09 March 2011

Cart Classics - Episode 1: The Retron 3

Here it is -- a first in many aspects.  It's the first video for me, Geek Streak, and my new segment, Cart Classics, where I look at video games for old school home consoles.  Though the title does denote that most of the games will be cartridge based, I'll also delve into the early days of CD-Rom games.

Today, let's take a look at some new hardware I got.  Clone consoles have been a fairly recent option for classic gamers with consoles that have seen better days.  While they started out being a bit sketchy, when it comes to working properly, these clones seem to have taken major leaps.  Case in point: the Retron 3 is only one of two clone consoles that can play NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis, with ports for all your original controllers.  But is this console good enough for you to warrant a purchase?  Click play and find out.



One thing I will elaborate on -- the sound on the SNES can range from tolerable at low volume to downright horrible, depending on the game.  The volume level for the emulation is so high that it can distort the music to the point of ear-bleeding bad.  The worst case scenario doesn't happen often, but it does happen.  For instance, the soundtrack in Darius Twin is pure audio torture (though, I'll admit, it wasn't all that great, to begin with).  You practically have to turn it down until it's almost inaudible, and that's annoying.  Despite that, the games run great on the Retron 3, so it's a perfectly viable option if you don't have the money to purchase all three systems.

Check out the list of all the games I own for the three systems after the jump.  Yes, they all work with the Retron 3.

NES
  • Air Fortress
  • Astyanax
  • Arkista's Ring
  • Crystalis
  • Dragon Warrior I, II, III, and IV
  • Gradius
  • Guardian Legend
  • Journey to Silius
  • Legacy of the Wizard
  • Life Force
  • Ninja Crusaders
  • Pro Wrestling
  • R.C. Pro-Am
  • Rescue: The Embassy Mission
  • Rocket Ranger
  • Shadow of the Ninja
  • Skate or Die
  • Trojan

SNES
  • 7th Saga
  • Actraiser
  • Axelay
  • Cybernator
  • Darius Twin
  • Gradius III
  • Illusion of Gaia
  • Inindo: Way of the Ninja
  • Knights of the Round
  • Mario Paint
  • Rival Turf
  • SimEarth
  • Starfox
  • Super Bomberman
  • Super Game Boy
  • Super Godzilla
  • Super Mario World
  • Super Valis IV
  • Ultraman
  • U.N. Squadron

Genesis

  • 6-Pak (Sonic the Hedgehog, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, Revenge of Shinobi, Columns, Super Hang-On)
  • Alien Storm
  • Blades of Vengeance
  • Cadash
  • Captain America and the Avengers
  • Haunting (Starring Polterguy)
  • Last Battle
  • Mazin Saga: Mutant Fighter
  • Mystic Defender
  • Road Rash
  • Road Rash II
  • Shadowrun
  • Sub Terrania
  • Sword of Sodan
  • Valis
  • Valis III
  • Ys III
  • Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Of course, I'll be expanding my collection as time goes by, so I'll keep you informed on what games I get and whether they work.
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3 comments:

  1. StrangerMarch 10, 2011 at 9:25 PM

    God I want one of these.

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  2. BoogMarch 15, 2011 at 8:10 PM

    First, I second the Stranger. Second, I love your game collection. Small, but to the point, which is concentrated awesome. I'm surprised the system didn't explode from the sheer joy of rendering some of them. Gradius III especially. Although I must ask, why Ultraman? I remember renting that from Blockbuster back in the day, due to being pleasantly surprised by the dubbed live action show, and remember it being, well, utter crap. But I wasn't any good at fighting games then, so maybe I'm wrong.

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  3. AnacronusMarch 15, 2011 at 11:03 PM

    My collection of video games actually stems from quite a few sources. Some of these games I've had since they first came out, such as The 7th Saga. Others I got when I started getting more serious about collecting around 2005, some of which I still haven't found in this mess, so I may have even more. I took a hiatus when the Wii and the Virtual Console came out, which, ultimately, was a bit of a letdown. A lot of these games, though, are recent acquisitions.

    As far as Ultraman is concerned, someone actually gave that game to me a long time ago. Is it a crappy game? It's not a great game, but it's okay. It is difficult to master. I used to have a hard time with it. Believe it or not, my brother and I beat it, once. When I put it in to test it on the Retron 3, I found myself doing really well on the game - better than I usually do. It's not your typical fighting game and it's not an easy game, but I still get an itching to play it, from time to time.

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