Retro Gaming Thread

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[Hawq]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

[ian]

I've built an XP machine recently that is giving me my fix of PC games 1996-2006.

It's a core 2 duo with an AMD 4350 GPU and 4gb of ram. While that spec may not be useful for windows 7 or even Vista, it's a perfect companion to windows XP. I started on xp 64 bit before remembering drivers were a fucking nightmare. So rolled back to 32bit regular Windows XP Professional. So I can't use the whole 4gb of ram, and sure I'm technically only take advantage of 1 core but the CPU runs at 2.5GHz and with an old 128gb SATA ssd it's running things beautifully.

I started with Sim Tower and Red Alert the first decade both still great.

[Hawq]

All hail Uncle Clive's rubber keyed colour clash marvel! feels like I must play some Soft & Cuddly, Manic Miner, How to be a Complete Bastard or something, probably Soft & Cuddly as that was Speccy only

[pixel]

[melancholy]

It’s impressive how close those are getting to real CRTs, but I think I’ll keep using my 36” tube.

[pixel]

I'm CRT-less myself I got rid of my scuzzy childhood 22-inch Zenith TV about 10 years ago. I had moved around a bunch back then and thought it'd be easier if I just donated it. I still wish I had the thing, it was a weird set bought for $25 from the local hotel liquidator shop and had its own built-in AM/FM radio and alarm clock.

Much more egregious was the time I got rid of my old Viewsonic CRT monitor. That one really stings these days.

The lesson learned? Never get rid of anything!

[ian]

Did someone say CRT?
I Don't care (that they're heavy, low res, use shitloads of power, and take up too much room) I love it!

I moved my TV's recently so I could fit some monitors.

2.JPG

And they don't only make old games look better:

DSCF3517.JPG

Turns out I was playing BOTW wrong in handheld mode, It looks absolutely stunning on a 19" monitor at 720P even if I can't take a photo to save my life.

[Hawq]

[ian]

I've been playing Ridge Racer Type 4. First I was playing pal, but it just felt too slow, so I switched to NTSC but it still feels too slow these days.
I was liking the game despite feeling it was slower than I remembered. And then I tried out the hi-spec demo.

Namco fucked up big time making the game look better and going for 30FPS.
Having it look slightly worse (and it's a PS1 so the difference is fuck all anyway these days) but run at 50 and 60 FPS made the game much, MUCH better.
I'm very impressed playing with a jogcon though... for all other games it sucks ass, but for RRT4 it's the most amazing control ever.

I just wish the game was a little bit faster and smoother.

[Hawq]

[Hawq]

[Hawq]

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Yes, this video features EVERY Ocean Licensed Game -- from Spectrum to SNES, Robocop to Highlander, from the classics to the very worst, and lots of weirdness in between -- literally hundreds of games that helped define Ocean and made them into a video game powerhouse. Enjoy!

[Dr. Zoidberg]

David Ward, co-founder of Ocean Software, has died aged 75

Ward was a pioneer of British games development



David Ward, co-founder of influential British developer and publisher Ocean Software, and a pioneer of game development in the UK, has died at the age of 75.

Born in 1947, Ward co-founded Ocean Software with Jon Woods in 1983 (as ‘Spectrum Games’) and would go on to become one of Europe’s biggest game publishers, creating titles such as Platoon, Top Gun and Daley Thompson’s Decathalon.

The Manchester-based company is credited for establishing much of the commercial, legal and technical framework that helped turn game creation from a hobby to a global business.

The news of Ward’s death was confirmed by his son Ben on Monday.



In 2004, Ward and Woods were inducted into the ELSPA Hall of Fame for their contributions to the game industry.

“Many people consider Ocean Software to be pioneers who helped to transform the UK computer and video games into a real multinational business,” said ELSPA director general Roger Bennett at the time.

“Together Ward and Woods coined much of the terminology of the games industry and instigated many of its milestones, including the use of brands and franchises from traditional media and the formal processes of protecting intellectual property.”

In 1996, Ocean Software merged with Infogrames for £100 million. Ocean remained a separate division of Infogrames until 1998 when it was rebranded as Infogrames United Kindom Limited.

British games trade body UKIE said in a statement on Monday: “We’re saddened to hear of the passing of David Ward, who was the co-founder of the pioneering Manchester based games development and publishing company Ocean Software. Our thoughts are with his friends and family.”





David Ward Credits
A-Jax – Producer
A.L.C.O.N. – Producer
Android Two – Producer
Arkanoid – Producer
Arkanoid: Revenge of DOH – Producer
Armageddon – Producer
Army Moves – Producer
Athena – Producer
Bad Dudes – Producer
Batman: The Caped Crusader – Producer
Battle Command – Producer
Boot Camp – Producer
Cabal – Producer
Cavelon – Producer
Chase H.Q. – Producer
Chase H.Q. II: Special Criminal Investigation – Producer
Cobra – Amstrad Producer
Comic Bakery – Producer
Contra – Producer
Cosmic Wartoad – Producer
Cosmo Police Galivan – Producer
Daley Thompson’s Decathlon – Producer
Daley Thompson’s Olympic Challenge – Producer
Darkman – Producer
Double Take – Producer
Eco – Producer
Eskimo Eddie – Producer
Firefly – Producer
Frankie Goes to Hollywood -Producer
Freddy Hardest – Producer
Game Over – Producer
Gift from the Gods – Producer
Gilligan’s Gold – Producer
Head Over Heels – Producer
High Noon – Producer
Highlander – Producer
Hunchback – Producer
Hunchback II: Quasimodo’s Revenge – Producer
Hunchback: the Adventure – Producer
Hyper Sports – Producer
It’s a Knockout – Producer
Jonny and the Jimpys – Producer
Konami‘s Golf – Producer
Kong Strikes Back! – Producer
Life Force – Producer
Lost Patrol – Producer
Madballs – Producer
MagMax – Producer
Mailstrom – Producer
Match Day II – Producer
Miami Vice – Producer
Midnight Resistance – Producer
Mikie – Producer
Moon Alert -Producer
Movie – Producer
N.O.M.A.D. – Producer
NARC – Producer
Navy Seals – Producer
Nightmare Rally – Producer
Ninja Gaiden – Producer
Operation Wolf – Producer
Pang – Producer
Parallax -Producer
Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III – Producer
Phantom Club – Producer
Ping Pong – Producer
Plotting – Producer
Psycho Soldier – Producer
Pud Pud in Weird World – Producer
Puzznic – Producer
Rainbow Islands – Producer
Rambo III – Producer
Rastan – Producer
Red Heat – Producer
Renegade – Producer
Renegade III: The Final Chapter – Producer
RoboCop – Producer
RoboCop 2 – Producer
Roland’s Ratrace – Producer
Rollerball – Producer
Run the Gauntlet – Producer
Rush’n Attack – Producer
Short Circuit – Producer
Sly Spy: Secret Agent – Producer
Space Gun – Producer
Street Hawk – Producer
Super Soccer – Producer
TLL: Tornado Low Level – Producer
Tank – Producer
Target: Renegade – Producer
Terra Cresta – Producer
The Great Escape – Producer
The Legend of Kage – Producer
The Neverending Story – Producer
The New Zealand Story -Producer
The Slugger – Producer
The Vindicator! – Producer
Toki: Going Ape Spit – Producer
Total Recall – Producer
Transformers – Producer
Transversion – Producer
Voyager – Producer
WEC Le Mans – Producer
Where Time Stood Still – Producer
Wild Wheels – Producer
Wizadore – Producer
Wizball – Producer
Yie Ar Kung-Fu 2: The Emperor Yie-Gah – Producer

Source: VGC

[pixel]

Tons of classics there, he was a legend. I also didn't know that there was a Frankie Goes To Hollywood video game for the C64

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Tons of classics there, he was a legend. I also didn't know that there was a Frankie Goes To Hollywood video game for the C64

I've played it on an emulator a decade or so ago. Didn't know what to do though.

I think it was a fairly big hit in the UK. They should have followed it up with a Duran Duran game and one for Madonna as well.

[pixel]

British developers always surprise me, that Frankie game actually looks good. And the premise is so freaking weird Wandering around row houses looking for pills, semen and religion to make yourself a "real person;" it's an amazing testament to a bonkers decade.

I misread and thought they had done games for Duran Duran and Madonna, but I did find this guy's chiptunes

[Dr. Zoidberg]

With Duran Duran & Madonna games they could have had levels & mini games based on their music videos.

There are lots of nice 80s tunes on the C64.