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SeanOrange and Vinnk talk about the perils of interfacing 8-bit systems with current technology, how to cope with some of the technical challenges, and what alternatives exist for the modern gamer interested in the titles of the previous millennium.

Direct Link: Famicom Dojo Podcast 03: Retro HD Gaming

Complete show notes at FamicomDojo.TV:
http://famicomdojo.tv/podcast/3

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While Interplay’s Clayfighter might not have been the best fighting game of the SNES days, it was certainly the most creative and original. At the least, it’s art style put it head and shoulders above other SFII rip offs. It also had a pretty creative ad campaign, which parodied other fighting games. When a meteor made of clay lands on in a circus, the clay infects the circus employees, transforming them into strange clay creatures based on their own personalities. Among them are an Elvis impersonator, an evil snowman, an blob of clay that can change its shape, and Helga, an opera singer. The animation style is unique, and the action will keep you in stitches. A “Tournament edition” was released, which fixed many of the game’s glitches and added some new play modes. There were a number of sequels released, and a DSIware/Wiiware revival has been planned. The game is available on Virtual Console. It may not be Street Fighter, but it will keep you in stitches the whole time you play it.

While this week’s Lost Classic may not be as quirky or unique as this week’s $20GOTW (or should that be FGOTW), it’s still worth its place among the shooter genre’s classics, even if there are a couple of huge flaws. Besides, R-Type is part of the holy trinity of horizontal side-scrolling shooters (its other two members include Konami’s Gradius and Taito’s Darius), so this game deserves a mention.
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Since the alphabet is the building block of our language, the Powet Alphabet is the building block of what makes us geeks.

The sixteen bit era of video games is considered by many to be the bridge between the past and modern eras of video gaming, and there were two kings of the ring: Nintendo’s Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega’s Genesis. Though there were more powerful systems that sprang up around the time, it would be these two that would outlast and outperform all of them, thanks to their accessibility. This was due not only to the technologies that the two systems boasted under the hood, but also with the library of games that were released for the two. It also gave rise to some of those most heated fanboy wars of our hobby. If you think system wars are bad now, you should have seen how bad it was during the 16-bit days, especially when system manufacturers were openly taking pot shots at each other. However, it was pointless for fanboys of both systems to argue with each other, as both systems not only had an equally impressive library of games (even if many multiplatform releases on the Sega Genesis tended to have inferior audio and visual quality to their SNES counterparts), but they outlasted and outsold the more powerful systems that sprang up around the same period. Click below to take a look back at one of gaming’s most exciting eras.
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Welcome to Powet’s first $20 GOTW and Lost Classics of the new decade. We got two classic games that will help you get the new year started off right. Without any further ado, click below and lets get started.
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“Final Fantasy IV: The After” or “The After Years” as it will now be known, is coming to the Wii. What is this game? Final Fantasy IV: The After – Return to the Moon is a direct sequel to Final Fantasy IV, the greatest game ever made, which was previously available only to Japanese cell phone users. Many North American fans have been wanting to get this game, but unable to even imagine a mechanism by which we might get it, but Siloconera has done a bit of sleuthing and found an ESRB entry for the game stating it will be released on the Wii by Square Enix.

Not much else is known about the North American release of this game. Will it be it’s own title, a Wii Ware game or on the Virtual Console? Any of those could fit so far as I can figure, but I’m just extremely glad that we’ll actually be getting this game. The cell phone game was released in monthly installments, though it’s too early to tell if we will be getting this game all in one shot or in similar pieces.

A quick look at this game’s graphics show it to be nearly identical looking to it’s 1991 predecessor. The story follows the events of the original game by some 17 years with many character having aged, being descendants of original characters, or being secondary characters we’re getting more of a showcase on. For example we have characters like Palom and Porom all grown up, Cecil’s son, and even character’s like Luca, the daughter of King Giot.

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A step that has not only been high on the wish lists of not only Konami fans, but oldschool NES fans in general, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse was released today for the Wii’s Virtual Console for the low purchasing price of $5 US.

Favored in the series for its early take on RPG elements and a vast array of stages and a varied cast of playable characters to be unlocked beyond top-class Belmont whip-toting compliments of Trevor Belmont, Dracula’s Curse has not only been desired for a VC release, but also has been highly demanded by fans to be the next installment in the “Chronicles” sub-series. At the very least, now we have the 1st part of that request. Here’s hoping the 2nd will be in the near future. For now, we have one more installment of classic Castlevania NES goodness to tide us over. REJOICE!