Classic Mini Consoles

[Torgo]

So I finally got my hands on a Mini Nintendo console. It's pretty awesome playing these games after all these years. It did however take me a while to get used to the controls of Donkey Kong because I realized I played the Game Boy version far more than the original, so I kept jumping off ledges to my death because in that version of the game Mario can take a fall. I kept screaming "WHY DOES A JUMP KILL MARIO?! JUMPING IS HIS THING!"

I also played a few games that passed me by way back when, like Castlevania, which is pretty fun I'll admit, though I'm not super familiar with the controls yet. I don't think I've ever played Metroid either. I'm afraid to try Ghosts and Goblins, because I hear that's a "throw the console across the room" game.

Overall I think the game selection on the Nintendo Classic and the Super Nintendo Classic is pretty solid, but I need to vent on one thing that is out of Nintendo's control: the lack of Ninja Turtle games. A lot of my nostalgic Nintendo memories were playing the the original, The Arcade Game, The Manhattan Project, and Turtles in Time (ESPECIALLY Turtles in Time), and these little nostalgia consoles can't hit the right nostalgia notes with me without them. But I understand it's licensing issues and these are for games that are properties owned solely by Nintendo but blah. It just stings that these games aren't here when I'm pretty sure the only reason Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is here instead is because of Angry Video Game Nerd. They should have included Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde just for fun.

But I'm starting to become curious about other mini-consoles. How many others are there? I know there is a Sega Genesis, though I think I've heard some mixed things about it. Though I want it for Mortal Kombat if nothing else. I've also seen an Atari 2600, which might be cool to have though I might not play it super much. There's that new Playstation console which I hear is ass. I would have been more interested in that if it had the Tomb Raider games on it, though I might pick it up at a discount so I can check out that Final Fantasy VII game that everybody loves. I've heard rumblings of a Neo Geo as well.

Thoughts on this new wave? Does anybody else have one? What kind of consoles do you want to see?

[Mod City]

Dec 29, 2018 1:20:09 GMT -5 Torgo said:

So I finally got my hands on a Mini Nintendo console. It's pretty awesome playing these games after all these years. It did however take me a while to get used to the controls of Donkey Kong because I realized I played the Game Boy version far more than the original, so I kept jumping off ledges to my death because in that version of the game Mario can take a fall. I kept screaming "WHY DOES A JUMP KILL MARIO?! JUMPING IS HIS THING!"

I also played a few games that passed me by way back when, like Castlevania, which is pretty fun I'll admit, though I'm not super familiar with the controls yet. I don't think I've ever played Metroid either. I'm afraid to try Ghosts and Goblins, because I hear that's a "throw the console across the room" game.

Castlevania is a great game, but I didn't play it that much back in the day. The controls have always seemed a little stiff to me, even if you're good at it.

Metroid is a classic explorer, upgrade yourself with abilities and weapons and advance farther into locked-off areas of the game. Great controls, but the whole thing has a very old-school feel. If you grew up playing it, it's one for the ages.

Ghosts n' Goblins. Yes, it is a bitch. It's fun, but you have to be committed as hell to conquer that one. I never did. Not for everyone. The arcade version is just as bad, if not tougher.

Of the ones I see listed on the NESClassic, Mega Man 2 might be my favorite. Played the hell out of that back in the day. Top five NES game for me, easy. I've also been playing Final Fantasy on my real NES lately. Such a great game. Only installment of the series I've ever played, and I stand by it as one of the greatest RPGs ever made.

Overall I think the game selection on the Nintendo Classic and the Super Nintendo Classic is pretty solid, but I need to vent on one thing that is out of Nintendo's control: the lack of Ninja Turtle games. A lot of my nostalgic Nintendo memories were playing the the original, The Arcade Game, The Manhattan Project, and Turtles in Time (ESPECIALLY Turtles in Time), and these little nostalgia consoles can't hit the right nostalgia notes with me without them. But I understand it's licensing issues and these are for games that are properties owned solely by Nintendo but blah. It just stings that these games aren't here when I'm pretty sure the only reason Castlevania II: Simon's Quest is here instead is because of Angry Video Game Nerd. They should have included Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde just for fun.

Yeah, some of it is licensing. The Turtles games, if I'm right, were developed and published by Konami, who were one of the top licensed publishers on the NES. Nintendo doesn't own the rights to the game, Konami does, but apparently Konami no longer holds the rights to use TMNT, thus it couldn't be included. Nintendo did develop and publish both the Mike Tyson and Mr. Dream versions of Punch Out!, but obviously they also no longer have the rights to use Mike Tyson. If they had never made the Mr. Dream version after their license with Tyson expired in the 80s/90s, it probably would never have ended up on the NES Classic. Lucky break there, because with or without Tyson, it belongs on there.

I never played the Turtles games, but for as big as they were (especially on the NES), one should be on there. It's too bad. I mean, I'm sure there are hardcore fans of Balloon Fight, and it's a classic, but man. The first Castlevania is often included in top ten NES game lists, and a few others of the series (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, for example), are considered top-flight stuff. Simon's Quest isn't the best, but a lot of people played it.

I'm surprised Contra wasn't included. That's another Konami game, as is Metal Gear, another that would have been one to include.

But I'm starting to become curious about other mini-consoles. How many others are there? I know there is a Sega Genesis, though I think I've heard some mixed things about it. Though I want it for Mortal Kombat if nothing else. I've also seen an Atari 2600, which might be cool to have though I might not play it super much. There's that new Playstation console which I hear is ass. I would have been more interested in that if it had the Tomb Raider games on it, though I might pick it up at a discount so I can check out that Final Fantasy VII game that everybody loves. I've heard rumblings of a Neo Geo as well.

Thoughts on this new wave? Does anybody else have one? What kind of consoles do you want to see?

I've never played any of them and have heard mixed reviews, but I personally think they're a cool little item. They're set up for modern televisions and sound fairly reliable. With the Nintendo ones, I know people have hacked them and installed tons of games using ROMs available on the Internet.

The Neo Geo is kind of an interesting thought. The Neo Geo console ran the same hardware as their arcade machines. So when you bought a console and a cartridge, it was the exact same thing you played in the arcade. Part of the reason they were so godawful expensive. But very cool.

My problem is I own a lot of original consoles and already have a lot of these games (and still play them). Doesn't make a ton of sense to pick one up when the games - most of them at least - are relatively inexpensive if you shop wisely. And they were made well, 95 percent of cartridges you find still work, even the ones with battery saves. At least for NES and Atari, I've experienced.

But that's not for everyone, either

[Torgo]

My NES crapped out on me decades ago, which always left me heartbroken because there were a lot of games on that system I loved and more I would have wanted to try out one day. That's why Cinemassacre became like a comfort food Youtube channel for me, because I could look at all these games that I had been craving. I had wanted a Classic Mini since it was announced but I couldn't afford it upon release. When rumors surfaced that it was a limited run, my heart sank. I'm so happy they rereleased it.

I too was surprised that Contra wasn't on the Mini. Super C I guess fills that void, but it feels like the first should have been a no brainer.

There was also a game I saw on Cinemassacre that I think was called Wrecking Crew which looked super fun. I would have loved to see that on the console.

But I shouldn't be too upset with 30 games, a good chunk I don't think I've ever finished/played. I'm very happy that the thing exists at all.

[Torgo]

I've also made it my mission to beat Legend of Zelda for the first time in my life.

[TV's Cowboy]

Dec 29, 2018 1:20:09 GMT -5 Torgo said:

But I'm starting to become curious about other mini-consoles. How many others are there? I know there is a Sega Genesis, though I think I've heard some mixed things about it. Though I want it for Mortal Kombat if nothing else. I've also seen an Atari 2600, which might be cool to have though I might not play it super much. There's that new Playstation console which I hear is ass. I would have been more interested in that if it had the Tomb Raider games on it, though I might pick it up at a discount so I can check out that Final Fantasy VII game that everybody loves. I've heard rumblings of a Neo Geo as well.

Thoughts on this new wave? Does anybody else have one? What kind of consoles do you want to see?

I'd be cautious about the Sega mini consoles or at least the ones on the market at the moment since they're made by AT Games. That company doesn't have a good track record as their consoles are infamous for having emulation issues and they've recently come under fire for using bait and switch tactics which are described in the video below



Apparently, Sega is releasing a new mini console later on down the line without the aid of AT Games so I hope that's good.

[Mod City]

Dec 29, 2018 22:19:31 GMT -5 Torgo said:

There was also a game I saw on Cinemassacre that I think was called Wrecking Crew which looked super fun. I would have loved to see that on the console.

But I shouldn't be too upset with 30 games, a good chunk I don't think I've ever finished/played. I'm very happy that the thing exists at all.

I love Wrecking Crew. Kind of an oddball Mario title, but maybe the best puzzler the system ever had. Simple to learn, hard to beat with 100 levels (though you can play any level, any time - great for practice). A classic. Addictive as hell. You can pick up carts for less than $10. I can get through about level 75 and then I get stuck.

Really, the NES Classic lineup of games is pretty awesome. Hard to have a lot of complaints. The full Super Mario run, Mega Man and Castlevania repped. Zelda, Metroid. There are always greats that will be missing on something like this, but this is a nifty little console. I'd put it in a carry-on anytime when I travel.

Dive in and have fun! Interested to see what you discover.

[Torgo]

Update: My brain keeps telling me I need to make progress in Metroid and Zelda, but my heart keeps pulling me back to Punch Out. I've said the phrase "THIS TIME that asshole will go down..." way too many times.

Is it weird that I'm playing the hell out of these games when I have had a copy of Red Dead Redemption II for about a month and haven't cracked it open yet?

[TV's Cowboy]

Dec 29, 2018 20:06:54 GMT -5 Mod City said:

The Neo Geo is kind of an interesting thought. The Neo Geo console ran the same hardware as their arcade machines. So when you bought a console and a cartridge, it was the exact same thing you played in the arcade. Part of the reason they were so godawful expensive. But very cool.

My problem is I own a lot of original consoles and already have a lot of these games (and still play them). Doesn't make a ton of sense to pick one up when the games - most of them at least - are relatively inexpensive if you shop wisely. And they were made well, 95 percent of cartridges you find still work, even the ones with battery saves. At least for NES and Atari, I've experienced.

But that's not for everyone, either

I've heard mixed things about the Neo Geo Mini some of it has to do with the video quality. Granted I've heard nicer things about that one compared to the last attempt(The Neo Geo X)