Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Retro Arena: Handheld Gaming

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Retro Arena: Handheld Gaming





    Here we have a collection of retro handhelds. Choose 3 that you like the most.
    Last edited by Leon Retro; 29-11-2019, 16:01.

    #2
    Easy one for me, this one.

    First, the Sega Game Gear. I was given a Game Gear on my 9th birthday, and to kid-me, it was just the best thing ever. Prior to that, I'd only ever played videogames either in the arcades or on home computers, and like we often discuss here (usually in [MENTION=1524]Yakumo[/MENTION]'s BotP thread), even as a young child, I could already tell there was a clear difference in polish between console and computer titles. Console titles were expensive but I would take one Castle of Illusion over a hundred Amstrad games.

    My dad has since mentioned that he was one of the people who was taken in by Sega's marketing, which suggested that the machine was a portable Megadrive, as opposed to the pseudo-Master System that it actually was, but that didn't matter to me one iota. I loved it.

    I think over the years I owned one I only ever had maybe half a dozen games - Castle of Illusion, Wonder Boy, Micro Machines 2, Sonic Triple Trouble... I struggle to name any more. But it was taken on so many car journeys and found use in countless places... Once we'd bought a set of rechargeable batteries!

    But I think there was something more to it. We'd borrowed consoles and had things like Pong before, but the Game Gear was portable, high-tech, had great games, but most of all, it was mine. It was probably the first ever expensive object I'd ever owned. This isn't about the expense so much but the trust that my parents showed in buying me it.

    Second, the Neo Geo Pocket Color. I had mine during a part of my life where, for several years, I had a 90-min bus commute (each way), and the NGPC was my coping mechanism. It had so many fantastic games; I must have put hundreds of hours into Cardfighters and MotM alone.

    However, there was something ineffable about the NGPC; it was by SNK, and it was part of the NeoGeo family. There was something about that, like being part of some small circle, a core gaming niche. If you saw someone else with one, you were pretty sure they were an SNK fan, and that happened a bunch of times while I owned one. It wasn't some lame gate-keeping thing, like it wasn't that people with Game Boy Colors weren't hardcore. It was just that the NGPC felt like it was put together for a certain type of fan that SNK knew well, and I was dead-centre of that bullseye.

    Then there was the form factor of the unit and the games, which were wonderful. The click-stick, the feel in the hands... In truth, if someone could make me an NGPC with an AGS-101 screen and a bunch of games, that's definitely what I'd take to a desert island (I mean, if I had to take gaming kit - like a water purifier would be first).

    Finally, I would pick the Wonderswan, not because it was good, but because I wanted one for years and years. In essence, my "experience" of the Wonderswan is over a decade of wanting one and about 3 days actually with one before I realised that it simply wasn't worth the bother. I'm sure at the time, and if you could understand written Japanese (my grasp was never all that good), it was probably a great machine, but in 2018 it was just a disappointment. A shame, but then that's a reminder that some things don't work out like you expect.

    Might surprise people I didn't pick any of the Game Boys but honestly, to me, the GB was for two games - Pokemon and Zelda LA. And I'm sure others here will fill in those choices.

    Comment


      #3
      1. Gameboy - where do I start? So many amazing games! Wario Land 1, Super Mario Land, Zeldas, Tetris, Bugs Bunny, Fortress of Fear, Belmont's Revenge.

      2. Gameboy Advance - too many to list!

      3. Game Gear - for the best version of Columns.

      Comment


        #4
        If it wasn't for the Neo Geo Pocket Color and Neo Turf Masters, I'd have probably passed Uni. If I could go back in time, I'd try it again with a different golfer (I always went with Thomas Stewart).

        Next best for me was the Gameboy Advance, because it had an excellent port of one of my favourite PC games - The Tower (aka Sim Tower). It also had a fantastic upgraded port of Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari (aka River City Ransom and also Street Gangs). I love the characterful little sprites of the various enemies, especially once you lob a bin over their head.

        Final choice has got to be my Game Gear. I got it used when they were still available new and the capacitors were already failing, with the screen starting to fade blue. My main game was Ninja Gaiden, but it was back in the days when you couldn't get about a dozen quality batteries from the pound shop, so my overall playtime was limited.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Asura View Post

          First, the Sega Game Gear. I was given a Game Gear on my 9th birthday, and to kid-me, it was just the best thing ever.
          My brother had a Game Gear, and I also thought it was great. Games like GG Shinobi and Slider looked really nice on the small screen.

          Originally posted by Asura View Post
          I didn't pick any of the Game Boys but honestly, to me, the GB was for two games - Pokemon and Zelda LA. And I'm sure others here will fill in those choices.
          The original GB has loads of fun games covering all genres. The Castlevania and Contra games really stand up well today. There's so much to explore.


          Originally posted by Zaki View Post
          1. Gameboy - where do I start?
          Yeah, tons of fun games to enjoy. It's easily my favourite retro handheld.

          Originally posted by Zaki View Post
          2. Gameboy Advance - too many to list!
          I decided to not include the GBA. I felt that stopping in 1999 with the WonderSwan felt right in the context of retro. I don't like to include post-2000 stuff in my threads., Maybe I'll change that stance at some point.


          Originally posted by Hirst View Post
          Final choice has got to be my Game Gear. I got it used when they were still available new and the capacitors were already failing, with the screen starting to fade blue.
          It's a shame that the Game Gear tends to suffer from those problems. I bet a modded one costs quite a bit.

          Comment


            #6
            The only handheld console I've ever owned is a Lynx. I remember it used to almost tear my coat pocket trying to squeeze it inside and it required so many batteries that I could never be bothered to keep them charged, so I mostly played plugged into the wall. The highlight was definitely APB which was a great conversion and I game that I was already a big fan of from the arcade and C64. It had some good games, but I think Nintendo's approach of limiting the specs in order to produce a smaller and less power hungry device was probably a better one.

            I owned a couple of LCD games when I was a kid, but they were the really cheap ones you'd buy on market stalls. My friend had a Tetris watch which was pretty good because that translated pretty well to the format.

            I've never really been a fan of handheld gaming for some reason. It's hard to really explain what the difference is, but my Switch has barely left its dock (aside from using the touch screen to make levels in Mario Maker) and mobile gaming never really interests me either (with occasional exceptions; I loved Super Hexagon).
            Last edited by ZipZap; 29-11-2019, 21:20.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Leon Retro View Post

              I decided to not include the GBA. I felt that stopping in 1999 with the WonderSwan felt right in the context of retro. I don't like to include post-2000 stuff in my threads., Maybe I'll change that stance at some point.
              My bad I should have clicked on the pic link before posting.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Zaki View Post
                My bad I should have clicked on the pic link before posting.
                What??? Do my pics only show up as a link?

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by ZipZap View Post
                  The only handheld console I've ever owned is a Lynx. I remember it used to almost tear my coat pocket trying to squeeze it inside and it required so many batteries that I could never be bothered to keep them charged, so I mostly played plugged into the wall.
                  Yeah, the original Lynx was ridiculous. The second iteration is a nicer design, but still very bulky. The original Game Boy is my favourite handheld design.


                  Originally posted by ZipZap View Post
                  I've never really been a fan of handheld gaming for some reason.
                  I've also never been overly keen on handheld gaming, but I do use handhelds now and then. 90% of my gaming time has been spent with consoles and computers. I prefer to play games on a big screen.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I love most of these.

                    The Game and Watches are obviously products of their time. I still have loads of them. They bore me in seconds now, but in the early 80s they were great fun and made long plane journeys fly (sorry) by. Mario's Cement Factory is my favourite.

                    The Game Boy is by far the best of the handhelds mentioned here. Even its limitations worked in its favour - the lack of power forced designers to concentrate on pure gameplay, so there are loads of awesome titles.

                    I had both a Lynx and a Game Gear, and I've since rebought both. Back in the day I preferred the Game Gear, especially as you could also play Master System games on it, but now I prefer the Lynx. I think there are still a number of games on it which hold up really well - Warbirds, Zarlor Mercenary for example. That said, my Lynx still has an old screen, whereas my Game Gear is refurbished, so I usually use the latter now.

                    Didn't have a PC Engine or Nomad until much later, but I can imagine it was fantastic to take your Megadrive games with you and play them on a handheld back in the 90s.

                    Love the Neo Geo pocked, although I find the fighting games a bit samey. Is it unique in not having a single racing game?

                    I've had the full family of Wonderswans, and still own a Crystal, but barely use it - there are only a few games which don't involve knowledge of Japanese, and I don't mind some on a big screen, but can't be bothered to peer at a tiny handheld to try to read the kanji.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I'm a tool
                      Last edited by charlesr; 07-11-2020, 23:18.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Neo Geo Pocket for me. It was near perfect other than the silly limit to 2 face buttons. I did have a Nomad and a GT, Lynx but they were too big and too expesive to take out. I spend so much money on them I was fearfull of them getting damaged LOL

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Team Andromeda View Post
                          Neo Geo Pocket for me. It was near perfect other than the silly limit to 2 face buttons. I did have a Nomad and a GT, Lynx but they were too big and too expesive to take out. I spend so much money on them I was fearfull of them getting damaged LOL
                          I share that, I used to be really averse to that. Might seem crazy but these days I've bought second hand devices which are beat up and cheap, so I dont have to worry.

                          My kindle was £8 from CEX. It's a wreck but it goes everywhere.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I feel like my answers are the obvious choices and they are obvious because they are correct. First up, we have the Neo Geo Pocket. This system has few fewer games than the BG, obvs, but as a result has a far higher hit rate. The system has loads of really enjoyable games. The fighting games (of which there are a load) are all sublime, each and every one of them. I'm going to go as far as to say they are some of the best fighting games ever made. Why? Because they are beautifully designed to work within the limitations of the system. Last Blade is brilliant on it, the KoF games are great and SNK vs Capcom is one of my favourite games.

                            On top of the fighters, we have the superb Cardfighters Clash, which is the only time I have really been sucked in hard to a card game. It's a huge amount of fun. And there is a decent Sonic, some fun Metal Slug games (as long as you accept them for what they are) and a couple of other good ones.

                            Next up is the Game Boy Color. A bit of a cheat because it runs all the GB games too. Is the GB just Pokemon and Links Awakening? Well, I can understand that comment to be honest. The Pokemon games are superb (and I personally feel that Gold and Silver are the peak of Pokemon games) and the three Zeldas (not just LA) are right up there at the top of the GB games list. But there is a little more to it than that. Pokemon Pinball, for example, with its rumble pack is great fun and it's a real shame we only got one more outing for the series on the GBA. There is obviously the classic Tetris and a lot of enjoyable games, although I feel a lot of them don't hold up all that well these days. And buried in its catalogue, you'll find some little treats just for you and that's one of the great things about the GB and GBC - there are lots of personal gems. For example, I happen to think the GB Tamagotchi game is surprisingly great and it's a cart I still keep out all these years later.

                            The final choice is a little harder but I think it goes to the Game Gear. We can talk about the battery life and it was pretty crippled but it's one of the only negatives of the system. In its day, games looked and sounded great on it. And people still maintain that Mickey's Castle of Illusion was best on this system and some will argue that its Sonic was more fun than the 16-bit one. Lots of other fun games if not a huge amount of total classics. But it was an impressive system with lots to offer.

                            I never had a Wonderswan and have often been tempted to track one down, if only because it got a version of Pocket Fighters, something we should have seen on the GBA.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                              I feel like my answers are the obvious choices and they are obvious because they are correct. First up, we have the Neo Geo Pocket. This system has few fewer games than the BG, obvs, but as a result has a far higher hit rate. The system has loads of really enjoyable games. The fighting games (of which there are a load) are all sublime, each and every one of them. I'm going to go as far as to say they are some of the best fighting games ever made. Why? Because they are beautifully designed to work within the limitations of the system. Last Blade is brilliant on it, the KoF games are great and SNK vs Capcom is one of my favourite games.

                              On top of the fighters, we have the superb Cardfighters Clash, which is the only time I have really been sucked in hard to a card game. It's a huge amount of fun. And there is a decent Sonic, some fun Metal Slug games (as long as you accept them for what they are) and a couple of other good ones.
                              It really was a marvel. I even got into some of the more obscure titles like Biomotor Unitron and Dark Arms. Wish I'd played Faselei! at the time, too; I didn't get it until years later, and by then, I also had Front Mission for the DS and Faselei! felt a bit long in the tooth.

                              The library was limited. There wasn't a single racing game. There wasn't a particularly amazing story-focused RPG (those that did exist were more gameplay-focused, like Cardfighters) and there was probably 1 one-on-one fighter for every non-fighting game on the system. Still, it was wonderful.

                              I never had a Wonderswan and have often been tempted to track one down, if only because it got a version of Pocket Fighters, something we should have seen on the GBA.
                              I wanted to play that too, but I abandoned the idea. It might be okay on the SwanCrystal, but the Color machine I was using as well as the original had displays with terrible response time; that's why the library was flooded with things like RPGs, visual novels, graphic adventures and puzzle games. I tried a couple of "fast action" games (I think I had one based on Inuyasha) and it was virtually unplayable by modern standards; certainly nowhere near as responsive as the Game Boy Color screen.

                              I see what people are saying about the Game Boy, and I don't really dispute that there were probably plenty of amazing games. However, as a Game Gear owner, I came to the Game Boy quite late; I don't remember precisely when but it was somewhere between the release of Ocarina of Time and the Dreamcast. I loved plenty of titles back then but many of them have, on later play, turned out to be objectively bad (I absolutely loved the GB Street Fighter II, for example, which was terrible), so I always feel my GB memories are a bit rose-tinted.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X