#Retro Classix

[smbhax]

Wizard Fire aka "Dark Seal II" (“Retro Classix: Wizard Fire” Steam ROM in MAME 0.119)

Session: https://youtu.be/kij5WhtFaoU

[viciogame]

🎮 Gate of Doom (Arcade)

Complete Gameplay: https://youtu.be/aEk-W1FJ0LM

#GateOfDoom #Arcade #DarkSeal #RetroClassix #Diablo #BeatEmUp #RPG #DungeonsAndDragons #mythology #dragons #DataEast #Viciogame #Gameplay #Walkthrough #Playthrough #Longplay #LetsPlay #Game #Videogames #Games

[everygame]

Break Thru 

Developed/Published by: Data East Released: 1986 Completed: 18/04/2023 Completion: Got to the end by feeding credits. Version Played: Retro Classix / MAME Trophies / Achievements: n/a 

Stop! Before you read this, you should know that you can only order a physical exp. 2601 from my ko-fi shop until May 1st! Remember, as a subscriber, you get 35% off instantly!

You may have seen recently that the “Retro Classix” line of Data East re-issues, available on GOG and Steam, are being delisted at the end of April, and wondered “should I get those before they’re gone?” Well, I’m here to answer this, because I took a cursory look at them, downloaded the one that I think is earliest in the Data East chronology (Express Raider might be earlier?) and gave it a shot.

No. You don’t want to get any of them. Break Thru is probably the worst retro release I’ve ever played! To be clear, I’m not talking about the quality of the original game (which I’ll get to–it’s no great shakes, but it’s not the worst I’ve ever played) but the release, which is bare-bones to the extreme. Buy this and you get the arcade rom… and a 3D arcade wrapper that makes it feel like you’re playing it in Grand Theft Auto 3. You can, thankfully, turn that off, but what you can’t turn off is terrible smeary graphic smoothing, and you–at best–have to mitigate it by also using the included CRT filter. Now, I’m not a fan of “perfect pixel”–I prefer even a weak attempt at a CRT filter, usually–but the one here is nasty (maybe even worse than the Astro City Mini) with horrible curvature and a general dullness.

And that’s… it. There’s no save states, no dip switches or settings, nothing else. You'd be better off being handed a zip file with the rom in it.

I’m not entirely sure of the provenance of this series of Data East reissues. Before the Retro Classix line these were all included in the similarly weird “Johnny Turbo’s Arcade” series for Nintendo Switch, which all seem to have been yanked from the eShop at the end of October 2023 (which is after the Retro Classix versions were put on sale.)  I assume that whoever has the Data East rights has been selling them off cheaply but with limited and non-exclusive rights, which is why you get things as tossed off as this, but it’s interesting to note that the Johnny Turbo’s Arcade releases managed to have better graphical options and save states, so they at least did the bare minimum.

(Though it gets odder. The Retro Classix versions were also on sale on Switch until November 2023, from the same publisher as the Johnny Turbo’s Arcade series, “Golem Entertainment” though they all have the same crappy emulator wrapper as this release, even though the at least slightly better Johnny Turbo’s Arcade versions were already there. Confusing!)

Anyway. You now know to let the Retro Classix line go off gently into that good night in the hope that the next suckers to buy a job lot of Data East releases goes to the effort of putting them out nicely (I’m looking at you, Digital Eclipse). But should you play Break Thru anyway? The answer to that is… also no!

Gradius was released in early 1985 and set the benchmark, and this doesn’t even reach the lofty heights of Sega Ninja. A side-scrolling shooter with five levels, the “twist” here is that you’re driving a car, though the stand-out thing about the car is that it does two things that cars don’t normally do: it shoots bullets and it can jump, awkwardly, into the air. The latter quirk is supposed to be the highlight–as you now have to leap over obstacles, and can even leap to land your car on enemies and squash them.

There’s one power-up (a three way shot that’s generally on a timer, but sometimes it isn’t) and a small number of enemies. Shockingly, there are no bosses.

The thing about Break Thru, really, is that it… sucks. There’s little to no variety, the enemies don’t do anything much (only a few have interesting attack patterns) and the controls feels so bad that I actually had to test this release against the MAME release just to make sure the emulation wasn’t fucked up here. I mean, to be fair, the emulation could be fucked up on MAME as well, but the car in Break Thru controls horribly. You can speed up, but it feels like it makes everything on the screen speed up, and there’s no sense of friction. You get the idea–that you’re supposed to speed up to dodge bullets or enemies–but it just doesn’t seem to work.

In fact, once you know the levels, the majority of Break Thru is absolutely trivial, with the only speed bumps the few enemies that you only seem to survive randomly. There’s a helicopter that I couldn’t kill that you just need to be lucky to leap past, and a gauntlet of small tanks in the final level that almost goes full bullet hell.

I guess there’s actually a wee animation at the end to make this feel worth beating, but without a final boss or anything it feels wildly anti-climactic. Everything about this, really, is just very, very bad.

Will I ever play it again? If there really is a Digital Eclipse Data East collection I’ll boot it up… once.

Final Thought: Something else a bit strange: there were 17 Johnny Turbo’s Arcade releases, but only 12 “Retro Classix” releases, which is why I picked up Break Thru and not Shoot Out (I think the earliest of the Johnny Turbo releases.) I have spent too long thinking about this!!!

Hi. Thank you so much for being a supporter. I'd like to ask you for one more favour--could you check out the fundraiser my best friend Steven is running to help cover travel insurance costs? I know there are so many deserving causes, but Steven has a stage 4 brain tumour and it would mean the world to me if you considered donating, or sharing his page, to help make his remaining time the best ever.

[emotionalmultimediaride]

Ziggurat Interactive's Retro Classix games will soon disappear from digital stores

Some arcade or retro games are not meant stay in online stores forever, and Ziggurat Interactive‘s Retro Classix line will soon meet that fate on GOG and Steam. It’s always sad to see some games disappear from the digital space (as could be seen with “Alan Wake” having been removed from digital platforms… at least for a limited time), and it’s even sadder to see a company like Ziggurat…

[hardcoregamer]

Data East Retro Classix Are Still Worth Your Quarters

At Hardcore Gamer we enjoy games from all eras of gaming, and know that not all ports are created equal, so we decided to spend some time with a few of these newly re-released titles and see how well they hold up over time, especially since a couple of these titles were some childhood favorites.

Check them out!

https://hardcoregamer.com/2021/03/05/data-east-retro-classix-are-still-worth-your-quarters/400004/

[watkicks]

Air Jordan 1 x Off White

@watkicks

[drakonotatuiruote]

Looking for people to download this app and give feedback to the developer, they're a friend of mine.

Help me support my friend who's new to app/game development.

[dudja]

Real Retro House Classix In The Mix (80s&90s) by PIM FR1908: i Love House, Dance, 80s & 90s music! Real Retro House Classix In The Mix (80s&90s)

[smbhax]

Two Crude

("Retro Classix: Two Crude" Steam ROM in MAME 0.119)

Session: https://youtu.be/-Ns1IX-NLRU

[womensunglassessuay]

Extremely Rare MASKE BERLIN SUNGLASSES Retro CLASSIX 01 GU https://ift.tt/2F0Ihqr

[i-dc-me]

3. ALASKALASKA

6 piece band from London, ALASKALAKA reinforces their experimental sound with the release of “Meateater”. They artfully blend dreamy alternative pop, disco and jazz elements with a touch of sax that is instantly captivating. Reminds me of Classix + Polica, I dig this.  Video is retro, very fitting to their music. 

[acidicinfektion]

IN TABERNA com Dj Diego Dracvs - Edição 006 - Classix Retro Edition

http://tinyurl.com/y6w394q7 IN TABERNA com Dj Diego Dracvs - Edição 006 Nesta edição vamos apresentar uma seleção Classix Retro preparada especialmente para vocês! * Acompanhe o Programa IN TABERNA através dos links: www.acidicinfektion.com http://tunein.com/radio/Acidic-Infektion-Radio-s165076/

[whatstrendingnowblog]

Get Your Dose of Commodore 64 and Amiga Games with Pack on Steam

Hardcore Gamer: Those looking for retro games on Steam have a surprisingly vast set of offerings these days. C64 & AMIGA Classix Remakes Sixpack 2 is the latest addition. from N4G: all news feed http://ift.tt/2Ad90vp from Blogger http://ift.tt/2ju5tyK

[smbhax]

Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja

("Retro Classix: Bad Dudes vs. DragonNinja" Steam ROM in MAME 0.119)

Session: https://youtu.be/7xXsG-6e3TI