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Topics - WiggyDiggyPoo

#1
Just a bit of chatter really  :113:

I've had a tidy up of my retro corner so 3 computers are permanently attached (A1200, C64, CPC464) although annoyingly the C64s video signal is not quite strong enough to go through a splitter so I'm stuck changing the RF leads between it and the CPC - its on an extension though so I dont have to scrabble around the back.

Been buying/getting quite a few PS2 games lately so I think I'll be trying those out, and long term I'm on the hunt for a reasonably priced A1200 as my one really is on its last legs with random crashes aplenty.

Ive got a second screen now also - an old LCD display which has a useful S-Video in - going to get my SNES hooked up to that I think.

I also want, given the new Deus Ex was announced, to play the original 2 (Deus Ex and Deus Ex Invisible War) and a game called Project Snowblind (which started as a Deus Ex game) as kind of warm up to the new one.

So what have you got going on lately?
#2
Retro News & Chat / Retro Gaming in the Pub
December 10, 2014, 18:32:53 PM
Just found this in a pub near me[emoji12]

#3
Retro News & Chat / Pub Games
September 26, 2014, 15:34:32 PM
So slightly inspired by the Bowling thread, what pub games did we enjoy (or still do!)

Please no Fruit Machines or Pinball - they deserve their own forum there are so many!

I'll start - On the Oche for the Amstrad CPC.

I really enjoyed this as a kid which is slightly odd as I would have been around 5 or 6 and wayyy too young to know what darts was.

Very odd graphics on this. Maybe it was a Spectrum port by lazy programmers who didn't want to use the Amstrads better colours.

Anyway, behold On The Oche!
#4
Retro News & Chat / The Amiga Project
July 30, 2014, 18:09:31 PM
So what I am rather generically calling "The Amiga Project" has begun here at Casa Wig.

Some goodies turned up today, a replacement CF Hard Drive which at 4gb might be small by PC standards but is 10x the size of my existing 400mb hard drive, it was also over £100 cheaper lol

The other thing is a PCMCIA CF card reader, PCMCIA I suppose you could describe as a precursor to USB although thats doing a disservice perhaps to the versatility of devices which used PCMCIA.

Anyway the basic plan is to use the card reader as a transfer device between the two hard drives, so copy everything from the old one, fit the new one, then copy it all back.

Perhaps at £30 its an expensive luxury but after some advice from http://eab.abime.net/index.php English Amiga Board its the best way.

So, a night of file management and data shifting awaits which (strangely) is something I'm rather looking forward to.

Long term I'm on the hunt for a basic desktop PC as my laptop lacks a PCMCIA slot to do file transfers between the two computers, then the fun will really start  :113:

#5
*Flying being flying so anything from Choplifter to Boeing 747 Landing Trainer - no superheroes though!*

To take to the skies has long being a fantasy from the days of Icarus to when the Wright Brothers finally achieved their maiden trip, video games are no different and there have been many games using flight as the mechanic.

Here are some of my favourites:

From the Amstrad CPC464

Harrier Attack - love this, came out just after the Falklands which heavily featured Harriers and its only as an adult I've made the connection. According to the wiki the executable is under 9k!

Harrier Attack on the Amstrad CPC


From the Amiga/CD32


Jetstrike - The vid is from the CD32 version so features some snazzy topgun esq music and voice effects, now dont be fooled by the simplistic looking game. This is incredibly deep, has some very realistic flight routines (you can stall, take damage, even glide out of fuel/engines) and the choices of planes and weapons is almost obscene. It gets very hard in later levels as the terrain becomes very challenging - from memory some attack runs have to be started under the mountain through a tunnel!

Jetstrike for the Commodore Amiga CD32

From the PC

TFX - Lordy! This game blew most other flight sims out of the water for me. I never owned this myself (lacking a PC in early 90's) but would spend hours at a friends playing/watching. Also featured the 'Eurofighter' - eventually known as the Typhoon one of my favourite planes.

TFX - Tactical Fighter Experiment (DOS) (theme+gameplay)

Flight Unlimited 2 - Pretty much the only pure simulator I have played and enjoyed, its very easy to pick up, features a very realistic radio system and has some funky little missions to fly. Great game from the designers of the Thief series.

Flight Unlimited 2: a tribute movie

What are yours?
#6
Retro News & Chat / CVG to close?
May 21, 2014, 06:34:49 AM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27486867



"Computer and Video Games (CVG), which in 1981 was the world's first magazine dedicated to gaming, is facing closure.

The title, which has been online-only since 2004, may stop publishing at the end of a 45-day consultation period that began on 14 May, sources said.

However, its publishers Future are also believed to be looking into selling off the brand."

Just spotted this on my way out, I'll just leave this here for now.....
#7
Homebrew Chat / Angry Video Game Nerd Homebrews
May 12, 2014, 22:01:44 PM
Quite a selection here, but the absolute beaut is "The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures" on Steam/Humble - skip to 14:00 to see that one but TBH they are all crazy.

#8
Struggled to get the title right but basically any game where your some kind of hovering thing, obvious choices being things like F-Zero, Wipeout etc


I'm a big fan of racers and futuristic ones in particular, Ive played a lot over the years and wanted to look at some:


F-Zero X N64 - I struggled with the controls on this, attack moves were a little tricky, but as on of my first N64 games I loved it.

Wipeout 2097 PS1 - Ive gone for the sequel as I like the music and tracks better, otherwise its the same as the first one. System link was fun on this and I think you could do the disc trick so you only needed 1 copy of the game.

Quantum Redshift Xbox Classic - A Xbox exclusive its not well remembered, it was a bundled game at one point I think. Lots of power ups, weapons etc and its a good laugh.

CGR Undertow - F-ZERO X for Nintendo 64 Video Game Review

Wipeout 2097 Ad

Quantum Redshift Xbox Gameplay
#9
Now Ive been exploring a little I'm starting to find the few places local to me I can get games.... What are yours?


Cash Converters/Cash Generator - general second hand shops, the ones I have seem to stock retro stuff as they get it in and tend to price reasonably. To be honest if I see one of these, I normally go in and buy something lol

British Heart Foundation Home and Electrical - These have sprung up all over the UK and are very reasonably priced (I got my SNES and 4 games for £10), worth a visit if you see one but likely only to be selling complete systems rather than singular games, pads etc

Gamesave (local shop) - Cant believe I have walked past this shop and never visited, firstly it stocks a load of modern stuff. Secondly and more importantly its got the best selection of retro Ive seen so far. Its got games for the most popular consoles from around late 80's (MS/NES onwards) plus a healthy selection of Atari 2600 cartridges which I had never seen in the wild. Oh and some Jaguar carts!

So where do you shop in person?

http://goo.gl/maps/89jMF
#10
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27141201

"A dozen previously unknown works created by Andy Warhol have been recovered from 30-year-old Amiga disks.

The art experiments were produced in 1985 by Warhol under commission from Commodore - creator of the Amiga computer.

Commodore paid the artist to produce a series of works to aid the launch of the Amiga 1000."

I knew Warhol had been involved with the Amiga - it being heavily promoted on its graphical capabilities - but this is some rather weird and obscure news.





#11
General Retro Chat / Xbox Classic thread
April 22, 2014, 14:24:05 PM
Ooooh is it retro?  :104:

For now I'd like to talk a little about the Classic Xbox by Microsoft.

[align=center:30zet8qj][/align:30zet8qj]

Released in 2001 (NA) / 2002 (JP/EU) it was Microsoft's first ever console and is definately a console developed by a manufacturer experienced in the PC market - its virtually a keyboard free PC with a lot of custom software for gaming.

MS heavily promoted the console with a celebrity launch and lots of acquisitions of software companies, 2 notables being Rare and Bungie; and it also had some of the best television adverts created for a console - remember the 'life is short' ad - which rivaled anything Sony was putting out.

The Xbox console also included as standard a high speed modem (broadband only) and a hard drive, it also had some crossover elements from the previous generation such as memory cards which are not seen on modern consoles.

Although the console could be considered a success, it never sold in huge numbers in Japan and in all territories was in an almost constant state of catch up to the PS2.

Gamewise it had many exclusive or quasi exclusives which it shared with the PC only, with perhaps its most famous being Halo:Combat Evolved.

Its legacy is it is perhaps best known for its capabilities once modded, which outside the obvious reason of game piracy presented users with the opportunity to create very capable media centres (XBMC started on this) and open the doors to a level of game mods not seen before (or since?) on a home console.

Nice FAQ here: http://www.racketboy.com/retro/microsoft/xbox/xbox-101-a-beginners-guide-to-microsofts-original-console

[align=center:30zet8qj]***************************[/align:30zet8qj]

So, is it retro?

Well I don't want to dwell on this as the main focus, but it needs covering - for me though yes it is is retro.

Its been discontinued by the manufacturer, its online services (official) no longer function and games are no longer released (officially) for the console. So seeing as (some) of its games are also now emulated on its successor the 360 all in I think its retro


[align=center:30zet8qj]***************************[/align:30zet8qj]

 :8:

My love for the big black box started in around 2000 when the first rather mental pictures of 'The X Box' as it was known appeared:

[align=center:30zet8qj][/align:30zet8qj]

I had started the 2000s on a PS2 (for GT3) and had some classic games on that console such as GT3 or Red Faction, but a visit to my local game store sometime in '02 changed all that when I saw the Xbox and Halo.

Halo was my obvious main game to start with but I also enjoyed a lot of other games such as the Burnout series, Black, Midnight Club series, Driv3r (hey I liked it lol) and a lot of GTA:SA. For a couple of years I almost exclusively played Halo 2 but am working hard now to catch up!

I did mod my 'box and enjoyed the benefits  :-X of that, I also like to play games only available on a PC such as Doom 3, Half Life 2 or enjoyed arguably the best versions of games on that generation such as GTA:SA or Burnout.

Although I kept my PS2 I only bought 1 or 2 games for it after I got a Xbox, and I actually swapped my Gamecube for a graphics card to play Bf2 but thats another story lol.

Most of my friends also bought Xbox's, in fact looking back apart from 2d fighters which we kept our PS2's for we mostly stuck to the Xbox for a long time. Mine was in use for about 6 years on a weekly (daily?) basis which was by far the longest I stuck to a single console/computer. BTW I know other consoles lasted longer, this is just my story lol

There were some other services on the Xbox, not official, that I'd like to mention:

XLink Kai - was a tunneling service thats still active that allowed you to play System Link games over the internet, this was a incredible service and I made so many good friends on that. For a time I would be online (mostly Halo 2) every night in this.

Project Mimesis - something very unique it was developed as a homebrew Xbox Live like content delivery system. Never widely popular outside of (even for consoles) a rather hardcore group I loved this as I got several very well made levels for Halo 2.

XBMC - Xbox Media Centre, incredible software I felt for the time. Although 'home media' systems are now released that are as simplistic as a USB stick for your TV, this was the original IMO and I knew people that got a Xbox purely to mod it and use as a home media centre. "So popular even Bill Gates uses it" was its tagline although I don't know how true that is!

So....What next?

I'm starting over on some games I either didn't finish, or didn't play, and some I want to play again so first up is Project Snowblind - a FPS that's not well remembered but has some nice features.
#12
Yo :113:

I posted up some games I picked up for these systems, then realised we didnt have threads for them yet.....

Can we have some? They are in the same generation as the Gamecube and given they've been superseed twice over now (PS2>PS3>PS4, Xbox>X360>XOne) I think they are retro?
#13
Retro News & Chat / Retro Gamer - £5 for 5 issues
April 14, 2014, 13:35:14 PM
Imagine Publishing have an offer on ATM of 5 issues for £5. I can't link from my phone but its subscribe/retrogamer.net/index.cfm?

Let the DD take your £5 then cancel it (and email) anytime before the 5th issue to stop, or carry on;)

I'm gonna try it I think....
#14
Hi There  :113:
#15
Woop my first my collection thread, without further ado:

[align=center:1vt7lsq4][/align:1vt7lsq4]
[align=center:1vt7lsq4][/align:1vt7lsq4]

Full List:

2 x Game Gears (3 boxes)
3 x Carry Cases (various)
Game Genie
PowerGrip Battery (dead)
Super Wide Gear
Link Cable
Power Supply

Games

Alien Syndrone (boxed complete)
Bart vs The Space Mutants (boxed)
Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse
Columns
Chuck Rock
Defenders of Oasis*
Desert Strike
G-Loc*
Halley Wars*
Klax*
Land of Illusion  starring Mickey Mouse
Leaderboard Golf
Lucky Dime Caper starring Donald Duck
Marble Madness
Micro Machines
NBA JAM
Olympic Gold
Paperboy
Sensible Soccer
Shinobi*
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2*
Sonic (the Hedgehog) Chaos
Super Kickoff*
Super Monaco GP (x2 for link)*
Wonderboy

* Have manual

Lost - Lemmings - Have manual
In Shop - 1 x GameGear for repair

[align=center:1vt7lsq4]***********************************[/align:1vt7lsq4]


So I got my GG Xmas '91 I think, poss '92, and thanks to great parents they considerately bought my brother one at the same time to save arguments - which failed as we always wanted to play the other one's games and had only 1 power supply!

As you can see I collected quite a few bits and pieces over the years and have fond memories of it, taking it hiking was possibly a mistake due to the weight of it all lol but generally its quite a portable if not pocket size machine.

Its the only console I had as I was otherwise a computer bod but was always happy with and it wasnt for several years before I met someone else with one.

Favourite games?

Shinobi - a rather definitive version of the classic ninja game, think I got to the final boss several times but never managed to beat it

Defenders of Oasis - GG exclusive RPG, love this game, lots of fun if a little simplistic but has some more advanced RPG elements such as managing spell casting in battles

Halley Wars - Lovely little shooter if a little hard I feel, or maybe I'm just rubbish lol

*******************

Wanted

Lemmings! Cant believe i have lost this, hoping it will be revealed under a box I have yet to unpack but doesnt seem too rare if needed to buy again.
#16
Retro News & Chat / Game Over by David Sheff (book)
December 22, 2013, 15:44:19 PM
Has anyone else read?

Dug my copy out and looking forward to a re-read, its covers Nintendo upto roughly SNES launch from its days as a playing card manufacturer (via the love hotels snh snh :11: !).

It also covers the first video game boom of the late '70s early '80s, Atari's demise and some other interesting stuff like the release of Tetris.

Cracking read, I like the sub title as well although it does tend to change depending on the edition!

Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children



(My edition came free with Arcade magazine in the mid 90's)
#17
Introductions / Hello from wiggydiggypoo
December 16, 2013, 14:38:35 PM
Hi All!

Got wind of this site from zapiy so thought I'd come get involved.

I've been gaming for many years from the late 80's onwards. My interest ATM is.getting my old Amiga up and running, and trying to get one of my 3 game gears working!

Long term there's stuff on the Gamecube I want to get back into, and a bunch of PS2/PSone games I want to play.

Speak soon!

Wigs

;D
#18
Hello All! :103:

I finally got around to getting my old Amiga from the loft and need some help getting it up and running please, then I can get into a load of old music and art stuff I used to do.

Amiga 1200, with 4mb expansion and 400mb IDE HDD is my setup. I've got a Toshiba LCD TV and cannot get a clear picture:

1) Option 1 - Scart - Was my original choice, goes from the 'video' slot on the Amiga to my TV's scar however the image is incredibly dark. Not sure what is wrong here.

2) Option 2 - RF Lead - Get a very dodgy BW picture when tuned, not really useable.

3) Option 3 - Component - The yellow video out port was the most successful in that I got a clear but black and white picture. No sound however from the audio ports.

What's next? Need a bit of advice really.

The Amiga seems sound enough considering it was last used 8-9 years ago, I booted up Frontier and that seemed to work ok and the various files/folders on the HDD were accessible.

I do have a VGA monitor that is unused so could try that perhaps? Ideally want to use this TV though as it will be becoming my second TV upstairs for a whole bunch of retro goodness.

Cheers All, hope to enjoy many happy postings and memories with you as I declare 2014 to be the year of retro and I finally get around to getting my old kit back/working again!