Just another Famiclone...

I don't read this board all the time, so I don't know if this hjas been talked about here, so pardon me if it has.

Peep this:

The Messiah Generation NEX

It's a new legal Famicom/NES clone from a company called Messiah Entertainment who you may have heard of because of the ultra-cool 2.4Ghz wireless pads they released last year for the NES and SNES (wireless is cool, but what's really nice about their controllers is that they have a clicky thumbstick like the NGPC instead of the usual d-pad).



As you can see in the picture of the system, there's two slots, one on the front for NES games and one on the top for Famicom games. It also has built in support for Messiah's wireless controllers, though the controller the system comes with is wired, so if you want wireless you'd have to buy one or two controllers from them on top of the $60 for the unit. Hopefully they'll put out a set that has all that stuff together for a slightly lower price.

http://www.playmessiah.com/onlinestore/index.htm

I know we've talked about Famiclones here before and some of you guys are big haters, but this system is so obviously well-made and high-class that I can't believe anyone would have a problem with it (though the NeoFamis and other clones from GameTech that have been mentioned seem pretty well made to me, too). I assume this system uses the standard NES-on-a-chip architecture, so that means it will have the regular audio problems that NES purists complain about in the clones. Still too damn cool, though.

I've been wondering how long it'd be until someone made an NES-oriented Famiclone what with this new wave of legal clone coming out and the simultaneous wave of retro systems. I wonder how well it'll do. The rumor (which actually originates from someone who's been working on the project) is that the next model of the Atari Flashback will have some sort of cartridge port, though it'll probably be for SD cards or something like that rather than actual 2600 carts. Hopefully it'll still look as cool as the new Flashback 2.0 (in the upper left of this picture).



Sounds like a trend to me. Can't wait to see what's next.


...word is bondage...

 

I was just looking at that, the NEX. I may buy one, along with the LE controller sets.

 

I'd be seriously interested in all of these. The NES just screams "classy and stylish retro". I'd love it if the Flashback2 had any 7800 and 5200 games, though. Or optional Paddles.

Let's hope the guys who make the C64- on a stick thing also release an updated clone of sorts. Or an MSX or MegaDrive thing, that would rock so much I'm actually dizzy just imagining it.

 

Definitley one of the nicer clones I've ever seen.

Yeah, I thought about picking up one of those Atari flashback things, but it's still too expensive to be worth it ($50, yeah, ok.) My thing is the games are so small, like 4-16k, that they should be able to pack in way more than 20 games and make it affordable. But one with a cart slot I would definitely pick up. I'd problably get 2, one to play and one to make my own Heckdom portable out of.

 

That thing looks absolutely amazing. It would definately do away with the flashing blue screen problems on a real NES with that front loading slot for the NES games, and a combination Famicom/NES unit is just too good to pass up. And that controller looks absolutely amazing, I'd love to have a wired version of that.

Did anyone else notice the claim that there would be rumble support for classic games? I wonder how they'd pull this off?

 

Like most everyone else has already said, the look of the console is great. I wish Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo would go back to making consoles that looked like consoles instead of DVD players or Media devices. In terms of design, I think the PS2 was a huge step down from the PSX. Nintendo's systems have always appealed to me, but I'm not to sure about the revolution. I thought the XBOX looked great because it had more of a classic console look to it, but the XBOX360 is just plain ugly. Personally I think the NEX looks much better than XBOX360, PS3, or Revolution.

 

AW is right.

Today's consoles look like generic appliances, and that design lacks personality. I think the last great console design was the Dreamcast, although the Gamecube has a lot of charm design-wise.

Call me crazy, but I myself love the design of the Atari 7800 and the Colecovision - in a boxy-80s kind of way.

 

You're crazy

*on the colecovision*

 

That NES looks cool. Anyway, do you think this Atari Flashback is worth it?



Atari (doh!) released it down here for 190 Reais (78 dollars).

It has 20 games
- Atari 2600 games (Adventure, Air-Sea Battle, Battlezone, Breakout, Canyon Bomber, Crystal Castles, Gravitar, Haunted House, Millipede, Sky Diver, Solaris, Sprintmaster, Warlords e Yars’ Revenge),
- Atari 7800 (Asteroids, Centipede, Desert Falcon, Charley Chuck’s Food Fight e Planet Smashers)
- New game, Saboteur, made exclusively for the FlashBack.

I remember i liked that small Namco flashback joystick that came with Dig Dug and Pole Position. Was it expensive?

 

I know. I just find it so pretty. The same for the woodgrain Intellivision - though the Intellivoice could have been made a bit more aesthetically compliant.

Still, my all time favourite is the Dreamcast.

I've heard mixed reviews on Flashback model 1. It's cool if you like the games, and it looks like it's going to be the only option if you want 7800... but the build is pretty chip and it's really a NES-On a chip more than Atari Hardware. The games are "reproductions" of the originals.

I'd get one for like 20 dollars if I could find it in Mexico, but I think it retailed for more than that.

 

The rumble feature on the NEX probably works like the NGPC or Gameboy Shock'n'Rock, i.e. certain sound frequencies trigger rumble. It's pretty lame. I can't think of any other way that they could do it. Unless they're somehow able to detect sprite collisions and trigger the rible that way. It might be possible if they created a whole new NES architecture with that feature in mind, but not with the NES-on-a-chip. I expect it'll be triggered by audio.

And Johnny, $78 for a Flashback 1.0 is ridiculous. They're selling in the U.S. for like $20 these days and the original retail price was "only" $45, I think. Even at $20, I wouldn't really recommend getting one, the games are ports as XerdoPwerko mentioned and not particularly good ports.

Wait for the Flashback 2.0 which will be released in the U.S. this summer. It's going to be about $25-30 and will feature twice as many games, including some unreleased prototypes and excellent homebrews. Plus, it uses real Atari 2600 architecture, accepts all 2600 controllers (including paddles, Xerdo) and will even have solder traces internally for adding a cartridge port. The only thing better about the original was the 7800 games, but since they were bad ports anyway, that should hardly be considered a selling point. The 2.0 is also a little bigger, but it has a much nicer design, in my opinion.

The Namco joysticks (and all of the other ones from Jakks Pacific) can be got for pretty cheap in the U.S., especially on eBay where they can often be picked up for under $10 including shipping.

Speaking of Jakks Pacific, I should also mention in relation to this thread that they're planning on putting cartridge ports into their new systems and selling cartridges called GameKeys that will have all new games and also some games from their older joysticks. I had read an article about the Star Wars pad they released recently that said it would be the first to feature the GameKey slot, so I went out and got one, but was dissappointed to see that it doesn't have the slot (oh well, it's got a couple cool games on it and I got it for hella damn cheap anyway). I hope Jakks hasn't ditched the idea completely as it sounds way cool to me.

I also picked up the Space Invaders joystick from Majesco and I'm really happy with that one. It's very very solidly made and the games are pretty decent ports (I'm still not sure what architecture the Space Invaders and Tetris systems from Majesco use). Phoenix, Qix and Colony 7 (as well as Lunar Rescue and of course Space Invaders) make it a great collection of games, too.

The Commodore DTV stick will be my next purchase. Iit's got a real nice collection of games and all the easter eggs make it sound way too cool. I doubt I'll hack the system for disk drive and keyboard support, though, since I sold all my C64 stuff a couple years ago anyway. I would still love it if they released one with a C64 cartridge port, though.

Yee-haw! It's retro-gaming madness!


...word is bondage...

 

So sad that there's yet to be a Coleco version of these portable systems. It'd be a legal bitch to get Donkey Kong, though, but there were other quite cool games. That would be SO cool to play, with the original wrist-killing controllers and all.

And the Intellivision ones (http://www.intellivisionlives.com/retrotopia/direct2tv.shtml) are pretty lame, also NES-on-a-chip with the cheap 90's style controllers and all. Pretty disappointing if you ask me. Come on, the Inty was MUCH more stylish than that!

 

Yeah, those TV games by Jakks Pacific are pretty cool. I have Namco Vol I and II (Pacman, Rally X, Bosconian, Galaxian, Dig Dug, and Mrs. Pacman, Galaga, Pole Position, Mappyland, and Xevious) and they're pretty dope. Next one I'm gonna get is the Konami one with Yi ar Kung fu and Time pilot (which is the best game ever made, period.)

SEVENTY EIGHT DOLLARS! GOOD GOD NO! Just went to best buy today and saw the Atari Flashback for under $20. 78$ for twenty 2k games that came out over 25 years ago? Fuck that. Yeah, I like Atari, but damn...

 

Seriously. I've seen the Atari Flashback for under $20 easy, even at local stores where I live. Don't get ripped off.

 

I found the Ms. Pac-Man set packaged at a local Goodwill for something like $9; awesome price for an awesome product.

Has anyone here purchased the Street Fighter controller set that is available (running SFII:CE, I believe)? How is it?

 

I'll buy a NEX. The ability to use original NES peripherals is the biggest draw for me there, as my Neo Fami doesn't offer that.

 

I've heard that it runs the megadrive version. I'm quite interested in those Megadrive classic ones (that have Sonic and whatnot), but they should have a little bigger selection to be worth the 40 dollars.

Oh, and it has a hidden "Ghouls and Ghosts", too. I mean, I find it quite cool, but if it's 40 dollars in the States, I don't think I'll be seeing one down here very soon.
I also don't know if the megadrive version is as good as the Super Famicom version of SFII Champion Edition

 

I knew it was expensive but not that much. Anyway, expensive as usual...

Probably will wait for this one.

Really? Damn, need to get my paypal account back on !!! Anyway, they are good right (build quality, games emulation,...) ?

 

I was planning on getting that Konami one, too. It sounded like a right ice lot of games. Time Pilot is indeed a killer, as are Gyruss, Frogger and Rush'n Attack (Yi-Ar Kung Fu and Scramble are pretty shitty, though). However, I've read a number of reviews that totally and mercilessly trash the system. The main gripe is the build quality, everyone says that the system feels like cheap plastic crap, the joystick is totally stiff and unresponsive and the buttons feel weak. Also, since this system uses NES architecture, Time Pilot, Frogger and I think also Scramble must be new ports and I wouldn't be too optimistic about their quality given the general quality of the system (Gyruss was always good on the NES, though). I think I might still pick up the system I ever see it for $5-8, but any more than that I can't see spending on it.

The Jakks and Radica systems, on the other hand seem to be very well made. I don't have any of the Namco systems from Jakks (there's actually four now, the two original ones that Hawanja mentioned, plus redesigned smaller version of the Pac-man one and a really nice looking wireless version of the Ms. Pac-man one that has Bosconian and Rally-X on it, too), but their systems that I do have seem quite well made. And the Radica systems, which includes the Genesis ones and the Street Fighter 2: SCE, are very very well made; I've been really impressed with them.


...word is bondage...

 

In my opinion, the Genesis versions of the various Street Fighter games outdo their SNES counterparts. While the SNES versions do have brighter graphics and better sound (which isn't saying much), the Genesis version seems to have a lot less skipped frames, and definately feels a lot smoother, at least to me.

And I had heard of the Ghouls And Ghosts - definately a nice extra, for sure. Though paying $35 for essentially 2 Genesis games IS a bit much, I agree.