GamesYouLoved want to create a world where games of every description unlock your memories, open up nostalgic thoughts and bring people together.
With remembering the games you loved when you were younger we hope you can have some great feelings about the good times now!
In this day and age we are all for collecting all the classic games
and playing them on the original consoles with the original
controllers. That is the best way to play retro games, the nostalgia is
there with the feel and the touch of the machines.
Pushing in a
cartridge into the slot on the Sega Master System, pressing the power
button on your Nintendo NES console or even pumping coins into an original arcade cab. These are all the things we remember of gaming as kids and still love to do, but in
the present day this is not always possible for everyone and we like to preserve our
machines and games of old and keep them in good condition plus access a range of games at any one time.
But wait........our delivery from
Funstock.co.uk landed. So without delay we
opened it up to see an Android tablet ..." But wait ........this had
analogue joysticks and a D-pad! We now had in our hands the JXD S7800b !
So
this is an Android tablet built for retrogames....we are quite
impressed! The console holds well in your hands and is light
too.weighing only 500g! Your thumbs lay ontop of the joysticks just
right and still leaves your fingers to be hitting the L1 and R1 buttons
curved into the corners of the console! The tablet has all the buttons
you'd expect from modern handhelds and they are all positioned correctly
which will suit most games and gamers!
It has Android OS so this tablet is easy to navigate with the D-Pad or even the touch screen (yes
touch screen!!) The Google Play store app is supported so you can
download your Gmail or any other Android apps that take your fancy, even
the retro games which are available are easy to access. So this being just like your
Android phone (without calls) you can also surf the internet with pure ease
using WIFI
No beating around the bush, this is a very fancy
multi emulator in a branded tablet - but JXD have done this very well. As
we all know downloading ROMS can be annoying but the JXD makes this
simple. The console comes pre-loaded with a cloud app that puts your
games into genres and categories for you. All you have to do is simply
choose your game and press download! Its that easy. The 8GB of storage
gives you tons of space for games and if you want more for movies or
such there is a memory card slot too. The JXD is pre set to play
Megadrive, SNES, Famicom, Gameboy, DS,GBA, MAME, PS1, N64, Arcade
and better still the DREAMCAST!!!
Of course you can download more
emu's for other consoles and formats (if you know how to do that sort of
thing) and we are told the JXD also supports Speccy, Amiga, 32x and
Atari Jaguar!!
One of the best features of the JXD is the screen
it comes in at a massive 7" and is bright, responsive and colourful
which makes the games llok great! If you wish to have more definition
you can plug this badboy into your HDMI on your TV and go Large!!! The
speakers sit either side of the console giving you good stereo sound.
There is a 2.0 megapixel camera on the back and also one on the front if
you want to take selfies, there is also an excellent Key
Mapping feature if you download Android games that use touch screen
controls, but you do have the option to use these on all games....we
don't!
Battery life is good, we have been playing Crazy Taxi most
of the day and with its 5000mah battery you can play for quite a while! There is not much else to say about the JXD you just haver to play it
for yourself to experience it. This is a great retro meets modern
gaming console with added emu's to get you started. There are even a
few bundled games on there to get you going!
Like any emulation system -it plays emulated games, this
means sadly that not all games play perfectly or have sound, but this you'll experience across a number of systems anyway. The majority of roms across a range of systems worked. Some didn't so we moved onto the next game - easy. Watch the Official Trailer below or visit Funstock.co.uk to snap up your console (don't forget to use the code GYL at checkout for 5% off!!!)
'Seeing retro gamers play collectively in one place - competitively'
When was the last time you can say that happened in the public? It was actually more during the 80s & 90s themselves!
Well not now - thanks to Eurogamer events like REZZED and also EUROGAMER EXPO in September and also Replay Events and sponsors Funstock - the Classic Gaming Championships give gamers the opportunity to be the No1 Retro Gamer in the land. To be the top of the top...top of the list in the UK!
There are a whole host of heats held throughout the UK across many months - culminating with the Grand Final in Manchester at Play Expo in October. We recently attended EGX Rezzed in Birmingham and alongside the awesome New Gen offer there from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony they had RETRO!!
We were delighted as GamesYouLoved was asked to be a Partner of the CGC events http://classicgamingchampionships.com/partners/ and will be fully supporting the activity over social media and our website www.gamesyouloved.com up to the Grand Final in Manchester - Play Expo 2014. This mammoth event in October was already set to be an amazing event based on our last years experience. Take a look here of some the 2013 highlights:
Not only that Showmasters being part of the Replay Events / Play Expo line up also promises some exciting exclusives too. This will increase the presence of video gaming publishers, developers and peripheral manufacturers attending Showmasters events in the future. On the flip-side this means Hollywood movie star meet-and-greets, photo opportunities with the celebrities, film props and movie cars will draw in even bigger crowds to the already successful event at Play Expo. Showmasters plan to bring film and TV related guests that cross over with the video gaming industry, making Play Expo 2014 and other Replay Events a fuller experience. Watch this space as they say!
For the CGC's at EGX REZZED at the Birmingham NEC we were witnessing the retro gaming action first hand and see the great job the organisers, Replay Events were putting on in a cool space dedicated to this at the event. Apart from the range of retro gaming setups on the Replay Stand the CGC's offers people who love playing retro games a real focus at an event.
Whether you are an expert gameplayer or just want to have a go for fun the atmosphere on the stand caters for you. You can take it seriously sure - but also with some of the games (list below) that you might not have even played before - its a case of trying it out. Then you can better yourself!
The array of titles in the CGC are worth pointing out - they have been compiled carefully by the Replay Team to test your very wit and dexterity with a controller. And many a different controller you'll have. But it's all well and good picking up a unknown controller - what do you do with it? Again the Replay lads are on had to help and young gamers benefited from this instruction and support as well as the older ones!
The next event up is Blackpool - www.playblackpool.com - perhaps next time we'll have a go to - can't wait! Also the BIG EVENTS to look out for are: - Eurogamer - Sept 2014 - Play Expo Manchester - Oct 2014
Pot A - 1st to 3rd Generation (e.g. Atari VCS, NES, SEGA Master System), Kaboom (Atari 2600 VCS), Balloon Fight (Nintendo Entertainment System), Bank Panic (Sega Master System)
Pot B - 4th Generation (e.g. PC Engine, Neo Geo AES), R-Type II (PC Engine), NAM: 1975 (Neo Geo), Tetris (Gameboy - played via Gameboy Player on Gamecube)
Pot C - 5th Generation (e.g. Sega Saturn, Playstation, Nintendo 64), Super Puzzle Fighter 2 (Playstation), Sega Rally (Sega Saturn), Tempest 2000 (Atari Jaguar)
Pot D - Megadrive, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Paperboy, Psycho Pinball, Pot E - Super Nintendo, Super Mario Kart, Super Pang, Super Smash TV
Heats will include one game from each pot, selected at random and will not be announced until the first day of the heat.
A Life of Gaming by Mike Rouse - Studio Director at Lift London - Microsoft
1982, the first CD is sold in
Japan, the first colour pictures of Venus are sent back from Vanera 13 and Time
Magazine name THE COMPUTER as the man of the year. Gadgets and gizmos are starting
to become common place, VHS players, Walkman, IBM PC, tape recorders, big CRT
colour TVs and the video gaming revolution is in full flow. My dad has quit his
job at IBM in the UK as a programmer and has moved to South Africa to work for
AngloAmerica. He’s in his late 20’s and is the original gadget collector. He’s
also a casual gamer, playing ASCII pinball on his IBM and an old console that
had a PING PONG (Magnavox Odyssey).
I’m five and although I play on both the IBM and Odyssey from time to time I’m
not really into games,I live in a warm
country so I’m out and about on my BMX and playing with my younger brother and
my friends. But its 1982, the year EA, Ultimate Play the Game (Rare) and
MicroProse are formed. This is the year when Shigeru Miyamoto’s Donkey Kong Jr.
is released, Q*Bert, Ms. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Utopia (the first sim game), Joust,
Robotron: 2084, Tron Arcade (released before the film), Pole Position, Zaxxon,
Xevious and the fabled E.T the Extra-Terrestrial (one of the biggest failures in
the history of video games) are released to gaming audiences at home and in the
arcades. It’s also the year when one of the biggest film licenses in the world
has its first game release, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on the
Intellivision and Atari 2600.
This was a must have game for my dad, so not long after the games release
my dad brought home a brand new Intellivision and a copy of Star Wars. This
console and game changed everything for me. The graphics were amazing and so
was the sound, the console was so easy and convenient to use and it was cartridge
based. Over the next five years our game collection grew, and I played as often
as I was allowed to. I loved playing B-17 Bomber with the Intellivoice, Night
Stalker and Lock ‘N Chase as well as a host of other games. The Intellivision
formed the majority of my gaming experiences, until sometime in 1987 when our
local shopping store got in 2 arcade machines. One I think was Pac-Man the
other was Double Dragon. I can remember going every day after school to the
store to play Double Dragon. I was hooked, consoles no longer held any appeal,
I started to hang-out at the arcades and spent all my pocket money on arcade
machines. I played a ton of games in the arcades and have so many favorites,
allot from the 90s. One that kept me in the arcade for hours was Street Fighter
II it was also the game that brought me back to consoles.
I moved back to the UK when I was 12 in 1989, still getting the majority of
my gaming from the arcades. I had the NES and Master System by this point, both
had great games but there was still nothing like what I could get in the
arcades. Then in early 1994 I got a copy of Street Fighter II: Champion Edition
for my Megadrive. Here was a game that was able to replicate my arcade
experiences with the added convenience of it being in my house. I had fallen in
love with consoles again. As I started to replace visits to the arcades with
more hours on consoles I began looking for new and better experiences across multiple
platforms and this was the beginning of my games collection.
I have a modest collection which could have been quite alot bigger if I
did not sell a large portion of it in 1999 to pay for food and maybe a little
drink while at University. I always kick myself as I think back to the games
and consoles I sold during that period. Snatcher, Suikoden, Panasonic
3DO and all the games, original Game Boy, 100+ boxed SNES games and the list
goes on. It used to be that trying to buy back these lost treasures was
restricted to Ebay and a very few online retailers, but there seems to be a
renaissance in classic and retro gaming. Similar to vinyl records which have
seen their highest sales this year since 1997, the popularity and the
distribution channels for classic and retro gaming are growing. A small number
of boutique stores have sprung up and dedicated online specialists have started
to appear. I love browsing through a store’s inventory of old SNES games and
online specialist offer the choice and subject expertise that Ebay can’t. The
revival of these bricks & mortor and online specialists have become a great
source for my gaming collection.
My collection currently consists
of 784 complete boxed games, 310 digital games on PSN, Live, and Steam, iOS,
Nintendo eShop and Windows. I have a custom built MAME cab with coin-op, custom
art work, Sanwa Bat top sticks, Ultralux lit buttons, 2.1 speakers and custom
lit marquee. There’s probably a couple of thousand games on there, allot them obscure
Japanese beat ‘em ups. I also have 44 consoles, everything from a 2600 to a
Vectrex to a Mega CD mk1 (my favourite console) and nearly every major console
released from 1990 to the very latest next gen. I have a ton of peripherals and
special edition peripherals like the JogCon which came with the Ridge Racer
Type 4. And I have allot gaming paraphernalia and merchandise. The collection
is steadily growing, every week I get something new. Just this week I bought
Rings of Power for the Megadrive. This game was Naughty Dogs first console
game. My passion for gaming goes beyond my collection and my hobby, it is also
my Job. I’ve been creating games for 14 years now starting off as a junior 3D
artist and now as a studio director. I’ve worked for both Sony and Microsoft.
Working in the games industry has allowed me build a truly unique games
collection.
My collection does have the same
games as most other game collections, some rarer than others but I also have
truly unique games and paraphernalia. Working in games has allowed me to meet and
work with my heroes. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and demo my game to
Shigeru Miyamoto who has
signed my 1st run copy of The legend of Zelda for the NES. I’ve
worked with and discussed the finer points of games design with Keiji Inafune
co-creator of Rockman (Megaman in the west). Inafune-san was also kind enough
to sign a custom piece of artwork from one of his games. I have a ton of signed
games from colleagues that have worked on some classic games. Friends have
donated games that were never released, some are sequels or spin offs from some
of the biggest franchises in gaming history. There are the games I’ve made, TIF,
The Getaway, Black Monday, Singstar, Dancestar, Wonderbook all signed by the
teams and a ton of promotional and unique merchandise to go along with them.
There are gold and platinum plaques for those that sold millions of copies. I
co-created PlayStation Home and on the launch of the social gaming service we commissioned
a special artwork plaque created by Michael Place. Michael is one of my
favorite artists, I became a fan after seeing his artwork in the original
WipEout on PlayStation. There are limited edition press packs, toys and figures
that will never be released. I’ve not only collected but have been part of
gaming history. In 2007 at E3 Sony hosted for the first time ever their conference
in a virtual world, PlayStation Home. I was behind the stage with 9 massive PS3
dev kits controlling and directing the virtual show live. It was also fantastic
seeing the PlayStation trophy system go live on every PS3 in the world, having
created the high level direction. And now my studio is about to make gaming
history again, with an original and new universe of characters and stories.
There are people I know that don’t share and don’t understand my love for
games. These people won’t know the great nostalgic feeling you get from playing
classicandretro games, the complete immersion ofnew worlds and stories games give us. Our game collections
contain some of the most compelling stories every written, the most emotional
music ever composed, the most thought provoking artwork ever created and
amazing universes for us to visit and play in. As we study our anthropology
there is no doubt in my mind that gaming is now a part of this. It is ingrained
in popular modern culture and as it goes in popularity so will those that want
to capture its past. A Guest Blog Review by Mike Rouse Studio Director - Lift London www.liftlondon.com/
GamesYouLoved go in the World of Retro Domination in Australia and speak to the team who tell us about their huge passion in life. Retro Games.
Retro Domination Team at PAX AUS 2013
GamesYouLoved So Pete - for those who don't know
you - tell us about why you started Retro Domination?
Pete The idea came about 2 years prior to
starting the site, having worked within the gaming industry for close to 6
years at the time running Console Domination I had always had a strong desire
to expand the site out to cover retro gaming as well.
It wasn’t until late 2011 that I came across a YouTuber called RetroGamerTim
which sparked an idea on how I could expand out the brand which has been
created. Originally Retro Domination was to be a small feature on the current
generation gaming site Console Domination. That was short lived as I was
introduced to a fantastic and dedicated team that have a genuine passion for
pop culture and of course retro gaming.
As the saying goes from there the rest is history and Retro Domination is now a
standalone site and part of the Console Domination Gaming Network.
Tim's MVS Cabinet
GamesYouLoved How did you get involved with Retro
Domination?
Tim: Well prior to RD starting I was doing a few
videos on YouTube on my RetrogamerTim Channel, as id watched a lot of retro
gamers through the years and wanted to give something back to the community.
Oddly Peter
found my videos interesting enough to have them feature on his gaming site,
Console Domination. So for a few months, I’d be tucked away in the lower left
corner of the site with my own little section of Retro Gaming vids.
I was also
invited along to their podcast, and being that I enjoyed gaming podcasts,
relished the opportunity. From that point, we lured in Mark, Daz and Matt and
we drummed the idea of doing a Retro Podcast. Would it work? Would anyone
listen? Will it be a great way for friends to catch up and have a good old yarn
about classic gaming?
Yes, yes
and yes.
Daz's Game Room
Darren: Doing the odd article and helping out with media events for Console
Domination, Peter asked if Tim and I were interested in doing a Retro Podcast
seeing Tim’s YouTube retro videos were doing well. After the first Podcast was
recorded I knew this was I wanted to do.
Mark: Daz and I have been friends since we were but wee lads and we had
known Tim for a couple of years before RD was started. Prior to starting with
the team, I had basically muscled my way on to an episode of the original
Console Domination podcast (via Tim) and was introduced to Pete. I guess he
liked what he heard, because I was then asked back to help out with a Nintendo
E3 special. Fast forward a few months, Pete asked me if I'd be interested in
joining the RD team permanently and the rest is history!
Matt:It
was a combination of my love of retro video games and my friendship with Darren
Borg. Darren introduced me to the owner, Peter Biu and the rest was Retro
history.
Matt's Game Room
GamesYouLoved What are some your highlights of running the
Retro Domination brand?
Darren: Where do I start? Being the Media contact for the site, I get to speak
to many people in the scene. Some of the main highlights include speaking with
Ben Daglish, Jeroen Tel, Andrew Hewson and RyuichiNishizawa (Wonderboy Creator).Hosting the Classic
Console Area at PAX AUS 2013. But the biggest highlight for me is the support
and encouraging words from our fan base. They make it all worth it.
Tim: I could say chatting to “industry legends” or “YouTube heroes”, but
honestly, the thing that’s kept me here, is the friendships I’ve made with the
guys on the team. Chatting at length about the Sega Master System or the Neo
Geo, and seeing the passion that all these guys have is amazing. I mean, we
have a fantastic fan base on Facebook and our podcasts get a lot of hits… but
at the end of the day, the best part is my friends.
Mark's Cabinet
GamesYouLoved Why did you start a podcast and what type of
things do you cover?
Darren: Due to the popularity of retro gaming, Pete thought it would be a great
idea to form a team. We needed a couple more people to join, Mark and Matt were
childhood friends of mine and I knew they would fit in perfectly. We cover
everything from retro gaming, movies, toys, memories as kids and heaps more. We
also have guests on the show consisting of Youtubers and game industry people.
Tim: It’s a medium I’ve always enjoyed, I loved listening to guys like
Radical Rascals or the Operation Killscreen podcasts, and felt it was a
fantastic way to convey our love for classic gaming.
What do we cover? Well
there are currently forty odd episodes so…a lot!
GamesYouLoved What’s the Retro Gaming scene like in
Australia for those outside the country - give us a flavour and insight?
Mark:
One word:
Expensive. Take a game that will sell for $5 in the US and you'll be lucky to
get it for under $20 here. I also find that there is definitely more loyalty to
Sega over Nintendo here (although Nintendo still gets its fair share of love!)
as opposed to the US and there is definitely a ton of love for the vintage
computer scene here too. We seem to mirror Europe more than we do the US.
Tim: It was good back in the day, but in the advent of “YouTube game
hunting pick up frenzy”, it’s made it really costly here.Considering we are a PAL region also, this makes
the prices even higher.
So lately all of my purchases have been off
shore, either from Japan (as I am a bit of a Sega Mark 3 fiend), the UK or
America.So any retro collectors
expecting to come here for a holiday expecting bargains…trust me, they’re cheaper
where you are!
Darren: It’s a double edged sword, first you have serious collectors who
are happy to chat about all things retro, but the worst part are the prices and
what resellers are charging for retro gear is ridiculous. I do purchase my gear
from the UK and USA as it’s still cheaper for me even with shipping on top.
Mick Gordon and Pete
GamesYouLoved Any exciting plans for 2014?
Pete: Last year we co-hosted “The Classic Console
Area” at PAX in Melbourne. This year we are working on bringing fans of the
golden era something much bigger. With planning already under away for the show
that will take place again in Melbourne in late October our aim to showcase the
most impressive display of playing Consoles and more. I can’t go into too much
detail but let’s just say it will feel like you have travelled back to the 80’s
that’s for sure.
GamesYouLoved Tell us about some of the interesting
people you have met on social media?
Matt: We have been fortunate to meet some really
great people: Gregg Hansen from Arcade Impossible, who came to Australia for
PAX 2013! Johnny Millennium (Happy Console Gamer), Rob Man, Billy & Jay aka
The Game Chasers, Bajo and Hex from the Australian ABC TV show ‘Good Game’, Jon
Hare,the founder of Sensible Software,
Andrew Hewson from Hewson Consultants, and Walter Day from Twin Galaxies!
Darren: Where do I start? My C64 heroes Ben Daglish, Jeroen Tel and
Andrew Hewson. Walter Day was a huge honor to have on the show! Meeting Tim
Schafer,Bajo from ABC’s TV Show Good
Game and Mick Gordon (Killer Instinct music creator (Xbox One). I’ve also become
very good friends with fellow retro gamers like Alex from Aus Retro gamer and
Aleks Serblander from Weird and Retro.
Tim: Most notably, Walter Day the founder of Twin Galaxies. He was certainly
a character and one of the few interviewees I was in awe of!
Aside from Mr. Day,
amazing industry guys like Mark “TDK” Knight and the very generous and very
humble Ryuichi Nishizawa (Sega/Westone).
YouTube guys like
Johnny Millennium, Rob Man and Gamester 81 were also fun to chat to, always
interesting to hear how someone else was brought up through the early days of
classic Gaming.
Who’s on my wish list?
Yu Suzuki.
GamesYouLoved Tell us about some of the events you guys
have attended in Australia and even overseas?
Matt: Darren & I were able to attend the Game Masters exhibition Which was held in Melbourne. It was a
celebration of Arcade and gaming through the years and the keynote speaker was
none other than Lucas Arts great Tim Schafer, responsible for some of the best
Adventure games of all time. Of course the highlight light for 2013 was helping
to run the Classic Console gaming area at PAX Australia. Darren & Tim were
also able to attend some media events for THQ and other publishers on behalf of
Console Domination, and team were also able to attend Shadowloo Showdown, an
Australian fighting game tournament that attracts some of the best players in
the world!
Unfortunately, we
haven’t yet had the opportunity to attend any events overseas, but hopefully
2014 will change that!
The Retro Domination Team
GamesYouLoved Who do you guys follow in the retro scene -
any shout outs?
Darren: Big fan and dear friend Gregg Hansen of Arcade Impossible, Johnny Millennium,
Luke Morse, Ausretrogamer , Weird and Retro and GameSack
Matt: I particularly enjoy watching AVGN (aka James Rolfe), Arcade Impossible
with our good friend Gregg Hansen, and I also listen to the Radical Rascals
podcast.
Mark: Locally, our good friend Alex from Aus Retro Gamer, our boys over at
Retrospekt and those cool dudes from Weird & Retro. Otherwise, I'm a big
fan of Luke Morse. His repair videos and game play videos are great and
informative, but I particularly love his Japanese cultural videos too. Of
course, the Johnny & Rob Man from the Happy Console Gamer channel get a big
shout out. Johnny Millennium’s enthusiasm is just too damn infectious! Last,
but certainly not least is the ever so handsome Green Hansen from Arcade
Impossible!
GamesYouLoved What are some of your favorite games of all
time and why?
Tim: Yu Suzuki’s’ Shenmue. It was a game that I loved. You were drawn into
this amazing world with a sense of freedom to explore in gorgeous 3D. Where you
could walk in to a shop and look and pick up every item for sale. It just was,
and still is an absolute treasure of a game, and genre defining too.
Aside from that, I
hold the very early Neo Geo titles close to my heart. I was always impressed by
the graphics, beautiful sprites and larger than life characters. Games such as
Magician Lord, Samurai Showdown, Fatal Fury really blew me away back in the
early 90s.They just seemed a step above
the average Capcom or Konami brawler.
Darren: Of all time, it’s definitely Wonderboy in Monsterland (I own signed
copies of the cart and have a dedicated arcade board) and I’m a big fan of the
Street Fighter series. Many C64 games like Myth, Mayhem in Monsterland,
Creatures 2, Hammerfist and the Last Ninja Series. Shinobi series, Midnight
Resistance, Heavy Barrel, Karnov, Silent Hill, CastlevaniaSymphony of the Night and anything Neo Geo, I
could go on.Atari 2600,C64 and Sega
Mega Drive are my fav platforms of gaming. C64 and 2600 because I grew up
playing them and Sega Mega Drive for the fact it was my next big jump in gaming
and that it felt like I had an arcade in my home.
Mark: The Street Fighter series is number one. The impact that it has had on my life is really hard to
put into words, but I love fighters in general (both 2D & 3D). Prior to
Street Fighter II, i was a huge fan of Final Fight and Double Dragon. Guess I'm
just a fan of animated violence! I’m also very much into World of Warcraft and
have spent countless hours questing, raiding, etc. Finally, I also have a soft
spot for shmups, despite being really lousy at them!
Matt: Wow, hard question! I have always enjoyed adventure games, specifically
from Sierra and LucasArts. Sierra being the pioneers of the text based
adventure game and creating some of the best games of its kind, such as Kings
Quest, Police Quest and the Leisure Suit Larry Series. I also really enjoyed
Maniac Mansion, Loom and the Monkey Island Series. I liken these games to the
“Choose your own Adventure” books, being able to mould the ending based on your
decisions. Even though there was only one ending with these games, it still
felt personalised. Thanks guys - keep up the great work! 'GamesYouLoved Team'
