consumer

T'is good advice kitsunebi77. I am mostly focused on a retro experience as you've suspected/suggested, however, since I played most of the way through Dragon Warrior III back in the mid 90's I am considering playing the fan translated sfc version instead. Also, it appears as though Enix put a lot more work into DQ3 than into the DQ1+DQ2 cart....I'm playing them mostly in fast-forward, so perhaps I'll do both if I can find the time and sustain the interest...

I recently completed Dragon Warrior for the NES. I have started and intend to finish Dragon Warrior 2 for the NES. I would love to complete the series up through 6.

I can definitely understand the advantage of watching another complete a short game that sparks ones curiosity (like sonic CD), or relate to the amusement of watching some extraordinary feat, such as a speed-run through an old favorite. But generally, I do not derive much satisfaction from watching videos of video games being completed, and therefore do not often watch that sort of thing. However, the work I've been doing recently is sedentary, and does not always require my 100% attention, so I have plenty of occasion to play videos and pay a casual attention to them. I recently "watched" a video series of Final Fantasy IV played from start to finish. I couldn't imagine focusing on the videos the entire time! For me, the videos functioned as something of an hourglass, and a mild amusement when important battles occurred....Also, the familiar music & video game sounds are relaxing to me. I can only assume that most people are watching these videos to help guide them through tough spots in games that they are playing. Seems like a great successor/supplement to the print guides of the past.

1. Combat 2. Pitfall 3. Frogger 4. Defender 2 5. Burgertime

I acquired a copy of Phantasy Star II back in the late 90's, but didn't play through it until around 2010. The "less than stellar evaluations," you've read are fair, I wouldn't deny the validity of those perspectives. The story is only slightly more robust than Final Fantasy I for the NES, and the visuals seem pretty uninspired, even redundant. I wasn't impressed with the title when I first attempted it back in 98'. However, I dedicated myself to a playthrough in 2010 and was satisfied with the experience. Certainly, Phantasy Star II is not for everyone. Even for a 80's/90's RPG, it's a real grinder with difficult random battles, and sprawling, featureless dungeons. Solving the game by ones own wit requires some attention to detail, fair resource management skills, and patience. As JRPG's go, this a tough one, but Phantasy Star's most redeeming quality is it's challenge. The scant extant story of Phantasy Star II eventually culminates in an interesting ending (nothing too mind-blowing, but amusing). The drama of an out of control AI initially designed to maintain a utopian world seems more relevant than typical JRPG fare. I also liked the setting, stretching across multiple planets in Phantasy Star II' s solar system. I can definitely see why most wouldn't like the title, but I enjoyed the challenge and the setting. Also, I am one of those rare JRPG'ers that actually enjoys the grind. Though I prefer PSII be included on the mini Genesis, I'd be completely content with it's absence, so long as Phantasy Star IV were given a slot. Phantasy Star IV ratchets up everything good in PSII, and appears a much more refined piece of gaming art. PSIV is't quite as challenging, but seems superior in every other comparable category.

I recall an attempt at this being made. Here's a link to a guy talking about the VHS/magazine strategy guide that MTV produced back in the 90's... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRYC32bGYFU

I'd like this thing to include Phantasy Star II & IV, Golden Axe I & II, Sword of Vermillion, Wonderboy in Monsterworld, and most especially, Herzog Zwei.

Hey! thats not very nice. *consumer sulks and begrudgingly clicks "like"

A fair question, but one that I considered secondary to the technical difficulty involved in the graphics, art and page arrangement editing that would be involved. As I dreamed, I also assumed/hoped that maybe some people here could do such things naturally. Given time to write, read, edit, and re-write, I trust I could contribute a few decent articles, but I have doubts that I could write very well at a any kind of a dizzying pace. To write well, I must work slowly. The writing alone would probably require at least 10 ten participants, or fewer of considerably greater skill than myself. That played into my fantasy. I'm currently working for a printing company. I'm less than nobody there, but I'd wager they are capable of printing a magazine. No clue what it would coast. Much more expensive than the endeavor would recoup, I have little doubt. Funny that you mention Chris as I recently made the suggestion to him that he consider expanding his "Let's Read" videos in a collaboration with Retromags. To be fair, I merely mentioned it in a chat feed during one of his live streams. He did not respond to the comment :(.

I am somewhat inclined to agree, but I think there are several advantages to these "emulators" in a box that make them good purchases for some people. Firstly, they are HD ready, and there is no configuration, technical aptitude, or patience required to play them. My non-gamer sister enjoys her NES Classic and wanted one explicitly to play Dr. Mario. The Nintendo products so far released have done and excellent job of including quite a few premium games from the past that cover a rather fair range of mainstream tastes. So if you are interested in some historical gaming, but don't care to research, these things have a fair amount to offer. I would say the emulation on the Nintendo releases is quite good, and it would take a deep compulsive perfectionism to find much fault in them as plug n play games. Sure, the SNES doesn't emulate every SNES/SFC release perfectly, but then again, that wasn't really the intended use of the product either. I personally purchased the Classics because I hadn't owned a computer in a while (just got a replacement a month ago, after two years without a PC), I don't do modern games, and I wanted something convenient to play on my TV. The NES and SNES Classic performed that purpose wonderfully. Although, they are super light, and probably as you put it, "pieces of junk" I hope mine will stand the test of time, but I have my doubts. I've read they have been failing on people already. The original SNES hardware was a tank. The controllers would stay in the machine so tight that I would often pull the cords with my legs when I'd walk by and knock my SNES on the floor with force. The thing wouldn't freeze, reset, or become damaged in anyway. I'd say they don't make'em like they use to, but it is just the SNES. Similar anecdotal stories could not be shared of the NES or Genesis, at least not commonly. The PS Classic seems like a rushed project with a lack luster game list (many in inferior PAL format). Reliance on an open-source emulator is also a bit uninspiring. I consider the PS to be as you say, a "cute little collectible" piece of junk. I think the Famitsu reviews for the original games are somewhat accurate, but certainly not perfect. Take Persona. A great game whose review probably suffered a little bit because of the genre it occupied--hardly fair. Tekken 3s review, probably also corrupted, but instead by the fact that it was released late in the systems life, complete with industry pressure to push sales on a game for a system people were losing interest in. Just out of curiosity, do you have any way of finding out the Famitsu score for Dragon Warrior 7? That was in the same genre as FF7, but was a far better product. I'd imagine it did not score as well--was getting awfully close to the PS2 release, wasn't it? I hear Sega plans on releasing a higher quality machine than the @games one currently available. I think it would be a really cool feature to include a few Sega CD and 32x titles. I would get really excited if I heard about a Turbo Duo Classic, with some HuCard and Cd games included. The Dynastic Hero, Exile and Castlevania Rondo of Blood would be sweet to play in a portable box. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand why these things don't appeal to everybody. I just thought I'd explain what I like and do not like about them, that's all.

That is nice to know. Thanks for the response. That's one thing I appreciate about this website. It is actually doing a pretty selfless thing, as far as I can tell, by providing interesting/rare material from our gaming pasts in a hassle-free digital format through a well-tuned interface. It's really quite an accomplishment and a credit to all participants. I wonder if it really does have to always remain a hobby, however? On the road today it dawned on me that if Retromags found volunteers from within its ranks to put together some kind of digital publication, maybe something like a business could grow from that. I think its always wise to consider such pursuits a hobby, so as not to get overly invested with time or money. But I also like the idea of Retromags being a brand that puts out original material. Reviewing classic video games through a lens distanced decades from their original release dates, without the distortion of the marketing tactics/bias that tainted their original reviews, and putting them into some kind of publication, could be a worth while project. If reviews were supplemented with strategies, tips, and other information, such a publication could become the definitive source for historical gaming information. And since Retromags lives 15 years behind mainstream video-gaming, there would long be "new" material to cover and renewed interest and volunteers Maybe growing into a company is a bit far-fetched, but the idea of a quarterly or annual publication, does sound interesting none the less--being branded with "Retromags," even better.

For years after the game craze that was Street Fighter II, it seemed the fighting game genre was a bit overplayed by the industry. Street Fighter II was a good one time rental, and probably worth a purchase if you had frequent company willing to play Vs. mode. But it seems to me, no matter what's done with games of the fighting genre, after a little while, they all feel like Karate Champ. Of all the fighting series', Tekken pulled off the gimmick best. Tekken was fast, graphically enticing, and there was potential for relatively long, varied and interesting fights. Needless to say, Tekken III was the best one on the Playstation. Alas, Tekken III is also the one I played the least. By III's release date, I had lost interest in buying more Playstation games. When I played it, I liked it, but I did't run out and buy it, therefore, I'd say it is undeserving of the Famitsu's highest rating. In fact, Tekken 3 seems to be the most wildly mis-rated game on this list you've provided. I never understood the whole Super Puzzle Fighter thing too well. I'm not big on puzzle games that drop blocks or colors as the player works to clear the screen. I did have one friend that played SPF frequently. He was an artist, and I think the appeal of the game for him must have been its artistry, and since he was also rather social, the games relative simplicity allowed him to divide his attention between the game and whatever everybody else was doing. Generally speaking, the Famitsu's ratings seem pretty well in order. There are a few games I'm rather unfamiliar with listed above, but the ones I know (about 80% of them) I'd have rated similarly.

Maybe there is something I don't quite understand about this whole debate, but I have formed an opinion anyways. Phillyman says that data collection feature costs $60/year and kitsunebi77 says "acquired" and "vote to preserve" have come, primarily, to discourage members from acquiring or scanning mags I can certainly relate to Kitsunebi77's perspective on this, as I seem to recall sometime in the past wondering if there was some way I might eventually contribute. Yet, for some reason, I was under the impression that many missing magazines were either already scanned and not uploaded, or ready for scanning, but simply not done yet. It was probably these "acquired" and "vote to preserve" fields that gave me that impression, because something alerting me that scans were on the way seems vaguely in memory. Any imagined contribution I might make, seemed unnecessary in light of the fact that Logically, it seems that Retromags is financing a feature that potentially impedes its' ability to expand its archive. The feature may have been useful early on, but today so much is already preserved, that the popularity of a particular addition seems irrelevant. Any addition to the archive is equal to +1, in my opinion. As for the "own," "want," and "selling" feature, I am going to down vote it. Though I like the idea of an active market place for physical magazines, I have doubts that it would be active enough to be a reliable source for what one seeks. Isn't that part of why Retromags exists in the first place?--because no such market exists, and is even practically impossible? A simple tally of what is missing from the site, such as in the *.txt file phillyman posted in this thread seems sufficient for directing new scans and uploads. Just some thoughts. Thanks for all the dedication to the project.

Clicked the donations tab and noticed this website's financial needs for 2018 are far below target, yet the year is almost over. What does that bleak status mean for Retromags? Retromags is an extremely unique, easy to use, hassle free resource that knows not its like! Would be a shame for that to end. I would almost swear I am too sensitive a soul. If my mind drifts and overly focuses on the possibility of any failure, loss, or overly burdensome workload befalling the volunteers that have clearly poured so much into the retromags archive my heart breaks. I guess I respect what this community has achieved, atop appreciating its use to me personally. Of course, I should donate to help. Unfortunately, I am poor, recently laid off, and back to looking for work. I somewhat intend to donate once I get some bills paid down and income flowing again, but that won't be in 2018 for sure. All those personal details about me, and praise/well-wishing for the website are bit beyond the primary inquiry of this post, however. To reiterate the intended focus of this post: What does the money situation mean for retromags?

I'm not very interested in them, it's true, but I'm not opposed to them either. In fact, I tried Based Loaded on my NES Classic at one point, but it seemed to crash it, so I removed it. For Snes, I added Hal's Hole in One Golf, and Super Black Bass (if you consider fishing a sports title), but later removed those as well (I limited my Snes Classic to only 10 additional games). I have liked many more Sports games over the years, but without a 2nd player, the NES ones really don't seem very interesting to me. Use to love Tecmo Super Bowl III for Snes, but still wouldn't make my additional 10 cut but a long shot. I'm a little envious of that fact! I started with NES and didn't have a computer in my home until I was in my late teens. I had bumped into a few adventure games on computers at relatives homes over the years, and always wanted to spend more time with them, but it was not to be. I also always liked screen shots of adventure games. Would loved to have played the game that kid in the Tom Hanks movie "Big" was enjoying on a computer near the beginning of that film! Adventure games seemed fun, mysterious, and challenging from what little I dabbled in them. Yeah. I get that. The video you linked tells it like it is. You get stuck on that game, you just systematically go through all the actions you can take on each screen until you "unlock" a new event or choice. Still, I remember this as my first and only adventure game available to me for many years. I didn't learn about Deja Vu, Shadowgate, Uninvited till much later. I knew about Maniac Mansion, but none of the stores in my area rented it back in the day when I was looking to play it. Never got to play Metal Storm in its hey day either for lack of stock in my local rental stores :(. If you have any recommendations for some good old style "graphic adventures" I can play on my PC today, I'd love to hear them. Not too interested in anything as advanced as myst. I like the older style simple 8-bit like ones. Sounds like my brother in law preaching. He loves Rogue type games. He is a NetHack fanatic. He's the only person I know personally that finished Ultima: Exodus for the NES. I got into ADOM (ancient domains of mystery) for a while, but it was short lived, as I lost interest after I exploited the save files to get essentially infinite wishes and walk through the entire game with little difficulty. Generally, I feel a little overwhelmed by rogue-type games, and/or don't have the time to play them. I haven't even played through an easier jRPG since I finished Final Fantasy 12 back in 2011. And now I've been sober just long enough to un-proclaim this! Haha! Besides, you're wide-ranging video game knowledge has humbled me. Nice Job kitsunebi77.