CrossBow
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Posts posted by CrossBow
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And a lot of folks might have been disappointed with Xenophobe...I know Jimmy G has many times lamented that you can't be Dr. Kwack, for example...and one of the attractions about Xenophobe in the arcade was that you could play up to three players.
My point in mentioning Xenophobe was that it would have been better to include it to compare and compete against the NES version since I think most people would agree that the 7800 version is superior to the NES version?
But now that I really think about it... Xevious might have been another good one to include as a pack-in. Again it would compete well against the NES version and was definitely around at the time of the 7800s earlier releases right?
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I would agree that Ms. Pac-man would have made a better pack in...but only if the 7800 had been released originally in '84 as it was initially intended and he is why:
The 2600 eventually used pac-man as the pack in game, and pac-man eventually became a pack in for the 5200 as well. So it would have made complete since to have Ms. Pac-Man as the pack-in for the 7800 back in '84.
However, I'm not as sure if Ms. Pac-man would have been a good pack-in when the 7800 was finally released in '86 and more mainstream by '88. Perhaps by then a different game to showcase the 7800 better should have been used. I've always thought that Food Fight or Xenophobe would have been good for this. Food Fight would have been fairly exclusive to the 7800 at that time, and if they used Xenophobe it would have been an excellent game to showcase the graphical power of the 7800 plus the fact it allowed two player simultaneous play. Part of the reason Combat was damn popular with everyone when the 2600 first came out was due to the fact that it was a two player game not just because it was the pack-in.
Just my opinion of course...
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I'm not sure if it has ever really been mentioned. But my understanding in talking with Albert from AA directly in person, is that the main beef he has with Hozer is that Hozer essentially sells homebrews of games he offers in the AA store. You might wonder...well what does that matter? My understanding is that these releases from Hozer aren't sanctioned by the original authors since those homebrew authors specifically worked out deals with AA to get royalties and such from the sale of their games through AA. However, those games sold through Hozer are essentially pirates and the original authors receive nothing.
It has also been brought up that it could be considered hypocritical given that you can also contact AA directly and have individual special carts made up of pretty much any game there is a rom image for and therefore it can easily be argued that the original authors of the prototypes that AA will put on carts, aren't getting anything for the sale of those games. So I can see both sides on this.
My only real issue with Hozer carts has been the lack luster labels that were used. Then again, it has been over 10 years since I got a cart made from Hozer and perhaps he has improved that?
I know I have both the original release of QB special edition (that was originally made by Hozer for Andrew Davies), and I have the "fixed" version that I put into a combat cart and Albert sent me a replacement label that removes Hozer's logo from the bottom corner. So...yeah... that is my understanding of the bad blood as it were between them.
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I have a bit more to add to this as I still need to do a quick video play and review of this game. But it is a NOTE (I hate to use the word warning...but...).
Turns out that at least on my setup at home, that the CD Audio that you can download and burn to use for enhanced music during game play, doesn't seem to work if you have a model 1 sega CD unit. I tested the game on my CDX and that worked just fine. But I consider the CDX a much more rare beast as opposed to the Model 1 sega CD, so I keep it as a display piece rather than an actual daily player.
Not sure about the Sega CD model 2, or other various systems such as the Wondermega/X'eye... but yeah...
Just a warning about it. I brought it to Orion's attention and he stated that he wasn't able to test the game on a model 1 megacd or sega cd because those are rare as all get out in Europe apparently. I can tell you that compared to the CDX and Pier Solar when I fire them up, Escape 2042 never even seems to initial an actual connection to the model 1 sega cd. On the CDX I actually see a Ready condition come up when you start the game and select to use the CD Audio playback.
Pier Solar also will initiate the ready light condition on my my model 1 and CDX. So again, seems to be something specific to the model 1 and with that...most likely the model 1 bios.
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It will sound crazy..but try loading in your game, and then turn the DC over on its side to see if it loads up. If it does, then it does mean there is an issue with the laser having problems reading the GD-rom discs. You might be able to find a replacement laser assembly on the bay. But after I went through 3 DC early models doing this, including the one that came with my DC kiosk...I ultimately put a newer model into my kiosk unit and use a black sports edition as my primary in my game room. So far so good, but I also still have yet a third as a spare in the box ready...just in case.
- Lost Dragon and LeeJ07
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Received my copy from Orion in the mail yesterday. I will see about doing one of my video reviews of it, but a few things I want people to be aware of and my initial impressions:
First the cart itself is using one of the generic genesis like snap together shells similar to what Piko uses. Additionally it uses the new flash boards that Krikzz designed so the PCB connector edge is a bit on the thick side since they aren't tapered. Be careful inserting them into your console as I've heard reports of these PCBs putting too much pressure on some pins and bending them down into the console. Game came in a universal game case with insert and small typed out manual that explains the basics of the story and game play in several languages. Unfortunately due to the snap together design of these carts, mine arrived mostly intact but soon came separated when I pulled it out of my genesis after my first play session. Found out later one of the snap tabs apparently had broken off internally but I didn't find any loose plastic anywhere so not sure when it happened. I took care of this by finding some small slightly larger diameter machine screws and tapping the posts on the inside to match. Then drilled out new holes through the back case through the centers of the molded mock up security screw heads on the case.
That is the bad out of the way... thankfully the game itself...is honestly? Excellent, and I was very pleasantly surprised by that!
The videos shown of the game pretty much display the game play in full. But the game plays out similar to the game Flashback in that you control a character and have inventory of items collected and move platform style from screen to screen. However, the actual mechanics of the game play out more like N+ released a few years back on several platforms. No wall jumping, but the character control is very tight and impressive for such a little sprite! Also, all the music is PCM recorded! It does suffer from some static in music that I notice especially on the title screen and during the in game music, but it could be my modded va2 model 1 Genesis to blame for some of that. But the music itself is really well done and I found to be very catchy! I don't know exactly how many different tracks there are, but so far I've heard two different in game tracks between levels 1 - 6 that I've managed to get through so far. Title screen and Credits. And I'm going to guess that the in-game music changes after each third level? At least that is what happened on my playing of the game last night.
The graphics are exactly as you've seen in the videos. That is, it is very much pixel art that I would call refined 8-bit style with 16-bit accents. It is hard to explain, but again if you seen the videos you've seen the graphics. I personally really like this art style and find that is suits this game excellently. It is also cool to see how much animation was actually applied to the main character sprite when he is pretty much the least detailed thing on the screen. And I honestly don't mean that in a bad way at all. It is impressive I think.
The game provides a very fair challenge in that it is tough in places, but if you're patient, you can eventually figure out the pattern needed to get past a certain enemy. Because of this and the other game play mechanic of hacking the terminals, the game is also similar to that wonderful classic game...Impossible Mission. So yeah...game play style similar to Flashback and Impossible Mission with enemy patterns, with the game character movements similar to N+. I've found the game to be quite addicting so far with that "Just one more time and I know I can get a bit further..." hook to it.
I have seen at least one graphic glitch and another small bug when I picked up the 3rd pass key on the first area of the game. But nothing game breaking. Additionally, only the 3rd pass key bit has been reproducible each time.
But yeah! I'm really digging this game and very glad I decided to pull the trigger on it. I do think that for the asking price of basically $60 USD including the shipping, that the cart should be in an actual Genesis/Megadrive shell and I wish these new PCBs has tapered edges on them. Luckily my 32x doesn't seem to have any issues with this cart edge, but yeah..just keep it in mind. I also hope that future versions of the game come with a more detailed manual with screen shots and illustrated cover. And while I'm not a huge fan of the universal game cases, I do think it would be cool to have the insert include additional graphics and art on the backside so it can be seen through the case since the uni cases are semi transparent.
So that is my initial thoughts on the game and again I'm glad to have picked it up!
If you haven't read up or heard about the game...here is Orion's video here advertising the game. The music you hear in the video is the same you hear on the Genesis but again at lower quality, mono, and at least on mine a bit staticcy.
For more information or to purchase a copy for yourself, visit Orion's website below:
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It isn't my favorite but it is a cab I would like to own...and that would be an I-Robot. Otherwise non Atari cabs that I hope to own someday would be a Sunset Riders and Xenophobe.
Oh..wait..I am also a fan of Toobin' ! and that is Atari. I passed on one back in 2004 that was fully working for $450...such past regrets in life...
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Everything I would have picked is already been mentioned. But yeah I sought out the 5200 for two games alone! Interesting, both games were available on the atari 8-bit computers, but still I wanted the 5200 for these two games:
Star Raiders and Rescue on Fractalus
I would also argue that while the controls aren't the best, that Pitfall II is a must have for the extra second map alone
And I have to agree with the user Ballblazer in that Blaster on the 5200 SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED!! I always play a round of Blaster on my 5200. (I too have a cart that Al from AA made for me sometime back).
Though impossible to get for any kind of reasonable price, but Bounty Bob is excellent as well.
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For me this is a tough question. I guess my vote for my preferred VCS would go to the Sears Heavy as well. I like the walnut finish that was used as it was still very 70s but also very different from most other wood grain designs used back then.
However, my very first actual VCS was the 4 switch woody I got in Christmas of '81 or '82. Can't quite remember which year now.
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Oh man...just the Genesis boxes alone are worth something. I know one game trading store that does not give out the Genesis boxes with games purchased. They keep those and use those to put on shelves when they have the game for sale. So the Genesis boxes alone could go to someone wanting the boxes to turn loose copies into complete copies. And I studied that picture for a while and didn't catch the Gun*Nac box until Crossbow mentioned it. Good spotting! There are times when just the boxes can fetch a decent price tag because they are far and few in between...and most NES gamers didn't keep the boxes to the games. I didn't until close to the end of the system's production run. Even then I only kept a few boxes to hang on my wall when I was a teen. I had nothing but game posters from Nintendo Power and few other publications and used a few NES boxes to hang in empty spots on the wall.
This was a very nice find and I hope that you get to rescue these boxes whether they have games in them or not.
I was strange then I guess as I too tossed out all the boxes for my Atari games back in the day, but oddly kept the manuals to most of them? And instead of posters of games on the wall I had Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Samantha Fox... so ...yeah...different. LOL J/K...
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Seriously, how did this escape me for so long?
I'm not a big fan of Vin Diesel or the Street Sharks, but putting them together turns out to be one of the best combinations since PB & J! And using a Troll TMNT figure is the icing on the cake. It reminds my of one of the 80's infomercials that came on after cartoons were over on Saturday mornings on stations that were to cheap to show sports or 10 year old movies.
Tune in next week when Vin showcases the amazing world of M.U.S.C.L.E. action figures as they take on Pirate Captain Papa Smurf!
Uncle Vinnie's Toy Box: Every Saturday 3pm on WAIO channel 13!
That was pretty Epic!
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I think you're right there. It's definitely in the sides that pins only from 7800 carts would use. I'm thinking it's the set on the left. I tried with a bare Pole Position II board and it felt loose all the way across except on the left...
Any headway on this?
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Very frickin' cool! I gave you a sub by the way.
Cool! Glad you found it fun and entertaining. Thanks for the sub as well. You will note that I don't normally request them in my videos. This is because I'm not making them to make any money, I'm making them primarily as learning tools in the case of my tech based videos, or simply to show my enthusiasm in the hobby.
- Lost Dragon, Justin, Rowsdower70 and 1 other
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Received my physical cart from Sigflup (Thea), today containing her compo demo for the Sega Genesis titled Day Trip! It is a really neat demo that of course showcases several impressive effects graphically with music. Here is my YT link showing the cart and the demo running on my actual Genesis. Information for contacting Sigflup to get your own physical cart copy are in the video description.
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I just got a new (1993) Yamaha Laserdisk player and 10 new (to me) movies. The player needs some new belts, but is otherwise OK.
Wonder where one orders up new replacement belts for LD players? I have two that were working when last fired up about 5 years ago, but that was 5 years ago and they have sat in my closet ever since. One is even a dual sided player with autoflip and built in AC3 surround via digital optical out! Though I never tested that part of it but have been thinking about it. While the autoflip player works, it sure would make a hell of a noise when it did the flip process.
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Do what I did and get a Turbo Everdrive, you won't regret it!
Welcome to the club!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This....
- MaximumRD and Starbuck66
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Can also use a Sega Genesis model 2 power supply on these. That is how I played my Inty II. Literally ran it for 10 hours non-stop for an entire day without any issues and it still works strong today when I fire it up. Near as I can tell, the Inty II does the same thing the NES does. Basically takes an AC current and delivers a smaller AC voltage and current to the console. The power board in the console then can invert this to the DC needed by the system.
As a result, you can use an actual AC to DC supply and save the inverter inside the trouble. Hence why you can also use a Genny model 1 or SMS power supply to power a NES without issue.
Just thought that might be handy to those with Inty IIs and don't have the original funky AC adapter.
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Sounds to me like the openings on the left and right hand side to allow the pegs to go through aren't at the proper width and might be too tight. Might see if you can take a dremel with the small routing bit or use a small bar file and see if you can widen those spaces a bit?
NM I just read where you actually removed that and it still holds onto the carts too tight. I wouldn't normally suggest this, but here goes. How about putting in a 7800 cart and then forcibly moving it back and forth front to back? Do that quite a bit and it should bend all pins and wear them out a bit. The other idea is to just leave the carts plugged in when done playing to form the pins out as well.
Also you said only 7800 games are tight right? So that tells me it is the pins on either the left or right side where the extra PCB part is used by 7800 games. See if you can figure out which side it is...unless it is both sides and just try to free them up a bit.
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Unfortunately the only experience I had with PMP's port of this game was on the PMP collection cart that CPUWIZ put together. As a result, SI is bugged up and will lock up when you play any levels that have the shields. But I do remember it looked quite the part and sounded pretty good. I still think one of my favorite home ports of SI is the one that comes with Y.A.S.I. for the Vectrex though.
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Might change out the TurboDuo tonight...haven't decided yet. HAHA. That is about the only classic console I have left that would be hooked up and used often that has a 78xx series regulator in it. Everything else is SMD type.
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You should like and recognize the art style! The game was designed by none other than Ron Gilbert! Famed Lucasarts adventure game designer behind the greats like Maniac Mansion (whose style is clearly seen here), Monkey Island series...etc.
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Another unfortunate possibility is the owner now has wind of there being possible treasures in there and is getting everything out to start researching value. As an example, in that pic you posted at the top of the page, there is what appears to be a boxed Gun-nac for the NES. Those...are worth some dough. Additionally the games appear to be shrink wrapped? I doubt they would have them sitting out like that if they were for sale as new games. So I'm betting those are empty boxes that were shrinked and set out on the shelf so the customers could bring them to the front to get the actual game for renting.
Small rental stores in my area did that all the time when I was younger. In fact, they liked to cut the fronts off the boxes and have those sitting out to mark that they had the game available for rental. Makes me cry now thinking about that...
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thought I would provide a quick update. I did change out the 7805 and 7812 regulators from my Intelliivision. Sad to say thought, that while it all works just fine, there isn't much change in power consumption and the because of that large iso transformer inside...the heat is still pretty extensive. Now, the DC/DC regulators did get more warm as I've felt in the other consoles, but you could still easily touch them without burning yourself. But yeah overall power savings wasn't much.
To summarize, over a constant year of usage 24 hours a day 365, it costs about $18 to run the intellivision with the 78xx regulators in there. It costs about $14.40 a year with the DC/DC converters. And again, the heat is definitely reduced on the power supply board area, but with that transfomer inside, the heat still builds up.
Recapping a Sega CD Model 1 = NOT FUN!
in Hardware Hacking
Posted
Right..so for those that might not know, I've recapped quite a bit over the years. Started off with arcade monitors, and then eventually to consoles like the Genesis, TurboDUO..etc. And this weekend I decided I would give my model 1 Sega CD a recap job.
The basic kit includes all you need from Console5.com. And nothing is terribly difficult to get to to actually do the work.
I do advised that in the case of the model 1 Sega CD that it be done, if for no other reason, than the main CD logic interface to genesis board has many SMD caps on it and in the case of my Sega CD these were all starting to leak and I was able to remove most of them with my bare hands and hardly any force required! Again, they were apparently starting to leak, so it was a good thing I decided to do this.
That being said, while the task of recapping the audio and main logic board were easy enough. The CD mech and laser assembly...is the one item I advise you to NOT TOUCH! The kits included caps for either the JVC or Sony CD mechs as well. But I was warned about doing this and didn't heed that apparently.
So here is the problem with recapping the laser mech. First the caps themselves depending on the CD model are kinda up in the mech so you have to be careful about that. Also the caps only solder from the bottom side of the board so that shouldn't be a problem. The problem is that recapping the thing will change things electrically on the CD mech. As a result the CD laser has to be re-tuned to compensate and this is where problems arise. In my case I couldn't even get to a point to try and tune the laser because it appears the new caps were allowing more current to flow to the laser head. As a result the laser actually burned out pretty much as soon as I powered everything on. And yes I checked the polarity of the caps and values. The only difference in the caps of the new vs the old was voltage as the larger caps being 330uf were only 16v and 6.3v originally and the replacements are 330uf 25v caps. But I can't imagine that being a problem. Anyway, only but luck did I have a spare Sega CD model 1 assembly that has a broken tray mech. But the laser assembly was good so I was able to swap them out and it was good to go again.
So you should recap the rest of the stuff..but for the love of everything you hold sacred! Do NOT touch the caps on the main CD drive and Laser mech. In fact the originals on the Sony were Nichicons and likely didn't need to be replaced anyway.