What have you been up to lately with your Genesis / Mega Drive?

[newtmonkey]

Golden Axe

I decided to start working toward clearing "Arcade" mode on default settings, with the eventual goal of a one-credit clear.

 

It's much harder than I expected, even though the game is very short.  After an hour of playing, I was able to get to the final level, but on my very last life (no continues left) on default settings.

 

I initially tried playing as the Dwarf, since he seems to have the best range, but I had some trouble getting his dash attack to land sometimes.  I next tried the Barbarian, but I found the hit detection for this character to be sort of strange (range seems much shorter than it should be, and the kick attack during his combo seems to miss sometimes), and his dash attack seemed even more difficult to land.  I actually did the best with the Amazon, who has a very solid dash attack, and her powerful magic is great against bosses.

 

I think my biggest problem with the game is that you can't really rely on the (very slow) combo attack if there is even a second enemy standing/active on the screen, because you will almost always be immediately interrupted.  The "turnaround" attack (attack+jump) seems sort of useless; I thought I might be able to use it in cases where I have an enemy on either side, but the animation is so slow that you almost always get knocked out of it .

 

I guess the proper way to play is to rely on dash attacks and maybe the jumping attack whenever there is more than one enemy on screen, and then use the powerful but slow combo attack whenever there is just one enemy standing/active.  Unfortunately, constantly using the same two attacks (dash attack, jumping attack) gets really dull.

 

I'll keep on plugging away at this one now and then, whenever I don't feel like playing an RPG.

[roots.genoa]

One of the most powerful (and least known) moves in Golden Axe is the jumping attack after running, but it's difficult to pull off.

[newtmonkey]

@roots.genoa

Is that the move where you hit attack at the apex of the jump and stab downward?  I was able to figure out the timing, but it seems very situational.  I'll have to look for some opportunities to use it.

[roots.genoa]

3 hours ago, newtmonkey said:

@roots.genoa

Is that the move where you hit attack at the apex of the jump and stab downward?  I was able to figure out the timing, but it seems very situational.  I'll have to look for some opportunities to use it.

Yes, it only happens if you were running when you jumped. I don't know of any other beat 'em up with such a move, tbh.

[zylon]

Acquired some carts, at a decent pawnshop deal, though I really wasn't chasing any. Shanghai II, Thunder Force II, Fatal Labyrinth, and Bio-Hazard Battle. We called that last one something else, back then, lol

[Asaki]

17 hours ago, newtmonkey said:

I guess the proper way to play is to rely on dash attacks and maybe the jumping attack whenever there is more than one enemy on screen, and then use the powerful but slow combo attack whenever there is just one enemy standing/active.  Unfortunately, constantly using the same two attacks (dash attack, jumping attack) gets really dull.

Proper way to play is with two players B)

That's the thing I really hate about beat-em-ups, they're just not as much fun by yourself

[zylon]

Just added a free model 1, from an employee, that didn't work. Power switch completely worn out inside, so a solder blob bridges it to "always on", and I just unplug it. Initially, I was going to pull parts, but I always look into just what's wrong. Looking around inside, I see it's a va7. Nothing but complaints about those at Sega16, but it looks abd sounds fine to me. Time period for these, suggests it was one of the Sonic 2 models that I couldn't afford then lol. Next up will be some cheap cables, as I borrowed from my sms to test this.  I'll have to keep an eye out for a compatible switch, or just put one inline.

[newtmonkey]

I couldn't bring myself to play Golden Axe today, because I feel like it's gonna take a LOT of practice for me to complete the game on default settings, never mind to clear it on one credit.  I love the look and sound of the game, but there's something about how it plays that I don't like.  I should give the arcade version a try to compare.  Anyway, I'll come back to this game later on.  Instead, I have been working on...

 

Juohki (aka Altered Beast)

A one-credit clear seems a lot more achievable without too much practice.  I was able to get to Round 3, but will need some practice to learn the patterns of the monsters here.  The most frustrating thing about this game is the wolves!  They always seem to pounce when you least expect it, and it can be difficult to judge where to stand so that you can hit them when they land.  Of course, missing one of the blue wolves is doubly frustrating, because you miss a powerup orb and therefore have to play a longer version of the round.

 

My plan is to one-credit this next month, and then do the same for the PCE version, to compare.

[newtmonkey]

I had been using the Krikzz Joyzz controller until now.  It's an excellent controller, and you can even take its guts and put it into an official Sega 6-button controller, with just a little bit of modification.

 

I decided to switch over to the 8bitdo M30 2.4g controller the other day.  I often go back and forth between these two controllers, but I have to admit that, while not authentic to the original controller, the M30 really feels great to hold and use.  It's a very solid controller, even moreso than the official 6-button pad.  Also, unlike every other 8bitdo controller, the dpad is excellent; at least as good as the official controller.

 

I originally had a major issue with this controller.  It would randomly disconnect, and the connection/charge light would quicly start flashing even after a full charge.  I remember in the past updating the firmware (both the controller and receiver), but nothing changed.  I applied the latest updates, and now it seems to work fine.  With that issue resolved, it's an amazing controller.

 

I put the controller through its paces in a range of games, from punishing sidescrollers like Chakan, to shmups like Thunderforce IV and Gairaes.  It passed with flying colors, and the dpad was completely accurate even on the corners.  Why do 8bitdo get dpads so wrong on all their other controllers, but get it 100% right on this one?  Who knows.

 

The Krikzz Joyzz controller is excellent (even moreso if you mod an official controller with its guts), and if you want an experience close to the original 6-button pad when playing GEN/MD, that's the way to go.  Having said that, the M30 is just more comfortable to hold and use, and I highly recommend it!

[Steven Pendleton]

M30 2.4g also has a relatively fast (~20Hz) and convenient turbo.

 

It's the only not-complete-garbage 8BitDo controller that I have used aside from that one that came with the Nt mini Noir, which is okay but nothing special.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Steven Pendleton

[Asaki]

Bought an AC adapter and a video cable for my Model 2 so I can keep it hooked up to the Sega CD, and use my Model 1 for overclocking, the occasional SMS, etc.

 

...they accidentally sent me a Model 1 AC adapter though, so I'm waiting for the other one in the mail. I guess now I've got an extra for the Sega CD

[+remowilliams]

I've been using M30s for years now as the go to classic controller for things not requiring analog sticks.  Very pleased with them.

[Asaki]

Hmm...are my CD-Rs just too old (probably going on 20 years now), or do I need to recap my Sega CD?

 

Most games are working, but they'll just stop loading once you reach a certain point.

[DragonGrafx-16]

2 hours ago, Asaki said:

Hmm...are my CD-Rs just too old (probably going on 20 years now), or do I need to recap my Sega CD?

 

Most games are working, but they'll just stop loading once you reach a certain point.

Was about to ask if you were playing any imports since this system is region locked but this doesn't sound like that.

[Asaki]

6 hours ago, DragonGrafx-16 said:

Was about to ask if you were playing any imports since this system is region locked but this doesn't sound like that.

I didn't try any of the imports (wherever I put them), but I patched all of those to US region before burning.

I suppose I should probably open it up and take a peek. I think it needs a new save battery, too.

[DragonGrafx-16]

8 minutes ago, Asaki said:

I didn't try any of the imports (wherever I put them), but I patched all of those to US region before burning.

I suppose I should probably open it up and take a peek. I think it needs a new save battery, too.

I think about getting a Sega CD, but currently the my Duo RX is scratching the 16bit CD games itch for me.

[Steven Pendleton]

Don't get a Mega-CD or Sega CD. They are unreliable and annoying. The only positive thing that they really do is look cool, at least in the case of the original Mega-CD (and the RG-M1 Wondermega, but you're not going to see many of those and you won't want one once you see the price and the fact that they don't have RGB video). Use one of those ODE cartridges instead. I dump my own Mega-CD games and put them on there.

[Asaki]

I've had mine for a long time now, but these days, it'd be easier to just emulate it on the Wii. Just gotta get an adapter to connect Genesis controllers.

[mr jones]

Hi y'all.

 

I'm really enjoying the Genesis right now.  It doesn't have the utter renaissance that the Atari 2600 is having, but it is fun to see new games come out for it, and I've had a reason to pull out actual hardware instead of an emulation device like the Raspberry Pi.

I'll be playing Doom 32x Resurrection and Virtua Racing on the Pi after I get done with the new games that I've started playing.

 

Currently going through:

Attack of the Petscii Robots - Don't know how much time I'll give to this, the scrolling is AWFUL, and those robots are kicking my ass...

Tanzer - Your avatar seems like he's faster than everything, including my reflexes. Fun use of the Genesis color palette.

The Cursed Knight - DUDE.  I want what the devs were smoking when they made this game. The story makes ZERO sense, but they did some awesome graphical tricks, and the gameplay is fun.

Xeno Crisis - Beautiful game.  I get destroyed after level 3, however. My reflexes simply aren't as good as they used to be.

 

I still have Darius, Pier Solar, and Ultracore to play through as well!  OH!  And I should go after Life on Mars.

 

It's wild to have a backlog of Genesis games in the 21st century.

[Bloodreign]

Got a Mega Drive baseball game on the way, Namco's Kyukai Douchuuki, uses the sprites from their action horror game, Yokai Douchuuki. The game itself is cute, the sprites chibified, seems to play just like their Famista series.

[newtmonkey]

Goodbye MD2, hello MD1

I decided to switch my Mega Drive 2 out for my trusty old Mega Drive 1.  My MD2 is actually one of the better ones; decent composite video (colors slightly saturated, color fringing slightly more noticeable) and decent audio (just a bit muffled compared with a good MD1).  However, I've recently been playing my console games hooked up to my hi-fi system, and I felt like I missing out on the superior audio of the MD1... so I made the switch.

 

I'm glad I did, because the MD1 looks and sounds nicer than I remember.  Colors seemed more balanced and natural, color fringing was less of a problem, and the better quality audio is much more noticeable on a nice audio system.

 

Getting Mega Turrican to work on a JPN MD1

I ran into one problem: Mega Turrican (US) kept freezing/crashing seconds into the first level on my JPN MD1, using either the MegaSD, Mega EverDrive, or Mega EverDrive Pro.  The game works fine using any of these on my JPN MD2.  I figured it might be a region bypass issue, so I looked into it a bit, and found a list of Game Genie region bypass codes.  I entered the code for Mega Turrican in my Mega EverDrive Pro, and that solved it!

 

If anyone else has the same issue:

- If Mega Turrican (running on a ROM cart) freezes seconds into the first level, just add the following GG code:

TABT-A456

 

My recommended settings for MD on RetroTINK-5X Pro (composite video)

I know, no one wants to use composite.  However, I do.  I'm constantly tweeking my settings, and I think I've finally found some settings that look quite good.

 

[Standard Definition Decoder]

Y/C Filter: "Notch"

- The 4L settings look a lot smoother at first, but are actually way too blurry and very problematic.  "Adaptive" causes corruption between certain colors, while "Fixed" creates ugly combing artifacts.  "Notch" is sharp, clear, and stable, but makes the composite color fringing very noticeabl (ugly)

[Post-Processing]

+Pre-emph: "-5"

- This is how you fix the color fringing. It blurs the image, but not as much as the 4L filter settings.

 

With this, composite on the MD actually looks quite decent.  Not quite up there with the PCE, but pretty close to the quality of FC/SFC composite video.

Edited March 12, 2023 by newtmonkey

[newtmonkey]

Shining Force

I decided to take a short break from RPGs and give the tactical RPG genre a look.  I haven't played many games in this genre... I put a few hours into Final Fantasy Tactics on the PSX, and have played around with games like Ogre Battle, Fire Emblem (GBA), and the Tactics Ogre remake on PSP.  I never really was able to maintain much interest in these.

 

I had only intended on giving Shining Force a quick try, but found myself becoming very addicted, very quickly, and got through Chapter 1 in a single day consisting of a few sessions.  I like how you are slowly given new units as the game progresses, instead of being overwhelmed with a massive army all at once, or having to create an army from scratch without knowing how the works yet.  It's very simple, but the game's simplicity is in its favor imo.  It's actually quite refreshing not to have to micromanage your party/army, since they just have four equipment slots (mostly used for items), and each character has a fixed class (though I know you can upgrade classes later).  Even the combat itself is very simple, with less of a focus on different abilities and modifiers, and more of a focus on making use of choke points and "divide and conquer" tactics.

 

One other great feature: if you lose a battle, you retain any levels (maybe also experience) you gained.  This takes the sting out of losing a battle 10-15 minutes in.  Having said that, I've only lost one battle so far (the first one lol... I didn't realize I had a healer...).

 

I must also praise the battle scene graphics.  They look so good, that it's hard to believe the game actually runs in the low-res 256x224 mode.  It's hard to believe there are only 61 colors onscreen at a time, as the graphics are so colorful but there's very little if any dithering, just solid color choices and artwork.  The field graphics don't fare as well, being very blocky and plain... but the field is very "readable" (even using composite video!) with each unit in full-color and looking unique, so I can't complain too much.

 

Fantastic game!  It's nice to know I've got several more games in the series to look forward to once I've completed this.

[Steven Pendleton]

The best Mega Drive I have ever used is still the Mega Jet, which is technically a Mega Drive 2. The video quality is almost as good as the Mega Sg, as it has some very slight jailbars, but only in very specific colors like light brown, and the audio is insane. Everybody always says the Mega Drive 2 sucks, but that's because they haven't played the Mega Jet. It can even do Mark III and Master System games and also CD audio from the MegaSD without any mods, unlike the Nomad. The thing is a beast, but actually playing it gets awkward after a while.

[Asaki]

On 3/11/2023 at 8:59 PM, newtmonkey said:

I figured it might be a region bypass issue, so I looked into it a bit, and found a list of Game Genie region bypass codes.  I entered the code for Mega Turrican in my Mega EverDrive Pro, and that solved it!

Try this program: https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/1054/

It will patch GG codes directly to the ROM

[zylon]

been playing some of the shmups, that I have actual carts for. Mostly Bio Hazard Battle, one we had since the 90s, but Twin Cobra, Battle Squadron, and TF2 mixed in. Still can make progress in BHB, almost get to something in TC, nowhere in the others, lol.