Continuing our network wide feature for just about every console thats emulated and that we own, in time it can be used as a reference point for people to look at what games are the very best on each system
Firstly heres a look at each system and a description to remind you of the history of the console.
Atari VCS / 2600
Atari VCS..later called the 2600 was released in 1977 and became the dominant console in the 1970's. The Atari 2600 boasted amazing specs for it's time, and amassed a library of thousands of games. The popularity of the 2600 grew even further when the arcade game "Space Invaders" was ported for the first time to a console. The success was also in part to the many arcade and movie licenses acquired by Atari. These licenses gave Atari the marketing edge over other consoles of it's time. The console introduced an enormous variety of games and controllers and was the console of choice well into the early 80's even when graphically out performed by newer consoles.
The success of Atari spawned many console redesigns. One example was the reduced sized Atari 2600 Jr. (Shown on left) released in 1986 as part of a campaign to rekindle the console's success. Also the Atari 2800, which essentially was the same build, but offered 4 controller ports instead of 2. The controllers were also redesigned to be a hybrid of both a joystick and paddle. The 2800 model was sold in the US under the Sears label Telegames II. This model was also the first official Atari release in Japan in 1982, and retailed for 24,800 Yen.
The success of Atari 2600 also triggered it's fall from glory. The console spawned numerous clones and adapters (These adapters allowed 2600 software to be played on other consoles). The Atari 2600 cart format also contained no restrictions, which allowed anyone to make their own 2600 games. These factors contributed to the fall of Atari in early years, and played a role to the "Videogame Crash of 1984".
FACT: The Atari 2600 was the first console to play adult type games such as Bachelor Party and the infamouse Custers Revenge.
Thanks again to Dark Watcher for his info above.
Now heres our question to you - Whats the greatest Atari2600 Game Ever ?
Check out Atari Age for info on all things Atari2600 Related.
Continuing our network wide feature for just about every console thats emulated and that we own, in time it can be used as a reference point for people to look at what games are the very best on each system
Firstly heres a look at each system and a description to remind you of the history of the console.
Turbografx 16 / PC Engine
On October 30, 1987 the first 16-Bit home videogame console was released in Japan by NEC. The PC Engine was clearly a "next generation" system with it's amazing specs, and wallet sized card games called "HuCards".
The PC Engine was immensely popular in Japan, outselling the Famicom by a significant margin. Two years after its Japanese introduction, NEC announced plans to bring the PC Engine overseas. NEC dubbed the US release Turbografx-16, and prepared to dominate both Nintendo and Sega as they did in Japan.
In 1988, NEC took gaming to the next level. They were the first to use the immense storage capability of Compact Disk. NEC's CD-ROM add-on device was called Turbografx CD or TG-CD (PC Engine CD in Japan). It retailed for an expensive $399.
The console was redesigned several times in Japan (for example the Coregrafx released in 1989 and Coregrafx II in 1991).
In 1989, NEC decided to redesign the console, and upgrade it with more RAM. This new design called Supergrafx was sold in Japan only, and created to compete against the threat of Nintendo's Super Famicom console. NEC stopped distributing Supergrafx when they saw their PC Engine was still selling well. Only 5 games were made to take advantage of the upgraded Supergrafx, and it played all PC Engine games as well as use the CD add-on.
So how is it that a company that produced such state of the art gaming go almost unnoticed by the American gamers? So many factors contributed, but most stems from NEC's lack of marketing. Perhaps their success in Japan made them think the system would sell itself. Whereas you could find commercials and advertisements for Sega and Nintendo, you could not find any for Turbografx.
NEC was also introducing games, titles, and characters that American players simply weren?t familiar with, and many truly excellent games were either ignored outright, or subject to Nintendo's "exclusive licensing" policy that was in effect at the time. The gist of this policy was, if a game was already available on NES, then game companies could not produce any versions for any other game system. Although this policy was later ruled illegal, it hurt the TurboGrafx a lot in the early stages of its life.
Hudson Soft, the primary producer of PC Engine software, was also producing games for the huge NES market. Releasing a game on TurboGrafx exclusively (as they would have to do) would restrict its potential sales (as the NES had a greater installed user base).
Even the Turbografx CD with it's amazing potential was marketed poorly. Not only was this item priced at a ridiculous $399, but only two games were even released for it during its first six months of existence. Neither TG-CD game, "Fighting Street" nor "Monster Lair", came anywhere close to taking advantage of the system?s capabilities.
Soon after... word began to spread that the TG-16 was not a "true" 16-bit system, as its CPU was only 8-bit. (The system used two 8-bit processors).
These factors caused the Turbografx to have a small impact in the US. NEC seemed to only focus on their Japanese market. Japan saw many quality games, console redesigns, and accessories. This helped the system to remain successful in Japan for quite some time.
FACT: NEC used the "Hucard" technology to produce "System Cards" that boosted the consoles RAM thus providing better quality graphics. The Arcade Card Pro card in particular added 16 megabits of RAM, and was used to play arcade quality games such as Fatal Fury and other SNK hits. Sadly the card was never released outside of Japan. This would also explain why Supergrafx was discontinued.
Thanks again to Dark Watcher for his info above.
Now heres our question to you - Whats the greatest PC Engine Game Ever ?
Check out PCENGINEFX.com for info on all things PCEngine Related.
Continuing our network wide feature for just about every console thats emulated and that we own, in time it can be used as a reference point for people to look at what games are the very best on each system
Firstly heres a look at each system and a description to remind you of the history of the console.
3DO Interactive
Similar to the goal of the Phillips CD-I, a company called 3D0 set out to create a new standard in multimedia. Their creation became the 3D0 Interactive Multiplayer. It was capable of running 3D0 interactive software (games), Audio CD?s, CD+G, Photo CD, and Video CD?s using an add on. Rather then manufacturing their new system, 3D0 decided to make 3D0 Interactive Multiplayer a franchise. Sanyo, Panasonic and Goldstar all bought rights to manufacture the 3D0 system. Once produced and sold, 3D0 would claim a royalty for each system and $3 for each game sold.
In October of 1993, Panasonic began sales of the first 3D0 Interactive Multiplayer. The systems capabilities were clearly quite ahead of it?s time. Although it was not the first 32-bit system in history, the 3D0 was the first 32-bit system in the United States. The images shown are of Panasonic?s 3D0 models FZ-1 R.E.A.L 3D0 Interactive Multiplayer, and FZ-10 3D0 Interactive Multiplayer. There are several more models established by other companies, but other then a few additions they are all pretty much the same.
As groundbreaking as the console was, the 3D0 was also one of the most expensive systems ever released. At a whopping $700USD or more, this machine only seemed to attract the wealthy. Even after a few price drops, the 3D0 never recovered from its initial reputation as a rich man's videogame system. Since 3D0 placed no software licensing restrictions, the 3D0 amassed a large library of games. Some quality titles such as ?Need For Speed? and ?Road Rash? became quite popular. Others (as with Atari 2600 titles) were sheer crap.
In 1995 the 3D0 company began announcing a new technology called 3D0 M2. This technology was rumored to have 7 times the power of any console released at the time. M2 would come standard in a new 3D0 system, or be used to upgrade existing systems.
The 3D0 Interactive Multiplayer could have had the capability to compete even with newer 32-bit systems, but M2 never became reality. M2 technology was sold off to another company (Matsushita), and 3D0 machines never saw the upgrade. Gamers found themselves more interested in cheaper 16-bit consoles, and eventually newer 32-bit systems entered the market. 3D0 games and systems found their way into clearance bins starting in 1996.The system eventually died the end of that year.
FACT: 3D0 Interactive Multiplayer had only one controller port. However, this wasn't a problem since extra controllers (up to 8) could be easily daisy-chained to another controller. The original Panasonic controllers have a built-in stereo headphone jack along with a volume control dial. The system has its own internal memory to save games and other information. It has 2 expansion ports which were to be used for future upgrades such as memory cards, modems, digital video cartridges and the M2 system upgrade. The 3D0 was definitely designed for the long haul.
The Panasonic 3DO may have been the first released version using the 3DO architecture, but it definitely was not the only system available.
The Goldstar 3DO console (Top image) was released North America, East Asia and Europe at a MSRP of $399. Goldstar expanded distribution of the 3DO system by making it available through mass merchandisers and toy stores. It was far cheaper then it?s Panasonic counterpart, but was reported to have many hardware faults. This system included pack in CD?s Shockwave, FIFA Soccer, and a demo photo CD. It Also included a certificate to send in with a roll of film to have your own custom Photo CD disc made.
The Samsung 3DO (bottom left) was first presented at 1994 Summer CES in Chicago. The Samsung 3DO console was set to include built-in MPEG decoding hardware for viewing VCD and full motion video. The console has since been cancelled.
The Sanyo 3DO (bottom right) was marketed in Japan only. This version featured the most unique containing the waves you could see on top of the unit.
Although it cannot be considered a console, there was yet another version of 3DO available. Creative Designs took the 3DO concept and placed it on a card. The 3DO Blaster was a PC compatible ISA card that allowed gamers the ability to play 3DO software on their Windows based home computers. It has since been discontinued, and is considered a rarity to collectors.
Thanks again to Dark Watcher for his info above.
Now heres our question to you - Whats the greatest 3DO Game Ever ?
Continuing our network wide feature for just about every console thats emulated and that we own, in time it can be used as a reference point for people to look at what games are the very best on each system
Firstly heres a look at each system and a description to remind you of the history of the console.
Sega Mark III / Master System
To compete with the Nintendo Famicom in Japan, Sega released the successor to the Mark I/II and called it Sega Mark III in 1984.
The Mark III could produce great 8 bit graphics with specs superior to the Famicom. The console had two game formats which were cartridges and a Sega "Game Card" format. The cards held only 256K of data (cartridges held over 4 times that amount), but the advantage to both Sega and the consumer was the fact that the cards were cheaper to manufacture, and sold for less then the carts did. Sega also introduced 3D glasses that could be used in some of their games. The Mark III was also backwards compatible with SG-1000 / Mark I & II software.
When Nintendo released the Famicom to America in 1986, Sega had no intentions of letting their rival get all the market share. They redesigned the Mark III, and changed the name to the Sega Master System (SMS). They approached Tonka Toy Distribution to market the SMS, and the console was released three months after the Nintendo NES in 1986.
Although the SMS was an impressive machine, it did not reach the level of success that the NES gained in America. The two reasons for this were poor marketing by Tonka Toys, and software restrictions implemented by Nintendo to third party developers. Third party developers were contractually prohibited from making games for any rival company. This meant that once a company had made a game for the obviously popular NES, they weren?t allowed to make any games at all for the SMS. As a result, the only outside developers for the SMS were Activision and Parker Brothers (though Sega did receive permission to "reprogram" / port numerous games developed by other companies). Sega developed the rest of the games themselves.
Some of Sega's best games started this way. The Popular RPG series "Phantasy Star" made it's first appearance on the Sega Master System. The SMS may not have been as successful as the NES in America, but overseas was another story. The SMS was extremely popular in the UK and Brazil where games were released into the the late 90's. The SMS succeeded overseas because it was much cheaper than the pricey NES, and by that time the second generation of games had been released which really showed of the SMS superior specs.
The SMS was re-released as the Sega Master System II in 1990 with a reduction in features to save money. The card port was cut, as was the power light and Sega logo and music upon starting the machine.
FACT: The Sega Master System featured a built in secret game. Turn the system on without a cartridge inserted, when the instructions pop up hold the D-pad up and push buttons 1 and 2. In the game your goal is to guide a small snail through a series of different maze levels. Not much play value, but it's a nice extra to have.
Sega Master System II was another story. Sega included Alex Kidd in Miracle World as a built-in freebie.
As mentioned, the Master System / Mark III was backwards compatible, but the games appeared with a darker color palette then the original Mark I & II systems.
Thanks again to Dark Watcher for his info above.
Now heres our question to you - Whats the greatest Sega Master System Game Ever ?
For those interested in Master System Games theres a Portable Console with 20 Built in Commercial Games
features
Plug & play portable video game system
TV out connection
20 built-in 8-bit SEGA licensed games
Built-in speakers
Function key: start / pause
Direction key: A, B, up, down, left, right
2.4" LCD TFT color screen
Requires 3xAAA size batteries. (battery not included)
Official product, containing games authorized by SEGA
description
The PlayPal Portable is a video game player, which is pre-loaded with 20 classic games from SEGA Master System and Game Gear games. There is no need to buy game cartridges. The high quality 2.4” TFT LCD and built-in speakers allows arcade like playing experience in the palm of your hand. The PlayPal Portable game player has an A/V connector and with the included cable the player can be connected to any TV. The built-in SEGA games provide action adventure while testing your intelligence and skill. Enjoy playing classic SEGA games anytime, anywhere with the new PlayPal Portable video game Player.
Includes :
- Super Columns
- Astro Warrior
- Kung Fu Kid
- Quartet
- Bomber Raid
- Sonic Triple Trouble
- Columns
- Sonic Drift 2
- Alex Kidd in High Tech World
- Alex Kidd in Miracle World
- Altered Beast
- Assault City
- Aztec Adventure
- Global Defense
- Fantasy Zone
- Fantasy Zone the Maze
- Penguin Land
- ECCO Tides of Time
- Snail Maze
- The Ninja
Continuing our network wide feature for just about every console thats emulated and that we own, in time it can be used as a reference point for people to look at what games are the very best on each system
Firstly heres a look at each system and a description to remind you of the history of the console.
ColecoVision
After nearly bankrupting itself in 1978 with overstocked Telstar units, Coleco once again entered the console market looking to de-throne Atari 2600 and Intellivision the current kings of the hill.
Colecovision was released in 1982 and boasted amazing specs for it's time which showed in it's arcade conversions. To secure their success Coleco reached out to a Japanese based company called "Nintendo", and paid $250,000 for the rights to a super popular arcade game called Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong became a pack in game with the console.
Since the Atari 2600 contained no patented material and was made up of all "off-the-shelf" hardware, Coleco took another step to insure Colecovision's marketing power. The ColecoVision's Expansion Module #1 was essentially an entire 2600 which fit into the Coleco's expansion port. This gave gamers access to Atari's large library of games.
ColecoVisions were also marketed in Europe by CBS Electronics and sold under the CBS name.
Home computers were starting to overtake game consoles simply because they were more "respectable" in the eyes of parents. So in June 1983, Coleco decided to focus it?s energies on the Adam computer system in 1983. They stopped support and sadly Colecovision owners suffered. With the video game crash of 1984, Coleco officially ceased production of the unit with over 6 million units sold in just two years.
FACT: Coleco's software approach was to go after licensed arcade games that Atari had missed. Realizing that Atari had firm support from 3rd party developers like Namco (creators of Pac-Man and many other hits), Coleco involved itself with companies like Sega, Konami, and Universal. Amazing how long some of these developers have come.
