Nintendo Console: The Nintendo 64 (N64)

As per my previous post, I didn't get the SNES. I went broke after a few consoles and peripherals. I'll share them afterwards as I would like to dedicate this blog to share and review all of my gaming junks. Maybe I'll get to buy it in the next round.

Malaysian currency plummeted like the dead duck from NES's duck hunt, making it difficult for gamers here.

Ok, back to the N64, This is where the game changes in the console war between Nintendo and SEGA. It is the 5th Generation of console from Nintendo, an answer to SEGA's challenge of the SEGA Saturn released 1994 in Japan and 1995 in the US, and the new kid on the block, Sony Playstation in the same year. 

A lot of things happened between this, SEGA's attempt to prolong the life of the Mega Drive with SEGA CD and 32X, Nintendo-Sony attempt of the Playstation which failed but managed to release a working prototype, the last stand of ATARI with the Jaguar and Jaguar CD, and some other historically important video game landmarks.

But those are stories for another day.

The N64 was released much later in 1996 compared to other consoles of the 5th generation from SEGA and Sony. The answer was clear, despite the change to CD in other video game companies, Nintendo continued with cartridges, a media with much lower storage capacity.

I got mine at a cheap price of RM200 (USD 40). There are a lot of things to tell regarding this console.

This is a US set, and there are differences between a US and Japanese set besides the AC adapter. We'll see the specs:

Specifications:

• Video/Audio: The original set comes with an AV composite with stereo sound, it has a 64-bit CPU where it's name is derived from

• Main Console: 

• The main console comes with 4 controller ports (the grey ones) at the front of the console, an on/off switch (no LED), and a reset button.

• There's no cartridge ejector so you'll need to yank it out

• If you notice at the front, there's a small slot with a lid covering it, this is actually a slot for a RAM pack which adds extra memory to play certain high end games (sold separately)

• The console comes with a 4MB RAM, and the RAM pak pushes it to 8MB

• At the back of the console there are ports for the bulky AC adapter and the AV cable

• One more thing worth mentioning is the cartridge slot where it is covered with a lid to prevent dust accumulation, and has plastic protrusion at the edges which prevents the console from playing games from different regions

• Here are other pages that show how to modify your console (involves cutting out the edges) so that it can play games from different regions

• http://www.racketboy.com/retro/nintendo/n64/how-to-mod-the-n64-to-play-imports-region-mod
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfZcZYBB40U 

•  But if you're like me, who doesn't really like to cut up their consoles, you have the option of buying another N64 from a different region, or using this, a universal cartridge adapter

• But just a side note that the adapter makes the cartridge a bit wobbly when inserted into it and then into the console

• Controllers: The controllers are shaped like a trident with a number of different buttons
• 4 yellow buttons with direction marks 
• A green "B" button
• A blue "A" button
• A Directional pad
• A red "Start" button
• A central analog control at the center
• 2 extra buttons, one on each shoulder

• At the back of the controller there is a slot for a vibrator (the rumble pak) or a memory card (the picture below shows that it a memory card is inserted)
• The controller cable is long at 2 metres, and if that's not long enough, you can buy an extension for another 2metres
• Just a side note that the controller is unique but less practical where you will need to switch the way you hold it depending on which buttons you want to use, but after a while you'll get the hang of it
• At the back there is also another black button

• Extra controller port: There is no other extra controller port besides the 4 main ports at the front body of the console

• Power Supply: The power supply is attached to the console as the picture above, and voltage varies depending on the console's region, mine (US) came with a 240V

• Media: Cartridge base, officially having only 388 titles (link below)
• The cartridge is smaller compared to the NES as shown below

• The picture below shows how different regions have different cartridge shoulders which does not allow them to be played cross-regional unless the console is modified or using a universal adapter

• On the left is an Japanese cartridge, and the right is a US cartridge, observe the lower edges

• The cartidge also lacks a side label like that of the NES

• Game save capabilities: The game comes with a Memory Card (called the Controller Pak) which can be slotted into the controller and most game has save game features (256KB capacity). Here is how it looks like

Personally I feel the N64 has a number of good titles and this is the start when Nintendo starts to recreate our favorite classics into 3D. Some where succssful like Mario and Zelda, and some failed to live to gamers' expectations like Castlevania 64.

Regardless, I feel that the N64 just like any other console, is a great delivery by Nintendo. It was not as popular as the Playstation which dominated the 5th generation, but I feel it's still worth a gamer's attention.

If you wanna read more on the N64, here are useful sites:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_64
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_generation_of_video_game_consoles
• http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/nintendo64/index.jsp
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nintendo_64_games

Alright, that's it from me for now, I'll post on SEGA's MD life support after this. Until then, keep on gaming!

SEGA Console: The Mega Drive/ Genesis (MD2)

I feel that after the success of the Genesis/ MD, SEGA might have hit a thought block or something. They keep on refining this particular console, until there are 3 versions of the same console. There's no major difference in the game properties, plus the cartridges it plays are the same as MD 1. 

So this will be a quick one. I'll highlight the differences it has compared to its immediate predecessor. 

If it plays the same games and there's not much difference, why did I still buy it? Well, the two main reasons are I am a video game collector, and I managed to get it relatively cheap, around RM200 (circa USD 40) I know that to the standards of some other people, this boxed console might be considered beaten, but to me, it is still a fine piece of console.

Well, here goes:

The console was released in 1993, after the MD 1 was released in 1988 (1989 in the US as the Genesis). In summary the major revisions of the console is the upgrade of sound output from Mono in MD1 to Stereo, but the audio jack was removed, and the second main thing is the controller. is upgraded into the 6-button smaller version.

Ok, let's go into the specs...

Specifications:

• Video/Audio:
• AV Composite with Stereo
• The audio jack together with the volume control is removed, a feature which makes the MD less special compared to the SFC/SNES and less unique
• The AV port and cable is NOT COMPATIBLE with the MD1, as the size of the plug and the metal pins are much smaller, but you can get an adapter for this MD1 to MD2 AV conversion

• Main console:
• The console became much smaller than the longer MD1
• It has a power button on the front left, and a reset button on the right
• There's no cartridge ejector so you have to yank it out to remove
• There is a retractable lid to protect the cartridge slot from dust
• If you see the bottom most picture, you can appreciate there's just the AV slot on the left, and a power slot on the right

• Controllers:
• Now here's the defining part, where the previous 3-button controller was upgraded into this new one.
• It has 6 buttons, a start button and a D-pad
• The upper case buttons are X,Y and Z while the lower case buttons are A,B and C
• The D-Pad is still more comforting that Nintendo's (Sega does what Nintendon't?)
• The controllers are attached to the front of the console, and the cable of the original controller is around 2 meters (much shorter around 1 meter if you buy an unlicensed copy)

• Extra controller port: None, and whatever accessory goes to the controller port

• Power supply: Mine came with an original NTSC-J original 110v adapter

• Media: 16-bit cartridge like before

• Game save capabilities: None but passwords like before

Interesting in-depth facts regarding this can be read at the SEGA retro page:

https://segaretro.org/Sega_Mega_Drive#Mega_Drive_2

http://segaretro.org/Six_Button_Control_Pad_(Mega_Drive)

If you wanna see how does a 16-bit game looks like, you can click on my previous page regarding the MD1. If I haven't posted it there yet, then just have to wait a while.

Until next time, I plan to show my N64 (US) next. Game Doc out

Nintendo Console: The Super Family Computer/ Super Famicom (SFC)

The bit war continued after the NES 8-bit console was rivaled with SEGA MD 16-bit console. Nintendo, being a major player of the video game industry at the time, released its own 16-bit console.

It was first released in Japan as Super Famicom in 1990. It was later redesigned for the American market and released as Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992.

Enough of the historical mumbo-jumbo, I'll show you my SFC. I got it at RM250 (circa 50 USD) and I got it boxed. 

Here was how it looked like when I received it. It was really something, warms up a cold space in my heart of unrealized childhood dreams. I imagine myself having an SFC/ SNES at the time, 1992, when I was 8 years old. 

The graphics would have been superb for the time. The time I killed doing nothing would have been well spent on this machine. 

Well, here's the good stuff:

And the console was even better. It's kinda difficult describing it in words... 

It's a bit yellowed, I know but it still looks cool to me. Very simplistic and functional. Easy storage and very practical.

Ok. here is what I think about the specifications:

Specifications:

• Video/Audio: AV Composite or RF. Obviously if you have a newer TV you would rather use an AV composite instead of old RF. Look at the picture below, the left most is the AV composite slot, next to it the RF, a channel switch button and the right most is for the AC Adapter.

• Main Console: It has a power button on the left most, a cartridge ejector at the center, and a reset button at the left most, while the cartridge slot has a floppy lid which will retract down when you push a cartridge against it

• Controllers: 
• Very fun-colored controller with 4 main buttons Upper case buttons X.Y and lower case buttons A and B. Another 2 upper edge buttons R and L, a Start and Select button at the center, and a D-Pad
• It looks like they haven't fixed the D-Pad from the last NES or FC design so playing it for a prolonged time will eventually hurt your thumbs
• The cables are SHORT around 1.5m ONLY, and this is a problem I see with the previous FAMICOM as well, what the heck man...
• The controllers are detachable and are connected to the front of the console, so that's an improvement compared to the famicom

• Extra controller port: none, but you can slot in other accessories (I'm gonna talk about this much later) in the controller port

• Power Supply: the SFC I got comes with a 240v adapter but usually Japanese console come with a 110v one

• Media: 16-bit cartridge to rival the MD/ Genesis! The cartridge on the right is the SFC cartridge in comparison with the huge NES cartridge

• Save capabilities: None up to this generation. People are still playing relatively short term games and used passwords to save your progress in longer games

The system has around 1447 games based on Wikipedia, so it's not impossible to collect them all, I guess.

Here are a few long-winded more specific sites I can suggest if you really want to know more than the average gamer:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Super_Famicom_games
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Nintendo_Entertainment_System
http://retrogamerjapan.com/classic-games/super-famicom-games
http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Nintendo_Wiki

The Nintendo Wiki only has a section on SNES console, which is the American version of SFC. 

Well, the SFC is really a vibrant looking console. It has a cheerful appearance, compared to SEGA's black MD. If you think about it, the rivalry sounds like Batman vs Superman. Nintendo looks like the colorful, righteous and appeals more to the younger fans compared to Batman's dark, practical and pragmatic approach winning over older fans.

That's all for now, I'm gonna try to score an SNES if budget permits, if not, the next Nintendo posting will be about the N64. Until then, see ya.

SEGA Console: the Mega Drive/ Genesis 1 (MD 1)

Ah... the Mega Drive reminds me about the "bit war", where the video game industry's key players were competing to win the American market.

It was not a straight forward race where each company keeps on coming up with a better console, but the was also a marketing war. 

One of the few terms related to the MD was "blast processor" which was said to be one of MD's advantage against Nintendo's console at the time, the SNES.

Also SEGA started to use the popular statement: SEGA does what Nintendon't.

Well, the SEGA MD 1 was first released in 1988 in Japan and reached American shores a year later. Although initially named as SEGA Mark V while under development, it was later introduced as the MEGA DRIVE (Japanese market) and GENESIS (American market). It is SEGA's most successful console to date. 

I got mine from a local seller at the price of ~RM200 (USD40). It's a boxed console, but just like most of my stuff, the thing looks worn and old.

But like I said before, I like old things that look their age. I like my consoles having all their war scars. Plus I need cash to buy other consoles, haha.

Regardless, I was very happy to have obtained this set. As a child growing up, I have heard about SEGA's MD but have never played any of them.

Specifications

• Video/Audio: Composite with Mono. The console also has an audio jack for speakers/headphones with a volume dial. The end of the video cable that you slot in the console's port has thick metal points

• Controllers: the original controller was first release with 3 buttons A, B and C, a Start button and a D-Pad
• The D-Pad is very comfortable and in my opinion is the best D-Pad ever
• Later a 6-button version of the controller which is also smaller was released
• Both controllers are detachable, and the cables are of good length circa 2 meters
• The controllers can also be used with an ATARI 2600 and a Collecovision

• Extra controller port: None, but other accessories can be connected through the controller port
• Power Supply: Mine is an NTSC-J version which should've come with a 110v adaptor, but the seller changed it with a 240v one.
• Media: 16-bit cartridges
• Game save capabilities: None, but some games do offer passwords in between levels to mark your progress

Main Console

Here's what the main console looks like:

The picture above is the back part of the console. If you are observant you can see that the left most port looks like a controller port but it's not. This port is common in Japanese MDs and it is to accommodate rare peripheral accessories and I heard can also accommodate a modem (? honestly I'm not very sure about this).

The picture above is the front part of the console featuring the audio jack (left most) and 2 controller ports (right).

According to Wikipedia a  total of 897 games were officially released for the MD. I guess with Nintendo not allowing game developers which have developed games for it to make any for rival consoles, SEGA had to rely on making games for its own consoles with aid from other smaller developers: Games in the Genesis can never be expected to be found in the SNES and vice versa. You can get the full list of MD games here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sega_Genesis_games

Another thing worth mentioning is how SEGA MD cartridges are sold: inside a really cool looking plastic case:

This is Contra Hard Corps sold for the MD.

Aaaand when you open up the plastic case:

This is how big he MD's actual cartridge is compared to the NES:

Well, that's all for now from me about the MD. It's really worth having one. The MD/ Genesis also has other updated versions which I will post later. 

If you wanna know more about the MD/ Genesis, these are useful sites:

https://segaretro.org/Sega_Mega_Drive#Technical_specifications

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Genesis

Please give me your feedback, or if you want me to help you find an MD, you can leave a comment below. Thanks, Game Doc leaving the building.... seeya. 

Nintendo Console: The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Hello gamers,

In Malaysia, the NES Classic edition just arrived this November 2016. A bit late, I must say, and I do have my opinion regarding the system, but that is a story for another day.

First, I would like to review the real deal, what the NES Classic derived from, the one released in 1985, the one which revived the video game industry historical crash in 1983 and then dominated the American market for many years afterwards: the Nintendo Entertainment System.

After the Famicom was released in 1983, it took another 2 years before it reached the US, and was later redesigned into the NES known by all. Function wise is the same, and it plays all the 8-bit games but delivered via 72-pin cartridges compared to the 60-pin ones used in the Famicom.

As a friend once told me, the boxed one I got looks beaten up. I agree, but I guess that's how I like my retro consoles, a bit aged and retaining their war scars. (Plus they're cheaper, hehe) Beaten up or not, it costs me RM500 (USD100). Well, the NES is a bit difficult to come by these days, and after playing an hour of Chip&Dale rescue rangers, all of that was forgotten

Specifications

• Video/Audio: Composite with Mono, also RF as an option

• Controllers: 
• 2 standard detachable controllers attached to the front of the console, with cable length of 2 meters (really long)
• Each controller has the buttons A and B, Select and Start, and a directional pad 
• The D-pad is not as comfortable as the SEGA Master System's and might cause a sore thumb after playing fighting games especially Street Fighter
• The controllers cannot be stored within the console like the famicom

• Extra controller port: None, but other accessories can be connected via the controller ports

• Power supply: the Asian version comes with a 220-240V power adaptor

• Media: 72-pin 8-bit cartridges

• Game save capabilities: None but some game offers passwords in between levels

Main Console:

Here's the body of the console, with the AV port at the side, and an RF port at the back

The AV port situated at the right side of the console

The POWER and RESET button situated at the front

Oblique view of the console

The back of the console showing the slot for an AV adaptor, switch for channel change and an RF port

Controller:

Here you go, a view of the controller, just imagine your thumb on the D-pad

Game Media:

Here's a size comparison for the NES cartridge (left) compared to the Famicom's (right)

I was surpsired when Wikipedia only listed 713 known licensed game for the NES, compared to 2000+ Famicom games.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nintendo_Entertainment_System_games

If you wanna read more regarding the NES, I could only find the Wikipedia page as Nintendo website only promotes the new NES mini

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Entertainment_System

Alright, that's it for now. I'll comment on another post on NES/FC mini compared to the original thing. Please leave a comment below and tell me what you think. Until next time, Game Doc out