EmuParadise no longer providing ROM download links

[QisTopTier]

Then why are people saying its bad that Emuparadise is no longer providing indiscriminate downloads for ROMs of all provenance and posting tweets of people saying "Better download fucking eveything!"

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The argument against pirating is that it hurts the companies and devs who don't see the profit. Once they stop trying to make a profit off said games then the game is basically floating out in the wild for people to make money off of second hand. No one is saying to go pirate shit that is being sold right now.

For example while the Wii Eshop was active I'd say anyone that pirated the games there are assholes

Alright then what do you want me to say? I was assuming you can purchase a legitimate copy at the given price.

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People are just saying how volatile and wild west buying things second hand can be.

It's mostly a really big issue pre ps1 era tho there is some struggle there too.

 

[BernardoOne]

Fine I'll delete my avatar if it will make you address the topic not attack me as a poster.

Why are you entitled to play games you have never purchased, that were never made available to you, on hardware you have never owned?
Why is that your expectation that that is the way the world should work?

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Nobody as attacking you as a poster, just mentioning that you yourself are guilty of piracy yourself. There's no difference between your avatar or Lufia II, but by your argument you can't do it even if the copyright holder doesn't give a shit.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

It's almost admirable to be so committed to this moral grandstanding that you'd actually delete your avatar to prove a point. Might wanna request a name change, too, tho.

 

[Deleted member 5167]

The argument against pirating is that it hurts the companies and devs who don't see the profit. Once they stop trying to make a profit off said games then the game is basically floating out in the wild for people to make money off of second hand. No one is saying to go pirate shit that is being sold right now.

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Like,... read the thread dude.
Where you draw the line varies, but there are literally people posting tweets saying "Emuparadise going down, better download everything now".
There are people saying they don't want to pay secondhand pricing so thats fine.
There are people saying "preservation" means making everything publicly available to download as though it is Public Domain, for everyone to have their own copy to do with as they want.
There are some people makign frankly bizarre arguments about publishers sitting on their IP and getting rich off doing that somehow because all business is fat cat executives or some shit.

Where you draw the line of "thats fine" is not a universal line.

 

[Bomblord]

He knows full well. He deems £300 reasonable for a game. I'm actually kind of interested in what counts as unreasonable to him. Actually I'm just going to ask.



How much is unreasonable?

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That's down to a lot of factors if you're wanting me to say something like $1500 exactly then I don't have an answer but £300 is not reasonably out of reach for pretty much anyone with an average salary in a first world country which I would assume is the majority of our user base with maybe a few exceptions.

For someone in a country where this isn't directly available to them or where that is well out of their reach in the first place I don't think it would be reasonable for them to have to go through all the hoops of importing a copy of Lufia II just so he/she can play it.

 

[Razor Mom]

It's almost admirable to be so committed to this moral grandstanding that you'd actually delete your avatar to prove a point. Might wanna request a name change, too, tho.

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I think only myself and Bomblord are safe

 

[Vicious17]

It's almost admirable to be so committed to this moral grandstanding that you'd actually delete your avatar to prove a point. Might wanna request a name change, too, tho.

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Off topic, but is the JC in your name supposed to be JC Denton (Deus Ex)?

 

[TyrantGuardian]

Off topic, but is the JC in your name supposed to be JC Denton (Deus Ex)?

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That would literally be the weirdest and best combination of characters to name oneself after.

 

[Syril]

Well, it is. Using a copyrighted avatar...is copyright infringement.

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I don't know about you guys. My Gliscor totally has the express written consent of Nintendo, Creatures Inc., Game Freak, and The Pokemon Company International.

 

[QisTopTier]

Like,... read the thread dude.
Where you draw the line varies, but there are literally people posting tweets saying "Emuparadise going down, better download everything now".
There are people saying they don't want to pay secondhand pricing so thats fine.
There are people saying "preservation" means making everything publicly available to download as though it is Public Domain, for everyone to have their own copy to do with as they want.
There are some people makign frankly bizarre arguments about publishers sitting on their IP and getting rich off doing that somehow because all business is fat cat executives or some shit.

Where you draw the line of "thats fine" is not a universal line.

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I draw the line at companies / devs giving a shit as that's how things work.

 

[Syriel]

Adequate possibility of it being a repro cart which would essentially be a bootleg. Too many floating in the wild now.

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Nothing like dumping 200 bucks into a Repro Cart. Congrats you payed 200 bucks for pirated shit

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Repo cart problem is easy to solve.

You: "Hey eBay I just spent $200 on this game and it is a pirated/counterfeit copy."
eBay: "Cool, here's a refund. Please destroy the counterfeit copy."

Nobody as attacking you as a poster, just mentioning that you yourself are guilty of piracy yourself. There's no difference between your avatar or Lufia II, but by your argument you can't do it even if the copyright holder doesn't give a shit.

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Aside from fair use considerations as a defense, the copyright holder not giving a shit is a thing.

Copyright infringement is a civil issue in most cases. Especially if no money is involved.

If a copyright holder gives permission, it is explicitly NOT copyright infringement.

If a copyright holder doesn't give a shit, it is infringement without penalty.

 

[Thardin]

sigh

Yes, I consider an ebay listing at that price reasonable.

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You are making your stance from an unreasonably high horse and are essentially telling a lot of people that they aren't deserving to experience something simply because they might be too poor or they weren't around at the right time. If a game is no longer available or was released in such a small quantity that the only available versions are ridiculously marked up aftermarket sales, I fully expect the people responsible for the games would rather someone 'pirate' the game than not play it at all. Games are art and the creator would rather more people experience and not let something arbitrary like scarcity prohibit that.

I guess we should remove all of those historical texts from the public domain. Physical Editions still exist, so they are still reasonably obtainable in your eyes. If you can't afford to get one of them you don't deserve that frivolous entertainment.

This is an incredibly grey area that is developing as we are progressing from hard copies to digital media and the landscape is changing, but viewing it from the rigid structure of the hardcopy days like you are doing is incredibly shortsighted. I predict this will be an ongoing battle going forward and I don't know where the landscape will finally settle. I honestly hope for something sort of like a digital library. Pay a charge and 'rent' a digital game for a period of time. Sadly, there hasn't been an official attempt at doing this because it would be a massive undertaking and copyright laws for digital media are still a bit awkward as we continue to shake of the shackles of physical media. In the meantime, enthusiasts are the only reliable source of digital versions for many of these games.

If you can get a game for a console you still own for +/- 10% of it's original sale price, then I think you should pony up for it. If it's an obscure game that never existed in your region or had a very limited run at the end of a console and is only available for twice the MSRP on eBay then that's absurd.

 

[The Dink]

People put up fakes of $20 games. And prices won't fall if you go after ROMs and make it more appealing for "collectors" who only buy to turn a profit.

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Nothing like dumping 200 bucks into a Repro Cart. Congrats you payed 200 bucks for pirated shit

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Is it just me or is it really weird to see reproduction cartridges and fakes used as a pro-emulator argument when the whole reason those are so widespread is BECAUSE of sites like Emuparadise and the like in the first place?

 

[Deleted member 3853]

Repo cart problem is easy to solve.

You: "Hey eBay I just spent $200 on this game and it is a pirated/counterfeit copy."
eBay: "Cool, here's a refund. Please destroy the counterfeit copy."

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It's not always that simple. If it's above a certain amount you need to file a police report and who knows how that will go. Then you have to wait longer for your money. It's a total hassle and indefensible as the only option for most people especially regarding rare games.

Is it just me or is it really weird to see reproduction cartridges and fakes used as a pro-emulator argument when the whole reason those are so widespread is BECAUSE of sites like Emuparadise and the like in the first place?

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You know this how? If they're going through the trouble of trying to make copies that pass for the real thing then they can probably find ROMs without Emuparadise. It's widespread because it's easy money.

 

[Deleted member 1656]

That's down to a lot of factors if you're wanting me to say something like $1500 exactly then I don't have an answer but £300 is not reasonably out of reach for pretty much anyone with an average salary in a first world country which I would assume is the majority of our user base with maybe a few exceptions.

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For a single game from 1995, bro? You can't definitely say "no" to 1500? I admire the lengths you said you went to archive your collection without pirating, but get a grip on what's reasonable for average people. We all can't go those sort of lengths, even if we're passionate. Also bear in mind reasonable ≠ affordable.

 

[MattWilsonCSS]

Is it just me or is it really weird to see reproduction cartridges and fakes used as a pro-emulator argument when the whole reason those are so widespread is BECAUSE of sites like Emuparadise and the like in the first place?

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Ehhh someone can have the original cart and just dump the ROM and make repros, it's not that much of a stretch. Like someone making VHS copies and distributing them but they're copying from a proper official VHS.

If they have the ability to make repro carts then they definitely have rom dumpers too.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

Is it just me or is it really weird to see reproduction cartridges and fakes used as a pro-emulator argument when the whole reason those are so widespread is BECAUSE of sites like Emuparadise and the like in the first place?

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You think someone can't get a legit copy then clone them?

You didn't think this through, did you?

 

[TyrantGuardian]

Shitty ad hominem aside, I don't give a fuck about Lufia 2 but this topic isn't about Lufia 2, so don't pretend it is.
If Lufia 2 is a genuine orphan work, copyright already covers orphan works.

Chrono Trigger fucking isn't.

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The original SNES version of Chrono Trigger definitely is. There is no official production, archiving or distribution of that product.

I rather just buy from the companies / license holders directly.

Like in context if someone told me they pirated Earthbound 10 years ago I wouldn't bat an eye. Now if someone told me they did today I'd be like man go buy a snes classic.

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I actually disagree with this argument, unless that person is planning to rip the ROM out of the SNES mini. High-end emulation is far past what the SNES mini does and I would prefer the prior in 100% of cases when given the choice. Like, I'd personally rather buy it second hand and rip it than play it on a SNES mini, because I think the emulation is pretty garbo compared to what I'm used to. That's just me, though.

 

[QisTopTier]

Is it just me or is it really weird to see reproduction cartridges and fakes used as a pro-emulator argument when the whole reason those are so widespread is BECAUSE of sites like Emuparadise and the like in the first place?

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I rather just buy from the companies / license holders directly.

Like in context if someone told me they pirated Earthbound 10 years ago I wouldn't bat an eye. Now if someone told me they did today I'd be like man go buy a snes classic.

 

[Deleted member 5167]

If a copyright holder gives permission, it is explicitly NOT copyright infringement.

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It was from a fansite kit specifically given out by capcom themselves for use by fans on websites, but like I say people had given up actually reading anything I was saying and were too busy enjoying their faux-gotcha as proof that copyright is terrible and shouldn't exist

 

[Bomblord]

You are making your stance from an unreasonably high horse and are essentially telling a lot of people that they aren't deserving to experience something simply because they might be too poor or they weren't around at the right time. If a game is no longer available or was released in such a small quantity that the only available versions are ridiculously marked up aftermarket sales, I fully expect the people responsible for the games would rather someone 'pirate' the game than not play it at all. Games are art and the creator would rather more people experience and not let something arbitrary like scarcity prohibit that.

I guess we should remove all of those historical texts from the public domain. Physical Editions still exist, so they are still reasonably obtainable in your eyes. If you can't afford to get one of them you don't deserve that frivolous entertainment.

This is an incredibly grey area that is developing as we are progressing from hard copies to digital media and the landscape is changing, but viewing it from the rigid structure of the hardcopy days like you are doing is incredibly shortsighted. I predict this will be an ongoing battle going forward and I don't know where the landscape will finally settle. I honestly hope for something sort of like a digital library. Pay a charge and 'rent' a digital game for a period of time. Sadly, there hasn't been an official attempt at doing this because it would be a massive undertaking and copyright laws for digital media are still a bit awkward as we continue to shake of the shackles of physical media. In the meantime, enthusiasts are the only reliable source of digital versions for many of these games.

If you can get a game for a console you still own for =/- 10% of it's original sale price, then I think you should pony up for it. If it's an obscure game that never existed in your region or had a very limited run at the end of a console and is only available for twice the MSRP on eBay then that's absurd.

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Well hey man thanks for the personal attack I really don't consider myself a moral bastion or on a high horse but I guess that is not up to me. I'm against game piracy enough that I don't do it myself any longer I quit once I started getting heavily into emulation. While I was frequenting their forums I was given the impression that a lot of emulators and their associated sites only exist and have not been taken down by copyright holders because they have a hardline anti-piracy stance. I admit I have pirated games in the past so yea there's that.

I continue to use the word "reasonably" in a very deliberate fashion as I am in agreement with your stance that games are art and the creator would probably prefer someone to play it then not at all. Public domain works are incredibly important I am STRONGLY in favor of media entering the public domain and am an advocate for severely reducing the current stupidly ridiculous time frame it sits at maybe even before the death of the creator but that's a separate discussion So anyway, I agree with you for the most part we just seem to have a separate definition of what is reasonable.

 

[Lastdancer]

It was from a fansite kit specifically given out by capcom themselves for use by fans on websites, but like I say people had given up actually reading anything I was saying and were too busy enjoying their faux-gotcha as proof that copyright is terrible and shouldn't exist

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You should totally put your avatar back if that's the case, man. I went back and read your other posts and I get your frustration now; even though I wrestle with the idea of fairness regarding some aspects of copyright law, I think you're in the right.

 

[gordofredito]

did seriously no one back up all those ROMs? I'm surprised. I literally downloaded DQVIII, Breath of Fire IV, Suikoden V and Tales of the Abyss a couple of days ago. I had no idea it would be the last time I'd use it

 

[Razor Mom]

It was from a fansite kit specifically given out by capcom themselves for use by fans on websites, but like I say people had given up actually reading anything I was saying and were too busy enjoying their faux-gotcha as proof that copyright is terrible and shouldn't exist

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You need to stop fighting imaginary arguments.

 

[The Dink]

You know this how? If they're going through the trouble of trying to make copies that pass for the real thing then they can probably find ROMs without Emuparadise. It's widespread because it's easy money.

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I mean, how do you not know that's what they're doing? Seems fair to think someone practicing repros for profit would use easily accessible ROMs instead of physical copies. I wasn't specifically calling out Emuparadise but rather using them as an example of a known ROM site since I don't really know a lot of them. Also I don't see how it's a stretch to say ROMs are exploitable by actual scumbags thanks to widely distributed sharing sites.

Ehhh someone can have the original cart and just dump the ROM and make repros, it's not that much of a stretch. Like someone making VHS copies and distributing them but they're copying from a proper official VHS.

If they have the ability to make repro carts then they definitely have rom dumpers too.

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I mean, I'm sure there's people that dump off of cartridges but based on some of the repro cartridges (for instance games never released out of Japan) out there it's pretty obvious they're using ROMs from these sites.

You think someone can't get a legit copy then clone them?

You didn't think this through, did you?

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Lol right. Because I'm sure the guys selling translated versions of Japanese games and patched games are using their own cartridges.

did seriously no one back up all those ROMs? I'm surprised. I literally downloaded DQVIII, Breath of Fire IV, Suikoden V and Tales of the Abyss a couple of days ago. I had no idea it would be the last time I'd use it

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Oh don't kid yourself. You know these ROMs and ISOs are perfectly fine.

 

[New_Guy]

Literally the poster who borught up Lufia 2 also brought up Chrono Trigger.

e:
And no. "I could buy it but I don't want to pay that much" is not much of a justification.

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Ok, so if I pay $150 for Chrono Trigger instead of buying it on Steam, doesn't that hurt SE just the same as downloading a ROM of the SNES version?

 

[Thardin]

Well hey man thanks for the personal attack I really don't consider myself a moral bastion or on a high horse but I guess that is not up to me. I'm against game piracy enough that I don't do it myself any longer I quit once I started getting heavily into emulation and realized that a lot of emulators and their associated sites only exist and have not been taken down by copyright holders because they have a hardline anti-piracy stance. I admit I have pirated games in the past so yea there's that.

I continue to use the word "reasonably" in a very deliberate fashion as I am in agreement with your stance that games are art and the creator would probably prefer someone to play it then not at all. Public domain works are incredibly important I am STRONGLY in favor of media entering the public domain and am an advocate for severely reducing the current stupidly ridiculous time frame it sits at maybe even before the death of the creator but that's a separate discussion So anyway, I agree with you for the most part we just seem to have a separate definition of what is reasonable.

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I mean, a few posts ago you didn't even take a hard stance on if $1500 was unreasonable, so I think it's fair to say I find your definition of "reasonable" to be quite unreasonable.

My issue is you seem to be looking at things from a comfortable position of large amounts of disposable income and it is coming off as quite condescending to those that might not. "Oh, you don't have an extra $150 to spend on a used copy of an old game to support some scalper. sucks to be you. Hohohoho." Which, if you've got the money go ahead and spend it on that expensive copy of the game. I've certainly done it. Just don't be condescending and tell people that can't afford an absurd markup that it isn't a necessity and they don't deserve it. I'm sure they'd have no issue paying MSRP if they had the option.

Until such a time when older media enters the public domain or becomes available for direct digital purchase at a legitimately reasonable price (not double markup from an aftermarket seller) I don't have any moral high ground to stand upon vs those that choose to emulate those games. I think lumping them in with those pirating readily available media is disingenuous.

 

[Anoregon]

Ok, so if I pay $150 for Chrono Trigger instead of buying it on Steam, doesn't that hurt SE just the same as downloading a ROM of the SNES version?

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Yes but the invisible hand of the market gives you a sweet handjob for being such a conscientious consumer

 

[Deleted member 16876]

Lol right. Because I'm sure the guys selling translated versions of Japanese games and patched games are using their own cartridges.

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You can't prove that they do or not. Anybody can clone another version of a game (and patch it too), just like they can install them from the site.

The fact of the matter is that it would be the same wether these sites existed or not.

 

[Deleted member 3853]

I mean, how do you not know that's what they're doing? Seems fair to think someone practicing repros for profit would use easily accessible ROMs instead of physical copies. I wasn't specifically calling out Emuparadise but rather using them as an example of a known ROM site since I don't really know a lot of them. Also I don't see how it's a stretch to say ROMs are exploitable by actual scumbags thanks to widely distributed sharing sites.

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You're the one claiming they are using sites like emuparadise so I want to know how you know that. And you also claimed that's why they're widespread as if the ebay scammers won't just find another way.

 

[Bitanator]

did seriously no one back up all those ROMs? I'm surprised. I literally downloaded DQVIII, Breath of Fire IV, Suikoden V and Tales of the Abyss a couple of days ago. I had no idea it would be the last time I'd use it

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Nearly all of these games are readily available for cheap, not sure about Suikoden Vbut the others you can get for under $20

 

[Lastdancer]

Ok, so if I pay $150 for Chrono Trigger instead of buying it on Steam, doesn't that hurt SE just the same as downloading a ROM of the SNES version?

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I would say that if you own the hardware to play that cart, and you have the means to purchase it, that you were not considered as part of the target market for the steam version. In this case you are buying a secondhand copy, and transferring ownership from the purchaser to yourself.

Why would not just buy a readily available digital copy of Chrono Trigger if you really want to play Chrono Trigger?

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It's not exactly the same as the SNES version and there are some differences, most notably the translation. There are reasons one would seek that version out vs. the Steam or DS versions.

 

[Deleted member 5167]

Ok, so if I pay $150 for Chrono Trigger instead of buying it on Steam, doesn't that hurt SE just the same as downloading a ROM of the SNES version?

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Why would not just buy a readily available digital copy of Chrono Trigger if you really want to play Chrono Trigger?

 

[signal]

did seriously no one back up all those ROMs? I'm surprised. I literally downloaded DQVIII, Breath of Fire IV, Suikoden V and Tales of the Abyss a couple of days ago. I had no idea it would be the last time I'd use it

Click to shrink...

Pretty sure half of earth's populatoin has complete rom dumps on 5 different devices in their home.

 

[The Dink]

You can't prove that they do or not. Anybody can clone another version of a game (and patch it too), just like they can install them from the site.

The fact of the matter is that it would be the same wether these sites existed or not.

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Lol. Talk about making statements you can't prove.

 

[Deleted member 16876]

Lol. Talk about making statements you can't prove.

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It is called common sense.

People would still be able to get the originals, clone them and sell them. Hell I would say that the games would sell for higher prices too considering it would be the only way to get them if the sites didn't exist.

 

[Bomblord]

I mean, a few posts ago you didn't even take a hard stance on if $1500 was unreasonable, so I think it's fair to say I find your definition of "reasonable" to be quite unreasonable.

My issue is you seem to be looking at things from a comfortable position of large amounts of disposable income and it is coming off as quite condescending to those that might not. "Oh, you don't have an extra $150 to spend on a used copy of an old game to support some scalper. sucks to be you. Hohohoho." Which, if you've got the money go ahead and spend it on that expensive copy of the game. I've certainly done it. Just don't be condescending and tell people that can't afford an absurd markup that it isn't a necessity and they don't deserve it. I'm sure they'd have no issue paying MSRP if they had the option.

Until such a time when older media enters the public domain or becomes available for direct digital purchase at a legitimately reasonable price (not double markup from an aftermarket seller) I don't have any moral high ground to stand upon vs those that choose to emulate those games. I think lumping them in with those pirating readily available media is disingenuous.

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Man you are really reading way too much into what I'm saying you seemed to have assigned some weird personality to me lol. It has nothing to do with me being rich or something. I was using $1500 as a relatively extreme upper example and only used it to illustrate that I don't have an exact price point for what is reasonable. If I really must go this far I currently make $39k a year and am not married so I don't even technically qualify as middle class. I have no issues not playing games I can't afford but when I want something outside my price range I save a bit and buy it or buy it on credit and pay it off over a short period of time. My retro collection is pretty small overall but I have deliberately purchased and backed up all of them myself.

I think a markup for older games that are rare is still reasonable even if it is double or triple what games currently sell for I would like it to be lower but oh well it's not. Unless we're talking something absurd like Stadium Events which has sold for $41,000 I don't support pirating it and I definitely don't support pirating anything readily available on a modern platform which this platform that shut down most certainly had. So to come full circle I do not support piracy of any games that can be ,what I consider, reasonably obtained.

 

[MattWilsonCSS]

Why would not just buy a readily available digital copy of Chrono Trigger if you really want to play Chrono Trigger?

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Depends on the version. The Steam version for example is a crappy mobile port that needed to be patched multiple times just to have an actually usable interface (which still looks awful).

I think the only other current legal way to get Chrono Trigger digitally is to buy the PS1 version on PSN, which will only work on PS3/Vita. And the PS1 version is not great either, full of load times.

Unfortunately, Chrono Trigger is not even on Wii U Virtual Console.

 

[daninthemix]

Why are you entitled to play games you have never purchased, that were never made available to you, on hardware you have never owned?
Why is that your expectation that that is the way the world should work?

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I'm not sure anyone here feels *entitled* to do that (I certainly don't). But if there is a ROM for a no-longer-available game there, will my conscience stab me if I download it?

Let's have a listen...

...crickets, tumbleweed, etc.

 

[The Mad Mango]

I have the fondest memories of me and my friends in the very early '00s being pre-teens and scouring for ROMs on Emuparadise to play on our crappy hand-me-down computers that couldn't handle modern PC games. Far from dissuading us from purchasing games, emulation is what got me into Nintendo, by playing their old games. Soon I was begging my parents for a Gamecube or a GBA, and I've been legally acquiring games ever since.

Fitting that the owner of Emuparadise was from India. Consoles weren't sold there at all, though maybe things have changed since. PC emulation was the only option.

*checks on Home of the Underdogs to see if it's okay*

Phew! Well, I guess even HOTU is less needed these days with GOG. But it's nice to have some institutions.

 

[Lastdancer]

Depends on the version. The Steam version for example is a crappy mobile port that needed to be patched multiple times just to have an actually usable interface (which still looks awful).

I think the only other current legal way to get Chrono Trigger digitally is to buy the PS1 version on PSN, which will only work on PS3/Vita. And the PS1 version is not great either, full of load times.

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Mobile (iTunes/Google Play) versions as well...

 

[MattWilsonCSS]

Mobile (iTunes/Google Play) versions as well...

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Again, the mobile version is pretty bad, with a horrible font and shitty touch interface.

When someone wants to play a game from their childhood, they don't want it to be as... fucked with. They want a relatively authentic experience which the mobile/Steam version can't provide.

It's kind of ridiculous that Nintendo couldn't get it on the SNES Classic as it's such an iconic game for the system.

 

[PCPace]

There should be some foundation for game archival but those games absolutely don't need to be available for download to anyone in order to be preserved.

A random hodgepodge of sites offering a random hodgepodge of roms and bins is a terrible archival solution.

 

[Deleted member 5167]

Depends on the version. The Steam version for example is a crappy mobile port that needed to be patched multiple times just to have an actually usable interface (which still looks awful).

I think the only other current legal way to get Chrono Trigger digitally is to buy the PS1 version on PSN, which will only work on PS3/Vita. And the PS1 version is not great either, full of load times.

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Right, but then its getting picky about 'quality', not 'access'.
Like... YMMV on whether you think its fine to buy one of the mobile versions and then get the original ROM, but how is it justifiable to just say "Oh, I don't like the ports I can buy, and I don't want to buy the cart or disk, so Yo Ho Ho"?

 

[TheMadTitan]

I would say that if you own the hardware to play that cart, and you have the means to purchase it, that you were not considered as part of the target market for the steam version. In this case you are buying a secondhand copy, and transferring ownership from the purchaser to yourself.



It's not exactly the same as the SNES version and there are some differences, most notably the translation. There are reasons one would seek that version out vs. the Steam or DS versions.

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Why wouldn't they be part of the target market for the Steam version? The Steam version is far more convenient of a version to play since someone wouldn't have to break out a 30 year old game console to play on a TV, or hunt down some A/V cables they may not have anymore. Anyone who wants more convenience for Chrono Trigger is the target demo for the Steam version, whether they own the SNES version, PSX, DS, or whatever.

 

[Toadofsky]

Sucks they are shutting down all links. There's countless games on Sega CD I played that I'd never be able to get any other way. Guess I will have to look elsewhere now.

"But eBay!" Is not a good argument for this. I'm sorry but if I want to play Panzer Dragoon I'm not taking out a loan just to acquire a copy, let alone to get a Saturn and have a tv that makes it even possible to play it (which is possibly going to become a problem without legacy inputs).

Sorry not all of us are swimming in cash and space and are able to have every console or can buy it on a whim, and want to play a retro game and have no other means to play it but emulation. That's not even to mention Sega reportedly lost the source code to Panzer Dragoon. And this doesn't even begin to cover the problem with bit rot on discs, which is happening and will continue to eradicate discs.

How about Earthbound? The game would never have had the resurgence it did without emulation. No one would have had a means of playing Earthbound Zero had it not leaked.

And even buying the physical copy of an old game, there's no difference between buying it second hand and emulating it. The company doesn't get the profit from me buying Turtles in Time do they? Konami don't even have the turtles license anymore, and claiming that there is a difference in this reeks of corporate drone worship.

I'm quoting MrFeel from twitter on this but I agree:
"When something like a movie or game is not available for people to experience then it is NOT preserved, it's functionally no different from being lost."

If game companies do very little to nothing about preserving their back catalogue than this is not the fault of the consumer that finds the means to play these games.

 

[Lastdancer]

Again, the mobile version is pretty bad, with a horrible font and shitty touch interface.

When someone wants to play a game from their childhood, they don't want it to be as... fucked with. They want a relatively authentic experience which the mobile/Steam version can't provide.

It's kind of ridiculous that Nintendo couldn't get it on the SNES Classic as it's such an iconic game for the system.

Click to shrink...

I hear ya regarding it's exclusion on the SNES Classic. As for what someone wants from a game they played in their childhood.... eh. I think it varies by person. I played the mobile version back when it first came out on iTunes and I didn't think it was all that bad, for instance. But I will agree in that those versions aren't for everyone.

Why wouldn't they be part of the target market for the Steam version? The Steam version is far more convenient of a version to play since someone wouldn't have to break out a 30 year old game console to play on a TV, or hunt down some A/V cables they may not have anymore. Anyone who wants more convenience for Chrono Trigger is the target demo for the Steam version, whether they own the SNES version, PSX, DS, or whatever.

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Hmm... I mean, I don't know for sure, I'm just guessing. I figured those in charge at SE would do some kind of analysis and take those already sold copies into account somewhere along the path of deciding to rerelease the game on a new platform. If he's buying one of those copies, then it doesn't matter to them. Sure, that person could buy the steam version, but I believe their argument was predicated on the idea that they would purchase a physical copy explicitly instead of going for the steam version.

 

[MattWilsonCSS]

Right, but then its getting picky about 'quality', not 'access'.
Like... YMMV on whether you think its fine to buy one of the mobile versions and then get the original ROM, but how is it justifiable to just say "Oh, I don't like the ports I can buy, and I don't want to buy the cart or disk, so Yo Ho Ho"?

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I'm just mostly disappointed that a perfect way to play it could've been possible but Nintendo didn't pull through. It's entirely possible an SNES Classic 2 happens because there are still a lot of titles to get on there, like Chrono Trigger and FF4, Mega Man/X series, Breath of Fire 1 & 2, etc. I'm hoping that still happens.

Like, while we're talking about game preservation, we have a company that has the position to do that with the SNES Classic, and possibly include a storefront for buying additional SNES titles, but they're dropping the ball so hard.

 

[Funny Valentine]

There should be some foundation for game archival but those games absolutely don't need to be available for download to anyone in order to be preserved.

A random hodgepodge of sites offering a random hodgepodge of roms and bins is a terrible archival solution.

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If game companies weren't so insular, secretive and difficult to work with there could probably be some sort of official foundation for the preservation of games but here we are. Some people would rather have price gouging collectors control game history because of their faith in the magical market.

 

[signal]

I'm quoting MrFeel from twitter on this but I agree:
"When something like a movie or game is not available for people to experience then it is NOT preserved, it's functionally no different from being lost."

Click to shrink...

Actually it is. Preservation of a thing does not require its free 24/7 availability by everyone everywhere.