Yeah, what a shame :(
Wasn't SNK about to unveil new hardware soon-ish? I hope it'll be a 'proper' Neo Geo Mini.
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Konami announces the TurboGrafx-16 Mini (UP: list of games revealed - see threadmark)
- Thread starter vestan
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Wasn't SNK about to unveil new hardware soon-ish? I hope it'll be a 'proper' Neo Geo Mini.
At no point did I think it was "portable" - the specs and descrption were very clear on that front -- it was a piece of art in terms of the odd form factor - although my kid and her friends have played 2P games on the little screen on vacations and it's perfectly serviceable, even impressive - and like I said, I am fine with the complaints about emulation quality if that's your hobby - but my hobby as it were, is playing the games for their original qualities rather than the accuracy of the method or verbatim science - so those flaws (which are objective and quantified) not only don't bother me, about half of them are invisible to me. I play the machine via HDMI on my TV - the "awful" image output is perfectly playable and looks as close enough to the original as I would reasonably expect from 480i content. I've seen a lot of raster filters I like and a lot I think add nothing to the play experience. And this particular console was a "bargain" to me because the original games were outside of my financial reach except in the arcades - so not only is it a cultural artifact for me, it's a chance to play through games I never got to properly.
I suppose it's like enjoying a dubbed movie with no subtiles - where the original language actors are far superior. I can sometimes live with that if the storytelling and film are enjoyable, even though I'd FAR prefer to watch it subtitled. So I really do respect that complaint about it, but the Mini to me was fantastic in terms of value, form factor and functionality. I even appreciated the vanishingly few filters and options that were a pretty valid complaint. Mine came as a bundle with two joypads for under $100 at Amazon - and I bought one for a collector friend too.
The alternative - emulated via PC at a higher degree of verbatim fidelity with many more options - is not available to me for a specific professional reason. I'm not going to scold people for playing ROMs of hard to find games where the victims are either imaginary or ethically remote to those players. I get it. As a kid I always bought new games on 8 bit computers, but I also played a fair amount of bootlegged tape software. I didn't know any better and at the time didn't give it a second thought because I didn't know anyone who could possibly be. Impacted by that.
But that's where I'm at subjectively. I'm excited about the PC Engine too for roughly the same reasons. I have played some genuinely awful and expensive retro emulation collections or individual releases over the years - and the Neo Geo Mini is basically perfection compared to a few of those.
Again - if you're into emulation in and of itself - or are an absolute perfectionist with regards to those titles, all the complaints about it are demonstrably true, but if you just want to relive the gameplay - I'm not sure I'd be able to do a blind controlled test on the Mini vs the originals and I pumped a lot of quarters into them back in the day. So what I'm arguing isn't even an argument - it's a description of its value and utility to me and to folks who share my perspective. And yeah. I LOVED the little coin-op form factor. Even the teeny joystick was fun for a few tries. It helps that it looks like a contextually appropriate ornament on my game/Media center.
And I still want to see a 99 cents iTunes-Emulation ROM store. I do get a little sticker shock when I see how some of the re-release bundles are priced - despite the inherent hypocrisy. And those things aren't cheap to make and market relative to the size of the audience willing to buy them. That's why a consolidated and cheap warehouse approach might scale in a way that's sustainable and viable - especially for some of the more obscure Exidy-style manufacturers. Konami and Namco and Capcom have the scale to buiuld their own releases but some of these things are really hidden in the shadows.
Lady Bug for instance, is for some folks a superior game to Pac-Man, despite its obvious derivative qualities.
On PC Engine I agree it would be amazing to have the SuperGrafx games too - those were missed by most, even enthusiasts. I'd also love to see Pac-Land and a few others that I suspect will be walled off by their original IP owners. I that sense Konami brings a lot to the table.
I have this strange urge with these mini consoles to buy a few and gift them to friends who never came into contact with them before. But my wallet doesn't like that idea at all.
I'm not sure how significant the differences are, but I had much more fun playing the PCE version. I'd go as far to say it's more fun than the arcade version.
I wish I had a more in-depth answer comparing the diffences for you!
He's saying he's planning on picking one up in a year or more. Budget, priorities and so on
I have an auto HDMI switch and a USB hub for power. No swapping necessary for any of these mini consoles.
I looked up the shump list for the PC Engine and it seems insane since I'm getting into those games a lot more now.
I respect your preference and I am no perfectionist at all. I do not pursue accuracy in terms of emulation and i am not a collector. I buy those devices to actually play them. My snes mini is recently my most played console. But to me the neogeo mini is a different case. The included games are all available elsewhere so in order for me to be interested in a mini console I need some incentives. Most of the library is comprised of fighting games, yet they messed up the inputs. The stick on the device is an analog stick and not an arcade stick (which it is supposed to replicate), the controller is a cheap version of the original that came 20 years ago. It was more expensive than the other mini consoles that recently released. The whole thing felt like a cash grab with no intention to actually celebrate what made the NeoGeo great. When contacted about the controller issues they responded: "It's hard to make clicky controllers". It's actually very insulting especially when you are charging more than the competition that is putting way more effort than you.
When they announced it, I was planning on buying 2. One for me and one for my nephew who actually never grew up with these games being born in the early 2000's. He discovered SNK and fell in love with their games but upon seeing the reviews of the device told me he better off playing the ps4 ports.
Ah, here's an article about that new Neo Geo hardware I mentioned earlier: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/20..._neo_geo_hardware_as_well_as_a_new_metal_slug
I hope we'll hear more soon.
I hope we'll hear more soon.
Indeed, one of the best systems for shmups ever created.
Although, I generally like the CD based shmups more than the HuCards, with a few exceptions, so we will see how many CD games can fit on this console.
It seems like Lords of Thunder has been teased already, and Gate of Thunder is one of my favorite shmups of all time, if that make any it on here.
I would absolutely assume they will add Bonk. There is no scenario in which it would make sense to make a Turbo Grafx mini without one of the Bonk games.
This is amazing. Region-specific console designs, too. Incredible.
Konami actually making good decisions lately?! I'm in disbelief...
Konami actually making good decisions lately?! I'm in disbelief...
alien crush doesn't have the smooth scrolling demon crush has if I remember?
This is cool though, like alternative nostalgia. I never had a t16, so now I can!
Bet this will be huge in japan though
This is cool though, like alternative nostalgia. I never had a t16, so now I can!
Bet this will be huge in japan though
Alien Crush is multi-screen but it works well enough. I hope Devil Crush makes it though.
And it's sad. We shouldn't have to keep correcting people every time.
Apart from China Warrior on the JP version, that's a sweet lineup of games so far. I don't see why we won't eventually get Super Star Soldier, at least 1 Bonk, and Dracula X.
Dream would be to get a fully translated Ys IV and Tengai Makyou Manjimaru... but for US only releases I'd like to see:
Blazing Lazers, Soldier Blade, Air Zonk, R-Type, Neutopia I and II, Bomberman 93, Dragon's Curse, Legendary Axe I and II, Exile, Syd Mead's Terraforming, Ys III, and Legend of Hero Tonma.
The Turbo is an interesting console, while I find the hucard only game lineup not on the Gen/SNES level, there's lots of fun to be had provided you love shmups.
Dream would be to get a fully translated Ys IV and Tengai Makyou Manjimaru... but for US only releases I'd like to see:
Blazing Lazers, Soldier Blade, Air Zonk, R-Type, Neutopia I and II, Bomberman 93, Dragon's Curse, Legendary Axe I and II, Exile, Syd Mead's Terraforming, Ys III, and Legend of Hero Tonma.
The Turbo is an interesting console, while I find the hucard only game lineup not on the Gen/SNES level, there's lots of fun to be had provided you love shmups.
At this point I only care about whether these devices can be hacked and what the actual specs of these devices are.
Oh man, I always wanted a SuperGrafx when I was a kid (that engine block design was awesome in a horribly designed way) but a mini PC Engine or a TurboGrafx-16 might just be too tempting to turn down.
*flips over buffet table *
Get the fuck out of my face.
*walks out of thread*
How much usable memory do these mini consoles usually have to store the games?
I would imagine the CD games will take up quite a bit more memory than your average 16 bit game, so I'm wondering how many CD games they will put on the system.
PS1 classic didn't seem to have a problem, so I'd imagine the storage limit is quite high.
I would imagine the CD games will take up quite a bit more memory than your average 16 bit game, so I'm wondering how many CD games they will put on the system.
PS1 classic didn't seem to have a problem, so I'd imagine the storage limit is quite high.
I'm playing on a modded Duo r but this is cool. Not sure how well this will do in the west because shooters are no longer super hot and Rondo has been re released a few times already.
What's a good EU retailer (online) to from? Amazon?
The EU core grafx looks too nice to pass on.
The EU core grafx looks too nice to pass on.
I actually owned a real copy of Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire and Dracula X, both originals and not the very good fakes you see.
I spot Castlevania Rondo of Blood, Lords of Thunder, Sapphire(which is one of the most expensive games on the PC Engine CD), etc.
Brilliant games.
People saying the Turbo Grafx not being up to SNES/Mega Drive level is fair, but the Japanese PC Engine more than holds it's own.
Yeah, the various EU Amazon sites are great as long as they don't block your country for certain listings. They'll sometimes do that for things for me to Canada.
The C64 DTV is one my all-time favorite self-contained systems. It was amazingly high quality at the time (released in 2004), and it still hold up even nearly 15 years later. It was inexpensive, easy to set up and operate, could run on 4 AA batteries, and included a good selection of games. It's too bad that it's been out of production for so many years.
The currently available TheC64 Mini is very good in its own right, especially with the ease of adding other games using a USB flash drive, but overall I don't think it's quite as impressive for a 2018 product as the C64 DTV was in 2004. The C64 DTV truly is the gold standard.
Considering Konami games are installed on the Mega Drive Mini, it would be quite fitting to see some Sega games appearing on the PC Engine Mini.
According to Segaretro.org, these are all the Sega games that have appeared on the PC Engine:
After Burner II
Altered Beast
Bonanza Bros (CD)
Columns
Fantasy Zone
Golden Axe (CD)
OutRun
Power Drift
Shinobi
Space Harrier
Thunder Blade
Anybody want to comment on the quality of those ports?
I know Golden Axe is supposed to be horrid, but I haven't played that version myself. From the above list I've only played the PC Engine version of Shinobi, and while some levels are missing, it's a pretty solid conversion of the arcade game.
According to Segaretro.org, these are all the Sega games that have appeared on the PC Engine:
After Burner II
Altered Beast
Bonanza Bros (CD)
Columns
Fantasy Zone
Golden Axe (CD)
OutRun
Power Drift
Shinobi
Space Harrier
Thunder Blade
Anybody want to comment on the quality of those ports?
I know Golden Axe is supposed to be horrid, but I haven't played that version myself. From the above list I've only played the PC Engine version of Shinobi, and while some levels are missing, it's a pretty solid conversion of the arcade game.
I spot Castlevania Rondo of Blood, Lords of Thunder, Sapphire(which is one of the most expensive games on the PC Engine CD), etc.
I hope the background shows the actual lineup and isn't just for advertising purpose. Lord of Thunder and Sapphire are among my most favorite Shmups ever.
Well, Rondo of Blood is already confirmed for the PC Engine Mini and it's shown in that pic so there's a chance for the other games hopefully.
After Burner II - Great port for the hardware, better than the Genesis version from what I remember.
Altered Beast - Okay but not as nice looking as other versions.
Bonanza Bros (CD) - I don't remember well enough.
Columns - Good version but the Genesis one's a bit nicer looking and sounding.
Fantasy Zone - They butchered the music but otherwise it was the closest you could get to the arcade version on console back then.
Golden Axe (CD) - The soundtrack's well done, nothing else is.
OutRun - Quality version although of course it's not as smooth as the arcade.
Power Drift - It has been too long for me to judge.
Shinobi - Like you said, it has a bunch of missing content from the arcade but what's there looks and feels very close to the original.
Space Harrier - Smooth playing but missing the iconic checkerboard.
Thunder Blade - The overhead levels are super choppy. The 3d levels run better. It's the opposite of what you would expect.
There are also some conversions of Westone games originally published by Sega (Wonder Boy series and Riot City). The port of Monster Lair is really well made and has some catchy electric guitar tunes added.
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NEC manufactured it, but Hudson designed it. And Konami owns Hudson.
