NES Appreciation Thread

[Lorfarius]

I'm not really a fan of sports games in particular golf. I can actually play and used to do it on a regular basis until the local course was closed, so these days my only trip to a club consists of the odd round in Tiger Woods from around 2009. That doesn't mean I can neglect my NES golfing and NES Open just dropped into my lap for a decent price (just £6!).  Great thing about this it has a lot of advanced golfing elements despite being an earlier game and lets you save! A god send when you are making your way around the courses.  Has a very good reputation and deservedly so and I only wish it had a more involved career mode like later Mario Golf games but considering the time this is as goodas it gets on the NES.

 

[Shrimp]

Bought Double Dragon 2 and got Double Dragon 1 for my birthday from my lovely girlfriend.

 

For some reason I have a history of getting NES games gifted to me, Castlevania 1 was once a birthday gift from my ex, Bubble Bobble was a gift from my dad, and Battletoads a gift from a friend so we could play all day and try to settle once and for all the better gamer between us.

 

Earliest NES memory is the late '90s when I received it as a gift, and in high school in the early '00s playing NES games with a friend at his place, beer in hand.

We played River City Ransom to death, and had such a great time we played it all day, I own a European copy now but never managed to come close to how much fun I had with it back then.

 

 

[Lorfarius]

Not sure why but Double Dragon has always stuck out in my mind as a terrible game, has some pretty mixed reviews but I'll give it a proper going over when I finally pick up a copy. Battletoads costs an arm and a leg so that's off in the far distant future for pickup for me.

 

For my new pickup we have... Bionic Commando! Always had a weird love/hate relationship with this for years I kept grumbling how weird it was not to have a jump button. It wasn't until the PS3 remake where I realised that I'd been a bit of a plonker and missed out on a great game. The swinging from point to point works surprisingly well with a good mix of fair but difficult levels to tackle. Having a choice on the map to move between sections gives this one more of an open world feel that you just didn't see until later in the library unless I'm mixing things up!

 

I've dug out my Quickshot Arcade stick to try this on and that adds a dash of strength to pushing the arm out at angles then swinging like a chimp. Great fun!

 

[Shrimp]

8 minutes ago, Lorfarius said:

Not sure why but Double Dragon has always stuck out in my mind as a terrible game

It's fun but it's not Technos' best, I think it has to do with Double Dragon being the grandfather of all beltscrollers.

The controls are terrible, and Double Dragon 2 is superior to the first in pretty much every way.

[Lorfarius]

Just now, Shrimp said:

It's fun but it's not Technos' best, I think it has to do with Double Dragon being the grandfather of all beltscrollers.

The controls are terrible, and Double Dragon 2 is superior to the first in pretty much every way.

 

Does at least get the music right! Needs closer investigation

[Shrimp]

Now I feel bad about passing up on Bionic Commando last week during the retro con, I should get it next time.

[Lorfarius]

It's great and holds up really well! Given chance I'd get the remaster as they kept very close to it in spirit but made it look way better and still on Steam:

 

 

[Goemon]

6 hours ago, Lorfarius said:

Not sure why but Double Dragon has always stuck out in my mind as a terrible game, has some pretty mixed reviews but I'll give it a proper going over when I finally pick up a copy. Battletoads costs an arm and a leg so that's off in the far distant future for pickup for me.

 

For my new pickup we have... Bionic Commando! Always had a weird love/hate relationship with this for years I kept grumbling how weird it was not to have a jump button. It wasn't until the PS3 remake where I realised that I'd been a bit of a plonker and missed out on a great game. The swinging from point to point works surprisingly well with a good mix of fair but difficult levels to tackle. Having a choice on the map to move between sections gives this one more of an open world feel that you just didn't see until later in the library unless I'm mixing things up!

 

I've dug out my Quickshot Arcade stick to try this on and that adds a dash of strength to pushing the arm out at angles then swinging like a chimp. Great fun!

 

one of my favourite NES games.

I was practising a fair bit and got a run down to about 20 mins. There’s so much scope in the game for doing cool tricks, the WR does some crazy stuff!

 

I have the JPN version, which does a few things differently but TBH I probably prefer the western iteration.

 

 

[Lorfarius]

Does feel cool swinging around the floors and even on basic PAL it moves at a swift, steady pace. I need to get myself a copy of the Famicom cart!

[Lorfarius]

Just got back from the Doncaster retro gaming market and I'm absolutely shattered! Been on my feet all day and even lost several hours as I was trying to get lots of bargains and compare prices where possible. People don't really seem to bother with PAL stuff so it was easier than I thought 

 

This is from the bottom of the hall with me sticking my hands up in the air and looking like a right loon:

 

 

This was like a gaming mecha and there was a queue of 500 waiting for it to open, had to wait til much later in the day just to be able to wander and look properly it was so busy. But I'm very happy with the random pile I picked up. I decided about a week ago what with having a Mega SG that I would never sell that system (I'm a bugger for flogging hardware and collections but this is a vow!) so with that in mind I'm going to focus on the NES and Master System as my primary bit to build with the odd bit of retro gaming here and there. I've been saving up for a few months and even sold a modern console to pay for it (I've decided to give up on it going forward because I'm just not enjoying newer stuff anymore). The 8/16 Bit generations have always been on my mind and there's loads more fun for me to collect. Anyway with that in mind this is the pile of games I picked up:

 

 

I wanted to get a good mix of cheap stuff and games I might want to actually play. There were some proper bargains in that lot with me managing to snag several expensive NES carts on the cheap and not forgetting that all important purchase of Enduro Racer. This was a better copy than I had before.  I'll do individual pictures at some point and talk about why I picked them in future posts but for now I'm off for a shower 

[Lorfarius]

The biggest joy/pain of buying a load of carts is sitting down and making time to clean them all before using in a console. Not a lot of people do this I'm sure but it's incredible the amount of muck and grime that can build up on contacts over the years.  Just did one earlier that need 8 different cotton buds soaked in Isopropryl before it was clear, this cart looked brand new but once I started rubbing down along the board and plastic inside its slot there was still all of this:

 

 

So my advice is.. clean your carts! No matter how clean you think they are there's probably loads of gumf stuck where you don't realise.

[Protocol Penguin]

16 hours ago, Lorfarius said:

The biggest joy/pain of buying a load of carts is sitting down and making time to clean them all before using in a console. Not a lot of people do this I'm sure but it's incredible the amount of muck and grime that can build up on contacts over the years.  Just did one earlier that need 8 different cotton buds soaked in Isopropryl before it was clear, this cart looked brand new but once I started rubbing down along the board and plastic inside its slot there was still all of this:

 

 

So my advice is.. clean your carts! No matter how clean you think they are there's probably loads of gumf stuck where you don't realise.

I know the feeling. I usually once a year get out all my Super Famicom and Mega Drive carts and give them a clean over just to be sure. I recommend industrial style cotton swabs rather than cosmetic cotton buds for optimal results though, they work better even when using the same isopropyl spray.

[Lorfarius]

Ended up cleaning the lot last night, was still scrubbing away at 12am! I should have taken the picture of the aftermath, looked like I was building a railway line.

[Kevvy Metal]

17 hours ago, Lorfarius said:

The biggest joy/pain of buying a load of carts is sitting down and making time to clean them all before using in a console. Not a lot of people do this I'm sure but it's incredible the amount of muck and grime that can build up on contacts over the years.  Just did one earlier that need 8 different cotton buds soaked in Isopropryl before it was clear, this cart looked brand new but once I started rubbing down along the board and plastic inside its slot there was still all of this:

 

 

So my advice is.. clean your carts! No matter how clean you think they are there's probably loads of gumf stuck where you don't realise.

 

...or buy an Everdrive. 

[Shrimp]

22 hours ago, Lorfarius said:

Just got back from the Doncaster retro gaming market and I'm absolutely shattered! 

That looks wonderful, I go to cons in the Netherlands and they don't look half as crowded!

 

Do people in the UK pick NTSC over PAL?

Here PAL is the rule and some Jap and NTSC stuff as an addition. 

[Lorfarius]

29 minutes ago, Shrimp said:

That looks wonderful, I go to cons in the Netherlands and they don't look half as crowded!

 

Do people in the UK pick NTSC over PAL?

Here PAL is the rule and some Jap and NTSC stuff as an addition. 

 

It was incredible, not sure why it got such a big crowd because I don't think previous ones were as big from what I heard.

 

Yes on NTSC because it's faster. But there's always a few stalwarts like me who prefer the speed 

[Goemon]

20 hours ago, Lorfarius said:

The biggest joy/pain of buying a load of carts is sitting down and making time to clean them all before using in a console. Not a lot of people do this I'm sure but it's incredible the amount of muck and grime that can build up on contacts over the years.  Just did one earlier that need 8 different cotton buds soaked in Isopropryl before it was clear, this cart looked brand new but once I started rubbing down along the board and plastic inside its slot there was still all of this:

 

 

So my advice is.. clean your carts! No matter how clean you think they are there's probably loads of gumf stuck where you don't realise.

Ha! I always do this with new games I get. It’s all part of the ritual.

 

If I’m getting plastic boxes like the MS stuff you got, I always wipe them down with some kind of wet wipe. The amount of grim that comes off what looks like a clean box can be pretty surprising.

[Lorfarius]

I opened one of the MS cases to be hit with a waft of cigarette smoke! Reeks to high heaven 

[Shrimp]

8 hours ago, Lorfarius said:

Yes on NTSC because it's faster. But there's always a few stalwarts like me who prefer the speed 

I prefer PAL as well, it's really not that bad and NTSC isn't worth fighting over, I do have a Blinking Light Win installed in my NES so I can play the slew of NES games never released in PAL territory.

 

I saw TheGebs24 doing a video about that particular con, and it looks really good and I'm amazed how much is available.

 

[Shrimp]

Talking about PAL, picked up a German copy of Street Gangs, in NTSC areas known as River City Ransom. No official Dutch version was ever released, so I picked the German version over the French one, and imported myself a copy.

[Lorfarius]

That's one of those really amazing games I keep meaning to sit down and play properly!

[ulala]

21 hours ago, Lorfarius said:

I opened one of the MS cases to be hit with a waft of cigarette smoke! Reeks to high heaven 

flog it, you will never get rid of that awful smell

[Lorfarius]

I'm going to leave it overnight after a wash with some bicarbonate of soda. Might break it down, fingers crossed!

[Lorfarius]

I've still been keeping an eye out for the odd bargain and eBay, not actually had time to play any of the new pile yet But I'll sit down and give my thoughts on each as I play them for the thread.  Newest acquisition this week for just a few quid on a silly Buy It Now was Super Off Road. This has always been hit and miss on most systems but I did get to play the arcade over at the Arcade place in Bury recently and loved every minute. The wheel controls are awesome fun and swinging the trucks round like there's no tomorrow is always something you won't forget in a hurry.

 

For the NES to replicate that for the home console was always going to be impossible but it nails all of the tracks from what I could see and does a good enough job of making an 8Bit attempt of the controls. Whole thing feels a bit muted as you play and I wish it was a bit sharper to control, comes across as an almost there when you play and not one I'd recommend you pick up for anything but collection purposes. For me nothing will ever beat the Amiga home port but I suspect at this time period it was the best you could expect. The upgrade system for the truck is brought across perfectly and there's a fair old turn of speed when you swap parts over and use the turbo.

 

I did like the idea of it working with four players something the AVS I have is capable of but the only NES fans I know are on here so no chance of that happening anytime soon!

 

[Camel]

Super Off Road has always been a source of frustration for me in that it has lovely gameplay in its many incarnations, but it's wrapped in a really crappy game structure.

 

Since getting an Everdrive, I've stopped using my many cartridges simply because I no longer have to worry about getting that fucking grey screen and blinking light even after spending hours cleaning the contacts on every single one.

[Lorfarius]

Yeah that would always drive me up the wall, even after replacing the slots it would still come back. Thankfully the AVS is spot on and works everytime!

[ulala]

57 minutes ago, Lorfarius said:

Yeah that would always drive me up the wall, even after replacing the slots it would still come back. Thankfully the AVS is spot on and works everytime!

Have you got your nt mini pre order in?

[Lorfarius]

51 minutes ago, ulala said:

Have you got your nt mini pre order in?

 

Nah I held off I've got a trip planned to Sore Thumbs retro shop soon and that new Evercade handheld due in a couple of months. I'm booked up!

[Goemon]

It’s sold out now. Will be interesting to see how many make it onto eBay.

[ulala]

4 minutes ago, Goemon said:

It’s sold out now. Will be interesting to see how many make it onto eBay.

they will eventually  make a cheaper version