Ristar24

@Pat84 Thanks for the info, not good, I thought PS1 Classic games you owned were supposed to be downloadable.

When I'm not at work... hopefully fit in some gaming! If so, might get back to Elden Ring, or, if feeling in a more arcade or retro mood, some Slipstream (should try to unlock the extra tracks), EDF Iron Rain, or maybe some classic Dizzy games. Also finally realised what a great arcade racer Driveclub is, took a while!

@Orpheus79V Yeah, I know, it's not fast paced and they say was for a cutscene, but listening to that tune in the sound test back in 92' and knowing it was not present in the game when I completed it. Then being aware of this lost 'Hidden Palace' level that may or may not exist (pre internet speculation), and having that unused music track... I always think of that music as the 'Hidden Palace' music, even if it was never intended to be. Its dreamy, atmospheric sound, probably contributed to the mystery!

These things happen, I'm willing to accept OutRun gets rereleased without the Testarossa a-like car sprite, just glad they can keep the game for sale (though I have the Japanese Saturn version for that 'true' arcade look). I have Sonic Jam and the Mega Collection, if I need Sonic 3 with the original tunes.

I wonder if they will use the unused track 10 from Sonic 2 somewhere, which we all thought at the time was the Hidden palace tune. I would have preferred if that track was used for Hidden Palace in the mobile version, rather than the two player Mystic Cave music.

@gingerfrog I remember playing Operation Thunderbolt in the arcade as a kid, was amazing at the time. Had Operation Wolf on my C64 and was good even there, with a joystick!

I had House of the Dead on my Saturn, with the light gun. Bad graphics, but gameplay was a good match for the arcade. I was great at the arcade game at the time from all the Saturn practice.

If I had a PS move controller I'd try this, but never got around to purchasing one.

Its looking pretty good to me, am sure I'll be purchasing though I own so many versions already. They look like the widescreen mobile versions of the first two games, and I've seen Hidden Palace is in Sonic 2. Be interesting to see if you can remove the speed limiter in Sonic 1 as you could in the mobile version. Would have been great if they could have also added the Master System versions of the first two games, but I still have my cartridges.

I also like that remix of the Sonic World theme music from Sonic Jam!

This is one I'd hoped would get a digital release due to it's rarity. Would have been a nice bonus on the Turrican collection.

I decided to repurchase a disc of Driveclub, as felt like playing an arcade racer. Still had the DLC installed and retrieved my cloud save from 2015, the game is still a lot of fun. Also bought EDF Iron Rain on sale, seems OK, different to the Sandlot games, but still enjoyable.

@JamieO I would pick up the Wonderboy Collection but price is a bit steep, I feel it should include Master System version of Monster Land and the Dragon's Trap as standard, even in this limited digital release version. I might wait for a sale on that one.

Started to play HeroQuest on the Amiga which, despite the simple graphics and sound, I've found to be really atmospheric.

Still playing Slipstream about a month or so after release on PS4 and Switch. Probabaly one of my favourite checkpoint racers in years, the super scaler graphics with OutRun 2 drifing, and SEGA references... it's just a great arcade racer.

If I have more time, I still have Elden Ring and Horizen to get back to.

If any, will be the basic 'Essential'. To be honest, I don't even seem to download or play the monthly games much now anyway, I was thinking of letting my subscription expire. Pleased to hear my old PS1 / PSP purchases may come back on PS4 though.

Suprised with this, after buying some PS2 games again on PS4 and PS3. I own quite a few PS1 and PSP games digitally. A good move from Sony.

The A500 mini recieved a firmware update to correct the joystick fire button mapping, and adding multi disk ADF support. Will be playing Some Lotus Turbo 2 and 3, and try out some other games and demos I have in ADF format from old Retro Gamer cover discs. Also picked up A Boy and his Blob on Switch, I never completed the on Will, but its a nice little platform puzzler and well suited to portable play

If have time, will also continue with some Horizen on PS4.

Not much of a collection in digital form, I have the other games in various formats. Also, no Dragon's Trap is a big omission from a collection (I realise there is the nice new version, but should still be here).

@Luigia Ha, no, though I do still play C64 games. I'll get a PS5 certainly in time, partly as I have a big digital Library so makes sense to move over to 'next gen' and I am interested to see what the new technology can do. I just feel the generational leap seems less impressive to me than in the past, or perhaps my taste has changed over time. I bought a Switch Lite and I really enjoy the console, even though it's technically limited.

@Ryany Fair point, I hear the controller is really something else. I will look to get the new console, but it's not compelling me at the moment. Its up to publishers really, once they move on and stock is more readily available, I'll be more compelled to get the new console. In the meantime, as games are BC, I'm still buying games on PlayStation to carry forward.

Once I can walk into a shop and buy a PS5... I'm not really as hyped for the new console now though, after a year and a half. I'm fine playing Elden Ring and Horizon on PS4 for the moment, they still look great.

When I look back on going from Atari 2600, to C64, to Mega Drive, to Saturn / PS1, to Dreamcast / GameCube / PS2 / Xbox then PS3 and PS4. Those earlier 'next gen' games if ported to the older consoles or computers did not compare. The difference now seems to be mostly about resolution, framerate, and visual effects.

Maybe on the cutting edge of graphics you can say the PS4 is holding things back, but technically advanced graphics and visual spectacle are only one aspect of what I enjoy about video games.

I did have Lego Star Wars, but I traded it in. I think I've just played too many of the Lego games over the years. I also encountered a progress halting glitch and spent time trying to 'solve' it before looking up onine and realising was a glitch. Worked after resetting a check point, but then encountered another sticking point that seemed like another glitch and moved back to Elden Ring. Thats happened to me playing previous Lego games and seemed the same story here.

I did recently purchase Horizon, but will be playing on the good old PS4 for the moment, in lieu of the new console. Glad to see Elden Ring still selling, though reminds me I also need to play it at some point. Only found time to play 10 or so hours since launch, and the game seems vast.

Managed to get ADF files working on the A500 mini, so may play some Lotus Turbo Challenge 2-3. Also have some other Amiga games from old Retro Gamer cover discs I have to try out. On PS4 will might try and play some more Elden Ring, but also started Horizen: Forbidden West.

I was honestly disappointed with the third game, I still own the first two for Dreamcast and I think they were better than the third, I thought they were great at the time. The fighting was better, you didn't lose health by just running. I've yet to finish the third though I have a 'day one' edition, I got to a particular battle after a long series of fetch quests that I couldn't win, and just gave up. After waiting years for the continuation of the story, Shenmue 3 made me lose interest instead. I may try finish the third game at some point, but I'm not anticipating a sequel in the same way any more.

Picked up some new games this week, Horizon: Forbidden West on PS4, Stanley Parable on Switch. I really liked the first Horizon, felt like I was fighting Zoids. Only played a bit of the intro, but looks really good even on PS4. Also bought low budget 1st person Dungeon Crawler Heros of the Monkey Tavern on Switch as was so cheap in a sale. I am a fan of 1st person, grid based dungeon crawlers, ever since I played FTLs Dungeon Master on the Atari ST many years ago. That style of game is a rare genre these days, particularly on consoles. Not a great game, but well suited to portable play on Switch.

Tha Saturn port looked bad, but it was pretty acurate to the arcade. I played it so much on Saturn at the time, I knew the game beat for beat at the arcade back in the late 90s.

I liked the Vita, my Switch Lite has replaced it these days though. Was happy to see Tempest 4000 show up on Switch, as I did like TxK.

@get2sammyb I'm probably more the market for these games, as I do enjoy and have collected retro games, but I'm not interested in a subscription model to play them. I really enjoy the Switch Lite as a console, but dont sub to NSO. I bought a lot of PS classics on PS3 and PS4 and I'd rather they made my digital purchases BC, or I could just buy selected games I want to play.

Those PS3 Mega Drive ports are no great loss, except Sonic CD, which is a good widescreen version, but I guess the new version is set to replace this with a similar port. Sonic and Sonic 2 on PS3 are not up to the standard of the SEGA AGES versions by M2 on Switch, they are pretty basic emulations.

A subscription is not really how I want to access retro games, I don't bother with NSO, except the odd month here or there. Plus there may be a few games here I am interested in, but I already purchased them digitally as PS1 / PS2 classics from the PS3 days. Or even PS3 games I own digitally. Would be good if I got access to those titles on PS4 / PS5 without paying an additional sub, but realise wont happen.

I've given up on PS5 for the moment, my PS4 broke about a year a ago and would have been a good time to 'upgrade', but couldn't find one so bought a new Slim and a Switch Lite. Somehow the Lite has become my main gaming device since, guess I was one of the few that wanted a Vita 2!

@JamieO Chaos Engine I've found quite difficult, 3 lives no continues, I've resorted to a few passwords online! Alien Breed, I have the Vita version too, used to like playing the enhanced version as worked well with twin sticks. Will spend some more time with the Mini, I really want them to update the Joystick controls though, having fire mapped to the right button means I can't use my 'The C64' Joystick. I do like the control pad included though. Still not beaten Platoon, but I did only finally finish 'The Great Escape' on the C64 in the last year or so, having never completed it back at the time!

@JamieO Hey, no worries, I'm still playing Slipstream! I did pick it up on PS4, but its become my go to game on the Switch Lite. There is a lot of OutRun 2 about it (even subtle things, like the way the screen slightly tilts when drifing through corners), and OutRun 2 is one of my favouite games of all time. Sadly I missed OutRun 2 online on PS3 before it was delisted, but I have the Xbox, PSP and PC versions. Slipstream passed me by until this console release, but I think its the best arcade racer I have played in a long time. I also really appreciate the SEGA references. Hope youre also enjoying the A500 mini, I'm waiting for them to add ADF files compatibility, then hopefully get the Lotus Turbo Challenge games working.

Finally picked up Little Nightmares on Switch this weekend, as was waiting for a sale. Also might play some C64 classics, one day I will beat the final level of Ocean's Platoon.

@Would_you_kindly I agree to be honest, I'd rather buy and keep a few games I really want. I only occasionally sub to Nintendo Switch online for a month, but I'd rather buy the few retro classics I want to play.

I dont have high hopes, I hope they don't force 50Hz versions into the 60Hz refresh rate, and mess up the frame pacing. They did with the PS2 classics on PS4, the PSTV, and the PS Classic. Some decent scan line options, save states, good emulation would be the minimum. Mainly, I just hope Sony will consider the 50/60Hz difference when they are desiging the new service.

I still have the Mega Drive cart for this one in my collection. It's not aged particularly well, but has a certain atmosphere despite the very small display window. There is a certain sparse charm to the radar map and limited visibility, and I like that the elevators between stages have appropriate 'elevator music', was a nice touch!

@RubyCarbuncle Ha, yes, Ghostbusters 2 was one of the worst... after 5 mins of confusing gameplay, 'rewind tape and press play'. At least games like The Last Ninja got multi load right, allowing you to keep continuing from the level you were on.

@RubyCarbuncle The Mega Drive game is OK I'd say.

Still regret paying full price for Ghostbusters 2 on my Commodore 64, it was a really bad game and by the time I got to the second level (it forced you to reload the first stage which took 5-10 mins, even if you lost there), it wouldn't load off the cassette anyway. I finally played the second stage on an emulator years later, and it was as bad as the first.

The PS3 / PS4 remaster is the best. I liked the Wii version too, but it was prone to crashing on a particular later level, and being on the Wii, it was never patched.

I see from the trailer Hidden Palace is in Sonic 2, from the mobile version. I know I'm probably going to buy this, even though I have the Japanese and PAL versions of Sonic Jam, Mega Collection, Sonic Gems, the Mega Drive Collection on PS4 and Switch, SEGA AGES versions... and my original Sonic 1 and 2 Carts from the 90s. Nostalgia gets me every time with the Hedgehog. All these options are a bit much though.

@Boldfoxrd Master System versions would be a nice addition.

@playstation1995 I liked the way the game recreated the start of the movie, then went back in time. First saw the movie on TV years ago, in the late 80s maybe, true classic.

Be interested to see what they could do with Streets of Rage, whether could replicate the visual tone of the games.

@playstation1995 The Warriors, all time classic movie, great soundtrack too.

I hope they are as good as Christian Whithead's mobile versions. I have the PAL and Japanese versions of Sonic Jam for the Saturn, and the PAL release of Mega Collection for the GameCube. Also still have the Japanese release of Sonic Gems for the GameCube, I imported it as the western versions removed the Streets of Rage games, which were a bonus in Japan. I'll probably still buy this one!

@playstation1995 The original Streets of Rage is still my favouite, 2nd game I got for my Mega Drive / Genesis after Sonic, which was the pack in game.

@JamieO Cheers, hope you have a good bank holiday too! I played a bit of Super Cars II earlier, its one I never played back in the day, but it seems fun and I like the humour. I also started playing The Lost Patrol to try out the mouse and its a really unique game, the music is excellent too. Certainly a lot of great games on the A500, even before you add any games. Once I do, will be the Lotus games from my old Retro Gamer cover disc. Would have been great of they could have included Last Ninja Remix and Dungeon Master... used to play that with my friend on his Atari ST, would have been a great choice for the Mini, but I don't think FTL even exist anymore.

I picked up Tormented Souls on Switch after completing on PS4, felt like a portable repeat play through (but miss the old 'cross buy' days with Vita). It runs surprisingly well on the Lite, though crashed once. Also still playing Slipstream on Switch / PS4, and over on the A500 mini, working my way through the league on Stunt Car Racer. I really liked the C64 game back in the day, so interesting to compare the Amiga version.
@JamieO A500 Mini is pretty good, they've put out an update for the loader, but they really need to update the firmware to reconfigure the joystick fire buttons (though I like the bundled gamepad), and I really want ADF compatibility... hopefully will see ongoing support as with the C64!

I still have my Dreamcast copies of 1 and 2 which I thought were great at the time. After so many years of anticipation I have to admit I found Shenmue 3, disappointing. I bought it at launch and I'm yet to finish the game. I've tried to get back to the game several times, but the loss of the excellent Virtua Fighter style combat, and the fact running drains your health, always see me just stop playing.

@JamieO Thanks for the heads up! I actually really like the bundled controller myself (maybe I am just used to a Playstation D-pad), and it works on the C64... There are some issues with using the C64 Joystick though, in that the fire button when used with the A500 Mini is mapped to the right fire button, it should be the left side and I can't currently figure how how to remap it! Certainty some room for improvement in the firmware.

@JamieO No worries, Retrogames offer an additional game for download with the loader in the official A500 Mini support pages, so hopefully we'll see more free games added and some good firmware updates. The Mini certainly has some quality titles out of the box, Stunt Car Racer is a favouite of mine. I added the Last Ninja games to the C64 as have fond memories of the originals, and handily I still had the game files for those too as they were given away on a Retro Gamer cover disc. The Turrican collection was really well done, it's another I bought for Switch and PS4.

With Slipstream I also picked up the PS4 version and encountered the frame Hitch Sammy described in his review when the music changes. I didn't notice that issue on Switch, so hopefully a small glitch they will patch out. Its a great arcade racer to play though, especially on a handheld in short bursts. OutRunner is one I really wish SEGA had got to with the AGES releases on Switch.

@get2sammyb After also picking the game up on PS4 I saw the same frame hitch when the music changes. I didn't notice this at all on my Switch Lite, so either the small screen is hiding it, or a bit of a bug in the PS4 version there!

@JamieO Cheers, likewise with the retro choices! Had the A500 Mini on a pre order, I actually have some ADF files from old Retro Gamer cover discs I's like to add (Lotus Turbo Trilogy), but at the moment ADF is not supported, will be in a firmware update. Quick tip for setting up the Mini, if you're formatting a USB for adding games, use one under 32GB as you'll need to format to FAT32 for the loader to be recognised. Also set to 50Hz output for an acurate refresh rate, if your display supports it. To be honest, the included games will keep me going, there are some great choices. Nice one with the Amiga related bonus! I feel its a computer I want to explore more (I had a C64 myself), and the Mini seems a good route in.

I read Sammy's review and greatly recommend Slipstream as a fan of the genre, OutRunners level 2D scaling with a drift model similar to OutRun 2. Like the best SEGA arcades, it feels like an easy game to learn, but hard to master. Plus on Switch Lite, I could play at work.

Good choices on PS4, hope you fit in some gaming time!

When not at work...playing some of the built in games on the A500 Mini, Stunt Car Racer and maybe some Chaos Engine. Also, Slipstream on Switch, as a fan of OutRun and OutRun 2, this game excels in the retro style racer genre. Possibly... more Elden Ring if I can fit it in!

I'm glad I could play a decent version of Elden Ring on my PS4 at this point. Not so bothered about Need for Speed to be honest, Heat was OK. Slipstream, that just released on Switch and PS4, is more my type of thing, a great retro style racer.

@Robocod Just bought on Switch and runs smooth, even on my Lite, hopefully means base PS4 should be good.

Played a couple of hours, this game is great, like a super scaler version of OutRun 2.

I hope they manage it, getting PS2 emulation working on PS3 once they abandoned proper backwards compatibility for later versions of the console, must have been a challenge too.

I own SpongeBob, so not a good month for me. I never seem to play the games much, as I tend to own any I was interested in.

More Elden Ring on PS4 and I might try to complete Tormented Souls, and still working through Deathtrap Dungeon trilogy on Switch, which is good nostalgic fun as I grew up with the Fighting Fantasy books. Also finally picked up Starlink on Switch as was on sale for about £12, I'm really impressed with the scope of the game and fun to play as Star Fox, even if the image quality on the Lite a bit soft.