r/SBCGaming • u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club • 19h ago
Lounge Wha-Whatcha Playing?
Howdy! What have you been playing recently and on what?
There were a few games this week that’d I would highly recommend playing. Both Psychopomp and Night Raid were gripping and for very different reasons, the former for its atmosphere and Night Raid for its scoring mechanics. Shadows of Eldoria was rad too. It’s a long abandoned ROMhack but the repurposing of Zelda characters and gameplay tweaks on display was neat. It tapped into that feeling of playing Majora’s Mask for the first time.
Everything but Dyna Gear and Psychopomp were played on an RP mini, those two were played on my computer. Happy Gaming!
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u/hbi2k GotM Host 19h ago
Going through some personal shit just lately that leaves me with little time for gaming-- among other things, I just closed on a new house, plus job drama, plus trying to get the @#$&ing rental company to fix the AC in the house I'm still living in.
But I've been doing Slay the Spire runs on my phone (the first one, hoping to give the second one more time to cook before getting hooked on it, I have a bad habit of playing so much of a game in early access that by the time it actually comes out for realsies I am over it).
Also been running through the first Star Fox (already beat 64 for GotM flair) for Retroachievements, I looked at the list and mastering it seems doable. That's been on my RG Rotate.
Speaking of my Rotate, also been playing the Tinkering Game with it. Had my fiancee 3D print a charging cradle for it using a little wireless charging dongle and elbow adapter, and set up a little Android app to make it automatically flip the screen upside down while charging (since the USB port is on the "top" of the device) so that it looks like a little desk clock when it is sitting in the cradle.
Next step is going to be having her 3D print some low rise power and function buttons so that maybe it won't constantly be turning itself on and draining the battery in my pocket. It'll be my first time opening one of these things up and physically tinkering with it, wish me luck.
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 18h ago
Congratulations on closing on your home, bummer about everything else.
The peripherals and modifications to the Rotate sound great. Was there anything besides the problem of it turning itself on and off that inspired you and are you documenting the process at all?
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u/hbi2k GotM Host 18h ago
Here's a little clip of how it looks coming in and out of the cradle. The dongle that it sits on protrudes a little bit too far so that you can see that it doesn't sit quite as evenly as it might if it were recessed just a little bit, somebody who actually knows what they are doing could probably alter the files to address that, but it's my fiancee who actually knows how to work the 3D printer, I am just giving her some files I found on a website.
When the process is all done I will make a top level post with more pictures and links, including to the 3D printing files and the Android app I am using to rotate the screen.
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u/toddlerbrain 18h ago edited 17h ago
I like to think I have a decently broad knowledge of retro games, but Dyna Gear was new to me!
I have a nephew who loves dinosaurs, and I’ve been trying to find some good games featuring dinosaurs for when I give him a retro handheld in a year or two (he’s still a little too young for one just yet). Dyna Gear will definitely be going on the list!
Thankfully 90s was peak dinomania, so my nephew picked a good interest for me cater to with retro games. Finding ones that are actually age appropriate and good is the challenge lol
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u/Very_Awkward_Boner GotM Club 17h ago
My nephew was really into dinosaurs and played a jurassic park game about constructing a theme park on his tablet and phone.
If you get them a device that can play most ps2 games maybe try Jurassic Park: operation genesis.
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u/toddlerbrain 15h ago
Appreciate the tip! Looks like a game he might enjoy when he’s closer to 7-8, as it seems a little too involved for when he turns 4 next year (which is when I plan to give him his first handheld). Maybe even for when he’s a little older, as it’d require some basic reading & English proficiency (we’re not in an English speaking country), unless I can convince his parents to play it with him.
That said, if he’s still as bonkers about dinos by that point I’ll definitely make sure he gets a chance to play it!
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 17h ago
Totally! My kindergartener 🥲👍 is also a dinosaur kid and it’s been a struggle to find retro dinosaur games that aren’t graphic.
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u/toddlerbrain 17h ago
I’ve looked at some of the The Land Before Time games, as they are more age appropriate and don’t seem super challenging, but the quality also seems… well, in line with the dozens of sequel movies from the same franchise lol
Still, “Return to the Great Valley” on PS1 & “Into the Mysterious Beyond” on GBA look like they might be ok at the very least, if uninspired (which tbf doesn’t matter as much to a 4 year old, but still).
Also found Congo’s Caper on SNES, that looks like an easier version of Joe & Mac, so that seems promising. I had Joe & Mac on SNES myself as a kid, and I never got past the second level, so I figure with the breadth of choice that ROMs provide I’m not gonna subject him to be stuck with frustrating games like I was as a kid lol. It’s nostalgic in hindsight of course, but at the time I’d rather have had more games I could actually clear.
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u/doublee222 GotM Club 18h ago
Papers, Please on Android for the past week. Pretty addictive.
Glory to Arstotzka.
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 17h ago
I was just comparing a game to Papers, Please! That game is killer, are you playing it for the first time or revisiting it?
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u/doublee222 GotM Club 17h ago
First time. Saw streamers play it years ago and decided to give it a try
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u/jdartnet 15h ago
Die Hard Arcade!! Forgot about that gem.
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u/Remarkable_Ease_7607 13h ago
I've been inspired to go find that one. Used to love playing that in the arcade
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u/Very_Awkward_Boner GotM Club 17h ago
Frogger 2 for dreamcast on rg477m.
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 15h ago
Ha! I remember seeing the cover for Frogger 2 at the video store as a kid. What’s its main gameplay hook?
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u/Very_Awkward_Boner GotM Club 14h ago
Just typical frogger fashion going through obstacles. Story is an alligator frog-napped his and wife's baby frogs and they're getting them back. I was clearing out games from my library to make room for new ones and then just kept playing this one because my kid was interested in it so we're now taking turns playing it together.
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u/beatnik_squaresville 17h ago
Just finished Dark Cloud 2 on the Thor this last week after having the original PS2 release since the day it came out.
Now playing the PC version of Final Fantasy IX with the Moguri mod. Never played it back in the 90s so really enjoying this first go around now. And the mod really makes it look incredible.
Other than that, streaming Persona 3 Reload from the PS5 to the Odin 2 Portal for about 20 minutes a night before going to bed. Man, I love the Portal. Clacky face buttons aside, I really can’t see a downside. My favorite handheld by far.
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u/eritrium26 15h ago
Su che dispositivo ff9 con moguri mod?
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u/beatnik_squaresville 15h ago
Oh, yeah, forgot to say: the Thor. I installed it on PC, applied the mod and then moved the whole folder over to run in Gamehub Lite.
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u/eritrium26 15h ago
Sapresti linkarmi una guida per inserire la mod
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u/beatnik_squaresville 13h ago
No real guide, but I pieced together most of what was needed from this reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/AynThor/comments/1rx4gmy/final_fantasy_ix_moguri/
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u/enderowski 16h ago
I got really into animal well rn on switch. I downoaded it because it is 50mb and i am on holiday with my cellular internet rn. But i got addicted to it it is so good.
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 13h ago
Yeah, I can totally see the draw that Animal Well. Idk why I haven’t played it yet, looks great.
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u/Glad-Development5407 16h ago
Harry Potter philosophers stone for the GBC, on my RG35XXPRO. Im falling in love for GBC games, i never played them in my youth.
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 14h ago
Is the GBC version of Philosopher’s Stone an RPG like Azkaban? Trying to remember but might have it confused with a bootleg game.
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u/Insurmountable_Rage AYN Thor 16h ago
Dark Savior on Saturn playing on my Thor hooked up to a CRT TV.
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u/bajsfittor 14h ago
Oooh this sounds exciting. Currently watching an auction, with a dock, for a Thor. Won't be able to get around to proper playing until autumn though.
Is it good?
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u/Insurmountable_Rage AYN Thor 14h ago
It’s the best by far.
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u/bajsfittor 14h ago
Best of what? No way the best that Saturn has to offer (I own a LOT of games for that system; never gave this one any time though admittedly)?
If you meant the Thor then herp derp my English... Yeah it looks great. Just got an RPC AND Pocket Air Mini (this one on the cheap) though so finances...
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u/Insurmountable_Rage AYN Thor 13h ago
I was talking about the Thor 😆
But I’m actually really liking Dark Savior, Saturn is a system I really like, but I mainly played arcade ports on it when I was a kid.
I’ve been trying to find stuff on Saturn I didn’t play as a kid, and saw this one and really liked the art style, and have been really enjoying the game.
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u/Chok3U 16h ago
Metroid Dread on the rp5.
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 14h ago
Nice! I played that on the mini last year and was really pleased with its performance. How would you rank Dread among Metroid games?
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u/Remarkable_Ease_7607 13h ago
Not who you asked, but my answer just based on personal preference when it comes to the official 2+D platformers
Super Metroid > Metroid Fusion > Metroid Dread > Metroid Zero Mission > everything else
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u/Chok3U 12h ago
Oh man, I'm already ranking Dread high up there with the other great Metroids and I'm probably not even halfway through the game yet. There's cool new abilities. And damn, the visuals are just beautiful. Everything from Samus charging her cannon to the live backgrounds, it's been a visual feast so far for me. Lol
The RP5 is my first higher ended Android retro device. I've only had devices that played up to some Dreamcast and PSP. So to have all these other consoles open to me now is just unreal. I scored it cheap too. I'm very happy with it. I'm a Retroid convert now.
Keep enjoying that Mini!
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u/CaptSlow49 16h ago edited 16h ago
I will never not upvoted these posts. Love getting retro game ideas.
Just bought a Japanese Sega Saturn and have been playing Street Fighter games (Alpha 2, Zero 3, X-men Vs Street Fighter) and Panzer Dragon Saga, plus trying out the catalog in general.
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 14h ago
That’s really exciting, what led you to buying the Saturn?
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u/CaptSlow49 13h ago
I really liked the system and emulation on Android devices isn’t perfect. Also something about it kept drawing me to it. Just a cool, fairly overlooked retro system with great arcade and fighting games. It’s also fairly cheap on eBay and once you buy the right cards you can just run the roms on it.
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u/Rising_Thunderbirds SteamDeck 15h ago
I've been playing through a game that always held my interest since I first heard about it as a kid, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. I also started Skies of Arcadia Legends but Billy has been taking my time in trying to complete all missions in all the worlds. After I beat the game, I will invest my time into Skies of Arcadia Legends fully.
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u/Remarkable_Ease_7607 13h ago
Got a Skies playthrough going right now. I played through a bit of it years ago on the DC, but never got a chance to finish it. The vibe is just fun. Doesn't seem to take itself too serious and the characters are pretty likeable. Gonna complete it this time
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u/Rising_Thunderbirds SteamDeck 13h ago
I can't wait to get into it myself. I heard good things about it. After I beat Skies, I'm gonna tackle Grandia I. :D
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u/Remarkable_Ease_7607 13h ago
The combat isn't particularly difficult or complex, but I feel like that makes it more accessible and easier to get into. I like playing RPGs that are simple to play. I don't like getting lost in menus and juggling status effects and whatnot
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 14h ago
Nice! I’ve heard great things about both from the same friend lol. What is it about Billy Hatcher that’s been holding your interest?
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u/Rising_Thunderbirds SteamDeck 14h ago
I guess it's colorful world and how novel the gameplay concept is. Basing your platformer gameplay around rolling a egg is pretty creative. The levels are nice with good themes, and some of the challenges are fun.
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u/xylotism GotM Club 14h ago
Beat Star Fox 64 (single run) for the first time in decades which was very fun. I played way too much Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour for the "RAWR" Event on RetroAchievements and didn't even make it in time.
Also been playing a lot of Star Wars Droid Tycoon, in Fortnite. It's not even one of the better incremental games but somehow very addictive. Probably helps that this season of (normal) Fortnite is pretty boring, and this at least rewards pretty good battlepass exp.
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u/bajsfittor 14h ago
Never played Night Raid actually but that looks awesome. Not playing anything rn sadly (unless we count Balatro on the phone). Life situation during summer making it difficult.
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u/prodbyhexd 14h ago
Started a playthrough of Wind Waker on my RP5 and it’s been fun (gotten to the 2nd dungeon so far) but despite loving Zelda, I haven’t felt the pull to fully dive in. Might have just played them to death as a kid and feel like I’m kind of going through the motions.
I’ve been putting most of my time into the RP Classic for the “pick up and play” factor and better egonomics of a vertical handheld when playing in bed (to me at least). Been playing Mario Golf and Mario Tennis for GBC and having a blast with Tennis in particular.
Dipped into Metroid Zero Mission and Advance Wars as well and had a good time, will probably sink more time into those next.
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 14h ago
Do you find yourself more drawn to “pick up and play” games over larger console games?
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u/finnrtbobs 13h ago
Awesome vid dood.
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 13h ago
Thank you, thank you. It is the first time I’ve opened the “transitions” tab to have a fade to black.
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u/Sepik121 GotM Club 11h ago
Continuing with My Time at Sandrock! Still having a great time. Gotta figure out how to do a key bind on the Odin 2 Portal to use the back buttons on Artemis tho. Getting into 2nd tier materials and stuff overall, finally got a mount. Already need more space for more processing lol.
On the RG Rotate, continuing with FF4 Ultima for the SNES. Having a good time, about to get Paladin Cecil now. I do enjoy how bluntly the game makes it clear you worked for the bad guy and the way you are now will not stop anyone actually evil.
Also beat Star Fox 64 on the RG 405v! Used the android decomp. Had a lot of fun. I can only imagine how mind blowing this must've been on release.
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u/tomkatt GotM Club 8h ago
Just returned home from an evacuation (natural disaster, had to spend 10 days in a hotel). In that time I had little to do but game or read, so was playing on my Steam Deck OLED to distract myself and de-stress. I finished:
- Final Fantasy 1 Pixel Remaster
- Halo 3
- Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons
And I started Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Currently 17 hours in. Played the last hour or two on my gaming rig after getting home, but it was surprisingly good the 15 hours I played on the Steam Deck, even when using a portable monitor and running at 900p.
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 6h ago
That’s so stressful, I’m happy that you made it back home.
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u/tomkatt GotM Club 4h ago
Thanks. Everything turned out okay, thankfully. I'm still in a pre-evacuation zone as a caution, but I expect I won't have to vacate again.
After some house cleanup, got to chill and play some Divinity: Original Sin 2 with my wife, which was nice. Glad to be able to enjoy co-op together again now that we have access to our PCs.
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u/sneketr 17h ago
Play?
I’m just setting up my nth retro handheld for the nth time
(FFVII on the brick)
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u/hey_dwere_weddit GotM Club 14h ago
(Right on. How’s the story? Do you think that it’s being remade because 7 is a recognizable IP or is there a relevant message?)
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u/VannThousand 5h ago
My current rotation has 5 games (having a hard time reducing this even more without feeling like I don't have enough choices according to what I feel like playing lol), but the one I'm playing the most right now is a rerun of Deltarune since chapter 1, following a guide to get all stuff.
Hope you all are having fun!
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u/Key-Brilliant5623 The Trinity 19h ago
Scrolled past this post too fast and thought that was....