Yesterday I covered approx 500 miles to make two trips to collect a huge bounty of retro computers, consoles and software with RCM from a chap that was having a ‘small’ clear out.
On arrival, I was amazed at the sheer amount of stuff he had and equally the quality and rarity and some of the items. There so much to sort though, including the 30 odd boxes of tapes, disks, cartridges, peripherals, oddities.
Here a short list of the hardware collected (software is going to take ages!)
Dreamcast (arcade stick, light guns, fishing rod, controllers)
Xbox
PSONE
Amstrad CPC464
Amstrad GX4000
Amstrad NC100
Amiga 1200
Atari STFM
Sega Megadrive x2
Sega Master System
NES
N64
Gamecube
Sega Saturn
Spectrum +2 (both versions)
Spectrum +3
Spectrum 48K
ZX81 (x4)
Timex 1000
Atari Jaguar
Atari 800XL with disk drive
Atari 65xe with tape deck
Atari 800xe
Atari 130xe
Atari 1200xl
Atari 600xl with memory expansion
Atari VCS junior
Atari 7800
Atari Portfolio
Mattel Intellevision
Mattel Aquarius with tapedeck
Commodore Vic 20
Commodore 64 (a few of these)
Commodore 16
Commodore +4
Acorn Electron
Dragon 32 x 2
TI-99/4A
Toshiba MSX
Squeezing the first lot into the car.
So much stuff and little time to go through it all.
Commodore A1200 Desktop Dynamite package…anyone for ‘Oscar’…no, thought not, me neither
Quite a lot of the original packaging boxes were in lovely condition, like this 16k ram pack for the ZX81.
Atari Jaguar that looked like it had never be opened or used.
…and amongst the many boxes of games, some really nice ones like this Hungry Horace micro cart.
Earlier this morning I was reminiscing about legend that is The Last Ninja 2 on the C64 with a friend and was just checking my email this evening and found that he’d sent me a video link to one of the many soundtrack remixes on the net. This one stands above all others are is just ROCKS!
Last Ninja 2 is one of three in the trilogy of games by System3 released from 1987 – 1990. I own then all, I play them all, I love them all, it’s as simple as that.
Here’s the original soundtrack from level 1 – Central Park, composed by Matt Gray and to my mind is as iconic as the C64 itself…SID-chip-tastic!
…and here’s the foot tappin remix performed by 6581. Thanks for the link Antoine!
If you ask a retro gamer to list their all time favorite coin-op shooters, I’d hazard a guess that R-Type would probably make their list.
Irem’s classic shooter, R-Type is one of those games that I kinda grew up with and have been shooting the crap out of the Bydo Empire since the original arcade cabinet was released in 1987. It set the standards for many classic shooters and remains as addictive in it’s original incarnation and beyond with numerous conversions and sequels.
In 1998 (1999 for our European release), Irem released the fourth in the series on Sony PlayStation called R-Type Delta. At a time when full 3D graphics were becoming the norm, Irem thankfully retained the original 2D side scrolling aspect of the original and used 3D polygonal effects on the PlayStation to enhance the overall look without affecting the gameplay or nostalgic 80′s appearance.
R-Type Delta introduced for the first time in the series, three new ships to select, the enhanced R-9A, based on the original R9 fighter, the R-X Albatross and R-19 Ceberus. Each with it’s own unique weapons systems and Force Power that can be enhanced even further with power ups. In addition, new to R-Type Delta is the DOSE weapons system. By charging your ships Force pod either by contact from enemies or enemy fire, the DOSE systems increases the overall attack capabilities of your ship and once fully charged can release the almighty ‘Delta’ weapon.
Graphically, it’s stunning with the 3D rendering and lighting capabilities of the PlayStation put to good use over seven beautifully crafted stages. Starting on Earth as you repel the invading Bydo intruders until the final showdown at the Bydo core, it’s the great level design that really shines above all others.
Gameplay is on par with this predecessors, fast and furious without being frustrating thanks it’s steady learning curve and tactical approach to the weapons systems.
R-Type Delta definitely has that ‘just one more go’ factor and is a worthy edition to the series and well worth tracking down a copy to add to your PlayStation or indeed your shooter collection. Likewise, such is the popularity of the R-Type games that many have been re-released on the PS3 network, Apple iPhone/iPad and Wii Virtual Console.
One thing that always bugged me about my Phoenix arcade cab is the shabby state the coin door is in and the pitted chrome plastic bezel. Although it had a good clean when I first brought the cabinet, it just doesn’t ‘shine’.
It also hasn’t helped that when I disassembled it for cleaning, the digital photo’s I’d taken to be used as a guide for reassemble didn’t actually help that much. I’ve got lots of ‘spare’ parts which I’ve no idea where they go
Note to myself – if you intend to take anything apart, take plenty of photos & notes, including multiple photo’s from all angles
Good bless the internet as I’ve managed to find two incredibly detailed guides for reassemble of the coin door and restoration tips for the bezel.
This should keep me busy when jobs around the garden start to slow down as we head into Autumn.
Wished mine looked this good….well, hopefully it will soon!
With the popularity of Sega’s model-1 arcade machines, it’s no surprise that a few years later the proposed home conversion of Virtua Figher was announced and scheduled for release to coincide with launch of Sega’s newest console the Sega Saturn.
By the time of the release, myself and friends were already hooked on the next generation Sega Model-2 arcade Virtua Fighter 2, so we were really looking forward to a home console port.
It’s a shame then, that when a friend of mine had brought the new Saturn and a copy of Virtua Fighter, we were utterly disappointment because it turned out to be a bit of a turkey! It was badly drawn, stuttered and the collision detection was awful. Supposedly, it was a rushed port so that it would be available for the consoles release date and to hit the stores before Sony’s PlayStation arrived (especially with Battle Arena Toshinden & Tekken on the way!)
Thankfully, Sega re-released Virtua Fighter in the form of Virtua Fighter Remix. This was a much improved version which not only fixed all of the the original problems, but provided a much needed graphical make over and was shipped to all registered Saturn owners free of charge – although sadly, my friend never received his
Until this release, the only other home port for those wanting to get there VF fix outside of the arcades was for the Sega Megadrive utilising the often underrated addon adapter, the 32x.
Even with the limited hardware of Sega’s aging 16-bit console, Virtua Fighter on the 32x is simply stunning and so much playable compared to the original Saturn version. You would expect, due the technical limitations of the Megadrive, that the number of characters, stages, moves or indeed frame rate would be limited somewhat but nope, they’re all here and presented beautifully.
It’s a shame that the 32x adapter came a little too late in the game for the Sega as as it surely proved with titles like Virtua Fighter, it was capable of some brilliant arcade conversions (Space Harrier and Afterburner). As it stands, it’s a great addon and increased the longevity of the Megadrive during it’s twilight years…. but never out for the count for all that still love it.
As a flight sim buff, I was so sad to read back in 2009 that budget cuts at Microsoft meant the closure and layoff of their Flight Simulator development team and thus it appeared that Fight Simulator X would be there last release. Well, I received a link from a friend this evening that hints at a much welcomed return to this sorely missed franchise. Fingers crossed for ‘Microsoft Flight’
You may have read my recent post regarding some of my favorite joystick controllers of yesteryear and the one that I always come back to on various 8-bit/16-bit computers is the Competition Pro 5000.
A few months back, a friend of mine had pointed out that Speedlink have produced a replica of this classic joystick, complete with a USB cable for connection to a modern pc. They’ve been available for a while now and I’ve been meaning to purchase one but have never got around to ordering one. I noticed that Amazon had them listed for about a third of the original retail price so I placed my order for two and they arrived the other day <sadly, since posting this, Amazon’s offer appears to have finished …although, it’s not a very expensive joystick anyway!>
This isn’t the first time a reissued USB version of the Competition Pro Joystick has been released. Powerplay currently sell a reissue of the original black base/red stick model but I’ve read that the buttons are not responsive, diagonal control is often a bit hit and miss and the general build quality is considered very poor. If anyone has one though and would like to comment, I’d love to hear what you think.
The Speedlink version is based on the clear ‘see-through’ model that was released around the late eighties, succeeding the original leaf switch models of the mid eighties. It is also the same model I used (and still use) on many of my older computers including my Commodore 64 & Commodore Amiga.
Modifications to the original include two extra fire buttons placed next to the stick and both of the larger fire buttons are now fully independent (even though the original had two fire buttons, both were wired as one because most home computers at that time only supported one fire button).
Apart from that, everything mirrors the original exactly – including the loud clicky micro switches & auto fire toggle switch All eight-way controls appear to respond perfectly when tested and so are the fire buttons on both Joysticks I ordered.
Build quality appears to excellent and so here’s hoping they’re just like the originals, still working perfectly after 20 odd years.
As an extra bonus, the Speedlink package is bundled with a bumper pack of 99 C64 classic games on one CD to relive those classic gaming moments straight out of the box.. Despite the software installer being in German, it’s a regular MS Windows installer so it doesn’t take too much guess work to figure out which is the install/cancel button. (the box lists the software requirements as MS Windows only, including Vista and Windows 7).
After installation, the frontend provides a nice menu system to all the games and are are listed alphabetically across four pages. Highlighting a game displays a screenshot as well as information about the game and links to open the game manual. The frontend also has a choice of four background music tracks to listen too.
When you click on a game, the C64 emulator is loaded and the game begins. It looks like the emulator is one of the best too, it’s Vice64 (http://www.viceteam.org/)
So….if you long for retro stick for your PC gaming or classic system emulators, this reissue of the Competition Pro Joystick might just be what you need.
Here is a render of the Commodore C64 model I’ve been playing around with in Blender 2.53. This time I’ve added a reflective plane and mapped an image based on a screen dump of the C64 boot screen ( taken from the C64 emulator – Vice64).
Just a quick update to say that i’ve changed my blog theme to one of the latest releases by WordPress called ‘caroline’. It has stacks of customization and comes in two color schemes, light or dark.
I’ve been using the Titan theme for quite some time now but one thing I’ve always missed and is the custom header options allowing me to insert my own header images from time to time.
So..with a new theme I thought I’d start off with a new header image and this particular one is one of my favorite images I’d taken last year..me silhouetted again an angry (HDR) sky. There is another in this photo-set which might make it online one day! – After setting up camera/tripod, 10 sec timer & running to clamber up the rock to position myself in shot , I slipped and fell flat on my backside, you can just see two silhouetted legs sticking up in the air
During lunch breaks, a college of mine had been showing me some of the amazing compositions he’s created with Blender the open source 3D creation suite & the commercial Maya 3D suite . It’s been a very long time since I’ve played around with Raytracing and if memory serves me correctly, it was way back on the Commodore Amiga with a program called Imagine – chequer boards and chrome balls
So, with Blender installed on my PC and armed with a few tutorials I set about creating my first ‘torus’ and adding all manner of weird and wonderful textures and lighting. Blender’s interface is a little daunting at first, and I know I’ve only just scratched the surface and really couldn’t tell you what ‘Cubic Interpolation’ or ‘Subsurface Scattering’ actually means…but it’s fun to simply mess about find out what’s does what
Moving away from simple shapes for the moment, I came across 1000′s of 3D models on the web and started importing a few to see how more complex shapes are put together. During which, I came across various models of old computer & consoles!
Here’s a wireframe render of the my favorite 8-bit computers, the Commodore 64.
I’ve rendered the model using a single color and then added a light source at the top left to illuminate down to the bottom right.
With the textures added, the C64 is born!
…and to finish off, I added a mesh plane to the bottom of the scene and added various reflection properties to create the reflection/drop shadow effect. – (also colored the power light in Photoshop).
Big box software compilations are often a mixed bag often offering a few choice titles coupled with a few duds. However, there are exceptions to this and one of my personal favorites is ‘The Hits’ collection from Thalamus. Containing the first (and by far the best) titles released during 1986-88, Thalamus created some truly fantastic arcade games and thanks to the wonderful talents of composers like the legendary Rob Hubbard, produced some of the best SID tunes to grace the Commodore C64. Such is their popularity, that scores of remixed tunes can be found on various fan sites and YouTube.
Sanxion (1986)
Sanxion was Thalamus’ first title and great little arcade shooter to boot, not to mention one hellava tough challenge to complete. The screen is split into two sections, the upper part showing a birds eye and offers a glimpse of incoming enemies and the lower part shows a typical horizontal side view. At full whack it’s a pretty intense ride, especially on the later levels where players are forced to navigate various obstacles at full speed.
My favorite Sanxion remixes
Delta (1987)
Delta is Thalamus’ second hit and is fantastic horizontal scrolling shmup similar to the likes of Gradius and R-Type. The weapons power-up system is slightly different from other shmups as destroying enemy waves can actually reduce the amount of power up points you have collected. Also unobtainable power-up points (grey shaded) can actually destroy your ship adding yet more obstacles for you to avoid and an interesting twist to the norm.
Graphically it’s top notch stuff and yet a again Thalamus included yet another fantastic music score and the wonderful Mix-E-Load system that allowed you to remix the loading music in real time.
Quedex (1987)
In the same year, Thalamus released their third game, Quedex, a totally absorbing arcade puzzle game which is best described as a2d version of Marble Madness. However, this is much much more fun as you guide your steel ball around various mazes and obstacles to the exit against the clock.
Things start of nice and easy but later levels involve all manner of puzzles to solve before reaching the exit. One of my favorites is the downhill race section where nimble joystick control is required to avoid the electrical blocks – hence the games full title ‘Quest for Ultimate Dexterity’.
Graphically, it might not look much but here lies a highly playable game and one that still plays very well today
Hunters Moon (1987)
Hunter’s Moon, created by Martin Walker is a compelling mixture of puzzle and shooting game unlike any other at the time requiring a different approach to an all out shooting solution . Spanning an epic 128 levels (although you don’t have to complete them all), Hunter’s Moon see your spacecraft stranded in a universe of strange pulsating hives where the aim of the game is capture the starcells that are in centre of these regenerating hoves. Each star system contains a different set of colonies and the different approach is required to tackle each one.
It’s truly is a bizarre game that pulls you in for more. A classic C64 game and one that you should definitely check out. A modern remake has been created for the PC so even if you’re without a Commodore 64, it’s worth taking a look – http://www.ovinebydesign.com/index.php/2008/03/02/hunters-moon/
Armalyte (1988) aka Delta II
Armalyte sees the return for Thalamus to side scrolling shooter and is one, if not the best shooter on the C64. It was as stunning to looks at as it was to play with no many sprites on screen at the same time it really did show what the C64 was capable of in the right hands.
It had all the elements that make up a great shmup, including some very impressive SFX and end of level bosses coupled with a haunting soundtrack.
The 6th and final game in this collection is Hawkeye, a platform shooter that received mixed reviews when released. Personally I’ve always liked and the first time around i played it over and over again until i’d completed it – probably when i should have been doing my school work
The object of the game is simply control your cyborg around each level and collect all four puzzle pieces granting access to the next level whilst blasting away at anything that gets in your way.
Each of the themed 12 levels provides ample arcade action with great visuals and sound effects including a dash of parallax scrolling. Like most of the other Thalamus title, Hawkeye contains some great music scores which again are subject to some brilliant remixs.
So there you have it, Thalamus first compilation of hits and certainly one of the finest C64 compilation sets there is.
We visited the Ashfield Show yesterday evening and it was great to wander around the lake with a bag of chips and then relax under a tree eating ice-cream whilst we watched the Beatles tribute band. As tribute bands go, these guys are awesome and played some pretty much perfect renditions of many Beatles hits. Foot-tapping-arms waving-tastic!
I’ve just brought a couple of reissued Competition Pro 5000 joysticks (modern USB interface) and it got me thinking about all the sticks I’ve used over the years.
Atari Joystick
Probably one of the most recognized joysticks around is the iconic Atari 2600 joystick. Small, responsive and comfortable to hold. Sporting a standard 9-pin d plug, I still use one with my Commodore C64 & Amiga. The only down side is that sadly, the white plastic contact ring inside the body is prone to break.
Sun Com Slik Stick
Another great joystick of mine and a very popular alternative to the classic Atari stick. Slightly smaller that the TAC-2, its ball top design is reminiscent of many arcade machines.
Cheetah 125+
Most folk hate it but I’m certainly not one of them. The Cheetah 125+ was/is one of my all time favorites and have owned more of these sticks than any other model. The autofire toggle switch has got me through some of the most intense toughest shooters but alas, games such as Daley Thompson’s Decathlon and Combat School have wrecked more than I care to admit!
Quikshot I & II Turbo
Similar to Cheetah, the Quikshot I&II joystick was another firm favorite of mine. I must have a thing for leaf switch joysticks! To be honest, I probably say I prefer the Cheetah due to the inclusion of the additional buttons on the base, but none the less, still a great joystick that gets quite a lot of use today. Prompted by a magazine article in the late eighties, I remember savagely butchered one by replacing the stick with a plastic Uzi machine-gun toy to recreate my favorite arcade title at the time - Taito’s Operation Wolf.
Konix Speedking /Epyx 500XJ
The Konix Speedking is favored by most folk I speak to who have owned one but personally, I’m not a fan. In hindsight, I guess it’s got a lot going for it. Small, lightweight, has a very responsive micro switch based joystick, autofire toggle and buttons just in the right place when held (unless you’re left handed). There’s just something about it that I’ve never liked about it (this also including the Cheetah ‘Bug’)
Powerplay Cruiser
The Powerplay Cruiser has to be one of the most colorful joysticks around (the blue, red & white edition looked terrible). Having quite a large base it’s not the most comfortable to hold for long periods of time. However, with the inclusion of large sucker pads positioned on the bottom, it’s much better to use when planted down on a desktop. One of the best features of this joystick the adjustment collar (the blue bit in the picture) that allows you to set how loose/stiff the joystick is. Loose for driving games, and stiff for twitch gaming!
Competition Pro 5000
I’d say, this is one of my favorite classic joysticks of all time, sporting two very responsive buttons and microswitch based stick. Later models included an auto fire toggle switch and a clear plastic base so you could see all of the inner working inside. My only criticism of these sticks is that they were often very stiff and wrists would ache during bouts of intense gaming. On the upside, it’s one hellava robust stick and even the waggle-tastic sports games couldn’t break it. I’m still looking for the ‘Deluxe’ model which contains an extra couple of fire buttons and a stunning chrome stick.
Super Pro Zipstick +
Similar to the Competition Pro, the Zipstick + is also a damn fine joystick and is my weapon of choice when using my Amiga…and rescently my Atari ST. I took the picture below at last years Retro Reunited event, looks like it’s still a popular stick!
…and finally, here’s an old photo of my Sanwa joysticks I use in my MAME arcade cabinet.
Got a favorite classic joystick, I’d love to hear your comments.
One of the chaps at work was having a bit of a clear out and knowing that I have a soft spot for older computers/consoles, he asked if I wanted any of them to save him the time of taking them to the recycle yard.
What I didn’t expect was a huge boot full of goodies and amongst various bits ‘n’ bobs was this rather nice Atari 520STFM, complete with cables, mouse, manuals and a software.
After the initial release of the Atari St in 1985, I used to pour over press adverts in the computer magazines of the time always in the knowledge that for a kid in his early teens, how the hell i was going to acquire the retail price.
Silica shop was always the source for a good deal.
Fast forward a year or so after ruthlessly saving pocket money, working three paper routes, picking potatoes on a local farm and a saturday job working as clay pigeon thrower, I’d amassed about £400. Around this time the Atari ST was being sold for £399 with plenty of bundle packs to choose from and it was also around this time that my older brother had brought his first Commodore Amiga 500. After seeing his in action I was torn between the Commodore or Atari? In the end, I opted for the Commodore but…many, many years later I picked up a Atari 1024ST from a boot sale and this latest acquisition and rekindled my love of Atari machines…..although i don’t think I’ll ever get used to the color of that TOS/GEM desktop
System Specs -Atari 520STFM
CPU: Motorola MC68000 @ 8mhz
Ram: 512kb
Display modes – STFM model contained an internal RF modulator for connection to a standard TV set.
Low resolution – 320×200 (16 color), palette of 512 colors
Medium resolution – 640×200 (4 color), palette of 512 colors
High resolution – 640×400 (mono), monochrome
Drive: Internal Double Sided 3½ floppy disk drive
Sound: Yamaha YM2149
Ports: TV Out, Midi in/out, RS-232 serial port, Parallel port (Centronics), external disk drive port, 13 pin DIN monitor port,ACSI port & x2 9 pin ports for joystick/mice.
Here’s a few more shots after i’d given the case a bit of a scrub. Some of the keys have yellowed but overall it cleaned up quite nicely. *Most of these were shot using a black scarf as a backdrop, spotlight and white balance set to tungsten.
I’ve always like the unique style of the Function keys on the ST range.
Gotta love the chunky Atari mouse.
As well as various manuals included in the box, I also found what must have been the original software bundle pack. Complete with game disks…Space Harrier will be the first to try!
Owners manual
I’m not sure how long it’s been since it was last used but it booted perfectly first time.
