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Playstation Shoot' em Ups!
The Sony Playstation was the hands-down winner of the 5th generation console wars between the Sega Saturn and N64. Objectively, based on sales, there was no comparison. It wasn't my favorite console of...
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MODE: The Multi Optical Disc Emulator Review for Saturn and Dreamcast
As video game consoles age, they are more prone to failure, especially when moving parts are involved. The more complex the console's design, the more susceptible it is. As such, the lasers in optical...
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Beta Review: The PolyMega Multi-Console Base Unit
The PolyMega is a multi-system emulation console. It natively plays CD games for Playstation, Sega CD, Turbo Grafx CD, Neo Geo CD, and Sega Saturn, for all regions. Also available are cartridge...
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Review: The Brook PS3/PS4 to Mega Drive (Genesis) to to PC Engine Super...
The Mega Drive and PC Engine are known for their shoot 'em ups. While arcade sticks are now in vogue for shooters, there weren't a lot of arcade sticks available back in the heyday of these systems, at...
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My Console Setup in 2020
2020. Year of the pandemic. There's not much great news going around, so I'll write something that makes me happy: retro gaming consoles. Each year brings some adjustments, refinements, and...
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Rare (?) Clamshell Variant of John Madden Football for Sega Genesis
 I was running an errand one day in a town that I don't normally drive to, as it is out of the way. I happened upon a Half Price Books store, and figured, why not check it out. This one was larger than...
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Retro Shooters for Beginners
Shoot 'em ups, shooters, or "shmups" are two-dimensional games that involve some flying ship that shoots at lots of enemies. They are were one of the most popular genres of video games historically,...
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Review: The MISTer FPGA
As the concept of retro gaming has matured over the past twenty or so years, the popularity and demand for retro consoles and games has reached new heights. With so much awareness of the great games of...
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Review: Polymega Element Modules
I reviewed the Polymega base unit when it was sent to beta testers a while back, and now I have the final retail release, along with the four element modules (EM). To get caught up with the details of...
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The State of My Retro Game Collecting
There's a saying that your life changes when you have kids, and that's no lie. All for the better of course, and one side effect of that is you truly become a home-body. After the kids go to bed in...
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The RetroUsb AVS and the Analogue NT Mini Noir
The RetroUSB AVS is a modern clone console of a Nintendo Entertainment System, featuring an FPGA (field programmable gate array) chip that could simulate console hardware in real time with no lag. My...
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Letting Go of Original Hardware?
CRT setupWhen I got back into gaming in 2002, I didn't have my original consoles from my childhood. I went to the local Gamestop and picked up an NES, Genesis, and a box of games. This was right around...
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Sega Genesis Black Grid Subset Complete!
When I first got back into retrogaming, my first goal was to reacquire the games I had as a kid. That didn't take long, as I just didn't own that many games. My strongest gaming memories were with the...
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Some of My Favorite Retro Gaming Podcasts
There are a lot of retro gaming podcasts out there. I have dabbled in and out of many over the years, and I find myself liking the following podcasts, for different reasons. Some are primarily...
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Brook Adapters: Using Modern Arcades Stick on Retro Consoles
Arcade sticks are plentiful for modern consoles, regardless of platform. Whether you own a Switch, Xbox, or Playstation, the popularity of established fighting games ensures that there will be new...
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Are Physical Game Releases Worth Buying Today?
With internet-capable consoles appearing in the seventh generation, purchasing games digitally online was realized, allowing for the convenience of buying and playing a game without leaving the house....
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Trilogies on the Sega Genesis
To see three games form the same franchise released on a single console is now rare. It happened more frequently in the days of cartridge consoles, and was a sign of success for both the system and the...
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Retro Gaming Collections I'd Like to See Released for Modern Consoles
During this resurgence of retro game popularity, many game collections are being produced for modern consoles. Recent examples are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cowabunga Collection, Mega Man Legacy...
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Bringing 2D Shoot'em Ups (shmups) to Modern Consoles
The shoot'em up, or "shmup" genre has a history as old as video games, dating back to the 1970's with Space Invaders, Galaxian, etc. In the 1980's and 1990's, games like Gradius, R-Type, Thunder Force,...
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Arcade Sticks for the PC Engine
During the third and fourth generations, arcade sticks were available, but high quality arcade sticks were uncommon. Most people remember the NES Advantage for the NES, or the Power Stick for the...
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The Sega Genesis Mini II, the Last Mini Console?
 After a six month preorder, the Sega Genesis Mini II finally arrived at my doorstep today. Like its predecessor, it is meticulously crafted. Every detail of the original is recreated, like operating...
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Hori Retro Arcade Sticks
 The Hori Fighting Stick PCDuring the 8-bit era, arcade sticks were a niche market. Nintendo offered up the NES Advantage, which was a solid if not workmanlike option. It was heavy, with high build...
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Review: Power A Fusion Wired Fightpad for Switch and Playstation 4
With more retro game collections being published on modern consoles, comes a need for retro inspired controllers that are compatible with modern consoles. The PS5 Dualsense controller is a great...
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Japanese Mega Drive and Genesis and Art Comparison
This post is simply a collection of pictures of my Japanese Mega Drive collection, and when applicable, comparisons of artwork between North America and Japan. Enjoy!Two games that did not get western...
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Review: The Analogue Duo Console for Turbo Grafx-16, PC-Engine, and Super CD Rom
 Over the past decade, the interest in retro gaming has grown by leaps and bounds. It has grown from a niche hobby to a commercially viable sector. As legacy hardware continues to age, the availability...
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