What's new Pussycat too?

I love my racing games, especially arcade racers like Ridge Racer, Sega Rally and Burnout. Decided to go hunting locally for a Nintendo 64 today to play some of the driving games only available on that console, mainly because I've never been fully satisfied with the results when trying to emulate it on my pc.

The plan was to visit a branch of CEX and look at a couple of the discounted ones they had in stock, but stopped at my small local retro games unit at the Barras Market first and struck a deal for the console, joypad and leads. Not the first time I have used this particular seller and always been happy with the prices (after a little haggling) He has a decent range of stuff for sale including a nice looking 800XL at the moment (which I really should have take some pictures of).

Anyway, picked up a couple of cheap cartridges from CEX and have now given the N64 a quick try. Top Gear Rally is pretty good, so would ExtremeG be if I had any idea what I was doing in it! At first glance though it seems a bit like Wipeout. I was disappointed with V-Rally as it's more of a simulator and doesn't have those tight controls you get in arcade racers.





Also went down to my friends warehouse, Forgotten Worlds, and picked up a couple of random bits. He has some nice books in about arcade games so I took the Sega one. Surprisingly it also featues lots of screenshots from home conversions which is a bonus. PacMan JR was an impulse buy for my 2600+ and also goes into my little pacman shrine Finally, someone had traded in a lof of Zzap C64 micro magazines, in amongst which I found an Amiga issue.



All in all it's been a good weekend of retro hunting

 

RESULT, Al!
Glad to hear of your success on the console and gaming/mags front.
Mackems went down to their 6th successive loss at Saints (thankfully Utd beat those Toffee nosed nobs) so I'm looking for a bit of retro satisfaction too and a good arcade racer does take some beating.
Probably the best I can hope for is good ol Pole Position!
Enjoy, mate - great buys - well done.

 

I obviously had not seen this post before, I asked if you had any games.

Having never owned an N64 and only borrowed one to play the Zelda and Mario games, so I can't really comment on those titles. Anything that is Burnout like floats my boat (usually), like you, SIM stuff leaves me bored. Seeing the replays on Gran Turismo on the PSX was nice, but the game, not so. I'm no petrol head. When it comes to cars I just want to drive it, I don't want to know how fast it gets to 60, I'll find that out for myself (BUT, I'm no boy racer, just did the advanced driving course for cheaper insurance)

To be honest, I've almost forgotten what it feels like to read a real mag, what with PDF's being the norm.

Enjoy the old N64 mate, I've emulated some games, but none really grabbed me bar the titles I mentioned.

 

Burnout 3 is probably still one of my favourite games of all time. Total classic.
If I'm taking a corner in a racing game I just want to go round it as fast as possible, don't care about the kind of tyre grip or size of the engine!

 

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a very basic digital camera (https://www.campsnapphoto.com/) and have been having some fun playing around with it. It has no screen, no menu's, nothing more than a basic LED flash and a button to press when you want to take a photo. Basically like an old point and shoot where you don't know how crap your pictures turned out until you get them back from the local Boots, or in this case copy them to your PC.

In order to take these pictures in black and white I had to change the firmware on the camera (yes, it's that basic a camera you need to change the firmware to change from colour to B&W snaps).

 

I'm very impressed with the results, Al.
Are you a photographer?
You're certainly talented, mate - great pics there - deffo "arty" if you don't mind me saying

 

Thanks Andy

Not a photographer at all, certainly nowhere near the class of Princess Kate of Wales (how's that for bang up to date topical then lads?). Just like taking wee snaps.

That jaggy looking building is our very modern transport museum. Looks very swish but it makes for a really poor museum. Not enough space inside and no atmosphere. They actually have the cars on a wall so you can't even see into them right, and the bicycles hang from the ceiling. The old museum was much better. In fact, your transport museum in Hull reminded me very much of it, really enjoyed giving that a vist.

 

Hey, Al, I definitely agree with Andy. Very nice pictures, indeed. Especially considering the camera you were using. They really show some talent there, at least for framing. Where were you, and which harbour?

Last weekend I also was a console man... I've been playing around with an XBox Classic (first edition) hardware "modded" and configured with a dashboard called XBMC. I also had the time to configure my FPGA Mistica SoB, which I filled in with many retro systems and arcade cores. It takes a lot of time to experiment with all the systems in order to configure them properly, let alone the great amount of time to test applications and games.

Next weekend is the of a PS2 which was found in Rome and modified/prepared (software only) by my friend Cristiano for retrocomputing and ahem... "ISO games". Cristiano also should be here in AOC, if I remember correctly.

 

Thanks Alex, the harbour is in the centre of Glasgow running down our famous River Clyde. The Camp Snap camera is a lot of fun to use. I'm planning to use it for some street style photography. It's also nice not to be constantly tinkering with the camera on a mobile phone and feel more in the moment.

XBox Media Centre is great, I had a version myself a while back and it's amazing what that machine can do. Hope you have lots of fun with it. Do you know what kind of mod the PS2 has? I use one called MC2SIO with McBoot. It lets you play the "backed up" ISO images from ad SD card in the Playstation 2's memory card slot. Very neat. And so many awesome games to play as well.

I've never heard of Mistica. Is that a version of the Mister FPGA? Not something I really know anything about but always intrigued me. Do you have a preference between hardware/FPGA and software emulation for old systems?

 

The SD drive for my Nintendo 64 arrived today (didn't expect it this quick) and I've had a quick play already.

It comes supplied with an SD card full of 340+ NTSC and 270 PAL games. When you put the cartridge in it loads to a menu page and you just select the folder you want and run the games from it. Nice and simple, no messing and it automatically creates save states on the SD card as well.

So far it's mainly been racing games I've tried. Ridge Racer is really good as expected but I've been surprised by how much I enjoyed Cruisin' World which feels a lot like Burnout. It's going to take me some time to work through all the titles that's for sure. Total cost was just under £60 delivered and I would recommend it to anyone who has an N64 and wants to increase their games library....

 

Never been in Glasgow. I really must come there sometime in the future. I advise you to keep taking pictures with your current attitude. It works fantastic, in my humble opinion. And it's a great excuse to go out exploring your own country.

The XBox Classic is so much fun and the XBMC is so flexible and easy to use. A lot of features and expansions to be installed. Sometime soon I'll have to replace the internal hard disk, the original one of 20GB is almost full.
The mod of PS2 in indeed the FreeMCBoot, mounted on a 64MB memory card. Then my friend Cristiano copied a bunch of USB drives and SD cards full of PS2 games and retrostuff (emulators and games, from Vic-20, C64 to SNES). DOn't know if MC2SIO is another way to name this modification. Could be a totally different mod, though.

The MISTICA is a variant of the original MIST, just a bit more powerful and with a neat architecture and ports availability. It's an FPGA board completely compatible with MIST or SIDI versions. The MISTer is a much more powerful and manageable version of FPGA system. Its hardware is more expandable, and the Nano DE10 board is very powerful and it features a LAN port and a Linux-based OS which adds to the flexibility and upgradeability. I would buy one but the current price is a bit too much for what I consider acceptable for an entertainment system. For the same price you can easily get a powerful PC and install Batocera or other retrocomputing distros.

 

If you ever make it to Glasgow or Scotland Alex, I'd be happy to meet up and show you around.
Although, as Paul and Andy will probably testify my heart lies in North Yorkshire and it's beautiful seaside towns like Scarborough and Filey

The Mistica sounds really interesting. Between that, the Xbox and PS2 you are going to have plenty to keep your hands full. Enjoy sir!

 

I'll certainly contact you if I manage to come to Glasgow, anytime soon I hope. Convincing my wife may be the hardest part.
The trip to North UK may include North Yorkshire, which is a region I, helas, completely ignore.

Yes, I have too many home computers and consoles to play with. I could go on for years and a lifetime couldn't be enough.

The Mistica FPGA system is now obsolete, It's not produced or sold anymore. But MIST is still on the market and a new variant is about to be on sale: the SIDI128, similar to the MIST/MISTICA hardware specs, only more powerful and with more SDRAM available (128 MB) to be used to build computing elements and electronics of many computers, consoles, etc. The interesting fact with FPGA boards is the chance to create new systems beyond reproducing (NOT emulating) old or past systems.

 

I've been impressed with the MISTer Multisystem

 

Yeah, it's so cool and flexible, it is largely supported and the community around it is quite active. The only flaw is the selling price, as said before. It's great but still too expensive IMO. I remember I paid about 110 EUR for the MISTICA and it's worth it - 500 or more for the MISTer 128/256 is just too much. And I heard a new version is coming out soon. Anyway, the FPGA systems are kind of the future of retrocomputing as time goes by

 

Alex, if you do go to Scotland then make sure you bring a waterproof coat that is warm. I'm originally from Belfast in Northern Ireland and we share the same sort of weather as Scotland, over cast, WET, and coldish. Seeing a blue sky is like winning the lottery

I have both an Xbox Classic (modded) and a PS2 that is FreeMcboot modded. The only hassle with the PS2 is that some of the loaders need to adjusted to get the game loaded correctly. I wondered what was going on when I was getting a screen that was just shades of red, one quick setting change and bingo, all good..

 

A warm coat will be the first thing to put in my suitcase, that's for sure! Thanks, Paul. The grey skies are a feature of your location, it's almost a tourist attraction - who wants sunny, warm days in Glasgow? It would never be the same city again!

I still have to give the PS2 a test, and Cristiano who made the FreeMCBoot configuration already told me about the little adjustments to do in settings for some games. Well, I guess it's part of the fun, isn't it?

 

It is indeed..Have fun..

 

While on the lookout for ST Format magazines I found a Facebook Marketplace advert selling some Amiga magazines. Turned out it was an antique/retro warehouse just a couple of miles from me. Took a trip to see them and they had a small collection of Amiga's and Spectrum's for sale but at very expensive prices. However I did pick up a radio, Sony Walkman, Casio Pocket tv and an old Canon Powershot digital camera for not a lot of money so I could add them to my mancave. Now it's a case of saving for the 400 Mini and the Llamasoft compilation hopefully after next pay day.

This weekend I want to read some magazines and maybe get a wee play on the PS2. Weather is looking crap up here so doubt there will be much cycling done unless we get a few hours dry spell.

What about you guys, anybody got plans for the weekend retro or otherwise?

 

As ever you've been a very busy retronaut, Al - well in, mate. A good ol rummage in that warehouse and no mistake.
Enjoy the reading all cosy indoors as it sounds like the weather's against ye for any further external investigations... we're heading (of course) to the Stadium of Doom and another appointment with... defeat? Could well be as the past 6 matches have gone that way! Only QPR know if they're up to the challenge or not Mackems down to the bare bones, players-wise. Nope, no retro gaming this end by the looks of it but DO let us know what was going on around this time of the year in ST/Amiga World back in the late 80s/early 90s, Al... any of those handheld scanner things launched or dare I ask, any "new fangled" CD ROM drives out yet?!

 

Nowt going on here, my left shoulder is hell at the mo. Weird that Cindy has the exact same issue. Had I been well, and it was sunny, I still doubt I'd do anything As always, well done on the finds Al, nothing as good as a bit of man cave love. Don't know what to say to Andy, as a semi Spurs supporter, I'm used to a wide range of feelings, one sec they are super duper and next they are torn apart by minnow teams. Hence I don't watch a load of sport these days. I guess it's an age thing, now I'm in no fit state to do things like footy etc, I have lost the love for it all, just one of those things I guess. I was very much a do-er, I'd watch The Big Match and out the sec it had finished, I was out the door to have a kick about. Now, that's just a memory.

On a less doom and gloom moment, after doing the front room shake up, I now am a bit stunned by how many games I / we actually own, way more PSP, 3DS, DS, PSX, Dreamcast and PS2 games than I thought were in da house.

Bit worried, we own Barbie Super Sports on the PSX though..Serena has never been a Barbie person, Cindy does not play on the consoles, and I don't remember having a 'gay' moment?

 

As Paul has alluded to previously he kindly gave me an old A500 to play with and I've been playing around with it over the last couple of weeks. Of course being me I had to tinker so I fitted a GOTEK drive and picked up a Super Denise and Kickstart 2.04 so now it's basically an ECS Amiga plus now. I fitted a 68010 12Mhz CPU to it as well not that it runs any faster but some of the internal operations of the CPU are executed faster. So Sysinfo says it's 1.06 times faster than a A600 LOL.
I am tempted by a PiStorm accelerator that can mimic a 68030 CPU at 32Mhz with 8MB Fast Ram and a Hard Drive but that's for another day.
I'm also working on my 520STFM, I i'll have all the parts to upgrade it to a 1040STFM when the RAM arrives. I fitted a GOTEK drive already so that makes life easier as the floppy drive was on it's last legs. So I'm playing Mercenary and Frontier Elite 2 currently and I'm 16 Bits instead of 8 Bits for now.
I have to make some room so I have some consoles I want shot of currently and then I'll have a review of my 8 Bits. Don't know what I would part with though.

Nice to see @nysavant has embraced the joy of owning an N64, I like all the FPS on the console like DOOM64 and QUAKE1/2 and Turok2

 

Ha ha...Mr Tinker...Glad its proving some fun. Frontier, Elite II uses any accelerator and smooth the gameplay. I used to sit and watch the intro on my 1200 with 68030 in, really nice. Hope the SD's are handy for you, the Expert Cart for the C64 was never tested by me, I used it back in the day but never tried that one. Just loved all the POS it came with..

PS, do you have a 3DS Richie, might have a couple of free games for you if you do, so far I'm the only person on here that has one.

 

You know what they say Paul. If youc can't remember it then you are probably still living it

 

Not had much of a chance to play with the N64 this week but going to give it a good run out soon. I'm not a big fan of FPS but I do like a game of Doom now again.

Glad to hear you are giving the Atari ST some love. I really think it's an under-rated machine. I know the Amiga is generally better but the ST was my first 16-bit computer and I have some great memories of it. I have an STE with 4 meg and a 1 meg STFM set up a the moment. The STFM has a gotek fitted but the STE I'm keeping as original as possible. Thinking about getting a grease weasel to move some images on to floppy disks for it.

Saw your post in the chat Richie and I already have a PS2 and Xbox 360 but if you are thinning your 8-bit herd at any time then I'd be interested in anything Amstrad, BBC or Oric related maybe...