STG

Too Much of a Good Thing

Classic cute-’em-up Cotton is getting a reboot! Titled, appropriately enough, Cotton Reboot, and including the original X68000 version (which is pretty identical to the arcade version, from what I can tell) as well as an HD remake, the game is being issued by BEEP for PS4 and Switch in a variety of configurations. I’m excited!

By “a variety of configurations,” I mean a standard game-only edition, a box set including all sorts of bonus items, and a dee-luxe edition with all the box set stuff plus a cool throwback X68000-style case.

The X68000 version is the one I would love to have, but ultimately, I opted to buy just the game by itself. Why tho?

Continue reading →

November 25, 2020 0

Arcade 1up Tate Mode Mod

Here’s a project I’ve been wanting to do for a while now, and I finally made it happen!

I’ve been keeping an eye on the Arcade 1up machines since they started improving them, and they’ve become quite popular among gamers for their easy mod-ability…modibility…mod…er…moddib…

They’re easy to put a Raspberry Pi in.

What I really wanted to do, though, was a tate mode, or vertical, version, with the idea of playing vertical shmups and old school games like Pac-Man and Galaga full-screen. Well, the Space Invaders Arcade 1up is the most affordable of all the A1up products, and I was up for a project, so away we go!

I made this video to show it off and explain some of my choices, which may seem a bit odd at first but make sense to me. Enjoy, and don’t forget to like and subscribe!

I took a lot of photos of the actual process, which I think may become a feature in issue 4 of the Retro Game SuperHyper fanzine, so if you’re interested in the guts of the project, look for that next January!

September 8, 2020 0

Let’s Hear It For M2!

If you haven’t seen the M2 documentary on YouTube by My Life In Gaming, watch it first, then come back for this article. Also, make sure to hit the Like button and subscribe to MLIG to show your appreciation! If you have seen the doc, read on!

Wasn’t that great?

For years, gamers have raved about the work M2 has done in bringing arcade games to home consoles with amazing accuracy and a wealth of added options, customizations, and assorted bells and whistles. And now, thanks to this new documentary, we know a little more about who is behind all that meticulous work: A bunch of crazy hardcore game nerds, that’s who. My kinda people! …and if you’re reading this, probably yours too.
Continue reading “Let’s Hear It For M2!” →

May 24, 2019 0

Joystickery, Part II

I did a whole blog post a while back about how much I love joysticks/arcade sticks/fightsticks. (Actually, I don’t play a ton of fighters these days, so I guess for me they’re more “shmupsticks.”) Whatever you want to call that slab of arcade-perfect precision control, I have added them to most of my game consoles, and they’ve enhanced my enjoyment of shmups, fighters, and arcade classics immensely.

So when I realized that I had a handful of shmups on the PlayStation 4, I started to want to add an arcade stick to that platform as well. Then I picked up the Street Fighter II 30th Anniversary Collection, and remembered how much I HATE playing Street Fighter games with a pad, so that made up my mind in a hurry: time to shop for a PS4 stick.

But in this day and age of cool custom arcade sticks, I knew one thing: it couldn’t be just ANY arcade stick.

Continue reading “Joystickery, Part II” →

July 29, 2018 1

Why Shmups?

It seems that no matter what game genre we “retro” or “classic” gamers may cite as our favorite — be it platformers, maze games, puzzle games, fighting games, etc. — the shmup, or shootemup, or STG, or shooting game, or scrolling shooter, or whatever you want to call it, is almost universally revered. Despite the various strengths and weaknesses of individual titles, the shmup, as a genre, seems to be beyond reproach for many retro gamers.

Whyzzat?? Continue reading “Why Shmups?” →

June 29, 2018 3