(Retro) What have you been playing this week?

[Dogg Thang]

Last night I played Ecco Defender of the Future. I ADORED it back in the day. This time, I spent a ridiculous amount of time being completely stuck in the second level with no clue what to do at all. My young self would laugh his ass off at how rubbish at games I have become.

['Press Start']

Finished Final Fantasy VI on the SNES at last! Man that last boss was utterly epic!

I finished it on an Action Replay converter back in the day and during the end sequence the screen went black in the same place.

->Open Spoiler<-

Just when Celes and Sabin are exiting the tower

. I must have finished it over 10 times just to try and get to see the full ending but I only got the music.

[Sam The Man]

Last night I played Ecco Defender of the Future. I ADORED it back in the day. This time, I spent a ridiculous amount of time being completely stuck in the second level with no clue what to do at all. My young self would laugh his ass off at how rubbish at games I have become.

Do u remember just how friggin amazing that game looked when it first came out. I remember the day i got home with my copy and started playing it i was gobsmacked at how smooth and beautiful it looked. It really was a tough game though and it took me all summer to finish it. Id love a proper sequel but i know it will never happen.

[nakamura]

I finished it on an Action Replay converter back in the day and during the end sequence the screen went black in the same place.

->Open Spoiler<-

Just when Celes and Sabin are exiting the tower

. I must have finished it over 10 times just to try and get to see the full ending but I only got the music.

Did you ever see it? It's wasn't a brilliant ending in truth, the last boss fight was immense though.

I completed Ecco via the PS2 a few years ago. It's much better in terms of direction and control so less frustrating. It would be a great game to remake in HD with improved visuals and controls. Really is stunning, even today.

[S3M]

Guardian Force on Saturn, really good tank shooter. Trying to improve my one credit runs now up to stage 4.

Finishing the game is easy enough but the final boss is a pain if, you haven't got a tons of bombs as you only have 30 secs to defeat it else you get the bad ending.

[Dogg Thang]

Do u remember just how friggin amazing that game looked when it first came out. I remember the day i got home with my copy and started playing it i was gobsmacked at how smooth and beautiful it looked. It really was a tough game though and it took me all summer to finish it. Id love a proper sequel but i know it will never happen.

Yep it looked so gorgeous and, you know, it holds up remarkably well both in visuals and sound. The gameplay itself is tough mainly just due to a lack of signposting on some very specific tasks it expects you to do but it looks great. Actually having gone back on a lot of classic consoles recently, the DC was a huge leap IMO. It's the first console where 3D games weren't a bit hard on the eyes and, when I pop on a DC, game I don't have to spend any time reacclimatising to the look - I just get straight in. Any earlier console with 3D (PS1, Saturn, N64) and I spend a bit of time getting used to how games looked back then.

Anything after DC such as the GC, Xbox, PS2 and really they aren't a million miles away from where we are now.

One question on playing PS1 games on PS3 - is there serious lag here or have I a problem with my setup? All rhythm games are broken with sound not matching picture but even other games like fighting games seem like the input is all off. Is that the PS3 or is that because I'm on an LCD telly that these games weren't designed for?

[Jay]

LCD TV will be causing that.

[Dogg Thang]

Oh. That kind of sucks. I have no CRT in my house any more. Will that affect other consoles then? That might explain why I was also rubbish at Space Channel 5 although I have memories of always finding the input of that a bit weird.

[Jay]

Yep. That's why they introduced calibration options in Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

[Dogg Thang]

Right, thanks for the info. That's a shame. I may have to see if I can scrounge up a CRT somewhere at some point.

[Jay]

it's pretty annoying how older rhythm games become suddenly obsolete if you have a modern TV.

[Dogg Thang]

It really is, isn't it? And I have a ton of them. Dug out Parappa, Um Jammer Lammy, Bust A Groove and a whole bunch more and they're unplayable. Will it be the same for Frequency and Amplitute on PS2, I wonder? Quite possibly.

[Jay]

Sadly, yes. Weirdly there are modern rhythm games which work fine without calibration options. Rhythm Heaven on the Wii and the modern re-releases of Space Channel 5 pt 2 for eg. I guess they just provide a bigger timing window to allow for lag?

[nakamura]

Can't you select a game mode on the TV? Mine has no noticeable lag.

[Dogg Thang]

I had just googled for options and found that, Naka, and it turns out my TV (LG) does have a game mode and I have enabled it. But I tried Parappa running on the PS3 (HDMI) and the picture was still not matching the sound so it hasn't fixed it with particular setup unfortunately. I'll enable it anyway on other games and do a few tests but that early test isn't positive on my own TV.