The Retrogaming Thread! [8-bit/16-bit/32-bit/64-bit]

Those Super Famicom (especially) covers were something.
@Flipper the Priest if ever you want ISS Deluxe > the name is "Jikkyou XX Soccer" but Fighting Eleven. You can change players names but i got no idea if you may switch with Alphabet and Jap character... Why we couldn't on ISS Deluxe SNES, got to way for the PSX version :CRY:

Note about names editions:
Needs to check as it's possible in for example Winning Eleven 3 Final Edition (with the real rosters and 23 instead of 18 players of 1998 World cup : the ultimate ISS 98.
There's a Spanish version well translated or an English let's say very basic translated...
Didn't DDL the Spanish One. My memories are more based on ISS 98, gameplay seems the same, i'm good with EU and US version i played (different rosters).

We got some good covers too, but the SFC ones were often pretty different and more artistic.

Sad there's no translation because from Della Serie A.
Graphically and technically.
I think there's another Serie A series... Made who did the J-League Excite 94-95-96 on Snes as it looks very very similar.
And if i was about to place the best football games i tried on SNES, it would came just second after ISS. The kind of game you want to learn stuffs and gets involved but with the character barrer (i can handle any games in Roman character from practically every language... But not on Katakana/Hiragana, Chinese or Russian character)

It's kinda sad there's very very rare football games you could play "seriously", and those 2 series were that kind of game.
What's dumb is it's a "Serie A Italia" game there's not even at least an Italian/English version for us haha (well it's more :( )
 
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I remember that back in the day, I changed a Japanese name's player in ISS deluxe deluxe to "Nakata" with orange hair. :LOL: I also created a South Korean forward, renamed him "Ahn" after Ahn Jung-Hwan, made him long haired, with good header and fast, kind of a rockstar. :ROCK: 🎸


1651823368018.png

Can't really remember if he already had painted hair, but I do remember that I did improve his stats, and made him a kind of "creative 10" with very good passing and offensive awareness, haha. The South Korean striker, I remember, was a goalscoring machine because of his speed and other attributes lol. But I made sure that the rest of the teams were equal. I just liked having one superstar who would look different. :LOL: And then I'd take on the world in the WC with Korea and Japan. Man those were some fun times!
 
I remember that you could've change the stats and the referee difficulty (for you and the CPU) on 5.
Man, on 5 : he was unstoppable lol. The usual tricks didn't worked (shoot/rebound/shoot for ex.)

Well we were stolen vs Korean on 2002 (the referee, Byron Moreno, get in prison few years later for X trafics, including drugs) so yes they where good, and it's history, but i really believe that the Italy 2002 was the strongest on the paper we never since perhaps 1998. So we were both kinda hainous against SKorea favorised team and Byron Moreno in Italy 😂 As Tommasi scored a goal by himself and he annulated it for ABSOLUTELY no reason (he wasn't "offside": practically 2 meters from the offside line) + Totti penalty was more than arguable.

Well Trappatoni was a bit more "all around Totti" in his tactics and i hated him.

But that's part of the History, like France-Germany in the 80' or end 70's : Schumacher keeper against France who literally commit a murder on the penalty area doing a save and nothing was saved.

Football is kinda more human with errors etc., for that i agree, or even the Country a bit favorised. But paid Referees etc. it's not kind of decision.
That's the charm of it. Now i'm used to the VAR and agree a bit with it, but i just hope they won't add nothing more.
Foul or not foul when it's not obvious depends of the type of referee (those who look at every players if they're agressive, those who don't care and just check the fact if there's foul or not etc.)

Edit: O.T. i changed my avatar as i was sick of that one, by it's showing only when you check my profile... Weird. Perhaps it needs a bit of time. If not i may ask to @Chris Davies if he may change it, you can see the image when you click on my profile (thanks in advance mate :WORSHIP:)
 
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Right, I agree with you. :) Those were really bad calls during the 2002 WC against Italy and Spain and in favor of Korea.

Back to retrogaming though! What other football games do you guys remember from the 16 bit generation? I posted this one here before, but I think it's one of the better ones: Hat Trick Hero 2! Only thing I didn't like about this one was the crowd noise, a bit annoying, but the gameplay was really good and I actually preferred it to ISS deluxe! :TU:

 
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Didn't preferred it to ISS Deluxe, the first game that you could recognise the players is what mattered at the time lol, But i found it untouchable now that i've replayed it after a long with all the move you can do, stats, everything.

But I really loved that serie too. Played the 1st version of course, and on Arcade i played the 1 and 2...

That version never cames in Europe like Della Serie A or they could have made a "special version" for J-League games series with Europeans clubs or Nations.
Don't remember, as there was 2 or 3 differents games based on J-League, but one was fantastic.
 
But i understand you : i also preferred Virtua Striker 2 to ISS Pro Evolution 1 for the physics, fun and ambiance lol.
I changed my mind after some sessions. Just that i founded also the 1st Iss Evo ugly, more than ISS PRO 98 for example.

One game that never tilted me was Capcom Soccer Shootout. I prefered a lot of other 16 bits football games.
It was Capcom, so i waited for something great, but the magic wasn't there. Just a little fun, with a big ball and all players lookalike.

I through they should have been inspired by their rival, but no.
 
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Flipper the Priest said:
Nice wee trio of games added to the collection:

View attachment 159496

Really wanted SFS Della Serie A because I just think it's so neat. I love everything about it... Until you kick off!
Click to expand...
As a European-only boy, i have to ask..The box cover is vertical, the cartridge inside is also vertical,or it's horizontal like our versions?

PS: All the covers are a state of art..I miss those comic style boxarts of 16bit era...
 
Just retried Iss Deluxe Jap version : you can use Romaji (occidental characters) and the rosters should be similar as i checked all stats from Gamefaqs guide and it's corresponding, at least for France and Italy.

And also tried some J-League version, there's 3 "special" in fact. One is pretty ressembling to Soccer Shootout but a bit better.

I didn't mastered the moves and all but what is kinda sad on many football games is that you can't run. There's some exceptions, but from what i remember that was only doable on Super Sidekicks and ISS. Perhaps another port of Arcade game like Hat trick Hero/Super Soccer Champ.
That's why dribbling was so satisfying in those two games, with the "Rush" button.
 
Did you guys ever try any of the 16-bit generation FIFAs? Of course we all know FIFA 98 Road to the World Cup for N64 is an absolute classic, probably one of the most well-loved and respected football titles ever, but what are your opinions on the 16 bit FIFAs? I've never tried them and would like to give them a shot. :TU:



In anycase we all know and love this one, the absolute classic that revolutionized football gaming:

 
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millossobek said:
Did you guys ever try any of the 16-bit generation FIFAs? Of course we all know FIFA 98 Road to the World Cup for N64 is an absolute classic, probably one of the most well-loved and respected football titles ever, but what are your opinions on the 16 bit FIFAs? I've never tried them and would like to give them a shot. :TU:



In anycase we all know and love this one, the absolute classic that revolutionized football gaming:

Click to expand...

I tried those isometric, past Fifas in my first pc years iirc, but I've always found them boring. They felt so dull.

Fact is, all those games, like that Fifas, or 3d Kick Off, or even Actua Soccers, had all those stats and stuff but players and teams inevitably felt so samey lol. Don't know if it was me being so green at football games, maybe today I'd be able to appreciate some of it, but when I actually played a game where stats were prominent like the first Iss Pros.. it made all the difference in the world.

Of the bunch of those pre Fifa 98 games, anyway, I have the best memories of Actua Soccer. I liked models, animations and it felt somehow satisfying and intuitive to score - unluckily, the version I had only had national teams, and on the long run it's boring without clubs. Not a case that Fifa 98 (which was, anyway, far superior as a game as we all know) was the first one to hook me.

To be honest, and it will sound like blasphemy to many, I think 2d football games generally never clicked for me anyway - I tried the arguably best one, Snes ISS/ISS Deluxe on the emulator, way after I played modern games, and it had like no charme to me. Maybe one day I'll give it a better chance, or maybe I should have appreciate it when it was out and now it's late, I don't know. It's strange enough cause I liked the modern sequels (Iss 64, 98 etc.), but those ones.. can't enjoy them. Same or probably way worse with Sensible Soccer and all the other games on that same vibe.. I know there is people incredibly fond of those ones, but personally every time I tried one I always ended up quitting the game after a couple minutes. Probably wrong timing as well lol.
 
millossobek said:
Did you guys ever try any of the 16-bit generation FIFAs? Of course we all know FIFA 98 Road to the World Cup for N64 is an absolute classic, probably one of the most well-loved and respected football titles ever, but what are your opinions on the 16 bit FIFAs? I've never tried them and would like to give them a shot. :TU:



In anycase we all know and love this one, the absolute classic that revolutionized football gaming:

Click to expand...
Well for the game's age, i found them fun, but not as realistic as ISS ( now what realism was i expecting in a 90s game, is another discussion :) )

But, since then i had a comparison in my mind, that KONAMI and SEGA were ahead of EA in what game they had as a vision to build.

Now as for FIFA per se, in SNES it was for the very few titles, with so many Club teams,and not only National Teams, and IIRC, 98 or 97 (for SNES, maybe for other platforms too) had that lovely game mode of indoor soccer/football, which was very unique, and still is, until FIFA street and Volta mode.

I had spent most time on indoors than on normal mode 😂

Edit: FIFA 97, PS1 has also the mode after researching ;)

 
vialli82 said:
I also preferred Virtua Striker 2 to ISS Pro Evolution 1 for the physics, fun and ambiance lol.
I changed my mind after some sessions. Just that i founded also the 1st Iss Evo ugly, more than ISS PRO 98 for example.
Click to expand...
Well, Virtua Striker 2 was in a league of its own at the time, "visuals" wise. Far ahead of its time I dare say.
And I agree about ISS Pro 98 looking somehow better than the first ISS PE. I don't know if it were the player models which looked better in those colourful late '90s kits or what, but I also had the same feeling.
 
Replying to various:

- Pleased to say I have Fighting Eleven too so I've completed that double!

- Definitely a shame there's no translation for Della Serie A but at least there's the option to toggle the team and player names to English/Italian. The main menus are easy enough to figure out but on the team set up screens I'm craving those Roman letters.

- The cartridge in the SFC boxes is also vertical. And yes the box art is amazing on some of the games. I wouldn't say I like Prime Goal's (whereas I love the other two) but at least it's interesting. I guess back then these games were screaming 'pick me, pick me!' from the store shelves, unlike now. They had to pop, as the kids say.

- I had FIFA International Soccer, FIFA 95 and FIFA 96. I recall being disappointed by 95 and 96. Only played FIFA International Soccer in my old age and - while it's a tough play now - I can see why I liked it.

- In most aspects I'd leap to ISS Pro Evolution's defence but visually it's pretty bland. ISS Pro and 98 are so vibrant, colour wise. Almost over saturated, if anything. ISS Pro Evolution is dull, almost grey, by comparison. You can't say that about Virtua Striker for sure!

- Generally speaking I can't play 16-bit games for very long. The ISSes yes. Sensible Soccer definitely. But the rest, one or two games before I get frustrated. I don't think they've aged particularly well. But then most 32-bit games are garbage too, relatively speaking. However, the good 32-bit games I can play all day long.
 
If you're talking only about football games, i also got hard to found some "re-playable" games from 16-32 bits era.
Some i've mentioned, otherwise there's a lot of too basic games, too resembling in fact in the command. FIFA isometric well i tried as there was tons of teams on Megadrive, i didn't hated it that much. Eric Cantona's indoor games but too easy, i can't replay it more than one game.

Arcade games got also many football games more than just playable, just that we didn't get a port (too demanding or just not planned), needs to check my MAME list but i remember there was a lot of Hat Trick Hero/Super Soccer Champ like game.
One weird thing : those game got almost the same playability as "Tecmo World Cup" Series on Master System, the 93 was the best one.
To me at least most replayable version better than some 16 bits games. But i think it was an Arcade port...


Tecmo World Cup 93 / Master System version



Let's see the 2 others versions i found

Tecmo World Cup 93"... Megadrive version (looks weird, don't remember)



Tecmo World Cup 90, looks more like the MS version, but i also found the MS version more suitable


Winner : 8 f***ing bit Master System version haha

About sports games representing teams there's one who aged the best the me : Hockey games. Tons of good games, from 8 to 16 bits. Don't know for 32bits. Basket average let's say when you know that the best overall is a "deviation" of 5v5 Basket : NBA JAM. Then some Arcade and others averagely good games, but also on Arcade, and some got bad ports on console.

I always wondered how should be a 5v5 NBA JAM : it's totally doable as the game got all the mechanics, but it was "too demanding" for that era.

Won't talk about individual sports as it's clearly different, they didn't aged (Tennis, Boxing, Golf etc.) but the biggest issue was for football, the number of players. ISS and Deluxe version, a bit inspired by Super Sidekicks i suppose, made a very nice move, we through it was impossible on SNES to have something like that with all individuals.
I'm still impressed when i replay it by the animations for that time.
 
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@Madmac79 i gotted also ACTUA SOCCER , if you didn't changed it : the camera moved in every way and altered your contols bbut i remember for the "3D > NEW" era it was kinda impressive and pretty fun.
Don't remember how i scored by keeping that cam, same as i got the 1st Fifa on PSX and retried it : unplayable 😆

But i saw some vids without the cam going everywhere : it was a more decent game for a start than i through.

That's the cam i remember who was by default :



Now with another cam, you see he change the cam at the start "Frontline Camera"
...And fact that game looks... Pretty much more playable, like a totally different game

 
I've been playing this one on MAME quite a bit lately: Black Tiger, in which you play a Barbarian who faces a slew of different monsters and settings! This game is pretty unique in the sense that you have a Morning Star weapon and also projectiles at the same time which can change depending on items, weapons purchased etc! One thing I've really enjoyed about this one is pretty much the mindless hack and slash, and almost unstoppable action!! There's always something happening in this one, monsters are jumping at you from all angles, you have to climb pillars, jump around and use your reflexes a lot, defeat enemies which spawn all over the place. Just good platform fun! Highly recommended. :TU:

 
Another classic that just came to my mind:


man I was so in love with this game. The concept was relatively simple (collect the diamonds, move in a way that avoids the rocks/monsters/dangers and go out), but it created so many fun interactions and situations in the stage. You could trap yourself, if you weren't careful enough, but you could also use the other dangers to indirectly kill the monsters and so on. Probably that's where my exceeding love for emergent gameplay first born lol.
 
Remember playing it first on Amiga, and gotted it on C64! There were the 2 and the 3. In comparison what was shitty was the main character sprite in comparison to NES (corrected)

Best C64 ports to me was TNMT (perhaps the best port from C64 i believe) to me on a CRT TV it was +- the same as NES less colourful...
But with a cost of +- 10 euros impossible to complain 😂), Then i gotted Platoon and Arkanoid who were very good ports and replicate exactly the one from NES (i played it hours and hours)

That remember one other game i played on NES, a bit less known... But someone here should have played it for sure:

Kickle Cubicle

 
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@Madmac79 you just took me back bro!! I only played Boulder Dash a few times when I was a kid, but then I picked it up later on emulator. Very inventive game! Not easy to Master, but definitely an original idea and makes you think! @vialli82 Kickle Cubicle I never played, but it looks interesting too, I believe it is quite the obscure one! Sometimes the best games are the most simple!

Here's a game I thought was insane for NES: Smash TV! The premise is basically this as I understood it: You're the contestant of an insane TV game show in which you have to fight hordes and hordes of soldiers, monsters, tanks, worms, and all kinds of enemies! The objective to come out alive lol. I remember when I first saw this one when I was a kid I thought it was one of the fastest paced games I've played, just non stop action! Another thing I liked is that there was actually a very good sequel, for SNES (are you listening, Ninja Gaiden? :LOL: ) called Super Smash TV! Also great, expanded on the original idea!!



 
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That game i never really played it, but see a lot on TV and magazines; it makes me remember another one lookalike which probably inspired that one and i loved it / I think the first version was on Amiga, and ported on Master System and NES (i gotted the MS version and took Megadrive version on location)

But i'll put the most popular (there's even sequel out on 2007, an HD version : that game is a classic you should know even if you didn't owned a Megadrive or Amiga)

SPEEDBALL 2 / Brutal Deluxe! Megadrive, MS, Amiga, Atari St etc.




I'm pretty sure there's a similar game on Snes... Weird i trough it was on it too. I know there's a game like this but more based on basketball...
Don't remember the title.
There's also Speedball 2100 from the same era.
 
Now as you posted a shoot game, who was like a "sport", i remember 2 super games, one on SNES (don't remember if it was on Megadrive too) and another, Arcade and Snes with censorship

THE CHAOS ENGINE (Snes version)




TOTAL CARNAGE (Snes version)




Now the arcade version, just a little bit more gore 😅

 
@vialli82 Maybe it's this one you're thinking of bro? Bill Laimbeer Combat Basketball? I was a huge basketball fan, and I hated the Pistons as a kid as I was a Bulls fan, haha, so anyway Bill Laimbeer was perhaps the dirtiest player in NBA history, played for the Pistons, and so this game was released which was all about no fouls, haha., Set in a futuristic environment. I thought the game was pretty ok when I played it at my friends' house, the idea was certainly original and different! Actually Speedball the one you showed looks much more fun and fast-paced, I'll have to check it out! :)

Speaking of which, Master System/Mega Drive are almost unknown consoles for me, I am so glad to be finding out about these lesser known games! :TU:

 
Yes i think it's that game (not 100% sure it's that version or another but the principle is similar), but there wasn't any name of a guy licence i think.
Nice found mate, i shouldn't have found it.

But Speedball still way better lol, at least they tried 😆
 
@vialli82 I am especially impressed with SNES "The Chaos Engine!" It's almost like if you took stage 2 of Super Contra (or Super C, I think it was originally called), and transposed it to an entire game, but much improved! I'll definitely check this one out, was taking a look at the different levels and I like the fact that it is kind of a searching game, not only action but you have to look for keys, and different passageways! Anyway those of you who played Super C know what I mean.. This Chaos Engine looks great!

 
Super C and Contra are Arcade port too : but they're not fully "Unlimited continue".
I think if you lost 5 Continue (or 3) : you have to restart from zero lol.

It was games with a long vertical screen, never played on NES but Arcade



Well to me the best of all Probotector/Contra is on Megadrive. For not saying that to me even if kinda like the other, it completely crush every others version (even the III on Snes)
There's scenarios, different paths so tons of level and i think 7 ending, but the difficulty is just... Take a Game Genie/Action Replay and shut up.
It looks similar to a real Arcade game so :

Contra : Hards corps / Probotector : Aliens Rebel (Europe) > There's a difference from selectable characters : 2. An hacked recently made a build with all 6 characters. But originaly the US version is to me a bit better (+ it's 60 vs 50 fps and the game is fast)



2 another very good game from the style you mention (view from the sky) that you probably don't played as the first is Megadrive exclusive, the second Arcade/Megadrive (master system too good port for that console lol):


Rambo III / Megadrive exclusive (at least that version)




MERCS / Megadrive version(on Arcade : same as Contra with a vertical screen)





There's even a vids "Rambo 3 vs MERCS : which is better? " lol as they are game pretty similar only megadrive, such as Chaos Engine.
To me, Rambo III is the hardest, there's more limitation in your munitions, enemies are less but more dangerous etc.

Don't hesitate to rush on lost Megadrive Emulator to rediscover those super games such as i did : i sold my MD too soon lol so...
 
@vialli82 Wow, all of these look so amazing!!

You're completely right, I am almost completely new to Mega Drive! I only knew a few such as Sonic of course, Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, etc.. But all of these games are totally a new thing for me!! I think Rambo and Mercs looks cool, and Contra Mega Drive look so amazing, I was never even aware of its existence! :TU: :BSCARF: New weapons, new enemies and stages, I'll definiely check these out!!

Of course, one of the top-view games that started it all for me was the VERY underrated Guerrilla War for NES. These are one of the games I remember so fondly from my childhood, hours and hours of fun, so simple and difficult!!!!

Did you guys ever try this one?? One of the absolute classics in my opinion!!!! :BSCARF: :TU:

 
Hey guys! I'd like to start a topic specifically about our favorite Beat-Em-Up games in retrogaming, whether it's 8 bit, 16 bit, arcade/MAME, any retrogaming!

This is probably one of my favorite genres of all time and there are hundreds of retro Beat-Em-Up/BTA's that I haven't played yet! I'll start with one of those Beat-Em-Ups which I think is very underrated: Batman Returns!! I played this for the SNES, and really enjoyed it. Very atmospheric and nicely done, it was a joy to go through Gotham City fighting against the Penguin's clan! I loved the movie as well so this was and still is very enjoyable! With some of the better graphics in SNES also, what really made this game was how fun and smooth it was!

Let's get the ball rolling with this genre of games! Looking forward to hearing your favorites! :TU:

 
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Great idea to open something like that, but i got an idea more "vast" : Arcade and Classic games, retro or indies (all plateforms).
Classic means : like first games. Such as Rayman Origins, if you know what i mean : 2D but enhanced. If you found a better word, even in my own language i don't found how to name it lol.

But you should know what i mean : based on Plateformers, BTU, VS, Action etc. even Strategy like Tetris or Klax.
Well the styles that defined the V.G.. Now, only BTA is a pretty limited : with everything we posted already 😅

Whatever if it's not out on Arcade, the style of BTU > Arcade.
And you may start with for example : "Style Beat-them-up", i could post some for example Shooter and Shoot-them-up, some action games...
Some review about Street of Rage 4.
There's a lot to found on every era, don't worry (;). Cars like Sega Rally etc., VS like Virtua Fighter 4-5 or Tekken etc. (i know it's not from your taste but don't worry many of us love it including myself)

Do as you want. I don't found my idea super upper great neither, but something in that direction let's say.
 
Right! Well actually I mean any retro platform, Arcade/Mame or consoles, even indies, which have the retrogaming spirit of this thread! :TU:

And of course, my intention is to stay in this thread, not open new topics but just start with our favorite beat-em-ups/BTA's!

I think 16 bit and Arcades particularly, maybe early to mid 90's are the golden era of this style! (Even though I'm sure there are 8 bit and 32 bit games that are good too in beat-em-ups/BTA) :TU: And yeah, maybe not to make it too structured, but we can go like we've been going, a few games here a few there, I think it's more fun to be more random like we've been doing,, but yeah for now I wanted to get the ball rollin in this genre!
 
Yes, it should have multiple themes, and not too much looking like that great thread.
There's also 2 similar style to me than BTA : Hack'n'Slash (Onimusha, Ninja Gaiden PS360) and Run'n'gun (For that it's more foundable in indie).
Never tried rogue like and the tons of Rogue like seriously annoy me. There's some exception but overall, i'm sick that 90% of indies, 2D games, are Rogue like and and seems pretty similar. Well, even Souls series are kinda Rogue like (die and retry +- equal to R.L.)

Whenever : there's two someone said to me that i will love it and need to try

One is litterally a Souls in 2D and the other is a mix with Souls and Metroid (not the same ambiance at all
-Hollow Knight (the Metroid/Souls/Rogue like... Even if from vids it looks like a plateformer such as a Dark Rayman lol)
-Salt and Sanctuary (Souls-Rogue like. Pretty similar to a Souls in the commands, different ambiance mmhhh no idea for comparison)

There's one based on Metroid don't remember the name, but one guy said to me that many are inspired by Souls and are BTA in 2D > i should say "Action". Or Strider remake hack and slash etc.


When you think about it... All games are a bit like BTA lol, but BTA is "beat-them-all > so you can advance on level" (not the case of a Souls, you avoid a lot but it's considered as a BTA)
God of War is a real BTA for example, you got to kill everyone to pass to another scene.
 
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