Bringing Past To Present
Archive for February, 2011
Past and Present
Feb 25th
In this week’s retro column, the Retro Bear goes on a rant about the fine line when deeming a game or games system to be truly retro, and shows he is quite happy playing new generation console games just as much as the old ones…
Originally Posted to GameFancier.com on October 26th 2010
Scouring the internet recently it amazes me just how much of a debate classifying retro games actually provokes. Try telling someone that the PS1 is retro and you are likely to get a volley of abuse in return. Surely a console 15 years in existence deserves to be tagged as retro ? After all it was released before the N64, yet that is deemed to be retro. I can’t really work out what the difference is and can only presume it’s because the PS1 is CD based as opposed to the trusty old cartridge. More >
Tripping Down Memory Lane Again..
Feb 25th
The Retro Bear looks back at the second stage of his retrohood, including those all important first encounters with Mario Kart and Street Fighter II without the aid of rose tinted spectacles….
Originally Posted to GameFancier.com on October 12th 2010
Lame gamesplayers need not apply
My knowledge of game consoles was rather poor when I was younger and just discovering games. Spoiled with the Amiga 500 you came to believe that anything on that machine was arcade perfect, and you sneered at the mention of anything to do with Sega and Nintendo. How wrong we all were – by the mid 90′s home computing, as it was known, was restricted to slow running PC games (and most of those games were flight simulators, ideal if you fancied a career as a pilot) and consoles such as the Mega Drive and Super Nintendo were the must haves.
My mate Jim got me interested in the console side of things. He originally had a Master System and raved about the delights of Psycho Fox and Shinobi, all titles that were not available on the home computers. I even made him an offer to buy the console and games off him for £10 a week, but he was unsurprisingly dismissive of the proposal. He then upgraded to a Mega Drive and was the only person I knew (and still know) to have a Mega CD. More >
Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast) – RetroSpective
Feb 25th
In response to the release of Sonic Adventure on XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3, the Retro Bear looks back at the original on the much maligned Sega Dreamcast and asks “Was it really worth it?”
Originally Posted to GameFancier.com on September 26th 2010
Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast)
I have made it clear before that I am not a massive fan of older games being updated for the next generation of gamers. Quite frankly, if something ain’t broke, why the hell would you try to fix it? I understand we are now in an age where the likes of After Burner can be given that treatment, but they end up look like a Next-Gen game more than the original game they were based on. Then again, you might play the original and try to understand what all the fuss was about in the first place. More >
Retro Memories
Feb 25th
This week after an enforced break due to work commitments and a bout of Bear Flu, the Retro Bear takes on a voyage of gaming discovery, which will probably run into another couple of columns…..
Originally Posted to GameFancier.com on September 21st 2010
I thought that this week it might be a good idea to do a spot of reminiscing and hark back to when I first discovered computer games. Yes, the days when chicken really did taste like chicken, cans of coke were 25p from the shop on the way home from school and smoking a cigarette on the sly seemed like you were doing something incredibly naughty. How times have changed – chicken now tastes like water flavoured chicken, I haven’t bought a can of coke in years and after dropping a packet of 20 in the street the other night, realising 10 minutes later what I’d done and retracing my steps, found them on the floor unopened. More >
Retro To The Rescue!
Feb 25th
After seeing the PS3 disintegrate into some sort of yellowy death light thing, this week The Retro Bear ponders the usage of something big, strong, sturdy and black. But enough of his fantasies, it’s the Microsoft XBOX…..
Originally Posted to GameFancier.com on September 2nd 2010
Aaaaaggghhh - frustration !
What do you do when modern technology let’s you down ? Aside from curl up into the foetal position and gently rock back and forth, crying your eyes out ? Well this is the situation we had to ponder last week at Bear Towers. For all it’s all singing, all dancing capabilities for the third time in six months the PS3 packed up and refused to work. Once again we were struck down by the dreaded Yellow Light Of Death (unofficial copyright Sony circa 2007). More >
A Day In The Life..
Feb 25th
In the second part of this week’s (or should that be last week’s ?) column, the Retrobear gives you insight into the trials and tribulations of getting hold of retro games without using eBay.
Originally Posted to GameFancier.com on August 23rd 2010
OK so I am a little late, but for some reason when I wasn’t out shopping this past weekend, I either spent it eating or asleep. For those of you trying to gauge what kind of person I am, that is my perfect weekend. Too much sleep however prevented me from getting this piece up on Sunday, so let me try and recap the weekend’s events and give you a first hand view of what it’s like being a retro collector.
What treasures lurk within ? Aside from 45 copies of Jurassic Park on VHS ?
Saturday was spent trawling round the various charity shops in close proximity to home. I also happened to call into Gamestation whilst I was at it, but was distinctly unimpressed by what was on offer. I struggle to understand their pricing policy on their older games i.e. PS1. More >
Taking The List
Feb 25th
This week in the first of a two part column, the Retrobear bemoans “Top” lists and why such things are individual and unique. The second part, to be posted over the next couple of days, will definitely feature more on retro games. Honest…..
Originally Posted to GameFancier.com on August 19th 2010
How we cried at both the film and game versions of ET.
One thing I always like to scan through when getting ideas for writing a column is what other columns have done already. There is, for example, absolutely no point in me doing “My Top 50 Games” list because it’s relevant only to me. There can be no way a list I can put together will find universal approval, and is more likely have me tarred with the dribbling imbecile brush. I scan through other people’s lists with interest and have no desire to pull them apart because they believe Sonic 2 is better than Mario 64. If that’s your opinion, then that’s great and good for you. You’ll still be welcome here at Bear Towers for a cup of tea and a slice of cake. More >
Russian Roulette of Retro
Feb 25th
Originally Posted to GameFancier.com on August 13th 2010
The good old C64
This week, as promised, we embark on something new. Something I hope you will find as enjoyable as I do, and if you don’t then we’ll call the whole thing off and promise never to mention it again. This is what being a gamer is all about ; the variety of choice, the thrill of trying something new and coming across the gems and the gallstones that lurk within the confines of your gaming cupboard. Yes folks, it’s random gaming (which one could alike to a rather weird form of speed dating) More >
Holiday Handhelds
Feb 25th
he Retrobear packs up his trunk (I know its not Retroelephant) for a short break. This leaves him contemplating which retro handheld to take and also the future, which is a rather odd combination, don’t you think?
Originally Posted to GameFancier.com on August 5th 2010
The only handheld you'll ever need
As I’m embarking on a short weekend, the old column inches have taken a hit somewhat. I have had to balance getting all my holiday gear ready against writing this weekly piece for my fan in Rotherham. If I don’t get either right then I am on a hiding to nothing. So, this week if you will allow me to indulge in a few snippets of wisdom, I promise for next week that normal service shall be resumed. More >
Top Movie Games Part 3: The 2000′s
Feb 25th
Encroaching on this generation, did modern technology make games based on movies any better? The RetroBear played a few of the more notable ones and shares his wisdom, although you probably don’t need to be an expert to be wary of Star Wars games.
Originally Posted to GameFancier.com on July 30th 2010
Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga
The decade known as the Noughties (or to any sane member of the general population, the years 2000 onwards) saw as many games released tied into films as there were the previous decade. The quality should have improved, given the capabilities of consoles and handhelds. The last generation of consoles were about to be put aside and we embarked on a new digital age, at the end of which PlayStation would be on mark 3, Nintendo would have introduced us to motion-sensing gaming and Xbox…..well would still be Xbox, just a more powerful version. More >