(Retro) What have you been playing this week?

[Sam The Man]

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.

I agree the DC wowed me the most in terms of graphics as like you said it was a huge leap and it was the first time where 3d looked beautiful. The Dreamcasts picture quality was excellent and it's games so colourful with great textures. Since then i havn't really been wowed by anything graphically.

I also preferred Ecco on DC to PS2 as the underwater lighting was better and there were less help crystals which made it more of a challenge although that could also count as a negative as it was already pretty tough.

['Press Start']

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

Yeah, I got the US copy of Final Fantasy Anthology (V & VI) on PS1 as soon as it was released.

[nakamura]

Regarding the TV and Parappa, Dogg Thang , I don't actually think Parappa is really in time properly anyway. It's a pretty ****ty game. I recently sold mine is it just doesn't feel in time and I was on a CRT.

[Dogg Thang]

Well I loved it back in the day and have absolutely no memory of timing problems, but I guess it's possible I adjusted. Space Channel 5 on the other hand was one I never felt the timing was right. Bust a Groove was always spot-on though and it's way off on my PS3 now unfortunately. I loved that game, the music is awesome.

Sam, I never played the PS2 version of Ecco but I remember being horrified hearing that they were adding extra help. Now though, I can totally understand it. It's a TOUGH game and hard to know what to do at times.

[nakamura]

Parappa is off, 100%. Space Channel 5 is also. Bust a Groove wasn't though, absolutely perfect.

[S3M]

Parappa is off, 100%. Space Channel 5 is also. Bust a Groove wasn't though, absolutely perfect.

Wow and I just though I wasn't any good at either Parappa or Space Channel 5, might explain why I could finish gitarooman with out a problem.

One thing to remember is both PS2 & PS3 dualshock controllers use analog buttons which add in a time delay to every input. You really need to play them with the original PS1 pad as it had digital inputs button which are faster.

[nakamura]

Those differences will be marginal at best. Parappa especially feels so far off during the later levels. I never finished it years back because I couldn't time it at all. Now, as an adult with thorough understanding of these things, I completed it easily but had to play it a certain way.

[dvdx2]

Played sega rally on the dreamcast tonight. First time playing it since the japanese.launch. What a piece of junk! Motorhome handling, poor textures, frame rate jarring. I'd actually class it as unplayable - also had a rattle on the newer xbox 360 version and bar nicer graphics, it wasnt much better....

Saturn version it is then.

[nakamura]

It's a disaster on DC. Doesn't have the amazing precision handling of SR1.

[aticatac]

(Pc Engine/TG16) - Bonk Adv/Bonks Revenge/Bonk III Big Adv./Air Zonk
(Arcade) - Karnov, Black Tiger, Rygar
(Atari 2600) - Tutankham

[briareos_kerensky]

Soldier Blade, Kyukyoku Tiger, R-Type on the PCE. Will probably move to R-Type III on the SFC tonight.

[Colin]

Soldier Blade, Kyukyoku Tiger, R-Type on the PCE. Will probably move to R-Type III on the SFC tonight.

Superb choices.

Had two full play throughs of Zero Gunner 2 today, still awesome. Has to be one of the best looking games on the DC, and I just LOVE the gameplay mechanic.

[briareos_kerensky]

I was playing ZG2 a couple of weeks ago, good but not of my favourites, probably because of the controls. I'd love to see it adapted to twin stick controllers on modern platforms, like G.Rev did for Under Defeat, it will probably get better.

[jonathan_ingram]

Soldier Blade, Kyukyoku Tiger, R-Type on the PCE. Will probably move to R-Type III on the SFC tonight.

Kyukyoku Tiger on PCE is awesome, I really like how Zero Gunner 2 plays but it has as many intro sequences as actual gameplay

[Dogg Thang]

Played Powerstone 1 and 2 last night. Still awesome games. Just so much fun and they look and play great still after all these years. One thing I love about these two is that the sequel was very different to the first so it didn't make the original redundant - they are different game experiences and I still love that one on one fighting and the more controlled (by comparison) nature of the first.

Also played some Sonic Heroes and Mario Sunshine on the GC. The early 2000s - when falling into nothingness was commonplace and the hardest enemy in the game was the camera. I do not miss those days.