua Racing, and fine ports of both Wipeout and its sequel 2097. You've also got Electronic Arts work, which includes Road Rash and Need For Speed.
It's not quite a racing game but there's Sonic R if you're a fan of the blue hedgehog. If you can stomach the bad handling and graphics issues, then Sega Touring Car is a okay purchase if you can get it for a low price. And then there's imports, if you get into them then there's even more like Tecmo's GT24. I would reccommend buying the Arcade Racer steering wheel- it's pretty much the only one released for the Saturn and while basic it works like a charm.
There is of course more to the Saturn than racing games. It hits hard with fighting games both 2D and 3D. Fighting Vipers, Virtua Fighter, Last Bronx, Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes, and King Of Fighters are just a few of the fighting games and series you can find on the Saturn.
Again, if you get into imports, there's a lot of RPG's to sink your teeth into, although you wil have to use a guide for some. There's some rather unique games too, like Virtual On (mech fighting game), Guardian Heroes (beat em' up/RPG hybrid), and so many other hidden gems to be found.
Oh and unlike you my collection is predominantly Sega, I got my Mega Drive when I was just 9 years old could you believe, and I'm just about to start collecting for the Dreamcast. I also have a PS2, a ZX Spectrum (which I have never used) and some Game Boy games as well although I don't have one. I may get a SNES in the future, but I'm mostly gonna ignore Nintendo stuff. I don't really think it's worth the price when you can just get them on the virtual console or similar.
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Post by Ted on Sept 29, 2017 22:25:51 GMT
Bump! I have been on holiday to Skegness recently, the arcades were actually pretty good. Played on the new Daytona- nothing too great but lovely to hear Let's Go Away blaring out of speakers in arcades again. Tried the new Walking Dead game as well- fairly good, if a little hard to control due to the crossbow controllers. I also like the new Jurassic Park shooter- fun and has hydraulics! Or at least the one I played on did. There was even one of the newer King Of Fighters games (not sure which) in a Taito Viewlix cab- very surprised to see one of those! Anyway I was terrible at it cause I suck at fighting games in general, but KOF is especially hard. I can only manage 3 bouts before a game over on my Saturn copy of KOF 95! I also almost clocked Namco's Deadstorm Pirates with 3 or so credits but just barely lost at the end. And then there was this: I've seen this before but never realised how big and crazy it is until now. The hydraulics, rumbling seats, and steering wheel force feedback are really effective- makes it even more of a challenge to play. And don't get me started on the 2 player co-op feature... Seen some older stuff as well. I saw the original Sega Rally a few times (w/ broken gear shifters and damage, mind), House Of The Dead 2 + 3, Star Wars Arcade Trilogy, Manx TT, Ghost Squad, Time Crisis 2 + 3, Ferrari F355 Challenge, Sega Touring Car, and Ridge Racer. A standout was a deluxe 4 player Daytona USA in Fantasy Island
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Post by Ted on Sept 24, 2017 20:36:22 GMT
I've been trying to get a plastic case Fighting Vipers for ages as my cardboard copy has literally been disintegrating (!) ever since I got it, but the only results I have found is a sold Ebay listing from Italy and a console bundle from Spain, which is odd. I think that some plastic case variants may have been shipped in higher quantities/only released in certain countries- I speculate this because dantemdie has mentioned to me before that while it is easy to find a plastic case version of Panzer Dragoon Zwei in Portugal, a Sega Rally variant isn't- which is almost the exact opposite over here. I'm not saying its true but it would be a logical explanation. Also, about the Virtua Fighter plastic box variant- I do quite doubt that exists. I'm fairly certain Sega Europe were aware of it's faults, which also was the same for most of the launch titles- Panzer Dragoon, Daytona, Clockwork Knight, and Sega Worldwide Soccer Victory Goal. So, it's no surprise that all of those games that I mentioned had their sequels/remakes got plastic case re-releases and they didn't. The plastic case VF 1 some users have described is most likely the empty display cases for game stores that Mick has mentioned.
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Post by Ted on Aug 18, 2017 18:43:38 GMT
Games like Manx TT are fine though as they're unoptimised I just switch to 60hz via my switchless reset. While the aspect ratio is fine on Manx TT when played at 60hz I have heard that it's quite hard to play due to the timer being badly optimized for 50hz- and in 60hz it goes quite fast. I'd pick up a JP copy of that as well
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