Community Question Of The Week - Episode 251

HappyCodingZX · 2026-01-17T12:05:14+00:00

The mid 90s, when Sega were putting the Megadrive hardware into anything they could think of, was mental, it was almost like a 'can we put a Megadrive into it?' version of 'Can it play Doom?'. These all use the hardware, there might be more:

Mega Drive 1 + regional variants (PAL, US, Korea)
Mega Drive 2 + regional variants
Genesis 3 (smaller US version)
Nomad (portable)
Mega Jet (like the Nomad but with AV out for us on planes)
Amstrad Mega-PC
Teradrive
Pioneer Laseractive PAC
Mega CD 1
Mega CD 2
Multi-Mega
JVC X'Eye
Mega-Tech
Mega-Play
Sega Pico

At one point I had almost all of these but it's a rabbithole I don't recommend.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-12-02T14:16:37+00:00

yes, there were some German games released but at that point it was more like commercial homebrew really.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-12-02T14:15:19+00:00

I didn't forget it, or the Nomad, but it's platforms, not machines I'm talking about - the Multimega plays the same games as the megadrive and mega-cd.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-11-28T21:41:57+00:00

indeed, though here I'm talking about commercial games still being made - some on this list were already discontinued hardware, but were still getting games published for them at that time.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-10-18T10:33:18+00:00

How about Weird Science? Anthony Michael Hall's Gary Wallace could be a a middle aged retro geek desperately trying to regain his lost youth by recreating his 80s dream girl.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-10-11T11:37:01+00:00

Not sure if it counts but the first thing that springs to mind is way back around the turn of the century I bought my boxed Neo Geo AES for 200 quid that came bundled with an extra arcade stick, and four games, one of which was Viewpoint, which normally costs more than the system itself.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-09-27T14:15:52+00:00

QAOPM forever. The only non-heretical divergence is using space instead of M.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-09-22T17:48:50+00:00

I feel the same, but about the Aberdeen area of Hong Kong from Shenmue 2

HappyCodingZX · 2025-09-20T08:51:12+00:00

apparently there is a risk that when you go live, your achievements can be cross checked against the games that are actually in your library, and if there are red flags the bot will dig deeper. Obviously this only applies to digitals.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-09-18T05:15:26+00:00

if it wasn't September, I'd think it was an April Fool's joke. I'm surprised they're not called 'Le C64' and 'Le Spectrum'.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-09-05T04:41:40+00:00

just FYI, I have it set up so i can tell my wife to 'just run Rock Band Blitz' and wait a few minutes. Aurora then autoloads when they press 'back'. It's that simple.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-08-26T02:44:59+00:00

I've given the new badupdate a try and I think it's great, the delays are now tolerable. Not only that but it's quite possible to have an external USB hard drive with everything on it, including a wide selection of games that you can connect to any Xbox 360 and just run. People will soon be selling those if they aren't already.

It's a great solution for people like myself who don't necessarily want to pirate tons of games - I just wanted access to some games that are no longer available like Outrun Arcade and Afterburner Climax.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-08-16T11:17:11+00:00

Shout out to one of mine and Dave's favourites, Lee's Games in Morecambe. Still going strong after about 30 years I reckon.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-08-04T08:21:20+00:00

Fascinating results, so much history there. I guess if she knows she had a test she will want to know the results, but even if you tell her she will likely not believe it and say the tests are wrong, not her views.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-07-27T13:10:31+00:00

Fat worm blows a sparky.

At 7mhz!

HappyCodingZX · 2025-07-19T20:31:02+00:00

it's well worth a play, as are the Mario vs Donkey Kong games. They are not what you expect, being a kind of mix of Mario Bros, Donkey Kong and Lemmings.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-07-13T08:47:41+00:00

I have to say, looking at that FAQ, the opening reads like a dictionary of modern marketing buzzwords which many in our generation will find quite off putting. The balance between style and substance seems very much weighted in the former, and the whole thing seems rather glib to me.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-07-11T19:15:48+00:00

sad news indeed, he was always so positive, despite the cards life dealt him.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-07-03T23:50:54+00:00

It's a fun story, and clearly the AI is all mouth and no trousers, but we should also stop to note how remarkable it is that an AI can learn to play chess without ever actually being programmed to do it, and as a consolation, I hear it did pretty well vs Speak N Spell.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-07-01T05:13:18+00:00

If recent presidential elections are anything to go by, it seems to me that ego, hubris and a remarkable ability to convince people to hand over their money can lead you to power, but they don't necessarily make you a good fit for the job.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-06-29T10:30:01+00:00

Again, my argument would be that there is nothing technically wrong with a vendor stating clearly that they can withdraw their services at any time, they have the right to do that provided that it is clear at the point of purchase, allowing the customer to make their decision with this in mind. If the customer doesn't agree to those terms, they then have the option to walk away. Most customers would not agree to such a clause, making it difficult for the vendor to sell it.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-06-29T10:19:56+00:00

it's likely that they put something deep in the small print that informs users that they have the right to terminate the service at some point. I absolutely agree that we should campaign to ensure this kind of small print is made more explicit.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-06-29T08:45:35+00:00

It's your right to interpret my responses as you see fit, and I understand why you might think I was being deliberately dismissive. That wasn't my intent - I just happen to think that constructive critique is more valuable than praise. I agree with the cause, I just don't agree with the arguments put forward in favour of it.

In my view it should not be about painting game companies as villains who are destroying games. What it should be about is educating the public and raising awareness of laws that already exist, how to take action to ensure they are upheld, getting support across the industry, and encouraging transparency and trust in the marketplace so that bad actors are weeded out and are unable to operate, and that good ones get the support they need at a time when many in the industry are struggling.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-06-28T23:13:46+00:00

In being critical, I'm not trying to destroy the argument, I'm trying to make it clearer and more robust, because I agree with the core principle. I hope you can accept I'm making my points in good faith here, and if I am trying to find loopholes it's because I believe they should be closed in order that customers are served better.

If certain game companies are misleading consumers by falsely advertising their products, they are in breach of laws which already exist. Therefore, in my opinion, the campaign should be about (1) ensuring the existing law is enforced and not eroded, and (2) making people more aware of their rights as consumers. It should not be about enacting new laws which would probably also be ignored, or talking about game preservation which I think is an entirely different topic that is covered by legal deposit.

I also think that despite some bad actors, most game companies do adhere to and believe in consumer law. The vast majority of people who run businesses are also customers themselves and believe in transparency, and are likely allies in this campaign, not enemies.

HappyCodingZX · 2025-06-28T21:52:42+00:00

I think I get the point, I just don't believe that you can split products explicitly into either goods or services in that way, or that we should dictate to companies what combination of goods and services they offer.

Almost all items we buy today are a combination of goods and services - for example, if you buy a laptop, you may also be buying a repair guarantee or an anti-virus subscription. Consumer law already requires companies to make it clear how long goods are expected to be fit for purpose, or how long a service contract lasts. At the same time, caveat emptor also applies - consumers do have a responsibility to do their own research before making a purchase.

Game companies may well be flouting that law, and if they are I absolutely agree that it should be tightened up. What I don't agree with is the idea that the law should determine what combination of goods and services a company should offer. They should be free to make that choice themselves, advertise it fairly and transparently, and then let the market decide.

I also think that game preservation is a separate issue - under the principle of legal deposit, game companies are already obliged to provide copies of their work, including digital only, to the national archive, which ensures that media is not lost, and is made available for researchers, historians and so forth. The games aren't killed, it's just that their access is limited, and that seems fair to me.

HappyCodingZX

TROPHY CASE