NEO GEO X - Hardware Review by GYL Fan Andy Pryer

Neo Geo X Hardware Review

By Andy Pryer

Believe it or not, I was once a mere mortal man like you. It’s true I swear; there I was going about my daily business when the skies parted and I was singled out from the rest of the rat-race and illuminated by a brilliant shaft of light. Tykhe, the goddess of fate & fortune had finally noticed me and rewarded my patience and devotion with a brand new/old console. From that day forward, I have been a proud owner of a Neo Geo X system and my life has been changed since. So read on, mortal and I shall impart my wisdom and perhaps you too will be convinced enough to join the ranks of proud and mighty owners.

The system comes handsomely packaged in a classy black and gold box with a carry handle, just the thing for storing and transporting it about should the need for either arise.  The box contains everything you’ll need to get started including an HDMI cable and some rather fetching stickers found in the back of the manual. They’re not strictly necessary, but they’re a nice touch and I like stickers.

The console itself is well made enough although it feels a bit on the light side because it’s larger than it needs to be to contain the components. It’s mostly hollow as it’s been designed as a replica of the home console of legend, but it’s still fairly compact, around the size of a Mega Drive II, but nicer to look at.  It has a nice matt finish and feels like it’s made of a fairly good quality plastic.  It certainly doesn’t look cheap or out of place under the TV.

Connecting the console to the TV is a straightforward affair: video, power, done. Now although I blame myself completely, I must confess to being quite disappointed when first firing up the machine. Although I was aware there was an update available, my enthusiasm got the better of me and in my impatience I charged ahead with it right out of the box. As penance for my lack of self-control I was greeted with glitchey video, which was too big for the screen and poor sound emulation. After I updated the firmware (which was very simple to do thanks to a helpful tutorial video on the Neo Geo X website) all my worries drifted away with performance now improved to the level of perfection you’d expect form an officially licensed product.  With this in mind, the firmware update should be considered as part of the initial setup process. Just be patient, it doesn’t take long and the difference is remarkable.

One joystick is supplied with the console and the system supports a second which can be bought separately. The joystick is also made to replicate that of the original home system.  It’s a sad story, but I was never fortunate enough to play on the original so I can’t say how it compares. While I was at school we shared rumours of the fabled Neo Geo console and its ridiculously priced games. A couple of the kids knew another kid (who conveniently went to another school) who had one, but we honestly weren’t 100% sure the thing even existed in this pre Internet age.s I mean, a home console that played arcade games? Many of use were still loading from tape!

Back to the controller: While it’s a perfectly serviceable and accurate controller, it lacks the heft and solidness of some other home arcade joysticks and so it delivers a slightly disappointing tactile experience initially. It’s not that it feels breakable, I’m sure they’re robust enough to cope with the most vigorously executed combos. It was nice to have a large control platform on my lap again.

Now for the pièce de résistance: On this new 21ts century version there’s a real treat: The body of the console opens like a clam shell and reveals (now this is really good)…. a hand held version!  I know: too good to be true, but it’s real!  This device is the mother brain of the system as the ‘console’ serves just as a docking station to charge and play with the joystick on a TV screen. 

This portable device is very impressive indeed. The handheld aspect is a hefty, solidly constructed unit, which is a delight to hold in the hand. I was really impressed with it when I first saw it as it looks like it should cost far more than it does. You certainly won’t feel embarrassed pulling this out in public. Its soft-yet-grippy rubberised back is emblazoned with a chrome ‘SNK’ logo, so the guy opposite you on the bus can watch with envy and only jealously imagine what’s going on. The highly reflective black with gold legend of the front is sheer class and the sharp, bright screen nestled within feels luxuriously big. The controls are well laid out too. The face button layout has been reconfigured from the joystick to suit the thumb and the shoulder buttons are within comfortable reach thanks to their forming around the corners. Other controls, such as volume and brightness, are located on the bottom edge, well out of accidental reach. While the home portion of the package has been made to replicate the original console, clearly much thought has gone into the design of the handheld. It genuinely feels like it’s been designed by gamers for gamers of the hardcore variety.

The Neo Geo is of course famous for its beat ‘em ups, but the device comes pre-loaded with a generously mixed bag of twenty games which should satisfy fans of all genres and is more than enough to keep you busy for a good while whatever your gaming tendencies. This was particularly good news for me as I’m not a huge fan of beat ‘em ups, but I still have more than enough to keep me very happy indeed. I was pleased to see many of my Street Fighter 2 moves translate into the other fighters as I have a fairly limited repertoire.

More game packs are available via the expandable game card slot. They can be bought in collections of three, or (at time of writing) a mega collection of fifteen, which is teasingly named Mega Pack Volume 1 and makes much more financial sense.

Overall I’ve been more than delighted with the console.There are a couple more tiny niggles like having to charge the handheld unit through the docking console and I would have liked a menu button on the joystick to save me having to disturb my cat when I fancy changing the game, but it could be argued that this replicates the action of changing the cartridge and is therefore the ‘real’ experience. Anyway, the gripes are slight and completely overshadowed by the brilliance and attention to detail of the rest of the package.  This isn’t some cheap plasticy 3^rd party console filled with abandonware; it’s an honest to goodness SNK Playmore console and as such is host to some AAA titles which are as playable today as they ever were.

Neo Geo consoles and games continue to change hands for eye-watering prices, but this set finally brings the glory of SNK to mere mortals and it feels like a celebration.

Review by Andy Pryer

EXCLUSIVE Bluetooth ZX SPECTRUM KICKSTARTER Interview with Elite Systems Managing Director, Steve Wilcox

So Steve - thanks for taking time out at the beginning of this exciting time with the launch of your new Kickstarter. But this isn't something new for you creating new technologies and games for the industry.

Firstly lets talk about Elite and its History....

Q. Tell us about your role at Elite - Steve from the beginning and to now?

Steve Wilcox

Well, I’m a de facto co-founder of the company, having been a Director since it’s formation on 14^th August, 1984. Consequently, I’ve been involved – in some way - with every glorious (and every inglorious) moment of Elite’s 29 year history.

Q. How and why was elite founded?

Steve Wilcox.

Although I’m a co-founder, that’s really less than half of the story. The real source of Elite’s foundation was my much younger and somewhat smarter brother – Richard. In 1982/3, at the age of 14/15 he wrote – first for the Atari 400 and subsequently for the ZX Spectrum – a TV-series inspired game, featuring a helicopter. It was called ‘Blue Thunder’ and was marketed using the label ‘Richard Wilcox Software’. Our father, Brian, backed Richard’s work with full-colour, full, page advertisments in Computer & Video Games magazine, amongst others. At that time, I’d just left my one and only post-University employment to set up and independent retail outlet specialising in the sale of ZX Spectrum software and hardware. It traded as “Bowies: The ZX Spectrum Specialists”. Richard’s game needed selling into the retail channel, in those days that meant Boots, WH Smith et al. So, between serving customers in our “mom and pop” store, I doubled as Richard’s telesales team, eventually selling around 40,000 copies ohf his game. A little later, four young guys set up camp in the store room of our shop and began working on a ZX Spectrum game to follow Richard’s (and the first to be published using the label ‘Elite’). That game was called ‘Kokotoni Wilf’.

Q. What were the highlights of the 80s and gaming for you personally?

Steve Wilcox.

Those very early days, ‘83 to ’87, were a blizzard. 7 days a week. 12 hours a days. Phones. Planes. People. Products … and several million games sold. Looking back it’s hard to recall how we crammed so much in to such a short period. Half a dozen UK and European #1-selling games, Game of the Year, Software House of the Year, zero to one hundred staff.

Q. What was the process of developing and publishing games like in the 1980s?

Steve Wilcox.

A lot like developing and publishing apps today (… and absolutely nothing like publishing console games today). ‘Have an idea in the morning, be working on it in the afternoon, start marketing it the following day, have it in players’ hands the following month, (sometimes). A fantastically liberating, exciting and enjoyable way to earn a very good living, (if you were very lucky).

The Now...2013

Q. What has inspired you with this new Kickstarter?

Steve Wilcox.

The inspiration for the development of the Bluetooth ZX Spectrum device was a series of conversations with a national journalist in the Spring of 2011. At the time, the journalist was the Consumer Technology Editor for a British National Newspaper and called to talk to us about the range of original 1980s ZX Spectrum games which we’d relatively recently launched as apps for iOS devices. During the conversations he enquired whether we thought there was any possibility that the ZX Spectrum home computer might be recreated. At the time we spoke about how another 1980s home computer, the Commodore C64, had had a re-launch of sort in the form of a dedicated joystick (you can read about that device here) and that got us thinking. After talking about it in the office for a few minutes, our vision for how the ZX Spectrum could be recreated began to take shape. We called the journalist 30 minutes later and two days after, his account of our vision appeared in the article which he wrote. You can read that article, which created quite a stir at the time, here.

Q. How important was the keyboard to the ZX Spectrum - both in design and functionality?

Steve Wilcox.

I think Rick Dickinson, Industrial Designer at Sinclair Research in the 1980s and the man credited with the external look of the ZX Spectrum, best explained the importance of the keyboard to the design and functionality of the ZX Spectrum in the video which he recorded for our Kickstarter appeal. It lasts 5 or 6 minutes but is incredibly insightful. I’d recommend anyone interested in the device to watch the video.

Q Tell us about the existing games that can be played in unison with hardware?

Steve Wilcox.

Well, in the first instance and as we’ve recently confirmed, we’ll be updating the ZX Spectrum: Elite Collection / HD apps so that they’re compatible with the Bluetooth ZX Spectrum. For iOS device owners who’ve already invested in these app, that means that they’ll be able to play the 200 or so ZX Spectrum games which they may already own using the Bluetooth ZX Spectrum. Optionally, the Bluetooth ZX Spectrum can be used as a Bluetooth keyboard not only for iOS but also for Android and Windows phones and tablets (as well as for PCs and Macs). That throws up a whole host of additional possibilities.

Q Will there be any new games coming out in 2014 to working in unison with the hardware?

Steve Wilcox.That’s a great question. As you may know, we announced earlier this year that we’re working with Matthew Smith (‘Manic Miner’, ‘Jet Set Willy’ for the ZX Spectrum) on a new project. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the launch of the Bluetooth ZX Spectrum coincided with such a project? Also, since the announcement of the Bluetooth ZX Spectrum a few days ago, we’ve been approached by developers with proposals that we work with them on the development and publication of new games for the device. It’s still very early days but there are clearly many opportunities for developers to launch new games to coincide with the launch of the Bluetooth ZX Spectrum.

Q. Have you been in contact with any 80s developers and creative pioneers from the 80s in this new project or as part of developing mobile games?

Steve Wilcox.

It’s remarkable but the answer to your question is yes. In addition to Matthew Smith, Keith Burkhill (‘Commando’, ‘Ghosts n Goblins’, ‘Space Harrier’ for the ZX Spectrum has worked with us on the ZX Spectrum: Elite Collection / HD apps for iOS devices. He’s still very local to us, in the suburbs of Birmingham. Nigel Alderton, (‘Chuckie Egg’ for the ZX Spectrum) is still in contact too. We’ve been publishing ‘Chuckie Egg’ for mobile phone for almost 10 years and will do so again for the Bluetooth ZX Spectrum.
 

Q How has the games industry changed since 1984 - the good and the bad?

Steve Wilcox.

For the good - scale an certainty. When we first became involved in the games industry in the first half of the 80s there was still much comparison with “the Skateboard business”. At that time “the Skateboard business” was seen to have risen and fallen (it hadn’t yet risen again) and in some circles there was a fear/ expectation that a games industry “built on kids who had no disposable income” was just a flash in the pan. Thankfully, that’s no longer so. I’m struggling to think of ways in which the games industry has changed for the bad. If I was forced to pick on one then I’d say that the somewhat predatory way in which some developers / publishers elicit (sometimes large chunks of) cash from the young and the vulnerable, though in-app purchases, is a step in the wrong direction. Elite has not nor will it ever be involved in such activities.

Q. What are your favourite Spectrum games with keyboard play?

Steve Wilcox. 

‘Manic Miner’.

You can back the Elite Systems Kickstarter here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/952953995/bluetooth-zx-spectrum-recreating-the-sinclair-zx-s?ref=live

Christmas with the SEGA Game Gear

A Guest Blog by Steven Parky Yates (aka Fats McClane)

I had a GameGear.  Odd place to start, but stay with me, you'll see why I started here. I loved it. I remember having a knee high pile of Fleetway Sonic The Comics in an open stackable box cupboard in the corner of my room, piles of drawings I had copied from it strewn across the floor and posters of Sonic I had asked to be kept for me from stores and even a bank (think it was TSB infact I know because I literally found it online - pictured right ) hanging from my wall above my Sonic the Hedgehog covered bed.

As we see, I was a Sonic fanboy without even knowing what a fanboy was. I was eight years old and was a countryboy. Living in a place with maybe eighty people tops but only sixty in the actual village I tended to go on very long walks, feed ducks and game.

Problem was most games I had were for the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.   was given a Game Gear later, but was not up to date with the technology that was around at that time, so home consoles was a lost concept on me.

I saw kids play at school with their Gameboys, well I said play...we couldn't see the screen if we stood next to them, and we were soon shooed away by the irate gamer. 

I wanted one so bad, I once borrowed one and played Mario 6 Golden Coins and loved it so much, but at the same time wished a certain hedgehog was on it.  

Thanks to me miss-spelling 'Gameboy', due to being a rush and writing my Christmas list on a car journey, I was given a Game Gear, I had never even heard of this and was disappointed when I opened the paper hiding it. I hid my sadness and went to my room with it. 

I was told it needed to stay plugged in to play, which a gameboy did not so was angry my friends wouldn't be able to see me being cool at school, and the size of it was huge.  But soon as I plugged it in and inserted Sonic the Hedgehog 1 into it...I was blown away.

Graphics were clearer, true, BUT there was COLOUR!  I was so impressed I turned it off and on again just to see Sonic jump the SEGA logo....it was blue! Not black with a green background. It actually said SEGA through my speakers!  After this I was always on it, playing Shinobi, Sonic and Streets of Rage. I had been bitten with the gamer virus and was not wanting a cure, just another fix.

It was at this time I competed with my then best friend to see who had the best gadgets, and who was the better gamer (in the long run I am winning -  as he has become a boring old man builder and I still melee the hell out of nubstepz on Halo!)
He had same things as me, so we would head to head alot, Micro Machines on the GameGear being the favourite with laptimes. One day I came to visit him...he had it up on his television. I was in awe. He handed me a black controller with three buttons on it and told me to carry on while he went to the toilet. Three buttons?  I instantly knew which button made me go, and I was soon playing the game, not thinking anything of it except that maybe he had bought a cable of some sort that allowed him to play the game on the television.

When he returned he asked me 'So?  What dya think?' I said love it man, he nodded and pointed to the black box under the television. 'My Megadrive...So....when you gettin' one?' I gasped.  He explained it was a GameGear that was better...but could be played on the tv and with better and longer games.  I didn't believe him until he slotted Sonic 2 into the console and switched it on.  I was pretty much close to killing him and stealing the machine he had.  The graphics so clear, so colourful, so....AMAZING!  I wanted it so bad!  

Hiding my contempt by not flushing the toilet when I went to the toilet and returning home, I nagged constantly about the console my friend had. My mother must have heard the constant whining because at Christmas she didn't get it me.  Instead I was given more GameGear games and a chair that was made by a neighbour who loved to carve.  I was screaming internally and said I loved them.  My mother said to go and get the mail, there was unopened Christmas cards in them so I went into the next room, trying not to cry.  When I returned there was a MASSIVE box before me.

'Oh, we forgot this one' she said'must have been behind the couch'.  I fell to my knees, heart was racing and all eyes on me.  I didn't dare raise my hopes again, but it was not far away.  I ripped it open in the corner on the bottom....and saw in blue the Logo,....SEGA!

I ripped the rest open and there it was!  My 16bit dream console.  With Sonic waving his finger in the corner.  I cried.  I was a tough kid but seeing something I had desired for over four months infront of me made me well up.  My fingertips brushed its top and I whispered 'thankyou' through a wall of tears.  My mum laughed and said 'do you want me to set it up?' I laughed, 'stupid question!  Of course!!!!' In less than five minutes I had slotted the first game in, Sonic the Hedgehog 2.  I wept slightly as I ran through the 1st level, the music so much better, the colours streaming across my screen in clear blocks, and the fact it was more of a game than I had ever played.  

I look back at that Christmas as one of the best (until I got my N64 but that's another story) and why? It resembled to me at the time why I liked Christmas. It was a gift, granted. But it was a day I remember, even now, twenty one years later.  It was a gift that made me realise I had been listened to, it was a corner stone in my gaming hobby and it made me appreciate everything that went into it being made and the people who got it for me.  

So I hope this Christmas if any of you get a 3DS, WiiU, Vita, Xbox One or PlayStation 4, that some of you, will feel not just happy, but complete with a sense of accomplishment.  And I hope it inspires you and doesn't burden you.

A Guest Blog by Steven Parky Yates (aka Fats McClane) for his great gaming memories and this special Christmas Guest BLOG

A gaming Christmas - Part two of two - 1990s and beyond

A Gaming Christmas - continued - By David Campbell

Christmas 1991

I was on the sofa, opening my pile of gifts, scrutinising each one (I was older now, and appreciated how much things cost). I had received a few videos, and there was another video shaped box hiding under a soft parcel (which was a jumper, if I remember correctly). I opened it, and it was a game called “Sonic the Hedgehog”. I felt terrible. My folks had obviously spent time looking for something I’d like (they aren’t gamers), and this was just out, so had probably been recommended. My mum could see my face, and knew that something was amiss.

“What’s wrong – have you got that one?”, she asked

“No.. its.. er.. well.. it’s great.. it’s just..”

I didn’t want to upset her and my dad, as I knew they had spent a lot of money on it.

“It’s just – I’ve got an Amstrad, and this is for a Sega Mega Drive”, I sheepishly replied.

“Oh.”

I felt awful.

“You’d best have this, then”, my mum said, a huge smile on her face.

It was a Sega Mega Drive. I had been duped!

Even though I was 15, I was jumping around like I was 5 again. My eyes hungrily scanned the box, trying to take in all the things this could do. I hadn’t even hinted at a Mega Drive as I knew how expensive they were.

“Oh – Santa’s obviously missed these too..” my mum said.

She handed me two more parcels- by now, I was thinking this was some kind of magic chair – which turned out to be Streets of Rage, and Mega Games. Not only did I have a brand new console, I had 5 brand new games to play on it too!

I think I came out of my room twice in the two weeks we had off school that year!

Back to the Future

I’m now 38 years of age, and last year my folks bought me a Sega Saturn with 15 games! I’ve spoken to my mum about these memories many times, and in later years found out that she got excited at the prospect of me being excited by these consoles that she had no idea about.

My parents bought me all my favourite consoles over the years, and created some fantastic memories. Memories that I can share with other gamers, who have had similar experiences and can relate.

I guess the whole point of this article is that getting excited about games and consoles, especially at Christmas, never leaves you. Once bitten by the bug, it’s ever present. You can’t help yourself.

What’s Santa bringing you this year?

Merry Christmas!

A great Christmas BLOG by David Campbell

Read Part 1 to this part 2 here:

http://gamesyouloved.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/im-dreaming-of-gaming-christmas-twas.html

http://gamesyouloved.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/im-dreaming-of-gaming-christmas-twas.html

A gaming Christmas - Part one of two - 1980s

I’m Dreaming of a Gaming Christmas - By David Campbell

“T'was the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse”.

Except the mice of parents frantically trying to find an Xbox One or PS4 for their children!

Christmas has traditionally been the time that us gamers were gifted with the latest delights; pocket money and early jobs didn’t afford us the luxury of saving for such things – they were way beyond our price range. Most parents, if they could afford it, would buy the console their child lusted after, guaranteeing a smile on their loved ones faces. Their kindness was generally rewarded by said loved one promptly locking themselves in their bedroom, only venturing out for snack based sustenance and occasional loo breaks.

Christmas is always a magical time, but when you’re a kid with the potential of opening a new console, Christmas Eve is the longest night in history. Lying in bed, willing yourself to get to sleep so the hours would pass until “Santa had been”. The memories of Christmas, especially when receiving a new console as a kid, seem to remain more vivid. If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to share some of my favourite Christmas memories.

Christmas 1981

A little background to this one first. I was 5 years old in 1980, and my dad and I used to go to the local video store (Hollywood Video in Roseburn Edinburgh if you’re interested!). He would pick a movie for my mum and him, and I would be allowed to pick a cartoon or kids film. One day, whilst perusing the Tom n Jerry collections, I happened upon a different movie. This was called “Pac Man”, and the video was in a different box. I asked my dad what it was, and he didn’t know, so the owner explained it was a game, for this new thing called an Atari 2600. 

For £2 per night, you could rent the system and a game. I was sold. I don’t think I ever rented a cartoon again – I saved all my pocket money and used to get the Atari once every week or two. We got to know the owner pretty well, and he used to show me all the carts through the back of the shop – I was in heaven!

Fast forward a year, and Christmas day. I ran from my room to the living room, where my presents were laid out for me on the sofa. An array of colourful parcels, all shapes and sizes. I opened them all in what seemed like 10 minutes, to be surrounded by a mountain of shredded paper and a neatly stacked pile of gifts, ready to be played with.

At this point, my mum mentioned that she produced a present that “Santa must have forgotten” from the side of her chair. It was huge. I opened it hungrily, near passing out with excitement.

It was an Atari 2600 console. My very own. And it came with Pac-Man!

It didn’t end there, though – after carefully explaining to my hyper 5 year old brain that these were only on loan, she produced another large box. It contained literally every game that Hollywood video owned. The shop closed over Christmas (as they did back then!), and the owner had given the whole stock to my mum and dad for me to play. I almost expired on the spot! Even though I was only 5, I still remember that like it was yesterday, and it was 33 years ago!

Part two - into the 1990s continues here:

http://gamesyouloved.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/a-gaming-christmas-part-two-of-two.html

Guest Blog by David Campbell

Analogue vs Digital by David Campbell

Games and how they have changed!
by David Campbell

The way we buy games has changed. You may have noticed this yourself. It seems that in today's faced paced lifestyle, we need everything instantly. Steam, iTunes and a plethora of other online options means your game store is open 24-7.. but this isn't necessarily a good thing, in my opinion.

You see, back in the day, buying a new game was an event. Perhaps it was because as a kid your funds were limited, so buying a game was a big decision. You didn't want to waste your hard earned pocket money or paper round wages on something that would be rubbish. For the sake of nostalgia, let's compare how we'd buy a game when we were kids versus how we buy games now.Imagine, if you will, that it's your birthday. Generous friends, aunts and other relatives have kindly put some money in your card, and you have a princely £15 to spend. £15 is a large amount to invest in a new game, so we need to do our research. If you don't have the most recent issue of your favourite computer magazine to hand, we need to pause here, jump on our bikes and cycle to the newsagent.

Now, this in itself poses a problem. Cast your mind back to the shelves as they were.. groaning with magazines trying to separate you from your pocket money. ZZAP, Amtix, Your Sinclair, Amstrad Action, Crash, C&VG, ACE.. what to choose? Choice made, and 95p well spent, we need to head home to swat up on the latest releases.

Back home, grab a glass of orange squash and a biscuit, then we'll speed to our room to conduct our research. After a couple of hours poring over all the screenshots, then going back to read the reviews of the games we like the look of, we have a short list.

Now, if it's a Saturday, we can head straight into town to grab our new game. However, if it's a weekday, we need to wait the painful wait until we can get into town either after school the next day, or worse, the next Saturday.

Once in the shop, you head to the games section, turning up your nose as the shelves of games for the rival computers. At your section, you scan the new releases. You pick up several of the boxes, scrutinising the artwork, the screenshots.. is THIS the game that you need to buy?Here's where things get really complicated though. You've spent £1 on the research magazine, meaning you've £14 left to spend. 

This presents several options.Buy a full price, £9.95 release and two £1.99 budget games
- Buy SEVEN(!) budget games
- Buy a compilation at £12.99
- Buy a full price game and one £2.99 budget game

There are many other variants, but you get the idea. You probably didn't realise as a kid, but you were combining accountancy with cost benefits analysis whilst standing in a shop!

After many hours of deliberating, perhaps interrupted only marginally to type "10 print 'big bums!'" on the nearest computer, you finalise your purchase.

With your latest addition wrapped safely in the bag, maybe even stuffed into your coat pocket, you wait patiently on the bus home, willing yourself to wait, and not take the game out until you are sitting comfortably.



At last, you are seated on the ride home. Oblivious to the chatter and ambiance on the bus, it's just you and your purchase. You take it (one at a time if you're lucky enough to have multiples), and you look at the front cover. Although you scrutinised it earlier, you give it a thorough going over. This game is yours now, not a potential sitting on a shelf. You flip the box over, the satisfying muted rattle of cassette coming from within, and you read every word on the back. You stare at the screenshots, imagining what it will be like to play.

Finally, you carefully prise the box open, ensuring you don't break the hinge on the side. You take the inlay and cassettes out in one go, checking the labels on the tapes before placing them safely back in the box. You fold out the instructions. Although you've played hundreds of games on your computer before, you read the loading instructions. You read the backstory, the controls, the credits. By now you can't wait to get home to play the game!

Now, sometimes, a full price release came in a 'big box'. These cardboard gems were usually a treasure chest of oddments. There could be anything inside.. maps, soundtracks, novels, patches, stickers, comics.. a game that came with lots of "stuff" seemed awesome, no matter how bad the actual game.

This long trip down memory lane does serve a purpose - it's not just an excuse to pop on the rose-tinted shades. Back then, the games were simple. The graphics were simple. The game concepts inspired - a guy stealing chicken feed and eggs whilst chased by ostriches? Can you imagine that on the Xbox 360?! The packaging was as much the game as the code was. It had to get you excited. The extras helped maintain that excitement. You felt a game was going to be good because it came on 6 floppy disks.

Now, compare that to how you buy games now. A lot of us still go to specialist shops to buy our physical games. Some people buy online and have them posted. A lot of people now download directly from Xbox Live or the Playstation Store, and have their game within minutes (unless your broadband is terrible, like mine!).

I just don't get the same excitement any more. Even if you buy a physical game, it comes in a DVD case, and all you get for your money is a disc. Sometimes there's no manual. That doesn't make me want to go and play the game.

The extras that would have been normal before are now 'collectors editions' that are double the price. Compilations don't exist anymore. Modern games really don't excite me. Getting a compilation tape from eBay is more thrilling to me than Medal of Duty 12 on the PS5.

But maybe it is nostalgia. Maybe it's bad broadband that blocks me from all the digital goodness. Maybe I will yearn for Xbox 360 games when I'm older. Who knows?

How do you prefer your games?

Guest blog by David Campbell