Most liked posts in thread: What's new Pussycat too?

I watch my daughter play it, as you say it's a wonderful sight for the eyes, and it's got gameplay in masses. Some of the tracks are simply stunning..

 

One of the tracks had a great ripple effect like you were on a carpet moving up and down, then just as I went round a corner the sunrays shone down on the track. Looked awesome.

The Switch is a really nice machine when plugged into the telly, I've been surprised by how much I have enjoyed the games on it and the controls are very good.

 

Yes, it's a cracking little machine, a must see on a TV. Playing Zelda Tears of the Kingdom on a 42" TV is just brill to look at. Obviously it helps to like the Zelda games Yet to try it on the 65" TV.

You tend to find that games from Nintendo are given that extra polish, Super Mario wonder is just so much fun and looks great. Again, if you are not a platformer, then stuff like that will just look like wonderful tech demo's.

Trying to think of a Nintendo in house produced game that has been a failure, personally I can't think of one, some of the licensed to outside can be ropey as hell. Obviously, every console in house team go all out to impress the punters and show off their machine, but Nintendo and their seal of approval, really seems to mean something to them.

Mario Kart on the Snes was loved by everyone (not so much me, looked nice but on my tod playing it was boring) But look how things have moved on, and so much improved, yet the original is still a blast to play (or so I'm told)

 

Got Atari 50 Expanded for the Switch today. Plays very nicely and all the new content integrates well.

 

I was just looking at the Steam Atari 50th's DLC, two for 11.99..Probably would if I had the cash.

Will look at the Switch game

 

Had a few little retro pickups over the last couple of weeks but this weekend has seen one of the years big hitters arrive, The Spectrum.

So far I would say it's the best system that Retro Games have made. The machine itself feels very much just like an original Speccy but now it has an on/off button (as well as usb c power, four usb, hdmi).

The emulation is very well done, takes all sorts of spectrum game images, has a nice CRT filter and easily customisable joystick controls. I'm actually using the Amiga GamePad with it and it works so much better with Spectrum titles than it ever felt with Amiga games. Emulation covers, 48k, 12k, +2 and +2A machines as well as ULA graphics.

I've owned a couple of Spectrums previously but never really got into the system much but have been playing this quite a bit over the weekend. Favourites so far are Deathchase, Chuckie Egg and Arkanoid. Plan to spend more time discovering other titles that I used to be jealous of seeing released for every other system when I was an Atari 800XL owner back in the day

Final thoughts for the moment are that I much prefer the Spectrum to the Commodore 64 (sorry C64 fans) and I'm now considering if I should keep the Amstrad as that was mainly for Deathchase, Arkanoid and 180 Darts which all play just as good on The Spectrum.

 

It really really looks identical to the original and sounds like it plays games much easier than the original and other comparable systems, Al.
Many thanks for that spot on mini-review and if anyone was interested in an original 48K speccy I am about to list one in a travel case with a data recorder a few tapes... if your thang is dead flesh when pressing down your keyboard's keys!
Al, is the dead flesh emulated correctly too on The Spectrum?
Just asking for a Sinclair junkie friend

 

Andy, the flesh on The Spectrum is so dead it could get the lead role in a Zombie movie.

I would say for anyone wanting to get into the Spectrum again this is an ideal easy solution and saves you having to add a joystick and SD interface to an original. Plus you get the quality of life improvements like rewinding games (if you've just made a mistake,been killed, etc) and easy game save and loads.

 

FANtastic, Al.
Btw, just getting reports in from Bev darn larndarn way that she has had a mega experience tonight with her mam and sis watching the ABBA Voyage lasered "thang". I dropped em orf in Durham earlier (7am) and they spent all day on a coach heading down to the Big Smoke but it's been worth it, even in the wind and rain. Amazing what they can do with a network of Speccys, some Swedish laser-generated UDGs and an Abba MP3 CD off The Barras Market...

 

Everybody I know who has been to see Abba Voyage says it is amazing. Pity it's away down in London though. Glad Bev enjoyed it

 

An unboxing and play vid here, guys, if any of you fancy The Spectrum, like Al...

 

NO!

 

Some absolute magic items you now have lined-up there, Al - fuller reply later as we're heading oot the door again ere after y'days wedding, neighbours want us round to re-arrange our features - fair enough. Brilliant looking 7800+ unit there and so so much more going on you retro retail addict Do I want a Dragon and CPC? STOP PUTTING TEMPTATION MY WAY, YOU NAUGHTY FESTIVE FIEND Have you asked Rudolf, I mean Richie??!!!

 

That's a very very nice, sweet bit of kit you've got there, Dave.
Very nice indeed and if you can't treat yourself at Christmas to a retro bargain then there's summat oop and no better time, really
Many thanks for your kind comments - if just one of these rambling retro cards makes one of you guys smile, without kicking the cat, then I've achieved a little something.
I was gonna pester you for more details of this little Mister MiSTer magic box but instead I hunted the little larker down on You Tube so here we go, fellas - why Alex Drito will be understandably smiling this Xmas and that's without Baz's bizarre ballcocks through the post...

Enjoy one and all - get stuck into plenty of retro computing this Chrimbo, fellas.

I've got an Atari Gamestation somewhere to discover and report back on!

 

Yes, be keen to hear how you get on with the MiSTer Alex

 

In a word...awesome - the real thing simulated exactly - time after time.. I can see why you and others like you are so enthusiastic, Dave - it's one helluva piece of (pricey) kit but well done for holding out for one at a reasonable price. Bleedin envious, buddy! Neat summary above - many thanks, fella.

 

As ever, very nice Atari mag purchases, Al - love em without even having got me paws on em.

Do you happen to have a link to any PDF versions... I know, I could search, I'm a lazy ass and this wee beastie is taking a while to settle at her new home tonight so keeps wandering around mewing... Bev'll be oop in a mo and give us both frying pan treatment...




She has been to the top of every cupboard in the house and investigated every corner of every room and got every spider's web she could find on the end of her nose and in her whiskers... just waiting for the 1st ornament / vase to come tumbling down and then, again, me and the cat will be DOG MEAT, PAL!

 

Funny you should mention that Andy, here you go. I like to have the PDF versions as well for easy browsing.
https://www.exxosforum.co.uk/atari/mags/mags.htm

Between your new cat and Thumbs us humans will soon be outnumbered here

 

What a cute little short hair...Cindy will drool when she see's it..

I'm just glad thumbs lets us live in her house..

 

Many thanks for that link, Al.

Yer reet, pal.

Us humans are becoming an endangered species and the felines are tekkin ovver.

Paws for thought.

 

Sad story re the girls, as I say, there's always someone worse off than you..

 

Eventually bought the Digital Eclipse Llamasoft collection for my XBox while it was on sale. The games are all typical Jeff Minter sensory overloads and good fun for a quick blast. Apart from all the videos though what I really enjoyed were the pictures taken of the Llamasoft stands at various 1980's computer shows, and the copies of the Nature of the Beast newsletter. Brought back memories of when I used to sit in my little cupboard under the stairs and read them along with my copies of Big K and C&VG

 

AFAIK, the Superstation One only reproduce (and it does it accurately) the Playstation One with all its catalogue and modern ports and storage. Still you can connect a USB CD-ROM and play with your PS Discs. If I were you, I'd go for the MiSTerPI or the MiSTer still available on Ali, at a very good price (that's the one I bought).

I am also interested in those PCs which are powerful enough to run emulators for more modern machines and consoles (PS2, PS3, even PS4 now, XBOX, WII, Switch, etc.) - I'll take a look at it soon.

 

Sorry to hear you've gone down with a sickness bug, Al, but on the positive side I hope you're better for the weekend and you and Paul look forward to exploring both game dynamics and all those emulated virtual 8bit systems that platforms like MiST offer... the world has never been more exciting for the retro gamer! Enjoy your weekends, fellas.

 

Thanks Andy. Still not 100% but moved on to the sofa now and going to watch the Rubber Keyed Wonder documentary about the Spectrum tonight.

Also had the Anbernic handheld that looks like a Gameboy Advance arrive today as well as my latest copy of Retro Gamer and a Roy of the Rovers annuall so plenty to keep me from getting too bored this weekend mate.

How are you getting on with the Gamestation Pro? I have a couple of nice Megadrive Pinball games if you want me to share the files so you can put them on the SD card.