Playing old games and finding information on old games

elvis · 10th August 2010, 11:54 AM

Plenty of threads have comments in them like "how do I play these old games on my current systems". Hopefully we can build a good resource thread and get it stickied for people who want to play old games on new systems.

The usual rules apply: no linking to unlicensed or copyright software. Due to the nature of retro gaming, this thread will invariably cover emulation. But please, keep discussion limited to the emulators themselves.

Obviously for a great deal of old games, you can simply head to eBay or similar online auction places and just buy the kit. This is highly recommended, as emulation is never quite 100%, and nuances of the old hardware is often lost. Likewise many consoles allow backward compatibility - you can play most PS1 games on PS2 and PS3, you can play Gamecube games on Wii, and Microsoft have enabled quite a few XBox games to run on the XBox 360. Lets not forget the older generation either, such as the Atari 7800's ability to play Atari 2600 games, or the Megadrive's "Powerbase Converter" to play Master System games.

And of course, many developers are now supporting commercial emulation of old games through services like PSN, XBLA and Wii Virtual Console. GoG sell older, DRM-free games at excellent prices.

However some hardware is extremely difficult to find in working condition, and particularly for PCs, old software doesn't always run well on new systems. So here's a starter list for folks who are having problems playing some of their old favourite games:

DOSBox. Runs on tonnes of platforms, and combined with FreeDOS enables the use of old DOS software on newer platforms. Comes complete with emulation for old ISA sound cards with low IRQs (including SB16 and GUS).

SCUMMVM. SCUMM = Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion. Originally designed by the Manic Mansion team for reuse on all their point-and-click adventure games (many of the old LucasArts games, as well as folks who licensed the engine), this is an open source rewrite of SCUMM which can run on modern systems. It also comes with various sound card emulation, as well as popular graphics scaling algorithms if you don't like blocky graphics.

MAME. Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. The name should give it away - it allows emulating arcade games. It consists of a core framework, with thousands of "drivers" for multiple combinations of arcade hardware and games. Windows users should check out MAME UI. Ubuntu users go here. Mac users go here.

MESS. While MAME concentrates on arcade games, MESS is designed to emulate home consoles and computers. Like MAME, it uses a centralised framework with drivers for different hardware. It's not quite as mature, and a little difficult to drive, but the project is progressing well. For certain systems you're probably better off with hardware-specific emulators, but MESS's huge list of hardware does make it a good option if you're looking for something particularly obscure. MESS was the only emulator I could find to run my old Sega SC-3000 tapes!

For popular consoles, The Emulator Zone is a pretty good resource.

There are a number of sites dedicated to providing information (screenshots, developer info, etc) on old games. Some good ones are:

MAWS: Using the various MAME and related projects, MAWS builds an automated repository out of all the arcade game information stored in the software.

KLOV. Killer List Of Videogames. Arcade focussed.

TAFA. The Arcade Flyer Archive.

Lemon Amiga. Brilliant Amiga games resource.

Moby Games. Massive multi-system gaming database.

Hardcore Gaming 101. Must-read for oldschool gaming enthusiasts.

RacketBoy. Excellent source of information on games, both popular and obscure.

Shmups. Pew pew pew!

Mean Machines Archive. PDF scans of my favourite gaming mag ever. (Although my wife bought me the ones I was missing lately, and I have the whole set original. Cool!)

Retro Gamer Magazine. A must-subscribe for oldschool gamers. Back issues are available on disc.

Old Computers. Guess.

System16. Arcade hardware and games documentation.

power · 10th August 2010, 11:58 AM

Amiga Forever takes alot of the pain out of Amiga's for novice users and has heaps of content.

Quote:

Amiga Forever Features

All editions of Amiga Forever include everything you need to run different emulation engines, operating system versions, games and demoscene productions in simple one-click steps.

The Value Edition is a compact download for Windows, and includes version 1.3 of the Amiga operating system, which will run the majority (more than 70%) of classic Amiga games and applications. 50 games are included.

The Plus Edition includes a complete set of ROM and operating system versions (all from 0.7 to 3.X), a wider selection of preinstalled games and demoscene productions, a gallery of items of historical interest, and additional cross-platform content. More than 100 games are included.

Both the Value Edition and the Plus Edition open the doors to thousands of additional Amiga games and demos which are available for free download from software publishers and Amiga history sites alike. Furthermore, the Premium Edition bundles the Plus Edition content with two video DVDs.

flugle · 11th August 2010, 10:21 AM

Here are some more excellent sites, each covering their respective system

Atari - www.atariage.com The premier Atari resource on the net

Atari History - http://www.atarimuseum.com/ Superb site with plenty of information

Nintendo Age - www.nintendoage.com The best NES resource I've found

Sega 16 - www.sega-16.com An excellent Megadrive/MegaCD/32x site

DeusCore · 11th August 2010, 11:07 AM

Elvis.. Dear sir, will you be providing us with a How to on Arcade Cab building? Please share your knowledge with us....

elvis · 11th August 2010, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeusCore

Elvis.. Dear sir, will you be providing us with a How to on Arcade Cab building? Please share your knowledge with us....

http://benchmark.mameworld.info/cab1/

http://stickfreaks.com/cocktailcab.php

http://arcadecontrols.com/ <== check out the "Examples" page, and their attached forums.

10th August 2010, 11:54 AM	#1
elvis Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Brisbane Posts: 19,937	Playing old games and finding information on old games Plenty of threads have comments in them like "how do I play these old games on my current systems". Hopefully we can build a good resource thread and get it stickied for people who want to play old games on new systems. The usual rules apply: no linking to unlicensed or copyright software. Due to the nature of retro gaming, this thread will invariably cover emulation. But please, keep discussion limited to the emulators themselves. Obviously for a great deal of old games, you can simply head to eBay or similar online auction places and just buy the kit. This is highly recommended, as emulation is never quite 100%, and nuances of the old hardware is often lost. Likewise many consoles allow backward compatibility - you can play most PS1 games on PS2 and PS3, you can play Gamecube games on Wii, and Microsoft have enabled quite a few XBox games to run on the XBox 360. Lets not forget the older generation either, such as the Atari 7800's ability to play Atari 2600 games, or the Megadrive's "Powerbase Converter" to play Master System games. And of course, many developers are now supporting commercial emulation of old games through services like PSN, XBLA and Wii Virtual Console. GoG sell older, DRM-free games at excellent prices. However some hardware is extremely difficult to find in working condition, and particularly for PCs, old software doesn't always run well on new systems. So here's a starter list for folks who are having problems playing some of their old favourite games: DOSBox. Runs on tonnes of platforms, and combined with FreeDOS enables the use of old DOS software on newer platforms. Comes complete with emulation for old ISA sound cards with low IRQs (including SB16 and GUS). SCUMMVM. SCUMM = Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion. Originally designed by the Manic Mansion team for reuse on all their point-and-click adventure games (many of the old LucasArts games, as well as folks who licensed the engine), this is an open source rewrite of SCUMM which can run on modern systems. It also comes with various sound card emulation, as well as popular graphics scaling algorithms if you don't like blocky graphics. MAME. Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. The name should give it away - it allows emulating arcade games. It consists of a core framework, with thousands of "drivers" for multiple combinations of arcade hardware and games. Windows users should check out MAME UI. Ubuntu users go here. Mac users go here. MESS. While MAME concentrates on arcade games, MESS is designed to emulate home consoles and computers. Like MAME, it uses a centralised framework with drivers for different hardware. It's not quite as mature, and a little difficult to drive, but the project is progressing well. For certain systems you're probably better off with hardware-specific emulators, but MESS's huge list of hardware does make it a good option if you're looking for something particularly obscure. MESS was the only emulator I could find to run my old Sega SC-3000 tapes! For popular consoles, The Emulator Zone is a pretty good resource. There are a number of sites dedicated to providing information (screenshots, developer info, etc) on old games. Some good ones are: MAWS: Using the various MAME and related projects, MAWS builds an automated repository out of all the arcade game information stored in the software. KLOV. Killer List Of Videogames. Arcade focussed. TAFA. The Arcade Flyer Archive. Lemon Amiga. Brilliant Amiga games resource. Moby Games. Massive multi-system gaming database. Hardcore Gaming 101. Must-read for oldschool gaming enthusiasts. RacketBoy. Excellent source of information on games, both popular and obscure. Shmups. Pew pew pew! Mean Machines Archive. PDF scans of my favourite gaming mag ever. (Although my wife bought me the ones I was missing lately, and I have the whole set original. Cool!) Retro Gamer Magazine. A must-subscribe for oldschool gamers. Back issues are available on disc. Old Computers. Guess. System16. Arcade hardware and games documentation. __________________ Child's Play Charity Last edited by elvis; 11th August 2010 at 10:46 AM.

11th August 2010, 11:07 AM	#4
DeusCore Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Posts: 209	Elvis.. Dear sir, will you be providing us with a How to on Arcade Cab building? Please share your knowledge with us.... __________________ Game Consoles XBOX 360 XBOX Playstation 2 Sega Dreamcast Nintendo NES (Toaster Ed.) Nintendo NES in Box Super Nintendo Currently Playing COD MW3, BF3, Saints Row 3, Batman Arkham City, LA Noire, MASS Effect 2 and PAYDAY: The Heist

11th August 2010, 10:21 AM	#3
flugle Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Newcastle, NSW Posts: 795	Here are some more excellent sites, each covering their respective system Atari - www.atariage.com The premier Atari resource on the net Atari History - http://www.atarimuseum.com/ Superb site with plenty of information Nintendo Age - www.nintendoage.com The best NES resource I've found Sega 16 - www.sega-16.com An excellent Megadrive/MegaCD/32x site