The Retro Gaming Thread

[Spark Of Spirit]

Impossible Mission is a good game.

Thanks for reminding me that I need to learn if the DS version is any good.

[Rynnec]

To be fair I wouldn't pit the XBOX with any of those consoles. Its not really a very good console, but I did get to play good games on it, so its certainly not a really bad console either. Besides, the fact that it had Ninja Gaiden Black on it automatically saves it from being shit, since that is in fact the best game ever made, even though nobody but me is smart enough to realize that.

Really, other than Halo, the Dreamcast ports, Ninja Gaiden, and a platformer/shooter or two, the original Xbox didn't really have much going for it.

[Foggle]

And you know, while everyone already talks about how bad the graphics of the PS1 and the N64 have aged, I'm honestly shocked at how bad the PS2 graphics have aged.  I've been playing quite a bit of PS2 games lately, and I don't remember the games looking that bad.  Some games don't look like too much of an improvement over the PS1.

Really depends on the game. Most of the first party titles like Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter, and God of War still look really good. Hell, even the Fatal Frame and MGS sequels are still pretty. But stuff like Persona 3 and The Red Star? Hell no.

Really, compare the PS2 version of Resident Evil 4 to Nemesis or Code Veronica and you'll see that the PS2's graphics were still head and shoulders above those of the past generation (I, like E-K, consider the Dreamcast to be part of the N64/PS1 era). The GameCube and Xbox looked a lot better and the PC was already producing stuff like F.E.A.R., but PS2 games look perfectly fine and haven't aged poorly at all IMO.

[talonmalon333]

To be fair I wouldn't pit the XBOX with any of those consoles. Its not really a very good console, but I did get to play good games on it, so its certainly not a really bad console either. Besides, the fact that it had Ninja Gaiden Black on it automatically saves it from being shit, since that is in fact the best game ever made, even though nobody but me is smart enough to realize that.

Really, other than Halo, the Dreamcast ports, Ninja Gaiden, and a platformer/shooter or two, the original Xbox didn't really have much going for it.

I thought Black was for the 360 anyway.

[Spark Of Spirit]

And you know, while everyone already talks about how bad the graphics of the PS1 and the N64 have aged, I'm honestly shocked at how bad the PS2 graphics have aged.  I've been playing quite a bit of PS2 games lately, and I don't remember the games looking that bad.  Some games don't look like too much of an improvement over the PS1.

Really depends on the game. Most of the first party titles like Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, Jak and Daxter, and God of War still look really good. Hell, even the Fatal Frame and MGS sequels are still pretty. But stuff like Persona 3 and The Red Star? Hell no.

Really, compare the PS2 version of Resident Evil 4 to Nemesis or Code Veronica and you'll see that the PS2's graphics were still head and shoulders above those of the past generation (I, like E-K, consider the Dreamcast to be part of the N64/PS1 era). The GameCube and Xbox looked a lot better and the PC was already producing stuff like F.E.A.R., but PS2 games look perfectly fine and haven't aged poorly at all IMO.

To be fair, The Red Star was an unfinished game that was sort of rushed to completion. But yeah, games like Persona 3, Maximo, Shinobi, and MGS3 would have benefited a lot for being on the other systems. If you want an example of the difference in power level, check out the PS2 version of Sonic Heroes. It might still be a bad game regardless, but the PS2 version has a lot more problems than either the Xbox or Gamecube versions. The PS2 can barely handle it. It's not as big a gap as the Wii is to the HD systems, but it's still very obviously the weakest of the 3.

The Dreamcast was blessed with developers who chose to make syilized games, so it still looks good. But the Saturn's 3D REALLY looks awful. The 2D stuff looks phenomenal, but the 3D is really awful. It's sort of the opposite of the N64 in that way to me.

[Foggle]

To be fair, The Red Star was an unfinished game that was sort of rushed to completion.

And yet it's still one of the best games of last gen.

[Spark Of Spirit]

To be fair, The Red Star was an unfinished game that was sort of rushed to completion.

And yet it's still one of the best games of last gen.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I thought Black was for the 360 anyway.

You can play it on the XBOX360 either by downloading it or using the disc which is BC, but either way players have noticed various bugs that occur when playing the game on the XBOX360 and for some reason longer loading times as well. Those are all minor annoyances, but it is a fact that the game just runs better on the original XBOX. Also, the XBOX had the downloadable Hurricane Packs as well, which can't be played on the XBOX360, so that was another edge for having the original XBOX to play Ninja Gaiden on.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Really, other than Halo, the Dreamcast ports, Ninja Gaiden, and a platformer/shooter or two, the original Xbox didn't really have much going for it.

Halo (first 2 games)
Ninja Gaiden/Hurricane Packs/Black
Jet Set Radio Future
Oddworld: Munch's Odyssey
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
Otogi 1 and 2
Dead or Alive Ultimate
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Phantom Dust
Jade Empire

Those are the games that I could think of off the top of my head, which is probably most of what the XBOX had to offer anyways. Still, that's at least 10 good games and IMO that's enough to keep the XBOX from being a complete piece of shit console like most people say. I'm not denying that its definitely the weakest console from last-gen, but its certainly not a bad one with those games, either. BTW I purposely didn't list Fable because I think its shit, but that's just my opinion.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I can't believe some of those aren't BC or available on Games On Demand/Xbox Originals. Every system needs full BC from this point on, at least with the previous gen. No excuse without it.

I'm debating getting the Jak Collection, but since I probably won't be able to play it for a long time I might just have to wait on it.

[Rynnec]

Really, other than Halo, the Dreamcast ports, Ninja Gaiden, and a platformer/shooter or two, the original Xbox didn't really have much going for it.

Halo (first 2 games)
Ninja Gaiden/Hurricane Packs/Black
Jet Set Radio Future
Oddworld: Munch's Odyssey
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
Otogi 1 and 2
Dead or Alive Ultimate
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay'
Phantom Dust
Jade Empire

Those are the games that I could think of off the top of my head, which is probably most of what the XBOX had to offer anyways. Still, that's at least 10 good games and IMO that's enough to keep the XBOX from being a complete piece of shit console like most people say.

I'd also add Star Wars Republic Commando to that list, personally. I guess the KotoR games could go there as well. There's also Panzer Dragoon Orta, even though I haven't played it, there are definitely people out there who would coniser that it's worth getting an Xbox for.

I can't believe some of those aren't BC or available on Games On Demand/Xbox Originals. Every system needs full BC from this point on, at least with the previous gen. No excuse without it.

I'm debating getting the Jak Collection, but since I probably won't be able to play it for a long time I might just have to wait on it.

Speaking of Jak, I still need to finish my copy of the first Jak and Daxter (I've had it for almost 5 years!). I also have the first three Ratchet and Clank games sitting around my house. I really should find the time to play them.

[Rosalinas Spare Wand]

I found a discount store today that was selling old issues of Nintendo Power in the very back next to the comics and manga. I bought around 5 of them, one because it had Fire Emblem on the cover and the others because they were from the late 90s and had a lot of the ads I remember staring at as a kid.

One of them even has the cutout offer for that promotional dK64 banana controller. Stupid thing will forever haunt me.

[GaryPotter]

The N64 was certainly a disappointment for me. I loved the Nintendo and Rare games that the system got, but after that I mostly ignored it. I got an N64 in 1996. In 1998 I got a PS1 and from that point on I only played the N64 rarely, mostly for Majora's Mask. Overall it was good, but nowhere near the level of the SNES.

It really isn't fair to complain about the ugliness of 3D graphics on the late-90s systems. Most of the games made during that period were pretty shaky. Developers were still getting on their feet trying to figure out the best way to utilize this new technology, and most of their output shows that. To me personally, it wasn't until Spyro came out that 3D gaming entered what could be called it's prime.

As far as who won that war, PS1 was victorious, but not because of anything Sony did. The Saturn was a flop due to Bernie Stoler's incompetence and Sega of America's inexplicable decision to leave the system's best games in Japan. The N64, bless it's heart, was gimped by the cartridge format and a horrible sound chip. Sony was merely at the right place at the right time, and reaped huge dividends.

With regards to the last generation, the transition to HDTV has made them all pretty crappy. It's simply impossible for a 480i (or if your lucky, 480p) game to look as good as one natively programmed to 720p. PS2 fares the worst in this regard, mostly because the system had no fullscreen anti-aliasing (seriously, what the hell was Sony thinking? Even the Dc had that).

[Spark Of Spirit]

Yeah, the more the years go by the more I'm certain that Sony is just an incompetent company that got lucky. You know why the PS1 was such a great system? Because there was nothing wrong with it to scare off third parties. The N64 was hard to develop for and it couldn't handle 2D games or arcade ports, and the Saturn could barely handle 3D games and was the single most difficult system to make games for. Meanwhile sits the nonchalant PS1 that isn't perfect at either but strikes the balance that everyone wanted.

Then you had the PS2 which everyone bought and made games for because it was out first and could play DVDs. Ironically, this same head start is what made the 360 overtake the PS3 the following gen. It was the followup to a successful system so everyone just bought it based on promises. It certainly wasn't its embarrassing first year or two.

And finally the PSP got its massive success in Japan because of a third party fluke called Monster Hunter. If Capcom didn't make this game, the system would have completely faded away. Again, nothing Sony did brought it success.

I'm not saying they never had good ideas, good games, or good systems, but their success seemed very luck based more so than anything they've actually done themselves as a game company.

[Foggle]

I know they aren't technically made by Sony, but the PS1 and PS2 had tons of great first-and-third party exclusives. I think Sony definitely knew what they were doing back then. I agree that the PSP's success is entirely luck-based, however, and they've done nothing but fuck themselves over constantly with the PS3.